P90x: Kenpo

Kenpo was so much fun! So many of the other P90X routines are so structured with regular strength training exercises...lifting weights, lunges, squats, etc. Kenpo makes me sweat just as much (or perhaps even more) but rather than dread or count down the seconds for one exercise, I just want to keep going! And its essentially self defense training, making it applicable outside the gym. Don't mess with this girl!

P90x: Legs, Back and Abs

So this P90x routine is similar to the chest, back and abs routine: a lot of pull ups. And then a lot of squats for the legs. It burns!

P90x: Yoga

It's been a looong time since I've done yoga. Because of some lower back problems I have, my chiropractor told me to avoid any exercise (or work) that requires me to bend over or twist at the waist. In other words: no yoga. But since it's been a few years and I've made some efforts to see a personal trainer in order to safely build up my core muscles, I decided I would give it a go and see how my body reacts to the P90X yoga routine.

I was blown away by the crazy poses I was able to do and how good I felt after the routine. Of course, with any exercise, not all of it felt good while doing it, and I stopped any motion or position that I thought would do some damage to my back.

I still prefer pilates, but yoga will probably make me more flexible that pilates ever could.

P90x: Shoulders, Arms, and Abs

So, the shoulders, arms, and abs P90X exercise is about 75 minutes long. Luke and I cringed when we calculated how early we had to be up if we are going to do these P90X routines before work (which is what I prefer since I have thesis writing and board member responsibilities to do in the evenings). And as I've stated before, exercising in the morning gets me awake and ready for work like coffee can't.

So Luke and I slinked out of bed at 6:00am and changed into exercise gear. After 4 short minutes of the warm up, we both noticed how awake we felt already! This exercise was not as difficult as yesterday's Plyometrics workout in the sense that the weight lifting of shoulders, arms, and abs is much lower impact than plyometrics. We have opted to use resistant bands for the weight lifting exercises, mostly because we already have some. But since both of us are doing these workouts at the same time, I think it would be a good idea to invest in a few more, as sometimes Luke was using the one that I wanted to use, or vice versa.