90 Days of Hell

Week 3 Recap/Pics - Recovery Week

2010-06-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

Well well well. Another week in the exciting life of Joe Cardinale, another week done in the p90x workout. This week was a hectic one - Legion Practices, Legion games (we are currently 2-0 with 2 nicely played games against Glen Ridge and Vailsburg). My diet was so so this week - I tried to load up on as much protein via meals as I could. Eggs multiple times for breakfast, chicken for lunch/dinner occasionally. I did mix in some burgers and pizza - but as we all know by now, I'm a firm believer in a little bit of cheating to keep the sanity.

This is a busy time of year in my life. All of you teachers know that as the school year winds down, there's one last wave of work that comes with it. Finals, grades, make ups, review, study guides etc. Also now that American Legion has started, it is pretty much an every day commitment, whether it be practice or a game. I've been very active during practices, giving myself an additional workout to my normal fun in the sun with Tony Horton.

In regards to my workouts for the remainder of the week - my legs are getting progressively stronger, my wall squats were still miserable but vastly improved, my endurance on the 3 way lunges was also better. Finished up the week with a Kenpo X workout - not a tough workout, but yet always gets me sweaty and makes me feel like I am a legit street fighter for the 55 minutes that Tony has me under his spell.

I've noticed some great progress in my pics. My abs are starting to poke through, and my chest and arms are more defined! LETS GO 1 TIME FOR THE KIDS!!! I started recovery week with a 2 mile run. I was supposed to do a yoga exercise, but from past experiences and the experiences of others, I've seen yoga to be the least favorite and boring of the bunch. So I will usually skip over it and replace it with some form of cardio or high rep, calorie burning light workout. Tomorrow is core synergistics which is brutal on the mid section and something that I am extremely pumped for. I'll be putting pictures up of my core workout because I consists of some crazy insane exercises.

My week looks like a lot of more baseball. Away game Wednesday vs. Bloomfield, Home game Thursday vs. Montclair, Home Friday vs. Newark Academy, and Home DH Sunday vs. my alma mater and Group 2 champion West Essex. I'll do my best to keep up with the daily posts, but at this point it may be easier to do a weekly recap. We'll see.

Until next time -

Joe

Day 16 - Plyometrics

2010-06-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

Honestly - who has it better than me? Had off of work because we didn't use all our snow days. Played 18 holes this morning. Washed my golf round down with an egg white sandwich on whole wheat. Mixed in 1 hour of plyos, then a shower (which is always better after a plyo workout). I dropped 100 bucks on jeans, shorts, socks, and underwear. Then watched my alma mater stave off a furious comeback with 2 outs in the 7th to earn their first trip to Toms River to play for the Group II title (and probably the Star Ledger #1 ranking).

Being in week 3 of the workout, I'm really starting to get in great shape. I usually get tired during the lunge and prayer squat warm ups, NOT TODAY. I usually have to cut all the exercises short by a few seconds - today there were only 1 or 2 that I need to get short. My "hot foot" drill is better, I dominated Mary Catherines, and squats jacks got shown who is boss. I used to hate plyos, but I honestly must say that this is rapidly becoming one of my favorite workouts. It's fast paced, high impact, and I love being drenched in sweat when I am done, no homo.

In terms of my diet - I was up at 545am for golf, so I had a corn muffin then, an egg white on whole wheat around 10am, a peanut butter sandwich on some sort of whole grain bread, and a stuffed pepper for dinner. I also mixed in a recovery drink during my workout and a protein shake after. I'll mix in a coffee tonight 1 time for the kids and call it a day. Back to work tomorrow, and arms/shoulder/abs. Go get 'em.

Joe

Day 15 - Chest, Back, Ab Ripper X

2010-05-31T17:40:00.000-07:00

Onward we move to the last week of Phase I of p90x. Attached with this post are my week 2 pictures, which will be of some help when comparing the upcoming weeks, unfortunately we don't have much to compare them to as I didn't take Day 1 pictures. I also attached a picture of my reps and their progress from week 1 to week 3.

Anyway - Today I ate decent, but not great. 2 Eggs with whole wheat toast and hash browns for breakfast, 2 cheeseburgers off the grill for lunch/dinner (no bun). As I get back into the working groove this week I'll be back to a more stringent diet of low carbs, low calories, high protein and low fat.

My chest workout was a great one today. My round 1 reps increased over last weeks, and I was able to maintain those reps throughout the workout in rounds 1 and 2 (see 205 reps round 1, 206 reps round 2). Abs are coming along slowly. I think when I eat like trash my abs are what gets hurt the most, as I am noticing the progress in my ab exercises is inching along slower than the rest of my body. Anyway, enjoy the pics and the rest of the Memorial Day weekend.

