Review: Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus

Today, we saw a production of "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.. Live!" at the Montgomery Theater in San Jose.

I didn't expect it to be a one-man show, but it was pretty funny and enjoyable. We had a lot of laughs during the two hours of the show.

According to John Gray, men and women need different things.

• Women need AU (symbol for gold): Attention and Understanding
• Men need TA (Trust and Appreciation)

Here is what Montgomery Theater had to say:

When Mars and Venus collide, the adventures are earth-shatteringly hysterical. Men Are From Mars – Women Are From Venus LIVE! is more than just the book. 

After beginning in Paris in 2007, Men are From Mars–Women are From Venus LIVE! has been seen by more than one million people around Europe. It debuted in the United States in February 2013 in Raleigh, North Carolina and is playing to audiences around the United States and Canada throughout the year. 

This hysterical show will have couples elbowing each other all evening as they see themselves on stage. Sexy and fast paced, this show is definitely for adults, but will leave audiences laughing and giggling like little kids!

According to Wikipedia:

Gray writes that men and women each monitor the amount of give and take in relationships, and if the balance shifts, with one person feeling they have given more than they have received, resentment can develop; that is a time when communication is very important in helping to bring the relationship back into balance. He further states that men and women view giving and receiving love differently, as regards the "tallying" of individual acts of love. According to Gray, women and men are often surprised to find that their partners "keep score" at all, or that their scoring methods are different.^{[citation needed]}He says women use a points system that few men are aware of, where each individual act of love gets one point, regardless of magnitude; men, on the other hand, assign small acts fewer points, with larger blocks of points (20, 30, 40 points, etc.) going to what they think are big ones. To a woman, the emotional stroke delivered by sincere attention is as important as the value of the act. That can lead to conflict, when the man thinks his work has earned him, say, 20 points and deserves corresponding recognition, while the woman has assigned him only 1 point and recognizes him accordingly. The man tends to think he can do one Big Thing for her (scoring 50 points) and not do much else, assuming the woman will be satisfied with that, and she will give him kudos. Instead, the woman would rather have many little things done for her on a regular basis, because women like to think their men are thinking of them and care for them more constantly. That approach adds up to the strokes men are looking for.
Another major idea put forth in Gray's book regards the difference in the way the genders react to stress. Gray states that when men's tolerance to stressful situations is exceeded, they withdraw temporarily, "retreating into their cave", so to speak. Often, they literally retreat: for example, to the garage, or to go spend time with friends. In their "caves", men (writes Gray) are not necessarily focussed on the problem at hand; the "time-out" lets them distance themselves from the problem and relax, allowing them to re-examine the problem later with a fresh perspective.
Gray holds that retreating into the cave has historically been hard for women to understand, because when they become unduly stressed, their natural reaction is to talk with someone close about it (even if talking doesn't provide a solution to the problem at hand). That leads to a natural dynamic where the man retreats as the woman tries to grow closer, which becomes a major source of conflict between them.
The "wave" is a term Gray uses to describe a natural dynamic that is centered around a woman's ability to give to other people. He writes that when she feels full of love and energy to give to others, her wave is stable. When she gives of herself, but doesn't receive adequate love and attention in return, her wave becomes unbalanced, cresting and eventually crashing. Then, a woman needs the attention, listening, understanding, and reassurance of those around her—as well as self-love. Gray holds that once she is rejuvenated by getting the support she needs, her wave is able to build and rise once again, with abundant love and energy to give. Men, advises Gray, should support that natural cycle by not being threatened by it or telling her why she should not feel that way.

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Review: History of the Eagles Concert

Today, we saw the History of the Eagles Concert at the SAP Center in San Jose.
I have never seen San Jose this crowded! The concert looks like it was all sold out.

We didn't have the best seats in section 213, row 11. People were constantly going back and forth, either getting beer or drinks while the concert was going on (it was a bit distracting).

Eagles started out all acoustic, with Glenn Frey and Don Henley playing an acoustic version of "Saturday Night" and talking about how they got started. As the show went on, additional band members were added and introduced until there were 10 musicians on stage.

