Alert! Alert! Guest blog post

Okay, so Kenna just recently finished Phase 3 of P90x2. I thought I might help out while she is between phases. 


Today was my first day of Phase 3, and I just "completed" my first P.A.P. Lower workout. I put "completed" in quotes because my legs were so shaky during the fourth round of the second half of the workout that I kept failing or falling. So far, it is the hardest leg workout I have ever attempted. Between being dizzy, wanting to vomit, and my legs going all wobbly, I collapsed during the final moments just before cool-down and sort of muscle-spasmed for a few moments. I've never felt so weak/depleted. That being said, here are my list of the hardest workouts of P90x2 in order or crazy.

1. P.A.P. Lower (see above)
2. Balance & Power - The first time I tried it, I cursed Tony Horton. Literally, I couldn't stop saying during the workout, "F**k you, Tony Horton! It's not funny."
3. Base & Back + Ab Ripper - Pull Ups, Plyo, Pull Ups, Plyo...

Oh yeah, while I'm spouting P90x2 stuff, don't eat raw onions before working out. Seems pretty simple, but one of the meals calls for a broccoli salad with raw onions. Eaten at lunch with a 4pm workout is bad for anyone involved. By that I mean you (the onion eater) and anyone who wishes to be in the same house that evening. 

I would tell you more, but, like they say in every video, I've done my best, and I forgot the rest. 

Cheers,

John

PAP Lower Week 3

So today was the last PAP Lower workout.  After two-and-a-half weeks of listening to Tony Horton tell me that I shouldn't wear running shoes for this workout, John and I finally went out and bought some inexpensive training shoes at Big 5.  Although I wanted the pink LA Gears, I ended up with black LA Gears. LA GEARS! Seriously, I did not think this brand still existed!

The shoes did make me feel a bit more stable, so that was a plus.  AND, I realized that it didn't matter what shoes I was wearing, because I'm working out on laminate flooring, my feet are going to slip.  So, since I'm using my yoga mat to pad up my elbow, I used John's yoga mat to provide some stability for my feet.  And hallelujah, on the last round of the Side Bridge Leg Lift, I was able to hold the pose for the entire 30 seconds on each side, with my arm raised in the air (which somehow made it seem easier!).  This has been a difficult exercise for me, and I thought I would need to be content with just staying in the position with my hip up, but bringing my leg up and down to rest.  Today I just breathed, and rocked it!

Here are some other things I improved on:

• Step Up Convict - from 3 lb weights to 8 lb med balls in each arm, adding a heel raise at the top of the position.  
• Squat Cross Reach - from 5 ugly reps to 8 pretty reps 
• Skater Plyo - I could always do the 8 reps, but I definitely got faster and more powerful doing them 

I still need to work on my one-leg line hop and my monster slalom.  I'm just not confident with my left knee on the monster slalom.  

It occurs to me that I have not gotten a cold since I started this workout.  I mean, usually I get a cold sometime in the first few months of the year.  But nothing.

I'm looking forward to Round 2 of P90X2.  Here are some things I'm looking forward to in particular:

• Adding running, alternating 3 miles and intervals each week
• Adding the push-up in between upward dog and downward dog in yoga
• Continuing to work on the pull-up
• Continuing to work on this blog
• Med Ball Push-ups 
• Having pizza (John and I agreed to have some when he is done with his last phase!)
• Doing Insanity the week we are in Maui in May

Calories Burned = 691 (compared to 774 in Week 1) 

Average Heart Rate = 139 (compared to 143 in Week 1) 

Peak Heart Rate = 177 (compared to 182 in Week 1) 

3 workout days left!

This morning, as I was completing yoga, I realized that I only have three more workout days left in this phase -- PAP Upper, Lower, and Recovery+Mobility!  OMG!  Then I'm taking a week of Recovery+Mobility before starting Round 2 of P90X2.

I've been working harder during the PAP workouts, trying to hold positions longer or do more weight or use one fewer resistance band on my pull-up assist.  I don't necessarily feel like I am getting that much better at the PAP workouts.

We'll see how I am doing on my goals tomorrow and Friday -- I'm weighing in tomorrow and doing measurements and pictures on Friday!

PAP Lower - Week 1

I am so glad to have started Phase 3.  That last recovery week was like cheating week. I guess I may not need 7 whole days of recovery, but something closer to 4.  Good to know.

Today I got to do PAP Lower.  PAP stands for Post-Activation Potentiation -- Tony Horton says "You've probably never heard of that before."  No kidding, it sounds completely made up.  But, as I read on the Team Beachbody website, it was a killer workout.

2 "complexes" -- which are four exercises each, repeated 4 times in a row with a 5-10 second break in between each exercise.  Then a 1 minute water break in between each complex.

I wasn't terrible in the first complex -- step up lunges, side-to-side & front-to-back single leg hops, skater plyo leap, and Tony's triangle.  I can't even really explain these right now because of time, but I promise I will.  Then I got into the second complex and was pretty bad at the squat reach in which you balance on one leg, squat down over a medicine ball, and then extend your arm and leg in opposite directions -- they were doing 8, I made it up to 6.  Then this complex includes killer katherine lunges with height, monster slalom (which bothered my left knee), and side bridge lift (which I could only hold for 5-8 seconds at a time, compared to 30 seconds.

BUT, I LOVED this workout!  It was fun and fast.  The warm up was different too, which was a welcomed change of pace.

Calories Burned = 774
Average Heart Rate = 143
Peak Heart Rate = 182