Post-meal

85.4kg...I couldn't finish everything, left a piece and a half in the box, couldn't down the whole shake. Ughh...I'm full..but, as you can track the past few days, rising fast. And the results from the shoulders/arms workout today were pretty awesome..I can see my body shape changing...

Shoulders/Arms

Post-workout weight was 84.7kg..I'm going to try to eat a full pizza and giant protein shake and reweigh myself...ha, this is fun.

I also bought a New Year's treat, 4 dark stout beers (that's Korean stout, so..draw your own conclusions) but anyways..I tend to lose weight when I drink that stuff...hence I haven't had alcohol since I've started...once for the decade is fair I suppose...

Until post-meal...

Quick Weight Update...

Just for reference...I was 83.4kg before eating, had two peanut butter/honey sandwiches on 7 grain bread, 4 hard boiled eggs with some salt, and a full blender of protein shake with all that entails...afterwards I'm 84.5kg. That's a gain of 1.1kg or 2.42508lbs. Whew...

And there you have it...

All done. Whew...did great except for a few moves. To be specific: 5 fewer standard push-ups, 3 fewer military push-ups, 5 fewer wide-fly push-ups, 4 fewer decline push-ups, 4 fewer diamond push-ups, and one FUCKING 1/2 fewer dive bomber pushups...I could not push myself off the ground, grunting, straining, kicking, groaning, wincing..I could not... These work outs are no bullshit.

(In just this chest/back workout I did 328 moves during week 9 last time, either push-ups, pull-ups, or a few assorted resistance band moves. So coming up short a total of 21 1/2 moves tonight means I am currently 93.445% of where I was on day 50 last time. Or, for a more positive spin, last week I did 263.75 moves. So tonight I did 42.75 more moves than last week, an improvement of 16.209%!! That's a HUGE improvement in one week's time. (What would you do if your investments improved 16.209% in one week??) I will think about that...)

I tipped the scales at 83.4kg after all of that. A little light..but, I haven't eaten in almost 5 hours. So, dinner is a couple sandwiches, some hard boiled eggs, and a protein shake.

I will try to do at least half of yoga later tonight, and then have a big samgyeopsal dinner with brown rice and kimchi. That should help.

Halfway through Chest/Back

So far, so good...at the halfway mark I have matched every move from Week 9 last time. For the lay people among you, that means at day 8 I am already doing as much as day 50 last time through. I went pretty hard this first half...the second half is a repeat, just in a slightly different order...so we will see if my muscle endurance has also carried over....yeahhh..let's ...g...o....oooph...

Continuation...

OK..just stepped off the scales at 84kg. Not bad, that's 185lbs. for you non-metric losers. That's after work, which is when I'm usually at my lightest weight during the day besides immediately after waking up..so, a good base to start from with no night classes today. Time for chest/back...I usually try to add a rep or two over my last workout..but I'm eyeing my week 9 results from last time..can I already catch up to where I was...it'll be a stretch, you saw the photos, I was big, and feeling strong. We will see how much I have improved in one short week. Time to shut up and put up...some big numbers I hope...I'll post after with my first of two dinners tonight and the protein shake...yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh let's go!!!!!!!!!!!

A light night...

I did the ab workout as soon as I got home, had dinner, digested, taught a class...came home ready to do chest/back, and just never got up off the floor. Means today could be tough, I need to do chest/back and the marathon yoga video. Fortunately I still have that quasi-four-day-weekend coming up. Might be doing doubles almost every day....but, results should start showing soon...

I topped the scales at 84.4kg just now, that's the highest for this round. I had just eaten two peanut butter sandwiches and an orange juice. But, if I can eat a lunch on my way to school, workout tonight and fit in two good size dinners, I could be 85kg. by tomorrow. And with the long weekend coming up...it is conceivable I would be back at 86.2kg (190lbs.) heading into next week when I will have morning classes, i.e. McMuffins! I would like to clear out all the unhealthy 'weight gaining' food by the end of January..I am wondering how hefty I could potentially be by then. 93kg?!? Wow...

OK OK OK

still going strong..and feeling stronger...I got through last week's last Ab workout, now I'm only behind the stretching video from the first week, and that's just an hour of body maintenance I can do any night...I'm going to save it for two nights after I do the chest/back video this time, I was so sore after last week's, I'll try to minimize the hurt this week.
I got up early today to finish off the final 25 minutes of plyometrics..my legs are feeling steadier underneath me.
My weight is slowly climbing back up...I see January being the big weight gain month. I'll shoot for 87 kg by the end. With my work moving to mornings, I'll be able to Sausage Egg Mcmuffin my way to the top...I know, it's incredibly unhealthy and nearly counterproductive...but, I'm gambling that the amount of calories I'm burning, I'll be able to add several of those a week, solidfy my calorie intake for a month, and then turn it right into better stuff. Sounds easy, right?

