P90x Back and Biceps and Insanity Cardio Recovery

For some reason blogger would not let me log in the last day and a half so I haven't been able to post anything.  Anywho, the day before yesterday was P90x Back and Biceps followed by Insanity Cardio Abs. Man will Back and Biceps burn your muscle fibers out! My back is still sore. You are attacking your back and bicep from every conceivable angle. Doing a variety of curls and different style pull ups.

When I first started I could barely do like 2 or 3 pull ups. Now I can do 11 just 4 weeks later.  Some are obviously harder than others. There is one called a corn cob pull up where you do a pull up hold it at the top and move your head to the far left then to the right, back to center and face to the bar then down. It's crazy. I could only do 3 before I had to assist myself with a chair. There are so many different curls that I never knew existed and man do you get a crazy pump. Your biceps will be screaming for mercy before your done.

By this time you are probably familiar with me talking about the cardio ab workout from Insanity but just in case your not. It is about a 17 minute ab burning workout without a single crunch or sit up! And it's the most insane ab workout you will ever do. I promise after your first time doing it your abs will be sore for days. There is a lot of plyometric jumps, c-sit positions and plank work.

Yesterday was a bit of a rest day with cardio recovery from Insanity. Which is basically 35 minutes of stretching torture.  I hate this workout because I am soooooo not flexible. But then again I guess thats why discs like this are included.  I can already stretch a lot better than I could before I started. The only thing I will say about this workout is that your legs and groin area will be screaming for mercy by the time your done.  You have to do a lot of lung or squats and hold the contractions for up to a minute while sometimes incorporating pulses. Yikes.

Anyways, almost rapping up the first week of phase 2! I must say the muscle confusion is working for sure because I have been sore after every workout this week. Soreness usually goes away after your body gets used to a particular workout you do. Only thing I can figure is when you stop getting sore after your workouts must mean its time to switch it up or hit it harder.  Tonight is a new workout for me. It is from the P90x plus series, Upper Body Plus. I have previewed this workout a little and it looks killer. Seeing as how my back and biceps are still sore as crap I may cry like a girl tonight. We shall see. Talk to you later.

Insanity: Cardio Power and Resistance done

All I can say is, wow. Cardio Power and Resistance is a super intense cardio/plyometric workout and it even adds some muscle building via different styles of push ups.  Again, as with most Insanity workouts, the warm up takes forever and is freaking exhausting. The good news is that by the time you are done with the warm up the actual workout itself is only like 20 to 25 minutes usually. The bad news is that your heart rate is crazy high and you are exhausted after the warm up.

I bought a continuous hear monitor so I could monitor my heart rate during the workout to make sure I was in the fat burning zone. It even beeps and lets you know when you are below or above the suggested zone for your particular age and weight. It set me back like 50 bucks but I think it is invaluable tool to get the most out of your cardio. Cause if your heart rate is to high your not burning fat, if its to low your not doing much of anything.

This was the first time I have done this workout so usually the first 10 to 15 seconds of each exercise I had to wait and see what the exercise was since I had not done a lot of them before. There really isn't anything super different about this workout then plyometric cardio circuit. This one just adds some push ups along with the jumping and running.

All in all it is a great workout and I burned 674 calories in 45 minutes so it works you.  Shaun T from Insanity really does a great job of keeping you motivated. It's funny actually, because almost every time I was like, "ok, I'm going to die. I need to take a break." He would pop up and be like "COME ON DIG DEEP! YOU CAN DO IT!! JUST 20 MORE SECONDS!!!" I know it sounds corny but you will see what I mean if you ever start Insanity.

Today's workout is P90x Back and Biceps and Insanity Cardio Abs.  So I will let you know how it goes later.

Chest, Shoulders and Tri's done

It's been a long time since I have done this workout. I have started P90x twice and this is the second time I have been able to make it to phase two without quitting.

The first two times I always skipped days, sometimes even multiple days in the week. This time I have done a lot better.

Anyways, phase 2 workouts ramp up the intensity! Set after set after set and only one break. you really have to bring it to make it through this one. This workout focuses on different kinds of push-ups. Even including one arm push ups and plyo "clapping" push ups.

