Tuesday, August 10, 2010

P90X Phase 2 Begins

Ok, so I made it through Phase 1 of P90X and I have noticed a huge difference in my overall energy levels. My shorts are fitting looser, my shirts feel looser, but best of all, I feel lighter on my feet. This is the whole reason I started P90X in the first place; to run the Oil Creek 100k trail run. I started the program at 220 lbs on July 5th!! I KNOW, AND I RUN REGULARLY!!? I'm what us distance runners call a "Clydesdale". :) Anyway, I'm now down to 205 lbs, and my running has benefited so much from loosing just 15 lbs.

The first week of P90X was sheer pain. After about 3 days into it, I didn't want to move, let alone do another workout. I only lost about 1-2 lbs after the first week, but I built a lot of new muscles. Believe it or not, I've actually been keeping up with my running schedule pretty well even while doing the P90X program. I think doing my running has actually what has helped me loose more weight than the P90X program. My upper body strength is 100% due to the program, but the weight loss and smaller mid-section is mostly due to the running I've been doing.

Some days I do my runs first, but I find it better to do the strenuous workouts, and THEN relax on a nice trail run. Sounds crazy I'm sure, but it works for me. The 2nd and 3rd weeks were hard, but not as hard as the first week. After the second week I'd dropped 8lbs (total) and after the 3rd week I was down 12lbs total. This last weekend, I weighed myself and I was down 15lbs!!

I actually did the 3rd week twice. We were in the middle of getting our house ready to sell, so on Thrusday, rather than killing myself with guilt to get in a run, a workout, clean the house and yard, write code, and also sleep, I decided to just take the 1+ hr 'workout' out of the plan. It worked out great because I was able to pick right back up where I left off after we had our open house. That next Monday was back on track so I guess you can say I got in 3 extra workouts. :)

Yesterday was my first day in Phase 2 and it SUCKED! I was weak, I was sore, and I was sweating like a fool. Today my muscles are very sore, but I feel strong. I am anxious to get into the 2nd and 3rd weeks of this Phase 2, for I know I'll be ready to keep up with the program once I get past these sore creaky muscles from week 1.

So between my P90X and my 25+ miles a week for the last month, I'm kicking butt and I'm really not that scared of the 100k race. I'm anxious, but I'm not scared like I was in June. :) By the time it gets here (October 16th or 66 days from now) I am hoping to be down to 185 lbs or so. This will mean that I'll be floating through the trails in my VFF's with 35 less pounds. I will earn this buckle:

3 comments:

Mr. Abakumoff said...

Hi Luc,
Congrats on finishing phase 1 :)
Are you able to keep with the nutrition plan?

Mr. Abakumoff said...

Also, did you do YogaX? I think that it sucks - the exercises are boring and do not seem to bring any gain. And I replaced it with one more CardioX.

Luc said...

Sergey - I am pretty much ignoring the nutrition plan and I'm just eating smart. I take tips from the "Portion" section and figure out how many of each food group I should consume. I calculated that I'm in the 3rd Nutrition Group (most calories). I tried keeping track of my food intake, but it became too time consuming and difficult to keep up with it (counting calories, protien, etc..).

My diet is basically this:
- egg sandwich in the morning (yum)
-- 1 slice turkey bacon
-- 1 slice american cheese
-- 1 farm fresh egg (fried)
-- 1 english muffin (toasted)
- protein bar 2-3 hrs later
- light lunch (ie. can of tuna or lean pocket)
- a light snack or another protein bar 2-3 hrs later
- healthy dinner (most nights) :) with family

If I'm still awake late and get hungry, I'll make myself a protein shake, or eat a banana. I only drink water, coffee, and 100% natural juices (apple or orange).

Since I'm also running, I may eat more for lunch if I have a big run that day. It helps me from bonking on my runs. I figure that I burn off the calories anyway, so I'd much rather have the carbs for energy on my trail runs rather than passing out from mal-nutrition in the forest. :)

As for the yoga... I hate it, but it works. It's so boring for me too, but it works the crap out of me. I had it today and was sweating like a fool. It definitely adds gain for me. I've never been flexible, and I can now touch my toes. I am a "downward dog master" now. :) You should try it 2-3 more times to give it a fair chance. It sucks, but it works!