Just when you think you are lucky to have this nice break, Core Synergistics rears it's ugly head and comes down on you like Judge Judy on a Jay Walker. I think I was a little distracted this time, compared to Tuesday, and my neck was bothering me a bit. I got it done. I did skip the Dreya Rolls again, but there was no way I could do them in my condition. I did awesome on the Plank to Chataranga ISO Hold as I matched the people on the vid. I also did well in the Over-Under Push Ups. I finished strong in this one, and I can see the results as I am stronger every day.
I feel good. It's nice when you start seeing results. It makes it worthwhile. I haven't missed a workout yet, so I'm going to keep bringing it as I head into phase three on Monday!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Day 53: Stretching in the middle of the week?
It almost feels sacreligious to not be doing something strenuous on a Thursday, but my neck injury really needed this. If anyone waited until the recovery week to do this, they are missing out.
I have shoe envy for Tony's non-slip shoe-thingy's he's sporting in the stretch video. Mainly because my hardwood floor is dirty and I am too busy to clean it, so I spend a lot of my "breaks" cleaning my feet and flicking off debris from the Plyo-Mat.
I can almost use a yoga block while doing the hamstring stretch. My knees aren't completely straight, but they are getting there. I can grab both hands around my heels though. It's nice to be flexible again. I can almost feel myself making a "Kick save and a beaut!", eh?
I am (wisely) skipping all shoulder stands and plough poses as I have a feeling that isn't the best way to recover from a neck/back/shoulder injury (it keeps moving, so I'm not sure what to call it. Maybe "Fred?")
I still wake up with pain, though.
I ate out for dinner tonight (an unexpected treat), but I only ate 2/3 of the plate and saved the rest for leftovers. Ribs again, but really delicious J. Alexanders Danish Ribs. I couldn't resist!
I have shoe envy for Tony's non-slip shoe-thingy's he's sporting in the stretch video. Mainly because my hardwood floor is dirty and I am too busy to clean it, so I spend a lot of my "breaks" cleaning my feet and flicking off debris from the Plyo-Mat.
I can almost use a yoga block while doing the hamstring stretch. My knees aren't completely straight, but they are getting there. I can grab both hands around my heels though. It's nice to be flexible again. I can almost feel myself making a "Kick save and a beaut!", eh?
I am (wisely) skipping all shoulder stands and plough poses as I have a feeling that isn't the best way to recover from a neck/back/shoulder injury (it keeps moving, so I'm not sure what to call it. Maybe "Fred?")
I still wake up with pain, though.
I ate out for dinner tonight (an unexpected treat), but I only ate 2/3 of the plate and saved the rest for leftovers. Ribs again, but really delicious J. Alexanders Danish Ribs. I couldn't resist!
Day 52: Nothing like Kenpo on a Wednesday afternoon!
I'm a little behind in my blog, but I've been keeping notes and I still haven't missed a workout.
Not much to say about Kenpo except that it is still my favorite workout. It also made my neck/back problem feel much better.
I am down to 174.6, my lowest weight so far. I'll probably lose a little more this week, but eventually I will probably end up back around 180 if I gain in muscle as I hope to. I'm still relying on Shakes and Bars to get me through it all.
Tip of the day: I really like saying the moves as I do them. I don't know if it helps in any way other than keeping track of when to throw a hook and when to jab, but it's worth it to me!
I am enjoying this recovery week and I am hoping that my neck pain is better next week when I start resistance training again. The timing was the best of all possibilities if I had to have an injury.
More later!
Not much to say about Kenpo except that it is still my favorite workout. It also made my neck/back problem feel much better.
I am down to 174.6, my lowest weight so far. I'll probably lose a little more this week, but eventually I will probably end up back around 180 if I gain in muscle as I hope to. I'm still relying on Shakes and Bars to get me through it all.
Tip of the day: I really like saying the moves as I do them. I don't know if it helps in any way other than keeping track of when to throw a hook and when to jab, but it's worth it to me!
I am enjoying this recovery week and I am hoping that my neck pain is better next week when I start resistance training again. The timing was the best of all possibilities if I had to have an injury.
More later!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Day 51: Core Synergistics = Core Improvements!
I was not looking forward to this due to my neck. Right before I started the workout I was feeling it when I tried to turn my head. It seems that my sleep last night was the worst thing I could do. My neck was killing me in the morning and I felt like I was right back where I was on Saturday as far as pain and discomfort go.
