Cycle 11- Homestretch

One week of school left, and one more cycle to go after this one. This week went along well, and I am excited for my post-program plans. I discussed with a good friend, and we've created a bit of a support program. Me and four other dodgeball players will be starting up the full p90x program from the beginning in 2 weeks. I think this is perfect because it will not only give me a week off after I finish the program fully the first time, but also give me a chance to reflect on my results. Following this, it this group will give me an excellent source of motivation to go through the program fully again, as well as push even harder to get better results. Two of my friends will be completing the diet portion of the program as well, which is something I'm contemplating trying for even better results.

Cycle 10 - CRUSHED

I breezed through Cycle 10, as I was in a relative zone with regards to the set routine. It was also a nice change to be fully healthy again, and getting back on track. While I had a decent amount of school work and other activities on my calendar, It was relatively quite easy for me to schedule in my P90x this week. Completing it the morning after dodgeball playoffs (2 days in which i had 2 games each) led me to start the routine a little sluggish, but I slid into the routine quite quickly. Only two cycles remain, so I am quite interested to statistically compare my changes. In terms of self-perceived change, I feel like I have become stronger certainly, based on increasing ability to do the set routines with more weights consistently across the board. Internally however, I feel that my body fat and overall weight have stayed about the same. I'll be very interested to compare fitness and body changes. While my fitness and athletic abilities have likely increased, I believe that my change in exercise routine, and yet my lack of change in diet may likely have a large role. P90x is a very strenuous routine that is great for getting into and keeping one in shape. I may contemplate running through the program again with the addition of adding the recommended diet steps, but tweaking it (possibly by speaking with my friend who is a personal trainer/nutritionist/dietician) to make sure I don't lose weight necessarily, but rather gain muscle mass while decreasing body fat content.

Cycle 9 - a ROUGH one

This cycle was a tough one. Lots going on my social and school calendars, in addition to a lot of errands. Add in a dose of the flu and very little sleep, and this one was a very hard one to get through. However, I did survive. The new routine, added to my physical scenario with the illness, really worked me to the bone. Got me thinking about the main concept behind P90x: Muscle confusion. found some conflicting articles.

Against:
http://www.submityourarticle.com/articles/Scott-Abbett-1949/muscle-confusion-62320.php

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Biggest-Muscle-Building-Fallacy-in-Bodybuilding&id=553415

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/muscle-confusion-myth.html

Pro:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5047672_schedule-muscle-confusion-workout.html

http://www.knowledgesutra.com/forums/P90x-Muscle-Confusion-Workout-Regiment-t44323.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Muscle-Confusion---An-Amazing-Muscle-Builder&id=1471857

Another set of cylces complete - REST

This rest week was nice, as it once again coincided with a busy week. The yoga, stretching, and ab exercises were nice in helping me focus on a big week of dodgeball (2 very tough matchups). The rest has me ready and focused for the beginning of the playoffs this week, as well as a healthy amount of school work coming up in the next few weeks. I haven't researched just yet, so I'm not sure what new cycles will be coming up, but it should be interesting (homestretch, just 4 more weeks!).

Almost a let down, but success (kinda) - Cycle 8

With my usual busy schedule getting busier with assignments, exams, and presentations, I hoped that I'd have the motivation to power through. My rest day today couldn't have come at a better time with the amount of things I have coming up in the next two days. I also had a case of the stomach flu for about 24 hours this weekend. While my output that day was far from my best, I did get through it. Another week checked off.

Breezing through Cycles 6 and 7

After exams were completed, getting P90X ACTUALLY seemed easy for the first time. In addition to the fact that I had extra time (due to spring break), my body is really becoming acclimated to the amount of work. At the end of each workout, I find myself feeling satisfied, but not as exhausted as I was in the first set of cycles. The workout program is starting to pay dividends in my other activities too, as I'm finding more consistency in my basketball game, as well as less fatigue in my arm following multiple consecutive days of dodgeball. It should be interesting to see how this current set of cycles meshes with some exams and presentations coming up. Details to follow next week

Powering through - Cycle 5

So, back to the grind, with the addition of midterms in the mix. Certainly wasn't a walk in the park, with 2 new types of workouts, in addition to a lot of studying, a busy calendar socially this week, and dodgeball in the mix as usual.

The finely tuned regimen was very helpful in overcoming the difficulty of motivation. In the past, on work out plans in high school and college, exercise would be largely put aside to focus on studies. But with the clearly defined time and activity plan, I was able to power through, as well as use the program as a way to decompress.

P90X was crushed and I won both my dodgeball games. Hopefully the tests went as well.