P90X - Does it Work?
 

Ok;. So I’m getting to the point where I’m seeing the gestation of ‘moobs’. I’ve had the love handles for a few years.
In 2006, I remember seeing the scale and it reading “215”. I remember telling my wife, ‘holy crap. I weight 215!”

Well, shit. Now I’m probably 240. I’m about 6’1” and carry the weight pretty well, in that I’m not all floppy/flabby.

I’ve done the Couch to 5K twice, and had success. I’m thinking about doing it yet again, and at the conclusion of the program, looking at P90X.
I’d like to do as much as I can from home. If the P90X program produces results, I may invest in a gym membership at that point.

Has anyone used this, and if so, how did you like it. Did you see results?

sure. it's just like any of the other programs - if you eat right and work out hard you'll get results.

yep. I'm going to eat a lot better along with whatever program I use. Currently, I don't have any weights / bench etc. I think if I can drop some of the fatty weight, I can then go for another round of more intense P90.

I'd also like to get a heavy bag; I had one back in the day and loved it. But, I'm so out of shape, I doubt I would get one until after a P90 (or similar) program.

are there any recommendations of a diet (not a starvation diet, but just a better diet in genearl), and or any supplements? I have zero clue about anything that is sold in a GNC lol.

After becoming a piece of shit a few years out of college, I got in pretty good shape courtesy of P90x. It's tough when you start, when you do what you can do.

It's amazing how much easier it is to motivate yourself to eat healthier also when you know if you don't all of the work you are doing will be wasted.

I did see results but I became a lazy bastard. It's a tough workout where you do a lot of different things. There is weight training, yoga, kenpo and plyometrics. The chest and back workout is just a shitload of pushups and pullups and is a killer. Expect soreness but also expect to burn 1,000 calories in a workout if you are really killing it.

I work out quite a bit and am in good shape and sometimes I do the plyometric and ab workouts from it and they kill me. So I'm pretty sure it works as long as you stay with it.

The hardest part will be listening to Tony Horton. At one point he says "Get sexy with it!"

Good luck.

I like it.... it's fairly repetitive, but it has everything you need as far as workouts, and it comes with a nutrition guide. My home gym consists of a pair of adjustable dumbbells, a pullup bar, and mat. The workouts are long, but if nothing else, use it as a guide and don't be so concerned with completing it in 90 days, completing every 60 minute workout, etc; assuming you're planning on sticking with it for more than 3 months. I use it 3-4 times a week and try to get 30-45 minutes in each workout. I think it's well worth $100, as opposed to a gym membership... but you could probably even get it for free if you ask around.

Just keep in mind that the guys doing this in the video are already ripped. Do not expect to be dominating the reps like they do.

Do what you can do. Do not get discouraged. Use bands and a door hook thing to do pullups for a while. Bands are great to help do things such as backflys, anything with triceps, pullups, when they are too difficult to start.

it's always seemed excessive and inefficient to me, but as said most anything will work if you stick with it...

i'd get a pull-up bar, a kettlebell, and do pull-ups/chins; pushups; kettlebell swings and spend half the time doing it...

or You Are Your Own Gym has a great list of body weight workouts that can be done at home, scales from easy to crazy:

http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Your-O.../dp/0345528581

and dialing in your diet will have a greater effect than all the 'core work'...

Loved it, but seriously screw that yoga. I dreaded that day, that shit sucks.

after reading some things online this weekend, it sounds as though there is a predecessor to P90X called Power 90. Sounds as if that might be a good program to start with?

or just say "F it" and dive right into P90X.....hm.m.

Your best weight loss tool is your fork. The people who can't stick to a diet can't stick to that intense of a workout plan. (I don't mean that to sound like an insult. That's just a lot to ask for 90 days.)

If you want to start a more manageable fitness routine in the JoCo area, my coach does personal training out of his garage twice a week for $70 per month, and he's great. Let me know if you want more info.

I've been doing Power 90 since early October precisely because everything I read convinced me P90X would be way too intense for a n00b marshmallow like me.

I've had decent results. Best thing for me is the yoga stretching, which has greatly helped my back. I like the resistance band stuff, too. I wasn't looking to get ripped, just burn some fat, tone some muscle and stretch my back.

I also need to get a better understanding of a better diet. Something that is sustainable. Not one of those "Eat dirt and grapes for 5 months" etc. Just an overal approach to eating. I honestly have no idea. I've always been a meat and potatoes guy.

I'd say over the course of 6 months, I'd like to be able to lose about 30-40lbs; but I'm not sure if that's too unrealistic or not.

I'm not so much in a hurry to lose it, but just want to have some realistic goals to shoot for.

