P90X - The genius is in the order of workouts?

As I am in the midst of week two of P90X (and I have done this program, but not with the dedication of this round), something interesting has occurred to me.

You probably know that the big deal of the program is "Muscle Confusion". The program is organized in three phases. The first phase, first three weeks, you do the same workout every Monday (Chest and Back), every Tuesday (Plyometrics), every Wednesday (Shoulders and Arms), etc. After three weeks your muscles begin to adapt to the routine of the workouts. In sports we call this muscle memory. You shoot lots of good free throws, or play catch with the baseball for hours so that your muscles know exactly how to throw the ball with just the right velocity, power, range. This is important when you play a sport. Practice makes perfect (actually...perfect practice makes perfect).

On the fourth week, called recovery week, the routine is switched up with less heavy lifting, more stretch and core stuff. Then you start Phase 2. In Phase 2 you again have the same workout for three Mondays, three Tuesdays and so on but they are different workouts Monday/Wednesday than phase 1, not only switching up exercises but how you work different muscle groups on those days.. Your muscles have become confused by the change from Phase 1 and recovery week, and now have to adapt and get stronger. Another recovery week at the end of Phase 2 and then you have 4 weeks Phase 3, alternating workouts from Phases 1 and 2 to further confuse and force the muscles to adapt and get stronger.

But this past week I realized something in the ordering of the workouts beyond the Muscle Confusion of the various phases. The order within the week helps to grow the muscles as well by working, resting, and working another part of the body in another way. Monday works upper body, on Tuesday that mostly rests while you work lower and cardio in Plyometrics. Wednesday upper body again, Thursday (Yoga) is a stretch of all of it, Friday Uppper and Lower (Legs and Back) and Saturday Cardio and stretching (KenpoX Karate). Abs are every other day, allowing them to rest and recover.

Maybe I am just a simpleton and it took me this long to realize it, but there is genius not only in the variation between the 3 Phases, but in the order of the week itself. And quite frankly, as someone with a relatively short attention span, the variety within the week as well as the phases helps keep my attention.

Momentum....

Wasn't it one of Newton's laws of physics that things in motion tend to stay in motion, and things at rest stay at rest unless changed by an outside force? (Thank you Sr. Jocelle for H.S. physics).

After a decent recovery week last week we started this week with Shovel X, the pet name I have for having to shovel 9 inches of snow. Tuesday I got in Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders because it is the start of Phase II (muscle confusion...start shaking things up). But Weds and Thursday I was a slug. Slept later than I wanted, didn't get in the workout either day, and now I am procrastinating again....

So as soon as I hit "publish post" I am going downstairs. I am going to do 1/2 Plyometrics X (my favorite workout anyway), going through each set 1x rather than twice AND THEN go into a full Back & Bicep workout. This will catch me up from Weds/Thursday. Oh yeah - then I get to go out and shovel again (only 2 inches).

The main barrier for me is that I have been staying up later (for no good reason) and then not getting up early to work out first thing in the morning. I HAVE TO GET MY WORKOUTS IN FIRST THING, or I find every excuse of busy to not get it done at all. Early to bed, early to rise... makes this man more likely to get his workout in (healthy and wise?).

So I guess just I need a good swift push to get this body at rest back into motion!

Banners added, getting focused

As I noted in the last post, I have now signed up to be an Independent Team BeachBody Coach, which means I can help people to get into shape, and point them towards the BeachBody products such as P90X, Insanity, and Shakeology.

As you know from this blog, last year November through Feb/March I lost 50lbs. I have basically (within a few pounds up and down) maintained that weight loss. But with Spring and Summer came baseball coaching and the busy-ness of running around as a parent. I know, excuses, but there they are.

Late Summer/Early Fall I decided I wanted to run the Disney Half Marathon on January 8th and have been training for that primarily, throwing in some P90X here and there. Not as much as I have wanted, or should.

So the race is in two weeks, and when I return from Florida, I start the next round in earnest. If I start January 17th or so (my 22nd Sobriety anniversary FYI and D.v), I should finish the 90 days by Holy Week/Easter. So that is the goal, as well as the rest of the weight I have wanted to lose.

So join me on the journey!!! Stop by here regularly to see my updates, and to get your BeachBody products click on the banners to the right or go to my Coach page http://www.BeachBodyCoach.com/StJohnsPriest