P90X Day 53: X Stretch

I was happy to wake up to X Stretch this morning.  I didn't have to worry about slipping around on a sweaty mat, balancing precariously on one foot while twisting myself into a pretzel or squeezing out one last pull-up.  Instead, I enjoyed a relaxing morning stretch, and even treated myself by skipping my least favorite move: the utterly pointless "Dreya Forearm Stretch."  Either I'm not doing it right, or it's just dumb.  I say it's the latter.  And given that it's my birthday today, you're required (by law) to agree with me.
  
(Incidentally, I've discovered that I'm not a big fan of anything in P90X that starts with the word "Dreya," including Dreya Forearm Stretches, Dreya Rolls and Dreya Weber.  More on that later.)

Coming in for a Landing (CAW! CAW!)

Portion Control

As I was flipping through M's copy of the latest issue of Cooking Light, I came across a short article about Brian Wansink (of "Mindless Eating" fame) and his quest to bring portion awareness to the masses.  Included in the piece are ten useful tips to help us avoid unknowingly stuffing ourselves.  They pretty much encapsulate the entirety of Wansink's book, so I thought I'd summarize them here for those of you who hate having to read anything longer than a blog post:

• Before eating, divide the plate.  To ensure a properly balanced meal, fill one half of your plate with fruits or vegetables.  Divide the remaining half equally between protein and starch/carbs.
• Pre-portion tempting treats.  In other words, don't eat out of the bag or box; portion out the amount you're supposed to eat and set it aside, and put away the container before you turn off your brain and start popping stuff in your mouth.
• Head off the mindless munch.  Have your restaurant server take away the basket of bread before you mindlessly down the contents.  
• Downsize your dishes.  Dinner plates are enormous compared to the ones used by our parents and grandparents.  Trade them for smaller ones, or you'll end up overloading them with food (and eating all of it) just so your plates don't look so bare.
• Limit your choices.  We tend to overeat if given more choices.  Implement a no-buffet rule.
• Use your power for good.  The person in your household who buys and prepares food is a "nutritional gatekeeper" who dictates the healthfulness of family meals and snacks.  If that's you, wield this power responsibly.
• Avoid a "see-food" diet.  Keep unhealthy snacks out of sight, and you'll be less likely to munch on them.  Remember: Candy dishes are evil.
• Turn off the television.  There's a direct correlation between time spent in front of the boob tube and amount of food that goes down your throat.  Before you know it, that shitty episode of "CSI: Miami" is over and your bag of Cheetos is empty, leaving you with fluorescent artificial cheese flavoring smeared all over your gaping mouth.  
• Think before you drink.  Remember to choose zero-calorie beverages like water or tea.  But when you do sip on something with calories (I'm talking juice, not soda), keep in mind that we're horrible at judging volumes and tend to drink more when using short, wide glasses.
• Serve good-for-you foods family style.  Don't go family style when it comes to less-than-healthy foods -- we tend to pig out when a big-ass platter of deep fried anything is placed in front of us.  But salads and vegetable sides can be an all-you-can-eat affair.

There.  I just saved you the cost of a paperback.

P90X Day 52: Kenpo X

Oddly enough, I find the warm-up for Kenpo X to be more challenging than the main event. The "Saunders stretch cycle" isn't your typical Tony Horton warm-up; rather than hustling us through a bunch of now-familiar static and ballistic stretches, Tony tasks us with a series of balance-intensive moves and poses, including prayer squats and extreme side lunges. I'm usually still half-asleep when I start my warm-up in the morning, so launching immediately into balance poses can be tough for me.

As for the rest of Kenpo X, I'm still using weights, and trying my best not to land a hook/uppercut on my own face with a dumbbell.

Please Don't Hurt Me, Mr. Idol

I've not been especially kind to Wesley Idol. (See examples here, here and here.)

But now that I've learned that he's a fifth-degree black belt with over two decades of Kenpo experience, I'm starting to reconsider my previous remarks for fear of being pummeled or knifed to death. (According to various online bios, Idol's studied Kenpo knife techniques under Michael Pick, who Ed Parker -- the Father of American Karate -- once called "Kenpo's premiere knife fighter.") Also, I found this old clip of Wesley Idol demonstrating his prodigious ass-kicking abilities. This video is eye-strainingly grainy and microscopically tiny, but it doesn't hide the fact that Idol's no joke. His jabs and kicks are startlingly quick and explosive, especially in light of his relatively plodding and half-assed performance in the Kenpo X video. It turns out he doesn't always move like a bored zombie immersed in a tank of molasses.

Given this new knowledge (as well as my utter spinelessness), I feel the need to issue the following statement: Mr. Idol, if you're reading this, I take back everything I've ever said about you and your Kenpo X performance (including what I wrote in the immediately preceding paragraph). If we ever meet, please don't step-drag-claw-low-punch me. But if honor dictates that you must open a can of super-karate whoop-ass on me, please do it slowly and with zero intensity, just like you demonstrated on the Kenpo X video. (Sorry -- couldn't resist.)

P90X Day 51: Core Synergistics

Although I'd already braced myself for a challenging Core Syn workout this morning, I'd forgotten all about the beast that is Plank-to-Chaturanga Run. Half of this exercise is perfectly fine; it just involves pumping your legs while in plank position -- just like the "mountain climber" move from elementary school P.E. class. But every 10 seconds, the pose switches: You have to bend your elbows while keeping them close against your sides like you're doing a military-style push-up, and hold that position (in yoga-speak, the Chaturanga Dandasana pose) while continuing to pump your legs -- only your hips now have to open up so that your knees don't slam against your arms. Like many moves that are painful and un-fun, the Plank-to-Chaturanga Run is probably a fantastic compound exercise, though the horror of it too fresh in my mind for me to wholly concede the point.

P90X Day 50: Yoga X

Yoga X is definitely getting easier, though it's by no means a cakewalk. I still wobble precariously every time I attempt the Warrior 3 poses (Warrior 3, Half Moon, Twisting Half Moon), and my version of Wheel looks more like a flat tire. But I'm tackling most of the other poses with confidence, even if my confidence is sometimes (okay, often) misplaced. I exercise the same way I dance: with too much enthusiasm and not enough coordination.

Now that Week 8 is here, I have mixed feelings about starting another recovery week: I've been looking forward to this break from the heavy-duty resistance training of Phase 2, but I also know from last time around that "recovery" doesn't mean "relaxation," and that I have a double-dose of Core Synergistics (and the dreaded prison cell push-ups) coming up. I know that it's important to give my aching body a week-long breather, but if my experience from last month proves consistent, the start of Phase 3 will be all the more difficult after taking it "easy" for a week. In anticipation of this, I've already penciled in "TOO FUCKING SORE TO MOVE" on my calendar for Week 9.

