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What's this P90X workout stuff?

sefskillz said:
one thing that is annoying me about insanity... Shaun T doesn't seem to know right from left. He's consistently getting them backwards. I tend to notice this during the hip flexor stretches when he's telling you what hand to raise.

The only thing I can think is maybe the camera is mirroring the image for some reason? Doesn't really make sense
I've noticed this too. For the most part, I think he tries to mirror you so you don't get confused. But it ends up getting confusing.

Also, he gives some weird advice sometimes ("Don't compromise form for safety!") and occasionally screws up the stretches (in Cardio Circuit, he does the in-and-out knee stretch on one side but not the other).

Still, I think he's a great instructor. I prefer him to Tony Horton, no question.
 

sefskillz

shitting in the alley outside your window
BertramCooper said:
I've noticed this too. For the most part, I think he tries to mirror you so you don't get confused. But it ends up getting confusing.

Also, he gives some weird advice sometimes ("Don't compromise form for safety!") and occasionally screws up the stretches (in Cardio Circuit, he does the in-and-out knee stretch on one side but not the other).

Still, I think he's a great instructor. I prefer him to Tony Horton, no question.
yea i definitely agree there.
 

Pollux

Member
Just started this earlier this week, and today I got to the Yoga X dvd. I'm not flexible at all and have never done yoga, but my god this was the hardest one out of the bunch. I made it about 45 min. before I couldn't go any more.

Does this ever get any easier lol?
 
zmoney said:
Just started this earlier this week, and today I got to the Yoga X dvd. I'm not flexible at all and have never done yoga, but my god this was the hardest one out of the bunch. I made it about 45 min. before I couldn't go any more.

Does this ever get any easier lol?

Yoga X crippled me for over a month after I aggravated my sciatic nerve trying to get through it. That said, after 45-50 minutes Yoga X the routine switches to far easier poses, making the rest of it doable.

Also, the "Recovery Week" is a god damn lie, so don't expect any relief there. Just wanted to get that out there.
 

alekth

Member
I had done some of the Wii Fit yoga stuff and remembered it as more difficult than the P90X one, which doesn't seem to be a shared opinion. So likely it got easier with time. P90X yoga was the first routine I managed to get through without pausing... was drenched after that though. Though it might be a girl-advantage thing.

Going to restart the program tomorrow, sort of skipped a lot when studying piled up. If I manage to squeeze in workouts before breakfast, should I still have some protein drink? My breakfast usually has 2 eggs, cheese and some meat in it, so it's more protein than the drink, but likely it will take a while to have it out there.
 

FOOTE

Member
zmoney said:
Just started this earlier this week, and today I got to the Yoga X dvd. I'm not flexible at all and have never done yoga, but my god this was the hardest one out of the bunch. I made it about 45 min. before I couldn't go any more.

Does this ever get any easier lol?
Yup, right around the 45 or 50 minute mark.
 

Pollux

Member
Where's my goat? said:
Yoga X crippled me for over a month after I aggravated my sciatic nerve trying to get through it. That said, after 45-50 minutes Yoga X the routine switches to far easier poses, making the rest of it doable.

Also, the "Recovery Week" is a god damn lie, so don't expect any relief there. Just wanted to get that out there.

ugh lol, i'll stick with it the whole time when it rolls around the next time.

i've only been doing this a week but i've already noticed that my pullups are increasing. I could only do 3 when I started, wide grip hands facing away, now i'm up to 6. so woot.
 
Okay... at the insistence of my friends, I'm going to switch from jogging as my main form of exercise to instead begin the Lean P90x module. Gonna start tomorrow, the goal is to look good for the start of fall semester. Wish me luck gaf!
 
I'm probably going to be buying and starting P90X soon. Need to get in shape. I'm fairly lean (about 5'10", weight about 155-160), but I haven't been working out and my diet is crap. Would like something to push me to really get into shape (beyond just the cardiovascular that I've done in the past).

Here's my question for now, though: does anyone know of a good door frame pullup bar that doesn't require you to screw it into the door frame? I'm renting, and they won't let me make any holes or anything in the walls. I've seen a couple, but I get worried about how stable they might be...
 

