Tim's P90X2 Journey

Don’t Beat Yourself Up

I mentioned that last week I missed a day. I ended up doing Plyocide on Sunday to make it up. That’s the beauty of this thing.

Sometimes people will start a program or a process with the best of intentions. But when they make their first mistake or miss something, it starts the beginning of the end. So many people think: “If I can’t do it perfect, I won’t do it at all.”

Another thing I’ve caught myself doing is to allow one mistake to lead to another. I miss one workout and then another and then another… Pretty soon, I’ve let a week go by. I allow one mistake to create momentum in the wrong direction.

In the midst of this whole P90X2 journey, I’m finding that I need to take the process/program seriously. But I don’t need to take myself seriously. I mean, I’m going to blow it. There are some moves that I will continue to struggle with. But I won’t let it get me down…or make me quit.

Today is Day 24. Not many people can say that about P90X2 at this point.

Week 3 In The Record Books

Here’s a quick update after 21 days of P90X2.

I’ve lost about six pounds. It fluctuates because I’m also increasing my muscle. I feel the weight difference in my mid-section. My upper abdominals are starting to pull in. Pants are getting a little looser.

I’m able to increase my rep count on most moves by one or two. My stamina is increasing. I’m not hitting the pause button as much as I did on the first time through.

I’m going to go ahead and do one more week in Phase One. I love all of the attention on my core. I’m going to continue to focus on using good form. Slow, methodical movements that will get that burn going in my gut.

This last week, I also experienced my first scheduling bump in the road. I had to modify and ended up doing Plyocide on Sunday instead of last Tuesday. I’m glad I got it in though. While it’s a shorter workout, I am spent when it’s over.

The Second Time Through

This is my second week through P90X2 and I can already see some results and improvements. I’ve lost a few pounds. I feel more energetic. But what’s really nice is that everything is starting to tighten up ( in a toned-muscular sense, not in terms of flexibility).

I’m finding that I’m able to do a focus a little more on completing each move with good form rather than spending most of my energy trying to learn the move. This makes a difference. I cut myself some slack during the first week because there was a lot to learn.

I know I’ll continue to improve as I head into Week 3. But that’s the beauty of P90X…just when I start to get the flow down and comfortable, it switches up the entire routine. Muscle confusion!

Day 10!

Hello Day 10! It’s nice to reach double digits. Yesterday was Day 9, which meant I was 1/10th of the way through the program. Today, I am 1/9th of the way through. Man…this thing is going fast.

Today is a Rest Day with the option to do the Recovery + Mobility (a great option). Recovery + Mobility is a lot more than simple stretching. It’s a chance to get intimate with your foam roller and massage those sore muscles.

After 10 days of P90X2, everything is starting to feel firmer. The muscles in my arms, shoulders, and legs are starting to get more definition. The top of my stomach is drawing in and feels tighter.

I have lost around two pounds. I didn’t expect to lose much weight in the beginning. It’s similar to when I started P90X, I was exchanging fat for muscle. Muscle is heavier than fat. So there’s a period of time where my weight doesn’t go down very quickly (at least it doesn’t go up!). But I can fell my body being reshaped.

This is why it’s important to take the clothes test. How are your clothes fitting? You may not feel like you’re losing weight based on the scale, but something is happening when your pants start to get loose and you need to cinch that belt a little tighter.

Eating right hasn’t been all that difficult. Fortunately, I’m a simple eater. So chicken salads, egg white & spinach wraps, organic peanut butter, and protein bars are my staple diet (with a lot of fruit and raw veggies for snacks).

Looking forward to what the next ten days produces.

Presently Unable To…

In P90X, one of the lines from Tony Horton was, “Don’t say you can’t, say ‘I’m presently unable to…’” That’s a good mindset to have.

With that being said, there are some moves in P90X2 that I am “presently unable to” do. Here they are:

1. Dreya roll (X2 Core)

Even with the help of a medicine ball I am unable to get enough momentum or find the ability to roll up onto my feet. I’ve thought about modifying with one of the bands to help pull me up. I think this move will happen once I lose a little bit more weight.

2. Crunchy Level Pull Up (X2 Total Body)

I still struggle with pull ups. I need the help of a chair every time. This one involves flipping your feet up over your head. I am nervous about ripping my pull up bar off my door frame with this move. I modified the move by hanging from the bar and pulling my knees up to my chest.

3. Over/Under Boat (X2 Balance + Power)

I am unable to do this move because of flexibility. I am “presently unable” to reach the band around my feet. To modify the move, I try and touch my heels in between each boat move. I think decreasing the size of my belly and strengthening my lower back will help me to achieve this move.

Day 6: Balance + Power

This is the last workout of Week 1. I’ve come to the conclusion that every workout focuses on your core and let’s all of your other appendages come along for the ride.

That’s the main difference I see in P90X2. The core is always engaged. It reminds me of that scene in the movie, Batman Begins. Bruce Wayne is being trained by Henri Ducard up in some Himalayan monastery. After falling through the ice in one of the training sessions, Wayne and Ducard are sitting around a fire. Wayne is shivering hard after his icy swim. Ducard says to him, “Rub your chest, your arms will take care of themselves.”

That’s the way I felt all week. Work your core, the rest of your body will take care of itself.

Balance + Power uses a lot of moves with the stability ball and balance postures. Because of that, you are doing slow and methodical reps. Form is key. I loved this workout. I can see a lot of room for improvement and there’s something to work toward with every move.

Day 5: Yoga-P90X2 Style

I’m not very good at Yoga. I think this is mostly due to my level of flexibility. I like to tell people I’m a ceramic tile with hair. Very brittle.

Having done P90X Yoga is a great introduction for what takes place in P90X2. In fact, if I haven’t said it yet - I highly recommend doing P90X before taking on P90X2. The moves and regimens are simpler (not necessarily easier) and lay the ground work for what takes place during this next version.

The Yoga workout moves much more quickly. It lasts just over an hour. Let’s just say I was never bored. I couldn’t complete each section, but I could do all of the moves (except the most extreme yoga balance postures).

As before, this workout brought out the sweat more than any other. Halfway through I had to lay down some towels. It got a little messy.

As with most of the workouts, this first week was a chance to familiarize myself with each of the moves and the flow of the workout. With Yoga, I’m looking forward to getting to the place where I can look at the screen less and pay closer attention to how my body and mind are responding and reacting throughout the session.

Ab Ripper … updated and revised

Day 4: Today was the first day to try out the enhanced Ab Ripper. I remember when I first tried Ab Ripper (so appropriately named) in the original P90X. It was core-azy. Now it goes even further.

This time around, Ab Ripper gets you straining your core from all kinds of angles and directions. Like its predecessor, it’s only about 16 minutes long. But I was in agony. It’s going to take a few weeks to get to the point where I can do all of the reps they’re doing on the video.

Ab Ripper is paired with Total Body. I had to take a break between the two since Total Body ate my lunch…or should I say…made me feel like I was going to lose my lunch.