Joe

Week 2 - DONE and DONE

2010-05-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry for my blogging absence, it's been a very hectic week. As you already know, the American Legion team I am coaching started up, plus Thursday I had to chaperon the prom for the HS I teach at (shoot me), Friday I had a golf outing with 14 or so co-workers, Saturday was your tradition MDW BBQ as well as painting my soon to arrive niece's bed room, and yesterday was golf again as well as a trip up to Pearl River, NY to hang with the infamous Matthew Vickers. It's been a hectic life, and although I haven't had a chance to sit down and keep up with the daily blogs, I have been keeping up with the work outs.

My workouts this week were extremely tough. As I already said my life has been crazy busy, that leads to exhausting workouts with less stamina. With that being said, my reps have all increased from week 1, my legs and core are noticeably stronger, and my flexibility is coming around as well. I should be able to get back into a more normal routine this week, as I have Mon and Tues off for the Memorial Day.

I've kept up with the recovery drinks and protein shakes, although my diet this weekend has been shady at best. It's been a little more than cheating, but I guess the fact that the holiday weekend and the kick off of summer is usually a time for burgers, hot dogs, and beer - I'll use that as my excuse and move on from there.

Anyway - I'll be back later today to blog about my start of week 3 with Chest, Back, and Abs - as well as a picture for week 2 (I'll begin to post pictures after every week from this point on). The picture has been delayed to do technical difficulties with my electric buzzer. As I was buzzing my chest (all you hairy guys know how this is) I got all of the shaved, except for my left pec, and the buzzer died. So my entire stomach, chest area was buzzed cleanly, and then there was my left pec with a winter's worth of chest hair. It was pretty crazy, but not that I am trimmed and primped, I'll be posing for the frontal and back shots later tonight. Enjoy the rest of your weekend...

Joe

Day 9 - Plyo X

2010-05-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

Long day today ladies and gents. First off, it was 95 degrees and our school doesn't have A/C, so literally I sweated like a Whore in Church for 7 hours. Smells like Teen Spirit. After school, had a 2+ hour baseball practice - so needless today I was physically shot today. So I did what any natural person would do - CAME HOME AND ATE 4 SLICES OF PIZZA.

Okay, I admit, I messed up the diet. However, I've been great on it to this point (Whole grain muffin for breakfast, panini for lunch with water and an apple, so I needed SOMETHING to keep my god damn sanity. On to the workout.

I cut the workout 1 set short tonight, based on the fact that I was pretty tired going in from baseball practice. Having said that (curb your enthusiasm reference), All my exercises were less painful. The improvements are rapidly coming like a.... nevermind I won't finish that analogy. I was able to finish the Mary Catherine's @ double time with Tony Horton and I was able to go all 30 seconds on the squat jacks, both things I wasn't able to do 1st time through. Washed the workout down with a recovery drink - and I'll finish up the night with a protein shake, a coffee no sugar of course, and maybe a taralle. Until Day 10 and Arm/Shoulders/Abs -

Joe

BACK AT IT AGAIN - P90X Round 2

2010-05-24T15:54:00.000-07:00

What can I say? Here I am, 15 months after from the original conception of the original round of P90X, and I am right back where I started. I would first like to just get my feelings, emotions, disappointments, out there of my non completion of round 1. I can make every excuse in the book - but last year I really just gave into my busy schedule and let all my progress go to trash after.

Anyway - I am recommitted, refocused, reenergized, and ready to go.

I am already 1 week into the workout, as it was this weekend that I received interest from original followers of the blog that they wanted me back in. So, what can I say, I am the quintessential crowd-pleaser, so here I am. 1 Main change that I will have this time around - pictures each day from my work out showing the dude sweat, phenomenal form, and sweet ass kickin' that this workout gives me. So without any further delay - let's talk about Day 8.

I woke up VERY late this morning, (had to be ready to leave for work in 13 minutes) - which of course I was able to conquer the clock. I shook up a nice protein shake for breakfast. For lunch I went with 2 slices of pizza (toned down my portion as I usually eat 4 or 5 slices). Dinner was Egg White Queesh (not sure how to spell it) and salad. Tonight I'll finish it off with another protein shake and a coffee no sugar.

The work out was great today (shoulders, back, ab ripper) My reps second time through were 15 for round 1 and 20 for round 2 , as opposed to 10 and 15 last week. This work out you really need to push yourself to get the best results. You can't stop when you want, you have to push yourself 5 reps past the point of being tired. I've seen improvement in abs too - as I am doing 12 reps of all as opposed to 10 reps in week 1. THE MAN'S MAKING CONTACT ELBOW THIGH!! I'm not at all happy with my core right now, but I know that if I keep busting my sexy hairy ass, that I'll get there.

Until tomorrow and Plyos (Lets gooooo) -

Joe

Day 37 - Plyometrics

2009-04-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

Plyometrics is like a weekend with your college buddies - it never lets you down. No homo on that. Everytime the college boys get back together, it's always a great time. We'll be doing it this weekend, so thats the theme of my blog today.

As I said last week, plyos are getting easier, but that doesn't mean that I'm getting any less of a workout. I think I may have sweated more tonight than I have any other time. I'm able to go deeper into my squats, and finish out each exercise, instead of cutting some short. My "hot foot" AKA dot drill is way better. I was switching feet every 15 seconds, but tonight I went 30 and 30 as they do in the video - another example of my improvements.

