Category: Weightloss
For me, this was a much needed workout, and YES, I did feel way better after. (Tuesday I did the plyo workout and then trained Sambo. I was pretty beat up) Ft the very end of this recovery workout there are some unnecessary moves, but all in all, a very good video to do. (especially if you know how to use a foam roller)
As you can tell, Tony’s love for the foam roller has deepend almost to obsession at this point. And I must say, even though we have 2 foam rollers here at FitLifeSF HQ, I need to get the sick evil looking foam roller. My standard density white foam rollers are not doing it for me. I need more pain. (But that is me)
I like how Tony takes the extra time to rehab, and condition the body this time through. It will be a big win down the line, and even though he had a stretching/recovery workout in P90X, the use of the roller here is a big win. Where this video fails a bit is the lack of specific instruction. There are a lot more ways to use the roller than he is showing, and a lot more effective techniques. It is a good introto using the roller, but you will very quickly want more. (For a beginner it would be nice to know “what not to do.” )
It’s is a well placed workout in the program, especially if you are doing more than just the P90X2 workouts. It will definately add to your durability, and help you to keep “Bringing It” for the weeks to come. Thumbs up.
My grade for this one is a B+
-Rob
If you find this post helpful and want to purchase P90X or any equipment from Beachbody, we’d much appreciate if you use this link:
http://beachbodycoach.com/fitlifesfrob
If your Beach Body Coach isn’t helping you, be sure to tell Team Beach Body you want FitLifeSFRob as your coach! You then get the combined experience of Smurf and me.
After documenting my workout on Teambeachbody.com today, my post workout message was, “Not a bad plyo workout, but if I was Shaun T, I’d be PISSED!”
For a beginner/intermediate level plyo workout, P90X2 Plyocide is not a bad thing to do. (If you really push yourself, it will be tough for intermediate/advanced people) None of the moves are very high impact, and it will get you sweating and your heart rate up. Though it DOES NOT COMPARE to any of the INSANITY workouts. Shaun T (I question his shelf life with BeachBody at this point. Just my feeling/opinion. No fact.) is the Video King of Cardio Hell workouts in my book. That guy kicks my ass with all his extreme fitness workouts. (And yes, I know there are only so many way the human body moves but more than 1/2 of the Plyocide movements seemed to be “inspired” by techniques featured in INSANITY and ASYLUM. I’m just say’n.)
Well, all that being said, Tony continues his love affair with his Beach Body stability ball and foam roller. It’s fine. I’d recommend doing your own warm up for this video. By the time the warm up was complete, I was anything but warm, and I could have used more stretching. They seem to be keeping the video times down, who knows, maybe people were complaining about the length of the videos.
As for the rest of the workout, it was fine. Nothing earth shattering. As I mentioned (and if you follow the blog you know), I have done INSANITY and ASYLUM. I really like both programs, and this whole video was like one long Shaun T warm up. It never really got out of first gear.
A personal issue I had with this video; I really don’t like his supporting cast in this one. They try hard enough on camera, but really have no charisma and don’t play off of Tony well. I will be replacing so I don’t have to see them, and get irked. (AND because I want a real cardio workout once a week. HELLO SHAUN T! Be seeing you next week on Tuesday. Heh.)
If I were to give this one a grade, it would be a solid C. Not bad, not good. And if you know what you are doing you can do better yourself.
Screw that…The more I write this (think about it) the more I am convincing myself that it does not hold up to P90X. It is more like an unfinished P90X+ workout, and all those were pretty mediocre.
So yeah, replace this one with a Shaun T INSANITY/ASYLUM workout.
-Rob
If you find this post helpful and want to purchase P90X or any equipment from Beachbody, we’d much appreciate if you use this link:
http://beachbodycoach.com/fitlifesfrob
If your Beach Body Coach isn’t helping you, be sure to tell Team Beach Body you want FitLifeSFRob as your coach! You then get the combined experience of Smurf and me.
So I began a new P90X2 cycle yesterday on 1/9, which a week behind my wanted schedule…Stupid first cold of 2012! Well, at least it has begun. Starting later than I wanted allowed me the opportunity to read other people’s reviews of the X2 Core workout, and I went in not knowing what to expect. You see the other reviews were less than stellar, and I can understand why they might feel that way. Let me elaborate.
