P90X...who's tried it?

[PlayerHader]

Hey, I've been thinking about picking up this program but I'm looking for some more advice about it. Has anyone here tried it or know someone who has? What are some thoughts about both the exercise and the nutritional plan?

 

I'm most concerned with the time it will take to do the program right. Thanks.

[sgtcluels]

Sounds like some kind of war machine. P90X is the next generation of terr'rist killing machine.

[jschris]

If you've seen a picture of me (and thankfully, chances are real good you haven't), you would know that I am a very poor real life example of a P90X "graduate". That said, I absolutely love the program and will be on the "lean" version of it again beginning next week, with some "Tony Horton One on One" substitute workouts to keep things fresh.

 

I don't follow the diet plan--hence the problem--but the workouts are as intense as you want to make them. As with any program, you really have to buy in to have the best results. The videos, though, are geared so you can do that. I've never been stronger in my life, and I've probably never been in better shape (I could definitively say that if I had any willpower to speak of).

 

Either get a bunch of dumbbells or go with the Powerblock-type dumbbells. I have the powerblocks that go up to 90 pounds each so it's pretty easy to turn up the intensity when I need to. A pull up bar is also recommended, but since I don't have an area for that I've substituted other shoulder and back exercises. Most of the workouts run 55 minutes to an hour, but you can shave some time off by doing your own warm up/cool down.

 

Message me if you have additional questions. Good luck!

[pretendastronaut]

My wife and I have done a bit of it over the past month, but have been traveling so we haven't followed it perfectly. As a work out program I like it, there's a lot of variety. I didn't bother with the meal planning stuff personally because I believe I understand what I'm doing there already.

 

We checked it out because of my sister, who has been doing it for a bit now and she really likes it. SHE was turned on to it by someone we both went to high school with, who followed it exactly and got pretty toned.

 

Also, it's really not aimed so heavily at losing weight, as much as getting "buff" so you have to evaluate who you are and what you're looking for. I'd say I'm personally pretty borderline of the target audience of this program, because I need to drop quite a few pounds to start being considered in-shape. This isn't one of those programs where they show you someone who was 100 pounds overweight and they got in-shape, they more show you people who are slightly overweight and got in-shape. There are some days that are about stretching and such which can be pretty hard to accomplish with a nice gut on ya!

 

Overall, I think it's a good program, one of the better ones that I've seen gain popularity. The guy on the videos is doofus, and you'll roll your eyes at him pretty much every video, but he gives you a good workout.

[Nez]

80% of your results will be from following a proper nutrition plan that will enable you to shed 1 to 1.5 pounds of fat per week. The other 20% of your gains will be due to the excercise. You MUST get the diet dialed in.

[homer]

I haven't used it but a friend did and he looks great. One program I used that looks kind of similar is Core Performance which was developed by Mark Verstegen who runs Athlete's Performance in Arizona. They train a ton of pro athletes and prep guys before the combine. I think the principles are generally the same (muscle confusion, core work, etc.) So if you don't want to spring for P90x you could get this book off of Amazon and try it out.

[southpaw121505]

80% of your results will be from following a proper nutrition plan that will enable you to shed 1 to 1.5 pounds of fat per week. The other 20% of your gains will be due to the excercise. You MUST get the diet dialed in.

Exactly, that's the hardest thing for people to grasp. If you really want to lose weight and/or get in great shape, it starts in the kitchen. You have to be very consistent with what you eat. If you're really serious about it, you can figure out how many calories you should be eating a day and then eat 15-20% below that EVERYDAY. You don't want to eat less than that because it just messes up your metabolism and when you do eat you tend to store more of it as fat because your body enters a starvation mode. Eat every 2-4 hours, but something healthy. Even at work, it takes time and planning but you can't complain about not losing weight if you don't take every aspect of it seriously.

