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[Battersea Power Station]

My wife and I are struggling to find time for anything since our baby was born 6 weeks ago. As my schedule is now, I can maybe fit 3 workouts a week.

Do you guys think I should pick 3 DVD workouts, like PAPs and another, or should I design 3 new routines with a combination of moves? What would give me the best results?

I know it sounds lame that I can't find the time to do 5 workouts, but it's a much crazier situation than I expected. Either I'm sleeping, cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, rocking, or going to work. I need to start exercising though because my body is looking sad.

 

[FOOTE]

Using my one allotted "miss" of the month. I'm too beat to workout. You guys workout for me tonight, okay?

@Battersea Power Station- Babies take so much time away for anything else. You should just pick what you can do. Don't worry about getting caught up in any type of routine. If I were in your situation, I would just pull from my library any time I had a chance and just do whatever I wanted. But that's just me.

Good luck with the baby!

 

[weekend_warrior]

My wife and I are struggling to find time for anything since our baby was born 6 weeks ago. As my schedule is now, I can maybe fit 3 workouts a week.

Do you guys think I should pick 3 DVD workouts, like PAPs and another, or should I design 3 new routines with a combination of moves? What would give me the best results?

I know it sounds lame that I can't find the time to do 5 workouts, but it's a much crazier situation than I expected. Either I'm sleeping, cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, rocking, or going to work. I need to start exercising though because my body is looking sad.

A lot of the routines would work fine if you just did the first 30 minutes, along with warmup and cooldown. If I had to pick 3 in particular to do it would be chest and back, pylo, and core syn, slipping in xstretch or yoga every other week.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

If I'm training in the morning, is it preferable to do it before or after breakfast? Is it worth considering switching to evening?

 

[KingGondo]

If I'm training in the morning, is it preferable to do it before or after breakfast? Is it worth considering switching to evening?

You certainly don't want to workout on an empty stomach, but exercising after eating a substantial meal (especially with a workout like Plyo) isn't recommended either.

I'd probably recommend a small snack/protein bar before your workout, followed by a full breakfast.

As for time of day, it really just depends on your preference & schedule. I personally work out after I get home from work, but that's just what I prefer. Work out at the time that maximizes your personal results and minimizes the chances that you'll miss a workout.

 

[SteveMeister]

You certainly don't want to workout on an empty stomach, but exercising after eating a substantial meal (especially with a workout like Plyo) isn't recommended either.

I'd probably recommend a small snack/protein bar before your workout, followed by a full breakfast.

As for time of day, it really just depends on your preference & schedule. I personally work out after I get home from work, but that's just what I prefer. Work out at the time that maximizes your personal results and minimizes the chances that you'll miss a workout.

Here's my eating/workout schedule currently.

4:30AM: Get up. Drink 10oz water with 1/2 scoop Muscle Pharm "Assault". I'll skip this for X-Stretch/Recovery & Mobility-type routines.
~4:50/5AM to ~6:30AM: Workout
Immediately after workout: 12oz water with 2 scoops Beachbody Results & Recovery formula. Note that I am not drinking this right now as I am in a "cutting" phase & don't want the carbs.
7AM: "Bulletproof" coffee. This is about 20oz fresh-brewed coffee with 1-1/2 to 2 tbs grass-fed unsalted butter. I sip at this throughout my commute & into the morning.
11:30: Lunch. Usually a piece of meat (4-8oz, depending) and a lot of vegetables.
14:00: 1 cup Greek yogurt. Usually Oikos or Chobani.
16:00: 12oz water with 1-1/2 scoops protein powder (currently MuscleMeds "Carnivor" beef protein, chocolate)
19:30: Dinner. Similar to lunch; maybe add a salad.
20:30: Bed. Yes, really. I do read in bed for a while before going to sleep, though.
I also drink a lot of water throughout the day, and sometimes I'll have some black coffee right after lunch. But no coffee after 2PM. I usually drink whole milk with dinner.

Weekends if I have a non-recovery/rest workout, I usually start the schedule at around 6, and I'll make breakfast, usually eggs of some sort with meat. I don't usually do a leangains-style "eating window" on the weekends.