Malleymal

You now belong to FMT.
Heavy said:
You do any cardio? Think if I did the ab ripper every other day like you and maybe a little jump rope a few times a week it would work wonders? or do you do like serious cardio

Also how long did it take for you to see these wondrous results? I have a belly
I don't do a lot of cardio and I have always had a flat stomach with six pack but I see a lot more definition in my obliques and the lowest part of my abs.. Definitely from this ab ripper
 
Crap. I'm looping the bands to get enough resistance so I can get in the 10-12 range, but it's destroying the bands in the process. The red one is dust so I started using the yellow one for arms and back. Not even 20 minutes in and it's already ripping.
 

Bildocube

Member
Just started this today, chest & back. Looking for some advice from p90x-GAF.

I've been working out for 2 and a half years, kinda got in a rut at the gym and wanted to push to the next level. I took about a month off until last Saturday when I did the Fit test (I probably started p90x too fast after that, just two days). I passed the fit test, but absolutely destroyed my fucking lower back in the process from the In-N-Outs. It still hurts. I threw my diet to abandon until today when I did some of the Fat Shredder Level II. I had 3 microwaveable salmons for breakfast (about 9oz), 2 cups broccoli, and 2 cups strawberries. I had two wheat toasts and 3 oz turkey breast for lunch, with 2 oz cheese.

I did the work out at 6:00pm. I did fucking horribly. I tried doing max reps for the first round and then when I got to dive bombers, I was fucking toast, and had to pause the thing for like 5 minutes from nausea (nearly passing out). This is just first phase. I didn't want to quit so I finished, substituting the chair for every pull up, doing knee push ups, and dropping each weight exercise 10lbs. I couldn't do shit on Ab Ripper X from the lower back pain. I assume it's because of DOMS, but I am not sure. If I still have this level of lower back pain, I may just skip Plyo and this week of P90X and restart from the top next week all over. fuck.

so, what gives? I'm not quitting this. I want to change. What can I do to keep myself from gassing so fast? What's going on with my lower back?
 
Bildocube said:
so, what gives? I'm not quitting this. I want to change. What can I do to keep myself from gassing so fast? What's going on with my lower back?
P90x gives seasoned athletes and jocks trouble, so don't sweat it LOL.

I started Lean today, going with Core Synergistics as the schedule provides. GODDAMN, lol. I could do all but two exercises, so even though my reps were low, I'm sore as hell and I know I'll improve. Got a good testosterone burn too.

I also started the Primal diet. Excited to see where I'm at by fall.
 

andycapps

Member
alekth said:
I had done some of the Wii Fit yoga stuff and remembered it as more difficult than the P90X one, which doesn't seem to be a shared opinion. So likely it got easier with time. P90X yoga was the first routine I managed to get through without pausing... was drenched after that though. Though it might be a girl-advantage thing.

Going to restart the program tomorrow, sort of skipped a lot when studying piled up. If I manage to squeeze in workouts before breakfast, should I still have some protein drink? My breakfast usually has 2 eggs, cheese and some meat in it, so it's more protein than the drink, but likely it will take a while to have it out there.

I think your question is if you should do the protein shake and then eat breakfast as well. I don't do mine in the morning but usually do it right after work so I do my shake and then I eat dinner a short time later. I don't think it's an issue to do that. More protein the merrier, really.

Bildocube said:
Just started this today, chest & back. Looking for some advice from p90x-GAF.

I've been working out for 2 and a half years, kinda got in a rut at the gym and wanted to push to the next level. I took about a month off until last Saturday when I did the Fit test (I probably started p90x too fast after that, just two days). I passed the fit test, but absolutely destroyed my fucking lower back in the process from the In-N-Outs. It still hurts. I threw my diet to abandon until today when I did some of the Fat Shredder Level II. I had 3 microwaveable salmons for breakfast (about 9oz), 2 cups broccoli, and 2 cups strawberries. I had two wheat toasts and 3 oz turkey breast for lunch, with 2 oz cheese.

