Anyone have a spine for sale?

Just when I thought I had this whole back pain thing under control, my L4 and L5 decided to remind me that I'm not the one that is in control of my body.  One emergency trip to the chiropractor later I'm feeling better, but I finally hit the breaking point today.  Needless to say, it wasn't good.

It's been a little over a month since I started really taking care of my back problems (daily stretching, chiropractor care, etc.), and last week I thought that I finally had everything handled. Unfortunately I was wrong, and when I woke up this morning I was back to having a bit more pain than I could deal with. While normally I would stretch, suck it up, and make another chiropractor appointment, today was my final breaking point. While I sat there at the edge of the bed wondering what the hell I did to deserve all of this, I felt my whole mindset switch from relatively happy (I did have a great holiday weekend), to straight up doom and gloom.

I have been in a state of constant pain since I got back from overseas. At times it's better than others, but most mornings consist of me slowly getting out of bed, hobbling to the bathroom like a 90-year old man, and then starting my regimen of stretching and groaning so I can at least tie my shoes. While I've weathered the storm relatively well (I try not to complain at least), I've been realizing as of late the OTHER negative results that come from all the pain. Any weight that I lost during P90X is back. I'm constantly tired because I can't get into a workout regimen (every time I try my back protests very heavily). I find myself not giving a shit about sucking down fast food.

In simple terms, I'm frustrated. I want to work out, I want to hit my goals, and I definitely don't want to be a couch potato. Right now I'm at that tipping point where I could very easily turn into a disgusting fatbody.

My initial plan of getting into kettlebells is definitely not going to happen right now, and my previous plan of using yoga to rehab my back is out as well. So what am I going to do? Good question... here are my thoughts:

1) Take SERIOUS control of my diet - While normally I would have 60-90 minutes a day to keep my metabolism going, I don't have that right now. That means I'm going to have to go into actual diet mode. That means as of right now no fast foods (okay, I know I really shouldn't eat them, but doing it every once and a while is normally fine), desserts, fried foods, etc. Yes, it's a bit much, but I don't have a choice. We'll consider the super clean eating as a cleansing, heh.

2) Daily stretching - I've been good about this one, but I'm probably going to have to up the ante until the pain subsides.

3) Heavily restricted workouts - I thought that if I kept enough pressure off my back I would be fine, but as of right now I can't have ANY pressure on my back until the pain goes away. That rules out a lot, especially kettlebells. The replacement for now is going to be a lot of pushups, pullups, and free squats. Not exciting, but it's something.

4) Continued chiropractic care - There are people that will say chiropractics is bad, and my continued pain after a month of treatment is an indication of that. However, my chiropractor has kept my quality of life very high for a long time, and along the way he has fixed some nasty problems. I'm going to stick with this for another 2-weeks. If the pain is still there, then I'm going to investigate other alternatives.

Wish me luck!

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Tony Horton Has Met His Match

My kettlebells and training video arrived, so for the next I don't know how long, Anthony Diluglio is going to be my replacement for Tony Horton. Now, it's not that I have anything against Tony (well, actually, I do find his constant hitting on Dreya Weber a bit creepy). It's just that it was time for me to grow up, be a big boy, and actually try and get some strength. Like I went into it before, P90X does make you stronger, but I need to fast forward a little more and really move things up. That means more weight, and some seriously intense workouts.

So who is this Anthony Diluglio guy? First off, he's the owner of Punch Kettlebell Gym, and the person behind the Art of Strength training DVDs. According to his bio, he is one of "America's top kettlebell instructors." However, we all know what that is - marketing fluff. We're going to have to pop the hood on his training DVDs to really evaluate his skill.

While admittedly I bought into P90X because of the never ending onslaught of 3am infomercials, in the end Tony proved to be a good instructor... even if he didn't come up with the training programs himself (and he's a little less creepy than John Basedow). Anthony and his training was suggested to me by my buddy that suggested the kettlebells. He trained with Anthony, and his exact comments were, "he's a great trainer and knows his stuff, so get his DVDs. However, he's a pompous ass." I figured that his recommendation, in spite of his personal feelings, meant that the training had to be at least halfway decent.

