I've Busy With Art

Hey everyone I'll still around. I've had a major schedule change which has caused my blogging to kinda dwindle down. Sam has play dates now that we go to in the mornings which causes my workouts to happen in the afternoon, then I've been doing a lot of artwork before hubby comes home, I train him before I make dinner then pretty much crash. All this and I am also still taking my Dad out one to two times a week, clean the apartment, go run errands and help teach Sam to give her an extra boost.


I have borrowed Insanity Asylum from a friend and have completed two workouts so far. Vertical Plyo and Speed and Agility and man they are hard as hell but amazing at the same time!

Some of the artwork that I have been doing is My Little Ponies for Sam and well me I'm having a blast drawing them! Updates on my artwork can be found on my DeveantART page.

A Life Changing Moment?

We've been settling into our new home for about 3 weeks. It's so wonderful to have our own place. Cook meals everyday instead of eating TV dinners every night and have room to move around. Sam is so happy to be able to run around  and act like a mad baby and I'm grateful for feeling like a normal family and finally being happy.

Sam and I get out almost every morning and socialize. I have made a special point with this major life change to keep up with my fitness. I have not been sticking to a specific schedule but make sure I get my weights and cardio in 5-6 times a week even though I have been in a good bit of pain. But yesterday was an amazing day!

Yesterday Randy completed Insanity Sports Interval Training! I had to take a step back and be the trainer for him, help him modify the workout. This was the first time that we worked out as a family! It was a fun life changing moment for all of us. Randy realizing that he needs to get into shape and me finding out the key in him succeeding to the end of a workout! We have a goal for him to workout 3-4 days a week and keep up with this new venture in his life!

I have also been busy working on my art. Sam really likes the new My Little Ponies. So I've been working on a bunch of them for her. I even made a P90X2/Tony Horton Pony!

Phase 3

So here I go guys I'm entering phase 3 of my hybrid this week. I am gonna have some complications though. On Weds I am spending the day over my fathers cleaning so I am going to use that day as yoga and on Sat we are moving into our new APT! THATS RIGHT WE'RE MOVING FINALLY!

So posting until we settle into the apt will be sparse. I can tell you that we are moving into a 2 bed 2 bath

I will be keeping up with my workouts as much as possible. In case you forgot Phase 3 is:

I did make a minor change this morning and did X2 Shoulders & Arms instead of X2 Chest, Shoulders & Tris. I have been doing CST for a month and the change was nice lol. I have enjoyed doing PAP Lower before some of the upper body workouts and will continue to do so. Well incase this is the last post before the move I'll talk to you in my new home!

Moving Contest!

Hey all my P90X and BeachBody friends. I'm celebrating my family and my new move! So to get you all in on the action I wanted to do a Blogger or logo design give away! To enter simply comment telling me what your favorite BeachBody workout is! The contest will run till Thursday and the winner will again get a Blogger (if you have a Blogger blog) or Logo design make over!

P90X2 Plyocide Review

If you know anything about P90X2 you know it is not a cardio based routine. In fact there isn't even a real cardio workout in the entire program. Some people might try to argue that Plyocide is cardio but it is more a power workout. There are some minor cardio elements in the workout to suit peoples needs. This is a very good workout it may not be as intense as Insanity but that is no reason to over look this powerful workout!

Plyocide starts with the usual Stability Ball and Foam Rolling. The warm up starts with The Worlds Greatest Stretch, Inch Worm, Scorpion and Groiners.
The main workout consists of 20 non-repeat moves:

Wide Leg Tiptoe Squat: In a wide leg stance squat, touching the floor with your hands, then come up onto your toes and bring your arms above your head.

Killer Katherine Lunge: Jumping lounges with a Medicine Ball or weight lifting it above your head with each jump, some fast some slower.
Fast Feet Chair Jump: Staying in Chair Pose do Fast Feet and Jump on Tony's Command.
Slalom Line Jump: Jumping feet together in a zig zag back and forth line.


