We just finished the final workout of P90X Week 10 and I think this may have been the most intense week of physical exercise that I’ve ever had in my life. Not only did we complete 5 P90X workouts (we don’t do Kenpo anymore in favor of a long run), I ran a 6 mile steep hill run on Tuesday, a 6.2 mile rolling hill run on Thursday, and a 13.1 mile rolling hill run on Saturday, for a total of 25.3 miles of HILLS! I had some great moments this week, but there is definitely one that stands out the most – I did an unassisted pull-up!!!
Pull-Up Queen
During an earlier post written on the benefits of pull-ups, I mentioned that I hadn’t done one since elementary school. Well, that all changed this afternoon! Last week during P90X Legs and Back workout I was finally able to do a chin-up (hands facing inward, using more bicep than back). Today, not only did I do TWO chin-ups (not back to back), I finally performed an unassisted pull-up!!!
Other Gains
I also saw some great results during Ab Ripper X this week. I was able to complete all 339 (or whatever) moves during Week 9, but in Week 10 I completed all the advanced versions of the moves (ie arms up during in&outs & bicycles, cross-legged sit ups, no holds during leg climb, bonus 10 mason twists, etc). However, there are days that I don’t feel 100% and I don’t complete all of the moves (like today since it’s particularly difficult to do Ab Ripper to completion after a difficult session of Legs and Back).
Overall, this was the most challenging but also the most rewarding week of the program. I’m still hovering at about a 10 pound weight loss and I’m ok with that. The fact that I am gaining strength tells me that my body fat percentage is going down despite little movement on the scale this week.
A Celebration
We finished off this difficult week with a fabulous meal last night in honor of Mike and my 1 year “official” anniversary. We have recently moved to a new area of San Diego and haven’t had a chance to try a lot of the restaurants near our house because most can’t accommodate our dietary needs when following the P90X nutrition plan. We pass by several restaurants each week during one of our walks and I stare longingly inside. We used Yelp as a guide and picked out the most highly rated Italian restaurant on the block and treated ourselves to a bottle of wine, plenty of bread, an appetizer and an amazing pasta dish. Everything tasted like heaven and it was well deserved after a very long and difficult week.
CONGRATULATIONS! What a week! An anniversary and Pull-ups! Two MAJOR accomplishments! I feel like we are seriously in the same boat… I just celebrated my 1 year in February and finally was able to do pullups/chin ups these past few months as well! If only my injuries weren’t keeping me from running like you do! You’re a rock-star!