April 14, 2012 A Great Day to Kick It

It has been a rainy day here in Nebraska.  I did get to go for a walk with my wife and got my workout in as well.  Today's workout was Kenpo X.  It is an awesome low impact cardio workout.  It is not difficult and the only equipment you need is a towel and some water.  You should have a heart rate monitor, but you can check your heart rate the old fashioned way during the three breaks.  Today was a good day for me. I worked hard but was not totally gassed at the end.  Some would say I didn't work hard enough, but I know I did.  Tony and the gang continue moving during the water breaks and I kept moving as well.  I did stop the last 10 seconds of the 1 minute break to get my water.  I felt great today.

Today's numbers

Time:  61 min
Calories:  722
MHR:  233
AHR:  134

Remember to Bring it and Don't Bring it Weak

Paul

April 13, 2012 Burn Baby Burn

Good evening everyone.

The title of today's posting says it all.  Today's workout was Legs and Back, with ARX as well.  This is an awesome workout.  Very low impact, but lots of work.  You get a good burn in the legs letting you know they are working hard and I honestly believe you can feel your back muscles getting stronger.  As I mentioned this is a very low impact workout, and you don't really even need weights.  You do  need power bands or a pull-up bar.  If you have not done a lot of pull-ups or know you have little upper body strength I would suggest the bands.  You can use a pull-up bar, but use a chair to assist you.  Make sure when you use the chair you can feel your self pulling with your upper back and not always pushing with your legs.  The key; set a goal and work towards it.

Hear are my accountability numbers for today:

Time:  81 minutes
Calories:  1075
MHR:  235
AHR:  142

I don't believe that my MHR was really that high.  I do have some issues with my heart rate monitor getting wacky when it is cooler.  I think it is a conductivity problem and I do several things to try to avoid these issues.  I do know that as I get warmed up and into the workout it seems to work better.

See you tomorrow.  I have a special posting for tomorrow.

Bring it, but Don't Bring it Weak

Paul

April 9, 2012 Program Comments

I was chatting with a friend on facebook earlier today, and she mentioned that she had some issues with her back, and was doing a low impact workout in the evenings.  This is awesome news for her, the workout that is and not the back problems.  I did want to mention this since it is a concern about many programs.  I am currently working with the P90X program and the "X" is said to stand for Extreme.  Trust me it can be very extreme.  To me the extreme is more about attitude than pushing yourself past your limits.  I have reviewed several other Beachbody programs and have found that almost all of them (at least the intense ones) have a low impact option.  This is true with P90X as well as TurboFire (a High Intensity Cardio Program).  The one that I have not seen any low impact modifications for is INSANITY.  It is very intense and high impact.  On all programs there is the legal caution concerning health issues, and there are safety tips throughout.  The key is to always work up to the level you want to be.  If you have a bad back or bad knees don't jump right into the high impact version.  Follow the modified routine until your muscles get stronger.  We all have limitations.  The key is do they control you, or do you control them. 

With that said, be active, be safe and Bring It.  One reminder that Tony Horton always gives is for everyone to "Do your best, and forget the rest."  You are out to meet your goals, not mine, or Tony's or anyone else's.