2 weeks away

Well, I've officially done 2 full rounds of P90x. I finished my second 90 days right before leaving for a 2 week trip with my family back east.

I spent that last 2 weeks in Western Massachusets, Upstate NY, Westport, CT, Brooklyn, NY, Washington DC and Morgan County Ohio. I ran every other day and did 2 sessions of yoga as well as mix in ARX and Push ups and pull ups throughout the trip. I ate fairly well and came back weighing less than when we left. I'm officially a sub 210lbs. I weighed in at 208 yesterday morning after a day of travelling and eating horribly all day so I feel great about how far I've come. I'll post the final picutre diary this week to show the progression but I am more than happy with the results and very excited about where this will ultimately take me. I have to thank HHH for the inspiration and motivation, my wifey for supporting this over the last 6 months and Pac Man for becoming the newset member of the graduating class!

Also, thanks to Tony aka Dorkosaurus and his daily invlvement in my life.

Went for a Run instead of Kenpo

We are leaving town for 2 weeks tomorrow morning. The cool thing is we're flying Virgin to JFK. Why do you care? Well, I was up untill after midnight last night preparing for the trip, this means I woke up late and I didn't want to do Kenpo. As I've stated earlier, I'm going to do the Marin County Tri in Novemebr so I want to get my legs in shape for the pounding I'm going to give them over the next 3 months. I also did 50 pushups during the run and ran an 8:30 pace for the 4.8 miles.

The big news of the day, a number on the scale that I wasn't sure I'd ever see again. I wanted to see it but I wasn't so sure.
205 lbs. Now I should be happy with that number and I am but my mind immediately went to..."Is 200lbs possible?"

Core Synergistics is a hell of a workout.

I'm going to keep that one in the rotation as I train for a triathlon this fall. It's a solid all over body burn baby burn.

I can see the light, Scale read 207 this morning.

Recovery Hair!

On my last week of P90X before I shelve it for a few months, I'm looking forward to my Farewell tour, but anxious about not being on the program. I must say that my confidence to try more difficult things is high. Saturday I went for a bike ride in the Napa Valley. I started outside of St Helena and planned to do a loop around Calistoga. Previously, I've done some rides up here that are pretty easy in terms of elevation, but as I was riding Saturday morning I looked up at the mountains and said I need a challenge. So, I turned right at Calistoga and took 29 up the road to Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. Just a little 2000 ft climb, I climbed 1300 ft of it as I was getting tired and not familiar with the road, and then road the 12 miles home and at a solid pace. Now that I've mapped the route on Mapmytri.com I see that I was only 2.6 miles from the summit and 800 feet of elevation left to go. I will conquer that hill this year.
Yoga this morning, done, rocked and ommed my way to a finish.
Core in the morning and hopefully some golf as well.
Fore!

Yoga Belly 7 times

Well, Adam showed off the veggies he bought at the farmers market, here are my own Organically grown tomatoes from my backyard. Those are herlooms in my hand and two different varieties of plants behind them. Golden Cherries and Early Girls. You see folks, I'm willing to take it a step further for our environment. You want locally grown organic produce? It doesn't get any more local than my backyard for me.
Yoga X in the bag. I was saying to myself after the moving options that I'd just get through Wheel and then I'd turn it off but I want my abs to pop so I finished it and didn't turn it off untill Rapinski's favorite pose, the corpse.

Sheets are closed out Bitches!

Wow! I've filled out my last P90X weight work out sheet for the last time this year. I will be training for a Olympic Distance triathlon that is on Novemeber 1st. I have done 9 tris in the last 7 years and in most cases I did these tris while weighing more than I do right now. In fact, I will be starting my Tri training program lighter than I've been on race day for any of the previous 9 races. I'm looking forward to the process and the results.
A story that must be shared. Over the weekend, the family and I went to the local pool for some fun in the sun. In the past, I was not the biggest fan of strutting around the pool deck with my shirt off. More of a Chris Farley type suck the gut in and ask people where the weight room was. However, now I'm happy to Peacock around without a shirt. Later that day after we put the kids down for their nap, my wifey says to me, Honey you look really good. I was checking you out when you were on the other side of the pool and for a second I didn't realize it was you, she said to herself, "that guy is ripped" then she realized it was me and told me that for a brief second she felt like she was cheating on me by looking at some other dude.
That made this whole 6 months worth it.

Plyo- done! ARX done

I only did half the Plyo workout this morning and did AbRipperX in its entirety. I'm running after work and frankly I am sick and tired of jumping around with Frog boy in my garage. I would have ran this morning if my wife wasn't at the gym so I was on kid duty as while half-heartedly trying to get into PlyometriX.
Tomorrow will be my last big lifting day untill recovery week. I will be out of town this weekend so Legs and Back will be substituted by a 25 mile bike ride and 7 mile run in Napa. I'll do ARX one day then it's recovery time MFers!

Closing out Chest Shoulders and Tris Week 12

I started this phase of the workout doing a total of 151 pushups in week 5, I finished doing 168. I did 15 clappers and felt strong throughout.
This picture says it all, I can't wait for something new.
I'm Allen Iverson tired.

Saturday, Basketball

Iceman's back! Back Again! Iceman's back, tell a friend!
Wow, the first game, I took it slow like HHH told me to and got into with a 50 year old dude whose bark was worse than his bite. Then, I ended up running 5 straight games to 27 before my team finally lost. I then hit the elliptical glider for a mile and also did a mile on the stationary bike before cooling down. As I was deep in the mile on the Elliptical admiring myself in the mirror, I had a moment of clarity. I had just played basketball for 2 straight hours and didn't feel like I'd gotten enough work in so I headed into the gym and busted out 2 more miles, roughly 15 mins more cardio. I started the morning with Ab Ripper X at home to warm up and finished the day strong! If you want proof that this program works, there you go, 6 months ago, I'd been sprawled out on the floor wondering how I'd get my big ass home.
Thanks Brad for saving my life!
I took Sunday off, had planned to get Yoga in but passed on it, will get Yoga and a run in after work.
2 weeks left and then on to Triathlon training.

Beach Day

I rocked it Tony style in a wife beater.
This is becoming old hat for me.
I'm the man, HHH will confirm it!

Plyo X is hard!

I started the morning with ARX as I skipped it due to time and the fact that I had done yoga the day before. It is nice to do it when you aren't completely wasted from a workout. Then I proceeded to jump around for 50 minutes of plyo. I'm playing basketball Saturday morning so we'll see if this workout has down anything for my awesome vertical.
I may be dunking on people

21 to 233 Are you kidding me?

Week 11 comes with the wonderful feeling of closing out sheets. To be honest, I almost pulled a Farrell this morning as I got almost halfway through this workout and wanted to quit. I had even convinced myself that half of this workout is a better workout than most people ever do. However, Pac Man and HHH's mantra of 80% rang through my head and the inner meat head took over.

I finished today doing 233 regular push ups. Day 1 I was only able to do 44 total push ups, 23 of these were on my knees. I was not able to do any regular free form pull ups on day 1 and the first day of this phase saw me do 9 free form pull ups. Today I was able to get 31 free form pull ups. So, 21 to 233 push ups and 0 to 31 pull ups.

Thanks Tony. More importantly thanks Brad!

Weekend away and back at it for week 11

I had a weekend away this week and with 2 straight weeks of houseguests wearing on me, I nearly cracked. I missed Yoga on Friday and went for a 17 mile bike ride Saturday morning instead of legs and back and then proceeded to skip the next 2 days while not following the diet to the absolutel letter of the law. I went to bed last night planning to do Yoga this morning as I've missed it the last two weeks. 2 weeks ago, I half assed it and last week I missed it, so I woke up before 5:00 this morning and got Yoga in to it's completion. Man, do I feel much better. After the weekend I fully expected to back up to 213 and maybe even 215 but when I jumped on the scale it read 210. What a wonderful surprise. I will be starting week 11's workout tomorrow, thus starting the process of closing out sheets!
The end is in sight! I can not wait!

