After yesterday's barefoot-run-plus-Insanity stupidity, I knew my legs were in for a world of hurt today. So I popped in the X Stretch DVD last night and devoted an hour to various body contortions in a futile attempt to stave off the impending soreness. (Yes, I've read that stretching actually doesn't do shit, but it felt good.)
When I rolled out of bed at 5:30 a.m., my legs felt like they were in casts. The simple act of bending my knees was less than fun. But by the time I robotically shuffled into the kitchen and gobbled down my supplements and some yogurt, I felt better. And after following along with Tony's slooooow, familiar stretching routine preceding Legs & Back (such a fucking relief after experiencing Shaun T's supersonic-speed "warm-ups"), my legs actually felt halfway decent. My calves still ached a bit, but otherwise, I was ready to go.
Weirdly enough, I enjoyed Legs & Back today. I used to dread this routine; I hated the pull-ups and wall squats and Dreya Weber's super-maximum-kiss-ass-iness. But having now completed a full round of P90X, I don't feel the need to beat myself up about my occasional inability to match my previous week's rep count, or the fact that I need to take an occasional break. Given that my goal now is to simply maintain my current fitness level, I can dial myself back to 9 or 9.5 without feeling (too) guilty. And I know this is going to sound bizarre to those who are just starting P90X and struggling with pull-ups, but now that I know how many I can crank out, they're getting to be kind of fun.
I still hate doing Bicycles during Ab Ripper X, though.