I did the work out at 6:00pm. I did fucking horribly. I tried doing max reps for the first round and then when I got to dive bombers, I was fucking toast, and had to pause the thing for like 5 minutes from nausea (nearly passing out). This is just first phase. I didn't want to quit so I finished, substituting the chair for every pull up, doing knee push ups, and dropping each weight exercise 10lbs. I couldn't do shit on Ab Ripper X from the lower back pain. I assume it's because of DOMS, but I am not sure. If I still have this level of lower back pain, I may just skip Plyo and this week of P90X and restart from the top next week all over. fuck.

so, what gives? I'm not quitting this. I want to change. What can I do to keep myself from gassing so fast? What's going on with my lower back?

Sounds like you over did it. I think a lot of people do that at the beginning. You have to know the first week or so that you won't be able to do everything that they do in the routines. So just prepare yourself for that. The other thing is that you may need to substitute some of the harder workouts for something like Core Synergistics or Cardio X if you did over-do it. I don't recommend stopping your workout for a couple days because you'll get out of the habit of it and you don't want that.
 
I asked about this in the other fitness thread but this might be a better place. What weights should I look to have as a beginner to p90x? The adjustable weights sets are expensive, and I don't want to limit myself to a 5-30 lbs set and then find I need something larger.
 

andycapps

Member
whatsinaname said:
I asked about this in the other fitness thread but this might be a better place. What weights should I look to have as a beginner to p90x? The adjustable weights sets are expensive, and I don't want to limit myself to a 5-30 lbs set and then find I need something larger.

I think it depends on your level of fitness. You can always start with a 5-30 pounds set that is fairly cheap at the store and then on another runthrough of P90X or on another routine you can get a bigger set. It also depends on what your goals are. Bulking up with 5-7 reps per exercise, or getting lean with 12-15 reps per exercise.
 

Nelo Ice

Banned
so i may be trying out p90x soon so i was wondering whats the best/cheapest way of getting all the equipment and stuff

atm i got this in my cart just want to make sure im getting the right things and the best value

Resistance bands
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003H26X2W/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Pull up Bar
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ND04U4/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Dumb bells
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I1GQ04/?tag=neogaf0e-20

P90x set
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000TG8D6I/?tag=neogaf0e-20
 

Prologue

Member
Should I do p90x or just focus on the gym?


5'6 and weigh 160 so I'm a bit overweight. I would think it would be better to do p90x and then do the gym after the 3 months to bulk up a bit.


What would be my best option?
 

Pollux

Member
nitric0 said:
Is there any alternates to the pull up bar?
The only thing they say is to use the bands, but if you have a door just spend the 30 bucks and get one you can take down whenever
 
Looking for a pull up bar that won't scuff or otherwise damage my door frame. My apartment is pretty cheaply constructed, I've come to find over the years, but it's mine and I don't want to hurt it. Seems like most reviews have some people saying it damaged their frame.
 

goober

Member
For those doing Insanity, where you able to keep up during the first week? I find myself getting exhausted halfway through and just watching for a couple of minutes before I push myself.

Also, what's a recommended time to do the program? I've been doing it first thing when I wake up.
 
parrotbeak said:
Looking for a pull up bar that won't scuff or otherwise damage my door frame. My apartment is pretty cheaply constructed, I've come to find over the years, but it's mine and I don't want to hurt it. Seems like most reviews have some people saying it damaged their frame.

Would actually like to know this myself.
 

LJ11

Member
My door frame is solid as a rock, I have the Iron Gym bar, and it still scuffed up my frame. Took a nice chunk of paint off, right down to the frame which seems to be metal. That's the extent of the damage. Bar is a bit big for my door, so that's probably the main reason it happened. On the other side of the frame, where the bar fits snug, it just took off a small layer of paint, nothing I can't fix. The other side is going to need some compound.

Frame is exacting revenge on my bar however, it's digging away at the bar's padding. Patched it up though with some tape and it's holding up.

Hope this helps.

Edit: If the bar fits perfectly snug on both sides, it probably won't do much, if any, damage. May scuff off a thin layer of paint, but that should be the extent of it. Whether it can handle your weight is another question, which I can't really answer.
 

