Today I attempted X2 Total Body & Ab Ripper. Thank goodness this is a DVD; I can pause, rewind, and start again. I mean, how do you do a mule kick burpee? Or a crunchy lever pull-up? I wish that I had taken time in the weeks before I started this process to watch the videos from the couch. It would have helped orient me better to the timing and to the exercises (and especially the modifications!).
Luckily, John wasn't paying enough attention to photograph or record the relative debacle that was this workout. Don't get me wrong, I did as much as I could, modified where necessary, and I'm pretty sure that next time I do this, I'll be better.
The major modification I made was using the bosu ball instead of a stability ball or medicine balls. Some day, I want to be able to do a plyo push-up (in which you push your hands off the ground at the top of the push-up) or push-ups with my hands on medicine balls, I'm just not there. So I did them on the bosu, which provided some of the instability (and extra balance work), but wasn't quite as intense.
As for the Ab Ripper, the moment I saw that it was only 16 minutes long, I said to John, "This is going to be the hardest ab workout I've ever done." Not far off. There's an exercise called Superman Banana X in which you have to hold your appendages off the ground and roll from your stomach to your back (ideally without using your hands or feet). I rolled around on the floor, managed to do it partly right, and feel a tiny bit of what it's supposed to feel like, and I realized, as I giggled at the ridiculousness of it, that I have so much core work to do.
Calories burned = 768
Average heart rate = 125
Great recap of initial experience! I think many people are intimidated about trying new programs and when they dont "get it" right away they give up - but really folks need to do exactly what you did which is to modify, try again, do only what you can, and keep a lighthearted attitude. Love it, looking forward to reading more and dare I say - maybe become inspired by your discipline ;-)
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