Ok, so I did Legs and Back again today. I felt a lot better about some of the exercises this time around, as opposed to the difficulty I had the first time. I tend to neglect my legs when I work out at the gym without a guided routine such as P90X, so I look at this as a good opportunity to become more well-rounded. I have always had strong legs, which became pretty apparent through various tasks in the military (particularly, long road marches with lots of hills and heavy gear), as well as when kicking in Muay Thai and Kung Fu. Heck, when I was a kid, I could kick myself in the head easily... my flexibility and power was amazing. I guess it has always been natural. Now, it's been quite a while, but I see that strength coming back quickly. The Toe Roll Isometric Lunges I had such difficulty with last time were much better this time. In fact, my biggest issue with them today wasn't the leg strength, it was the balance. I stumbled around a bit at times with them, but I got low into the lunges and got a great range of motion, despite the fact that it was late into the workout and I was fatigued already.
I also tried using the resistance bands for the pullups tonight (thanks for the suggestion Lisa!) since I had issues with the pullup bar last time. I felt like I relied too heavily on the chair, and wasn't getting anything out of the exercise at that point. It seemed to be more of a leg workout, as I was just standing up on the chair, unable to actually use my upper body to lift myself up. Well, the bands kept me from doing that tonight. I tried several different postures while performing the various pullups and chinups in the workout, and I haven't decided whether I prefer kneeling or sitting. I just try to get really far back and use my full range of motion, and one way or another it just seems to work. I think next time I'll put a few more loops in the band though, because my set up has a lot less height involved than in the video. I'd like to be closer to the point of origin on the horizontal plane, but without losing any resistance. Unfortunately, it didn't cross my mind to put loops in the band until after I was finished with the routine. Sitting further back added a lot of resistance, but I feel like it was more of a row type exercise than a pullup in most cases. I tried to adjust for this, but I think next time it will be much better.
The whole thing is just trial and error, and perfection over time. I'm getting better each time, and it feels great to see it happen that way. I guess that's a motivating factor right there!
So far so good, haven't missed a day yet and my diet is improving over time. I couldn't realistically ask for much more at this point.
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Can I just say, Justin, that I LOVE your attitude! That is huge when starting a program. You have a way of looking at things, like me, looking at the positive side of things. Hey, I bet by the time you're done this round of P90X, you'll be kicking yourself in the head again...hehe. cute! I think when your body has been really fit previously, it is easier to become fit again, like the muscles remember. I'm so happy you're liking the P90X, and rocking it!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Well, I wasn't always so positive. In fact, as far as fitness goes, positivity is hard for me to come by. I was fit in the Army, but not as fit as I'm looking to get now (but it would be a good goal to get there first, and then to superhero status after that lol). Honestly though, all these people are getting great results with P90X and I have to have a positive attitude if I expect to join those ranks. And hey, I'm not kicking myself in the head again yet, but I will be soon =P
ReplyDeleteAlthough, is that really something to look forward to? hahaha.
How is your progress coming? You said you have a recovery phase coming up next week if im not mistaken? I have yet to get to that part, so I haven't even done things like Cardio X yet. I'm looking forward to it though! Just when I feel like I'm getting the hang of the first phase too, but I guess that's the point isn't it?