Ran last night and Back and Bis this morning

Got home last night and went for a 4 mile run.
Back and bis this morning.

What else can I say, 12 free form pull ups to start and 15 more on the total than ever before.
This is still working.
I'm hungry!

Ab Rippppppppper X

Did ARX this morning in liue of any other workout as we had a long night with the kids and my wifey was asleep till 8:00. I'll run this afternoon to compensate for missing plyo and on to Back and bis tomorrow.

Week 10! Give the people what they want

It's been nearly 11 weeks since I exposed myself to the world wide web and honestly, I've been feeling a bit like Adam PacMan Hairass about my body. I didn't think I was seeing any changes from the end of the first phase through today but pictures don't lie. I still have a layer of flubber over the 6 pack but I'm going to up the cardio for the next month as well as do P90x and see what happens.

Did Chest Shoulders and tris and topped my push up numbers from the last workout. Each time out I expect a new Personal best and it's happening.

HHH is out, it's down to PacMan and I, I've also got a couple of guys here at work trying to get going.

Nice Weather weekends make it tough to hit the Studio

I love the nice weather, and I hate it! I took Friday off as a rest day, we had house guests, and planned to get Yoga in on Saturday before Golf but a late night caused me to skip that too. I went on a 24 mile bike ride yesterday afternoon and felt strong. It's interesting how in shape you get with this program but it's a different kind of fitness. My muscles and stamina are there but being back on a bike is a different feeling and it took about 20 mins to get into it. Then for the next hour I felt strong. I definately notice a difference in my staying power. Climbing hills with no problem well into my ride. I could have stayed out longer than the hour and a half that I was out, but it was Sunday afternoon and I couldn't abandon my wife 2 days in a row. I golfed on Saturday and again shot well for me. It could have been a better score but given my lack of time on a putting green or around a chipping green, I'm happy with my game. I credit a lot of my improved game to the workouts. I shot a 90 with a 48 on the front and a 42 on the back. ( 2 birdies, 4 pars and at least 3 other birdie putts that turned into bogies)
I may try to get Yoga in today but we'll see. Week 10 is upon us.

You need a break...take it!

I'm taking today off. The schedule is cramped today and I really want to do Yoga tomorrow before I golf as it had a big impact on my score last week.
Yoga Belly 7 times tomorrow and Legs and Back on Sunday with a some tennis
Glorious weekend!

Shoulders and Arms- Beach day

Somedays I really am in love with myself and others I really am in love with someone else. This morning was a self loving day. Maybe it has to do with the positive reinforcement from my lady or the fact that when I'm working out now and catch a glimpse of myself in the garage window, I'm shocked that is what I look like.
My wife was having a moment last night on aging and getting old and concerned about the impending downhill slide to death's door. She's at home with the kids all day which is exhausting without any real promise of a future or any rewards other than a thank you from me and a few hugs from the girls. As we were chatting I told her what I've heard Tony say time and again. I feel like I'm in college again, I look like I'm only 30 years old, have actually had people think I was in my 20's and I'm psyched to have found this. I also told her that is we live right and take care of ourselves, we've got a good 20 year plus run at looking relatively similar to what we do now. This is what led me to my my self love affair this morning at 6:00 am. I'm 36, feel like I'm younger than 26 and feel great everyday. Anyway, enough about me, you can talk about me.
I ran 5 miles last night and the first half was into a massive headwind, then got up and pushed play today. I found a website that helps track your daily diet yesterday and compiled a list of what I take in. I see that I may not be eating enough, just shy of 3000 calories. Check it out I need to cut out some of the fat and find some calories somewhere.

Ab Ripper XXXXXXXXXXX. I awoke this morning a little late and had not done ARx yesterday so I popped it in before Plyo and busted it out in it's entirety. I did not do Plyo as I'm a bit burned out on Tony. I know I know, that's blasphemy. In fact, while flipping through the channels before bed last night, I again stopped on "The Proof" the P90x infomercial only to hear my wife say, don't you get enough of that man? Well, I guess to answer her question, I am getting my fill. I will be running this afternoon and back in the studio tomorrow morning bright and early. I just want to get outside and feel the warm air, and run along the marina green and Crissy field. The scenery has been amazing the last couple of days and I want to take advantage of that.

On another note, my tailor is loving me lately. Today, I'll be dropping off another suit and pair of slacks as I look like I'm swimming in these things. It's days like this that make me realize this program has changed my body and I feel extremely fortunate to have a buddy like HHH to even suggest that this may work for me.

Start of Week 9

Good morning Tour De France!
Back to the world of Chest and Back. Old fashioned Pushing and pulling. I increased my numbers on Pull ups from week 3 but I lost a little ground on Push ups. I did 1 less Push up today than I did in week 3. Pathetic! I didn't pace myself. I started out of the gates and busted out 35 standard push ups for the first set which after I did, I felt a Little winded but figured I could battle through it.
I did well through the entire workout but the lack of focus on my diet the last few days was very apparent today. I need to really clean it up and get after it for the next 5 weeks. I also need to clear this sinus infection for good.
I'm beginning to obsess already about my plan after P90X part duex is complete.
Kiscoe It?

4th of July McPizza!

I pushed everything back a day this week due to the sinus infection, got a z pack on Wednesday morning and did Yoga Thursday, golfed the best round I've had in a while a legit 89 at Stonetree, and went for a 7 mile run on Friday before heading to the Marin County Fair. Saturday was stretch day and I skipped it and McPizzad all day long. I ate so poorly that by 5:00 I had hearburn from the over indulgence of carbs in my system. I also did my own little study on weight and its importance as a measuring tool for this workout program. After my run on Friday I weighed 207, after a day of gluttony on Saturday I weighed 216. That's 9lbs of difference. Now, how is this possible and how does this have any bearing on my program. Weight is merely another unit of measure to keep track of your body. The number I want to calculate is fat% and the measurement that matter most is inches off certain parts of your body.
I'm looking forward to the next 4 weeks of working out and I needed a couple of days to say fuck it with my diet to prevent cheating down the road. I've also enjoyed this recovery week as it came during a bit of a break from work too so it has felt like a real break for my body.
I just need to get a little more rest.
Adios Muchachos!
Go Tiger!

ZPack

Just got to the doctor and got myself a Zpack.
Skipped Yoga this morning and intend to do it this afternoon, we'll see, I may just push things till tomorrow.

REcovery!

14 Prison Pushups. I am beat. I'm fighting a sinus infection and my will to work out is waning. I just want to sleep and eat shitty food.
But seriously, I need to feel better soon this is a good week to recover, yoga tomorrow.

Sadie's Birthday! Legs and Back

I haven't done this workout for two weeks and man I did not miss it one bit. This is by far the toughest day for me. The combination of the 2 biggest muscle groups, the end of a week, and typically a late night on Friday makes this workout exhausting. I struggled through ARX and got my high point for free form pull ups in at 45.

Today is Sadie's 2nd Birthday, so HHH can tell you we are booked for the day. I'm going to punish some cake today though!

Booyah!

Yoga Extreme!

I went to see the Hangover with my boy Fitzy last night, had some sushi and a little popcorn, nothing outrageous but a little off of the diet. Hillarious movie. I enjoyed it. Lots of fun.
Yoga this morning, I rocked it as usual. I'm almost to the point where I'm looking for a new Yoga routine but this was still gets me. I think once I master every move, I'll be on the some advanced shit but still need to get wheel for the full 30 seconds. Crane was ok today, kept going in and out of it but still feeling good.
Toe Lock!

Back and BIs Breakthrough!!!!

I woke up this morning and I grabbed myself a Beer! Just kidding, I'm an alcoholic, so I don't drink.... akward silence.....soo, I was working out this morning and I had the old Back and Bis, Glamour muscles to go today. I jumped up and banged out 10 free form pull ups to start and another 7 assisted. I had 20 in me, but wanted to pace myself for the upcoming pull ups. I felt strong on every set today but was too wasted to complete the last set of curls today. I got a full Ab Ripper in and got to 45 on Mason Twists, all time high.

