Saez

Rather than one post per day, I’ve decided that is more informative and less repetitive to have weekly summary posts. So unless there is a new training video, I will work on weekly notes and make updates to previous posts as I uncover more insights from this great workout.

This week the workout was harder in some parts and easier in others. My goal is to surpass my previous workout count by one-two more reps in every set. After completing the workouts, I’m not as sore which is a good indication of progress. I’m making good progress although pull-ups appear to be the most challenging. I feel that Dive-bomber and decline push-ups are intense, but I can feel that they are great given the isolation and overload in the chest area. Awesome!

I can’t say enough good things about the Plyometrics workout. The routine is 59 minutes long. The variety keeps you looking away from the clock, yet when you hit 30 minutes, you are wasted and you can’t help but think that it is almost over just to find out that you have 25 more minutes to go. So you think the last 25 minutes get easier? Think again. I love this workout, not only for my legs, but the cardio effect is intense. I find that I’m constantly in my aerobic zone. Despite the variety of movements, you can modulate the intensity and really make this workout harder as you get use to it. Higher jumps, stronger and sharper turns and better form. One day after the workout, I feel a little soreness on my right knee. Oh, and the the video has an added inspiration plug where one of the participants has an prosthetic leg.

In Shoulders and Arms, I feel I’m picking better weights to challenge my muscles. It takes a bit to get use to the steady rhythm with proper weight reaching a strain point in the last 2-3 reps. The static or isometric holds here are killer. In static arm curls you come from a halfway arm extension 5-second static pause into a 4 curl reps which gives you quite a burn. I’m focusing in 8-10 reps for size.

I noticed good improvements in my form doing Yoga this week. Another great workout! Warrior 3 and half moon are still tough to master. It’s important for be deliberated and focused on form through each pose. I noticed that on tough stretches my breathing accelerates. Then it hit me again, coordinating the movement with the breathing is calming and helps you work through the sometimes eternally long 30 seconds. Balance moves challenges continue. There is a core-ab sequence in this workout which is intense and quite different than Ab-Ripper X. This five minute sequence focuses totally on isometric holds and it is a core killer. It’s a beautiful thing! I’m starting to think during the balance move that in order to master these you need more than the 30 seconds. I may hold each position for 60 seconds to gain strength in balance and work on the calm/storm balance.

I was able to work through Legs and Back much easier, especially legs. One more solid rep on pull-ups per set on average and fewer chair-assisted ones. Kempo X continues to be in my opinion cardio light and not solid enough for full dose of daily cardio workout.
The sweat keeps intensifying. Progress is coming in small increments. I need to be patient. I can’t wait to hit play and continue my overall improvements.

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

I skipped a day since I’m still under the weather and I did 5 hours or drills and scrimmage with my volleyball friends yesterday. I was eager to hit play today since I’m familiar with the title. I know of only two sports where plyometrics is core to their training program: Basketball and Volleyball. I won’t hold against the P90X producers that fact that they did not mentioned once volleyball throughout this routine. I’ve come to accept that my sport is not as popular as others. However, where else can you show off a ripped torso and your stellar jump if it’s not in the sand during a nice summer day?

Plyometrics is without a doubt a great workout and a must have for this series. The progression is well balanced with a good mix of jumping, lateral moves and stretches. A typical plyometric routine includes depth jumps. Not here. This routine has a combination of fast burning jumps, squats, leg swings and lunges with ample variety to be as intense as you want and produce visible results. You have 6 sequences, each one with 4 exercises. Each exercise is performed for 30 seconds, some for one minute. The movements are not too coreographed so just about anyone can adapt to get into the rhythm with a jazzy music background.

Experts claim an average of 4-8 inches improvement from adding plyometrics to your training program. I’m eager to see the progress and motivated as this will get me closer to my tournament goal for next summer. For people over 35 who want to Bring it! as far as jumping, this routine is low impact enough to fit anyone’s legs. My wife is more of a long-distance runner. She noticed a great degree of inner thigh and butt burn which is what laddies like. Overall a good day, we pushed each other to complete all moves and avoid too much (<10 seconds in some parts) slacking. I skipped volleyball play today.

Again, this workout gets a VERY high mark for cardio and leg intensity. I hear that over 70% of jump comes from your quads. This is a quad killer and so you should see visible jump improvements. Top sports performance demands that you consistently play at 80% of your max throughout your event. This is a tall order when all your jumps must be at least 80% of your max height. Your competitive advantage will not come necessarily from leaping a foot higher, but rather because of the consistency and endurance. This alone will make you a fierce competitor. My jump has increased, but again, my greatest payoff from this routine is my ability to sustain this consistency and look effortless. This is priceless!

Plyometrics score: A for cardio, B+ for jump training.

written by osaez \\ tags: daily journal, jump, P90X, plyometrics, saez, training, volleyball, 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

Timing often sucks. Just when you are resolved to start something and then, whamm, it hits you. You catch a bad cold. I’ve had one since Thanksgiving and, so far, have only played fast-finger on my remote browsing the P90X DVDs. I did my fit test today and worked through the Yoga X. I have a decent benchmark, some ugly photos and a lot to say about my first home video workout experience ever.

I’m trying to formulate an opinion about this guy Tony Horton. He is the host of the P90X videos. He has an off beat sense of humor and does not take himself too seriously. Personally, I prefer an actual gym to workout. I like to watch people sweat and pour their energy into their workouts and fight against the machines. So the idea of a home video workout was initially not appealing to me…. and the idea of watching a guy on video for three months repeating the same pep-talk-sound-bites is not something that just grows on me. Tony is a decent talker, a bit over the top. Then again, I was anticipating this reaction since I’m pushed by my ipod music pumping some techno beats, instead of a talking head. Tony is pretty good about hinting the next move or rep and then you can zone him out for the rest with an occasional glimpse on the screen for form and staying in sync. He adds some useful gotcha hints to maintain posture and proper form throughout.

I was not feeling fully recovered today to start the classic routine from the top but I did the fit test, popped the Yoga X file and hit play. Wow! Pretty intense. I like to stretch after workouts, but I learned that this is going to take my workout to a new level. I held tough for most of the 1st half until the balancing part. Crane? Royal Dancer? Frog? Boat? What kind of names are these for balance moves? How are you suppose to learn this? I’m crazy to admit, but I’m excited to master all these. I just hope that I can get it in 90 days. Oh, a side bonus from today… Julie and I worked out together. This was very rewarding by itself. Now, I have a few more days to shake out the cold and be mentally ready to endure Tony’s talk.

Click here for photos at Day 0

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