p90x

My 2 Year Fitness Journey

February 4, 2013 by Asia

When I started this blog on Feb 2, 2011, I said “I never want to stop training!” Two years later, I still haven’t stopped. It is my 2 year blog anniversary (happy blogiversary to me!) so I’ve reflected on my posts and included some of my favorite training milestones from the past 2 years. Browse the titles and pictures, or click on a link for a deeper dive into my fitness journey. I’ve come a loooooong way. Thanks for coming with me!

“My 18 Week Fitness Journey” (My very first blog post!)

One day, I basically woke up and went from 0 to 60. I wasn’t always a workout freak, and I HATED my first half marathon (November 2008). I came back around in 2010 when I trained for and completed my second half marathon and found a new love for running…and P90X…and many other things! The possibilities are endless when you shift your mindset.

Day Zero (Aug 2010)

P90X Results

Jeremy and I did P90X together two different times, and saw fantastic results both times. I have never been more muscular than when I did P90X. I could do 50 push-ups and 7 pull-ups. What?! Beast mode.

P90X Masters!

I’m a marathon finisher!

Nicole and I crossed the finish line of Rock n Roll marathon together in 4:01:59. It was a great experience, but I always knew I’d do another one to prove (to myself) I could break 4 hours.

About to get on Highway 163

Celebrating our Finishi with Meb - The Half Marathon Champion

Celebrating our Finish with Meb (June 2011)

Beginner’s Triathlon (My first triathlon EVER!) and My First Sprint Triathlon

The pictures of me from my first practice triathlon are pretty hilarious. I didn’t own any of my own gear, and had barely just learned how to swim and bike again. I couldn’t even swim the 300m without a combination of floating, breastroke, backstroke, and finally, freestyle.

Slowly getting off the Bike

Before my First Sprint Triathlon (July 2011)

Insanity Results & My Half Marathon PR (1:51)

Insanity is one of my favorite at home fitness programs because it doesn’t require any equipment so you can take it with you anywhere. It also got me the closest to a six-pack and crush my half marathon PR!

Insanity “After” & “After” AFC Half Marathon! (Aug 2011)

Surf City Marathon Race Report – a big PR of 3:49!

Nicole and I set the bar for our second marathon at sub 3:50…not sub 4 hours as previously mentioned…and we did it!!

So nervous! (Feb 2012)

My current marathon PR is 3:49, and I need to go sub 3:35.

Mile 10

My First Half Ironman! Oceanside 70.3

I almost cried before we started; I was still so scared of the swim and the bike!

Body Marking

A moment of pure joy (March 2012)

Almost an Ironman: Ironman Coeur d’Alene Race Report

I will never forget my first Ironman attempt and DNF. I learned a lot about myself that day.

At least I conquered the swim! (June 2012)

Ironman Cozumel Race Reports: Swim, Bike, Run

I will also never forget the day that I became an IRONMAN!!! Never give up.

Ironman FINISHER!!! (Nov 2012)

I can’t wait to see what the next year brings!

What’s your biggest fitness milestone?

Insanity Results!

December 1, 2011 by Asia

I’m excited to finally share my Insanity results with you! I completed Insanity for the first time earlier this year, and now I’m doing the workouts sporadically throughout my triathlon and marathon training to stay strong. I did the 60 day Insanity program after completing P90X (for a second time) and after finishing my first full marathon. I also did Insanity while training for a half marathon…so I had to modify the plan a bit. (You’re supposed to workout 6 days/week, and I did Insanity 3-4 days/week, and you’re supposed to take the fit test on days 1, 15, 36, 50 and 63, but I only did it 3x.) Keeping all that in mind, here are highlights of my results!!

May 2011: Sometime Before Insanity & After P90X

: 6/20 Fit Test #1

1. Switch Kicks: 60 single (120 double)
2. Power Jacks: 62
3. Power Knees: 97
4. Power Jumps: 46
5. Globe Jumps: 11
6. Suicide Jumps: 29
7. Push-up Jacks: 30
8. Low Plank Oblique: 31 single (62 double)

7/5 Fit Test #2
1. 70 (140)
2. 60
3. 109
4. 48
5. 11
6. 20
7. 25
8. 32 (64)

8/29 Fit Test #3
1. 65 (130)
2. 68
3. 119
4. 60
5. 13
6. 23
7. 35
8. 45 (90)

: August 2011: After Insanity & After Finishing the AFC Half Marathon!

Other Insanity results highlights:

– Personal Record on the same half marathon 1 year later! I went from 2:14 to 1:51!

– Very toned abs – Close to a six-pack!

– I lost 3 pounds!

