Day 25 Core Synergistics or the BLAM!

Day 4 of my recovery week and I have a day trip to Tahoe planned to tomorrow with Bella and Chloe and Mo Hudson, the mad mouse himself. We're shoving off extra early tomorrow so I may try to stretch before if I can get my ass out of bed early enough, if not, I'll stretch when I get back. I decided to put Core Synergisitcs in today beacuse it's the most lacking area of my body and the area where I feel I'll see the most improvement.

Let me just put my spin on Core Synergistics for you, it's kind of like a combo platter of all of the things you do during this workout series except for pull ups. I mean Tony really puts you through the paces and by paces I mean akward moves and excercises. Banana to Superman, sphinx pushups, and my favorite Plank run to Chataranga run, try that shit for a minute.

On a good note, I've reconnected with Koko. He's alive and well and just re did week 5 as he was out of the mix for 2 weeks due to illness. He's psyched to be back but informs me that his pussy hurts when he does Ab Ripper X.
So, Day 25 means 5 days until the unveiling of Before and 30 day pics. That puts the realease date at 3/4, next wednesday.

Day 24 - Kenpo X- Rule by Fist

This morning was my favorite workout of the week. It's a nice change of pace for me as it's something I've never done and it gets your HR up. It's a welcome departure from Banana peel/ Super Man/ Bow/ Fuck your mother I envision Tony's face in front of every punch and man do I give it to him for a good 45 minutes.
HHH is really just gaying it up in Carlsbad. He is really getting into it.
Koko is back and claims to not have any time to read blogs, but I know for a fact he does and his silence has been very concerning to the other members of this vaunted triumverate.

Core Synergistics - Kicked my ass

Recovery Week or Recovery Drink?
Not sure but this is going to be a short post.
Core Synergisitics had me feeling like a rookie again.
In more concerning news, the committee of the 3 Headed monster is concerned about one of their famed members. Where is Koko?
Down another 2 lbs.

Day 22 Yoga X Recovery Week

I finally fucking did the crane! Wohoo! Three weeks into it and I got the sucker down. Man oh man am I as excited as Tony Horton is when he sees Drea. I'm in my first day of the recovery week and excited for it. I'm now going to bed around 9:00 everynight and beating my alarm up in the morning.
HHH just gave me some motivational material when he told me his gains since week 5. Incredible.
Koko is back at it but extremely quiet about it....

Day 21- Stretch X

WOW, upside down...it spells what Tony? MOM. I honestly can't believe that I have made it through 21 days of this horseshit. When I say Horseshit, I mean it in the most loving of ways. This program is working for me. I love it. Everything seems to line up perfectly for my schedule and my frame of mind. I'm looking forward to this week of Yoga, Core Synergistics, and Kenpo. Not sure what to expect about Core Synergistics but I'm sure it will be tough and sweaty. Started to lose some weight this week and I expect this to continue as I rip through the program.
My boy Koko is asleep at the wheel. HE was sidelined by a major illness. HHH is questioning his decision to repeat a week and I will just take this time to remind him of something.
Just Push Play,
DO your BEst and forget the rest. For some amusing viewing check out Tony Horton at his finest, the making of P90X on Youtube is priceless. Guys in Blue Shirts, Uncle Icee is a poor man's Jon Congdon.

Day 19 and 20 Koko Style

Sorry to all of the fans of this blog for delaying in posting. I didn't get my Legs and back workout in untill yesterday afternoon and then got busy with Grocery shopping and hanging with the family. Let me tell you that it is much easier to get psyched and get into my workout first thing in the morning than waiting until mid day to get it in. However, I'm very excited with my progress. I really worked it hard and added weights on several excersises. I'm still fully utilizing my stool for the pull ups but from a leverage standpoint, I'm not going to be a World Champion pull up guy anytime soon. I'm actually able to push it now and no longer in survival mode as I felt I was at several points in the first two weeks. The all over soreness is replaced with specific soreness in spots that have been worked for that day. I am getting more psyched everytime AB-RipperX pops up. I look forward to it. I'm still not doing the complete Ab ripper 349 but I'm getting after it. For the first time in my life, I'm actually feeling muscles down there. It used to be when I did Ab exercises that I was just going through the motions but now I actually feel these muscles growing. Ab- Ripper X I love it but I hate it.

Day 20, wore the heart rate monitor for Kenpo today and it was good, I was consistantly above 140 all day today, lower than my Plyo day but still high enough to get a good sweat going. I'm psyched to be 3 weeks into it and seeing results. I weighed myself after Kenbow and I'm now down below my starting weight of 220. 219.50 and I feel like I'm hungry all of the time.

