Back to the glamour muscles!

I don't have much in the way of glamour muscles, with respect to arms -- or anything for that matter -- but I love doing those exercises.  Makes me feel strong after the hard workout.  Haven't been feeling well lately, caught a bug or something, so I've been taking it easy on the exercising.  I did run a 5k last Saturday, and placed 13th out of 80 something.  Was a decent run, but I know I could have done better.  I haven't really ran or trained for running in a long time, so I'm satisfied with the placing.  However, in the past couple weeks I have started running again, and I'm actually liking it!  It's not like how I used to run in the Army, but I'll get back there.  Without the P90X routine, I wouldn't have even attempted that 5k.  My body didn't hurt so much, but I was losing wind fast.  I gotta work on my cardio more.  I should correct that, my body didn't hurt while running, but shortly afterward, I felt the effects of not having run hard for a long time.  Couple days later I was feeling good again, with the exception of the bug I got.  And thank you to my wife for getting me to run on their team :)   It was a great time, and had fun over the weekend.  Thanks hotness, appreciate everything you do!

Things are looking up again :)

I went to see an orthopedic specialist concerning the problem with my toe/foot, and it turns out that I pulled tore part of the ligament along my toe, which in turn pulled away a piece of bone.  The good news is that it is healing well, and I can return to my normal routine.  I just have to take it easy for a while and listen to my body.  Really excited that I get to run again this coming Saturday.  I don't expect to win this race at all, but I think I just want to prove to myself that I can still run good.  It will be fun either way. 

Aside from that, taekwondo is going good.  I hadn't been attending classes too often, giving my foot a chance to heal better.  But now I'm back into it and learning some new things.  We have been focusing a lot on forms and kick techniques.  In addition to that I have taken a liking to weapons, especially nunchukus and bo staff.  I practice every now and then, but that takes a lot of patience and time.  Not too bad though, because even if my foot acts up, I can try working with nunchukus while standing or sitting.  Still no sparring for me for a while, at least six to eight weeks. 

New Belts!

Yesterday was belt testing for my son and myself, along with a full day of activities at the gym.  I am super proud of our boy, he did so well!  We both past our tests, and stepped up to the next level.  Now its time for new training and more improvements.  We also did a nunchukus seminar, ninja obstacle course, food, cake, and many other activities.  It was a great time.  And thanks to my wife for supporting our martial arts :) 

I have continued the running, and plan on adding that to my routine on Mon, Wed, and Fri.  P90X has been good as always, although I missed a workout today with easter activities and a bbq with family.  Tomorrow is a rest day, and I think I'll do a bunch of stretching to get myself ready for the week.  I'm excited about things to come.  I'm going to start joining the demo team on Friday evenings and practice individual and/or team demonstrations, either with forms, weapons, sparring, whatever.  It should be fun as well. 

Cardio city today!

This morning I finally got up to run.  It was a great run, going further and faster than I did last year.  This P90X routine is really changing me.  The only problem I had was the cold air in my lungs, could have done without that.  But since there is no hope for warmer weather, I have to make due for now.  After the run I ate some breakfast, rested for a couple hours, and then did my cardio routine with Tony.  I didn't do some of the plyometric exercises for fear of aggravating my foot.  Still had a great time burning calories.  Its nice to be back to working out, I kept feeling like a part of my day was missing without it.  My weight fluctuates between 160 and 165 now, so I think my diet is still going well.  I could also do less sweets, but I'm working on it.  Tomorrow I got a CTscan to make sure nothing is seriously wrong with my foot.  Really hope there is nothing there, just a bruised bone and joint.  I can work with that. 

Things are looking up :)

Today I completed the legs and back workout, with a little gritting of the teeth and a lot of perserverance.  I now realize how much it sux stopping a routine once you really get into one.  I hadn't done that workout in two weeks, and it felt like months.  My legs were sore as hell, and my calves were especially sore.  That wasn't the end of it though.  After the legs/back routine I had some ab ripper to do.  I worked my butt off, but I was still only able to do most of the exercises.  I just couldn't do all of those reps today.  Tomorrow is a scheduled rest day, and I'm gonna do a lot of stretching.  Hopefully the weather is good now, because I really want to start running again. 

Back in it!

Today I started back on the P90X wagon, and my foot felt pretty good for almost the entire workout.  Now I'm confident it's time to really hit the workouts hard.  I've taken too much time off for injury already, and I don't want any of the work I've already put in to be for nothing.  There is still a long way to go as far as my physical fitness is concerned.  Today I jumped back into the routine with some Kenpo X.  Burned a bunch of calories, sweat like crazy, and still felt good after!  Its pretty crazy, I really did miss working out, and sometimes I felt bad for missing so many days.  Tomorrow I'm gonna give the legs and back routine a go, and really see if my foot can handle that. 

Belt testing is next weekend, really psyched about that.  My son and I are going to test together, it should be fun.  He does really well so far, and I hope he sticks with it.  Super proud of how far he's come.  There is also no tournament this month, it was pushed back to July/August time frame.  It was a local tournament though and there are still plenty of others going on in the northwest.  I talked it over with my instructor and sparring is on hold for me for a while, to give my foot a chance to heal better, and get some testing done for it.  Oh, and I have also taken a liking to weapons and forms.  I have been studying the bo staff and nunchukus, and began working on simple techniques.  I found an amazing set of nunchukus online, but I'll need to fit that into a budget before purchasing.  They are light, have the perfect size chain, and are a little flashy -- perfect for forms demos.  Looking forward to trying weapons forms in the future. 

Still recovering :(

We are back from the mini vacation now, and happy to play with the boys again.  It was a nice break from Burns though.  So anyway, my foot is still very sore and tender, and recovery isn't going as quick as I would have hoped for.  I guess if I walked on it less that might help.  That's hard to do though with kids running around and household chores to do.  I am seriously considering NOT competing in the local tournament coming up, which means my foot must be pretty bad.  I've been looking forward to this tournament for a long time, and not competing really hurts inside.  I love martial arts and was hoping to kind of show off to the local community.  Might be better to let things heal first, even though I'll be missing a great tournament.  There will be others though. 
Belt testing is coming up soon and I should be ok to do that much.  I believe its next weekend but I'll have to check with Mr. F.  We're trying to get my son to break another board before we pay for his testing, that way we know he can do it in the gym in front of people.  Its more of a confidence builder, because last time he struggled, and that brought him down.  He'll do great though.

Mini vacation

Well its been a little while since I last posted something here, but the situation is still the same.  My foot is recovering from injury and I haven't done a whole lot of exercise.  Right now I am on a mini vacation with my wife, who is actually doing some training/orientation for her job.  We are on the Washington/Oregon border, and I'm having a great time.  No kids and a hotel room, its nice.  I do miss my boys though, and soon we'll be home to see them.  Can't wait! 

I did do a workout in the fitness center of the lodge, but mostly upper body so that I didn't aggravate my foot.  It felt pretty good to do something again.  We have also spent some time in the hot tub and the swimming pool.  That was great.  Oh, and I also got to hit some golf balls on the driving range :)  I haven't hit a ball and years, and the first half-bucket of balls could tell you that story.  But by the time my second bucket came around I wasn't doing too bad.  Couldn't play a round of golf because the weather has been rainy and a little chilly.  Still had a fun time though.  Now I sit and wait for my hotness to finish training for the day so we can spend some time together this evening! 

That dang foot :(

The P90X program is still in effect, but I have to take a short hiatus from it.  I reinjured my foot/toe again during taekwondo, and am super upset that I can't workout or spar for a little bit.  I think it's time to finally let the foot heal properly and let workouts go for now.  Hopefully I heal quickly and things work out ok. 

