P90X3 Overview and Review

I'm a bad coach.
It's been a minute since I've blogged... but you know what?  Life happens!  You get busy.  You get overwhelmed.  So is the ebb and flow of life... sigh.
I'm sorry.  As it is with many teachers, fall is a tough time of the year.  There is so much work to be done, and so little time.  My dad has always said to me, "Did you do the best you could?" To which I would always give a positive reply, because I really do always try my best.  "Then that's all anyone can ask of you."

I love that man.
Anyway, P90X3!  P90!  Holy Beachbody, Tony!  Let me get back on track.
I haev had P90X3 sitting on my shelf for months.  I bought it about the same time I injured my neck back in May, and then I was sidelined for nearly two months.  From ALL exercise.
Let's talk about torture.
When I could get back to exercising, PiYo had just been released, and I thought that would probably be best for me considering I was coming off an injury.  And it was!  PiYo was incredible for me.  I developed muscle definition like I have never had in my life.
I knew P90 was coming out in September, and I knew I had a gap between finishing PiYo and launching P90, so I dusted off the ol' P90X3 and went to work.

Yes, these workouts are 30  minutes long, but please don't get it twisted; I work my butt off!  I chose the Lean Schedule, because, well, who doesn't want to be lean?  So here I will discuss what the first block looks like:

Accelerator - Calories burned:  335
Think cardio intervals on crack!  Each only lasts one minute, but you work at two different speeds.  I consider myself to be in pretty good shape, and I had to stop and catch my breath, then jump back in a couple of times,
Move that convinces me Tony has lost his mind:  Donkey Kicks
No, not those sweet little one-leg pulses that work your butt. Think down on all fours, then kicking BOTH legs out behind you in a V.  Once you get used to that crazy idea, he basically adds a PiYo kick through to the end of the move.  What?!  But I WILL get it... you just watch!

The Warrior - Calories burned:  323
This is a routine that Tony has done on military bases across the world.  It one minute rounds of circuits that work upper or lower body, cardio, then abs.
Move to Love:  Fifer Scissor Twist
You lie on your back with one leg straight out and off the floor, and the other straight up.  Extend both arms, the opposite arm of the "up" leg reaching for your ankle.  When Tony tells you to, switch!  You will definitely feel this in your abs.

X3 Yoga - Calories burned:  157
Don't make the mistake of thinking this is going to be easy.  This IS P90X3 Yoga, after all.  You get a half an hour of intense yoga sequences.  No rest.  My body loved it!  After all the jumping, spinning, and pushing, it just felt good to STRETCH.
Favorite Move:  Tree
Not gonna lie - this is just ME.  I love tree pose; I always have.  I think this is mostly because it is easy for me!  I feel like I could stay there forever.

CVX:  Calories burned:  400
This is a mix of cardio with light weights.  This workout was my highest calorie burn all week.  I like it because the moves are not impossible, but the weight add the necessary challenge to make this workout very effective.  I HIGHLY recommend this workout after a stressful day or to relieve some pent-up aggression.
Fun One:  Traveling Tire Twist
You hold the weight in your hands at waist level, and then you lift your knees in a high run as you twist at the waist, keeping the weight over the "up" knee.  You mimic the high-knees-through-tires move.  It's just fun!

Isometrix:  Calories burned:  193
At the beginning of this workout, Tony explains that Isometrix is all the hardest parts of yoga.  He is correct!  You won't get an incredibly high heart rate, but you will sweat, you WILL be challenged, and you will feel it all over the next day.  This involves strength, balance, and a lot of mental "I can DO this."  Honestly, this is one of the most challenging workouts for me, but it is also one of my favorites.
WTF, Tony? Move:  Bound Dog Leg Lift
Imagine downward facing dog.  Got it?  Okay.  Now imagine taking your right hand and wrapping it around your left ankle while still in down dog.  That's complicated enough, right?  It gets better:  then, you lift your left heel toward the sky.  I can't get into this position to save my life right now, but I am determined!

