P90X

Well I too just finished a full 90 days of P90X. Never missed a workout and stuck to the meal plan. I was in medium average shape to begin with so I did not expect huge weight loss. These however were my results between day 1 and 90:

Weight loss: 13 lbs
Pull ups: from 1/2 of 1 to 50 on day 90 (I guess I did'nt build any muscle in those 15 rep weight lifting cycles)
push ups: 20 to 58
crunches: 50 to over 150
resting heart rate and recovery: considerable improvement
general energy: Through the roof

I'm a little shy to post my pictures but I can tell you that I went from a 6 foot lean but soft 182 lbs to a ripped (just on the edge of a full six pack with full definition everywhere) 169lbs. The difference is INCREDIBLE and definatly the kind of stuff you see on the infomercial.

Now for my opinion on why I think P90X is good. The program is good because it is a no BS approach to working out. It does not claim that one move replaces 5 others or that you can achieve great results with half the effort. What it does do is package lots of tried and true exercise routines and sets into an organized and structured program that one can follow easily and track your progress with. There is no magic to it as there is no magic to a whole lot of things in this world but for just over $100 I think that it is a bargain. Sure the raw info is available on the internet but to slush through it all to try and package for yourself a full program that encompasses all of the things P90X does is just not worth the effort for anyone but the most die hard workout dude. Remember you are not buying any shortcuts or secrets you are buying a plan of action; something that most people in this world can benefit from.

It is hard, you will hurt, and it is worth it!

 

You guys are confusing me. If people are getting ripped isn't there muscular development occuring?

 

I'm not here to ruffle any feathers, but I somehow doubt you're able to do one set of 50 unassisted pull-ups.

(the rest of your progress, however, is fantastic)

Not necessarily. At the moment, I don't have any visible abs. Without doing a single ab workout, if I lost 5lbs of pure fat, I'm fairly certain my abs would be visible. I'm getting ripped, but there's no muscle development occurring. Make sense?

Moreover, everyone's definition of being ripped is different. Take these two pictures for example. Both dudes are ripped by definition, but one weighs 135lbs whereas the other weighs 190lbs. One looks like he can barely bench press 1 plate, the other looks like he would have no trouble pressing 3. I suppose it comes down to personal goals, but I never saw the appeal in being scrawny but having definition.
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I would have never believed that it was possible either but I did an honest 50 unassisted pull ups in one shot on my day 90 fitness test. The pull ups were something that I really set my sights on so as soon as I was able to do one I really pressed to always get at least one more with every set. Before the fitness test my best number was 46 so on the final test maybe I was just a little more inspired but I managed to crank off 50 and I can assure you that 51 was nowhere to be found.

I think that there is a little confusion here where specific terms maybe are being incorrectly used. I use strength and muscle interchangeably and that very well may be wrong. During my P90X I chose weights that were lower with higher reps to build lean muscle rather than bulk up. I'm not sure what the technical term is for what I was doing or achieving but all I know is that all of my numbers after were WAY better than before which makes me happy.

During the program I thought that the DVD guidance was really helpful and much better than just trying to follow written exercises (that never worked well for me). For sure a personal trainer that was watching me would probably have yielded even better results however a trainer for the 90 days at 1 hour per day would have been about $5K so for the $100 or so the program cost I got a pretty close for a fraction of the price. P90X is for sure not the be all and end all of working out but it sure is a pretty good buy accross the board.

 

I'm going to have to get this.

 

How much time did it take you each day?
Were you exhausted after each workout?
What kind of diet did you follow?

 

Talking to somebody who knows a lot about lifting... strength comes from building up... higher (relatively) rep lower weight, followed concurently heavier lifts with fewer reps with four or five different mass values; as well as a "cool down" mid-high range weight with as many reps (higher again) til failure.

A real pain in the ass to get big... not to mention the HUGE calorie intake needed to get that big.

 

Cameron, it's not black and white like you say. You might be referring to the guidelines for the optimum number of reps for hypertrophy, especially at the beginning of an exercise regimen, but it's certainly not a hard and fast rule. Different bodies work differently, so there is no one optimum number of sets and reps, and even if you are not in the optimum range, you can still be building muscle.

 

I have no experience with the program, but for him gain muscle he is going to have to eat a lot of protein. Getting him on a lean meat (fish, chicken, pork, red meats) diet is a must.

 

To answer these questions:

1. No DVD takes longer than 1 hour so figuring in some short breaks the most you will need is 1.5 hours 6 days a week (one day / week is off)
2. In the beginning I was pretty sore but within the first 2 weeks I recovered well and it in no way affected the rest of my day.
3. The program has 2 main options for diet. One is a guidline diet where they tell you the approx number of calories and the foods you should eat. The other is a regimented diet where all of your meals are planned out with recepies. I opted for the second however I'll be starting the program again this week and will choose my own diet based on the guidelines. The foods they suggeest are all very good and plentiful. No oddball roots or herbs but meat, veggies, fish, chicken, etc.

It is important to suplement the diet with protien shakes and recovery drinks. I bought mine at GNC and they worked really well at giving the body the building blocks it needed. This is an absolute must have in your program.

