Who doesn’t love getting in some yoga with Tony Horton?  I will say up front that I am not very good at it.  But I will say that I try. I do my best and I forget the rest.  This is one area of my fitness that I trust what Tony tells me and I do it.  But we can also say that from the way  I feel after a round of Yoga, I’m whooped, yet feeling refreshed.  Fitness is more than just lifting weights and doing some cardio based workout.

Tony Horton brought to the masses 5 years ago with his P90x program a 90 minute long yoga workout.  Then when he began his One-on-One volumes, he came out with 2 others (Fountain of Youth and Patience Hummingbird) to help reduce the amount of time spent but still effective and true to what Tony wants us to get out of his Yoga workouts.  Many folks complained about the length of time.  Tony is such a firm believer in yoga that   This new one, geared towards the next P90x MC2, brings new breathe and life.  I found that this new Yoga program in Volume 3 is the best all around for me. 

MC2 Yoga focuses on breathe and movement.  Finding the balance between the two with very exact moves that are slow but force you to really realize the movements and the benefits of understanding your breathing and the movements you are doing.   I myself will do what I can and realize this is my ‘weakest’ link in my overall exercise program.  I don’t spend enough time doing Yoga, but I know the benefits.  This will be one that I throw into the rotation in order to increase my capabilities in this area. 

Yoga alone has incredible benefits for your core, your strength and your balance which in the end is an absolute must for any workout program, any sport, and just anything you do in life.  You’ll feel calmer and more at ease if you really allow yourself to take that leap.

Equipment: Usual Yoga mat, water, towel, yoga block, face towel
Duration: ~63 minutes
Concepts: Strength, power, flexibility, breathing, range of motion

One thing, you can’t just ‘do’ the motions or skip the hard moves.  I’ll admit that I have in the past. But if you want the true benefits do everything.  Just like w/ cardio, weights, you have to give it 110% of your effort to see the maximum benefits. 

Tony is focused and intense and ready to show you where you can go in life.  Yoga MC2 is rock solid!

Working out isn’t just something we do. It is a way of life, a chance to better yourself mentally and physically.  You feel better, you live longer, you are more confident and there is no reason that everyone out there shouldn't’ be able to take advantage of these benefit.  Take a step in the right direction and get started on a fitness program. Even if it is just walking daily.  Contact me with any questions about how to get started. I’m here to help and love to see people do the right thing!

Decide. Commit. Succeed!

Tony Horton’s P90x One on One Volume 3, Disk 2 is Ab Ripper X 2 (aka. ARX2).  As Tony continues this journey towards MC2, he is experimenting, changing things up, finding ways to confuse our muscles and create something unique and new in the world of fitness.  On top of that, he just wants to have fun! :)

ARX2, is different than it’s older brother ARX in the original P90x program.  It is longer (42 minutes) and is slower.  Mainly that is due to Tony writing done information about the workout as he finds what he might add into the new P90x Mc2 next fall.  I enjoy the commentary and the information that Tony provides during the workouts.

You might be thinking how can I do 42 minutes of abs? We’ll don’t fret. It isn’t all working out.  In the end, this would most likely be a 20 minute AB workout if you went from one exercise to the next.

Tony’s Motto this workout is from Mohammad Ali himself “Training begins when you can’t do no more”.   He’s here to get us motivated, keep us entertained with his witty humor and bring to the masses the most effective training methods for getting in shape!  Do you like variety? Then come along for the ride!

I found that you are more engaged in this workout than the original ARX. You are focusing on keeping the core tight, which includes being more precise on the moves and form.  It’s not about getting in there and just crunching out the reps. IT’s about getting to the heart of working our CORE!

Details:

Length: 42 minutes (
Exercises: 20 core busting ab ripping moves. (exercises such as Banana Two Crunch, Side arm balance crunch, row your boat, the abronome and many more)
Reps: 20 – 30 depending on your level of expertise.
Focus: CORE.  This is different than ABX in that you are moving slower, focusing on the whole CORE and not just the abs. 

Watch the clip below.  I think you’ll find that if you are up to the P90x One on One challenge or looking to change up your routine, take a look and get on board. Any questions, let me know. Can always contact me.  I love to hear how things are going.  There is only one way to get healthy and fit!  That’s to press play!

Decide. Commit. Succeed!

