Day Six

Day 6

   "Kempo," aka "Everything Hurts."  Ha!  Actually, I was looking forward to this Kempo workout since day 1, and it did not disappoint.  It was a full workout for sure!  I kept my rate in the zone, being careful not to push to far over the 165 limit, and other than resting to get it back down, I was able to keep up with all the exorcises.  As I said before, I did Tae Kwan Do kickboxing for a few months of my life, so this came naturally to me.
   However, my wife was really struggling.  It was awkward for her, and because she wasn't able to get the timing down right away, she couldn't participate in some of the exorcises, this was very frustrating for her.  And frustration lead to discouragement, and she almost gave up the program entirely.  I know it's a fast paced workout, but I still wish they slowed it down and took everyone through each body motion to at least give beginners a chance to learn the right movements.  Later in the evening her and I walked through the whole workout slowly, pausing occasionally, so that I could demonstrate each move for her, and help her with technique and timing.  To be honest, it's really tricky, and I remember the first time I did Tae Kwan Do, it took me about two weeks (five times per week) to get the motions right.
   Eventually, it just flows, I promise, and you'll feel the rhythm and you'll suddenly be able to step and punch in time.  "Do your best, and forget the rest!"  The kicks are nothing out of the ordinary, just need to focus on which way your chest is facing, and which way your face is looking.
   Food went well today too.  Another day of nothing-but-water, and it feels so great.  Other great news is the coffee headaches are still gone, and I'm not really missing it at all.  I take pleasure in drinking good coffee, but I just haven't had a craving for it like I thought I would.  However, my body is still fighting me on carbohydrate withdrawal.  I doubt this would be a problem for a person who is in decent shape, however, I was a carb-aholic, and my body just isn't used to the serious switch.
   That being said, I've still managed to keep to the one "Portion" of carbs per day.  And, I haven't been in lack of energy or focus.  Tomorrow is rest and I am looking forward to it!

Day Five

Day 5

   Was a pretty smooth day.  I was just aching for a good work out, and "Legs and Back," and "Ab Ripper" delivered.  At first, I didn't realize that pull-ups were going to be considered part of the "back" exorcises, so I was unprepared.  I need to figure out a way to pin the band around something high above the floor, otherwise I won't be able to do exactly what they're doing.  I have the pull-up bar, but there's absolutely no way I can do even one pull-up, let alone ten like they're doing.  "Sneaky Lunges" are a favorite of mine, I really am starting to love the feeling of burning muscles.
   I got sloppy with food today, and ate half of a chicken salad sandwich from Panera.  I tossed the bread, and realized that the chicken was in mayo.  For some reason I expected grilled chicken with lettuce.  Anyway, after that I had a few sausages and a protein bar.  The sausages were high in fat, which isn't very good, but at least I got some protein out of 'em.  I watched a P90x infomercial today too, and that really encouraged me!  I hope tomorrow's workout is crazy, I'm ready to "Bring it!"

Day Four

Day 4

   One word, "Yoga."  This was the most frustrating one yet.  When I saw them go out of a "warrior one" pose, bend one arm around their back, than wrap the other arm through their leg and grab their first arm, I just about freaked out.  I have to admit it made me mad that they were in such amazing shape, and I am stuck here in such poor shape.  Nevertheless, I hung in there.  It was a long exorcise, about an hour and a half!  Throughout the whole thing, except for the cool-down breathing at the end, my heart rate was a steady 135-140.
   Eating wasn't a problem either, although I was tempted to binge out on whatever was in the fridge.  Instead I just made a fresh-fruit smoothie.  It was sort of bland without the added sugar, but it might be that I'm not using the right combination of fruits.  Also, it was a lot of effort just to stem some minor stomach growling.
   All in all, it was a pretty good day, I am discouraged when I look in the mirror and don't see results, but seriously it's only the fourth day!  In either case I feel great, and the Yoga really helped a lot with my flexibility throughout the day.

Day Three

Day 3

   Felt really good this morning, my body is thanking me for eating right.  Water two days straight (soon to be a third), is making a difference I think.
   Today was actually a combination of two different exorcise routines: "Shoulders, Arms" and "Ab Ripper."  I did great on the first exorcise regiment, but Ab Ripper destroyed me.  Out of 339 total possible reps, I did 114.  I can't do anything that requires a "V" shape, my gut just won't allow it.  Still grunted out a couple reps, giving it the best I could.  Concentrating on form and diet for now.  Mason Crossover's are death.
   Had the most amazing lunch today, Cajun Turkey breast, lettuce, and two slices of pumpernickel, dry, with a small chunk of fresh pepperoni to chew on in between bites.  Typing that out now, I can see why that might not sound so good (I'm a little surprised myself) but it was fantastic.  Well 3 days down, 27 more to go!

