Monday, October 31, 2011

Day 15...Chest and Back...ROUND 3

Here we are already into week #3! Time is fricken flying!

Third time up to bat at Chest and Back and it was Jonny Intense like nobodies business! Squeezing out reps to utter failure and hurtin' for certain makin' the time count. Basically I have to lay it all out this week and close out the first phase in style. Next week is Rest and Recovery which only means not much resistance training. It probley could use a more appropriate name though as I never feel like I am resting or recovering in the slightest.

I haven't been seeing much weight loss, or fat loss yet which is interesting. I have cleaned up my eating big time and scaled the carbs down to barely 10% of my previous consumption...and that's on a bad day. I am trying to fuel myself up good each day. So I am taking in good portions heavy on the protein. Fish, steak, chicken, eggs...protein bars, muscle milk, lots of water. I have been making huge juices in the morning with a combined 10 servings of fruits and vegetables to kick start my day. I wonder if all the sugar in the fruit is no bueno.

I am planning on the same type of diet for the remainder of Phase 1, then for Phase 2 I would like to try something new for that month.

Open to suggestions.

209.4

Day 14....Rest...ROUND 2

Round 2 of rest day was executed with precision. Didn't do a whole lot of anything and I even slipped in a 2 hour nap.

Went to see Matt Nathanson at HOB SD at night. Great show, but it got me thinking...

The bandnis pretty much a bunch of 30 somethings and they are all skinny bean poles. What is thatball about? They are certainly not muscular or fit in anyway so there is no working out going on here...but do they not eat or something? At one point yr metabolism does slow down, and I have seen many of my old favorite bands plump up with age. The ones that still look fit obviously train and work to keep fit and maintain their sex symbol status.

I don't know, it was just something I noticed is all.

210.1 (Man, every time I have a can of beans the day before my weight goes up)

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Day 13....KenpoX...ROUND 2

...and that is it for week #2!

Kenpo is a fun routine sort of. It used to be my favorite. It certainly goes by the quickest, but over all the times I have done it, I have kind of gotten bored of it. Maybe I am not a fan of shadow boxing or something. It's a good cardio routine, but I think I can get a better cardio workout done doing something else in that hour.

Just the same, I am going to stick with the program ver batem. That's how I like to do things. What I will do though I think is add a resistance session in that day too. Nothing crazy, just something more.

See you on day 15! Last week of phase one before rest and recovery week.

208.3

Friday, October 28, 2011

Day 12... Legs and Back...ROUND 2

I was going to wake up and hit up today's workout first thing in the morning and then hit San Diego and come home so I could just relax at the end of a busy week. Sounded like a plan until I couldn't get it together and instead I got to look forward to the ol' Legs and Back Routine with a round of Ab ripper X for good measure. After driving 200 miles my favorite thing in the world is to to bang out a mess of pull-ups and lunges. Heck no! But that's what happened.

What a power struggle that occurs in my head once I arrive home! I actually have to brainlessly put on my shoes and workout clothes and walk into the garage and press play and just go. I am amazed and appalled at all the excuses I can come up with...the rationalizing, deal making...it's a serious fight between good and evil.

So starting my workout is pretty much half the battle. Once I get going I am all good. I posted better numbers over last week so that trend is continuing.

I'm getting my arms back Brando...slowly but surely...

209.1 (ok, looks like I am reversing directinn again)

Day 11... YogaX...ROUND 2

What a difference a week makes.... (sing it kind of like that old C&R clothing commercial)

Last week I was stumbling and fumbling, this week I was calm of mind and body. You should have seen me, I was like a statue!! Sorry, P90X inside jokes, if you didn't do it, you won't know it.

Anyway, reflecting back on last weeks agonizing Yoga outing, I was a little gun shy for today's shot at it. Turns out my body was ready and last week was a memory and nothing more. Of course I am not 100%, but I surely was 100% improved from the prior week. I still can't believe how rough it was.

Yoga Belly 7, I will tell you just kills me! Boat and half boat?!?! Forget about it!

At the end of the day, I am motivated by the big strides I am now seeing which is awesome. It crazy to think that I am halfway through the first phase after this week already!

What a difference a day makes...and the difference is you!

210.0 (don't know what that is all about)

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Day 10...Arms and Shoulders. ROUND 2

Oh yeah....the glamour muscles! Tank tops in December here I come!

Good round today. I have to baby the left shoulder a little which sucks but I increased numbers all across the board for the most part. I felt strong the whole way through which is maybe due to the good breakfast I had packed with protein and SLOW-carbs (ask TotaLiving about that whole SLOW carb bit). Definitely important to fuel up right for these resistance days.

I am making steady improvements on the ab ripper as today was the 5th round of that nonsense. Went from 50% to 80% in no time so I should be back to 100% by the end of the first phase fo sho'!!!

Brando freaked me out with a link he sent me last night about P90X2... At this point I am not looking forward to that madness. At all.

