P90x

[Apollo]

Anyone try this before? I'm on day four of Phase I. I'm a Level II. The workouts have been intense but I think the most challenging part has been the diet. I find myself eating a lot more than I'm used to. For example I need seven servings of protein per day. That would be the equivalent of seven regular sized boneless skinless chicken breasts or 42 egg whites LOL. Now of course I am not restricting myself to egg whites and chicken breasts. Today I had six egg whites in an omelet w/ four slices of turkey bacon for breakfast. I'm having a can of tuna and a salad for lunch. Two protein bars for snacks and the biggest darn steak I can find for dinner. Then there's a recovery drink I need after my workout AND I need four serving of vegetables, one of fruit and three dairy. Phase I diet lasts for one month and apparently most people begin to hit the wall in week 3 due to a lack of carbs. Phase II is balanced. Phase III is carb heavy. I love carbs so I think if I can make it out of Phase I I'll be laughing. Damn, the portions I need are so big though. haha. If you like to eat a lot, and eat healthy, then P90X is for you!



My plan, if I get through the first 90 days(one round and where many stop), is to do four rounds of this in a year. The results can be gigantic if you stay true to the program.

[nubreed000]

I tried it. Really intense, and if you're overweight and want to get in shape fast then it'll definitely work (as long as you follow the strict nutrition guidelines).

Having said that, p90x isn't for me. This whole idea of completely destroying yourself and training until you're puke is bullcrap. On top of that, this isn't really geared towards people on the skinnier side. The routine I'm doing now is, in my opinion, 10 times more rewarding than p90x was and at the same time less intense. Although I'm still struggling to put on mass, I'm still in way better shape than I've ever been, and I'm lifting way more than I could've ever hoped to lift through p90x. And honestly, I prefer being strong, than just simply looking strong.

[MangoKid]

Good luck Apollo. I tried it a couple of years back. Tough as shit program. It's probably the toughest thing I've ever endured. And you can't really deviate from it.

[heinz57]

good luck man... i tried it over a year ago, and gave up on it real quick.. its tough as hell.

[Apollo]

Thanks guys. It's been tough so far. Yoga last night was hard as @#$% and it's an hour and a half. I couldn't straighten out my arms all of yesterday from doing bi's, tri's and shoulders the night before that. Today my tri's feel good and it's my biceps that are sore. I think they were probably sore yesterday too but my tri's were so bad that it was distracting me from my painful biceps. I expect all will be well tomorrow... I was working out regularly up until June and I got off track during summer so I didn't expect such soreness out of the gate with this. Tonight it's legs and back. I expect it to be as intense as hell because everything else has been that way. Day after that it's kenpo. I look forward to that one because I did a little kenpo(green belt) in senior year of high school way back when. Haha, the nutrition is killer. I always feel bloated. This morning I threw a cup of milk, cup of ice, two scoops of whey protein powder and a protein bar in a blender and drank that down. I still need four more servings of protein today. Craaazy. Short term pain, long term gain. I hope.

[heinz57]

the yoga is awesome.. it was the only part i retained after i gave up on P90X... it's done wonders for my back, and breathing

[Apollo]

Ugh. Day six. My guns are still sore as hell. I hate the diet. So much food, but little carbs. Can't wait for phase I to end so I can get some carbs.

[Apollo]

Day six in the books. Just downed a recovery drink. Was feeling pretty down in the dumps yesterday because my body felt so darn sore and tired. Same thing for most of today at work. I replaced a double snack with a recovery drink and it totally brought me back from the dead to the point where I just had a killer workout... Probably will be paying for it tomorrow though. LOL

But hey! Week one is done and tomorrow is my break day!

[Apollo]

Day 12 in the books. One more workout left for week 2. Going strong and so far would recommend this to anyone not on a tight budget.

[Apollo]

Day 18. Still going strong. I think I've lost a little weight, maybe two or three pounds, not that I was over weight. I am starting to notice some increased definition. The diet still isn't fun. Only a week and a half left before the diet changes to something more practical.

[ceez]

I did this for about two months. It's brutal. Well, specifically, yoga is brutal. Absolutely hated it. Hurt my knee playing basketball and that really did me in, never got back into it. It certainly works though. In the little while i did it i lost about 14 pounds and gained some serious muscle. Im considering trying it again in the spring, but not the regular workout, just the "lean" one.

[Apollo]

Yeah, I find Yoga X and Ab Ripper X the toughest. I made a lot of improvement this week at Yoga X but now my lower back is tight on the left... After tonight's workout I'm done week three. Next week is recovery week. Lots of yoga and core work on the way. Great... LOL

[heinz57]

the problem i had with the P90X yoga is that it throws you in the deep end WAY too quick.. alot of the things they have you do on day one, you wouldn't see the light of day of in the first few months of an actual yoga program

yoga in general is all kinds of awesome though

[Apollo]

I agree. I have never done Yoga before now. I thought it was just a bunch of stretching but with Yoga X you need to have a lot of lower and upper body strength and stamina to hold the positions. I can't so some of the last moves because I'm not flexible enough yet. Some of the others have me sweating but I can typically hold it until it's time to change. The whole concept of P90X is that it's supposed to be very challenging. They don't baby you in any of the work out. In Ab Ripper X, which for people who don't know isn't a workout day but a work out you do three times a week after your standard one hour workout, you do 339 ab exercises in 15 minutes. Average Joe on the street can't keep up with that right out of the gate. Same thing with Legs & Back day. They have you doing 120 chin ups if you can keep up... All in an hour and that's only part of the particular one hour workout. The beauty of it is, you do what you can do and you still burn a lot of calories and you still get a great workout but as you get stronger and fitter you can do more and more and so your fitness and strength levels rise faster and faster. That's my understanding anyway. Then every month they flip things upside down again with new workouts to take you out of your new comfort zone and help your muscles reach the next plateau.

[Apollo]

Two workouts left to week four. The fourth week of a phase is called the "recovery week". One would think it would be easy. They would be wrong. It's tough.

My endurance has increased, so has my strength while I think I've lost around 5lbs of body fat. I wasn't overweight when I started the program so I don't think I have a whole lot more to lose. I'm looking forward to the Phase 2 diet plan. Less protein, more carbs equals a happy Apollo. I would highly recommend this program to anyone serious about changing their life style and attaining something that's been lost in this generation, good health and well being through fitness and consumption of whole foods. Processed foods are a killer. Inactivity is a killer. I played hockey once a week, golfed once a week in the summer, trailed on mountain bikes and snowboarded but I had turned into a "weekend warrior" with these activities. This is only 1 hour to 1.5 hours a day and yet I feel better now than I can remember since my high school days when I used to be playing high school and/or minor hockey six/seven nights a week.

Be warned though, it's a big start up cost if you have no workout gear. You need a chin up bar(starting at $25), free weights(I sold my Bowflex home system and purchased the Bowflex Select with stand for around $600), then you have protein powder($40-60/ tub), creatine (Not necessary but it helps. You're looking at $25 and up for a bottle or tub), recovery drink (Not necessary but highly recommended, $40/tub), multivitamin ($15 and up) and maybe glutamine ($40/tub and up, but not necessary). I also have protein bars that I eat on the run. The first month is heavy protein and I don't see a way to meet the portion plan without some sort of protein supplement.