In terms of entertaining the fans, Joe Walsh led the way with his crazy antics on stage. He had a camera on his hat and would show what the fans were doing on the big screens.

Highlights of the show included "Desperado," "Hotel California," "Lyin Eyes," "New Kid in Town," and "I Can't Tell You Why." I enjoyed the concert and was surprised that the band could play for 3 1/2 hours!

Setlist

Set One

1. "Saturday Night"
2. "Train Leaves Here This Morning"
3. "Peaceful Easy Feeling"
4. "Witchy Woman"
5. "Doolin–Dalton"
6. "Tequila Sunrise"
7. "Doolin-Dalton / Desperado (Reprise)"
8. "Already Gone"
9. "Best of My Love"
10. "Lyin' Eyes"
11. "One of These Nights"
12. "Take It to the Limit"

Set Two

13. "Wasted Time (Reprise)"/"Pretty Maids All in a Row"
14. "I Can't Tell You Why"
15. "New Kid in Town"
16. "Love Will Keep Us Alive"
17. "Heartache Tonight"
18. "Those Shoes"
19. "In the City"
20. "Life's Been Good"
21. "The Long Run
22. "Funk #49"
23. "Life in the Fast Lane"

Encore One

24. "Seven Bridges Road"
25. "Hotel California"

Encore Two

26. "Take It Easy"
27. "Rocky Mountain Way"
28. "Desperado"

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Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival

My son attended the Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival at UC Berkeley today.

The festival started at 09:00am and ran for three hours. The building was pretty crowded, with kids of all ages doing problems of varying difficulty levels. There were 18 different tables where 6-10 kids sat and worked on problems, usually 30-60 minutes. When one completed the designated problems, he moved to another table with space. This was a problem sometimes, as few spaces were available on some popular tables.

Alex started at table 2 (near the stage) and worked on the "Cookie Monster" problem set. These problems are intended for 6th graders (and so it was a challenge for Alex in 5th grade).

He moved to another table when he finished with the "Cookie Monster" problems. This went on until noon, when there was a raffle for prizes. Kids earned raffle tickets by completing problem sets.

Here are some of the problems that were presented at the festival.

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Bay Area Travel & Adventure Expo, Santa Clara

We attended the Bay Area Travel & Adventure Expo at the Santa Clara Convention Center today.

I was surprised by the number of people interested in travel!

First, we listened to the talk by Rick Steves on travels through Europe. Rick Steves' talk was extraordinarily crowded and standing-room-only for many visitors (including me).

He talked about his guidebooks and about how he got started. He travels to Europe for 100 days a year and has about 100 employees in his company. He spent nearly 15-20 minutes of the talk pushing/selling his guidebooks and tours while pointing out how other tour companies make money by getting kickbacks from the gift shops and restaurants they stop at.

He says that it's essential to connect to the locals in the country being visited. Traveling in a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle with all the luxuries and amenities is not much different than watching an Imax movie. Connecting to local people and experiencing their way of life makes all the difference.

He mentioned that his guidebooks now focus on the experience of travel rather than just the main attractions. It is this experience that most new travelers seek.

He encourages Americans to travel and minimize luggage, enabling them to travel easily using public transportation. He said that when he flies to London, instead of taking a taxi from the airport to his hotel, he buys a week-long tube pass for the same amount, allowing him to travel for a whole week using the subway and buses.

He told a few interesting anecdotes about finding parking in Rothenburg, Germany, and Venice, Italy. One needs to get up early or come out late to see how locals live. Between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., both cities are overrun with tourists, and he encouraged us to experience both towns when they were more regular.

After the show, Inna got Rick to autograph the Rick Steves Scandinavia Travel book (although Rick was mobbed by all the participants). Rick probably feels like a minor celebrity now.

The next talk at 12:15 p.m. by Joe Diaz - "Travel Like a Local" was a bit boring. Joe started talking about how he got into traveling and began his Afar magazine. After a while, we decided to skip the rest.

