I am half way through week 3 and I am seeing improvements in all my routines. This morning I was able to do 5 good under hand pull-ups with no chair. This is huge for me because I couldn’t do one 19 days ago! During this routine I was adding weights when Tony gave the option during the different leg exercises. Wall squats are getting a lot better as well. I held all the wall routines for the maximum time, even the leg raises.

Ab Ripper X was a solid workout as usual. In previous ARX routines I would go a little faster than Tony to get a extra rest between sets. It is also easier to get it done quicker. However, there is a reason he sets that pace. It gives you extra resistance and works the muscles harder. Today kept up with the pace of the group. This gave me an extra workout for sure. Learning from previous ARX workouts, I now start some of the exercises while Tony is still explaining. Like the V-up Roll up. I will get  head start and I actually finished with the group today. My form is still shaky on the Side Raises, but overall I am enjoying Ab Ripper X.

Each time I watch the routines, I pick up different things going on in the background. Today I kept laughing every time Drea was denying Eric on the fist bumps. I understand he may not be her favorite person, but can’t he get a little love? I think she rejected him twice and the third time he had to shove his fist in her face to get some recognition. Thank goodness he stuck with it though. Would have looked bad for the video if he gave up on her.

Staying Motivated

It is amazing how just sticking with P90X for 19 days keeps me motivated. There is not even a question about whether or not I am going to get out of bed at 5:15am to workout. My morning routine is very methodical and it is really helping me stay on point. Also, keeping a daily log of my P90X journey is very encouraging. It is good to go back and see my progress. These two things, plus the fact that I am seeing steady improvements have me motivated to keep working hard at the P90X program.

This morning it occurred to me that I am 3 days into week 3! Immediately questions starting forming like, “Am I still supposed to be using the chair for help with pull ups?” “Should I be able to get through Ab Ripper X without pausing the video to finish certain routines?” “Will I see more results soon?” I am sure these are common questions that  people have during different phases of the P90X program. However, the questions and doubts are still there. I decided that I would take Tony’s advice and “Do my best and forget the rest.” That being said, I pumped out a good work out and noticed some good improvements on my stat sheets. It was a solid Monday morning workout and I followed it up with a round of Ab Ripper X.

Hitting the Pause Button

For some reason, I have never hit the pause button during the routines to finish a preset number of reps. For example, when Tony says we are doing 16, I would do as many as I could until the time ran out. I realized getting in these set number of reps is crucial to achieve results. Especially finishing the sets with good form. So, I have now added the note of hitting the pause button to finish sets when there is a predetermined number to do. This is really helpful for Ab Ripper X. The total 339 will help me achieve the look I am going for.

Time for an Upgrade

I have been talking about upgrading the amount of weight I work out with for a few weeks. Yesterday afternoon I stopped over to Play it Again Sports and tested out a few different weights. For exercises like lawnmowers I want something that I have to really struggle to get 6-8. I tried a 55 lb dumbbell and was able to do 8 reps on both sides. When I bumped up to the 60, my left side was a little tougher to get 6. I believe I am going to get the 55 and try a round of Chest and Back. If I am able to get through both rounds of lawnmowers with the 55 and good form, I will stick with them. Otherwise I will be taking advantage of the 14 day return policy . I am also planning on upgrading my regular routine weights to 25 from 20. I am getting good form reps in with the 20 lbs and I believe I am ready for the next level. I will be sure to post my results of the weight upgrade, if I can still type after it.

This is the start of week 3 for me on my P90X program. I have been through all the exercises twice and know the proper technique for just about all the routines.  While I was waiting for my JACK3D to kick in this morning I was reviewing my progress sheets. I am happy with the progress made thus far, however there is room for improvement. I told myself” it is time to push it”.  For Chest and Back, I was ready to leave it all on the floor for round 1. Round 2 was a best effort at the routines. Pull-ups are getting better. I can do a few unassisted, however I need to pull the chair in often.  My push ups for round 1 felt really solid. The range of motion was very deep for a few and the rest were deeper than previous rounds.

