P90x

[heinz57]

For someone not looking to LOSE weight, but actually GAIN Muscle, would you recommend this?
I've got 'Chris-Bosh-body' from when he was a rookie. (6'-1", 150lbs) I'm looking to get Lebron Jamesed. Y'know? hahah

I'm not really one for wanting to spend hours upon hours at the gym, grunting and moaning and heaving and creating Protein Shakes and junk; but I'm thinking thats the only way.

I'm in decent enough shape. Got some muscle definition and tonage and junk .. but ya, still on the 'Tall and Slim' side.

shitloads of carbs.. run 5km a day.. it'll cost you about 30 minutes a day.. and you get to stuff your face like a fatty..

plus, we're on the brink of marathon season... the chicks with lululemon ass wedgies are out in full force

[Apollo]

You can't go wrong with eat 6-12 egg whites a day in the morning for breakfast either. I do that three to five days a week. I sometimes boil them, sometimes I'll make a scrambler with an ounce or two of mozzarella or maybe an omelet.

I mentioned you'll need protein powder but you don't want to overdo it because it could either block you up or unlock the flood gates... All depends on the person.

[slaw]

Thanks man. A lot of people try this stuff in give up too soon. You can probably find the system on kijijii or Buy & Sell for cheap. Worth a look. I've seen them on there selling for half price in the past.

I tried the system last year and I found the amount of energy I had to devote to it was unpossible. It's hard to get up for a workout that intense (and they are intense) when you've been at work for 12 hours, bathed two kids, cleaned up the carnage from the day, still need to eat, and it's 9:00 and you have to get up at 5:30. I only know one woman who lasted to Phase 3 and, now, you... Kudos, man. That's impressive.

[Apollo]

I get up 4AM four days a week for my job. With commute it works out to 12-13 hour work days. It all comes down to how bad you want it. It's definitely not easy and I'm lucky to always have three day weekends. That helps a lot.

[Multipaul]

For someone not looking to LOSE weight, but actually GAIN Muscle, would you recommend this?
I've got 'Chris-Bosh-body' from when he was a rookie. (6'-1", 150lbs) I'm looking to get Lebron Jamesed. Y'know? hahah

I'm not really one for wanting to spend hours upon hours at the gym, grunting and moaning and heaving and creating Protein Shakes and junk; but I'm thinking thats the only way.

I'm in decent enough shape. Got some muscle definition and tonage and junk .. but ya, still on the 'Tall and Slim' side.

I'm the same as you man, tall and slim. I can only recommend you go to the gym and lift heavy weights, and eat lots of chicken, steak, and pasta. I've been goin to the gym 4-5 times a week now for about 1.5 yrs. I went from 165 lbs to 205 lbs. I take whey protein immediately after the workout and at home, mixed with bananas for potassium. Good to eat a banana before a workout too, it will stop you from getting dizzy.

Just remember, the #1 burner of fat is cardio, so, if you want to bulk up, handle cardio in limited doses and focus on lifting heavy weights. Focus on 2 muscle groups a day for max results. If you dont want to take the whey protein, go for choco milk within 20 mins of ur workout, but you will not see the same results.

If you dont like the gym, invest 400-500, get a full weight bench at home and you can do your magic there. Not as many honies to look at though (unless, i dunno, you live in a strip joint or something, in which case go for it)

[Joey]

I'm the same as you man, tall and slim. I can only recommend you go to the gym and lift heavy weights, and eat lots of chicken, steak, and pasta. I've been goin to the gym 4-5 times a week now for about 1.5 yrs. I went from 165 lbs to 205 lbs. I take whey protein immediately after the workout and at home, mixed with bananas for potassium. Good to eat a banana before a workout too, it will stop you from getting dizzy.

Just remember, the #1 burner of fat is cardio, so, if you want to bulk up, handle cardio in limited doses and focus on lifting heavy weights. Focus on 2 muscle groups a day for max results. If you dont want to take the whey protein, go for choco milk within 20 mins of ur workout, but you will not see the same results.

If you dont like the gym, invest 400-500, get a full weight bench at home and you can do your magic there. Not as many honies to look at though (unless, i dunno, you live in a strip joint or something, in which case go for it)

40lbs in a year and a half? Damn boy. hahah Not sure my skeleton would even know what to do with 205lbs. hahah

Thanks for the tips man. Appreciate it. I need to get at 'er. I have a regular routine of sit-ups / pushups that I like to do everynight but am starting to think I need more. Perhaps I do need to just suck it up and go to the gym ..

