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.

Rest week - at just the right time

So as I transition from one cycle to the next, I enjoyed my "rest week" this week. While the conventional thought would be that this means a full week off the workout regimen, it's hardly that. Rest week still involved yoga, specific stretching, and optional ab workouts which I completed. However, compared to the other workouts I was doing back to back 6 days in a row, this certainly was calm and relaxing. It came at just the right time, as studying for exams would have made it really tough to be exhausted physically as well. Excited for the new cycle to start up, with new workouts and routine.

Cycle 4 - a big success

Cycle 4 was a great success. No time issues, and I was able to finish all workouts relatively easily.

In looking for further motivation to keep chugging along, I accessed the p90x website and read many of the customer reviews (http://www.Beachbody.com/P90X).

In addition, I found a site that answers many questions about P90x, from a more unbiased source (http://www.weightloss-hq.biz/exercise-reviews/top-20-p90x-questions-answered-here.html).

Furthermore, I also checked out the site recommended through the program, which links to testimonials, a support system of past and current users of the program, and other motivational incentives (places to submit before and after pics, post your own story, etc.) (http://www.milliondollarbody.com).

While I did not really need the help of these sites this week, I filed them away for days later in the program, where I'll certainly need some more motivation to keep powering on.

Another week down, another cycle complete...almost

This week was a perfect example of this week's topic to discuss: Barriers to change. Over the course of this week, I faced all 3 of the biggest barriers to change - Time; Motivation; and External distractors.

On the second day of the cycle, I faced a real motivational barrier. I was exhausted from the day before's activities, as well as other physical activities I take part in, in addition to very little sleep and time to eat. I made it through though, completing my work out right before I went to sleep.

On day 3 of this cycle, I faced multiple external distractors. In addition to the fact that I had been busy all day, and staying out till quite late, my friend was trying to convince me to skip my workout so I could do something with her early in the morning the following day. It was very tempting at 1 am to just call it a day and pick up tomorrow. However, I saw my weights and workout book sitting there as I entered my room, and powered through my 90 minute work out.

Day 4 was the biggest obstacle: Time. While this is often a constant issue, I've been able to overcome it the vast majority of occasions. However, Sunday was impossible. My morning consisted of plans for my father's birthday, my afternoon was spent with a friend, and the evening was dedicated to my close friend's birthday plans. All these, in conjunction with almost no sleep all weekend, and a lot of effort into carrying out all the plans led me knowing I wouldn't have a good work out even if I tried my hardest that night. However, I was able to overcome even this barrier to some extent. I had 2 options: either go 2-a-day the next day, or exchange my rest day. I decided to go with the second option, and while I'm sure I'll want to kill myself somewhere in the next cycle, I was effectively able to overcome my final barrier!

Driving On - Cycle 2 of Phase 1 Complete

Another week and another cycle complete. No unforeseen breaks, and no gaps in activity. With the dodgeball season officially starting up again, I will soon be dealing with a new source of conflict/reason to be lazy.

My friend Adam, who was one of my main role models in aspiring this behavior change, has been very supportive, and really helped me push myself. I have gone through all the steps with him, discussing the importance of each set of exercises and the individual cycles and phases. He's also spurred me to take try and go even beyond my goal, with regards to diet and protein intake. Not sure how that will go, but knowing what an effect it had on him, it's certainly something I will be striving for in the next few weeks.

Back on Track - Cycle 1 Phase 1 complete

Throughout my life, my parents and other family members have been great role models for my career, my moral values, and what I strive to be like one day. Physically, however, they have never been an inspiration. While neither of my parents are overweight, due to the daily exercise they do during their jobs walking, in addition to moderate exercise outside, neither has ever been in particularly great physical shape, or participated consistently in any sport since their childhoods. My sister, while again not in bad shape, has never been very consistently active.

Based on this, they actually view my desire to participate in the amount of physical and athletic activity that I already partake in as "too much." However, throughout high school, college, and my graduate career, I have had physical role models. Starting in high school, I had a friend who's dedication to basketball and physical fitness improved him from a very average player his freshman year, to a Division I scholarship on a team that would make the NCAA Sweet 16 his junior year. In college, I had a good friend and roommate who, despite his limited stature, showed such dedication to baseball and physical fitness, that he was consistently the one of the fittest people on the field, and led to his success his junior and senior year. And while in grad school, I had a very close friend in undergraduate, who's physical dedication since a very young age, in addition to freakish athletic ability, led him to great success in football and track and field.

