Sunday's Workout

Did X Stretch.

Still sick.

But come 5 a.m. tomorrow, I'll be at CrossFit.

Tuesday's Workout

Power to the People!

• 2 sets of deadlifts
• 2 sets of side presses
• 2 sets of weighted pull-ups
• 2 sets of weighted push-ups
• Handstand practice

Also:

I did Ab Ripper 200 and the first half of P90X X Stretch. Ah, Tony -- I'd missed your crazy-eyes, helmet-hair and dumb jokes.

Round 3 / Day 101: P90X X Stretch + CrossFit

I got all nice and bendy with the P90X X Stretch video this morning -- but then I attended my first CrossFit class today, which whupped me thoroughly.

We started with a 15-minute warm-up (1000-meter row, push-ups, pull-ups), and then, while the other two people in class today practiced crisp, explosive squat cleans with barbells and plates, I started learning how to do them with a hollow PVC pipe. "Learning" may be too generous; I had serious trouble following along with the movement. I kept flailing around, arms and legs akimbo, and although I finally managed to "advance" to practicing with a 45-pound bar, I never got proficient enough to justify putting plates on it. I'm pretty sure Tim was getting exasperated by my total inability to follow his very specific pointers. By the end, I was just heaving around the bar like a crazed, sweaty moron.

God, I hate homework, but I'm going to have to figure out how to fix my form by watching videos like this one:



I fared better with the metcon portion of today's class. The task was to do as many circuits of 3 exercises (five 24-inch plyo box jumps, 10 push-ups and 15 Abmat sit-ups) as possible in 10 minutes. I managed 9 circuits, but had to lie down afterwards. While I mopped up my sweat, Tim kindly pointed out that he intentionally programmed an "easy" one to give me a gentle welcome to CrossFit. Gee, thanks!

Holy hell, I'M TERRIBLE AT THIS.

But I'm hooked. Definitely coming back for more.

Round 3 / Day 98: P90X X Stretch

Without X Stretch, I'm pretty sure my entire body would be as stiff as a rock. As it is, only my neck and traps are sore right now, which isn't bad considering how hard I've pushed myself this week. Next up: one final (recovery!) week of Round 3!

Round 3 / Day 84: P90X X Stretch

This morning, I couldn't decide whether to stay in bed to catch up on some Zs or to get up and squeeze in a much-needed hour of stretching.

So I split the baby in half: I did X Stretch in my garage with the lights off, in my pajamas, and with my eyes closed.

Round 3 / Days 69 & 70: One-on-One with Tony Horton - Killer Abs + P90X X Stretch

Sorry about not posting for the past couple of days -- I've been traveling for work and insanely busy.

In any event, I'm happy to report that my hotel room not only has a DVD player, but also ample room in which to exercise. (Thank you, W Hotels -- but free WiFi would have been nice, too.) Also? It's the end of my Recovery Week, and my low-key workouts haven't required any extra equipment. I didn't even need to venture down to the hotel gym.

Business travel is unfun, but there is a silver lining: I was able to treat myself to a deep tissue massage at the hotel spa today. The therapist told me that my back is waaaay too tight and that I need more frequent massages. I'm skeptical -- she also tried to sell me a pair of $30 acupressure balls that look no different than the little super-bouncy rubber balls you get for 25 cents each in supermarket vending machines -- but I'll use any excuse to indulge in a monthly massage.

Round 3 / Day 63: P90X X Stretch

I know I did X Stretch this morning, but can't remember anything about it. It's like my brain was shut off, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's like I entered a zen-like meditative state, which interrupted only by having to hunt around for my yoga block and telling my kid to go back to bed.

Round 3 / Day 28: One-on-One with Tony Horton - Recovery 4 Results

No X Stretch for me today -- I opted for the (shorter) Recovery 4 Results, which I skipped last week when I was stymied by the lack of a DVD player in my hotel room.

