Day 423 - Run & X2 Ab Ripper

It's a rest day from X2, but I got in a 5K run during lunch and then did Ab Ripper tonight.  I still feel a bit of soreness in the elbow, but it seems to be getting a bit better every day.  I'm hoping to give PAP Upper a try on Saturday.

Day 422 - X2 Yoga

I started the workout by doing 15 chin-ups to see how the elbow is doing.  It went pretty well, so I'm hoping to get back to phase 2 next week.  As usual, X2 Yoga was awesome.  Time flew by and before I knew it was was in the "cool down" portion doing stretching.  I always feel so good after doing yoga. Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day, but I'm hoping the weather lets me go for a run during lunch and then I would like to do a round of Ab Ripper at night. We'll see.

Day 421 - Plyocide

Still being good to my sore elbow, so I substituted Plyocide in place of PAP Upper tonight.  I did a few chin-ups before the workout to see how the elbow would hold up and it did okay, but it's a bit sore after the workout so it's good that I decided to substitute tonight.  Eating is good again today. 

Day 420 - P.A.P. Lower

It's a new week and I'm doing Phase 3 this week because my elbow still can't handle phase 2.  I did PAP Lower tonight and had to modify a bit to avoid using much weight for Squat Cross Reach, but was able to do the rest without having to modify.  Tomorrow I think I'll try Plyocide to keep stress off of the elbow.  I didn't sleep well last night, so it was not easy to get through the workout tonight.  But, I got it done.  Headnig to bed early tonight :-)

Day 419 - Rest Day

It's a beautiful Sunday and I'm enjoying spending some time at home relaxing and doing a few things for work to get ready for this week.  My elbow is still complaining a bit, so the day off today is going to help.  Tomorrow it's the start of phase 3.

Day 418 - Plyocide & Ab Ripper

I got in a good Plyocide workout and did a "bonus" workout today of Ab Ripper.  The legs were screaming with doing Plyocide after going for a run yesterday and I REALLY felt it with Ab Ripper today.  I really focused on form for Abrinome and Phelan Twist.  Eating is going well today.

Day 417 - X2 Yoga

I got in a good 3.5 mile run today during lunch.  It was a chilly 30 degrees out, but it's supposed to rain tomorrow and I was not about to go the week without a run.  I was at my normal 8:30/mile pace, so I'm keeping things steady on that front.  Tonight I also did 15 chin-ups before doing yoga because I wanted to see how the elbow would feel. It came through the chin-ups okay, but I could hear some popping during some of the yoga moves, so I plan to do Plyocide tomorrow and maybe throw in a round of Ab Ripper for good measure.  Next week I will be doing phase 3 and I'm hoping by Tuesday the elbow will be feeling up to doing PAP Upper. We'll see.

Day 416 - P.A.P. Lower

I'm glad I decided to switch things up and do PAP Lower tonight because my elbow is still pretty sore.  I must have messed it up pretty good.  I even modified tonight to not use a dumbbell when doing the Squat Thrust move.  I did use the 25 lb. dumbbells for the step-up convicts though and that was not an issue.  It was good to get back to a workout after having last night off.  Weather permitting I am hoping for a run tomorrow during lunch.

Day 415 - Rest Day

I was in Chicago all day for a business trip and didn't get home until late, so it's a good thing that it was my rest day today.  Tomorrow it's back at it.  i plan to do P.A.P. Lower so that my elbow gets a chance to continue to recover.

Day 414 - Plyocide

My elbow has been really sore all day today (to the point where it's hard for me to hold a glass without it hurting).  It's starting to feel better tonight, so I'm glad that Plyocide didn't make it any worse.  Tomorrow is a rest day and I'll be out of town for work.  For the rest of this week I plan to do PAP Lower, Yoga and then another round of Plyocide.  Then with me switching to phase 3 next week I hopefully should be able to give my arm time to heal by avoiding an overload on chin-ups and dumbbell work.

Day 413 - X2 Chest + Back + Balance & X2 Ab Ripper

I went and had a body composition test done using the Bod Pod at West Chester University health center.  This is supposed to be a very accurate way to test body fat percentage. http://www.cosmedusa.com/bodpodgs

Here are my results:
% Fat = 6.3%
Body Mass = 144 lbs.
Fat Free Mass = 135 lbs.
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) = 1598 kcal
Total Energy Expenditure (Active) = 2781 kcal

That's a pretty low body fat % for someone my age and I'm definitely not eating close to 2800 calories per day, so I need to get more calories.  I'm going to put my limit up to 2600 again for a while and see if that helps me to pack on some muscle.  For the next 3 months or so it will be my goal to add some body weight and see if I can make sure to not add a lot of fat in the process (although a little bit probably would not hurt).  I plan to get another assessment done in about 3 months or so to see how it's going.

