Paul Ryan, Wisconsin’s 1st District Republican representative and former trainer, along with Bart Stupak, a Democrat from Michigan’s 1st congressional district have been leading some other members of congress in daily P90X workouts. Tony Horton has been known to stop by an occasion to work in with them.

“It’s a fantastic workout,” Ryan says of P90X, which stresses the importance of muscle confusion and cross-training. “Bart Stupak and I lead it every morning. There’s about a dozen of us who do it.”

Post from: Build a New You

Members of congress reveal their own health care plan. P90X!

Tuesday (1/26/10) Day off – Well, seems I’ve been pushing a little too hard.  I didn’t get any sleep last night as every time I moved the pain in my elbow would wake me up.  Looks like I’m going to have to lay off the weights for a bit and stick to cardio.  I can try some of the Insanity or RevAbs workouts while I rest my arm.  When I  get back to the P90X program I’m going to go for less weight and more reps, I’m not sure how to do that with push-ups and pull-ups though.  Typing with a wrist brace on isn’t the most comfortable thing to do….

Wednesday (1/27/10) Cardio X – I thought I’d give this workout a try as I wanted to take it easy on my arms for a few days and I hadn’t done this one yet.  It was easy compared to the other workouts in P90X and was more like a Master Series one.  It was only 45 minutes with elements of Yoga, Kenpo,  Plyo and Core.  I was easily able to do the whole thing which was nice, it showed me just how far I’d come.  Sometimes it isn’t that obvious when your struggling to do some of the P90X stuff you forgot how you struggled with the original Power 90 workouts in the beginning that are now a cakewalk. A nice moral booster.

Thursday (1/28/10) Cardio X – Yup, Cardio X twice in a row.  My wife didn’t go to the gym after work so we did this one together.  It’s always more fun to work out with someone else!  I still wanted to do something without weights and thought this one would give her a little taste of what the other workouts have.  She has done Plyo with me before, but not Kenpo yet.  She has also does Yoga classes at the gym but I think she’s in for a surprise when she does Yoga X with me.  Maybe I’ll suggest it over the weekend.

Friday (1/29/10) RevAbs  Abcentrics™ and How to Capoeira – Just to try something different I did the introductory disk to RevAbs in which Brett teaches the basic moves (and how to pronounce them) along with a little history of this form a martial arts.  He then puts them all together into a short routine.

Saturday (1/30/10) Yoga X -  My wife joined me for another workout today.  It’s always more fun to work out with someone else.  Except when they make you laugh when your already on the edge of falling over doing Yoga X…  She has done a few Yoga classes at a local gym but always says she doesn’t see how they are much of a workout.  Anyway, I made it through another one, still trying a few of the harder positions before hanging out in child pose.  Even though I didn’t think I stressed my elbow much I had to ice it down when I was done, it seems to be getting worse.  I hate to stop working out entirely but might not have much of a choice.  I really don’t want to go through another surgery for this.

Sunday (1/31/10)  Rest Day – Kathy did comment that her upper arms were a little sore after yesterdays Yoga session even though she didn’t think she was working that hard at the time.  Just shows how some of the workouts can sneak up on you.

Post from: Build a New You

Workout Routines for 1-25-10 to 1-31-10

She also mentions that the program takes a certain amount of commitment.  That is right in line with the Beachbody motto, “Decide, Commit, Succeed”.  Once you Decide you want to live a healthier lifestyle and get in the best shape of your life you Commit to a workout program and a healthier diet you can’t help but Succeed with the support of others doing the same.   The support comes in the form of your Coach (like me) and the other members of the Beachbody community through the user forums and workout buddies in the online supergym.  The support system is an often overlooked but vital part of the success equation.  There are usually lots of people around you telling you how hard it looks, how your getting too thin, not eating well, all because they can’t commit to changing their lifestyle and don’t want to get left behind.  It helps to have people to talk to who have gone through the same transformation you are undertaking and understands what it takes to help you along.

Sorry to get a little sidetracked, the video segment and write up can be found at the ABC News website.

Post from: Build a New You

Good Morning America Reviews P90X

I’ve completed one round of Power 90 and one round of Power 90 Master Series and am on my second week of P90X (but I started the first week about a month ago).

Saturday (1/16/10) Chest and Back – After a little break it was harder getting through the entire routine with the same weights and reps I had been up to, got about 3/4 of the way through before hitting a wall. Hope next week I can push through and be back on track.

