P90x

[slyc_willie]

A few weeks ago, the SO and I were talking about how we would like to get into better shape. Okay, lamenting the shape we used to be in would be more like it. Over the years, especially since being diagnosed with a chronic blood-clotting disorder when I was 31, I've gotten used to the "inevitable" growth of the midsection and such that typically accompanies the onset of middle age. Now at 37, I've realized that I am still too young to accept the "inevitable."

I remember how I looked when I was in the Army. At my best, I had a 28-inch waist and weighed just under 190 pounds. I mean, I looked Good. I had the cocky attitude and ego to go with it, too. A few years of civilian life tempered all of that rather quickly. Nearly fifteen years later, I've fallen into the typical American routine of minimal exercise and rather poor diet.

Well, no more of that. The SO surprised me recently with the purchase of the P90X workout. This ain't no Jane Fonda tape, let me tell you. Many of the exercises remind me of those intensive basic training workouts I had endured as a pear-shaped nineteen-year-old recruit, but they're even more intense.

The regimen runs in a seven-day cycle. Six days of various exercises to concentrate development of different muscles groups every day, with a seventh day of rest. The regimen claims incredible results in a ninety-day span of time (thus the name P90X), provided both the regimen and diet plans are adhered to. Secret and I have decided to dive gung-ho into this routine, and stick to both the workouts and the diet.

Unfortunately, that cuts out a lot of chocolate. But not entirely.

One of the things the designers of P90X want you to do is to take measurements and pictures of your body before and after the 90-day span. I'm not going to post any of Secret's (she'd kill me), but I don't mind sharing my own statistics, with the aim of dramatic improvement down the line. So here goes:

Slyc_Willie
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 207 lb.

Measurements:

Chest: 40"
Shoulders: 45"
Waist: 37"
Hips: 41"
Thighs: 25"
Right Arm (measured at peak of bicep): 14.5"
Left arm (measured at peak of bicep: 14"

It will be interesting to see the differences in those measurements by July 17 (which is the end of the 90-day period).

We started this past Saturday with the workout. The first day is the hardest, naturally, especially when you haven't formally exercised in years. It concentrates on the chest, shoulders, and back. Surprisingly, I got through the whole 50-minute routine and kept up pretty well, but faltered on the follow-up Abripper X. Felt nauseous afterward and nearly threw up, but hey, it was the first day.

The second day consisted of "Pliometrics," which is mainly cardio. There's a lot of stuff I can't do (given the condition of my legs), so I skip it. Secret aces it, though.

Day Three (tonight) was a lot of arm and shoulder exercises. I got through that one pretty well, using mainly fifteen-pound weights. As the workout progresses, I figure I'll work up to twenty, twenty-five, and eventually, thirty-pound hand weights.

Even after only a few days, I'm feeling a difference. There isn't any noticeable change to my body shape, of course, but my chest and arms definitely feel fuller and stronger.

Time will tell if this regime truly works. But, given that it closely parallels and in most instances exceeds the regimen used in Army basic training, I'm fairly confident that there will be some significant changes.

 

[xssve]

It looks like a good workout, I've always been a big proponent of calisthenics over weights, the Navy Seals do almost nothing but calisthenics.

I've just always tried not to let myself go too much, with my back, if I gained a lot of weight it would be bad, but at my age I need to put on muscle. Used to do a lot of manual labor and it kept me fit, now that I sit in front of the computer all the time I've had to contemplate the "E" word.

After about Three weeks of occasional push ups and sit ups, like one set of five every other day, or every three days, I did sixteen pullups and 40 pushups right afterward, better than when I was kid!

My advice, start slow, and injury will stop you in your tracks, I have torn rotator cuffs, wrecked knees, tennis elbow, bad back, etc.

You get the same benefit from three sets of Five pushups, Four hours apart as you do from 15 all at once - I used to do three sets of 25, morning, before lunch, and before bed to stay in condition.

You just don't get much cardio benefit from it, but you can build up strength that way to tackle the harder stuff. I'll probably do cardio on my bike, once I get my back and hamstrings loosened up, and I've been thinking about rollerblading - I can't do any kind of high, or even medium impact aerobics, it has to all be low impact - right now, I just do my calisthenics really fast, and it get's me out of breath, but that could lead to injury, right now I just watch TV for 15 or twenty minutes while standing on a balance board.

