Saturday, October 3, 2009

Day 6, Kempo - Week 1 Review, Playtime Is Over

Day 6, Kempo:

Well I am still pretty uncoordinated when it comes to kempo but I made it through. I can clearly tell which side is dominant when I do this workout too because you do everything on both sides. I guess this is a fun workout but I am not too sure yet. I do like getting to yell when I do the punches, YUT-YUT!! I am prettyy sore from yesterdays legs and back workout, feels good.

I also stepped on the scale today after my workout and I am down to 168, lost 2 pounds this week. Does this surprise me? I am not surprised by the amount in a week because before this when I would change my workouts I would see these kind of results the first couple of weeks and then it would taper off. I am surprised by the simple fact that I was able to get under 160 lbs. because even though I had been changing my workouts the last time at least and maybe the time before that as well I was not getting the results any more.

Week 1 Review, Playtime Is Over:

So what do I think about the first week? This is a fun program so far with a wide variety of workouts and they are tough. I had read before hand that you should be in really good shape before starting this program but I disagree. I think you could do this at your own pace if that is what you wanted to do. You could skip some things, pause the DVD, not do it every day, or any number of other things until you built up to being able to do it all. The main thing I like is that I am doing some things that I would never have done if I designed my own program like Yoga for example and I really like the Yoga.

I also have noticed that I am getting sore in very specific parts of muscles, like one day my lower calf will be sore and another my upper calf. I also notice some soreness in some muscle areas I have never really been sore in and I assume that is because I never really worked those muscles like I am in this program. Based on the research I did before this and what I have seen so far from the program first hand I think the exercises are designed to work not just the major muscles but also smaller stabilizer muscles that most people may not work as efficiently in there own program. These muscles being strengthened can greatly increase balance and coordination as well as the strength of the surrounding muscles and reduce the risk of injuries. I am no expert here but I have done a lot of reading and this is my take on it based on what I have seen. I like the trainer, Tony Horton, as well. He is not too in your face and is pretty good about telling people to not get down if they can't keep up just "do your best and forget the rest" is one of his favorite sayings and most people trying this program will need to hear that because you can't keep up with these guys. Even though I can't keep up on everything I am feeling motivated rather than dejected which tells me this guy is doing a pretty good job, of course that is sort of my personality too.

The nutrition plan is probably the toughest part for me. I am trying to stick to it pretty strictly with 2 exceptions, I drink coffee and I don't use their supplements. I drink coffee almost every day but I don't put anything in it and I am not willing to give it up. It is not clear based on what I have read if this is in line with the program or not. The way I look at it there are basically no calories in black coffee so it is just the caffeine. I do take supplements but not what they recommend, their own beachbody products. They want you to take a recovery drink after workouts but I take whey protein and creatine, half the recommended serving, with a pile of sugars and I think this works for me. They also are pushing their protein bars and I am not using them. Aside from that I am eating according to their portion plan. The portion plan basically prescribes what a serving of each allowable group (protein, dairy, carbs, etc.) is and how many of each you are allowed to eat each day. For example I am currently eating 7 servings of protein a day which is 3 oz of chicken breast or equivalent. Bottom line is I have not been hungry generally and have been eating a lot.

Bottom line is I am pretty happy with the program so far and am having fun. I will continue to post updates but probably not much detail until the end of next week other than menu for that day. So why is playtime over? Well as far as I am concerned I now have had time to see all the workouts and it is now time to get down to the real work.

Post Workout:
  • Creatine (5 grams in water)

Breakfast:

  • Protein Drink (1/2 cup strawberries, 1/2 banana, 8 oz skim milk, ice, whey protein powder)

Snack:

  • Protein bar

Lunch:

  • Pit Turkey Sandwich minus bread (9 oz turkey)

Snack:

  • 1 oz. spicy Almonds

Dinner:

  • 1 cup pasta (all this was mixed together with pesto)
  • 9 oz chicken
  • 1 cup broccoli
  • 1 cup cauliflower

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