Quote :

"so, since so many people are doing this with great success, where are the before and after pictures?"

I never took a before picture before starting P-90x, but it was not like I never worked out before so I was not some fat ass or super skinny dude that expected huge results. I mainly wanted to do it because I was looking for something different. Maybe I'll put up a current picture, but I hate to post anything like that online.

And yes it is hard to stick with P-90x because of the time commitment, not to mention the diet (which I struggle with more than anything).

3/30/2010 5:31:37 PM

I just got done with my first workout a few minutes ago and it flat out 100% kicked my ass. I got nauseated and my arms are currently shaking while I type this.

I can see how 90 days of this would get a person in shape though.

4/5/2010 4:25:09 PM

shit wrong thread

[Edited on April 7, 2010 at 3:13 PM. Reason : asdf]

4/7/2010 3:13:29 PM

Tomorrow is the end of week 3. I still suck at pullups, but I've got better at everything else. Dang, only 70 more days to go.

4/19/2010 8:25:51 PM

Congrats, keep it up.

4/19/2010 10:00:34 PM

just posted this in another thread, but might as well get on it here


Ordered p90x with the deluxe package on thursday, should be here this week hopefully. I already have weights, bench, and push-up bars, and when it all comes will have a chin up bar and resistance bands. While I'm preparing my house for a 6'3" dude to work out every day, the final thing I really want is a good mat. I was thinking of cutting a 6x6' section of a wrestling mat to put down, but that may be tough to find. any suggestions?

5/16/2010 1:40:19 PM

If you're gonna exercise in a carpeted room, I wouldn't even bother with a mat. 6'x6' is probably bigger than you'd need (unless you're reaaally wide), probably 6' by 3' would be big enough. I'm not sure where to find one, though...

5/16/2010 3:07:32 PM

i just got one at Dick's. 6'x3' i think. pretty decent padding - not a thin yoga pad, but a thicker exercise pad. I used it for the ab routine, some yoga stuff, and some specific exercises.

I used a carpeted room, but would still recommend a pad even on carpet. Part personal preference over doing some specific stuff directly on the carpet. But mainly because you can easily clean sweat off of the pad. If you do sweat, even some, your carpet may start smelling like gym after a while. You're going to work out for about an hr straight, hopefully as hard as you can. So you'll get however sweaty you get, and then you'll lay on the floor for about 15 minutes and do the ab routine, which you'll continue to sweat through (however much you sweat).

Personally, I don't want to sweat on/into my carpet.. at all. But definitely not several times a week for 3 months.

5/16/2010 4:09:33 PM

for those of you who workout normally let me know what your opinion is. I work out 4-5 days a week and have gotten stronger and a little more cut but still would like to do more. Do you think this muscle confusion would really work or could I just change my workout around?

5/16/2010 11:02:31 PM

^^^^ I've wondered that myself. The one they recommend for p90x is the Manduka BlackMat, but it's only 1/4" thick. Since that's the same thickness as their Beachbody-branded yoga mat, it doesn't seem like enough. If you go that route though, you can get them on Amazon for $80 vs. $89.95 from Beachbody. They're made in the USA and have a lifetime warranty. I definitely think you need some kind of mat though for the plyometrics at least, especially if you're prone to shin splints or other stress injuries, even if you work out on carpeted floor.

^From everything I've seen, you can probably get the same/similar effects by switching your workouts, but p90x does work and all you have to do is follow the program, watch the videos, and you'll get results. A friend did it, and he went from 15% body fat and 190 to ~9% and 175 in 2 months. I'm almost done the first month of the pre-p90x (P90) program right now, and I plan on doing p90x when I'm done.

FYI, the full p90x program is available online if you just want to try it out for a bit and see whether you want to pay for it.

5/17/2010 12:04:02 AM

My gym membership is due to expire on June 1... would P90x be worth picking up to workout over the summer and through college?

5/17/2010 8:38:32 AM

absolutely^

5/17/2010 1:06:31 PM

just finished my first week of p90x, LOVE it. already feel better, have more strength and energy, and my clothes are fitting more loosely. Only been at it for a week and people are telling me I look like I've lost weight. I'm going at it with some major intensity though and being pretty nazi about what I eat

my unofficial favorite part though is that any time i pause the dvd, tony is always making some hilariously twisted face

6/8/2010 6:57:42 PM

just completed day 2.

6/8/2010 7:44:16 PM

I too just finished up day 2, this is my 2nd go round of serious attempts at this, cleaned my house of junk food this weekend... by eating it lol but time to get this shit done

6/8/2010 8:09:52 PM

p90x is pretty awesome but runs a little long for my daily schedule, I gave it a go for about a month or so

Insanity is way closer to what I'm used to, my cardio is what needs more improvement anyway and by the end I feel good and broken off like back in my OCS days

6/8/2010 9:57:17 PM

Quote :

"I'm going at it with some major intensity though and being pretty nazi about what I eat "

same here i'm at the end of week one and i'm getting results as well.

