P90X Update - Day 17

Hey - so I'm 17 days into the P90x 'lean' program. In my last post I included the workouts that the 'lean' program uses. This path is way more cardio than strength based. Out of the 7 weekly work-outs 4 are cardio. Instead of doing 'Cardio X' and 'Kenpo X' on Tuesdays/Saturdays I've replaced them with runs of 4-6 miles. I'm training for a 15k in March and I need to be running, I also think I'm burning more calories running than I would in the cardio sessions.

The program is definitely working. I have been sore every day since I began. The first week really sucked ass because I was overly sore, but now it's just moderate soreness - which is bearable. I have stuck to the diet plan faithfully (link) and haven't had a sip of booze since Jan 13th. My numbers on the scale haven't really changed, I'm sticking around 170lbs but I can feel and see a difference already.

The hardest workout by FAR is Yoga X. Yoga is a 90 minute workout whereas all others are 60 minutes max. I find it mind-blowing that stretching and holding yourself in positions can leave you in a complete heap sweating on the ground. So far I'm only able to get 45 minutes through it. I have another go at it tomorrow and will see if I can make it to 50 minutes.

The Legs/Back workout is also pretty difficult for me, although I do manage to get through it. Even though I'd been hitting the gym, I neglected legs. After the first legs/back day 2 weeks ago, I had trouble walking up stairs, sitting down, and standing up. Last week was better, I expect this week to be a marked improvement as well.

Scaling workouts has been the key to me making it this far. In these videos you are watching a bunch of super-fit people banging out rep after rep of exercises you've never done before. You HAVE to scale these work-outs if you're not very fit to begin with. Shit, I had to watch some videos a few times just to get the movements right. Set a number of reps in your head you want to get to and knock em' out. Seek to improve upon that number the next session, even if it means adding 1 additional rep.

Thus far, I've noticed my flexibility and stamina are improving. There has been some definite fat loss from my midsection and I'm getting an outline of abs....never had those before! My body as a whole looks leaner now than it did a few short weeks ago. I'm excited, because it's so early into the program and I'm seeing changes.

So what are Days 30, 60, 90 going to look like? Can't wait to find out.