Trying P90X - How do you Work-out?

[YosemiteSam]

to be honest i thought about editing that post because when i read it back i thought it sounded a bit like that.
then i thought nah i'm just being paranoid, only a Yeager would makethat connection

Umm, we have a Yeager on this board.

:laugh2:

 

[TellerMorrow34]

I'm probably exaggerating with 3 hours, but when you include things like warm up, cool down, recovery, shower time, meal planning, meal prep, shopping differences, etc.....

....it certainly takes up more time than the "in just one hour a day" time they suggest.

It's not really a comlaint, either. It's simply an observation.

I've trained for college athletics, military, MMA, and by myself. I think I have a fair grasp of what it takes to accomplish the results I choose for myself, and I think I would have a fair sense of what it would take others given a fair enough amount of information to make an assessment.

It takes time. Period.

Anyone looking for a quick fix is going to find themselves right back where they started just as quickly....and in some cases, maybe worse off.

P90x is an excellent program, and I'd recommend it to most people with a modicum of athletic ability, but I think I'd be doing them a favor by forewarning them of the amount of time they may have to commit to. The marketing agency responsible for P90x probably wouldn't agree, as they want nothing but sales, but IMO, its not nearly as schedule-friendly as they portray it.

Just my opinion.

Ahh, yeah, my bad. I wasn't thinking about you talking about the showering and the meal preparation and everything.

The reason they don't include that in the 1 hour a day is cause it has nothing to do with the workouts themselves. You have to shower and eat every day anyway so that's part of your daily routine already.

Unless of course you don't shower and eat daily.

But I get what you're saying. But that 1 hour a day thing they talk about is strictly meant for the workouts themselves and not the process of living a healthy lifestyle.

My bad for mistaking what you were talking about there.

I do agree with the time thing though. People have to be willing to put in the time. You've got to work hard to make this work. Like I said in my other post if you're in realitively good shape already then you're going to see those ripped results a whole lot quicker than some of us other folks who are were very fat and very out of shape prior to starting these.

Just about any exercise plan will work with a diet.

Very true. Some just work better than others. When I first started trying to lose weight in 2007 I lost about 50 pounds in a 4 month, or so, period by simply trying to eat better and going to the gym for weight lifting and such.

These particular programs just work better for me in keeping me motivated, though I still struggle with that cause I can be quite lazy, and being more convient for me.

Just did the plyometrics. That one whipped me pretty good!

That's my favorite workout in the P90x schedule. I loved it.

That one is my favorite. Try it with a weight vest when you're ready.

My goal, once I get all this fat gut off me eventually is to be able to do my Insanity workouts, and the P90x cardio workouts, with a weighted vest. I also want to eventually be able to do the Chest and Back workouts with a weighted vest.

I want some weighted gloves, eventually, for Kenpo and such.

I freaking hate the Plyo.

I did the P90X for 1 month. In that month I lost 25 pounds and really felt a lot better. Life got real busy bout then and I just didn't keep doing it, however, I plan on starting back up soon. I loved it. The Kempo was my favorite.

That's awesome. 25 pounds in a month is darn good man. I hope you do start it up again soon and hit some great results again.

I have no experience with the P90 series, but I have been doing Shawn T's "I only refer to myself in the 3rd person" Insanity Workout. I liked it enough that I went ahead an picked up the extra 3 DVD's that include the Insane Abs, Upper Body Weight Training, and Sports Fitness Something or Other.

The Sports Fitness I gave to a friend who plays basketball for a D-II college.

The other two I do every other day, with the normal Insanity workout calendar thrown in.

My biggest obstacle is that I have a bad back and I can't do every single workout in the Insanity series. I do however enjoy the hell out of the ones I do.

I'm like the guy above, skinny and wanted to put on mass while dumping body fat. I lost a full belt loop in two weeks, and I haven't quit eating Long John Silver's two fish and 3 chicken deep fried heart attack once a week.

