Day 52: Kenpo X

A relatively uneventful Kenpo session, although I did decide to get crazy and switch my feet (so I started with my right foot in front for all of the exercises instead of left as Tony instructs). Interestingly enough, it felt like a somewhat different workout and really showed me where some of my weaknesses are. I have always alternated my starting foot with Yoga X, mostly because he is inconsistent on the length of time he holds the different postures from side to side, but I didn’t think it would make much of a difference with Kenpo. It does, though. Try it!

In other news, we skimmed through the Back and Biceps and and Chest and Back videos in preparation for next week. It is truly astounding (not to mention annoying and a bit terrifying) how many different and torturous types of pushups he has managed to include in these videos. I’m glad to see some back exercises other than pullups, though, because I was feeling like I was getting a very incomplete back workout up to this point (due to my inability to do anything resembling a real pullup).

Day 50: Yoga X

Today marks the day that hell froze over: The Boyfriend FINALLY tried Yoga X! He has been gaining flexibility steadily over the past few weeks and is now feeling comfortable with the yoga section at the beginning of Cardio X. So, in an effort to be as awesome a Tony Horton groupie as I am, he figured he should give Yoga X a go.

Now, if you ask him, Yoga X was pure torture, he was terrible at it and he’s never doing it again. However, he actually did a very good job for a first timer – he was able to do more than I expected, and with better form. He didn’t start saying “you have got to be fucking shitting me” until we got to the under-the-thigh move in the right angle pose series, which I thought was pretty impressive. He didn’t even attempt Warrior III or Half-Moon, though – not that I blame him. He also refused to do Yoga Belly 7, the shoulder stance series and a few other balance/stretch postures, but hey – for his first time, it was a solid effort. Whether or not I’ll get him to do it again remains to be seen!

Day 47: Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X

AH SWEET VICTORY!!!!!!!!! Today was my final Legs and Back workout of P90X Lean, praise Jeebus and all the saints. While I truly detest this workout, it has definitely gotten easier over time and I don’t think I will dread it quite as much when I start the Classic program, which I’m planning to do shortly after I finish Lean. I had by far my best numbers yet on this workout, and was able to keep pace with Tony and his minions for almost all of the exercises, although toe roll iso lunges and three way kick lunges continue to pain me.

Ab Ripper X, however, was a different story. I set a new personal best on Wednesday, with 261 reps, and then brought it to Yoga Belly 7 yesterday, holding almost all of the exercises for the full time. So, I guess it shouldn’t really have surprised me that my abs were really NOT into Ab Ripper X today. I did 235 reps. Tony, please reconsider the Lean schedule so this three-day-in-a-row shit doesn’t happen. Oh, and suck my ballz.

Day 45: Chest, Shoulders and Tris, Ab Ripper X

I’m halfway there and I think I’m actually getting WORSE at pushups, not better. WTF?

Day 42: Kenpo X

As promised, I skipped my day off and did Kenpo X. This workout is no fun when you have to blow your nose every five seconds.

Day 41: Legs and Back

So, the cold I inherited from The Boyfriend finally hit, putting me out of commission for two days and forcing me to abandon my dream of finishing P90X Lean without skipping a day! Wah! However, I returned with a vengeance today and I will be foregoing my scheduled day off tomorrow to make up at least one of the missed workouts.

So, Legs and Back. This workout just DOES NOT GET EASIER. Granted, I was still feeling less than 100% from the cold, but still. I did a pretty decent job and increased most things by at least one rep, but took longer-than-usual breaks to hydrate and suck on cough drops. I also decided to give exercise bands a try rather than doing my half-assed modified pullups. I definitely feel like I’m working the right muscles more when I use the bands, because the modified thing I was doing was letting me use my legs too much. I still think there has to be a better way, though, so I will continue to experiment. As for Ab Ripper X – sorry, didn’t happen. I was hacking up a lung by the time I was done with Legs and Back and just couldn’t make myself do it. Sorry Tony.

Day 38: Chest, Shoulders and Tris, Ab Ripper X

Okay, so today was the day when I finally learned my lesson about fucking with Tony Horton's precious schedule. I switched Core and Cardio due to time restraints, which means I did Core yesterday. Sounds fine and dandy until you realize that Core involves a fair number of pushups and plank positions, and that today's workout is pretty much ALL pushups. Yeah.

I didn't have much soreness from yesterday and I was surprisingly able to meet or exceed the standards I set for myself on the first few pushup exercises, but about halfway through my arms were just jelly. I kept lowering myself thinking "surely I'll be able to get back up" - but as soon as I completed the thought I found myself lying flat on my face.

BTW, has anyone noticed that the editing on this particular video is way worse than the others, and Tony is exceptionally annoying? I don't know if it's just because he's got a hard-on for the Plyo Pushups or what, but he has an irritating habit of going in for closeups and generally acting like a freak show here.

Anyway, I fared better with the tri and shoulder parts of this video, and set yet another personal best on Ab Ripper (251). The sore throat is still bothering me but hasn't developed into full-blown barnyard-animal-flu so I'm still bringing it!

