My P90X Story: Pre-P90X and Post P90X

Here they are!!! As Promised. My Pre- and Post-P90X Comparison Photos. I was a bit shocked when I saw these. I knew that there had been a big change. I just didn't realize it was this big. Enjoy.

So, here are the statistics as well:

- Biceps: Before: R-16 5/8" L-16 7/8"...............After: R-15 1/2" L-15 1/2"

- Chest: Before: 49"..........................................After: 46"

- Chest & Shoulders: Before: 56 3/8"................After: 53 1/4"

- Waist (at my belly button): Before: 45 3/8"......After: 38"

- Thigh: Before: R-27 1/8" L-27 1/8".................After: R-25" L-25"

- Butt: Before: 46".............................................After: 42 1/2"

- Waist (top of hip bones): Before: 41 1/2"........After: 38"

And the Fit test Comparison:

1. Pull-ups - Before: 1/4...................................After: 2 1/2

2. Vertical Leap - Before: 22 1/2"....................After: 25 1/2"

3. Push-ups - Before: 12 1/2...........................After: 24 1/2

4. Toe Touch - Before: 0"...............................After: +4"

5. Wall Squat - Before: 1:17...........................After: 2:30

6. Bicep Curls - Before: 25 reps w/3 bands.....After: 52 reps w/3 bands

7. In & Outs - Before: 8..................................After: 41

8. Heart Rate Maximizer

.......................Before: 160, 148, 120, ??, 100

.......................After: 154, 114, 102, 90, 85

And so to celebrate I went out and ordered this tonight (there is a second brownie hiding the same size as the one you can see)

And I was only able to finish half of it. Before starting this I could've downed the whole thing easy. Proud of myself to for not pushing it, packing it up, and bringing it home.

See you all on January 3.......Get ready. I will post more information later.

My P90X Story: Day 91

Last day of rest. I guess they say it is a 90 day program because the last day (today) is the rest day and you don't really do anything (I shouldn't say that, you could do X Stretch).

So, I guess if I were to recap the program.....it would probably look a lot like the other testimonials that you see on the P90X web page. It was hard at first. It was a big adjustment for my body. I was sore as heck for the first week or so. Then my body got used to it, I settled in, and it was just a matter of sticking to it and continuing to push play. Some days were harder than others. Some stretches were easier than other. And it definitely works.

Weighed myself this morning....came in at 222.4 pounds. That would mean I am down 43 pounds since starting the program. We will see where I weigh in tomorrow. Been fluctuating between 222 and 225 pounds. Didn't think I would get down this low in only 90 days, but it happened. Can't wait to see the photo comparison tomorrow and then see the fit test comparison.

My P90X Story: Day 90

YEAH!!!!!!!!!! I did it!!!!!!!!!!

Totally kicked some Yoga X butt tonight. Got started way late on the workout because my brother decided to stop in for a visit from out of town and came later than I expected. So, I didn't finish until like 10 minutes after midnight. Felt great, except for the last few minutes when there were three people in the house "watching" me do the last little bit. That was a little awkward. Still struggled a bit with a couple of the poses, but did much better on some others. Felt really good doing the workout.

So glad that I am done!!!!

Day of rest tomorrow, then pictures and fit test on Monday.

My P90X Story: Day 89

So totally didn't feel like doing Core Synergistics tonight. Especially since we have the Christmas tree up now and we have way less room. However, I did it anyway, and actually did much better than I did earlier this week. I might eventually come around on this workout. One more day of workouts, then a day of rest and then we get to do final pictures and the fit test again. Looking forward to seeing how everything turns out!!!!!

My P90X Story: Day 88

So...I was supposed to do X Stretch tonight. We spent time getting Christmas presents organized so we know what we have left to do (thankfully not much) and by the time we finished that my stomach wasn't feeling well so I didn't do X Stretch tonight. I hope that doesn't come back to bite me. I think I'll probably be okay. Have one more day of Core Synergistics (my new least favorite workout) and one more day of Yoga X. I just don't remember which one is tomorrow.

My P90X Story: Day 87

Totally kicked Kenpo's Butt tonight!!! I think this is probably the most in control and comfortable I have ever felt doing this workout. I also feeled like I worked hard than I probably ever have doing this workout. I guess after doing this once a week for 90 days it is bound to get easier and feel more natural.

Looking forward to finishing up in a couple more days and then doing the post 90 day pictures and fit test.

My P90X Story: Day 86

I think I just discovered my new least favorite workout of the whole program. Don't know if it was just because I am just now finishing the workout at 11:30 PM or if it is just that difficult. I honestly don't recall the last time I did this workout. I mean, I could tell you the exact day, but I don't remember it, and I don't remember it being this hard. So much for a "rest" week.

Honestly couldn't tell you how I did compared to the last time I did this particular workout (which would have been about a month ago). I feel like I could barely do some of the moves. I did my best though. Get to do it one more time this week. We'll see how it goes then.

My P90X Story: Day 85

Did Yoga X tonight. I was hoping it was one of the other, shorter workouts. Oh well. I actually did pretty good. Had Rachel take a few pictures since we don't have any workouts or anything of me doing the exercises. I will try to add those to this post later tonight or tomorrow.

Pulled out the sheets with the pre-test results on it and looked over those tonight. Amazed at how far I have come, and that is without even actually doing the test over again. I know that I have made some big improvements. Hard to believe when we started this I could only do 12.5 pushups (standard width). I'm now at the point that if I go to failure I can do at least 20 (and probably more since I won't have done a bunch of others before doing them). Really looking forward to doing the final test a week from today.

My P90X Story: Day 84

Day of Rest. So welcome....though for some strange reason it never seems to be all that restful. Perhaps between getting kids ready for Church, watching a cranky baby for the second two hours instead of him staying napping, and then traveling to Fremont for the third (or was it fourth) time this weekend it can be a bit exhausting. Looking forward to the last week.

My P90X Story: Day 83

Did legs and back today. Didn't get Yoga X in. Last day of "hard" workouts for the first time through the series. Day of Rest tomorrow, then the Recovery week workouts. After that looking forward to doing the fit test again and the measurements to see where I'm at.

Weighed in this morning at 222.8 pounds (though that was after playing an hour and a half or so of basketball). We'll see where things come in a week from now. Struggling with whether or not to do a second set of 90 days. Part of me really wants to just to keep going and getting in better shape. Part of me wants to not do it, especially if I'm doing it on my own, and be able to relax in the evening. I think if I could get in the habit of going to bed at a decent hour and then getting up early and doing the workouts I wouldn't mind doing it again so much.

My P90X Story: Day 82

Got up after only about 3 hours of sleep to do some Christmas shopping. A lot of it was clothes shopping for me since I am down 40 pounds from when I started 82 days ago. Into a size 36 pants for the first time since probably my Junior Year of High School. Neck size has gone down a little, but we kept the neck mostly the same on my shirts because they are more comfortable. We got a new suit for under $100 but we will have to get it tailored. My shoulders are still wide enough that the suit looks huge when it fits there because it comes straight down. Gonna have to get it tailored to an athletic cut to fit right.

Went to get the Christmas tree today too. Didn't feel good most of the day. Stomach bothering me. Not sure why. Came home and decided to do the Kenpo X workout instead of the Legs and Back workout for two reasons. First, it was shorter and second, I figured it would be a little easier on my stomach with less bending over involved. Workout went well. We'll see if I can squeeze both Legs and Back and Yoga in tomorrow. If not, I will just do the Legs and Back workout.