 

As far as the p90x, i've heard some say its pretty good but I just don't think its worth the money. Spend that on a cheap 24 hour gym or buy a cheap bench and bar and throw it in your garage or basement. Don't do machines. Base your workouts around bench, squat, deadlift, overhead press and rows. All compound movements so they hit more than one muscle and promote more muscle growth/fat loss. Don't do a curl ever again unless you are a bodybuilder or at 10% body fat. I could go on and on about dieting and exercise if anyone cared enough to know more. Most will ignore this and keep looking for the magic bullet, it's not that complicated though, especially for beginners. Weights 3x a week, cardio 3x a week, rest the other and eat at a calorie deficit and you will lose weight.

[PlayerHader]

I'm really looking for something that provides a detail plan and structure that I can do at home with minimal equipment. That's why this system caught my eye. I keep hearing about it all the time so I'm looking into it. I can't argue with anything you posted, though.

[homer]

Eating less isn't really a good option - eating more good stuff and less bad stuff is a better option.

[True CryM]

I've been doing this workout for a while now and have a few different opinions than some of the other posters.

First, maybe this is nitpicking, but I think there's a big difference between getting "buff" and getting "cut". When I think of buff, I think body building and increase in body mass. When I think cut, I think chiseled and body definition. P90X is not designed to get you huge. There isn't alot weight training involved, so if you're looking to bulk up, this probably isn't the program for you. That being said, P90X will get you in the most chiseled shape of your life, if you can follow the program. A large majority of the workouts are based around pull ups, push ups and sit ups. Basic moves, but you won't find any other exercises that hit so many muscle groups at the same time.

Second, I agree that with most workouts, a change in diet is the most important part - maybe 80%. I don't believe that applies to P90X. Maybe it's 50/50, but again, if you do all the workouts, you could eat McDonald's 3-4 times a week and still see results. The reason being is the program's intensity, which I found to be the most difficult and in turn, the most rewarding aspect. Yes, diet is huge, but not 80%. There is a detailed nutrional video included in the program.

Third, if you aren't in some sort of shape right now, P90X will be difficult pick up right away. It's one thing to go to the gym and start bench pressing. It's another thing to start pulling/pushing your entire body weight for multiple sets. I'd strongly suggest to those who haven't seriously worked out for a while, to start doing pull ups and push ups for at least a week prior to starting the program. I'd estimate you do a total of 150-200 pull ups in the shoulder-back workout and 400-500 pushups in the chest-arm workout, depending on your initial rep count.

Overall, I think it's a really, really good program. You'll work every muscle of your body while improving your cardio as well as your flexibility through the various stretching and yoga routines. You do have to realize it is a 6-7 day a week program. And for those really wanting to go crazy, there's a two-a-day workout plan. The one thing I can't comment on is the cost. I was lucky enough to have my girlfriend purchase it and use it as my own. The total package has around 8-10 DVD's, so each workout is on a separate disc. My girlfriend primarily does the yoga and cardio routines, so you do have the flexibility to create your own workout. Personally, I never liked going to the gym. I hated driving to the gym and waiting for machines or weights which were either A) Too crowded B) Too sweaty or C) Not working properly. So, with this, I didn't have to worry about any of those, and I got a great personal trainer without having to worry about scheduling or paying an additional cost. And, yeah, the guy is kind of annoying, but his enthusiasm eventually rubs off on you.

[southpaw121505]

Second, I agree that with most workouts, a change in diet is the most important part - maybe 80%. I don't believe that applies to P90X. Maybe it's 50/50, but again, if you do all the workouts, you could eat McDonald's 3-4 times a week and still see results.

Why on earth would you work that hard just to eat like crap and minimize the results? Of course you will see improvement if you go from not working out or not having a good gameplan to doing these workouts, doesn't make it special compared to something simple like I suggested. I guarantee I could post you a specific plan and in 90 days of you stayed true to it you'd see improvements, even if you ate the same. You won't maximize it though unless you combine consistent diet and consistent exercise though. By the way, why are you paying a trainer that most likely knows less than you can find on your basic fitness/bodybuilding forum for free?

