The Lifestream of Genghis Mendoza

So lately I’ve been caught up in the MJ phenomenon. It’s still hard to believe he’s gone, and I’ll have to admit that I was a waning fan the past decade. But after listening to all the songs he’s ever created, as well as the countless videos, testimonials and watching this past week’s memorial, I do have a better appreciation for the ultimate entertainer.

I remember Michael Jackson’s Sega Genesis video game. Yes, I think he happened to be the only musician who had his own video game. This was long before Rock Band or Guitar Hero. The gameplay was pretty decent, and the background music showcased a 16-bit version of “Smooth Criminal”. MJ had his characteristic dance steps as moves to stave off enemies, saving little girls along the way. The special move made bad guys dance in the background till they passed out.

Michael Jackson was an icon in every way. I have my MJ playlist on repeat. If only I could find the ROMS for Moonwalker.

I’ve you’re a friend on Facebook, then you’ve most likely read the many updates I’ve been leaving regarding my daily updates and my P90X workout. If you’ve wondered what the whole P90X thing has been about, I’ll take a moment to explain.

One day last year, I was channel surfing and saw an infomercial regarding this new workout routine called P90X. The infomercial was a bit intimidating, stating that there has never been a workout more intense. The photos and testimonies from the people that used the program, showed major differences in physique within 90 days. I didn’t really believe that the workout would make such drastic changes in a short amount of time. So I watched intrigued, but never really motivated to really take the first step.

Flash forward a year later. I started running on a daily basis and eating right. At my heaviest, I weighed 235. After about six months of running and eating healthy I was able to drop my weight to 215.  That’s a pretty good and steady stream of weight loss, however I felt my body beginning to plateau. I would fluctuate at around 213-215, and not really get much more from the running. A buddy of mine had purchased a copy of the p90X routine and asked me if I wanted to start it with him. I took a look at a couple of the DVD’s and was a bit intimidated. I tried out the Ab-ripper X workout and was sore for about a week after. It seemed a bit intimidating, but with a little push and a workout buddy, I decided to take the leap.

Before we started, we needed to get the appropriate gear. You don’t need much to start. A dvd player with a television, some resistance bands or weights, and a pull-up bar. I happened to have a set of the Bowflex adjustable dumb bells.  We both commuted a ways to work so we scheduled our workout times in the early morning  to get them in. Like the infomercial stated, it didn’t take alot to get started, and you don’t need to have a fancy gym membership or a bunch of equipment to begin. There’s a recommended diet plan complete with recipe book and types of foods you should eat, but I decided not to follow it, and keep my portions small, while continuing to eat a balanced meal and cut back on junk food and fats. I asked my wife to take a before photo as well as my measurements, so I can chart the progress. I filled out the worksheets and booklet with my initial stats. The whole point of the workout is muscle confusion. The variety and routine of workouts prevents your muscles from adjusting and hitting the plateau. This allows you to lose more weight. I was just about to see how much.

The first week was pretty intense. My body was aching and sore, and the workouts were taking a hold of muscles and rattling them to the point of fatigue. I’ve worked out and been sore, but never like this. I went through the suggested Phase I  weekly regiment of Chest/Back + Ab-ripper, Plyometrics, Shoulder/Arms + Ab-ripper, Yoga, Legs/Backs + Ab-ripper, Kenpo, and finally Stretch. The first week was rough. I was unable to do most of the exercises through completion. I hated yoga, and couldn’t finish one set of Ab-ripper exercises. I told myself if I can get through the first week, then my body will be able to adjust, and I’ll notice some changes. It helped that I had a p90X partner to push me to exercise. It motivated the both of us, when we were struggling during a routine.

As I progressed into my second and third weeks, my body began to adjust to the intense workouts. I noticed I was doing more reps with certain exercises, and I began losing a bit of weight within my first couple of weeks. With each small improvement, I made sure to celebrate and motivate myself to continue with the workout. I found myself enjoying some of the workouts, and started to feel the benefits of each. I found ways to motivate myself by sharing my updates on my Facebook status. This kept me honest with others who were following along.

After Phase I, you continue on to a rest week. This isn’t exactly a rest week where you do nothing. You begin with a number of different DVD’s. Core Synergistics, Cardio X, and the normal Kenpo, Yoga, and Plyometrics dvd’s. For a rest week it’s still a very intense workout.

I continued into Phase II which incorporated a couple of new DVDs and workouts. The pattern for each week is the same, but the major muscle group dvd’s like Chest, Shoulders and Tri’s, showcased new exercises, different types of push-ups, and combinations of weight and resistance exercises. There were new exercises like the corn cob pull-up, where you pull yourself up, move left laterally, right laterally, forward then back, then down again. To this day I’m still unable to do a full corn cob pull-up without a chair. I suppose I’ll be able to do one after my third round of P90X. I made it through my second phase of P90X, and was ready to start my rest week and final phase of P90X.

I’ll post the second part of this entry along with the results in the next few days, so stay tuned…

So one of the things I’ve become accustomed with my career, is that all work, past or present is fleeting. I’ve worked on many sites, both large and small, and each of those works changes as often as business and product requirements adjust to the competitive landscape, economy or technology.

The product which I felt had the most promise and potential to become something bigger and grander, fell to the wayside, because of politicking and bureaucracy. The team I worked with was  filled with talent, energy, enthusiasm and motivation. But in a week or so all the previous years of work will be placed in a catalogue chalked up to job and life experiences. Because in the end, with this type of work, that’s all you’re  left with.

Code is fleeting, like graffiti at the bus yards.