Round 3 / Day 26: P90X+ Interval Plus

I did Interval Plus in the morning, and M did it at night. After comparing notes, we both agree that: (1) it's more challenging than it first appears; and (2) it's startling to learn that Traci Morrow has birthed six kids -- none of whom are multiples -- and still manages to find time to work out.

Round 2 / Day 26: P90X Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X

I know, I know: according to my self-created P90X/Insanity Hybrid Schedule, I was supposed to do Core Synergistics today. But lately, I feel like I've been slacking a bit too much. It's been icy and wet outside, so I haven't been running. And while Insanity is crazy-intense, the workouts are relatively brief, so I'm not convinced that I'm getting the same calorie burn that I got during my first round of P90X.

(One easy way to confirm this would be for me to actually wear my heart rate monitor, but I hate having the plastic sensor strap around my chest -- once I work up a sweat, it starts sliding down my torso, and it's just a big pain in the ass.)

My eating habits are sliding, too -- I catch myself mindlessly stuffing handfuls of almonds and cereal in my mouth at all hours. (I'm addicted to whole wheat Chex with Trader Joes' roasted almond slivers.)

So today, I opted to do Legs & Back and Ab Ripper X instead of the (somewhat) easier Core Synergistics. Legs & Back has always been one of my least favorite P90X workouts, but it's grown on me in recent weeks. Still, I struggled to maintain my previous rep count on all the pull-up variations today, and my ability to balance on my left leg has declined since I finished Round 1. This is puzzling to me; I'd assumed that Insanity would have improved my leg strength and stability. Is it possible that I'm overtraining despite an overall decrease in my total exercise time?

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.