Day #8- Chest & Back, and Ab Ripper X

Hello again!

Today I completed Chest & Back for the first time. It was also my first day doing the combo workout with Ab Ripper X. So it was a lot, but SO good. I was so pleased to get both of these completed in the same block of time. :)

Chest & Back alternates between different styles of push-ups and pull-ups. With the push-ups they have you do some with your arms far apart, arms close together (like diamond push-ups where you have your hands together), and decline push-ups with your feet on a chair and hands on the floor. With decline push-ups I just held the plank position. That was plenty a challenge for me! ...I was shaking pretty good. And then there's the dive bomber style push-ups. Ooooeee. This is a very advanced move and I just tried hard to do similar motions the best I could. You basically go from a downward dog position, the slide your body forward and to the ground, like your going down for a push-up and then back to do it again.

Then with the pull-ups, there were just the basic variations like hands close together or further apart. I still require a chair to stand on (not just for spotting), and probably will for some time as I cannot yet do one complete pull-up without assistance. But I love what Tony Horton says in the Intro to "Chest & Back"... "Forget 'I can't'. Say, 'I presently struggle with'..." I presently struggle with my upper body strength, BUT I'm doing something about it!! :)


I am happy to report, however, that I can do about 15 "girly style" push-ups now. Believe it or not, this is an improvement from when I began P90X 7 days ago. Then I could only do about 3. Yup, you read right...3 girl push-ups. Although this is just a gradual improvement, I'm grateful to see any kind of improvement in my upper body strength. What was great about the Chest & Back segment was that you go back and forth between different types of workouts...so when we'd go back to push-ups I'd be able to do more and more. Not just one set.


While I was doing push-ups I noticed that my left arm felt quite different from my right arm. I thought...Is something wrong with my arm? The other arm feels fine, so what's the matter with my left? I then realized that it's because my right arm is stronger because I use it more...duh. :) I'm right handed so naturally it's going to stronger. So the trick now is to get both of them stronger!
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I am already starting to feel a difference in my life, even after completing my first week with P90X. I do feel a bit stronger, but mostly I have more energy. Before P90X, by around 7 PM I was feeling quite exhausted and putting my children in bed felt like a huge chore that would leave me even more exhausted. Tonight I felt so much more energized and ready to take care of my children! This also helped me to be more patient with them, despite any whining or crying or defiance that normally occurs with sleepy children (I really do have wonderful kids.) Going up and down the stairs is even feeling easier and doesn't leave me feeling out of breath in the least bit.


I also give credit to Shakeology for my increase in energy and stamina. I do feel more alert and instead of feeling drained after a hard workout, I feel like I just woke up from an incredible night's sleep. It's truly amazing what good exercise and nutrition can do for you. So many mornings I wake up feeling worn out and still very tired (like I did this morning), but then after my exercise and Shakeology I feel brand new! I received my first bag of Shakeology last Thursday so today was my 5th day using it. I'm so glad to have it in my life now and I know it will make a huge difference for me. It's truly what I need in my life right now, to improve my health and it has become an incentive for me to complete my workouts. I have it for my "recovery drink" in either the morning or afternoon, whenever I get my workout completed.  I will be writing more about Shakeology later after I've been using it for a bit longer.

If you are interested in Shakeology you can visit my website to learn what it is. Feel free to message me with any questions via the "Contact Me" button.