My P90X Story: Day 81

Thanksgiving day!!!

Got up early this morning (after not getting in bed until nearly 2:00 AM) and did the Back and Bicep workout I was supposed to do yesterday. Worked hard, still didn't do Ab Ripper X because I didn't have time before we were walking out the door for a little Turkey Bowl action before helping put the finishing touches on dinner preparation, watching some football, and then eating a wonderful Thanksgiving meal.

Didn't get home until way too late to do the 90 minute Yoga X workout since we are getting up early to do hopefully the rest of our Christmas shopping tomorrow. We'll see what happens. Going to try and get all the workouts in this week, but I may miss Yoga.

My P90X Story: Day 80

Wednesday....supposed to have done back and biceps today. However, I was making a pie from scratch for tomorrow and it took way longer than it was supposed to and I ended up not doing this workout. Had I known it was going to take as long as it did to bake, I would've done the workout. I guess that is what I get for using Agave in place of sugar and not realizing that it would take longer to bake.

My P90X Story: Day 79

Plyometrics X.....The Mother of All P90X workouts. Nearly vomited doing the workout tonight. Partially because I was pushing really hard, and partially because of what I had for dinner. Did good on the portion/calories. Been trying to watch that the last few days and have been doing much better.

4 Days left then a week of recovery. Feels great to almost be done. Weighed in at 225.4 this morning. That means I am down 40 pounds since starting. Amazed by the results. Hard to believe it was this effective. Feel better than I have in a while and am now down to right around or just under my Football weight my Senior Year in High School. Bring on the new wardrobe at Christmas.

My P90X Story: Day 78

Chest, Shoulders and Triceps....I really like this workout, for some reason. Maybe it is because we are doing a bunch of different types of push-ups that we wouldn't normally do. I don't really know. Wasn't sure I had the energy to do the workout tonight before I got started, but once I got going it wasn't too bad. Tried to push as hard as I could. Felt pretty good doing the workouts. Five more days this week and then the rest/recovery week. Then I will be a P90X grad!!!!

My P90X Story: Day 77

Day of Rest. And the third day in a row that my stomach does not feel good. I think I ate out too much last week. Had two lunch appointments out (thought I did pretty good on my menu selections) and had dinner out twice last week as well (again, thought I did pretty good on menu selections). Gotta get rid of this sick to my stomach feeling. One week of hard workouts left starting tomorrow, then the final rest and recovery week. Finish that off with a follow-up fitness test and pictures and measurements. I'll post all that with comparisons from the pre-P90X numbers when we finish.

My P90X Story: Day 76

Kenpo X and Ab Ripper make-up did not happen today. We were at the in-laws to pick up my daughter and did some Christmas shopping down there. Went to Sweet Tomato for dinner on the way back. Didn't get back until quite a bit later than we were expecting to. Felt sick to my stomach again by the time we got home and didn't end up doing the workouts.

I think I need to try and be a bit more careful about the portions for the meals the last couple of weeks (and after of course). I think I have gotten a little too lax in this area. Need to refocus a bit.

My P90X Story: Day 75

Back and Legs.....totally did not feel like I had the energy to do this workout. Struggled through it. Don't feel like I pushed myself hard enough. Don't think I regressed to anything less than I did last time, but didn't do more in anything really. Felt sick to my stomach by the time I got to the end (probably because of what I had for dinner) and did not do Ab Ripper. Gonna try and do it tomorrow with the workout.

My P90X Story: Day 74

I don't know what it is, but I don't still don't like this workout. Maybe it is because I don't really feel like I am any better at it than I was when I started. In all the other workouts I have been able to see considerable progress. But in this one....it just doesn't seem to be there.

I cant' really say that though. I can definitely do some of the moves/poses, whatever you call them better. There are a couple that I couldn't do at all when we started that I can now. But there is still this one particular sequence toward the end of the moving yassas that I really, really struggle with. Doesn't seem like it has gotten better at all. Really frustrating.

My P90X Story: Day 73

Shoulders and arms. Really didn't feel like doing this workout tonight....but got an unexpected bonus. My wife was watching me workout, and commented several times on how big my arms looked doing the bicep lifts. It felt good. No, they are not as defined as the guys in the videos, but they are definitely more defined than they were and they are obviously big (or at least looked it).

Still trying to push as hard as I can in all the lifts. Don't have a real good comparison for the last phase with this particular workouts since this is the one I did using bands the first week of the last phase. Won't be doing that again.

This is also the workout the most out of all of them that I really wish I had either an array of dumbbells or selecttech dumbbells. Would make like so much simpler.

My P90X Story: Day 72

Plyometrics X. "Plain and simple, this is the X in P90X."

I know that he uses that or a very similar phrase in a lot of the videos and workouts, but I really think that this is probably the most intense workout in the program. And yet....I really like this one. Pushed myself hard tonight. Really trying to get all the results I can out of this.

Weighed in at 228.6 this morning. That means I'm down about 37 pounds or so since the start. Feels great. Maybe I'll drop a few more before this thing is over. Never thought when I started that I would get anywhere near 220-225 pounds by the end, but I should be pretty close at the rate things are going.

So, anyone out there who has completed the program...I need a little advice. What do you recommend doing to maintain what you've gained? I'm going to take a week off completely after I finish. Then I thought I would try and do like 4 workouts a week until New Year, then start the program over again. I'm think I will probably do one lifting workout (chest and back; chest, shoulders & triceps; shoulders & biceps, etc.), then do Plyo X, then day off, then core synergistics and finish the week with Yoga or Kenpo. Probably throw Ab Ripper on the back of a couple of those as well.

Also, I'm thinking of starting a FB group for any of my friends who want to take the P90X challenge in 2011. We will start the first Monday after New Year (I think that is January 3) and then do 90 Days together.

My P90X Story: Day 71

Half way done with the last phase of the program. Chest and Back tonight. Pushed really hard on everything. Did more of everything than I ever have. Maxed out my dumbbells. I have enough weights to put 35 pounds on each of them, and that wasn't enough on one of the lifts that I need both dumbbells on. Pushed 55 pounds on Lawnmowers tonight as well. Las time I will do this particular workout before I finish the program.

Hard to believe the countdown is on. The funny thing, as close as I am, I am still finding it very hard at times to feel motivated to do the workouts. Had another success this morning....weighed in at just under 230 pounds (229.8 to be exact). First time in a very long time I've been under 230 pounds.

My P90X Story: Day 70

Day of Rest....I really look forward to these days. Only two weeks of workouts left, then the final rest/recovery week and I am done. Looking forward to seeing how much total change there has been. Get to do the fitness test again as well as all the measurements. Can't wait for that post. Already down about 35 pounds.

My P90X Story: Day 69

Kenpo X....and Ab Ripper X. I decided since only one of us could go to the Church this morning to help with the cleaning or the Primary Program that Rachel should go with Hannah (easy choice since they are both supposed to be there) and I would stay home with Daniel (kind of hard to clean with a one year-old running around). Daniel fell asleep for his nap early (about 9:00 AM) so I decided to do my workouts (I had actually started them already).

Did Kenpo first so that way I was warm/tired before doing Ab Ripper. It just seems like more of a workout on Ab Ripper if I do something else before it. Feel like I did pretty good on all accounts. Shirt is soaked completely through. Gonna jump in the shower now and start cleaning the house before Rachel and Hannah get home.