I always looks at things from a training perspective, and I knew that in order to be successful with kettlebells these DVDs would need to be very specific and cover all the bases. Kettlebell training can be dangerous if done wrong (remember, you're swinging around a giant piece of iron), so solid training, especially if you're doing it via DVD, is essential. Well, Disc 1 of Anthony's Art of Strength Clinic didn't disappoint. He went through all the basic moves, broke them down into pieces, and even taught "assistance" exercise that are good to help your overall technique. He also had a "problem" section for each exercise which gave you common issues people have with each move. From an instructional standpoint I was satisfied.

The unfortunate part is that I can't really tell you all that much about the workouts. My back is still a mess (thankfully I'll be at the chiropractor Monday), and some of the moves really aggravate it (and by aggravate I mean send searing pain through my lower back).

And yes, for all your kettlebell masters out there, I know that I should be using my legs and glutes with a lot of the swings and lifts. However, each move is still based on your core being at least mostly serviceable, and no matter how perfect my form, there's still stress put on the lower back. If it wasn't hurting I would be fine. Unfortunately, there are just certain ranges of motion that set it off.

My plan over the next few weeks is to use the lighter of my two bells (8kg) to go through the workouts and practice the moves. I definitely won't be working my strength like I would like, but it'll give me a chance to perfect my movements. I also need to really work on my flexibility (especially in my squats), so I won't have any lack of things to do.

For now I'm going to have to hold off on running since I know that the constant pounding puts pressure on my back. The hope is that between a few extra chiropractor appointments, the lighter kettlebell workouts, and more yoga, I'll be back into shape in no time. Then I'll be able to kick my kettlebell workouts into high gear.
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The New Weapon of Choice or What the Hell is Kettlebell?

This past week has been fraught with my dealing with my oh-so-shitty back, so instead of not working out and bitching about it I decided to put my intellect to work. I've been going back and forth about P90X, and while I know that I will get results with it, they're not necessarily the results that I want. That brings us to the question that stifles so many on their quest to the world of pecs and abs. What should I do for my workouts?

Back in the day I was considered a "fitness professional," but I definitely wasn't what most would consider a personal trainer. As a self-defense instructor I relied on tried and true athletic training principles from traditional strength training to pilates and yoga. While I became very familiar with principles from a lot of different disciplines, I never got good at putting together traditional workouts (i.e. a weight-lifting schedule). I can smoke myself in a cardio or interval workout, but I've always been behind the power curve on how to develop strength - especially explosive strength. Sure, you can get strong doing Krav Maga, but in order to move past a certain level you need to start incorporating different things - mostly additional weight.

The problem that I've always had is that I hate going to the gym (I know, go figure). Aside from the issues that most people have with traditional gyms (waiting for a bench, people not re-racking weights, those insanely jacked guys that lift more with their triceps than I can squat), I never liked the typical strength training routines. Yes, there are proven methods to building strength, and pounding out some iron is one of the best ways to do it. Unfortunately, the traditional programs just don't keep my interest. I'm sure if I had an awesome trainer or a good training partner that wouldn't be a problem, but that's not in the cards right now. Trainers are too expensive (when I get independently wealthy I'll have Mark Verstagen come to my house), and finding a training partner with my schedule is tough. To make matters worse I will only have access to a traditional gym about 50% of the time. If I build a workout routine that requires benches and squat racks I'll just be setting myself up for failure.

P90X is definitely an option, and it will without a doubt make you stronger. However, the one thing to understand about P90X is that while it is partially a strength program, one of the main purposes of it is to help you burn fat and lose weight. While I will never scoff at dropping a few lbs, my main concern right now isn't about how I look. What I need right now is strength... lots and lots of strength.

