I was asked the other day wether or not I use Yoga Blocks to do P90X Yoga X. I have never used yoga blocks. When I do the workout I tend to think that I could get a better stretch if I did use them. The people working out with Tony Horton on the dvd use them. It looks like they are getting quite a bit of extra stretch while they are working out. One added benefit of the yoga block is it will help you with balance moves. Stumbling while doing Yoga is not uncommon. Even though I have done P90X Yoga X a bunch of times I never know how I going to feel that day and sometimes I do struggle. Maybe the yoga block can will help me make it through those difficult moves. Its time I pick up a set of yoga blocks. It will help me get to the next level while doing P90X.

Yoga Blocks

Set of 2 Yoga Blocks
4" X 6" X 9"
Increases strength and flexibility
$29.95

Post from: P90X Workout

Yoga Blocks

I figured it was about time that I told everybody about how much I enjoy doing the P90X Yoga X DVD. When I first started doing the P90X workouts I had never done Yoga before. Sure, I had been involved with stretching routines before a sporting event or just dig a couple of calf or hamstring stretches to loosen up while being at work but nothing like Yoga. It had never dawned on me to ever do Yoga. It looked pretty silly to begin with and I wondered if I was going to get any kind of gain by doing it.

Rewind back to when I first started doing P90X some 9 months ago and I remember reading the P90X workout guide and it said that it was going to be Yoga day. Staying true to the P90X workout program I put the P90X DVD in and was ready to begin. I will say though that I was already pretty flexible. If you took a quick look at my P90X results you will see that I was pretty skinny to begin with. All my time I spent training for the Detroit Marathon a couple of years ago made me apply some stretching techniques to my before and after runs. Even though I am in better shape now then when I was in high school I was still pretty flexible back then too. The "V-Stretch" was the only thing I could pass with flying colors in the "Presidential Fitness Test." If I remember correctly I could stretch out some 13 inches past my heels.

Going back to my first experience with "P90X Yoga X" now. The first thing that shocked me was when I took a look at how long this P90X DVD was going to take. The little counter on the bottom said 1 hour and 20 minutes. I guess it is about the same as the other workouts because if you add Ab-Ripper X to the original workout it comes out to about the same.

I was weirded out at first with all of the different poses. What really weirded me out was that I was doing this workout with one of my friends and it was his first time too. There was an awkward feeling in the air to say the least. After going through the first sequence of poses which included the "Runners Pose," "Crescent Pose," and all of the variations of the "Warrior Poses" I could definitely feel my body stretching out. I started to enjoy the transitioning between the poses. It made for a very fluid routine. When the "Warrior Poses" were over it was time to move into the "Triangle Pose" and "Twisting Triangle." The hardest yoga moves are next. The "Standing Splits" and "Half Moon to Twisting Half Moon" are by far the hardest poses that you will do in the Yoga X DVD. Pretty much you are bending over at the waist with one hand up in the air, one foot straight out pointing backwards, and one hand touching the ground while holding this for about 30 seconds. This move is working on all of those connector muscles through out your whole body. When Tony Horton talks about "Yoga Strength" he is really talking about those two moves. So much emphasis is put on balancing your body which in turns builds your whole body strength. 

Its interesting how Tony Horton makes you do these moves first. I believe it is because they are the hardest ones to do and you might as well get them over with first. You then bust out a couple "Balance Postures." These involve the "Tree," "Royal Dancer," and "Standing Leg Extension." All are pretty tricky postures because you are standing on one leg while holding your ankle or toe straight out for 30 seconds.

After the balance postures it is time to hit the floor. The one stretch that I have a lot of trouble is "Crane." This involves you putting your legs on your elbows and trying to keep your toes above the ground. This takes a lot of upper body and ab strength. Even after doing Yoga X for 9 months, I can barely keep my toes off the ground for more than 7 seconds. Its hard. "Frog" is up next. First time I did this I felt like my groin was going to be ripped out of my leg. It still hurts and occasionally I get a popping sound from that area. My favorite "Yoga X" move is the "Plough into Shoulder Stand." This move involves getting your whole lower body up in the air and resting on your shoulders only while supporting yourself with your hands. You then take your legs and move them in every direction finishing by bringing them down around your head. Picture yourself bringing your legs all the way up and over your head while your knees are touching your ears. talk about a back stretch that looks funny as hell.