My P90X Story: Day 68

Legs and back. I have really got to start going to bed earlier. I did okay on the workout itself, but by the time I got to the Ab Ripper portion I was too tired to do it. In fact I almost fell asleep on the floor. I will have to get ip in the morning and do Ab Ripper along with Kenpo. Worked really hard tonight. Pushed the weights up where I was using them and did as many or more pull-ups as I did the last time. As I said yesterday, I am really trying push myself extra hard these last few weeks. It is hard to believe that there are only two more weeks of workouts after this and then the last rest/recovery week. I am looking forward to having a little time off in December and then starting all over again in January. Anyone who wants a good New Year's resolution is welcome to join me in 2011 in doing P90X.

My P90X Story: Day 67

So, my efforts to get up in the morning and exercise has completely fallen apart. I seem to do just fine the first day (Monday), but can't seem to keep it up the rest of the week. I have not done the exercises in the morning any day this week other than Monday. I'm going to try again tomorrow. Part of the problem is probably that I do not go to bed early enough.

Yoga X. I still struggle with several of these poses or moves. I don't know why, but they haven't really seemed to get better. There are some that have gotten better. I just really struggle with this workout. I think it is probably my least favorite workout of the whole program.

My P90X Story: Day 66

Back and Biceps. I really get pumped up doing this work out. I just feel huge by the time I finish. Pushed it really hard today to. Did as much or more weight than I ever have and as many or more reps on every single lift. Really trying to push it hard the last few weeks to maximize the results. Felt great, I'm sure I'll feel it tomorrow.

My P90X Story: Day 65

Plyometric X.....the Mother of all P90X workouts (according to Tony). Didn't do this workout this morning because I was just too tired after staying up too late last night. So, I did the workout at night, showered, and then pretty much went to bed. Good workout though. I feel like I worked hard, and even did some of the "advanced" moves during the workout. I know this is supposed to be the hardest workout of the program, but I really like this workout for some reason. I think it is one of my favorites.

My P90X Story: Day 64

Day 1 of Week 10. Only 4 weeks to go. I really struggled with the workout this morning. At least I feel like I struggled with it. It was a good workout. Hard this morning. I think I worked harder though in some of the early moves which is why by the time I got to the end it felt like there was no way I could do as many as I did the last time I did this workout.

Still think the hardest part of this whole thing is the diet.

My P90X Story: Day 63

The day of rest. I really look forward to these days. It was a pretty relaxing day. Had to take the kids to Church by myself since Rachel has not been getting better. I hope that she gets feeling better soon.

I've been doing some thinking about what I will do after I finish the 90 Days. I am down to the last four weeks. I think that I will probably pick 4 workouts or so to do for the month of December to keep from losing anything, and then start the whole program again the first Monday in January, 2011. Anyone want to join me, just let me know!!!

My P90X Story: Post 30 Days and Post 60 Days

Finally!!! I have been trying for a week to get these uploaded. Let me know what y'all think!!

............After 30 Days....................................After 60 Days..........

............After 30 Days....................................After 60 Days..........

............After 30 Days....................................After 60 Days..........

............After 30 Days....................................After 60 Days..........

............After 30 Days....................................After 60 Days..........

My P90X Story: Day 62

Got up this morning at 6:00 AM so that I could do the Kenpo X workout before going to play basketball. Found my daughter awake on the couch watching TV. Turned off the TV and held her for about 20 minutes until she was tired enough to go back to sleep. Put her in my bed since she wouldn't sleep in her bed. Then did about 40 minutes of the workout before I left to go play basketball. I did the "harder" part of the workout before I left. Played about 45 minutes to an hour of basketball and then came home.

Good workout today. Weighed myself this morning. Down to 231.4 pounds and 26.1% body fat. Body fat was up around 32% or so when I started, so I'm down about 6% body fat since I started. Feeling really good about everything. Should get the post 60 day pictures up today.

My P90X Story: Day 61

Legs and back....feels so good to be back to doing the real workouts (with weights, not bands). I don't know, the bands just didn't cut it for me. I was probably doing something wrong, but it just didn't feel right. Had a hard time finding the right amount of resistance to feel like I was actually working without doing 15-20 reps.

Tonight was pretty good. I actually did one Reverse Grip Chin-up on the very first set without a chair or anything, which is a big improvement from 60 days ago. I was pretty exhausted tonight though, so I probably didn't push myself as hard as I could have. Gotta get back to a regular routine, which includes going to bed earlier and then getting up early and doing the workouts in the morning.

My P90X Story: Day 60

Supposed to be Yoga X today....but since I had no DVD player and we couldn't get a legible scan from the workout guide that Rachel could email me I didn't do the workout today. I could've tried to do it on my own, but without at least the names of the poses there is no way I was going to remember what they all were. I will see if I have a chance to make it up tomorrow, but I'm not counting on it.

My P90X Story: Day 59

First day gone for work, and I realized that the hotel room doesn't have a DVD player, and for some reason the CD/DVD player in my laptop wont' actually play a DVD. So, I had to do the workouts from memory. It was definitley harder that way. I know that I got all the lifts right, but I was also using the bands for all the lifts, which made it very interesting. I don't know that I worked as hard as I would have if I had been using dumbbells. I definitely sweat alot today though, so I'm assuming that I still worked pretty hard. I feel like I did. I don't know if I did all the workouts in quite the same time limit. Maybe that is why I felt like I wasn't working quite as hard. I guess we'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Not sure how I am going to do Yoga X tomorrow without a DVD player. I definitely won't be able to keep the same time frame, but if Rachel can send me the different poses then I think I will be able to do the workout. We'll see how things go.

My P90X Story: Day 58

Plyometrics X. For some reason this was much harder today than it has been. I was going to work out this morning, but Rachel had fallen asleep on the couch and I didn't want to wake her up, so I decided to dot the workout later. Well, the only time I had a chaance was after we go the kids in bed and before I had to leave to travel for a work meeting out of town.

Workout went well. I worked hard, but I think I was just tired which is why it seemed so hard. I definitely didn't do as much on some of the exercises as I have in the past, but I still feel like I worked really hard.

My P90X Story: Day 57

So, this is the start of the last phase. The last training segment. I have 5 weeks left of the program. Each week will be different from the last. So, we are back to the order of workouts we used for the first phase this week.

Chest and Back. It feels like it has been so long since I have done this workout. But, I totally crushed it. I am so excited. I did more reps on everything than I've ever done and more weight on the lifts than I've ever done. I even, pretty much maxed out my little dumbbell bars. I was lifting 45 pounds on a couple of exercises, and since the weights are all loose, that meant that there was pretty much no room left on either side of the dumbbell. It looked very impressive. Made it look like I was lifting a ton of weight.

It felt good to get up and workout in the morning as well. Ran a little behind and didn't quite make it out the door for work when I wanted to, but it was close. Kids weren't up yet when I left because of the late night, so that was good for Rachel.

Hope the rest of the week goes well. I will be gone three nights for meetings related to work, so I will have to do at least two of the workouts from a hotel room. It just makes it harder to do, and much harder to stick to the diet.

My P90X Story: Day 56

What a wonderful Day of Rest. Unfortunately, my entire family is sick. Really enjoyed the time off t relax and not workout. Starting tomorrow I will get up in the morning and do the workouts. That will hopefully give me a little time in the evenings to just spend time with my family and not have to worry about squeezing the workout in before bed.