6/9/2010 12:13:04 PM

Just bought it. I'm psyched about starting from tomorrow. In general, how much weight (in dumbells) do I need to have for muscle building type exercises? I usually do 30 - 35lb dumbells for curls and 45lbs each for bench press. Do you guys recommend any particular place to buy the dumbells from?

6/11/2010 1:37:47 PM

I have one of those adjustable sets that goes up to 50 lbs and that has pretty much been fine for most everything for me so far. If you are already in very good shape and strong there are a few which you could probably go beyond 50 but for the most part those will suffice.

6/11/2010 2:44:32 PM

Quote :

"Just bought it. I'm psyched about starting from tomorrow. In general, how much weight (in dumbells) do I need to have for muscle building type exercises? I usually do 30 - 35lb dumbells for curls and 45lbs each for bench press. Do you guys recommend any particular place to buy the dumbells from?"

They reiterate in the video that you need to be using weight that you can just barely do 8-10 reps for strength gain and between 12-15 reps for toning up.

You'll be doing lots of bicep, tricep work in the arms/shoulder video. You might want some 20s - probably can get some used (Play it again sports, craigslist, classifieds). You will also need a pull-up bar.

Good luck, I started this past Monday. You've got plyometrics on Day 2. Enjoy your hellSunday and subsequent worse than hell Monday.

6/11/2010 4:04:19 PM

I was reading on the first page that some folks had the ability to make a copy of this for a small fee and blank DVDs. I'd be highly interested in getting in on this if someone wants to hit me up with a PM. I'd be most appreciative.

7/2/2010 1:36:05 AM

wrapping up week 5. I've lost 8lbs. I'm pretty happy about that.

that back & biceps workout is no fucking joke.

7/2/2010 8:50:01 AM

8 lbs in 5 weeks is right on target

7/2/2010 9:17:00 AM

yeah I started 225 (I"m 6'1"), but I want to get down to about 205ish, lose the fat, gain some muscle, look better, etc. I'm 217 now, gettin there slowly.

7/2/2010 9:36:35 AM

how long are most of the routines?

7/2/2010 9:54:55 AM

most usually run an hour. 90mins if you do the ab ripper X with it.

7/2/2010 9:58:38 AM

Planning on starting this on Tuesday. Done most of the research and I think I'm ready, but I just gotta be committed. My biggest concern is time. I'm not always home on weekends and I'm worried I'll be forced to miss some days, but it shouldn't be too bad.

[Edited on July 4, 2010 at 8:29 PM. Reason : ]

7/4/2010 8:27:27 PM

ez try the insanity workout it says it doesnt need outside items so you could do it from anywhere else

7/5/2010 7:59:29 AM

I've got to start something and I've heard enough about this to start....

so is this package all I need for starting out (and is it a decent deal)?
http://www.extremely-fit.com/p90x-deluxe-workout.html

7/5/2010 11:28:06 AM

the only thing you really need to do p90x is an exercise band. They take up very little space and can be taken just about anywhere.

They're relatively cheap and come in various resistances. They probably won't be enough resistance for everything. But they're more than fine for a workout here or there that you can't do at home. And you can get them with a small piece that you can put between a door and door-frame, then close the door. The band hooks onto the piece and you can use it for pull-downs and rows in place of pull-ups or rows with dumbbells.

it may be best to start on a monday just because the way the workouts line up. if you stay strictly on schedule, the wkends won't be too much of an issue. Saturdays will be Kenpo X and sundays will be a rest day. If you're more likely to miss wknd workouts and you start on any day other than monday, you're gonna risk missing 2 workouts instead of 1.

You're probably gonna miss some days, it's pretty much unavoidable. just try to limit it and try to make them up. My friends and I started around the same time. We each put $100 in a "jar" and said we could each miss X amount of days. If we made it up within the wk of the scheduled day, it didn't count toward our missed days. If we went over the allotted number of missed days, we forfeited our share of the money to those who finished without going over.

7/5/2010 12:02:17 PM

thanks.

it will probably be a few weeks before I can order it then plus shipping time. I'm pretty much out of shape... so in the mean time, is there something I should focus on in the gym (NCSU) to prepare?

7/5/2010 12:16:45 PM

work on pullups/back, pushups/chest, and legs. especially legs. you'll probably have the most difficulty with those parts if you haven't been working out


when i first started the leg routines wore me out faster than anything else. I've always had powerful legs but damn if yoga didn't kick my ass



[Edited on July 5, 2010 at 2:13 PM. Reason : and cardio of course]

7/5/2010 2:00:16 PM

What weight did you guys use for dumbbells? I'm trying to research what I should go with and a pair of 10's and 20's seems about average.

