P90X: Day 20 – Kenpo X Madness

Even thought this is Kenpo X, there are still quite a few jump moves in-between the exercises that rattle my house. I really need to work on the flexibility in my hips so I can do my kicks better. The back kicks aren’t my problem, it is the side kicks mainly. I want to get more height but it is like my hips are locked or something! I am looking forward to the week 4’s routine since Yoga X is twice that week. I am also looking into trying to attend formal yoga classes to increase my flexibility and overall mind/body improvement.

I would love to take Transcendental Meditation (“TM“) courses in an actual classroom, but the ones I was looking into are expensive and I don’t have the moola at the present! There are so many benefits to TM, like reducing stress, increasing IQ and creativity, increasing awareness and general well-being. It’s like a pocketful of peace that you can unlock whenever you have the time. Also, I read somewhere that if you meditate twice a day you actually can live longer! Of course, living longer means nothing if you’re not in good health, so that’s why I am working so hard to get back into shape. There is course and fee information here: http://www.tm.org/learn if you are interested.

…setting up the camera the best I can! I know most of the pictures I post aren’t exactly ”Glamour Shots,“ but I figured…who cares!!?

High Block while in Horse Stance

Front Kick – I sort of have Robot Eyes here!

In the middle of a Jab! I try to picture hitting someone or something so where I punch stays consistent.

P90X: Day 13 – Kenpo X or the SweatMaker

Maybe I am clearing the toxins out of my body with P90X’s Kenpo X – all I know is I sweat like c-c-crazy when I do this dvd! My glutes, hips and thighs are really sore today. You use your heart rate monitor today to make sure you are in your correct zone (Target Heart Rate). The low-down on the ho-down is this: if your heart beats too slow you aren’t working out hard enough to reap much benefit & if your heart beats too fast you may be doing more than you need to and could possibly injure yourself. Your zone is determined using your gender and age. If you aren’t sure what your zone is (not like you learn that in kindergarten), you can use this free tool here. Bottom line, burn more calories in the zone! Work smarter, not harder! Also, if you are keeping track of your progress you can use your workout sheets from the booklets that came with the set. I have been writing down my reps when possible and I have found it helps. Today’s workout didn’t require it, but yesterday’s did and I forgot to mention where to reprint the sheets for free (see below).

Here is a pic of the worksheets I have completed thus far. You can download them here so you don’t mess up your booklets.

Me prepping the bandana right before the workout! Notice I don’t look exhausted yet.

Me throwing a jab: Pa-KOw!

During the cool down stretches Willow decided to show me some moral support! She’s always liked to crawl underneath me when I crouch or go on all fours. She’ll usually either boof me with her face or just lay under me like I am a tent. Love it!

P90X: Day 6 – Kenpo X

Today was really hard and really intense. I felt like I was doing some sort of women’s self-defense class! Actually, it was Kenpo X, or martial arts style punching, kicking and blocking. I was really sweating for this one, as it was a whole body workout​. You get to try and improve your coordination and balance, not to mention timing. I found that I had to be focused in a different way than I had to be focused during the Yoga X. I was trying to imagine assailants that I was kicking (and punching) the crap out of and really “Bringing It!” for the entire workout. It’s kind of funny that that is one of the slogans that Tony Horton uses in his P90X dvds as I am known for saying “Bring it on!” around my friends.

Jab, cross, hook, upper cut!

High Sword, then punch like a Low Hammer!

Trying to do a back leg kick! I think both arms were supposed to be in a guard position.

Exhausted!!