The news that you're all reading this for is about to drop on you. Corncob Pull ups are hard! I've never done more than 6 in a setting and I've always used a chair to boost myself like this jerkoff. Also, these things are done well into your workout, so you're spent by the time you get to them. Today I did 3 free form/ natural corncobs and 4 more with the assist of a stool!

Booyah Breakthrough! Also, 1 full week of sub 210lbs is in the books. I weighed myself yesterday morning and came in at 207, last night 208, this morning 208.

Feeling good Billy Ray...

The Bucket!!!!

Man o Manochevitz! I wasn't sure that I'd get this in today but I pushed play and once I got going, I got after it! I'm drenched in sweat and made all my 3s today. A little pet peeve of mine but Tony shoots with the wromg hand when stepping into the shot. I take the pass from the right and shoot with the right hand, take the pass from the left and shoot with the left.
Blam!

Week 7 experiment- Ab Ribber before workout

I am fighting a cold that has me seriously reconsidering why we decided to have children. I never get sick and I've rarely had a cold in my adult life but now I have two little germ sponges that I kiss, share food with, and wipe dirty noses all day long. This makes it tough for parents to stay healthy. Anyway, I'm sleeping in a little later 5:30 to try to fight the illness and give my body time to repair itself. I woke up and decided I wanted to mix it up a bit. I also feel that my ab workout was always suffering because I did it when I was fully fatigued so I decided to do ARX before my chest shoulders and tris workout. I figured that this along with my cold would diminish my results during the chest workout. While it was definately harder to do the normal workout today I was able to maintain my numbers from last week's workout. I was able to get 17 clappers in today. I may have been able to get 20 but I was bushed! I'm still doing 1 arm pushups on my knees but those are crazy.
The dog days of this program are about to be on me and I feel good about where I am in my stage of progress. In just the right light, you can actually see some abs.
In the back of my head, my wife's question keeps ringing as motivation, "Have you ever had abs?" Read that how you want, I know I take it as a direct slap in the face!
Drink your recovery drink people!

Happy Father's Day - ABC's

Yoga on Saturday was a blast. Rocked the crane for a full 60 seconds, and got wheel down for a full recittal of the ABCs and then some. Thanks to gay HHH for the advice
Improvised my Legs and Back for Father's day by hiking up Ring Mountain with sadie on my back in a back pack. Did some pull ups and didn't get a full workout in but I'll take it.
Week 7 starts tomorrow,
not sweating the small stuff, however, working in a tiny space and sweating like crazy...

Back and Bis as a Single Parent

Let me just give a quick plug out to all the single parents. The last 2 days have been hellish from a logistics standpoint. Sadie was crazy last night up 3 different times, the last 2 times for an hour each screeming bloody murder. My workout was delayed until late this morning, I'm working from home and had to start late. I got interupted 3 different times and had 2 conference calls during the back and bis routine and still have yet to get Ab ripper x in but hope to do it soon.

The good news is that I did 8 more pull ups today than last week, from 72 to 80. I busted out 10 wide front pull ups in the first set free form then 5 with the chair boost.

Bull by the horns!
Kids are screaming again!

Sometimes the Bucket gets you

Got Plyo done this morning. It wasn't that it was hard, it was just that I had low energy this morning. I had to get up before 4:00 this morning to take my wife to her father's house. Lewis is having surgery today for cancer removal from his neck so she had to be at Stanford by 7:00. I got up took her over and didn't eat anything so I think my energy was down from that. I still averaged over 135 on the HR and had it over 158 during a few exercises but it was just a workout today.
Focusing on the diet for the next few days!

Well I hate to disappoint but...shocking developments

I finished Chest Shoulders and Tris this morning and made gains on each exercise except for clappers today. I got Ab ripper done and feel good about my progress thus far.

On to the news that may just shock you. In Round 1 of P90X, I actually gained weight through the first 30 days due to my body building muscle in place of fat. I went up 4 lbs during the first 3 weeks as I tried to regulate the diet and get the body moving in the right direction for fitness. During this round, I have not gained any weight and in fact struggled with the right mix of diet for the first couple of weeks to maintain energy and lose weight. I started at 213.5 for this round and had bobbed back and forth below 210 to 213.5 but generally stayed around 212/213 as a my average weight. Last week I started to see a number that really excited me. On Wednesday of last week I jumped on the scale after plyo and saw 208.5, now this was after plyo so most likely I lost 3+lbs in sweat that day. I weighed myself daily for the rest of the week in the mornings and saw 3 straight sub 210 numbers. Knowing that I had a wedding weekend ahead of me, I knew I was going to be back up a bit due to my diet. I stayed pretty god but not 100% clean, so Monday morning's weigh in was at 211.5. I weighed in again today at 211 and I feel good about it. Down 2 lbs in the first 30 days with some of the major fat burning/ weight loss days ahead, excites me about the possibilities. So the new goal is 205. This would be a major accomplishment that I haven't seen for more than half of my life. I haven't been in the 205 range since my Freshman year of college. It's on now HHH. It's about to be broughten!

Yoga, COO, run and day off

What a few days.
Did Yoga on Friday. My youngest sister got married this weekend in St Helena at my Father in Law's place so I had a full docket. I went for a 7 mile run on Saturday and got 50 pushups done during the run. That was probably a bit ambitious as I felt it for the next 2 days.
Looking forward to getting back in the studio on Tuesday. Stay tuned as there may be a very shocking development unveiled in tomorrow's post.

Glamour Day - Back and Bis

Doing P90X with House guests is a pain in the arse. Got it done today and thought I had more in me but se la vie. When in Rome. I was able to do a free form Corn Cob pull up which made me happy but it took a lot out of me. Had to skip Ab Ripper due to time constraints. I'll get it in tonight and Yoga tomorrow.
This weekend I will be a little out of pocket due to my youngest sister getting married but I'll get my workouts in, most likely running and push ups both days but we'll see what kind f creativity I have. Maybe I'll embody a modern version of Gymkata and perform various moves along the rows of grapes in the vineyards I pass with pull ups under a bridge over looking the Napa river.
We'll see.
Team Homo is excited to jump into the Original P90x Studio with HHH. I say put them through Legs and Back and see how they feel.

Day 31- Frog Bucket

My Bucket is green, like a frog, like frog boy back there...Dominic has got nothing on me. The one legged dude can go jump off a cliff for all I care, as I owned them all today. I did double time JUMP KNEE TUCKS, did extra reps whenever I could and got my heart rate up over 170 a couple of times. Sweat a ton and felt great afterwards. I'm in shape and can really feel the ability to push myself. My only regret is that I never really worked this hard on my own my entire life.

My wife asked me if I've ever had a 6 pack. I said, not really, just skinny. It's not like I did abs untill February, unless of course, you count the dark years of Cyber Trim, Mt Dew, Deer blood in a bowl, Little Debbie Oatmeal cream pies and 8 minute abs. I wouldn't say I've ever been this committed to getting in shape but it is my new obsession.

I love Tony...There I said it!

Day 30 of Phase 2 Day 120 overall

I started week 5 of the Second round of P90X today with Chest, Tris, and Shoulders with a reckless abandon that hasn't been seen since #40 was roaming the fields of the NCAC Football Conference. My goal was to better my last workout's efforts on reps for each exercise. The last time I did this workout was week 12 of the first round and I had turned in a pretty impressive effort for me in total pushups and total weight/ reps for the other exercises. We tend to use certain exercises as benchmarks to gauge our strength and i think this workout's best gauge is the clapping pushups. I did 13 clapping pushups today. I did a total of 151 pushups today, 10 of those were 1 armed pushups done on my knees. My high total for Round 1 was 128 an 18% increase. I started week 5 with a pedestrian 94 total pushups with almost half of them on my knees. I also remembered how tough the slow count pushups at the beginning were but today it wasn't that bad. Kept up with Ab Ripper and got in a full 45 Mason twists, a first for me. I'm pushing to get to the full 50! I love it but I hate it!
On another note, I had been talking a lot about doing P90X Doubles which would add in a cardio exercise for every weight day. That means today would have been a 2aday. However, logistically, that's crazy. I don't have time to workout twice a day and I don't want my workouts to suffer by trying to combine them. I may still work in some runs and biking as this goes on on the weight days but suffice it to say, I'm not enrolling in the doubles program.