We decided to explore the convention floor, where many booths offered local and exotic destinations. There were many beautiful offers for inexpensive trips to Napa, San Diego, and other countries. I was surprised by how crowded it was. The tourism industry is doing well here!

I wanted to listen to the talk by Samantha Brown on Travel Channel. Although it was very crowded, I also enjoyed her talk. She made a big point of connecting with the locals, and her anecdote about trying to buy peanut butter in Greece comes to mind. 

She said she does not speak Greek and tried purchasing peanut butter in a Greek grocery store. She tried to explain what she wanted, eventually seeing walnuts, pointing out the nut part, and explaining that peanuts are also nuts. The Greek shopkeeper and his wife finally found peanuts but did not have peanut butter. Nevertheless, this search for peanut butter, despite language problems, was a highlight of her trip - because it engaged her abilities to communicate despite the language barrier.

Samantha also pointed out that after traveling for two years- a job that everyone considers the "best" - was no longer satisfying her. Visiting museums, churches, and galleries no longer sparked her interest until she flew to Guadalajara, Mexico. In the new world, there are few monuments to the past, and one has to connect more to the people. It was by visiting there that she started to love travel. She saw a beautiful shop and told the owner she thought it was perfect. She was invited to the owner's house and was made very welcome. These gestures of kindness made the trip to Guadalajara so special.

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2014 Silicon Valley International Auto Show

Today, we saw the 2014 Silicon Valley International Auto Show at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center on 150 West San Carlos Street in downtown San Jose.

Alex had lately shown a marked interest in cars, and I wanted to show him all the various brands.

We arrived on Sunday at 10:30am and immediately went to look at the BMW cars nearby.
Some cars were locked (M5, M6), but some were open. We sat in a nice BMW 750iL.

We saw the new electric BMW i3 on display, but I did not like the dashboard or the car's look. Its interior was also spartan. I can't understand why BMW can't make it look like a 328i. Why make it so substandard?

Inna and I both liked the new Cadillac CTS. It was luxuriously built with fine materials and workmanship.

I looked at the Lexus IS-F 350C convertible and really liked it. I will consider replacing my Mini Cooper S convertible.

The 2006 Bugatti Veyron was the most incredible-looking car at the show.

I also really liked the look of the Lamborghini Diablo.

Inna and Alex both liked the interior of the Mercedes-Benz E350.

I also liked (surprisingly) the look of the new VW Beetle Convertible. I may consider it as a serious possibility to replace the Mini Cooper S.

Still, the best car not to be found was the Tesla Model S. It was the best car we test-drove last year and is still the best sedan.

I was surprised that neither Audi nor Porsche were at this show. I also did not see any Ferrari models.
I would like to check out the new Porsche Boxster.

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Burgers at Mo's

As we were in Campbell looking at some tiles for our Kitchen's backsplash, we stopped by for lunch at Mo's The Breakfast and Burger Joint.

We sat outside and ordered some burgers, not expecting a whole lot. We were surprised by the fast, friendly service and the high-quality burgers we got.

Inna ordered the Mushacado Burger with Avacado, and it was delicious.

I ordered the Texas Roadhouse burger, and it was also well prepared with a fried onion ring, bacon, pickles, and coleslaw. It was much better than I ever expected. The whole combination was delicious.

I also really liked the Angry Orchard Apple Cider. It was sweet and delicious.

Overall, we liked the quality of the burgers and the fast service. We will be back.

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Review: The Book of Mormon at the Orpheum

Today, we saw a "The Book of Mormon" performance at the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco.

I wanted to see this musical last year (2012-2013 season) but could not find seats (it was all sold out).
I hoped to get seats this year, but again, no seats were available (and I did not want to pay scalper's prices) or try the lottery.

Luckily, our friend offered to sell us her tickets, so we went to see if it was.

The musical was hilarious and a giant parody of the Mormon religion (and maybe even all religion). There were many funny moments: the song "Hello" at the beginning of the musical, the "Turn It Off" number, and especially the Uganda natives' performance of what they have learned for the elders.

Inna liked it and thought it was as good as Anything Goes (we saw it last year). I am partial to Cole Porter's musicals, and the lyrics of Cole Porter are in a different league.