Food was good today - whole wheat english muffin for breakfast (threw you a curve ball there huh?) Sandwich on whole wheat for lunch, and pepper steak for dinner - probably mix in a little snack tonight and that'll finish me off good, in a non dirty kinda way.

Until tomorrow and Whatever workout I'm doing because i haven't checked -

Joe

Day 36 - Chest/Shoulders/Tris

2009-04-07T18:23:00.000-07:00

Tell your mom, your sister, your ugly boyfriend or girlfriend - Let everyone know, because I know they all care: Chest/Tris/Shoulders makes me its bitch.

My shoulders just give out on multiple push up exercises. Slow motion push ups might be the most ridiculous thing in the word. Push up flies are assholes as well. Sorry for the profanity, but this workout legitately is my daddy - thats right Pedro, I said it - IT MAKES ME ITS DADDY.

Anyway - day 40's coming soon, gonna be compared with Day 20's so we can see some progress on our progress.

Diet sucked today - the italian teacher in my school sent down all food from their italian festival that they were having, and i obviously couldn't say no to manicotti, penne vodka, prosciutto, fresh mozz, bolognese, and canoli filling.

Oh well - just another day in the life of This Guy.

Also - Shout out to the Rascal Flatts - New CD is sick.

until tomorrow and Plyos

Joe

Day 34 - Kenpo X

2009-04-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

Week 5 is complete.

Had a pretty good day today. Left around 10am to check out the new Yankee Stadium. The place is magnificent. It's a massive building, that somehow allows a view of the field pretty much no matter where you are in the stadium. There's literally 1000's of HD TVs all over the place showing the game. When you go to the bathroom, they play the game in the bathroom on the radio. Literally never miss a pitch. The monument were great, only thing was the line was unorganized, Kind of squeezing you through the bleacher section to get in.

Anyway - did my workout late tonight because of the game. Got a great sweat and can really notice my increased cardio. Phase I my heart rate during Kenpo was n the 150-160 range. Tonight It's highest point was maybe a max of 150 with a consistant rate of the 140s. My increased flexibility is showing too, my kicks are coming easier and going higher. Tomorrow will be a nice day off, and I'll be ready to rock back into week 6 on Monday. 1 week from today I'll be posting 40 day pics. Can't wait!

Until Monday -

Joe

Day 33 - Legs/Back/Ab Ripper X

2009-04-03T18:13:00.000-07:00

I'm hurting today. I took a nap before I did my workout, which for me, is an awful move. I wasn't as jacked up for my workout as I usually should be, so the Legs/Back/Ab workout was rough. Also - the ab workout puts some strain on your legs, as it uses your legs as resistance for your stomach - so after wailing out on my legs, that just made the ab workout that much tougher.

With that being said - EVERY one of my leg exercises increased reps over the last time. I'm clearly getting stronger, my endurance is clearly getting better. In terms of the abs, I am still REALLY struggling with the V-Up Roll-Ups. I dont know if my form is wrong or what, but my stomach just gives out on the roll up, I dont knwo what it is.

Also ate decent today - Egg whites for breakfast, fish, salad, and soup for lunch, chicken and broccoli for dinner. Low carb, burned a lot of calories. I'm expecting big things for my 40 day picture since I'm off my recovery week.

Until tomorrow and Kenpo X

Joe

Day 31 - Pictures/Biceps/Back

2009-03-31T19:17:00.001-07:00

Well here are front and back angles of Day 1 and Day 30. Day 30 on the left and Day 1 on the right. There are definite results coming. I LOVE IT. My chest, back, and stomach are all noticeably tighter.

Anyway, tonight was bicep/back/Ab Ripper night. Whoever thought I could get a phenomenal workout just using bands. The bands really give you great resistance at the peak of your rep, and allow you to hold each rep. There were also more hammer curls involved in this workout to hit the forearms, which i liked.

Been eating ok. Had egg whites as usually, salad for lunch, chicken sausage with peppers and onions for dinner, and a 60 calorie yogurt for a snack. Good deal for me

Until tomorrow and yoga (I think?)

Joe

Day 30 - Plyometrics

2009-03-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

Day 30 Pics will be up tomorrow

Today was plyometrics, which I haven't done in 2 weeks due to the recovery week. But it was nice to be back to it. Lotta dude sweat tonight. Most of the moves were surprisingly easier for me, even with the time off. I didn't expect to be able to do them with as much ease, but I guess the program is working. Mary Catherines were a Ton easier - now only if I could meet a girl named Mary Catherine that was easy.

Anyway - great workout - great dude sweat - gonna hit the showers.

Also - I had sauerkraut for dinner tonight, so I had my own rocket boosters with the workout tonight.

