P-LINDY-X, Week 4: “F**** G*** D**** Yoga Day AGAIN?!?!?”
by Robert White
Bobby “Extremely” White is currently doing P90X, a popular 13-week work-out routine. Each week, he’ll give an update on how the workout is going, explain one of the 12 exercises, and review the best and worst foods he’s eating for the protein regimen.
DAY 28
Since I have finished the first three weeks, this week is a “recovery week,” which, if you remember, is only called a recovery week to trick you into actually pushing play on the Core Synergistics workout. We’ll talk about that workout in Week 8.
Day 1: Core Synergistics , Day 2: Yoga, Day 3: Stretch, Day 4: Yoga, Day 5: Core Synergistics, Day 6: Kempo (a martial-art type cardio workout), and Day 7: Lying in the fetal position, whimpering (rest day).
As a swing dancer, one of the hardest things to do is keep up the P90X workout schedule during a workshop weekend. When was the last time you had an hour and a half a day at an event to workout, let alone felt like doing so, between the eight hours of classes and five hours of dancing a day?
When it finally is time to workout, you usually have to pass up meals or invitations with friends—friends you never get to spend a lot of quality time with because you spend most workshop weekends either in class or at a dance. Or, you have to wake up early, which means you either have no sleep or you have to miss a bunch of a dance in order to get sleep, neither of which is good if you’re a hired teacher hoping to impress.
That said, one of the things I’m proudest of in P90X is how I’ve kept with it at long work weekends. This means that the second I arrive, I have to find time and a six by six piece of floor. My luggage now is quickly filled with a yoga mat, fitness bands, push-up bars, and sneakers. (One weekend I forgot to pack sneakers, and so I had to do my workout in the living room of a crowded house wearing old man socks and loafers. You have to quickly not get embarrassed about working out in front of your friends or strangers).
Workout breakdown: YOGA-X
After twenty Downward Dogs (with push ups) into the Yoga-X workout, you start to wonder if your workout is going to be nothing but an hour and a half of discomfort. But, the Downward dogs, triangle poses, warrior threes, and twisting prayer poses only last for about 50 minutes of the workout. The rest are balance exercises, which are fun as hell (for me, anyway), stretching, and, of course, a Tony Horton Ab Yoga workout.
The romantic in me imagined that Yoga would be a peaceful, calming experience where I could mediatate and loose stress, but in reality, I have a few leftover traces of my 12-year-old ADD, and the sheer length of this program makes it really hard for me to enjoy it. When I really work hard in this workout, I have to take breaks three or four times, which push the already long experience into almost 2 hours of time. And most of that two hours is holding a tricky position for many seconds and breathing.
But, from what I’ve heard from people who actually do Yoga, this workout is a killer. I have trouble touching my toes anyway, and so I had to get a yoga block and some stretch straps to help me actually get good stretching done when I do the workout. This workout kills me softly, and, I swear by the ability of this workout to improve balance. After a few months of this, you’ll be a cat.
Afterthought: Dude, Tony’s “OHM”s last, like, 7 minutes each. The guy has lungs.
Choice Tony Horton Quote: Near the end, he finds a natural place to recite the “I got shot in the buttocks” monologue from Forest Gump, accent and all, just to remind you of the peaceful and spiritual experience Yoga is supposed to be.
Workout Song: As I mentioned earlier in this journal, my taste in music tends more towards brooding guys with literary degrees and/or synthesizers, or early David Bowie. Pumping iron to Radiohead feels like trying to play baseball in a Library. (Though, some early David Bowie songs work really well.) However, many of these songs are perfect for Yoga. “Sliding Down” by Edgar Meyer and Bela Fleck, which is one of the prettiest songs I’ve ever heard, reminds me of being at college and walking around a mountain in the fog, which is a great place to spend my Yoga.
The Next Day, I feel great. Almost good enough to want to do the legs DVD. And, for an update, I can now comfortably touch my toes after five Yogas, and do a range of “stupid human stretch” tricks I never could before. I think getting a Yoga block and stretch strap helpped a lot.
X-TREME COSTS
Yoga Block. How in the world can a peace of foam be $10?
Yoga mat, for traveling out of town. $20.
!Mui Protein! $50 a week.
TOTAL COST SO FAR: Approx. $945
Congrats on keeping with it so long. What would you say is the biggest visual difference at three weeks?
Well, at three weeks (I’m a little further along now…there’s a lag time with creating and publishing the posts…) the noticeable difference was my shoulders, arms and pecs got shapely pretty fast (Which makes sense, since Tony is a pull-up machine, and I think that affected how he put together p90X). Now, though I am seeing visual differences in all aspects of my body. By pants are fitting better, my torso is starting to “V” a little more dramatically, and my legs muscles pop out a little now. Also, I’m seeing a lot of physical results; I don’t get winded much at the end of fast songs, I have better flexibility, and, something that’s very new and important to me, I’m finding it easier to have good posture when I stand or sit.
So far, my main result dissapointment is that, despite the thousands of ab workouts I’ve done, the 6-pack isn’t anywhere close yet. I’m starting to see some bumps along my stomach, but not anywhere near the desired results for what I put them through. That might be because of my diet choices, or perhaps the way I do Ab Ripper– Until recently, I’ve taken breaks at the end of almost every move to keep if safe on my tricky back. Now though, I’m feeling fine and taking out those breaks.Hopefully I’ll have some good results in time after photos. I’d be lying if I said that it wasn’t a frustration, though.
Thanks for reading, Tom!
No prob, and thanks for the reply. I look forward to reading more about your adventures every week.
Although I dance and exercise regularly, I’m intrigued by the mental fortitude it takes to maintain such a rigorous regiment like this, along with blogging about it as well. I have some friends who have gotten into crossfit recently and it seems very similar.
Do know that your endeavors are inspiring.
[...] Bobby “Extremely” White is currently in the middle of P90X, a 90-day work-out regimen that’s growing popularity with swing dance instructors. Each week, he reviews one of the programs 12 exercises, and gives an update on how it’s going and where it hurts. Read last week’s post here: “F**** G*** D**** Yoga Day AGAIN?!?!?”. [...]