Saez

As you know, large muscles need more time to reveal that they have been punished, and so I waited 24 hours to write this review. During the workout… what an incredible burn!?!? This one has lots of lateral movements that punish the inner and outer thighs and so again - my wife loves this one. Before you start this routine you need to make sure that your joints are in top form. Even though this is relatively low-impact workout, it stresses the joints especially your knees and lower back given the abundance squat bends. The balance between bursts and holds should be good for your joints, but I was feeling quite a bit of tension on my knees and hips all throughout. So pay attention to the host Tony as he stresses pacing yourself and bend to an uncomfortable but avoid pain or strain. After 24 hours, some tension on the butt, but not a lot of soreness compared to Plyometrics. So the degree of the day-after effect, I have to say, plyometric wins hands down.

In general, your legs can be far stronger than your body weight, so don’t expect this routine to replace a bodybuilding’s program. This workout lacks the cardio benefits that you find in more demanding CrossFit squat and arm WOD. The emphasis in this video is agility and strength which are essential for any sports training program. I like this routine, but I can understand why some people may refer to this as Crossfit Lite. Back exercises again focused on different forms of pull-ups which are great no matter the intensity.

My first week on this I averaged 6-8 pull-ups per set which seemed rather low. Tony states that anything over 12 reps is extreme. On my third month, I was pulling 15 reps on average. Wow, double, not bad!

First week and also another episode of Ab Ripper X. Again, this routine will be very difficult to master. I need to be patient, this is just my 3rd time. If you burnout too quickly, take a break and make sure that you keep going to complete all movements. I started with 10-12 reps in some, as the weeks progressed, I worked to complete all the reps just about all moves. Work progressively but make sure that you at least start every move, on time and with good form.

Legs and Back score: B

written by osaez \\ tags: back, legs, P90X, training, workout

Nov 30, My 1st Day

These guys make it look easy. I started out strong… 15 pull ups, 20 push ups. Not bad. What kills is the progression and the short rest interval between sets. I didn’t sweat as much since half way through, I was suffering from extreme muscle fatigue and showering with lactic acid. I believe the push-ups are better at muscle isolation than the pull-ups for the back. Pull-ups are good, but there is a fair amount of bicep involved. Maybe that why the routine has three sets that require dumbbells doing rows and fly.

Monthly Summary

You do this workout one a week the 1st month and then again on your 3rd month. Subsequent weeks in the 1st month went as expected. Incremental progress in all fronts. The cumulative fatigue from quick change and continuous variation through each exercise makes this a very effective muscle and strength builder. Great workout. Women will have some trouble here if your upper body is not ready. Even if your rep count per exercise is under 6 or 8, you should still expect to see results. Anchoring your upper body with a strong chest and back is very important for posture and overall strength foundation.

Chest and Back score: A

Ab Ripper X Summary

This one has 11 different movements and you need to do 25 reps each, again non-stop. It’s a very good routine, but again, you won’t find isolated ab movements but rather a fair amount of isometric core tension due to balancing and core strength combined with leg extensions. I managed to squeeze 15 reps throughout my first time. I was feeling my hips and my upper thighs were cramping doing crunchy frogs (3rd exercise).

Over the weeks, I was able to complete some and average 20 count in most others. Most workout programs encourage ab workout daily, not P90X. This is not an ab routine but rather a core area burner. This routine is not for daily consumption and they impress this on the video. I tend to agree.

When I compare a typical upper body workout at the gym with this, so far my gym workout wipes me out relatively more. In all fairness, it could be that I did not push the rep count needed throughout. We’ll see.

I’m off to play vball with friends tonight after my 1st workout day. I have a feeling that my game will suffer. But who cares… I’m in training and ready to hit play tomorrow.

Ab Ripper X score: A

written by osaez \\ tags: back, chest, daily journal, P90X, saez, training, volleyball, workout