7/5/2010 2:25:48 PM

I have up to 50 lb dumbells and while I dont generally use all 50 for many exercises with p90x I got at least 35-40 on quite a few. I am far from fit or a big guy so Id imagine other people go higher than that.

7/5/2010 3:33:38 PM

OK, I appreciate the help. I already have a pair of 35 lb dumbbells. By no means am I a big/strong guy, but I do occasionally work out and I'm in decent shape. Maybe I'll go with a pair of 15's and 25's (being that I already have 35).

7/5/2010 3:44:59 PM

Yeah that would probably be a good setup to get ya started and if you find you are in need of the middle weights more often you could always add those

7/5/2010 3:48:41 PM

ok, I've gotten a hold of some scanned pdf's of the paperwork, so I'm going through that... but it seems to be missing some stuff.

I'll get my copy (plus paperwork) within a week or so I hope. This week I hope to start preparing... I've got a pull-up bar, 20 lb band, and 2 20 lb dumbells. This week I hope to focus on eating right, getting up early (I'll have to work out in the morning), stretching, and getting some initial soreness taken care of. I haven't taken the pre-test, but just by guessing, I am probably just below the failure line

My Plans:
Tomorrow morning starts prep day #1 of 5. then I'll start P90X next Monday (resting on Sunday)
My goal is toning up/gaining muscle firmness and losing fat. I know I'll gain some strength/muscle, but this isn't my top priority.
My goal is to lose 70 pounds or just the look of 70 pounds of fat
I'm 5'9" around 270 lb, so I'm thinking I can drop quite a bit of weight quickly through eating right and just being active (a few summers ago I lost 20 pounds in 3 months by just eating right and hitting the elliptical for 30 min/day). I'm thinking P90X will increase my fat loss and add the tone/firmness that I'm looking for.

Questions for you guys:

- Meal advice. This will probably be the toughest thing for me... I'm a beer and meat guy. Can someone offer some quick/easy meal options? So far I've got eggs and turkey. I'll grab some chicken too. I'm not a vegetable guy... I like lima beans and asparagus... not sure what else... may try V8 or something similar. I'm good with apples, bananas, and grapes. Not sure on protein bars.

- How does the workout routine work? Just follow through the DVDs or is there a paper guide I follow and I navigate through the DVDs to the different workouts?

- Do the DVDs show alternative ways... such as for pull-ups, as I can't do one currently. What about for exercises I can't do a whole lot of right now, such as push-ups... just do what I can in the allotted time... alternative exercises to supplement when I can't do anymore?

My general daily plan is:
6AM: Workout: warm-up, stretching, etc.

7AM: Recovery drink (picked up AM amplified protein recovery XL from GNC; guy there said it was what other P90X people used);

730AM: breakfast (3 egg whites, toast, ...?) Mega men sport multivitamin.

10AM: snack (banana, protein bar (any suggestions?)

12PM: lunch... turkey/chicken...?

2PM: snack...?

4PM: snack and/or cardio (elliptical work or try to add the optional cardio option to P90x)

6PM: dinner... turkey/chicken/egg whites..? Mega men sport multivitamin.

Thanks for any suggestions.

7/5/2010 9:27:17 PM

Quote :

"How does the workout routine work? Just follow through the DVDs or is there a paper guide I follow and I navigate through the DVDs to the different workouts?"

There's a specific schedule. There are 3 phases. each phase has a different goal. Each phase is 3 work weeks and 1 recovery week.

Quote :

"Do the DVDs show alternative ways... such as for pull-ups, as I can't do one currently. What about for exercises I can't do a whole lot of right now, such as push-ups... just do what I can in the allotted time... alternative exercises to supplement when I can't do anymore?"

Yes. For ex. with pull-ups, you can put a chair under the pull-up bar. By using your leg or legs to varying degrees you can vary the resistance of the pull up. you can also use an exercise band by putting it in a door or looping it around something. But yes, they show alternatives on the dvd as well as ways to vary the difficulty.

At the end of the day, if you "can't do any more"... that's essentially the goal. Unless you're getting like 4 reps. Then you need to find a way to lessen the resistance or a slightly easier, but similar exercise.

7/5/2010 9:38:45 PM

thanks.

prep day #1 started out a little rough. fell asleep too late to wake up on time and then my workout (not P90X) took a lot out of me... I'll chalk it up to the newness, etc.

took some measurements and pictures today; will repeat for official start next monday. I think I need to add some carbs to breakfast...? a piece of whole wheat toast? today I just had a glass of skim milk and 3 egg whites scrambled with just a touch of shaved turkey.

7/6/2010 7:52:39 AM

have fun on your p90X journey. plyo is day 2, and when I did it (hell when I do it now) it kicks my ass.

