I am officially in Phase 3 of P90X! It is hard to believe this is my 57th day working out with the program. Reviewing the Fitness Guide before my workout, it is time for Chest and Back. I have not done with workout since end of Phase 1. This is part of the muscle confusion. Varying the workouts keeps your body guessing and helps eliminate the plateau effect you get with most workout.

Since I have not done this workout in a while, I was excited to compare today’s numbers to week 4’s numbers. Sure enough, there were significant improvements. Especially the pull ups and weights used. I am up to 10 pull ups unassisted and using 30 pound weights during the back exercises. I am really happy with these results and it is a great motivation to keep pressing play.

As I was reading the Fitness Guide prior to my workout, it mentions leaving everything on the mat this round. Pushing as hard as you can for the final stretch of P90X. This is going to be my goal for every workout for the remainder of P90X.

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Today I am taking the day off. Now stretch, no cardio after work, just rest. Looking back, this is the first time I think I took a complete day off. The only thing I am planning on is a walk tonight with the wife and puppies. This is the end of my rest week and tomorrow is Chest and Back.

I am on the fence right now about purchasing some Power Blocks. It is time to up my weights and I don’t want to have to buy 30 pound weights just to upgrade again in 4 or 5 weeks. So, we will see.

This is my 9th time going through Yoga X and my flexibility still needs  a lot of work.  My Moon moves are especially troublesome. I can only reach my lower calf on the  Half Moon and Twisting Half Moon. I can not believe how much harder I need to work on my flexibility.

Balance Postures are getting better! I was able to hold Crane for about 7 seconds. This is incredible considering I couldn’t even come close to holding first day. Overall my core strength is improving. It would be amusing to watch a video of my first Yoga X session compared now. Especially considering I didn’t even finish Yoga X the first time..

Well, I am still pressing play and pushing it as hard I as I can.

The results are in, I am down 11 pounds! I am proud of hitting that goal and now it is time to re-focus on P90X. This morning was a great re-introduction to P90X. I forgot how much work Core Synergistics is. The sweat was pouring off me by the time I hit Steam Engine. Not to mention difficult. That Plank to Chataranga run is insane. Adam (the ripped dude in the back of the workout) is a mad man! I need to really focus next time and bring it.

Well, tomorrow is another workout and another attempt to do my best.

Today is the big day for my weigh in at work. My goal loss is 10 pounds and I have been working hard to meet that. According to the Recovery Week, I am supposed to do X Stretch today, however I am trying to burn as much as possible. So, I decided to add Plyometrics in. It was another solid round of Plyo and the heart rate was up.  This added diet the last few weeks has been tough, but I am seeing results.

I can not wait to be done with Recovery Week. Day 60 is around the corner and Day 90 is not far beyond that.

I am working my way through recovery week and enjoying it. This Friday I think I am going to breakdown and get the Power Blocks to start the next round. Until then, I have a lot more “Recovering” to do…

Kenpo X is a lot of fun and a great way to relieve stress. The routine is only as tough as you make it. If you want to dog it during the punches and kicks, your heart rate will never get up. However, if you are putting a little something into, you can get a lot of it. I was very happy with my workout today and this evening I am planning on doing a couple mile run with 30 minutes on the exercise bike. Gotta shed as much weight as I can for the weigh in at work tomorrow!

Do not let the name “Recovery Week” fool you. You are not sitting around watching Tony do stretches for 7 days. You are still working your tail off. Today’s Core Synergistics is a solid routine. I forgot hard it pushes you.  Like all the P90X workouts, I enjoy it. However, I can see a lot of people being mislead by the wording “Recovery Week”.

Tomorrow is Kenpo and I have my weight in on Tuesday at work.

I didn’t even realize I was beginning my second Recovery Week. I was planning a good resistance workout this morning until I reviewed the fitness guide. It is hard to believe I am in my 8th week of P90X. The time is just flying by. According to the guide, today should be Yoga X. However, Tuesday is my weight in at work and I want to loose as much as possible. So I will be modifying the schedule and doing a Plyo routine instead. Plus I did not have the mind set for 90 minutes of Yoga today.

P90x’s Kenpo X is always a great workout. All the punching and kicking really make the time go back quick. Today was exceptionally good for me because I was able to keep my heart rate about 160 for pretty much the whole routine. Tony keeps you working even during the breaks!

One thing I would recommend for those looking to get a little bit more out of the workout is weighted gloves. Just make sure you get a decent pair that are comfortable and wont chaff your hands.