The intermittent thing will tone you up, but to gain muscle you have to push to failure - I'm stuck right now between the need to add muscle and the need to keep from gaining too much upper body mass for my back's sake.

I've considered ordering P90X, it looks like some good exercises, I need more core stuff, and the muscle confusion thing really works, I've been onto that for years, but I do know you have to do something.

 

[neonlyte]

Ain't that the truff.

My last attempt at serious exercise landed me in hospital with a double skull fracture and twelve staples holding my head bits together. Exercise is dangerous The flesh is willing, the body is weak.

 

[slyc_willie]

Well, aside from some swelling due to the clots and the ulcer on my foot, I'm in good shape all around. This morning I'm sore -- those tricep-building exercises are tough -- but otherwise fine and dandy.

Now I gotta make breakfast. Let's see if I can still separate egg yolks . . . .

 

[Gizzmotick]

Glad to hear that you refuse to accept the "inevitable"..

I find myself in the same situation, except that my refusal to accept the inevitable has come from watching my performance on my bicycle slowly decline from lack of use, and then the desire for several forms of employment which require physical fitness. So I've had good incentive (recently) to stay in shape.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

Well, aside from some swelling due to the clots and the ulcer on my foot, I'm in good shape all around. This morning I'm sore -- those tricep-building exercises are tough -- but otherwise fine and dandy.

Now I gotta make breakfast. Let's see if I can still separate egg yolks . . . .

I'm a loser, I just buy the container of egg whites.
Good luck with P90X, it sounds totally awesome. I'm out of shape too, a year ago, I could run two miles and do an hour of hatha yoga without feeling like someone punched me in the chest. Now, not so much. But, I'll get back there, it's just more difficult when you let yourself go. Keep us updated, I may have to get P90X too when I get back on track.

 

[TE999]

P90x sounds like da bomb! I've been working out with machines and free weights for around 5 yrs now and even though I'm much stronger and lots more firm, I still have a spare tire that even 200 lb ab crunches won't diminish. I dunno if this ol' bod can take that sort of punishment, but I'll try anything once.

Good luck with that you two, just watch it...if it hurts, don't do it. That's painful experience talking.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Being in shape is great. Getting there is Hell!

 

[xssve]

You do know that egg yolks contain most of the amino acids, and that the cholesterol they contain is HDL - the good kind? What you want to avoid is fried eggs, and fried foods in general.

Hard boiled, soft boiled, poached, steamed, etc., are fine, it's cooking in oil that adds the trans fats, and eggs are a great way to add protein. I hard boil them by the dozen and keep them in the fridge (covered with water) for snacks.

 

[ClimbHi]

This is a seriously, seriously, tough program. Not for the faint of heart or someone who is more than a little out of shape.

For the first week, you'll find it a chore to just blink or stand up you'll hurt so bad. And just when you pop in a disk that you think will be easy, you find out that it ain't. Who knew "stretching" could be that much WORK!

It's fun tho'. I suggest going to the P90 web site and joining a support group. It helps a lot to have somebody to commiserate with. ;-)

ClimbHi

 

[slyc_willie]

I'm a loser, I just buy the container of egg whites.
Good luck with P90X, it sounds totally awesome. I'm out of shape too, a year ago, I could run two miles and do an hour of hatha yoga without feeling like someone punched me in the chest. Now, not so much. But, I'll get back there, it's just more difficult when you let yourself go. Keep us updated, I may have to get P90X too when I get back on track.

Funny that you mention yoga; that's on tonight's schedule.

This is a seriously, seriously, tough program. Not for the faint of heart or someone who is more than a little out of shape.

For the first week, you'll find it a chore to just blink or stand up you'll hurt so bad. And just when you pop in a disk that you think will be easy, you find out that it ain't. Who knew "stretching" could be that much WORK!

It's fun tho'. I suggest going to the P90 web site and joining a support group. It helps a lot to have somebody to commiserate with. ;-)

ClimbHi

Secret's on the P90 forum already. She's been talking with a few other people who have already finished it, and they've been pretty supportive.