Crazy week!

Well I have been working on week one of P90X again, and I forgot how intense the first few weeks were!  My butt and legs are sore, my shoulders are sore, and I can't WAIT to do some serious stretching tomorrow lol.  I've been doing some extra stretching here and there, but it still hurts to sit down and my leg muscles are not liking me again.  I'm trying to focus on some real strength training this time, now that I've got most of the exercises and routines down.  I'm happy with the direction things are going in.  I've dipped below 160 pounds now - barely, but still under - and most of my jeans are too big now.  This is good and bad; now I need to get some new jeans or pants.  I would love to buy some yoga gear, but dang that stuff is expensive.  So I'll have to stick with my old taekwondo pants for that.  Other than that everything is going great so far.  Week 14, or 1, is about over and I'm ready for more! 

P90X complete!

Yesterday I finished my first P90X run!  90 days of intense workouts in the books.  The first weeks seemed to go by so slow because I didn't look forward to doing most of the routines.  But as time went on and my body adjusted, I started looking forward to most of the exercises.  I'm happy with where I am today, as far as fitness is concerned, but now I want more!  Today I started the program all over again.  I've come this far so why stop now?  There is still so much I can improve on, and things that I am still learning.  Oh, a couple days ago I did another weigh-in and finally got under 160 pounds.  That made me extremely happy because I was worried that I wasn't making any improvements in the last week or two.  I want to stay around 160 pounds or so, mainly for taekwondo purposes, and because I feel I'm at a comfortable weight and fitness level.  Eventually I will start (or hope to start) gaining a little bit in the way of muscle mass, but not a lot.  Round two, here I come lol. 

Oh Em Gee

It was only a stretch day in my last week of P90X and it was much needed.  I tried to focus on more on the leg muscles, especially after yesterday evening's sparring.  I didn't do any sparring today, but chose to observe and do extra stretching before the extended class.  Master Martin was in town (my instructor's mentor) to do some special classes and seminars over the weekend.  Tonight he led most of the extended class, which was friggin awesome.  We went over a few good kicks for sparring, and some techniques to land them quicker.  We also did grappling for the second half of the class and that was a blast.  Despite how much fun we had, my muscles are exacting revenge on me and my chest is terribly sore.  I'm doing some extra stretching tonight to try and help out my legs, but I think they are just sore and need a break.  Got the weekend to rest, that's good.  I'm caught up on classes now and next week I'll be starting the P90X all over again.  Time to get healing!

Kenpo and Sparring

Today I was a little wary about the kenpo workout, but it worked out okay.  Just kept my kicks a little low and did the best I could.  It went much better than I anticipated.  I had a great evening of sparring, and tried to be more aggressive tonight.  That tactic really paid off because I think I did very well.  Usually I am more on the defensive/counter attack and I do alright with that strategy.  All of the working out and training has paid off a lot.  I'm able to keep my wind more, go longer rounds, and kick with more ferocity.  One thing that I really need to work on more is my reaction time.  I'll have to work on that somehow. 

Nearing the finish...

I  can see it... the light at the end!  Its almost the end of my first 90 days of extreme workouts, and I can say I really enjoy working out now.  Some days are harder than others when searching for that extra bit of motivation, but when all is said and done I feel good about it.  I won't be trying to post every day now, but maybe every other day.  Doesn't seem necessary to post every day now, because I'm sure I'll still miss a day or two every once in a while. 
So today was the second day of week 13, and another great core workout.  Did all of the bonus segments, all of the required reps, and went for maximum reps on individuals exercises.  I sweat like crazy, burned a bunch of calories, and not really looking forward to taekwondo tonight.  On Monday night I pushed my hamstrings a little too far and I'm still feeling it.  My groin is also sore too, so that may pose a problem.  I think I may have to take it easy tonight, despite how much I don't like doing that.  I was hoping that yesterday's yoga routine would help my legs out, but that didn't happen.  So I'll do some extra stretching and lighter-than-normal warmups this evening.  Gotta get better before the tourney next month!

Dang it all!

Today I used a rest day from P90X, and did a little stretching of my own during the day.  Unfortunately, I decided to injure myself in taekwondo class today.  I'm not sure if I'm training too hard, pushing too hard, doing more than I can handle... but I hurt my groin this evening, almost pulled my hammy, and aggravated my old foot injury again.  It was a great, fun class, regardless.  I really enjoy martial arts, can't say that enough.  I want to be great, and I think I'm taking my pursuit a little too fast.  Can't be great if I'm injured :(  Guess I'll need to take it down a couple notches, heal up, and do what I can, when I can.  Thought about going to the doc to have my foot checked out, but I haven't gone.  It seems that just when my foot feels good I go and do something to make it mad.  Very frustrating...

Core and Kenpo, week 12

It's almost the end of week 12!  I missed another post yesterday, imagine that lol.  Yesterday's workout was core synergistics again.  It was an excellent workout as always, despite how I felt during the exercises.  My body wasn't liking me, probably because I put it through two consecutive days of sparring.  I was a little sore, but can't let that get in the way of a great routine.  Kenpo was good today as well.  I think I have most of those movements and exercises down now.  It is one of the longer workouts, but the time goes by quick when I'm in the groove.  Burned a heck of a lot of calories this weekend, that's awesome!  I'm so ready for the stretching tomorrow, which also happens to be the end of week 12.  Only one more week after that, which is mostly recovery and ab work.  I'm excited to finish the program, but I will continue after its all done.  Why stop there, I still have so much to improve on. 

Buuuuurn!

I completed what is close to the last yoga routine in my first go of P90X.  It's hard to believe that almost twelve weeks have gone by so far.  I had a rough go today with the yoga routine.  Last night I decided to go sparring, and I didn't stretch enough afterwards.  This left me feeling a little sore and not quite up to stretching and bending like I should have been.  My muscles were tight and my hips just didn't want to open up today lol.  That'll teach me not to stretch properly, and I should know better by now. 
On another note I went to sparring again this evening.  It was a great class and I got to spar with higher level belts.  That was a great experience, and I realized that after such a long break from sparring, I need to attend more classes.  I need to up my game if I ever want to compete in big tournaments.  Plus I love doing it! 

Grunting and Pumping

Today was all about back and biceps.  I love the exercises for this routine.  Most of my routine today saw an increase in weight, but a light dip in reps.  I've decided to go for some size now, instead of all lean.  I don't want to get bulky, but I would like to beef up a little bit.

In about five weeks or so the martial arts school that I attend will be hosting a tournament!  I'm super excited, but a little nervous at the same time.  I haven't done any hard sparring training for a while because I was letting my foot heal.  So tonight I am going to start sparring again in order to prep for the tournament.  I will probably do sparring, board breaking, and possibly forms.  There is a rather difficult kick that I am trying to learn for board breaking, but it's proving more challenging than I thought it would be.  This is a little frustrating, because up until now I haven't had any trouble performing new kicks or moves.  Oh well, I guess that's why people practice! 

Dang it!

Yesterday I did a post about my chest, shoulder, and tricep workout, but apparently it didn't post >:(  Oh well, its not like I haven't missed days before...  To sum up yesterday, my shoulders hated me again, my abs burned like hell, and my weight is down a couple pounds.  Great workout yesterday.  Today was also a great workout, burning off the goo with some cardio X.  Something kept telling me to push harder today, and sure enough, I did.  My heart rate was soaring for quite a while, and that last superman/banana bit really did me in.  Oh and it gets better!  On top of that I get to do plyometrics tonight for taekwondo!  Yippee lol.  Its time to really sharpen up what I know.  Testing is in about a month and I want to be ready.  Plus it is helping with my overall fitness. 

