P90X Grads? Time for a "Master's" Degree

I can't believe I'm saying this, but we are P90X grads! The ride was unbelievable, and I'm sure I will have more insight as I reflect upon this journey further. The results are staggering in 90 days of bringing it EVERY DAY:

• 30 lbs. lost (Starting weight, 245lbs, current weight, 215)
• 6.5 inches gone from the waistline, (Size 41 to 34.5)
• More stamina in all aspects of athletics
• Knee pain completely gone
• Healthier eating habits
• Lifestyle change for the better in all aspects of general fitness
• More positive outlook on life in general 

As with any achievement, this was hard work! It was not easy to get up early (or in some cases, stay up late to work out) and BRING it every day, but somehow we did. The journey has been incredible and rewarding despite the struggle. The best news is that this has only motivated us to keep going. We are not going to have some big dinner party where we put all of the garbage back in our bodies - quite the contrary. We plan on cycling back to phase one of P90x and pushing play for another 90 days straight. This time, I expect the results to be just as staggering because we will push ourselves even further this time around.

Also, this blog will continue. Even if it helps one of my friends, family, or even a complete stranger change their lives for the better, then it has done its job. The worst thing you can do in terms of reaching your personal fitness goals is nothing. I know I am still far from my goals, but I am so much further than where I was 90 days ago. When I reach that goal, I'll set a new one so I can always push myself.

I want to thank my beautiful wife, Michelle, for taking this journey with me. She has been an inspiration for me each and every day, and her results are equally impressive. I'll spare the details in order to keep my home happy! She appreciates everyone's support just as much as I do, however.

More will definitely come, including pictures, but I wanted to check in since I haven't posted in awhile and let everyone know that WE MADE IT! Round 2, Let's GO!

Still Bringing It: My Tools for Success

Sometimes, when you begin a journey, knowing where you ultimately want to go, you will find that the fun really lies in the twists and turns you take along the way. One example would be our recent trip to Santa Barbara. There, my wife Michelle discovered that running could be fun, and I discovered that you don't have to eat overly caloric, heavy food in order to have a good vacation. This type of self-discovery is what really makes getting into the best shape of our lives fun.

During the past 64 days, we have found certain tools very useful to help us along the way, with diet and fitness. People ask me all the time what is needed for success in the program, so I will go over this in some detail in two sections, nutrition and fitness.

Nutrition

The biggest and most significant challenge for me with respect to P90x has been the nutrition plan. Although I have not followed it to the letter, I have been conscious of everything I've put in my body, and have made much better decisions on food since we started. As I have mentioned before, P90X is hard work, and the last thing I want to do is negate the effects of these intense workouts with a poor diet. Here are some key tools along with some brief descriptions with respect to proper nutrition in the context of P90X. 

•  Cliff Builder's Bars - If you are doing resistance training, you need protein, and plenty of it. One of the key aspects of general nutrition is making sure not to starve yourself. The Cliff Builder's bars are a great snack with 20 grams of protein in every serving. They taste better than any of the bars we tried, and they are relatively inexpensive. They are fairly caloric at 270 calories / bar, but if you're doing this program, you will need it. They are a great alternative to the P90X bars advertised within the program, which are quite expensive. Although I cannot comment on how the P90X bars taste, the Cliff Bars have the nutritional value necessary to supplement the program perfectly while tasting great in their own right. So far, my favorite flavors are the Vanilla Almond, Cookies & Cream, and Mint Chocolate.

• GNC Lean Shakes - These are the ultimate in meal replacement shakes. They are inexpensive (roughly $1.75 / bottle), have 25 grams of protein in the ready-made versions from GNC, and if that weren't enough, they taste delicious! They are my absolute favorite nutritional tool, and we now make sure to keep them stocked in the refrigerator. I've had these many times for lunch, and they do a great job of filling the stomach. At only 170 calories / bottle and plenty of vitamins, this is should be a welcome addition to the array of snacks and foods you will need for this or any fitness program.
• V8 Juice / Jack Lalanne Power Juicer - When we initially began the program, my wife started buying V8 Juice, which I have always been disgusted by. However, the low-sodium version is a much lesser evil and is certainly tolerable taste-wise. For us, we needed a quick way to get a day's worth of veggies in because frankly, we'd forget to eat them all day long. I've always liked vegetables, but with our busy lifestyle, we have become accustomed to quick-prep meals and meals on-the-go. V8 Juice was an ideal supplement to the workouts since vegetables are vital for proper nutrition. The Power Juicer was a gift I bought my wife for our anniversary last week, and we have yet to use it. However, I have heard fantastic things about it from people who have it, and I am looking forward to replacing the V8 with better-tasting homemeade vegetable and fruit concotions.

