Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 70

For day 70 I just did the Restore routine in XB and had an off day in 645. There is nothing really new to report about the Restore workout. My flexibility was about the same as the last time that I did it. I might have had a little more mobility in my right leg, but that is about it.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 69

Day 69 was 645 Cardio. This was another intense routine that, as Amoila said the prior week, made significant use of the bands. The bands/loops are used on the first three of the seven exercises (although you can leave them off if you need to). The workout also incorporates more jumping/plyometric moves as well as more lateral bounds and shuffles (which use the bands as targets that you touch or jump over). Definitely a good (and tough) workout.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 68

For day 68 I did lower body flexibility in XB and total body tempo in 645.

I definitely had more mobility in the XB routine, especially in my right leg. I did use my roller to work some of the knots out of my hamstring, hip flexors, and IT band before I did the routine, which helped a bit, but I think I was able to get a bit deeper even without that.

The 645 routine was a bit different this week. Amoila really focused on knee, back, and ankle mobility. He went into a lot of detail about how it is okay to have your knee go over your toes (if you have done P90X you remember that warning in the leg workout), as long as you keep your heel on the ground, and that it actually helps your back and improves your squats. And, it actually takes pressure off your knees. It was very interesting to listen to, so much so that I skipped a couple of reps here and there to look at what he was demonstrating. It was still a good workout, however.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 67

 Day 67 was the lower back routine in XB and the upper body strength routine in 645.

The Lower back routine went pretty much the same as it did the last time. There is nothing new to report about that one.

The 645 workout was another tough one. It incorporated some new moves as well as moves we have done before in earlier workouts. The pace is again more intense and I was definitely gassed by the time it was over. The focus, as it has always been in the upper body workouts, is on the shoulders and back, but the EMOM block is a biceps-focused exercise. Basically 21s but knocked down to 15s, doing 5 full biceps curls, 5 upper curls, and 5 lower curls. 

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 66

 Day 66 was the flexibility day. In XB I did the lower body stretch and then mobility and stability in 645.

The 645 workout has quite a few new stretches that have not been done so far in the program, plus a mix of stretches that have been done before, but done with a variation. Most of the routine is done sitting down or lying on your back. There is one standing exercise, the "Royal Dancer" from P90x yoga, although Amoila does not call it that. As has been the case in nearly every mobility and stability routine, some of the muscles being stretched were very tight, and others not so much.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 65

Day 65 was the lower back routine in XB and the total body power routine in 645.

The XB routine was pretty much the same as it was the last time. I did not notice any improvement, but I also did not regress.

The 645 routine was another tough one. Like the other Phase 3 workouts, it used new moves along with more intense versions of moves that we did in other workouts (like adding weights to moves like the "dead bugs"). This workout really emphasized core strength and also incorporated some explosive plyometric moves. 

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 64

For Day 64 I did the lower body stretch in XB and the week 11 lower body strength workout in 645.

I felt like I could definitely get deeper into the hamstring stretches on my right leg during the XB workout, but my left leg was pretty much the same.

The 645 workout was challenging. Again it felt faster-paced than the Phase 1 and Phase 2 workouts, and mixed in some new moves, including some plyometric moves. It was a challenge, but a very good workout and I was gassed at the end. 

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 63

Day 63 was the first Phase 3 cardio workout in 645, which was supposed to be yesterday's workout, but as I explained in the prior post, I was not up to it after a long day. But, I got back on track and did it today. It was tough and tiring. As has been the case with all of the Phase 3 workouts so far, this one mixes new moves with things that have been done in prior workouts. On the whole, there are a lot more jumping/plyometric exercises in this one and I definitely got more winded. Even so, it was a good workout and the cast was pretty funny including some good banter with Amolia. 

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 62

For Day 62 I switched things up. It normally would have been Cardio in 645, however, I was installing a new garage door opener, which, even with help is, to quote Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "a job of work." By the time we were done, I was exhausted and then had to go to a birthday party. Needless to say, by the time I got home and had time to work out, I was not feeling 45 minutes of cardio, so I did the Realign routine in XB. Even doing that routine was tough, but I got through it.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 61

Day 61 was the lower back routine in XB and the first total body tempo workout of Phase 3 in 645.

The 645 workout was another tough one, with a few new moves mixed in with exercises we had done in prior weeks. The pace of the workout is very accelerated with much less transition time between the moves. You do, however, get at least 45 seconds between sets. The workout ends almost at the 45-minute mark with the cooldown just being a few seconds in child's pose. 

