Tony says: If there is a routine that is fun fun fun it is Kenpo X. It’s moving, it’s groovin, it’s changing direction there is so much going on. You’re jumping around like a madman, you’re burning tons of calories, but you’re so busy because you’re involved with what you’re doing, that before you know it’s over. You’re soaking wet, you feel like a million bucks. It’s Kenpo X.

Overview: This is indeed a fun workout. You’re going to be throwing kicks, elbows, knees and punches. Have fun with it! Throw out those punches and join Tony and his crew as they yell. Put your back into it, swivel from the hips, and enjoy this easy workout. I say easy for P90X; it’s still an excellent and challenging cardio workout. If you’ve never done any kind of martial arts before, be patient with yourself’; it’s easy to grow frustrated with the kicks or the necessary coordination needed for some of the punch combos with no prior practice. But hang in there, work your way through, and you’ll build balance and coordination as well as working the cardio and explosive power.

One key tip: try to power your hooks and upper cuts from your hips. If you only use your arms you’ll be throwing weak, floppy punches, but if you lock your arms and bring the motion in from the swinging of your back and hips not only will you be getting a good core workout, you’ll be throwing deadly punches.

Finally, be sure to really enjoy the stretch. There’s a lot of yoga and it’s the longest stretch you’ll have done thus far, coming in at more than 11 minutes, but really go deep, try and stretch out those muscles that are no doubt sore after a week of intense exercise.

Tip of the Day: Don’t bang your joints. Extend your limbs, but don’t bang your joint.

The Workout:

Warm Up

The Kenpo X warm up is a long one, clocking in at just about 11.30 minutes. It starts with a series of back stretches which also pull at your hamstrings. Come into prayer squat, elbows inside your knees, driving them out, hands pressed together in prayer. Place your hands on the floor and kick your foot out into a sideways lunge, rising on the bent leg’s toe. Turn into a deep side lunge, and then turn into runner’s pose (imagine a sprinter about to take off). Drop a knee and reach up to the sky, leaning back, then straighten that back leg and go into crescent pose, arms up. Move into prayer twist, holding that back leg straight. Repeat for the other side.

Back to center, prayer squat. Hands on floor, turn feet out so heels are parallel, raise your buttocks to the sky, and hang, stretching your hamstrings. Roll up like a rag doll, nice and slow. Then lie on your back, extend one leg straight above you, and pull your leg toward you, stretching your hamstring out. Grab your toe, pull it down, work on keeping a straight leg. Keeping your spine on the floor, let your leg fall out to the side and lie on the floor. Then pull the knee toward your chest, and then do the other side.

Go into pigeon pose, leg bent beneath you, sitting on your heel, and then reach back to pull your leg up into a squat stretch. Do the other side. Then go into a frog pose, knees wide, lying on your chest. Come out and go into cobra, legs extended behind your, up on your hands, chest out, and then into downward dog. Pedal those feet, stretch those calves. Roll up, and get ready to rock.

Workout

Twist and Pivot [25 times]: Boxing stance, pivot your torso and hips so that you rotate your elbows back and forth as if blocking blows.

Twist & Pivot w/Hook Uppercut [25 times]: Same as before, but now each time you twist, throw in a hook and then an uppercut.

Jabs [30 times]: Simple: stand in a boxing stance, and throw jabs straight from one arm.

Jab/Cross [25 times]: Throw a jab, and then with the other arm throw a cross.

Jab/Cross/Hook [25 times]: Same as before, but after your cross throw a hook with the jabbing arm. Try to pivot from the hip!

Jab/Cross/Hook/Uppercut [25 times]: Same as before, but after the hook, throw a solid uppercut with the cross arm to finish it off.

[Water Break 1:30 min]

Step Drag Punch High/Low [30 times]: Slide step forward, throwing a punch at face height and a cross to the gut.

Jab/Cross Switch [20 times]: Throw a jab/cross combo, and then jump and switch feet.

Hook/Uppercut Switch [20 times]: Same as before, throw the combo and then jump so as to switch your feet.

Knee Kicks [25 times]: Pretend you’re burying your knee in someone’s gut. Reach out to grab their shoulders, and bring them down into a high knee.

Ball Kicks [30 times]: Front kick to waist height, turning to pivot your hips forward and then falling back into a boxer’s stance.

Side Kicks [30 times]: Kick to the side, aiming to get your kick up at waist height, arms held up in a guard position.

[Water Break 1:40 seconds]

Back Kicks [25 times]: Kick to the back, heel kicking like a mule, hands up in guard position.

Three Direction Kicks [8 times]: Throw three kicks, one to the back, one to the side, on to the front, and that’s one rep.

High Sword/Low Hammer [15 times]: Throw a chop at neck height and hammer blow at an imaginary crotch.

Step Drag/Claw/Low Punch [25 times]: Glide step forward, claw your opponents shirt down and then punch them in the gut.

[Water Break: 1.35 sec]

High Blocks [30 sec]: Throw a high block, blocking a descending blow from above with a raised forearm held at a 45 degree angle above your head.

Inward Blocks [30 times]: Block a blow coming at your torso, forearm held vertically and sweeping across your chest.

Outward Blocks [30 times]: Block with your forearm, an outward block this time as if a blow were sweeping intoward your torso from the outside.

Downward Block [30 times]: Block with your forearm a blow coming at your waist, sweeping your forearm down like inverted windshield wipers.

Star Blocks [16 times]: Do all four blocks in rapid succession.

[Water Break 1:50 sec]

High Block/Low Punch [25 times]: Throw a high blovk and then a cross punch.

Knee/Back Kick [15 times]: Throw a high knee and follow it with a back kick.

Back Knuckle/Ball Kick/Back Kick [10 times]: Throw some backslapping knuckles at your opponent’s face, and then follow with a ball kick forward and back kick behind. That’s one rep.

Hook/Uppercut/Low Side Kick [10 times]: Throw a hook/uppercut combo, and follow it with a vicious low sidekick.

Elbow Series [30 times]: Get into a low horse stance and throw three elbows: straight up as if going into a tricep stretch, a side strike and then back across.

Vertical Punches [50 times]: Last exercise of the workout! Low horse stance, throw crosses with your fist held vertically. Do it 50 times, slowly increasing the speed.

 

 

Cool Down [4:30 sec]

The cool down is about four and a half minutes. Startoff withang  down there, rocking back and forth, holding your elbows. Drop into downward dog and pedal your calves. Hang low again and slowly rise to a standing posture. Do a balance quad stretch on both sides, and you’re done!

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