Starting training again
Two years ago (roughly), I lost 80 lbs. I went from 250 down to 180. Now I'm back up to about 192. Not a big deal, but I'm ready for the next step. One of my big motivating factors is burning man. I always said that the next time I go, I'm gonna be more fit than the last time I went. As such, I've started a pretty hardcore training program. For the next 90 days, I'll be trying the P90X. It's a diet/exercise program that is design to get you in a fit shape within 90 days.
That being said, it's no gimmick or cake-walk. You really have to monitor your food intake and the work outs are some of the hardest I've ever done. The diet doesn't starve you of nutrients like the atkins or keep your calorie count low, but feeds you the right foods for the work out you're doing. For example - the first phase in the work out is building muscle mass. The diet has you eating a lot of protein and the work outs are muscle intensive.
With that out of the way, I decided to start blogging about my experience. If you're interested, read on. I'll post before and after pictures once all is said and done. I'm not normally the "fit" type, but with proper motivation I believe I can stick to this for at least 3 months.
1 month Pre-P90X
I started training about a month ago. The P90X is no joke. You have to do be able to do a minimum set of workouts just to keep up with the program. I had grown somewhat lethargic, but it was time to really hit the ground running if I was gonna do this for real. Please note - if you're thinking about doing this program, you CANNOT DO IT COLD. You will injure yourself. Even now, I'm learning that my pre-workout wasn't enough. I'm still sticking with it because I believe I can train up to where I need to be.
My pre-program workout consisted of jogging at least 1.5 miles every day and hitting the weights 3 days a week. I'd mountain bike at least two days a week. This helped me build my heart and stamina to the point where it could work. My strength training wasn't enough, but at least it helped my body wake up from it's nap. I slowly got used to working out again.
P90X - Day 1
Nutrition
Day one was definitely a hard day. I hadn't had any caffeine (as it's forbidden on the nutrition plan) the day before and I was going cold turkey today. That and I went from being a vegetarian to suddenly being on a high protein diet. I'd say the diet was the hardest part for me on day one. What's interesting is that it wasn't hard eating because there wasn't enough...it was hard eating because it was too much! In the first phase of the program, I'm schedule to eat 7 portions of protein a day, 1 fruit, 4 vegetables, 3 servings of dairy, 1 carb, and 1 snack. Normally I eat a lot more fruits and carbs. My body wasn't ready for the sudden shock of no caffeine or carbs so I was tired all day.
Luckily I have a friend at work who is on the program with me. We went shopping at CostCo for snacks and food and stuck to our guns. It's helping a lot to have a spotter at work. Work is really hard because my crew loves to eat and we eat very well. But not healthy. Not to mention all of the free snacks (bagels every morning from Einstein, free candy, bread, peanut butter, etc). The only way I will be able to do this is if I stock my own snacks.
The workout
I was tired, sleepy, but still stoked to start the work out. In part, because I knew it is a really hard work out. When I challenge myself, I tend to go all the way. Hence why I went straight for the hardest program I can find. I reviewed my workout for the day and started the video. The first thing I figured out is that I definitely don't have the upper body strength for it. They do a good job of giving you alternatives if you can't do the exact workout, but it's still really tough. The first day is chest, back and abs. It's all pullups and pushups. And I don't mean just regular pushups, I mean those killer diamond pushups that make you wish you were dead. There was a few times I nearly vomited. I've never done that during any workout, even in my hockey days. About 3/4ths of the way through, I was questioning if I could really do this. Then...I finished. I didn't finish as good as the people on the video, but it doesn't matter. I still completed it. This gave me a huge boost of pride and confidence. If a chubby guy like me can do this out of sheer will, maybe I do have a shot.
Then came the next 15 minutes after the chest and back...the "abs ripper X". OUCH. I don't have the stomach muscles yet. Will or not, there's only so much the body can do. I still finished, but had to cheat more than a few times. I'll definitely be doing this again until I get it right.