Yoga Fart

Tony may occasionally think he's ripped his pants during his workouts, but at least it's not due to an ill-timed yoga fart:

Quick tip: Beano before, quiet after.

P90X Day 49: X Stretch

I stretched this morning. It felt good.

That is all.

P90X Day 48: Kenpo X

Using weights to increase the intensity of Kenpo X has really paid off -- I'm feeling the burn in my shoulders even during moves like knee kicks, when I have to reach overhead with my dumbbells before bringing my knee up to my chest. There is, however, a drawback to clutching weights while trying to keep up with the speed of some of the jabs, punches and blocks: After 45 minutes or so, one tends to get tired and a little sloppy. I ended up with a nice, purple bruise from slamming a dumbbell against my pelvic bone during the elbow series. All in all, though, it's not bad for my first P90X-related injury.

Say Something!

After a couple of nudges, I've decided to enable comments on this site. But to keep this as simple and clutter-free as possible, instead of hosting comments at the end of each post, I'm going to have just one central place for everyone to post thoughts, rants, feedback, criticisms, suggestions, non-sequiturs, jokes and insults -- anything but spam.

So spit it out!

Who is Pam the Blam?

A month and a half into P90X, I've become increasingly (obsessively?) curious about Tony & Pals. And why not? Not only are they ridiculously buff (with the exception of pasty Kenpo master Wesley Idol, who has the pallor and muscle tone of wet dough but could nonetheless break me in half), I'm currently spending more time with them than with my closest friends. Plus, many of Tony's cohorts have incredibly compelling backgrounds. Erik Stolhanske is just one example.

Take Pamela Moore -- a.k.a. "Pam the Blam." Tony describes her as a "private investigator," which is already pretty fucking cool, but from her online bio, it appears that she's more than just a detective for hire. Among other numerous and diverse accomplishments, Pam:

• Studied with the Groundlings!
• Served in the Air Force as a "medical professional"!
• Earned a paralegal certificate, a grant-writing certificate, and a license to sell insurance!
• Started her own business!
• Worked as a legislative assistant for a politician!
• Has "been on the Space Shuttle immediately after re-entry" (whatever that means)!
• Was a contestant on "The Weakest Link"!
• Ran a homeless feeding program!
• Performed weekly readings for the blind!
• Lectured at Cal State Northridge!
• Authored a book under the pen name "Nashieqa Washington" entitled "Why Do Black People Love Fried Chicken"! (Here's the "About the Author" page from the book.)
• Runs a website called YourBlackFriend.com ("Your #1 Web Source for Questions About Black People") also using the "Nashieqa Washington" alias!
• Has provided commentary for NPR!
• Moved to Panama, and then Guatemala, and then Denver(?)!

If Tony had read Pam's résumé before they shot P90X, there's no way he'd settle for a nickname as prosaic as "Pam the Blam." I'm sure he would have bestowed upon her a more evocative moniker, like "Pam the Flying Medical Professional" or "Public Radio Pam" or "Nashieqa Washington."

Admit it: Of all of Tony's sweaty minions, Pam the Blam is now your hands-down favorite, too. Go friend her on Facebook!

[OCT. 2009 UPDATE: Pam contacted me after reading this post, and I had the opportunity to interview her at length. Read it here.]

[JAN. 2011 UPDATE: Pam's back with a new video -- and she's gone Paleo!]

P90X Day 47: Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X

My 21-month-old has a cold, and his sniffles and cries kept me awake for much of the night. When the alarm clock went off at 5:15 this morning, I wanted to fling it across the room.

But I didn't. It's tough waking up to Legs & Back (my least favorite P90X video) after just a few hours of fitful sleep, but at this point, I can't take a break for a day without risking the total derailment of my exercise routine. I'm the type of person who's all too eager to run down a slippery slope; if I deviate from the P90X plan even slightly, I could very well decide to stop entirely.

So I got up, changed, inhaled a bowl of yogurt, and dragged myself into the garage. I pressed play on the DVD player for what seems like the millionth time and dove into Legs & Back. I didn't up my reps or weights by much, but surprisingly, by the third exercise or so, I started feeling pretty good. I was totally alert. My legs felt stronger than they have since the start of Phase 2, and my pull-up form felt tighter and more controlled. By the time I finished the set of Mason twists at the end of Ab Ripper X (I did 80!), I wasn't tired anymore, despite having punished my glutes, hamstrings, calves, back and core for an intense hour and twenty minutes. Either I'm getting (slightly) better at this, or my body and brain were overcompensating for my lack of Zs.

I hate to say it, but I think P90X (or, at the very least, physical exercise) has become an integral part of my morning. Without it, my day wouldn't feel complete.

(Of course, this means I'm going to be stuck with Tony Horton for a good long time. I desperately need some new videos.)

P90X Day 46: Yoga X

My overall balance has significantly improved since last week's yoga debacle, though I continue to have problems holding Twisting Half Moon for a full half-minute. The pose looks like this:

though my attempts look more like this:

Spicy Thai-Style Peanut Salad Dressing

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup lime juice (from about 3 limes)
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (or a couple packets of Splenda)
1 teaspoon Sriracha chili sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt

Blend it all up, and use it to dress a simple salad of greens, grilled chicken breast, and whatever vegetables you want (carrots, cucumbers, scallions, etc.). This recipe makes 8 servings of salad dressing, assuming you're not too heavy handed with it.

Per serving: 165 calories / 18g fat / 4g carbs / 1.5g protein

P90x Day 45: Back & Biceps + Ab Ripper X

Day 45 is in the books, which means I'm halfway through P90X! Cue the chorus of Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer"!

Plus, with the last Phase 2 session of Back & Biceps done, I don't have to hear Tony's hacky "gun show" joke or Katie's crazy-eyed-stalker laugh again for another three weeks.

P90X Day 44: Plyometrics (& A Note About Erik Stolhanske)

Plyo's my favorite of all the cardio-centric P90X videos, and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that Erik, one of Tony's workout minions, is performing all the moves on a prosthetic leg. Watching him nail each one of the leaps, jumps, lunges and squats on just one foot reminds me that I have no excuse for being lazy or sloppy during Plyo. Erik's agility and coordination perfectly demonstrate how people with physical disabilities can kick massive quantities of ass.