Butt kickin' good time

Yippee, another calorie burning kenpo workout in the books!  I felt pretty good today, and brought everything I could to the workout.  Kicks were higher, punches were more clean, and I reduced my rest time during the intervals.  Instead of doing ball kicks (ball of the foot!), I did the kicks like I should be in taekwondo.  This is one kick, front kick for taekwondo, that I need to tweek and work on.  So I just switch out the two and knock out some reps.  Concept is the same, but there are a few minor technical differences. 
Another thing that I need to work on is going to taekwondo more often.  I've been sick for a little while, or th boys were sick, or the wife was sick, and I have missed quite a few classes.  So now I need to play catch-up if I want to test in April.  This shouldn't be too difficult if I go to a few of the extended family classes. 

Core city again

Yes!  Another wonderful core workout done today, and another day closer to the end of the program.  Well, the initial 90 or so days anyway.  I'm not quite sure how I come up with things to write everyday either.  Each day is a different workout, but they do repeat every week.  I guess its good to keep track of all this though, even if only a couple people read it.  I did a preemptive weigh-in today, because I was getting a little down about my tummy not trimming up so well.  The weight was 161, which is just below my average weight.  So this is good news.  I feel like I have hit a wall in the training though.  At first the weight and fat was peeling off like a banana, but now I'm kinda stuck.  My weight is the same, and certain parts of my body are looking better, but my abs are so hard to work on.  It might be because I have never had strong abdominal, or core, muscles before.  If I keep this up though, I'm sure I'll be seeing some good results in another few months.  I found some great yoga poses that work your core, and I am gonna try them out, maybe just one or two days a week on top of the P90X routine.  Plus I love doing yoga, it is such a nice change in pace from the normal routine. 

Feelin icky again, w...t...f...

Well I was doing yoga today and started feeling out of sorts again.  I hope I don't catch what my son has/had because that wasn't a good time for him.  I just got over feeling sick, so whatever I got better go away!  My plan was to do some yoga ab work today, but that didn't happen.  I at least made it to the end of the movement forms and poses, did a few balance postures, and that was all.  I have taekwondo sometime tonight, just not sure which one to go to yet.  Sparring is a much needed class, but with my foot getting stupid on me half the time, I'm worried about reinjuring myself.  There is the extended class too, but that takes up most of the evening, which I like spending at home now.  If my stomach keeps acting up I'm not sure I'll go anywhere tonight. 

My shoulders hate me right now

I think I went crazy with the shoulder exercises today, and my shoulders were on fire!  I'm not sure if it's because of Tuesday's workout, or whatever, but I was doing less reps with the same weight.  I still felt the burn and the intensity, but I couldn't hang like I normally do.  However, during the ab ripper workout I was able to put my arms up for a few of the exercises, something I hadn't done or tried before.  It looked intimidating at first, but after doing it today, it boosted my confidence a lot.  In past weeks I was struggling with my hands on the floor, so this is a big step for me.  I couldn't do all of the mason twists either, my abs were hurtin!  Overall I had a great workout today.  Looking forward to yoga tomorrow.

Cardio burn

I almost forgot to post today, it's 11pm!  I burned quite a few calories today during the cardio workout, and my shoulders are really sore from yesterday's workout.  This doesn't bode well for tomorrow's routine of shoulders and arms...  But such is life, I gotta stick with the program.  It was a good session today, and for the most part, the exercises weren't too difficult.  Toward the end I was really pushing my limit, and the core stuff really kicked my butt.  In a good way though.  I should have eaten more today, but I was so busy cooking and baking that I didn't even stop to grab a bite.  On the plus side, I did make some great raisin bread :)  Hopefully the family likes it, otherwise I'll be eating raisin bread for breakfast for  a while haha. 

Off with a bang!

This morning I decided to start week 11 with a bang; and boy do I feel it now!  Push up bars give you an increased range of motion, and that kinda decreased the number of push-ups I had been doing.  It was a little discouraging at first, but I'm working just as hard, if not harder, than I was before.  Now I just need to work on increasing my reps again so I can reach where I left off without the bars.  I did around 200 push-ups so far today, and that's probably all I'll do because I don't have taekwondo tonight.  Otherwise I'd be beyond the 200 mark.  I think that's a pretty good start.  The ab ripper was rough today, and I wasn't feeling 100 % on this workout.  I gave 110% but I didn't feel as strong today.  The push-ups really work my core, so by the time ab ripper comes along, I'm about tuckered out!  I try to do as much as I can, but some days are just tougher than others.  Oh well, it will come with time. 

End of week 10!

Today marks the end of week 10.  I'm nearing the finish of this crazy program.  Hard to believe that 10 weeks has gone by since starting in December.  One thing that I have noticed is I don't worry about doing the workouts, I worry about what time I can do it during the day.  When I first started I was anxious about what the next day would bring.  All I want now is to work out and get in shape!  I'm very glad my wife bought this program, because without it, I would have never gone this far.  Plus, she has the one that got me to eat better.  I owe most of my progress to her. 

So after a day of good stretching, I'm ready for taekwondo tonight.  My new goal outside of training is to complete a full 540 kick.  I know that mechanics of it, and now I need to put them in motion.  I'm not sure why I'm so anxious to try all of these crazy moves before I need to, other than the fact that I find them fun and challenging.  They look pretty flashy too :)

Getting Xtreme

Well I really pushed it to the limit today, about to the point where I wanted to crash to the ground from exhaustion.  It was a Core day, and I'm feeling it everywhere.  It is about time in my routine to really start going for muscle failure, especially if I want to see lasting results.  Some of the core exercises are becoming relatively easy, and more weight will  be needed next week.  The bananas, boats, and supermans are not as strenuous anymore, but still give me the workout that I desire.  Now I need to focus on getting my arms and legs up a little higher, to challenge myself.  I'm entering week 11 on tuesday, so its crunch time now.  My body keeps changing, and although it's not as drastic a change as I had hoped for, I'm very happy with progress thus far.  There is still a few weeks left, so that will give me time to really bring it.  Looking forward to stretching tomorrow, it will be great!  Then it's off to taekwondo lol.  So I don't really have much of a rest day, but I do need the martial arts training.  I may get tired, but I try to keep in mind that it only makes me stronger in the end. 

Calories, be gone!

Sweating like hell here!  Today's workout was kenpo X, and what a great workout today.  My twists and pivots are getting much better, and the punching series is finally coming together.  I'm not so uncoordinated with the combination of moves.  I'm still trying to get faster with the step-punch-drag-punch, and that wasn't too bad today either.  It still needs work, but as long as I'm busting my butt here, I'm not worried about it.  Kenpo is excellent for burning calories -- today I got rid of 660 of them.  Seeing those high numbers really makes me happy.  I think I have a great routine going for fitness, but I still need more focus on my diet.  I guess the occasional treat is okay :)

Last night we had a fantastic taekwondo class.  We did a lot of three-man drills, with kicks, and did the forms training that I was hoping for.  I got some feedback on things that need tweeking, or things I could sharpen up.  Overall it was a great workout, and I'm sure I burned a heck of a lot of calories there too.  It was also the extended class, which basically equals two classes worth of instruction.  Plus, since no one showed up for demo team, we did another 30-40 minutes of messing around with some judo and more difficult kicks.  The instructor is doing some research for me on how to do a 540 kick and a 540 back kick.  I only need to learn the latter of the two, but I just wanted to know a 540 kick for board breaking and demonstration purposes.  I gave it a shot last night, and I got the kick part down, but the landing needs work.  Not bad for my first tries.  Had an excellent evening of training, love it!