So the requirements for my new regimen are pretty straightforward, but a little difficult to satisfy:

1. The main program needs to be strength training. Cardio will be supplemented with runs (which I need to do) and Bas Rutten workouts (since my Krav Maga technique has gone to shit).
2. The program needs to be as portable as P90X. The Powerblocks made it easy to bring weight wherever I needed.
3. As little additional investment as possible. I spent over $500 on my P90X investment, so I don't want to be buying a ton of crap unless I know it's going to last me.
4. Enough potential variation in the program that I will keep my ADD side satisfied.
5. The program needs to have a significant core strength portion to get my lame back into shape so this pain will go away.

In order to help with this decision I made a phone call to a good friend of mine for some advice. Not only is he a walking bulldozer, he's a training freak that is always on the lookout for something new to make his workouts more intense. His advice came in one simple word - kettlebells.

For those of you that don't know, kettlebells are a Russian torture, er... workout device, that have been around for some time. Basically it's a cannonball with a handle, and you can use the kettlebell in an almost unlimited variation of movements including lifts, swings, throws, etc. Kettlebells have gotten extremely popular over the past few years, and several of my friends have been working out with them for some time.

I never really got into kettlebells mainly because I never had access to them. Back when I ran my schools I had thought about purchasing some, but they're not the cheapest things around, and I didn't have a certified kettlebell instructor around me to work with. While normally I would just purchase them willy-nilly and figure out how to use them, I didn't want to hurt any of my students trying to use them in training when I didn't know what I was doing. Yes, from time-to-time I do make sensible decisions.

Kettlebell enthusiasts will tout these portable munitions as the greatest thing to come to strength training since someone realized lifting a weight makes you stronger. However, just like CrossFit, P90X, John Basedow's abs, and Denise Austin's workout videos, there are people that swear by them and others that think claims are nothing more than marketing hype. Since I'm a little more rational than most, I understand that the truth lies somewhere in the middle, and that the success of a program ultimately relies on the person that's actually doing it.

Just to go off on a tangent for a moment, lets look at CrossFit as an example. Yes, CrossFit is an amazing organization that has brought a lot of people to the pinnacle of human performance. Coach Glassman has pioneered new methods and principles in athletic training that are so significant that the Marine Corp modeled their new PT program after this teachings. However, CrossFit requires a lot of equipment (olympic weights, bumper plates, ropes, pull-up bars, etc.), and an experienced coach is an absolute necessity for beginners than have never attempted olympic-style lifts. For those that have access to the equipment and proper coaching, CrossFit is great. Unfortunately for me it's not really a possibility given my current constraints. And before any CrossFit zealots, ahem, enthusiasts, jump down my throat... yes, I know CrossFit posts new workouts everyday. Yes, I know they post very good how-to's for many of the lifts they do. I've gone through a lot of CrossFit workouts in my day. Unfortunately, I don't have much space for tractor tires in my 1100 square foot condo.

But I digress. Looking at my requirements/constraints, it appears that kettlebell workouts are the most conducive to what I'm looking for. Let's see how they fit my requirements:

1. Kettlebell workouts are inherently strength based (you're swinging around a giant piece of iron for godsake).
2. They are extremely portable, and starting out I will only need a few (technically just a couple - an 8kg bell and a 16kg bell).
3. The investment for the bells and a highly recommended workout video was only $200. While I would've rather spent $0, the money isn't a huge issue.
4. Kettlebell workouts are limited only by your imagination. There are plenty of great instructional videos out there with new workouts and advanced moves, so I won't be hurting for material.
5. Kettlebell workouts are heavily focused on core strength, which is exactly what I need.

So there you go - my new weapon of choice is the kettlebell. It'll take about a week to get the new equipment, but that's fine with me. I'm going to focus the next week on rehabing my back and getting with the chiropractor a few times. About the only downside to all of this is that yoga is the one thing that actually makes my back feel better... and we all know how I feel about yoga.
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Back to square one... and then some

It's been two years since the grand "Hardbody Geeks" experiment went live, and after such a long hiatus I was debating coming back here and writing about my fitness exploits and foibles (alright, more foibles than exploits). While part of me just said, "screw it, who wants to read this crap anyway," I realized that this blog serves two major purposes - and no, neither of them are self-serving, look-at-me reasons... despite the fact that I do check the web stats on the site.