Yoga X got me this morning

Well, I've fallen down for my first time in the 18 days of this program. I stayed up too late last night and hit snooze one too many times this morning. I started Yoga a little late this morning and my kids woke up roughly 30 minutes into it. I completed the most intense part of yoga this morning and due to time constraints had to cut out of the balance portion before Yoga Belly 7. I think I'm going to skip it today and get into legs and back tomorrow and really push the AB Ripper X. However, if I'm feeling it tonight I may get after it this afternoon when I get home.

It very well could be like my pull up bar every time I walk past it. IT's looking at me like the Geico money in the commercial.

I'l bring it tomorrow!

Day 17 Arm and Shoulders with Ab Ripper X

Beach Day. I was not feeling good this morning and got started a good hour past normal start time. However, with ARod in the news so much these days, I knew I needed an energy boost, so I called my cousin and he came over and injected me with some Ripped fuel.
Not really, just have to beat the proverbial horse to death. Today was Arms and Shoulders, and for the last 2 weeks, this has been the easiest of the workouts for me, when I say easiest, I mean I haven't been to the point of puking every 10 minutes and shaking uncontrollably.
However, today was the day to change all that. ON a day that I thought would be spent just getting through, I found some way to bring it. I raised up weights for curls, tris, and shoulders and pushed myself to failure. At one point I thought my tricep was going to explode.
The diet is going well. The biggest thing for me is the regimented way of eating and the protein has eliminate my sweet tooth. I am hungry every 2 hours and make sure that I eat on schedule although last night I had to do some home repairs and didn't eat untill almost 9:00.
Koko is evindentally nursing himself back to health and we hope to hear from him soon.
Kristin and Drea have exchanged numbers so they can hang out after this round.

Day 16 Plyometrix!

I have the full blown cold now. Still fighting it like I fight with my wife on a daily basis. Anyway, I had Plyometrics this morning and if yesterday was any indication of how I'd be feeling I was glad to be doing it in the garage. We have a utility sink and as Tony says, "Better bring your bucket!"
Good news everyone, I found all of the pieces of my heart rate monitor. Now I can get in the Zone. This morning I recorded my HR at the 5 break points and at the finish. Here's a breakdown:
Break 1 = 151
Break 2 = 166
Break 3 = 172
Break 4 = 161
Break 5 = 164
Finish = 164
Not sure if this is healthy or not but those are the numbers. Feel good, sound like Sidewalk guy

Day 15 Week 3 Chest, Back, and Ab RipperX

I was awkae before the alarm this morning! Only one issue with that is that I was up a lot last night. We've got a house full of sickos and Bella was having nitemares all night. Anyway, still psyched for today's workout to see what I'm made of.
It's the Mother of all P90X workouts, Chest and Back. I too am coming down with this creepy crud that is consuming our nation and it was concerning me to start this morning. I nearly puked 3 times this morning and had to use our utility sink as a spittoon.
Great news to report though, IN two short weeks, I've seen vast improvement in strength and conditioning. Day 1 saw me only do 15 pushups on the pushup stands before I had to go to my knees for the remaining 10. This morning I pumped out 25 and if it weren't for my sinuses and the warning to pace myself could have gotten a few more. Basically, I've doubled my push up output and strength. Pull-ups, I'm still working at it, but I was able to increase reps in every exercise.
I didn't really bring it in Ab ripper this morning but I did my best and I'm really seeing improvements there as well.
Diet posting to come

Day 14 X Stretch

I was very tempted to hit snooze and then hit alarm off as I am battling the beginning stages of this cold that has taken down large armies. However, X Stretch is a much needed relief point for me.
In other news, I just took one of the firmest greenest dumps ever, I will be posting this week with a combo workout/ diet update to mix it up a little bit. A little Muscle confusin for the brain.
FOr a good time waster check out, catch Lance Armstrong and othe men in spandex ride down some of the most scenic roads in the world.

KenPo X Rule of the Fisting

Alright,
Sunday morning comes 4:20 am and Bella comes into our bed, she's been getting up extremely early lately so since it's Sunday, I let her crawl in with us and we sleep till 7:00. The whole family is battling some kind of crud bug and as the programs states, you need to rest as much as you work out. I've been barely able to stay awake past 9:30/ 10:00 lately. I've also made it through two weeks without snacking in the middle of the night. My sugar cravings are down and I feel my metabloism is kicking in. I actually gained weight this week, which means as HHH tells me that muscle weighs more than fat. I'm also going to scale back a little on the calories and focus on the protein to carb ratio that's represented in Level II of the diet/ meal plan.
Kenpo X is the funnest of the workouts with some of the more akward moves. I'm battling the beginning stages of the cold that has consumed my family, so I was a little spent but got er done. Finished witha flurry that made me feel a little high.
Stretch tomorrow.