I still enjoyed it as a pleasant farce (though balcony seats were too far away).

According to Wikipedia:

The Book of Mormon is a religious satire musical with book, lyrics, and music by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone.^[1] Best known for creating the animated comedy South Park, Parker and Stone co-created the music with Lopez, a co-composer/co-lyricist of Avenue Q. The show lampoons organized religion and traditional musical theatre, reflecting the creators' lifelong fascination with Mormonism and musicals.^[2]

The Book of Mormon tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent to a remote village in northern Uganda, where a brutal warlord is threatening the local population. Naïve and optimistic, the two missionaries try to share the Book of Mormon, one of their scriptures—which only one of them has read—but have trouble connecting with the locals, who are more worried about war, famine, poverty, and AIDS than about religion.^[3] 

After nearly seven years of development, the show opened on Broadway in March 2011. The Book of Mormon has garnered overwhelmingly positive critical response and numerous theatre awards including nine Tony Awards, one of which was for Best Musical, and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. An original Broadway cast recording was released in May 2011 and became the highest-charting Broadway cast album in over four decades, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard charts.^[4]

Here are some videos of popular songs from the Book of Mormon.

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Bluestem Brasserie, San Francisco

Before enjoying our scheduled performance of  "The Book of Mormon" Musical playing in San Francisco's Orpheum Theater, we stopped by for dinner at Bluestem Brasserie.

The dinner at Bluestem was fantastic, and we especially enjoyed the "Pan-Seared Black Truffle Pierogi" for our appetizer. The service at Bluestem was super fast and friendly. I don't recall the last time I had such fast service in any restaurant.

For dinner, I ordered the "Fallon Hills Ranch Lamb," which was delicious, and I especially enjoyed the crust. The lamb was well prepared and well seasoned. It was incredibly delicious!

Inna ordered the "Seared Scallops and Lobster Ravioli," which was also delicious (though the portion was smaller than my lamb entree).

 Most of the food served comes from local farms, which shows in the ingredients' freshness.

For dessert, we enjoyed a couple scoops of Egg Nog ice cream.

We will surely be back!

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P90x Fitness at Courtside Club, Los Gatos

Monday, January 5, 2014 (Day 1, 7:30am with Dara - The Fit Test)

I took the introductory class on P90x at Courtside Club with Dara (the fitness instructor).

I've attended Courtside Club for two years to increase my aerobic and muscle fitness. I was not progressing much in my strength training, so I wanted to determine if P90x could improve my conditioning. My usual exercise regimen consists of doing 60 minutes of cardio exercise on an elliptical trainer and strength training using free weights and machines.

On the first day, I did a fitness test followed by a short workout with Dara - the current P90x instructor for Monday.

For the fitness test, I did the rowing machine for 500m, maximum burpees in two minutes, full pushups, and a few other exercises.

• Pushups (non-stop): 20               
• Burpees: 19
• Rowing Machine: Rowing under 2 min pace

I plan to try P90x for at least 30 days (doing a 1-hour workout 6 days per week) to see how much improvement I can achieve.

Tuesday, January 6, 2014 (Day 2, 7:30am with Lindsey - Plyometrics)

Today was my first P90x workout day with Lindsey (who teaches Tuesday's P90x class).
After a 5-minute warm-up on the treadmill, we went to the fitness studio, where we focused on our legs.
Lindsey had me do a lot of squats, jumps, and lunges. I was tired after an hour of these.

Wednesday, January 7, 2014 (Day 3, 7:00am with Alexis - Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X)

My second day of P90x with Alexis went well. Alexis teaches Yoga and Pilates, so today's class had a lot of burpees, stretching, lunges, and ab exercises. I need another 15 minutes of elliptical trainer cardio afterward.

Thursday, January 8, 2014 (Day 4, 7:30am with Lindsey - Yoga X)

On my third day of P90x,  I spent 5 minutes warming up on the treadmill and the rest of the time (55 minutes) with Lindsey doing a lot of stretching exercises. I didn't have enough time for a cardio workout today.