My P90X Story: Day 55

So, I was supposed to do Yoga X again tonight, but since it was the day before Halloween (and Saturday) I went and played basketball this morning for a little over an hour. Then tonight we went to our Stake Halloween carnival, then to the in-law's house for "Halloween". Needless to say we didn't make it back until after 11:00 PM and that didn't leave enough time for yoga before the Sabbath, soo......it got skipped.

Looking forward to the day of rest tomorrow. I really enjoy the chances I get to not have to do something at nigh before I go to bed.

My P90X Story: Day 54

Did Core Synergistics again today. Didn't come as close to puking this time because I refused to drink water during the workout. Made it through. It is definitely an interesting workout.

Overall, this is still a much easier week on the body than the other weeks, so I suppose it is a pretty good rest/recovery week. Only a few more days and then the post-60 day pictures get taken. Should be interesting to see. I am getting more and more people telling me that I look good and that it looks like I've lost weight. I guess losing 30 pounds does that.

My P90X Story: Day 53

X Stretch. I don't think I could say that I ever thought stretching for an hour would feel so good. It was a really nice change of pace from the major workouts, but also from the workouts I've been doing during the rest/recovery week. It felt so very nice to stretch and not have to work too hard (unlike the Yoga X stretches).

Feeling pretty good about myself and how well I'v been doing. It is hard though at times to stay motivated. I think the diet is the hardest part, but it is also hard sometimes to feel motivated to do a workout at night when I know it is going to take me at the very least an hour to do it.

Rachel has stopped doing the workouts with me. She has had a sore throat and a cough for several weeks now and hasn't felt up to doing the exercises. I'm considering doing them in the morning again, even though that means I have to get up really early, at least I could spend some time with Rachel at night before we both go to bed. Maybe I wouldn't stay up so late if I knew I had to get up at like 5:00 AM or earlier to get the workouts in with enough time to shower and get ready in the morning??

My P90X Story: Day 52

Kenpo X. I don't now why I dislike this workout so much, but I never really look forward to it. It felt a whole lot better than it has in the past though. I actually felt like I could keep up, and I actually felt like I was doing something. I was able to get a little higher on my kicks, able to do just a little more on each of the different moves.

For a "rest/recovery" week I sure feel like I'm working hard still. Definitely not as hard as the normal workouts, not even close. But, much harder than I thought it would be. X Stretch tomorrow night, then Core Synergistics again and I think Yoga X to finish the week off.

Wish me luck as I prepare for my post-60 day pictures. Down to 235.8 pounds this morning. That makes 30 pounds in less than 60 days. I never thought it would come off that fast!!!

My P90X Story: Day 51

So, this was my first time ever doing the Core Synergistics workouts. Man, I wish I had done this the first time we had a rest/recovery week. I was so out of breath I couldn't even do all of some of the exercises. All core work, very, very little weights, but I am pooped after finishing this workout. I think this is one of the few workouts that I could see myself continue to do after the 90 days are over. It was a good overall workout.

One word of caution to anyone reading this considering the program. I finished eating at 7:00 PM and started the workout about 9:00 PM. I either drank too much water (which wasn't much at all) or I ate way too much (not very likely, but more likely than too much water) and I almost threw up doing either the first or second workout. So, I guess what I'm saying is, make sure that you don't eat too much and don't drink too much water during the workout.

My P90X Story: Day 50

The beginning of the rest/recovery week. I am a little nervous about this week, only because I feel like my body could really use the rest, and I'm not sure how much I will actually get since I have never actually done the rest/recovery week.

Started with Yoga X today. That is the only workout I have already done before since we do it every week. I also have done the workout that we do in a couple of days. I decided to pop in the X Stretch DVD before we actually started P90X thinking that I could use the stretching and that it wouldn't be too bad. My entire body was sore for several days....so this should be an interesting week.

My P90X Story: Day 49 Repeat

Day of rest. It felt really good to have a day off after working really hard this past week. I don't know what was different, but I was much more sore this past week than I have been for several weeks.

Looking forward to the rest/recovery week starting tomorrow, then the post-60 day pictures. We'll see how that goes.

My P90X Story: Day 48 Repeat

I am sooo looking forward to a day of rest and then a week of something different. My body has been much more sore this week. Don't know if it is because I'm pushing myself harder or if it is because of the time I missed while in Hawaii. Maybe a little of both.

Did Kenpo X tonight. I always feel just a little strange doing this one, though I am getting much better at feeling coordinated while doing it. I remember the first few weeks feeling like the biggest fool when trying. Things are definitely improving, though I still struggle occasionally.

Rest and Recovery week next week, then 60 day pictures and the start of the home stretch. Looking forward to it.

My P90X Story: Day 47 Repeat

I actually felt pretty good about doing this workout tonight. Not as tired as I have felt the last few nights, and actually somewhat motivated to do the exercises. However, by the time I finished legs and back, and right before doing Ab Ripper X, I just about crashed. I laid down for a few minutes to catch my breath and just about fell asleep. I don't know if it was because of a lack of sleep the night before or if trying to change to phase 2 of the diet isn't working because I may not be eating enough calories. I have had to do just a protein shake for breakfast the last 3 days because I either had to be to work early or overslept and was running behind. Not good. I much prefer when I get to have a real breakfast. My days seem to go much better when I do that.

Very much looking forward to Sunday (Day of Rest) and next week (Rest and Recovery Week). Don't know if next week will actually be any easier since we didn't exercise during the first recovery week due to the wedding. Looking at the calendar, I am on pass to finish the last rest/recovery week the week after Thanksgiving. That will probably make things a bit difficult. Had I stayed on track in Hawaii I would be finishing my very last week the same week as Thanksgiving. Oh well, it might be better this way anyway.

I look forward to seeing all the results at the end. Almost 2/3 of the way down. Wish me luck.

Oh, by the way, when I weighed myself this morning I was under 240 lbs for the first time since probably the summer right after I got married (basically 6 years) and before that it was probably my Senior year of High School or my second area on my mission. In other words, I have only been under 240 lbs probably 3 small stretches since graduating high school until now (for those who don't know, that is just over 10 years now). Looking forward to seeing more drop off and keeping it off. Down about 26-27 pounds since starting.

My P90X Story: Day 46 Repeat

I don't know what it is, but this week I have had a really hard time feeling motivated to do any of the workouts. Maybe it is because Rachel hasn't been doing the workouts due to illness and lack of enough energy to do everything else during the day she needs to without needing to take a nap with the kids. The funny thing is, every time I do the workouts, I finish and I don't feel tired anymore. I guess that should be motivation enough to just do the workouts and get them over with.

Really good workout tonight. I really tried to push myself during the yoga. I know that seems counter intuitive. I guess what I mean is....between the upward and downward dog (which we do about 50 billion of) he gives the option of doing a push-up in between. I have never attempted to do the push-ups in between before. But tonight I did a push-up in between every single one of them. Then, I was able to actually reach or open more or stretch farther on a lot of the poses. I felt really good about the workout tonight by the time I finished.

My P90X Story: Day 45 Repeat

Shoulders and Biceps. I don't know if it is just me or the nature of these exercises, but my arms always feel huge doing these. They feel like they are busting out of my shirt. Then I finish the workout and try to flex and I feel like I can barely move my arms. I try to shower when I'm done, and I can barely lift my arms to my head. I guess those are all signs that I am really working hard.