Yoga belly

It was another great yoga workout.  My body is feeling better because I was able to really twist and stretch today.  My hamstrings are a little tight, but other than that it was smooth sailing.  That right angle pose whooped on  me again, but I'll  get it down soon.  Usually I skip the yoga belly routine, but I decided to do it today.  Ouch!  Haha, it didn't really hurt that much, but my abs were burning up.  It was such a short session, yet it worked so many different muscles.  Although I was grunting and sweating like crazy, it felt good to get it done.  I'll be going to taekwondo tonight, first time in a week.  Looking forward to the class, and hopefully we get to work on forms tonight.  I'm pretty confident in the other belt level skills that I need to know, but I could always use work on the forms. 

Feeling good today :)

After about five days of feeling crappy, and not so fun workouts, today provided a much more productive workout.  It was back and biceps today, with the wonderful ab ripper.  Talk about an upper body workout today, WOW!  It was back to glamorizing and it burned like hell lol.  Lots of pull ups and curls today, and the occasional back workout, which coincidentally worked the arms and core at the same time.  A bunch of things going on in just a few simple movements.  Well, the movements are simple, but they burn depending on the size of your weights.  Sometimes I feel like I'm getting stronger, others I feel like nothing is going on.  But I think that is just because my muscles need that recovery time in between.  Toward the end of every recovery week I notice changes in my physique.  That keeps me going, knowing that what I am doing is not just for fun.  I'm trying to get something out of this whole workout and eating right routine.  I work hard (well at least I think I am!), and I've finally given in to the fact that results take time and effort.

What's goin on here?

So my weight has been consistent over the past month, but today I feel self-conscious about the way I'm looking.  I guess I'm expecting results faster than they are coming in :(  This sucks, because I work my ass off, and changed my diet; yet it sometimes seems like my tummy is expanding, not shaping up.  My arms, chest, and legs, on the other hand, are toning up nicely, and I'm more than happy with progress in those areas.  I can't wait to start running again when the weather warms up, at least a couple days a week.  That would burn off some of the excess junk I'm carrying around.   

Ohhhh I'm hurtin' today

It was a rough chest, shoulder, and tricep workout today.  I had to lighten the load on quite a few exercises, and my reps were a little low.  I'm blaming it on the bug I have, or maybe I'm still recovering from last week's upper body routines -- who knows.  All I know is that today was a struggle.  And then ab ripper was no picnic either.  Some of the exercises were tougher than normal, and my reps/form were not to standard.  I did what I could, but toward the end I didn't even want to get off the floor.  My body was actually shaking from the struggle.  I need to do a weigh-in today, and I'll post again tomorrow with what my weight is.  I burned quite a few calories this morning, and hopefully some more fat around my lower abdominal area.  The upper abs are starting to come around, but I still got a small band of goop around the obliques and lower abs.  I found some good core/ab yoga exercises that I am going to try out, and they look like they'll do the trick.  Never realized how much yoga can do for those nicks and crannies on your body.  My wife bought me a yoga magazine yesterday and I found it to be very good reading.  The website for the journal is great too, with a library of information on yoga and health. 

Modified schedule again

Today the family and I returned home after a small vacation to my sister-in-law's place in McMinnville.  I wasn't well for most of the trip, but I'm glad the family had a good time.  I did a couple of workouts while there, despite how crappy I was feeling, and I actually missed a workout this week.  I said in yesterday's post that I would push the schedule back, but I am not doing that now.  Today I wasn't feeling too well again, so I did the X stretch according to my normal schedule.  Tomorrow I will resume with week 10, upper body routines.  The stretching today was great after the long trip in the car.  Unfortunately I was unable to finish the last part because my stomach wouldn't allow it.  I sound like a whiner, but I haven't been as sick as I was over the weekend.  Sucks, but oh well. 

bleh :(

So I've been pretty sick the past couple of days and I missed my first workout.  Instead of skipping yesterday's routine, I decided to push everything back a day so I don't miss a workout day.  So today was yoga, which went ok, and tomorrow will be core, instead of my usual Monday X stretch.  I didn't have a yoga block today, no fault but my own, and some of the movements proved more challenging then usual.  I'm no where near 100% yet, so some of my postures and movements were lacking the effort I usually put into them.  I was hoping to work some of the bug out of my system, but it wasn't very effective.  I feel more tired now, and my stomach is cramping again.  Hopefully this crappy bug goes away so that I can enjoy this little vacation we're having.  So far I've been out of the house on one day, and that's no fun.  I worked on my taekwondo poomse this morning as well, which is needed after four days of putting it off.  More focus needs to be put into my martial arts, because this summer I would like to start competing more.  We have an in-town tournament in the June/July time frame, so I want to be ready to help represent our school.  We really do have a great group of students, and I see great things from them in the future. 

P90X on the road...

So our family is taking a little vacation to McMinnville, OR, where my sister-in-law lives.  I don't want to steer away from my initial P90X routine, so I decided to take it with me.  Today was the kenpo X workout, and it felt pretty good to stretch my legs and back after the long drive.  It was a great workout, and I burned a lot of calories this morning.  I kinda splurged on trail mix on the way over here, so I had to burn something off.  The workout went really well, I enjoyed it this morning.  I got my kicks a little higher than normal and my punches are getting faster and cleaner; in my opinion anyway.  I'm hoping that tomorrow will be another great yoga session, because I could use some deep stretching.  So far, the upper body workouts have gone great.  Next week is about the same as this week, only the Tuesday and Thursday routines are changed around; they are still upper body workouts.  I have decided to call these next four weeks the glamour weeks, because the focus is more on muscles that people recognize most -- arms, shoulders, chest, and abs.  I can't wait to see how things have changed after all of this is said and done.  It would be nice to workout without a shirt on, or go running in just a pair of shorts and shoes.  I suppose I need to start running first though...

Glamorizing the arms

Today was week 9's shoulders and arms workout.  This is one of two exercise routines that I love/hate.  I discussed this in a recent post.  I know I get something out of the workout when I have trouble typing on the keyboard.  My shoulders are burning, and my biceps feel a little swollen.  I feel like I'm finally getting into shape here.  Last night during taekwondo I noticed that I don't have to try so hard to kick the bags hard, and my overall agility has improved.  My speed kicks were great last night, and just last week they were ok at best.  I even had a few of the other students say that I was getting much faster.  That makes me very happy.  I want to be great at martial arts, and hopefully compete professionally in the future.  I do a little competing here and there, but I would like to do it at a national level too. 

Burnin' that goop off

Oh it was another wonderful cardio workout today.  I enjoy the cardio X routine because it isn't just a bunch of running and jumping around, but a variety of different types of exercises.  There's a little yoga, some plyometrics, kenpo, and core.  I'm glad it didn't involve the arms too much, because my arms are a little sore after yesterdays chest and back workout.  Tomorrow is shoulders and arms, with ab ripper afterward.  I have fairly weak shoulders, so my current relationship with the shoulder exercises is love/hate haha.  I'm sure I'll start to love em sooner or later, but I need to build them up first.  Ab ripper is always a good time (ok not so much), but I do get a heck of a lot out of it.  This is the only workout program that I have actually stuck with, probably because I already see transormations in my physique.  Tony kicks my ass every time, but I love the workouts. 

Holy push-ups batman!

Ok I think I've done enough pushups for the week!  LOTS of em today, and my arms felt like al dente noodles after I was finished lol.  I might be laughing about it now, but it was one heck of a tough workout, and I didn't laugh during the exercises.  Today was the start of week 9, and it came with a bang.  Chest and back, with some ab ripper at the end.  I am still feeling crappy, and the ab routine pretty much sucked today.  I didn't get as much out of it as I would have liked.  The good thing about today's workout is that I burned a heck of a lot of calories; just over 700.  That made me feel a little better, despite how icky I was feeling.  The heart monitor is really helpful, love using it.  Hopefully I start to feel better soon, I would really like to hit these next few weeks hard. 