Friday, January 9, 2014 (Day 5, 7:30am with Dara - Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X)

On my 4th day of P90x, after 7 minutes of warming up on the rowing machine, Dara and I spent 15 minutes on the InBody 230 Body Composition Measurement machine.

I need to lose 16 lbs of fat to reach my ideal weight (but surprisingly, I already have more than enough muscle).

I should eat at least 1800 calories per day (2400 if I work out) to keep my current weight.

After reviewing the InBody 230 results, Dara had me spend 40 minutes on lunges and abs. This was a killer workout, as I was exhausted in the end.

In the real P90x, there are no breaks between exercises, and I had to stop a couple of times to get rest and water, so I need to get stronger to do all of these exercises back to back (non-stop).

Saturday, January 10. 2014 (Day 6, 9:00am with Lindsey - Kenpo X)

After an eleven-minute warm-up on the rowing machine, we had our P90x session in the gymnasium (near an ongoing basketball game). Instead of Kenpo, Lindsey did a combination of drills because the new members were trying out P90x. This was a challenging session as well.

Monday, January 13, 2014 (Day 7, 7:30am with Dara - Upper Body and Abs)

After an eleven-minute warm-up on the rowing machine, we had our P90x session in the studio.
Dara had me doing hundreds of pushups ( I did not know there were so many varieties: regular, military, wide-shoulder, diamond, feet-elevated). After this, we did a lot of abs (sit-ups) and various sit-up exercises.

This had to be the most challenging workout session to date. I was so tired I went to bed at 9:00pm and slept like a log.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014 (Day 7, 7:30am with Lindsey - Plyometrics)

After a ten-minute warm-up on the elliptical trainer, I had the P90x session in the studio.
Lindsey had me doing many squats, rope jumping, ice skating, mountain climbing, and other leg exercises. After legs, we focused on abs and did lots of sit-ups.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014 (Day 8, 7:00am with Alexis - Shoulders & Abs)

I didn't have time for a proper warm-up but I did high-knee runs at the gym. Alexis had us doing a lot of shoulder, leg, and ab exercises. Overall, this was a good workout. I did another twenty minutes of Cardio on the elliptical trainer afterward.

Thursday, January 16, 2014 (Day 9, 7:30am with Lindsey - YogaX)

After a ten-minute warm-up on the rowing machine, I did a lot of stretching and yoga exercises in the fitness studio. This was the most accessible P90x day so far!

I returned later in the day to do 60 minutes of elliptical training.

Friday, January 17, 2014 (Day 10, 7:30am with Dara - Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X)

After fifteen minutes of warm-up on the rowing machine, I did a lot of lunges, squats, and leg exercises in the fitness studio. After legs, we worked on many ab exercises, including sit-ups, V-ups, bicycles, etc.

This was the second-highest day of the week.

Saturday, January 18, 2014 (Day 11, 9:00am with Lindsey - Combo)


After a 30-minute warm-up on the elliptical machine, I did a lot of combination exercises, first in the basketball gym on the 1st floor and then in the fitness studio. Lindsey had many leg, abs, and arm exercises as this is also a demo class.

I survived two weeks of P90x!

Monday, January 20, 2014 (Day 12, 7:30am with Dara - Upper Body & Back)

After a 15-minute warm-up on the elliptical, I did many pushups, chest presses, and back exercises. This was another really tough day, and I was so tired afterward. I was also starving all day.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014 (Day 13,  7:30am with Lindsey - Plyometrics)

After a ten-minute warm-up on the rowing machine, I did many squats, stair runs, jump rope, pushups, sit-ups, and bicycle sit-ups. It was not an easy plyometrics day, but I worked well.

I purchased the Garden of Life Raw Protein with Marley Coffee to see if additional protein would help me recover faster. I am not a big believer in this stuff, but I am willing to try it out for a month.
P90x makes me hungry, and this protein will help me relieve my hunger.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014 (Day 14,  7:30am with Alexis - Legs and Abs)

With the early morning lesson at 7:00, I did not have time for a warm-up. Alexis had us do many warm-up exercises, and then I did many stretches for legs, stand-ups, pushups, etc.