MadmanUK

Member
Nelo Ice said:
so i may be trying out p90x soon so i was wondering whats the best/cheapest way of getting all the equipment and stuff

atm i got this in my cart just want to make sure im getting the right things and the best value

Resistance bands
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003H26X2W/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Pull up Bar
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ND04U4/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Dumb bells
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I1GQ04/?tag=neogaf0e-20

P90x set
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000TG8D6I/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Personally i'd skip resistance bands. I've given them a good go a couple of times now with two completely different workouts and i just find them awkward to use, harder to stick to form and you have a more limited range of motion.

I use 3 sets of adjustable dumbbells. Light set for tricep stuff, mid-heavy for biceps and a heavy set for lawnmower's etc.

I already had a fair few free weights but invested in some iron disc's and got rid of my crappy vinyl disc's as they get too cumbersome when you want to get some serious weight going.
 

Soma

Member
Aight so I'm just starting out with P90x with my friend (day three is today) and hooolyyyy sheeeiiit am I sore all over. I'm a fairly chubby guy and I haven't worked out in years so I was barely able to do half of what they did. But man despite the soreness I felt so pumped up afterwards.

I'm not entirely sure if this work out is for me though. All I really want is to lose this gut and such, but I guess this will at least help me out in that department. I've been drinking a lot more water lately (a month ago i'd have at least one soda a day, now it's like once a week if that) and trying to improve my eating habits.

Either way I do want to keep at this. I think I definitely need something like this and it does make me feel a bit better.
 
I feel like I need to do extra cardio. I'm doing the Lean routine, but I still feel like I need more. I think I'm going to start waking up in the morning and doing a light jog.

Yoga X today. I'm dreading it.
 

Gvaz

Banned
I kind of stopped doing this after starting the third week. Now I'm at home with my dad doing Masonry though, so I figure it's good enough exercise. When I get home I don't feel like working out, I have no energy to do anything but sit on my ass and watch movies afterwards lol.

I think I'll restart after I get back to the apartment.
 
Damn. Got sick pretty bad these past few days and it knocked me out the routine. I'll go running today, hopefully I'll be back up for Yoga X tomorrow. Last time I did P90X I quit at this exact time, I can't let that happen again.
 
Etrian Oddity said:
Yoga X today. I'm dreading it.
3386309657_4014bef0ba.jpg


I had to stop at 54:00, because I literally kept falling down because my muscles were trembling so much.
 

Prologue

Member
I can do gen chem and orgo but for the life of me, I have trouble wrapping my head around physical fitness. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

5'7, 160 pounds. From the little I have read, I need 2400 to basic body functions. I want to lose weight so is 1500 calories a day fine with 6 meals day? I tried to have it 50% protein, 40% carbs and 20% fat. Is 1500calories alright or would that be more harm then good?

thank you for your time :)
 
About halfway through week three and gearing up to the next phase. Finished up Plyo and looking forward to a week off from it. A weeks worth of Yoga sounds horrible though, I'm sort of dreading this upcoming "rest week".
 

nitric0

Member
I just finished day 3. My goodness Ab Ripper X is killing me, I can barely do the moves but I powered my way through most of the reps. Hopefully I can improve my form as the days go on. Been sore since finishing day one and it's painful to get out of bed or put on a shirt. ahh must be working
 

rkn

Member
Hey folks, thought I'd check in and ask for some help. I think I've reached some sort of plateau effect. Ever since finishing up the first 3 months, I've been doing the various hybrid routines of Insanity and P90X. I'm just replacing the P90X cardio days with Insanity ones, so it's the same thing only maybe a little more varied, but I really do like Insanity and would recommend it for more intense cardio than P90X for certain.

I'm currently half way through this round, 1 month and 2 weeks. But the weight just isn't coming off like it used to. I've been stuck 175ish lbs (5'11" height). I am not totally concerned with a particular figure, because even though it hasn't fluctuated, I have noticed increased definition, but it seems to be in all areas except my waist, seems impossible to get rid of this extra flab.