Close of week 8

Today marks the close of another great week doing P90X.  After this past week my body had a slight cool down, a chance to recover and develop further.  I am noticing more changes, and I am happy with my progress so far.  I weighed-in today, same weight as last week.  The calorie counting has really helped in the past few days.  Its nice to know what I'm putting into my body, rather than just liking how it tastes.  Tomorrow starts week 9 of the lean routine, hitting it hard and heavy for the next few weeks.  Its crunch time now, heading into the third phase.  I'm excited to see where these weeks take me, as far as general fitness and strength are concerned.  Never thought I would be this motivated to work out; now if only this bug I got would go away!  Tired of feeling crappy. 

Feelin' icky

The past couple of days were a little rough, been under the weather from a bug/cold.  Still did the workouts, and they made me feel a little better afterward.  But the good feeling slowly dwindled back into icky again.  Yoga was relaxing today, and stretching, bending, and twisting came easier than in the past few routines.  One happy point in the workout, for me anyway, was getting really low in the right-angle pose and grabbing the hand behind my back.  I got it on both sides today, but not for the whole duration -- that will come with time.  I'm just happy to be improving on flexibility. 

Counting Calories

Last night my wife gave me a heart monitor!  Which was great, because just yesterday I have started to count my intake, and burning of, calories.  It is making me realize just how much I need to take in, and what I should be avoiding.  Today was a cardio X workout, so I had the opportunity to test out the new toy.  It worked perfectly -- told me my heart rate, how long the workout was, the amount of time burning fat calories, and how many total calories I burned.  I love it!  Thanks to this little machine I can track how hard I'm pushing myself in a workout, and where I need to back off.  Looking forward to using the monitor again for my next cardiovascular workout. 

Ahhhhhhh (sigh of relief)

I did some X stretch today, which felt great!  Muscles are thanking me now.  I got pretty deep in a lot of the stretches, despite how tight some of my muscles felt before starting.  The program says that I should feel stronger by the end of this week; I feel a little stronger after the first three days.  I'm hoping that the next few days of yoga, cardio, and stretching will leave me ready to hit week 9 hard.  I'm over the halfway point, and results should be coming again soon. 

Ow... ow.... ow

Title of this post is how I felt after last night's taekwondo class.  OW!  It was great workout/training session, but wow am I sore now.  I don't think I've ever thrown that many kicks before!  Then on top of that rigorous session, I had Kenpo X to do today, yippee lol.  I wasn't throwing very high kicks today, I can tell ya that much.  I did try my best though, and actually felt better after the workout.  My joints weren't so stiff, and my muscles weren't trying to exact revenge on me.  I would like to go back to sparring classes, but the times are not so doable (is that a word?) anymore.  I might try to get in for the earlier classes, but that requires a babysitter.  Not that finding one is a problem though.  I guess we'll see, I'll post it here if I get some sparring time in.  Oh, and I jumped on the scale again today, just because the last few days were really intense... dropped another couple pounds, lovin it! 

Synergistics

I like the word synergistics and I have no idea why.  Just an interesting word, with a whole lot of meaning.  And the core synergistics workout provides a whole lot of exercise.  Today was a core workout day, another one of my favorites.  Did the bonus exercises again too, that makes me feel good.  I took another glance in the mirror today, and I'm satisfied with how things are coming along.  I still have this band of fat around my lower stomach, but hopefully that will disappear in the next couple of months.  My legs are starting to show a little more muscle definition.  Which is great, because I don't want to be fit in just one area of my  body, but ALL parts. 

In taekwondo we have been focusing on forms and self defense techniques.  I guess I'm a little rusty on the forms, because I keep making mistakes on simple movements.  Same thing with some of the self defense techniques.  We have also learned a few new ones.  I am pleased with the classes, and it is neat to watch everyone progress as they move up in belt level or experience.  Its nice to be a part of a martial arts community. 

P90X Week 8 starts today

This week is another recovery/ab focus week.  Today I started the week with yoga X.  The first half of the movement exercises is starting to get a lot easier.  The second half I still have some issues with, mostly because my thighs are on fire by the time  I get to that point.  It makes it difficult to hold some of the poses or movements.  Slowly getting better, making some strides here and there.  I am able to complete the movement series though ,despite how tough it can be.  The balance postures I usually do good on, with the exception of crane and shoulder plough.  I can only hold those for a short time.  I really like the yoga routine; makes me feel more relaxed and invigorated.  Looking forward to the next session this week. 

X stretch, end week 7

Another week down!  I feel good after the x stretch today.  I almost feel limber again lol.  Not that I was super flexible before, but my muscles aren't protesting, and my body feels good.  Yay for me lol.  I'm ready for taekwondo too!  Looking forward to another small class, we seem to really focus on intermediate curriculum now.  I'm loving the martial arts, and I hope I can do it for a long time. 
I weighed in today, and not sure if I'm happy with the couple of pounds that I gained since last weeks weigh-in.  I feel stronger, and the goop keeps melting away, so I'm hoping that I have put on more muscle mass, instead of bad stuff.  It is only a couple pounds though, so I haven't stressed over it... yet, haha!  I'm very happy with our eating habits in the household.  More fruits and vegetables have found their way to the pantry and refridgerator -- and a lot of the sugary goodness has left the building.  My portion sizes are smaller, and I get full quicker.  I still get the craving to devour a chocolate cake, but slowly those types of cravings are fading away.  I want to be ready for the pool this year, and without wearing a shirt!  It's taking a lot of self control and focus to get-er-done. 

Add some intensity

Another Kenpo X workout is done, which also brings me to the close of week 7 tomorrow.  Can't wait for X stretch, really need it after these past few weeks.  So during the kenpo exercises the first half is at normal pace, minimal height or intensity, and the last 10 or so reps are higher with more intensity.  When I say higher I mean the height of the kicks.  That normally isn't a problem, but with my hamstrings still tight, it was difficult to reach the height that I usually do.  It was a little disappointing, but I still sweat like hell, and burned a bunch of calories.  If heart rate monitors weren't so dang pricey I'd get one.  That would help me determine if I am in my 'zone' -- how hard I'm pushing myself.  For now I just push it to the limit, almost to the point where I'm falling over when doing kicks.  At that point I back off a little to get the reps in.  In other workouts the tip is quality over quantity.  Well with this being a cardiovascular routine, I would rather do quantity over quality.  I think more is better in a cardio workout -- but what do I know lol.

With your legs, not your back

I have a hard time with bending my legs and not my back when doing the leg routine.  Not all the time, but sometimes.  Its just that I have little legs, and doing all of the reps takes a lot out of them.  I'm confident that soon I'll be able to really get low in the squats and lunges.  During some of the exercises my legs burn so bad I feel like falling over!  That's when I come up a little bit, or back off until I can go back down.  Every week I do a couple more reps here and there; which helps with the motivation to keep doing it.  Ab ripper was tough as hell, just like always, but still did a couple more reps with em.  Also finished all of the mason twists, including the bonus :)  That makes me happy.  I need to really push it during the pulse-ups.  If I can get those down, I'd be doing alright lol.  Next week is recovery / ab focus.  Kinda looking forward to that break from the crazy lifting routines, but don't want to get lazy on an easier week. 

Drop down!

