14 pages of P90X

[Edited on July 7, 2010 at 10:51 AM. Reason : holler!]

7/7/2010 10:51:20 AM

Quote :

"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."

I just do what I can. - I don't write stuff down for ab ripper x.

7/7/2010 4:02:08 PM

Quote :

"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."

I would be interested in this as well.

7/7/2010 4:09:09 PM

so has anyone made up daily meal plans or anything? that at least go somewhat along with the literature's proportion guideplans?

I'm horrible with this crap... I'm about to make a spreadsheet with all of this in there so I can make sure I'm getting enough protein, carbs, etc.

7/7/2010 5:51:12 PM

so according to the P90x literature, I've been eating way less than their recommendations and less than 1,000 calories per day. I'm normally a big, unhealthy food eater... but since switching over to healthier food choices, what I've eaten has kept me feeling full/not hungry. I know that some of the no-hunger may be due to personal issues... but <1,000/day? is it just all the protein?

typical foods/drinks for the past few days:

egg whites
turkey
bananas
pancake (no syrup)
protein bars
multivitamins
protein recovery drink
water

7/7/2010 7:54:40 PM

If you start to feel really fatigued, add more calories.

7/7/2010 9:43:41 PM

I've been loosely following P90X now for 9 months and can tell a huge difference. I mainly do the upper body sets then do my own cardio, abs, and legs. Been mixing in a little of Insanity here and there for Plyo too. I'm not really following the diet either, just eating a lot less sugar and more protein / greens.

I started off at 193 lbs being able to do maybe 1 pull up. I'm down about 20 lbs and the other day did 40 pull ups of various types in a handful of sets within a 5 minute span. It definitely works if you stick with it...

7/8/2010 6:54:44 AM

How was the plyometrics workout, Bill?

Quote :

"I'm not really following the diet either, just eating a lot less sugar and more protein / greens."

Me too. I don't drink sugary drinks or foods and I limit my intake of fried foods.

7/8/2010 8:31:36 AM

I don't know

I just woke up at 9.... so I missed my entire morning workout and all... it's ok, next Monday is my official start. And I'm damn hurting today.

need to find a new "put me to sleep" aid... I was using chewable dramamine, which worked fine but I ran out. I couldn't find any yesterday so I just grabbed the pill form... which probably put me out way to hard.... when my alarm went off this morning I felt drugged. may try chewable dramamine if I can find it again... or benadryl. I've tried real sleep aids and those just kill me (If I don't sleep for 10-12 hours, I'm groggy as hell).

[Edited on July 8, 2010 at 9:42 AM. Reason : .]

7/8/2010 9:39:37 AM

Yeah once you switch over to healthy foods sometimes it takes a bit for your body to adjust. It is definitely difficult to eat the amount of calories they suggest and make them all good calories. I would imagine once you get into the routine of working out your metabolism will kick it up a notch and you will start being more hungry as your body gets used to needing fuel on a more regular basis.

7/8/2010 9:45:51 AM

is it weird that I'm SUPER excited about starting this?

7/8/2010 9:46:41 AM

Nope I was too, the key is how you feel after a week or two of doing it haha

7/8/2010 9:47:29 AM

Is there a way to do part of the workout and still get decent results? I know I'm not going to see mind-blowing changes if I don't do all of it, but I'm not sure if I can devote an entire hour every day.

also...

Quote :

"need to find a new "put me to sleep" aid... I've tried real sleep aids and those just kill me (If I don't sleep for 10-12 hours, I'm groggy as hell)."

I have to use a sleep aid ~3 times a week, since I have to go to bed at like 7 or 8pm. I take a half of a unisom - puts me to sleep fairly quickly but I can still wake up 6 hours later to go to work. Either that or a half dose (one pill instead of two) of Tylenol Simply Sleep, but that tends to make me groggier in the morning than the Unisom

[Edited on July 8, 2010 at 10:01 AM. Reason : ]

7/8/2010 9:57:48 AM

Well I mean you can always just do the first 30 minutes of a workout or some of them they go through a who bunch of exercises, and then just do those same ones a second time around so you could just do the first set and just go balls to the wall on that set knowing you need not save any for the 2nd round.

7/8/2010 10:29:53 AM

Quote :

"but I'm not sure if I can devote an entire hour every day."