There is, however, one Erik-related piece of business that bugs me every time I watch Plyo:

Tony, who babbles about the day jobs of just about every single one of his trainers (Sophia's studying to be a dentist! Dreya's a world-famous aerialist and gymnast! Phil and Joe are attorneys! Katie's an interior decorator! Dave's a substitute teacher and a karate man! Pam's a private investigator! Adam's a dancer and a trainer!), NEVER ONCE MENTIONS that Erik Stolhanske is a member of the Broken Lizard comedy group and an incredibly successful movie actor, screenwriter and comedian to boot.

Just an oversight? I don't think so. Last month, Tony Horton posted on Facebook a list of all the celebrities he believes have tried P90X. He goes so far as to include an L.A.-based local news anchor, but Erik is nowhere to be found on the list.

Perhaps this stems from professional jealousy. Tony's co-starring role in a soft-core porn flick doesn't stack up well against Erik's guest-starring spots on critically acclaimed shows like "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Six Feet Under," or against his writing credits and starring roles in movies like "Beerfest," "Club Dread" and "Super Troopers." But given that Tony can't seem to shut up about everyone else's jobs, would it kill him to acknowledge that Erik's more than just a guy who can jump around on a plastic leg?

[Want to learn more about the P90X gang? Click to read about Tony Horton's acting career, Dreya Weber's omnisexuality, Maren's hardcore porn stardom, Muscular Attorney Phil's lie-detecting capabilities, Wesley Idol's bafflingly half-assed performance in Kenpo X, Joe Bovino's cross-cultural dating expertise, and Pam the Blam's alter ego, Nashieqa Washington.]

P90X Day 43: Chest, Shoulders & Triceps + Ab Ripper X

16 fully-airborne plyo push-ups! 75 Mason twists! And I got through today's workout without collapsing on my face even once!

My pride is blunted, though, by my sucktastically unsuccessful attempts to properly perform one-handed push-ups.

But speaking of push-ups: M, who started ChaLEAN Extreme last month not able to complete a single standard (non-knee) push-up, can now crank out 7 in a row!

P90X Day 42: X Stretch

Although X Stretch is the easiest of the P90X routines (it's just stretching, after all), I'm happy that it features three of my favorite Tony Horton Henchpeople: Pam The Blam, Muscular Attorney Phil and Freakishly Flexible Shawna. I enjoy working out "with" them (and also Zero-Percent-Body-Fat Adam and Ex-Marine Tony) because they're hardcore and not annoying like some of Tony's other workout pals. (Yes, I'm talking about you, Katie-Who-Won't-Shut-Up from Back & Biceps.) I especially get a kick out of Phil because he occasionally looks like he wants to punch Tony in the face.

After completing X Stretch today, I tried using my new foam roller to mobilize my IT band, hamstrings and lower back -- it's amazing how much tension I can isolate with the roller. I'm hesitant to add even more time to my morning workouts, but it's probably a good idea to incorporate a roller routine into my daily cool-downs.

Reality Check: Ripped in 90 Days?

Earlier this year, Gina Kolata wrote an article for the New York Times explaining that despite marketing claims, it's "not really possible" for an exercise system to drastically change a person's body in just six to twelve weeks.

“To make a change in how you look, you are talking about a significant period of training,” Dr. Kraemer said. “In our studies it takes six months to a year.” And, he added, that is with regular strength-training workouts, using the appropriate weights and with a carefully designed individualized program. “That is what the reality is,” he said.

And genetic differences among individuals mean some people respond much better to exercise than others, said Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, an exercise researcher at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He added that although he does not think the before-and-after photos in ads are doctored, most people will not change so markedly no matter how hard or long they work. “I believe they are taking the top one or two people out of thousands,” Dr. Tarnopolsky said.

People who did change their bodies say six months is a bare minimum to see real change.

But wait: Doesn't P90X get flabby couch potatoes "ripped" in just three months? The P90X guidebook's very first sentence says flat-out that "This program is for you, if you want to get toally ripped and get in the best shape of your life." And we know from user testimonials -- not just those featured in infomercials, but also those posted online by independent P90Xers -- that after 90 days, people have six-packs and bulging biceps, right?

Maybe not.

Fitness blogger (and former P90Xer) Begin to Dig recently posted a very thoughtful critique of P90X, focused in part on the art of "before" and "after" photos, as well as the question of who actually gets "ripped" using P90X:

So knowing that we need to get to a low body fat % to get the "get ripped" look, and knowing how much caloric deficit we need to burn FAT (as opposed to just lose weight), and knowing that there's such variation of caloric deficit with P90X and that at the most it's calculated to drop about a pound a week of fat, AT BEST, what does this tell us about the likelihood of getting ripped on P90X?

If all the fat a person needs to lose is 6-12 pounds to achieve the ripped body fat percentage, then it's possible to get to the Ripped Place in the 90 days. Otherwise, it won't happen.

In the end, both Kolata and Begin to Dig end up at the same place: in order to get "ripped" in 90 days using exercise systems like P90X, you need to enter the program with relatively low body fat. Otherwise, you'll need to seek an alternative program, or plan on completing at least one additional round of P90X.

In fact, the P90X materials hint at the same thing, stating that "P90X is an extreme fitness program designed for individuals in top physical condition and health." The program's guidebook also suggests that P90X is for those who "meet the minimum physical requirements outlined in this guidebook" -- suggesting that anyone who can meet P90X's standards is in "top physical condition and health." Yet the requirements described in the P90X Fit Test aren't exactly difficult to achieve. For example, the Fit Test sets forth these "P90X Minimum" requirements:

• 3 pull-ups for males / 1 pull-up for females. Oddly enough, despite the "P90X Minimum" label, these pull-up standards don't actually appear to be requirements at all. The Fit Test says that "many people won't be able to do any pull-ups when starting P90X. You'll get more out of the program if you can do pull-ups," but according to the guidebook, it's okay if you can't.
• 5 inch vertical leap for males / 3 inch vertical leap for females. Really? If a guy can jump a mere five inches off the ground, he's in "top physical condition"? According to this website, a vertical leap of less than 12 inches for men and 8 inches for women merits a rating of "POOR."
• 15 push-ups for males / 3 push-ups for females (or 15 knee-version push-ups). Again, these requirements are below other published standards.

It's understandable why P90X has set the bar so low; BeachBody wants as many people purchasing and using their products as possible. But after reading post after post on the TeamBeachBody.com message boards from P90Xers who are frustrated with the lack of dramatic change in their bodies, I have to wonder if their expectations were unfairly inflated.

Personally, I'm happy with what I've gotten out of P90X thus far. I started the program with about 11 percent body fat, which means I was in the "sweet spot" for P90X: I didn't have much fat to shed to start seeing some results. The variety in the workouts have kept me engaged and committed to my exercise routine. I'm seeing positive changes in my strength, balance, flexibility and body composition -- and seeing my progress has boosted my motivation to get into even better shape. I'm also certain that anyone who follows the P90X diet and exercise plan for 90 days will see improvement -- how could they not?