Diet wise I'm fairly clean. I gave up soda years ago, I drink water and un sweetened iced tea almost exclusively. Here is a typical day for me.

Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled, 2 bacon, 2 sausage, or egg salad sandwich, or oatmeal (2 packs Quaker, w/milk)
Lunch (after workout): Protein shake (half milk, half water)
Lunch snack: Tuna salad sandwich, or protein bar, or a couple of fruits, or salad
Dinner (probably my weak spot): Home cooked days: chicken, squash, potatoes. Or 1/3 lb burger. Eat out: mostly sandwiches, BLT on rye, cottage cheese. Sometimes steak. Sometimes japanese, teriyaki chicken, salad, california roll or tempura vegetables. Sometimes mexican, tostada or tacos usually.
Dinner snack: usually pretty rare, but sometimes I'll wolf down a pack of beef jerky, or a protein bar if I didn't already have one, this is maybe once or twice a week...

Couple of times a month I'll have a few vodka tonics, pretty much the only thing I can drink nowadays. My sleep schedule has been a little worse as of late, but I still get at least 6 hrs, every night.

I've been counting calories and I'm somewhere in the 1600-1800 range usually. MyFitnessPal seems to think I should be having less, which I've tried, and generally I feel like I'm starving, so I've disregarded that. Anything else I can do? I've tried adding in running - 3 miles a couple of times a week, that was during month 1, but nothing significant. Discouragement incoming.
 
rkn said:
Hey folks, thought I'd check in and ask for some help.

Have you tried HIIT? Worked wonders for me and shed off 40 pounds in ~4 months. I did it (pretty much) daily though and if you're doing other programs it would be hard to stack.
 
rkn said:
Hey folks, thought I'd check in and ask for some help. I think I've reached some sort of plateau effect.


Exact same thing happened to me. I completed insanity + an extra month of month 2, then did 3 rounds of p90x. Just felt like I was in a plateau.

First, for P90, are you using free weights vs bands? that can make a big difference. I recommend the select tech weights. Totally worth the investment.

Second, you may want to change the workout you are doing to confuse your body. I know p90x is all about muscle confusion, but I really felt like my body was used to its routine.

I'm now on the third month of Chalean Extreme and absolutely loving it. It's amazing because it really does a lot of combination, weight based work so it works your entire body while also focusing on a specific muscle group (i.e. single leg lunge with bicep curl - sounds hokey but it works me very hard).

long story short, in my third round of p90 my weight was totally plateaud. I've lost 10 lbs since I started Chalean. her total body stuff I think keeps the muscle confusion factor higher than even p90x.
 

Alcoori

Member
I completed P90X 3 weeks ago, right before I moved to New York.
It took me roughly 5 months because I went on vacation a couple of times and thus stopped the program for a couple of weeks at a time. That said I picked up where I stopped each time in order to finish it.
I did not follow the diet but am eating relatively healthy already (I'm a vegetarian so I've learned to pay attention to what I eat), and I didn't take any supplement or protein shakes. Also, I did not do the abs workout because I don't like it. Yet I still grew some abs so I can't imagine what it'd have been like if I had done them!

The results were AMAZING. It's like I grew a new back. It used to be straight, now it looks like a V.
I couldn't do any pull ups at the beginning (3 in a workout maybe) and had to use the chair. Now I can do 80-90 in a workout. Same for the push ups. I could do 20/30 total, now I'm doing 160-180 in a session.

So worth the effort. Here are some pics of my progression (please forgive the underwear in the pre-P90X pics).

The back
DLs7fh.jpg

8gxeGh.jpg


Front
ezGlgh.jpg

APnwZh.jpg


From the side
TPww3h.jpg

w9yb7h.jpg


I'm so pleased with the results that I'm starting a new round next week! I've got a wedding in September and I wanna look hotter than the bride.
 

bionic77

Member
Awesome results dude. Congrats!