 

Eating less isn't really a good option - eating more good stuff and less bad stuff is a better option.

 

In the end that results in eating fewer calories which is how you burn fat. It's simple science, you take in fewer calories than you burn and your body is forced to use fat stores as energy. Like I said, find your daily maintenance needs and cut out 500 calories or up to 20%. A simple rule of thumb is to multiply your body weight by 15 and that's your maintenance number. The number of calories you'd need to eat in a day to maintain current weight. Multiply by 12 or 13 to find the number you should use if you want to lose fat. For example, you weight 200 lbs:

200*15=3000 for maintenance

200*12=2400 for cutting weight

 

So you'd eat between 2400 and 3000 calories a day, but not to go below 2400 because the last thing you want to do is slow down your metabolism. That's a really simplified way of finding those numbers, there are other formulas that factor in age, height, weight, activity level.

[True CryM]

 

southpaw121505 wrote:

 

Why on earth would you work that hard just to eat like crap and minimize the results? Of course you will see improvement if you go from not working out or not having a good gameplan to doing these workouts, doesn't make it special compared to something simple like I suggested. I guarantee I could post you a specific plan and in 90 days of you stayed true to it you'd see improvements, even if you ate the same. You won't maximize it though unless you combine consistent diet and consistent exercise though. By the way, why are you paying a trainer that most likely knows less than you can find on your basic fitness/bodybuilding forum for free?

You missed the point. All I meant was that it's an intense workout. You suggested benching, squating and a few other things. Those exercises are fine, but they aren't close to the workout you'd get with p90x. If you're one of those people who's extremely self motivated, where you can go to the gym and cruise through sets, then that's great for you. I, on the other hand, get bored quickly. If I'm not engaged by the program, I'll waste more time between sets and go more days between workouts.

 

I've never paid for a trainer, but I've had quite a few through sports. Trainers are useful for motivation and tailoring workouts. I'd never trust that to a bodybuilding forum.

[TracyThom]

I did P90X for about 10 weeks. Then I went on a business trip and never got back on it. A few comments:

1.) I underestimated the cardio strength needed for P90x. I can bench press 315+, but I was gassed at the end of the first workout. There are a lot of exercises and you will definitely feel it the first week.
2.) In my opinion, P90X is too back crazy. I really don't have a desire to work my back 3 times a week.
3.) Plyometrics is hard. Really hard.
4.) These are long workouts. Each major workout with the Ab Ripper X are in excess of 1 hour.
5.) The Yoga workout is 90 minutes. I simply did not have the patience for a 90 minute Yoga workout, so I skipped it.
6.) I found Tony Horton extremely annoying. He reminded me of one of my old supervisors from my old job.
7.) I did not lose any weight on P90X. I actually put on weight, but it was definitely muscle.

[Invader3K]

First, maybe this is nitpicking, but I think there's a big difference between getting "buff" and getting "cut".

 

Some interesting comments in this thread.

 

Just to point out, the only way to actually get "cut" is to drop your body fat percentage. Muscle is muscle...there's no difference between a "buff" muscle and a "cut" muscle, other than the fact that the person who is more "cut up looking" probably has a lower body fat percentage, so there is less fat covering the muscle.

[homer]

In the end that results in eating fewer calories which is how you burn fat

 

Right, but most people will take "eat fewer calories" to cut out meals altogether. That's not healthy. Not to mention, most people find it difficult to actually count calories for everything they eat. I agree with the simple equation of energy expended minus energy consumed but frankly most people worry too much about "weight" and don't look at the other ancillary benefits (lower cholesterol, reduced stress, improved flexibility, increased energy, etc.). People should worry about reducing fat rather than reducing weight.

 

Just to point out, the only way to actually get "cut" is to drop your body fat percentage. Muscle is muscle...there's no difference between a "buff" muscle and a "cut" muscle, other than the fact that the person who is more "cut up looking" probably has a lower body fat percentage, so there is less fat covering the muscle.

