Topic: P90X
started by: Leisher
Posted by Leisher on May 24 2010,13:06
About two years ago I did the Wii Fit for about 30 days and lost approx 20 pounds. I've since stopped working out (kids ruin everything), and put that weight back on. I'm not fat, but I'm not thrilled with the shape I'm in either. A friend at work offered me a copy of P90X, so I took it and started the program this morning.
I'm only sticking to the exercise routines and my own diet plan. I have no desire to look like Arnold, so I have no need of a 3500+ daily calorie intake nor do I need their overpriced supplements, power bars, etc.
Thus far, the only things you seem to "need" are a mat, a pull up bar, and dumb bells (or resistance bands).
The Ab Ripper X routine I did this morning was brutal. Doing Chest & Back tonight.
Posted by Troy on May 24 2010,13:51
One of my friends at work did it.He lost a lot of weight, seemed to work well for him. Sounds like it is mostly eating right, and then high powered stuff, like interval training?
Posted by TheCatt on May 24 2010,14:11
A friend at my work is doing it too, and loves it, he's done about 2 months, I think.
Posted by Leisher on May 25 2010,05:41
The training is nuts. My brother-in-law knows a professional boxer who thinks P90X is the hardest workout he's ever done.I did the first day yesterday and I am sore. Woke up in the morning to 17 minutes of ab workouts. 11 exercises of 25 reps each.
Got home from work last night and did an hour of chest and back. Standard, military, wide, diamond, decline, and dive bomber push ups. Also, fly backs, lawnmowers, chin ups, reverse hand chin ups, close hand chin ups, and...I'm forgetting an exercise.
The worst part was going through all those exercises, and then the guy on the DVD saying, "Ok round two, we're going to do all those exercises again."
Ab Ripper X and Chest & Back were day 1. Today is Plyometrics (jump training). Tomorrow is Ab Ripper X and Shoulders & Arms. Thursday is Yoga. Friday is Ab Ripper X and Legs & Back. Saturday is Kenpo X. Sunday is a day of rest or Stretch X.
You train like that for three weeks, and then the 4th week is far less intense to help your body keep up.
Then you go into month two and start all over again.
The best part of the Chest & Back DVD last night was that at least two of the people working out on the DVD are recent P90X graduates. They aren't professional models or anything, and you can tell by their demeanor. they represent the goal you want to achieve.
In contrast, the folks on the Ab Ripper X DVD are pros and the host plainly points that out. Not sure why they went a different way there, but whatever.
"Follow your dreams. You too can achieve them. Beefcake!"
Posted by Leisher on Jun. 01 2010,08:08
Week 1 is in the books. Monday - Ab Ripper X / Chest & Back
Tuesday - Plyometrics
Wednesday - Ab Ripper X / Arms & Shoulders
Thursday - Yoga
Friday - Ab Ripper X / Legs & Back
Saturday - Kenpo
Sunday - Rest or Stretch
The whole week I was a mass of soreness, but I pushed through as best I could. I cheated a bit Wednesday when I missed the Arms & Shoulders due to golf (and drinking). I did them Thursday and skipped Yoga. I may make that a habit as I'm not sure how I'd fit that long work into my golf nights. We'll see.
Week 2 started yesterday and I immediately noticed an improvement in strength while doing Chest & Back. Gains in the Ab Ripper workout have been obvious since the second run through.
I'm noticed nothing in terms of body change after a week, but other people have said they are already seeing signs of weight loss in my face. I do notice that I have a lot more energy.
Posted by Leisher on Jun. 09 2010,12:31
Half way through week 3. It sucks to wake up 30 minutes early three days a week to do a ridiculous ab workout.
Also, whoever invented plyometrics can eat my balls.
Can't wait until next week, which is a recovery week.
Still no huge change in physical appearance, but I didn't expect it. This workout is about converting fat to muscle and shedding pounds properly. In other words, slowly. I think I'm starting to see changes in my gut and chest, but they're subtle.
Actually, I take it back, my arms and legs are already showing vast gains.
Posted by Leisher on Jun. 25 2010,07:54
Wrapping up week 5.A few new workouts were added this week that were a nice change of pace.
Monday was a chest, shoulders, and triceps workout that was, aside from maybe Core, the toughest workout yet.
Wednesday added Back and Biceps, which seems to be the easiest strength workout in the program.
In terms of physical changes, my golf shorts are damn near falling straight off my hips. I'll need a belt soon for them. And this morning I threw on my jeans and a belt that has always been buckled via the third hole (very tightly in the past) and this morning was surprised to find that I had buckled it via the fourth hole without any trouble.
Pro Tip: Weirdest workout tip I've ever received comes from a personal trainer I met this weekend. She (get ready for the jokes) said that men should find their wife, girlfriend, sex doll, whatever after a workout and have an orgasm. Apparently, doing so will tell your body to produce more testosterone, which helps your gains from your workout.