General emotions
Day 1 I was really excited. I finished strong and was feeling really good about myself. My body was done though. I could barely lift a finger. I stumbled my way into the shower then into bed. I was out before I knew it. At least you sleep well on this thing!
P90X - Day 2
Nutrition
The diet is getting easier. Miss M helped me shop for fun proteins to eat so I'm doing a lot better. I'm not just shoveling slices of meat into my mouth. I'm not huge on deli meats anymore, so I'm glad for this. I started the day with a soy yogurt (YUM) and some cereal, then went on to lunch with a veggie burger and veggies (still counts as protein!), had an afternoon snack, and waited. This was the mistake I made on the first day...I didn't wait before working out. This time I waited two hours and it really paid off.
The workout
They say that day two is the hardest because it's Plyometrics. Plyo is where you do a shit-ton of jumps and squats. Very hard on the legs, calves, thighs, and quads. It's also an amazing cardio workout. I was a little intimated when I started it because the trainer mentioned to have your bucket handy in case you need to vomit. Even he was saying that this was the toughest workout.
Surprisingly, I had an easier time of this workout than I did the other. I'm actually going to push harder next time because I kept up pretty well with the class and felt tired but fine afterwards. Nothing like day 1. I think the key here is my pre-training. What I didn't mention before about that 1.5 miles that I ran every day is that it wasn't flat land..it was steep hills. Add that to all of the hill grinding I was doing on my mountain bike and I really believe that my legs and heart were ready for this one. Definitely more so than the strength training. Don't get me wrong..it was still really hard, but I didn't feel like dying :) This gives me a lot of hope.
General emotions
I was surprised to wake up not sore at all. Then...at around 10 AM...it all hit me. My muscles tightened and it was harder to move. I was sore and tired through the rest of the day. I took a nap before my next workout which helped out a lot. I'm realizing I really need at least 8 hours of sleep. That's hard for a guy like me who gets on average 6. I'm still excited about the program. I'm stoked to see what tomorrow brings. I know it's more Ab Ripper, but I'm not sure what the main workout is. I need to take "before" pictures before going much farther. I can't wait for tomorrow :)
That being said, it's no gimmick or cake-walk. You really have to monitor your food intake and the work outs are some of the hardest I've ever done. The diet doesn't starve you of nutrients like the atkins or keep your calorie count low, but feeds you the right foods for the work out you're doing. For example - the first phase in the work out is building muscle mass. The diet has you eating a lot of protein and the work outs are muscle intensive.
With that out of the way, I decided to start blogging about my experience. If you're interested, read on. I'll post before and after pictures once all is said and done. I'm not normally the "fit" type, but with proper motivation I believe I can stick to this for at least 3 months.
1 month Pre-P90X
I started training about a month ago. The P90X is no joke. You have to do be able to do a minimum set of workouts just to keep up with the program. I had grown somewhat lethargic, but it was time to really hit the ground running if I was gonna do this for real. Please note - if you're thinking about doing this program, you CANNOT DO IT COLD. You will injure yourself. Even now, I'm learning that my pre-workout wasn't enough. I'm still sticking with it because I believe I can train up to where I need to be.
My pre-program workout consisted of jogging at least 1.5 miles every day and hitting the weights 3 days a week. I'd mountain bike at least two days a week. This helped me build my heart and stamina to the point where it could work. My strength training wasn't enough, but at least it helped my body wake up from it's nap. I slowly got used to working out again.
P90X - Day 1
Nutrition
Day one was definitely a hard day. I hadn't had any caffeine (as it's forbidden on the nutrition plan) the day before and I was going cold turkey today. That and I went from being a vegetarian to suddenly being on a high protein diet. I'd say the diet was the hardest part for me on day one. What's interesting is that it wasn't hard eating because there wasn't enough...it was hard eating because it was too much! In the first phase of the program, I'm schedule to eat 7 portions of protein a day, 1 fruit, 4 vegetables, 3 servings of dairy, 1 carb, and 1 snack. Normally I eat a lot more fruits and carbs. My body wasn't ready for the sudden shock of no caffeine or carbs so I was tired all day.