Today's workout was pretty stressful on my sore elbow, so I think I need to continue to take it a bit easy on heavy weights for a while longer until it's feeling better.  Even though I felt the workout in my elbow a bit today, I really enjoyed the combo tonight of pushups and pullups.

Day 412 - Rest Day

It's Sunday again and this week it really is a rest day for me.  Eating is going well so far today.  We went to my favorite chinese buffet after church and got my usual fairly healthy meal:

• Mongolian grill with chicken, shrimp and vegetables (no sauces)
• Tomato and cucumber salad
• Couple ounces of steak
• Fresh peel & eat shrimp
• Cantaloupe for dessert

Tomorrow I go for my body fat assessment at the college using the Bodpod.    I'm looking forward to seeing how that goes.

Day 411 - Base + Back & X2 Ab Ripper

I got to use the BCAA powder today during the workout and (best I can tell) it seemed to help some.  As usual, I made up my protein shake after the workout.  Over time I'll hopefully be able to tell if the combo helps me to build muscle and recovery faster.  I took about a 30-minute break in between the workouts and that seemed to help me push it harder in Ab Ripper.  It's so nice to be able to workout on a Saturday when I have nothing else planned so that I can slow down and enjoy the workout.  My elbow is still a bit sore, but the workout didn't seem to make it worse.

Day 410 - Run

I went out for a run during lunch today and got in 3.5 miles.  My legs were feeling it more than normal because I was just out for a run on Wednesday, so my pace was a bit slower than normal today.  Eating is going well so far and my plans to go out for dinner tonight will hopefully not impact my eating too much.  We're heading to Carabba's and I've already planned out my dinner of Grilled Chicken, broccoli, Side salad with vinaigrette dressing and cavatappi pasta for a total calorie count of about 800.  I went over calories a bit today, but yesterday was below, so it's not a huge deal.

Day 409 - X2 Yoga

Another good workout is in the books.  Calories are at 2000 so far and protein is 188, so doing well.  My BCAA powder is supposed to arrive tomorrow.  I'm excited to try it before my workout.  I iced my elbow a bit today and it did okay throughout the yoga workout.  Tomorrow I'm hoping to either go for a run or maybe do another round of Plyocide in order to give my elbow a rest until doing Base & Back on Saturday.

Day 408 - Run & Ab Ripper

Today is supposed to be my rest day, but my plan was to work out so that I could switch my rest night to Friday since I plan to go out to dinner with my wonderful wife.  I got in a run today during lunch and started on Shoulders & Arms tonight, but my right elbow has some lingering soreness that this workout would make worse, so I decided to just do X2 Ab Ripper and call it a day.  Tomorrow is Yoga and then I'll see if Friday allows me a workout of some sort before dinner.  Our office closes at 3 because Monday is President's Day, so I'm hopeful I can get in a workout before dinner.

Day 407 - X2 Plyocide

I pushed it hard tonight and worked up a good sweat.  No extra breaks for me tonight.  I went straight through at full throttle.  Today I scheduled an appt. for Monday to have my body fat % tested in the BodPod at West Chester University.  I'm looking forward to seeing how the results turn out.  I got a discounted rate of $45 since my wife is currently a full-time student at the University, so it's worth a try.  I'm doing well with eating again today.  Protein will hit 200 and I plan to stay at 2400 or less for calories.

Day 406 - Chest + Back + Balance & X2 Ab Ripper

It's back to phase 2 this week and my elbow was feeling good enough that I didn't have to switch up the schedule for this week.  I took pretty typical break throughout the routine and got in a few improvements on reps for pushups.  Arms are feeling solid after that workout.  For Ab Ripper I was able to get back to doing all of the moves without modifying since my backside is not as bruised any more.  I put down an extra pad to make sure to not re-injure it from here on out.  I'm glad to be back to doing it right because some of the moves are brutal (and therefore very beneficial).  Eating is going very well today.  I'm at 188 grams of protein and only a little over 2000 calories.  I need to take it a bit eat after the "pig out" day yesterday.  I weighed in this morning and weighed 140.  Pants still fit well, so I'm not too concerned about what the scale says.

Day 405 - Rest Day

My right elbow is sore today after yesterday's workout.  I've been icing it today in hopes of having it feeling better for tomorrow when I start back up on phase two with Chest + Back + Balance.  I've been eating a lot today, but I'm trying to eat good foods.  Sundays are tough because I'm usually not very active, so the hunger sets in.  Protein is a bit lower today, but not a huge deal since I'm not working out today.  I've been looking into a new supplement to take pre and post workout called BCCA's that focus on providing Leucin, Beta Alanine and Citrulline Malate to help with recovery after a workout.