The main thing I have noticed about P90x workouts is that they really focus on shoulders. man there are some serious shoulder exercises in this one! They were on fire! And not because I'm badly sunburned lol.

Of course if you really want your arms to look big you have to work your triceps and this workout makes your Tri's scream!

After finishing up that workout I followed it up with Insanity's Cardio Abs. This is a 17 minute hard core ab workout with no crunches! Thats right, no stupid sit ups. Last month starting out I couldn't do half of this without laying on the floor. Now it's getting easier. My abs are sore the next day every time.

So day 1 of phase 2 down. Day 2 is a cardio workout from Insanity. it is Cardio Power and Resistance. I have never done this particular Insanity workout before so I'm a little scared/excited. So time to dig deep tonight. I will let you know how things go.

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Phase 2 starts today!

So phase 2 starts today. Only 8 more weeks left. Time to dig deeper cause the workouts get even more intense now. Longer workouts with shorter and fewer breaks.

Today is P90x Chest, Shoulders and Triceps. Followed by Insanity Cardio Abs. It's going to kick my butt but it's going to be worth it. I can't even describe the pump and how good you feel when you finish.

If anyone else reading this has been thinking of starting a workout routine to try and get in shape for summer or just for health. I strongly encourage guys to start out with P90x first and girls to go with Insanity. you will not be disappointed.

P90x is made to lean you out but also build muscle which appeals to guys. While Insanity sheds fat retarded fast and tones your whole body, which most women would want I imagine. Anyways I'll let everyone know later if I make it through tonight's workout.

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Recovery Week Over! Rest Day.........Or Insane Abs

Core Synergistics again last night for the last workout in the recovery week.  I really love this workout! I was sweating like crazy this time for some reason.  It really really works you! Man push up walk and where you hold plank position for 10 seconds then drop to chataranga for 10 seconds is crazy.

I am really starting to get excited. Really starting to see results and can tell for sure that my strength has increased significantly. Thinking about posting some 30 day result pics.  But the only start pics I have are of when I first started way back when I started doing P90x........and stopped. Then started Insanity.......and stopped.

I'm determined to finish this one. Then I am going to start Insanity: The Asylum. Just have to figure out somewhere to buy and agility ladder for it. Or make one of my own. I bought a jump rope to start practicing for Asylum and lets just say I will be using my imaginary jump rope for the workouts.  lol

Anyways, can't wait to start week 5 with a whole new set of workouts from the Insanity, P90x and P90x+ series.

Week 4 Day 5. Another Core Cardio and Balance

So last night was a repeat of Wednesdays workout. I really enjoy this workout because you build up a good sweat and still work on abs and balance.  Not much really to say about it that hasn't already been said.

Can't wait to get back into the resistance workouts starting monday. Last day of the recovery week tonight with another round of P90x Core Synergistics. Talk to you later.

What motivates you to exercise?

For a lot of people motivation could come in many different forms. but let's face it, most people when they exercise want to see the number on the bathroom scale go down. Yes, everyone usually picks a particular weight they want to get to and usually expect it to happen overnight.

It has been my experience in P90x/Insanity that initially the first week or two of exercise after being inactive before hand, you are likely to see a 5-10 pound weight drop. But after that it more than likely will slow down considerably, to even in some cases gaining a little weight.

Don't get discouraged when the scale stops moving. In time you will get to where you want to be. Go on YouTube and just google P90x or Insanity transformations and you will see what can happen if you stick with it.

I say when the scale stops moving start looking for other signs. Namely, losing inches around your waist, muscles starting to look more defined. Remember, muscle weighs more than fat and you will be gaining muscle. That's why I think some people's weight loss may plateau or actually gain a little.

If you take a lot of supplements: protein, creatine, NO pre workout etc. That right there will keep you from losing a lot of weight.

Let's just say that you can get your body to look the way you want. It just may not be at the weight you thought you needed to get to! I'm starting to see major results and I am at 160 pounds and when I started about seven or eight months ago I thought I needed to get down to 145 or 150 to get ripped. I still have a LONG way to go though.

Just keep pushing play! Dig Deep!

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