P90X ~ A Recap

It has now been 6 days since I "finished" P90X ~  "Finished" because as I have found out, P90X has now become a lifestyle for me.  I'll explain.

But first I must dispense with a bit of business.  I am eternally grateful to one particular friend who provided the last bit of motivation needed to get the program started and finished.  I first refereed to this source on a previous post: "Motivation Comes From the Most Unlikely Sources".  Thank you from the bottom of my now stronger heart for that push you gave me.  You know who you are!

As I went into the program I had defined my goals to be simple but specific:  I wanted to have a stronger upper body,  I wanted a stronger, tighter core and wanted to loose some "fat".  I did NOT want to have bigger, bulkier muscle mass.  As a triathlete this is not what you're after.

I have been bombarded with requests for "before" and "after" pictures.  Apparently, as it appears to me, the success of P90X is mostly measured by a drastic change in physique.  Well, mine did not.  My shoulders, arms, biceps, triceps and back have a tad bit more definition but nothing that will land me in the cover of any magazine.

I did NOT do the P90X Diet.  That's a topic for another discussion.

My change came in the form of strength and fat loss.  I lost 4 pound of body weight during the program.

Pre P90X I could do 25 push ups.  The last 3-4 were pushing the envelope.  But we can say I did 25.  Last night I pushed 100... the last 5 hurt.

Pull ups... Oh, dear dreaded pull ups. Pre P90X I couldn't do "1".  That's right, not even "1".  Last night I managed 10.  The last 2 hurt like hell, but kept in form!

To measure core strength we can take Pre P90X "In & Outs".  The count at the start was 27.  Last night's count was 45.  This is pretty amazing considering the back issues I carry with me.

Percentage of body fat went from 19.0% Pre P90X to 9.6% today. This one item alone made the whole program worth its weight in gold.

So what's next?  I will continue to do P90X workouts.  Not at the intensity and quantity as before, but I will continue to do them.  The plan calls for two or three, shorter versions per week, Plyometrics and X Stretch after a long run or a long ride.


I am by no means a fitness expert but I did learn a couple of things during this journey.  Specially how to prepare myself mentally to enter into the program and how to stay motivated even during those days when I didn't want to do it.  The biggest comment I heard was:  "WOW!  I've never known anyone who actually finished this thing."


I have received advise from a host of people during the past five years.  For this I am forever grateful. I feel that the time has come for me to give some back.  If you're looking to do this program but don't know how to get started, stick with it and finish, drop me a note via the comments section below.

Plyometrics and the Triathlete

After 80 days of P90X, Plyometrics has become one of my favorite routines.

But having a specific goal in mind, I set out to do a little informal research on the benefits of Plyo for the triathlete.  Here's what I've learned.

First off, what exactly, is Plyometrics?  Plyo refers to exercise that enables the muscle to reach maximum force in the shortest period of time.  The muscle is loaded with a lengthening action followed immediately by a shortening action.

Muscles and tendons have an elastic type nature to them. Body moments involved in activities such as running, and to some extent in cycling, use the elastic nature of muscles and tendons to store energy and then release it like much like a rubber band to propel the body forward. This is known as the stretch shortening cycle.

This cycle is evident primarily in the cycling and running portion of the triathlon.

Run cadence and cycling cadence are key factors when determining efficiency in triathletes, along with distance per stroke. On the bike we try to maintain a cadence of 85-95 rpm in order to keep our legs turning over quickly. Run cadence actually closely matches cycling cadence, as the most efficient athletes try to maintain that 90 rpm cadence.

There are a host of Plyo exercises that help you improve your running and cycling cadence.  Work these into your regular schedule or training program and the results you see will substantial.

I have personally found that the P90X Plyometrics routine has improved both my running and cycling cadence.  I ran the fastest 5 mile run on Thanksgiving Day and every long run since starting the program has been faster and stronger plus my bike speed has increased by 3-4 mph (albeit on the trainer so I can wait to test the improvement on solid road).

P90X Plyo is a lot of fun and a lot of hard work. I always find myself looking forward to the day when I can do this.  It is recommended that no more than two times per week.  On the mornings when Plyo is scheduled (like tomorrow), it takes no second thought or a hit of the snooze button on the alarm clock to get out of bed.

P90X Week 4 and Nashville Half Marathon Review

First things first.  I have finished week four of P90X!  They call this a transition week but I think it's also known as a recovery week.  Since adjustments were made to include triathlon based workouts, I did not have any strength sets this week; did not lift a weight at all.

I must say that I am getting the hang of Plyometrics.  I can see how this particular set will help me as a triathlete.  The stretching is also fast becoming a favorite one.  Did Core Synergistics twice this week and my gut was sore, still sore.  Good stuff.

So as of today, I'm a third of the way home!

This coming week I shall start Block Two.

On Saturday, my long run came in the form of The Nashville  Half Marathon, which brings me to the second topic of this post.

I understand that this race, as many others is a fundraiser event.  That being said it is important to understand that the safety of runners has to come first.  Second, it is important to understand that if an event is to grow, it must provide runners with reasons to come back and bring others.  I think this event fell short of that.

I thought the course was a hard course, very hilly.  Of course I understand that this is a matter that could be of great debate.  Other than the area in and around Metro Center, the course was full of rolling hills, some were tough, specially the one that waited for you coming out of Metro Center.  This hill took from me everything I had left.