Though I do live at Yonge/Eglinton. Honies EVERYWHERE. And none of them smell like their own urine! I love mid town! hahah

[Apollo]

I mentioned above that I was using IsoPure whey protein powder, wrong, that was an old one I had.

IsoNatural is what I've been using lately and that's the one I highly recommend. Again, you're going to want some flavored low fat soy milk or chocolate milk to mix with the stuff as well because it has no flavoring and as such won't taste very good mixed with plain milk or water. It mixes well with berries and fruit as well, preferably of the sweeter variety like blueberries. 30g of protein per scoop. You probably don't want anymore than that per sitting.

If you dont like the gym, invest 400-500, get a full weight bench at home and you can do your magic there. Not as many honies to look at though (unless, i dunno, you live in a strip joint or something, in which case go for it)

I'm using the Bowflex Select. It's not cheap but it's the most compact free weight system on the market. It works excellent. I am extremely happy I purchased those.

[heinz57]

40lbs in a year and a half? Damn boy. hahah Not sure my skeleton would even know what to do with 205lbs. hahah

Thanks for the tips man. Appreciate it. I need to get at 'er. I have a regular routine of sit-ups / pushups that I like to do everynight but am starting to think I need more. Perhaps I do need to just suck it up and go to the gym ..

Though I do live at Yonge/Eglinton. Honies EVERYWHERE. And none of them smell like their own urine! I love mid town! hahah

i'm the opposite of multi... i went from 210-215ish lbs last may, and right now im around 165-170ish.. i've never been "FAT" though... always tall and slim, but my stomach was starting to resemble a snake with a rat stuck in its throat... im at the point though that i seriously need to bulk back up in the proper way... im close to the point of being able to play my ribs like a xylophone

i cant stress enough the importance of cardio though.. it does wonders for your energy levels.. but balance it with your strength training... which i have issues doing....

its much easier to stare at hot chicks asses from the back row of the cardio machines than it is from the weights

[bloodyhandedgod]

LOL, yeah. Some things are tough to stay away from but if you cook most of your meals and use simple ingredients then 9 times out of 10 you're eating a lot better than most of North America.

I always tell my friends and family to stay away from artificial sweeteners anytime I see them with a diet Coke or something "zero cal". Yeah, you're limiting your calories but they don't put on the bottle that artificial sweeteners have been proven to be toxic to your body and mess up your metabolism causing you to gain weight, not lose it.

*stares @ Diet Coke in his hand ... reads ingredients"


F*ck.

[bloodyhandedgod]

Congrats Apollo. I learned some things from this thread. Will check back in to see how everyone is doing.

I actually clicked on the link to find out what a P90X was. The goal of any exercise has to be made with a goal in mind. Got out of playing hockey for a number of years. Got back into it. And have been out again for 2 years. When I got back into it I was never in good enough shape to really play. Think I'll start by getting a bike for the Spring. My cardio is ... questionable. And all around there is a lot to improve. But I'd need to get into shape to try this program. If I tried it now you'd simply hear a *crackle* noise on day 3 and I'd be lying in the corner broke.

[heinz57]

My cardio is ... questionable.

lol... man, that was me in 2009... but "questionable" was putting it extremely mildly.

get out and run... i can't stress the benefit of running enough.. like, not sprinting.. do a 5 minute warmup walk, then jog at a pace BARELY faster than walking for about 20 minutes.. with walking breaks every couple minutes or so if you need.. and end with a 5 minute cool down walk.. do that 3 or 4 times a week

you'll feel the difference in your body within a month.. guaranteed.

on top of the cardio, you're working out your leg muscles... i dont know the actual names of the muscles, but they are the largest muscles in your body.... the larger the muscles you work out, the more calories you burn

plus, running is an EASY way to calculate how many calories you're actually burning... just in case you REALLY wanna order a dominos pizza... you know how much you need to do to burn it off

[Apollo]

Phase 3, Day 1

Just got up not too long ago. I don't work Fridays. I love my four day weeks. It's a grueling four days but it's worth it for the long weekends. Today is day one of Phase 3 and believe it our not I hadn't even looked at the Phase 3 portion plan until this morning. Wow, I was shocked. Here's the low down:

Proteins: 3 Portions
Dairy: 1 Portion
Fruits: 3 Portions
Vegetables: 3 Portions
Fats: 1 Portion
Carbs: 4 Portions
Snacks: 1 Double, 1 Single and 1 Recovery drink
Condiments: 3 Portions

That may or may not sound like a lot of food to you but to me it's a lot, just like the other months. I'm a Level 2, meaning I'm a medium size guy. The Level 3 people have to(Notice I don't say get to) eat a lot more than me. The above portion plan is pretty similar to my old diet with the exception of course that I can't eat Pizza, fries or any of those classic goodies.