Pics tomorrow

Joe

Days 27 - 29 Yoga, Rest, Chest/Shoulders/Triceps

2009-03-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

Finished up the recovery week with a Yoga day - which I'm still not a fan of, but has definitely increased my flexibility. The moves and positions are getting easier everytime I do it, and I can feel the difference in my leg and core workouts.

I started Phase II on Sunday with a Chest/Shoulders/Triceps workout. It was not easy. As opposed to last week where the chest reps were mainly just different grips on push ups, these moves consist of push up with other movements involved.

Example - Some push ups are done in slow increments, some involving moving the grips side to side after every reps, some of the shoulder exercises involve a little bit of a "pouring" motion at the end of the rep to intensify it. It's obvious how these workouts change each phase and I'm looking forward to a tough Phase II.

Minio and Dana - I hope you faggots enjoy your laugh at work on Monday morning.

Until Tomorrow and Plyos -

Joe

Day 24 and 25- Stretch and Core Synergistics

2009-03-25T18:05:00.000-07:00

To be honest - I started doing the stretch dvd - and really just had no desire to stretch for an hour.

i turned it off and did my own stretches, between the yoga and everything, i put my own twist on this and really had no positive feelings towards the stretch DVD.

Also this is the reason why I didn't post yesterday, so i'll be doubling up today

Core Synergistics on the other hand - that's another story

As I stated last post for this, LOVE LOVE LOVE this work out. Your core is constantly at work. I love the superman bananas and the bow to boat exercises, really narrowing in on my core.

I love the lung kick back curl presses, really and truly hits EVERY muscle, even though they're all shot by the time we do 20 reps. The different types of push ups are great too, gets your shoulder muscles burning, while forcing you to work and narrow in on your stomach and curls. Great workout

Diet was good - egg whites etc for breakfast, tuna fish for lunch, chicken and asparagus for dinner, no fat ice cream as a snack. Decent day, 30 day pics coming up soon, so we'll see how it goes.

Until tomorrow...

Joe

Day 23 - Kenpo X

2009-03-23T18:41:00.000-07:00

Just finished up the Kenpo X work out and had a great revelation during the workout that I knew i had to put in the blog.

Yes we all can see by my pictures the physical difference that P90x has made to my body so far. However, tonight was the first time during this workout that I noticed my cardio has improved. I did Kenpo about 4 days ago as the last workout of week 3. Doing it today, I noticed that I had to push myself to get to my target heart rate (160) I didn't need all the breaks, and found myself continuing to do cardio activity during the breaks.

I have some trouble on the back kicks, probably due to my lack of flexibility, which is improving however, due to yoga. You really can see how each workout compliments the other. It's really great.

In terms of this blog - I've had many new people mention that they've check it out and have been pretty impressed. I appreciate that and hope that you keep reading and pass this on to your friends.

A buddy of mine that is doing this workout as well, Tom, you've seen him post, as offered to post my link on a beverage site of his, and I've gotten the idea from him to write about different workout aspects. Maybe band/weight alternatives, shakes, drinks, different workouts, etc. I'll probably do one every rest day, just have something to fill space. Anyway, check out Tom's site if you are interested in workout beverages. The Site is www.acai-health-essentials.com/acai-berry-benefits.html .

Until tomorrow and yoga x

Joe

Day 22 - Core Synergistics

2009-03-22T17:50:00.000-07:00

This 4th week is the last week in Phase 1 and it's what they call the "Recovery Week" not a lot of lifting and such, more core work. Abs, back, butt, thighs, etc.

This was my first time doing to core synergistic workout and I enjoyed it. It was very challenging and was fast paced. The hour went very quick and I was dripping sweat when I was done.

Breafast I had a bagel, probably against my diet, but my weekends I tend to spoil myself a little. Salad and whole wheat pasta for dinner, mix in a protein shake for a snack, and thats my diet for the day. I feel great, and am looking forward to the day 30 pictures after the phenomenal results of day 20

Until tomorrow -

Joe

Day 21 - Rest/Picture

2009-03-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

Day 20 Pictures compared with Day 1. Day 20 = Blue Shorts Day 1 = Black Shorts

You tell me. Feel free to compare to day 1 and comment.

Day 20 - Kenpo X

2009-03-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

Finished up my third week strong with a nice Kenpo X workout. Got the sweat going, heart rate up. Kenpo is just a great, fun, quick paced workout burning a lot of calories. I'm not sure if I continue it in week 4, but I hope that I do.

Diet was a little shaky today. My meals were fine, however today was St. Joseph's day and I had everyone bringing me pastries for my name sake day. And of course I had to eat them so I didn't insult anyone.

Oh well.

Tomorrow's a rest day - but I'll be posting my pics, which I promise will have very noticeable results.

Joe

Day 18/19 - Yoga/Legs and Back

2009-03-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

I apologize for falling behind on the posts. I am not, however, falling behind on my workouts.

Yoga yesterday was pretty solid. 90 Mins is a long time and probably too much time for me to do it to completion. I complete the first hour, and call it a night. The first hour is the toughest part anyway, so I'm still getting a great workout. What I have noticed though is that I am A LOT more flexible than I was when I started. I also think the yoga is making a huge difference in my leg and plyo workouts as well.