But does the hype match reality? Can anyone who diligently follows the P90X plan actually get "totally ripped" in just three months? My conclusion: Probably not. While some P90X users will get "totally ripped," it appears that users who enter into the program with more than 15 or so excess pounds of body fat shouldn't expect to see the same "ripped" results after just three months.

Rubdown Rundown

This afternoon, I decided to get a massage to see if some pushing and pulling might bring my sore lower back and legs some relief. But I wasn't looking for a relaxing, spa-like massage; I wanted the real deal from an experienced sports massage therapist who could work some magic to release the tightness in my hamstrings and spine.

Using Yelp, I found a great place not too far from home, where I got an appointment with one of the massage therapists for our local Major League Soccer team. She was friendly and informative, and showed me that a lot of my leg issues stem from tight IT bands -- the long bands of fascia on the outside of my thighs. Following her recommendation, I went to a sporting goods store this evening to buy a foam roller to help me stretch and perform "self-myofascial release" (which, unfortunately, sounds more fun than it really is).

The massage itself was fairly intense -- the therapist worked primarily on my legs and lower back, and used deep tissue techniques that were less than comfortable (but effective). Post-massage, I feel great. I'm looser than I've been in a while, and aside from some residual soreness in my calves from the Legs & Back workout yesterday, I'm ache-free. Now, the only question is whether I'm going to pony up the cash for an occasional sports massage to chase the lactic acid from my muscles, or whether I'm going to rely on my new foam roller to do the trick.

P90X Day 41: Kenpo X

For 40 days, I've been getting up no later than 5:30 a.m. -- and often even earlier -- to squeeze in my P90X workout before the kids pop out of bed. Today, with M in Chicago on business and the kids at their grandparents, I got to sleep in.

When I finally woke up at 7, though, I found that my whole routine was out of whack. I padded into the kitchen, rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, plopped my butt on a kitchen stool and flipped open a magazine. I didn't feel like exercising, and I had the luxury of being able to procrastinate, so I did. It wasn't until I ambled into the garage to start Kenpo X that I realized that I was going to be late for work if I didn't get my ass in gear.

And boy, did my ass get in gear. Kenpo X is a mighty fine workout if combined with weights; my shoulders were burning as I pushed through the moves. At this point, I can anticipate all the exercises on this video, so I'm pretty much on auto-pilot throughout Kenpo X -- I barely noticed Tony and the gang on the TV screen. My mind was focused on maintaining good form and high intensity, and when the workout ended, I was actually a little disappointed.

Prison Workout

Tony's Prison Cell Push-ups are great, but Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs" host Mike Rowe demonstrates another way to whip yourself into shape while incarcerated:

Tacolicious

I know that tacos aren't in the P90X Nutrition Plan.

But today, I was powerless to resist the siren call of the Tacolicious stand at the San Francisco Farmer's Market. Three tasty tacos for nine bucks, folks. I had the lengua in chili verde taco, the Rancho Gordo vallarta beans, peppers and nopales taco, and the "shot-and-a-beer" braised chicken taco.

And I do not regret it.

(M's on a plane to Chicago and has reservations at Frontera tonight, so at least I'm not alone in taking a diet-busting detour into the land of crazy-good Mexican cooking.)

P90X Day 40: Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X

For me, Legs & Back is the most challenging of all P90X workouts. I suck at balance lunges. I suck at switch grip pull-ups. I suck at deadlift squats. And then, after my legs are shot to hell, I have to endure Ab Ripper X, which demands a lot of leg lifting and hip flexor flexing.

I was encouraged to see some slight improvement in the number of unassisted pull-ups and chin-ups I was able to crank out today, but I was a sloppy, sweaty mess by the end of my workout this morning. You'd think I'd be better at this by now.

U.S. Marine Corps Fitness Test

I'm too much of a pampered wimp to ever join the military, but I'm curious to see how well (or, more likely, how poorly) I'll perform on the Marine Corps Fitness Test at the end of my 90-day fling with P90X.

10 Rules of Good Nutrition

I've been on the hunt for nutritional guidance beyond what's provided in the P90X materials, and recently came across the Precision Nutrition System. While poking around on its website, I found a helpful (and free) 40-page guide called Precision Nutrition: Strategies for Success, which offers loads of useful information for food dummies like me. For example, here are its 10 Rules of Good Nutrition:

1. Eat every 2-3 hours.
2. Eat complete, lean protein each time you eat.
3. Eat vegetables every time you eat.
4. Eat carbs only when you deserve to (well, not ALL carbs -- eat fruits and veggies whenever you want).
5. Learn to love healthy fats.
6. Ditch the calorie containing drinks (including fruit juice).
7. Focus on whole foods.
8. Allow yourself “10% foods” (foods that break rules, but which you’ll allow yourself to eat or drink 10% of the time).
9. Develop food preparation strategies.
10. Balance daily food choices with healthy variety.

Yes, this free document is clearly a sales ploy by the Precision Nutrition team to get people to buy their products, and yes, there's nothing on the list above that most of us haven't heard before. Still, the guide provides surprisingly detailed advice on changing one's diet for the better, and is worth a look.

P90X Day 39: Yoga X

I'm experiencing a deficit of balance this morning. I felt strong and (reasonably) flexible, but couldn't match my results from last week's Yoga X session because I kept tipping over while trying to maintain certain balance poses (e.g., Twisting Half Moon, Crane, Standing Leg Extension, etc.). Unlike Weebles, when I wobble, I usually fall down -- especially if I'm trying to balance on my weaker (left) leg. I'm going to chalk it up to an off day, and hope for a better sense of equilibrium next week.

By the way, Yoga X features one of my all-time favorite P90X moments: Tony yells out "This isn't a competition -- we're just doing our best and WHAT, you guys?" and everyone ignores him.

Tony is Concerned About the Kids

Typical Tony Horton move:

He starts a set by grabbing a pair of inappropriately heavy dumbbells, and making sure everyone knows about it. "I'm pickin' FORTY-FIVES myself!" he exclaims. "I'm a FORTY-FIVE man. I got MY weapons. What do YOU got, Bobby?" Bobby -- knowing he'll have to complete every single one of his reps, had planned to use 40-pound weights, but is shamed by Tony into switching to heavier dumbbells. Tony laughs at him. (Of course, if Bobby later switches back to a lighter set of weights, Tony's line is: "Bobby picked the wrong weight; he THOUGHT he was a HERO.")

