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What's this P90X workout stuff?

_Bro said:
So I'm about to jump into the P90X thing. I've got the discs but I'm kind of confused as to what to do since I'm not about mass. My whole thing is that I'm pretty into the cycling scene and would like to improve my stomach and legs, maybe just become more fit in the arms but not add mass.

Mass is the last thing I want.

I wouldn't be too concerned. When it comes to weights, go with lower weights and higher reps if you're not aiming at building mass.

It's really not a mass-producing program. You can surely gain some, but it's squarely aimed at becoming more "fit".
 

Rocket786

Member
_Bro said:
So I'm about to jump into the P90X thing. I've got the discs but I'm kind of confused as to what to do since I'm not about mass. My whole thing is that I'm pretty into the cycling scene and would like to improve my stomach and legs, maybe just become more fit in the arms but not add mass.

Mass is the last thing I want.

I figure the Yoga is good for stretching out but what do you guys recommend? I know it's pretty well broken down into what does what but I still want to get some good rides in during the day. Assuming that this is something I'll want to do after. P90X pro's, guide me to a better body!

You will not add mass unless you really up your calories while doing P90X. Considering you're planning on biking during the day and P90X in the evenings, you are definitely not going to add mass. You will be burning way too many calories for that, and unless you're eating 3000+ calories with that, you will absolutely be fine.

What you will add is exactly what you're looking for. Abs and legs. Not to mention more definition all around your body, but the one thing I'd say P90X works out the most is your legs. With all the squats, plyometrics, and yoga balances, your legs should improve big time.

I'm not sure, but from your post, it seems like you are looking for a schedule for your P90X workouts? Do you have the document that shows you when to do which workout? If you don't, I can send it to you. Either the classic or the lean option would work fine for you. I'd go for classic though, as you will have Plyometrics which should help a ton. You could also do the lean option and replace Cardio X with Plyo X, and you should be fine as well. The only other difference between lean and classic is the "Chest & Back" workout is replaced with "Core Synergistics." You can't go wrong either way.
 

Rocket786

Member
So I was looking at what different multi-vitamins I maybe should take. I don't want to mix too much stuff and not really see any benefits. I don't feel any joint pains or anything off.

I am currently just taking Centrum once a day along with the other protein/creatine I take daily. I don't k now if I should maybe take some other multi-vitamins or not. I don't know how they would help. Any suggestions?
 
X26 said:
and his kid was killing the mason twists haha
That cracked me up. I was jealous. I hate mason twists, even though I've gotten pretty good at them.

For some reason, I still have trouble with crunchy frog. I think it's a coordination issue, not strength-related.
 

_Bro

Banned
A00man said:
You will not add mass unless you really up your calories while doing P90X. Considering you're planning on biking during the day and P90X in the evenings, you are definitely not going to add mass. You will be burning way too many calories for that, and unless you're eating 3000+ calories with that, you will absolutely be fine.

What you will add is exactly what you're looking for. Abs and legs. Not to mention more definition all around your body, but the one thing I'd say P90X works out the most is your legs. With all the squats, plyometrics, and yoga balances, your legs should improve big time.

I'm not sure, but from your post, it seems like you are looking for a schedule for your P90X workouts? Do you have the document that shows you when to do which workout? If you don't, I can send it to you. Either the classic or the lean option would work fine for you. I'd go for classic though, as you will have Plyometrics which should help a ton. You could also do the lean option and replace Cardio X with Plyo X, and you should be fine as well. The only other difference between lean and classic is the "Chest & Back" workout is replaced with "Core Synergistics." You can't go wrong either way.
Yeah, I definitely do not have the schedule thing.

Thanks everyone, this was really helpful! I definitely be back later today to cry to you all about my sore muscles.

Again, thanks.
 

X26

Banned
BertramCooper said:
That cracked me up. I was jealous. I hate mason twists, even though I've gotten pretty good at them.

For some reason, I still have trouble with crunchy frog. I think it's a coordination issue, not strength-related.

I've probably done ab ripper 15+ times sofar and still suck at pfeiffer scissors myself, that and my hip rock/raise form is...embarassing
 

Not a Jellyfish

but I am a sheep
Not a Jellyfish said:
Alright, so on the second day of week 2 right now.

