Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Day 9 - Back & Biceps

WOH! Whut a workout! I've used the Back & Biceps video before - almost 8 months back & I loved it back then. But in the past 8 months I'd forgotten all about it since I didn't touch it once over the past few months. Its a great video if you wish to work on the "glamour muscles" (as Horton calls it) or the biceps.

I'm glad I switched Plyometrics with Back & Biceps for Day 9 and made this challenge sort of my own. I wanted to skip the Plyo routine every other week for Back & Biceps but after today I've decided that I'm gonna make Back & Biceps PERMANENT and skip Plyo for good!

Plyo used to cause me pain in the knees and right now I really can't afford an injury - atleast for the next 80 days! But don't get me wrong.... I'm not saying that Plyo is something to avoid. Plyo is actually a GREAT workout! Its meant to make one faster & more responsive especially athletes. I really do need Plyo for my recovery but I need biceps more. I don't know...I might even add it to my regular routine after Stretch X on every 7th day. I know that I shouldn't be messing around too much with the schedule but if they have a "Double" on the menu then I don't see why I cant pull a double only on the 7th day.

I also seem to be fine with 25 lbs when I'm working on my triceps. But when I'm working the biceps I need my 15s.

On the last set, Strip-Set Curls, I tried the 25s but I couldn't get much output out of those. So I had to modify it a bit. I began with my 15s and then used the Resistance Band as shown in the video.

Here are my stats for Day 9 Back & Biceps -

R - Reps . W - Weights . MOD - Modified .


01. Wide Front Pull-Ups (MOD) - R 20
02. Lawnmowers - R 20 ea . W 25
03. Twenty-Ones - R 15 . W 15
04. One-Arm Cross-Body Curls - R 10 ea . W 15
05. Switch Grip Pull-Ups (MOD) - R 16
06. Elbows-Out Lawnmowers - R 20 ea . W 25
07. Standing Bicep Curls - R 10 . W 15
08. One-Arm Concentration Curls - R 10 ea . W 15
09. Corn Cob Pull-Ups (MOD) - R 10
10. Reverse Grip Bent-Over Rows - R 10 . W 25
11. Open Arm Curls - R 10 . W 15
12. Static Arm Curls - R 6 . W 15
13. Towel Pull-Ups (MOD) - R 21
14. Congdon Locomotives - R 40 - W 25
15. Crouching Cohen Curls - R 15 . W 15
16. One-Arm Corkscrew Curls - R 10 . W 15
17. Chin-Ups (MOD) - R 15
18. Seated Bent-Over Back Flys - R 15 . W 15
19. Curl-Up/Hammer Downs - R 10 . W 15
20. Hammer Curls - R 10 . W 15
21. Max Rep Pull-Ups (MOD) - R 20 Wide Front Pull Ups
22. Superman - R 4
23. In-Out Hammer Curls - R 5 . W 15
24. Strip-Set Curls (MOD) - R 10 . W 15 & Resistance Band

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I've been wanting to share what tools I use for the P90X regiment. So since I have some time in hand today I think I will.

A great place to start finding info on P90X is Google and YouTube. BeachBody.com also has awesome resources but I still don't know how to navigate it. So, for now I'll stick with Google. I happened on this site with Google and this is where I got my worksheets. (Click this link to download a copy.)

Here's a snapshot of the Back & Biceps Worksheet. Its quite nifty this sheet cuz it really does help you keep track of your workout which is really helpful when you look back to your weeks later.


I do also read other people's blogs which i find helpful. Some of those that I found helpful were :

1. Tony Horton And His P90X Want Me Dead
2. Top 20 P90x Questions Answered Here!

Sample photo of padded workout gloves:





This is a sample photo of the Iron Gym Pull Up Bar that I use at home:




The P90X Classic Schedule that I've been following is provided below. I found it here:

P90X Schedule – Classic

Week 1 – Week 3
Day 1 – Chest and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Plyometrics
Day 3 – Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
Week 4 (Recovery Week 1)
Day 1 – Yoga X
Day 2 – Core Synergistics
Day 3 – Kenpo X
Day 4 – X Stretch
Day 5 – Core Synergistics
Day 6 – Yoga X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
Week 5 – Week 7
Day 1 – Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Plyometrics
Day 3 – Back and Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
Week 8 (Recovery Week 2)
Day 1 – Yoga X
Day 2 – Core Synergistics
Day 3 – Kenpo X
Day 4 – X Stretch
Day 5 – Core Synergistics
Day 6 – Yoga X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
Week 9
Day 1 – Chest and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Plyometrics
Day 3 – Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
Week 10
Day 1 – Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Plyometrics
Day 3 – Back and Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
Week 11
Day 1 – Chest and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Plyometrics
Day 3 – Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch
Week 12 (Recovery Week 3)
Day 1 – Yoga X
Day 2 – Core Synergistics
Day 3 – Kenpo X
Day 4 – X Stretch
Day 5 – Core Synergistics
Day 6 – Yoga X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch


