It's official, the P90X doubles routine kicked my butt two times in a row. I have been out of commission for about a month due to two shoulder injuries, on top of the flu, on top of some crazy stress from my school this semester. This is a lesson learned: don't overdo it! I definitely piled on too much, and my immune system, nerves, and muscles all got angry at me for doing it.

I don't think I'll be attempting the doubles routine again for a while. Maybe next summer, or after this next round? If anybody out there has actually finished the P90X doubles routine, I would love to hear any tips! As for right now, I am moving on to P90X Plus. I have officially graduated from P90X (doubles is extra credit, not a required course!), so it's on to the next step...and I have to get training for a potential triathlon, or a different long distance cycling project this summer, and time is ticking!

I won't be uploading my progress from this last doubles routine, I was able to increase my total weight and reps, get down to the weight mark I was shooting for, and I have shrunk, yet again, out of my jeans, but I'm not putting up the spread sheets for this one. I'll post progress after this round of Plus, which starts this afternoon. I'm also going to get some photos for before and after this time, promise!

So my system has recovered, I have reset my schedule, and I am restarting the program. I've made a promise not to overdo it, or to get all worked up about the numbers. It's about feeling good, not having a big ego! Anyway, off to the races, people!

EDIT: almost forgot! There's a custom made excel spreadsheet (you are welcome) for tracking P90X Plus progress! Let me know if you love or hate it!

I've done workouts when sick before, and they made me feel quite a bit better, so I just kept to them. It makes me feel like life is worth living beyond the cold! But is this a good idea? Should I "walk it off" or should I take to the couch and "let my body heal"? The "common sense" of things seems to contradict itself, so I thought I would address the major issues I find myself concerned with when I have to confront this issue.

First of all, I need no research to tell me that if you're sick, stay out of the gym. Don't go exposing yourself to congested public places, and the people in those places to your cold, if you don't need to. This is just politeness. Ever catch a cold and, wondering how you got it, remembered that sick dude at work, school, or the gym and think to yourself, "Why didn't they just stay home a day or two?" I work out at home, so this is never an issue for me.

To be blunt, you should never do some crazy, exhausting workout if you are suffering from a cold. You should, at the very least, pull back a little. Focus on some light cardio, or reduce your weights some if you are circuit training. Take it easy. But, the good new is you don't have to stop working out, just because you're stuffed up! That's right, you have no excuse! A lot of people use a little head cold as an excuse to "take a break" from their routine, and never get back into it. This is just a way out for the uncommitted. The truth of the matter is, working out dilates the blood vessels and helps clear congestion, so it will make you feel better, but research shows that working out will not speedy the recovery process. It just makes it a bit more bearable. Likewise, the cold will not affect your ability to work out, it will just make it a bit less bearable! Just don't take it to far, working out too hard will prolong any cold.

While it's never a good idea just to stop working out because of an injury or head cold, but better to find a way to work around your injury or illness, there are some situations when you should just put a pause to your routine. Let's look at these:

• As far as the common cold/flu symptoms go, do the neck check! If your symptoms are above the neck only, then just continue on as described above and be happy. But, if your symptoms are below the neck (ie,nausea) then you need to take a break, and let your body heal itself. In other words, if it's just stuffiness and a runny nose, you're good to go.
• If you have a fever of any degree, stop working out. You are going to do nothing more than stress out your immune system and make matters worse, and this could even lead to myocarditis (inflammation of the heart).
• If you have any sort of "body aches", including a headache., stop working out.
• Lung congestion, hacking cough? No work out for you, my friend. Take a break, and let your lungs fight the battle.
• If you experience any fatigue, listen to your body and rest. Don't feel guilty for not working out here, you are tired because your immune system is burning all of your calories working overtime to fight that virus. Let it!

Naturally, you're getting your rest and remembering to meet your nutrition/hydration needs, and before long, you're feeling you're over the hump of the cold's course. Keep to these rules as a good measure until it's out of you entirely, if you need to do something, go for a calm walk, or do a stretch. Finally, after you've followed these rules, and you're feeling over your cold, don't go full tilt back into your routine, take it easy at first, and build back up into it!