Here is how I am tackling the upper body stuff: First day of each I could do a quarter, maybe half of a workout. Now in week two I can do half the workout of everything, I figure this is good progress so that by the end of 90 days I can come close to if not do the whole thing. Does that sound good?

Ab ripper x is my problem right now though, I really can not do much of it, the first 3 or 4 exercises and then I am just done, feel like I am going to throw up.

I bitched about plyo earlier in the week but I can tell everyone it is getting better. Warm up week could do pretty much nothing, first week only a little bit like 5 minutes but this week I saw a lot of improvements.

Any suggestions for how to tackle ab ripper? Doing it right after other workouts is brutal!

Just a bump, hoping to get a response to some questions or just some overall feedback. :D
 

bionic77

Member
duk said:
That was fuckin amazing and inspirational!!!

P90X is the SHITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!

SOOO looking forward to starting my 5th week tomo.
That was definitely fun to watch and well done, but that guy seemed to be in decent shape before he started. He was carrying too much fat but he was definitely muscular. He basically just toned up and got ripped.

Not a Jellyfish said:
Just a bump, hoping to get a response to some questions or just some overall feedback. :D
What I would suggest is to just try and get through as much as the workout as you can, and when you are gassed just pause it for a minute or two and then try it again.

It might help if you take a break between the main workout and ab ripper X. Mix it up and see what suits you, but try not to skip anything unless you have to.

Also, don't get discouraged if you don't see the results you wanted after 5 weeks. If you keep at it you will continue to improve until the last day. I thought I would never do those towel pull ups, but somehow if you keep at it, one day you just try it and are able to get over the bar.
 

Not a Jellyfish

but I am a sheep
bionic77 said:
That was definitely fun to watch and well done, but that guy seemed to be in decent shape before he started. He was carrying too much fat but he was definitely muscular. He basically just toned up and got ripped.


What I would suggest is to just try and get through as much as the workout as you can, and when you are gassed just pause it for a minute or two and then try it again.

It might help if you take a break between the main workout and ab ripper X. Mix it up and see what suits you, but try not to skip anything unless you have to.

Also, don't get discouraged if you don't see the results you wanted after 5 weeks. If you keep at it you will continue to improve until the last day. I thought I would never do those towel pull ups, but somehow if you keep at it, one day you just try it and are able to get over the bar.

Thanks man, I don't currently have a heart rate monitor so I guess I will just experiment with the length of breaks I take. Do you advise doing any kind of ballistic stretching to get back in that zone before jumping back in?
 

duk

Banned
1 month photo update!! Starting 5th week today!

288xmaw.jpg
 

Not a Jellyfish

but I am a sheep
duk said:
1 month photo update!! Starting 5th week today!

288xmaw.jpg


Congrats on the results!

I sadly, am thinking of scrapping my last whole week and a half effort because it was a piss poor effort at best. Looking at some online support groups right now to gain some motivation so I can come back next week, officially start and bring it as hard as I can starting next week.
 

bionic77

Member
Not a Jellyfish said:
Thanks man, I don't currently have a heart rate monitor so I guess I will just experiment with the length of breaks I take. Do you advise doing any kind of ballistic stretching to get back in that zone before jumping back in?
I never needed to be warm to do the ab stuff, but that is me and everyone is different.

But if you are doing any of the other exercises I would strongly recommend warming up a little bit first. Not only does it decrease your chance of injury, but your workout is much better.
 

duk

Banned
Not a Jellyfish said:
Thanks man, I don't currently have a heart rate monitor so I guess I will just experiment with the length of breaks I take. Do you advise doing any kind of ballistic stretching to get back in that zone before jumping back in?

i need to get a heart monitor too, i think keeping heart rate 150-155 is good during the peak work out
 
duk said:
That was fuckin amazing and inspirational!!!

P90X is the SHITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!

SOOO looking forward to starting my 5th week tomo.


Wtf? Is it even possible to lose 5 points of body fat in 30 days? His last at "the gym" picture was 18% body fat then it went to 13.5% after day 30? Doesn't seem possible
 

alejob

Member
A00man said:
So I was looking at what different multi-vitamins I maybe should take. I don't want to mix too much stuff and not really see any benefits. I don't feel any joint pains or anything off.

