Fitness Friday: P90X Shoulders & Arms Review

I love fitness friday all over the blogosphere.  You can find some great workout tips, new routines, and generally very happy people looking forward to a wonderfully fit weekend. 

Following suit, here is my next review in the P90X DvD Review Series:

Shoulders & Arms

On the third day of Phase I is the second strength training workout called Shoulders & Arms is performed.  By this time, you have already completed Chest & Back and Plyo-X so you are starting to feel a little depleted.  But when you pop in the Shoulders & Arms workout you are pleasantly surprised. 

This workout is just what you need to refuel and recover from the Ply0 workout the day before.  According to Tony Horton, this is the glamour routine to tighten, tone and build the glamour muscles that shape your upper body to perfection.  As a woman, this routine is extremely important in battling the flabby upper arms that we are all to familiar with as we age.  This is one of my favorite routines in the P90X series.  I look forward to doing this routine because it leaves me feeling pumped, strong, and capable. 

My first go around with the routine I started out with 3 & 6 lb weights gradually increasing to 8 lbs as I neared the end of my final 90 days.  However, in Round 2 I am starting out with 8 lbs and for most exercises I’m using 10 lbs and some 12.5 lbs. 

One of my biggest pet peeves with women and weight training is the fear of using of heavier weights and the stigma that comes along with it.  It is one of the myths that is so hard to get through to women that lifting heavier weights will make you bulk up like a man.  This is simply NOT true. 

Most women want to tone ~ understandable.  However, as a woman you should also want to build strength.  Muscle strength will not only help prevent injury, but in the case that injury was to occur, it also helps with a faster recovery.   And finally one of the best reasons to strength train with heavier weights is that it will also BURN more calories well after you complete the workout.  It is what is known as a metaboloic spike. 

So to all my ladies out there ~ DONT FEAR HEAVIER WEIGHTS!  Give it all you got while doing the upper body P90X workouts because

“Strong is the new Skinny”

 

The Workout:

As always, Tony starts out with a nice longwarm-up.  He gets your heart pumping and oxygen flowing with running, high knees, jumping jacks and run lunges.  After your heart rate is elevated he moves onto stretching with head and shoulder rolls, arm circles and then wraps up the warm up with some ballistic stretching. 

Now your all warmed-up and ready to get busy.  The workout is designed as supersets that are broken down into 5 sets that target the three major muscle groups: shoulders, biceps and triceps.  These exercises are then performed in this order throughout the entire routine.

My favorite exercises in this routine are:

• Alternating Shoulder Press
• In/Out Bicep Curls
• Full Supination Concentration Curls (sounds hard, but its not)
• Upright Rows
• Static Arm Curls
• Lying Down Tricep Extentions (I have shown 100% improvement here)
• Straight Arm Shoulder Flys
• Congdon Curls (named after the boss because they are THE BOSS)

The Shoulders & Arms workout really gets you feeling like you accomplished something here.  I walk away from the routine and run directly to the mirror to flex and pump my biceps (no shame here ~ I love my new muscles!)  Whether you want to build muscle or just tighten and tone, this routine rocks!  Tony tells you if you want to build muscle use a weight that you feel the maximum effort at 8-10 reps, if you are looking to tone then pick a weight you feel the burn at 12-15.  But the most important aspect to remember is to PICK THE RIGHT WEIGHT for your goal! 

Personally, I love all the upper body routines in this entire series.  I’ve said it in the past, and I’ll say it again now ~ I have never had upper body strength.  So to be able to see bicep definition and defined back and shoulder muscles is a complete turn on to me!  I love it!  I love the feeling of strength.  I love the feeling that I have a sense of power and accomplishment after these routines. It hard work ~ but so worth it to me when I see the results.

So my advice to all my women out there that are thinking P90X is a mans extreme fitness routine ~ think again ~ it will be the most powerful experience of your life if you give this series a try!

Do you like or dislike lifting heavier weight?