First, writing here serves as a sort of motivator. When I did my first P90X iteration, I felt guilty when I didn't write because that usually meant I didn't work out. There was something gratifying about sitting here, drenched in sweat, typing out my complaints about my latest round of Tony Horton torture. Second, and probably more importantly, is that this is a sort of cathartic exercise for me. It gives me a chance to rant, rave, bitch, and complain about my pain without having to bother those around me. In a way I'm suffering in silence... minus those that actually take the time to read this.

Before going into my rant for the day, I think I should offer a few status updates regarding me and Muddy. I'm happy to report that Muddy is still looking trim, and even though there have been a few fluctuations here and there, he looks about the same as he did when we finished our first round. That's definitely not a bad feat considering keeping the weight off for two years is atypical in the world of weight loss. So, hats off to Muddy for maintaining a (mostly) healthy lifestyle.

Then there's me. Honestly, I think I'm back to square one with all of this, or perhaps even square minus two. When I finished P90X I was somewhere in the vicinity of 9% body fat, and I've probably gained back the 10 or so pounds that I lost. While some may think that's not a huge deal, going from 9% body fat back up to 14-15% is somewhat of a downer.

In the midst of all of this I did switch jobs, and that has proven to be a bit of a problem. I had a long training cycle where I was able to work out on a consistent basis, but after that I was back to a place I hadn't been in close to four years - an office. While I did spend a good bit of time in my office at my old job, I was spending 10-12 hours per week teaching Krav Maga. That's a good bit of activity, and when you add on the P90X workouts I was probably getting anywhere from 17-20 hours of "physical activity" each week. Needless to say, I'm nowhere near that total.

I also spent a few months overseas, and that was the final blow to any hope for a workout regimen. Even though the gym was about 20 steps from my door, I had enough work to keep me busy 60-70 hours per week, and when you're in the middle of a not-so-nice place, a cookie, cup of coffee, and some TV makes you feel much better than a workout in air so thick you can slice it with a knife (yes ladies and gentlemen, that is an excuse. I'll get to those later).

When I got back I swore up and down that I would start back up, but my routine was thrown all out of whack because, well, I couldn't get on one. I have been traveling pretty regularly (excuse #2... back off, I'll get there), and my schedule has been in flux for the past few months (excuse #2.5... they're related). Put that all together and you have the recipe for a muffin top.

Since the restarting of a workout regimen is never complete without a set of excuses as to why you stopped it all in the first place, I want to offer you:

Force Trainer's Reasons Why He's a Fat Lazy Slob
(I told you I was getting there)

1. My schedule is anything but regular, so I don't have any time to work out.
2. Traveling makes sticking to a workout regimen hard, and I don't always have the equipment I need when I need it.
3. I spend a lot of time at the office, and the last thing I want to do is workout after commuting upwards of four hours per day.
4. I'm lazy and don't feel like working out all the time.
5. I just purchased a $2,500 gaming rig (I am a geek after all), and I want to maximize my enjoyment by playing on it as much as possible.
6. I've recently discovered the joy of playing guitar, and lose track of time while practicing.
7. I would rather spend the free time I do have with my family.
8. I've rediscovered the joy that is fast food, including Chipotle, McDonald's, and Burger King. A few months without it can seem like a lifetime.
9. My back is a complete and total mess... again.
10. Working out has become discouraging because I feel like I'm behind where I was when I started P90X two years ago.

Okay, okay, I admit, those excuses are just that - excuses. You can make excuses all day, but in the end they're just a replacement for motivation and drive. Since I do recognize that excuses are the easy way out, I'm going to take the over achiever route and tear apart each one in succession just so you all know I realize how much of a pansy I'm being. So, without further ado:
Force Trainer's Rebuttal To His Own Lame Excuses

1. Not having a regular schedule means that I need to work harder to stick to the best regimen possible. On days where I know I'm going to be out of town, I need to plan accordingly. I spent $400 on stackable weights that are extremely portable, so utilizing that feature is probably a good idea.
   