 

Did you ever post before and after pics? Would be interested to see them if you have them!

 

to those that have used this system, how intensive is the diet plan part of the package? That is the only part which concerns me about trying this out. I am most likely going to go ahead and give it a try just to see how it works out for me but was just curious as to the intensity to which you must watch what you eat and how difficult it is to prepare the foods if the rest of the family does not wish to participate in the plan.

 

As I mentionned earlier there are 2 paths for the meal plan. One is to follow a strict diet based on a specific menu. The other is a guidline diet where you can choose from lots of different foods provided that they have the required amounts of protien, carbs, etc. for the given period of the diet (the diet is done in three phases with different caloric requirements in each phase). That said the first option is rather strict and hard to adhere to. In my case I did this and got a lot of support from those around me. For 3 months I did not have the slightest cheat. The whole point of the diet is to ensure that the body gets the building blocks it needs and it is quite the education when you meter your intake. Now out of the program I find myself being much more careful with my portion and choices as I treat eating as fuel and not just something to do. For me I enjoyed the strict diet but for some I can see how it would be too hard.

 

This is obviously a very popular program. I went ahead and ordered it for my son. Check back in 90 days and see if I'm okay. I'm afraid once he finishes this program he'll wipe the floor with my a*s!

 

My brother got the P90x but didn't stick to it. Its just downstairs now. I might try it after all these good results :O

 

Been thinking about P90X for a couple of months. A new manager at one of our stores is a P90x convert.

I just ordered it. I plan to go all out with the diet, etc. We'll see how it goes.

 

Just do it," keep hitting play ". Got me in great shape! The diet is the hard part. Your endurance and overall fitness will be greatly improved. Very motivating . Dont expect to gain
muscular bulk it will rip you up. Got through it at 48.

 

Well, my P90x came yesterday. Watched the chest and back disc. Looks like it might be interesting, not boring.

I guess I have to do it to get any benefit?

Will hopefully get situated to start next week.

 

I just got mine, I'll post my thoughts soon.

 

I got it too, although I'm not sure I'll use it or not. Definitely some parts of it. I need to review the back exercises as that is my weakest point, then my lats.

 

Anyone do the abs routine? I wonder if it will give you a 6 pack or 8 pack?

What kind of diet do they advocate? I am on the zone diet. Some days are better than others, but when I am in the zone, I am full of energy and can't sleep till 3am--which kills the following day.

 

I've been doing over 1000 situps/ week for a while now, and I still have too much gut for others to clearly see, but I just added an additional two routines to my pre - p90x workout as well as an additional bicep routine.

I'm not entirely sure of the p90x system yet, but I'm 100% sure my current system will give me well defined abs, and a stronger back as well (which is what I'm wanting anyway).

I bought some ab straps, and am doing leg lifts, currently 120 four nights a week broken in sets of 25 / 15, 25/ 15, 25/ 15

Immediately after, I do my set of sit-ups 40 regular pace with no rest 30 high speed situps

Followed immediately by oblique crunches on either side for 30 each.

Doing reps that make sense for you, and if you have a low body fat %, you will definitely get those 8 pack abs

At this point, I'm kinda wondering if P90x will seem easy compared to my regular routine.

 

If you are doing that many reps per week, perhaps you have plateaued? Consider switching things up, increasing intensity by adding weighted plates, and read up on periodization.

One of the things I like about the P90x abs routine is that it gives a variety of exercises and works all the different core muscle groups. I just have a problem sticking to it since I do a bunch of other stuff--gymnastics, running, biking, kettlebells, martial arts, etc. I am lean enough that the 8 pack would show, I just don't seem to have the discipline to really focus and develop it. When do you do your routine? When you wake up, or some other time?

Leg lifts and reverse crunches are awesome, by the way. Far better than regular crunches.

 

I had plateaued; and was generally "fine" with that as it the workout still garners sweat, and helps the weight loss. This week, I added the new exercises, and have noticed a significant amount of new strength in my arms, and abs. I usually workout before I go to bed, and try to run earlier 2x per week... but I still would like to increase that to 3-4 times per week.

I'm interested in back and shoulder exercises used in gymnastics, as my 12 month goal is to do at least one 90 degree push up...

 

That's one of my goals too! Damn, it's tough to get that fit and coordinated (I am 40 years old, only really got into fitness at 37). I can hold a handstand for 4-5 seconds now, and hold myself up on my arms against a wall for 2 minutes at a time. The pushups are coming along really slowly, I can only do tiny twitches right now (against a wall), even though I can crank out 110 of the normal ones. To build the needed strength at different angles, I put my arms down by my hip bones when I do regular pushups, and try to do 15+ at a time. I also spend a lot of time inverted, either against a wall, or repeatedly trying to get into handstands. It's really tough.

My best friend's daughter is all of 6 years old, and is a natural at gymnastics. She has been training with some Russian ex-Olympic team coach for the last two years and she can walk around on her arms all day long, and can get into the handstand by either doing a forward roll onto her hands, or bending over backwards, putting her hands on the floor behind her, and simply lifting her legs up. She makes it look really easy and effortless--I am insanely jealous!

What are you doing to build up to the vertical pushups? Would love to know.