30 SECOND WATER BREAK

Warrior 3 Lunge: Start in a deep Lunge with your hands touching the ground then kick off into Warrior  3.
Jack In The Box Knee Tuck: Starting in a deep squat with your hands on the ground jump up, tuck your knees in and touch them with your hands.
Think Drill: Upon Tony's command go into a Set Position, Go Sprint in wide or narrow legs, and up or lowered arms.

Spartan Squat Lunge: Jump from a Squat to a Lunge Position and move your opposite arm up above your head and down to the floor.

30 SECOND WATER BREAK

Super Skater Kicks: Super Skater with a kick as you come up.
Depth Charge: Using a Stool step up on it then jump off and jump up into the air arms up.

Frog Burpee Hop: A basic Wide Legged Burpee with a Tuck Jump when you come back up.
1 Leg Slalom: A One Legged Slalom.

30 SECOND WATER BREAK

1 Leg Squat: On one Leg Squat down and touch your foot with the opposite hand then go back up tp standing and raise the same arm into the air.
Surfer Spin: Turn 180 degrees twice then the opposite direction in a Wide Legged Squat.
Power 90 Cross Hop: Hop in a diagonal then switch diagonals when Tony says.

Wide Leg Jump Press With Med Ball: Jump up while in the air open out your Legs wide at the same time pressing a Medicine Ball up in the air.

30 SECOND WATER BREAK

Launcher Lunge: In wide stance and a Medicine Ball lunge to one side and touch the ball to the floor then turn and kick off on one Leg while lift the ball up in the air.

Toe Tap 360: With a Medicine Ball on the floor do a high knee like jog around the ball in different directions tapping it with your toe.

Flying Fighter Kicks: Hitch Kick forward then do a back kick with the opposite leg.

Set Sprint Plank Plyo Jump: Another Tony says exercise. This time the positions are Set, Sprint, Plank and Plyo Tuck Jump!

This workout is guaranteed to work up a sweat! It may not be as drill intense as Insanity but Plyocide is no piece of cake either!

P90X2 X2 V Sculpt Review

Yesterday I did X2 V Sculpt for the first time. The main focus of this workout is your back and biceps. As I go through more and more of the X2 workouts I find that I am liking the workouts more when the moves are repeated it just seems to make the workout go faster for me (not to say I dislike the other workouts) it's just none repeating workouts is my preferred format. Anyhoo Tony comes up with a lot of very creative positions to preform these moves in and since it is a mainly back routine you know that meant a lot of modifications for me.

The workout starts with your standard X2 Stability Ball and Foam Rolling moves.

Around the World Pull-Up: Pull-Ups in a circular motion switching directions each rep.
Alternating Hammer Curl
Medicine Ball Renegade Row: Weighted Rows in Plank with one hand on a Medicine Ball.
Band Bicep Curl: Down on one knee with the other leg straight out rap a loop of band around you foot and do Bicep Curls.
Pull-Up X: Pull-Ups with wide arms and wide legs forming an X.

Medicine Ball Renegade Curl: In Plank with one hand on a Medicine Ball do a weighted Curl.
Wide Leg Row Twist: Sitting down with your legs spread out wrap your band around your feet, grab both handles with one hand and Twist to one side.
Balance Dumbbell Curl: Sitting on a Stability Ball do weighted Bicep Curls.
Switch Grip Pull-Up
Roman Band Curl: Sitting on a Stability Ball wrap your band around your feet. Then Curl your arms up to your shoulder.
21 Pull-Up: 7 Pull-Ups some of the way up, 7 Pull-Ups further up, 7 full out Pull-Ups.
Entman’s Chin-Up: Chin-Ups with a Medicine Ball between your feet.
Ball Preacher: Laying Chest down on a Stability Ball do Preacher Curls.

Stability Ball Lawnmower: With your forearm on the Stability Ball and wide Feet preform a weighted Lawnmower.
Renegade Roman Curl: In Plank Position balance on one weighted arm while you Curl your other weight up to your chest.
Zip Kip Pull-Up: Pull-Ups with a straight body.

