© Tim Pannell Photography

This was a crappy week for P90X!   There’s no other way to describe it.

I had a number of setbacks this week, mostly soreness in my left elbow and a fair amount of lower back pain.

I did the P90X Chest & Back workout on Monday and the P90X Shoulders & Arms workout on Tuesday.

On Wednesday I could barely move my left elbow.

This type of pain would come around fairly often in my right elbow when I was playing racquetball.

This is the second time I’ve experienced this in my left elbow.  If you’ve ever had tennis elbow…….that is what this feels like.

It got so bad I could barely play any low notes on my guitar without serious pain.

The twisting motion is just horrible.

I decided to take it easy the rest of the week……thinking that it would get better.

Well, it hasn’t really.  The left elbow is still really sore.

I’m guessing I overdid it with any of the bicep exercises in the P90X Shoulders & Arms routine.

I’ve added a lot of strength to my arms and I guess I just pushed it too hard.

As far as my lower back is concerned….I haven’t got a clue.  Throughout most of my experience with P90X I’ve been pain free in my back.

I did P90X Kenpo X yesterday with my wife, sister in law, brother in law and niece.

I figured this wouldn’t hurt my elbow any.  It was more painful than I expected it to be, but not too bad.

This workout actually helped stretch out my back and as of this morning the pain in my lower back is almost gone.

There is still some pressure, but nothing like the last couple of days.

I think this next week I’ll stick to the P90X Yoga X, Kenpo X and Aerobics X workouts to give my elbow some rest.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

P90X Setbacks is a post from: Losing weight with P90X

© Tim Pannell Photography

My wife, sister in law and I have been doing the P90X workouts for 2 months now.

Here’s my review of that 2 months.

In the beginning, I really struggled.  I had done P90X back in Chandler, AZ off and on the second half of last year.

I had made progress…..at my worst I weighed 310…still can’t believe it.

At my best I weighed 261 lbs.  Right now my weight has been fluctuating wildly and not staying consistent.

Since moving to Utah my weight has been bouncing around between 263 and 270 lbs.

My guess for the yo-yo effect is the stress of moving and getting things set up.

It really has been a hectic 2 months moving in and making changes to my photography business.

I have eaten more crap than I should.  The culprits – ice cream, brownies, cookies.

I have gone cold turkey on those kinds of things in the past only to end up pigging out on them later.

I decided a while ago to just eat smaller amounts of them.

It worked for a while, but gradually the portions and/or frequency has grown.

My wife and I decided to just do desserts on weekends a couple of weeks ago.

We also forgot about that decision a couple of weeks ago……….crap!

I didn’t remember that decision until just now writing this post.

I will try this again starting today……..no junk until Friday night.

I guess we’ll see what happens.  Will it make a difference with my weight?

Honestly, I don’t know.  I assume it will help.

In 2 months my weight has bounced around, but my strength and stamina has increased continuously.

We did the P90X Chest and Back on Monday, Plyometrics on Tuesday, P90X Shoulders and Arms on Wednesday, Yoga X on Thursday, P90X Legs and Back on Friday and on Saturdays we would do either Kenpo X or Shoulders and Arms.

I have gone from being able to do 5-10 push ups to 30+.  I can actually do the “diamond” push ups now.  I think the first time I tried those suckers I could do 1 or 2…..now I can do 20+.

I still struggle with the “divebomber” push ups, but can do 6 of them without collapsing.

I’m amazed at the progress I’ve made and that I’ve been able to see progress as quickly as I did.

Each week brought better results and statistics.

P90X Shoulders and Arms is still my favorite of the P90X workouts.

I’ve added 5-10 pounds to each of those exercises.

I have had something going on in my left elbow for the last 2 weeks so I backed off on the amount of weight I’m using for the last week as well as this one.

It feels exactly like tennis elbow except I’m not left handed and I don’t play tennis.

I used to play a lot of racquetball and would experience “tennis elbow” from time to time in my right elbow from that.

Plyometrics still kicks my butt.  I find it extremely difficult to keep up with.  I honestly dread this workout, but even with it I can see progress being made.

P90X Yoga X is also still difficult for me at this point.

I find it extremely difficult to breath because of all of my excess weight, but I do the best I can.

Kenpo X is a lot of fun and a bit more aerobic than the other P90X workouts.

I was sick with bronchitis for all of January so that made working out that much harder.

The other obstacle for me was the higher elevation here in Utah.

It took me a while to adjust to that, but at this point I have made the transition.

Have I reached all of my goals yet?……..NO!

Have I reached some of them?…… YES!

I love working out now -(with the exception of Plyometrics).  Today is Plyo day and I’m dreading it.

My arms are bigger, my core is tighter, my legs are stronger and even though I haven’t lost any real weight over the last 2 months, I’m in better shape than I was.

Everybody responds differently to exercise.  I feel at times like a chemist….tinkering away with my little experiments to see what will work best for me.

All in all, the latest of my P90X reviews is this:  I still love these workouts!

They have changed me for the better and I will continue doing them long after I’ve hit my desired weight.

I will be exercising for the rest of my life.

There is no going back to my previous sedentary lifestyle.  In that respect, P90X has been a wild success.

If you want to give P90X a try……you can order it here.

Good luck!