Legs and Back - Fuck off Tony

Saturday morning 4:55 am PST, I have now done this long enough that waking up before the alarm is becoming common. (3 days in a row) This is day 12 overall and day 5 of week 2. So, I'm starting to get pumped about working out at 5:00 in the morning. I think it's the challenge, the temporary pain, and the promise of a Hudsonesqe body that keeps me going after it. Also, the fact that HHH and Koko are doing it keeps me focused. Having a buddy in the program helps out tremendously, let alone two retarded buddies who are gayer than me.
The longer this program goes on the hotter the chicks get. It's much like being at corporate for a period of time or going to the annual sales conference. Sure the girls are somewhat cute and have great personality but they seem to get hotter the longer you are there. Drea is starting to have that allure but more for Koko than for me, he can't stop talking about her.
Anyway, onto the workout details... Today was Back and Legs, the two largest muscle groups in your body. For me, possibly the toughest workout. Lunge after lunge after lunge, followed by pull ups for your breaks gets your heart rate up. I'm improving my strength in the pull up department but still looking forward to the day that I can manage 10 or more without the stool.
I'm also starting to get psyched for Ab Ripper these days. However, I didn't quite notice this last week as I was all over tired, yesterday's Yoga, followed by legs (with a lot of core exercises) makes it tough to not be completely wasted for abs. However, improving there as well and I anticipate that this is where I'll see my most dramatic results at the end. I don't know that I've ever had abs showing, I've always had a layer of insulation around the gut due to my affinity for the sweets and beer. Haven't drank beer in over 3 years and been off the sweets for 2 weeks.
Speaking of the diet, I'm convinced that large rabbits shit more than I do these days.

The Cat is out of the Bag - Arms and Shoulders

Arms and Shoulders today with the Old Ab Ripper X. This is known as the "Beach Workout"
Now, Tony is the king of the dorks, we've established that, but you need a dork like him leading this thing. Otherwise it wouldn't work. Now, after spending the last month combing the World Wide Web for P90X results and issues, my Internet Machine, aka computer, aka Laptop has grown a cahce of half naked people that would make the Pope blush. However, from time to time, I come across a few gems that are worth posting.
As for the workout today, same as last week as these parts of my body have garnered the most focus over the last few months, shoulders and arms. I did notice some strength gains and will be upping the weight in a few of the exercises next week.
Tomorrow I'm going to get my pose on with Yoga X. Not to be confused with Yoga XXX

Week 2 Day 2 Plyometrics

Holy Cow! I was excited and woke up before my alarm this morning ready to rock this week's PlyoX as I knew what I was now in for. However, as I got downstairs, began to get ready, I started getting nervous like pre-game, then I started warming up and got into it. I like this workout as it's hard, fast and furious, like Kiscoe likes his movies and I like my fuckin!

Got through the whole thing today with only one pause button! Also, I'm elliminating the Protein Shake before bed as I've been waking up with headache on the days I drink it and last night I didn't and guess what, no headache.
HHH is MIA, Koko is Sick

Week 2 Chest- Back and Ab RipperX

Man, I was scared this morning when I first awoke and realized I was about to jump into the toughest weight workout of the week. Pull ups are not my forte and I was literally wondering how I was going to do, my lates were still sore from last week. Koko told me to prepare for 90 days of soreness and he wasn't joking.
However, once I pushed play, things changed. I'm not sure if it was the fact that Bella woke up at 5:12 this morning and needed tending to, causing my workout to be delayed 20 mins or Tony's gay face and voice but I got amped by the time I started. Last week, I did 15 push ups to start and 10 more on my knees, this week I started with 20 and 10 on my knees. The biggest improvement had to be with the push ups, I was able to push to failure on all of the sets of push ups with regular push ups and only finished with my knees whereas last week, I'd say I did half my sets on my knees. Pull-ups (Hertz) getting stronger yes, but I still need my stool. Heavy Pants and Lawn mower were too easy at the weights I used and I pushed 20 reps each on them. Up the weight next week. I did two sets of 10 dive bombers, not the prettiest but an improvement again.
I was jonesin for Ab Ripper X today and I've always hated abs workouts. Definite improvements overall and I love it!
I have a new motto for you Tony, "Do your best, Fuck the rest!"

