Week 2 of P90X was so very different from Week 1, even though the exercises (i.e. the DVDs) were exactly the same. Because the exercises didn’t change from Week 1, I’ll leave it to my beautiful and diligent sister to link to my Week 1 Post. Instead, I’ll focus on the intensity of my workout, my mindset and my soreness on a day-by-day basis. Those three points are really where the week differed so drastically from Week 1.
Day 8: Chest & Back
Going into this day, I told myself I really needed to increase my intensity. This was, after all, my second week of the program. So I pushed, hard. I increased my reps on all pull-up and push-up sets, and I really tried to slow down and concentrate on every muscle movement. About 75 percent of the way through the video, I ran out of gas. I’ve been told since that this is called “bonking,” in which your body quits because you aren’t giving it the carbs it needs. To this point, I’d been very strictly following the diet. From this point forward, I’m
doing so more loosely. This may reduce my results, but the feeling of “bonking” was not a good one, and I don’t want to do it again.
Day-after soreness level: 3. The day off in between Day 6 and Day 8 allowed my body to heal more than it would have otherwise. Also, I really think the Dark Matter supplement is working.
My mindset: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m ready to “Bring It.” Afterward, I really felt like I brought it, but I wasn’t able to do ab ripper due to the “Bonk.”
Speaking of Ab Ripper, I forgot to talk about it in my Week 1 post. The short story is that three days a week (Chest & Back, Shoulders & Arms and Legs & Back), you also do a 15-minute abdominal routine. It consists of 25 reps of 13 (I think) exercises. In Hell, you are required to do Ab Ripper once an hour on the hour. To date, I’ve only been able to complete about 50 percent of Ab Ripper. I’ll try harder going forward.
Day 9: Plyometrics
Plyometrics was the day the really killed me in Week 1, so I was not excited for the post-plyometrics feeling I was to incur. This workout was not easier the second time around, but knowing what to expect made it more doable. I made it through 100 percent of the video and probably only skipped 15 percent of the reps, which was a big increase from Week 1.
Day-after soreness level: 6. Way less sore than Week 1. That has to be good, right?
My mindset: Getting better.
Day 10: Shoulders & Arms
I intentionally ate more carbs today and tried to increase my intensity, like I had on Day 8. It worked. I felt like I had a pretty good workout here. I didn’t work to failure on the second set of each exercise, like the video says you should, but I was pretty beat at the end.
Ab Ripper: Not much to say about this, other than that it is still hell and that I made it through about 65 percent.
Day-after soreness level: 4. My body is adapting.
My mindset: I made the mistake of getting on the scale, which told me I had gained a half a pound since starting 10 days ago. This drastically shifted my mindset from “I can do this” to “Why the hell am I doing this?”
Day 11: Yoga
I still hate yoga, but I decided to really give it an honest go this time. I forced my way through and made it to the part where Tony Horton tells me to ommmm. I ommm’d last week, told my long-distance workout buddy that I had and was made fun of. So this week I did not ommm. Instead, I pushed eject.
Day-after soreness level: 3. Yoga is boring, but it reduces my soreness.
My mindset: I’m not sure I can make myself do Yoga every week. And I’m really not sure I can do Yoga twice in one week, as I’m supposed to do in Week 4.
Day 12: Legs & Back
My legs are still not ready to give 100 percent on Plyometrics and then, two days later, give 100 percent on squats and lunges. But I tried. I made it through the entire video but really dogged it on about 30 percent of the reps. Also, I’m still not using weights and doubt I ever will. The weightless lunges and squats are difficult enough.
Ab ripper: Getting better, as I did about 80 percent.
Day-after soreness level: 5. My legs might just get more out of this program than any other part of me.
My mindset: I’m still really bummed about the “no weight loss” thing, and I’m finding it hard to keep the intensity up.
Day 13: Kempo
Even though this was my favorite day last week, I couldn’t make myself do it this week. The lack of weight loss to this point was really bothering me. So I spent some time researching. I discovered that no weight loss — and even some gain — is typical in phase 1, the first 30 days of P90X. Modest weight loss comes in phase 2, and drastic changes happen in phase 3. So I’ve got to stay off the scale for a while and just push. Good to know.
Day 14: Stretch/Rest
I rested, even though I’d rested on Day 6 as well. Two days off felt nice.
Overall, other than my lack of motivation towards the end of the week, I’m still feeling good about the program. While I don’t see a difference, my wife says she is starting to notice small changes in my body composition. And my strength is really coming back. I am rededicating in Week 3.
When I was in school, the days before a holiday break were not the most productive. I can’t remember how many teachers resorted to showing us “Quigley Down Under” in middle school. But I know I’ve seen it more times than I would’ve chosen to on my own. 