Did pretty good this workout. Upped my weight on several lifts and was till pushing the limit of 8-10 reps so I'm building size. I few I upped the weight and still went past 10 reps. The one thing I wasn't happy about was the very last exercise, strip set curls. You are supposed to do 8 reps at 4 different weights, each 5 pounds less than the previous. Well, I wasn't able to get 8 reps in on the first weight (25 lbs), I only got 5.5. I did sort of make up for it though by doing 10 reps on the lightest weight. I know that doesn't sound like a ton of weight to start with, but if you consider that at this point I've done about 15 or so other lifts using my biceps, it kind of makes sense.

My P90X Story:Day 44 Repeat

Plyometric X!!!!! I can honestly say that I definitely did not feel like doing this workout tonight. Stayed up too late last night and had to get up early to try and catch up on work. Only had about 4 hours of sleep last night. I was pretty much crashing and falling asleep before the workout. Took a quick 5 minute cat nap and then hit the workout.

It was definitely harder tonight. I could tell that I didn't have as much energy as I normally do. I worked as hard as I could though, which Tony always says in the DVD's is all that really matters. Do your best and forget the rest. Well, I did my best tonight, and it wasn't as good as I have done in the past, but I worked my butt off. Looking forward to the rest week next week, and then post 60 day pictures after that. Stay tuned.

My P90X Story: Day 43 Repeat

Back from Hawaii. Rachel is starting to feel sick again, so she skipped this workout, even though she totally kicked butt last week doing it. She really wanted to do this workout, but because she is coughing again and didn't want to cough through the whole thing.

I wasn't able to do quite as many reps on some of the lifts/exercises this week as I did last week, I think probably because I took most of a week off when we were in Hawaii, and we pretty much didn't do anything. We tried to relax and we spent so much time running around that we were exhausted most evenings when we got home.

After the workout tonight, I went ahead and weighed myself. I came in at 240.6 lbs. Down to 28% body fat. Back to the "grind" tomorrow. Glad that I got started on the workouts again tonight. Going to spend this whole week "redoing" last week's workouts. Then do the week of rest next week and take the post-60 day pictures.

My P90X Story: Day 45-49

We were in Hawaii for these days. We did the first two days of workouts for this week, but because we were in Hawaii and we were running around a whole bunch we did not get these workouts done. We will be redoing the workouts. So, look for the next week of workouts to be "repeats" of the workouts we were supposed to do this week.

My P90X Story: Day 44

First night in Hawaii. We actually did the Plyometric X workout. It was intense. We made the whole building shake it seemed like. Mom, Dad, and Matt watched us start the workout. Dad and Matt left after a few minutes to do some shopping. Mom stayed and watched the whole thing. Didn't get up and try any of it with us, but was tired at the end from just watching. I think she has a little better understanding now of what we mean when we say these workouts are super intense.

I'm sure that her workouts are good for her. If they get her heart rate up and they burn calories then it is good. Maybe after they finish a round or two of their workouts they can start on P90X? We'll see how everything goes.

My P90X Story: Day 43

Getting ready to head out for Hawaii. Been busy all day trying to get everything else done that we need to. Rachel joined me for the workout now that she is starting to feel better. This was the first time that she has done this particular workout, and I was very impressed. I'm a little beat. Still have stuff we need to get done to leave. Packing the bands and the pull-up bar to take with since the place we are staying doesn't have a fitness facility (at least that is what they told me).

I will try to be better about keeping up and keeping everyone up to date.

My P90X Story: Day 42

Sunday. Day of rest. Dropped the kids off at Grandma and Grandpa's house tonight. Tried to relax a bit. It was Fast Sunday, so we only had one meal. That is probably why we felt it was okay to eat a little more than we probably should for one portion/serving/meal. Rachel's family made lasagna. It was really good. Enjoyed the break/rest from working out. Getting excited to be heading out to Hawaii.

My P90X Story: Day 41

Kenpo X. Again, don't really remember much about this workout either because I didn't blog early enough. I know that we spent quite a bit of time packing this night so that the kids could stay over at Grandma and Grandpa's house while we are in Hawaii. At least we got the workout in.

My P90X Story: Day 40

Legs and Back workout. Unfortunately, I didn't finish this post earlier, so I don't really remember much about the workout.

My P90X Story: Day 39

Yoga X....Didn't get done Thursday night. Did it this morning (Friday). I really think I need to switch to phase 2 of the diet. Just don't seem to have enough energy at the end of the day anymore. Had a good workout this morning though. Nice and relaxing. It was a bit more difficult at first than normal because I didn't really warm up my body before we started stretching, so most of the warrior poses were really killing me (almost to the point of cramping). But, by the end of it everything was warmed up and relaxed and feeling pretty good.

Planning on doing the Backa nd Legs workout tonight. Really need to get it in tonight so that I'm not constantly behind. Trying to decide what to do about Hawaii next week. I can take our chin-up bar and the bands, but since I haven't been using the bands for any of the workouts I won't know how much to do or what size to make the circles to make sure I get the right resistance. Also, haven't called yet to see what the fitness center has. Debating on just switching the Hawaii week to the rest week, and then doing the last week of this workout before I start the 4 weeks to finish it off before the last week of rest (I know that probably doesn't make much sense).

Basically, you normally do 3 weeks of workouts and then a 1 week rest. Except for the last set, it is 4 weeks of workouts and then 1 week of rest. I saying I might do 2 weeks of workouts 1 week of rest, then 5 weeks of workouts and the last week of rest to finish off the 90 days.

I'm open to suggestions. Everyone let me know what you think.

My P90X Story: Day 38

Shoulders and Biceps....Can I just say that I feel like I'm huge after this workout? It is a strange phenomenon that I noticed first in High School, and then in College. When you work out a body part (like biceps) when you get done, for the first little bit they are bulging. I think today was the first time that I have actually seen my biceps "pop" a little bit.

Did this workout Thursday morning instead of Wednesday night because I was just too tired. I think that maybe I need to switch to phase 2 of the diet plan now. I'm having harder time making it between snacks and meals without feeling hungry or totally drained of energy. I think that is probably a good sign that I should switch. Plan is to do the Yoga workout tonight (I know, double workouts). We'll see what happens.

My P90X Story: Day 37

Plyometric X...I think I say it every week, but I really enjoy doing this workout. Tony calls it the mother of all P90X workouts, but I think it is the most fun to do. Yeah, its hard. Yeah my legs are burning through most of the workout. Maybe it is just that the bonus portion of the workout is sports related and seem really fun to do. I don't know.

I am actually curious to see how doing this workout (along with the others) has affected my basketball game. I haven't had a chance to play much since we started. I look forward to the chance I get to do that again in the near future.

My P90X Story: Day 36

Chest, Shoulders & Triceps.....This workout really takes a lot out of me. Didn't get the workout in this morning or at night, so I did it Tuesday morning. Though, everytime I get done, I feel like my arms look huge. Maybe someday they will actually look as big as they feel when I finish this workout. Got the weights that I need down for this one pretty good. It should be interesting next week to see how things go since we will be going to Hawaii for a week. We don't leave until early Tuesday morning, so I may try to do the workout in the morning on Monday next week instead of waiting until the evening.

Wish me luck next week while we are in Hawaii.