X2 is not a stand there and move weights kind of workout, it takes concentration, dedication to maintaining correct form, and patience. (All of these things should be done with every workout anyway) It is not the kind of workout that you will rock the first time through, and you for sure won’t feel its effects until the next day. Only then will you see how good this workout really was. (I was a little wiped, but it wasn’t until the next morning that I really felt sore)
So, contrary to the majority of the other reviews I have read, it is a solid core workout. It is also one of those workouts that will get tougher as you master the form and understand how to activate your muscle groups to be more effective. I actually fear the next few times I have to do this, as I know as my balance improves, the resulting burn will become awesomely brutal.
Now, I must point out, that the love affair Tony started to have with spherical objects in the “One on One” series has continued to deepen. More stability ball work (which I like anyway) and more medicine ball work (which I also like). I can also appreciate (being a sadist) Tony’s love of inflicting pain on himself and others. He has decided to bring foam roller work into his program. I think this is great we have 2 foam rollers her at FitLifeSF central HQ, as well as a number of other fun torture devices. (The stick, spiked roller balls, massage aids, but I digress) Nothing quite as fun as working out knots in your muscles. (OK there is a lot of other fun stuff to do, but I promise, the more you do it, the more you will want to do it again. Sound familiar?)
Well, have your gear handy: Mat, Stability Ball, Foam Roller, Medicine Ball, Towel and Water. (Well water isn’t really gear, but the cup/glass may be) And get ready to “Bring It” once again. For this workout, using great form and moving slow and smooth will give you the best results!
And for the record, this is a great stand alone workout for almost any fitness/sports discipline.
Enjoy & Good Luck!
-Rob
If you find this post helpful and want to purchase P90X or any equipment from Beachbody, we’d much appreciate if you use this link:
http://beachbodycoach.com/fitlifesfrob
If your Beach Body Coach isn’t helping you, be sure to tell Team Beach Body you want FitLifeSFRob as your coach! You then get the combined experience of Smurf and me.
I was going to kick off the program on Monday December 20th. A way to force myself to not over do it over the Xmas holiday. Well, that has been pushed off, as I do want to spend the next 2 weeks (though working out) with a little more wiggle room. I will still do my usual, eat right, train sambo, and get some workouts in.
THEN COMES JANUARY 2ND! Awe hell!
The beginning of my first P90X2 session. Full diet in effect! Oh yeah baby!
Watch for my before pics to be posted, and I will do workout by workout reviews of this program. Will it live up to the hype? We’ll know soon enough.
-Rob
Ok. After stripper fitness, Flirty girl fitness and pole dancer fitness, all I want to say is….COME ON. You can do better than that. Sure, dancers move a lot, and there is cardio involved, but as a workout routine? Um. No. Yes, I am a fan of my girl doing a super hot intimate dance , but, this is just fun. The minute it becomes work (as in work out) do you really think she will want to keep doing it? NO!
So. Stop it. Don’t waste our time. Let the brutal, hard workouts be jut that. Something we love to hate. We don’t want to love to hate lap dances!
And don’t get me started on the JackRack. Oh My God! Chuck Liddell, WTF? Pathetic. You and Jim Stoppani are WEAK! yeah I said it. Weak! Nice commercial, I hope they paid you your due chuck, because that is JUST PATHETIC!
(Can you tell stupid TV is on at my house) Weak sauce. And those who buy this crap deserve what they get.
-Rob
Lot of us spend our days sitting around and not being as active as we could (or should). We then add rich and fatty foods to our sedentary lifestyle, and blam, we have a few to many extra lb’s. This isn’t rocket science, and this is a story that we all can relate to. (Medical conditions not being accounted for here) So, what happens? We get fat or, we do something about it.
All of us find motivation to get fit one way or the other. Maybe it was someone mentioning that you looked bigger, maybe your favorite jeans didn’t fit, or maybe you look in the mirror one day are say enough is enough. Whatever your reason to get fit, you need to look at a method/program to follow. (Any Fitness Program will take dedication and laser focus to get great results.) And this is different from staying or being healthy.
You can lead a less active lifestyle if you choose not to overeat. This does not mean you can get by without some basic exercise. Staying healthy means doing what you need to do to feel good, and live the life you want to live. You don’t have to eat “organic” this or “natural” that, and you don’t have to join an extreme fitness gym. You have to take accountability for your actions (or inaction), and not be a glutton.
To get fit, now there is a challenge. I believe you must follow a meal plan (to the letter) and you must also increase your activity significantly. It will be a ramp up to extreme fitness training, and it will be hard, but you will get through it, and you will be better off. Home programs like P90X, Insanity, and Turbo Fire will give you great results if you follow them. As will gym based programs, working with a personal trainer, or competitive sports/martial arts. There are so many activity choices once you dial in your meal plan.