 

I think the point True Cry was making is that if you want to be a bodybuilder and put on mass ("buff" in his words) this won't do it. But if you want to look like Brad Pitt in Fight Club, this program will achieve that. Brad Pitt was cut as heck in that movie but he didn't have a bulky build like John Cena.

[brewerfan82]

I went through these videos off and on with my brother for a couple months, here are my thoughts:

 

- The videos are intense, but have a lot of variety to keep it interesting, and I personally found Tony to be hilarious and kept things fun

- If you stick to the plan and do these videos everyday and do everything on them, you will lose a ton of body fat and be incredibly ripped

- That said, it really is an intense workout. My brother and I never made it through a full video without skipping certain exercises and we found it very difficult to actually do them more than 3-4 days in a row

 

I recently moved further away from my brother and don't really have the room to do these videos in my apartment, so I joined an Anytime Fitness (which I really like so far) and just alternate upper body and lower body routines each day with half an hour of cardio to finish each routine. But I think I'd like to get out to my brother's place and do the p90x routines every once in awhile to keep it mixed up. They're really a great workout and especially fun to do with someone so you can laugh at how pathetically exhausted and weak you each feel throughout it, lol.

[Nez]

Lowering your bodyfat will give you a more cut look, that is true. However, you will not lower your bodyfat with excersise alone. The biggest factor is the diet. Eating 6 to 7 meals a day 500 calories below maintenance combined with excercise will enable a person to lose a pound to 1.5 pounds of fat per week. Any more weight loss in excess of that will be muscle or fluids. For example...when people say "I lost 10 pounds this week"....well, that is fine, but it surely was not 10 pounds of fat.

I personally have not tried P90X.....but what I have tried in the past 8 months was a consistent 500 calorie deficit diet, weights and low intensity cardio 4 times a week....and my bodyfat % has gone from 26% to 8%.....30 pounds of FAT gone. Now, i am trying to add lean muscle mass so that when I try to cut back down later the added muscle will show thru.

I am considering trying P90X at the start of the new year....but don't be fooled into the workout alone getting you the results you are looking for....the diet has to be dialed in.

[southpaw121505]

I personally have not tried P90X.....but what I have tried in the past 8 months was a consistent 500 calorie deficit diet, weights and low intensity cardio 4 times a week....and my bodyfat % has gone from 26% to 8%.....30 pounds of FAT gone. Now, i am trying to add lean muscle mass so that when I try to cut back down later the added muscle will show thru.

Good job man, that's awesome. In the last 3 weeks I've went from 18% to 15% body fat. I lift 3 days a week. The other day I do cardio, one low intensity day, one medium, and one high. You should try and mix in some high intensity cardio..It keeps your metabolism boosted much longer AFTER you work out.

 

 

Right, but most people will take "eat fewer calories" to cut out meals altogether. That's not healthy.

 

I agree, maybe my message was jumbled but I did say you should eat every 2-4 hours so I'm definitely not recommending skipping meals. Eating every few hours keeps your body using the food as fuel and not storing it as fat. It also makes it a lot less likely that you binge out at your next meal. Another thing, I never actually said eat fewer calories than you do now. I said find your maintenance needs and eat less than that. People who starve themselves trying to diet are hurting themselves by messing with their metabolism.

 

Not to mention, most people find it difficult to actually count calories for everything they eat.

 

It all depends on how serious you are about being in better shape. If you don't care enough to know what you're putting in your body then fine, but you can't complain when you don't get the results you want. It's not easy, it takes work outside of the gym to get in great shape. It also really isn't that hard to keep track of what you eat. I tracked my calories for a few weeks and now I don't have to because I know what's in most things I eat. It's not for everyone, and for people who don't care enough to take the time then I respect that, you can spend your free time any way you want. I just get peeved when people look for the magic bullet when really the recipe is quite simple. Dez laid it out. Eat at a deficit and workout.

