28 May 2010

P90X: Day 57.

Today marks the beginning of Week 09 (Phase 03) of the program and I'm extremely happy that I've made it this far. Just wrapped up another "recovery" week and I'm ready to hit it hard for the remaining four weeks.

Improvement continues -- I've built more lean muscle and several of my jeans and shorts have really begun to sag. I'm down to using the last hole on my belt! I think I'm officially down to a 30" waist from 32" a couple of years ago. Muscle tone is getting more pronounced; my hip flexors are definitely visible now. I can see some slight striation and significant definition in my deltoids and traps as well as in my oblique abdominal muscles. Still want to decrease my body fat percentage though, so I'll keep doing high/maximum reps. I know I'm not going to get huge with this program, but I have seen an increase in general muscle size due to the sheer number and variety of exercises I've been performing -- so no complaints in that department.

Lung capacity and overall stamina have also gotten much better. Plyometrics and Kenpo still leave me drenched in sweat, but I've vastly improved in keeping up with the video without having to pause and gasp for breath like the first couple of weeks into the regimen. Kenpo and Core Synergistics have turned out to be my favorite sessions. I did mention that I was going to try to get an extra Kenpo session in after some of the regular workouts, but that didn't happen due to finals week, graduation and other stuff that kept me on a tighter time schedule. I definitely could still use the extra cardio so I'll attempt to incorporate it during Phase 03 since my schedule has largely settled down.


Kenpo X: fun as hell

I'm still enjoying the yoga sessions and have improved on being able to flow from one move to another without too much cursing and tumbling :) But I'm still struggling with a couple of the asanas, specifically Standing Split, Half Moon and Twisting Half Moon (even with blocks). The fact that they come later in the session when my legs feel like noodles doesn't really help things, but it's a pretty intense combination of balance, coordination and strength in a positions that I haven't quite mastered yet. Ah well -- I'll keep working at it! At least I can do Crane for about 30 seconds now without falling over, so that's a W for me :)

Diet-wise, I've been pretty consistent. I'm still devouring fish by the pound and spinach is now my best friend. Grapes have become my favorite snack food and I estimate I've cut my carbohydrate and sugar intake down 80% or so. I haven't missed meat since I gave up eating it over three months ago. I do still indulge in dessert but those occasions are few and far between.

I can honestly say that I've never felt (or looked) fitter in my life. I can't wait to finish, and I'll write another update in four weeks!

2 comment(s):

Anonymous said...

Tease. Where are the pics???

Ran said...

Haha -- pics on Day 90 :) Be patient! BTW good to see *someone* is still reading this.

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