He then counts down: "Okay, everybody's doing TWENTY-FIVE REPS here. Are you ready? Five-four ... three-two ... one -- here we go!"

Tony then does a grand total of three reps, and sets his dumbbells on the floor. "I'd keep going, but I gotta CHECK ON THE KIDS," he explains. Uh, sure, Tony.

Incidentally, I'd love to keep writing about Tony's douche-tastic awesomeness, but I gotta go check on the kids.

P90X Day 38: Back & Biceps + Ab Ripper X

As with any P90X workout involving pull-ups, I approached Back & Biceps this morning knowing that I'm in for an hour of frustration.

It's not that I'm flat-out, fall-down horrible at pull-ups; thanks to P90X, I'm now able to crank out a full set of 12 wide-grip pull-ups in a row, and I can also manage to eke out 3 or 4 corn cob pull-ups before having to brace myself with a foot on a chair. But for the life of me, I can't even remotely come close to the insane number of pull-ups that Tony -- and in this particular video, Bobby Stephenson -- can do. Also? Their form is perfect whereas mine is shit; by the end of every set of pull-ups, I'm thrashing my legs around like a fish on a hook. (You know, the kind of fish with legs.)

My lack of pull-up progress really bugs me -- especially given that I've seen huge improvement in my ability to perform just about every other P90X move. I keep waiting for an "unlock" moment, when I suddenly figure out how to correct some biomechanical mistake I've been unwittingly making, and dramatically spike up my pull-up numbers. My gut tells me, though, that when it comes to pull-ups, I just need to lower my expectations.

On a more positive note: 70 Mason twists - no breaks!

P90X Day 37: Plyometrics

I started Plyo today feeling great. Part of it was attributable to the fact that I knew I had zero pull-ups to complete, but mostly, I just woke up wanting to exercise. So after downing some yogurt (and totally ignoring Tony's warning not to eat for at least an hour before plyo), I threw myself into the jumps, twists, spins, marches and circle runs with the abandon of a Shaker in late-eighteenth-century New England (but minus the speaking-in-tongues and faith-healing).

Get your knees UP, people!

Unfortunately, my quads are still super-tight and achy. They burn crazily every time I do a squat-related move. It's like the front of my thighs contracted gonorrhea. (But for the record: Neither I nor anything attached to me has ever contracted gonorrhea.)

[UPDATE: I'm very proud to report that this is now the first site that pops up when you search on Google for "Shakers and gonorrhea."]

P90X Day 36: Chest, Shoulders & Triceps + Ab Ripper X

Today's Chest, Shoulders & Triceps workout was a welcome reprieve for my tired, wobbly legs. Plus, I've discovered that I love (almost) all of the push-up variations in this routine. I'm attacking each set with equal amounts of glee and fear, and feeling pretty good about being able to tackle the "difficult" versions of each move -- with one huge exception: I'm ridiculously awful at one-handed push-ups. I can only muster up two before finishing the set with my knees on the floor.

My proudest moment: I was too shocked/awed/scared last week to even attempt Tony's airborne plyo push-ups, but I decided to give it a shot this morning, and ended up completing 12(!) in a row. I totally collapsed, though, on my thirteenth rep, landing awkwardly on my chest and face, with my legs splayed out. I looked like a crime scene photo.

Fun times.

Chocolate Banana Split Shake

My latest post-workout concoction:

4 ounces of skim milk
3/4 cup of ice
1 tablespoon of smooth peanut butter
1/2 banana (fresh or frozen)
1 scoop chocolate-flavored protein powder (I use CytoSport's Muscle Milk "Protein Plus" Chocolate Shake powder)

Blend it all up. I think it's tasty (and so does my toddler, who demands a sip every morning).

325 calories / 10g fat / 27g carbs / 35g protein

Four Rules

In this month's Men's Journal, fitness trainer and dietitian Jim White lays out four fat-burning nutrition rules:

• Taper Carbs After Breakfast. Anchor your first meal with plenty of complex carbs, like oatmeal, for lasting energy, then eat fewer carbs throughout the day.
• Eat Small, Eat Often. Instead of three meals a day, aim for five snack-size ones You won't be famished and eat unnecessary calories that turn into belly fat, and you'll speed up your metabolism, creating a calorie deficit that will burn fat.
• Consume the Right Calories. Eliminate refined sugars and reduce calorie-dense foods, like anything processed.
• Chow Fruit for Energy. One hundred calories of fruit (half a banana) before a workout will energize you and get burned off. Another 100 calories after your workout restores energy. More than that is too much sugar and will turn to fat.

Since starting P90X, I've already been (mostly) following all of these rules, but this was a good reminder to stick with the plan. (At least until I develop scurvy from eating only half a banana before and after my workouts.)

P90X Day 35: X Stretch

I definitely needed X Stretch this morning. Enjoyed it, too.

For whatever reason, I'm significantly more sore this week than I was during my very first week of P90X. My glutes and hamstrings have been uncomfortably tight for days, and my lower back isn't feeling great, either. Either the past five weeks of hardcore exercise is finally catching up to me, or the new workouts in Phase 2 are getting more intense. Regardless, this "muscle confusion" thing must be working, because my muscles have no fucking idea what's going on.

P90X Day 34: Kenpo X

Why won't Wesley Idol get down in a real horse stance during Kenpo X? He just stands there with his legs bent ever-so-slightly, totally phoning it in. Both Tonys (Ex-Adult-Entertainer Tony and Ex-Marine Tony) squat waaaaay down when they're in horse stance, working their glutes, hamstrings and quads, while Mr. Idol looks like he's just casually bending over to squeeze out a nonchalant fart. My legs and butt were completely sore from yesterday's Legs & Back routine, and even I managed to get down into horse stance a lot lower than Wesley Idol. And don't tell me he's supposed to be modeling the "easy" version of the exercises -- that's sweaty Vanessa's job. Plus, Wesley Idol's credited with being the kenpo master who introduced Tony Horton to this workout in the first place, so he should be one who shows off the super-intense moves.

But he doesn't.

How can anyone expect to get an intense workout from Kenpo X when its creator looks like he's just sleepwalking through the moves? Clutching light (3 pound) dumbbells throughout the session, I actually got a decent workout this morning -- but only because I followed along with Ex-Marine Tony and did my best to ignore Wesley Idol.

Tony Horton After Dark

Tony Horton has said in interviews that he moved to California years ago because “I wanted to be an actor.” He landed an agent, who told him he needed to get in better shape, which ultimately led to Tony’s incredibly successful career as a trainer and fitness guru.

But this got me thinking: Did Tony ever land any acting jobs?