The weight training gives you pretty quick results as well. The problem of course is that you need a full set of dumb bells to do them, and what you buy in your first week will be too light in the second week if you do the workout every other day.

Before I started Insanity, I was doing push ups, crunches, running 3.5 miles a day and some other light workouts. Insanity kicked my *** all over the place and back. You'll know you are getting results when you can keep up with the warm-ups.

I'm on Day 11 of Insanity right now with my 19 year old Nephew. We absolutely love it. We're planning on doing 2 full rounds of it and then at the end of May starting a P90x/Insanity Hybrid that my online coach is going to put together for us.

Keep up with it man. Good to see some more folks doing these workouts. I love them.

 

[WarC]

i find for skinny ppl its really important to up the caloric intake and add some kind of protein shake into the mix for workouts. for adding muscle mass you really cant eat too much as long as its healthy food your eating. building muscle mass requires a lot of caloric intake and proteins and fatty acids.

 

[WarC]

I use Muscle Milk because its high in proteins and fats. It really works. I mix it up and drink the shake about a half hour to an hour before my workouts. Cant recommend the stuff enough. It can get pretty expensive but alot of GNC outlets will sell you recently expired or close to expiration Muscle Milk for cheap, sometimes half off or more...Because its powder it can stay good a year or more after expiration so theres no worry about getting rancid stuff.

 

[Kevinicus]

So, I'm looking to lose about 100 lbs. this year...to get in better shape in general, and also help me recover from an injury.

Would this be something good to look into? I'm can certainly commit to an hour a day, if not more.

What's required as far as equipment and workout space?

 

[TheCount]

Is the P90 something you can do with another person or purely a solo work out?

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

Is the P90 something you can do with another person or purely a solo work out?

Actually, I did the Yoga with my wife and she may do the kempo as well. You would need to each have your own weights/rubber-band and chin-up bar to do all of the exercises together though. It really preaches remaining active and not resting too much between sets, so you wouldn't be able to alternate sets if that is what you were wanting to do.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

So, I'm looking to lose about 100 lbs. this year...to get in better shape in general, and also help me recover from an injury.

Would this be something good to look into? I'm can certainly commit to an hour a day, if not more.

What's required as far as equipment and workout space?

I have been doing it in my living room, so no major space requirements outside of a place to do the exercises. You would either need weights or the exercise bands (the bands might actually be a great idea for you if you were injured) and a place to do chin-ups/pull-ups. I bought a door frame pull-up bar from Target for $30 and I think the bands ran around $25 for an adjustable set with different resistance levels. I didn't buy those because I have a set of Weider adjustable dumbells.

Oh, you also need to have a chair handy for certain exercises and a Yoga matt might be a good idea as well.

If you were injured recently, it might not be a great idea to start off with this routine. It can get pretty crazy with some of what they ask you to do. What did you injure?

 

[CATCH17]

I use Muscle Milk because its high in proteins and fats. It really works. I mix it up and drink the shake about a half hour to an hour before my workouts. Cant recommend the stuff enough. It can get pretty expensive but alot of GNC outlets will sell you recently expired or close to expiration Muscle Milk for cheap, sometimes half off or more...Because its powder it can stay good a year or more after expiration so theres no worry about getting rancid stuff.

I have a friend who swears by that stuff.

What exactly does it do?

 

[CATCH17]

So, I'm looking to lose about 100 lbs. this year...to get in better shape in general, and also help me recover from an injury.

Would this be something good to look into? I'm can certainly commit to an hour a day, if not more.

What's required as far as equipment and workout space?

I would think the p90x is for someone who is already in ok shape.

If your cardio is poor I would just take baby steps and start out eating healthy and just walk.

Maybe even throw in a little jogging. If you can only jog for up to 10 seconds at a time then just jog 10 seconds at a time.

Eventually you'll get over the hump.