Sunday (1/17/10) Plyometrics (Plyo X) – I had recorded the new P90X infomercial and sat down to watch it with my wife who blew off the gym today. A little more than half way through she said “Let’s go work out”. The workout room has the baseboard radiators closed off so it’s usually cold with the sub 30 degree (F) New England temps and she thought it was freezing and too cold to work out. Once the warm-up was done I asked if I should open the window as it felt pretty hot and we were starting to sweat… She made it about half way through before getting nauseous and calling it a night. I wasn’t far behind her.

Monday (1/18/10) Shoulders and Arms – I made it a little more than half way through (to the first round of Two-Angle Shoulder Flyes) when my elbow started to hurt. I’ve had surgery for persistent Lateral Epicondylitis, or tennis elbow and still get pain when I push it. I don’t want to go through another surgery and months of recovery so I tend to be more cautions now.

Tuesday (1/19/10) Yoga X – This goes way beyond the Power 90 yoga that was mixed in with the workout routines! This is the first time I’ve made it through the whole hour and a half yoga workout. More or less. I didn’t do the Crane or Wheel pose and had some trouble with some of the others but definitely saw an improvement.

Wednesday (1/20/10) Well, what was supposed to be Legs and Back day turned into a day off. What started out as a mild headache in the morning turned into a full on migraine by the end of the work day. Took a Treximet (sumatriptan and naproxen sodium) when I got home and was asleep by 6:00pm.

Thursday (1/21/10) Legs and Back – My legs were still a little sore from doing Yoga X two days ago but nothing too bad. I didn’t finish the whole thing but made it further than last time. I track everything with an OpenOffice.org spreadsheet (I’m a big fan of open source software) and made it up to the Sneaky Lunges.

Friday (1/22/10) Kenpo X – Glutes are really sore from the previous few days. Pushed through it anyway and finished Kenpo X without a problem.  This is one of the easier workouts for me.

Saturday (1/23/10)  Day off – Well if you consider a day off to be tearing a dishwasher apart, re-assembling, re-installing to find it still doesn’t work, remove, disassemble, trouble shoot (found the broken magnet in  the motor time) search for (discontinued) parts on line……..

Sunday (1/24/10) Day off – Target shooting (airgun field target) in 35 degree weather.

Post from: Build a New You

Workout Routines for 1-16-10 to 1-24-10

“The issue is already front and center at schools like Wayzata, where computers track fitness, and a new approach to physical education includes yoga, dance, ultimate Frisbee and even P90X — the training system you might have seen on TV.

“They’re encouraged by the newest technology,” said Wayzata Health and Physical Education teacher Kris Jones, “and some of those kinds of things that push them in another way. And P90X, in terms of the ab workout routine, is something that’s really caught on and grabbed their attention, so they’re willing to do it.”

The entire article can be found here.

Post from: Build a New You

Schools Embrace P90X to Help Teach Fitness

Well, I am happy to say I met my 20lb goal well before summer is over, even with a few weeks with skipped and/or half hearted workouts.  I evaluated where I wanted to go with my future fitness goals and decided to do a round of Power 90 Master Series with a goal of losing another 10lbs or so before doing P90X where I would be working on changing my body composition by dropping my body fat percentage and building more muscle.  I ran this by my Team Beachbody coach and he agreed this was a good plan.  Your coach is a great resource, contact them and put their experience with Beachbody programs to good use.

Power 90 Master Series was developed after both Power 90 and P90X and is meant to make for a smooth transition between the 2 programs.   It uses the ‘Muscle Confusion’ technique from P90X along with the 3 weeks of  intense workouts followed by one recovery week schedule.

There are 2 suggested Master Series schedules, Standard and Lean much like P90X has 3 workout schedules you can follow, depending on your desired results.  This week starts my Power 90 Master Series Lean program.  With the lean program you actually use the disks from Power 90 (during the recovery weeks) along with the 6 new Master Series disks.  There is more variety of workouts than you had with Power 90.

Monday’s workout was Core Cardio.  Just like the title suggests it mixes cardio with core (abs) exercises and incorporates some of the P90X moves or a modified version of them.  The workout starts with a warm up routine to follow along with in contrast to the Power 90 workouts that just had a text message before the workout that you should perform a warm up before exercising.