My online sleuthing (i.e., Google searching) reveals that Tony took on the role of a guy named “Chad” in “The Gymnast,” a 2006 film starring Dreya Weber of P90X fame. This was a couple of years after the P90X series was shot, so I’m assuming Dreya remained friends with Tony despite his inappropriate workplace conduct.

Better yet, it appears that a certain "Tony Sawyer Horton" (his middle name’s no secret -- he put it on his Facebook page) played a detective in “Rebecca’s Secret,” a late night, premium-cable soft-core porn movie. (I have to point out that I totally called this, people.) The movie’s many taglines include "In the Lingerie Business, You're Always Dressed to Kill" and my personal favorite: “Full of Erotic Action Just for You.”

Look, I'm not judging. I recognize that acting gigs aren't easy to get, and it's not like Tony journeyed into the Valley and became a drug-addled Dirk Diggler type. A job's a job, and if it involves a lot of naked people and simulated intercourse, so be it. Besides, I have no idea if he so much as doffed his shirt on camera, as I'm unwilling to fork out $373.90 to order the "Rebecca's Secret" DVD from Amazon to see whether Tony himself actually engaged in any onscreen “Erotic Action Just for You."

Still, I think we can all agree that Tony's decision to abandon tastefully-shot adult entertainment for a career in fitness and exercise was the right one. I, for one, would much rather watch him demonstrate plyo push-ups than catch him on Cinemax pretending to make slow-motion love to a cosmetically-enhanced B-movie starlet in a dimly-lit swimming pool while the bluesy saxophone number wails oh-so-seductively in the background.

[UPDATE 1: Sadly, it turns out Tony only has a bit part in the flick, and his single two-minute scene is anything but scandalous.]

[UPDATE 2: Okay, so Tony's not a porn star. But it turns out that Maren is.]

Food Conglomerates: Get Ready for a Smackdown

Michael Pollan’s opinion piece in today’s New York Times is an eye-opener about a critical but largely-ignored part of the health care debate. Pollan's argument is simple: Regardless of what version of health care reform is ultimately passed, the system's going bankrupt unless insurance companies help to address the American obesity epidemic. And the way it's looking, they may soon have no choice.

According to Pollan’s research:

We’re spending $147 billion to treat obesity, $116 billion to treat diabetes, and hundreds of billions more to treat cardiovascular disease and the many types of cancer that have been linked to the so-called Western diet. One recent study estimated that 30 percent of the increase in health care spending over the past 20 years could be attributed to the soaring rate of obesity, a condition that now accounts for nearly a tenth of all spending on health care.
…

The American way of eating has become the elephant in the room in the debate over health care. … But so far, food system reform has not figured in the national conversation about health care reform. And so the government is poised to go on encouraging America’s fast-food diet with its farm policies even as it takes on added responsibilities for covering the medical costs of that diet. To put it more bluntly, the government is putting itself in the uncomfortable position of subsidizing both the costs of treating Type 2 diabetes and the consumption of high-fructose corn syrup.

It seems nonsensical for insurers to turn a blind eye towards addressing the obesity problem -- isn't the prevention of chronic diseases good for the insurance industry? -- but as Pollan points out, “under the current rules, it’s much better business simply to keep patients at risk for chronic disease out of your pool of customers, whether through lifetime caps on coverage or rules against pre-existing conditions or by figuring out ways to toss patients overboard when they become ill.”

No matter what version of health care reform is passed, however, these rules are going to change. “[E]ven if we get a health care bill that does little more than require insurers to cover everyone on the same basis,” carriers will be forced to insure “everyone at the same rates, provide a standard level of coverage and keep people on their rolls regardless of their health. Terms like ‘pre-existing conditions’ and ‘underwriting’ would vanish from the health insurance rulebook -- and, when they do, the relationship between the health insurance industry and the food industry will undergo a sea change.”

The moment these new rules take effect, health insurance companies will promptly discover they have a powerful interest in reducing rates of obesity and chronic diseases linked to diet. ... Suddenly, every can of soda or Happy Meal or chicken nugget on a school lunch menu will look like a threat to future profits.

Pollan concludes:

[P]assing a health care reform bill, no matter how ambitious, is only the first step in solving our health care crisis. To keep from bankrupting ourselves, we will then have to get to work on improving our health — which means going to work on the American way of eating.

It’s about time.

P90X Day 33: Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X

Despite waking up dog-tired and not in the mood for exercise, I hit the alarm clock and dutifully rolled out of bed and into my workout clothes at 5:15 this morning. The P90X Legs & Back workout was especially tough today because because I hadn't done it in a couple of weeks; it felt like I was going through many of these moves for the first time. My exertion level was off the charts -- even for many of the squat exercises that I'd thought I'd licked (e.g., wall squats, deadlift squats, 80/20 Siebers speed squats).

The pull-ups, too, were more challenging than I'd expected/remembered. I thought I'd be able to dramatically increase my reps this time around, but while I cranked out full sets of unassisted chin-ups and pull-ups at the beginning of the workout, by the end of the hour, I had to keep a foot on a chair (actually, the top of our washing machine) to finish them. Ultimately, I upped my reps slightly, but not nearly as much as I'd hoped.

And then Ab Ripper X started. With my legs exhausted, I even had trouble with the hip-flexor-focused moves at the very beginning of the session. Ugh.

Am I regressing?

Seriously?

Q: Who eats this shit?

A: The same people who eat THIS shit.

P90X Day 32: Yoga X

I just completed Yoga X without assistance from a yoga block for the first time! And I held Crane for 67 seconds! I deserve a pizza!

Oh, wait -- I had that for dinner last night.

Damn.

The Myth of the Fat Burning Zone

I'm shocked and dismayed by the fact that even now -- years after the "Fat Burning Zone" myth has been debunked -- cardio equipment manufacturers continue to propagate this garbage.

Just about every treadmill or exercise bike you've ever seen has a chart on it showing users how hard to push themselves to achieve their chosen fitness goals. According to charts like the one pictured below (which are often programmed into the electronic guts of the cardio equipment), you're in the "fat burning zone" if you're exercising at 50 to 60 percent of your maximum heart rate, and you're in the "cardio training zone" if you're at 75 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate.

This is bullshit.

For weight loss purposes, the theory goes, it's counterproductive to work too hard; instead, you'll optimize your fat loss if you take it easy and work out less intensely. According to this argument, low-intensity aerobic training forces your body to burn more fat as an energy source, while high-intensity cardio work burns more sugar and less fat. As New York Times reporter Gina Kolata summarized in her excellent 2003 book, "Ultimate Fitness: The Quest for Truth about Exercise and Health":

The idea is that if you want to get rid of fat, you should force your body to burn it. Muscles prefer to use sugar, in the form of glycogen, for energy, because it is so easy to metabolize. but they also can use fat. The fat-burning-zone hypothesis says that if you don't push yourself too hard, your muscles will burn fat and you will lose weight. Extreme exertion, however, will force your muscles to burn glycogen, leaving your body's fat intact.

