Product Review: Tony Horton Power Stands

 

I got these with the P90x2 deluxe package through Beachbody. They are very sturdy and work well. They are much heavier than the push-up stands that have the "h" shape if you look at them end-on. These are especially good f you are doing wide-arm push-ups ( which were done more in p90x than x2) because they will not tip and roll on you like other push-up stands. 

Like other push-up stands (or using dumbbells) these will give you more range of motion throughout the push-up movement and are great if you have any wrist pain. I have broken my left wrist twice, and it makes doing regular push-ups hard. I have no wrist problems at all when using these. Also, these can be used to do triceps dips while you are seated on the floor, which is not something that is possible with a lot of push-up stands. So, whether you are doing P90X (or X2 or X3), or just incorporating push-ups into your workouts, these are a great option to have.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day 14

Day 14 was the back and biceps workout from p90x. Most of the weights I used remained the same from last week, but I was able to max out at 10 reps on a few of the exercises this time. So, next week I will be increasing the weight on those. I was also able to do a couple more pull-up moves for almost all the variations except corn cobs, which are very tough using 110 lbs of resistance bands. Tomorrow morning is back to Max 30.  

Product Review: CAP Barbell Workout Bar, 5-Pound

 

I purchased this to use with the P90X2 workout, which incorporates the use of a weighted bar into some of the workouts. It is definitely useful beyond the exercises that are in that workout, for example, you can do squats with it across your shoulders as you would do a barbell squat, you can use it for skull crushers, or even a bench press if you get a version that is heavy enough). I definitely think using one of these is a bit safer than loading up a bar with plates, especially if you are working out at home by yourself. It is definitely a good addition to a home gym.

Updated P90x2 weight history

Here is the graph showing my daily weight progress from the start of the program on March 17th.

Start of Phase 2, P90X2

Hey everyone.  I just started phase 2 of X2.  Chest back and balance was today.  For those who have done the original P90x, it works much the same way where you are alternating push ups and pull ups.  But all the push up moves are on medicine balls and/or a stability ball.  You can really tell that is what phase 1 is preparing you for.  Without that 4 week work up, getting used to being on the balls and unstable surfaces you have no shot at doing this one.  Even with phase one in the books I had to do some of the push up moves on my knees to keep from falling off the medicine balls.  Like they say, modify, modify modify.  Trust me you do not want to go flying off when you are doing a push up with medicine balls. 

Here are my 30 day vs day 1 numbers.

Weight  ---179.2   to 174.8 (- 4.4 lbs)
Waist   ----38.8"   to 37.2" (- 1.6")
Hips    -----39"     to  38.4" (-.6")
Chest   -----42.5"  to  40" (-2.5")
Thighs ------ ~23"  to ~22"  (-1")
Arms  ------- ~12"  to ~12" (no change)
Bodyfat ------ ~22% to ~20% (- ~ 2%)

I am posting a pic on my beachbody message board thread.  I posted the link in one of my early posts on X2 so those of you so inclined can head over there and check it out.  Thanks for reading.  Have a good weekend.  Have to give a shout out to my readers from Russia.  I think that is pretty cool. 

P90X2 weight progress

As you can see my weight has fluctuated throughout the program so far, but it has ultimately trended down even though the are stretches where it stays exactly the same, then spikes up then goes back down.  I am still however losing inches every week and my performance in the exercises is getting better each time.   I will update this every so often

X2 weekly update, recovery week number 1

Hey everyone. Today was the first day of recovery week 1 for me. I did the recovery and mobility workout for the first time, and I love it. I can't wait until I can start doing it twice a week regularly. I am a total cheerleader for foam rolling now. I has a foam roller for a while even before getting X2, but I had never really learned how to use it. If you have read through these posts you know before I started X2 I was having lower back and hip pain. Just from the 2-3 min of foam rolling in the regular workouts that has all but gone away. The 20 min sequence in the recovery and mobility DVD is golden. It is probably a beginning type of sequence, but the great thing is he basically says here we are going to do 20 min of foam rolling do what you need to do. I urge you if you are doing X2 without a foam roller or thinking of doing X2, invest in one. You just cannot get the same results from stretching.

Here are my updated stats:

Weight 175.8
Waist 37.8"
Hips 38.5"
Chest 40.5"
Thighs 22"
Arms 12"

As always, my body is holing on to my abdominal fat for dear life. I am still losing quite a bit in my hips and my chest though. I had set a goal to be down to 175 my mid May, and I should hit that mark. I am sure my weight will go back up a little. I am going to post a pic of a chart of how my weight as fluctuated from diet power.   I weigh myself every day so the program can track my metabolism.  I am honestly not sure what my overall scale weight is going to end up after X2. The lowest I have been in my adult life has been about 167 or so.I really do not care as long as I end up looking the way I want.  Anyway, thanks for reading and I will check in with an update next week,

Thinking of getting P90x2? Invest in a foam roller!