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 60

For day 60 I did the lower body flexibility routine in XB, and the 645 workout was the first upper body strength workout of Phase 3. 

The 645 workout goes at a faster pace, and like the other workouts this week, mixes new moves in with moves that have been in prior workouts (or variations on them). There are some exercises that use body weight only and one at the end in which you basically use the heaviest weight you have available that you can hold for 25 seconds on each side. Again, the focus of the exercises is not on the "show" muscles like the biceps, but on the functional muscles of the shoulders and back. You do get some bicep and tricep work, but that is usually because they are being worked along with the other areas the workout is focusing on.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 59

Day 59 was the flexibility day. In XB I did the lower back routine, and of course, in 645 it was the flexibility and mobility workout.

The 645 workout had quite a few new stretches mixed in with some that have been in prior workouts. The focus is again on hip, shoulder, and hamstring flexibility. It is not hard, but it definitely builds on the prior versions of the workout and is more challenging than in prior weeks. 

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 58

For Day 58 I did the lower body stretch routine in XB, and then it was the first total body power workout of Phase 3 in 645.

Again, the 645 workout was more intense and went by faster (in terms of transitioning from move to move) than in the first two phases. Also, Amoila mixed in different moves that were not seen in the prior weeks. There was also more cardio incorporated into the workout. 

The XB workout was fine. I am getting better with mobility in my right hamstring, but my left is still extremely tight and I have to bend my knee quite a bit. I am still not anywhere near being able to do even a half-split yet on either side, but I am absolutely making progress.  

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 57

Day 57 is the start of Phase 3 in 645, which meant the lower body strength workout. This is really a total body workout as you are doing some arm work (by doing a lot of rows) and a lot of core work. In this workout, we go back to 15 reps and increase the pace. There is less downtime between exercises, so you get a lot more of a cardio effect than in the prior weeks.

For XB I did the lower back routine. My back and hips get so tight overnight that it takes about halfway through the six minutes for things to loosen back up. By the end of it my back always feels much better and a lot looser.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 56

For Day 56, I did the Realign routine in XB. I think I have a bit more mobility and range of motion in this routine. I attribute that to all the hip and lower back work that is in 645 and doing the lower back and lower body routines during the week in XB. Most of the stretches in Realign are ones that are more challenging for me, but I am making improvements.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 55

Day 55 was the last day of Phase 2 in 645, which meant doing the cardio workout again. The routine is the same, seven moves back to back, and all are moves that have been done during the program (or slight variations on them). This time they only did three rounds and then a longer cooldown stretch at the end. My cardio is still not great, but it is getting better so the program was challenging. The seal jacks and the plank walkouts definitely wore me out in this workout.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 54

For Day 54 I did the lower back routine in XB and then total body tempo in 645.

This workout was again mostly the same moves, or slight variations on the same moves that we have done in prior workouts. The focus of all of the lifting exercises was on the negative part of the rep, doing two or three counts down and one count up. Even with fewer sets the regular portion of the workout ended at 44 minutes, so the cooldown was just sitting in child's pose for a few seconds. 

The lower back XB routine went pretty much the same. I can get closer to grabbing my feet for the stretches at the end, but I still have to use the bands since I am still not flexible enough to get there yet.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 53

For Day 53 I did lower body flexibility in XB and Upper Body Strength in 645.

The 645 workout was another de-load workout which meant every block, aside from the EMOM block, has just two sets in it. Again, there was a longer warm-up and a shorter cooldown. Most of the focus of the workout, as has been the case with all of the upper body workouts, is on the shoulders with just a couple of biceps and triceps exercises mixed in.

The lower body XB routine went fine, with no real improvement or regression.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 52

Day 52 was stretching day again. For XB I did the lower back routine and, of course, in 645 it was mobility and flexibility.

The 645 routine was another good, but tough one. Again, there were seven exercises that you cycle through for three rounds. Each exercise is something that has been done earlier in the program, but a couple of them have some twists that make them slightly different (and generally harder). Then, at the end of the routine, you finish the routine off with five minutes of breath work. 

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 51

Day 51 was somewhat of a return to the normal workout routine. In the morning I did the lower body flexibility routine in XB and for 645 I did the total body power de-load workout.  

The XB routine was exactly the same as the last time I did it. The 645 workout was hard, even doing fewer reps and having the longer warm-up. The last block was four sets of depth drops, which was hard mainly because the cast was joking with each other the entire time, and doing them when trying not to laugh is tricky because it is easy to have your concentration broken.