Sound too good to be true? It is.

Here's the real deal: While it's true that a higher proportion of calories burned during low-intensity exercise comes from your flab (approximately 60 percent versus 35 percent from high-intensity workouts), higher intensity exercise still burns more calories from fat overall. Kolata writes:

It turns out that the myth of low-intensity-exercise fat burning is a misunderstanding of a basic relationship, best seen on a graph. One line shows muscles' use of fat as an energy source as a function of exercise intensity, and another line depicts muscles' use of carbohydrates as a function of exercise intensity. the crossover point, where equal amounts of fat and carbohydrate are being burned, comes at about 60 percent of your maximum effort, or a heart rate that is about 70 percent of maximum. After that, the amount of carbohydrate burned exceeds the amount of fat, and this imbalance increases as exercise intensity increases. If you guet to your maximum heart rate, less than ten percent of the calories you burn will come from fat.

That led to the argument that as long as you keep your heart rate low enough, you will burn more fat than carbohydrates and you will lose more weight. The problem is that the argument is neglecting a crucial component: the number of calories burned. The harder you work, the more energy you expend, and the more calories you will need.

In other words, who cares if a greater percentage of your calories are burned from fat than from sugar/carbs? What really matters is the total number of calories you burn from fat. And the more intense the exercise, the more total calories (from both fat and carbs) you'll burn.

So suck it, "Fat Burning Zone" charts.

P90X Day 31: Back & Biceps + Ab Ripper X

Just as I was starting to think I could hang with Tony and his cohorts as they cranked through the P90X videos, they threw me for a loop with Back & Biceps.

This relatively-short (51-minute) program was, to put it mildly, a killer. I started off just fine -- I did a set of wide grip pull-ups, lawnmowers, and the "Twenty-One" bicep curls without any problem -- and then I just fell off a cliff.

Here's the list of medieval tortures to which I was subjected this morning:

• Wide Grip Pull-Ups
• Lawnmowers
• Twenty-Ones
• One-Arm Cross-Body Curls
• Switch Grip Pull-Ups
• Elbows-Out Lawnmowers
• Standing Bicep Curls
• One-Arm Concentration Curls
• Corn Cob Pull-Ups (see below for a video clip of this obscenity)
• Reverse Grip Bent Over Rows
• Open-Arm Curls
• Static-Arm Curls
• Towel Pull-Ups
• Congdon Locomotives
• Crouching Cohen Curls
• One-Arm Corkscrew Curls
• Chin-Ups
• Seated Bent-Over Back Flys
• Curl-Up/Hammer-Downs
• Hammer Curls
• Max Rep Pull-Ups
• Supermans (Supermen?)
• In-Out Hammer Curls
• Strip-Set Curls

I started off with fairly heavy weights, but towards the end of the workout, I was astonished by the fact that I could barely manage to do curls with light (15 to 20 pound) dumbbells. And an hour and a half after finishing this workout, I still shudder at the thought of Corn Cob Pull-Ups.

Shockingly, by the time Ab Ripper X started, I actually let out a sigh of relief.

Day 30 Photos

Well, it's Day 30, so I guess it's time for my Phase 1 Results photos:

(Click the image above for full resolution)

For a blast from the (recent) past, my Day 1 photos are here. Also, side-to-side comparisons between my Day 1 and Day 30 photos can be found here and here.

I'm pretty encouraged by my results so far, but I also suspect that any visible improvements are the result of the P90X Nutrition Plan diet rather than new muscle development.

One more thing: I just noticed that my belly button is off-center, which I'm finding both awesome and disturbing.

[UPDATE: My Day 60 photos are here, and my Day 90 photos are here.]

P90X Day 30: Plyometrics

This morning was my first Plyo workout in two weeks, and man oh Manischewitz (as my annoying TV trainer's uncle used to say), I'd forgotten how challenging this session can be. My legs turned to jelly after the second round of Run Stance Squat Switch Pick Ups, and they stayed that way throughout the rest of the hour. It was exhausting, but I enjoyed it nonetheless -- especially knowing that after today's Plyo routine, I'm a third of the way through P90X!

P90X Day 29: Chest, Shoulders & Triceps + Ab Ripper X

There are times when Tony Horton absolutely transcends his onscreen douchiness.

Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying he's not annoying or weird, or that he's actually funny. But despite his regrettable Forrest Gump impressions, dick-ish nicknaming of others, and odd flirtation with/sexual harassment of Dreya Weber, I have to hand it to Tony: He can bust out some INSANE moves.

In the middle of the Chest, Shoulders & Triceps workout, I went slack-jawed with amazement as Tony demonstrated his version of a Plyo Push-Up: At the bottom of a standard push-up, he exploded up -- launching both hands and both feet up off the floor -- clapped his hands in mid-air, and then landed in a push-up position again. He repeated this over and over again. And at the time this video was shot, he was 45 years old.

I'm still picking my jaw up off the floor.

Check It Out: Mindless Eating

In "Mindless Eating," food psychologist Brian Wansink discusses why many people don't realize how much they're eating, what they're eating, or even why they're eating. Along with thoughtful discussions of studies he's done as director of the Cornell University Food & Brand Lab, their results and real-world applications, Wansink sprinkles his book with nuggets of wisdom for those of us who clutch Costco-sized bags of chips as we hunch, zombie-like, in front of the television.


After pointing out that our environment significantly influences our propensity for overeating, one of Wansink's suggestions is to create "distraction-free eating scripts":

Rescript your diet danger zones. We all have various eating scripts for the five most common diet danger zones -- dinners, snacks, parties, restaurants, desks/dashboards. A common dinner script -- particularly for men -- involves eating second helpings of most foods until everyone at the table is finished or until the food is gone. If such a man wanted to rescript his dinner, he might try being the last one to start eating, pacing himself with his spouse, serving triple helpings of the healthy foods and single heapings of the meat and potatoes, or not including bread. Similarly, after-work snacking could be rescripted with a stick of gum rather than whatever is in the refrigerator.

Distract yourself before you snack. Distractions are good news and bad news. They are goo when they prevent us from starting to snack. they are bad when they prevent us from stopping. at home, you can make your snacking life less distracting and less alluring by eating in one room only, such as the dining room or kitchen.

