Thursday, September 17, 2009

P90X - The Proof, The "Pain" - Day 2, Week 1

I'm a couple of days behind on this but I will maintain the updates (I hope) for anyone that cares. I just don't always have the time to post the day of, the day after, or maybe even longer. So without further adieu...

As mentioned in a previous post, I officially began the P90X program. I haven't completely immersed myself in the program in the sense that I don't buy their products they recommend to go along with the work out program. I just can never justify purchasing products without knowing 1000% that they are worth it. I just have better things on which to spend my hard-earned dough, although I may look into the recovery drink they offer. I think it'll be explained later within the following text or next post why I might (that's a BIG might) go back against my thought process for this one product.

I originally stated that I didn't feel that sore. I lied. Well, I didn't lie at that time. I'm sore as shit now and have been since about 6pm Tuesday night, before DVD #2 - Plyometrics. Not to mention that I had a slight headache all evening Tuesday before doing Plyometrics. In fact, I was very near deciding to skip Plyometrics and do it the next day (Wednesday). I wasn't going to not do it at all. I just wasn't feeling like I could fully apply myself to the process feeling badly. I contemplated all evening right up until the moment of hitting play.

Yes, I decided to go for it. Or as Master Tony would say, "BRING IT!" So I brought it, although reluctantly.

My arms were more sore than the rest of my body. My hamstrings and thighs were a little sensitive to heavy exercise but the arms, my dear, sweet, loving arms. Up to the time I started Plyometrics and after, my triceps were very sore. It's amazing how sore they got from about 12pm when I originally posted about DVD #1 - Chest & Back to about 5pm the same day. I must say that I could have dropped to the fetal position at times of movement which I used my arms.

Again, I must justify my wussiness by restating that I have never formally worked out. I've done weights in the past like curls, bench press, butterflies, should press, shoulder rolls and the like but that was when I was younger, more active, and had more time in my days/evenings. I'm trying to change my mental attitude as well as the physical. So praise my effort.

Anyway...once again, the warm up was gratifying. It got the heart pumping and the blood flowing. It loosened me up a tad and the stretching help a bit with the sore muscles...a tiny bit! The pangs I felt in the triceps were trying to tell me, "Quit you wussy!" but I persevered. Again, the stretches helped to relieve the soreness and tightness but just temporarily. Plyometrics is indeed focused on the lower body. Thank God! The biceps and triceps are saved for the evening.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the Plyometrics DVD. It sounds weird to say that I enjoyed a work out but that's me. I'm a lazy mofo but I do like strenuous activity now and again. It kind of helps me prove to myself that when I can endure and last doing something so physical that I realize I'm not a complete Jabba the Hut. Anyway, it felt great to do some lower body (thighs, quads, glutes) exercises. Some of them require a little coordination, luckily I found mine, and balance. One exercise I found odd, I don't recall the name at this time, is the one where you run in a circle around a towel or shirt or whatever you have around that won't cause physical pain or damage if you step on it. I didn't find it to be a difficult move at all but at the same time I didn't find it a difficult move at all. Okay that's not entirely true. It is a little difficult to maintain this imaginary pivot and radius that Master Tony wants. You stay facing forward and you run around this object without turning your body. If you could put the DVD into extreme fast forward and loop on this exercise, you probably would sort of see an upside-down cone shape the body makes. Or it's like some giant is holding your head still in one place between his thumb and pointer and you are running in a circle without being able to turn your body. Anyhow, I've not totally mastered this move as I've done it once but at the same time Master Tony has not completely mastered it either because his line (as he likes to call it) occasionally faltered. So, I didn't feel too bad but I did at least try to maintain some semblance for what he was looking. It was cardio and it did work out different muscles in the front and back of legs but it just didn't seem as intense as the other exercises.

The one exercise I can tell you is good is the one where you stand squatty with your legs apart, toes and knees sort of pointed outward (I think). You kind of take a hike (yes, like in football) and jump in the stance to your left. You repeat but jump to the right. It may have been called Leap Frog Squats but not totally sure. I like this exercise a lot and I felt it! I still feel it a bit.

Again, my legs are usually worked on a bit during my weeks because I play tennis, rollerblade and mountain bike. These muscles are already worked to an extent unlike my arms and upper body. That's why I think my soreness in my arms is WAY more than my legs although some could make the mistake that they didn't work out as hard with the legs as arms and think they didn't get the effect of exercise. Wrong! In my opinion, of course, but I believe it works and is correct for me.

So, Day 2 was in the bag. I didn't get to bed until about 11:45pm Tuesday night. Once again, I was too tired to take a shower and no puking this time. I made sure I wiped off the sweat or it dried (gross, I know) before I laid on the bed. During the workout the headache stayed at bay. It was more like a twinge than anything else. I was surprised as I thought that the endorphins would kick in and it would go away altogether. But it didn't. When I went to bed, it was still a twinge but I knew it was going to suck ass later.




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