I am still obsessed and I know you are!!!!

A run on the 80% club

Well, I guess all things come in 3's. I skipped Yoga yesterday and went to the practice range for 3 hours of practice, 200 balls, an hour on the pitching green and sand trap and I'm feeling like I could challenge HHH for once. However, the one muscle that still needs more work than possible, my brain is weak.
My rationale for taking yesterday off was that I'm attmpting the doubles program this week. Week 5 is the first week of P90X doubles. It is basically phase 2 with Cardio X added tothe 3 lifting days in the morning. We'll see if I have what it takes to make it though this shiznit.
I need to continue to work on cleaning the diet and amp it up a bit if I want to burn this last layer of stubborn fat away!

Core Synergisitics -T-Bird

I was looking forward to today's workout. Getting up at 5:00 am on a Saturday morning does something to you. It reminds you that your priorities have changed. 10 years ago I may have been getting in from the night now I'm starting my day with Tony and crew and a session of core synergistics.
Felt strong throughout, only got 11 prision pushups today but did a full minute of plank to chataranga run.
Side story, a buddy of mine walks into a health food store with his boss. They're talking to a gentleman who stands 6'7 goes 300 lbs who owns the place. The guy's name is Junior. P90X comes up and Junior says that of all the things he's done P90x is the best and gave him the best results of anything he's done. In fact, he's been doing it for the last 2 years. This guy's boss calls bullshit on him and he challenges him to prove it. It just so happens, Junior has a pull up bar out back, he proceeds to rip off 30 pull ups and followed that up by 75 pushups in street clothes. If you needed any other proof that this program is legit, there you go.
PacMan is hungover today and HHH is probably working with his new partner Guns as I type.
Hey Guns, the waffle store called...

Stretching is soooooo nice

It's fun to sleep in and know you have 50 minutes of stretching as your workout for the day!

You Win Wesley!

Kenpo this morning and I got it done. I had every intention of kicking his ass this morning but a headache got in my way. I battled through it and got the workout in but I'd have to say that Wesley would have kicke my ass if we fought today. I'm sore and stiff from Core synergistics yesterday so that feels good, looking forward to stretching tomorrow!

Recovery Synergistics Day 24

I was looking forward to this workout this morning. Especially after talking to HHH last night and learning that he got caught up in a BoonDoggling Affair with some of his sales bretheren and was too hung over to complete a workout yesterday. This fired me up more than Kiscoe putting a ball in the water off the tee.
So, again, I woke up at 4:27, right before my alarm and got after my morning routine of taking various uppers and a couple of sit downs in preparation for the workout. I immediately got after it and fired off 40 staggered arm push ups. I was most excited about the prison puch ups as I thought I may give old Adam a run for his money. I remembered that HHH said you have to go fast to get in more than 15 so I started out fast. I got to 10 and I thought I could still get 15 but after 11 I was questioning my resolve and after 12 I was done. So, you need to go fast but not too fast that you kill yourself for the end. PLank to Chataranga Run is still hard, but I can do it.
I'm looking forward to kicking some Monkey ass tomorrow!
AFter this round, I may have to enroll in this new series. He's really taking the whole thing to another level!

Rockin the Crane Day 23

Recovery Hair! Well, Well well, week four is upon me. On a side note, the Mrs is really enjoying the new me. I enjoy the new me too but I've always thought I looked good. This second time around the P90X schedule is focused on mastering each day and pushing myself to new levels. Yoga, as I said on Saturday, is my favorite day of the week and this week I get to do it twice. I will definately keep the Yoga spirit alive moving forward. HHH blasted me yesterday with a boast of being in the studio at 5:00 am to which I replied I am regularly in the gym at that time. He confronted me and suggested that I wasn't normally getting started until 5:30ish so this morning I awoke before my alarm that was set for 4:31 and was standing on my mat before 5:00 am. How you like me now Hamma! Rocked the crane for 55 of the 60 seconds today and was looking forward to wheel. However, once I got up into wheel, my feet slipped out and down I came. I'm still seeing improvements which is crazy and I'm looking forward to attempting the Doubles program. We'll see if logistically I can hang but I'd like to do it if possible.
I'm a celebrity get me out of here...
Classic~!

Legs and Back, Ab Ripper and abbreviated Kenpo

Due to missing a workout on Thursday of this past week, walking a round of golf does not count, I decided to get 2 workouts in on Sunday. Instead of doing one in the morning and one in the afternoon like a sensible human would, I just lined it up back to back during nap time. Whoooeee! Not easy, especially after Legs and Back. Kenpo is f-ing hard as hell after Legs and Back. Did 45 natural pull ups during the course of the workout, up 6 from last week. I'm finally starting to sees one serious gains in strength in the pull up department. I've struggled with pull ups my whole life due to the laws of physiques and the laws of "I just didn't do them" Also, I've never really been able to see my abs due to diet and the laws of "I just didn't do them" but they're starting to peak through at the top of the ab region. Years of sweets and beer have created a formidable layer of insulation to hide them. Speaking of beer and diet, I had an interesting interaction with my boss after golfing on Thursday. We had just finished walking a challenging course, I parred the last hole and won closest to the pin, but that's not even the story. We sit down for lunch and I order their field greens salad with double chicken and an ice tea. It's not the biggest salad ever and as I finish every last bit of it, almost licking the plate clean, the table remarks at how hungry I must be. I say, I could eat 5 more of those. My boss looks at me and says, "You know, we all end up as the same dirt...at least I'm enjoy myself on the way." He's a bit of a large pear on tooth picks and was enjoying his beer as well. I wanted to quote Dean Wortimore and say "Fat, Drunk and Lazy is no way to go through life" but chose the high road and said, I am enjoying myself. I really am enjoying this program. I love the discipline needed for the diet and the challenge of working out every day and eating right every day. It is my new obsession. A lot healthier than some of my past obsessions and it may even help me live longer. Rest/ Stretch today.

Yoga Belly 7 times Day 20

I love Yoga, this is by far my favorite day. It's hard as hell but it feels soo good after you are done. I rocked the wheel, and crane for a good 20 seconds at a time, I actually had crane for 40+ seconds of the full 60. I'm able to keep up during Yoga belly which is encouraging. Cheating on my diet tonight hardcore.

Travel to Seattle- P90X on the road

So Tuesday, I crushed Back and Chest, legendary performance from myself. Tuesday night I headed to Seattle for Management Meetings, Had dinner out and ate a nice piece of Salmon, salad, and veggies. Wednesday morning, I woke up at 5:00 and instead of jumping around my hotel room like a jackass, I elected to substitute a brisk run for Plyo. My hotel was in Bellevue, near the water and I got to run along a path that goes around Lake Washington, beautiful! I got 6 miles in in less than 55 minutes. Now, I've never really been much of a runner other than short distances and I felt like I wasn't going that fast and that I was still pushing myself physically but I never expected to run that far that fast. I came back and did Ab Ripper and had every intention of doing Shoulders and arms that evening but we had meetings all day and dinner again that night. I had a big walking golf day for the next day so no workouts on Thursday, We ended up walking 6 miles though a played golf at one of the more beautiful places I've played. Seattle, when it's sunny is possibly beyond compare. I love the Bay area and Morgan County but 70 and sunny in Seattle is like Heaven.

I got home last night and I was able to maintain a fairly clean diet all week. I had the urge to cheat a little last night and had to give in but I'll keep it clean for the weekend.