P90X Reviews – Weight Loss? is a post from: Losing weight with P90X

© Tim Pannell

Well……I only planned on writing one post today.  I have been really sick of late and was going to just go and lift some weights….”sissy style” today.

So I went into our new weight room and started working on my triceps and biceps.

In the meantime, my sister in law came over from 2 homes down and she and my wife decided to pop in the P90X Shoulders and Arms Workout.

They got just shy of halfway when I couldn’t keep myself out of the room any longer and I jumped in along with them.

I don’t know if Tony Horton practices hypnotism (look into my eyes, look into my eyes…..) or what, but just hearing his voice makes we want to work out.

Earlier today I was worried that I would get too winded and not be able to keep up, but I’m thrilled to say it was all unfounded.

I’m still not going near my bike for a few more days till I know this bronchitis thing is gone, but I will be able to do P90X from this point forward.

It felt great to get back in the saddle again.  I love the intensity as  well as the progression he goes through.

Maybe this sounds too good to be true, but I truly feel better right now than I have in weeks………..just from doing 40 minutes of P90X Shoulders & Arms.

It was great having my wife and sister in law working out along side me too.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that P90X workouts are only good for men.

The workouts are great for women as well.  The exercises are all the same, but the intensity you choose to do them at is entirely up to you.

The women on the DVD’s are pretty strong without looking like men, so for any women out there that are worried about becoming too muscly…..that will only happen if you want it to happen.

Good muscle tone won’t make a woman more masculine, if anything it will give her more shape.

In any case, It’s nice having their support.  It makes it that much easier for me to do.

It looks like the goal from today forward is to workout together a minimum of 5 days a week going through the P90X Workout Series.

Thanks ladies!

Bring it!!!

My Wife and P90X is a post from: Losing weight with P90X

© Tim Pannell Photography

Okay…..so you pigged out on Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, pumpkin pie and who know else what.

Did you feel bloated, fat and gross?  I woke up the next day and felt like crap.

I didn’t want to move.  I just wanted to stay in bed and be a vegetable.

I forced myself out of bed and onto my bike.  I rode for about 45 minutes and then I did my P90X Shoulders and Arms workout.

It was the best thing I could have done.  I felt so much better after working out.  My post Thanksgiving guilt was gone and I was ready to start the day.

I’m not going to step on the scale for a few more days.  There’s really no sense in bumming myself out in case I did gain a little weight from the oversized feast.

One day of overeating won’t destroy your diet or exercise program unless you let it get you discouraged and that discouragement stops your momentum.

Don’t fall victim to that whole all or nothing mindset.  If you’re a typical person, you’ll have some good days and you’ll have some bad days.

Appreciate the good days and build on the momentum they give you.  Use the bad days to regroup and recommit to your overall fitness goals.

P90X Workouts have been an integral part in my becoming more active and getting back into shape.  I still have a ways to go, but I’m much healthier than I was this time last year.

Get up, get moving, get active, get positive.

Post Thanksgiving Stress Disorder is a post from: Losing weight with P90X

©Tim Pannell Photography

Well, I made it through the 4th of July weekend and I porked out pretty well over the it, and yet…da…..dada…..daaaa! I’ve still lost weight! I’m now down to 268 and it feels like my body has finally turned the corner.

My body is actually looking for reasons to let go of it’s excess weight. In the past I’ve experienced the opposite feeling. No matter how hard or often I worked out my body would still put on weight.

I think that in my situation, I’ve been overweight for so long that it just took some time for it to get turned around. I’m just glad I hung in there long enough with the P90X workouts to start seeing the results.

Initially, I only wanted to lose 1 – 2 pounds a week and that is still my goal. This last week I lost a total of 4 pounds. I’m just going to put my head down and keep bulling forward.

I’m eating better foods. I eat more often during the day and am getting used to smaller portions. I am riding the recumbent bike about 45 minutes to an hour each day and doing 1 round of P90X everyday.

My favorite P90X to date is P90X shoulders and arms, followed by P90X chest and back. I know now if I stick with it I will be able to reach my ultimate goal of 210 within several months.

I also know that I’ll be able to keep the weight off. I have become quite used to the P90X workouts and on the rare days that I don’t get one in, I truly miss it. I love the buzz I get from pushing my body to the point where it wants to give up and I manage to go even further.

I’ve come a long way in just 2 months and look forward to seeing how much more progress I can make in the next 2 months.

Today, I get to start playing racquetball again, I can’t wait. I absolutely love that sport and have been missing it badly ever since my partner tore up his knee. He finally got cleared by his doctor to start playing again.

For anyone out there that is more than 30 pounds overweight, please read this: Don’t get discouraged if you actually start gaining weight when you start using the P90X workouts. I gained 8 pounds over the first several weeks and it wasn’t until about the 5th or 6th week that I actually started to lose weight on the scale.

Since that point I’ve lost about 15 pounds. In the last 2 weeks alone I’m averaging about 4 -5 pounds of fat loss each week. It’s worth hanging in there long enough to see those results. For the first time in a long time I can actually believe that I’m going to get back into great shape.

Gotta go, it’s time for my workout. Have an amazing day everybody!

P90X Workout Reviews – Fatboy Fitness – 7/6/09 is a post from: Losing weight with P90X