Saez

It has been two years since I started the P90X program, and what an incredible transformation and journey it has been. If you completed the program or are currently working on your first round, then keep reading. If this is all new, then you may want to start here.

I’m old school. I believe that most best things in life come with effort and determination.  If you completed the P90X or any other fitness program… Congratulations! You feel strong and your confidence now propels you to take on any challenge, physically and mentally. Feel proud, look around, heck, look in the mirror. You are done now, but our humanity starts to set in… You ask, now what? Surprisingly, the answer has to do with training your mind more than working your body.

This is the same thought that I confronted when I finished my first round two years ago. My reward?  The ability to kick some youngsters in the sand playing volleyball. So here’s my story: The game is about to begin and you are playing with guys in their 20′s. They look at a guy in his mid 40′s and it’s as if you would be the last person that they would pick in a line up to be in their team. They pick you only because they have no choice. The game begins. With their tanks full of energy and ego, they pound the ball and get ahead right away by 5 points. Lou Holtz said, “How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine whether you are a winner or a loser.” As the game continues, all the P90X conditioning comes into focus and you perform at 95% all throughout the day. You win the first game! The opposite team gets frustrate and go into mental meltdown since they cannot see themselves loosing to someone shorter, older and seemingly slower. What’s happening? They blame bad lady luck for their loss. They ask for a rematch. Now you beat them easily, and many more games throughout the day. Their frustration increases. They wonder if what they ate the night before that is making them sick. Rematch, I ask? They are tired but still and maybe rationalize that they can beat that old man any day, just not today.

Whatever your story, whatever helped you ‘stick-with-it’, congratulations! Keeping your new active lifestyle energy requires several principles for long term success. Here are my top picks:

Always have a purpose or a goal – this not only applies when keeping a strong workout ethic, but translates into every aspect of life. Don’t just do it. Do it because _________.

Think positive – A positive attitude anticipates happiness, joy, health and successful outcome in every situation and action. “Whatever the mind expects, it finds.” – Remez Sasson

Maintain is easier than build – You dedicated a lot of energy and effort to build your body to a new level. You’ll be surprise to learn that it takes less effort to maintain your metabolism, energy and strength with lighter and cardio focused workouts. See my workout maintenance tips below.

Aim to improve – Are we talking about eating carrots everyday? Watch Shakira videos 24/7? No quite. Aiming to improve is a deliberate mental disposition to recognize that you can climb one more step. Aim is all about focus and improve is about projecting yourself into the future. So be a dreamer, imagine yourself at your goal and believe that you can do it.

So it shouldn’t not come as a surprise that what helps you reach your physical goals is in your head. As we age, mental and spiritual capacity increases, as our bodies start to decrease in stamina and strength. So training your biggest muscle, your brain, will give you a stronger edge physically and an advantage over anyone else. While others may be more talented, you can develop the skills that comes with disciplined training.

So the best advice for any maintenance or off-season training is to focus on increasing your mental capacity. ‘nough said!

Fitness Maintenance Tips

If you are a bodybuilding, be sensible about your weight gain in your off-season, work on your weak spots to come stronger next season. If you play a particular sport, focus on your overall game. If you are not winning, you are just average. This is where you should focus building your overall game skills, increase your ‘horsepower’ or buildup your strength and physical conditioning on weak areas, game repetition and find good coaching.

If you are happy with your P90X gains and want to keep working on overall conditioning and chisel your body further, then mix it up a bit. I’m experimenting working on lower reps, deeper range of motion and no breaks. For instance, I do P90X Chest and Back in 40 minutes. I keep the chest reps between 16-25, pull-ups to 10 and move quickly from one exercise to the next, no rest. I find that I retain my endurance (with a decent sweat) and build strength even working out three days a week. I’m doing heavy weights and plyometrics for legs since the P90X leg routine just does not cut it for me. Then, I finish up with yoga at least once a week.

Finally, training in general is just one aspect for good overall health. Do not overlook the power of eating right and sleeping adequately as key to maintain your gains.

Here are some good links on this topic:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbmainmind.htm

http://bodybuilding.about.com/od/bodybuildingcompetition/a/staylean.htm

http://www.wannabebig.com/anabolics/how-to-maintain-your-gains-post-cycle-part-i

http://health.yahoo.com/fitness-exercises/maintain-your-gains/womens-health–26427.html

One of my favorite and most skilled actors, Will Smith. A stellar work ethic and successful career in TV and movie industry and a true role model. The video below may lack in originality and coherence at times, but more than makes up as  a great compilation of grounded philosophical advice.

Here are the photos from my 1st EVP volleyball tournament of the 2009 season last weekend. We played AAA/Gold level. Toughest pool at our level and great competition. We made it out of pool play into the next round, but did not make it too far. All the moves where there, but intensity was lacking. It was a beautiful day though. Thanks Rachel for taking these pictures. I’m also including the photos of Helen Kelliher, Lisa Howard. Congratulations on your EVP Pro win!

I have been diligently working on my P90X+ workout routine since late Nov-08 to get ready for my beach volleyball season this summer. I finally have a decent 6-pack and have broken every personal record for weight and reps in all moves; without a doubt I’m in the best shape in my life. I’ve been incorporating traditional plyometrics, agility and crossfit into my strength training to mix it up. I consider PlyoX more of a killer cardio workout leading to endurance and agility and not strength or improved my jumping height. P90X has gained popularity and a tremendous following over the last few years. Many professional sport performance coaches have reviewed P90X and have offered their insight.

Naturally, one of the most common criticisms of P90X is that it’s a cookie cutter recipe, same plan for everyone. Human physical developmental capacity and abilities are quite complex and individual. Other comments point at the principle of muscle confusion as insufficient for sports training and may not be a direct proxy for periodization which you need to allow muscles time to adapt and grow. Others say that P90X is a fitness product, not an athletic performance and so it must be compared and criticized in this context. Many agree that before embarking on a sport performance program, strong fitness foundation is important and P90X gets high marks for early pre-season training.

Regardless, with P90X you press PLAY and GO. This convenience along with variety and intensity makes this a world class fitness program. So, what’s your goal? No, I don’t mean 8-10 or 12-15 reps… I mean, what’s your end goal for training? You spend lots of hours working-out, sweating, buying equipment, taking supplements, re-arranging your schedule, buying additional detergent to take care of more loads of laundry…for what? Looking good, loosing some weight?

Loosing weight and looking good may be unsustainable goals unless they lead to lifestyle changes. The most effective way to remain active is to find a goal that integrates into your lifestyle, family and network of friends. Play a sport competitively, do an IRONMAN, dance Zumba, etc. The key is doing it competitively or seeking to improve every time you perform this activity, not just participate. This will motivate you to increase your determination to workout harder and counter the natural metabolism slow down inherent with aging.

After one year, P90X still gets my vote, with some reservations, for anyone to build a good fitness foundation to pursue any sports or physical intense activity. Putting this much time and effort has to pay off, with P90X or any other high intensity training program. P90X is comprehensive, easy to follow at a great value. I give it a 4 out 5 score.