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.