P90X Day 51: Core Synergistics

Although I'd already braced myself for a challenging Core Syn workout this morning, I'd forgotten all about the beast that is Plank-to-Chaturanga Run. Half of this exercise is perfectly fine; it just involves pumping your legs while in plank position -- just like the "mountain climber" move from elementary school P.E. class. But every 10 seconds, the pose switches: You have to bend your elbows while keeping them close against your sides like you're doing a military-style push-up, and hold that position (in yoga-speak, the Chaturanga Dandasana pose) while continuing to pump your legs -- only your hips now have to open up so that your knees don't slam against your arms. Like many moves that are painful and un-fun, the Plank-to-Chaturanga Run is probably a fantastic compound exercise, though the horror of it too fresh in my mind for me to wholly concede the point.