Throughout my years, I have these people to look up to, as well as many others. They have led me to push myself, and achieve decent success throughout, as well as consistent improvement of myself. However, at this stage in my life, as I live at home, I must look to my friends of the past, as well as within for further motivation. I have mental images to strive to be closer, physically, to where they all were. Whenever I feel a bit lazy in focusing on P90x, as opposed to doing a more fun, and less intense physically activity, I can always look back to where their consistent hard work got them physically. P90x has many testimonials as to where their users have gone from day 0 to day 90. I completed the first cycle the second time with no hitches. Tomorrow is my off day, and then cycle 2 begins on Thursday. All systems go.

Setbacks -1; Days Completed - 6

This weekend's setback was the perfect example of what motivated me to strive for my goal (the full completion of P90x). After completing the fit test, and the first 3 days of the program, I embarked on a weekend trip with friends to Lake Arrowhead for a good friend's birthday. While I brought my literature with me to attempt to complete at least some of the program over the weekend and attempt to keep on track, the 20 people on the trip and the activities associated did not exactly help me stay the course.

The weekend was not a sedentary one. It involved: pushing cars after chains snapped in the snow; Applying chains on tires; building a massive snow fort; making a game table out of snow; snow football; great amounts of shoveling; sledding; and snowboarding. However, along with these activities and the festivities of the birthday, came a lack of time for P90x.

It is impromptu weekend's like this that lead me to attempt to find a better plan of action. Since returning from Lake Arrowhead/Big Bear, I have completed the first 6 day cycle, and plan to restart from day 1 on Thursday. I will have to think up a plan to work in such deviations from such a vigorous program. As of now, my goal would be to rework the cycle so that I could incorporate the off day into the weekend, if necessary, as well as perhaps do part just before I embark, and the next day's workout right when I return. Details to follow hopefully in the next few days (and certainly before the next weekend trip).

Day 0 - The Journey Begins

P90X(R) is "an extreme fitness program designed for individuals in top physical condition and health." This training program is designed to take those that are already quite athletic and partake in a healthy amount of physical activity, and build on these individual's fitness goals. By using the concept of muscle confusion (targeting various different muscle groups constantly in different ways to promote constant growth, via learning, adaptation, mastery, and recovery), P90X aims to tone, strengthen, develop coordination, balance, flexibility, and skills that individuals "never dreamed possible."

I consider myself quite an active person. Throughout high school, college, and life beyond, I have taken part in various types of physical activity (basketball, weightlifting, running, dodgeball, kickball, beach sports, golf, tennis, and a multitude of others) consistently multiple times a week, for several hours at a time. This level of physical activity, in addition to my extremely fast metabolism, has always kept me in what I consider pretty good physical shape.

However, when I first heard about P90X from a friend, it inspired me to try to take the next step, in terms of my level of overall fitness. Throughout high school and college, I had always had difficulty putting on significant amounts of muscle with the variety of weightlifting programs employed by my basketball team, or through attempts to try friend's routines. This was in large part due to my metabolism, but also due to a number of personal choices (diet, consistency, duration of time with each program, and dedication to put weightlifting before other activities that I enjoyed more like basketball).

P90X is broken in to three phases. I have thrice completed all or almost all of phase 1, but then had something come up (either a trip, a large amount of work, or one of those combined with some laziness).

When the topic of personal change or improvement came up, I knew that this was an area that I wanted to dedicate myself to. By dedicating myself to a higher level of fitness, I will also be committing to a more regular diet, a more consistent and regular schedule, and, simply put, and more regulated lifestyle.

With such a regimented program in line, setting separate goals is not very difficult. Goal #1: Start the program. Goal #2: Get it done. My goal over the next 16 weeks is begin this program, and not stray from the very defined path that it has etched out for me.

Day 0's activities were successfully completed. All "before" body measurements were taken to compare with day 90, and recorded in my log book. In addition, I took the "Fit Test," and passed all parts, from resting heart rate, to pull ups, vertical leap, push ups, toe touch, wall squat, bicep curls, in and outs, and the heart rate maximizer.

I have all the equipment, notation materials prepared, and the motivation ready.

Day 0 Complete. We'll see where I am at day 90.