Ok..hope everyone is healthy...tonight will be abs and the big one, chest and back, dozens of pushups, pullups and other assorted joy....oh boy!

Oh..and I just ordered my new fitness equipment, so I can start tracking my body fat, and add some new resistance to the moves that I'm already maxing out on with the green 40lb. resistance bands...my biceps should get bigger...nice...ladies, (if there are any I haven't already met) here I come...

Teeter-Totter

I'm was on the ropes there for a couple days...so many parties, so much drinking, so little working out...I finally got up off the mat today and fit in an Ab workout and the Kenpo martial arts DVD. Felt much better during the ab workout, no breaks this time and even pushed the past a bit towards the end. But the flipside was I've never been so weak in the legs during the final 50 mason twists. I did however add a few, 6 I think, extra ones...leg weakness might have been because of the legs/back workout yesterday. So I end the week a little heavier, good.....a bit stronger, nice....more cut, very good....and only an Ab workout and a stretching video behind. I am starting the second week a day behind and I might flip the order of the first two workouts..but I'll have a big break next week, almost a four day weekend with several classes scattered throughout, so I'm hoping to get everything up to pace by then.

On a related note, I'm disappointed. One week going strong and not a single word of support from any of you. Perhaps you're too busy, perhaps nobody reads this blog, perhaps perhaps perhaps..but, it reminds me of when I was battling through depression...nobody said the right things. Now, I'm being selfish...and maybe nobody knew what the hell to say to me then and don't know what to say to me now. Or maybe everyone thinks this is easy and Matthew can handle everything..fine, I will. But..I always thought our family's special mark was the support we provided unhesitatingly to eachother. Now I wonder...

Teeth and Nails..

I'm fighting 'em both...had a few, four X-mas parties the last couple days, ie...drinking, no sleep, not watching my diet, not working out..now I'm fighting to catch up and not lose the momentum. I did the first half of Legs/Back this morning...I need to get Kenpo and Stretch and two AbRippers done tonight...umm...right. So...hopefully I get the momentum going again...

Thanks for all your comments and support.

Day 4

Yoga is in the books..and so am I...ughh..

1:09am

Ok...I did the main workout, I will save the ab work for tomorrow...I cooked a full dinner and made up my protein shake. I leave for work at 830am, but I feel great about how things are already looking. Whew...

11:24pm

I'm exhausted, muscles are still incredibly sore, I have my first set of morning classes tomorrow early a.m., and I still need to cook and eat dinner...only now I will start my workout...determined much??

Muscle Soreness

...in the extreme today. I am finding, due to age I believe, that I am significantly sorer today than I was yesterday. i.e. the muscle soreness is hitting me 48 hours after beginning again as opposed to 24. A surprise...but, that's life. I was having difficulties raising my arms today, writing on the whiteboard, struggled to bend over and pick things up off the floor. Without having a desk at home, it is a laborious process to push myself off the ground and regain my feet. Really, it is painful and troublesome. Tonight's workout is shoulders/arms (I think, I'm too tired to get up and look)..so I'm wondering how that will go. I'm primarily sore in my front deltoid muscles and chest and all the connecting muscle in between. Do 200+ pushups and 50+ honest pull-ups in an hour after two months off and I guess that is what happens. But I am absolute in my resolve. I will get through the workout tonight..and then another AbRipperX...I only stopped the DVD twice last time in 16 minutes...we will see...

Day 3 (of 180...)

Weighed in at 83.1kg this morning, not bad considering I worked 12 hours yesterday and fit in the most intensive workout between two classes...literally had my jeans unzipped and turning on the DVD player as two students walked out and finished, showered, and sat down to teach the next class as my beard was dripping from being rinsed...I am determined this time. Do it or don't. It IS that simple. Don't give yourself any options, make it mentally a requirement to life, and it becomes that much easier to endure. I have one more long day of work, another 12 hours...then I should be able to slow down just a bit and hopefully pack on a few pounds to get back up to 86.2 kg...and then beyond. Unfortunately most of that early weight collects and fat and unused weight in the paunch in front of my lower abdomen...but I have to trust it will eventually get turned into muscle. And if there were nothing there, my body being as hungry as it is these days for extra nutrition, would begin to eat away at the muscle I am building. Perhaps I need to study more about nutrition and the best diets for gaining muscle...can never know enough...

YES!!

Just a quick post. Day 2 is in the books. Plyometrics...just an hour of jumping around. I felt pretty good, even felt energetic on a few final moves. Incredibly, after one day of tracking my caloric intake, I weighed in at 83.3kg AFTER this most intensive of all the workouts. So..I'm feeling really good right now and hoping this momentum carries on...

