My birthday present to myself this year was to be a set of six-pack abs. After finishing P90X, back in May, I had lost 18 pounds of middle-age padding, and had toned up my muscles to a level they hadn’t been in for many a year. But I still had a layer of padding that hid the muscle tone of my midsection. It wasn’t a pooch or spare tire — my stomach is flat, now — it was just a layer.

I went into maintain-mode with P90X for four weeks. Instead of 6 heavy workouts a week, I dropped to 3-4 a week. During those maintenance weeks, I lost another 5 pounds of padding, (for a total of 23 pounds lost). These numbers astonished me — I would never have thought I had 23 pounds of fat to loose. I didn’t feel really fat. I just felt middle-aged.

But after those 4 weeks of maintenance, I could see a bare hint, a shadow of where my six-pack abs would be. In the right pose, I could imagine those muscles showing through the last little layer of padding. I was so, so close.

I decided to pick up the regular routine of P90X workouts again. I had the proper diet worked out, and had been following it during the maintenance weeks, so surely the last thin layer would burn off quickly with the full-on workouts.

I lost another pound in the first week of the second round, (for a total of 24 pounds), but then for the last three weeks, no weight loss; no visible difference that I can see in my midsection. Frustrating!

Three weeks of working damn hard physically, keeping to a proper diet, (with only very rare misteps), and no fat loss to see. One theory is maybe that my muscle increase and fat loss ratio has reached an equilibrium — I’m gaining muscle weight at the same rate I’m loosing fat weight, so the scale doesn’t change. But if this were the answer, surely my ab muscles would be showing clearly by now?

Is my problem the curse of an over-40 body? What the hell!?

Bullgrit

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I finished my P90X regimen last weekend. Even though I had to push out other things from my life, (like blogging and gaming), to make time for the workouts, I did thoroughly enjoy the whole effort. And boy, was it effort.

P90X is tough, it is intense, and it requires a real adjustment in daily life. Especially eating habits. Working out was the easier part of the whole thing, because it just required physical exertion for 1-1.5 hours each day. The diet took attention every hour of the day.

I’d do well on my diet for 3 or 4 days, but then I’d screw up and eat something I shouldn’t, or eat more than I should. My boys’ favorite restaurants are CiCi’s pizza buffet, Golden Corral buffet, and Moe’s Mexican food. We’d go to one of them at least once a week, and I’d blow my diet right out.

Plus, I like going out to a restaurant for lunch once or twice a week, and sitting down for someone else to cook, serve, and clean up while I just read a good book and eat the food. I continued to do this during P90X, but I’d have a salad or something that seemed low calorie and low fat. It wasn’t till the last few weeks that I really started checking food nutrition information carefully.

I went online to the sites for my favorite lunch-time restaurants, and I got a shock. What I thought had been good choices when eating out, was actually just as bad as any of the obviously bad choices. One salad that I had been eating once every week or two actually has over 1,000 calories and 60 grams of fat! I shit you not. My base diet was 2,000 calories and 40 grams of fat per day. So even when I thought I had been doing well, I was totally screwing it up.

But, despite the epic failure at following the P90X diet, I did manage to loose 18 unneeded pounds of padding. My muscles are firmer, and I feel absolutely great. I’m fit and solid.

I’m no underwear model, but clothes fit better, (I’ve had to buy new, smaller jeans). I have more energy, and playing with my boys is easier, with less exhaustion afterward. And apparently, judging from the pictures, my posture has improved.

Don’t laugh at my farmer’s tan.

No, I don’t have a six-pack. Although, I bet if I had managed my diet better, I would have the ripped abs. But, I’m still working on everything.

I’m moving from working out every day to working out 3-4 times a week. I’ve got a better understanding and grip on my diet now, so I think I may still slim down a bit more. Maybe the abs will start showing through soon.

Bullgrit

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Yeah, I know. I haven’t been updating here much lately. It’s because of my P90X regimen.

No, I’m not being paid a dime to talk about the workout.* It’s just a major part of my life for these three months. Between maintaining the proper diet every day, every meal, every snack, and working out every day for 1.5 hours, P90X is as much a part of my every day as my family and work. At least for these three months.

Before I started this routine, once we got the boys to bed at night, I’d go to my office and write/work as I needed and wanted. Now, though, once we get the boys to bed at night, I change into my workout clothes and put in the workout DVD. A sweaty hour and a half later, I’m getting into the shower, exhausted. Out of the shower, I’m ready to fall into bed. That’s usually around or after 10:00. And our mornings start at around 6:00.

So there just really isn’t time for me to sit at my computer and write up a blog post. I miss the writing. And I have a backlog of things I want to write about — a long, long backlog. I have so many stories and ideas floating around in my head, it drives me crazy at times.

I’m just starting week 11 (of 13). Last week got really screwed up because I was sick a couple days. I was really ill on Tuesday, so much so that I was home in bed the entire day with flu-like symptoms. I, of course, missed my workout that night.

