It doesn't take much to make me happy, but then it doesn't take much to annoy me either.
Workouts
I'm one of those people that needs to workout. Unfortunately, I'm also one of those people that gets lazy and doesn't want to do anything. Woe is me - I am my own worst enemy when it comes to working out.
This is a calendar tracking my workouts for the month.
Blue circles
are when I did a workout, and when they are connected with a line it
means the goal of working out at least 5 days per week is intact.
19 MAY 2019 - Core. Core. Core. Core. Core. Core. Core. And if that's too subtle, CORE.
My whole approach to working out has been to avoid heavy weights. Not avoid challenges, but don't fall for the trap of getting injured because the weights were too heavy. Live to fight another day and err on the side of safety.
But lately my focus has been to seek that point where muscle begins to break down. NOT go past that point, but find it and then back off. Which has lead to heavier and heavier weights. And this is where today's revelation comes in...
The heavier weights are leading to a stronger core. Simply lifting them into place and putting them down, let alone the actual exercises, requires my core to be engaged. But in my effort to avoid injury thru the use of heavier weights I've not received the benefit of a stronger core. But now I know... gonna keep that in mind in the future.
But there's another exercise with hidden core benefits. I have a balance board, similar to a Bosul Ball except it's made from harder materials that make it more difficult. The primary focus is improving balance, but in addition to that is core. When struggling to maintain balance on an unbalanced surface, your core becomes engaged. Sweet... another core improvement.
18 MAY 2019 - Been a long time since this page has been updated. I've been as consistent as usual, which means mostly sticking to my general target of five workouts per week, all of which follow the P90X workouts. Aug 2018 was sporadic, and September had over two weeks of vacation, which causes me huge disruptions. October 2018 thru January 2019 was pretty damn good... maybe three or four weeks were missed during that length of time. February and March were again sporadic, but April and May have been on track. Now that I've reviewed the entire time I'm a bit more encouraged.
I've noticed a trend where workouts slowly build upon each other to the point that I'm pushing personal bests and gaining more defined muscularity. Then the intensity of the workouts overwhelm me, my motivation drops, and I have to fight thru a period where I just don't want to do anything.
Not sure how to handle this. I tried backing off and taking a "just show up" approach but that had limited success. Again, I'm not sure how to deal with this peak and valley syndrome... gonna have to try a few different approaches and see what will work.
Today was the Plyometric workout, which is a bear, but it felt good and I pushed past the point where I was at this time last week. I'd like to build on each Plyo workout, surpassing the previous week to hopefully build more endurance into the results. Oh, and this is very taxing on the knees so I have to be careful with this too... good form is crucial.
Tomorrow will be Shoulders and Arms, and I've added strip sets to this workout along with a greater amount of rest in between sets to maximize results. This workout, along with Chest and Back are the ones that build muscle definition, so that motivates me as well.
Interesting side note - game 6 of the NBA conference semi-finals was an incredible game that saw the Warriors overcome adversity to dispose of their conference rivals, the very dangerous and talented Houston Rockets. It was such an incredible win that it inspired me to reapply myself to working out. It totally motivated me to get back at it with a renewed enthusiasm... which is a weird unexpected source of motivation, but I'll take it. Go Dubs!
15 AUG 2018 - Skipped a few days and got back into it today. I think I realized the workouts have become more intense because I've developed muscles and can push harder. The problem with that is pushing harder makes me more tired, and that causes me to not be too interested in working out again. So I decided today to just go at it lightly - no pushing, no stressing, no trying to reach my personal best for any exercise. And it worked - I just started working out, next thing I know I'm pushing it... yup.
11 AUG 2018 - August is starting out well. Between the workouts I'm doing with Sunshine and my own schedule, it's been 9 straight days of exercise and I'm sort of motivated... maybe it's because I'm trying to keep her motivated - whatever it is, I'm liking it. Today was Plyometrics up to the 1st break. I was pretty wiped, likely because now that I'm stronger I'm able to keep up - which means working harder.
10 AUG 2018 - Completed the first part of Chest and Back, plus half of Ab Ripper A. Didn't get much sleep last night (was enjoying McCoy Tyner too much).
09 AUG 2018 - Did the warm up for P90X Core Synergistics with Sunshine, plus the second half of Ab Ripper X.
08 AUG 2018 - Kenpo X... procrastinated in bed until 5:10a so didn't do a lot, but at least I made it out to get in something of a workout. Tonight Sunshine and I will do some yoga after work.