• Water - Water is a huge component of not only this program, but general fitness. I'm not going to get on a soapbox about the health benefits of drinking more water, but I've never felt better since I've been drinking more of it. I've never been a big soda drinker, and don't drink alcohol, so drinking water almost exclusively is relatively easy for me. I won't say I haven't had a soda or two since we started, but drinking only water has serious advantages for wellness and vitality.

Fitness

Roughly a year-and-a-half ago, I decided I might try P90X, so I began to purchase some of the tools necessary. I can now say confidently that I am using all of them. In this section, I will highlight the fitness tools I use daily for P90X. The program manual is very explicit about what you will need, includinng weights or resistance bands, a pull-up bar, yoga mat, yoga blocks, and adequate space. What it doesn't tell you is how expensive free weights are. However, considering the price of gym memberships, not to mention gas to and from and the time wasted getting there, turning your home into a gym is fairly cost-effective. Here are the essentials for making that happen:

• Powerblock, Classic 50 Version - Initially, I bought resistance bands from Sports Authority, and I found them to be useless. Maybe it was because they were cheap, but I just did not feel like I was doing any real resistance training. Because of this, I started to look at free weights. I found a deal at Wal-Mart for a Gold's Gym set that could go to either 5, 15, or 20 pounds for $40. This was great for the first phase, but the weight was much too light, and I was doing a lot of reps just to feel a burn in many exercises. I had looked at adjustable weights since we started the program, but decided it was a little too expensive initially. However, after realizing that we were going to keep bringing it, I had to make the purchase. Sport Chalet has the Classic 50 Powerblock for $299.00. This is as good of a deal as I found anywhere for this set. After doing a lot of research on adjustable dumbbells, the Powerblock was the consensus best option for P90X. Now that I have used them for a week and a half, I completely agree. I gave the 5, 15, 20 pound set to my wife, and she uses those for now. Poweblock makes a 2-24 lb set that would be ideal for her, and she'll probably get it for her birthday in August (don't worry, she hates surprises, so it's not a big deal if she sees this). The best thing about the Powerblocks is that they adjust very quickly and take up very little space.

• Iron Gym Pull-Up Bar - Another tool that is an absolute must for P90X is a good pull-up bar. I purchased the Iron Gym home version a while back, and it works well for both my wife and I. After barely being able to do 1 or 2, I can now do 10 without issue. The only drawback is that at 6'2", I can't get the bar high enough to let my legs hang freely, so I have to bend them at the knees to keep from touching the ground. This took some getting used to, but it works just fine. Also, using a small stool to modify certain types of pull-ups worked well initially. I am happy to report, however, that I no longer need to modify any of the pull-ups!

• Yoga Mat - We have hardwood floors, so a yoga mat is a must for us. We purchased cheap ones from Sports Authority, and I'm thinking that I may begin to look for a tackier style that doesn't slide as easily. I do like the thickness of it as it is easy on the knees, but  it may be time to graduate to a higher-end model for durability's sake.

  By this time, our bodies crave the workouts, and we still haven't missed a day. We have under a month left, and people are really beginning to notice changes in our bodies. I will say that some nutritional lapses have kept me from getting the truly eye-popping weight loss results I was looking for so far, but I also know that losing 22 pounds thus far while surely gaining a fair amount of muscle is no joke. Now is the time to dig deep and really bring it, as the doubles have increased to four days out of the week for phase 3. For round 2 of P90X, we will do the classic version, and that will be a nice "break".

Until next time...