Agility X:  Calories burned:  363
If I had to choose between Isometrix and Agility X for my favorite workout so far, it would be very difficult because they are about as different as they can get.  Agility X involves jumping, plyo, explosive movements, and some fancy foot work.  It also involves taping marks on your floors, which I refuse to do to my BRAND NEW floors.  So I faked it.  I imagined tape, and just pushed as far as I could.
Move that proved something to me:  Long Jump Sprint
It's just like it sounds.  You take a deep squat and then jump as far as you can, and then sprint backwards to where you started, and do it again.  I can jump so much farther than I ever thought I would be able to!  I almost need a wider room.  Woohoo!

I am really loving this workout.  I intend to finish P90X3, but in the meantime, P90 has come out, and I want to try that, too!  I may flip-flop back and forth until Insanity Max:30 comes out in December.  Click HERE if you would like more information about that!

While doing P90X3, I felt okay with eating a little more food.  The workouts are short but intense, and I didn't feel like I was starving nor eating too much.  Here is one of my meal plans:

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
P90 Meal Plan 10.13
Workout	Sweat A Ab Ripper A	Sculpt A	Rest Day – Parent/Teacher Conferences	Sweat A Ab Ripper A	Sculpt A	Sweat A Ab Ripper A	Saturday Special (on Sunday, lol!)
Breakfast	Pumpkin Pie Shakeology:  1/2 cup canned pumpkin  1 scoop chocolate Shakeology 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg  1 cup unsweetened almond milk  4 ice cubes	Pumpkin Pie Shakeology:  1/2 cup canned pumpkin  1 scoop chocolate Shakeology 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg  1 cup unsweetened almond milk  4 ice cubes	Pumpkin Pie Shakeology:  1/2 cup canned pumpkin  1 scoop chocolate Shakeology 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg  1 cup unsweetened almond milk  4 ice cubes	Pumpkin Pie Shakeology:  1/2 cup canned pumpkin  1 scoop chocolate Shakeology 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg  1 cup unsweetened almond milk  4 ice cubes	Pumpkin Pie Shakeology:  1/2 cup canned pumpkin  1 scoop chocolate Shakeology 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg  1 cup unsweetened almond milk  4 ice cubes	Power Spiced Oatmeal	Poached eggs, Ezekiel toast, almond butter, apple
Snack	Apple and almond butter	Apple and almond butter	Apple and almond butter	Apple and almond butter	Apple and almond butter	Apple and almond butter	Apple and almond butter
Lunch	(leftover) honey apple pork and winter squash	(leftover)Healthy Chicken Parmesan and steamed spinach	(leftover) honey apple pork and winter squash	(leftover)Healthy Chicken Parmesan and steamed spinach	(leftover) Sesame Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry w/ 2/3 c. brown rice	Leftovers	Shakeology
Snack	2 halos  and cottage cheese	2 halos  and cottage cheese	2 halos  and cottage cheese	2 halos  and cottage cheese	2 halos  and cottage cheese	2 halos  and cottage cheese	2 halos  and cottage cheese
Dinner	Healthy Chicken Parmesan and steamed spinach	Warm Quinoa-Lentil Salad	Warm Quinoa-Lentil Salad	Sesame Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry w/ 2/3 c. brown rice	Parmesan crusted tilapia and broccoli	leftovers	Minestrone Soup and clean crusty bread
Snack	Mediterranean Deviled Eggs	Mediterranean Deviled Eggs	Mediterranean Deviled Eggs	Mediterranean Deviled Eggs	Mediterranean Deviled Eggs	Mediterranean Deviled Eggs	Mediterranean Deviled Eggs

I've come to realize that it doesn't really matter what workout you are doing, as long as you feel challenged and you enjoy it!  So find what works for you.  If you need help, I can point you in the right direction.

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STAY FIERCE!