Core Synergistics – I did not workout over the weekend. My schedule was messed up from traveling and when I got home, I just spent it with my family. My P90X MASS routine is officially over, I ended up doing 2 phases of it. I start my P90X Triathlon program next week so my plan this week is to continue to do some of the P90X workouts. These last couple of weeks I have not been as dedicated to the P90X program (workouts & nutrition) so I am looking forward to getting back where I was during the first 90 days of the program. There is no doubt that my strength has increased during the P90X MASS program so I am going to retake the fitness test on day 150 to see how my results compare to day 1 as well as day 90.

My CORE workout went well this morning!

Answer: Interval Training / Sprinting

Interval Training is a type of physical training that involves burst of high intensity activity followed by low intensity activity. An example of this type of training could be running on a treadmill at a slow pace for three minutes and then increasing your pace for one minute…followed by decreasing it for another three minutes, then increasing it again for one minute. Another example would be sprinting. You could sprint 50 yards, jog or walk back to your starting point and sprint another 50 yards.

Interval training is considered one of the most effective methods of reducing fat. This type of training not only burns more calories than low intensity training but it also can be done in a shorter amount of time. It also stimulates your metabolism well after the workout is complete. Running has always been considered a great exercise to help shed unwanted fat. One drawback with running is your metabolism only speeds up during and maybe a short period after your run is complete. Interval Training / Sprinting on the other hand will boost your metabolism for hours and hours after your workout is complete, turning your body into a fat burning machine throughout the day!

The below plan is just one example of interval training, you should be able to use this technique with any fitness activity. (more…)

I just completed my first round of P90X!

I love how I feel both physically and mentally right now. I am very happy with my 90 day measurements and I am most impressed with my new eating habits. I ended up losing 27 pounds and 5 1/2 inches off my waist…I am currently at a weight that I have not been since 8^th – 9^th grade (with a lot more muscle). I would definitely say my cardiovascular endurance is at an all time high and I have never had this much definition in my abdomen area.  Needless to say, I would highly recommend this program to anyone that is serious about getting in shape.

(Click here to order P90X)

Here are my Day 90 measurement:
Body fat % – 3%**                 (Day1–18%)
Weight – 193 lbs                     (Day1–220lbs)
Chest – 43″                                (Day1–40″)
Waist – 34″                                (Day1-391/2″)
Right thigh – 24 1/2″          (Day1-271/2″)
Left thigh – 24 1/2″              (Day1-271/2″)
Right arm – 16 1/2″              (Day1-16″)
Left arm – 16 1/2″                 (Day 1 -16″)

**I tested my body fat in the same spot as day 1 so it has dropped 15%, it’s just not 3%…it’s higher.

Day 90 Pre-Fit Test
Pull-Ups - 21                                (Day1 -10)
Vertical Leap – 20 1/2″         (Day1 -17 ½”)
Push-Ups – 76                            (Day1 –54)
Toe Touch -  +4                        (Day1 -+3 ½)
Wall Squat - 2:27                      (Day1 -1:06)
Bicep Curls -  14  reps            (Day1 -9 reps) 95lb straight bar curls
Ab Test – 94 reps                     (Day1 -51 reps)

What’s  Next? – I am going to take two weeks off from P90X (continue to workout though) prior to starting another round of it. I am going to shift my focus from losing fat to building muscle in this round. Now, my goal is to achieve both but it’s very difficult to accomplish that so my primary focus will be more on building muscle. For starters, I am going to increase my calorie intake. In order to build muscle, you 100% need to consume more calories. It was easy for me to be strict as far as nutrition went during the work week so I am going to maintain that discipline and throw in a casein (slow digestive) protein shake right before bedtime for additional calories. I also plan on incorporating a cheat meal once a week which will most likely fall on a Friday or Saturday night. This will not only increase my calorie intake for the week but it will also allow me to eat out every so often. It’s very difficult to be strict with your nutrition when you take your family out to dinner and/or meet up with friends so this approach will account for that.

Here are my Day 90 pics… (more…)

Core Synergisitcs– I guess you can call this my last workout! Yoga-x is on the schedule for tomorrow but I am not going to do that. My plan is to take updated pictures and measurements tomorrow. I am also going to complete the “pre-fit test” again. I performed the “pre-fit test” a couple of days prior to Day 1 (about 91 days ago) and I am anticipating a significant jump with my rep count on some of the exercises. For those that don’t know, the pre-fit test consist of pull-ups, vertical leap, push-ups, toe touch, wall squat, bicep curls, and an ab test…you pretty much max out on reps or with some test you jump or stretch as far/high as you can.

Even though I did burn calories yesterday, I still felt a bit guilty about skipping kenpo-x so I ran 2 miles right after my CORE workout this morning. I figured between shoveling snow yesterday and running two miles this morning, it pretty much evens itself out…at least I tell myself that.

Kenpo-X–  Living in New England, I woke up to about 6-7 inches of snow/ice on my driveway. So instead of burning calories with kenpo-x, I burned them with shoveling. Seeing that I shoveled for an hour or so, I am confident I burned just as much as I would during the kenpo-x workout. If I had a resistance training workout today, I would definitely feel obligated to make that up tonight but seeing that it was a cardiovascular workout (kenpo-x), I am not going to stress out over doing it tonight. If I feel up to it, I may complete it and just consider it an extra workout.

Two more days to go! Some people dive right into another round of P90X but it’s recommended to take at least one week off. You do not need to take a week off from working out, just avoid all P90X workouts. As much as I love this program, I am very much looking forward to the next two weeks. During this time, I do plan on lifting 3-4 days a week and I also plan on throwing in a couple of 4 mile runs for cardio each week. Time will tell but I am hoping I get all fired up to start P90X again on March 1^st….as of now, I am looking forward to taking a break from it.