07 AUG 2018 - Did half of Legs and Back, all of Ab Ripper A, and a set of bicycles to keep my quads in shape. Good workout - but it's 5:47a and now I have to go to work
06 AUG 2018 - 15 minutes of yoga... nice stretching and I'm also realizing there's good balance and ab work happening too. Tonight will be another 10 mins of yoga after work, so there will be plenty of yoga today.
05 AUG 2018 - Sunshine joined me for Shoulders and Arms warm up, then we did the 1st half of Ab Ripper A. She was finished after that but I restarted Shoulders and Arms and finished the 1st 3 sessions, and half of Ab Ripper X. Good workout...
04 AUG 2018 - Been a while since this page has been updated... still doing workouts, just not recording them here until today. December was tough - the whole family had a bad cough that lasted the entire month. Working out January thru February was hit and miss, but March and April I literally kicked ass. Now THAT'S what I'm talking about..
It was hard to maintain that kind of consistency, so May to now has been a bit of a struggle though I'm not entirely disappointed. Looks like a little more than 50% of the time I exercised, and that's pretty good.
There's a renewed emphasis now, because Sunshine is struggling with her knees and I think it's because she has weak quads. The quads help stabilize the knee, and she has ignored them (ignored most exercising really) for several decades. It's time to build those muscles up so I put together a workout routine that will at least get things started. Very light this week - the biggest challenge will be sticking with it. If she makes it thru the next 7 days without pain then we increase things a little and see what happens.
I think this will be good - might even get me motivated as well. Woo hoo!
01 DEC 2017 - The left knee has been very tender since working out on Tuesday. I went heavy (70lbs) on the balance lunges and think I'm paying a price. Today was barely 15 mins of Chest and Back followed by 5 mins of Ab Ripper X. Not good...
28 NOV 2017 - 20 minutes of Legs and Back, and half of Ab Ripper X. Left knee is struggling so I could finish the super skater lunges.
27 NOV 2017 - Light session of Yoga X this morning. It's been 3 days of heavy workouts and this was a good day to just focus on stretching.
26 NOV 2017 - Shoulders and Arms, the whole workout (not the bonus round) and then all of Ab Ripper X. Very nice workout, and as usual I was wiped out afterward.
25 NOV 2017 - P90X Plyometrics... did the first 2-1/2 sections. Felt real strong at the beginning but was very wiped out by the end.
24 NOV 2017 - Wow... never have I been this wiped out after an upper body workout. I was totally destroyed.
Today I started a loading phase of creatine, and also started my 6th week of P90X. The beginning of my week is Chest and Back (push and pull city). And if you're loading creatine you want to lift heavy - so I maxed out on round 1 and barely made it to the first few exercises of round 2 before I was finished.
I gathered myself after 10 minutes and started in on Ab Ripper X, got halfway thru that and was done. Wasted. Felt like I was going to throw up. Struggled to put things away, swallowed my protein drink, then lay down for 30 minutes.
Felt pretty good after that, but wow - maybe I got trashed after a massive leg workout, but never on an upper body... that was pretty insane.
23 NOV 2017 - Did half the P90 Sweat A workout with Sunshine, then the full P90X Kenpo X workout. I don't have to dash out the door today so could spend some extra time exercising. Sweet!
22 NOV 2017 - 25 minutes of Core Synergistics. Having trouble with motivation during recovery week... got up a little late and had to scramble to make things happen, but at least I did something.
20 NOV 2017 - Yoga, 20 minutes... mostly stretching that is not easy in the morning, but really good in the long run. Still in the middle of recovery week so I'm not pushing it by any means.
19 NOV 2017 - Core Synergistics, the full video. Good workout, but after finishing it I'm reminded that there's still quite a ways to go before I can consider myself in shape.
18 NOV 2017 - This upcoming week is known as "recovery week". Every 4th week it's good to back off and take it easy, allowing your body to recover from the daily stress. This morning, even though it was a Saturday, was interrupted with so things that needed to be taken care of at work. All that to say that after taking care of work along with laundry and shopping that happen on Saturdays, I ran out of time and motivation. So both Sunshine and I did the 10 minute warm up of Core Synergistics and that was it.
But at least it was something.
17 NOV 2017 - Didn't rest yesterday so today was my day off.
16 NOV 2017 - Supposed to be my day off but I'm going into work early tomorrow and won't have time for a workout... unless I get up at 4am. Not gonna happen.