 

[Kevinicus]

I have been doing it in my living room, so no major space requirements outside of a place to do the exercises. You would either need weights or the exercise bands (the bands might actually be a great idea for you if you were injured) and a place to do chin-ups/pull-ups. I bought a door frame pull-up bar from Target for $30 and I think the bands ran around $25 for an adjustable set with different resistance levels. I didn't buy those because I have a set of Weider adjustable dumbells.

Oh, you also need to have a chair handy for certain exercises and a Yoga matt might be a good idea as well.

If you were injured recently, it might not be a great idea to start off with this routine. It can get pretty crazy with some of what they ask you to do. What did you injure?

I injured my neck (discs) several years ago, and it just got pretty severe the past year and caused me to be a lot less active and I put on about 60 lbs. since the end of 2008.

I'm finally starting to feel better and wanting to get more active. I've been walking some, and I'm able to be more active at work, but want something I can do more consistently.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

So, I'm looking to lose about 100 lbs. this year...to get in better shape in general, and also help me recover from an injury.

Would this be something good to look into? I'm can certainly commit to an hour a day, if not more.

What's required as far as equipment and workout space?

You need your living room floor area (about 6 feet of clearance) some dumbells or resistance bands (i'd go the bands if you're looking to save money cause they're cheaper and take up far less space) and a place you can do pull ups.

That's it. I'd recommend a mat for the Yoga and stretching workouts but it's not a necessity as much as it's about comfort.

Is the P90 something you can do with another person or purely a solo work out?

You can do it with people. I've worked out with friends, my wife, my nephew. Easily can be done with folks.

I would think the p90x is for someone who is already in ok shape.

If your cardio is poor I would just take baby steps and start out eating healthy and just walk.

Maybe even throw in a little jogging. If you can only jog for up to 10 seconds at a time then just jog 10 seconds at a time.

Eventually you'll get over the hump.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Couldn't be more wrong. P90x is NOT for any certain standard of fitness. I've seen some folks who were 300+ (up to near 400) who've done P90x. It's all about paying attention to the instructions Tony gives during the workouts and modifying, modifying, modifying.

Any fitness level can get in this with proper modification till you build your way up.

I injured my neck (discs) several years ago, and it just got pretty severe the past year and caused me to be a lot less active and I put on about 60 lbs. since the end of 2008.

I'm finally starting to feel better and wanting to get more active. I've been walking some, and I'm able to be more active at work, but want something I can do more consistently.

There is a guy, on their forums, whose 50+ years old and a P90x graduate after breaking his neck. So, yes, you can do it even with those injuries. It's all about, as i said above, being smart and modifying the workouts to suit your abilities and needs at that time. Pay attention, be smart, and listen to your body and you'll do just fine.

 

[SaltwaterServr]

I injured my neck (discs) several years ago, and it just got pretty severe the past year and caused me to be a lot less active and I put on about 60 lbs. since the end of 2008.

I'm finally starting to feel better and wanting to get more active. I've been walking some, and I'm able to be more active at work, but want something I can do more consistently.

The P90 series and Insanity are probably not where you want to start.

 

[JustDezIt]

i have tried a few before and started the program today and am hell bent on finishing the 90 days. I know about the plyometrics and that's up tomorrow so wish me luck. Joe rod you still doin it?

 

[gmoney112]

I was a smaller guy and started lifting about a year and a half ago with a 5 rep scheme. Deadlifts/squats/bench/military press were the fundamentals of my program. I went from 5'10 about 135 lbs bony, to 170 lbs and about 10% bf. I went from deadlifting about 130max to repping 255 for 5 reps. I blew out my shoulder military pressing heavy and wanted a program to help enhance overall body strength, and strengthen my joints.

Enter p90x. I love this program. I don't do the same schedule that they have, I'll usually substitute a workout program in place of kenpo or the cardio thing. If you're high in bf you may want to do the cardio but the workouts themselves are usually plenty, plus you get to hit a lagging bodypart again.

