P90X - Week 9 Update

Moving forward into week 9, P90X has followed thru with its promise to improve my strength and physique. As the weeks pass, the videos provide me with tougher variations for exercises and I am completing more reps and taking less break time between exercises. I don't feel that P90X is the best workout regime for squash, as my hamstring and hip flexibility has been compromised somewhat and I feel tightness and discomfort doing lunge and squat exercises.

Motivation is low, as the videos themselves are starting to annoy me. I have started to eliminate exercises that I find useless, mostly in the yoga X and core synergistics videos, I refuse to be on the cover of downward dog magazine.

I went for a 30 minute run yesterday as I don't feel P90X is a great cardio workout. After my run, I was surprised to feel tremendous tightness in my IT bands and in my calves. Don't get me wrong, I've seen improvement in areas that I have obviously been neglecting like my upperbody strength, you can see muscle definition in my deltoid muscles now.

Mixing up the workouts is the saving grace for this workout program. Ab ribber X is only slightly easier after 18 sessions and I still struggle to do chinups without chair assistance. I was able to play 2 squash matches in week 5 and felt a strain in my left hamstring. I was fast and dynamic to start either match, but as I grew tired, sloppiness crept into my footwork, racket preparation and ultimately my court sense suffered.

Tomorrow is supposed to be an X stretch day, which I will skip and do another 30 minute run. My lower back pain has become more localized and I've identified it as my sacroilliac joint as well as my hip flexors.

I've questioned whether or not to complete this program as I definately 100% feel that there are better exercises that I can do to that will benefit my squash game more. This program is a great general fitness program, but if you dedicate yourself to any workout program 1.5 hrs a day for 90 days, I would hope that you would see results.

I am going to complete the majority of this program. But I will amend the yoga X workout to be more balance poses and relaxed breathing stretches. Also, I will focus more on footwork in Kenpo X and Plyo X. I will throw in a 30 higher intensity runs and 60 minute slow runs twice a week as well as some squash footwork drills.

The goal is to be extremely squash fit, not totally beach body ripped (although that is a very nice benefit).