Recovery Week, Part Deux - #Can'tWait

The second recovery week is here, and with nearly 50 days of P90X complete, I feel like a new person. Even when I got into shape two years ago, I wasn't this strong. The changes have been simple, but significant, and here are some highlights:

• I can do 8-10 pull-ups after struggling with just one 50 days ago
• I can almost complete the entire AbRipperX workout without stopping - I couldn't imagine getting halfway through at first since my abs were definitely my weakest muscle group
• Clothes I haven't fit into in two years are starting to fit again
• I see muscles on my body I haven't seen in 10 years - and there are more of them this time (I was pretty skinny as a 19-year old)
• I've lost 17 pounds and 4.5 inches from my waist
• I have more energy all the time
• I still hate Yoga

My goal is to lose about 35 more pounds  and get down to single digits in body fat. For that, I have a long way to go, being at 19% (down from 24%) right now, but with 40 more days left of round one, I know I'll be fairly close at day 90. Again, at least I'm not where I was 50 days ago!

As if P90X wasn't hard enough, we have done doubles in order to maximize our results. I can proudly say we haven't missed one workout. I know the best results will come in the last 30 days, so I'm excited for that. What I am not excited about is the fact that instead of three two-a-days, Phase III takes it up a notch and has you do four two-a-days each week. We are so busy, that we've had to do some two-a-days back-to-back, which wasn't fun. Now, we'll really see what we are made of after this recovery week!

One other note about "recovery" week - there are two full sessions of YogaX for a recovery week. What kind of sick person would incorporate double Yoga into a week where you are trying to get right mentally and physically? No matter what, we'll take the challenge head on and be better for it.

One final note... I definitely need the Powerblock adjustable weight system. I've been looking on Craigslist for quite some time, and they are hard to find. Everything I've read says they are the way to go. The price tag can be a deterrent at almost $400 direct from the manufacturer, so I'm trying to wait and find the best deal. Either way, I need more weight.

The bottom line is that this process has been fun, and getting into shape was very necessary. For someone who prides myself on being athletic, this decision was a no-brainer. Like I tell all of my friends who ask me about P90X, the thing you choose to improve your fitness can be anything - as long as you commit to doing it. Motivation comes in staying focused on the goal, and not getting discouraged by setbacks. I am excited to see what the future holds and look forward to seeing this through to completion.

Then, we'll do it again... but probably not doubles!

The Last Vinyasa

If you have followed this blog, then you know how well-documented my hatred of Yoga X is. Again, I say that tongue-in-cheek because I do know how beneficial it is, and I am sure glad when I'm done. In other words, the difficulty of the program assures me that it is working. The fact of the matter is that the level of discomfort is high throughout, and coincidentally, it is also the longest single workout. This is where my dislike of Yoga X comes from.

With every P90X workout, the best part is when it's over, and Yoga X is definitely no exception. The DVD is 1 hour, 30 minutes, and by the time you finish what seems like 45 minutes of Yoga, the clock somehow still says you have about 1 hour and 15 minutes left - I honestly believe disc #4 is broken. Finally and mercifully, the clock does make its way down to the 45 minute range, and that is when you see the beautiful words on the screen, "Last Vinyasa".  It is worth noting that by the time you see this, you are sweating like crazy, your limbs feel like putty, and you all you want to do is lie down.

That Last Vinyasa is the time when your body and mind say, "We've made it this far, so what's another 45 minutes going to hurt?" It got me to thinking about how this is such a microcosm of life. Think about the last major life accomplishment or achievement you completed and when your own "Last Vinyasa" came. It may have been a rigorous final semester of your college career, or maybe it was a final job interview after a series of them. In any case, you had more work to do, but you knew there was an end in sight. Yoga X feels like it's never going to end, but at least there's that Last Vinyasa to push you forward.

I can't wait for the the end of this round of my P90X journey. I know I'm not there yet, but at least it has been a fair amount of time (38 days) since I initially pushed play. I feel so much better, and the results are really starting to show, so figuratively speaking, I may be closer than I think to my Last Vinyasa.

Weights, Nutrition, and Motivation

My buddy Mark asked me if I was hitting the golf ball further as a result of P90X. I would say that I am not hitting the ball further yet, but I'm at least hitting it in the vicinity of where I should be once again. I didn't realize I was so out of shape, that it was affecting my athletic performance in a number of ways. The increase in flexibility is what will make a big difference in my golf swing, and I can feel it every time I tee it up.

Doing doubles is hard work, and my knees are starting to feel it a little. Yesterday, I did Plyometrics (alias "The Beast"), and walked 18 holes of golf carrying my bag. This was a total of 5.5 hours of physical activity, and I felt fantastic afterward. Plyometrics will have you dripping sweat, but like I said in an earlier post, it feels like I just got back from practice, which was always a feeling I loved.

