Round 2 / Day 22: P90X Chest, Shoulders & Triceps + Ab Ripper X

The great thing about ignoring Tony* and just ripping through all the moves in both of these workouts? I shaved off more than 15 minutes from my morning routine.

The not-so-great thing? Getting through all the moves while minimizing and/or skipping rest breaks is crazy-tough. I was exhausted near the end of the hour, and had trouble with my last few reps of each exercise -- even those I normally find easy.

Still, I highly recommend trying to finish Ab Ripper X without breaks. It takes about 12 minutes, and it's a killer.

*Actually, while I tried to tune out Tony completely, I couldn't help but notice (again) that he keeps calling Dave the Substitute Teacher "Adam" and "Sean." Isn't exercise supposed to stave off senility?

P90X Day 78: Chest, Shoulders & Triceps + Ab Ripper X

It's too bad I just finished Chest, Shoulders & Triceps for the last time (at least until I complete my first round of 90 days). Now that I can actually perform all the exercises in this workout, I'm totally digging it -- including the moves I couldn't previously handle, like One-Arm Push-Ups and Airborne Plyo Push-Ups.

I'm also sad that I won't get to hear Tony call Dave the Karate Man / Substitute Teacher by the wrong name (e.g., "Sean," "Jason") anymore.

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.]