Round 3 / Day 51: Nothing But Legs

Another day's workout done in the silent darkness of a hotel room:

• Squats (50 reps)
• Forward Lunges (25 reps per leg)
• Calf-Raise Squats (50 reps)
• Speed Skaters (25 reps per leg)
• Wall Squat (1 minute)
• Reverse Lunges (25 reps per leg)
• Single-Leg Wall Squats (30 seconds per leg)
• Deadlift Squats (25 reps per leg)
• Lunge & Kicks (25 reps per leg)
• Sneaky Lunges (25 reps per leg)
• Chair Pose / Twisting Chair Pose (1 minute)
• Toe-Roll Iso Lunges (25 reps per leg)
• Groucho Walks - Plyo Legs version (50 reps)
• Calf Raises (75 reps)
• 80/20 Speed Squats (25 reps per leg)

Most of these moves come from P90X Legs & Back, but some are from Plyo Legs from the One-on-One with Tony Horton series. In the end, this workout didn't take long, but I know I'll be extremely sore in the morning.

Round 3 / Day 9: P90X+ Interval Plus

The first few minutes of Interval Plus were deceptively easy. After a five-minute warm-up, Tony announces that we're going to do 15 different exercises -- each for one minute. That doesn't sound so bad, I thought. How's this going to be different from Insanity Pure Cardio?

(What are you looking at, Tony?)

More after the jump.

Round 2 / Day 34: Insanity Cardio Recovery

I've decided that Cardio Recovery really isn't analogous to P90X's X Stretch. X Stretch is all about elongating muscles and alleviating achiness with long, languorous moves. Cardio Recovery has a little bit of that, but the focus of this workout actually appears to be strength-building resistance exercises -- the most challenging of which (by far) is the protracted series of slow squats and lunges, following by long holds and quick pulses. More than anything in P90X Legs & Back, this sequence leaves my legs feeling like jelly.

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?

Stop Using These Exercise Machines

Need more reasons to cancel your gym membership and work out at home? AOL Health (or is it “Aol. Health”?) recently posted a slideshow of six exercise machines to avoid at the gym.

AOL’s website is frustratingly difficult to navigate, so to save you from having to click through seven different screens and wait for dozens of photos and graphics to download, I’m providing a quick and dirty recap after the jump.

Round 2 / Day 19: Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X

I think I'm on the verge of overtraining.

During Legs & Back this morning, my left leg kept wobbling during relatively easy lunge exercises (e.g., Sneaky Lunges, Side Lunges, etc.). After a few weeks of trying to cram Insanity workouts and barefoot running into an already-demanding P90X schedule, something's bound to give, and I don't want it to be my knees. I'd hoped to go running yesterday, but I got busy at work, and I think I'm going to rest my legs for the remainder of today, too. A few days of R&R can't hurt, right?

Round 2 / Day 5: P90X Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X

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.

Day 82: Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X

Over the past 12 weeks, I've formed a love/hate relationship with Legs & Back.

On the one hand, when performed in conjunction with Ab Ripper X, Legs & Back is one of only two P90X videos that offers a holistic, head-to-toe resistance workout. (The other is Core Synergistics, but it doesn't offer as much in the way of lower body resistance exercises.) And now that I'm done with Legs & Back -- actually, with all resistance-focused P90X workouts -- part of me is going to miss its full-body-blasting intensity.

On the other hand: NO MORE FUCKING PULL-UPS!!!*

*Until Round 2, that is.

P90X Day 75: Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X

During last week's Legs & Back workout, I completed 132 pull-ups/chin-ups -- my all-time high. This week, I pushed hard to further increase my reps, and although I've lost all feeling from my fingertips, I managed to eke out a few more than before. So as of today, my new personal best stands at 141 pull-ups/chin-ups: 78 unassisted and 63 assisted. My goal is to hit 80 unassisted pull-ups in a single Legs & Back session, and I have one more shot at it before the end of my first 90-day round. My (numb) fingers are crossed.

As for Ab Ripper X, a lot of the moves have gotten much easier for me (e.g., Mason Twists, V-Up Roll-ups), while some continue to be a gut-punch of a challenge (e.g., Fifer Scissors, Heels-to-the-Heavens). But strangest of all has been my experience with Oblique V-Ups. When I started P90X back in August, Oblique V-Ups were the only move in Ab Ripper X that I could do without breaking a sweat. I loved them because they were easy. But as the weeks have gone by, they've become increasingly difficult to perform. They're now among the most difficult exercises in Ab Ripper X for me -- at the end of this exercise, I'm usually doubled over on the floor, gasping for breath. What gives?

P90X Day 68: Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X

Perhaps it's only because I was trying to impress M (who was exercising on the other side of our garage), but I managed to haul myself up and over my pull-up bar more times this morning than ever before.  Sadly, my wife remained focused on her ChaLEAN Extreme video, so I'm fairly certain she failed to notice my supreme awesomeness.

