Back and Belly Review (1-on-1, Vol 2)

Posted by Coach Mike on Jul 9, 2011 in Workouts | 1 comment

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July 9, 2011 –

I have been doing 1-on-1, Volume 2 discs like crazy to get reviews out to this great team as fast as possible. So be prepared for an onslaught. You can see my complete Volume 2 post HERE.

You can also download the worksheets for this workout and all the Volume 2 workouts HERE.

Disc 6 – Back & Belly

Length: 36 minutes

Target Muscle: Back and Abs

P90x Replacement: Legs & Back (Partly) or Chest & Back (Partly) and Ab Ripper X

My Recommendation Rating: 4 Stars (out of 5)

Equipment Required: Pull-Up Bar and a Mat

There are no surprises in this routine. Tony comes right at you with round after round of Pull-Ups and Abs; 7 to be exact. And even throws in a bonus pull-up at the end.

On the back front, Tony doesn’t go easy on us with just chin-ups. Rest assured that Levers, Corn-Cobs,and X Pull-Ups all await you! On the ab front, you will see alot of Ab Ripper X moves. So this should feel familiar to P90Xers.

What makes this routine unique is that I have always done Chest&Back together and then Abs after. Or I have done Legs&Back with Abs after. I have never done a Back routine with Abs in between pull-ups.

We all have a wheelhouse. You know, those things we are really good at. And while I have made huge personal improvements on pull-ups, I still feel this is an area I need to continually work on. This workout allows me to do that. Many times I wonder whether I am running out of gas on pull-ups on a Chest&Back routine because I am spent from the push-up and pull-up continual pounding or is it because my back is really weak. This routine will help me figure that out and focus solely on my back.

I actually did fairly well in this routine. I did this routine first and then did Butt & Belly so that I could hit Back, Legs, and Abs all in one day. With swimming being a key component of my triathalon training (obviously!), I am working my back twice a week and will incorporate this routine into my next 8 weeks leading up to my Olympic-distance race.

I hold back the 5th star because many of the moves are similar to what we have seen. This doesn’t mean it is not a good workout though. Doing the same exercises in different sequences is all a part of muscle confusion and one of the reasons I am really liking this Volume 2 series.