Yesterday was my first time through the latest P90x One-on-One workout Shoulders & Arms.  This is a continuation of the journey to the new P90x MC2 (Muscle Confusion 2) that will be out Fall 2011.  Basically in each monthly installment of these one-on-one’s Tony is showing us some of the upcoming moves he will introduce into the new P90x program.  We get to take this journey along with him as he makes a decision on what works and what doesn’t.  The best part overall is that we get to reap the rewards of this as a ‘client’ of Tony Horton himself each month.  I love this approach and I’ve been dying for updated workouts from the P90x series.  They program works and this is just icing on the cake.

So Shoulders and Arms is a great workout.  We are talking ~57 minutes of pure muscle action.  We are working the so called ‘glamour’ muscles and let’s just say by the end of these 57 minutes, if you are working out as hard as you should, you’ll be left feeling exhausted yet energized.  I myself was and was loving it.  Something new and fresh always gets the motivation and desire to keep pressing play going.

So let’s break this workout down.

Equipment:

• Weights (i use my selecttechs), but dumbbells as always work great also.
• Stability ball – optional but man you’ll love it if you have one.
• Chair / Workout bench

Workout:

Warm-up (always.  Never start these workouts cold). There are 4 rounds in all.  Each round contains 2 exercises.   In each round you’ll do 3 cycles of those 2 exercises. 

Side note:  What you find with the new workouts is that Tony goes deep into the thought process of these exercises chosen.  The goal is to come up with an amazing new workout program.  It’s nice because the dialogue between him and Mason give you a great feel for what you are working on and why.  Rather than just get in there and do it attitude. Tony also focuses on form heavily.

Round 1:
Pike Presses with feet super elevated. 
Alternating Arnold Press. 

Round 2:
6 direction Shoulder fly
Posterior Rear Delt Fly

Round 3:
Bicep Curl
Triceps with or without Stability ball

Round 4:
Crazy Eights (biceps)
Triceps Extension

Are we having fun yet? I certainly hope so because that is what keeps us going.  Have fun, stay motivated, find that spark, that little something something that keeps you pressing play each and every day towards your health and fitness goals! Find that new challenge, find that new workout (ie. P90x One on Ones or any of the other workouts in the first 2 volumes).  There is so much vareity you can’t go wrong!   Love to chat so contact me anytime.  Love to help!

Decide. Commit. Succeed!

Tony has released the first disc of Volume 3 called Chest back and Balls.  This is the beginning of the next P90x to be released next year in the fall sometime, so far the working name is P90x:MC2.  Tony is giving us an inside view into the creation and production of the new P90x by showing us each month new P90x moves that he has developed and potentially will be putting into the new series. 

You can see my video update on this workout here, along with some clips of a few of the ball moves.  All my videos can be see in my YouTube channel.

There are various moves(Lever, Two ball push-up side arm balance, the possible, three ball plyometric pushup, L-pull-up, swimmer’s push-up military push-ups on medicine ball and many more) between a variety of pull-up’s and push-up’s doing ball work.  With the type of stabilization work you have to do with the balls themselves, you will need to focus on your balance and utilizing your core muscle group, your gluts, and everything else in order to be successful.

Details:

Time: Approximately 50 minutes
Exercises: 20 (10 pull-up moves and 10 ball moves)
Equipment: Pull-Up Bar, Large Stability ball, 4 medium sized balls (basketball size, or medicine ball size)

You’ll find that Tony has spared no expense of pushing us to our limits with this workout.  Each move is tailored to get the most out of it if you follow the way he shows it.  As Tony explains also during each move, that during the new P90x program, each move will have variations shown by others that will be in the video’s so that people can do what works best for them.  Always ways to modify a move so you can still get an effective workout done from it.  He even mentions some of the ways you can modify during the current one on one as well.  But if you can, give those ball moves a try as they are.  Oh, it’s fun and crazy!

This was a great lead off workout for the P90x (newly labeled) One on One series Volume 3 because I was toast after the 50 minutes.  I had a blast with the ball moves more than anything because trying to get my balance and learn that I have a long ways to go.  We even get to see Tony getting pushed to the extreme in this one.  That tells you for one it is a WINNER workout.

Any questions, and comments just drop me a note.  I’m always around and love to hear back from people on their views of the workouts, their current program or just sharing their story.  You can contact me at anytime through the methods there.  One day at a time folks.  That’s all it takes.  Take that first step and get fit and healthy!  Your journey starts now.

Decide. Commit. Succeed!