Oddly, though, I'm not sure I needed a recovery day today. The workouts I did this week didn't strike me as being as challenging as usual -- possibly because for the first time in months, I didn't have any Insanity sessions this week. It's also possible that I've just gotten accustomed to a more rigorous exercise regimen, and I shouldn't expect my system to be shocked like it was when I was new to P90X.

Which begs the question: Do I need a full week of recovery? I'm scheduled for super-low-key sessions for the coming week, but something tells me I'm going to deviate from the plan and squeeze in a couple of "real" workouts.

Round 3 / Day 14: P90X X Stretch

X Stretch takes a full hour, but time flies when you're trying to touch your forehead to your knees.

Round 2 / Day 90: P90X X Stretch

Round 2: Done and done.

Round 2 / Day 83: P90X X Stretch

During X Stretch this morning, I realized that I'm not nearly as flexible as I was just a few months ago. I don't know if it's because I'm so sore from all the jumping around I'm doing as part of my Insanity workouts, or if it's because I'm not devoting as much time to yoga or stretching these days. Likely both.

In any event, after Round 2's done, I'm going to try to regain some of my flexibility and broaden my range of motion. I'm not looking to become a contortionist, but I hate feeling brittle and creaky.

Round 2 / Day 74: Time Out

Taking a day off. Headache, sore throat, congestion -- the works.

I'll skip X Stretch later this week to make up for the missed day.

Round 2 / Day 69: P90X X Stretch

I can hardly believe it's been almost two months since I last popped in the X Stretch DVD, but there's no denying that I needed it today. I woke up creaky and sore. I hadn't been this achy or tired in a long time, so although I'd planned on doing the Insanity Max Recovery workout this morning, I quickly thought better of it -- especially after remembering how much I abhor the Max Recovery plié sequence.

Who cares if experts are claiming that stretching isn't necessary? My stiff neck and hamstrings demanded relief, and X Stretch delivered it in spades. It felt great to let my body recovery with slow, languorous moves.

Tomorrow: Back to the grind. Max Cardio Conditioning's going to kick my ass (as usual).

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.

Is Stretching Unnecessary?

I love X Stretch. It feels good, and it's a nice, restful (albeit sometimes slightly uncomfortable) way to wind down or relieve tightness and soreness. Last night, I still felt achy from running, so I popped in the X Stretch DVD. Over the course of an hour, my body gradually relaxed and my muscles loosened and lengthened.

But this morning, I felt tight again. (This totally bummed me out. Instead of X Stretching, I could have been watching Steven Seagal: Lawman.)

It turns out that stretching evidently doesn't do all that much for your body.

In fact, the latest science suggests that extremely loose muscles and tendons are generally unnecessary (unless you aspire to join a gymnastics squad), may be undesirable and are, for the most part, unachievable, anyway. “To a large degree, flexibility is genetic,” says Dr. Malachy McHugh, the director of research for the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York and an expert on flexibility. You’re born stretchy or not. “Some small portion” of each person’s flexibility “is adaptable,” McHugh adds, “but it takes a long time and a lot of work to get even that small adaptation. It’s a bit depressing, really.”

WTF? Haven't we learned from Tony Horton, Shaun T and others that stretching helps loosen our muscles and tendons, and enhances our flexibility and range of motion? Aren't they right?

According to the science, the answer appears to be no. “There are two elements” involved in stretching a muscle, Dr. McHugh says. One is the muscle itself. The other is the mind, which sends various messages to the muscles and tendons telling them how to respond to your stretching when the discomfort of the stretching becomes too much. What changes as you stretch a muscle is primarily the message, not the physical structure of the muscle. “You’ll start to develop a tolerance” for the discomfort of the stretch, Dr. McHugh says. Your brain will allow you to hold the stretch longer. But the muscles and tendons themselves will not have changed much. You will feel less tight. But even this sensation of elasticity is short-lived, Dr. McHugh says. 

