I have a weekend getaway planned this week so I will be leaving Friday afternoon and returning on Sunday. I will be unable to do P90X (plyometrics) on Saturday and I have a very busy day on Sunday so I decided to complete plyometrics this morning. I had “interval training” scheduled for today but I squeezed in a 20 minute interval training workout yesterday and my plan is to piggyback another 20 minutes of interval training after tomorrow’s  routine.

Plyometrics– I wore the 40lb weighted vest throughout the first sixteen exercises this morning. My legs started to burn during the first exercise but I knew my plan was to take it off before the “jump knee tucks” so I sucked it up and continued to wear it up until that point. The “jump knee tucks” are hard enough without the vest so I figured that would be a good time to call it quits. Not sure if it’s from taking the vest off and feeling 40 pounds lighter or the fact that I am just getting stronger but I was able to do double-time during the whole “jump knee tuck” routine…I have never been able to do that. My goal is to be able to wear the vest throughout this whole routine while maintaining perfect form…I am far from achieving this right now but I know I will get closer every week.

Nutrition  – Both the wife and I are meeting up with two more couples this weekend so I know there is going to be a fair share of eating and drinking going on. My kids are staying at their favorite place (grandparents) so there are no worries there. So needless to say, I will be increasing my calorie intake this weekend with low quality and/or empty calories but I am very much looking forward to that! Then, back to being strict on my nutrition on Monday…

Tip of the day – If at all possible, try to be as strict as you can during phase 1 and 2 of the program (I allowed myself about 3 cheat meals during the first 60 days). If you are going to cheat, you are better off cheating during phase 3 when your metabolism is at an all-time high. I am not encouraging cheating but sometimes there is no way around it. I found that scheduling a cheat meal weeks in advance kept me motivated to maintain a strict nutrition plan up until that point.

Back & Biceps – If I had one complaint about the P90X program I would say I expected my biceps to grow a bit more. During the first 90 days of P90X, my arms pretty much stayed the same size. Now, they definitely look a lot more defined but as far as measurements go, they only measured ¼ inch bigger…and I credit my triceps for that increase in size. I am hoping that I will see some good growth in my biceps these next 90 days. Here are 4 things that I am doing to help with building muscle mass in my arms…

1) Having a whey protein shake before I workout. Studies have shown that whey before a workout is just as effective as after a workout. I workout early in the morning so I need to have something quick and I figured a whey protein shake is easy to drink early in the morning and it also enters your bloodstream in about 15 minutes…much sooner than something solid.

2) I am taking the P90X Recovery drink immediately following a workout. This drink contains creatine, whey protein, and glutamine which are very important for gaining strength and size.

3) I am now using heavier weights and doing 4-8 reps on most of the exercises. The first round I was doing about 8-12.

4) I am also consuming a casein protein shake right before I go to bed. I have mentioned it multiple times before but sleep is the most effective muscle building period of the 24 hour day. Having a protein shake will only enhance this muscle building process. Casein protein is a slow digestive protein that can stay in your bloodstream for up to 7 hours (compared to whey at 1 hour)…so your muscles can feed on it all night.

Is this working? It should be but I will definitely know for sure on my next updated “pictures and measurements” day which falls on day 120.

Chest, Shoulders, Triceps – X-ME, this workout absolutely crushed me this morning! I don’t expect the newbies to feel this way just yet but I felt like I pretty much owned all of the P90X workouts by the end of my first round (excluding ARX). I define “own” as I was able to complete each exercise until the time clock reached zero at a high intensity level. If you are not there yet, trust me when I say this…you will be if you continue to press play every morning. Back to my workout, I wore my 40lb weighted vest again today and it makes such a big difference with my rep count. I pretty much ended all of my push-ups on my knees and I was still feeling a ridiculous burn.  For all exercises, I used a weight that I was only able to do 4-8 reps. I wasn’t ready to say this last week but if you are able to complete this workout with ease, I highly recommend wearing a weighted exercise vest. I bought mine cheap on Amazon for $75 (included shipping) but I can honestly say it’s worth every penny now that I have worn it a few times. I don’t think the vest is necessary if your focus is on burning fat and not so much on building muscle mass and/or if this is your first round. If you continue to do P90X, there will be a time when you are looking to challenge yourself a bit more so you may want to consider it.

ARX – My goal was to 100% complete this but I was unable to accomplish that this morning. I usually get stuck on the “fifer scissors” but I forced myself to finish…which I did! Unfortunately, I was toast afterwards and I was only able to do 9 “heels to the heavens” so I fell 16 reps short of finishing it…I did complete all of the other exercises.

Plyometrics -  I wasn’t sure what to expect, I have not done this routine in over three weeks. I did pick up right where I left off so I am happy with that. I might incorporate the weighted vest into the next plyometric workout. I will probably wear it up until the “high knee tucks” and take it off. This workout is still tough but it’s nothing like it was when I first started out…and as much as I hated that feeling of getting my butt kicked, I also miss it!

Light Shoulders & Arms– For those that don’t know, my focus this round of P90X is on building muscle mass so I replaced kenpo-x with an additional resistance training workout. Both my “chest, shoulders, & triceps” and “back & biceps” workouts were considered heavy days. I was using a weight that I pretty much failed on reps 4-8. Seeing that today’s workout was the second time of the week I hit the same muscle groups, I did the complete opposite of the heavy days and used a weight that I was able to do 12-18 reps with…consider it a mid-week muscle confusion technique.

I see no problem hitting the same muscle groups twice in one week as long as you allow your muscles to recover 48 hours (which I did). I am also taking the P90X Recovery Drink  which enhances the muscle recovery process. I am a huge fan of P90X but I think it’s necessary to customize it a bit if you are looking to add muscle mass.

ARX – The last two workouts I was able to complete about 95-97%. I always fall  short on the “fifer scissors” and “heels to the heaven” exercises. I have been hovering around the 95% range for awhile now so as I am typing this, it’s making me realize that I need to suck it up and fight for those extra reps…next time!

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