By the time round 2 came, I was pretty spent. Even with the extra energy from JACK3D, I was dogging it. My push ups were not great and my pull ups were worse. All my reps for pull ups in round 2 were assisted with the chair. During my Military Push Ups, Tony went on a little tangent about the brain telling you that your body is done and pushing through it. It was timely considering I was red faced struggling for number 7. The rest of the workout I kept telling myself “mind over matter”.  It is cliche, however it did help.

Ab Ripper X

After pushing it hard for Chest and Back, I was not looking forward to ARX. However, I took the same approach of mind over matter. My form was good except for the v-ups. I struggle my ass off with those. I did try something new today, I hit pause to finish each set to get the 339. It worked well and I was pumped to finish the WHOLE routine.

I have said before I need to get more weight, especially for lawnmowers, etc. During the sets today I wrote down how much I thought I needed and the routines to test the new weights with before buying them. So tomorrow may be the day I go the upgrade. Like I said, week 3 is all about pushing it!

Legs and Back is a great P90X workout. It is a straight forward workout and has a number of opportunities to add weights for an additional workout. The 80,20s are a killer, but I feel like I pushed it hard while working on getting good form. I am seeing improvements in my pull-ups. I am up to 2 or 3 un-assisted and then bring the chair in. This is nothing to write home to mom about, but it is progress. The wall squats are also good workouts, especially when you start mixing in leg raises! I took a few breaks during these routines, but nothing like my first time through.

Ab Ripper X

The more I do ARX, the more I like it. There are 339 reps and I am working on getting all 339 with good form and proper technique. Each time through I push it a little harder and see myself getting deeper and deeper into the routine without a break or sloppy form. This is a solid core workout, not just abs. The leg raises for example are a burner throughout the body.

P90X Diet

I have been very diligent about updating my diet on my FitDay.com account. However, I am still struggling with getting that 20/30/50  of fat/carb/protein mixture. Coach Josh has been a big help with suggestions and I am considering reaching out to a nutritionist for a second opinion. The diet can be a bit frustrating trying to figure out what to eat, but I know it is a key part of the P90X program.

Overall I am happy with this week’s progress. I am feeling good and keep telling myself I will start to see physical differences soon. Like Tony says “Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is your body”. Tomorrow is Kenpo X and I am ready for some kicking and puching!

For the first round of this workout I used three different weights, 12,17 and 20 pound. Today I was able to do all the sets using the 17 or 20 pounders. Overall, I was happy with my form. It did get a little sloppy towards the end of a few exercises. However, overall I would call the workout a huge success. I did wear my lifting gloves to help protect my hands.

Tony had another life changing tip today, “Dont forget to breath”. It is funny, something so simple as breathing goes out the door when you are really trying to push yourself. During Ab Ripper X I actually caught myself holding my breath….

Real happy with the workout. Made it through all the exercises on Ab Ripper X. The Vroll up is a solid ab workout! Ready for my second attempt at Yoga X tommorow.

Ab Ripper X was a monster today. I am not able to complete all the reps, however I am improving on the number of reps I can do as well as perfecting my form. I am also feeling a tightness in my stomach. It is probably muscle developing, and it has been a while since there has been muscle there.

After my workout I made a killer recovery shake and had a great, easy omelet.

Looking forward to Plyometrics tomorrow and will continue to push it.

• You want lower reps with heavier weight

- 8-12 reps for size
- 10-12 reps for

• Listen to Tony and “Do your best”

- Focus on making the reps that have better form

Make sure you write down your reps and keep track of the weights used. I am sure keeping track of my progression will help keep me motivated and tell me how much I need push for each work out.
The work out finished up with Ab Ripper X (ARX). I tried to do all the exercises, but I probably did half the reps. I have to keep telling myself to focus on quality not quantity.

After the workout I had a Whey protein shake with milk and started the first day of the P90X diet.