I am currently just taking Centrum once a day along with the other protein/creatine I take daily. I don't k now if I should maybe take some other multi-vitamins or not. I don't know how they would help. Any suggestions?

I too want to know what people are taking, I have the One A Day also. I'm hoping that's enough. I start Monday.
 

_Bro

Banned
So that was difficult. If I took longer breaks during the ab ripper I could have definitely not have skipped 4 of the moves but some of them just had me cringing. I got the last one in as a sort of "finish strong" thing. I'll be back tomorrow.

The yoga x was pretty ridiculous. I'm sort of used to yoga just from going to a couple classes here and there but his transitions are really ridiculous. I wish the videos had more reminders to breathe, that is a really big help during class when the instructor says to do it.

I feel the burn but after a couple hours my body is back to feeling not horrible. Going back to some yoga tomorrow and maybe some plyo-stuff, but only after a good ride and run. Today I made the mistake of pulling a "Just a short ride after this!" Didn't go anywhere since I didn't feel tip-top until after sundown. Ridiculous.

Seeing that 1 month report is inspiring, duk.

Note to self: put music on next time.
 

Not a Jellyfish

but I am a sheep
bionic77 said:
I never needed to be warm to do the ab stuff, but that is me and everyone is different.

But if you are doing any of the other exercises I would strongly recommend warming up a little bit first. Not only does it decrease your chance of injury, but your workout is much better.

Awesome, thanks for the advice.

I had been noticing that during workouts, I would reach a wall where I felt I could not do anymore, like I was going to vomit or something. So at this point I would stop but literally a couple minutes later I felt fine, it was pretty frustrated.

I also have decided that I am just going to start fresh tomorrow. No half assing and just going to begin a new.
 

duk

Banned
_Bro said:
So that was difficult. If I took longer breaks during the ab ripper I could have definitely not have skipped 4 of the moves but some of them just had me cringing. I got the last one in as a sort of "finish strong" thing. I'll be back tomorrow.

The yoga x was pretty ridiculous. I'm sort of used to yoga just from going to a couple classes here and there but his transitions are really ridiculous. I wish the videos had more reminders to breathe, that is a really big help during class when the instructor says to do it.

I feel the burn but after a couple hours my body is back to feeling not horrible. Going back to some yoga tomorrow and maybe some plyo-stuff, but only after a good ride and run. Today I made the mistake of pulling a "Just a short ride after this!" Didn't go anywhere since I didn't feel tip-top until after sundown. Ridiculous.

Seeing that 1 month report is inspiring, duk.

Note to self: put music on next time.

Yep yoga is super hard! But it's so rewarding after you complete it. My body has been constantly sore since day 1 lol but that's a good thing.

What I constantly struggle is eating correctly and timely. Pushing myself to 5-6 smaller meals a day with a hectic schedule is so hard and yes sometimes I cheat, esp after going out. ughh

Keep it up fellas, it's just 90 days to change your body and health! Let's motivate each other.
 

DrFunk

not licensed in your state
Today is my rest day, after my first week. Surprisingly, there's little soreness, only in biceps and ass muscles. Which is where I want it.
 
Just started P90 a few days ago. Today is day 4. Had tried a couple routines from P90X and found that I couldn't get through much more than the warm up, so decided to tone it down. Hoping to be able to lose the weight I put on the past couple years. I've always been pretty skinny but have started to pack on pounds since meeting my wife.
 

jts

...hate me...
ScrabbleDude said:
Just started P90 a few days ago. Today is day 4. Had tried a couple routines from P90X and found that I couldn't get through much more than the warm up, so decided to tone it down. Hoping to be able to lose the weight I put on the past couple years. I've always been pretty skinny but have started to pack on pounds since meeting my wife.
I can relate to that. I gained more than 60 pounds in 4 years since I met my girlfriend.
 

LogicStep

Member
Man I've tried this for a while now in between other types of work outs and throughout time I haven't really gained much if any muscle mass. I don't know what is wrong with my body but I just can't seem to get big. =\
 
zazrx said:
Man I've tried this for a while now in between other types of work outs and throughout time I haven't really gained much if any muscle mass. I don't know what is wrong with my body but I just can't seem to get big. =\

What's your daily protein intake?
 

ocadman

Member
sazabirules said:
You don't have time for a fifteen minute workout?