Relief! X Stretch

Wow, I feel relieved! X Stretch was just what the Doctor ordered. It was extremely tough to not hit the alarm and go back to sleep this morning, however, for the sake of creating solid habits for the next 83 days I needed to do it.
Koko is boiling up with a Monkey fever and HHH-Bomb ids travelling, not sure what WPR is doing this weekend but I'm sure she'll be finding it tough to get this done on her own.
My first week of the X is done and my body really needed that stretch, I went shopping yesterday and I'm prepared for the week of food.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow's workout, we shall see if I've made any improvements in a week. So far, this is the most exciting program I've been on in a while and Mrs. Icee even remarked at my staying power last night.
I think it has something to do with the accountability of having the "3 Headed Monster" doing it together.

Day 2 to 6

Wow,I have to say that when I started this on Tuesday of last week, I had my concerns for being able to complete the 90 days. Some of the exercises are EXtreme!

1. Day 1 - Back and Chest - my introduction to Tony Horton, this guy is intense and a complete Dork. However, the cheats and tips that he gives are extremely helpful.
2. Day 2 - Plometrics- Better grab your bucket. I haven't done these things since Junior year in College for preseason Basketball practices. I hated it then and I have to say, stll not a big fan. Nicholson, always mysteriously had an ankle sprain and merely jogged through preseason. Looks like this was a premonition to his future career. Anyway, I got my heart rate way up there a couple of times and had to hit pause at least 3 times.
3. Shoulders and Arms, Ab RipperX - This is obviously the only area I've really worked out in quite some time. I'll need to bring it harder in week 2 but felt ok through the entire workout, I definately paced myself this time after being too gung ho on Day 1 and bonking halfway through. AbRipper X is ridiculous, Adam is insane, Mason Jar Twists are just stupid at this point.
4. YogaX - Thanks be to Budha that H-Bomb and Koko warned me of what to expect. About 30 minutes into this little gem of Yoga X, I was sweating my ass off and thought I was about to faint. Luckily I only had a series of Warrior 1, warrior 2, charanga, twist prayer, Warrior 3 to deal with for the next 10 minutes. Bella woke up and coached me through the rest of the workout.
5. Legs and Back - phew, what a workout, back to the Pull up bar as a break my ass! Man oh Man, more lunges! Following this workout with a Bowling session is sure to make your ass hurt!
6. Kenpo X- I got the Wifey to do this with me, once we got the kids situated with a few movies we were ready to get after it. A good way to get some agressions out. I have misplaced part of my heart rate monitor so if you've seen it let me know.
7. I plan to get up tomorrow and do X Stretch, I'm pretty beat from my first week but could really use the stretch to keep me going.

Day 1 to 5

Holy SHIT! I thought I was a little out of shape but Jesus H Christ Cyrano. Anyway, I did 3 pull ups and went to the stool. Did too many pushups the first couple of sections and went to my knees for the remainder of the set. Tip for all of the people out there that are just starting out, listen to Tony's tip of the day, even though he's a Dorkosaurus Rex, he knows what he's talking about.
More to come.

Week 1 almost in the Bag - day 1-5

I had every intention of starting P90X on Monday February 2nd because as my good buddy Koko Kiscoe says, "You have to start things on a Monday". However, due to an extended trip beautiful Lake Tahoe for the SuperBowl I was not able to start until Tuesday the 3rd. A little about me before I start, I'm 36 years old have, married to the Beatiful Skye Seiler-Hann and have two little girls, Bella (about to be 4) and Sadie (19 mos). We live in Marin County, CA. Two of my BFFS, yes we're that dorky decided before the end of last year to step up to the plate and do P90X starting the day after January 2, 2009. I was reluctant at first and thought that I was spending good money at the gym, I need to get back there. I got back into it but amidst the crowds and due to the time constraints around the family and work, I was setting myself up for failure. I talked to H Bomb and Koko daily and they were enthusiastic about their progress and the program. Mrs' H-Bomb, we'll call her White Parts Rapinski or WPR, was also doing it and they seemed to be having the time of their lives. So, about 3 weeks ago, I decided to take the challenge, I will post some pics of my starting zone after Day 30 to give some comparison but to give you a reference point, this is how I looked after finishing a local Olympic distance triathlon.

Results of my fit test:

Pull-ups – 3.5 wow that .5 is being generous

Pushups – 30 maybe could have brought it more for 1 or 2 but we’ll start at 30

Vertical Leap – 31.5” I still got it (reach is 7’8”, jump 10’3.5”)

Wall squat – 1:34 weak (say like deeeeeeeep as you throw a watermelon into Kiscoe’s pool)

Bicep Curls – (32.5lbs) 17 – again probably could have rocked a couple more out but wanted to maintain form and consistency

In & Outs/ Leg lifts – 27

Resting heart rate – 58 bpmI didn’t get the high recovery heart rate yet, in 12 minutes on an elliptical machine I got the old ticker up to 147

I weighed in at 220.6 lbs