My experience is you can eat pretty much anything you want so long as you control portions, don't snack late at night and exercise regularly. Drink alcohol in moderation, don't overdo sauces/dressings. When I put weight back on, it's because I'm breaking those rules.

But I'm just a layman. I'm sure there are pros here with specific programs.

This, over and over and over. Unless you get a handle on what you eat and the ammount of calories you put into your body you will be fighting a losing battle. I speak from experience on this as well.

I used to be 275 - 285 lbs. (at 6' 2") 5 years ago. Started walking everyday and then started tracking what I ate via MyFitnessPal.com. Long story short I am now 225 lbs. and running almost everyday.

That's a good point I forgot. There's lots of good apps now that help you control what you eat. It keeps you disciplined.

I've always sat there on the couch and thought "I should start working out"...but never do and forget about it/disregard it.

for some reason the last week-ish, I've really kept thinking about it over and over. I didn't 'think' was all that fat etc, but after seeing pictures, I can definitely see myself as being a bit too big and needing to lose the weight. Especially when I read about what my weight should rougly be for my height etc.

They all work if you put in the effort. You still have to eat right though.

I always get a laugh out of commercials for stuff like Bowflex. They show a dude getting massively ripped and cut just from working out with the Bowflex. ROFL Right.

yeah; that much of a rip is basically 90% diet. those dudes probalby have like 2% body fat or something ridiculously low.

if I can lose about 50-60lbs this year, I'll be stoked. at that point, I might try to gains some muscle mass

Something you might want to try is the 30 day no sugar diet. My wife and I did this and it really helped kick our weight loss into high gear.

Link; http://olsonnd.com/30-sugar-free-days/

Don't get me wrong; it's tough to kick sugar. I went through withdrawls like any other drug but it's worth it.

don't underestimate 'just' walking either for losing weight and general health...if you sit at a desk all day (raises hand), regular walking is great

this may not be your thing, but this site allows you to record all your work outs and gives you points video game style to level up

https://www.fitocracy.com/home/

i've found it helps motivate, and also keeps records of everything you do so you can track progress

good luck

yeah; that's my problem. I have zero clue on what is right in terms of an overall diet.

I tried to seach /research some, but holy shit......there are probably 5000 websites that all say something different.

that myfitnesspal.com thing looks pretty cool. when I start, I'll probabl use that as a tracker/tool.

P90X comes with a nutrition plan. Like Loochy said, if you work out and eat better you'll see results with any program. I did P90X a few years ago and I saw some pretty solid results. (I lost 30 lbs and gained some muscle) It's a great starting point if you need a jump start to get back into shape.

As far as diet goes, I really hate "dieting" because it seems so temporary. I've been doing paleo (well, close to paleo because I still eat beans) for over a year now. That has simply become the way we eat at my house and it works for us. We are "good" about 80% of the time or more and that made it a pretty easy lifestyle change.

Whatever you pick, good luck!

Make smoothies with a tablespoon of flaxseed oil and olive oil pre and post workouts. It helps with soreness and overall recuperation of the muscles.

You won't be as sore as you would otherwise.

Oh and whey protein powder added as well.

I thought he was the best part. I found him hilarious.

Try The Rack:

http://www.rackworkout.com/?gclid=CL...FSWoPAodXC0A5A

I got it because I like having an apparatus to work with. But it's just like anything else, follow the exercise plan, follow the eating plan (which is really just a lifestyle change) and you WILL see results. Myself I am 200 lbs. I started the Rack in July and slowly built up to doing the 12 week plan. Since then I can do a ton of dips and pullups etc. which I was never able to do before. But, I have not lost one stinkin pound. Which means I'm putting on some muscle weight, but I really haven't changed my diet that much...so I'm sort of looking better but still carrying the gut.

If I really wanted to change my lifestyle, I'd really probably be pretty ripped. As it is, I look fine. but I'm 42 and I don't care to look like I did when I was 21 either...

If you're that big, I'm guessing you don't carry the weight a well a you think you do. Have your wife take a dozen or so candid pictures of you throughout the day and then take a good long look at them. The mirror can lie and make you think you're just "a bit too big". Fifty pounds is two cases of beer plus a twelve pack (including the weight of the cans and packaging). Try lugging that around for a few minutes to get an idea of how much better you will feel just from dropping twenty pounds, and you should be motivated to get up off the couch.

Go for a brisk walk of a mile to start...just do something. That will burn calories and keep you from eating out of boredom (major problem for me).

Don't worry about finding the "best" plan. You aren't training for the Olympics. Start by doing anything. You can always tweak things as you go.