I really have no problems workout out on an empty stomach. The pre-workout drink is primarily to wake me up, but it does help with my endurance for some of the longer & more demanding workouts.

I have also added creatine pre-workout, but not always, and only when I'm doing a strength workout that day.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

Also, and this may be temporary as I'm really only just started, but working out in the morning seems to have replaced coffee as my morning pick me up. I've switched back to tea. Which is, hey, nice.

 

[KingGondo]

Also, and this may be temporary as I'm really only just started, but working out in the morning seems to have replaced coffee as my morning pick me up. I've switched back to tea. Which is, hey, nice.

Yep, you'll absolutely notice other positive changes in your life besides the gains in physical strength.

I used to get home from work, plop on the couch and drink a couple beers to unwind. Now I do my workout instead, and as a result my beer consumption is way down.

 

[____]

Yep, persevering through the first couple weeks is probably the hardest part. Keep it up!

Also, plyo does an excellent job of working the hips, glutes, IT band... Really the entire area from the waist through the thighs.

Cool, I like it. I think I'll be much more ready to take on plyo next week since I sort of know what to look forward to in the routine.

Just completed Yoga X for the first time about 15 mins ago. Some of the balance poses I couldn't keep up with due to lack of balance (kept falling over), but I did most of it pretty well. My hamstrings took a beating, though lol. Kinda glad this was before legs / back, because it gave me lots of stretching in the areas I know are gonna kill me tomorrow.

I sweated a LOT during the first hour of yoga, the last 30 mins, not as much, but still felt every minute of it.

 

[SteeloDMZ]

Didn't want to go the gym today, so I did the OG Chest & Back at home. Man, that workout never get easy! Even after doing Body Beast Bulk Chest, the P90X workout still kicks major ass.

 

[TOM f'N CRUISE]

Didn't want to go the gym today, so I did the OG Chest & Back at home. Man, that workout never get easy! Even after doing Body Beast Bulk Chest, the P90X workout still kicks major ass.

i think Body Beast is hard but P90x is exhausting

 

[Harry Potter]

Got the flu last Wednesday. I didn't workout for 4 days and it absolutely killed me everyday. Longest I've gone without working out for 3 years. Realized just how neurotic I am about working out. Even though I wasn't eating a ton the voices in my head (mainly Tony and Shaun T) are convincing me I'm losing muscle and gaining weight. Needless to say, glad to be back at it. Championship and fit test week 3 here we go.

 

[mehdi_san]

Got the flu last Wednesday. I didn't workout for 4 days and it absolutely killed me everyday. Longest I've gone without working out for 3 years. Realized just how neurotic I am about working out. Even though I wasn't eating a ton the voices in my head (mainly Tony and Shaun T) are convincing me I'm losing muscle and gaining weight. Needless to say, glad to be back at it. Championship and fit test week 3 here we go.

There was a post on the Beachbody blog a few weeks back I think that explained that when you're sick, your metabolism goes up so there's very little chance you gained weight. So I say: don't listen to the voices in your head and be sure to be healed before you start working out again!

Believe it or not, there are actually a couple of upsides to being sick. It both raises your metabolism and heightens your immune response, meaning that you can eat more than normal and not gain weight. Your immune system also releases performance-enhancing hormones that both fight the infection and help you heal microtrauma incurred during your training program.

Link: http://www.beachbody.com/product/newsletters/nl_514.do#article1

 

[SteeloDMZ]

Actually, when I got a terrible flu that lasted more than one week last year, I dropped like 8 pounds.

 

[Harry Potter]

There was a post on the Beachbody blog a few weeks back I think that explained that when you're sick, your metabolism goes up so there's very little chance you gained weight. So I say: don't listen to the voices in your head and be sure to be healed before you start working out again!

Link: http://www.beachbody.com/product/newsletters/nl_514.do#article1

Brb, got some toilet seats to lick.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

The Insanity Asylum schedule is taking some getting used to. Being that it's just 30 days there's no Monday-Saturday workouts with Sunday off that I can look forward to. I worked out Monday through yesterday, have today off, then don't have another day off for a week or two.

It's going to be extra hard working out Sat and Sundays because I like to get it out of the way so I do it when I get up, which is when I'm at my worst. Hopefully I can make it through.