This morning I got after the "Beach Workout" Arms and Shoulders. Nothing outrageous to report from today other than I'm looking forward to recovery hair. It should be a blast!

Blackberries, Holiday Weekend and week 2 in the bag!

What a weekend! Friday afternoon I decided to attack the Blackberry patch behind my fence. Our yard goes another 60 feet past our existing fence and it is covered in blackberries. Amazingly tough and huge stocks at least an inch in diameter in places. 3 hours into the ordeal with a power Brush cuter I had cleared a 20' by 30' space, not even 1/16th of what I was planning to do and gave myself blister on 4 fingers. Saturday morning up and at them for Legs and Back and had a breakthrough on Pull ups. I did 39 free form pull ups and 66 assisted to total 105 for my first time over 100 and the highest count of free form I've done to date. There is hope. After a little activity with the wife and Kids, I headed back to the blackberry patch for another 4 hours of outrageous effort. I ended the weekend with about an 1/8th of the area cleared and the wish that I could just burn the suckers out. What amazes me is my physical endurance these days. Yes, I was a little soar and yes I can barely grip anything due to blisters but I got after it. Got Kenpo in on Sunday then headed up to the in laws for some Barbecuing and fun in the sun. I would say that I cheated for a couple of days on the diet but I'll clean it up this week.
Chest and back this morning produced another first...220 Push ups, 5 were done on my knees during Diamond push ups but I wanted the reps! I also got 78 pull ups in. My highest point during round 1 was 186 push ups and 66 pull ups. An 18% improvement on production. Not too shabby.

Yoga Belly 7 Times

I look forward to Yoga. If you were to ask me what is the one major differentiator between this program and many other boxed/ packaged exercise programs...It would be Yoga and the emphasis placed on stretching as well as core strength. My mid-section continues to shrink and it's not something that I can necessarily see in the mirror. However, when I put on a pair of pants and cinch my belt, only to realize I'm on the last hole of that belt, I begin to realize that my body is still changing.
I'm looking forward to the next 80 days.

Arms and Shoulders- Booyah!

Now there's the gains I've been looking for!
Improvements in all facets of my strength, higher reps, higher weights, followed up by a full session of Ab Ribber X. I can now do the Mason twists for the entire 40 count and pushed a little into the bonus today. I found a new bar that I'm trying out as a replacement to Protein bars and for times that I feel especially hungry during the day. It's ForzeGPS and it's supposedly made with ingredients that help make you feel full up to 3.5 hours. I had one yesterday afternoon at 2:30 and didn't feel the need to eat untill 5:30, Followed that up with a salad, 12oz Filet Mignon with vegggies.
Yummy!

Sometimes ya gotta listen to your body- Plyo X

I have been struggling during this second round to pop out of bed like I did for the first 90 days and was completely wasted from last week. Last week's efforts combined with poor diet and a sick kid left very little in the tank to start the week. I pushed myself fairly hard on Monday with Chest and Back and didn't get the ab ripper in. I had planned to do it that evening but there's a lot going on and I decided to do it before Plo on Tuesday. I got up a little late on Tuesday, sleep is such an important part of this regimen, sleep and diet effect you more than you may know before you start something like this, so I did the Ab Ripper Completed and kept up (it's soooooo easy when done by itself) then just didn't have the time or the energy to do Plyo yesterday morning. I thought I'd try to do it last night but as the day progresses things tend to get in the way of workouts and invariably it didn't happen. So, went to bed by 10:00 last night, woke up before the alarm 4:38 and got amped to go. On the way donwstairs, the girls started getting up so in a fit of panic, I rushed into their room and got them both back to sleep. Now, I'm starting late again today but I'm doing it.
My low energy levels combined with some mental issues ( I was becoming a bit depressed due to a perceived lack of improvement in my strength) had been weighing on me. I was becoming concerned, do I have it in me to go another 90 days of this shit? Well, I "pushed Play" and once I got warmed up, I started realizing that I've made tremendous gains in my overall conditioning. I was not only keeping up with all of the exercises but I was blasting ahead and doing double time jump KNEE Tucks! (say like Tony) Kept the HR in the mid 140's average and got a great workout in. I just needed a day off, I also realized that starting on a Monday is really difficult for me. The weekends typically take a lot out of me and for the first phase I used Monday as my rest day to alleviate some of the stress associated with a Monday morning and get a day to rest, as last week I found that even during my day off on Sunday, I was extremely active. As I said, I'm realizing how important Diet and Recovery time is to working out and as my body has changed so has it's needs. So, I'm going back to the Tuesday through Sunday schedule and focusing on diet and getting enough sleep. I am entertaining doing the doubles program which would add Cardio to 3 days a week in the next phase. I'd like to lose more weight and get below 210lbs!
Icee Out!

Chest And Back- Beginning of week 2 P90X2

Man was it hot this weekend. Also, Bella has a Ear infection, Throat infection and a UTI. So let's just start this by saying my wife and I's 5th Anniversary was awesome! We cancelled our plans to take care of the kids. WooHoo! The good news is that I actually probably saved $1000 as well so as much as I was looking forward to a weekend away from the little buggers, this economy is in the shitter so I needs to hold onto my money.
I got started late this morning and will have to get ab ripper in tonight but I got it done and improved a bit in my production. 190 total Pushps vs 174 last week, I believe over 90 pull-ups this morning but I'm still having to use the chair a great deal. Saturday was a better day for me on Pull ups and today I was still reeling from that I think.
Looking forward to my bucket tomorrow.

Oh the Heat! Legs and Back in 90+ degrees

I got it done Buckos! Pulls and lunges, god how I love it!
Looking forward to my day off tomorrow.
Week 1 of Phase 2 is in the bag!

Yoga X and 18 holes of gorgeous Drey Weber

Got up did Yoga, played 18 and am now at work~!
You gotta love it or you gotta love it!

Bike to Work Day

Today's Yoga X was post poned till tomorrow in honor of Bike to Work day.

I rode in this morning 18.5 miles in just over an hour and will be riding home this afternoon/

I feel a lot stronger on the bike than I have in the past, not to mention, the gay bike kit that I wear fits much better these days and doesn't stretch as much as it used to.

Day 3 of P90X redux in full effect

I had a technical issue yesterday morning that prevented me from getting my bucket filled. I got it in last night and got after it. Averaged a heart rate of 151, nailed 35 jumpers over HHH and struck out Adam left handed. Had the illustrious beach workout today and loved it.
I'm looking forward to the changes I'll see in the next 90 days as I'm starting this round in relatively solid shape and can actually now concentrate on improving my performance rather than hoping to survive.
I will say that I am sore all over again and that is a good thing! Tomorrow is Bike to Work day so I will be riding my bicycle to and from work (18 miles each way) I haven't decided if I am going to do yoga tomorrow too or just push it to Friday, we'll see.

Opting back in for another 90 days!

Before I fell asleep watching The latest James Bond movie, my wife was fantasizing about Daniel Craig's hot body and said, I hope that's what you look like after another 90 days. Talk about pressure and motivation. I'll show that bitch...wait a minute she's my lovely wife and mother of my beautiful children, she's not a bitch.

Today was my first day of the new set of P90X. I've been jonesin for a fix since last Monday. I went for an hour run on Saturday morning and did 60 push ups and some Yoga but I was craving the structure and comfort of my garage. Pull ups are still the bain of my existence but I get after the pull ups like I'm Johnny Fitness, like nobodies business, results city baby. I got 173 total Push ups in today. Started the program in February barely getting 44 legit push ups done and now starting round 2 with a mark of 173. I'm going to have to temper my expectations for the end of this 90 days as I don't think I'll see a 400% gain in numbers. I'm really focusing on improving my overall strength and getting leaner. I weighed in after a gluttonous weekend at 213lbs this morning. I had weighed in at 208.5 on Saturday so I'm guess my legit stasis weight is hovering around 210, which I'm happy with for now...for now.