Day Two

Day 2

   Yesterday was the first day I drank nothing but water all day long, in over 5 years.  This morning I was groaning, but I slept very well last night.
   Today was "Cardio," I did alright on the Kempo/Karate stuff because I used to do Tae Kwan Do kickboxing, and the rhythm just felt natural.  However, I have virtually no core strength, I suffered through the majority of those exorcises.  The "wacky jumping jacks" burn, I love 'em!  I was working out on my mat on top of carpet, and my feet still were under stress.  I might need to look into getting different footwear soon.  Also, my heart rate managed to peek at 174!
   Diet was a blast today, broke out my chop sticks and had some baked chicken this morning.  Snacked on some protein bars and managed to limit my carbs to a single pita.  I came up with a great peppered-steak salad recipe for lunch, and had a couple of lean burgers with no bun for dinner.  Celebrating the small successes!

Day One

Day 1

   Managed to wake up with eagerness today (which I was very thankful for).  Unfortunately I don't have a real DVD player, just a PS2, but it did the trick.  I skimmed through the CD booklet found "Core Synergistics" and started it up.
   Saying I'm out of shape is an understatement.  I flat out embarrassed myself, but oh well, I did my best.  Legs are killing me, and my heart rate peeked at 164.  Other than my legs, I feel great.
   Stuck to the diet today.  Turns out I am addicted to carbs, and my body was letting me know it.  I hope the carb cravings go away soon.  I picked a heck of a day to quit coffee.

Day Zero

Day 0

   Believe it or not it took some time to prepare for this thing.  I thought for sure I could just dial a number, take advantage of the free express shipping, put on some shorts and plug&play.  Not so.  There's a lot of information to digest.

The Nutrition Guide
   First thing I looked at was the "Nutrition Guide."  I spent about an hour going through this thoroughly.  I have to admit I originally thought I was just going to flip the pages and be done, but I soon found out I had a lot to learn about my body, and about the way I eat.

• Maintaining a healthy diet is going to be the most important thing you need to understand before starting p90x.  Commit to it now.

  The workout is intense, make no mistake, if your body is not properly fueled it will crash. (Like trying to fly an airplane that has just run out of fuel: first their will be a stall, then a decline, and finally an explosion.)  I have experienced what it's like to "under-eat," and it's scary when you body starts to shake and you start to shiver.

The Fitness Guide

   Next, I went to the "Fitness Guide."  Honestly, my first look at this thing scared the crap out of me.  I almost pushed the whole workout to the side and said forget about it.  I thought: I have a nasty gut, and I'm heavier than I've ever been.  Therefore my reaction was: there's no way I can do this.  But I began to pray for strength and soon I was motivated enough to look through it.  I diagnosed my problems instead of dismissing them.

• My Heart rate was high
• I failed 3 parts of the Fitness Test (Pull-ups, sit-ups, and push-ups)
• I had low self-esteem

   Despite these flaws I pressed on, committing to the work that was ahead of me.

Equipment

   Well you'll need it.  Just as I did.  I was on a pretty tight budget, so I couldn't get everything at once.  This left more room for discouragement, because I was itching to start the workout.  I had to purchase the following:

• Heart-rate Monitor: $95
• Work-out/Yoga Mat: $25
• One Medium Strength Work-out Band: $15
• One pair of Light Free Weights: $7
• Food Scale: $40
• Blender: $40
• Pull-up Bar: $30

   I didn't even get everything I needed.  So as I buy more things I will post a new equipment list.  The last thing I did was take my "day 0" pictures.  I am ashamed to post them, so we'll have to wait until I take the "day 91" photos to see 'em.

In total: my wife and I took three weeks to prepare for p90x.  We took our time, we thought things through, we planned ahead, we budgeted our money, we set-apart time on our schedules, we stocked our fridge with good food, and we prayed.

Time to "Bring it!"

Starting Statistics

Starting Stats

   I should preface this by saying, I'm adding this post in around the middle of week three.  And I'm just doing this so I don't forget.
Weight: 299lbs
Pull Ups: 0
Push Ups: 6

Program

   I'm doing the "Lean Workout Program," that's actually the version typically suited for women.  I can't tell you how embarrassing that is to hear.  Regardless, I'm just not in shape enough for the "Classic Version."  Here's the Workout regiment for week 1-3:
Day 1: Core Synergystics
Day 2: Cardio
Day 3: Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper
Day 4: Yoga
Day 5: Legs and Back, Ab Ripper
Day 6: Kempo
Day 7: Rest or Stretch
   The workout changes slightly for week four, then its something completely different for weeks [5-7, 8], weeks [9-10, 11-12], and week [13] but I will post those changes in the corresponding weeks.