My P90X Story: Day 35

Day of Rest. I love getting to rest from teh workouts. It feels really nice to take a day off. It is hard sometimes to want to keep going. Everything just seems so busy all the time that it is hard to do the workouts. I will keep pushing through. Almost halfway done.

My P90X Story: Day 34

Kenpo X tonight....I started way too late. Didn't feel like working out because I waited too long to get started. Didn't get started until about 10:30 PM. Should have started about 9:30 PM like I was going to, but got caught up doing some other things instead. It was a good workout. I'm glad that I did it. Day of rest tomorrow. Looking forward to that.

Weight still seems to be staying about the same. Haven't really been following the diet very well. Can't tell if that is the biggest problem or if I need to switch to phase two of the diet so that I have a little more energy to go harder during the workouts. I have been struggling a bit with energy during the day, but that is probably because I'm not getting enough sleep. Still happy with the results. Shirts are almost all too big now, and pants are much looser. I am on the very last notch (or first) on one of my belts. Its nice that all my clothes are starting to get too big, but bad at the same time because I really don't want to have to buy new clothes.

My P90X Story: Day 33

So...didn't do the workout at night like I was supposed to. Back and Legs workout. We were both just feeling so tired that we decided to hit the sack and do the workout in the morning.

So, we actually got up at 6:00 AM so that we could do the workout before we watched General Conference. We didn't quite make it through the workout before the kids woke up. It was a pretty tough workout. Planning on doing the Kenpo X workout tonight as well. We'll see how things go tonight.

My P90X Story: Day 32

Yoga X....I really hate this workout. I don't know what it is exactly, but I really don't look forward to this day. I think it is because this stuff shouldn't really be that hard (except for th flexibility part) and yet I sweat so bad that I have a hard time holding most of the poses because my arms are sliding off my legs or out of position.

At the same time, this workout is pretty relaxing by the end of it. I just wish that I were better at it. I'm sure that it will come with time.

My P90X Story: Day 31

Man do my arms hurt....but it feels good. I felt like my biceps were huge doing the Back and Bicep workout tonight. They probably weren't, but it felt that way. I am definitely getting back into the groove of everything, though I'm still a bit sore from Monday's workout. We shall see how tomorrow goes.

I still think the diet is the absolute hardest part about this, especially when I don't always eat a prepared lunch (there are lunch appointments for work, and quite a few lately). The diet part definitely takes a lot more planning, and I'm not even sure that we are actually doing it all right, but I think we are at least pretty close. I will keep pushing forward and we will see what becomes of all this in another 59 days.

My P90X Story: Day 30

Just kicked some plyometric butt....I think that I really like the workouts that are a bit more cardio. Maybe that is because I feel like I have way too much fat to burn still and it feels good to get my heart rate up and feel like I'm actually doing something to get rid of the fat. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the other workouts. They kick my butt. But I definitely feel like I am only working certain aspects of my body and not burning a lot of fat (which is understandable because of the type of workout we are doing).

I know that the pictures on the side are not very large, so I am going back in and creating a post with the pictures in it so that you can see them better. I was a little disappointed that the front and back poses didn't seem to reflect much change, but the side pose and the flexing poses seemed to show a significant difference. My belly has definitely gone down, and my neck and face look like a totally different person.

Got to keep going. Not going to let up. Going to prove to myself and everyone else that I know that didn't finish that I can finish. I will do all 90 days.

Pre-P90X and Post 30 Day Pictures

So, I was a bit hesitant to put my before pictures up, especially before I really started the workout. I figured nobody really wanted to look at my fat white body. Well, after 30 days there is a visible difference. I didn't really see it until I looked at the pictures. I am a bit amazed at how big a difference there is in so little time. Please let me know what you think.

.............Before P90X.............................After 30 Days

.............Before P90X.............................After 30 Days

.............Before P90X.............................After 30 Days

.............Before P90X.............................After 30 Days

.............Before P90X.............................After 30 Days

My P90X Story: Day 29

The beginning of phase 2.....really wish I had been able to do the core/cardio/ab workouts during the "off" week. I am really feeling it after finishing today's workout. I cannot believe how hard some of those workouts were. Crazy. I feel so incredibly weak. I could barely do 3-4 push-ups on some of the different variations. My arms are so dead, that halfway through the workout I wasn't sure if I could keep going.

Feels so good to get back into exercising though. That week off for the wedding was crazy. Total lack of sleep the whole week, no exercising, eating poorly. Just a horrible weak.

Took the post 30 day pictures today (because the book says to do it after phase 1 is done, even though it is only 28 days). I will try to get those posted either in a separate post or on the sidebar with a side-by-side comparison to my pre-P90X pictures. Haven't even compared the two myself, so I can't say if the pictures show a difference. I'm hoping they do.

Trying to get back on track this week. I can definitely say that the hardest part about all of this for me has been the diet portion. I can proudly say that when I weighed myself today I was down to 248.8 lbs and 28.8% body fat. That is down about 1-2 pounds from the beginning of last week, and down about 3-4% in body fat.

Goal by Christmas is a visible 6-pack and right around 200 lbs.

My P90X Story: Day 28

Day of rest....I love these days, even though this past week we pretty much took the whole week off. Well, sort of. We were supposed to be doing cardio and stretching workouts the whole week. Instead we did decorating and staying up late, then getting up early. I feel bad for not doing the workouts we were supposed to be doing, but at the same time I don't entirely feel like we are behind. I think the time off was good.

We will take pictures before we do the workouts tomorrow. I'm looking forward to seeing a side-by-side comparison. I think there is a noticeable difference. I have dropped about 15 pounds in the 4 weeks we have been doing the workouts. Today, I put on a pair of shorts that I got in May that are a size 38 and were quite tight at the time (around the waste). Well, I was able to pull the waste out about 2-3 inches from my waste. It was a great feeling. I may even take a picture of that just to prove it to everyone.

We have seen benefits from doing the workouts outside of the actual workouts. This past week when we were spending tons of time decorating and doing stuff for the wedding we noticed that we were able to keep going when most of the other people helping were running out of energy and needing to take a break. We have had several at Church and otherwise who have contact with us comment on how much better we look since starting. It is great to have people notice a difference.

My P90X Story: Day 27

Well...we finished off the week in style. Another missed workout. We were not completely inactive this week. I feel like we should have been doing something, but with so much going on there just wasn't time or energy to spare for working out. Tomorrow is our official "Day of Rest" and then we will start in on week 5 on Monday. Need to get things back on track. Should be taking post 30 day pictures tomorrow. Hope they show how I feel. I feel different, I feel thinner.

My P90X Story: Day 26

Well....the wedding and reception all went very well. Glad that it is over with. Maybe now we can get back to our regular schedule and start getting some exercise in. I was actually looking forward to doing the workouts. Should be able to do day 6 and then start up on the 5th week next week (or first week of round 2).

Need to take the post 30 day pictures. I'm actually very interested to see how the pictures compare. I think that I look quite a bit different. I hope that the pictures show that I have changed. I feel like I have.

My P90X Story: Day 25

Day 4.....Again, no workout. We were actually home relatively early tonight (comparatively). Had to feed the kids and get them in the bath so we could get Hannah in curlers for he wedding tomorrow. Can't believe it is all finally almost here and over. It has been a lot of work and late nights this week. I'm sure we won't get a chance to workout tomorrow night, but maybe on Saturday we will.