I'll tell you one thing. The guy in the video -- Tony -- is an arrogant jackass. Makes me want to punch him every time.

Damn he's good!

 

[slyc_willie]

P90x sounds like da bomb! I've been working out with machines and free weights for around 5 yrs now and even though I'm much stronger and lots more firm, I still have a spare tire that even 200 lb ab crunches won't diminish. I dunno if this ol' bod can take that sort of punishment, but I'll try anything once.

The AbripperX portion of the program is pretty intensive. 11 different exercises in about 13 minutes, all around 25 reps each (except for the last one, which is 40 reps). I can't get through all of them yet -- the Mason curls hit me the hardest -- but I can tell they're working. I feel it every time I sneeze.

Being in shape is great. Getting there is Hell!

That's the truth! I dread the beginning of every workout. Without Secret urging me, I probably wouldn't start.

 

[R. Richard]

Truly it is written, "No pain, no gain!"

 

[slyc_willie]

You do know that egg yolks contain most of the amino acids, and that the cholesterol they contain is HDL - the good kind? What you want to avoid is fried eggs, and fried foods in general.

Hard boiled, soft boiled, poached, steamed, etc., are fine, it's cooking in oil that adds the trans fats, and eggs are a great way to add protein. I hard boil them by the dozen and keep them in the fridge (covered with water) for snacks.

The diet is about controlling calories and getting the right portions of all the necessary food groups. So while egg yolks aren't exactly bad, they take up calories better supplied elsewhere. And the recovery drink powder we take after every workout more than supplies the vitamins and amino acids we need.

 

[loganforester]

I'll be quite interested to hear how things go with this program. I've considered it myself, so I'd appreciate if you could keep us updated as you progress.

 

[slyc_willie]

I'll be quite interested to hear how things go with this program. I've considered it myself, so I'd appreciate if you could keep us updated as you progress.

Sure thing.

Tonight was yoga, and it was definitely the toughest routine yet. A full hour and a half long, I'm not ashamed to say that I didn't make it through all the movements. I figure I did about two-thirds of the exercises, while Secret finished about three-fourths, maybe a little more. She's much more limber than I am.

Tony (the trainer in the video) does a pretty good job of sticking to the basic spirit of yoga without sounding preachy, which is good. Leave the religion out of it while still including spirituality. I found some of the poses (in particular, the Warrior poses) familiar thanks to my having studied Tai Chi, but a lot of it was new to me.

One thing's for certain; I need to work on my balance.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

Sure thing.

Tonight was yoga, and it was definitely the toughest routine yet. A full hour and a half long, I'm not ashamed to say that I didn't make it through all the movements. I figure I did about two-thirds of the exercises, while Secret finished about three-fourths, maybe a little more. She's much more limber than I am.

Tony (the trainer in the video) does a pretty good job of sticking to the basic spirit of yoga without sounding preachy, which is good. Leave the religion out of it while still including spirituality. I found some of the poses (in particular, the Warrior poses) familiar thanks to my having studied Tai Chi, but a lot of it was new to me.

One thing's for certain; I need to work on my balance.

You'll probably end up loving it the most. For me, yoga released a lot of the fears I had about fitness related injury. Finding balance if the most challenging aspect aside from letting go of fear, but once you do, you'll gain so much strength from it. Finding balance in yoga gave me an unbelieveable core strength which translated into pure stamina for every other practice.

 

[slyc_willie]

You'll probably end up loving it the most. For me, yoga released a lot of the fears I had about fitness related injury. Finding balance if the most challenging aspect aside from letting go of fear, but once you do, you'll gain so much strength from it. Finding balance in yoga gave me an unbelieveable core strength which translated into pure stamina for every other practice.

Yeah, for the first time since Saturday, I feel less drained and sore after working out. Yoga definitely made me grunt, but the impact was significantly less than the other exercises.

Unfortunately, tonight's program consists of leg and back exercises . . . .

