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What's this P90X workout stuff?
- Thread starter bishoptl
- Start date
Masta_Killah
Member
I was a total wreck the first week.
It hurt in places I didn't know had muscles and that is proof on its own that this workout is pretty good.
I started my second round yesterday after about a month of inactivity. I feared it was going to hurt badly, but I feel surprisingly fine. But my stamina has decayed.
It hurt in places I didn't know had muscles and that is proof on its own that this workout is pretty good.
I started my second round yesterday after about a month of inactivity. I feared it was going to hurt badly, but I feel surprisingly fine. But my stamina has decayed.
Alright I'm back and only mostly dead.
We did the "Fitness Test" (?) and "Dig Deep" workouts. I will say doing the Fitness Test first was completely redundant and we all agreed stupid since the first 10-15mins of 'Dig Deep' was the same exercises only faster.
My take on this is that Insanity is all about utilizing the largest muscle groups in your body as often as possible. Literally the amount of jumping exercises was almost rediculous. My legs are not my strongest asset so they were like putty when all was said and done. Insanity basically makes p90x look like a workout for vaginas. This is high intensity all the fucking time. I don't see how it would be possible to make it through without being in already outstanding shape. I was taking breaks left and right. I believe the Fitness Test was 20 minutes and Dig Deep was 50 minutes (with the last 8 or so being relaxation/stretching.) I'm also not much of a sweater but a few of the girls I was working out with were drenched.
I can't say I enjoyed it. It was just way too much. The guy's theory is basically inverted intervals where you're high intensity 80% of the time and low intensity 20% (ie: inverting a standard interval workout)
We did the "Fitness Test" (?) and "Dig Deep" workouts. I will say doing the Fitness Test first was completely redundant and we all agreed stupid since the first 10-15mins of 'Dig Deep' was the same exercises only faster.
My take on this is that Insanity is all about utilizing the largest muscle groups in your body as often as possible. Literally the amount of jumping exercises was almost rediculous. My legs are not my strongest asset so they were like putty when all was said and done. Insanity basically makes p90x look like a workout for vaginas. This is high intensity all the fucking time. I don't see how it would be possible to make it through without being in already outstanding shape. I was taking breaks left and right. I believe the Fitness Test was 20 minutes and Dig Deep was 50 minutes (with the last 8 or so being relaxation/stretching.) I'm also not much of a sweater but a few of the girls I was working out with were drenched.
I can't say I enjoyed it. It was just way too much. The guy's theory is basically inverted intervals where you're high intensity 80% of the time and low intensity 20% (ie: inverting a standard interval workout)
Masta_Killah
Member
koam said:
:lol If you think chest/back is bad, wait till you do plyometrics tomorrow. That shit will kick your ass and make you puke. Fight through the pain though. Another tip is to go at your own pace. Don't go as low as the trainers since you're just starting. Go as low as you can and remember that you're going to have to repeat the moves. Also, once you clear yoga x, you're body will feel a 1000x better. All those sore muscles will get a nice stretch with yoga.
Just finished week two of back/legs and the difference between the first week and this week is huge. All this week I was able to push myself without feeling the pain like the first week. My lunges got lower as the week progressed, and I didn't feel the burn from plyometrics till 30 minutes in. This is a big improvement over week one, where I had to stop after the first 10 minutes and take breaks every 10 minutes thereafter. I did end up cutting yoga short by 30 minutes though. I thought I could go without a pre-workout drink, but I was wrong. Completely burned out shortly after starting the balancing moves. I ended up passing out early that day(I was incredibly relaxed though). :lol
As for diet, I've reduced carbs to where my only carb intake is from my protein drink(lactose free milk+powder) and pre-workout drink. I cut fat as much as possible, though I did cheat in a few morning meals by having scrambled eggs(yolk included) and some sausage. Other then that, I've eaten nothing but skinless chicken, lean beef, fish, and turkey. I'm also taking multivitamins since I don't eat enough veggies. I'm also only drinking water now and so far, I haven't missed soda/coffee/etc. After doing this for a week, I've got enough energy to get up early without needing a stimulus. I just make sure to get enough sleep in so I don't feel tired.