Me, I like my Beach Body videos. I can throw together a 30,60, 90 day fitness program and get back to being lean and ripped. I can target improving my cardio or just work to look better naked. (Everyone wants that) This isn’t the best way, it is my way, and a way which has been working for the last 5 years. (Plus Soccer, Sambo, and other craziness) The important thing for me is to stay active for several weeks while keeping my eating/drinking in check.
Once I am where I want to be fitness wise, well then the slow slide back to needing a fitness kick in the ass begins. It is called maintenance mode. Still not being a glutton, but having a lot more flexibility in my eating. Many people call this time, “Staying Healthy.” But even when “Staying Healthy” you may (probably will) gain weight, and need to kick it into high gear for a time. And however long you need to kick it into high gear is decided on how far you are willing to let yourself slide.
My typical reset trigger: when I reach 201lbs, and it isn’t due to heavy salt or lots of drinking. This is usually a day or 2 thing. (Bloat) When that weight remains pretty consistent for a week or 2, I know it is time to get back down to 190-195.
Do you have a trigger? Do you have a goal weight? Are you happy with how you look right now? Do you want to feel better? What is your motivation?
-FitLifeSFRob
So, after 2 weeks of Asylum, Shaun T brings us the Game Day Workout. An assortment of sports influenced moves using the agility ladder, free space moves and a pull-up bar. This 60 minute workout was pretty brutal, and next time I’ll have the moves down more…But…I didn’t feel it was as good as it could have been and I was not thrilled by the flow of the whole workout. (Again, it may have been my lack of familiarity with some of the moves)
Even with what I said above, I was dripping by the end. (it began with a 5 minute interval run, some stretching, then BAM, non stop moving from game to game)
If you would like to find more information on this or any Beach Body Product, please follow this link: http://www.beachbodycoach.com/FITLIFESFROB
For someone who is pretty damn fit, to be getting my ass handed to me as bad as I am, it is either my own delusion of how fit I am or the reality that this program is FRIGGEN BRUTAL. Today’s fun began with a 10 minute warm up, which, by the end of the warm up I was ready to call it a day. (And yes, I was out too late last night, and I did have a bit too much to drink, but hey, I am human) Thankfully, the warm up cleared my head, and had me in a flop sweat clearing my body of some of the crap I consumed last night. (I got out of bed at noon, and did this workout) This workout is not as “hop happy” as many of the original INSANITY series workouts, but Shaun kicks up the difficulty by using resistance bands, and very focused motion. Like the rest of the videos, YOU MUST HAVE YOUR MIND IN THE GAME, or you won’t even be able to do a number of the moves. So, be prepared to bring your “A” game.
This workout is jumptastic with long jumps, hops, squats, plyo pushups, jump rope work, and my new nemisis, the one legged power squat. ARRRRGGG! By the end of this video, I was again soaked to the bone with my own sweat. Here’s how good the workout was. I woke up weighed myself, had 2 glasses of water (I was dehydrated as hell), and did the workout. During the workout I drank 2 Pint glasses of water, and then at the end dranka 2 scoop recovery drink (in a pint glass topped with water). When I went and weighed myself before my shower, I WAS 2 POUNDS LIGHTER! AFTER ALL THE WATER AND THE RECOVERY DRINK. This workout is brutal. Have your water and your towel handy. You will need it.
Equipment: Jump Rope, 2 Power Bands, Agility Ladder, High Quality H2O and a very absorbantt towel.
Prepare yourself. This one will hurt you.
If you would like to find more information on this or any Beach Body Product, please follow this link: http://www.beachbodycoach.com/FITLIFESFROB
Ok. I just finished the fit test, and it was really tough. I expected to be a lot easier, but maybe I let myself fall too far out of shape since my last insanity cycle a month ago. It was a really good assessment of my core strength, my overall co-ordination, and my stamina. Wow. I hit myself in ways I typically don’t and it showed. See my results below. The numbers below (2nd box) are my current measurementsm which were all taken “unflexed.” The first box are my Day 1 Fit Test Results. (If you couldn’t tell) Well, so much for stalling. Time for the “Speed and Agility” workout. wish me luck.
Be sure to check out our “How to take Measurements” article:
http://www.fitlifesf.com/2011/01/how-to-take-body-measurements/
If you would like to find more information on this or any Beach Body Product, please follow this link: http://www.beachbodycoach.com/FITLIFESFROB