Tonight with Legs and Back - Honestly what I think is the hardest workout, went great. My reps all increased from last week, and I finished with my shirt dripping wet. My diet was good - egg whits etc. for breakfast, salad with water and an apple for lunch, two veggie burgers for dinner. I'm pumped for kenpo x tomorrow, and day 20's picture the next day.

Until tomorrow and kenpo x

Joe

Day 17 - Arms/Shoulders/Ab Ripper X

2009-03-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

Another long day. School until 3. Scrimmage from 4-7. Got home and was beat sauce. Breakfast was the usual egg white sandwich. Lunch was a sandwich on whole wheat with water, wet pears and an apple. No snacks, which I need to start including. Dinner was whole wheat pizza. I know I'm probably eating too many carbs, but to be honest, I dont have the time to go completely carb free, but at least I'm going whole wheat, not white. So I'm still ok.

Work out today was good, although I broke another of my bands. I'm considering doing my arm/shoulders workout at the gym, because I can't keep spending 20 bucks on new bands everytime they break. Anyway, I really squeezed out all my reps today, especially my dips.
Ab Ripper X is tough as usual, but I'm slowly but surely seeing results there, doing 17 reps each this week (I started at 15).

Day 20 Pics Coming soon...

Until tomorrow and Yoga...

Joe

Day 16 - Plyometrics

2009-03-15T12:32:00.001-07:00

Rough one today. It's Sunday, I was out having a few drinks last night for my boy Mikey's birthday, so needless to say tough workout - especially since it was plyos.

I got a great sweat working, shirt was soaked, legs were burning, great workout overall. The main thing I took from the workout today was that my heart rate was really up there. In the 155-165 range for about 45 minutes. Crazy sick workout.

Breakfast was egg whites, turkey bacon, no fat cheese - 2 recovery drinks, 1 during and 1 after the workout. Dinner's going to be salad and whole wheat macaroni. I'll mix in a protein shake later tonight, with another low fat low carb snack, that'll round off my day.

Enjoy your Sunday everyone..

Until tomorrow and Arms/Shoulders/Ab Ripper...

Joe

Day 15 - Chest/Back/Ab Ripper X

2009-03-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

My apologies for skipping out on the Kenpo X workout. Went down hard with a sinus infection (which I've been battling all this week) and it finally knocked me out. Came at a good time too, being that 1 of the 2 days I missed was a rest day. So I really only missed the Kenpo workout. I'm still familiarizing myself to the program, so I'm guessing that a day off for illness is ok.

Anyway - weight check this morning. I started the program 2 weeks ago weighing 219. I weighed myself today (after breakfast and 2 recovery drinks) and I'm down 10 lbs to 209. I'm still about 15 lbs away from my target weight, but I'm off to a great start.

This is now week 3, the last week of this current workout phase. My performance has been increasing through the roof. They tell you write things down and here's the reason. Week 1 Total Reps for my Chest/Back work out --> 281 Reps. Week 3 Total Reps --> 352. The numbers speak for themselves. I've added 71 repititions to my work out in 2 weeks. That's results my friends.

Key Advice here to fellow users - I've set up an Excel Spreadsheet to record my reps. Each tab on the bottom is for the different workouts. Instead of keeping pen and paper, I just run to my lap top between sets and type in the number. Plus it's an easy way to look back to my reps from last week and push myself to increase them by a few.

Results are coming - More reps and down 10 Lbs. I'm thinking the Day 20 pic should be interesting...

Until Tomorrow and PLYOS

Joe

Day 12 - Legs/Back/Ab Ripper X

2009-03-11T18:37:00.000-07:00

Another long day. Still fighting a cold, I think I need 1 night's sleep of like 12 hours, weekend's coming so I should be ok soon. School all day, then back home for a power nap, then to night class to hand in my final exam for phase II. Then back home for the workout.

The leg exercises make up 2/3 of the workout, and it feels like it. I was pretty solid in doing most of the reps. The wall sits (2 and 1 legged) are a STRUGGLE. Once I get tired I shake so much my wall rumbles LOL. But I plow through, take a few seconds break, and get back at it.
With the back - since you do back twice a week, I used the pull up bar Day 1 and the bands Day 2. With the bands, I really focused on squeezing each rep. I feel great though, no soreness, just flat out getting it done.

Diet was overall ok today. Egg Whites/Turkey Bacon for B-Fast, sandwich on whole wheat with vegetable soup and fruit, dinner happened at my night class, which consisted of all fattening food. I ate salad, fruit, 1 piece of grilled chicken, and I slid with 1 piece of fried chicken (took most of the skin off)

Tomorrow is Kenpo X - Excited for a great cardio workout

Until Tomorrow

Joe

Day 11 - Yoga X

2009-03-10T18:07:00.000-07:00

I've posted my 10 Day pictures and I don't think there's much noticeable difference in the pictures. Maybe a little bit in my core/love handle area. However, I have lost 7 pounds in 10 days, and I can feel a difference in my workouts. I'm stronger, my flexible, and my endurance is A LOT better.