Masta_Killah
Member
koam said:
The muscle exercises can be done at a gym. I basically did the muscle exercises in the videos years ago, but instead of using my own weight, I was using machines. The benefit of the videos though is that you don't have to run around a gym, trying to get into a machine. This keeps your heart rate up, keeps your body warm, and you're constantly burning fat. At the gym, you can get cold waiting for a machine to open up. You also have to deal with smelly people leaving their sweat on the machines since some of them forget to towel off. *YUCK*
lachesis
Member
Well, Monday will be my first day. Wish me luck, as I know it will be very tough for me to finish this. I'm not too fat but with very little muscle to begin with. 5-9 and 175lb... I fully expect that I'll be in the world of pain for next couple of weeks.
Not sure I'll be taking supplement vitamins, but thinking about modding the food plan more suitable for my lifestyle... basically a lot of chicken breast, tuna and lots of salads for dinner, and carbs for lunch, and protein bars for the snack, and maybe recovery drink mix or low-fat chocolate milk someone kindly mentioned up there.
I'm just hoping that I'd be able to see some vague shape of six pack at the end of the program... because if I don't do this at this point of my life, I might never see them.
Sort of my mid-life crisis, I guess. My wife is wondering what's going on, and asking me if I'm seeing someone else.. (LOL)
Will get the resistant bands, yoga matt, and pull up bar tomorrow... I'm pretty motivated, so I'm just hoping, that I will finish 90 days.
But I'd like to thank GAF though, for introducing this program (Although I work for a TV, I rarely watch TV) - and giving me the confidence to try. Well, even if it fails to give me the body of my dreams, I'm sure I'll be much healthier and fit at the end of the program...
Not sure I'll be taking supplement vitamins, but thinking about modding the food plan more suitable for my lifestyle... basically a lot of chicken breast, tuna and lots of salads for dinner, and carbs for lunch, and protein bars for the snack, and maybe recovery drink mix or low-fat chocolate milk someone kindly mentioned up there.
I'm just hoping that I'd be able to see some vague shape of six pack at the end of the program... because if I don't do this at this point of my life, I might never see them.
Sort of my mid-life crisis, I guess. My wife is wondering what's going on, and asking me if I'm seeing someone else.. (LOL)Will get the resistant bands, yoga matt, and pull up bar tomorrow... I'm pretty motivated, so I'm just hoping, that I will finish 90 days.
But I'd like to thank GAF though, for introducing this program (Although I work for a TV, I rarely watch TV) - and giving me the confidence to try. Well, even if it fails to give me the body of my dreams, I'm sure I'll be much healthier and fit at the end of the program...
I'm starting on Monday too! Unfortunately my pull-up bar hasn't arrived yet, so I'm going to exchange chest & back with shoulders & arms which doesn't require one to buy some time. If it doesn't show up by Wednesday I figure I'll just skip the exercises that use it and see it as a warm-up week and start properly the next week.lachesis said:
Except for the pull-up bar I'm totally ready. Got some chocolate milk, huge bag of protein powder and plenty of veggies. Getting enough protein will be a bit of a challenge since I'm a vegetarian, but I should get by on just eating quorn and other meat substitutes instead of meat, and the whey protein of course. I recently found out that Tony is a vegetarian himself, so if he can do it, I can too.
I somehow strained the hell out of my right hip during ab ripper x on monday...didn't notice or feel anything until late tuesday night...wednesday morning it was full blown pain, barely able to put any weight on that side and limping around as if i'm about to turn 82yo instead of 28yo. Wednesday was Back/Biceps, and i made myself do it since it was upper body only, and i didn't want to give myself the easy excuse to skip a day (my hip was going to hurt either way whether i worked out or did nothing), though i did obviously skip the ab ripper x workout. As of now the pain is pretty much all gone.
Masta_Killah
Member
OmniGamer said:
Same thing happened to me after doing leg/back week 1. My calves were on fire 2 days later and I was barely able to walk. Luckily the day was stretch x, so I was able to stretch the pain away.
I suggest doing some ab stretches before doing the ab ripper x workout. Even though your body is warm from doing the previous exercises, your abs may still be tight. Some standing side stretches and cobra stretches before the workout should help (found it odd that there wasn't any stretching prior to ab ripper).
Aswankster
Neo Member
Yes. Lots in fact.Jarate said:
Aswankster said:
Eh. I dunno. I mean you have to jump a lot during plyo, but you never really extend your arms while doing it. As long as you're not hitting your head when you jump I wouldn't worry about it.