The water situation was deplorable.  Not enough water stations.  Period.  First station was around mile 2.5 then again not till 5.5 or 6... way to far between them.  I have made a decision that from now on, I will carry my fuel belt with me to all events, regardless of distance.

Porta Potties was another issue.  Just a few set up at the start/finish, didn't count them but there couldn't have been more than ten.  Huge lines pre race, didn't count the people in line, but there must have been 200 or more.  Only one, that I saw on the course, somewhere around mile 6 or 7.

Not sure what the idea was behind the finisher's lanyards in lieu of medals but overheard many say how disappointed they were, specially those that were doing their first half marathon.  I guess it was a money saving issue.

I hope that organizers read and listen to reviews posted throughout the Internet.  Take things into consideration and ensure future participants that these issues have been addressed.  I for one will have to think twice about doing this one again.

So how did I do?  My Garmin showed 2:04:45 and 13.25 miles.  I am happy with the results.  Secretly, I had a goal of under two hours, but I'll take what I got!

P90X ~ Week 2

It has been said that it takes two weeks to create a habit.  If that's the case then a new habit I have created, or at least I hope I have.


Last week I touched on the fact that I'm not an early riser.  This week I'm here to inform you that I am well on my way to conquering this for each day this week it got easier than the day before.

I had planned to do week two just as I had done week one and following the plan outlined in the P90X schedule.  However, after receiving instructions for my swim, bike and run workouts from my coach, I knew that something would have to change.

I researched on the Internet how others in my situation were handling this.  It is important for a triathlete to keep his base during the off season, so getting in the water, on the bike and hitting the pavement for a run or two is something that must be done.  I came across an article that talked about the "P90X Hybrid" program/schedule for triathletes.

In a nutshell, it incorporates basic tri training with P90X, replacing cardio workouts with swim, rides and runs.


This is what what my week looked like:

Mon:  Chest and Back & Ab Ripper X (am)
           Spin (pm)
Tue:  Plyometrics (am)
         Swim (pm)
Wed:  Shoulders and Arms (am)
          Ab Ripper X (pm)
Thu:  X Stretch (am)
         Spin (pm)
Fri:  Legs and Back (am)
Sat:  Run ~ 7 miles
Sun:  Rest


The strength portion on the workouts seems to be improving everyday.  It feels a lot easier to do more reps, so much so that for a couple of sets I had to increase the weight used.


The pull up is where I've seen the most progress.  On Friday during the Legs and Back workout, there are four different pull up routines, two sets each.  From last week's workout to this week's there was an improvement of two to four extra pull ups.

I was a bit timid about the run on Saturday for I was not sure how the knees and legs would feel after two full weeks of P90X.  Much to my surprise and delight they felt great and as it turns out, it was one of the most enjoyable runs I've had in a while.  It just felt good.


This coming week is another week of identical sessions.  I am looking forward to more improvements.

P90X ~ Week 1

I have now completed the first week, or 7 days of P90X training.  I guess the "hard" part is behind me, or so I'd like to think.
I am not a morning person, and anyone who knows me, knows that.  I have a difficult time getting up early for Master Swim, for long runs and for long bike rides.  I have always opted for late afternoon workouts,  but somehow I thought it would be easy to get up early for this.  I have been surprised, as has been my wife, that it has.
I have made it a point to jump out of bed as my wife's alarm clock goes off.  Sometimes it goes off at 4:20am, sometimes at 5am.
The first day I gathered all the necessary equipment; weights,push up bar, pull up bar, chair, towel, water, log and pen and off I went.  Followed the routine on the DVD to the letter.  It was time to work on Chest and Back.  I found out real quickly that pull ups were going to be an issue.  I had not done a pull up in probably 40 years.  I opted to use the chair as instructed.  This made it easier.  Not easy, just easier.
Push ups were not so bad.  I have been doing some for a while now.  Except for the second rotation.  Then they became a task.
At the end of the routine I started Ab Ripper X.  Now, this is what separates the "men" from the "boys" and I'm here to tell you, I'm still a "boy".  This will take work.
Day two I woke up sore.  In places I could not have imagined I would ever be sore.  But it was time for Plyometrics.  Designed to produce speed and power.  Okay, I need this, and I need this bad.
Day three:  Shoulders and Arms.  This required the use of weights for all but one routine.  I just knew I would be sore the next day, and I was not disappointed.  Finished the session with another Ab Ripper X.  Not much improvement here, yet.
Day four:  Yoga.  Oh, my!  Found out today how uncoordinated and unbalanced I really am.
Day five: Legs & Back.  I guess my legs are my strongest assets and today was not to bad.  Second day of back workout.  It felt good. Ab Ripper X concluded the session.  Maybe my imagination, but I see improvement.
Day Six (Sunday): Rest.  Since I started on Tuesday, this brought day six to a Sunday.  Sunday, for the most part in a day of rest.  Gotta give the body a chance to catch up.  Tomorrow I will start week 2.
For the most part I have been in pain all week.  Not the kind of pain that you would feel when you get hurt.  The kind of pain you feel when you push yourself.  I guess this is the "good" pain you always hear about.
I am excited to see what the future of P90X brings my way.
Until next time... Bring It!