Big ups to Adam, don't call me a Jew, Harris for his first week! It takes a real man to post way too many half naked shots of other men on your blog and still be concerned with what your wife may think about random comments from your followers but he's done with week one and on the the meat of the workout! Keep up the good work!

Also, welcome back HHH and his green bean soup to the program. After wandering the wilderness like Moses for the last 3 weeks, he's decided to opt back in for the discipline of Tony!

First P90X Complete! Pics and final stats

Well P90x has been completed by the Iceman. I did my final workout in the studio with HHH and completed my final fit test this morning. I will now take this time to pat myself on the back and say "Holy Christ! You did that?" I started this little workout program the Tuesday after the SuperBowl and here I finished on the Monday after the Kentucky Derby. I'm not sure what truly allowed me to stay the course other than I was finally ready to be fit again. That and the fact that I didn't want to be embarrassed with my shirt off. Well enough with the self flagellation, here are the stats:
Fit Test results:
1-21-09
Pull ups = 3
Push ups= 30
Wall Squat= 1:34
Bicep Curls = 17 x 32.5lbs
In and outs =27
Flexibility = -1.5 inches
5-6-09
Pull ups= 10
Push ups = 61
Wall Squat = 4:01
Bicep curls = 25x 35lbs
In and Outs = 70
Flexibility = +7.5 inches

I've gained an overall strength that I don't think I've had since college. I will be going through another 90 days and I plan to jump back on the horse next week. Check this out for a look at the transformation! If you watch the slide show, hit the show info button on the upper right.
Enjoy! I'll post again when I start back up!

I have graduated my first 90 days of P90X. I was fortunate enough to complete the process in the birthplace of the recnet revolution, the HHH Studio, aka SwineFlu HQ, aka Karaokee heaven, aka I'm going to shave you, aka Bressi. The man who got me on the train in the first place is the man who got to witness my final days on the initial phase of P90X. It was great to workout with a buddy as we both seemed to push each other a bit. Anyway, the feeling of accomplishment is quickly followed by a feeling of what now. Well, for me, I'm jumping back in for another 90 days after witnessing HHH's physique in the flesh and I mean this in the gayest possible way, I are impressed. The guy's ripped, even concave as my wife says, his torso looks like it was actually elongated and that's saying something.
Thanks Brad, Kristin and Koko for getting my ass interested in this and thanks to my wife for allowing for my grumpiness at the start. (she says Im still grumpy)
Final reveal pictures and the final fit test will be out within the next two days.
Icee looking for a tan!

Day 86 and 87 Core Synergistics and Kenpo 2 workouts left

Core synergistic is a tough workout no matter how good of shape you may think you are in. It's tough, you spend the entire workout "engaging" your core and it is a doozy. The Prison Push ups are the benchmark exercise for this event, in other words, something that can be measured to gauge your growth/ progress overall. Adam, the outrageously fit brother in the back pumps out 18 prison push ups. If you watch the video that means he does 54 total push ups through the time allotted. HHH got 15 in, I got 12 in before collapsing. The other ridiculous exercise is Plank to chataranga run. Too difficult to explain and more difficult to actually do for a full minute.
This morning I had Kenpo and really got after it but try as I might, I can not get my heart rate near Wesley's 160 until the very end when I try to put myself into an exercise induced stupor during vertical punches. Tomorrow is a stretch/ rest day, I'm golfing with HHH and Mr Matas, then another round of Core Synergistic, Yoga, and my final stretch before the most shocking Rose ceremony yet!
Stay tuned for next week when all of your questions are answered, did it work, am I stronger, did I lose weight...?
Gotta give shouts out to Adam, Dave C and some 80%ers in SoCal Matas and Maceever.

Day 85- I recommend Footpsray 7 Times

I was 40 minutes into Yoga this morning when the Beautiful Mrs Skye came down to join me. She was hoping to do Pilate's but the Old early Bird got the worm if you know what I mean and was already 2 minutes away from Warrior 3 to Half moon series. She joined us, and when I say us I mean, myself, Tony, Adam-He's a dancer and a wild man, and the 2 lovely ladies for the balance poses.
I got crane for a full 50 seconds and had wheel for 20 before having to go to bridge. Completed Yoga Belly 7 times and absolutely loved the workout.
Working in a tiny space and sweating like crazy!

Day 82, 83, and 84

Day 82 was Legs and Back and I am spent. Given the fact that I didn't start this workout before the kids got up and I was trying to let the wife sleep in ensured that I get interrupted a good 5 or 6 times with "Daddy! The show's over... , Daddy!, Sadie's awake!...Daddy Sadie pooped!" Anyway, got it done and I definitely feel strength in my pull ups but I'm glad this is the last week or lifting, the 4th week really takes a toll on you, I'm looking forward to recovery week. I skipped Kenpo for a run and fighting with Blackberry bushes and took Monday off. The wonderful week of recovery is upon me and my final reveal is just a week away.
I did some advanced measurements to confirm what my loose fitting clothes had been telling me for the last couple of weeks. I've lost inches off of my midsection in just 40+ days since I measured myself last. At least 3 inches off or my belly/ handles and 3 inches off of my hips and almost an inch off my waist. Crazy. Unfortunately I didn't do any measurements before I started so who knows how much I've really lost, we can only guess.
Rumor has it that Justin Frye has some smack to talk and he's also in his final week. I'm sure the Lil' Guy has made some major improvements.

Day 81- Yoga Belly 7 Times!

Got up and Rocked this bitch. First 45 minutes strait through to completion. Toe Lock, Wheel for 10+ seconds, Solid crane and the full Yoga Belly 7 series. Feeling good!

Day 80 - Back and Bis

Given my recent string of major advancements, I awoke this morning with a feeling of anticipation and excitement. I expected that I was going to jump up on the pull up bar and I would feel weightless this morning. I mean, I've dropped to 212lbs, I'm stronger all over and I own this. Boy was I wrong, 6 free form pull ups to start and 11 more with the stool only gave me an addition of 2 pull ups from 2 weeks ago. My total pull up count for the day was the lowest it's been in the last 3 workouts. This fourth week of lifting is a bitch. I'm also not eating enough carbs and I felt beat throughout the workout.
Sometimes you get the bull and sometimes the Bull rams his horns up your ass

Manochevitz! Plyo X for the last time in this circuit

I did not realize untill I consulted my 3 Ring binder that I was done with Plyo now for a couple of weeks. My average heart rate was 147 throughout and I kept up with Frog Boy. Half way through the workout I got a second wind. I still haven't totally embraced the high carb diet for Phase 3 and I've been tired. Last night I made a Shrimp and pasta dinner and man did I get rewarded today. I had energy through the entire workout and woke up ready to roll.
I have put Plyo to bed until Round 2 and I feel conflicted about leaving it for a while. It's like going on a promising business trip, you could close a big deal, get to spend the night in a hotel away from Kids and the family responsibilities but you're also stuck scrambling for something to eat at 10:00 PM and the 46 inch flat screen is connected to a coax cable from 1985, plus you won't get to see your kids in the morning. Good analogy, who knows, but it speaks to me.
Weighed in at 212lbs this morning. That is down 8lbs from my starting weight and down 12 lbs from my overall weight as I gained 4 lbs at the start of this journey.
Still haven't seen the breakthrough abs yet, but I feel them...they are there.

Start of Week 12- Chest Shoulders and Tris

We are having a heat wave! I didn't get my stretch in yesterday and I feel it big time. So this is my final week on the sheets. I closed out Chest Shoulders and tris and given my breakthroughs last week I expected to be blown away by my progress today. Well, Hertz... while I have seen steady progress in this workout, I do not have earth shattering numbers to report. However, I do have overall progress to report and my total count for push ups today was 128 up from 94 in week 5. Some of these moves are concentration moves but I'll take a 33% increase in 7 weeks of this program. Ab Ripper X is still a chore and I'm buying into Tony's mantra of loving it and hating it. Right now, I feel a little like AI.

Day 75 and 76 - Legs and Back and Kemmmmpow!