Vertical Plyo was rough last night.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

Post workout protein shakes: yay or nay for a beginner?

 

[SteeloDMZ]

Post workout protein shakes: yay or nay for a beginner?

They are a must for anyone after a strength routine.

 

[opticalmace]

Post workout protein shakes: yay or nay for a beginner?

Definitely.

 

[obijkenobi]

So 8 days of P90X2 are done. So far, I'm really liking the results. I have some minor quibbles with the presentation of the work outs though. I do feel there are too many times when Tony takes too long to explain a move because he's making his corny jokes or talking to "the kids", so I have rewind, which makes my heart rate decrease artificially since I don't need a break. That also extends my work out time. But, like I said, that is pretty minor. The second time I did X2 Core, I only had to rewind once or twice because I was remembering the moves.

I'm really liking the core moves and LOVE the second X2 yoga work out compared to X1. I do miss pull ups, but I"m sure those will come more into play in the next two phases.

I'm also pretty loosely following the fat shredder diet. I know they recommend portions, but I"m really just looking at following the macros which has been tough. That is a TON of protein. But I honestly feel that I can see the results in the mirror already. At the very least, my scale that measures body fat showed a large decrease from the state of week 1 to the start of week 2. I suspect part of that is my body finally burning off the last of the beer and bbq from being in TX for two weeks though!

 

[SteveMeister]

Yep, lots of pull ups and chin ups in phase 2. In phase 3 you only do towel pull ups, but you do 4 sets of 10, twice a week. I did 6 weeks of phase 2, I think it worked out well.

And x2 Yoga is great. Did it this morning. I only have one left on my X2 schedule, but I'm thinking about working it in to my Les Mills Combat program I'm starting on the 31st. Maybe on my rest days.

 

[Harry Potter]

Yep, lots of pull ups and chin ups in phase 2. In phase 3 you only do towel pull ups, but you do 4 sets of 10, twice a week. I did 6 weeks of phase 2, I think it worked out well.

And x2 Yoga is great. Did it this morning. I only have one left on my X2 schedule, but I'm thinking about working it in to my Les Mills Combat program I'm starting on the 31st. Maybe on my rest days.

I've worked it into my Asylum Vol. 2 schedule. Yoga on Saturdays is very relaxing to me.

 

[obijkenobi]

Yep, lots of pull ups and chin ups in phase 2. In phase 3 you only do towel pull ups, but you do 4 sets of 10, twice a week. I did 6 weeks of phase 2, I think it worked out well.

And x2 Yoga is great. Did it this morning. I only have one left on my X2 schedule, but I'm thinking about working it in to my Les Mills Combat program I'm starting on the 31st. Maybe on my rest days.

Good to hear about the pull ups in phase 2. I might do 3 sets of 10 or so once a during the first break of the week (and nothing else besides stretching my back before and after!).

I think I'm going to go 4 weeks with phase one. I kinda feel the first week only kinda counts because it took me a while to get the moves down.

 

[Harry Potter]

Good to hear about the pull ups in phase 2. I might do 3 sets of 10 or so once a during the first break of the week (and nothing else besides stretching my back before and after!).

I think I'm going to go 4 weeks with phase one. I kinda feel the first week only kinda counts because it took me a while to get the moves down.

I think that's a smart move. Took me awhile to get used to the moves in Balance + Power alone.

 

[obijkenobi]

I think that's a smart move. Took me awhile to get used to the moves in Balance + Power alone.

Yeah, my work out time on that was an extra 10 minutes compared to what the video said. Lots of pausing and rewinding to get the form down. It is probably especially important with these moves that work the core so much.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Cross posting from the weight loss thread.

So I haven't updated everyone in a while. In Summer 2011 I was getting way up there in weight and knew I needed a change. Since then I've done P90X2, Insanity, Couch to 5k, and am now doing Insanity: Asylum. Overall I've lost about 40 pounds.

I guess I never realized how much different I actually look. I was cleaning out my closet tonight and found a picture from my best friend's wedding in July 2011 and almost died. The picture is horrifying, but goes to show how much I've done. Even when some days I feel like I haven't done enough, this picture gets me motivated.

I went from 240 to 200 (and still dropping). I was a BLOB.