Day 404 - P.A.P. Upper

I got through this okay today, but part of me will be glad to get back to phase 2 for a couple of weeks starting Monday.  I really do struggle with Superman with weight.  I guess that means I really need it, but it's brutal.  I did a bit better with the pull-ups.  I got in two rounds with towel pull-ups and then switched to chin-ups for the last two sets and also got 10 reps each time.  I got my protein level up to 200, but calories are a bit higher today.  I'm at 2300, so I just need to make sure to not over-eat tonight.

Day 403 - P.A.P. Lower

It's flex Friday again today, so I decided to take a picture from the back this time.  Honestly, I had not taken a picture of my back before while flexed and all I can say is "Who is this guy?"  I had no idea I was getting this kind of definition in the back from X2.  I've been focusing a lot on the chest and abs, but didn't realize the benefit I was getting in my back muscles.  This really is a complete workout system.  I guess I need to take a picture of legs next since PAP helps them out a lot too.  Protein level is back up today and calories are really good today after a pretty rough day yesterday.

Day 402 - X2 Yoga

I was at an all-day company meeting, so eating healthy was harder than normal today.  I did well at avoiding all of the sweets, but the food options were limited, so I ended up going over on calories (2500) a bit today.  Also, my protein level (173 g) is a bit down from where I would like it, so tomorrow I need to get back to my normal routine of eating.  Yoga was pretty easy tonight and it went quickly. 

Day 401 - Run & Push-up ladder

I got in a nice 5k run during lunch today.  The legs felt good throughout the run.  Tonight is a rest night from X2 for me, so I decided to try something that I saw on the internet called a push-up ladder.  The idea is to do a series of pushups in a row with decreasing and then increasing reps.  I set up my own series that went like this:

50-45-40-35-30-25-25-30-35-40-45-50

I set it up that the start of each set was 5 minutes apart so that the total routine can be finished in 60 minutes.  Tonight I got all the way down and then back up through 45 (for a total of 400 push-ups) before running out of gas.  That was fun.  Calorie burn for today's workouts totaled out to about 700 calories.  Luckily I've been able to get my protein level up to about 200 grams again today.

Day 400 - P.A.P. Upper

I had to get through the workout tonight with minimal breaks in order to be done in time to get my son to his orchestra concert.  I was happy that my chest was not too sore to get through this.  I'm continuing to us 25 lb dumbbells for row and press moves.  It was a bit easier this time around.  Protein is at 207 today.  I'm hoping the weather will allow me to go for a run tomorrow.

Day 399 - P.A.P. Lower

After the Super Bowl pushup marathon yesterday I decided that I wanted to focus on legs tonight (go figure). So,  I did P.A.P. Lower. I was expecting my pecs to be really sore today.  They're a little sore, but not nearly as much as I would have guessed after doing 600 pushups last night.  Could be the worst is coming tomorrow.  We'll see.  I got my protein up over 200 grams today and total calories are under 2300, so I'm getting back on track with eating.

P.S. I still hate side bridge leg lift, but I got through it.

Day 398 - Rest Day - Not

Sunday is usually not an exercise day for me, but the group on Facebook decided to have a challenge to see if we could do pushups for every point scored in the football game.  The challenge was 10 per point.  The first 300 were fun, but when I got to a total of 540 I had to switch to 5 per point.  I ended up doing a total of 595 based on points scored and I threw in an extra 5 to make it an even 600 for the day.  Ouch.  I made up a protein shake in the 3rd quarter in hopes of helping my muscles to recover tomorrow, but my protein level today is way down from previous days.  I ended up at 135 grams for the day.  That's probably not enough considering the impact the pushups had.  I calculated that just doing the pushups burned 495 calories (600 * .825), so that's pretty similar to the calorie burn I get from an X2 workout.

Day 397 - Base + Back & X2 Ab Ripper

I got through Base + Back & X2 Ab Ripper early today because I knew I would not have time later today.  Great idea, but doing it so soon after completing X2 Yoga last night made for a challenge.  I got through it, but wow I'm feeling it.  Gotta keep bringing it.  I got my protein up to 190 grams today.

Day 396 - X2 Yoga

Ah, yoga.  Love it.  I'm feeling strengthened and relaxed.  I hit 197 for protein today, so I'm trying to keep up the push to get to 200 per day in hopes that it will help me to put on some muscle while doing the workouts.  I also continue to keep calories in check.  Today I totaled out at 2300 today, so not bad considering the amount of protein I took in.  I got in 15 good quality chin-ups before starting yoga tonight.  Things like chin-ups continue to get a bit easier, so I'm looking forward to Base + Back tomorrow.