P90X Legs & Back - 8/16

I haven't really posted about anything I've done regarding strength training or P90X routines, but as I work out in my mind what I'm going to do for the 3 months or so where cycling and running will be largely off the table, I'm settling in on the idea of going through the P90X routine (at least a large portion of it). I've mentioned that in passing in a post or two, but more and more, it looks like a certainty.

There are a few workouts in the P90X routine that I think are beneficial in some way for triathlons - even if they don't directly lead to performance improvement. The biggest at the moment is the legs and back, specifically for the legs.

So with doing a long run or bike ride on the weekend, and going to Yoga on Monday nights as a recovery workout, Tuesday makes the most sense to put the next large amount of stress on to my legs, as I'll have 3-4 days of recovery before the next weekend. Today was, I think, the 4th week I've done the legs and back routine. I did it once before, prior to the Patriot half, but it resulted in such soreness and tightness that it was a few days before I felt better again, and it was close to the event itself, and I did not want to screw with anything. However, the fact that it was so soreness inducing made me realize it was something beneficial that I'd have to come back to.

And why is that? Because the lunges and squats help with the one-legged balance and hip strength that is often one of the root causes of IT band issues - at least, according to PT and the exercises they prescribe. Also, the routine works the quads as well, and I'm thinking that if I can strengthen the quads more, they won't get quite so tight during a run, further helping to minimize IT band issues. The other nice thing about it is that the legs routine really doesn't require much for weight - so if I'm travelling for work one week - I can still get a good session in, albeit slightly less intense without dumb-bells.

Of course, when I did it the second time, with it having been several weeks since the first time, it made me real sore again. But each time I've done it, it has gotten better. So my goal with it for this month is to get it to the point where I'm not sore for more than about a day. It is also a reason why I'm holding at the 20 miles run/100 mile bike distance this month - to give my legs a chance to catch up with regards to this workout.

Other than that - there's not a whole lot to say about this workout, other than I did my best, and forgot the rest.