P90X Chest and Back today, plus Ab Ripper X. 40 minutes of extreme workout - very good...
Oh, and I'm one day early for goal #2 and I achieved goal #3. Time to set a new goal!
15 NOV 2017 - Kenpo X today... felt alright. I was working late last night and didn't want to get up this morning, but pushed thru it to at least get in a 20 minute workout. Kenpo X also has a lot of stretching at the beginning, which is good - but it can take away from the real workout if you're pressed for time. But still, I got in a workout and that's a good way to start the day.
14 NOV 2017 - Phenomenal workout... feeling stronger and pushed it today - I have not sweat like this in a long time. Did half of P90X Chest and Back, and half Ab Ripper X. Sweet!
13 NOV 2017 - P90X Yoga today... a full 15 minutes, I got into the warrior poses. That doesn't sound like much but I did 10 minutes of stretching before starting, so the whole workout was a good 25 minutes. Mondays and Yoga mean stretching for me, and my calves were really tight so today was good.
12 NOV 2017 - Sunshine wanted to workout today, so we did P90 Sculpt A and Ab Ripper A. Good workout... I thought I would do a little Shoulders and Arms afterward, but we got a late start at 3:30p and I had zilch for motivation. Tomorrow is another day.
11 NOV 2017 - P90X Plyometrics baby! At 6:15 on a Saturday morning... woo hoo! Actually the cleaning lady will be here at 9:00a and I will have zero motivation to workout in the afternoon.
Did the first 2 sections of Plyometrics, which is a tough tough workout. Felt strong, recovery rate is way down, and looking forward to 2-1/2 sections next week. The biggest challenge was trying to be quiet with all that jumping since everyone was still sleeping.
Woo hoo!!
10 NOV 2017 - Half of Chest and Back and half of Ab Ripper X. I need to keep reminding myself to go easy... but I think that's a good thing.
08 NOV 2017 - Did half of Kenpo X. Felt strong at the beginning, but wore down by the end... would have been wrecked if I did the whole thing. Tomorrow I rest.
07 NOV 2017 - About half of Legs and Back today, and half of Ab Ripper X. Everything felt good, but I'm sticking with my plan of going easy until the 17th.
06 NOV 2017 - 20 minutes of P90X Yoga today. Monday is a semi-rest day, with a focus on stretching. I put on the yoga video and try to stretch sore muscles. This morning was a little tough since it was 59° in the house this morning... no, we have't turned the heater on this winter yet.
05 NOV 2017 - Sunshine and I did 10 minutes of P90 Sculpt A then half the Ab Ripper X. I followed that with 3 of the 5 sections of P90X Shoulders and Arms along with the rest of Ab Ripper X.
In the pain and soreness department, everything seems to be going well. I'm becoming much more devoted to the foam roller, especially after a leg workout. But still, I think I'm going a little too fast in progressions and decided to change the date of goal #2 to 11/17. Better to be safe than sorry...
04 NOV 2017 - What a workout... did all of P90 Sweat A and Ab Ripper A with Sunshine (she rocked it), then the 1-1/2 sections of P90X Plyometrics. Yeah BABY!! We haven't sweat like this in long, long time.
03 NOV 2017 - Half of the Chest and Back routine, plus half of Ab Ripper X. Late for work... Happy Friday!
01 NOV 2017 - Kenpo X today. This is a martial arts workout with a lot of punching and kicking. Aside from the significant stretching beforehand, I was able to do about 25 minutes of this video - still going at a light pace and feeling pretty good. Gotta stay motivated...
31 OCT 2017 - P90X Legs and Back today along with Ab Ripper X. Again, trying to take it easy and not do too much too soon. But it felt good today, especially with the new knee braces. I'm curious to see how tender my knees are today. Woo hoo!
30 OCT 2017 - Did about 30 minutes of P90X Yoga this morning. Mostly stretching because I needed it so bad... I keep forgetting that I'm supposed to be doing light P90X workouts, and the result is a lot of soreness. The knees are already tender and must be handled very carefully.
29 OCT 2017 - We did the P90X Shoulders and Arms warm up, then all of the P90 Sculpt, and I finished with the first section of P90X Shoulders and Arms. Need to keep reminding myself that I'm supposed to be going light, avoiding an injury from doing too much too soon.
28 OCT 2017 - Sunshine and I did half P90 Sweat A, the whole Ab Ripper A, and I finished with the 20 minutes of P90X Plyometrics.