But I slapped on some "Icy Hot" and I felt great during the workout (I didn't take Aleve or Advil so I could feel it if I was in pain!). For the second day in a row I actually felt better doing a workout than I did not doing one.
The program has definitely increased my overall stamina, strength and flexibility. I could handle pretty much everything much better than I did during the last recovery week. I skipped the "Dreya Rolls" for obvious reasons (I didn't think rolling to a neck stand was a smart thing to do in my condition!) but I didn't feel any pain after the neck rolls in the warmup.
I like the look of my abs and my waist. I am seeing improvement. I don't look like one of the guys in the video, but I am healthy and strong. My scale tells me I am 17 years old, so I'll take that any day!
This week will be interesting, that's for sure. I'll be headed out to celebrate a birthday on Thursday night, so another restaurant meal. I'll have another on the 15th, but that should be about it as far as meals out for a while.
I hit 13% body fat today. Cool.
The home stretch is just around this corner. I'm ready to "bring it" home!
More later.
But I slapped on some "Icy Hot" and I felt great during the workout (I didn't take Aleve or Advil so I could feel it if I was in pain!). For the second day in a row I actually felt better doing a workout than I did not doing one.
The program has definitely increased my overall stamina, strength and flexibility. I could handle pretty much everything much better than I did during the last recovery week. I skipped the "Dreya Rolls" for obvious reasons (I didn't think rolling to a neck stand was a smart thing to do in my condition!) but I didn't feel any pain after the neck rolls in the warmup.
I like the look of my abs and my waist. I am seeing improvement. I don't look like one of the guys in the video, but I am healthy and strong. My scale tells me I am 17 years old, so I'll take that any day!
This week will be interesting, that's for sure. I'll be headed out to celebrate a birthday on Thursday night, so another restaurant meal. I'll have another on the 15th, but that should be about it as far as meals out for a while.
I hit 13% body fat today. Cool.
The home stretch is just around this corner. I'm ready to "bring it" home!
More later.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Day 50: Yoga with a Bad Back (or neck?)
I was anxious about doing this workout. I guess it was the best one I could have considering the pain in my back/neck. I woke up feeling much better, but it was still a concern that I might not be able to do a full-fledged workout.
Luckily the Yoga seemed to be the exact thing that I needed. The only poses that I decided not to do were "Crane" and "Plough" because of potential falling on my shoulder in the former and undue pressure on my back/neck in the latter. Other than that I did well, but man does this workout kill my legs, especially during the "Half-Moon" pose which seems to last about three months while standing on one leg!
As I noticed in Ab-Ripper, there are a few gaffes in the routine. Tony tells everyone to stay in "Runner's Pose" but they are all still standing there with their legs up. He handles it like a pro, though, and quickly tells them to switch it up, as if he had planned it that way. (But really, he just didn't want to have to start over!)
The other thing I noticed is that the pose where you swing your leg from "Downward Dog" to touch your knee to your head and then back up and so on. On the right side, he has us do it three times before getting into "Runner's Pose" and the left he only does it twice! Imbalance, I say! I felt like an idiot the first couple fo times because I felt like I wasn't paying attention and I was just doing extra. Now I know I'm not seeing things! Hah!
Except I swear I just saw Tony throwing the diet soda out of my fridge? Oh, well.
Core Synergistics tomorrow. I can't say I am really looking forward to it, especially with my tender neck. Stay tuned!
Luckily the Yoga seemed to be the exact thing that I needed. The only poses that I decided not to do were "Crane" and "Plough" because of potential falling on my shoulder in the former and undue pressure on my back/neck in the latter. Other than that I did well, but man does this workout kill my legs, especially during the "Half-Moon" pose which seems to last about three months while standing on one leg!
As I noticed in Ab-Ripper, there are a few gaffes in the routine. Tony tells everyone to stay in "Runner's Pose" but they are all still standing there with their legs up. He handles it like a pro, though, and quickly tells them to switch it up, as if he had planned it that way. (But really, he just didn't want to have to start over!)
The other thing I noticed is that the pose where you swing your leg from "Downward Dog" to touch your knee to your head and then back up and so on. On the right side, he has us do it three times before getting into "Runner's Pose" and the left he only does it twice! Imbalance, I say! I felt like an idiot the first couple fo times because I felt like I wasn't paying attention and I was just doing extra. Now I know I'm not seeing things! Hah!
