Bring It: P90X Day 15

P90X is an extreme workout program that was created by Tony Horton. This workout is intense and promises to get you in the best shape of your life. I am here, on my very own personal journey to test this promise; to see if this is true or if it is just another advertising gimmick.

If you would like to start from the beginning of this series, please click here. If you want to read about my previous day with P90X, click here.

For those who have been following my journey, I thank you for your continued support. For those of you just joining me, I look forward to hearing from you in the comment section below. Together, maybe we can motivate each other to get healthier!

Today is the third time i have completed the P90X Chest and Back workout. I will admit, it isn't my favorite. This is probably because I hate push ups and I despise pull ups. I have very little upper body strenght. It has always been my downfall. But, I have pushed through.

Today I really decided to Bring It! After all, this will be the last time I actually do this particular workout until I reach week 9. So, it is my fairwell. I am not saying that I will not be doing anymore push ups and pull ups, it is just the workouts are about to change.

This is my last week before I go into the fourth week, which is a recovery (or rest phase). The key to P90X is to keep those muscles confused, and frankly, that means it is time to switch it up. I can tell you, I am getting stronger with eacyh workout, but I still have a far distance still to travel.

My pushups are still being done on my knees, so I can complete more reps in a quality form. It is important to remember that quality is always more important than quantity. If you use poor form to push out more, you are doing yourself a great injustice and possibly putting yourself in a zone of potential injury. My pull ups are also still being done with the assistance of a chair. I am hoping by the end of the program, I will be able to complete one full pull up without any assistance. That will be a great achievement since I have never done one in my entire life.

Overall, I can feel I am getting stronger. I am adding weights and I am working out to my max. Today, I even pushed myself to failure. My arms feel like jello, but I am still pushing on. But, most importantly, today is a good day because I get to see my results.

So... what are we waiting for?

Results can be measured in many different ways. You can measure them emotionally, and physically. One is concrete and the other has to do with the numbers. Every Monday I measure my results. I try to stick away from the scale and the measuring tape before that because otherwise I get obsessive and I can get discouraged.

Emotional Results:

• Today I am feeling great. In fact, I have been feeling great all week long. I am noticing a difference. I feel more energetic than I have in a long time. I also feel a lot stronger and I have more self-confidence. I am a busy person, but I am not letting that get in the way. Emotionally, I am feeling stronger than ever! I am in a good mood. It just goes to show how a good workout can increase your happy endorphines. Even if I don't lose a pound, you can't replace the effects of feeling good!

Physical Results:

• I can see the difference, and others can to. If I lift up my arms and stretch, I actually can see my biceps and triceps starting to show definition. That is a great feeling. That means I can see my body getting stronger. I can also see that my butt is lifting. I guess that means the Booty Pop is no longer necessary. And this may sound weird, but my ankles look skinnier. Never thought I would say this, but damn my ankles look sexy!
• I have also taken measurements. These measurements are taken in several different forms. The first way is based off the number of reps. Each week, I push myself to do a few more reps with each exercise. If I find I am doing too many, I have the option of increasing the weight. From the downloadable worksheets that go with the P90X system, it shows that I am getting stronger.
• The other measurements I have been taken are things I can't really smudge. It isn't based off whether last week I wasn't feeling like doing 15 pushups even though I might have been able to. It is concrete. It is the scale. The scale doesn't lie. (Although I don't want you to forget that muscle weighs more than fat!) So far, in the two weeks of doing this program I have lost 1.6 pounds, 0.7 percent body fat and a total of 6.5 inches. Now, while I am not overly thrilled at the number on the scale, I am thrilled about the number of inches lost. That to me is more important!

As you can see, I am seeing some progress. As an added bonus, the more muscle I create, the more fat my body will burn. This means that I will probably be seeing and increase in weight loss over the next couple of weeks.

While I can't say I am getting outstanding results, I can say I am seeing realistic results. After all, this isn't The Biggest Loser where as a contestant I might loss 10 pounds in a week! As a person who has battled this fight several times, I do understand that a slow and consistent weight loss is better than a sporatic one.

So... with that being said, I am off to expend some of this extra energy!

Are curious about Day 16? Click here to keep on reading!