That's how my wife and I started, we just walked around the block. Looking back I am amazed at how much effort it took just to do that 5 years ago.

Now I am do interval training, running for 1 min, walking for 2 min and repeating the process. Burns a ton of calories in 30 min.

P90X worked great for me. I was in a similar situation 3-4 years ago - 6' 1", and tipped the scales at 245 one day. Decided enough was enough, and started P90X shortly thereafter. I hit it real hard - diligent on the schedule, and even moreso on the diet. I based my diet on the P90X nutrition plan, dropping down the next lower caloric level to encourage weight loss. I stayed under 1800cal/day religiously, if I remember correctly, often a few hundred lower.

It was tough at first, and I hated life that first week or so, but stuck with it. At the end of the 90 days, I was down 30-35lbs (can't remember exactly). It also kicked me into a much healthier lifestyle in general. I've rubber banded around a bit since then, but have continued to lose on the whole - saw 179 on my scale the other day, which was pretty exciting.

I say do it, and go straight to P90X. Just commit to the whole thing - diet is huge.

I did tobada for a while (three minute jog, then eight intervals of thirty second balls-to-the-wall sprints followed by ninety seconds of jogging and then three minutes of jogging at the end). It was hell, but I got incredibly fast results from it.

I stopped because between that, my boxing, and my long distance running, it was just too much. I may start it up again this Spring and not run long distance quite as often (focusing on longer runs less often).

i eat paleo as well...love it

LMAO
well shit. that's a damned good point.

:hmmm:

that sounds great. That's right about what I want to expect/accomplish. Then work on gradually getting down to like 180.

I could not agree more with this. I don't want to knock the P90X or anything else that works for someone but I have always just viewed these as a gimmick that people never stay with and therefore any results are temporary.

Not that I am in the shape or health I was in at one point I still argue that exercise and proper nutirition are just a way of life you have to adapt too or otherwise you won't stick with it.

This is why I have never followed some fancy diet or exercise program. I don't want to do anything that makes me feel like I "have" to do it. I want to do it because I "want" to do it. these typses of programs seem to produce a lot of people who burn themselves out fast and never stick with anything.

I'm 47, have been doing P90X for a while now. At 6'5, I started off weighing about 238. I'm now down to about 216-218. I've lost extra weight I didn't know I had. My cardio kicks ass and I feel great. It's certainly a nutritional item as well, so you have to follow good dietary measures to really see the results.

There is a lot of fail in this post. Why would you spout off about something you've never done? Why do you think people "never stick with" it? Why do you assume people view these workouts as a chore that they "have" to do and not something they "want" to do?

Biggest question:

If you're not in good shape and you've never done P90X or any fancy, gimmick exercise programs, why did you offer up advice in this thread?

Nice.
I think I might pull the trigger on this and start it the day after the SB. I drink way too much beer anyway; and there aren't any sports on TV I care about for a solid 6 months.

No excuses. I'm just 'tired' of being a fatty. I don't really have any hobbies any more (well, shooting wasy my hobby until damn ammo prices nearly doubled); and if I've gained this much in 5-6 years, I can't imagine what I'll be like in another 5-6. I'll be 36 in July, but I feel much older in terms of joints, fatigue, etc.

**** it. I might even hit the treadmill after work today. Plus my wifre really needs to lose weight (I suspect about 60lbs based on what the doc said when checking up on her MS etc); maybe it will give her incentive to do it as well.

Good luck!

It's tough, and you will probably want to quit after a couple of sessions. Don't. Stick with it and just do what you can. Eventually, your cardio will get better and will help you stay energized enough through the sessions. Give it a full 30 days and I promise you will see the difference.

This can't be. All CP wives/girlfriends are 11/10 on the classic 10 point scale without any excess pounds.

On another note, I recently started P90x as well. I've lost about 15 pounds in a little under 2 months as well as gained some muscle. This is without following the nutrition plan religiously (although i've been eating pretty healthy in general). It's impossible to follow the nutrition plan exactly for me, unfortunately, as I spend a lot of time on the road for work.

I'm 6'2 and started at about 220.

Bruno Mars loves P90X!

:D

I take it the P90x thing will be sufficient; in that any treadmill work would not be necessary at all, correct?

...I'm sure the program will beat my ass like a mule anyway lol

Heres a question. What do you do to train yourself to do pullups? I can do two and im exhausted lol. I used to be able to do a ton. I think losing core weight will help some

If your'e really interested in doing a ton of pullups, here's a program:

http://physicalliving.com/tag/increase-pull-ups/

Body weight definitely plays a part, though.