High-Rep Balance Curl: 30 Curls Balancing on one leg, switching legs at 15 reps.
Straight Arm Pullover: With a heavy weight, lay your Back on the Stability Ball and. Raise your arms straight above your chest and then slowly lower them behind your head.
Renegade Hammer Curl: In Plank Position do weighted Hammer Curls.
Zip Kip Chin-Up: Straight Bodied Chin-Ups.

Close Body Curl: Keeping your weights by your side raise them as high as you can then curl them.
Cross Fugly Pull-Up: Pull-Ups with as much body movement as you like.

The Modifications I had to make were:
All Pull/Chin-Ups done in a Lounge and with weights simulating the band versions.
Alternating Hammer Curl was done balancing instead of with a stool.
All Medicine Ball moves were done without them.
All Band moves were done with Dumbbells.

After 22 Arm trashing moves V Sculpt is an amazing upper body workout! I was really feeling this workout this morning and can't wait till it regularly occurs in my Hybrid Schedule. Tony does an amazing job of incorporating the whole body and stabilization into this workout. Another great on Tony we all love you!

P90X2 PAP Lower Review

Today I started week 4 of phase two of my P90X2/Insanity Hybrid Program. I've been getting e-mails for more reviews on other of the P90X2 workouts so what I think I am going to do is to double up somedays. Do the scheduled workout as well as a workout I have yet to review. Today being Chest Shoulders and Tris I also did X2 PAP Lower to get a little more cardio into my workout.

The original P90X2 schedule is made up of 3 phases all which lead up to the PAP workouts. As anyone who is into P90X knows by now PAP stands for Post-Activation Potentiation. This way of training maximizes muscle growth and increases your strength. I was not 100% of what this was like going into it, I had done the One on One PAP workout and got the idea that you first do a weighted move, then a plyo move and finally a stretching move.

The workout starts with a slightly different warmup:
Heel Walk: Just walking around on your heels.
Feet Snackers: Swinging your legs and smacking your toes on the floor.
The Worlds Greatest Stretch
Inch Worm

Fire Hydrant: On all fours lift one leg up and slowly circle it around in both directions.
Scorpion
Groiners

March Skippers: A cross between a skip and a march.
Leg Swings
Speed Slalom: Feet together jumping from side to side.
Speed Front/Back Hops: Hopping front and back quickly.
Lateral Plyo Skater: Speed Skater with a bigger hop.

Foam Rolling

The workout consists of two rounds. Each round consists of 4 moves done 4 times.

Round 1 (Repeat 4 Times):

Step-Up Convict: Weights in both hands step up onto a stool, do a leg raise, step down then back into a lounge.

Skater Plyo: 8 Skaters

One Leg Line Hop: Hopping as quickly as you can side to side then front to back.

Tony's Triangle: Laying on your side, bend the lower leg then raise the top one. Pointing your tow to the ground and keeping your heel up. Lower your leg in front then raise it again then lower it in back.

Round 2 (Repeat 4 Times):

Squat Cross Reach: Standing on one leg and hold a weight, squat and reach the weighted arm to the opposite side at the same time kick your other leg out behind you.

Split Squat Jump: Jumping lounges as deep into a lounge you can go and as high as you can jump.

Monster Slalom: Jumping side to side as fast as you can.

Side Bridge Leg Lift: Stay in side plank with you top leg lifted with the toe pointing down for 30 seconds then switch sides.

Cool Down

This is a great workout it really works areas that you might not know you needed to work on. I found the Squat Cross Reach move can be very tricky. You have to remember to bring your back leg in while your still in the squat if you don't you'll be fumbling all over the place. This workout is one that you need to push yourself on, if you don't your not going to get anything out of it. The only real modification that I needed to do was on the Step-Up Convent because I don't have a stool so I did the modified double lounge version. After this workout I did do X2 Chest, Shoulders and Tris and found that my legs were fried. I had some real trouble balencing while doing the presses (no stool). Which goes to show how much PAP Lower works your legs. Again if you push yourself to jump high/far and put your all into this workout it will be an awesome workout!