You start out with Prison Cell Push-ups, as many as you can do in 1 minute, then go on to Side Kicks, alternating 5 on each side.  The next move, the Abranome, is the fist time since starting Power 90 that I could have used more room to work out in as, while on your back, you swing your legs from straight up in the air to all the way to the left side then the right side.  I could not go all the way to the floor due to space limitations.  You end the set with Crescent Quick Switch reverse lunges.

After a short water break you move right into Cockeyed Sphinx Push-ups (ouch, need to work on these).  Run Jacks are up next, think of mixing running in place while your arms do jumping jacks then switching with your legs doing the jacks and your arms running.  It’s the cardio version of rubbing your tummy and patting your head at the same time.  Then it time for more ab work with Kayak Bike (double ouch), ’cause the normal bicycle wasn’t hard enough for me…..  We end out this set with 30 reps of Lateral Lunge Touch, a side lunge where you reach overhead and touch your hand to the floor on the opposite side.  I fell short of the 30 reps on this one too.   Since these are so much fun you get to repeat them again!

The last set has you starting out with the Dreya Roll Push-up.  You roll backwards on the floor and extend your legs straight up, then roll forward move into plank and do a push-up, stand up and do it again.  Ok,  I’m having a really hard time with the roll thing.  I need to work on coordination and flexibility I guess to be able to do this smoothly and not land hard on my butt when I start the roll.  At least the next move is easy, the Defensive Back Scoot, sort of a side shuffle moving forward and backward.  After that is on your back again for Feet to Fingers Crouch and it’s just like it sounds, bring your legs and arms straight up  and touch your toes.  Time to get your heart rate back up with the Boxer Switch, quickly switching from a right to left to right fighting stance for 30 reps.  But wait, there’s more!  You get to repeat this set again as well.

After a nice cool down you go into a stretching session that adds different stretches than you were using in Power 90.  I still need to work on my hamstrings the most, very tight…

The day after doing this workout my inner thighs are very sore.  I guess the lateral moves are hitting muscles that weren’t getting a lot of work in the Power 90 series.  It’s a good feeling, at least I know I’m moving forward and working more of my body and adapting the new workout.  The muscle confusion at work!

If your looking for more information on this or any other Beachbody program you can sign up for a free Team Beachbody account here and check out the forums for other peoples experiences and success stories.

Core Cardio can be purchased as a single workout DVD here for $19.95

Power 90 Master Series - Core Cardio DVD

or as part of the complete Power 90 Master Series program here for $59.85

Power 90 Master Series

As always if you sign up for the Team Beachbody Club you would save 10% of the cost of any Beachbody products.

For the best deal you could sign up to be a Team Beachbody Coach and save 25% on all Beachbody purchases and 50% on all shipping, all while potentially earning money just for getting fit!

If you have any questions I can answer about any Beachbody programs like Power 90 Master Series, Tony Horton One on One, Ten Minute Trainer, Slim in 6, Hip Hop Abs, Rockin’ Body,  any of the supplements or their Club or Coaching programs please email me with the form on the ‘Contact‘ page on the top menu bar.

Post from: Build a New You

Power 90 Master Series Core Cardio Revew

Insanity uses interval training to beat the “stress adaptation response” which normally causes your body to get used to exercise and stop improving.  Interval workouts use sets where you perform at maximum effort then one of lower intensity, then repeat the cycle to achieve a cumulative effect.  Adding high intensity exercise with your heart rate at 80% of maximum forces your body to use fast-twich muscle fibers that are not normaly used in cardio workouts.  These muscle fibers will continue burning fuel even during lower intensity exercise.  With Insanity you will likely be working out at 85% of maximum and as a result you could be burning as much as 1,000 calories per hour!

While Shaun T’s earlier DVD programs Hip Hop Abs and Rockin’ Body were dance based, Insanity uses sports science and high level conditioning techniques to create its body composition changes.

While programs such as P90X and ChaLEAN Extreme focus on weight training to build muscle and burn fat, Insanity uses only the resistance of your own body to crank up your cardio, lower you body fat percentage and sculpt your muscles.  The only gear you need are water, a towel, and you own commitment.

Insanity is geared towards people in top physical shape, extreme athletes, graduates of other Beachbody programs, cardio workout lovers and former scholastic athletes.  It is not recomended for beginners, pregnant woman, obese people, people who aren’t willing to work hard or people who don’t consistently do high-impact exercise.  There are other Beachbody programs that can help to get us ready for Insanity.

Insanity by Shaun T, Beachbody's newest, most extreme DVD workout!