 

If you're one of those people who's extremely self motivated, where you can go to the gym and cruise through sets, then that's great for you. I, on the other hand, get bored quickly.

 

I don't get bored because I increase my weight each week slightly so I find it as a challenge that I look forward to. You will never reach your potential if you need motivation from an outside source.

[brewcrew00]

We are starting p90x today, and after reading all this I'm curious to the diets people are talking about. I'm not a big guy, not a small guy (5'11" 160 pounds, 16% body fat) so does anyone have an example of one of the 6-7 meal 500 cal diet plans? Just curious as I'm sure I could use the extra help!

[brewerfan82]

Great minds think alike brewcrew! I just wandered back to this thread to ask the exact same thing! I've always thought it would be hard to eat enough during each meal 6-7 times a day to feel full/content without overeating, as when I start snacking on something, it's hard to stop... So I'm also curious with what kind of meals and timing people pull this off.

[Nez]

Start at this calculator, and then post up your results.....use moderate activity level......you can then divide that number by 6 to see how much you can eat per meal.

 

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/tools/bmr-and-daily-calorie-calculator.html

[davebobn]

I just started my 4th round of the program yesterday and I love it. 30 days into my first round I cancelled my gym membership and have been working out from home ever since. It was a good decision as I'm in the best shape of my life. Some points about the program:

 

1. As was said above it's extremely structured so after working out on my own for 8 years it's nice having someone tell me what to do.

 

2. I love the emphasis on back and abs. It may be a lot at first, but your body adjusts to the workouts. When I first started I was able to do maybe 8 good pull-ups and I can now do a set of 25. Same goes for the abs. I wasn't able to complete the ab ripper disc...but...well to be honest it's still ridiculously difficult.

 

3. Plyometrics (jump training) makes me nauseous, but in a good way. Every time I finish plyo I literally say "That was the hardest workout of my life."

 

4. If you're in bad shape right now this will kill you...no really it might. I recommend this program to everybody who is in at least average shape. If you aren't it'll probably sit on your dvd player collecting dust. That's how I got mine.

 

That's all I got.

[southpaw121505]

Wow I just had a really long post get lost because I wasn't signed in. oops

 

I'll try and sum it up. Use the link Nez posted and the number you come up with will be your maintenance number I talked about. That's the number of calories you should eat a day to maintain your current weight. Cut 500 to lose weight or add 500 to add muscles. You can use 20% instead of 500 if you want.

 

Eat balanced meals. Get a good protein at every meal. Carbs and fats are your energy, some say do carbs morning and day and fats at night but for now just focus on eating the right foods and eating every 2-4 hours.

 

Protein is important to have if you are working out and eating at a caloric deficit. It will help you at least maintain the muscle you have, and you will probably still gain muscle at first if you are a beginner even eating at a deficit. Good proteins:

-skinless chicken breast

-lean ground beef, i usually go 93/7, ground chicken and turkey are also very lean

-seafood- salmon, tilapia, tuna

-eggs or egg whites

-protein powders, look for whey, casein, or some with both. Whey is fast acting, good for post workout, casein is slow, good to keep steady in the body

-cottage cheese

 

Carbs, try to focus on complex carbs. They digest slower. Examples:

-long grain brown rice

-sweet potatoes or yams

-whole wheat pasta

-whole what bread

-oatmeal

-veggies, try and eat as often as possible, high in nutrients and low in cals, make you feel full

 

Good fats:

-Olive oil

-nuts- almonds and pecans are my favorite

-natural peanut butter- try smart balance, tastes like normal pb to me

-some sat. fats from meat is okay, but not a lot. Never trans fat. Ever. Most foods with trans fat have no nutrients so you eat them and feel full but feel hungry again because you didn't get nutrients your body actually needs with your food.