Breakthrough! By Bradley T Hensley Saturday was Legs and Back. LEt me start by saying this, I could barely do 3 full pull-ups for my fit test. My first day of doing pull ups I could only do 4 total freeform pull-ups. Last week I was able to 14 total free form pull ups with assitance, Saturday I did 31 total free form pull ups. I more than doubled my output in a week. Crazy!
Sunday was Kenpo and I got er done, I also golfed yesterday afternoon and was still a bit stiff from the day before. I've also noticed a significant increase in my distance on my irons since beginning P90X. I'm hitting it about 10 yards further with each iron so I'm still trying to dial in my distances. I nailed a green on a 148 yd par 3 with a 9 iron yesterday and my 8 iron is over 160 consistantly now, 7 iron in the 175 range, 5 iron 200, hybrid 210+, driver about the same as before but more consistant. However, golfing a day after Legs and Back is tough.
I'm going to make a major push on the diet for the last 2 weeks and see what I can do for my "reveal" The family is travelling to Carlsbad for graduation day!
Icee-

Day 74 - Toe Lock and Crane!

I owned crane today! 74 days later and I can rock the crane big time! Anyway, doing well with Yoga! I love it and I love it, I will continue to do Yoga as I progress beyond the X but I'm committed to another round of this blessed pain when it is over.
I really want to take my body to the next level.
The end is near...

Day 73 - Shoulders and Arms

Got after it today for my last time of the Shoulders and Arms circuit. The beach workout, I did most of this workout with my shirt off as I am that gay now! That and the fact the shirt I was wearing rubbing me the wrong way. Anyway, I don't think I've ever quite looked like this in my life. I'm still working on uncovering the abs but the lean muscle growth and thinning out of my entire body is kind of unbelievable. I had been resigned to the fact that "I'm just a big guy, always will be" My wife has even said on occassions in the past..."You're just a big guy" I think she was trying to be kind with that comment but now I see that I can maintain a fit body and get to a point that allows me to actually feel good about taking my shirt off in public.
I feel like I could be the next Matthew McConahey and walk around with my shirt off constantly and people would love it.
I want to give a big shout out to Justin"Don't call me Small" Fry. He's dropped 20 lbs in the same amount of time that I've dropped 10. He claims that he was 5'10" 207 at the start but I think he was more like 5'8" 207, so granted he can drop some weight off of that tiny frame. He played fullback for a tiny little shit school in Ohio known as DennyDoo. Hot chicks and little dudes.

Day 72 - Bucket/ Frog Boy

I am tired...cue Allen Iverson, these are really the dog days of the program but the end is in sight. At least the end of my first 90 days. Average Heart rate for today was a whopping 152 for Plyometrics, I'm really pushing myself now. What's crazy is the internal motivation I possess to get after it! My physical changes are very apparent now, but there is still a lot of improvement to go. I also wieghed myself and am weighing it at 214 lbs. That is a 6lb loss from my starting weight and 10 lbs overall during this program. I actually gained 4 lbs in the first 3 weeks of the program as I was starting to build muscle. Anyway, enough with the fuzzy math.
Knocked out Ab ripper last night on it's own and it's a lot more enjoyable doing it by itself as opposed to after a heavy lifting day but I see the benefit of doing it as prescribed.

Day 71 Closing out Worksheets!

Well Well Well,if it isn't Bobby the Softy from the Power hour. Today, I started out with one goal in mind...keep up with Bobby and the Band Man, and try not to fantasize too much about the German Potato Soup. It's fulfilling to close out a worksheet, and motivating as well. I really wanted to push it today to see how much improvement I'd actually get from day 1 to now.
Pull ups still are my nemesis. The laws of physics are conspiring against me on this one I'm afraid. 6'5" and 217lbs makes for a tough task of pulling all of that mass up over the bar. I'm getting there and I'm still committed to making a run at round two of this to really put myself over the top. Day 1 I did not do any free hanging pullps, today I did 10 free hanging pull ups.


Pushups are a different story...day 1 I only did 44 regular pushups before dropping to my knees like a woman. Today I did all of my pushups regular and got in 186 push ups! Major improvement, I'm not a math whiz but I think that's a 425% gain in performance.
The crazy thing is, not only are the numbers staggering to me but my form is near perfect and my entire body is now rigid throughout the sets of pushups. I don't know how those guys get over 20 dive bombers but I'll get there. I had to skip ab ripper due to taking my sister and nieces to the aeropuerto this morning but I will get it in tonight before dinner.
Manochevitz up tomorrow.

Day 69 - Create my own Workout - Koko style

I was in St Helena for the blessed Easter weekend with my family so I was without the ability to do Legs and Back, so I pulled a Koko/HHH and went for a run. It's the first time I have gone out on a Jog or Jogging with a silent J, and it felt pretty solid. I went out for an 50 minute run and did 100 pushups throughout. I found interesting ways to do pushups, did 25 on large boulders, 20 on top of a fence, and 20 along the side of the road with my feet up on a wall, and 35 at the end. I would have never thought of doing this in the past, as I would have just wanted to make it through the damn run. I kept the heart rate in the 130's with spikes after the push ups.
Major props are due to the Hensley crew! They have completed the P90x program. Check out this sexy dude here...HHH blows. He just did his final fit test and it is quite impressive.
Tomorrow starts week 11 for me!

Day 67 and 68 I got toe lock

Unfortunately, a night spent in the Emergency room with Sadie on Thursday night created an unforeseen glitch in my othwerwise robotic workout schedule. She has a cornea abbrassion, simply put a nasty scratch on her eyeball! I had an unscheduled day off yesterday due to lack of sleep, so I pushed Yoga to today and I'll do Legs and Back tomorrow, Kemmmmpo on Monday, yada yada yada.
In other news, I got toe lock on standing leg extensions! Also rocked the crane for the longest of any session to date and was getting close to holding it for 30 secs untill Tony opened his mouth and disturbed my Chi.
I love Yoga, and like most people who find it, I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner but now will continue with it at least once or twice a week after I'm done with P90X.
Heading to the in laws for Easter. See you in the blogosphere on Monday.
Now that HHH is done, I know I'll have to step up my game a bit!
Icee

Katie is a whore Day 66

Back and Bis
I've been amped for this workout as I'm starting to really feel myself getting stronger all over. I think my body is craving the daily punishment now.
I've improved my pull up count by 10 to 83 total pull ups for the day and did 168 curls for the day which is also up in count. Increased some weight as well.
Ab Ripper is getting more enjoyable. I love it...but I hate it!
Big ups to HHH and White Parts! They've made it 90 days.

Day 65 - Plometrics

Quite frankly...This is the X in P90X!
Got the old ticker going today! I was psyched after obsessing over my photoshoot yesterday and really pumped to make the final push to the end. My average Hear Rate before each break was 151 so I got after it.
Man O Manochevits!

Day 60 Pics are here and in honor of the Original Photo Shoot, I'm representing with the Pink Corvette that was in the original Pre-workout set shot at 5:00 AM of Day 1. The Birthday Girl Bella Michele is shown flexing with daddy which is a welcome change from her telling me that I'm doing an exercise wrong. Today was Chest, Tris, and Shoulders and my natural/ regular pushup count was up 16 total push-ups from the last time I did this work out. From 104 to 120 regualr man-Pushups and another 23 on my knees to get to 143 total. I upped my weight to 25 lbs on the shoulder exercises and really burned myself out. What's crazy is that I'm 10 weeks into this and the workouts are set up in such a way that I still feel I can push myself. Whetehre it's Tony's banter back and forth with Phil or the ugly witch broad saying she'll do 15 reps, I am motivated to push to failure on every set. Crazy. Also, was feeling a little conflicted about these pics as I felt there wasn't going to be much of a change from 30 days, especially after I spent the majority of the weekend off of the diet. However, I was pleasantly suprised. Still no visible abs but they are there under the layer of fat that remains.