Plyometrics has 6 sections and I did the warm up and the first section (jump squats, run stance squats, airborne Heisman, and swing kicks - cycle thru 2 times). Hope to be able to make it thru all 6 sections, but will take some time to build up muscles and endurance as well as keeping my knees from getting injured. That will be a lot of jumping and squatting...
Plyometrics is, for me, the hardest workout. In the past I would be in the middle of the workout and get lightheaded, needing to stop for a few moments to catch my breath. After completing the workout I would be literally wiped out the rest of the day, having very little energy to do anything.
So this will be a challenge... woo hoo!
ALSO... I'm looking at creatine. From what I've read the best use is to have a loading cycle followed by a maintenance cycle. Loading is 25 grams (5 teaspoons) a day for a week. Maintenance is 1 gram (1 teaspoon) each day. And it doesn't do any good unless you're lifting a weight that you cannot do more than 6 reps with... in other words, light lifting of 12-15 reps doesn't utilize creatine. You'd be wasting your money on the stuff.
After 2 weeks of P90X I might be ready for creatine.
27 OCT 2017 - P90X Chest and Back baby... woo hoo! Now I'm starting out so everything I did was very light, and because I have to drive off to work in a little bit I only did half the workout. But it's P90X, and that's a good thing.
And I matched my previous high of 13 straight workouts!
26 OCT 2017 - On the 7th day God rested. And so did Terry, because Thursdays are his day to rest from the weekly workout program.
25 OCT 2017 - Did the full P90 Sculpt A workout. Slept pretty good also, only woke up one but didn't look at the phone, and fell asleep within 15-20 minutes... not bad.
Okay - I take Thursdays off, so my next workout will be Friday. This is also when I reach my goal of starting P90X. The first workout is Chest and Back, a combination of pushups and pullups and other upper body exercises. Woo Hoo!
24 OCT 2017 - Dodged a bullet... when I got up this morning I had zero motivation and so didn't do a workout. But on the way home I was feeling lousy from work and decided some exercise would be a great way to blow off some frustration. Sunshine and I did half the P90 Sculpt A workout, followed by Ab Ripper A, which kept the streak alive. Normally we have no energy to do anything after getting home from work, but today we did it. Sweet...
23 OCT 2017 - Kind of flaked out today, only did 10 minutes of P90X Yoga. Stretching is really all I'm looking for with yoga and it's Monday, so my motivation wasn't exactly where it should have been. But at least I showed up.
22 OCT 2017 - Even though it's Sunday, we did the Saturday Special. A good workout that finishes with Crescent/Crunch, one of my favorite exercises that blends a yoga Crescent pose with a balance move. The balance move is where you stand on one leg while pulling the opposite knee up to sort of a crunch position, holding the shin or bottom of your foot. Sunshine did the whole workout, and the streak is now up to 8 days in a row - WOO HOO!
21 OCT 2017 - Did the whole P90 Sweat, including both sets of Sprawls, and the Ab Ripper A. Again, getting stronger... I think I'm over the injury risk now and the biggest obstacle will be staying motivated... just need to keep showing up. Oh, and since it's Saturday, Sunshine joined me for half the workout also - good job Baby!!
20 OCT 2017 - Back at it after resting on Thursday. P90 Sculpt today along with Ab Ripper A. Felt good... just gotta keep showing up. Oh, and I made my 5 day goal for this week also - woo hoo!!
18 OCT 2017 - P90 Sweat today... had to fight to keep focused but got thru the whole workout. Again, I'm noticing an increase in strength. And yesterday was the first day at work without experiencing any stiffness in the back. This is what I was aiming for...
17 OCT 2017 - Still at it. Did the whole P90 Sculpt today and Abs even though it's Tuesday and I don't have a lot of time to cool down (need to get ready for work in less than 5 minutes). Nice to get that out of the way - feeling stronger too.
16 OCT 2017 - Did yoga today... needed to stretch and also give muscles that haven't been used to working out a rest.
15 OCT 2017 - Did the full P90 Sweat A today with Sunshine. Felt pretty good for being the 3rd day this cycle. We even did Ab Ripper A afterward - gotta stay with it.
14 OCT 2017 - I've been very sporadic with working out... not a good thing. Right now I'm in a pattern where I workout for a week, then take a week or two off. Not good.
So I'm trying to find motivation to stick with it. That's part of the reason I'm publishing my results, hoping that by making it public I'll have more motivation.