Posted by TheCatt on Jul. 04 2010,09:49
Started today. 2nd reps of the chest/back..."Set a # in your head, set a goal"
Diamond push-ups...
1
Seriously... my arms are spaghetti
Posted by TheCatt on Jul. 05 2010,18:37
Day 2: Upper body is completely sore from yesterday.Did the Plyometrics today. This was certainly rough, but I almost kept up the entire way. Makes sense since I've been doing so much more leg-based work (jogging/walking/biking) than upper body stuff. It was still hard, and I know I'll feel it tomorrow, though.
Overall, it's nice. I like not having to think about a routine, or exercises to do, etc. I just go along with the video, and that's it.
Posted by Leisher on Jul. 06 2010,06:50
QUOTE
Diamond push-ups...
1
1
Don't let that get you down. Diamond push ups suck. Plus, there are at least a dozen more types of push ups that you haven't seen yet.
And as he says on one of the DVDs, don't expect to excel at all exercises, all people are just better or worse at certain ones. He goes to explain that while he's great at pull ups, other aren't, and he stinks at other exercises.
My P90X update is that I'm redoing week 6 again as last week was my birthday, my brother-in-law's birthday, and the 4th, so I ate some junk and missed a few workouts.
Are you sticking to the diet 100%? Are you doing any creatine, mass builder drinks, vitamins, etc?
Posted by TheCatt on Jul. 06 2010,07:32
Nah, I wasn't letting that get me down - more just a statement on how out of shape I am, combined with how brutal that exercise is. Right now, I'm not doing any of the diet stuff. For "recovery" I just eat a snack (300 calories or so) with protein and carbs. I bought some creatine a bit ago when I decided to lift, then never did, and threw it out when we moved. If I had it still, I'd try it. It has science behind it from everything I've read.
I might try the creatine and a multivitamin.
My entire body is now a sore mess. Except my calves.... and hands.
Posted by Leisher on Jul. 06 2010,10:19
I'm doing creatine. My diet isn't the P90X diet. I'm just trying to eat healthier and correctly.
The soreness never really leaves, but it does get a lot less intense.
Posted by GORDON on Jul. 06 2010,10:50
PAIN IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY.
Posted by Malcolm on Jul. 06 2010,11:48
(GORDON @ Jul. 06 2010,12:50)
QUOTE
PAIN IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY.
I thought pain was nerve endings firing.
Posted by GORDON on Jul. 06 2010,13:03
Yeah, firing that weakness from the body.
Posted by TheCatt on Jul. 08 2010,14:54
As I expected, I'm pretty unbalanced.I kept up with plyo almost, and then was able to do almost all of the leg stuff at their pace, though with lower weights. I dropped on the single leg squats.
But the arm/chest stuff kills me.
My chin up bar came today, but I didn't have it together for the work out. I was able to do 3 normal chin-ups, and cheat for a 4th.
Posted by Leisher on Jul. 08 2010,16:01
When you hit your wall, cheat. Listen to Tony, the host, he'll say that multiple times. Cheat or modify. Use a chair on pull ups when you can't do it on your own. Go to your knees on pushups when you can't do it on your own. Switch to a lower weight. Etc.
The additional reps are going to help you reach your goals.
Posted by Paul on Jul. 17 2010,22:52
How is the P90X stuff been going?
Posted by TheCatt on Jul. 18 2010,06:31
Just finished week 2.Soreness has gone down a lot in week 2. I added a 2/3 mile swim before one of the workouts, which ended up being a pretty brutal combination.
I've been using yoga as a day off instead of doing it, which has helped.
Posted by Leisher on Jul. 18 2010,10:23
I just finished Week 7. Next week is my second recovery week. (If you're keeping score at home, I repeated week 6 due to birthdays, the 4th, etc.)I skip Yoga too, except for the Yoga in the recovery week. Yoga takes too long, and while the first half is intense and makes you sweat, the second half is all balance stuff.
Still no clue how much weight I've lost, but I've definitely added more muscle.
Posted by TheCatt on Jul. 18 2010,18:56
Seeing the numbers go up feels good.Pushups:
Week 1: 71
Week 2: 85
Week 3: 102
I don't pace myself like he says. But then, I can't keep up with them, so every set of push-ups is to my limit. Going to be sore again tomorrow.
Posted by Leisher on Jul. 18 2010,21:22
You're in week 3, right? That's the last time I did that workout. I think I return to it next week...yep, just checked. It should be interesting to see my numbers now.
Posted by thibodeaux on Jul. 20 2010,09:32
I started yesterday. Is hard.
Posted by Leisher on Jul. 20 2010,10:09
Stick with it. The first few days are physically hard due to the soreness, but they won't be your toughest days. I found phase two to be quite difficult mentally. For me, that's when the daily grind of doing an hour a day or more was really wearing on me combined with the slow results.
And that's the biggest thing I hear from most people who do P90X. You can see your strength increase, but the physical changes are slower. Mainly because you're turning fat into muscle instead of just shedding fat, which takes longer and is less obvious.
