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P90X – It Really Worked!

I have now gone through 90 days of training with P90X (although it has taken longer than 90 days due to travel interruptions and falling off the wagon for a week).  So the question now is what difference did it make? If you watch the infomercial they make all sorts of grandiose claims about how it will transform you. Given that I was fit when I started – I had just finished Ironman Louisville with a 12:18 finish time and did a 3:27 in the Boston Marathon – did it make any difference? In a word, yes. In three words. A big difference…

P90X – Week 13: The End is Nigh!

When I started P90X I created 13 weeks of posts in Windows Live Writer (BTW: if you don’t use it check it out – a great tool for blogging), each containing seven days of workouts. So each week I would just open the week’s workout. Since it was over three months ago that I started P90X I had long forgotten what each week’s workout contains. I was therefore very pleasantly surprised to find Monday morning that the worst is over! Week 13 is a tapering week with lots of Yoga … and no pull ups I need it since, as I blogged last week, I’m pretty fatigued now that Ironman training has started.

Cable Bay Triathlon

My wife Lis was perched on the top of a hill where she could watch the ocean swim. There were two other spectators with binoculars. With the waves coming in they could see the swimmers being tossed about, and then gradually being strung out as they headed NE towards the turn around buoy.  Lis took offense when they laughed saying that one swimmer had missed the turn around buoy and kept going. “Easy for you to say – you aren’t out there”, not realizing that the poor swimmer was her husband …

P90X – Week 12

The second to last week of P90X, and the end cannot come too soon. It is not that I am tired of doing the routines; I’m just plain fatigued. I’ve got 13 h of triathlon training scheduled this week, as well as a lot of manual work do to around the property we’ve bought. Oh yes, and there is a sprint triathlon this Sunday as well.  Anyway, that which does not kill you makes you stronger …

P90X – Week 11

Ten weeks down so only three more to go. With triathlon training also starting up again it is a challenge to balance the demands.  I’ve got about 16 weeks to get ready for Ironman Australia at the end of March, and for at least four of those I will be travelling so there will be no biking.  At least in three weeks the P90X will be over so I can concentrate on Ironman training. I could only fit in four of the P90X workouts this week so I focused on the main strength ones.

I am using the Endurance Nation Ironman training program again and this week was one of testing my current fitness levels. It is clear that the P90X program has helped. I did a Functional Threshold Power (FTP) test on the bike—it is only the fourth time I’ve rode in over a month. The test came out at 236 watts where normally at this stage of the season (after three months lay off of hard work) I would be around 200-210 watts. I guess all those squats have helped! Now I just need to translate that into some long ride fitness.

Rabbit Island Sprint Triathlon

Where we live in New Zealand there is a very active triathlon and multisport community. When I learned that there was a Sprint Triathlon to be held just a week after I arrived in the country I had to give it go. After all, how often does one have a race only 15 minutes from home? The only problem was that I had not swum for three months, and also had not been on a bicycle for about one month. This meant that my goals were simple: to have fun and do the best I can given my lack of triathlon conditioning.

P90X – Week 10

I fell off the wagon this week and ended up only doing two of the workouts. Had a good excuse—I spent three days in Washington finishing up my work and then flew to New Zealand so a combination of work demands, travel and jet lag just proved too much for me. So I started the workout the following week—just means it will be P97 rather than P90.

I did, however, have a real breakthrough. My wife Lis exclaimed “you’ve got arm muscles!” as I was lugging around a heavy box. She said that this was a reminder of when I was doing my PhD and had to hammer into the road hundreds of nails every day. My right arm ended up looking a bit like Popeye. Anyway, nice that there is some noticeable outcome from my 9 weeks of work.

Product Endorsement – Sugoi Race and Recovery Knee High Compression Sock

I’m writing this in an Internet Cafe in Athens wearing these excellent socks. While the R&R are designed for racing and recovery, I also use them whenever I travel to help prevent deep-vein thrombosis which is a real risk for air travellers. I originally bought a pair at the Marine Corps Marathon expo a few years ago and I was so impressed that I bought a second pair. What is extra nice is that they are no longer in the florescent green colour, and I can get away with wearing them even to work.

There are different socks for your left and right feet and I use them quite regularly after training or during long trips. I tried using them during a training ride once but my legs got too hot.  Give them a try – you won’t regret it.

P90X – Week 9

I did the Athens Classic Marathon on the last day of week 8 so took off Days 57/58 to recover. Fortunately, this week is mainly focusing on upper body so my trashed legs get a bit of a break. Emphasis on the term ‘a bit’. In the end with the recovery and travel I managed to get four of the seven workouts in. Next week will be a wash out as I’m travelling back to the USA and then finishing up work before moving to New Zealand. Would be nice not be be a moving target.