P90X Day 54 - Core Synergistics

My alarm clock is set for 5:30 AM and the snooze button is always hit at least 5 or 6 times before my body is fully awake. You might say I give it a good interval workout, 5 minutes per press. I get in as much sleep as I possibly can within that 5 minute time frame.

The last three days I've been rolling out of bed after 6:15 and reluctantly performing my morning routine. Get dressed. Grab a shake. Down my vitamins. Brush teeth. Etc.

I don't know what it is about Fridays that makes you bound out of bed. Traffic is usually light since everyone starts off their day a little bit later. The drive into work is not so monotonous. I felt good. Maybe it's because I'd get to leave work right at 4:30 PM. Maybe the traffic would be light on the way back and I wouldn't get stuck in rush hour for 20 extra minutes. Maybe it's knowing that nobody would be at home to bother me during my workout. Maybe it's because I'd be doing Core Synergistics at home for the first time. Today it was a little of all of those things.

First let me launch into the story about my P90X group and how we formed and started. It consists of 5 core guys which make up our little department at work. Now I had never really heard of P90X up until last year. From the grapevine, it was told that this magical program would get you completely ripped in 90 days. At that point I really just scoffed. Truly an impossible feat. Brushed it aside. About mid 2008 the conversation starts up about it again. A few of my friends obtain the disks and start, which then all of a sudden becomes extremely popular at the local high schools. Through a few trials and tribulations I hear that this is no easy program. People have puked trying to get through it, shut it off, stopped, and even resold their disks to get away.

Do I really want to even consider a program like this? See actual excerpt below:

Friend: p90x
Friend: holy **** so tired
Friend: just doing the push ups
Mike: what?
Mike: lol
Friend: 6 differents types
Friend: so intense
Friend: noway ill be able 2 do pull ups 2

He then proceeds to list all of the types of pullups and pushups that are performed without breaks, which is followed by me saying:

Mike: wow
Mike: so awesome
Mike: if you can do all that ...
Mike: godly

Thank you for a great first impression Chest and Back.

Further down the road, about late 2008. We have this giant space upstairs at work which could possibly double as a workout space if we had some yoga mats. The suggestion arises. P90X can be done after work, but we all have to invest about an hour and a half a day. Hour and a half a day?! That seemed like precious time that could be spent doing other things like sitting on the couch watching TV (not that there was anything good on anyways). Oh, also, you may have to work out on your own at home because pull-up bars couldn't be drilled into the doorframes at work. Hmm.

I could already see the integrity of this failing as we spoke. There were half of us on the wagon and half of us off.

A few slight jabs are thrown in about who can lose the most weight after 90 days. Hey now. I could stand to gain weight if anything. For me, that's not fair at all since I am in decent shape and probably the most fit out of our entire department. Okay, maybe not just decent. I hadn't stepped foot in a gym since high school. So what if that was 3 or 4 .. going on 5 years ago?... Maybe we commit and if we don't work out, it's $5 a workout we skip. Or maybe we can just try it and see how we like it. We're pretty much P90X ready, we just have to bring it... Right? Right!

As the new year rolls around, we have an exciting game going on at work at the same time. It's a challenge to see who can sweat the most out of each department. Points are awarded for cycling, running, treadmilling, yoga etc. Perfect. Now is the time to get in shape and start P90X! January 2009 would be when we all started X'ing together. Again, another story for another time.

Flash forward today (yes I know the days will be off from January to today, but the reasoning will be saved for another entry) with Core Synergistics. I can hear the DVD clearly today when working out myself. Everyone else is either at the hockey game or drinking at a pub watching it. I'm truly better off. Halfway through and I'm making Gumby look like the Tin Man. (Hahaha, I love Tony Horton's quotes. Listen to the DVD closely and you'll know)

I felt good with the Prison Cell Pushups. My back was feeling good today and I was jumping up into my hands. But then I get to Plank to Chaturanga Run and I just get completely destroyed. Also, I want to know how anyone can do this without their shirt riding up?! HAHA. Seriously, every time I do this with a shirt, it completely rides up and annoys the living bejesus out of me. (See working out at home does have its' advantages, workouts with no shirt on)

I think that Core is one of the most difficult workouts in the program. Props to you who are doing P90X Lean, having this week in and week out. (I will stick with my Plyo, thank you very much). Enabling your core works you out so much instead of just half-assing the workouts. The moves aren't difficult at all unless you're using your abs, glutes, and lumbar spine. In all, good workout... BUT! There are gripes (not grapes...) though with working out at home.

Pros:
You can work out shirtless. (your pets won't care, AND they aren't judgmental either)
You can pause the DVD to switch weights, plus you can actually HEAR what Tony is saying and rewind if necessary.
No whining from co-workers (sorry guys)

Cons:
The motivation isn't always there if you don't have your workout group with you (not a problem if you're self motivated)
If P90X is done in your bedroom (like mine), your space may be very minimal
You may get interrupted by your family (go away, I'm busy!)

That's all for now. Wow, why did I have to write so much?