The biggest issue in a small space is some of the bit that make you move back and forth. Again, though, I'd say an 8-10 foot stretch of floor will be fine, and if you're a little more cramped you could improvise pretty easily by taking fewer strides and whatnot.
lachesis
Member
Just got done with my first day.... I'm alive and well, but I just feel very lost. I mean, I feel like I should put a big L on my forehead, as I was unable to move probably the half the time of the 1 hour duration. I did my best, but I think I did about 1/20th of that german girl, and 1/100th of that blonde in Ab ripper X. I'll keep try, but not too sure whether I'll be able to do them in perfect form like Tony and crews.... not to mention if I could do 1/4th of their reps. I just don't see that happening at the moment.
I had rather big plate of shrimp salad for dinner... in a hurry. note to self: not to eat too much for dinner, as I'm feeling like vomiting a little... Even though I was pretty much KO'd during about half of the workout time. Perhaps salad before workout isn't good idea, as veggies takes long time to digest... need to chew more throughly, eat a little less, I guess... but my wife had girls night out, and had to eat, put my daughter to sleep, then workout... before it's too late... but it's already nearing 1AM.
I also tried out resistant band, as I only have rather light dumbbells at home... need to get it right, but dumbbells somehow felt more effective. I'll give them another shot though - as I'm probably not using them right...
I had rather big plate of shrimp salad for dinner... in a hurry. note to self: not to eat too much for dinner, as I'm feeling like vomiting a little... Even though I was pretty much KO'd during about half of the workout time.
Perhaps salad before workout isn't good idea, as veggies takes long time to digest... need to chew more throughly, eat a little less, I guess... but my wife had girls night out, and had to eat, put my daughter to sleep, then workout... before it's too late... but it's already nearing 1AM.I also tried out resistant band, as I only have rather light dumbbells at home... need to get it right, but dumbbells somehow felt more effective. I'll give them another shot though - as I'm probably not using them right...
lachesis said:Just got done with my first day.... I'm alive and well, but I just feel very lost. I mean, I feel like I should put a big L on my forehead, as I was unable to move probably the half the time of the 1 hour duration. I did my best, but I think I did about 1/20th of that german girl, and 1/100th of that blonde in Ab ripper X. I'll keep try, but not too sure whether I'll be able to do them in perfect form like Tony and crews.... not to mention if I could do 1/4th of their reps. I just don't see that happening at the moment.
I had rather big plate of shrimp salad for dinner... in a hurry. note to self: not to eat too much for dinner, as I'm feeling like vomiting a little... Even though I was pretty much KO'd during about half of the workout time.
I also tried out resistant band, as I only have rather light dumbbells at home... need to get it right, but dumbbells somehow felt more effective. I'll give them another shot though - as I'm probably not using them right...
good job! just keep pushing play, do your best and forget the rest
....but for real!
lachesis
Member
D23 said:good job! just keep pushing play, do your best and forget the rest
Thanks for your kind words. Yeah.. I'll just do them on my pace, not their pace. Just do my best and hope for something would come out. Afterall, even if I'm only doing a little... workout is workout, and can't be worse than not doing it. Although I have miserable upper body strength, I have rather okay lower-body strength, and alright with aerobics - so I'll see how tomorrow's workout would go. Hopefully I'll be able to somewhat mimic what they do.
I tasted the whey protein and protein bar first time in my life. I don't mind the taste, but somehow I find it's rather filling and hard to digest. Perhaps 1 whole bar of 32g protein bar was too much - I'll probably take a half a bar from now on, and maybe a spoonful of whey protein off and on, rather than taking full portions.
TOM f'N CRUISE
Member
starting my 3rd week and this time around i feel more stronger then the last time i did it
i said i was gonna take a before and after pic......but know its just to late to take the before pic
i said i was gonna take a before and after pic......but know its just to late to take the before pic
Almost done with my first week. Chest/Back kinda fucked me up, and Legs/Back was pretty hard as well (those Wall Squats.....jesus fucking christ). Plytonics is just not fair. I almost fainted. That shit is crazy. Can't wait for my second week though. The only thing that gets too me is the time requirements. Sometimes I just don't have the time to do it (like, tomorrow I have some stuff planned after work, so by the time I get home, there's no way I will be able to do my workout routine). Either way, I'm going to go through this thing! Fuck it! >_<
Masta_Killah
Member
D23 said:good job! just keep pushing play, do your best and forget the rest
This. Good job and don't worry about numbers. For tips on the bands, if you want more resistance, step on them to lower their length. For instance, when I'm doing lawnmowers, I only have about 6-8 inches of band from my foot to the handle.