Phase 3 workout plan consists of one week of Phase 1 workouts, one week of Phase 2 workouts, then repeat, then you do a recovery week and then you're P90X graduate ready to make one of those corny "you can do it!" Youtube videos that are always great inspiration when setting out on this program.

Congrats Apollo. I learned some things from this thread. Will check back in to see how everyone is doing.

I actually clicked on the link to find out what a P90X was. The goal of any exercise has to be made with a goal in mind. Got out of playing hockey for a number of years. Got back into it. And have been out again for 2 years. When I got back into it I was never in good enough shape to really play. Think I'll start by getting a bike for the Spring. My cardio is ... questionable. And all around there is a lot to improve. But I'd need to get into shape to try this program. If I tried it now you'd simply hear a *crackle* noise on day 3 and I'd be lying in the corner broke.

Good call. I was inactive for most of college. Eating and partying and all that stuff. I also bartended in college and so I was getting little sleep. I came out of college in terrible shape. The first time I hit the ice was with my company's older guys, I'm not old by the way but they had the ice and needed people so I went. By my 5th shift I could hardly breath, I ended up puking in the sink of the dressing room and bailed on the rest. Imagine, I couldn't keep up with some guys who were twice my age and I was a guy who played competitive hockey since I could walk. Horrible. That's when I started caring again. I starting playing hockey once a week, bought a mountain bike and went for hour rides through the trails at least three times a day and then joined a gym in the winter. Did that for a little over two years but not intensely. It got me in what I consider average shape. All that got my stamina back and rebuilt some of the muscle I lost from being inactive for so long. I think I really needed all that before taking on P90X because it is extreme and it's not a gimmick. I see these videos of really out of shape people starting P90X and now, after two month I have twice a much respect for them as before because I honestly don't know how they could have done it in that condition but they did. Like Tony Horton said, the key thing is that you "press play". Ha, ha, that applies to all aspects of life. The hardest part if showing up.

I think you have a good plan by prepping first. It's an intense workout regime even if it's only a hour a little per day. You seems to be going about it like I did and that plan worked for me so far. They also have a step down from P90X called Power 90. Never did it but it's supposed to bridge the gap for people not ready to start P90X.

They also have a P90X+ and this summer P90X II is coming out. I contemplating one of those as my next step. Not sure what I'll do yet...

[Multipaul]

40lbs in a year and a half? Damn boy. hahah Not sure my skeleton would even know what to do with 205lbs. hahah

Thanks for the tips man. Appreciate it. I need to get at 'er. I have a regular routine of sit-ups / pushups that I like to do everynight but am starting to think I need more. Perhaps I do need to just suck it up and go to the gym ..

Though I do live at Yonge/Eglinton. Honies EVERYWHERE. And none of them smell like their own urine! I love mid town! hahah

Well, I've been to the Goodlife at Yonge and St Clair, there's alot of eye candy for you there bro trust me!

[Multipaul]

I mentioned above that I was using IsoPure whey protein powder, wrong, that was an old one I had.

IsoNatural is what I've been using lately and that's the one I highly recommend. Again, you're going to want some flavored low fat soy milk or chocolate milk to mix with the stuff as well because it has no flavoring and as such won't taste very good mixed with plain milk or water. It mixes well with berries and fruit as well, preferably of the sweeter variety like blueberries. 30g of protein per scoop. You probably don't want anymore than that per sitting.



I'm using the Bowflex Select. It's not cheap but it's the most compact free weight system on the market. It works excellent. I am extremely happy I purchased those.

I've often wondered about the Bowflex. That commercial is too funny " every now and then my wife gives me that little wink"

[Apollo]

Bowflex Select isn't your standard "complete workout machine" that they sell. Those things are gimmicks. It's just free weights but the design kicks ass. it's extremely compact. I have it stuffed away in a corner of my basement in clear view of my flat screen. It takes up hardly any room. I've never come across anything that compares with it at this point. Love it.