2. See my rebuttal to #1. If I absolutely can't bring the weights with me, I just need to keep some alternative workouts on hand that are body weight based, replace lifting with cardio, or shift around my workout days.
3. After a long day at the office, the best thing I can do is workout. It's a stress reliever, helps me wind down from the day, and ultimately helps me get to bed on time. Would I like more free time? Yes. It's just going to take a little more planning on my part.
4. This is just sad. I'm actually saying outright that I'm just too lazy to workout. I'm now ashamed that I even wrote that.
   
5. $2,500 on a gaming rig? Damn right. Number of hours that it's actually on in a given week? 5-6, and that's mostly work related. Honestly, that wasn't even a real excuse.
6. The guitar thing is legitimate since I can play for 2-3 hours and not even realize it. I'm just going to have to go back to what my Mom used to tell me when I was 6. "You can play when you get your work done." So... no guitar until AFTER the workout.
   
7. Seeing my family is legitimate, but honestly I see my family more now with my crazy job and travel than I ever used to. Again, I just need to plan a little better so I can fit in my workouts. I wonder if my 5 and 6 year old nieces would be able to do a deep swimmer's press.
8. Yes, fast food is wonderful, and when I got back into the country I gorged myself. I tried to be a little better by having a Chipotle burrito bowl (that damn tortilla is 400 calories), but the experience left me feeling hollow and sad. I will be treating myself to those wonderful, fatty, fried, artery clogging foods every now and then. However, that's no different than my first trip through P90X. The occasional trip to the mecca of guacamole and sour cream didn't have any negative effects.
9. My back being a mess does pose a problem, but I found a local chiropractor that is pretty damn good. Let's mark this one as "in progress." I don't foresee it being a problem for much longer.
10. The last one is a mental hump that I need to get over. In all honesty I'm probably not worse off than when I first started, but it sure feels like it. This is where that whole "self-motivation" thing comes in. I just need to remember where I left mine.

There is also additional motivation as to why I need to get back onto this bandwagon. When we first start P90X Muddy was hitting about to hit the milestone of 40 years young, and he didn't want to start off middle age looking like it. Well, this year I'll be reaching the three decade mark, and while my crisis is not nearly as bad as his, I understand the need to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The second reason is that I'm going to most likely be heading to a new position within my organization next year that will require a higher level of physical performance. While technically there's no standard that I need to adhere to, if I'm going to take the position then I want to be in the best shape possible to be successful. That means on top of looking good I need to actually be able to perform (5 mile runs, wearing tons of equipment, etc.), and that's going to add a whole new wrinkle to this. I'll be using P90X for the next few months to get me back to where I was, but after that I'll be forced to kick things into high gear to actually get to a level of performance that I'll be happy with. It should be an interesting journey, and I'm looking forward to bitching, I mean, sharing it with everyone.
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Off Into the Wild Blue Yonder (and where I've been)

I feel that a bit of an update is necessary since I've been MIA for a long time now. As I may have posted before (I can't really remember and I'm too lazy to read through my previous posts) I've been preparing for a major job switch for the past few months (and no, despite the title I'm not going into the Air Force). It's a major life change for me and I'm really excited about all of the new opportunities that I'm going to have. The downside is that it's taken a lot of my personal time to get ready. Therefore the first thing to get dropped is blogging. Not that I don't love all of you, but priorities are priorities.

I definitely want to thank everyone that has read and posted comments for their support through my P90X journey. Like I said before I'm not going to be giving up the healthy lifestyle. Admittedly I've slacked for the past month or so, but for the most part I've held myself at the place where I was at day 60. To me that shows that P90X has the staying power that you need for it to be a "real" fitness program. On top of that I've gotten several of my friends to start the program and they're really excited about it. Part of my job as an instructor has been to help people live a healthier life and giving them P90X definitely does that.

