P90X Grouop to Finish the Year Strong

That's two already. Who else is out there starting this week or soon?

Day 1 - Chest and Back, ARX

The first day of the round always kicks my butt. I took a full week off last week when my P90X/TurboFire Hybrid came to an end. It felt good, but I was itching to get back to the workouts. I lost42 pounds so far and only think I need to lose tn or so more. I would like to concentrate more on strength gains this round. I started that change by pulling out the push up bars I've had for a while. They did add some extra work to my pushups. Between the bars and the few weeks since my last workout of Chest and Back, my reps did go down a little bit. Pull ups didn't suffer as much. I still need the chair after the first few reps. That is one thing I really want to change this round.

A full two weeks off of Ab Ripper X had some effect. Mason Twists turned out to be my challenge this time. I think I may have consumed too much water during my workout as I thought I could hear and feel the water sloshing around in my empty stomach.

I need to get back on track food-wise. I still have leftovers from Thanksgiving to eat. Tonight is Asian Turkey Noodle Soup. That should knock the left over pile down a bit. Plus, warm soup feels good now that we are getting pretty chilly here in Houston. It was 37 degrees this morning when I woke up.

Now you have a thread here and other people to keep you motivated.

mbody1 - Nice to see you join the group. Make sure you post when your workou t is done. If you have any problems or successes, let us know. You'll get the help you need. Are you doing the Lean or Classic version?

Day 2 - Plyometrics

Since I previously did a P90X/TurboFire hybrid, it had been about seven weeks since I last did a Plyo workout. It taught me a lesson about leaving it for so long. My heart rate was up there a lot and my watch kept beeping to let me know I was exceeding my max. I actually had to hit pause a couple times to catch my breath and get my heart rate down. I always set my goal for Jump Knee Tuck. After that set, I feel the workout gets just a bit easier. I got a 999 calorie burn this morning.

I hit my target weight, but would like to lose another 10 pounds or so. I've adjusted my calories to a 250-500 calorie deficit. I'm hoping that keeping a lower deficit will allow me to make some strength gains this round. It's hard to build muscle and lose weight at the same time due to a calorie deficit. I just have to make sure I'm eating the right food. I will mix in doubles, but probably not as many as last round.

mbody - Adding a few 30DS workouts as a double would be a fine idea. I plan on using TurboFire as my doubles, but 30DS would be fine. I would do them later in the day, after your resistance workouts. Doing them back to back would be tough. I would definitely do your P90X workout first. I used to pause Ab Ripper all the time.

Sure, you can get away with doing P90X, or any other exercise program with just the basics. However, there are a few tools that I think are essential to success. I know they were for me.

Heart Rate Monitor – This is very important in my eyes. A good heart rate monitor gives you an accurate picture of the calories you are burning through exercise. They can vary in cost and honestly, the cheaper models are just not worth it. There is a Timex Ironman available for about $60 that is the minimum that I would go with. I use a Polar FT7 myself and love it. The chest strap is comfortable. It even works well for women. You enter all of your stats and it will use them, along with your heart rate to determine the calories you burned in your workout. It also beeps to let you know when you exceed our maximum heart rate. It is fine to do so in short burst, but it is a good sign to pause for a minute.

You can enter your calorie burn into myfitnesspal and it will adjust your calories accordingly. This keeps you from over or under eating. My Polar unit also stores each workout, so you can go back to previous ones and see how they compare.

P90X Excel Spreadsheet – You can find this file at the bottom of the Workout Sheets Page under the Get Fit tab at the Team Beachbody site. You can setup the worksheet with your stats and goals. It works with both the P90X Classic and Lean Programs. It will automatically schedule your workouts. You enter your heart rate information to track it. I added two columns to mine; One for Calories Burned and one for Weekly Totals. Having that record in a form you can see is very helpful.

P90X Work Sheets – You probably already have these. But, I cannot understate how important they are. By writing your weights and reps down, you know what to do next time. Make notes on how you feel too, especially if one move was particularly tough or easy. I use an up or down arrow to indicate if I should raise or lower my weights the next time.

Day 3 - Shoulders and Arms, ARX

Shoulders and Arms has always been my favorite workout of the program. I can do all of the exercises without a problem. I don't need a chair like would with pull ups, I don't lose my balance like in yoga and I don't pass out like in Plyo. It's a simple workout that really is effective for your arms. The only moves I dislike at the Flip Grip Tricep Kickbacks and Crouching Cohen Curls. The flip grip thing just feels awkward to me and I want a mirror so I can see what my arms are doing to make sure they aren't moving. I do Crouching Curls against a wall and that helps a lot with body sway. I just don't find it to be a comfortable move.

For those of you tackling it for the first time, worry more about form rather than your weights. Use a lighter weight and get the form nailed down, then step up the next week with the heavier weights. Avoid swinging your body in curls. It is easy to do and will take away the work from your arms.



alpha2omega - Welcome aboard!