Brad Gibala

Archives for March 2009

What Is The Hardest P90X Workout?

- Updated

Hardest P90X WorkoutA couple of my friends and site visitors have sent me e-mails asking what is the hardest P90X workout. How about all of them. Some are more challenging then others. What I like most is that you really can’t half ass any of them. Each exercise pushes you. It comes down to how you feel that day and where your intensity level is at.

Since I consider myself an expert in the P90X field. I decided to make a list from the hardest P90X workout to the not as hard (not easiest) workout. My factors in deciding these are based on what is going through my mind when I pull the DVD out of the booklet and how sore I feel the next day.

The Hardest P90X Workout is…

  1. Plyometrics– I have been doing P90X for almost a year now and Plyometrics still kills my legs. Of course this is the workout that does the most for me as I am a big skier/snowboarder and runner. My legs have never been in better shape. The next day my legs are on fire and my ass hurts from all the lunges and squats.
  2. Chest And Back – Push Up, Pull Up, Push Up, Pull Up, Push Up, Pull Up, and then repeat. Really? Is that chain of events necessary. Tony Horton does not like us. With so much emphasis put on those muscles it really is a killer. My arms are on fire and veins are popping out. Guaranteed to be feeling it the next day.
  3. Back And Biceps – Pull Ups, Curls, Pull Up, Curls, Pull Up, Curls, and repeat. My arms are dead after doing this. Switching from the pull up bar to dumbbells and going at a quick pace always keep me on my toes.
  4. Chest, Shoulders, And Triceps– Push Ups, Shoulder Press, Tricep Extensions for an hour. There are different varieties of those exercises. I have never finished this workout without feeling exhausted after it. My arms are destroyed when I am done.
  5. Shoulders And Arms– Lots of shoulder presses and curls along with some tricep work. I struggle with this one because my right shoulder has a small injury I got when I was younger. It does feel good to stretch out those shoulder muscles even if I have to use a lighter weight. Do I need to say anything more about my arms getting a workout here? I think you get the point.
  6. Legs And Back – This is one of my favorite workouts and I was debating about putting this higher. I kept it lower because it is working the upper and lower body. The workouts above focus on one or the other. With two different body parts being worked there is a lot of energy to crank out as many pull ups and lunges/squats as I can. This workout is the one that I do the most pull/chin ups on as it is the only exercise you are doing for the upper body. My legs, especially the calves, still feel tender the next day.
  7. Yoga X – I never realized how much I would get out of doing Yoga until after I did it a couple times. The only weight involved is your body weight. All of the poses and balance postures put so much emphasis on those little in between muscles. The stretching really loosens me up. I have noticed a big difference in my softball and golf swing from doing Yoga. It sounds easy to do but when I am done I still break a sweat.
  8. Kenpo X – This is more of a fun workout to me than anything. Lots of kicking and punching going on. When I started using weighted gloves it felt like a workout again. That little bit of extra weight makes a differnce when throwing punches as it now forces the core to work.
  9. Core Synergistics – To be honest, I have only done this workout a couple of times. It’s probably because it fell on the off weeks and I was too focused on the other workouts to enter it into my routine.
  10. Cardio X – Since I am big into running I never got around to doing this one except for the couple of times it feel into my recovery week. I remember it being good but to me I’d rather run for an hour because I know that the other workouts are going to be back the following week.
  11. Ab Ripper X – I must be crazy right? Abs at #11. Ab Ripper is tough. I am not denying that. My take on it is that since it is right after the toughest workouts it makes it harder to do. The few times I did Ab Ripper without doing anything else made a big difference. I was able to complete the whole thing with no problem. I still felt the burn but not as much as if I was trying to do a ton of pull ups for an hour and then do abs.
  12. X Stretch – This is a tamed down version of Yoga X. The workout is under an hour where Yoga is near an hour and a half. I like it but not as many balance poses.

Can the hardest P90X workout list change?

This list could change at a moments notice as they are all pretty tough to do. I feel pretty confident about numbers 1-7. These workouts always kick my butt. Even after doing them each dozens of times I still “feel the burn” the next day.

I guess its a good thing though because it tells me that P90X is not just a 90 day program as it is a lifestyle change about how to workout and get results. If one of these particular workouts decides to attack me then I will redo the list and award it the #1 position. In the mean time these are what I feel to be the hardest P90X workout.

Leasing Over Buying A Car

- Updated

Leasing Over Buying A CarWhen leases first came out as an option to get a new car it was commonly said that this is throwing money away. “You’re renting it” was a common phrase said to those leaning towards leasing. Much of this has to be done with the generations before hand who were told to own and keep everything.

While there is some truth to holding onto somethings for the long run you really need to consider what makes most sense for you. Especially when it comes to you and your finances.

Advantages

No More Repair Bills – When you lease a car you never have to worry about paying for major car repairs. Leases cover engines, transmissions, or any other major mechanical mishaps. All you are responsible for is maintenance items like oil changes and tire rotations. Unless you pop a tire you’ll be turning in the lease before new tires or breaks are needed.

Get A Car Based On Your Needs – It’s true you can buy any car at anytime but doesn’t it seem your car needs change every two or three years?

Cheaper Than Buying – Lease payments are always going to be less than car payments. Most car loans are 5 years. Take a $30,000 car over 5 years and with a 0% interest rate. If you bought the car you would pay $500 a month.

A lease payment would be around $350 saving you $150 a month. This way you can keep your money and invest it. If you really like the car at the end then you can buy the remaining balance out right.

Easier Approval – It is usually easier to get approved on a lease than on a loan. The car manufacturers need to get somebody else paying down the balance on the loan and are willing to loosen their guidelines more than a bank because they need to make a sale.

A bank sees you as a risk because they are giving you money to buy something that will be worth less the second you take it off the dealer lot. If you default on the loan, the bank is stuck with a vehicle that is worth less than what the balance of the loan is.

Straight Forward – Usually, every element of the deal, lease price, term, money factor, residual, vehicle make and model is already in place and cannot be changed. This way you know you are getting a good deal.

Financially Savvy – Why not lease a well equipped (not fully equipped) Ford Focus or something cheap for your daily driver and buy the used SUV or Minivan that you drive occasionally. Going this route might save you up to two hundred dollars on the new car which you can use to buy the used car.

Piece Of Mind – How many times have you been driving around in your old beat up clunker and something broke. Your car repairs cost over $1k and it puts you in debt. It’s a never-ending cycle with cars. Sure, car companies are making better cars, but they are man-made. They will break down no matter if it is a Mercedes, Lexus, or a Ford.

Summary

Cars and trucks are liabilities. They will depreciate. When you lease your car you will not have to worry how much it is going to be worth at the end of your contract. Yes, you are paying the depreciation of the car but who cares? In most cases you are going from point A to point B.

Wouldn’t it be nice to know you have one monthly payment you can budget around instead of spending thousands of dollars to buy something used? And then knowing you will more than likely be putting money in repairs over the years.

Each situation is different.

Some people like to buy 10 year old cars, drive them for 2 years, and repeat. This is a sneaky play if you buy reliable cars and do not beat up on them. You also have to not mind driving ten year old cars. This saves you thousands of dollars.

Some like buying 3 year old cars and driving them 5 years. Which is also a decent play except for the initial up front cost.

But with leasing there are no surprises. You know what your payment is every month and how many miles a year you can drive. If you choose the right car, the advantages of leasing might make more sense than buying.