Insanity Asylum is kicking my ass, but it's a great workout.

 

[SteeloDMZ]

Really big difference. Good stuff my brotha.

 

[Jzero]

Really big difference. Good stuff my brotha.

The hair makes a huge difference as well.

 

[SteveMeister]

Awesome, DC!

 

[daemissary]

Has anyone experimented with using a weighted vest for pull-ups, push-ups or plyo?

I'm looking to buy one and would appreciate any feedback or recommended brands before I plunge in.

 

[Mysterious]

Well I try to follow the P90X nutrition guide as much as possible, but how would I improve this breakfast?

Eggs:

• 3 Scrambled Eggs
• Some milk
• 2 Mushrooms
• 5 Leaves of Spinach
• An 1/8th of a Tomato
• Oregano, Salt and Pepper to tastes
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Parmesan Cheese sprinkled on top

Shake:

• 4 Chopped Strawberries
• 80 g of Protein (2 Scoops), Raspberry flavour
• One of the little cartons of Strawberry Yogurt
• Some milk

Bagel:

• Dempsters Everything Bagel (probably the worst thing on the plate)

I tried to follow the nutrition guide, but kind of merged the mushroom, spinach and cheese egg recipes.

 

[SteeloDMZ]

What diet plan are you doing? That looks like an awesome breakfast to me, but if you were doing fat shredder, then less dairy would be preferable. I'd also switch the bagel with 2 slices of high fiber, high protein whole wheat bread.

 

[Mysterious]

What diet plan are you doing? That looks like an awesome breakfast to me, but if you were doing fat shredder, then less dairy would be preferable. I'd also switch the bagel with 2 slices of high fiber, high protein whole wheat bread.

I'm on Phase One, so I think it's the "Fat Shredder" diet phase. And I have one growth spurt left, so I want to take in as much dairy as possible to maximize growth, heh.

Thanks for your input though. I'll start using the whole wheat bread more often for breakfast now.

 

[Harry Potter]

Has anyone experimented with using a weighted vest for pull-ups, push-ups or plyo?

I'm looking to buy one and would appreciate any feedback or recommended brands before I plunge in.

I've only used ankle weights for pull ups and during ab ripper. This vest on Amazon has good reviews. Looks low in weight though...

 

[Deleted member 30609]

And my first week on P90X flew by. I feel great after X Stretch. I'm still very inflexible so it's a good challenge.

Overall really happy with how I've gone so far. The only one I really felt I copped out on was Yoga, so I'm looking to stick it out this week. It was much harder for me than I was expecting.

 

[SteeloDMZ]

How much do you like Tony so far? Part of why I love the program is definitely because of the guy.

 

[vatstep]

Well, after doing two runs of P90X last spring/summer, I'm back to the original Power 90. It's pretty sad how hard and fast I fell off the wagon. I went from missing, like, two workouts in the course of a year to not working out at all in most of November and December. Seasonal affective disorder (it's pretty bad for me this year), depression, laziness, medication that has caused me to gain weight — all things that have contributed to my downfall.

It is absolutely insane how fast you lose muscle and fall out of shape after giving up on daily workouts for a while. There's no way I could go back to P90X right now, so I'm doing a hybrid of Power 90 and the Master Series so that things don't get boring (trying not to do the same workout more than once per week). I've been able to stay consistent for the past few weeks, so, small victory!

Yoga especially is very difficult now. I was able to do Yoga X while barely breaking a sweat not too long ago, but now the extremely basic warm-up routine in Power 90 (basically just upward/downward dog, crescent, warrior) has even become challenging.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

How much do you like Tony so far? Part of why I love the program is definitely because of the guy.

He's a good mix of motivational and silly without being too much of either. I like his style.

 

[Zebra]

For those who have used this program for weight/muscle gain, as opposed to weight loss, how much weight did you put on by the end of it?
I'm a skinny guy looking to add weight and am wondering if this would be a good program for that.

 

[SteeloDMZ]

For those who have used this program for weight/muscle gain, as opposed to weight loss, how much weight did you put on by the end of it?
I'm a skinny guy looking add weight and am wondering if this would be a good program for that.