207.8

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Day 9...Plyometrics WEEK 2

Plyometrics...or jump training...yadda yadda yadda...

It took all I had to press play today. After a long 8+ hours on the road, the last thing I wanted to do was an hour of cardio.

But I pulled on my socks and laced up my shoes and charged it! It was a good workout too. I improved over last week which is a good sign coming off of yesterday's unfortunate fiasco. I went from being so drained to feeling great. I have to remind myself how good I feel after I workout because sometimes i just don't want to press play at all. I am only 9 days in and i know there will be countless days ahead that I will be over it. I think that is the problem with most people and working out. It's so easy to put it off, especially after a long day.

I guess if I had one bit of advice about exercise it would be: You'll never feel better as you do after a good honest workout.

I just need to make sure I remember that myself.

209.1 (whoa, a little heavier today...that's odd)

Monday, October 24, 2011

Day 8...Chest and Back WEEK 2

Great news! I'm a total puss.

It was a bad idea to look at my old log sheets. I mean, I feel like I am working hard, but I am seriously only capable of a small fraction of what I was doing before. Whatever happens in the future, I can't drop out like I did ever again. I can barely look at myself in the mirror...and no, its not because I barely fit in the mirror.

I feel so heavy. Pull ups seemed to get harder from last week. I'm going backwards!!! NOOOOO!!!!!

Small measureable improvements were made however in the AbRipper department. A healthy person would focus on the positive so that's what I am going to do too. Act as if, right?

208.1

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Day 6... KenpoX

Here we are....Saturday already. One full week in the bag...and the hardest week I should say. It's all down hill from here. LOL. Or not.

Kenpo is a great way to start the weekend. Gets your heart rate up and ready to go. I enjoyed an ice cold recovery drink afterwards and now I am walking on sunshine!

Soreness factor is diminishing quickly. Even after yesterday's leg workout, I am very much mobile with no pains.

Not much to report here and I am also in a hurry...going to drive a formula 1 car today. If this is my last blog you now know why.

208.9

Friday, October 21, 2011

Day 5...Legs and Back

Really? Day five already? Shucks, I'm almost done with week one already. That's fricken' awesome dude!

Woke up this morning and didn't feel as sore as I had for the past couple days. I think that yoga routine worked it out. I'm not saying I am not sore...just not in the agonizing pain I was in for the previous 72 hours.

So today was the dreaded legs and back day. I only say dreaded because I have never been a fan of working out my legs. The upside is that the back portion of this routine is ALL pull-ups which is my favorite exercise. When I finished up P90 last time I could do 14 pull ups fresh and then keep a pretty good rep count the whole rest of the way through completing about 100 pull-ups by the end of the routine and all completely unassisted. To me that's bad ass. I was in a little competition with Brando in this department and he ended up squeaking by and surpassing me which is fine because I am used to it by now with that little whipper snapper...besides it helped push me, so I kinda won too. Thanks big brous!

Here's the shotty part. While I have been out taste testing every taco stand in San Diego county, Brando has been keeping a decent grip on the big P to the Nine. Nothing crazy, but even halfway keeps you well primed as he is even now, while really dogging it, ripping out a sweet 16 pull ups to my eight! I'm not even gonna blame my broken finger for falling off so bad in the pull up count. I mean, it's my pinky finger for Pete's sake. I primarily blame my fat ass, and bowl of jell-o disguised as a stomach.

I already mentioned the other day that my legs have maintained some strength and that was evident again today so whatever.

What I am putting out there is that the pull-up challenge is back on. I have to dig myself out of a hole, but Brandon has to pretty much build a house so I'll call it even ground. I'll be at 16 come Christmas. As a matter of fact that is what I will be giving myself for Christmas this year. 16 pull-ups fresh.

Home ownership is a bitch Brando.

...btw, I forgot to weigh myself today. Dang.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Day 4...Yoga X

I wasn't sure how exactly I was going to be able to persevere through a ninety minute Yoga routine being in the shape I was this morning when I woke up. I barely was able to get out of bed and stand up. This soreness is unbearable!

The short version is, I persevered but it was not pretty.

The stretching was good for my war torn muscles. It had to be, because after the initial agony, they really started to feel loose and warm and usable. But those poses just didn't come easy! Even throwing in the simple pushup between the down and up dog was a struggle.

I sure lost some good and needed stamina, and flexibility (which is also affected by the extra handful grab all around my waist).

I remember the first time I did the Yoga routine I thought it was going to be just a bunch of stretching and breathing. But then I got my ass kicked royally.

The only difference between that time and this time was that this time around...I saw it coming.

209.1

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Day 3...Arms and Bbbbbback! ...aaaand AbRipper.

Oh Jeeeez....I was so damn sore last night I couldn't sleep! Tossed and turned all night which was just agonizing. I'm talking head to toe sore! This first week is going to suck, especially because only today I brought my arms and shoulders in for the fun. So what do I have to look forward to in the immediate future?

