Tag: P90X2

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How “in shape” do I really need to be?

Yesterday, Day 21 of The Asylum, was “Back to Core” again. Nothing exciting to report there, except that my lower right back pain is a bit more noticeable than usual today. This is a dull pain that is kinda like a bruise, in that it only hurts when I move a certain way, and it’s more annoying than actually painful. That pain has been there for about 18 months now — I first noticed it about 4 weeks into P90X — so I don’t worry too much about it, hoping someday it’ll just disappear.

Today, on Day 22, I have come to only the second (and last) “Rest” day of The Asylum. This day of rest has me thinking seriously about my relationship with this type of training program. Why do I do it? Will I continue with future volumes of The Asylum? (I assume there will be future volumes, because this one is called “Volume 1”.)

Shaun T's AsylumIt was pretty obvious to me from the first few days of The Asylum that this program is made for people who want to be in top shape. Of course, I would have thought the same thing about Insanity — in fact, I did think it, when Month 2 of that program started — but that program was primarily aerobics with a little bit of strength training. The Asylum, on the other hand, is more about sports skill development, and really — once you are already in Insanity shape — pushing the envelope of what your body can endure.

In all honesty, now that I think about it, this program would not be so difficult if there were more rest days. Pushing, pushing, pushing, every day, resting every three or four or five days — that’s rough for a desk jockey. Even an in-shape desk jockey. But, then, I think that is part of the point of The Asylum.

Whatever. That may be what professional athletes need to do. Keep pushing, even in the face of extreme fatigue. It is not, however, what I need to do.

The other side of the coin is that I had entered The Asylum, hoping that it would help melt away those last 10 pounds of gut fat. That is not happening. I am beginning to wonder if anything short of starvation would make that stuff go away. I’m eating right, exercising like a demon, but still it persists.

Having said all that … hell, yeah, I will continue with future volumes of The Asylum!

I just get too much of a sense of accomplishment from going through these programs. When I completed  P90X, I really felt as if I had done something meaningful for myself. Same with completing  Insanity.

When I complete The Asylum, I don’t think it will be the same feeling. It will be more of a sense of having survived something that few can endure, and being better for it. I mean, I’m in the best shape of my life, so I’m going to keep pushing my body to the limit.

When I complete this program, and after a well-deserved week off — actually, it’ll be about a week and a half of yoga and light aerobics — I’ll get into a hybrid of some sort, and start gearing myself up for P90X2, which should arrive in December. I already have a bit of an idea what P90X2 is about, because I subscribed to the One-On-One Volume 3 series, where Tony Horton tested out the routines that would become P90X2, so I’m pretty stoked to get around to using exercise balls, getting more balancing and core work in, and developing strength and more all-around fitness with Tony.

Yeah. This is all good.

I guess the answer to how “in shape” I need to be, is simply as good a shape as I am willing to push my body through. Not done yet!

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The difference between P90X and P90X2

Today is a relief day for The Asylum, so I thought I’d pass along a distilled version of this article I read about the difference between P90X and P90X2.

P90X — as the people who’ve completed it (including myself) will attest — is still a viable exercise program. P90X2 does not take its place, P90X2 is more of an extension of the Muscle Confusionâ„¢ (that’s a Beachbody trademark) we started in the original.

By the same token, P90X2 is not necessarily harder than P90X, but, because of the muscle confusion thing, it will seem that way at first. And, I will bet, when I am done with the new one, and go back to do the original, the original will be tough the first few weeks. That’s the essence of muscle confusion and why it is so good for you — you are continually challenging your body in new ways!

One big change with P90X2 is that it is only a 5 days per week program. The official line is that when you are working out so intensely, you need more rest, but my take on it is that most people want the weekends off, and so, to reach a wider audience, they adapted the program to that. No big deal! If you really want to work out 6 days, you can always add a workout, and if you want a kick ass 5-day program — well, now there is one!

The new program, P90X2, now has 3 phases. I’m not sure how that pans out, like how the phases are separated, but Phase One is Balance, Phase Two is Muscles, and Phase Three is Agility. Sounds to me like Shaun T may have had some input here. I like the idea of it, for sure, and I know, from having done many of the One-On-One routines that turned into P90X2, that there are weighted exercise balls involved, including balancing on them to do pushups, as well as a stability ball, also used for adding balance training to otherwise familiar exercises.

All in all, P90X2 sounds great to me, but, then, I am biased, because Beachbody products have been so great to me. I am in the best shape of my life — and continuing to get even more fit — thanks to Tony Horton and Shaun T. I am really looking forward to continuing my journey with P90X2.