Also, make sure you're keeping track of your progress. Don't forget to enter your rep numbers on the workout sheets. Additionally, if you can't do the push ups, it's perfectly ok to do knee push ups. Write notes on the workout sheet if you have to modify moves.
Again, don't worry about the numbers and don't try to compete with the people on the video. Set a rep goal for yourself (you should go for around 6-12 reps when starting unless Tony says otherwise) and aim for that. If you can do more, do so. If you can't, no worries and keep going.
Anyway, just finished chest/back week 3. Since next week is a "rest" period, I went all out with today's workout. I'm still weak with my push ups, but I was able to improve on my numbers for most of the push up exercises. I pushed myself with the bands for the pull up part, doing 20-25 reps. Pushed myself with ab ripper x and I was finally able to do the 25 reps for 2/3's of the exercises. Felt like puking after though and nearly passed out. :lol
lachesis
Member
Masta_Killah said:
Thank you for the nice advice on how to use the band more effectively and setting up the goals/writing down the reps. I had to revert to knee assisted push-ups in the middle of the session... :lol As per the pull-ups, I could do relatively well with the chair. I hope I could do half the many reps as you can by end of my 3rd week...
I'm having this whey protein thing in the morning... and since it doesn't like being mixed with cold water, I decided to go with hot water. Added some sugar free hot cocoa for little bit of flavoring... and I got this giant lump of some disgusting looking brainy thing. LOL I've forced myself eating it more than halfway through... I know you can get a shaker or run it in the blender, but my poor 2yr old daughter is terribly scared of household machines that make some noise (ie: vaccuum cleaner, blender, hair dryer, etc)... I might just end up eating the whey protein as is. (Powder)
lachesis
Member
I only did 1 day, so I can't say it damages the body - but I'm sure it's just as dangerous as any other work-outs. Not enough warm-ups, doing too much and pushing it over your limits, or mishandling some of the equipments, I can see one could get hurt. But with moderation and all, I think and I hope it will make my body more healthier and fit.... (I can barely lift my forearm today. LOL... typing has never been harder.)
i started this up a few months ago and promptly had surgery on my leg and my mother passed away, so it didnt last very long, i'm back into it now, towards the end of my second week... i'll tell you what, if you can get past the first week then you're good. I had 2 days where i slept like shit because i couldn't move in bed without being in pain, towards the end of the week, after yoga and a lot of stretching i'm not that sore anymore and have to push myself less to get up and do the exercises.
That being said... i've been eating healthy since right after Christmas, went jogging with the dog up until i started this, was doing pretty good getting myself back to my pre-winter weight... I did about 2 weeks of this and stepped on the scale for shits and giggles... i gained 8lbs.
That being said... i've been eating healthy since right after Christmas, went jogging with the dog up until i started this, was doing pretty good getting myself back to my pre-winter weight... I did about 2 weeks of this and stepped on the scale for shits and giggles... i gained 8lbs.
GuessWho said:
it's a traditional workout routine that demands a lot since it's 6 days a week and around an hour a day. it'll only damage your body if you try to strain yourself (too heavy weights or too many reps) and don't keep a proper diet.
after several false starts over the winter break attempting to get round 2 going, I'm giving it a stronger push this week. I hope to have gone through this thing two more times by the time July hits. it's a bit tougher to find the time now but i need to get back on the wagon. but once I'm in the routine, it's easier to stick to it.
Napoleonthechimp
Member
I want to get some resistance bands as I can barely do 2 pull ups at the moment but where do I buy them from and how do I attach them to a door?
Napoleonthechimp said:
RipCords are a really good brand, they offer full replacements if for any reason they break, and usually the door "hook" is included in most bands packages.
http://www.ripcords.com/exercise-band-kits.html
mYm|17| said:
That's the bar I was checking on Amazon. Just put the order in.
Wish me luck guys, I start my first trial of P90x Thursday.
I used to be in pretty good shape back when I was in college, but my fitness went down the drain once I started Med School and now barely existent due to my Residency training. I lifted weights back in college but now I'm looking for something that incorporates more cardio and athletic movements. I've got a bachelor party in the Caribbean coming up in about four months, so I've definitely got the motivation to work out and eat right. :lol
Looking forward to this.