1) Another crap nights rest.
2) The loss of use of my arms tomorrow.

I think it makes a whole lot of sense to take it mild the first week to avoid feeling like a piece of shredded carnitas. The thing is, Tony H does not really let you do that. I appreciate the good motivation and all, but walking around like a disabled elderly man all day and writhing around on my mattress for hours on end is no fun at all.

All the curls and presses today were actually taxing on my broken finger pretty good. Not sure if I did myself any favors in that department. My left shoulder is not feeling awesome either, but I'll work it out folks. Don't worry one bit.

I forgot to post weight yesterday, and today I forgot to weigh myself until after I ate a big omelette and massive Jack Lalane juice.

I just need to remember to weigh myself immediately upon waking up and then I will record the weight daily.

Love my new rubber floor. The garage gym is good stuff.

3 down...87 to go.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Day 2...Plyometrics...THE MOTHER!

Well, at least that's what Tony H says. Fact is, there is some validity to that. Fact is, it has always been the one routine that I looked forward to the least. Fact is, that is because I really sucked at it.
Quick little back story...

Never being the most cardio proficient individual, on my first whack at P90X, I had to slowly work my way up to being able to hang with the kids on the Plyo DVD...and after many struggling sessions, low and behold for the last phase of P90X I was killing it 100% and actually looked forward to the Plyo day. How about that?!

So today was the first time back doing the old Plyo. After yesterday's disappointing reality check I wasn't exactly rolling into Plyo waving the battle flag high. But "Play" I pressed and I quickly got right into the swing of things. My legs were instantly feeling challenged but not in the way they did the first time around. More so they were just rudely awakened. Makes sense. I haven't exactly asked them to do jack for the last six months.

Today I asked them to Jack...and after a bit of resistance, I got them going pretty darn good. If I had to estimate how well I did against Tony and the kids, I would say I was at 80%. That's pretty good!! I mean, I'll take it! And I am really surprised at the strength and endurance I maintained in my legs over the course of the looooong summer off.

I am predicting a full Plyo recovery by the end of Phase 1.

I'm pretty excited about that.

We shall see.

Monday, October 17, 2011

DAY 1...Chest and Back with a little AbRipper for good measure....

Wow.

Totally humbled.

I really forgot the intensity involved in this workout. Maybe I am a novice at this point.

Six months off is not a good idea. I know what I was capable of at the end of the program last time and now I feel like a knucklehead trying to put together something that resembles an actual "set".

I am operating at about 50% here. Now I must say that I do have a broken finger which is making pull-ups a bit more difficult, but I am still soft like Charmin. No excuses...just time to face reality.

I am recording my weight daily and my workouts. I will post my reps etc. At the end of the first phase so hopefully one can see a nice initial progression.

I'll post weight daily.

This morning 211.1 lbs.

At least I don't need a belt anymore.

Love,

Jonny Chubb

I'm BAAACK...in the saddle again....

I'm not a novice at this point. I believe I have completed the P90X program 3 times now. The last time I finished was just about 6 months ago, so The beginning of April 2011.

In April I moved south of the border. No, no, no...I dont live in Mexico. I moved south of the Orange County/San Diego county line. Yeah, I know what's the diff? Not sure yet but anyway...

After a pretty irresponsible 6 months of chorizo burritos, all the chips and salsa I could dream of, numerous orders of Carne Asada fries, california burritos, chicken burritos, double beef burrito combo plates (FYI, these beans in these combo plates have about all the LARD you would expect and there is no shame in their game), cheesesteaks, pizzas, hot wings (NOTE: One hot wing challenge won, one hot wings challenge failed...but I'll be back), and toward the end even a 4x4 Animal style just to go out with a bang. Typically all of this fare would be washed down with a strawberry shake or refreshing Mexican cerveza.

Not much exercise to balance out the above carnival of nonsense during this time either. Oh, and that reminds me...I did attend a couple carnivals or fairs but the details of those outings intake can pretty much be arrived at without much imagination.

So here I am today. Round four of P90X commencing...but this time is a bit more daunting. You see, I have ordered the p90x2 program which will be delved around Christmas time and my commitment is to run through the first p90x and roll right into version 2.0. So we are talking 6 months of pretty good training.

I have managed to recover 15 pounds of more or less BS since I concluded p90x. I was surprised it was not more considering the abundance of sludge I managed to power down. I think my metabolism was jump started pretty good from my P90x days and carried on for a while allowing me to process the aforementioned onslaught with remarkable efficiency. Only over the last couple months did I really notice a physical difference in the way I felt, looked, and moved.

I didn't mean to, but I let myself down. I seriously launched a nuclear carbo-fat attack on myself. However, the most delicious nuclear carbo-fat attack I have ever experienced. That had to be said.

The fun is over. The nonsense ends now. I apologize to all the taco stands and pizza joints that will have a much softer 4th quarter without my patronage.

Time to press play again.