Really? What else are you doing that takes up this time?

7/8/2010 1:47:06 PM

^ well, I'm a girl, so taking a shower after a workout usually means 45 min to an hour of shower/get dressed/do hair time, so it makes a 1 hour workout into two hours, which I usually don't have time for. If I spend the minimum amount of time showering and getting ready, I can do it in 30 mins (as in 30 mins from in the shower to out the door), but that doesn't include drying my hair. Ideally I'd like a 30 min workout. I know it won't work as fast, but it's better than the lot of nothing I was doing before this summer.

7/8/2010 2:09:47 PM

You mean before work or afterward?

7/8/2010 2:21:20 PM

I have an odd schedule... I go to work at 3:30am, so I have to work out after work.

7/8/2010 3:35:48 PM

if I can make time to do it every day, anyone can


BECAUSE I AM THE BUSIEST MAN ON EARTH

7/8/2010 3:50:47 PM

about to do plyometrics since i missed it this morning... wish me luck

7/8/2010 4:04:12 PM

I'm on my second week with P90X. Already seen some nice progress. After trying it once, I'm gonna completely skip the Kenpo X workouts and go for straight-up cardio on those days instead. I'm bound to hurt myself with that shit, not flexible enough.

7/8/2010 4:26:48 PM

^^Don't die!

7/8/2010 4:57:49 PM

plyo is the devil

7/8/2010 6:52:52 PM

To me, Chest and Back is a whole lot worse than Plyo, to me.

7/8/2010 7:02:16 PM

I like plyo, it's tough, but I like it.

7/8/2010 7:54:43 PM

^^I agree. I enjoy Plyo. It's hard, but I enjoy it. I really don't enjoy Chest and Back.

7/8/2010 7:56:33 PM

well, plyo is worse for me because I just can't do shit during it... the impact kills my ankles and knees and I just get tired way too quickly.

though physically, the chest and back workout took more out of me because I could actually do stuff

7/8/2010 7:57:41 PM

^You can do the low impact routine stuff in it.

7/8/2010 8:01:26 PM

yeh, for some of the moves... and then I get tired... I haven't really used my legs in a while

7/8/2010 8:05:07 PM

try doing cardio x in place of plyo. It's a less intense cardio workout. I think they even say to do cardio x if plyo is so difficult you're not really able to do much.

7/8/2010 8:28:59 PM

did ab ripper x last night ... first workout in over 6 months (aside from playing basketball once every few weeks)...

Needless to say, my upper legs/abs are not really working well today

Thought I was taking in lightly, but still got worked over pretty good.

7/9/2010 8:12:49 AM

I'm in Raleigh this weekend and I'd like to buy the DVDs from someone

PM me if you are interested!!! I know a lot of people stop using the DVDs eventually.

7/10/2010 7:55:01 PM

So about this recovery drink. Does it have to be the p90x brand, if so, where is the cheapest place to find it and if I can substitute it then what and where? Also, where did you folks get your weights? I bought a set of resistance bands (up to 40lbs) but read that dumbells are what really help. If that is the case then what max weight would be needed for this program? I am not terribly huge to begin with and they are mad expensive so I don't want to buy more than I need right now. Thanks!

7/10/2010 9:15:06 PM

http://www.powerblock.com/Sportseries.html

I bought these myself the 5.0 set up to 50 lbs and they have worked just fine for me with p90x

7/10/2010 9:26:59 PM

I might just have to suck it up and get those. Craigslist is complete fail in this regard. To those folks whom have done this, is it possible to get the same workout/results using the resistance bands? And would bands going up to 40lbs be enough?

7/11/2010 4:10:55 AM

They generally show you ways to do most exercises with the bands as well. The hardest part for me with the bands was simulating pullups, but I probably just need an even heavier band simply because in the videos they have it put so much higher up and all I have is a door frame.

7/11/2010 9:02:26 AM

The bands are OK but they can get kind of awkward in some of the exercises. You asked earlier about what weights you needed also. I am about 200 pounds, and have done this program twice all the way through. As a reference point, I use anywhere from 12.5 pound weights (on the straight arm shoulder exercises like weighted circles) to 40 pound weights (on the shoulder presses, etc.) So 40 pounds should be enough.

