Round 3 / Day 23: P90X Plyometrics

I can't believe the last time I did P90X Plyo was over four months ago.

Plyo holds a special place in my heart; it was the first P90X session I ever attempted -- and it totally kicked my ass when I was a newbie. After completing Insanity, though, I started to question whether I'd still find Plyo as challenging as I did back in Round 1.

The short answer: I found this morning's Plyo session to be easier than Insanity Max Interval Plyo, but it was definitely harder than I remembered. Plyo doesn't match the crazy-intensity of Shaun T's max interval workouts; the exercises in Plyo aren't quite as challenging, and most of them are only 30 seconds in duration. (And as Tony exclaims, "YOU CAN DO ANYTHING FOR 30 SECONDS!") Plus, I counted only a few drops of sweat on the floor after today's workout, whereas with Max Interval Plyo, I literally have to mop up the puddles left behind.

But Plyo still packs a punch. There's more than enough jumping, squatting and lunging to torch your legs and make you gasp for air. I also appreciate the fact that -- unlike Shaun T -- Tony is committed to introducing as much variation as possible into Plyo, choosing to cram in as many different moves as possible rather than repeating sets of the same old exercises ad nauseam.

And frankly, do you really need to have your heart explode in order to get a great plyometric workout?

Round 2 / Day 23: Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit

I really, really, really hate Ski Abs and In & Out Abs.

That is all.

P90X Day 23: Core Synergistics

I was getting a little cocky, thinking that Week 4 -- "Recovery Week" -- wasn't going to be intense enough for me. I even told myself that I was going to try to work in a few sessions of Ab Ripper X or do some resistance training (either lifting or working out with my trusty old TRX Suspension Trainer) this week, so as not to lose the momentum I've built up since starting Phase 1 of P90X.

After this morning's Core Synergistics workout, though, I've learned that the "recovery" in Recovery Week doesn't mean "relaxation." Some of the exercises in this workout (yes, I'm looking at you, Prison Cell Push-Ups and Plank-to-Chaturanga Runs) are killer, and I'm thankful that I didn't try to squeeze in a round of Ab Ripper X or weight training yesterday. Core Synergistics is a great combination of chest, back (without the pull-ups!), legs, plyo and ab work, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to keep coming back to this particular workout even after I'm done with the P90X program.