 

I posted an example of a day of meals for me, if anyone wants to see it I'll post it again. I know it's hard to try and find good foods to eat 6x a day, but it can be done. School, work, kids, social life, etc all make it difficult but trust me, it can be done. I'm only 24 and have a lot of things keeping me busy and a lot of bills but if you care enough to get your diet in check you can do it. I think people would be amazed at how satisfied and energized you feel once you eat clean. Once you start to eat clean you will find yourself looking forward to and craving healthy options like fruit, nuts, cottage cheese, instead of chips and fast food. That's the thing that shocked me most. I used to eat like crap, fast food all the time, junk food, whole frozen pizzas. Now I look forward to fruit because its so sweet, and your cravings for crap disappear once you stop eating crap, faster than most people realize.

 

Another thing to remember is that if you workout, eat something right after. I usually take a whey protein shake and a banana. Shake because liquid disgest and absorbs into muscle faster and banana because its a simple carb and the insulin spike allows the protein into the muscle easier. This will help reduce the soreness you feel from working out. An hout after this eat another meal with complex carbs and protein. Rice and chicken, lean burger with whole wheat bread or bun, spaghetti with ground turkey/chicken and whole wheat pasta, etc.

[pretendastronaut]

I've always thought it would be hard to eat enough during each meal 6-7 times a day to feel full/content without overeating, as when I start snacking on something, it's hard to stop... So I'm also curious with what kind of meals and timing people pull this off.

 

I might not be the best one to answer this, because I didn't really bother reading the eating plan for P90X, and I know that I don't follow it. However, in my opinion, I learned how to eat more properly already, by eating more frequently, in smaller portions, and I have some of my own opinions as well. So take this for whatever you think it's worth.

If you learn to graze, you will feel that difference in your energy just from that alone. Learn to eat better foods, in proper portions, and at the right times. It sounds daunting, but it's not that hard if you plan for it right and it helps you from overeating. My typical eating looks like this;

• Breakfast: I like to get protein and fats in the morning, so I either go with a couple of eggs, or cashew butter on toast. I'd like to trim more of the carbs out of the cashew butter option, but haven't found a good substitute. I might have some blueberries as well.
• Mid-morning: My snacks typically range to any of these options: protein shake, string cheese, good handful of almonds, granola bar, cottage cheese (sometimes with fruit).
• Lunch: Right now I'm big on wraps. They're low on carbs and still give me a "sandwich" type meal that I can easily add veggies into and not feel like I'm eating a salad that I'm going to load up on sugary dressing to enjoy. Some meat (go for variety, I vary tuna, or roast beef, or chicken), small piece of cheese, mustard, mayo and some veggies (whatever I have, lettuce, onions, carrot slivers, cucumbers, etc). I don't throw a ton of meat or cheese on, I try to use only a couple of pieces of meat and eat less of a lunch than I would without the snacking.
• Mid-day snack, choosing from the list above, trying to limit carbs and sugars.
• Dinner: I'm trying to weed out pastas and focus more on meats and veggies. I still end up often with a potato, a meat protein, and something veggie. Last night we had fajitas and some beans. Tonight is going to be goulash with ground turkey, limited egg noodles, filled up with some veggies (peppers, zucchini, onion, tomatoes).
• Dessert: Almost exclusively a protein shake, though I have messed with making healthier dessert things.

My keys; I don't really bother counting calories, I focus on staying mindful of how much fuel I'm putting in, and making sure it fits with how much my body will be burning, so I'm not storing it. I'm not anti-carb, but I do try to limit grain based carbs and get more carbs from veggies. I focus on having some protein in any meal. My weakness is sugar, but I work to trim that out as well. I'm not afraid of most fats, I think as a culture we've totally been raised to mis-understand fats. Mostly watch out for trans and some saturate fats. Fat in general is just stored energy.

Hope that helps and makes any sense!

[Nez]

A good thing to do throughout the day is drink water...this will also subside cravings and make you feel fuller for a longer period of time.