Today's yoga was tough to get into. I'm not feeling well, battling a cold/cough/sore throat. Once I started and the first few minutes dragged, but once I got into it, I realize that since last week, my flexibility is so much improved. The first 45 minutes of the video were a legit struggle last week. This week, I got through it pretty smoothly, feeling the difference.

My Diet - Protein shake for breakfast, salad for lunch, 2 piece of low sodium ham and 2 pieces of low fat cheese for a snack, and whole wheat pasta with scallops for dinner. So overall a solid day on the diet.

Until tomorrow and Legs/Back

Joe

Day 10 - Arms/Shoulders/Ab Ripper X

2009-03-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back after a few days off for my birthday weekend. To be honest, I do not feel good about myself for missing a few days, but you know what, this was just another way to show that I have the mental ability to continue on with this. I could've easily just packed it in. I feel like shit today, I'm tired, I haven't done it in a while, but I was able to put in a legit workout and get back on schedule.

I'm finding arms to be a little easy for me with the band. I usually curl a lot of weight, so I'm not sure if the bands are good enough for me. I try to give as much resistance has possible while squeezing every rep, so we'll see how things go. My Abs are definitely improving. The only ab exercise that I am SEVERELY struggling with is V-Up Roll-Ups. You're flat on your back, legs are straight out and slightly spread. Arms are straight up in the arm. You sit up with your hands in the air and touch you toes. As you roll back, you lift up your feet into the are, and do a crunch to your toes again. It's very tough so I am trying to work my way up there.

Diet was ok - I'm not feeling well so my appetite was awful. All I ate today was my egg whites and cheese sandiwch for breakfast and a bowl of chili for dinner.

Until tomorrow and Yoga and 10 Day Pictures!

Joe

Day 9 - Plyometrics

2009-03-06T10:37:00.001-08:00

I apologize for falling behind on the blog yesterday. I did the full workout, I just really didn't find the time to blog, and for that I'm sorry.

I had a SUPER busy day yesterday - School, then home to workout, quick dinner, had to work the HS basketball game, then back home. Crazy. I left my lap top in my car so I didn't have a computer to blog on last night.

Anyway - short and sweet since I'm a day late here, but defly not a dollar short.

My diet was great again yesterday - Protein shake for breakfast, grilled chicken and soup with skim milk for lunch, apple as a snack, and chicken sausage with peppers and onions for dinner.

My workout was great too. My legs are feeling 100% better than last week. Plyos are always going to be your toughest workout, but I really pushed myself and got past it. The Mary Catherine squats were tough, I cut off the last 7 seconds before I collpased. Other than that, I was pretty much with the DVD as much as possible. I killed my recovery drink during, and had another one after.

I've taken it for about a week now, and I do feel a difference. As much as I'm tired and hurting after a workout, the next day my muscles feel very much healed from the previous days beating.

This weekend is going to be rough - It's my birthday, which means a lot of drinking and not a lot of time for workouts. I'm going to have to find an hour to get my workout in tonight and tomorrow.

Until Later -

Joe

Day 8 - Chest/Back/Ab Ripper X

2009-03-04T18:14:00.000-08:00

I've got to be honest - I'm in a GREAT state right now. If I said that the first week of P90X was easy, I'd be lying, because it was hard, P90Xtremely hard. (OK that was a little queer). But you get the point. Today starts week 2 after a rest day yesterday. My legs are finally back to normal, as they were tight and sore ever since Day 2's plyos, which is good because I'm back to Plyos tomorrow.

Today's diet was pretty solid. Egg whites, turkey bacon, and cheese on whole wheat. Lunch was ham and cheese on whole wheat, dinner was mixed veggies, AWESOME London Broil, and salad.

In terms of my work out, I've been using a stool for spotting on my pull ups. I'm a big dude, over 200lbs, so pull ups don't come so easy for me. However, what I do is make sure that I only spot myself enough where I'm still struggling to pull myself up. You have to find that balance that works for you. I really went to town on the push up reps, almost maxing out every time. My weakest reps came on the decline push up (my shoulders kinda give out) as well as the last set up dive bomber push ups - I can get under the fence ok, getting back is tough on that last set.
Ab Ripper X is always a phenomenal time. Since I can't do 25 reps on each exercise, I started with 15 reps week 1, and this week I'll do 16. I did it this way to build my strength, so that by my last week, I'll be up to 25 reps of each and looking like a freak.

Anxious to see how plyometrics go tomorrow for me, but I'm in a great state of mind and I'm ready to BRING IT every single fucking day.

By the way - 10 Day picture coming soon!

Theme of the Day - Write down your reps so that when you go through the exercises a 2nd time through, you can base the number of reps you do off your first set. And do the same thing thing as the weeks go on, base of your last weeks reps.