Serve yourself before you start. If you can't distract yourself from a yummy snack, you can minimize the damage it does in a distracting situation (such as eating in front of the TV). To avoid "eating until it's over," dish yourself out a ration before you start. Eating straight from a box, bag, or serving bowl is the recipe for regret.

I've found the last suggestion above to be particularly helpful. I used to eat handfuls of nuts (they're healthy! I told myself) straight from the container while staring at the television at home or computer screen at work. Since I started on the P90X Nutrition Plan, however, I've been diligently counting out a snack-sized portion of almonds (15 nuts = 100 calories) rather than taking the free-for-all approach. And surprisingly, this tiny handful of almonds actually satisfies me -- at least until my next feeding.

P90X Day 28: X Stretch

Having completed X Stretch this morning, Phase 1 is officially over. And not a moment too soon -- I miss carbs.

P90X Day 27: Yoga X

This morning, during Yoga X, I stayed in Crane for 50 seconds (with no toe touches!).

My sense of accomplishment, though, was short-lived. I was in the Savasana Corpse Pose at the end of the session when my pajama-clad, bedheaded four-year-old poked his head into the garage (or, as I like to call it, my Deluxe Home Fitness Center). He rubbed his eyes, peered sleepily at all the silent, prostrate bodies on the TV screen, and declared: "P90X is WAAAAY too easy, dad."

P90X Day 26: Core Synergistics

M and I split up our gym (a.k.a. garage) space this morning so that she could do her ChaLEAN Extreme workout on one side while I did Core Synergistics on the other. Even with two videos blaring at the same time, it wasn't hard to focus on the task at hand. After all, Core Syn demands one's full attention -- the moves come fast and furious, and are fairly complicated to boot (especially for a guy with a woefully deficient level of physical coordination).

Core Syn consists of:

• Stacked Foot/Staggered Hands Push-Ups
• Banana Rolls (mmmm, banana rolls...)
• Leaning Crescent Lunges
• Squat Runs
• Sphinx Push-Ups
• Bow-to-Boats
• Low Lateral Skaters
• Lunge & Reaches
• Prison Cell Push-Ups
• Side Hip Raises
• Squat X-Presses
• Plank to Chaturanga Runs
• Walking Push-Ups
• Superman Bananas
• Lunge Kickback Curl Presses
• Towel Hoppers
• Reach High & Under Push-Ups
• Steam Engines
• Dreya Rolls
• Plank to Chaturanga Isos
• Halfbacks
• Table Dip Leg Raises

This is a fantastic full-body workout. Near the end, when I was struggling to hold a chaturanga position, a rivulet of sweat trickled down off my forehead and formed an ever-expanding pool on the mat below my face -- a sure sign that my (sweaty) ass was thoroughly handed to me today.

Double Broccoli Quinoa

M saw this on the 101 Cookbooks site this evening, and decided to whip some up for dinner:

To accommodate my dietary restrictions under P90X, she slightly modified Heidi Swanson's recipe for double broccoli quinoa, substituting milk and lowfat Greek yogurt for the heavy cream.

On her site, Swanson writes:

This double broccoli quinoa bowl is a favorite of mine. I cook up lots of broccoli, then puree half of it into a pesto. The other half is cut into little florets. Tossed with some quinoa, sliced avocado, and a drizzle of feisty chile pepper oil, it makes a nice meal and I hope you like it as much as I do.

I did. It was incredible. I could eat this all day. It helps that I love broccoli, avocado, almonds and quinoa, but it's delicious regardless. If you're looking for a super-healthy, super-tasty vegetarian meal that's totally within P90X guidelines, I can't recommend this dish enough.

Incidentally, I've not yet had a bad (or unhealthy) meal from Swanson's latest cookbook, Super Natural Cooking. Thumbs up.

P90X Day 25: Rest Day / TRX Suspension Training

I had a Tony-free workout this morning. Rather than luxuriate in a session of X Stretch, I did some lifting and resistance exercises with some of my pre-P90X tools: my dumbbell set and my TRX Suspension Trainer. For those who aren't familiar with the latter, here's a video demonstrating what it does:



Two years ago, after installing a TRX Suspension Trainer in my garage (by fastening an official TRX X-mount anchor to an exposed rafter, though I should have just gone with a plain old "U" bolt to save some bucks), I started using it regularly for body weight resistance exercises. It's great for developing core stability and balance; even a simple push-up can be made a lot more challenging with TRX because it forces you to balance while trying to perform the move.

Since starting P90X, I'd stopped using my TRX, but as soon as I picked it up again this morning, I was reminded of how much I enjoy using this thing. I'm thinking about incorporating the TRX into my P90X chest/arm/back sessions, especially when Tony calls for standard or military push-ups. Plus, I want to add to Ab Ripper X one particularly gut-wrenching TRX exercise that I've always loved (and hated): The TRX Atomic Push-up.

Deep Fried Butter

If you happen to be attending the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, please keep in mind that Deep Fried Butter ("scoops of pure butter the size of golf balls, frozen and covered with dough and dropped into the deep fryer") is not on the P90X Nutrition Plan. Nor, for that matter, is Texas Fried Pecan Pie ("battered and fried, drizzled with caramel sauce and topped with whipping cream").

Bizarro Jeff Probst

I've decided that Tony Horton is the evil Bizarro World version of Jeff Probst.



Or maybe he's Robbie Rotten from Lazy Town.

P90X Day 24: Kenpo X

Kenpo X is the weakest, least "EXTREME" of the P90X routines I've completed thus far (not counting X Stretch). I usually approach my morning workouts with a mix of fear and giddy anticipation, but I haven't been able to muster up any excitement for Kenpo X. Fed up with the half-assed nature of this workout, I went to the teambeachbody.com message boards to scare up some advice on how to crank up its intensity.

The two best pieces of advice I got were to: (1) use weights -- light dumbbells or weighted gloves/ankle weights -- while performing the Kenpo X moves; and (2) add focus, intensity and speed to the workout -- even during the short breaks between circuits.

I incorporated both approaches into this morning's Kenpo X session, and I'm happy to report that with these modifictions, this workout has finally joined the more intense of the P90X cardio routines. I used 3-pound dumbbells through most of the moves (very effective when performing the jab/hook/uppercut combos), and during the breaks, I substituted fast high-knee jumps, front kicks, squat-jacks and X-jacks, and tried to do them at a faster pace than Tony and his on-screen minions.

At the end of the hour, I was drenched in sweat.

One more side benefit of using dumbbells during Kenpo X: it forced me to be more vigilant about maintaining proper form, because I really wanted to avoid injuring myself. (I'd hate to have to explain that I got hurt lifting 3-pound weights.)