This is a sample photo of the dumbbells that I use at home:

 

It'd be awesome to have an entire set (weight rack) like this:

Monday, January 3, 2011

Day 8 - Chest & Back + Ab Ripper X

Did I just have a stamina increment in 7 days? Last Monday when I did the Chest & Back routine I thought I was DYING! & once I was done I cussed Tony out like there's no tomorrow! But today's session felt a hell lot easier than Day 1 and I stuck to my 25 LB weights cuz I felt that I could! I used my 15 lb weights only during 1 exercise cuz I knew I wouldn't be able to do that with the 25s.

I'm taking over this routine beginning tomorrow cuz I realized that since I'm targeting my upper body I ought to focus on my biceps. So I'm skipping Plyometrics tomorrow and changing up the tempo a bit with Back & Biceps. My arms hurt. But it 'hurts in a good way' as Tony says. So why not?

I also followed up the Chest & Back routine with the usual Ab Ripper X as mentioned on the chart. I've also gotten hold of the P90X Nutrition Plan (Eating for Power Performance) book which I have to start reading cuz it'd be a fascinating read I'm sure. Also the contents seem really to the point and exactly what I needed to know about P90X!

Here are my stats for Day 8 - Chest & Back + Ab Ripper X:

Chest & Back:

01. SPU - Standard Push-Ups -  20 | 15 
02. WFrPU - Wide Front Pull-Ups - 16 | 15 
03. MPU - Military Push-Ups - 15 | 15
04. RGCU - Reverse Grip Chin Ups - 16 | 16 
05. WFPU - Wide Fly Push-Ups - 16 | 11
06. CGOHPU - Closed Grip Overhand Pull-Ups - 16 | 16
07. DPU -  Decline Push-Ups - 15 | 10
08. HP - Heavy Pants - 15 | 10 
09. DiPU - Diamond Push-Ups - R 10 . W 25 | R 10 . W 25
10. LM - Lawnmowers - R 15 ea W 25 | R 15 ea W 25
11. DBPU - Dive-Bomber Push-Ups - 8 | 10
12. BF - Back Flys - R 15 . W 15 | R 15 . W 15

Ab Ripper X

01. In and Outs - 15

02. Bicycles - 15 Front | 6 Back
03. Crunchy Frog - 10
04. Cross Leg/ Wide Leg Sit-Ups - 10 
05. Fifer Scissors - 10
06. Hip Rock And Raise - 15 
07. Pulse Ups (Heels to the Heavens) - 11
08. V-Up/Roll Up - 6
09. Oblique V-Ups - 10 ea side
10. Leg Climbs - 5 ea leg
11. Mason Twist (with legs flat on ground) - 60 

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Day 7 - Stretch X

On my P90X calendar, Day 7 is denoted as Rest or Stretch X. I want FAST results so I said sionara to "Rest". I'm glad I did, cuz Stretch X turned out better than doing nothing all day. Even my wife joined in today! Which was great. Working out with another person really does drive your performance! I found myself staying with the group on TV as opposed to dropping out when I couldn't take it anymore.

I also realized that I really did need the Stretch session after 6 grueling days of other P90X shenanigans! Stretch X is great for the body after a 6-day routine. In fact I felt so good, I thought to myself that it is good enough to do everyday! Well specially on the days you do pull-ups & weight-training. I didn't sweat as much as I did during Yoga X but it felt good allover! But be careful cuz the infamous Shoulder Stand did make a re-appearance in the video! So AGAIN, don't follow Tony word-for-word cuz you could end up breaking your necks! "Just do your best & forget the rest" as Tony says...

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Day 6 - Kenpo X

Kenpo, no matter how funny or weird it sounds, is a great aerobic workout in my view. Its like a combination of karate, kick-boxing, & taekwondo all into one big workout regiment. Great for working on your reflexes. Although I might have punched my invisible aggressor too hard in the nuts or something for I seemed to have injured my back. Also my right knee is killing me right now - perhaps due to one jumping jack too many. My back flares up with pain every now and then and it might have been due to me following every one of Tony's moves. I stayed with the group today throughout the workout routine and it made me feel good until my back began to ache after the end of the video.

1/1/11 was a great day! My bro in law took us out to a nice sushi restaurant and then we went to sucré for desert.