My P90X Story: Day 24

Well.....I can see that this week is going to be very difficult to get the workouts in. We spent pretty much all night in Fremont again tonight helping decorate and get ready for the wedding reception. I wish that we weren't spending so much time down there. I wish that we could do our workouts. I was actually really looking forward to this week to get some new workouts in.

My P90X Story: Day 23

Day 2 of the fourth week.....I got the Yoga X workout in this morning. Got up at 5:15 AM to be able to do it before needing to leave for work early/on-time today. Only got about 5 hours of sleep because I was up late last night cleaning.

Did not get home in time from helping to set-up/decorate from the wedding reception until after mid-night, so.......No Core Synergistics on Day 2 for me. We'll see what happens tomorrow. We shouldn't be in Fremont as much tomorrow, so maybe I will be able to do double workouts. If I don't get up in the morning though I probably won't get both in.

This week is not starting off very well workout wise. We will have to see how many I can make up so I can hopefully get all the workouts in still.

My P90X Story: Day 22

First day of the recovery week.....and I failed. I didn't get to the workout this evening like we have been doing. Spent the time cleaning up the house/kitchen instead to try and make things easier on my wife. We have been a bit behind on the household choirs lately because we have both been too tired to do them and we have used to do them at night.

I did not make up the Kenpo X workout either....and I probably won't make it up either since I am now two days behind. I will try to get up in tomorrow and do the Yoga X workout (Day 1) as well as the Core Synergistics (Day 2) workout.

My P90X Story: Day 21

Ahhh.....Day of rest. Well, it wasn't exactly a day of rest. Went down to Fremont today and spent 4-5 hours helping partially thaw, cut, marinate, and re-freeze chicken that will be used for the sister-in-law's wedding reception on Friday.

We'll see how this next week goes. Luckily we planned ahead on the workouts so that week 4 (Rest and Recovery Week) would fall on the week of the wedding. For those who don't know the program, this does not mean that there are no workouts. There are still six workouts to do during the week, but they are more cardio, core, and stretching related as opposed to the heavy lifting type exercises we have been doing. Wish us luck. This will be a busy week.

My P90X Story: Day 20

Today was very busy.....and with the Bachelor party I was hosting tonight, it made it impossible for me to do the workout this day. I didn't do the Kenpo X, but I did still get some physical exercise. For the Bachelor Party we did Highland Games. We did the caber toss, open stone, braemar stone, stone for distance, and hammer throw. It was a lot of fun, and a pretty reasonable workout.

It was a lot of fun. I will make up the normal workout on Monday morning. I will do a double workout, even though it is supposed to be the "rest week". Can't keep my eyes open anymore. Good night everyone.

My P90X Story: Day 19

Can't believe we are almost done with 3 weeks, which really means we are almost done with the first 30 days. It really has flown by. Just crushed the Legs & Back plus Ab Ripper X workout. Upped my weight for the few lifts with weight by 10 pounds, did all the reps on the workouts that we have a set number of reps to do, and did more pull-ups in their different variations than I ever have, and the chair was farther away than ever. Also just killed it on the Ab Ripper workout. I don't think I have ever done that good at that workout. Only missed a few reps in the Pfifer Scissors and took a couple breaks on the mason twists, but other than that I actually was able to do every single rep of every other workout, and with far fewer breaks than before.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, we just got a new scale. I am glad to say that I am down between 10 and 12 pounds since we started P90X. Unfortunately I don't know what my body fat percentage was wen we started, but it is just under 32% right now. I know that is still really high, but when you consider that it runs in my family and I haven't really exercised (other than basketball maybe once per week) for several years, I think I am still doing reasonably well. Don't get me wrong, I want to see that down. In fact, I am hoping by the end of P90X I will see it under 20%. If not, I'm going to have to keep going and do another 90 days (or get the plus workout or something).

Doing this at night has been very difficult at times, but I have to say that most days I look forward to doing the workouts. I have to say that the hardest part is definitely the diet, not the exercise. I think that we did a really good job the first week to two weeks sticking to the diet very, very strictly. This last week we have let it slip a little, and I feel it. We are going to do a colon cleanse next week in addition to getting back to sticking to the diet better.

I had several more people this week mention to me that I look thinner. That always feels good. One more week (the "rest" week) and then we I will post my pre-P90X fit test results and pictures along with the 30 day fit test results and pictures. I can guarantee you right now, the pictures won't look pretty. I have a real "nice" farmer's tan going, but I'm pretty sure you will notice a difference. I know that it is always hard to believe the testimonials and stuff you see on websites like beachbody.com or p90x.com, but I can add my testimonial to them now. This really does work. I have seen a difference, but most importantly, I can feel a difference.

My P90X Story: Day 18

Did Ab Ripper this morning and then Yoga X tonight. I cannot believe how much I sweat doing yoga. I thought yoga was supposed to be relaxing and everything. I guess that is why hey call it Yoga X.

We got a new scale tonight, and I weighed myself in the morning. We are not 100% sure what my weight was before we started nearly 3 weeks ago since our old scale some of the numbers didn't show up completely. However, it is safe to say that I have probably lost close to 10 pounds in the almost 3 weeks. The new scale also uses an electrical current to measure body fat percentage. Not sure how accurate/reliable that is, but it is a place to start. Unfortunately it said my body fat was just under 32%. That is not good. Gotta keep working hard so I can get that down.

My P90X Story: Day 17

Shoulders and back....and Ab Ripper X. Well, almost. I didn't do Ab Ripper X yet, I'm just too wasted after the day and after doing the first part of the workout. I know I should really push through and do it tonight, but I can't find the motivation. I will do Ab Ripper in the morning and then do the yoga tomorrow night.

Tonight was pretty frustrating. I think this is my least favorite workout logistically. It is the one where we change the weights the most often, and since changing weights right now doesn't mean just picking up a different set of dumbbells.....it takes a whole lot longer. We really need to figure out a better system for the weights. Just don't know if we have the money for it.

I think the yoga workout is probably my least favorite, either that or the Kenpo X. Haven't decided yet. Yoga is by far the longest workout. I feel awkward doing it, and I can't even get into some of the poses or positions. Kenpo X just makes me feel uncoordinated since I have a hard time keeping up with and doing the right moves on that one.

My P90X Story: Day 16

Plyometrics X......I actually really love this workout, even though Tony refers to it as the mother of all the workouts. I don't know what it is, but I actually look forward to this 60 minutes of jumping and squatting and lunging and jacking my heart rate up.....it just feels great.

Good workout tonight. Felt great, though pretty dead afterwards. Just relaxed and watched some Smallville Season 9 from Netflix after we finished. I love this workout. I think it is by far my favorite one. Maybe that makes me weird.

My P90X Story: Day 15

Wow!!! Can't believe we are at the beginning of week 3 already!!! Time is really flying by. It has been pretty hard to feel motivated some nights to do the work-out, especially after a long day. But, we are pushing through and trying to make the most of it. I feel like I am definitely getting stronger, and my "love handles" are disappearing already.

I feel so much better about the way I look, I may actually post my pre-P90X pictures in addition to my post-30 day pictures when I get there. I think you will see a big difference already. Pushing the weight for the work-outs up. Trying to push the reps up. Still not quite doing pull-ups without without a chair, but I think I'm getting closer. I am staring to do more and more with them. I am trying really hard to focus on not using the chair, but I know that I can't do it without the chair yet.

Plyometrics X tomorrow. Excited!!!!