:lol. Yea. Well 8 hours of work + 3-4 hours of class a day + studying + an hour of P90X. I'm in week 2 right now. I tried to fit it in, but it's hard enough putting in even that hour of working out.

Sucks because the videos say you need only an hour a day, but that ARX adds up!
 

duk

Banned
I would say ARX is as important as any other of the workouts, you MUST work on your abs in order for the other parts to look good
 

LogicStep

Member
Valkyr Junkie said:
What's your daily protein intake?
I don't know but it can't be much... I've read that you need your weight in protein?

I'm 6'3 and weigh 181lbs so yeah... I barely have muscle. Have some but not nearly enough.
 
zazrx said:
I don't know but it can't be much... I've read that you need your weight in protein?

I'm 6'3 and weigh 181lbs so yeah... I barely have muscle. Have some but not nearly enough.

Yes, a gram of protein per pound of body weight is a good start. You'll need to take in at least that much if you'd like to build significant mass. You'll need to get it from a regular diet, with supplements as needed. That amount of protein should get you to your caloric quota as well.
 

bionic77

Member
duk said:
I would say ARX is as important as any other of the workouts, you MUST work on your abs in order for the other parts to look good
Agree 100%. Good abs and a smaller waist go a long way to making the rest of your upper body look that much better.

Plus if you get a 6 pack at the end you can give them a nickname!
 
duk said:
Yep yoga is super hard! But it's so rewarding after you complete it. My body has been constantly sore since day 1 lol but that's a good thing.

What I constantly struggle is eating correctly and timely. Pushing myself to 5-6 smaller meals a day with a hectic schedule is so hard and yes sometimes I cheat, esp after going out. ughh

Keep it up fellas, it's just 90 days to change your body and health! Let's motivate each other.

Duk, forgot to ask you, on the "rest" days, do you rest or do Stretch X?

Also, how has your weight loss been since Day 1?
 

LogicStep

Member
Valkyr Junkie said:
Yes, a gram of protein per pound of body weight is a good start. You'll need to take in at least that much if you'd like to build significant mass. You'll need to get it from a regular diet, with supplements as needed. That amount of protein should get you to your caloric quota as well.
It sucks because I don't like eating so much! Wish I could just drink a ton of protein shakes, that's much easier to get down and done than actually eating a ton of food high on protein.
 

duk

Banned
DaveTheSnake said:
Duk, forgot to ask you, on the "rest" days, do you rest or do Stretch X?

Also, how has your weight loss been since Day 1?

I usually rest and make sure I sleep well. Muscles grow better when they get enough rest says TH.

As for weight loss, since I am slim I've lost 3-4 lbs only but I don't actually want to lose weight but lose the fat and gain muscle.
 

Particle Physicist

between a quark and a baryon
ScrabbleDude said:
Just started P90 a few days ago. Today is day 4. Had tried a couple routines from P90X and found that I couldn't get through much more than the warm up, so decided to tone it down. Hoping to be able to lose the weight I put on the past couple years. I've always been pretty skinny but have started to pack on pounds since meeting my wife.


jts said:
I can relate to that. I gained more than 60 pounds in 4 years since I met my girlfriend.


*high five* It means we are being well fed now ;)


Just bought a yoga mat. Will get the chin up bar and resistance bands soon.. but are they necessary in the beginning?

I'm reading some reviews about the p90x chin-up bar and they are a bit mixed. Some say they damage the moldings and stuff. Since I am renting, I'd like to avoid that. Anyone have this bar? Any good alternatives?
 
What do you do for protein? I'm not getting nearly enough. I don't think I'm even getting my daily recommended intake.

This morning I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Yogurt for a morning snack. Two cod filets with diced tomatoes for lunch. A granola bar for afternoon snack. And I cheated a bit and had some chinese food for dinner -- but made sure we ordered steamed vegetables and ate a huge pile of them.