Wednesday, I was not sick as a dog, but was still not well. I went to work for the afternoon, but I was tired and still a little achy. I skipped my workout that night, too.

Thursday, I felt close to normal, though not 100%. I was eating normal again, and I tried to workout that night. But I just couldn’t get through the whole routine. I completely ran out of steam. It wasn’t like being tired from the exercise, it was just no energy at all — like a terrible case of lethargy. I felt bad mentally and emotionally for not being able to get back into the workout like I should.

Friday night, I tried again. Happily, I was able to complete the workout that time. Saturday night is the “rest” day for the regimen, but I debated skipping the rest and trying to do something to make up for the misses earlier in the week. But I ended up resting anyway.

Sunday night, last night, started my new weekly pattern, so I was determined to get back into it. I did the scheduled workout, and though it was hard — probably as hard as the first week I started P90X — I did manage to complete all the exercises, including Ab Ripper X.

I feel like I’m back in the routine now, and I’m raring to go again. (Tonight is Plyometrics.) But man, being sick and missing a few days really did a number on my energy and routine. I didn’t gain back any weight, (eating almost nothing for the day I was really sick probably helped, there), and my muscles don’t look like I lost anything for my down time. So maybe that stumble in my 90 days didn’t hurt my goal too much.

Though I’m enjoying the workouts, and I’m loving the results, I will be glad to reach the end of the 90 days so I can go into maintenance mode — I can workout just 3-4 nights a week. That’ll let me have some evenings free again to write and play, again.

* Edit: After I wrote this, I realized this isn’t exactly true — that is, I’m not making a dime directly talking about P90X. The ads on the sides of this page are generated by GoogleAds, based on text in my posts. So if someone clicks on those ads, technically I will be “paid a dime” for talking about it.

Bullgrit

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I’ve completed phase 2 of the P90X regimen — 8 weeks down, 5 weeks to go. I feel great. The workouts are still very hard, extreme. But I absolutely love them. And they’re working.

Although the physical changes seem to come slowly, and subtly, because I see myself every day, they do come. I’m becoming more fit, more tone, more firm all over, and I’ve lost 12 pounds.

I still dislike the Yoga routine, for the same reason I’ve disliked it from the beginning: I can’t see the TV during many of the moves because I have to twist and turn away from it. When one move twists me away from being able to see the TV, I’ll usually unwind from the move, adjust my stance so I’m back looking at the TV, but then the next move turns me away again. Yoga X is 90 minutes — the longest single routine in the system — and I pretty much stay aggravated during the whole thing. That’s counter-productive for Yoga.

Plyometrics (jump training) is the absolute hardest routine — jump up, jump to the side, jump around, jump, jump, jump. But I like it. There is no doubt I’ve burned some calories and built some ability after going through that series of exercises.

Ab Ripper X — oh lordy. It’s hard, too. But when I can see how flat my stomach is now, (no six-pack, yet), and my whole core just feels solid and strong, it’s great.

So far, my diet is the weakest area of my P90X experience. I can do really well for 2 or 3 or 4 days, but then I have a bad day, (or two). I eat something I shouldn’t, or more than I should, and I feel like I’ve let myself down. I’d be so far ahead of where I am right now if only I could get my diet down solid.

And then there is the one thing that drives me crazy. My face is round. It’s just the normal shape of my head. I have cheeks, (with dimples), and apparently no amount of weight loss and muscle building seems to affect my face. I can just see me in another five weeks: I’ll have a firm, tone body with muscle definition, but I’ll probably still have the damn cherubic face. Does anyone do liposuction for cheeks?

Bullgrit

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The worst thing about going through this exercise regimen is that the hour-and-a-half (and more) of my evenings it takes, really cramps out the other activities I need to do in the evenings. When I’m finished with the workout, cooled down, and showered, it’s usually about 10:00 p.m., and I’m ready to collapse into bed. So that means other things, like writing a blog post, get put off.

The best thing about going through this exercise regimen is the fantastic feeling coursing through my body right after finishing a routine. I almost always feel like I shouldn’t be finished yet, like I have more energy to burn. But the particular muscles I’ve been working that evening are pretty much wasted, and I really couldn’t do even one more push up or pull up or jump or squat.

I’ve completed phase I of P90X — 4 weeks done, 9 more to go. I still find the Yoga X routine to be very aggravating, but I still love the system as a whole.

I’ve lost some weight, and I’m starting to get some tone all around. I got a compliment on my calves this weekend when I was out running beside my boys on their scooters. Plus I was happy to be able to keep up with my boys on their scooters, without having to stop and pant every few minutes. It felt good to run around our house playing tag, too. I was raring to go.

This whole workout system is proving to be one of the best hard processes I’ve ever put myself through.

Bullgrit

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One week of P90X workout done. I’m sore in a few areas, and there’re no visual results yet, but I feel good.

I found the Plyometrics (jumping) the hardest to do. I think I injured my inner thighs with this workout. They were too sore for longer than I would expect for just working them hard. But they got better.