Thursday, January 23, 2014 (Day 15,  7:30am with Lindsey - Cardio + YogaX)

I got to the club early at 7:00am and did elliptical training for 25 minutes. After the warm-up, I met up with Lindsey, and she had us do some more cardio, including 2 laps on the treadmill, 500 steps on the Stairmaster machine, and 600 strides on the elliptical trainer. After this cardio warm-up, we continued to the studio, where we did YogaX - mostly legs, arms, and neck stretches.

I checked my weight and gained some pounds - maybe from overeating. P90x makes me so hungry.

Friday, January 24, 2014 (Day 16,  7:30am with Dara - Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X)

I warmed up for twelve minutes on the rowing machine. Afterward, I did a lot of lunges, heavy pants, squats, hunchback walks, and back Afterwards, I did lots of abs, including bananas, sit-ups.

I survived three weeks of P90x!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Due to the Travel Expo in Santa Clara, I missed Saturday's P90x session with Lindsey. To make it up, I did 60 minutes of high-intensity elliptical training on Sunday.

Monday, January 27, 2014 (Day 17, 7:30am with Dara - Upper Body & Back)

After a ten-minute warm-up on the rowing machine, I did some new exercises with Dara. She had me do pushups and TRXs while leaning (these were really challenging). I did more abs after many chest presses and other arm exercises (including lawnmowers).

It was another challenging day, and I was all sweaty afterward.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014 (Day 18,  7:30am with Lindsey - Plyometrics)

After a ten-minute warm-up on the rowing machine, I did many plyometrics with Lindsey. She had us go up/down the stairs, run, jump rope, and do many other sweat-inducing exercises followed by abs.

It was not an easy plyometrics day.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014 (Day 19,  7:00am with Alexis - Pilates)

I didn't have time for a warm-up, and being the only one there, Alexis suggested that I do some Pilates to improve and stretch my muscles. I worked on the newest pilates machine on the second floor. I did lots of stretching exercises on my legs and shoulders and made some progress.

Afterward, I did fifteen minutes on the newest rowing machine.

Thursday, January 30, 2014 (Day 20,  7:30am with Lindsey - Cardio + YogaX)

I got to the club at 7:00am and did the elliptical training for 15 minutes. Afterward, we did the Cardio for the next 30 minutes, including Stairmaster for 5 minutes, two laps on the running machine, and 5 more on the Stairmaster.

After this, we did lots of abs and Yoga stretching exercises.

Friday, January 31, 2014 (Day 21,  7:30am with Dara - Legs/Arms/Cardio)

After a 12-minute warm-up on the rowing machine, Dara had me do a lot of squats with weights and multiple sets of lunges. We also did one-leg sit-downs. Afterward, we focused on arms, and I did many chest exercises and pushups on the TRX. This was followed by abs, with lots of sit-ups. After this was over, Dara had me do 2,000m on the rowing machine.

Saturday, February 1, 2014 (Day 22, 9:30am with Lindsey - Combo)

I arrived a few minutes before 9:30am, so I did not have time for a warm-up. After running a few laps in the basketball gym, Lindsey had us do squats, pushups (I did 3 sets of 25-40-25), TRX, and abs.
It was a good workout.

I survived one month of P90x!

Monday, February 3, 2014 (day 23, 7:30am with Dara - Upper BodyX)

I had a thirteen-minute warm-up on the elliptical trainer and then started the session with Dara. She had me start with 180-degree jumps on blocks, followed by pushups and snake pushups. My arms were too sore for some reason, and I had to stop a few times. This was followed by burpees, TRX for pushups, and abs.

This was another killer workout.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014 (day 24, 7:30am with Lindsey - PlyometricsX)

After an eleven-minute warm-up on the rowing machine, I did a lot of squats and pushups with Lindsey. For some reason, I was tired and struggled with most exercises. In the end, Lindsey had me spend 3 minutes on the stairmaster.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014 (day 25, 7:00am with Alexis - Pilates)

I didn't have time for a warm-up. Since Rob did not show up, we went to the Pilates studio after doing some upper body exercises to improve and stretch my muscles. I worked on the pilates machine and did lots of stretches. I did lots of stretching exercises on my legs and shoulders and made some progress.