The program is pretty tough. Don't worry about being able to finish it completely your first few weeks. Just do what you can and put in 100% effort. This thing has really started cutting me up though, and I feel stronger then I ever have. Pullups/pushups as a base exercise are excellent.

There are a lot of pullups though. One thing you can do to work yourself up to the amount you have to do is do assisted pullups using a chair, concentrate on the negative aspect of the pullup(where you're lowering yourself). If pullups are easy for you then get a weighted vest, when you get to the point where you're banging out reps of pullups with a 30-40 lb vest on, you will look great and be strong as hell, don't worry about that.

Someone mentioned muscle milk. I don't really like that. It's too expensive for a basic whey+fat protein. Instead of muscle milk or the p90x shake, just get a quality Whey Isolate; ON 100% Whey and Myofusion are great. You will also need a high GI carb, such as Dextrose or Maltodextrin. Post workout you want to spike your insuline to increase protein uptake into your muscles and also replenish lost glycogen, these are very very good things. Put ~25-40g of protein and 50-75g of dextrose or maltodextrin in about 16oz of water and shake, consume this no later than an hour post workout.

Don't get caught up in the hype of supplements. A quality protein isolate, a multivitamin, a fish oil, a decent diet, and maybe creatine are everyhing youll ever need. Concentrate on burning more calories than you take in if you're trying to lose weight, keep sugar to a minimum, and take in good fats+protein, you can eat carbs just not too many, and make sure the're complex carbs, no simple carbs such as sugar/fructose. If you're trying to gain weight take in more calories than you burn, eat about .8g/protein per lb. of bodyweght, drink milk, eat complex carbs, don't buy a store bought weight gainer, you can make your own with steel cut oats/whey protein/peanut butter/milk and you can throw in a banana/berries/yogurt for taste.

I know a lot of lifting/nutrition in general so if you have any questions you can PM me.

As far as equipment, I got the Ironmind bar off Amazon and a basic adjustable dumbbell set at wal-mart for 20$. I had some extra weights and a barbell to begin with.

 

[JustDezIt]

I was a smaller guy and started lifting about a year and a half ago with a 5 rep scheme. Deadlifts/squats/bench/military press were the fundamentals of my program. I went from 5'10 about 135 lbs bony, to 170 lbs and about 10% bf. I went from deadlifting about 130max to repping 255 for 5 reps. I blew out my shoulder military pressing heavy and wanted a program to help enhance overall body strength, and strengthen my joints.

Enter p90x. I love this program. I don't do the same schedule that they have, I'll usually substitute a workout program in place of kenpo or the cardio thing. If you're high in bf you may want to do the cardio but the workouts themselves are usually plenty, plus you get to hit a lagging bodypart again.

The program is pretty tough. Don't worry about being able to finish it completely your first few weeks. Just do what you can and put in 100% effort. This thing has really started cutting me up though, and I feel stronger then I ever have. Pullups/pushups as a base exercise are excellent.

There are a lot of pullups though. One thing you can do to work yourself up to the amount you have to do is do assisted pullups using a chair, concentrate on the negative aspect of the pullup(where you're lowering yourself). If pullups are easy for you then get a weighted vest, when you get to the point where you're banging out reps of pullups with a 30-40 lb vest on, you will look great and be strong as hell, don't worry about that.

Someone mentioned muscle milk. I don't really like that. It's too expensive for a basic whey+fat protein. Instead of muscle milk or the p90x shake, just get a quality Whey Isolate; ON 100% Whey and Myofusion are great. You will also need a high GI carb, such as Dextrose or Maltodextrin. Post workout you want to spike your insuline to increase protein uptake into your muscles and also replenish lost glycogen, these are very very good things. Put ~25-40g of protein and 50-75g of dextrose or maltodextrin in about 16oz of water and shake, consume this no later than an hour post workout.