I found Yoga X the most aggravating to do. Not that it’s difficult to do, (though it’s as hard as most of the other workouts), but it’s impossible to keep my eyes on the TV while going through the various poses. There’s no one starting position where your head doesn’t get turned away from the TV screen at some point — sometimes for a long time, through several more motions.

The whole regimen is enjoyable, in a tiring, sweating, sore kind of way. I’ve felt much better after each workout than I felt before starting. Last night started my second week (of 13 total), and I was really looking forward to the Chest & Back and Ab Ripper X workouts, especially after the simple X Stretch workout ending the first week.

It’s funny, in a weird way, how after a hard workout, watching very fit and ripped/buff people on the screen, when I take off my shirt to get in the shower afterward, I’m surprised to not see a big difference in my body. I feel like I should already have the tone and muscular shape, and it’s disappointing to see the regular old me in the mirror. But I’ll get there.

I’ve finally gotten my new diet regimen mostly figured out — I’ve stocked up on appropriate food, and I’m making better choices. Between loving the workouts, and accepting the diet, I have strong hopes for the next 12 weeks.

Bullgrit

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In the week after getting my P90X material in the mail, I read the Fitness Guide, the Nutrition Guide, and watched several of the DVDs. While watching the DVDs, I tried a few of the exercises, but I didn’t actually start the regimen; I just wanted to see what was coming, and get a feel for it before hitting it hardcore.

And it is, indeed, hardcore. Extreme. “Over the top,” as my brother described it. But it didn’t look beyond my ability. (But then I may have an unrealistic sense of my ability.) In fact, it looked fun. Fun because it would be a serious challenge.

The Kenpo X workout looked very much like the exercises I did in tae kwon do. But the difference is that in my martial arts training, we did the exercises for about 20 minutes, and then moved on to the training/learning. And the training/learning time gave plenty of rest between heavy activity. The P90X Kenpo X workout is a full hour of just exercises, with very little rest time.

Saturday was my Day 0 — take the fit test, take “before” photos, take body measurements. The literature says I should be able to pass the fit test before taking on the P90X routines. Here’s how I did:

Pull-ups
Minimum for fit test: 3
My results: 1.75 (the book says to count fractions on this exercise)
It’s been many, many years (possibly a couple of decades) since I did a pull up. I never did them for martial arts, and it’s just not something I’ve ever done as part of my basic calisthenics.

Vertical Leap
Minimum: 5″
My results: 13″
This one confuses me. Granted I may be off by an inch — it’s difficult to judge it on a blank, white wall — but I can definitely beat 5″ by a very wide margin. But beating the minimum by more than double, (nearly triple), on a skill I never really practice?

Push-ups
Minimum: 15
My results: 22
I used to could do 50 on a regular basis, in my prime.

Toe Touch — sitting down, legs straight, reach forward
Minimum: 6 inches from toes
My results: 0 inches — I can touch my toes

Wall Squat — sit with back against wall, legs at 90 degree angle, as if sitting in a chair
Minimum: 60 seconds
My results: 45 seconds
Other than the pull-ups, (which I could hardly do at all), this was the hardest test. The pain is incredible in less than 30 seconds, and I wanted to scream by 45 seconds.

Biceps Curls — both arms at the same time, 20 pound weights
Minimum: 10
My results: 15

In & Out — seated with hands on floor at sides, knees bent and off ground; bring knees in to chest, then out straight, and back in to chest
Minimum: 25
My results: 30

Now, something to keep in mind with this fit test: I did the exercises fresh, and with 1-4 minutes, (by the book), breaks in between. Other than the pull-ups and wall squats, I passed the exercises easily. This surprised me. Either I’m not in the totally abysmal shape I thought I was, (and sometimes feel), or the fit test is a bit easy. I suspect the latter.

Sunday night was my first full P90X workout routine: “Chest & Back, and Ab Ripper X” — about an hour and twenty minutes of almost non-stop exercises. I did it.

Yes, it’s brutal, but I kept up and did every exercise. Now, I didn’t do as many reps as Tony and his students. If they did 25 reps, I could do about 10-12 on the first round. By the second round, they’d do another 25, but I could only get about 4-6. There’s a lot of push-ups, and by the last set, I considered doing 3 in a row a victory.

And then the ab/core exercises followed immediately after the chest and back workout. The ARX works different muscles than the C&B, but you’re already really tired by that point. I still banged out some reps for every exercise, (still less than the folks on the screen).

After the workout, I felt fan-freakin’-tastic. Honestly, that routine made me feel so good. Yes, I was worn out, but it was in a good way. I felt like I had done something great.

I’m very much looking forward to continuing this system. Having done this first routine, I’m not afraid of the rest. The only thing I think I’m going to have a hard time with is the nutrition regimen. I’ve had a horrible diet for pretty much all my life, and proteins, carbohydrates, etc. aren’t concepts that my mind easily grasps. Hopefully my wife can help me with this part of the system.

Bullgrit

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