PX90 workout

[last real pirate]

has anyone tried the PX90 workout program? what are you thoughts, likes, and dislikes?

[bretski99]

Yep, I just finished my first "sort of" round of it (with some "detours" along the way).

First of all, it definitely works if you stick with it. It is REALLY hard at first because it is meant for people who want to get into really good shape - the infomercial says phase 1 is a "wake up call" and they are correct!! Plyometrics is the hardest hour I've ever had to go through, but after about three weeks it got much easier. Ab ripper is also 16 minutes of heck, I don't care what anyone says. And the Yoga routine is 90 minutes, hard to squeeze into an already-tight schedule, and may be the toughest part for some.

That all said, don't let the difficulty deter you. I had some weeks I took off and did not finish phase 3. However, I am hitting the ball better in golf, and now can walk the entire 18 and still have energy left. I gave it up for a while because I have been out on the gof course with my son 4-5 days a week, in addition to working. Something had to give, at least for a while. I will pick up some cardio again before we go to DW in August, and start it again in earnest in the fall when the kids go back to school.

A couple hints and tricks. If you can afford it, buy a set of dumbells where you can dial in different weights. I just found it easier for me, as different excersizes called for different weights. Also, at first, your muscles are ramping up in terms of the amount of weight they can push, so I cycled through my meager set of dumbells rather quickly. It was $500, but a good investment for me and something I can use forever.

Second, the bands do work, but certain routines are harder to do with bands than others. I didn't like curls with the bands, but that's just me. There are other routines (like the upright rows) where bands are perfect. In any case, you'll need multiple sets of bands to do your workouts because different routines will require different resistance.

Thirdly, the pull up bar they offer is actually pretty decent, but I had a heck of a time finding a doorway in my house that it would fit on. The only one that worked was in the entrance to our laundry room, which is right off the main hallway, and was wider that the rest of the doors in the house for whatever reason. I always had this unslightly looking pull up bar that everyone could see when they walked in, and I had to rearrange my family room to add the TV down there so I could watch the video and do what i needed to do. However, it wasn't too bad, because there's only a couple days a week you use the pull up bar.

Fourth, get a partner. My son bailed on me about two weeks into because he was playing baseball every day and just couldn't fit it in. My motivation suffered a little.

Finally (and this is the hardest part) the trick to P90X is the DIET. These guys on the commercials didn't get ripped, 6% fat bodies by eating pizza!! At the beginning, they want you on a "fat shredder" diet, which gives most folks only about 1 cup of carbs a day. They tell you what to eat, but the options they list are limited so I had to improvise a little bit. I also ride long distances on my road bike, and there was not nearly enough carbs in the diet to allow me to do that. So I did p90X without the diet, I just cut down on portions.

You will definitely see results in 2 or 3 weeks. If this 42-year old slightly balding 20-pound overweight guy can build muscles he can actually SEE, anyone can. I only lost about 5 pounds overall (because I wasn't on their diet), but estimate that I have about 5 pounds more muscle on me, so (at least in my mind) I feel like I lost about 15.

They also say in the literature that comes with the DVDs that you should get their supplements, recovery drink, etc. All I did was get some protien powder and used that as one of my protiens every day, and drank that right after the workout. I never felt tired. Besides, the best thing for you is water after workout anyway.

So overall I was impressed and it was worth the money. I thought the routines were amazing and very well put together. Just be aware that it is hard and the diet will be hard to adjust to. But I feel way better.

Good luck to you.

[last real pirate]

thanks for all the info. i am really excited and ready to start. i am really going to try and stick to the deit as hard as i can. i am glad you brought up the point about the pull up bar not fitting in your door way. how wide is your door? i wonder if it will fit mine. i know the first few weeks will be really tough but i am just looking forward to the final results.

[bretski99]

The door I have the bar on is a little over 30" wide at its widest inside point. The door I wanted to put the bar on was only 28" for whatever reason, and would have been too small. You can get away with a door was wide as 33", I think, and still be fine. I think it was just the luck of the draw in my house.

[garymacd]

P90X worked for me. I was realising that I was struggling keeping up with the "kids" at work, and it didn't take long for me to feel the ravages of the work we do. I don't know what happened to the lifeguard I used to be, but I am guessing that fifty plus years of life may have had something to do with it.

I finished my first round of Classic routine in early May, just before our WDW vacation. I felt so much better. I lost over 12 pounds, gained an inch on my chest, an inch on each arm and leg and lost three on my waist and two on my hips. My back doesn't hurt as much as it did. My beloved wife really likes the way I look now.

Now I am trying a second round using the Doubles routine. I am riding my bike back and forth to work nearly every day for the cardio portion and using the strength disks every other day for the conditioning.

I don't quite look like Tony Horton yet, but give me another year, a good plastic surgeon and a wig maker, I might have a shot at it!

Tips:
Go through the pre-test before you begin. It will give you a baseline of where you are when you start and will tell you whether you should be using this program or not. Take the "before" photos. They won't be pretty - mine weren't. They will act as a strong incentive to keep going. The "after" photo's will make it worthwhile.

Try and follow the diet plan. It really helps you burn the fat off, especially in that first month. You may find that after about two or three weeks on the program, you feel ravenous. This is normal. Your body is now burning fat because your metabolism has ramped up and you are burning more calories as you sleep, eat, drink, work, workout, etc.

If you find P90X too strenuous, reduce your level of intensity or better still, send it back and ask Beach Body to send you the Power 90 program. My daughter's boyfriend tried to keep up with me in Plyometrics and couldn't. :ack: He ordered the Power 90 program and was able to do it and saw incredible results! Once you are happy with your results on Power 90, re-order P90X. I am hoping by the end of the summer to order P90X+ for more intense workouts.

If you are not in very good shape to begin with but pass the screening process, you may find Plyometrics X too strenuous for you. Even after three months, I was down on my knees between exercises. Try the Cardio X disk instead. It gives you a really good workout and is really good if you have bad knees. Then, gradually work up to Plyometrics. Good advice. I didn't take it though. Too pig-headed to heed my own advice.

Don't get discouraged. That first month as bretski99 says is a wake up call and it is tough. Once you've mastered the moves, it gets easier. Ab Ripper X is a killer, too. It took me the entire three months to be able to keep up with Tony and his group on the disks.

I used resistance bands for the pull ups and many of the other arm exercises during the first round, but I felt limited. I did get some dumbbells and that helped. I now have many of the resistance bands, as I kept feeling no challenge with the lighter ones. For my birthday ina few days, my girls are giving me a pullup bar. I started using one at work and found it much more effective and challenging.

Don't go big on the dumbbells. I got 15's, 25's and 30's. I should have gotten 20's too, but one thing at a time. Don't get loose weight dumbbells, they are a pain. The adjustable dumbbells Bretski talked about are expensive but do give you the entire range from about 5 pounds through 52.5 pounds or 10 to 90, more than enough for most of us. They also take up very little room - about the size of two large regular bells.

Ned Farr, the producer of the infomercials is looking for new success stories after one round of P90X, so stick to it and get those results into him. You might be in the new infomercial!

[last real pirate]

i am waiting for my dvd's to come in so i can start and i am really getting excited. i have been doing kung fu for about 10 months now and even though i feel great, i just dont see the results that i want. i feel like i look like i am in shape but i am not defined. i know the diet will be my toughest part but i am focused and ready for it. it is nice to hear that you had such results after the first round. i think that once i start to see results i will really get into it.