Hey everyone.  I just wanted to do a short post on foam rolling and P90x2.  If you go into the team Beachbody store, you will see there are various packages for X2.  The base package includes just the DVDs workout guide and nutrition plan.  Then there are two different packages that include foam rolls, extra workouts, a stability ball, and medicine balls.  While there are good modifications for the exercises where you do not need the stability ball and medicine balls, there is no substitute for foam rolling. 

Basically, a foam roller is just what it sounds like, a roll of Styrofoam (think a big solid paper towel roll-shaped thing) that you use to massage your muscles.  It looks like this:
 

The recovery and mobility workout has over 20min of foam rolling in it, but each "regular" workout has about 3 min of time in the warm-up devoted to it.  You use the roller to work the "hot spots" out.  For example, you put it under your leg on your hamstring and move around until you feel it hit a knot in your muscle.  Then you just sit there and let it work the knot out.  It does not feel good while you are doing it, but it feels soo good when you are done.  Some rollers have "spikes" or raised protrusions that allow them to provide more pressure on the muscle and work the knots deeper and get a better release. But, you have to work up to those as they hurt a lot when you first start using them. Those look something like this:

During my workout yesterday my hip flexor was extremely sore.  In just the 3 min sequence in the warm-up to the core DVD, I worked all the soreness out and had a great range of motion throughout the workout.  Even if you do not want to get the Deluxe or Ultimate packages for X2, I encourage you to invest in a foam roller.  You can buy them separately through the Beachbody store (and if you are a paid member of Team Beachbody you get a 10% discount, and if you are a coach you can get a 25% discount) or they can be found pretty easily online.  Make the investment in one and it will do you a world of good.  Thanks for reading.

Win $500 just to log your P90x or Insanity workouts

Did you know that Beachbody gives away $500 every day just to log your workouts in their online Gym?  If you sign up for a free team beachbody account (you can do that here) under the "get fit" tab there is a selection for SuperGym.  That will allow you to log any beach body workout (as well as any other general workout). There is a $500 (some days it is as much as $1000) winner selected each day.  There is also a team beachbody challenge where you enter your transformation story and pics which puts you in the running for up to $100,000.  Aside from the chance at the cash prizes you will be joining a community of people that will help you get fit whether you need advice or just motivation.  If you join through the link in this post or off on the left you will get me as your coach, and I will be there to support you every step of the way.

Week 4 of P90x2

Hey everyone, today is the beginning of week 4 of P90x2.  I had a pretty good week.  I did take some liberties with my diet this week.  There were a couple days where I was super hungry, so instead of eating total junk, I increased the portions of the healthy food, so I took in more calories on a couple days than I normally would have, but they were clean.  Here are the updated stats.
Weight 177.2
Waist   37.8"
Hips    39"
Chest   41.5"
Right and left thighs 22"
Right and left arm about 12"

Start of Week 3 and updated stats

I started week 3 of P90x2 today. I did the X2 core workout again. Really nothing new to report on that one. I am still making progress with the moves. I am far from perfect on some of them, but getting better on all of them. Here are my weekly stats.

Weight 177,
Waist 38" (down another .8",
Hips 39", chest 41.5",
Right thigh 22",
Left thigh 23",
Right and left arms about 12".

I definitely have a lot less aches and pains because of the core moves and foam rolling. Considering I have not done the recovery and mobility DVD because of my class, that is pretty good. After the semester ends in May, when I switch from phase 2 to phase 3 I am going to work that into the rotation. I am also going to do it during the recovery week between phases 1 and 2. The low-back issues I was having before X2 have almost all gone away. I think it is a combination of all the core work in phase 1 of X2 and my new bed. Anyway, I have posted a weekly progress pic on the team beachbody message board of you are so inclined to go look. I will put my before and after pics on the blog when I am all done with the program in June. Thanks for reading, and feel free to ask questions or leave (non-spam) comments. If you want to be able to e-mail me just click the link on the left to have me coach you for free, then I will see your messages faster.

week 2 of X2 done

Just finished my last workout of week 2, Balance and Power. I got better at most of the exercises. Some of the stability ball ones were still quite a challenge. You really have to work to keep the ball from rolling around on you too much. That part is a workout in and of itself. You can get a great workout doing the modified moves without all the equipment, but I really think you get the most out of the workout with a stability ball even though it will cause quite a lot of frustration until you get used to the moves.

You can really tell that the first phase of X2 is all about laying the foundations for the next 2 phases. Which if you may remember from one of my previous posts is the best way to get into a workout program. If you are interested in ordering X2 (or any of the other programs) you can do so through my team beachbody link off to the left. There is an icon right on that page for P90x2 which will allow you to order it. If you do so I strongly encourage you to join team beachbody. It is free, you get me as your coach, and if you log your workouts in the Supergym you have the opportunity to earn $500 every day. You can join here Thanks for reading. I will update my stats tomorrow!