Don't get caught up in the hype of supplements. A quality protein isolate, a multivitamin, a fish oil, a decent diet, and maybe creatine are everyhing youll ever need. Concentrate on burning more calories than you take in if you're trying to lose weight, keep sugar to a minimum, and take in good fats+protein, you can eat carbs just not too many, and make sure the're complex carbs, no simple carbs such as sugar/fructose. If you're trying to gain weight take in more calories than you burn, eat about .8g/protein per lb. of bodyweght, drink milk, eat complex carbs, don't buy a store bought weight gainer, you can make your own with steel cut oats/whey protein/peanut butter/milk and you can throw in a banana/berries/yogurt for taste.

I know a lot of lifting/nutrition in general so if you have any questions you can PM me.

As far as equipment, I got the Ironmind bar off Amazon and a basic adjustable dumbbell set at wal-mart for 20$. I had some extra weights and a barbell to begin with.

preciate the info. plyometrics kicked my *** today and i know ima be sore tommorow, i might pm ya sometime.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

i have tried a few before and started the program today and am hell bent on finishing the 90 days. I know about the plyometrics and that's up tomorrow so wish me luck. Joe rod you still doin it?

I had to take a few weeks off of it because I got crazy sick with a stomach flu, but I am still on a modified version of it. I've gained about five pounds of muscle as far as I can tell and am pretty happy with the results. I'm sure I could have gained more, but I've had to cut some corners because it takes som much time to do the workouts (throwing in the abs, it takes way over an hour).

 

[YosemiteSam]

I was a smaller guy and started lifting about a year and a half ago with a 5 rep scheme. Deadlifts/squats/bench/military press were the fundamentals of my program. I went from 5'10 about 135 lbs bony, to 170 lbs and about 10% bf.

Whoa. That is dangerously thin. I was 20lbs underweight prior to quitting smoking back in Oct. 2000 and I was right at 6' and 155lbs. Of course, quitting smoking and I was 175lbs two months later.


I workout at the gym these days 6 days a week. I lift three days and cardio three days. (switching back and forth) The cardio days give my muscles time to recover before I lift again. Then I take one complete day off.

btw, cardio is actually an important part of a workout. It's not just about bodyfat. It's also about endurance, strengthening your heart, and increasing lung capacity. When you increase your lung capacity it allows your muscles to recieve more oxygen. More oxygen, the harder you can push your muscles. If your lifting, that is a bonus.

Since your lungs are one size and you can't make them bigger, there are things you can do to use them more efficently, (Google it) but cardio helps a lot.

Cardio should always be in some part of your workout. Even if it's only 20 minute sessions.

 

[gmoney112]

preciate the info. plyometrics kicked my *** today and i know ima be sore tommorow, i might pm ya sometime.

Np man, anytime.

 

[gmoney112]

Whoa. That is dangerously thin. I was 20lbs underweight prior to quitting smoking back in Oct. 2000 and I was right at 6' and 155lbs. Of course, quitting smoking and I was 175lbs two months later.


I workout at the gym these days 6 days a week. I lift three days and cardio three days. (switching back and forth) The cardio days give my muscles time to recover before I lift again. Then I take one complete day off.

btw, cardio is actually an important part of a workout. It's not just about bodyfat. It's also about endurance, strengthening your heart, and increasing lung capacity. When you increase your lung capacity it allows your muscles to recieve more oxygen. More oxygen, the harder you can push your muscles. If your lifting, that is a bonus.

Since your lungs are one size and you can't make them bigger, there are things you can do to use them more efficently, (Google it) but cardio helps a lot.

Cardio should always be in some part of your workout. Even if it's only 20 minute sessions.

Yeah, I was. My father was the same way. 16-21 we apparently have wicked metabolisms, then 21-24 we start to level out. Those 18 months I was lifting heavy 4x a week and taking in 4000 calories a day and still only put on 35 lbs. Thankfully it's slowed down and I can actually maintain a normal diet and weight now.

Yeah I agree with you about cardio. Cardio is important. I work graveyard shifts though and my sleep schedule is usually completely whack, plus I just hate it :laugh2: Beneficial though, absolutely.