My P90X Journey – Days 9 & 10: Valleys and Peaks and ?

Day 9 – Plyometrics

Okay, seriously – it’s three days later and I still have the tug behind my right knee and up into my hamstring that started with day 6’s kenpo and got worse from day 7’s stretching. My right triceps is still rather inflamed and very tender from I don’t even know which day, although I know yesterday’s pushups, pullups, and chinups didn’t make it any better. And they really want me to be hopping around for plyo?

Yeah, again, this was much, much harder the second time around. I think I honestly didn’t properly anticipate how each day’s toll on my body would add up over time. At this point, I’m just beaten down. I’m exhausted after each workout. I finished the plyo absolutely drenched with sweat – I could have wrung my shirt out into a camel’s mouth and it’d be set to cross the Sahara.

Day 10 – Shoulders, Arms, and Abs

My right knee and hamstring are now fully seized-up – I feel them with every step throughout the day. There is literally – and yes, I mean literally – not a single part of my body that doesn’t ache. In fact, I found myself questioning on Facebook earlier today whether I really wanted this bad enough. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve been thrilled with the results so far, but is it really worth feeling like this to get those results? And how long does this feeling last? Is there a point in the evolution of this program where it stops being about constant discomfort and it transitions to simply that ‘good soreness’ that reminds you you’ve been working hard?

And then, like a breath of fresh air, comes shoulders and arms. Hard, but not soul-destroying. Challenging, but not demotivating. Blissfully, at least until the abs, didn’t involve the legs at all. And shockingly, not harder the second time around than the first. Not easier mind you, but not harder either.

It’s a few hours later now and, other than the right triceps, my upper body has the good soreness. Right leg? Still not good. I don’t know how I’ll feel once I lay down for the night, or when I get up in the morning, but I’m okay for now. For now, I’m satisfied.

Of course, tomorrow there’s yoga…

Tags: Abs, Arms, Plyometrics, Shoulders