Afterward, I did fifteen minutes on the newest rowing machine.

Thursday, February 5, 2014 (day 26, 7:30am with Lindsey - YogaX + Cardio)

After a 12-minute warm-up on the rowing machine, I went to the studio for the YogaX session with Lindsey. We did lots of stretches and exercises, and afterward, she had me do more Cardio on the stair-master machine. For some reason, I was a bit tired.

Friday, February 6, 2014 (day 27, 7:30am with Pierre - UpperBody and Legs)

I was surprised by the new instructor, Pierre, as Dara quit the gym. I was expecting her to do another challenging class, but we got a new instructor for the P90x class.

We did many new upper and lower-body exercises after a 12-minute warm-up on the rowing machine. This was a good workout day.

Monday, February 10, 2014 (day 28, 7:30am with Johnny - UpperBody)

After a ten-minute warm-up on the rowing machine, I met with Johnny, who is taking over from Dara. Johnny had me start on the bench presses, doing a reverse pyramid (beginning with 25, 20, 15) and insisted on the bar. We did more arm exercises, including pushups and chest presses, with mixed aerobic activity.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014 (day 29, 7:30am with Lindsey - Plyometrics)

After an eleven-minute warm-up on the rowing machine, I did a lot of lunges, squats, and pushups with Lindsey. It was another hard workout day, and I sweated a lot.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014 (day 30, 7:00am with Alexis - Pilates)

I didn't have time for a warm-up. Since Rob did not show up, we went to the Pilates studio after doing some upper body exercises to improve and stretch my muscles. I worked on the pilates machine and did lots of stretches. I did lots of stretching exercises on my legs and shoulders and made some progress.

Thursday, February 13, 2014 (day 31, 7:30am with Lindsey - YogaX + Cardio)

After a 12-minute warm-up on the rowing machine, I went to the studio for the YogaX session with Lindsey. We did lots of stretches and exercises, and afterward, she had me do more Cardio on the stair-master machine. For some reason, I was a bit tired.

Monday, February 24, 2014 (day 32, 7;30am with Melissa - UpperBody + Cardio)

After a ten-minute warm-up, Rob and I worked with Melissa, who is replacing Dara for Monday and Friday sessions. She had us start on the rowing machine, followed by pushups and machine exercises. In between upper bodywork, she had us run fast (7 miles/hour) for 60-second sprints. Afterward, we worked on the shoulders. I sweated a lot.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014 (day 33, 7:30am with Lindsey - Plyometrics)

I arrived late, so I only had a four-minute warm-up on the rowing machine; I did a lot of lunges, squats, and pushups with Lindsey. It was another hard workout day, and I sweated a lot.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014 (day 34, 7:00am with Alexis - Pilates)

I didn't have time for a warm-up. After doing some upper body exercises (starting with burpees)), we went to the Pilates studio to improve and stretch my muscles. I worked on the pilates machine and did lots of stretches. I did lots of stretching exercises on my legs and shoulders and made some progress.

Thursday, February 27, 2014 (day 31, 7:30am with Lindsey - YogaX + Cardio)

I went to the studio for the YogaX session with Lindsey. We started with lots of cardio work - rowing machine sprints, followed by runs and stair master. Afterward, we went to the Yoga studio and did many stretches and exercises.

Friday, February 28, 2014 (day 32, 7:30am with Melissa - LegsX)

Melissa had us do a lot of leg exercises, squats, jumps, etc. It was all focused on legs and some cardio.

Monday, March 3, 2014 (day 33, 7:30am with Melissa - UpperBody + Fitness Test)

After a 13-minute warm-up on the rowing machine, Melissa had me repeat the Fitness Test and the In-Body measurement. I did 40 pushups, 27 burpees, 3 minutes in plank, and 3 minutes against a wall.

