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.