Thirty-five days in, I have noticed that the program has gotten easier (not EASY). I still "don't wanna do no Yoga", but at least I can do Yoga. The new Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps exercise is extremely difficult. Slow motion and plyo push-ups are serious! At this point, it seems like the inches and weight aren't coming off as fast as it did initially, but I'm just going to keep grinding because I know it's working. I have slacked on the diet a little bit - not too bad, but just enough to make me want to re-focus. No matter what, there is absolutely no way I'm not going to finish this program.

One great aspect on the nutrition side is that we discovered Lean Shakes from GNC. They are a PERFECT meal replacement and great supplement to the program with 25 grams of protein in each bottle. Besides the fact they taste delicious, they are relatively inexpensive as far as supplements go. We tried Whey Protein from Vons, and frankly, it was gross. I also like Cliff Builder Bars as a great snack and source of protein. Other good snacks include bananas, carrot sticks and strawberries. I love brocolli, and you can eat as much of that as you want, so I usually steam some and take it to work as a snack.

I want to invest in some better weights, I got a cheap Gold's Gym set from Wal-Mart for only $40, and you can go from 5-15-20 pounds per hand, but 20 is not enough for me for a lot of the exercises, so I just end up doing more reps on weightlifting days. From what I've been reading, the Powerblock set is the way to go in terms of weights. The challenge with the weights I have is that I can't change them quick enough, so I just end up using one weight the entre time and adjusting the reps to get a burn. I think the Powerblocks would alleviate that, plus the ones that I want can go up to 50 lbs. per hand, which is all I'm going to need for the  whole program. It will be a substantial investment, though, retailing at roughly $350. I think it will be worth it since I'll probably never buy weights again after that.

With our schedules getting busier all the time, it is becoming a challenge to workout every morning, so we have had to do a couple late-night sessions, which are difficult. It is definitely worth it to get it out of the way in the morning if possible. Now, with doubles, if we miss the morning, that commits us two workouts in the afternoon / evening! The bottom line is that neither of us have missed a day, and that's what counts. Knowing that gives us the fuel to keep pushing play.

Keep Pushing Play

This weekend, my wife and I had a blast going up to LA / Anaheim for a sports day. My Christmas present was Lakers' tickets, and we decided to catch the hockey game in Anaheim on the way down to San Diego.The biggest question of the day was how were we going to fit in our workout with such a busy day planned. Because it was a weekend, we had slept in and did not do our usual morning workout. After spending a full day watching sports, and eating a little too much, we got home late and were exhausted.

Failure was not an option here, so we sucked it up, changed into our workout clothes and pressed play on "The Beast", better known as Plyometrics. It was the hardest day of P90X I have had up until that point, but the feeling of accomplishment I got once we finished was absolutely worth it.

A lifestyle change is no joke, and it is difficult every step of the way. However, when your best friend helps you every day, it makes it so much easier and more meaningful. For example, we both broke down and ate some things we shouldn't have as we watched the games, but we have since picked ourselves up and kept focus.

As I mentioned before, I felt good about the 30 day pictures, and I know that the 60 day photos will motivate me even more than the ones from 30. I can feel my muscles growing after a workout, and I think that's why I crave it so much. When I first started the program - especially Ab Ripper X, I used to wonder how I would ever be able to get through it all. Now, I am already confident that I will surpass what challenges lie ahead.

This has been a lot of fun.

30 Days... Doubles, Please!

So today is day 30 and I must say that we have been putting in serious work! None of this was supposed to be easy, but nothing worthwhile or substantial ever is. I feel stronger than I have in a long time, and I know I'm just scratching the surface. We did 30 day photos today and the difference was more noticeable than I had anticipated. Here are some stats:

11.6 pounds lost
4% body fat down
3 inches gone from the waistline

The less glaring results thus far are factors like increased energy, flexibility, and self-confidence. The program is so fulfilling, that we have decided to proceed with the "Doubles" phase for the next 60 days. This will mean an extra hour of hardcore cardio three times a week. The first day was yesterday, and I felt amazing after it was done! I'm finding myself craving the workouts, and Doubles will feed that need every time.