The "Yoga Belly" part is a great quick ab workout. It is very similar to the "Ab Ripper X" routine with a couple more exercises. I still get a burn after doing it, especially after doing the "Touch The Sky" routine. The last couple of stretches are more of a cool down period. My favorite is the "Happy Baby". This is when you grab your ankles or feet and rock back and forth like a baby does. This really works on the legs. Tony Horton does do some "Ohhmmms" at the end but for the most part I skip them. By that time my "Chi" has not been interrupted and I am ready to be finished.

Even after being flexible to begin with I can see that improvements my body has had from doing Yoga. My golf and softball swing are a lot more fluid. I just feel better all around after doing Yoga X. My body feels loose and stretched out. All of those in between muscles really got a workout. Its all of those connector muscles that really get worked. Picture the shoulders, the hamstrings, lower back muscles, groin (don't want to rip that thing), and abs. I look forward to Yoga day. I always feel like I am starting over and getting the body ready for the very next day where I put my body through an intense workout. I felt sore the day after doing Yoga for about a month. Now it just helps me get refreshed mentally and physically. Yoga is great for people with back problems and for athletes. Many professional athletes do Yoga to add years to their playing careers. Yoga is also a great way for older people to stay fit. Many senior citizens muscles are so tight that there bodies start hunching. Yoga keeps this from happening. I highly suggest to anybody looking for a great workout to incorporate Yoga and P90X into their lives.

I thought it would be fitting to end this with a great quote from Tony Horton. "I can't do a lot of pull ups and push ups because I workout on a pull up bar all day. I can do a lot of pull ups and push ups because I do Yoga."

Post from: P90X Workout

P90X Yoga X

I am finally starting to feel a little bit better. I do not know what it was that was making me feel kind of groggy but I am over it. Sticking with my cardio program I am on I headed off to the pool. I decided to switch up the routine a little bit from my 5 laps then take a 2 minute break routine. My new plan of attack was to do 15 laps with no breaks. After the 15 laps were done I would take a 3 minute break. After the break my next move would be to do 5 laps doing the breast stroke and complete it with 10 free style laps. Need less to say that I was exhausted after all that swimming. It was the first time in awhile that I had pushed myself. When my last lap was done I came up gasping for air. Swimming really does take a lot out of me. The one thing that I love about swimming is that when you get done it always feels like you got a workout in. There is just so much effort that goes along with it that you cannot not feel the burn.

Later on in the evening my brother got home (we live together) and was about to start doing P90X Yoga X. My brother is not as motivated as I am to sticking to a routine. He did the P90X workout with me for the first 90 days and then kind of fell of the face of the earth. He said he hates working out with me because I push him and it gets annoying. He struggles doing any kind of exercise using the pull up bar. It took him 60 days to be able to do one chin up with no spotter. Its not that he was way out of shape but he just needed somebody to push him.

Anyways, he said he had been feeling kind of tight and his back was hurting. He busted out the P90X Yoga X DVD and we did it. He is not that flexible of a guy. I could tell that it had been awhile since he had done any kind of stretching at all. My brother and I have two totally different types of bodies. I am about 3 inches taller than my brother and am lankier. He is stocky. He is built like a line backer and I am like a quarterback. For the most part I have always been very flexible but ever since I started doing the P90X Yoga X DVD I have increased my flexibility even more. This has helped with all of the sports that I play like golf and softball. When we were done doing Yoga even I was feeling a bit exhausted. It had been about a month since I did Yoga and there was definitely a few times when my bones were cracking. It was a long day of back to back workouts. Maybe tomorrow I will bust out a different P90X DVDand do cardio with it.

Post from: P90X Workout

Swimming And Yoga X In The Same Day

I have noticed a couple of people finding the site by searching for "Exercise Mats" or "Yoga Mats." The answer to if you need one is really up to you and your comfort level. If you workout on hard wood floors then you are probably going to want an exercise mat. No need injuring yourself while trying to do yoga or ab ripper if you do not need too.

I have been working out for the most part on the carpeting in my house. It is fine for me. I do have a exercise mat that I occasionally use but its not a comfort thing. When I am doing P90X Yoga X sometimes I begin to slide a little bit on the carpet. This is due to me building up a sweat and drifting when I am doing the "Warrior Poses." The yoga mats give me a little bit better friction so I do not slide anywhere.

The yoga mats are not necessary to do any of the P90X DVD workouts. If you want the extra comfort than go ahead and buy one.

Post from: P90X Workout

Do I Really Need A Exercise Or Yoga Mat For P90X