Until Tomorrow -

Joe

Day 6 - Kenpo X

2009-03-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

Not too happy about the snow. Granted school was closed, but this only delays the baseball season, although it's going to be a good experience learning how to run a legit practice in a gym.

Anyway - I did the workout earlier today, giving my body more time to recover with tomorrow being my "rest" day (P90X is 6 days on, 1 day off). Breakfast was coffee no sugar, egg whites, 2 pieces of turkey bacon, 1 piece of low fat cheese on whole grain toast. I had lunch after my work out - 3 pieces of grilled chicken from last night.

Kenpo X was a phenomenal time. It's a serious of punches, kicks, blocks, combinations etc. all performed at a high intensity. I was able to keep up with all the people on the DVD, but I was DRENCHED by the end of the workout. I had 1 recovery drink (Volu Gro) during the workout and 1 after the workout. I'll keep everyone posted on how the recovery drink works for me. I actually did some research, and the Volu Gro that I bought is actually a better recovery drink than the one you can purchase through p90X.

Enjoy the snow day everyone.

Until Tomorrow -

Joe

Day 5 - Legs/Back/Ab Ripper X

2009-03-01T16:23:00.001-08:00

Good day overall today. Made $50 doing baseball lessons, got a new Blackberry, topped off with a great workout.

I wasn't on my diet today as I would've liked, although to slip up a little one day a week isn't so bad. I had a banana and coffee no sugar for breakfast, I had Cluck U chicken for lunch (Thanks Vickers), but I finished strong with grilled chicken and salad for dinner.

I purchase a couple new supplements today:
#1 - VoluGro - It's more or less a mix you put in your water to drink during your workout. It has the electrolites found in gatorade, with 0g of sugar with added creatine.
#2 - L-Glutamine - This is a powder that gets mixed in with my protein shakes to increase the amino acids I'm putting into my body post-workouts.

I decided that anything worth doing, is worth doing right, so I'm all-in here, it's sick beach body or bust for this guy.

Today's workout was another screamer on the legs. That soreness is still there, whether it's from plyometrics or Yoga I'm not sure, but that made the workout all the more tough. I got an incredible sweat working, and finished about 40 oz. of water. Instead of using my pull up bar, I used high resistance cords. It allows me to increase my reps, and really focus on my form as well as allowing me to go slow and really squeeze those back muscles on every rep.

Calling for 8-14 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow, so I'm thinking I'll be looking to do my Kenpo X tomorrow just to keep me occupied.

Until tomorrow -

Joe

Day 4 - Yoga X

2009-02-28T16:59:00.000-08:00

Miserable day today. Had a late night last night, and up again early for class from 8am - 3pm. Just miserable. Not to mention my legs are feeling that burn you get 2 days later from that plyos workout. So needless to say, today was the roughest day yet.

However, I needed a day like today. They say all the time on the DVDs that you need to "Bring It". It all starts with your mental approach. You have to have it in your mind that you're going to Bring It that day, no matter what, and chances are you probably will. After a late night, an early morning, class all day, my body hurting - these are the day that people "take off". They're not taking off because of their body, they're taking off because they're not mentally tough enough to BRING IT and get it done for the entirety of the workout. Today I brough it and really will look back on today whenever I'm having a rough day motivating myself to work out.

My diet was solid again today - Protein Shake for breakfast, almonds for a snack, sandwich on whole wheat with low fat jello and fat free cool whip. Just finished up with a sushi dinner, no Tempura obviously.

Anyway - I'm a yoga virgin. I'm not flexible in any sense of the word, and I've never done yoga. I've heard from people who do it, but never personally experienced it myself. It's a LONG workout, lasting about 90 minutes, with the first 45 minutes being BRUTAL. The poses and shift and positions that are done really stretch and strike a cord in literally every single muscle in your body. Although I'm like mush now, I'm confident tomorrow my body will feel great after having a phenomenal stretch and core workout like this one. Again - another phenomenal workout from P90X.

Theme of the day - when doing yoga, there are modifications for every stretch. Don't feel intimidated by the ridiculously flexible sculptures on the TV screen. Do things at your pace and really try to stay relaxed and BREATHE.

Until tomorrow --

Joe

Day 3 - Arms/Shoulders/Ab Ripper X

2009-02-27T15:29:00.000-08:00

I don't feel as miserable as I thought I would following yesterday's Plyometric workout. Don't get me wrong, my legs are sore, but I was definitely able to function today. Had a pretty easy day in school, which was nice for a friday.

Started the day off with a protein shake for breakfast. My morning snack was 30 Pistacchios, followed by a lunch of fish, salad, and soup. I followed that up with an afternoon snack of baked almonds - and soon to be some steamed chicken and vegetable chinese food.

As for the work out - It was a good workout, however my band wasn't strong enough. Arms and shoulders are probably my best and most efficient muscles. I've always had to "up the anti" per se with those groups, so I was ready to take this on with a full head of steam. I got a great workout, but it wasnt maximized due to my bands. Suggestion for the newbies - BUY SEVERAL BANDS OF DIFFERENT RESISTANCE. You may need to switch bands with exercises, and also, these things break. Mine snapped towards the end of my workout and I had to finish with dry reps.