Overall, I think I prefer Insanity over P90X. Don’t get me wrong. They are both AMAZING at home fitness programs that both gave me great results, but I think the cardio girl in me can relate more to Shaun T’s workouts than to Tony Horton’s. Plus, it’s so easy to pop in the DVD and workout for only 35-60 minutes with no equipment. There’s hardly an excuse not to do it. I still love the unmatched strength training from P90X, so I will probably mix both programs in my next round of marathon and triathlon training!

Is Insanity right for you too? I highly recommend it! Feel free to contact me with any questions or to share your results with me too.

Sept 2011 - Sometime after Insanity

Summer Triple Training Program

June 28, 2011 by Asia

Last week I began my Summer Triple Training Program: Insanity, Triathlon, Half Marathon. Quite the ambitious training program, but I’m starting to feel like a machine! This is my first time doing Insanity, my first triathlon, and my 4th half marathon (so I feel the most comfortable with running.) One week into my program, I’m realizing how tough it is to keep up with all my desired workouts while still feeling rested, but I’m not giving up by any means. If anything, this has forced me to dig deeper and push myself harder than ever before. Now, I just need to make time to rest so my body can properly recover. Sunday is my only day off, and I did 10 workouts in 6 days last week.

Monday 6/20: Insanity Fit Test AM; Swim Technique Class PM

Tuesday 6/21: Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit AM; 9 Mile Bike Ride on Fiesta Island PM

Wednesday 6/22: Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance AM; Swim Technique Class PM

Thursday 6/23: Insanity Cardio Recovery AM; rest PM

Friday 6/24: Insanity Pure Cardio AM; rest PM

Saturday 6/25: 9 mile run with hills AM; Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit PM

Sunday 6/26: Rest! (Plus a little road bike riding to figure out which one I wanted to purchase…more on that later!)

Looking back, I probably should have gotten 1 more bike and/or run in, but I don’t think I could have done it without sacrificing any Insanity workouts, and as an Insanity newbie, completing all 60 days is very important to me. Want to learn more about Insanity? Let me know! Here’s a pic of me doing the Pure Cardio workout. You can’t see my face to tell how hard I’m working, and how much I’m sweating, so just take my word for it!

Insanity Pure Cardio

Thursday night I intended to bike or run, but my body was telling me differently, and I had to rest. (I passed out on my couch in my work clothes at 6pm!) My triple training program is definitely a work in progress. I can’t wait to blog again to tell you about my updated vegetarian meal plan to fuel all my workouts. I have to eat a lot!

Countdown to Rock n Roll Marathon

May 2, 2011 by Asia

San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon Start

I’m a mere 5 weeks away from running my first marathon!! Saturday I ran 16 miles, my longest run to date, and I’m happy to report that I wasn’t completely miserable! It was tough, and I definitely felt like I was running for a VERY long time, but with the help of my running buddies, I made it. Jeremy ran 18 miles and said it was an entirely different ballgame. He had a tough time cranking out the last two miles, and I’ve heard that from other people as well…Is this “the wall” people talk about? I’ll definitely report back on that next weekend when I run 18 miles. I’m nervous for that one.

What am I doing the next 5 weeks? Today I finished P90X for a second time, and now I’m a Double Grad! (Jeremy has suggested that we’re P90X “Masters,” but I’m afraid to go as far as to say that. I’m not sure if anyone but Tony Horton himself could ever truly master that program!) I’m going to post my P90X results very soon, so stay tuned!

May is time to decrease my P90X workouts and continue my 4 days/week of running. It has been tough to keep up with P90X and marathon training thus far, so I’m ready to modify things from now until the marathon. This means no more double workout days if I can help it! The next 5 weeks I’ll focus on my running and sprinkle in 2-3 P90X workouts per week as I enter the home stretch of marathon training. Here is what I anticipate…

Monday: Run
Tuesday: Speed work run
Wednesday: Plyometrics or Legs & Back (or rest)
Thursday: Medium Long run
Friday: P90X upper body workout (Chest & Back or Back & Biceps)
Saturday: Long run
Sunday: Yoga (or rest)

Let the new workout schedule begin!

P.S. What am I doing after the marathon? I have a couple of ideas that I’ll fill you in on soon!

Insanity the Asylum Out Now!

April 9, 2011 by Asia

My next Beachbody workout! Let me know if you have any questions or want to order. Available now only through a Beachbody Coach, and I am one of them. 🙂 So excited for this new and intense program!

P90X Phase 2 Results

March 28, 2011 by Asia

Day 60 Flexing

Phase 2 has come and gone, and I’m continuing to see improvement! My pull-ups and chin-ups are starting to increase, and I’m back up to 30 push-ups per set. I really hope that Phase 3 puts me over the edge and makes me fitter than ever before! I’m not sure if I’m going to reach my goal of a perfectly defined six-pack or 10 pull-ups, but I’m going to continue to do my best and see what happens. P90X is still challenging, and I am loving my marathon running group. I’m definitely enjoying the journey!