That's part of  a phrase that Tony says to one of the workout buddies in the yoga X video.  He wants you down low in the lunges, which sucks sometimes, because my thighs feel like they're on fire.  This routine went pretty well as usual, and getting better every time.  I was happy with one extra balance posture that I was able to finally do, but there wasn't a name for it.  Its a right angle pose, one hand dropped behind your back and reach under your thigh with the other hand until they connect... Its supposedly an advanced move, and proud of myself for finally getting there.  Hamstrings were really tight today, I didn't reach or stretch as far as normal, but gave it my best shot.  Think that was because of all the axe kicks in taekwondo on Wednesday.  I should have stretched better afterward. 

J-e-l-l-o

Not the sweet, gelatinous snack either.  I'm talking about my arms and shoulders after the workout today.  It was chest, shoulders, and tris for week 7.  There were a few exercises where I did slightly less reps or weight, and others where I added more.  It takes a P90X workout just to tell me how out of shape I am!  Things are getting better though, gradually.  Slow process, but very effective so far.  I've noticed good gains in taekwondo, thanks to P90X.  I really love martial arts, and I'm really starting to like this working out thing.  Like I said before, I'm just impatient.  I did kinda check myself out in the mirror after the workout (for the first time) and I'm quite happy so far.  My darling wife wants to see how my abs are doing, but I haven't showed her yet lol.  I want the full effect of P90X before I display the ol' tummy.  Nothing special so far, but I've trimmed inches and lost pounds.  Can't complain there! 

Sweatin' like hell!

I did another cardio X workout today, and I was sweating and breathing hard.  I tried to put more effort into it this week, really go that extra mile.  I don't really have anything more to report about today's workout...  It is a fast paced workout designed to develop your breathing and cardio vascular endurance.  I know for I got both of those two things today. 

So in taekwondo we started the new schedule.  I like it.  On Monday we had only a handful of green belts in there, it was excellent.  I got to review my forms, and learn a lot of new green belt curriculum.  I wish I could go more often, but I would rather take it moderately for now, especially on top of P90X.  Hopefully class tonight will be like it was on Monday -- small group with new material.  Should be a good night. 

New month, new week

Today is the start of week 7!  Seems like the time has flown by, but I know that's not the case.  It was another core synergistics workout today, and it is probably one of my favorites now.  It works everything!  I weighed-in this morning, same thing as last week.  This makes me happy.  Our new diet and eating healthy routine is paying off.  I haven't put any weight back on, and I hope it stays that way.  At least until I can start to get more lean and muscular.  I have been more hungry in the past week or so, and I'm not sure if that is good or bad.  I think I'm eating the right things, but the further I get into the program, the more I want to snack and increase portion sizes.  I guess as long as the snacks and treats are good for me, then it can't do much harm. 

Relaxing and invigorating

Today was a stretch or rest day, and I chose to stretch.  I needed it pretty bad, I was feeling really tight toward the end of last week.  My legs and butt feel it the most.  Must be from all the kicks and squats haha.  But its all good, its for the best.  The X stretch really calms me down and gives me focus.  Aside from that, I really don't have much to report.  I'll weigh-in before I start week 7's workout, make sure I'm doing good on the diet routine too. 

So tonight I'll be jumping back into taekwondo after a week off.  I wanted to give my foot some time to recover again before I make another dumb mistake.  And tonight will be the start of new intermediate classes, pretty excited about that.  We'll be able to cover a lot more ground and not have to worry about lower level belt review all the time.  Review is good, but the focus will now be better distributed between all belt levels. 

Wax on, wax off

Every time I get to the blocking and punching series of the Kenpo X workout, it reminds me of the Karate Kid.... the Daniel-son kind.  The movements are almost identical, and it sure does do the trick.  I kind of vary the blocks and punches though, so that they are closer to my taekwondo techniques.  My butt is sore from all the kicks and lunges from the past couple of days -- thought I'd throw that out there hehe.  I need to do some extra glute stretching in order to fix that.  Burned a lot of calories today, I feel good about the workout.  The back kicks didn't affect my hips and hamstrings so much today, that is great.  I shot for more height and intensity, and I feel it now.  Tomorrow's X stretch will be great, looking forward to it.

On another note, tomorrow starts a new schedule for taekwondo.  The instructor is starting an intermediate class, which means green belt and above.  This is great, because those of us that are green or higher can focus more on new techniques and defenses, rather than jumping around between the higher belt and the lower belt curriculums.  It will be a good change for sure.  And hopefully my foot is up to sparring this week.  I would really like to get back into that too.

Intensity

The title of this post was the focus of my workout today.  I tried to do more reps, or hold longer on isometrics.  I tried to get lower in my squats and lunges.  Today's workout consisted of legs and back, with ab ripper X afterward.  The back exercises weren't so bad, but my legs are on fire!  I went upstairs to grab a pair of socks and my thighs were burning lol.  My calves aren't so sore though, which is great -- otherwise my legs would be like my arms were after Thursday's workout:  noodles! 
The ab workout was great, but I'm still lacking some reps here and there.  The heals-to-the-heavens exercise is what kills me the most.  I absolutely struggle to do those correctly, nevermind all of the reps.  I really need to focus on my core more, and work up to at least getting the reps completed.  I missed a couple of mason twists too, which do wonders on the obliques.  I sure do wish the results would show more haha.  I'm actually quite satisfied with what I'm seeing so far, with changes in my physique (sp?).  Can't complain too much, it's only been about 6 weeks, and I feel stronger and more flexible already. 

Not so bendy...

Ok I wasn't as bendy as usual for my yoga X workout.  Some of the exercises I could see improvement on, but for the most part my muscles felt really tight.  I had some trouble with the twists and advanced moves.  I can usually do at least a portion of the advanced stretching or movements.  My hamstrings were holding me back from doing what I wanted to do.  That must be a part of the whole patience thing... The deep stretches and crazy twisty bends won't come over night; they take some time.  I love the yoga routine though.  If I had stronger legs, especially my thighs, I could keep up more.  But they burn so bad sometimes, and I have to straighten or bend a little more than I should.  Patience again lol.  It gets better every week, just need baby steps. 

Mason twists!

I had to blog right away today, I am excited about today's performance!  Well the first half of the workout was chest, triceps, and shoulders.  That workout makes my arms feel like noodles; bendy and weak lol.  But I feel those exercises all over, so that makes me feel better.  The second half of the workout today was ab ripper X.  I did every exercise today, but missed a few reps here and there.  The exciting part for me is that for the first time I was able to complete every mason twist, including the bonus ones.  That pumped me up -- but not enough to make me wanna keep working out haha.  Gotta thank the kiddos again, they were well behaved while I did the workout. 

Burnin' the goop off

Today was cardio X again, second day in week 6.  I like it.  The workout combines a few different routines, from yoga to kenpo, to plyo and core.  It's not the normal cardio workout, which keeps it interesting.  As long as I'm sweating and burning calories, they could throw whatever exercise they wanted at me. 
I did my weigh-in today, a day late, but who's counting!?  Yea, i'm bad at this blog thing, I know.  Anyway, I weighed in at 161 today.  What the heck!  I thought I would be putting on more weight, but I guess the lean routine keeps you down while building you up.  Sounds wierd, but it must be working.  I'll take it lol! 

Buzz lightyear + core workout = difficult

So today I did my workout in the living room while Eli was doing school work.  Noah was behaving well, so I thought what the heck, I'll see how much he lets me do.  So the first 10-15 minutes are great; until Noah starts flying around pretending he's Buzz Lightyear!  It was hilarious, but frustrating trying not to run into him during my lunges.  Then when it came time for banana/superman, he called out each move when Tony did, it was funny.  Laughing in the banana position is kinda tough, it added a little something extra to the exercise.  After two days off the workout was kinda tough.  My body must be adjusting to the workout schedule.  Which is great, can't complain there.  I should thank my wife for giving me the opportunity to work out and go to school :)

Ouchie!!