Except I swear I just saw Tony throwing the diet soda out of my fridge? Oh, well.
Core Synergistics tomorrow. I can't say I am really looking forward to it, especially with my tender neck. Stay tuned!
Week 7 Review: Signs of Progress
Well, as Tomny would say during (name that routine!): "The hard part is over...sort of!"
I finished the third week of phase two and I am noticing some good things. I can fit in my pants better. I look much better (or maybe I am just fooling myself. We'll see in about 10 days!), I am stronger and able to do much more in the strength department. 23 Pull-ups! Yeah, baby!
As far as weight I was back down to 175 pounds again, and I can really see the definition in my chest and arms and my legs are solid. I went bike riding and it was a piece of cake. My heart rate is good and I feel like I am in as good a shape as I ever have been.
I might not be getting the "Wow, look at that body transformation!" effect, but I have hpes that the third phase will give me a more dramatic change. I think it has been harder for me (in some ways) because I didn't have a lot of weight to lose. My changes will be far more subtle, but just as satisfying in the end.
I look forward to the recovery week just so I can have a break from the Ab Ripper X and I can rest my injured neck/back. I'm kind of bummed that picture day comes right after the recovery week, but it didn't turn out that bad last time.
I ate much better this phase, but I still have a problem planning meals. I am relying on shakes and protien bars and I am not sure that is the best way to go, but I'm determined to stay away from the junk food (although I did have 2/3 of a burger from Chilis 2 Go on Saturday night as it was my second time going out since starting the X!)
My main regret is still that I don't have dumbbells, but maybe the second time around (or if I try P90X+.
I'll be back soon with more updates. Keep bringing it!
I finished the third week of phase two and I am noticing some good things. I can fit in my pants better. I look much better (or maybe I am just fooling myself. We'll see in about 10 days!), I am stronger and able to do much more in the strength department. 23 Pull-ups! Yeah, baby!
As far as weight I was back down to 175 pounds again, and I can really see the definition in my chest and arms and my legs are solid. I went bike riding and it was a piece of cake. My heart rate is good and I feel like I am in as good a shape as I ever have been.
I might not be getting the "Wow, look at that body transformation!" effect, but I have hpes that the third phase will give me a more dramatic change. I think it has been harder for me (in some ways) because I didn't have a lot of weight to lose. My changes will be far more subtle, but just as satisfying in the end.
I look forward to the recovery week just so I can have a break from the Ab Ripper X and I can rest my injured neck/back. I'm kind of bummed that picture day comes right after the recovery week, but it didn't turn out that bad last time.
I ate much better this phase, but I still have a problem planning meals. I am relying on shakes and protien bars and I am not sure that is the best way to go, but I'm determined to stay away from the junk food (although I did have 2/3 of a burger from Chilis 2 Go on Saturday night as it was my second time going out since starting the X!)
My main regret is still that I don't have dumbbells, but maybe the second time around (or if I try P90X+.
I'll be back soon with more updates. Keep bringing it!
Day 49: Stretching Out the Pain in My Neck
Ow.
This sucks. I can't really turn my body without the sharp pain. It has progressed a little bit, but if I had to do any resistance training today I'd be in big trouble.
I ended up doing most of the stretch routines (there were a few exercises I couldn't do because of the pain, but I attempted most of them) and I felt much better afterwards. It probably wasn't smart to ahve taken Aleve before doing this. Pain is a good indicator as far as when to stop, so I blew it there. Luckily it was fine.
A heating pad and some more aleve helped at night. I still haven't missed a workout.
I also made a kick-butt spicy tomato-basil soup for dinner. More later with a week 7 review!
This sucks. I can't really turn my body without the sharp pain. It has progressed a little bit, but if I had to do any resistance training today I'd be in big trouble.
I ended up doing most of the stretch routines (there were a few exercises I couldn't do because of the pain, but I attempted most of them) and I felt much better afterwards. It probably wasn't smart to ahve taken Aleve before doing this. Pain is a good indicator as far as when to stop, so I blew it there. Luckily it was fine.
A heating pad and some more aleve helped at night. I still haven't missed a workout.
I also made a kick-butt spicy tomato-basil soup for dinner. More later with a week 7 review!
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