The In Body 230 machine reported the following:

My body fat percentage dropped from 22.4% to 20.5% (a decrease of 2% fat).

After the fitness test, Melissa had us do more pushups, reverse pull-ups, free weights, and multiple sprints on the rowing machine.


Tuesday, March 4, 2014 (day 34, 7:30am with Lindsey - Plyometrics)

I arrived late, so I only had a four-minute warm-up on the rowing machine; I did a lot of lunges, squats, and pushups with Lindsey. It was another hard workout day, and I sweated a lot.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014 (day 35, 7:00am with Alexis )

I didn't have time for a warm-up. After doing some upper body exercises (starting with burpees), pushups, and other leg exercises, we did lots of stretching.


Thursday, March 6, 2014 (day 36, 7:30am with Melissa - Cardio)

Since Lindsey was out, Melissa covered for her. We started with lots of cardio work - rowing machine sprints, followed by runs and stair master. Afterward, we did some rolls on the roller. These were quite painful and are supposed to help with muscles.

Friday, March 7, 2014 (day 37, 7:30am with Melissa - LegsX and BackX)

Melissa had us do a lot of leg exercises, squats, jumps, etc. It was all focused on legs and some cardio.

Saturday, March 8, 2014 (day 38, 9:30am with Johnny - UpperBody)

Johnny had me doing lots of arms and deadlifts. It was a challenging workout, so much so that my back hurt afterward.

Monday, March 10, 2014 (day 39, 7:30am with Melissa - UpperBody)
Melissa had us do a challenging upper-body workout.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014 (day 40, 7:30am with Lindsey - Plyometrics)

Wednesday, March 12, 2014 (day 41, 7:00am with Alexis )
Instead of pilates, Alexis had me do rope jumps and pushups instead of pilates, followed by many different stretches.

Thursday, March 13, 2014 (day 42, 7:30am with Lindsey - UpperBodyX)
Instead of yoga, Lindsey had me do a challenging Upper-body workout with pull-ups, pushups, shoulder exercises, etc.

Friday, March 14, 2014 (day 43, 7:30am with Melissa - LegsX and BackX)
Melissa started me doing a lot of leg work, first on the Stairmaster, then by doing squats and other leg exercises. It was another tough Leg day.

Monday, March 17, 2014 (day 44, 7:30am with Johnny - Upper Body)
Since Melissa is in Costa Rica, Johnny stepped in for P90x, doing many upper-body exercises.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014 (day 45, 7:30am with Lindsey - Plyometrics)

Wednesday, March 19, 2014 (day 46, 7:00am with Alexis - Stretching)

Thursday, March 20, 2014 (day 47, 7:30am with Lindsey - UpperBodyX)

Friday, March 21, 2014 (day 47, 7:30am with Pierre - LegsX)

Monday, March 22, 2014 (day 48, 7:30am with Johnny - Upper Body)

Tuesday, March 23, 2014 (day 49, 7:30am with Lindsey - Plyometrics)

Wednesday, March 24, 2014 (day 50, 7:00am with Alexis - Stretching)

Thursday, March 25, 2014 (day 51, 7:30am with Lindsey - UpperBodyX)

Friday, March 26, 2014 (day 52, 7:30am with Melissa - LegsX)

Thursday, April 3, 2014 (7:30am with Lindsey - Plyometrics + Cardio)

My last InBody 230 report shows that I have gotten fatter than before I started!
It's hard to believe as I have gained a lot of muscle.

Friday, April 4, 2014 (7:30am with Melissa - Fitness Test)

I can't believe that I survived the last day of my 90-day P90x class! It's been a challenge to wake up at 6:30 five days weekly to attend all classes.

My final fitness test results are as follows:

• Pushups (non-stop): 59               (one month ago, I did 40 for the fitness test)
• Wall-sit (non-stop): 3min 30sec  (one month ago, I did 3 min for the fitness test)
• Plank:                       3min 30sec
• Burpees: 27 with pushups
• Burpees: 37 without pushups

I have improved arm and leg strength, but I did not lose any weight (probably due to my ravenous appetite).

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