I feel the burn once again!  My thighs and abs are burning lol.  I really pushed it today, and it hurt so bad!  But afterward I'm so happy that I finished the workout.  Oh, today was legs & back, and ab ripper X.  I did all the pfifer scissors today, super psyched about that.  I was having trouble with just doing 10-15 last time.  That really boosted my confidence.  There is hope for me yet; one day I'll be able to keep up with that crazy Tony guy.  Well, maybe.  If not, I'm sure gonna give it my best try.  Can't expect to workout like that after only five weeks.  He's whipping me into shape, I know this much. 

Gettin low

Another wonderful day in the land of yoga X.  I can tell I've made a lot of progress as far as flexibility and endurance are concerned.  Today I tried to really focus on getting lower in my lunges and balance postures.  The routine seemed to go a lot quicker than usual.  I think maybe because I look forward to it, rather than dreading it, that makes the time go by quicker.  It's a little difficult to keep the mind clear with the boys running around being silly, but I thank them for giving me the time to do the exercise.  They are quite entertaining!

And I weighed in again this week, right at 165.  I'm quite content with that so far, and don't really expect to dip too much lower.  With all the weight training in the next few weeks, I expect to put some pounds back on, in a good way.

New exercises this week

Holy crap I'm sore!  But I feel pretty good, considering the workout I did.  I have spaghetti arms, they're just kinda hanging on by the sockets.  I was having to do push-ups on my knees!  I've never done that before.  Maybe it was a bad day, rough routine, I don't know.  All I know is I feel it everywhere.  Oh, the workout was for chest, shoulders, and triceps today.  And to top everything off, there was some more ab ripper X, yippee!!  I was very satisfied with the ab workout, I did way more than in previous weeks.  That must mean something; or I'm hoping it does anyway.  That break from abs last week must have provided some much needed recovery.  Tomorrow is yoga X and I have a feeling its gonna be a rough one lol. 

Week 5 Cardio

Today's cardio X routine had me sweating like crazy!  I was able to do all of the reps and exercises, and I think the extra effort went a long way today.  I felt pretty good afterward; that's a good sign.  Lately my muscles have felt really tight, and a little extra stretching has helped me get through each day. 
Yesterday I decided to start doing the sparring classes again.  Felt good to get back into it.  I was having a great session too, except in the last minute of sparring I stepped back to avoid a kick and reinjured my foot.  It was a stupid mistake too; I stepped too far back to avoid an oncoming kick, and instead of landing on the ball of my foot, my toes took most of the weight.  Didn't feel too good, but was more pissed about the mistake than the injury.  It was careless, but hopefully I learned from it.  Still had an awesome class and I think I did really well.  Got quite a few tournaments coming up, and hope to compete in at least a couple. 

Hooray for core!

Just finished another crazy, yet wonderful, core workout.  I was pretty satisfied with how much I could keep up with today, but still a tad frustrated when I can't finish an exercise.  It's the first day of week 5!  These next few weeks are going to be tough, and hopefully I can achieve greater success with each workout.  After weeks 5-7 I'm hoping to see some good changes in my body and overall physical performance. 
I've really been trying to gather some self-discipline and eat better foods.  This is the hardest task for me, because up until about 2 years ago, I had always eaten boxed foods and lots of sweets.  Our family has really cut back on a lot of those unhealthy snacks and goodies, and focused more on homemade, fresh foods.  If only our garden would cooperate more and give us some good plants, we'd be all set!  The soil isn't the greatest, but hopefully our compost project helps that out.  Then we can have fresh veggies and do more canning.  Thanks to my wife for those inspirations :)

Dang it all!

Well I suck at this blogging everyday thing!  I missed Saturday and Sunday, so this post will contain three days worth of blogging.  On Saturday we had belt testing for taekwondo, and it went very well.  Everyone passed!  The instructor did the testing differently, which I feel was much better than previous testing days.  I hope he continues on that same path.  I got my green belt, super excited about that.  It symbolizes the transition from beginner to intermediate; so I'm an intermediate martial artists now.  Ready to learn new things and ascend to new heights.

Right after testing on Saturday I went into my Cardio X workout.  It wasn't too bad, mostly because I was still limber and worked up from testing.  I still sweat my ass off though.  Sunday, yesterday, was more Yoga X.  I continue to struggle with some of the stretches and  movements, but I give my best effort.  Even if that means falling over because my thighs are on fire!  My body just doesn't turn and twist like theirs yet.  Making progress though.  Today is the rest or X stretch day, and I'm choosing to stretch.  I'll be getting back into taekwondo more, now that my foot is better, and week 5 of the P90X program starts tomorrow.  Looks like a crazy week of exercise! 

Gumby and the Tin-man

The title of my post today relates to the stretching and flexibility exercises that I do for P90X.  Tony always says so-and-so 'makes gumby look like the tin-man'; meaning that person is really flexible.  Today was the X stretch routine.  Nothing strenuous or overbearing, but a nice break in the week; a good time for recovery.  I also have taekwondo belt testing tomorrow, so I'm glad it worked out that way.  For some reason I am still anxious about the testing.  I'm positive I am ready to go, but something is making me second guess it.  I go over everything in my head and think 'yep, I can do that... yea, ready for that....' and so forth.  Hopefully there are some pictures taken tomorrow so that I can show Melissa and the boys.  We'll get ya tested next month Eli!  Just gotta break that board :)

Kenpo X, kicking booty

That kenpo did it again... my legs and butt are sore!  It was another good workout though, and found myself keeping up with more of the exercises again.  That gives me hope and confidence in seeing the program to the end. 
Belt testing is in a couple days and I'm actually a little nervous about the board break.  I haven't practiced that break at all.  I can perfom a back kick just fine, however, I haven't worked on accuracy very often.  The rest of the test should go fine.  Luckily tomorrow is an X stretch day, the week 4 schedule worked out perfectly. 

Core city

First off, I forgot to post for yesterday's workout.  It was yoga X, nothing out of the ordinary.  It was, however, the start of week 4.  Today was core synergistics, my favorite.  Its actually my least favorite when I'm doing it, but I love it because it works everything.  I guess we have a love/hate relationship lol.  In previous weeks I wasn't able to keep up, or even do some of the exercises.  Today I did everything, even the bonus round.  I still couldn't keep up on reps for some of the exercises, but I did more than in previous weeks.  So I'm happy with that. 
Oh, one more thing, my weekly weight report.  It's nothing major, but when I weighed in on Monday I was at 164.  So the weight is gradually coming off, but I also see more mass coming in.  Not bad mass, but muscle in new areas, and fat gone from others.  So I don't expect a whole lot more weight to come off as far as pounds are concerned; I'll probably be putting it back on.  In a good way. 

Another week is gone.

Today marked the end of week 3, with some X stretching and rest.  Some of those stretches were overdue, because lately I've been sore and tight.  Tomorrow will be a nice transition to week 4, beginning with some Yoga X.  This will probably be one of my favorite weeks in the program, working all areas that I am concerned with:  cardio, core, and flexibilty.  There is no ab ripper in week 4, and I'm not sure if that makes me happy or not lol.  I hate doing ab ripper, but when I'm finished I feel invigorated.  I love the feeling of accomplishment afterward; although I still can't keep up fully.  But I work my butt off, and I'm positive the effort will be worth it in the end.  I continue to see small changes here and there, which helps my motivation.  I've also realized that after this program comes to an end, I can't expect to look like them folks on the dvd.  That will take some time.  However, I hope to see a fairly new me once this is said and done.  And after the program ends, I'll just start it back up again; only next time with more resistance, weights, and effort. 

Woopin' my ass!