In a new review article of the effects of stretching that he co-wrote and that will be published soon in The Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, he looked at the measurable impacts of a number of different stretching regimens. What he found was that when people performed four 90-second stretches of their hamstrings, their “passive resistance” to the stretching decreased by about 18 percent — they felt much looser — but the effect had passed in less than an hour. To achieve a longer-lasting impact, and to stretch all of the muscles involved in running or other sports, he says, would probably require as much as an hour of concerted stretching. “And the effects still wouldn’t be permanent,” he says. “You only see changes” in the actual, physical structure of the muscles “after months of stretching, for hours at a time. Most people aren’t going to do that.”

And most of us don’t need to. “Flexibility is a functional thing,” Dr. Knudson says. “You only need enough range of motion in your joints to avoid injury. More is not necessarily better.”

So let's recap. We previously came to understand that cool-downs are unnecessary. And we already know that Tony Horton talks too much. Now that we're learning that stretching's benefits aren't as great as we were led to believe, doesn't this mean we can further shave down the time it takes to complete each P90X (and even Insanity) routine? What's left to do besides warming up and diving right into the core exercises?

Personally, I'm going to keep stretching -- not because I think I'm going to become a super-flexible guy, or that stretching is going to enhance my athletic performance. I'm going to stretch because it feels good.

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.

P90X Day 88: Plyometrics + Ab Ripper X

Instead of doing X Stretch or resting today, I decided to get my sweat on.

I did a modified version of Plyo; instead of performing two sets of each move, I did just one, which cut down the session to a manageable half-hour. At first, I didn't think a half-portion of Plyo would be enough, but I was wrong: It's plenty intense, especially after I limited my water breaks to the fifteen seconds it took to skip past the DVD tracks in which the exercises are repeated. Afterwards, I dusted off my Ab Ripper X DVD, too, and suffered through the workout until the last Mason twist was done.

I can't wait until Insanity arrives.

P90X Day 84: X Stretch

Stretching feels damn good. I woke up feeling a little achy and creaky, and was happy that X Stretch was scheduled for today.

But does stretching actually do any good? I dug up yet another New York Times piece by Gina Kolata, concluding that "[t]he truth is that after dozens of studies and years of debate, no one really knows whether stretching helps, harms, or does anything in particular for performance or injury rates." Yes, stretching can make you more flexible, but there's no evidence of its benefits.

As I've mentioned before, Kolata also recently wrote an article explaining that cool-downs are unnecessary. Assuming her reporting is accurate, by skipping both X Stretch and our daily cool-downs during P90X, we could save an hour-and-a-half per week -- almost 20 hours over the course of a single round of P90X -- without adversely affecting our overall athletic performance.

Like I said earlier, stretching feels damn good. But sleeping in feels even better.

P90X Day 77: Cardio X

Given yesterday's snoozefest of a workout, I felt obligated do something more than just X Stretch today. Still, I didn't want to go full-tilt before the start of my final non-recovery week, so I popped in the Cardio X DVD.

It certainly burned some calories and got my heart pumping, but the video also reminded me how annoying Tony Horton can be. I've gotten so used to his weirdness on the other DVDs that I no longer notice when he quotes Forrest Gump or when he half-jokingly suggests that his own face is "perfection." But having only watched Cardio X once before, I wasn't prepared for Tony's god-awful Arnold Schwarzenegger shtick. I was fascinated and horrified, but I suppose every big-and-buff trainer is expected to bust out in a Hans & Franz routine once in a while.

P90X Day 70: X Stretch

X Stretch is a pretty decent way to kick off a Saturday.  Plus, The kids spent the night at their grandparents', so I got to sleep in (until 6:30 a.m. -- woo hoo!).

Sadly, I'm not able to see what's on the TV screen during most of X Stretch, so it's taken me ten weeks to realize that this video features Tony at his finest (read: creepiest), like when he puts his cheek right next to Phil's and closes his eyes so they can breathe in unison.  He also take the opportunity to put his finger on Shawna's butt.