Anything you can do to improve your cardio is a plus. If possible, I would suggest swimming. Head to the Y, and that's something you and your wife can do together.

man, I remember when I was a competitive gymnast, our 'strength conditioning' was after practice; shit like 3 sets of 25 overhand pushups, 3 sets underhand, 3 sets of 25+ of dips on the P-bars, 3 sets of regular pushups; 3 sets of the triangle pushups; mountain climbers on a big 3" foam pad; 3 sets of 1 minute L holds......6 days a week fo 30 minutes after a 3-4 hour practice..

I'd die now if I even attempted that.
our coach wanted us to be strong with our body weight, and not so much 'ripped'. though I was lol. lol. my shoulders are still very broad; and my lats are still large. being 16 with a gymnast body ruled lol

The best way to train yourself to do more pullups is doing a bunch of pullups. Do as many as you can (if it's 2, that's fine) and then do some more by jumping off the ground to get up and then lowering yourself slowly. You can also do some assisted pullups with a resistance band.

Yeah. That should be sufficient. As you go through the program, you'll figure out what works for you. Don't be afraid to tweak things. Just remember, you'll get out of it what you put into it.

Ideally, you'll have more energy once you get going with the program and you'll want to start adding other physical activities to your daily routine. Again, figure out what you enjoy and what works for you.

I always start it thinking I'll do the whole thing, but get incredibly bored within 10 minutes and skip to the balance stuff.

The marketing is gimmicky, and of course plays into people's desire to want results right now, but beyond that, I think it's all you need in a workout/nutrition plan. I didn't stick with it the first time I tried it, because I was caught up in doing 6 days/week, finishing each workout, completing it in 90 days.... and granted, I did have a goal of getting back to playing hockey, I just don't have the passion for it. I enjoy it more now that I'm simply trying to workout a few times a week, and I've started to form the habit of thinking "it's time to workout" and simply doing it, as opposed to fighting with myself each day.

In the end though, it's all about doing what you want to do... I'll skip certain things in those videos, not do some of them, modify some... make it enjoyable.

I did the ab ripper x the first time and almost went to the hospital the next day because I though I tore something. Turns out I was just really out of shape. P90X is an awesome workout.

The hardest part of any new workout plan is just getting started and getting past the first week. Good luck with whatever method you choose.

I think I'm just going to go for it. If my wife wants to participate, fine. if she wants to do her own thing, that's fine too. Hopefully if I'm seeing results, it will be motivation for her to do it as well.

my biggest challenge will be learning how to eat right etc.

I'm going to hit the treadmill this week to sort of dust off the cobwebs.
and or, take the dogs for a walk.

My wife and I did it together. We had very different goals, but we did the workouts together and loved it. It was something we could do together & talk about a lot. We helped each other stay on track & not get lazy & skip workouts.

She went on to run a marathon and now we've both been doing crossfit.

dude you rippered your x ab

FYP

The nutrition plan will be a LOT easier if you're both on board. It takes a little bit of planning to make sure you have the right things in your house when it's time to cook.

Nah. She doesn't look down on fat chicks and I try to not look at them at all.

Oh, she must be really really short.

5'2"

Because I can speak from experience. I was in great shape, until I ****ed up and got married. I am getting back into shape, but that doesn't negate the points I made in any fashion.

But let me answer the questions you say are fail:

1. why do people not stick with it? Because it's too much of a change, too fast and they are all gung-ho at first them burn out. A lot of people looking for a quck fix, in other words

2. People end up viewing those workouts a chore because of #1.

3. Being in shape or not has little to do with what are very easily made observations.

p90x works. the workouts are over an hour long from start to finish. If youre looking to get into great shape/lose weight and youre wife/gf wants to aswell. join a crossfit gym. Its kinda expensive but some people get insanely addicted to it. Its a great workout, always changing up the workouts and everyone is there to push each other so you always have a great workout. The workouts are also based on time so youre always challenging yourself to get a better time. Its great for people who want to lose fat. Read up about it it may interest you.
Or you could join a muay thai, boxing, bjj, mma academy if any are in your area. All heavy endurance based. Perfect activities to lose unwanted weight and also get better at a hobby/skill.
Sounds like you just want to lose some fat, just do anything high endurance based and try to eat clean. Diet is 80% of the battle.

If you're just doing it to gain cardio vascular health and get in overall better shape then absolutely it's enough if followed.

I used it the first time to help train for Tough Mudder and I found I needed to supplement some running, because P90 alone wasn't to prepare me for the running portion of TM.