I got my butt handed to me today, by another KenpoX workout.  The nerve!  Lots of punching and kicking, and I can feel it everywhere.  Honestly,  I had trouble keeping up with some of the back kicks this time, and I think it's because my legs feel really tight lately, and my hips are sore from all the workouts.  There is a lot of twisting and bending though -- that might be one excuse I'll use for now.  I am definitely doing the Xstretch routine tomorrow.  Two reasons:  Week 4 of P90X starts on Tuesday, and I want to be ready to dive into the workouts.  Next, I have belt testing for taekwondo next Saturday, and I want to be ready for that also. 

My legs AND my back...

Well today I was able to keep up with most of the leg and back exercises.  I still have some weak little legs, but hope to improve that over time.  I'm starting to feel a little stronger with each workout, which makes me happy.  It also keeps me motivated.  I need to work on acquiring more dumb bell weights, so I can transition between exercises easier. 
Also had some ab ripperX in the workout, yippee...  Boy I hate doing some of them exercises, but it feels good to actually do them -- or make the attempt to do so.  I think I did pretty well today.  I did almost all of the mason twists, and with the exception of the pfifer scissors (sp?), completed about everything else.  I missed a couple reps here and there for a quick respite, but proud of what I did. 

Stretchy and flexy

YogaX again.  Sometimes I think that workout is harder than most of the other ones.  I used to think yoga was just a bunch of silly stretches, and crazy twists and bends; not the case at all!  Well, there are some crazy twists and bends, but WOW, it takes some real physical strength to get it done.  Today I didn't feel very limber.  However, I found myself struggling a little while doing the normally easy routines.  I noticed that I was doing a lot better with some of the more advanced routines.  Almost a backwards workout as far as progress is concerned, but I was happy with what I had done after it was over.  It works muscles you don't ever think of using, or muscles you should probably use more often.  Got a long way to go before I can keep up with the gumby-people on the dvd!  Its only week 3 though, and I'm quite happy with the yoga progress so far.  It has done great things for my martial arts training too.  Belt testing in one week, wooohooo.

Glamour sets

Today is the workout that Tony dubbed glamour muscles.  Upper body.  Shoulders and arms again today; oh, how could I forget that wonderful ab ripperX.  I was hurting after today's workout session.  I increased all of the weight today, and went for failure on the last few reps or each exercise.  My arms were like noodles, and my shoulders burned like crazy.  The ripper really worked the core today, but my abs were not hurting as much.  Maybe I'm making some real progress here.  But just when I thought the workout was over for the day -- taekwondo had a very intense workout session this evening.  I'm not sure we've ever done exercise like that before.  It was like seeing Tony on the mat, telling everyone to do these exercises that I see on the dvd.  I tried to enjoy every minute of it though.  Honestly, the P90X that I do at home has been a big success for me so far.  Why, you ask?  Because without the two weeks of P90X that I have done so far, I would never have been able to keep up with the instructor this evening.  It was intense, and hurt so bad that I felt good about it.  That's crazy!  Tony's turning me into a monster lol.  Love every minute of it though, no matter how crappy it gets. 

Banana! Boat! Banana! ugh...

The title of the post is one of the exercise routines that I have to do for P90X.  I won't go into details about it here, but its tough.  Well maybe not for those guys and gals on the dvd, but it works the hell out of my core.  Today was cardioX again.  I love the workout, but it burns like hell sometimes.  I'm in week three now, and I really want to start pushing myself more, try to keep up with the hotshots on the dvd.  I'm glad Tony isn't one of those drab, infomercial-type workout gurus.  Otherwise I don't think I would have lasted this long. 
Oh, I said a few days ago that I would post my weight at the end of each week.  That would have been Monday... oh well.  So when I started the program I was at around 170; now at the start of week three I am at 165.  I can't believe I lost more weight already.  Around four months ago I was at 190.  I'm so happy with the weight loss, but now I want more.  No, not more weight!  Well, yes and no there.  I want more weight, but I want it in lean muscle mass.  No more of this tummy fat, no more flabby underarms.  That's the direction I hope I'm heading in by doing P90X. 

Start of Week 3

Ok, so week 3 kicked off today, with some core synergistics.  Let me tell ya, it whooped my ass today.  I think I know what the problem was too.  Yesterday was rest or stretch day.  I decided to spoil myself with a rest day.  Turns out, I should have just done the Xstretching, and got a light workout in.  Today I was not feeling it, and had to really turn up the motivation to get through it.  I even did the bonus exercises at the end, to teach myself a lesson lol.  It was a tough workout overall, and I'm feeling it everywhere.  Bring it!  On top of that, we had a small physical fitness test in taekwondo this evening!  Surprise!  I think I could have done better than I did, but still satisfied with the results.  Two workouts plus a fitness test isn't so easy for me.  I got my share today, but at least it will benefit overall.  I'm tired -- now on to school work. 

End of week 2

Today marks the end of another week in the P90X program.  It was a rest or stretch day, and today I chose to rest.  I do a lot of stretching on my own anyway, so I didn't bother popping a dvd into the player.  Tomorrow is week 3 of phase 1.  I'm still seeing some changes in my body, so I know something is going right with this program!  Although I am happy with the P90X program, I really need to focus on a more balanced diet.  Without the diet, the exercise will seem counter-productive.  I think that with the holidays gone, I can try to focus on more healthy cooking and eating.  Our family eats pretty healthy though; my biggest problem is the sweets.  Darn that sugar monster... I'll defeat him some day. 

Ayyyyyyaa!

Today was another fantastic KenpoX workout.  I'm sweating like crazy!  That workout is one heck of a calorie burner.  Every time I wiped my face to get the sweat off, more came right back.  Now its time to work on some split stretching and have my wish-it-was-wonderful recovery drink.  It doesn't taste all that great, but it does help my body and muscles feel better.  I am starting to see some results and changes in my body that I hadn't seen before.  My waste is much slimmer now, fat is starting to gradually melt away, and I feel better about myself overall. 
On another note, belt testing is in less than two weeks!  Seems like I have been where I am for forever now, but its only been a few months.  I'm confident that I'm ready for the testing, but I need to work on improving my forms and speed.  Flexibility has come a long way for me, and I will continue to work on that until I can't flex anymore.  I really want to be able to do the splits, to help with the height of my kicks.  I can kick fairly high, but compared to great martial artists, I still have a ways to go. 

Happy new years!

I had a wonderful new year's eve with the wife and friends.  We went to a friends house, played games, stood by the fire, chit chat with people we didn't know, and had a little bit of apple pie; hot apple pie, very good :)  Anyway, I completed another day of P90X, bringing day 12 to a close.  I have a good routine going now, and things are working out great.  Today was back to Legs & Back, and my favorite, Ab RipperX.  Yea, really not my favorite!  But it's important if I want to get the chiseled abs that I see on people in magazines.  I don't care so much about their abs -- I want that for ME.  Nothing motivates me more than looking in the mirror and thinking 'its about time you made some changes'!  So here I am.  Tony is also a good motivator during the workouts.  He's not just serious about the exercises, he's entertaining to listen to and watch.  That makes my workout seem less dreary and stressful. 
I haven't put myself on the scale lately, but I'm guessing I've at least dropped another few pounds, despite the holiday munchies.  Which is tough, because my wife is an excellent baker!  It's hard to fight that temptation to indulge in candies and goodies because they are within reach.  I have had my share of treats this year, but not like in the past.  I think I'll put myself on the scale at the end of this workout week.  Actually that's a great idea... I'll weigh-in once a week, at the end of each week of the program.  I'll try to remember to post my weight here.  I also need to have a BMI done, or at least an estimate of fat percentage.