I was able to gain 7 pounds with a P90X hybrid, but you gotta eat like a truck and modify a lot. For gaining weight, look into Body Beast. I totally recommend it.

 

[Zebra]

I was able to gain 7 pounds with a P90X hybrid, but you gotta eat like a truck and modify a lot. For gaining weight, look into Body Beast. I totally recommend it.

Thanks a lot, I'll look into that.

 

[Jzero]

For those who have used this program for weight/muscle gain, as opposed to weight loss, how much weight did you put on by the end of it?
I'm a skinny guy looking to add weight and am wondering if this would be a good program for that.

I haven't gained any weight yet (i actually lost like 3 pounds) and that's probably because i'm too broke to buy protein but you can definitely see more muscle definition on my body and i don't look as thin as i used to be.

 

[IrishNinja]

i just started week 6, doing good - 2nd month steps it up with biceps & such! my only concern is: i'm taking a backpacking trip for a week and a half in early march, just over a week or so before i should be done - what to do? i hate breaking up my regiment that long, should i just pick it up where i left off when i get back, or try to double-down with my remaining time to finish proper?

 

[SteeloDMZ]

i just started week 6, doing good - 2nd month steps it up with biceps & such! my only concern is: i'm taking a backpacking trip for a week and a half in early march, just over a week or so before i should be done - what to do? i hate breaking up my regiment that long, should i just pick it up where i left off when i get back, or try to double-down with my remaining time to finish proper?

Don't double down. Pick up from where you left and add an extra week at the end of the 90 days.

 

[Harry Potter]

After a month of Asylum Vol. 2 I can safely say that Upper Elite is my all time favorite Beach Body workout. It has everything. Going from press, to arm and shoulder work and then into agility ladder moves is truly exhausting.

The workout keeps you thinking constantly and makes a 60 min routine feel like 30. The lower ab work you get in the press/fly moves is some of the hardest I've come across. Plus, assisted 1 arm push ups is genius. One arm does almost all the work while your other arm acts as a kickstand. With one arm push ups in P90X I feel like its just thrown at you. I now have the tools to actually knock out some 1 arm pushups which was something I've always struggled with. I highly reccomend this program to anyone that wants a total body routine. A +++

 

[BeautifulMemory]

After a month of Asylum Vol. 2 I can safely say that Upper Elite is my all time favorite Beach Body workout. It has everything. Going from press, to arm and shoulder work and then into agility ladder moves is truly exhausting.

The workout keeps you thinking constantly and makes a 60 min routine feel like 30. The lower ab work you get in the press/fly moves is some of the hardest I've come across. Plus, assisted 1 arm push ups is genius. One arm does almost all the work while your other arm acts as a kickstand. With one arm push ups in P90X I feel like its just thrown at you. I now have the tools to actually knock out some 1 arm pushups which was something I've always struggled with. I highly reccomend this program to anyone that wants a total body routine. A +++

Does this have a lot of jumping like Insanity? Noise concern is the biggest reason why I have not attempted Insanity

 

[Harry Potter]

Does this have a lot of jumping like Insanity? Noise concern is the biggest reason why I have not attempted Insanity

Definitely less than insanity. I'd say it's comparable to the jumping in X2. Maybe a little less.

 

[BeautifulMemory]

Definitely less than insanity. I'd say it's comparable to the jumping in X2. Maybe a little less.

Oh shit are you serious? That's a game changer. Help me understand, HP, what is Aslyum supposedly for and can I jump into it now that I have done X and X2?

 

[Harry Potter]

Oh shit are you serious? That's a game changer. Help me understand, HP, what is Aslyum supposedly for and can I jump into it now that I have done X and X2?

The basic concept of the Asylum programs is sports training. There are 4 different workouts that train you for the 5th workout at the end of the week called "Gameday" in Vol.1 and "Championship" in Vol. 2. This is where you apply everything you learned earlier in the week and put it to work. The one tool that you use the most is the agility ladder. The agility ladder helps you train your body to be faster and more responsive because there is an actual target for you to shoot for.

You're ready for this program. I would recommend starting with Vol. 1. If you like it, get Vol. 2.

 

[BeautifulMemory]

Thanks! And noise concern/volume is generally the same between Asylum 1 and 2?