Let me take that back. There are a couple exercises that I use more weight on, the two that I can think of right now are lawnmowers and heavy pants. But you should be fine with 40 pounds there and just upping your reps.

7/11/2010 9:18:04 AM

Quote :

"So about this recovery drink"

I drink water.


If you're working out in the morning, a fruit smoothie with protein powder or fruit smoothie with a hard boiled egg should be fine.

I workout after work so I usually hydrate with water and then eat dinner.

7/11/2010 11:49:49 AM

Yeah, I didn't drink any recovery drink, but I did have a protein shake every morning.

As for weights, like FeebleMinded just said, I only use a bunch (more than 40 lbs) on lawnmowers and heavy pants.

You can get a cheap pullup bar that fits in your doorframe for like $25. I'd definitely recommend that over using the resistance bands.

7/11/2010 2:17:57 PM

So I just got the DVDs!! I need to buy dumbbells and bands. (I can't do pullups ) Do you guys think the exercise mat is necessary?

Looks like a couple people don't follow the nutrition plan and just eat right? I don't see myself following a list of meals for the day. I already eat healthy meals - fast food once a month or less, enough fruit & veggies, no processed food, etc.

BUT my weakness is a giant sweet tooth. I'm fine at home because I never buy sweets at the grocery store. Unfortunately there are snack cabinets at work full of assorted candy bars and mini cookies. I've tried to quit so many times and failed. It's easy to resist buying candy by skipping that aisle in the grocery store, very hard to resist for 9 hours on a boring day at work.

I probably average one sugary snack a day. Lately I've had some success cutting back, for example I'll buy mini cookies and throw away half the bag. That way at least I don't eat the whole bag. any advice on this???

7/12/2010 8:34:28 AM

Quote :

"If you're working out in the morning, a fruit smoothie with protein powder or fruit smoothie with a hard boiled egg should be fine. I workout after work so I usually hydrate with water and then eat dinner. "

The recovery drink helps your body obtain the nutrients it needs to get a lot of important recovery done within the 30 minutes after your workout. I've talked to people and have seen some articles where they say its important to eat something with protein right after your workout, so I'll take a protein shake or even a peanut butter sandwich with me to eat as I'm leaving the gym. Something about how its a crucial window for your muscles to get better gains and results from both the workout and the recovery drink.

7/12/2010 8:38:00 AM

Quote :

"Do you guys think the exercise mat is necessary?"

I don't do the yoga so I don't use mine at all.

If I ever did the ab workout in a gym and not in my house, I would use it. It just depends on where you are planning on working out.

7/12/2010 8:39:35 AM

I love my yoga mat... If you're looking for one to use for a really long time, Nerdchick, I'd recommend Gaiam mats. You can even get pretty designs They're about $20 but well worth it

7/12/2010 8:50:38 AM

TJ MAxxxxxx and Marshall's have cheap generic ones too.

7/12/2010 8:53:48 AM

^good call, i definitely need a mat.



if anyone is curious about bands, i ordered a set from bodylastics.com after reading a lot about quality differences between different brands. These were probably the best reviewed ones i found and they seem to have a great reputation. I ordered the Terrell Owens strong man version just so i wouldn't outgrow it (137lbs per side). Got it in on friday and am very impressed with the quality of the bands and straps.

7/12/2010 9:02:04 AM

got my dumbbells at play it again sports. pretty much a doller per pound.


so I didn't do much last week b/c I was enjoying my bday and the surrounding festivities. worked out this am and I am SMOKED.

7/12/2010 9:37:29 AM

Quote :

"got my dumbbells at play it again sports. pretty much a doller per pound. "

Used ones are like $0.65/lb if you're lucky enough to find some.

7/12/2010 9:44:07 AM

What size dumbbells should I get? I normally work out with 20 lbs each arm but I don't know if that's too heavy for the amount of reps P90X requires.... Should I get some 10's and 15's maybe?

7/12/2010 10:05:26 AM

bodylastics are good, except if you're only doing the stuff in p90x and use a pull-up bar, they are annoying because if you want to adjust weights you might have to hook/unhook the bands. i'd rather have bands for p90x that all have handles on them without having to hook/unhook.

7/12/2010 10:09:30 AM

^^I use 5s, 10s, 15s, 20s, and 30s. Anne only uses the 5s, 10s, and 15s.

7/12/2010 10:11:16 AM