Enough with my own self critiques... here is what all of you guys are waiting for:

Day 62 - KeMMMMpo- Day 63 - rest

After a long week and longer weekend, I went into the garage looking forward to beating Murray's ass during Kenpo. I also began the workout with Ab Ripper and let me tell you there is a major difference between doing it before a workout vs. doing it at the end of a lifting workout. MAJOR! I did the whole entire workout, not ab ripper 100 or 200, but ab ripper 330. Then I got after it punching and kicking like I'm some kind of bad ass. Still not sure how the big guy in the back gets his heart rate up to 160 during this. Ho doesnt even appear to be working hard. I'm convinced that Tony H is concerned about him after he checks his HR monitor and sees 160. My Average hear rate through the entire exercise is 135. I was feeling energized after and pumped out 25 push ups and 5 wide grip pull ups just for good measure.
Today I rested, tomorrow Chest, tris, and Shoulders and most likely picture day. Stay tuned bitches!

Day 60 - Golf - Day 61 Legs and Back

First off, let me say, I beat Koko by at least 5 strokes yesterday. I really gave it to him! I'm looking forward to playing golf this year as I have more control through the entire round than I'm used to. I had birdie opportunities on 3 holes on the back 9, went par, bogey, par, par on the front but also had a few typical blow up holes. Good day over all.
Today was Bella's big 4th birthday and typical to fashion, we blew it out. Skye is quite the ambitious party planner when it comes to these things and I encourage it whole heartedly! We had a Hawaiian Hula Girl party and as soon as I got off the plane last night, I was put to work making pulled pork, bar b queing chicken and preparing for the big shindig. I got to the park to set up before 7:00 am this morning and spent the whole day on my feet serving up pulled pork sliders and hauling things to and fro...to and fro. Over all, great party and a long day. I had to do Legs and Back this afternoon and man was it tough to get going. I did it and I regressed a little in overall pull up numbers but did more free form pull ups than ever. My legs are fried and I'm going to do Ab ripper after Kenpo tomorrow.
I need some rest. I have a new found respect for HHH doing this on the road and motivating to get it done when he gets home. I'm beat!
Koko is out of the X circle.

Day 58 and 59 on the road -

Day 58 - did Shoulders and arms in the Houston 24hr fitness yesterday afternoon. Not to boast, and I'm not saying I'm the man but I will say that this is the first time I've worked out in front of a mirror in the last 2 months. It does not look like my body, I was shocked and excited while working out, for me, I'm getting in shape. Oh yeah, made significant gains in strength as well.

Day 59 - Yoga in a hotel room. Not as fun as Yoga in a studio or at home but got er done. I was only able to get through the first 45 minutes. Golfing tomorrow with Koko. I'll be back in the blogosphere this weekend and after 60 day pics are coming next week.

Day 57 - Plyometrics Bucket list

Man oh Manochevitz as my gay JEwish uncle used to say. I don't have a gay Jewis uncle and I've never heard any of my uncles say anything like that. Mostly, my uncle Steve used to beat my ass in Basketball untill I was a senior in High school. Most of you say, well that's not bad, but the reality is he's 5'6" and hadn't played ball since highschool and he has about 14 years on me. Anyway, I'd kick his ass now. Uncle Darl used to just threatn Cory and I that he was going to put his boots on...which boots you ask? His ass kicking boots for when Cory and I would get into trouble or start fighting. We never let him get to the point of actually putting the boots on as he was a big dude.

Plyometrics today, lots of jumping around and squatting. Wrote down my heart rate during each break and I'm a good 5 to 10 beats lower than I was 2 weeks ago. I'm getting in shape and doing all of the advanced versions of the moves for the entire workout. It feels good. It also feels good when I putting jumpers in HHH's eye at the end and striking Koko out with my left hand pitches.
About to take this show on the road for the first time. I'll be in Houston the next few days and visiting Koko's hoe gym. Rumor has it he's moved on from the X and is now enamored with triathlons. Talk about short attention span!

Late.

Day 56 - Back and Chest

Old fashioned Push ups and Pull ups. I have been looking forward to this workout for a while now, as I wanted to see how much I've improved over day 1. What you are about to read may just absolutely SHOCK you! On day 1 I did a whopping 44 total regular push ups for the entire workout. I did the rest of my push ups on my knees and my total was 129 push ups for the work out. Today I did 139 total push ups with out dropping to my knees. I did an additional 21 push ups on my kness for Diamond pushups and 4 for Military pushups as I was failing on my last set. So my total for today was 160 vs 122. The most exciting part is 44 push ups on day 1 and 139 push ups today. 8 weeks. This has been done in 8 weeks.
Also, the wifey is loving the new look!
Icee- stirring a pot of rainbow chard bisk!

Day 55 - Because I do Yoga!

Yoga was sweet. I completed the first 45 minutes in its entirety. Moving in a tiny space and sweating like crazy. Showed off for the wifey while doing crane and felt great afterwards.
Had some relatives over yesterday and one of Skye's cousins is a Yogi and the guy is crazy in some of the moves he can execute. Some day

Day 54 - Core Synergistics

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Banana?
Banana Who?
SuperMan!
Superman who?
Banana
BANANA Who!?
SuperMan!
SUPERMAN WHO?
Drea Roll!
15 Prison push ups!
I'm in shape, now I just need my physique to catch up with me. I did what is possibly the hardest workout of the series today and really pushed myself. I can feel gains all over and this is only my 8th week. I never thought I'd be a gritter type that gets off on working out in his garage but it is actually where I got my start in good old Morgan County! In our garage on County Road 3.

Day 53 or T-minus 7 days to picture day

I love love love stretching. I'm amazed at how much I love stretching. My fondest memories of stretching used to be HHH leading us in German, Bubba in French, and Simmons shouting Captain Caveman! Major improvements and it feels good!

Day 52 - KenPow!

Man was I ready for this workout! I love Kenpo! I really brought it today, although I didn't get my heart up to cardiac arrest of 173 in vertical punches but I was up over 160 and my average HR was 136 for the entire session. I feel good about it. I'm hoping that this week will start to show some slimming effects on my tire area. This week couldn't come at a better time as I was getting tired, que AI, I'm looking forward to stretching tomorrow and the weekend of Yoga and Core Synergistics.
At this point, I can't see any difference today in my physique from day 30 but I'm sure that's my humble opinion of myself. I am starting to see some abs peaking out of the top of my belly...I need a tan and the same studio lights that HHH uses for my 60 day photo shoot!

Day 51 - Core Synergistics

I knew I was in for a tough workout and I was prepared for it. I woke up late this morning and really wanted to say that I would do this workout this evening but I know myself too well and pushed play at 6:15. Looking back to my first experience with this workout, I am personally impressed with my gains in 4 weeks time. Did the whole workout this morning and got Plank to Chataranga run in. Man is that tough, my hips still need some flexibility to make this really work effectively but I did the whole minute in this mother! I can feel improvements in my overall buddy strenght and I can see this workout being a core workout for me in the futer when I'm done with P90x. I'm going to be doing a second run of this when I finsih the intitial 90 days as I really want to see top results!
Icee Out!

Day 50 - Beginning of the Recovery Week

I love Yoga! I've always thought it was a bit gay and not really my style but after doing now for 8 weeks., I'm really getting into it. I look forward to Yoga and have gotten to the point where I can do all of the moves and maintain throughout. Now I'm just trying to improve my form and gain strength and flexibility. Moving in a tiny space and sweating like crazy!
I'm working on crane but it's still a major challenge for me. I get it for a little over 10 count and then have to come out. I'm getting up to wheel now for over a 10 count as well then going back to bridge. Yoga Belly 7 is challenging and I'm again able to perform the entire series. I just went back and read my first posts and it's amazing to see how far I've come in a short period of time. I couldn't even think about doing Boat the first week and now I'm rocking the boat and one legged boat big time! I really enjoy the corpse pose as I know Kdawg does too!
Core Synergistics tomorrow!