The first morning

Woke up a bit sore this morning...not as bad as could be expected though. My right elbow is ginger, I really need to figure out what is going on with that. My weight this morning is 82.8kg. Down a bit, but could have been expected, I did not eat as much as I would have liked yesterday, woke up late, skipped a meal waiting for my friend to come over. Tonight will be Plyometrics, or jump training, it is a high calorie burner for sure. I am not worried about completing the DVD, but it will be interesting to see if I can eat enough calories today to keep my weight up tomorrow. Here is a link to the website I use to track my weight. Please let me know if it works.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/home

You should be able to see what I am eating every day. I will be completely honest on there.

In the thick of things

O.K....here's a live post from the middle of my first workout back. Today's main workout is chest and back...I am really pleasantly surprised at how well my form held up for having taking roughly two months off. Most of my numbers were above my beginning numbers for last time. And looking in the mirrors during the workouts, I felt really happy about how things are looking already. That's the good news.
On the downside, my chronic 'tennis' elbow, my right one, was tweaking a bit on a few pushups, and it is still tight afterwards, especially if I bring my fist all the way up and fully close the elbow joint. Definitely something to keep my mind and eyes on. Also, I have got 7:33 left in the AbRipperX video and holy shit!!! I knew this was why I was so hesitant to restart. Good god!!! At least I am getting through it with limited pauses, but my form is way down from where I was the last time, and my hunger to race against them and throw in extra sit-ups and more difficult moves is completely gone at this point. I am in sheer survival mode trying to keep up and get 25 done on each of the 11 moves. I finished the most difficult ones...but I still have Mason Twists left. I doubt I will be doing the 60+ I was before...just hoping I can reach 50.
All in all, better than I thought, but I was not fooling myself, this is hard.

(A friend is coming over for dinner...I will try to convince her to take some 'nude' shots to post...I would like to have a full set of poses to compare as this gets going. Taking photos by myself is possible, but limiting on the poses, zooming, and quality of shots...c'mon Puppy, earn your keep girl, work the zoom toggle...)

The Starting Line

Alright..no more time messing around..let's start this thing. I just weighed in at a fair 83.2kg...not all the way back..but not bad. I've run the gamut of emotions this week thinking about all the hard work, all the exciting benchmarks, the final product if I manage to complete two full rounds by next June. Here is a link to the current goal I have in mind:

http://www.youtube.com/user/P90XCrusher#p/a/u/0/uSTQUXkbIko

Let me know if that link doesn't work.

Well...nothing left to talk about...I have my P90X worksheets printed out..time to press play and BRING IT!!!

Let's go!!!!!!!!!!!!

(EXPERIMENT) VIDEO

Just trying to post some video I shot with my webcam the last time...was in the middle of one of my last workouts, near day 60. Just want to see how it works on here...if well, I can use more to show you guys some of the moves used during the program. Wish me luck...

Comparisons

I think the back muscles are really impressive. Probably all of the pull-ups you have to do.

Comparisons

Here are a few Day 0-30-60 comparisons.

T-Minus 7 Days...

Ok..I think I am ready to get underway (again) next Saturday night or probably Sunday for sure. I might shave and work those two things parallel: No shaving and working out every day for 13 weeks. I will try my damndest to take daily, perhaps pre-post-workout photos in order to really be able to compare accurately. My weight is inching upwards again lately, it dipped recently under 80kg., down from the high of approx. 87kg. I am hovering between 81-82kg right now depending on time of day, pre-post-meal, or day of the week (I'm usually heavier on the weekends when I can actually sit down for 5 minutes and eat a meal.) So a big challenge might be to work on getting enough HEALTHY calories into my body in order to get back up to those 'towering' weights from before. The nice thing is, looks like I'll have a half-way head start this time...and with my public school classes going on to the morning schedule for winter break, the 3 sausage egg-mcmuffins for a month should help me get back up there all the faster...

Any ideas for high-protein, short-prep meals? Once I get going, I will post, with photos and, err, recipes, my quick fixes. Please feel free to add, comment, constructively criticize, anything my meal choices. I really need everyone's help. Really.

Thanks!

Welcome

This will be a blog I use to keep track of my P90X results as well as my health and thoughts, ideas, trials and errors, experiments, failures, setbacks, and whatever-willing, my ultimate successes with better health and fitness. Please feel free to just browse, comment, give advice, or join with me in tracking your results no matter what program or methods you are using to better your well-being. The only requirement is criticism must be constructive on some level, and you must always be 'moving the ball down the field' to borrow a popular phrase from the political world these days.

The only chances you miss are the ones you don't take...

I'll see you in Health!