Day 60 Side View

Day 60 Favorite Pose

Staying Fit on the Road

March 25, 2011 by Asia

I love my job! As an Assistant Brand Manager, I get to travel a lot for work. This means trying to find balance in work, travel, fitness, and healthy eating. While this isn’t easy to do, it can be done. Read on for some tips I’ve picked up in the last couple months of business travel, and feel free to share your own. This is definitely a learning experience for me!

Workouts
1) Wake up early! If your business trips are anything like mine, you don’t have any free time. Even if you have a 730am meeting, try waking up at 5am to fit in a workout. You’ll be glad you did.
2) Spread the word! Tell your coworkers your plans to workout in the morning and encourage them to join you. Even if you’re in the gym solo, you can bet that your guilt stricken coworkers will ask how that workout went. Case in point – I was in Florida for a 4 day business trip and had 3 workouts buddies at 515am on day 2. When my alarm went off at 5am on day 3 (which felt like 2am PST) I really wanted to hit snooze and catch up on some sleep, but then I remembered that I had already told my coworkers that I’d be in the gym again and didn’t want them to think that I wasn’t dedicated to my workout plan. So, with this thought in mind, I made my way to the hotel gym and worked out solo. Apparently no one else had the same feelings as me that morning…
3) Workout immediately before and after your trip. Even if I have an 8am flight, I make a point of getting a 5am workout in before I hop on that plane. The same goes for when I get home; I will workout ASAP. If I get too comfortable and realize how exhausted I am after all that traveling, I will never get off the couch.
4) Be flexible! You never know what kind of gym you’ll have waiting for you in your hotel. Most likely your company isn’t choosing a place based on their free weight set or treadmill collection. On my FL business trip, I planned to run 5 miles one day and to do P90X Back and Biceps the other day. I soon discovered that our gym consisted of 4 treadmills and not much else, so I wasn’t able to do P90X full-out. I still wanted to workout, of course, so I fit in another day of treadmill running, and P90X was still waiting for me when I got to the comfort of my own home and pull-up bar.
5) Do your research! I haven’t done this yet, but after reading over this post it occurred to me that a lot of ambiguity could be avoided if I just called ahead and asked the hotel what kind of fitness equipment they have. I’ll have to try that next time!

Nutrition
1) Bring your own snacks! Some of my favorite healthy foods to travel with include apples, raw trail mix and/or almonds, and a lot of protein bars. You can never be too prepared. I never expect people to provide me with healthy, vegetarian food, so I always travel armed with nutritious options. Next time, I think I’ll bring individual servings of protein powder so I can mix it up with water when needed.
2) Keep bottled water on hand! Stay hydrated and full on water to prevent unnecessary snacking. A lot of people mindlessly munch when they think they’re hungry, when in fact they are just dehydrated.
3) When you find something healthy, stock up! During day two of my business trip, the hotel provided us with cookies as a nice, fattening snack. Luckily for me, there were 2 bunches of grapes and thinly sliced strawberries scattered across the cookie tray! To be fair, I only took 1 bunch of grapes and half the strawberries at first, but when they didn’t get eaten by anyone else, I went in for the rest. I couldn’t let that beautiful fruit go to waste!
4) Don’t skip breakfast. I know you’re heard this a million times, but I truly believe this is the most important meal of the day. Definitely take advantage if you can stock up on eggs and fruit. From what I’ve seen, the meal choices only get less healthy as the day progresses.
5) Share your plan with your coworkers. People rarely offer me cookies or cake at office gatherings anymore (unless they want to tease me) because they know I won’t budge. They’ve seen how I stick to my nutrition plan and how much I love to talk about P90X and the amazing things it has done for me.

Ab Ripper X

March 17, 2011 by Asia

I LOVE Ab Ripper X! This 15 minute P90X core/ab workout really pushes me, and I envision a six-pack to keep me going strong. Normally, Ab Ripper X is done after an intense hour-long P90X workout, so you’re already tired when you get to it. I think that’s where the magic happens. You need to mentally and physically push your body to make it through. If you can keep up, you are doing 349 ab exercises every time you push play. It’s an amazing accomplishment!

Ab Ripper X Exercises (25 reps each)
1) In & Out
2) Bicycle (forward motion)
3) Reverse Bicycle (reverse motion)
4) Crunchy Frog
5) Cross-Leg/Wide Leg Sit-up
6) Fifer Scissor
7) Hip Rock and Raise
8 ) Pulse-Up
9) V-Up/Roll-Up Combo
10-11) Oblique V-Up (25 each side, right and left)
12) Leg Climb
13) Mason Twist (50 reps)

When I first started P90X, I couldn’t make it through every set without stopping. That changed over time, and now I’m doing advanced moves on many of the exercises all the way through! The beauty of P90X is that there are always options. If I’m struggling one day, I’ll use my hands for support on the In & Outs, for example. What’s important is that you keep good form while getting through as many reps as possible. If you find yourself struggling to get through the sets, do the basic version of each exercise – that is still really tough! Even when you can get through every exercises for a total of 349 reps, I recommend perfecting your form before moving on to the advanced options (hands in the air, crossed legs instead of wide legs, etc.) If I notice my form giving out on me, I will switch back to the basic version.