The next few months are going to be absolutely crazy and for the most part I'll be offline, so this is going to be my sign-off for the next few months. Thanks again to everyone that has supported us and I'll see you in 2009!
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XBOX Live Issues: Resolution and a Bit of Thanks

My post yesterday about my issues with XBOX Live billing was picked up by the kind folks over at Consumerist.com. There was a flurry of comments on the topic all throughout the day with some people blaming me while others understood my situation. I did find it interesting that some people thought I was trying to get something over on MS, but that definitely wasn't the case. In the end after a 20 minute chat with James in escalated support my issue was handled quickly, professionally, and to my satisfaction. Here's what happened.

I spoke with James at XBOX Live billing in their escalated support section for about 20 minutes. Right off the bat he explained to me what MS would be able to do, and I was offered the option of a full refund of the amount that I paid or they would provide me with a 12-month XBOX Live Gold membership code that I could redeem. I opted for the full refund since all I wanted originally was to downgrade to a Silver membership.

After getting that cleared up, James asked me to explain the entire situation to him, and I gave him the story pretty much verbatim from what I sent to the Consumerist and posted here. When I finished James apologized for the confusion that occurred, and he explained a few things including why he thinks the situation occurred:

- His first comment was that I was absolutely right that I should have received a full credit for the time paid for (vindication!).

- My case should have been escalated by default when I first spoke to billing because my request and situation were non-standard. My account was in a decline state which the billing department can handle, but since I wanted to downgrade to a Silver account while in a decline state I should have been escalated immediately.

- James believes that the major confusion occurred because my annual account was in a decline state, and that it is very rare for a billing CSR to deal see. Decline states are common with accounts paid on a monthly basis (which makes sense), and the CSR treated my annual account like it was a month-to-month. With month-to-month billing if you get declined your payment to bring your account current gets you paid for that month. Basically you're just paying for time that you've already used. However, with the annual membership, when you pay your balance there is time that is owed to you. The CSR that I spoke with just pretty much screwed this part up.

I absolutely believe that James was sincere in his evaluation of the situation, and his point that decline states don't occur often with annual accounts means that the CSR I talked to may have never had that exact situation before. While that doesn't mean that what the CSR did was right, mistakes happen and MS worked quickly to fix the mistake. James said that they will make sure to address this in training with their CSRs. Whether that happens or not I don't know, but the fact that they called me directly speaks volumes.

I did ask James if he knew why I received a call from their department, and his response was that he was just told by his boss to call me and not given any other information. This to me was a pretty big clue that it was the Consumerist post that sparked the phone call. I'm definitely not going to complain about that!

Most importantly (because I want to help other readers that have been trying to deal with XBOX Live billing) I brought up to James that there were other Consumerist readers that were having similar problems, and I asked if there was anything they could do to make getting their situations resolved a little easier. This is what I was told:

1) If you are having billing related problems with your account, call XBOX Live support at 1-800-4MY-XBOX.

2) When the IVR (known as Max) answers, wait for the option to speak with billing. This option is AFTER the choice for XBOX Live support. He said that many users choose the option for XBOX Live Support when in fact they need to speak with billing (obviously they should be changing their prompts).

3) If you account is in a decline cycle (meaning your credit card expired, etc.) tell the CSR that you know you are in a decline cycle, and explain exactly what you would like to have happen. This could be anything from just paying your bill to downgrading to a Silver membership. Be clear and things should hopefully shake out.

4) If at any point you feel uncomfortable or confused with what the CSR is saying, ask to be escalated to the next level of support. They should do this immediately without any objections.

5) At this point the escalated support should be able to help you out. They have authorization and additional information to handle most requests including refunds if necessary.

The main reason I didn't escalate my call was because I was rather angry, and I didn't want to yell at someone that was just trying to help me out. In the end everything worked out, and I thank the Consumerist for that! With the information that I got from James as well I think that other people with billing related problems should be able to get squared away. If not, just write in to the Consumerist :)

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How I Got Screwed by Xbox Live

I’ve been a faithful Xbox Live Gold member since I first bought my Xbox 360 a few years ago. When I first signed up for my account I chose the annual option, so for the past two years I’ve paid my $49.99 like a good little gamer.

