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!

P90X: Day 22.

So today is the start of Week 04 of my P90X regimen. This being a "recovery" week, the workouts will consist of yoga, kenpo (which is by far the most fun to do), stretching and core work with no weights/resistance. After the completion of the recovery week, Phase 01 will end and it'll be back to a more rounded workout in Phase 02.

I can definitely see improvement so far. I've gotten leaner and a little more chiseled due to the high-intensity interval training that is the foundation of the regimen. My strength has also increased in some respects -- most notably push-ups and pull-ups (the Chest & Back workout does not mess around). I think I'll have to end up buying some actual dumbbells for use in the arm workouts though -- the resistance bands can get somewhat uncomfortable doing some of the bicep exercises and leave red bruises on my forearms. And I almost never bruise. The next time I'm in Columbia or KC I'll have to see what I can do about getting some second-hand weights.

I'm really appreciating the conditioning aspect of the program. Plyometrics damn near destroyed me the first time but it's gotten easier over the weeks (and now I'm kinda looking forward to getting back on it after recovery). I can almost say that it's done more for my stamina and lung capacity than just running a couple of miles after my old gym routines. The abdominal workout is a beast. I definitely have goals in mind while doing that routine, but the first few times I did Ab Ripper X were intensely painful and eye-opening. "I hate it, but I love it" (c) Tony Horton -- I can't say that I "love" Ab Ripper quite yet, but I don't gas out as fast now compared to my initial efforts. So I'm loving that.

I'd read about people simply skipping the yoga workout, and I didn't really understand why they'd want to do that -- until I actually tried it. It's probably obvious to many of you, but yoga is hard! I didn't realize how inflexible I was until I attempted some of the asanas. Needless to say, my face and the yoga mat are best friends. But I'm planning to stick with it because body awareness, flexibility and balance are things I'd like to improve upon. (And dammit I want to be able to do Crane for a full minute without falling on my head!)

I think I'll pass on this pose though

Next week I'm going to try adding a kenpo session after the muscle group workouts in Phase 02 for some additional calorie burning. We'll see how that goes; it's really getting nice outside so I'm tempted to go for some runs and maybe finally get some color on me at the same time. Even though the standalone regimens are designed to (and have succeeded in) putting me in my target heart zone (I've been on the brink of collapse more than a handful of times) I do feel like I need to increase cardio intensity. On the diet side, I've cut down on carbs and increased protein intake significantly -- now I go through cans of tuna and frozen tilapia like nobody's business. Salads are still a major part of my meals, and while I'll partake in dessert or snacks once in a while I'm usually pretty good about it. Although I'm not following the recommended diet plan exactly, I've been encouraged by my results so far so I will probably continue to keep tweaking my diet to get the most out of the program and may switch completely over to their recommendations at some point.

Overall, I feel really good about getting fit, and I'm glad I started this thing!

I'll post another P90X update when I complete Phase 02, or sooner if anything of note happens.

P90X: Day 01.

I finally got my yoga mat and resistance bands in the mail, so today I'm officially starting P90X. You've most likely heard about this (apparently 2 million other people have tried this workout) but if you haven't, Wikipedia's description of the regimen is that it:

stresses the importance of "muscle confusion" (a term for adding variety through cross-training and periodization), so it switches the order of exercises and incorporates new movements during each phase. According to [exercise instructor Tony] Horton, muscle confusion prevents the body from adapting to exercises over time, resulting in continual improvement without plateaus ...

P90X is an intensive 90-day home fitness program that combines a variety of exercise styles, including strength training, cardio, and stretching. The system also stresses overall fitness by including bodyweight exercises such as pull-ups and push-ups, as well as plyometrics (jump training), yoga, and kenpō.

Periodization is "an organized approach to training that involves progressive cycling of various aspects of a training program during a specific period of time." Combine that constant cycling with the high-intensity interval training that defines the pace of the individual workouts, and you can get some impressive results.

Obviously, "your results may vary" as the commercials warn. But I'd been researching P90X for a while, reading fitness discussion boards and asking around. Most everyone I've contacted seems to give it high marks, with the caveat that discipline, willpower and hard work are definitely required.

high-contrast image manipulation
+ overhead lighting = beach bodies!
Oh yeah, working out helps too.

So ... it's a go! I already own and use the pull-up bar and push-up stands so now I have all the basics. I start this afternoon after class. It's gonna be weird not going to the gym anymore, but I'm sure the ass-kicking I'll be receiving will more than make up for it. I'm planning on posting updates every week or so here on PM so stay tuned for those if you want to read about my progress.

The Same Thing.

Let's round the week up with some art and music. Bicicleta Sem Freio (Portuguese for "Bike Without Brakes") is a Brazilian art collective producing pencil and ink work in a funky, retro style:

[via]


[via]

Interesting how the two illustrations that caught my eye were of women with tattoos and guns. Maybe I should talk to a therapist about that.

I love the lines, colors and curves of the first picture. It's dynamic, sexy and so awesomely 60s. I need this in poster form stat.

The phrase "love and bullets" from the second image stuck in my head though, solely for the fact that they can both be considered one and the same. I speak from personal experience, having been on both ends of a smoking barrel. That sh!t hurts. But I'd be lying if I told you that it wasn't worth it in the end though. Perhaps that's why I tend to keep going back for more. And more.

At any rate, you can see the rest of of BSF's work on their Flickr page [some artwork NSFW].

Have a great weekend -- it's back to the Midwest for me late this Sunday, so this week's Sunday Seven series will be pushed back to the following day.

Haiku Series 004: Cocoon.

I cocoon myself
inside a pair of headphones
and float, listening

To synthesized drums
and lush, perfectly arranged
machine-tuned voices.

They are a passport
granting me welcome access
to a warm refuge.

Pain follows me through:
my blank constant companion,
inked in indigo.

Horizons darken.
But here, in the melodies,
I find clarity.

[via]

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.

So last Friday, I finally went back to the gym after over a year. However this isn't to say that I was sedentary for all of 2009 -- I ran quite a bit outside, in part to train for the 5K in downtown Kansas City last August. So while I have a little bit of cardiovascular stamina left over, I estimate I've probably lost a good 5-7 pounds of muscle in the last 12 months or so.

The hardest part about starting to work out again is obviously the pain. I was not used to it. It was ... interesting when my body rebelled after the first set of military presses, like "Um, WTF are you doing? This is heavy." Given that I hadn't lifted weights for such a long time, I took it relatively easy with the poundage and will build back up in a couple of weeks. I finished my shoulder workout, did a couple of miles on the treadmill, went home and awaited the soreness.

It hit me on Sunday when I sat up to get out of bed: a searing, acute pain across my shoulder blades that made me wince every time I rotated my arms or tried to lift them above my head. This is called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), where the muscles that you tear during a new workout begin to rebuild themselves 24 to 48 hours after the increased activity. The pain stops when the muscles have fully recovered -- completely healed and stronger than before.

I'd forgotten about how absolutely sore I could get! This was actually worse than the pain of exhausting muscles during the workout -- at least that pain subsided in less than a minute. However, it's a good kind of pain, one that lets me know that I'm starting to get back in shape. Plus, subsequent workouts will be less painful as I get used to lifting again. In all, it's a great feeling, even though my arms feel like they're going to fall off. Back to the gym I go.

You probably won't see another post of me moaning about working out for a while ... that is, until I get on that P90X.