Ab Ripper X is still insane. It was my second time through it, and instead of doing 25 reps with the freaks on DVD, I did 15 and got an enormous burn.

Theme of the Night - Find the right weight, make sure your form is correct, your last 3 reps should burn.

Until tomorrow -

Joe

Day 2 - Plyometrics

2009-02-26T15:00:00.000-08:00

Right from the get go, Billy Horton tells you that the Ploymetrics workout is the toughest and most intense of the set. HE WASN'T ****ING KIDDING.

The workout consists 24 different variations of squats, mixing in turning movements for your core - all performed twice. The workout is approximately an hour. I was able to do all the exercises, but instead of going the entire 30 seconds or 60 seconds that they do, I shortened up at points, allowing myself to complete the workout. You may want to keep 2 bottles of water with you, because my 1 bottle was done halfway through. This was the type of workout that when you finish, it's hard to take off your shirt to shower because you're sweating so much. As someone who played ball for Drew and did Chris Ryan's plyo workouts - Sorry Chris - But these plyos are Michael Phelps to your Ian Crocker.

In terms of my diet today - started off with egg whites, 3 slices of turkey bacon, 1 piece of low fat cheese, and a protein shake. Threw in a salad, apple, and water for lunch. 30 Pistacchios after school for a snack. Then dinner was sauteed chicken with vegetables and another protein shake.

Until tomorrow when my legs are officially Jello status.

Joe

Day 1 - Chest/Back/Ab Ripper X

2009-02-25T18:31:00.000-08:00

Finally. After nine days of anticapting the arrival of P90X - IT CAME. (that's what she said.)

The P90X workout is a series of at home workouts, each about an hour, that thrives on muscle confusion. Those of you that workout know that after about 3-4 weeks, you start to plateau. When you hit that point with p90x, the workouts change, avoiding any type of plateau, giving you better results. The 12 workouts include:

1.Chest and Back

2.Plyometrics

3. Shoulders and Arms

4. Yoga X

5. Legs and Back

6. Kenpo X (Karate/Martial Arts type cardio workout)

7. X Stretch

8.Core Synergistics

9. Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps

10. Back and Biceps

11. Cardio X

12. Ab Ripper X

You need an at home pull up bar, cords or free weights, and push up blocks. Before my DVDs came, I began doing some workouts on my own, to get myself semi-ready for the road ahead. I also began following a low carb/high protein diet that the workout calls for. What you have to understand is that following the diet is just as if not more important than the workouts. If you want maximum results, you have to follow the diet.

For breakfast, I started the day with an egg white sandwich on whole wheat with turkey bacon. To be honest, it tastes just like eggs and real bacon. So this healthy alternative is actually enjoyable. I also had a banana and a coffee with no sugar (which is an acquired taste.) Lunch was a turkey sandwich on whole wheat with a fresh fruit cup and water. I had night class tonight, so I threw in a coffee no sugar and another banana as a snack.

Once I got home, I immediately popped in the DVD and went to work. The work out was INSANE. The chest back workout was a serious a push pull exercises, mainly pull ups and push ups. It's an hour long work out, with a few water breaks (just a few quick seconds). In terms of chest and back, I wasn't as weak as I anticipated, although I'm sure I'll feel the affects tomorrow.

I took a break and had dinner (baked grouper with corn) and a Protein shake (3 strawberries, 1/2 banana, 6 ice cubes, 1 cup of fat free milk, 1 protein scoup, all blended up). I then went into ab ripper x which was an awakening. Its a 349 rep workout packed into 15 minutes. Needless to say, abs/core is my weakest point right now. The natural reaction is shy away from that, but mentally you need to really hone in on it and not back away.

I've posted along with this my "Before" pictures. I'm not that bad, but I'm also not that good. You'll be able to notice that my core is DEFINITELY my weakest link by noticing my lucious love handles. I'll be posting pictures every week to monitor my progress. The posts will get shorter as the program goes on, but now that I'm just introducing it, I went into more detail. Until tomorrow. Out.

Creation of the Blog

2009-02-17T16:46:00.000-08:00

"Dozens of people are waiting for the game!"

That quote from A League of Their Own will best describe this blog regarding my P90X workouts, which I've created for 2 reasons. #1 - I've had several friends ask for my experience, my results, my opinions, etc. on the P90X workout. #2 - Creating this blog will give me 1 more reason to stay on my workouts daily, knowing that I will be expected to blog about them. It will be easier for me to keep the people who are interested updated at their convenience.

Anyway - I will be posting on here daily, describing which workout I did, how I felt during it, what I liked, disliked, and had trouble with. I'll also include some stuff about my diet, because it just as important as the workouts themselves. I'd also like to include my progress through pictures every 10 days or so.

I ordered the workout from the BeachBody website and am just waiting for it to arrive. Once it does, I will commence my 90 days of Hell as well as my blogging.