Luckily I have a friend at work who is on the program with me. We went shopping at CostCo for snacks and food and stuck to our guns. It's helping a lot to have a spotter at work. Work is really hard because my crew loves to eat and we eat very well. But not healthy. Not to mention all of the free snacks (bagels every morning from Einstein, free candy, bread, peanut butter, etc). The only way I will be able to do this is if I stock my own snacks.
The workout
I was tired, sleepy, but still stoked to start the work out. In part, because I knew it is a really hard work out. When I challenge myself, I tend to go all the way. Hence why I went straight for the hardest program I can find. I reviewed my workout for the day and started the video. The first thing I figured out is that I definitely don't have the upper body strength for it. They do a good job of giving you alternatives if you can't do the exact workout, but it's still really tough. The first day is chest, back and abs. It's all pullups and pushups. And I don't mean just regular pushups, I mean those killer diamond pushups that make you wish you were dead. There was a few times I nearly vomited. I've never done that during any workout, even in my hockey days. About 3/4ths of the way through, I was questioning if I could really do this. Then...I finished. I didn't finish as good as the people on the video, but it doesn't matter. I still completed it. This gave me a huge boost of pride and confidence. If a chubby guy like me can do this out of sheer will, maybe I do have a shot.
Then came the next 15 minutes after the chest and back...the "abs ripper X". OUCH. I don't have the stomach muscles yet. Will or not, there's only so much the body can do. I still finished, but had to cheat more than a few times. I'll definitely be doing this again until I get it right.
General emotions
Day 1 I was really excited. I finished strong and was feeling really good about myself. My body was done though. I could barely lift a finger. I stumbled my way into the shower then into bed. I was out before I knew it. At least you sleep well on this thing!
P90X - Day 2
Nutrition
The diet is getting easier. Miss M helped me shop for fun proteins to eat so I'm doing a lot better. I'm not just shoveling slices of meat into my mouth. I'm not huge on deli meats anymore, so I'm glad for this. I started the day with a soy yogurt (YUM) and some cereal, then went on to lunch with a veggie burger and veggies (still counts as protein!), had an afternoon snack, and waited. This was the mistake I made on the first day...I didn't wait before working out. This time I waited two hours and it really paid off.
The workout
They say that day two is the hardest because it's Plyometrics. Plyo is where you do a shit-ton of jumps and squats. Very hard on the legs, calves, thighs, and quads. It's also an amazing cardio workout. I was a little intimated when I started it because the trainer mentioned to have your bucket handy in case you need to vomit. Even he was saying that this was the toughest workout.
Surprisingly, I had an easier time of this workout than I did the other. I'm actually going to push harder next time because I kept up pretty well with the class and felt tired but fine afterwards. Nothing like day 1. I think the key here is my pre-training. What I didn't mention before about that 1.5 miles that I ran every day is that it wasn't flat land..it was steep hills. Add that to all of the hill grinding I was doing on my mountain bike and I really believe that my legs and heart were ready for this one. Definitely more so than the strength training. Don't get me wrong..it was still really hard, but I didn't feel like dying :) This gives me a lot of hope.
General emotions
I was surprised to wake up not sore at all. Then...at around 10 AM...it all hit me. My muscles tightened and it was harder to move. I was sore and tired through the rest of the day. I took a nap before my next workout which helped out a lot. I'm realizing I really need at least 8 hours of sleep. That's hard for a guy like me who gets on average 6. I'm still excited about the program. I'm stoked to see what tomorrow brings. I know it's more Ab Ripper, but I'm not sure what the main workout is. I need to take "before" pictures before going much farther. I can't wait for tomorrow :)