My P90X Story: Day 14

Man I love the day of rest. Not just because there is no workout and we get to take the day off. But also because its the Lord's day of rest. Even this Sunday was a good one, and I had to speak in Church this morning. I think the talk turned out well.

Got a great boost of confidence today. As I walked in to Church, someone commented...."Looks like P90X is really working for you." That felt nice. I have just been beginning to realize and feel like P90X is making a difference. It was nice for someone else to recognize it and comment on it.

Had my daughter's birthday party this evening. Actually, today was a pretty difficult day for the diet portion of all this. Today was a "fail" day for that. Didn't take anything to Church for snack, didn't get home until about 2:00 PM so I ended up only have a left over turkey burger for lunch. Helped the wife make the cake for the party as well as the dip for everyone else. Ended up having some of the dip for snack 2/dinner. Then had cake and Coconut milk ice cream. I think based on the amount of food that we ate we may have stayed under the calorie portion of the diet, but we totally failed on the high protein low carb portion of it.

My P90X Story: Day 13

Got up this morning and did the Day 12 workout (shoulders and back) minus the Ab Ripper X. Couldn't do it this morning. Did not have enough energy without breakfast to do all of it before eating. Ended up doing Ab Ripper as part of the night workout.

Did the actual Day 13 workout tonight as well. That's right....I'm an animal. Did two workouts in the same day. Felt so dead by the end of it, but still stayed up and helped do more to get ready for my daughter's 4th birthday party.

Shoulders and back was pretty difficult to do this morning with the kids around. Couldn't get up early enough. Just felt too tired. Wonder if I'm getting enough. Kenpo X was also pretty hard tonight after spending the rest of the day cleaning, shopping, and cleaning for the birthday party.

My P90X Story: Day 12

Well.....There was a tone of stuff going on this day....and we got home too late and didn't do the workout. I will get up and do it tomorrow morning. Just had too much going on today and no energy by the time we had time to do it tonight (around 10:30).

My P90X Story: Day 11

Did Ab Ripper X this morning as promised to make up for missing it last night. Can I just say that fatigue must be part of the effectiveness of that work out, because it was waaaay easier this morning than it is doing it right after some other work out.

Had a rough time getting the kids in bed tonight, so I didn't get started on Yoga X until almost 9:30 PM which means I just barely finished it an hour ago. I feel hungry. Don't know if that is because I am know not getting enough to make it through the work outs or if I am just staying up too late and so I start to feel hungry.

Legs and Back tomorrow. Should be fun. Almost done with Week 2. Excited because the workouts seem to be easier, even though I am doing either as much weight or more and the same number of reps or more for pretty much every workout. Amazing, but there seems to be a difference even after just one week. No real visible difference yet though, but I definitely feel different.

My P90X Story: Day 10

Shoulders and arms today. Pretty difficult, but I pushed through it. Feel a little like I'm cheating though. I am doing Ab Ripper X tomorrow morning instead of tonight. I got off work late, and didn't get to have dinner before I started the workout. Eating dinner now at nearly 11:00 PM. Really feeling too weak to do Ab Ripper tonight. I will do it tomorrow.

I feel pretty good about the workouts. Feel like I am able to push a little harder this week than I could the first week. Still annoyed about the weight situation (having to change it so often), but knowing what I did the time before makes it a little easier and less time consuming.

Don't know if I can see a difference yet in my appearance, but I feel different. This week is definitely not making me as sore, even though I am doing as many reps or more and often with more weight. I just feel like my body can handle it a little better. Already 1/9 of the way done.

My P90X Story: Day 9

I don't know why, but for some reason I was really looking forward to this workout. I was actually kind of excited. It was still killer, and I'm sure that I will feel it tomorrow, I think the Plyo X workout is my favorite even though they say it is probably the hardest.

We kept pace pretty good. Only paused for a few extra seconds a couple of times. Pushed all the way through. Sweat so much it was like I had taken a shower with my shirt on.

The biggest thing that I have noticed so far about the second week compared to the first week: I look forward to the workouts and we do them faster because we know for the most part what to expect. We'll see if that holds up as we get to some of the more "technical" workouts like Yoga X and Kenpo X. For some reason those were just really hard to me the first time through.

My P90X Story: Day 8

Felt great this morning after the day of rest. So good in fact that I decided to go and play basketball for an hour and a half with the fellas. It was good, I played okay, especially for having not played for several weeks now.

Totally hammered the workout tonight. Felt great. It was good knowing what to expect. It helped speed things up a bit. Pushed ourselves harder than we did the first day. Still felt good at the end of it. Just about died trying to do Ab Ripper X though. I struggle with that one. I am obviously not very strong in the core (or I just have too much weight?). I'm sure that I will be feeling it tomorrow. Looking forward to the rest of the week and seeing if any of the other workouts seem "easier".

My P90X Story: Day 7

REST....What a wonderful word. It was an amazing day of rest. No stretching, no workout, just Church and time with the family.

My P90X Story: Day 6

Can I just say that I feel extremely uncoordinated after doing this workout? I have never done any sort of "martial arts" before. This was a really hard workout, mostly in the coordination of moving hands and feet. It was very awkward at first, but I soft of got the hand of it by the time we got toward the end.

I have noticed that for the "cardio" days I definitely sweat a lot. I must be really out of shape. Not much to say about this workout. It was good. Taking day 7 off (not even any stretching). Start it all again on Monday.

My P90X Story: Day 5

I can honestly tell you...I was not looking forward to this workout. Legs....and back. My legs are still sore from earlier this week. Do we really have to do more legs? I guess that is why they call it P90...X!?!

This was a very interesting workout, but again I discovered something. I think that if you plan to work out with someone else, you need to have your own equipment as much as possible. It is just really hard, and slows things down a lot when you have to pause to share.

So....we got started late on this workout. We were trying to call my daughter who is staying the night at Grandma's house. Couldn't reach them...tried for nearly 20 minutes with no luck, so we finally gave up and started the workout....at 9:00 PM. Not too bad actually, but later than we would have liked. This was supposed to be a 59 minute workout. We didn't finish the workout until sometime between 10:30 and 11:00 PM...then we still had Ab Ripper X to do.

Since it was so late I decided that I was just going to try and keep up with the guys on the DVD as best I could, even if that meant not completing all 25 reps for each exercise. I think I did myself an injustice. I still ended up pausing for several because I wanted to do more than I was able to in time the DVD was doing 25. However, I short changed myself on a few of the exercises. Must do better next time.

Day 6: Kenpo X. I think I'm gonna sweat a lot.

Day 7: Rest.....The Lord's day. Sunday. Taking it off. Start it all again on Monday for week 2!!!

My P90X Story: Day 4

Can you say Yoga....X?!?!? I was actually looking forward to this workout. I thought it would be a little more relaxing and less strenuous since pretty much every muscle in my body hurts at this point.....I was wrong. Sort of.

This was a 90 minute workout. The first 45 minutes are pretty much constant movement from one pose to another. This was very difficult because I was unfamiliar with most of the poses, so I had to keep looking up to try and get it right, and some of the poses are hard to look up in. Also, I was getting tired. The first 45 minutes was pretty intense.

The last 45 minutes I felt was much easier, except for the whole balance part. I had a hard time balancing in a lot of these poses, so I don't know that I quite got what I should have out of the second half.

But, it was a good almost relaxing day in the middle of the workout week. Gave my legs a little bit of a rest, and when we got done, they didn't hurt as bad, even though we used them more.