Day One (Chest and Back)

Today went about how I expected, except for a bunch of cramping. I didn't really listen to the instructions at the beginning of the DVD where they tell you to pace yourself, and I sort of went all out on my first reps (on resistance days, you sometimes will repeat everything you just did in a second round where you're really supposed to "Bring it." It was not broughten by me.) I was pretty spent by the end of the first round. I was doing fewer push-ups than I'd done in the first set, and couldn't even do a pull-up without chair assistance.

My current dumbbell situation is not ideal either. I got two handles with a bunch of plates, but I think I'm going to invest in a few more handles so I can more easily switch between weights. It takes a minute or two to keep changing back and forth and brings my heart rate down. Its also taking me longer to do the routines because I have to keep running upstairs to my kitchen doorway to do the pull-ups. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled on Craigslist to see if I can find a pull-up horse (i think its called) for cheap to put in my garage so I can keep the workout confined to one room.

I did have to split the workout up a bit as well. Three days a week you are also supposed to do the Ab Ripper X at the end of the resistance workout, but my hip sockets started to cramp up intensely as soon as I lifted my legs up to attempt a move. I did it later in the evening with no cramping. I think it may have been the creatine in the prework out drink I took, or possibly just dehydration.

Ab Ripper X was very intense, and not the kind of Ab workout I'm used to. It really challenges your upper thighs as well as your abs, and was quite painful at times. I couldn't complete some of the later moves like the slow scissor. Its 16 minutes and 339 total non-stop moves. I was sweating and groaning in minutes.

On the plus side, the diet wasn't really an issue today. I was full from the protein drinks (which taste like milk shakes), and the food I prepared was flavorful as well, despite the lack of butter or sauces. I do crave starches a bit though, as they were a pretty big part of my diet previously. Phase one of the nutrition plan is relatively low carb, as it is the fat burning portion.

Tomorrow is plyometrics. I'm curious to see what my body will feel like in the morning, or how it will react when I go to beach volleyball instruction at 5:30 pm. I assume more cramping. I really can't wait to be in week two and three when I have adjusted to the workouts and aren't as clumsy with the moves. One down 89 to go...