Day 36: Cardio X

Congratulations to me - I have now officially completed 5 weeks of P90X Lean without skipping a day! However, I started getting a sore throat yesterday which I fear may turn into the horrible cold The Boyfriend had last week, so we'll see how long my streak lasts. I was feeling pretty low this morning and I was pressed for time, so I decided to do Cardio X instead of Core Synergistics. I took it easy so as not to exacerbate my throat, but I think I still got a decent workout. Bless you Cardio X, for being short and relatively non-annoying.

As for results - I've been feeling pretty frustrated because my weight is just really not budging - I'm stuck right around where I started, some days a pound or two lower. However, just in the past week I've been feeling as though my pants are loosening up and I'm seeing more definition around my collarbones and face, so who knows, maybe things are shifting. The Boyfriend swears I look skinnier, and I swear he does too, although he claims his love handles are bigger than ever. I'm pondering taking halfway photos - we'll be there in just 9 days!

Day 34: Kenpo X

Had a rough Kenpo session today. Word to the wise: if you think you need a snack before Kenpo X, horseradish-flavored cheese is not the way to go.

Day 31: Chest, Shoulders and Tris, Ab Ripper X

Today was another 100 degree day in NYC, so I decided to get this out of the way early. I went to bed dreading it and woke with fear in my heart. However, and I know this is going to come as a huge shock to everyone, but I actually didn’t hate this workout! It is, as promised, extremely pushup intensive, but as pushups are sort of self-limiting, it didn’t wear me out too badly. Also, as with other upper body workouts, it wasn’t cardiovascularly strenuous, so it almost feels like a break from things like Kenpo and Core.

Make no mistake, though – this workout is no joke. Even for those of us who have to do pushups on our knees, you will tire quickly and hit max reps quickly. And one-arm pushups, please. I’d have to be on my stomach to do them. It’s clear from the video though that Tony doesn’t expect you to be able to get down low, so no big deal. I was even able to do a few clap pushups (from my knees) which surprised the hell out of me. I also really love that they included a woman who was not Dreya, Pam or one of those skinny yoga bitches, and who (although a P90X grad) struggled with the pushups almost as much as I did. Anyway, all of that to say – I like this workout. I may like it less tomorrow when I’m trying to do the asanas in Yoga X with gummi-triceps, but for now, it’s all good.

As for Ab Ripper X, I did not miss it during recovery week but surprisingly it wasn’t so bad. I did 249 reps, which blew away my old record of 226!

Day 30: Cardio X

Recovery week is over, and unfortunately NYC has decided to celebrate my return to the harder parts of P90X by treating me to a solid week of 100 degree weather. Fantastic. I got back to the grind yesterday with Core Synergistics, which continues to be one of my least favorite workouts. However, it’s also a great benchmark workout, and I’m happy to report that I was able to increase my reps/performance on each exercise. This P90X shit really works!

However, Cardio X today was PAINFUL. Not sure why, since it’s shorter than the other workouts and not that intense, but I just could NOT get my shit together. Even the yoga series, which is a piece of cake compared to Yoga X, was really killing me. Might have been the heat, or maybe I overdid it yesterday. Or perhaps I’m just a lazy slob. Anyway, given how pathetic my performance today was I can only imagine how much I’m going to suck at Chest, Shoulders and Tris tomorrow. My chest and shoulders are sore from Core already, so I think my only goal for tomorrow is not to break my arms or my nose trying to do pushups.

Day 25: X Stretch

Ah, recovery week. What a misnomer. With Yoga X on the schedule twice, the only real “break” I’m getting this week came today with X Stretch. I was tempted to skip it altogether, since I did it once in my weeks of Pre90X and I know how lame it is, but I woke up a bit stiff from an intense Kenpo session last night so I figured why not. Eh. It was fine, and I feel like a good little P90X dork for obeying the rules. Speaking of being a dork, I'm happy to report that my little worksheet is reflecting my hard work with more reps on just about everything. I was especially surprised at the number of pushups I was able to do during Core this week.

The Boyfriend has been laid low by an upper respiratory infection from hell this week, so he has truly been recovering by not working out at all. He thinks he’ll be able to get back to it tonight or tomorrow, so hopefully he won’t have lost too much momentum. Next week’s introduction of Chest, Shoulders and Tris is looming large. We watched it last night – holy shit, pushups. One-arm, jump, clap, slow, fast – you name it, there are like 18 varieties on this video. We are not fans of pushups (mostly because we suck at them), so be ready for a vitriol-filled post on Wednesday when we take on this video for the first time.

Otherwise, things are good. According to the doctor, I don’t have PCOS. Of course, that means she has no idea why I’ve gained weight, but at least we can rule one thing out. I’ve lost 3 lbs since my start date, although that could just be normal weight fluctuation for me since I surely don’t feel any skinnier. I do feel a LOT more toned, though, and friends have commented positively. As hard as I’m working at this shit, I should look like Dreya by now!