Insanity includes:

10 Insane workouts!

1: Dig Deeper
& Fit Test

To start, Shaun will put your body to the test and see what you’re made of.

2: Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Burn fat with intervals of intense lower-body plyo and sweat-inducing cardio.

3: Cardio Power & Resistance

Build lean muscle and upper-body definition with strength-training and power moves.

4: Cardio Recovery

Shaun goes easier on you once a week so you’re ready for the next round.

5: Pure Cardio
& Abs

Skip the intervals—this nonstop cardio workout is all extreme.

6: Cardio Abs

Do explosive intervals of cardio and core moves for rock-hard abs.

7: Core Cardio
& Balance

Take a break after month 1 and gear up for month 2 with this workout.

8: Max Interval Circuit

The interval circuit that’s more intense than anything you’ve ever done before.

9: Max Interval Plyo

Push your legs ’til they beg for mercy with power and plyo, all at your MAX.

10: Max Cardio Conditioning & Abs

Get pushed to your limit with this extreme cardio workout.

Insanity can be purchased here for $119.85 the Deluxe package can be purchased here for $164.70 and the Deluxe Results and Recovery package can be purchased here for $239.70

If you join the Team Beachbody Club you can save 10% on all Beachbody products.

Or sign up to be a Team Beachbody Coach and save 25% on Insanity as well as all Beaqchbody purchases and 50% on all shipping, all while potentially earning money just for getting fit!

You can see a longer video with behind the scenes filming action on my Videos page.

Post from: Build a New You

Beachbody releases Insanity!

What made me think of this conversation was a recent article on over training over at T-Nation. I’m not going to repeat everyting in the article but they talk about seeing muscle gain by doing a set to failure (while keeping good form), possiblly two or three sets max, then moving on.

It’s always nice to have another source back up the theory of what your doing.

Post from: Build a New You

You do HOW many sets?

Anthony (Tony) Horton, the certified fitness instructor and developer of the Power 90, Power 90 Master Series, 10 Minute Trainer, P90X, P90X Plus and One on One with Tony Horton workout system was born 1958 in Westley, Rhode Island. After graduation from the University of Rhode Island he moved to LA where he started his own personal transformation working out at the famous Golds Gym. He pursued the lean, toned muscular look instead of going for the bulky body builder shape and came up with routines to further that goal. His training style, personality and results made him a highly sought after personal trainer in the LA area. You can see some of his work on the cast of “The 13th Warrior” (no, the actors didn’t look that cut before working out with Tony for the film). The next big break (for us using his videos) came when he teamed up with Beachbody to develop DVD video workouts that can be done in a home setting with a minimum of equipment, much of which, such as resistance bands, are included with the workout programs. His videos run the gamut from just starting out down the road to fitness by getting active and loosing weight (like I need) to extreme “getting ripped” workouts for people who are already in great physical condition (which I will work up to).
Tony currently resides in Santa Monica, California and will, hopefully, continue to come out with great, fun, DVD workout programs for us mere mortals to use.

Now that I have that out of the way I can gather my thought on the Power 90.

Post from: Build a New You

Tony Who?

Like many Americans I’ve been putting on a few pounds a year since my mid thirties, so has my wife.  Spring rolls around, beachcat sailing season starts up and everyone jokes about how our wetsuits shrunk over the winter.  We’d chalk it up to getting older and get on with our lives.

Then one day everything changed.  My wife joined a gym….  Well, there was no way she was going to be loosing weight and not me, but I’m not really the gym type.  Then I remembered seeing the P90X infomercial.  I’m usually skeptical of anything advertised on infomercials.  I’ve also been online since 300baud modems and bulletin boards and am fairly good at researching things on the net.  After a few days of looking into P90X I came to two conclusions, I works and it’s not for me.  When you have guys on on bodybuilder forums talking about how intense the workouts are and you have me that got winded walking up a flight of stairs I thought it best to start out with the basics.

It turn out the same company, Beachbody, that puts out P90X also has other workout programs with the same trainer, Tony Horton.  The one I chose was Power 90.  I believe that this was the right path for me to take.  Yesterday finished my seventh week of working out.  I’m down 12 pounds, a total of 15 inches (3 around my waist alone) and went from struggling through 3 pushups to doing 51 yesterday morning.  I’m now confident that once I am through with Power 90 I can take on P90X!

Another good choice for a workout plan leading up to P90X is  Slim in 6.

Don’t wait, pick a plan and start to Buid a New You.

Post from: Build a New You

Why not P90X?