Also, hilarious underwear in your before photos. I really want to start a second run of P90X myself, but I have no time these days with the twins and work. :(
 

thelatestmodel

Junior, please.
Alcoori said:
The results were AMAZING. It's like I grew a new back. It used to be straight, now it looks like a V.
I couldn't do any pull ups at the beginning (3 in a workout maybe) and had to use the chair. Now I can do 80-90 in a workout. Same for the push ups. I could do 20/30 total, now I'm doing 160-180 in a session.

So worth the effort. Here are some pics of my progression (please forgive the underwear in the pre-P90X pics).

Nice going dude! Truly amazing results.

I had a bit of a false start with P90X. Managed to do one week but some life issues crept in and kept me from going any further. I cannot wait, however, to start over and BRING IT until the end. I was loving it until I had to stop.

I'm planning on moving soon and can only take a limited amount of stuff with me, but once that's done I'm definitely getting a set of weights and a pull-up bar instead of using the bands like last time. Just isn't quite the same.
 

GQman2121

Banned
Did the Kenpo X on Monday and my left shoulder is still sore. I've done pylo and ab ripper many times, and do kick boxing once or twice a week regularly, but I'm never this sore. I mean, I'm hurting right now and its been a few days.
 

rkn

Member
Tkawsome said:
Have you tried HIIT? Worked wonders for me and shed off 40 pounds in ~4 months. I did it (pretty much) daily though and if you're doing other programs it would be hard to stack.
I think the only thing close to interval is the Insanity stuff, I've mostly been doing Pure Cardio and Max Interval Circuit.

gravitybear said:
First, for P90, are you using free weights vs bands? that can make a big difference. I recommend the select tech weights. Totally worth the investment.

Second, you may want to change the workout you are doing to confuse your body. I know p90x is all about muscle confusion, but I really felt like my body was used to its routine.

I'm now on the third month of Chalean Extreme and absolutely loving it. It's amazing because it really does a lot of combination, weight based work so it works your entire body while also focusing on a specific muscle group (i.e. single leg lunge with bicep curl - sounds hokey but it works me very hard).

long story short, in my third round of p90 my weight was totally plateaud. I've lost 10 lbs since I started Chalean. her total body stuff I think keeps the muscle confusion factor higher than even p90x.
I used bands for a month before I switched to free weights, and now for round two I have a free standing pull up bar, the lack of door frames forced me to use bands during round 1 though.

I'll now check out the Chalean thing you recommended.

Alcoori said:
I completed P90X 3 weeks ago, right before I moved to New York.
It took me roughly 5 months because I went on vacation a couple of times and thus stopped the program for a couple of weeks at a time. That said I picked up where I stopped each time in order to finish it.
I did not follow the diet but am eating relatively healthy already (I'm a vegetarian so I've learned to pay attention to what I eat), and I didn't take any supplement or protein shakes. Also, I did not do the abs workout because I don't like it. Yet I still grew some abs so I can't imagine what it'd have been like if I had done them!

The results were AMAZING. It's like I grew a new back. It used to be straight, now it looks like a V.
I couldn't do any pull ups at the beginning (3 in a workout maybe) and had to use the chair. Now I can do 80-90 in a workout. Same for the push ups. I could do 20/30 total, now I'm doing 160-180 in a session.

So worth the effort. Here are some pics of my progression (please forgive the underwear in the pre-P90X pics).
Awesome results, even after a round and a half you are thinner in your starting photo than I am, hey some of us have more to lose! I'm loose in the cage!
 

LJ11

Member
Kylehimself said:
Can somebody tell me if you're supposed to do the Ab Ripper X straight after the other work outs, or just at some point during the same day.

You can do it whenever you want.
 

BobDylan

Member
alright so I am going to start the p90x program. I used to do the core workouts along with just basic cardio a while back but I think im ready to start to actually work out and bulk up a bit for the first time in my life. I have always been pretty skinny. im 6'1" 140lbs. ive always been in fine shape but just thin. since I have never worked out with the goal of actually getting bigger im not really sure how to approach this whole thing. Id like to buy some free weights to get myself started but I have no clue what to get. I plan on eating healthier which shouldnt be too tough because im not much of a junk food guy to begin with. can someone help me to get off in the right direction? tips and anything to help me would be great.
 
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