What could I throw in to grab more protein? I could eat eggs in the morning, but that's a lot of work every day.
 

cubanb

Banned
ScrabbleDude said:
What do you do for protein? I'm not getting nearly enough. I don't think I'm even getting my daily recommended intake.

This morning I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Yogurt for a morning snack. Two cod filets with diced tomatoes for lunch. A granola bar for afternoon snack. And I cheated a bit and had some chinese food for dinner -- but made sure we ordered steamed vegetables and ate a huge pile of them.

What could I throw in to grab more protein? I could eat eggs in the morning, but that's a lot of work every day.

Eggs can be poached in the microwave with a device you can buy at most stores. You can also hard boil eggs and have enough for a few days. If you are concerned about fat. Egg whites are even better because they are lower in fat. You can also microwave the egg whites in a tuperware and end up with scrambled eggs.

Try using whey protein shakes. I have a couple a day. Tuna is very high in protein, but you can't eat it too much because of Mercury. Chicken is great for protein. Greek yogurt is great for protein and low in calories. Take a cup of greek yogurt and mix in some honey or berries and you have 20g of protein. Cottage cheese is a similar high protein snack that you can mix with other items.
 

bionic77

Member
quadriplegicjon said:
*high five* It means we are being well fed now ;)


Just bought a yoga mat. Will get the chin up bar and resistance bands soon.. but are they necessary in the beginning?
You definitely need the chin up bars IMHO. The resistance bands are just not as effective. And it is the most awesome feeling graduating from the program being able to knock out pullups!
 
zazrx said:
I guess I will try and eat more food high on protein because it's frustrating doing these workouts and not seeing progress.
Keep in mind that these workouts aren't really designed to bulk up. They are designed to make you lose fat. At least that's my understanding.
 

LogicStep

Member
ScrabbleDude said:
Keep in mind that these workouts aren't really designed to bulk up. They are designed to make you lose fat. At least that's my understanding.
But still, you are working your muscles out so with the right diet they should help to bulk up right? I'm not looking to turn into Arnold but have a good size. I don't want to loose too much fat and not get muscle because then I will just look strawny.
 

FOOTE

Member
bionic77 said:
You definitely need the chin up bars IMHO. The resistance bands are just not as effective. And it is the most awesome feeling graduating from the program being able to knock out pullups!
Pull-ups are by far the hardest part of this for me. When I am fresh, I can easily do 12 (thanks to P90X, before I could do around 7 fresh) When I am on my 2nd or third set of them I max out at 6-8 every time. I have not built up the endurance to continue to get up to 12 or beyond late in the workouts.
 
bionic77 said:
You definitely need the chin up bars IMHO. The resistance bands are just not as effective. And it is the most awesome feeling graduating from the program being able to knock out pullups!
I've had to use bands simply because of my apartment. I live in an old brownstone and I can't find a chin-up bar that fits any of my weird doorways properly.

The bands do a good job, but I definitely know the bar would work better.
 

duk

Banned
ScrabbleDude said:
Keep in mind that these workouts aren't really designed to bulk up. They are designed to make you lose fat. At least that's my understanding.

I think it depends on what you mean by bulking up. Will you be the hulk? No way but you will gain a decent level of mass while getting decently ripped (if your body type allows).
 

bionic77

Member
FOOTE said:
Pull-ups are by far the hardest part of this for me. When I am fresh, I can easily do 12 (thanks to P90X, before I could do around 7 fresh) When I am on my 2nd or third set of them I max out at 6-8 every time. I have not built up the endurance to continue to get up to 12 or beyond late in the workouts.
Did you finish the workout?

When I was doing the workout I had teh biggest gains in the last 3 weeks. It was insane how many I was able to do at the end compared to the beginning. When I started I struggled to get to 5 pullups and my form was pretty shitty. After I finished I could easily do 30+ chinups and 30 pullups in one go.
 

duk

Banned
bionic77 said:
Did you finish the workout?

When I was doing the workout I had teh biggest gains in the last 3 weeks. It was insane how many I was able to do at the end compared to the beginning. When I started I struggled to get to 5 pullups and my form was pretty shitty. After I finished I could easily do 30+ chinups and 30 pullups in one go.

30+? goodness gracious... im barely able to do 7-8 right now lol
 
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