Second attempt at yoga x2

Hey everyone. I am getting toward the end of my second week with P90x2. I just did the yoga workout for the second time, and I still maintain my love for it. It is far better than the P90x version. It flows a lot better than the other one does. There is no attempt to do yoga then do part of the x-stretch DVD like the original yoga workout. And, while you do a few abdominal moves, you spend about 3 minutes total as opposed to the 10 it took to get through "yoga belly 7" in P90x yoga. There are modifications for all the moves depending on how flexible you are, so it is definitely a program that you cannot outgrow. I can see myself doing it for a long time before it ever comes close to being easy. I know people skipped yoga-x a lot in P90x. There is really no reason to do so with this one. It is the perfect length (just over an hour) and you will feel so much better when you are done. Thank you for reading. Feel free to post any questions or (non spam) comments and I will reply as soon as I can.

Week 2 day 4 of X2

Hey everyone, I did the total body workout for the second time today. I am getting better at the moves, but still have to modify some of them. I still cannot do the triceps kickbacks on the stability ball with all the weight on one arm. I have to lower one knee to the ground and even then it still rolls around quite a bit. I managed to get my heart rate up enough between that an ab-ripper to burn about 500 calories. I am definitely not one who will complain about the lack of traditional cardio. I have to keep this a short one, but if you have any questions or comments you can leave them and I will reply when I get the chance. Thanks for reading!

P90x2, plyocide round 2

Hey everyone, I just finished my second go around with plyocide. Like the core workout I felt overall I got a little better having done the workout again. There are still moves I struggle with, like the super skater kicks, but my stamina is increasing and I can do more than last time. I love the foam rolling at the beginning of the workout and the PNF stretching at the end. I really feel good after I am done with it. Also wanted to mention that today I managed to get a Queen Size mattress and box spring up the very narrow staircase in my townhouse on my own. If not for p90x and a lot of determination there is no way I would have been able to do that. So, it carries over into real life too. Thanks for reading and stay fit!

Week 1 of P90x2 is in the books

Hey everyone. I just started on week 2 of P90x. I did X2 core for the second time today. I am getting better at the moves and am definitely able to do more and better reps. I managed to burn around 400 calories today, which is great considering how slow and controlled most of the moves in that workout are. Here are my stats after 1 week. waist 38.8" (loss of .7") Hips 39" (loss of 1") chest 42.5" (loss of .5")weight 178.4 (loss of .4 lbs). Remember what I said about scale weight? If not, go read my post from earlier this month. I ate cleanly from Sun to Friday. I did have a couple cheat meals last Saturday. 

P90x2, balance and power...week one done

I just finished the Balance and Power workout. Like most of the others in Phase one, there is not a lot of explosive movements, but what are are doing is made very hard by the fact that you are doing it on a stability ball or medicine ball. Most of the moves in this workout are done on a stability ball. The hardest ones for me are moves where you have to put nearly all your weight on the ball (like the sphinx to plank) moves, because it really wants to roll around on you. It is a fun workout but will provide quite a challenge unless you have done a lot of balance and stability workouts before. I found myself using very light weights for the moves that required weights. I pretty much stuck to the 10-12 pound range. I think that is important the first time around because until you learn the moves well it will be really easy to hurt yourself if you try to be a hero and go too heavy. I'll be posting a progress pic tomorrow on the message board thread I set up on team beachbody. It is linked from one of my other p90x2 posts. If you feel so inclined you can jump over there and check it out. Thanks for reading!

P90x2 Yoga

Today was my 4th workout for P90x2, the yoga workout. I loved it. It is much much better than P90x yoga. As I said in a previous post, that routine was just way too long. This one clocks in at just over an hour. You are still doing a lot of the moving asana work, like in the first 50 min of regular yoga-x, but a lot of the stuff that came after is either taken out entirely or shortened quite a bit. It is still a challenge for those of us who are not all that flexible, and there are modifications to make the moves harder for those who are gumby like. Overall an awesome workout that makes you feel a lot better when it is over. Tomorrow is Balance and Power, then I start repeating the workouts. Thanks for reading!

P90x2 Total Body

Hey everyone. I just finished with the total body workout. Let me tell you there was a LOT of swearing going on. Most of the moves involve standing on one leg in warrior 3 or putting your weight on a stability ball and lifting weights. The latter is a lot harder than it looks. For stability ball kickbacks I had to put one knee on the floor to keep from falling off the ball. I made it work though. Also, I love the x2 version of ab ripper. They provide modifications on every exercise to help protect your lower back, and it just seems that it flows better than the P90x version. It is 16 min long, and it goes by very quickly. I will check back in Thursday after the yoga workout. Thanks for reading.

P90x2 Day2 Plyocide

Today was the second day of my P90x2 journey. The X2 version of plyometrics. The best description of it is a cross between P90x Plyo and a month 1 Insanity workout. There a 5 mods, that contain 4 exercises. You go through all exercises without stopping, then you rest. A couple of them use the medicine ball, and one uses a step or plyo box. But like in all of the X2 workouts there is a non equipment modification demo if you need it. My heart rate topped out at 187, which is as high as it got in an insanity workout, so this one definitely gives you a great cardio workout. I am going to post a before pic on the message board thread on team beachbody that I linked to a few posts ago if you want to check that out. Tomorrow is an "active rest" day for me. I have my walking class at school, and will probably do a couple miles or so for that. I will post again sometime Thursday after the total body workout. Thanks again for reading.