P90X Kempo workout day 6.

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P90X Kempo workout day 6.

john
January 18, 2010
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Boy, did this DVD bring back a few memories of the past. Day 6 of P90X was a good Kempo workout. I went into hoping that it wasn’t some badly unpracticed form of martial art routines. I’ve tried a few what they call aerobic kickboxing classes in the past and although it was a great aerobic workout, I felt really let down that the instructors didn’t practice the correct form.

I actually trained in martial arts for about ten years. Our school did a lot of true kickboxing events. This was 15 to 20 years ago before the hardcore stuff we see on TV every night now. Back then you could barely find kickboxing on TV unless is was some special event and someone like ESPN carried the fight. Today the UFC like matches are much more brutal and combine a lot of martial arts practices into the events. Back when I did it, it was more of a boxing match that allowed you to use your feet for kicking. The pros at the time were allowed to use their knees and did a lot of leg kicking as well.

I will rate the Kempo workout of P90X at about a 90% as far as good form goes. For the most part, the instructors showed and practiced decent form. One routine that they were really off in my opinion was on side kicks. Proper side kicks should power thru the heels and make use of the opposite foot as a balancing tool by rotating your rear foot away from the target. Furthermore, to effectively power into the target, you should not lean your back away from the target. I realize that P90X is a workout and not supposed to teach you martial arts. However, it was comical to watch my wife try to maintain her balance using a few of the methods she was watching in the video. Once, I showed her proper sidekick form, she was having a much easier time with the kicks.

Now, for all of the arm blocks and punches, I was very pleased. The instructor even showed good horse stance squats, four proper blocks, and several series of punches. I really enjoyed this workout after we got going. It’s been quite a while since I have done a good martial arts workout. Just like any sport where you practice muscle movements over and over, the drills and defensive techniques become instinctive over time. I told my wife that while doing this video I really want her to concentrate on good form. Because in a few weeks, I’ll make her practice some of the blocks, and show her why form is so important.

Overall, the P90X Kempo workout was a butt kicker. It’s only been 6 days and I can tell that my flexibility is increasing thanks to a lot of the stretching exercises mixed into every workout.

Speaking of stretching, day 7 is next and the DVD is called Stretch X. This should be a blast considering almost all of my muscle groups are sore and tight.

I managed to follow the P90X Kempo workout with a decent 20 minute interval session on the Cyclops trainer. Not as much as I wanted, but better than nothing at all.

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