Masta_Killah
Member
gcubed said:
Make sure you cut carbs as much as possible. That means no rice, bread, starchy food like potatoes, and juice. Also, drink a lot of water, about 8-12 tall glasses full. If you're still gaining weight, try reducing your portions. Finally, weigh yourself only in the morning, when your stomach is empty.
lachesis
Member
Whoa. Just got done with my first plyometrics session. I almost missed it, because I was stuck at work... had to skip my dinner but had a little bit of homemade veg protein drink about 30min before. It was hard, but at the same time, was surprisingly easier for me to get by than muscle works. Probably because I've been doing eliptical machine for past few months, 3-4 times per week, 1 hour each, and I've not smoked for about 10 months - my aerobic ability must have been quite improved now.
Since some of these are pretty high impact workouts, I'm pretty certain that I'll be walking like I've pooped in my pants tomorrow morning though. Can't lift my arm, and can't walk... I can only move my neck! LOL. But strangely, it feels good. Because I now know that it has some purpose to it, and I know where I am going with it. When I worked out in the Gym long time ago, wasting quite a bit of money and not knowing what I'm supposed to do there - following this workout routine gave me some sense of direction, which makes the pain so bearable. I wasn't doing much of warm-ups, and not doing enough reps or whatnot... now I know better.
I was able to finish plyometrics.. maybe about 2/3 or full of each moves... some less than half though.. - unlike yesterdays 1/20th or 1/100th abs. A little bit of confidence booster, I must admit.. that I'm little proud of the fact. At the same token, I'm very much looking forward to do the Kenpo (I love martial arts, but never really had any training than a little bit of Judo and Tae Kwon Do in my youth), along with Yoga X, which my wife now wants to participate for that session.
Probably because I've been doing eliptical machine for past few months, 3-4 times per week, 1 hour each, and I've not smoked for about 10 months - my aerobic ability must have been quite improved now.Since some of these are pretty high impact workouts, I'm pretty certain that I'll be walking like I've pooped in my pants tomorrow morning though. Can't lift my arm, and can't walk... I can only move my neck! LOL. But strangely, it feels good. Because I now know that it has some purpose to it, and I know where I am going with it. When I worked out in the Gym long time ago, wasting quite a bit of money and not knowing what I'm supposed to do there - following this workout routine gave me some sense of direction, which makes the pain so bearable. I wasn't doing much of warm-ups, and not doing enough reps or whatnot... now I know better.
I was able to finish plyometrics.. maybe about 2/3 or full of each moves... some less than half though.. - unlike yesterdays 1/20th or 1/100th abs. A little bit of confidence booster, I must admit.. that I'm little proud of the fact. At the same token, I'm very much looking forward to do the Kenpo (I love martial arts, but never really had any training than a little bit of Judo and Tae Kwon Do in my youth), along with Yoga X, which my wife now wants to participate for that session.
Masta_Killah
Member
Once you complete yoga x, your sore muscles will thank you.
gcubed said:
I think the carb intake really depends on the weight you're at when you're doing this.
I cut down carbs as much as I could (one main serving per day) but I needed to lose more weight than, say, someone who was 6 feet, 190 lbs and wanted to bulk up and lose only a few pounds. that person could (or should) have more carbs than myself.
the nutrition guide lays it out pretty clearly.
edit: I misread your response. this didn't need to be directed at you
LCfiner said:I think the carb intake really depends on the weight you're at when you're doing this.
I cut down carbs as much as I could (one main serving per day) but I needed to lose more weight than, say, someone who was 6 feet, 190 lbs and wanted to bulk up and lose only a few pounds. that person could (or should) have more carbs than myself.
the nutrition guide lays it out pretty clearly.
edit: I misread your response. this didn't need to be directed at you
lol, yeah, i definitely dont need a higher carb intake, my main source throughout the day is most likely. I'm just blaming it on all the water i drink now that i never did before, and that i started being a softie and now actually have a bit of muscle. i'm not too worried about it at this point.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Does this improve pullups? I can do about 12 on a good day. I'd like to do 20...
lachesis
Member
I'm in a world o' pain today... can't barely lift nor stretch my arm at all. I did all the jumping and my legs/hamstrings are relatively okay - but the first day's muscle soreness is killing me, especially my right arm.
I think today's a wall-squat day, so I'm not sure how much of arm muscle I"d be using it... I'll probably tough it out and just force myself doing everything I can, but I just hope this isn't going to be the case for the rest of 90 days. LOL...
I think today's a wall-squat day, so I'm not sure how much of arm muscle I"d be using it... I'll probably tough it out and just force myself doing everything I can, but I just hope this isn't going to be the case for the rest of 90 days. LOL...