Posted by GORDON on Jul. 20 2010,10:11
(Leisher @ May 24 2010,16:06)
QUOTE
A friend at work offered me a copy of P90X, so I took it and started the program this morning.
What is a "copy of P90X?"
Posted by Leisher on Jul. 20 2010,10:15
12 DVDs and a CD with documentation and a great spreadsheet.
Posted by TheCatt on Jul. 20 2010,10:22
(thibodeaux @ Jul. 20 2010,12:32)
QUOTE
I started yesterday. Is hard.
Man, that first week I was a ball of soreness. Even now I'm still sore from my Sunday workout (which is my start day of each week), but it's a manageable soreness.
So far my only issue is the KenPo, or whatever it's called. I'd rather do something more impacty.
Posted by GORDON on Jul. 20 2010,10:34
(Leisher @ Jul. 20 2010,13:15)
QUOTE
12 DVDs and a CD with documentation and a great spreadsheet.
Ahhh, I see.
Got ripped versions that I can just run on a PC?
Posted by TheCatt on Jul. 20 2010,10:38
See TPR's post about uTorrent, that's where I got my P90x I think I used btjunkie.org to search for the torrent.
Posted by GORDON on Jul. 20 2010,10:39
Noted.
Posted by Leisher on Jul. 20 2010,11:13
QUOTE
So far my only issue is the KenPo, or whatever it's called. I'd rather do something more impacty.
Kenpo is one of the workouts where you have to really set your own pace to get the most out of it.
The whole point of it is to simply burn calories.
Posted by TheCatt on Jul. 20 2010,11:40
(Leisher @ Jul. 20 2010,14:13)
QUOTE
QUOTE
So far my only issue is the KenPo, or whatever it's called. I'd rather do something more impacty.
Kenpo is one of the workouts where you have to really set your own pace to get the most out of it.
The whole point of it is to simply burn calories.
If it's weren't the day after a leg workout, I'd jog instead and burn more calories.
Yesterday was the first day I made it all the way through both sets of rockstar hops (ankles to butt, instead of just getting off the ground) in plyo.
Was a burny, burny day.
So far I've lost a pound a week (2 weeks).
Posted by Leisher on Jul. 26 2010,13:40
Starting week 9 today.
Posted by TheCatt on Jul. 26 2010,16:54
Recovery week.I'm taking the week off from P90x, and alternating run/bike days with swim days all week. Then Saturday off and back to P90x.
Honestly, in the bathroom, when the light strikes just right, I feel like I look ever so slightly different.
Posted by Leisher on Jul. 27 2010,05:31
You should do the Core Synergistics during recovery week. Lunge Kickback Curl Presses suck.
Posted by TheCatt on Jul. 27 2010,14:10
(Leisher @ Jul. 27 2010,08:31)
QUOTE
You should do the Core Synergistics during recovery week. Lunge Kickback Curl Presses suck.
Heh. i did it today cuz it rained and I couldnt swim.
That was more intense than I expected for recovery week.
I am not ready for the bonus round.
I think I'll replace my planned Friday run with the core again. and swim thursday, run wednesday.
Posted by Leisher on Aug. 09 2010,11:17
Had the flu last week, so I'm redoing week 9 starting today. I had an interesting week in terms of food. Aside from the post I just wrote about the new Subway sub, I gave myself the week off once I recovered from the flu and took advantage by eating some old favorites.
I don't know if my taste buds have changed or what, but some of my old favorites were inedible. Heavy foods, in particular, just have no appeal to me anymore.
Anyone else discovering their food tastes changing during their weight loss programs?
Posted by TheCatt on Aug. 09 2010,11:33
I've found that it takes me about 3 weeks to get my tastes changed... whatever I eat for 3 weeks, I get used to, and switching back, while my tastes have changed, is still possible.Last week was a bad week for me. I injured my shoulder about 10 years ago (it popped, I never went to the doctor, took months for it to feel normal again), and the shoulder circle things re-aggravated that badly. Then something else (bicep day) caused severe pain in the front side of both my elbows, so I took the rest of the week off.
Trying to figure out if I want to re-continue... I was thinking of rebooting back to week 1.
Posted by Leisher on Aug. 09 2010,11:39
Rebooting is never a bad idea. One thing to remember is that despite the name, it's not a 90 day thing. Sure, maybe a person will have the rock solid abs in 90 days, although for most that's not likely, but you then have to maintain it.
I saw a P90X infomercial recently that was pretty honest. One of the testimonials was a guy who was probably pretty typical and he said it took him 5 rounds with P90X to get the body you see advertised in the commercials. that's a little over a year and FAR, FAR more realistic than thinking you'll be ripped in 90 days no matter how intense the program.
The way I'm going, I know I'll need a second round, but I might be pretty close at the end of that. Once I get to where I want to be, I'm going to alter the program to a "maintain" thing.
Point being, if you're truly going to make the lifestyle shift, rebooting isn't an issue since you're still exercising...