Oblique V-Ups are by far the hardest moves for me. I have not fully perfected my form yet on these yet, but I am happy to report that I can do 25 reps on each side! Below is a video of me working hard. Ideally, I’d be making contact with my legs, but I’m not quite there yet.

A few tips for getting through Ab Ripper X:
1) Make a playlist! Mine is perfectly timed with the DVD from beginning to end, and I like having the routine of songs to match the exercises. “Hallelujah” comes on right after I finish my last exercise, just in time for the cool down and stretching.
song #1: “Run This Town” by Jay-Z
song #2 “260” by Ghostface Killah
song #3 “Cinderella Man” by Eminem
song #4 “When Love Takes Over” by David Guetta
song #5 “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley

2) Invest in something thicker than a yoga mat! I bruise when I do these exercises on top of one or two yoga mats because I have a hardwood floor. My boyfriend bought a cushy pad from Target for $30 (embark Premium Exercise Mat), and I followed suit. No more bruising for me. At a minimum, try a small pillow under your lower back during the Pulse-Ups.

3) Do your best, and forget the rest! That is one of my favorite Tony Horton sayings because it is so true. Don’t skip ab ripper because you’re feeling too tired, can’t make time for it, or if you’re feeling discouraged. Simply show up and do the best you can. Success and more reps will come with time – I promise!

P90X Phase 1 Results

March 5, 2011 by Asia

Phase 1 came and went so fast! I don’t remember it going by so quickly the first time we did P90X…so is this a good thing or a bad thing? My pics are decent, but I’m definitely not where I want to be yet. I’m my own worst critic this time around because I’ve set my goals higher, and I really want to achieve them! I should probably listen to what Tony Horton says in his new book Bring It! “There’s nothing bad about wanting to look good…But the problem is that most people exercise for the wrong reasons because they’re focused solely on the outcome and not the journey.”

So, I would LOVE a six-pack. Is that unrealistic? Maybe. Maybe not. I came close last time I did P90X (Aug-Nov 2010), so I just need to figure out what I can do to up my game the second time around! Any suggestions on how to get that six pack? I know it’s a combination of diet and exercise, but how extreme are we talking?! Here are some pics of where I’m at today.

I’m going to try and focus on the journey and celebrate how my body looks and feels over time. I can already tell I’m getting stronger, and my energy levels are high. Today I purchased Tony’s book Bring It! because I’m really curious to learn about Tony’s nutrition style. I’ve already read some great things, but I’ll save my post on that for another time. Until then, I’m going to do my best and forget the rest!

P90X Recovery Week

March 1, 2011 by Asia

This is my second time doing the P90x program, and the Recovery Week is still a love/hate relationship for me. I love doing yoga twice a week, but hate that I have to set aside 90 minutes to do it. I love the X Stretch day, but hate that I never make time for it and use it as a running day instead. Finally, I love the calorie burning power of Core Synergistics but hate how hard it is! For some reason, I just don’t enjoy that workout as much as the others, but it definitely gives me an amazing total body workout. The video clip below is me doing the Lunge Kickback Curl Press exercise. You’re supposed to choose a light weight (I chose 5 pounds) and do 20 reps. Maintaining good form throughout the exercise is very important, so you don’t want to use anything that is too heavy.

P90X Recovery Week lined up perfectly with my marathon training recovery week. I definitely still worked out a lot, but my running mileage didn’t increase, and my P90X workouts didn’t include many weight exercises or any pull-ups. I think changing it up is definitely a necessary component of any long-term workout program (aka muscle confusion) so your body doesn’t get used to doing the same exercises over and over again, and your body does need rest at some point.

Normally I have 1 scoop of recovery formula after each P90X workout, but I decided to skip it one morning after Kenpo. I know I’m still supposed to be burning a lot of calories, but I just didn’t feel like I burned enough to warrant those extra calories. One day after yoga I completely forgot because I was so focused on fixing lunch. Otherwise, I’m usually very consistent! Besides, I love the way it tastes too. Recovery formula and protein powder have definitely grown on me since I started P90X back in August 2010, and I can’t imagine my workouts and diet without them.

I’m surprised at how quickly P90X Phase 1 passed and am definitely ready to BRING IT during Phase 2!