So I had my first Phase II doubles day today (Cardio X in the AM + Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps and Ab Ripper X in the evening). This smiley sums up my feelings...
:lol
I was up late (3am) the night before playing Spec Ops MW2 with the gf, and I woke up at 8am to do Cardio X (before breakfast, as the fitness guide recommends). Cardio X felt really easy this morning, I didn't burn out or anything, just worked up a nice comfortable sweat. Afterwards, I went about the rest of my day, blah di blah di blah
I added a bit more (not too much) rice to my diet today in anticipation of my first Chest, Shoulders, Triceps + Ab Ripper X session. Skip to 8pm, and I'm finally starting the workout for the first time. To sum it up in as few words as possible,
I felt like I was weeks back before day 1 of Phase I, when I was still eating bad and downing alcohol like nobody's business - you know how the holiday season goes

. The amount and variety of pushups in this routine is insane. I had gotten used to the pushups in the Chest and Back routine, so all of those Pike Presses, two-twitch speeds, slow 3-in-1, etc. totally turned my arms into jelly. I was doing lots of weight switching so that I could get to my rep goals. I really pushed it today, I think, because by the time I had gotten to the clap/plyo pushups,
I had to resort to doing clap pushups ON MY KNEES... and I only did FOUR because of the sharp pain I eventually developed in my outer pecs (near the armpit) :lol. Without explaining the rest of my life story, the entire workout can be summed up as brutal.
It took me 2 hours to do an hour and 15 minute workout :lol (due to having to adjust weights, take breaks, etc.)
On the bright side, Ab Ripper X went better than the last time, I felt the effects of the recovery week in this session. I was able to maintain my form even better than before, which in turn made some moves harder, but I was also to get through more moves without having to rest. I still have a hard time keeping up with Tony and the kids with the wide-leg situps and the rollup-V-up combo. I was still able to pull off the 50 mason twists, but I struggled more because I used up more energy as a result of my improved form. Not to mention I was already wiped out from the previous chest, shoulders, and tricep workout.
I see lots of room for improvement. I probably would have fared better if I got at least 7 hours of sleep, familiarized myself more with the routines and appropriate weights, and/or add even more carbs to my diet for more energy. Oh well, now I know how to prepare for next week. This is muscle confusion at work, I guess
I've got good old Plyometrics tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it because it's something I've done many times in the past