Yes, I have used it. It takes a LOT of time. There are TWO workouts per day. One in the morning and evening. It's real easy to fall behind. The best way to do it is to do it in a group. That way you tend to push each other.
I'll tell you a program that is MUCH easier and gets results and is done by the same guy (Tony Horton). It's called 10 Minute Trainer. You can find it at www.10minuteresults.com. The key there is follow the diet and tripple up on the workouts. It works!

There are only two workouts a day if you choose to go with the doubles version, the classic version is just one workout per day.

ROFL More fail. 1. FAIL, 2. FAIL, 3. FAIL.

You are pulling these "easy observations" out of your ass. You don't know what you're talking about because you said you've never tried to follow a program like this. Your assumption that people "never stick with" it is simply wrong. I know a lot of people who completed this program multiple times and then moved on to other programs or activities. I've done it and several other people in this thread have stated that they've done it, too. Not everyone is looking for a "quick fix."

sexercise...

I'm in my 5th 90 day cycle. It's rough in the beginning but I'm down to 15% body fat and am carrying more muscle than I ever have. Not bad for a guy in his late forties. You won't lose much weight because you'll turn your fat into muscle. For me, it's been the fountain of youth. I'd recommend getting a partner to help keep you accountable.

Oh, one other thing. Start tracking your calories religiously. Use Fitday or Livestrong and set a goal. I try to keep it around 2,000/ day during the week and let it go for go for the weekends. I've lost 10 pounds between the two.

It's awesome, just like the Insanity series. But like all of them, it's not sustainable. I've seen people so well with it, have ti work as advertised, then 12 months later realize it's not something they can do forever. Where do they find those empty and large warehouses to do it in anyway? LOL, anyway, I think the slow and steady method works best for those who really plan to change their lives for the rest of their lives - although everybody has slips...

So have fun with it but plan from day-1 what you're going to be doing on day-370, because it probably won't be P90X or Insanity...

Given what you have said, I wouldn't start any type of program just yet. Start off by going on walks with your wife. It's a great way to get exercise and spend some quality time talking to each other without all of the day to day distractions.

From there, you can broach the subject of eating better. Just tell her that you want to lose weight and ask if the two of you can start planning healthier meals. There are two keys that I have found for eating better:

1. Plan out your meals in advance. Improvising meals NEVER ends up healthy. It always winds up being convenience food or eating out. Both are terrible for weight loss.

2. Don't buy junk food. It sounds obvious, but the easiest way to avoid eating crap is not to let it in your house in the first place. When you get bored and look through the pantry, then the fridge, back to the pantry (repeat 20 times) scavenging for food, the best thing you can find is nothing. It won't kill you. If you really want an awesome snack, eat a honeycrisp apple with a little peanut butter. That will scratch the sweet and salty itch without crushing your diet. Also, buy a bag of popcorn kernels and some brown paper lunch bags. You can pour the kernels in the bag, pop them in the microwave, and have perfect popcorn. Sprinkle on a little salt to kill your craving, and you're golden.

all great advice!

I really liked that myfitnesspal website.

and, honestly, I'm nto all that interested in strictly losing weight. If I can gain more muscle in the process and only drop 15 pounds then great.
I guess I'll be more interested in the size of my body rather than weight. I wear a 40-42 waist; so getting down to like a 32 would be awesome I suspect.

hopefully I explained that well enough. I've known people who base everything simply on weight loss; if that mean sacrificing muscle, they didn't care.

Right, that's why this country is the most obese on the planet. I know a lot of people who have completed "programs" or "diets" and 6 months later they are right back to where they are. What you are saying is doing nothing but proving my orgininal point is that it is a lifestyle change.

I never said people "never stick with it". Good for you and those who did this and moved onto other fitness activitives. You have embraced a lifestyle change which was my origninal point.

Just my .02 but it "strength training" during weight loss efforts is excellent. It helps give you the body you want while making sure your muscles aren't getting shrunk along with your weight.

Once again I agree with Saul 100%. I would suggest a slight modification though. Life is short and while we want to be healthy we don't want to have a boring life.

In my young-single days the plan I followed for food was Monday-Friday was healthy eating. Saturday and Sunday were treat days. Not binge days but that was when if I wante a buger then ok, or a pizza then ok.

Plus this keeps you from getting off your healthy habits.

I like it a lot. Very effective program. It is like anything, the harder you work and the better you eat the better the results.

TH is a cheesedick. That is about the only downside.

yeah; if I can survivie about 6 months / lifestyle change etc, I want to get some weights/bench etc. and I also want a heavy bag. After my gymnastics 'career', I boxed for about a year down at the old KC rec center across/near KU Med. I loved the workouts.

ROFL F to the A to the I to the L!!!!!!!!!