This year was probably going to be no different, but my billing ran into a little snag when my credit card on file was replaced. I started receiving emails from Microsoft telling me that I needed to update my card info so that I could be charged for the next year, but I kept forgetting. I finally received a final email saying that my account had been closed and at that point I could no longer sign onto Xbox Live. Honestly I couldn’t care less about having a Live account, but I have a good amount of DLC, so I immediately gave Xbox Support a call so I could at least get switched to a free silver account so I wouldn’t bork what I had already bought.

After a minute or two on hold (I called 1-800-4MY-XBOX) I got through to a very nice woman. I explained to her that my account had lapsed and that I just wanted to convert my Gold account to a Silver one. She said no problem, but informed me that I would need to speak with billing. “Not a problem,” I thought, and I got forwarded immediately.

After another minute on hold I was through to the billing department. I was pretty impressed at the lack of hold time, considering it was a Sunday night, and I even made a comment to my brother over IM saying, “Wow, Xbox support is pretty good.” Needless to say my comment was a bit premature.

I again explained my situation to the billing rep, and he asked me to sign on to http://billing.microsoft.com so I could update my billing information there. That seemed like a pretty simple request, and he said he would stay on the line with me to make sure that everything got updated properly. Again, I was impressed because most reps would just tell you where to go and hang up. He verified that my billing information was updated, and he told me that I would be charged $49.99 because I had an owing balance on my account. While all I wanted to do was convert to a Silver account (hopefully for no charges), I was half expecting this since my account had technically lapsed in June. I asked if it was possible to just pro-rate the two months that I was given service after my account lapsed, and I was told because I’m an annual member that wouldn’t happen. Alright, fine, no big deal – it’s just $50. The charge was put through and I figured all was set. Here’s how the rest of the conversation went:

Me: Alright, so my account is settled. Since my account lapsed in June I’m assuming I should have about 10 months left of Xbox Live Gold service, right?
Rep: No.

Me: Ummm… what do you mean no? When I paid the $50 I was paying for service from June 2008 to June 2009. I understand that I won’t get a full year of service from today, but how come you’re telling me I’m not going to get Gold service at all?

Rep: By paying the $50 you settled your account. Your account has been reactivated as a Silver account.

Me: Okay, I understand that my account is now settled, but I just paid for 12 months of service. If you date that from June 2008 I should have a Gold account until June 2009.

Rep: No. When you paid the $50 that was just to settle the account and bring it current. Your account was almost sent to collections, so your payment stopped the process.

Me (Getting very pissed off right now): Okay, so what you’re telling me is that I just paid $50 so you wouldn’t send me to collections? With Xbox Live service you PRE-PAY for the service! If I’m paying you $50 I just PRE-PAID for services that you owe me. Now you’re telling me all I did was stop you from sending me to collections?

Rep: Yes. However, now that your account is settled you can go ahead and purchase a Gold account if you want.

Me (To the point of ripping my hair out): So what you’re telling me is that I just paid you $50, and if I want to get a Gold level account I will need to pay again for it even though I just paid you $50?!?

Rep: That would be correct sir.

Me (Trying not to yell at the guy so I can ask pertinent questions): Okay, that makes no sense, but let’s continue. Can you tell me exactly what I was charged for? Was the $50 I just spent for Xbox Live Gold service, collections fees, account reactivation… what?

Rep: The charge will be for Xbox Live Gold service.

Me (Ready to rip his throat out through the phone): You just said that I was being charged for Xbox Live Gold service. If that’s the case then how come I am not getting the balance of the months?

Rep: Because that charge was to bring your account current.