Here's a Week 1 versus Week 10 comparison of how I did on the pull-ups and chin-ups in Legs & Back:

Reverse Grip Chin-Ups

Week 1 / Set 1: 10 unassisted
Week 10 / Set 1: 14 unassisted

Week 1 / Set 2: 7 unassisted, 3 assisted
Week 10 / Set 2: 10 unassisted, 3 assisted

Wide Front Pull-Ups

Week 1 / 1st Set: 5 unassisted, 10 assisted
Week 10 / 1st Set: 12 unassisted, 10 assisted

Week 1 / 2nd Set: 3 unassisted, 7 assisted
Week 10 / 2nd Set: 6 unassisted, 10 assisted

Closed Grip Overhand Pull-Ups

Week 1 / 1st Set: 5 unassisted, 10 assisted
Week 10 / 1st Set: 8 unassisted, 10 assisted

Week 1 / 2nd Set: 3 unassisted, 7 assisted
Week 10 / 2nd Set: 6 unassisted, 10 assisted

Switch Grip Pull-Ups

Week 1 / 1st Set: 5 unassisted, 5 assisted

Week 10 / 2nd Set: 6 unassisted, 10 assisted

Week 1 / 2nd Set: 4 unassisted, 6 assisted

Week 10 / 1st Set: 8 unassisted, 8 assisted

So in total, I performed 90 pull/chin-ups (42 unassisted, 48 assisted) during Legs & Back in Week 1.  And today, I managed to complete 132 (70 unassisted, 62 assisted)!

Frankly, it's about time I upped my pull-up and chin-up numbers.  A couple of months ago, these exercises appeared to be an exciting new challenge, but recently, they've just been a source of dread.  A few weeks ago, my rep count hit a plateau and stayed there, and I soon began worrying that further improvement wasn't in the cards. 

But now, I know that progress is possible -- provided that someone's (possibly) watching.  I guess it's not unusual for people to perform better when embarassment is the alternative; that's why group exercise classes can be so effective.  For the most part, however, P90X is a solitary pursuit, so if I want to boost my performance, I may have to start working out with my garage door open, so that random passersby can shame me into ekeing out more pull-ups while their dogs defecate in our front yard.

Switching gears: When you're lying on the floor during Ab Ripper X, does your belly button remind you of an overflowing birdbath?  Because mine does.

P90X Day 61: Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X

My lower right leg's been killing me for the past few days.  Despite being supported by more orthotics than those worn by Frankenstein's monster, my right foot continues to overpronate and cause shin splints.  Having to limp through Legs & Back wasn't exactly fun, but after popping some ibuprofen, I managed to complete the workout -- as well as Ab Ripper X -- without too much discomfort. 

But believe me when I tell you that Siebers 80-20 Speed Squats (one-legged squats that quickly explode up into a jump) are not a good idea when you're nursing a fucked-up leg.

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 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.

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?

P90X Day 19: Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X

This morning, I started my workout dog-tired and with little motivation. I didn't get much sleep last night, and Legs & Back (one of my least favorite P90X routines) is particularly grueling. I was lagging. Still, that's no excuse for my low energy level and failure to "BRING IT" as King Douche likes to exclaim. Not surprisingly, I didn't see much improvement in my pull-up numbers this time around.

I wonder if I'm bonking from lack of carbs. I'm going to try to ingest more carby goodness and see what happens.

On the plus side: I'm really getting the hang of Ab Ripper X. If I could only straighten my legs more when performing Fifer Scissors and Pulse-Ups, I'd be a happy camper.

P90X Day 12: Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X

M isn't working this week (she reports for hospital duty every other week -- seven days on, seven days off), and joined me for Legs & Back. This being my second time through this particular workout, I was definitely more familiar with the exercises, and the frequent transitions between pull-ups and leg resistance moves went much more smoothly.

What really helped , however, was having a workout partner. I'm finding it much easier to get motivated when my wife is watching me huff and puff my way through wall squats and pull ups. After almost a decade of marriage, I still want to impress her, and not just on those occasions when my plumbing skills are required to unclog the toilet.

P90X Day 5: Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X

Today's program is Legs & Back. "Back," apparently, means pull-ups. Lots and lots of pull-ups. More pull-ups than I've ever attempted in any other single hour of my life. At the end of the session, Tony grins and says: "And for some of you, you just did over 120 pull-ups!"

Not me. Not even close. I managed only about 75, half of which were done with a leg supported on a stool.

Is it possible to feel strong and weak at the same time? Because I do.

The majority of the session focused on lower body strength, and some of the leg exercises were killer -- especially the wall squats. By the end, even the calf raises (which I initially thought looked cheesy) were killer.

Here's what I got to do today:

• Balance Lunges
• Calf-Raise Squats
• Reverse Grip Chin-Ups
• Super Skaters
• Wall Squats
• Wide Front Pull-Ups
• Step Back Lunges
• Alternating Side Lunges
• Closed Grip Overhand Pull-Ups
• Single-Leg Wall Squats
• Deadlift Squats
• Switch Grip Pull-Ups
• Ballistic Stretches
• Three-Way Lunges with Two-Kick Option
• Sneaky Lunges
• Reverse Grip Chin-Ups (again)
• Chair Salutations
• Toe-Roll Iso Lunges
• Wide Front Pull-Ups (again)
• Groucho Walks
• Calf Raises
• Closed Grip Overhand Pull-Ups (again)
• 80/20 Siebers-Speed Squats
• Switch Grip Pull-Ups (again)

And don't forget another round of Ab Ripper X. Fuuuuuck.

On another note: Tony ought to spend less time sexually harassing Dreya Weber, the blonde fitness model/trainer in the video. I haven't watched many workout videos before, but I'm pretty sure it's not typical for the lead male trainer to give a sweaty hug to one of his female models after the workout is over. Or to watch her take off a sweatshirt and remark: "Uh-oh! The top is coming off!"

Tony offers a "Tip of the Day" in each of his videos, so in the spirit of P90X, here's mine: If your name is Dreya Weber, you should consider contacting Beachbody's Human Resources department.