Day 1 - I Brought It and P90x Took It!

Workout: Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
Diet: Successful

Wow, can you say 'Tough'? I thought I knew what I was getting myself into, but this workout surprised me. It kicked my butt! I pushed myself hard and I am happy with the way I feel.

I woke up at 5:30 in order to have the time for both workouts. The Chest & Back routine consists of two sections or rounds. 12 workouts working the chest and back are preformed, then for round two, the exercises are repeated. Its important to push yourself beyond what you feel you are capable of. Well, I pushed myself.... hard. By round two, I began to throw up. I continued to make my way through the exercise routine and finally made it through, but I had worked out to the point of vomiting several times, which I haven't done for a long time. I don't mean to be gross, only to express how hard I pushed myself, and how intense this workout is.

I did not complete the Ab Ripper X until after work at about 8:30 pm. I did not feel up to it after the first workout. Ab Ripper X is hard, and you have to Bring It in order to make it through, but it is manageable and it left me feeling tired and wonderful afterwards.

My nutrition plan worked well today. I had a great fruit smoothie this morning, as well as yogurt, peaches and a banana. I ate periodically through the day, snacking on carrots and olives. I had tuna sandwiches for lunch with yogurt, mandarin oranges and a banana, and I ate a grilled chicken sub from Subway for dinner.

Overall I feel good about the day. On one hand I want to throw in another workout and do the Core Synergistic routine. I think I could have finished it, but on the other hand, I want to get enough rest to be able to push myself hard again tomorrow. And let's face it, I can and will push myself.

Day 0 - Ready to Bring It!

Well, here we are. I have arrived at day 0. Tomorrow I will officially start P90X! I am way excited and ready to 'Bring It'! I feel like it has been a long time coming but there are some good advantages to taking my time to get started. For example, I have been able to get into an exercise routine which ensures that I am ready for the P90X program, and that I can devote the time necessary to workout every day. I have also been able to set some goals and get a realistic idea of the program. I know what to expect in most of the workouts, and I know that I will be able to push myself and not be injured or wear myself out. I have also had the past few days to indulge in a few of the foods I am striving not to consume over the next 90 days (like Pepsi). In fact, my last soda will be Mountain Dew Code Red and my wife is making no bake cookies now, so that we can eat them before Day 1 begins.

One of my biggest fears in this program is motivation. If I don't see results, I fear I may give up or become lazy. I also fear that I may struggle in the Nutrition Department. I am not following the nutrition guide exactly, but merely trying to make wise food choices. Although this is not ideal, I feel it makes more sense with my current situation. I will borrow concepts from the guide and avoid certain foods, which will help. I just hope that it will not hinder my progress.

I have also included in my goals a desire to improve my mind and relationships with others. I think this is necessary because with so much emphasis on the physical side of things, one runs the risk of ignoring other areas of ones life. I will soon set some realistic goals to improve my mind and to work on my spirituality. Also, since I chose not to participate in workouts on Sundays, I will be doing my X Stretch routines on Saturday. I know its not that intense, but I feel this will help me stay devoted to my spirituality on that day.

So, here I am, on the brink of a world of change. 'Knowledge is Power. Power is Change'. I am so excited and wish I could start today, but tomorrow morning will come soon enough. Bring It!

My Equipment

Here, we have it, all the equipment I currently have to get started with. I have two sets of Golds Gym Resistance Bands, one older set and a brand new one. I have found that the old ones have stretched a little and would prefer to have higher quality bands, but they should work fine seeing as I can get good resistance from them anyway (you can set them up with a loop under your foot or wider stance and get more resistance). I also have a small workout bench, which I can use for chair dips etc.

Next, I have a pair of 25 lb dumbbells, 5 lb dumbbells, push-up bars, ab wheel, pull-up bar (with various other uses), and a punching dummy with nice padded gloves. I feel like this is plenty to get me started. We'll see how it goes.

One difficulty I have is that my pull-up bar is in another room, so I have to pause the video and go to the other room to do pull-ups. Not that big of deal, but it makes the back workouts last a little longer.

Goodbye Photos - Taken March 5, 2009

The Fit Test

Yay! I passed the fitness test! I took an hour or so Thursday night (March 5) and performed the Fit Test with my wife, who will also be doing P90X as her schedule permits. I wanted to enter all my test results and report my overall feelings.

The Fit Test Results
- Body Measurements -
Body Fat: 24.9%
Weight: 198 lbs
Chest: 41.4 Inches
Waist: 40 Inches
Hips: 37.5 Inches
Right Thigh: 22.75 Inches
Left Thigh: 23.25 Inches
Right Arm: 15 Inches
Left Arm: 15 Inches

- Test -
Heart Rate: 80 BPM
Pull ups: 17
Vertical Leap: 20 Inches
Push-ups: 60
Toe-touch: 4 Inches
Wall Squat: 1 Minute 13 Seconds
Bicep Curls: 25 Reps with 25 lb dumbbells
Abs - In & Outs: 75

Overall I am pleased with my results. My biggest concern is my body measurements. My body fat is nowhere near where I'd like it and I feel like my waist should be significantly smaller than my chest, which at this time it is not. I am excited to begin my P90X journey this coming Monday. I will also be starting the nutrition plan as well as I can. I will make certain goals before Monday comes, and post them here. I hope I can make some great progress in the next 90 days. The hardest part will be to stay consistently motivated. I have enrolled my wife to help me stay motivated, which I am sure will help tremendously.

Onward and Upward

It has been a while since I posted last. A lot has happened and a lot of time has gone by, but it seems as if there has been little progress made in the direction I desired.

I'll start by saying I have been very dedicated to my exercise program and very much so to my diet plan. I have put forth a lot of effort to get into shape and to lose weight. I have started to implement P90X into my routine by participating in 6 workouts a week, plus cardio workouts on a stationary bike, treadmill and elliptical machine. I have been highly dedicated and for the past month since I last posted, have only missed a handful of workouts.

I have also been pretty good about my diet, eating yogurt and fruit, and Tuna sandwiches for breakfast and lunch, and I have made a good effort not to eat after dinner. I have not been drinking soda on weekdays, but have indulged a little on the weekends.

Progress: Well, according to pictures I have taken every week, I look a little more defined, but have not lost my gut. I am now at 203 lbs and holding, which is a surprise to me because I have been working so hard. I feel better, overall, and I feel more confident, however, my progress shows very little. I am tired a lot, because I am moving and working a lot more than 'usual'.

My plan to further my progress is to officially start the P90X program, by following the schedule prescribed in the program and beginning with an initial Fit Test, so that progress can be charted in many different ways. I will also be adding cardio and sports exercise to the P90X routines so that I can become more a more versatile and well rounded athlete. My main goal is fitness, however, I would love to shed some of the fat that plagues my midsection. Day 1 of my P90X Quest is currently scheduled to be next Monday, March 9, 2009, making my 90 day mark June 7, 2009. I am hoping to make a lot of progress. I will make a better effort to post more regularly as I proceed through my quest.

Some progress

So, it has been a week since I took my first pictures. I have been exercising often and regularly. It is crazy how quickly my body started to change. I feel really good about myself and despite having actually gained weight, I am satisfied with my progress.

For exercise I have been switching between upper body training and lower body and cardio training. I have some good equipment in my apartment, but for legs and cardio I have been using the fitness center of my apartment complex. I shall explain more at a future date.