This ordeal continued for another 10 minutes. He told me that my payment was solely to bring my account “current.” His rationale for not giving me the balance of the months on my account was that my account was almost sent to collections. Well, first off, my account was never sent to collections, so that’s the biggest BS story I’ve ever heard. Second, how can you send me to collections on a debt for services that I was never given? Microsoft cut off my account when it went delinquent, and at the very least I got a free month out of them. I absolutely understand them wanting me to pay for that, but how can you send me to collections for an entire year of service that I haven’t even used yet? I also asked him that if I had called last month to settle my account would I have been given the balance of the months. His answer? Yes. Rationale? Because my account wasn’t being sent to collections last month.

After all of this I informed the rep that I would dispute the charge with my credit card company. He told me, “Fine, we get that all the time. However, we always win because we will show that it’s a legitimate charge.” I tried to argue with him saying that yes, while the charge itself is legitimate (I did authorize it), Microsoft is refusing to give me the services that I paid for, and that is grounds for a dispute resolution in my favor. He didn’t really seem to care and I knew I was getting nowhere, so I just hung up at that point.

So where do I stand? Yesterday I was charged $50 for 12-months of Microsoft Xbox Live Gold service which should have been dated from June 2008. However, my account is currently at a Silver level, and the only way to upgrade the account is to pay again for Gold service.

There are several problems that come up with this entire phone call. First, I only had the choice to pay $49.99 to bring my account current even though there are monthly and quarterly payment options available. If I had been a month-to-month member I probably would’ve just paid for a single month and lost a month of service, not 10. If I had been paying via Xbox Live Cards that you buy at retailers nothing would’ve happened because there are no recurring payments. So for the most part, a dedicated customer who makes an annual commitment to the service gets screwed the hardest. Thanks Microsoft!

Feel free to hit me up on Xbox Live on my handle ForceTrainer. However, don’t expect to game with me since I’m just a Silver level subscriber now. I guess taunts via voice messages will have to do.

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A Random P90X Discussion

Last night I found myself in the role of a P90X salesperson. I had a promotion test for my students yesterday, and afterward we were hanging out at a bar talking about the test (5 hours of hell for them) and other random topics. One of my students said, "I was up late last night and saw this ad for P90X, have you ever heard of it?" I look at one of my other instructors (who's planning to start the program once his shoulder heals) and just laughed.

When she said that to me I immediately launched into my "how I chose P90X" story. It started with how I had my first discussion with a SWAT friend of mine a while ago and wound up buying the program myself. Before I knew it I was singing Tony's praises and saying that she should definitely look into the program. After about 10 minutes of droning on about Ab Ripper X, my hate for Yoga, and Plyo I realized I had become my worst nightware - a miniature Tony selling P90X!!

In all actuality P90X has done amazing things for me thus far, so I guess it's not that bad. However, I still feel kind of weird admitting that it was an infomercial workout that got me into great shape. Considering I'm supposed to be some sort of fitness professional it's slightly humorous. Oh well, it works and I can't deny it.
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Getting Back on the Horse

After two weeks of hell with my back I think I'm finally ready to get some workouts in. I definitely did a lot more than I originally thought because it took three trips to the chiropractor to get things back into shape. My last appointment was on Thursday and for the most part it's pretty loose, but I didn't want to try and jump into things and wind up screwing it up all over again. On top of that I've taught close to 12 hours over the past few days, so I figured I would be tired enough from that.

So, I'm going to pick up at he beginning of Phase III and get this thing finished. Because of the break I know I won't be where I wanted to be at the end, but I can tell you that I'm much better off than when I started.
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Enemy Mine

By birthright I'm a NY Giants fan and have always reserved the right to cheer for the Jets should they ever decide to do something worthwhile in my lifetime (if only they could get hold of a decent quarterback). For the last decade, however, I've been geographically positioned that the Philadelphia Eagles are my "home team". As painful as that is under normal circumstances today I am agonized by having to acknowledge a smart move on Philly's part. It's not a trade or strategic overhaul that's going to carry them through the playoffs to steal the crown from my beloved team. Oh, no. They're going to beat us with my own medicine. Seems that in the off-season kicker David Aikers and trainer Rick Burkholder have started using P90X within the Eagles organization including prescribing portions of the program for use by injured players during their rehab. Read More...