Kenpo X - a new level of hurt

Welcome back everyone,
Thought i would take a moment and post a little something about my adventure with Kenpo X last night. A week or two ago while searching the P90X forums on another web site, I came across a post about Kenpo X. Someone, I can't recall who, said that Kenpo X didn't belong in the P90X program because it didn't have "the X factor", it wasn't hard enough or something to that effect. I replied that if they weren't sweating throughout  that entire workout, they weren't trying hard enough. I also suggested that if they wanted to make it harder or more X-like, simply add some small dumbbells to the workout. So last night i was scheduled to do Kenpo X and lets just say that my " you suggested it, you should try it " alter ego got the better of me and that's exactly what i did. I strapped on 5lb ankle weights and grabbed my small 3 lb dumbbells and pressed play.
OH BOY !! Half way through i had to put those little "puny" 3lb dumbbells down and take the ankle weights off. My arms and legs were DEAD. My form was shaking  all over the place, so i decided to put them down rather than sacrifice the workout. This morning I have new muscle aches, ones that never ached before. The outside of my quads ache. (I didn't know they could.) My arms ache from my forearms to my shoulders. I love these kinds of muscle aches though. It lets me know that I BROUGHT IT !! (or that i havent worked those muscles in a while, either one works for me.) Anyway, tonight is my rest or StretchX day....i will be stretching and working out in the gymnasium (not a gym) doing flips, handsprings, trampoline stuff, and just plain ole goofing off and sweating. See ya next time.

LeeBee

Dr. Oz and Tony Horton's 10-Minute Miracle Plan - Part 2

I am half way there!

So today is day 45 of my P90X transformation. I have made it half way through this grueling workout. I must say that it lives up to its hype. This is a very intense workout. I love to hate it. With each and every daily workout i can feel myself getting stronger and doing the moves that i can remember not being able to do at all when i first pushed play. It is an amazingly, satisfying feeling to say, "hell yeah, I just did that!". If you've every said that after completing something you once thought was beyond your reach, you know exactly how that feels.
One thing that i cant stress enough about the P90X program is that when Tony says "write it down", DO IT !! I have been able to track and see my improvements over the weeks and that helps me to challenge myself to push harder and dig deeper for the next time i do that particular routine. Today, for instance i have Back & Biceps then Ab Ripper X. I plan on doing more chin ups than last time, and using heavier weights for the curls. I now have dumb bells from 5 lb to 25 lbs and i use them all. Think 5 lbs isn't heavy? Try doing 40 arm circles with them and then get back to me.
When i first started doing this Back & Biceps workout, i didn't have a way to do pull ups. None of the door ways in my house could be used for the P90X chin up bar, so i had to use bands. I had to find a way to attach the band into the top of a sliding glass door. I finally figured out a reliable (safe) way to do this and used that set up for 2 or 3 weeks. I finally designed a chin up bar out of 1 inch black steel pipe from Lowes. It was a monster setup. 7 feet tall, 4 feet wide and rock solid. (pictures can be seen on my Facebook page, teamleebee) The following proves that i am NOT an engineer, or maybe it does, i don't know. The ceilings in my condo are just about 8 feet high. Anyone see the problem yet? Yeah, when i set the bar up in the room and grabbed the bar, i noticed that if i did a pull up, my head would hit the ceiling if i attempted to get my chin above the bar. Hmmmmm. Redesign time. Long, boring, story short, i now have a 4 foot tall chin up bar that works great. I rest my feet on a chair, hang from the bar and do my chin ups.  I know its not a true chin up, but it works for me. I would estimate that i am using  75 to 80 % of my body weight when i do a chin up though. I currently still struggle with the corn cob pull up, but i will master it.
Oh, back to my original point. Not only did i not have a way to do chin ups, i could only do 2 or 3 total. That is quite painful for me to admit. I have a background in gymnastics and have always had a pretty strong upper body. In high school, which i know was decades ago, i could consistently do 30 or more chin ups, and most of them were in a L-Seat position.(legs straight out in front of you). Oh time has not been good to the upper body. Ok, i admit it, its my fault. Sorry off track again. Now i can do this entire workout and i wind up doing over 50 chin ups in a hour, along with all the dumb bell curls. I love what P90X has shown me that i am capable of.
The next 45 days are going to be even more grueling because i am going to dig deeper and bring it harder than i ever thought i was capable of. I am amazed at the results i have gotten so far, and I will only get stronger, healthier and RIPPED.
Stay tuned.......check out my Facebook page for my before pictures, and my soon to be uploaded 45 day pictures and measurements.

