Back in the summer of 2007, if you ever asked me to go for a walk with the kids, my response would have been, let’s stay inside because I didn’t want to break a sweat. Fast forward to today. I completed my fourth marathon in January 2011. Again, I must have seen Tony Horton and the P90X infomercial hundreds of times, and now my wife and I are halfway there! I am so amazed at the results we are seeing, and I smile when I look and see my wife sweating and working out. She might encourage me to go lower or say, “Bring it on!”
We are in the middle of the Phase 2 routine beginning with Weeks 5-7. The program begins with Day 1: Chest, Shoulders and Triceps and Ab Ripper X Day 2: Plyometrics, Day 3: Back and Biceps and Ab Ripper X, Day 4-Yoga X, Day 5-Legs and Back, and Ab Ripper X Day 6-Kempo X, Day 7-Rest or we like to do X Stretch.
Of course, you can start Day 1 on any day, you just need to determine which day you want to have off, and for Irene and I, Monday seems to be the busiest of the week with work and kids stuff.
Some of you might have put in a less than impressive effort or were still learning the moves. For others, some may have come down with the flu this season. Like most people, you may just be busy. You may be wondering, is it okay to extend a phase? You can definitely extend a phase, however the phase extension should not last more than 6 weeks because you will see better results if you change things regularly. Remember that Muscle Confusion is where you will see the results.
In general, I keep getting stronger, adding slightly heavier weights or reps to each program. In fact, I was able to do some push-ups without a chair. After 6 weeks of repeating the movements. I’m getting the hang of how to do the moves, which has helped us complete each section with limited breaks. I’m basically doing the best I can and forgetting the rest!
Then on to Week 8 for Recovery and Ab Focus where the focus will be on the midsection as if Ab Ripper X wasn’t enough. After 53 days on P90X, you should feel comfortable with the exercises and be ready to start the rest of the program in the next phase.
The Week 8 routine begins with Day 1-Yoga X; Day 2-Core Synergistics; Day 3- Kempo X; Day 4-X Stretching; Day 5-Core Synergistics; Day 6-Yoga X; Day 7-Rest of X Stretch
The nutrition in this Phase is called Energy Booster adding more Carbs to provide enough energy based on workouts. Meals now include oatmeal, bagels, muffins, waffles and pancakes. Just remember, everything is modifiable and remember that nutrition is a key component of the program.