I'm starting a thread to track my P90X progress. Feel free to start one of your own if you are trying a fitness regimen. I wanted to log it and all the P90X sites look like a sales pitch. Blech.
So I'm in terrible shape. Parenthood and marriage have given me many more priorities and I've never had any kind of fitness habit anyway. I got into pretty good shape about 7 years ago when I was applying to different agencies but that was the last time I've had any kind of consistent workout. The last couple years we've had a gym membership and I've gone irregularly. I'm getting ready to apply to another agency and I need to do something. I don't want a "but" when they look at me and say, "He's a good candidate."
My current job has a safety buffer for poor fitness. Within seconds I'd have a pile of cops on anyone I'm fighting. So it feels comfortable and safe. But the new place I want to go to, my backup may be a day away. I need to get back into good fighting shape again.
I was never on a sports team that had any kind of workout routine so I've never learned a good regimen for building strength and endurance. Even the police academy was more like, "Go lift weights for an hour and then we'll all go running." My gym time has consisted of wandering around different stations and checking out how the weights felt. But I've never had any instruction or training.
So I decided to try the P90X. I like that it has a specific routine that you are lead through. Most of it is brand new to me. I also like that I can do it at home. I can do it before going out to run errands and I don't need to worry about getting out to the gym "later."
My active lifestyle at work kept me from being the bottom of the pile during the pre-test. I surpassed all the minimums but not by much.
Monday was "Day 1" and I did the shoulders and back. I could do everything although my rep count was pretty low. Ever since I've been crippled. I couldn't shave my head after the workout but managed to move my arms enough to accomplish it later at work. I'm popping Tylenol like candy and I can't see any improvement with the pain.
Yesterday was Plyometrics. I made it halfway through the workout before I thought I was going to pass out. Seriously, I had tunnel vision and dizziness. Wow. I recovered quickly but I can see it's going to take me a while to get used to this. My last couple foot pursuits involved me using the car to pen in the suspects until I had a perimeter set up. :D
Today was arms and shoulders and I almost cried the first half of the workout. I'm already fucked up from Monday and this was like sticking hot pokers in my arms and shoulders.
One thing I've noticed is that this is relentless. It just keeps going and going. Which I suppose is good. I think what helped me today, with the pain, was that I couldn't stop and take a break. To follow the video I had to push through it and keep going and that certainly helped. After a few of the exercises I either got numb or just worked out the soreness and I could keep going.
Yoga sounds nice after today but I have a feeling it'll just be a different torture.
Despite the soreness I already like how I feel.