7/6/2010 8:33:27 AM

Yeah if you start on a monday prepare for wednesday to suck, and thursday to hardly be able to walk.. plan accordingly haha

7/6/2010 8:35:22 AM

^very true

7/6/2010 8:44:06 AM

just started back on sunday w/ the classic routine...i wasn't able to finish either one which is probably a good thing...last time that I started it I couldn't move well enough to do plyo...so i ended up not keeping up with it...trying to pace myself this time in the beginning

so far so good

7/6/2010 9:09:14 AM

Quote :

"Meal advice. This will probably be the toughest thing for me... I'm a beer and meat guy. Can someone offer some quick/easy meal options? So far I've got eggs and turkey. I'll grab some chicken too. I'm not a vegetable guy... I like lima beans and asparagus... not sure what else... may try V8 or something similar. I'm good with apples, bananas, and grapes. Not sure on protein bars."

I do two hard boiled eggs in the morning or fruit + granola and one hard boiled egg.
I try to get a salad for lunch but once or twice a week I'll get fast food or a sandwich.
Dinner is usually carbs(potatoes, pasta, or rice) and meat (chicken and sometimes beef).
Beer is saved for Friday night.

Quote :

"How does the workout routine work? Just follow through the DVDs or is there a paper guide I follow and I navigate through the DVDs to the different workouts?"

Each day has a different workout out. You repeat some tapes during the week, and you repeat some weeks a few times in a row. (eg: Week 1 through 3 is the same workout each day, and on Day 1, 3, and 5, you do Abs in addition to the workout)

Quote :

"Do the DVDs show alternative ways... such as for pull-ups, as I can't do one currently. What about for exercises I can't do a whole lot of right now, such as push-ups... just do what I can in the allotted time... alternative exercises to supplement when I can't do anymore?"

Bill, I recommend you get some resistance bands. If you have a place on the wall or ceiling to hang the band from, you can sit on the ground our in a chair and do pull ups like that. You do as many as you can in the allotted time and write that number down.

7/6/2010 9:21:28 AM

plyo for the first time tonight. wow i thought cycling 30 miles was a good leg work out. wow shit damn my legs are cooked.

7/6/2010 10:12:14 PM

Quote :

"- Meal advice. This will probably be the toughest thing for me... I'm a beer and meat guy. Can someone offer some quick/easy meal options? So far I've got eggs and turkey. I'll grab some chicken too. I'm not a vegetable guy... I like lima beans and asparagus... not sure what else... may try V8 or something similar. I'm good with apples, bananas, and grapes. Not sure on protein bars."

I'm not familiar with the P90X diet but I have general healthy eating advice. Learning to cook will help you tremendously. You're gonna get sick of eating the same turkey sandwich every day. I wish I lived in NC cause I could totally help you out with this. But the good news is there are plenty of cooking videos on youtube or the food network site that can teach you. Also you mentioned adding carbs to breakfast, I suggest Shredded Wheat cereal with the added bran (brown box). Since it's summer, berries are on sale in the grocery store and go great with some cereal in the morning.

Unfortunately the 3 fruits you named are not very nutrient dense. (don't get me wrong, any fruit is better than fast food, but some fruits are better than others) They have lots of sugar/starch and not much fiber. V8 is okay but you lose the filling and fiber benefits of an actual vegetable. If you like sweet things try carrots and red bell peppers. Also I eat broccoli with peanut butter as a snack, sounds weird but the peanut butter cuts down on the bitterness of the broccoli. Look up the nutrition facts, broccoli is so healthy it's unbelievable.

7/7/2010 7:05:47 AM

^good ideas, thanks. and I forgot about broccoli... I like it steamed at least... I'll try raw with peanut butter, that sounds good. unfortunately, I hate carrots (just the texture really) I really attempt to try vegetables all the time and try to eat them... I just don't like most of them..


well I got my discs... and didn't want to wait until next week to find out what it's all about... ahaha, it's tough, but a good workout. I did chest + back + ab ripper... I couldn't nearly keep up, but I didn't really plan on that anyways. I think I'll take it easier tomorrow/more cardio as my official start date is going to be next monday.

question for you guys... on exercises with a set number of reps (such as in ab ripper) do you guys pause and get all reps (25 for abs) or just do what you can? no way in hell I could have done 25 reps on all those exercises.

7/7/2010 7:50:20 AM

I do what I can, write it down, and try to beat it the next time.

have fun with plyometrics!

7/7/2010 8:24:45 AM

does anyone use the Bodylastics resistance bands? I've been reading they are a lot better quality than the Golds Gym or others available at Dicks

7/7/2010 8:53:54 AM

^^ha, looking forward to it
^I picked up whatever play-it-again sports has... seems to work just fine...

2 hours post workout... and I'm already sore. hahaha

7/7/2010 9:13:58 AM