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Yesterday I finished Day 10 of P90X.  Since my last post I’ve done:

Kenpo X - This is an interesting workout that reminds me of Tae-Bo with a ton of punching and kicking.  I had fun and didn’t find it too stressful.

Rest Day - My body really needed this.

Chest and Shoulders - I really enjoyed this one.  I still can’t do an unassisted pull-up, but I feel like I’m making progress.  I was able to do the whole routine. I really hurt the day after this one. Ab Ripper X is still throwing me for a loop.  I got about half way through it.

Plyometrics - I made it halfway through this time which is farther than last time.  This is by far my favorite of all the exercises in the set.  It’s incredibly tough.  My legs are definitely getting stronger.

Shoulders and Arms - I continue to really enjoy this workout.  I was able to do the whole thing this time which felt great as well.  I didn’t feel stiff at all the next day.

Diet: Still not good.

Current Weight: 209

Body Fat: 26.8% (okay that’s what my scale said, but I can’t believe it is right, it will probably bounce back up to 28% tomorrow.

I completed Day 5 yesterday of my P90X experiment.  So far this has been really enjoyable and I’m feeling stronger.  Tony Horton makes the workouts fun, but make no mistake they are not easy.  In the last 4 days I did:

Plyometrics (or jump training).  This is a major workout for the legs.  It’s my favorite workout so far and I didn’t hurt too badly the next day either.  I didn’t complete the workout because my goal is to functional each day since I’m prone to muscle soreness and I am not interested in injuring myself in the first week.

Shoulders and Arms + Ab Ripper X.  This was a good workout with lots of work on biceps, triceps, and shoulder.  It has many variations of rows, curls, flys and was a pretty enjoyable workout even though I normally hate upper body work.  Ab Ripper X is beginning to grow on me now that I’ve done it twice.  It’s definitely a tough workout and I haven’t completed it yet either, but getting closer.

Yoga X - This was my least favorite workout so far.  It seemed extremely repetitive.  I was a bit crunched for time that day and didn’t give it its full due (only about 20 minutes).  Normally I really enjoy Yoga, so I’m hoping this one grows on me.

Legs and Back + Ab Ripper X - Wow!  I figured legs would be easier for me since I’ve done a lot more running than lifting, but this one really hurt.  It has tons of squats and lunges.  I did about 40 minutes of this one before I couldn’t take any more.  I really mean I couldn’t take anymore.  It was a great workout and it’s hard to imagine being able to complete it without having superhuman legs.  I made more progress on Ab Ripper X and enjoyed it even more this time.  I think I’ll be able to complete it sometime next week.

Diet: Pretty close except for my Dr. Pepper addiction.  That needs to be eliminated here soon.

Current weight: 210

Body Fat: 29%.

Today is the beginning of my first lifestyle experiment here.  Today I am beginning the P90X program to get super fit.  I will do a deep review later once I have more exprience.  

I am starting this program at 212lbs and 30% body fat.  Yikes!  My goal is to get to less than 10% body fat.  I have no idea if P90X will do it or not.

The program comes with a diet guide which looks quite good, but I’ll never follow it.  It’s way to complicated.  I’m following a diet more like the one Tim Ferriss recommends with basically the following 4 rules:

1) Don’t eat white carbohydrates.

2) Eat the same few meals over and over again.

3) Don’t drink your calories

4) Take one day off per week.

In my program Saturday is cheat day and I can eat whatever I want.  I will also let myself eat fruit on a limited basis if I really want to do it.  

So P90X is a 90 day program.  I am going to follow the diet shown above for 45 days and then change to something else.  Also I am not planning on taking any supplements as recommended by P90X, but I will continue taking a couple of supplements that I’ve been experimenting with: spirulina, chlorella, Vitamin D, Probiotics, and Maca.  

Todays workout: Chest and Back + Ab Ripper.  The Chest and Back workout is almost all about pull-ups and pushups - for 45 minutes.  It’s tough and I don’t claim to have done the entire thing.  Ab Ripper X is 11 basic ab building moves, each repeated 11 times.  It’s tough.  I also can’t make it through the entire thing - but I will.

After three years since I started a personal blog it’s time to start over with a new focus.  This blog will be about my personal musings on living life well, balancing work and life.  

I will also detail some of my lifestyle experiments.  I am endlessly tinkering and experimenting with food, exercise, sleep schedules, and much more.  I will document some of these experiments here for those that might be interested.  The first experiment will start today…