 

[secretme]

Well another day down and the worst I can say for P90x is that the dumb recovery drink is gross, but it seems to help with sore muscles.
Overall though, the workouts aren't boring and they definitely challenge a person, but not so much that a non athlete can't do it. Overall I give it a thumbs up. We'll see if it's worth it in the end. Giving up an hour and half to two hours every night is killer. Now I'm off to shower and sleep...

 

[slyc_willie]

Update #1

After some false starts and having had to miss a couple days, we're past the first week mark. We've begun to learn what works best for us and what we need to concentrate on. Personally, I have little to no problem with the arm, chest and back exercises, so I'm going to buy bigger weights.

What I really need to work on is my flexibility, especially as concerns my legs. I'm also struggling with some of the abdominal exercises, but the abs are one of my problem areas anyway, so I was already planning on concentrating on those.

After Week One, though, I'm down six pounds and have lost an inch around the waist. W00t! I don't think that will continue (not at that pace), but I'm juiced nonetheless.

So far, P90X seems to be keeping its promises.

 

[loganforester]

After some false starts and having had to miss a couple days, we're past the first week mark. We've begun to learn what works best for us and what we need to concentrate on. Personally, I have little to no problem with the arm, chest and back exercises, so I'm going to buy bigger weights.

What I really need to work on is my flexibility, especially as concerns my legs. I'm also struggling with some of the abdominal exercises, but the abs are one of my problem areas anyway, so I was already planning on concentrating on those.

After Week One, though, I'm down six pounds and have lost an inch around the waist. W00t! I don't think that will continue (not at that pace), but I'm juiced nonetheless.

So far, P90X seems to be keeping its promises.

That sounds like a promising first week. How are you finding the meal plan that comes with it or are you adhering to that part as well?

 

[slyc_willie]

That sounds like a promising first week. How are you finding the meal plan that comes with it or are you adhering to that part as well?

Honestly, I haven't had to adjust what I eat, so much as when. Since we went gluten-free for the Little One, we've cut out a lot of things like bread and pasta. The diet plan calls for eating five times a day; three meals and two snacks. I'll admit I'm not sticking to it 100%. But I do have breakfast and get in a snack after dinner, so I'm mostly on the right track.

I've been seriously craving proteins, though.

 

[loganforester]

Honestly, I haven't had to adjust what I eat, so much as when. Since we went gluten-free for the Little One, we've cut out a lot of things like bread and pasta. The diet plan calls for eating five times a day; three meals and two snacks. I'll admit I'm not sticking to it 100%. But I do have breakfast and get in a snack after dinner, so I'm mostly on the right track.

I've been seriously craving proteins, though.

It must not to be too intensive then. I'v recently modified my diet to more or less that eating pattern so it doesn't sound like it will be hard to tweak it a little and follow the guidelines. Good to know. It sounds like a good program. I'm just trying to get in a little better shape before I take the plunge. Working at a desk all day is not good for the waistline.

 

[slyc_willie]

It must not to be too intensive then. I'v recently modified my diet to more or less that eating pattern so it doesn't sound like it will be hard to tweak it a little and follow the guidelines. Good to know. It sounds like a good program. I'm just trying to get in a little better shape before I take the plunge. Working at a desk all day is not good for the waistline.

My advice would be to get into the habit of doing at least some of the routines every day. Say, five military push-ups, five diamond push-ups, some chin-ups, crunches and leglifts outta be a good start. And at least ten good minutes of stretching. Get those hamstrings loosened up.

The good thing about P90X is that even if you can't do any of it the first week, you see what you're up against, and every week thereafter, you do a little bit more, little bit more, little bit more . . . .

Jeez. I'm starting to sound like Tony.

 

[loganforester]

My advice would be to get into the habit of doing at least some of the routines every day. Say, five military push-ups, five diamond push-ups, some chin-ups, crunches and leglifts outta be a good start. And at least ten good minutes of stretching. Get those hamstrings loosened up.

The good thing about P90X is that even if you can't do any of it the first week, you see what you're up against, and every week thereafter, you do a little bit more, little bit more, little bit more . . . .

Jeez. I'm starting to sound like Tony.

I just recently got Wii fit and have been woring through some of the exercises of the board. It's alot tougher than I thought. Some of the yoga stretches are a killer.

I think you're doing a great job of advertising for them.