P90X Round 2 Progress

We are 9 days into P90X Round 2! I honestly already feel
100% better. Well, maybe not 100% because I don’t think I’m back at my strength
levels that I achieved at the end of Round 1 (last day was April 24 so we had 7
weeks in between), but I definitely feel stronger in only one week. during the
7 weeks in between finishing P90X and starting it again, we ran a marathon. I
also incorporated several P90X workouts into my weekly routine, but never
completed all five workouts (we never do Kenpo). We didn’t even do Yoga once!
Yoga was the one workout that I really wanted to keep up with during marathon
training since core strength and flexibility are both very important to
running. However, the workouts we ended up doing the most were the upper body strengthening
workouts to maintain our strength in these areas. Overall though, we weren’t
dedicated to the program, and I definitely saw muscle definition loss and
weight gain. Additionally, we were derailed from our workouts for a solid two
and half weeks due to illness and taper/recovery for the marathon.

So despite the fact that we’re training for a sprint triathlon
(my first) and a half marathon, Mike and I decided to start P90X over from
scratch and really dedicate ourselves to the workouts and the nutrition plan,
starting last Monday, June 13. I jump started my weight loss with the
Shakeology Cleanse, and then starting Wednesday I moved back to one
carbohydrate/day in the Phase 1 diet. The weekend, however, was a little shaky
nutrition wise, although overall we didn’t splurge on any one thing. We just
made a few exceptions here and there.

Here are my observations on each of the workouts, for the
second time:

Yoga X

We are doing things a bit out of order this time. We have
Yoga X scheduled for the first day of the week (Monday), because it works out
better with our triathlon and half marathon training schedule. Last Monday we
did this workout for the first time in seven weeks and believe me, we could
tell!! Within fifteen minutes I was sweating and my legs were aching within
twenty. I wanted to start off P90X well so I really got deep in my warrior positions
and did all the push-ups in between the flows, as usual. I was able to hold
Crow for quite a while but Wheel was much more difficult. I couldn’t hold it
for the entire minute like I used to be able to do. Yoga Belly 7 was really
hard and of course, the Warrior 3 sequence seemed impossible. However, by the
end I felt refreshed, stretched and wonderful. We were both in a better mood.

Chest and Back

Wow! Although we did this workout sometimes during our time
off, coming back to this workout was hard. Push-ups and pull-ups are really not
a half-ass exercise. You either do them or you don’t, unlike bicep curls or
tricep extensions where you can lower or raise your weight to achieve your
desired level of comfort. I was happy to report that the first week I was still
able to do 23 push-ups and the second week I was able to do 25. As for
pull-ups, I couldn’t do any during Week 1 of this workout (but I did do one
during Chest and Back the 2^nd time we did it). Chest and Back has always
been a hard one for pull-ups, mostly because the push-ups use many of the same
muscles and they  are exhausted by the
time you get around to the chin-up (first round of pull-ups are wide grip which
I’ve never been able to do anyway). The consensus between Mike and I at the end
of this workout was that we had forgotten how much it kicks your butt!

Plyometrics

Tony isn’t joking when he says this is the “mother” of all
workouts. I would equate our endurance and the perceived intensity of this
workout to how it felt during about week 9 – we definitely are in better shape
than Week 1 of Round 1 (when I got nauseous and had to modify moves!), but we’re
not where we were at Week 12. However, overall we felt pretty good and we were
able to get through the entire workout.
Mike was literally dripping in sweat by the end – his shirt and shorts
were so drenched that water was falling to the ground in a puddle underneath
him by the end.

Shoulders and Arms

This workout was hard, but definitely the easiest of all
five, just as I remember. However, I definitely lost some of my strength. By
the end of P90X Round 1 I was curling 15s throughout the entire workout and now
I curl mostly 12s with a few sets of 15s, but not many. I use 10s for the
shoulder moves and 8s for the triceps. I know I took a little step back in arm
and shoulder strength, but know it’ll come back quickly. We weren’t able to
beat Tony with over 25 Side Tri Rises either, but I got in nearly 20 so I felt
good about that.

Legs and Back

Ah Legs and Back. I may call this the step-mother of all
workouts because it is definitely the most pain-inducing other than
Plyometrics. The wall squats were torturous (granted I did this workout after
my practice triathlon that morning so I’m sure I wasn’t at 100%). I was pleased
that I was still able to do six unassisted pull-ups which is the most I could
do at the end of P90X Round 1 as well (I can do 1 chin up, 1 pull-up and one
close grip pull-up at the beginning of each of these sets. I still can’t do
more than one in a row). I decided to use 8 lb weights instead of the 10 lb
weights that I was using at the end of the first round, mostly because I knew
that I had a 7 mile training run the next morning. However, it didn’t really
matter because I was unbelievably sore the next day. I was actually sore by
that evening! My glutes were by the far most sore (mike’s too) – literally sore
to the touch! What a workout!

Ab Ripper X

Ab Ripper really showed us how much we have atrophied from
our P90X heyday. By the end of our first round I was able to complete every
single move with great form, always choosing the advanced version (i.e. arms up
during In and Outs and Bicycles, crossed legs for Cross Leg/Wide Leg Sit Ups,
no touches for Leg Climbers, and all 50 Mason Twists, including the bonus).
However, I found that this week it was much more difficult to get through this workout.
I had to stop during Bicycles and Crunchy Frog (always been a hard one for me),
although I did keep my arms up for most of these. I was able to do crossed legs
and no touches for Cross Leg/Wide Leg Sit Ups and Leg Climbers, respectively,
but couldn’t pull out the Mason Twists! The first time my stomach was literally
burning. I got through the first 40 Mason Twists after Legs and Back but had to
break for a second before getting to the bonus round.

Body Changes From Day 0 to Present (Day 9)

I do have to say that I’m already seeing positive changes in
my body in just nine short days. The Shakeology Cleanse really helped with
that, but I’ve also noticed more definition in my arms and stomach. The day
after the cleanse was over I gained back 1 lb (to be expected considering my
stomach was so empty before) from my 5.8 lb weight loss, but this morning I was
back down to a total of 6 lbs lost in nine days. I’m hoping to lose an
additional four to five pounds. I told myself that I will reward myself with a
new pair of designer jeans when I hit my weight goal. So far I’ve had to
purchase new jeans but I didn’t want to splurge until I knew I was finished
losing (or wouldn’t gain it back) so I bought some cheap pairs.

In sum, P90X is HARD. I forgot that during my little break
and now that I’m back at it, I’m feeling strong, energetic and excited to take
on the next challenges! Bring it!