Ah, a rest day

So yesterday was my designated 'rest' or 'StretchX' day. I decided to take my four legged, 2 a.m., someone in the hallway, alarm clock/bark machine for a walk. It was a pretty nice day and i noticed alot of people out running. I usually see alot of people out walking their dogs, pushing strollers, or walking, but not too many runners. That got me thinking.....i know right ? (someone call the fire department, i smell smoke! ) When i met my girlfriend, almost 4 years ago, she told me right up front, we cant do anything on thursday nights because thats the night that i go running. I, being the enbodiment of physical fitness, asked if she would mind if i joined her, so we could spend time together. She said that would be great, so my first thought was ...now what? I made a bee line for the nearest shoe store to buy a pair of running shoes. I have never owned a pair of these, so i was in shock at the plethera of choices. I must have had a dumb founded look on my face, because i was greeted by the sales lady with, " you look lost, do you need some help?" Sooooo, in the effort to not drag this story on for several chapters, i told her that i needed some running shoes, i had never ran before, i would be trying to impress my new girl friend, yada yada yada........anyway, as i am leaving she says " good luck". Boy was she right, i needed more than luck though. Thursday finally came around and we met at a local runners, dog walking, baby stroller pushing, couples walking trail called The Ma & Pa Trail. This is 2.5  miles or so, of twisty, uphill, downhill, under bridges, around corners, through the woods kind of trail. PERFECT for the beginning runner, right? I kept up for maybe, and i stress that word maybe, half a mile, all the while Sylvia hasnt even broken a sweat yet. I started falling behind, slowing my pace and she jogs on ahead. I am dying. My heart was yelling at me, "are you frigging crazy? what the heck are you trying to do to us, im not supposed to beat this fast" and "Oh yeah, your girl is getting away".
I struggled to start again, and here she comes jogging back towards me, still not sweating, saying " are you okay? We can go back if you want". I should have taken that as my opportunity to give up, but do you think i did? Yeah, no. My inflated, although rapidly deflating, male ego said, before i could stop it, " no, lets go on, I'll try harder to keep up, but if i fall behind, go on and i'll meet you at the end" HA HA .....long, boring story short, i had to stop again, for fear of dying right there in the middle of the woods, and here she comes back towards me again, sweating ( i mean glistening) this time, saying i got to the end and decided to come back and find you. Oh how nice of her....i hadnt made it a mile, and she ran the whole way, turned around and ran back to find me. The first thought that i had that i can remember was " this woman is trying to kill me" . Nope....wrong again, my ego was. Well, she didnt break up with me that day there in the woods, and we continued to run ( well I tried, and did get better) every thursday for a while, but somehow somewhere, we stopped going. Maybe it was when fall, winter started, i cant recall for sure, but i think we need to start doing that again. Maybe this weekend we will head over to the trail, or around the neighborhood.

I actually have some great memories of almost dying out there on the Ma & Pa Trail.

Kenpo X

So i have been reading some other blogs and i found several posts about how P90X's Kenpo X, isnt a great workout, HUH ?  Several people, on a few seperate blogs, have complianed that the moves were not challenging enough to be part of the P90X series. Here is how i see it, every workout is a good as you make it, if the moves arent working for you, make them more challenging by picking a dumb bell and then try throwing 30 jabs, hooks and upper cuts.  USe ankle weights for the kicks, go lower in your horse stance, etc..Who would be feeling it then? The entire P90X series is about muscle confusion. The moves in Kenpo are unlike any in any other of the P90X workouts, hence the phrase muscle confusion. I, for one, find the workout to be a very, good one. I did it yesterday and in 55 minutes, burned approx 800 calories. I have no complaints at all. My muscles on the other hand are complaining already......the above has only been my opinion, and i could be wrong. See you next post.

Do i look like i didnt get a good workout ?