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What's this P90X workout stuff?

got 2 co-workers that are on it and swear by it. i think the theory of muscle confusion is sound. it's meant to prevent plateau that is very common with people who start working out w/o any formal plan and get discouraged when their input intensity is yielding diminished returns
 

soultron

Banned
I have it. I'm too busy between school and closing shifts at a restaurant to actually try it though.

You need either:

a set of dumbbells and a chin up bar

OR

a set of resistance bands to do mimic the dumbbells and chin up bar.

And a yoga mat.

The thing comes with a pretty awesome nutrition guide, but don't expect to be eating anything that appetizing to you if you live off of junk and fast food. If you already eat healthy, you're going to have to cut out a few more things to get the desired results.

Also, the program's introduction wastes no time recommending BeachBody.com's line of P90X creatine blends and protein bars. Pretty sad shill that I didn't see when I watched the informercials.

Basically, it's standard crossfit/muscle confusion stuff. 12 DVDs over 3 months. You rotate through a couple DVDs every week then switch to another rotation.

It's hard as fuck if you're out of shape. There's a regular P90 that's suggested as a starting point. There's a physical fitness test somewhere on the BeachBody.com website that you can take to see if you're going to be able to do P90X.

All of that said, my sister had a baby a year ago, and whipped the fuck out of P90X and now she looks better than before she had the baby.

You already work out, right, bish? You shouldn't have major difficulties with it otherwise. It's just a matter of getting 1-1.5 hours every day aside for your P90X routine. Be ready to do 100+ pushup variations on chest + back days.

EDIT: Thought you were Wellington. Hopefully you're already working out, bish.
 

Yeef

Member
Can someone explain what P90 (other than an over powered gun in goldeneye) is for the uninitiated such as myself?

[EDIT]Nevermind.
 

Replicant

Member
I've tried the AbRipper X section of that training program. Truly painful stuff. I've done it so many times now and it still is painful every.single.time. And I'm not out of shape either.
 
my brother has been doing it for about three months now. I swear it looks like its working. hes crazy defined now, he does tons of yoga and cardio which is included in the workout videos
 

expy

Banned
It's tough. I've tried it for about 2 weeks and then I just couldn't anymore. Some of the programs on there are brutal, I'd be lucky to get past 25 minutes of that stuff at first. But I'll have to say that it does work, although I didn't have the guts to continue doing it for prolonged periods of time. I'm thinking of restarting the program.
 

way more

Member
If you are going to watch infomercials you should be watching Shoperotic. Two dirty birdies (Miyoko pictured) give all the details about how new and freaky dildos work. They aren't afraid to say the really sexy stuff, such as male dildos are made to be larger to accommodate the extra size.

miyokofujimori.jpg



I swear, the show is better than posing as a county health official and duping teenagers over the phone to describe their sex lives and genital health.
 

Particle Physicist

between a quark and a baryon
soultron said:
It's hard as fuck if you're out of shape. There's a regular P90 that's suggested as a starting point. There's a physical fitness test somewhere on the BeachBody.com website that you can take to see if you're going to be able to do P90X..


I tried looking at the website for that and i cant find it. i see P90X and P90X Plus: http://www.beachbody.com/category/fitness_programs/extreme.do

is that what you mean?
 
I was always intrigued when infomercials for this program come up on TV, but I don't know if I'll be up for it. So for anyone who's tried it, what happens after the 3rd month? Do you just make up your own routine or do they give you tips on how to continue the muscle confusion?
 
disillusion386 said:
I was always intrigued when infomercials for this program comes up on TV, but I don't know if I'll be up for it. So for anyone who's tried it, what happens after the 3rd month? Do you just make up your own routine or do they give you tips on how to continue the muscle confusion?

i don't know anyone who passed the 90 day mark...i figure i'd walk on my hands and type with my feet for some muscle confusion
 

soultron

Banned
disillusion386 said:
I was always intrigued when infomercials for this program come up on TV, but I don't know if I'll be up for it. So for anyone who's tried it, what happens after the 3rd month? Do you just make up your own routine or do they give you tips on how to continue the muscle confusion?
There are a few additional P90X+ DVDs you can add to your rotations. (Pretty sure they're sold separately.) They're much more difficult and introduce a lot of new exercises.
 
My friend Jon went through with it and he's a beast... his arms are bigger than my head now.

This pic is old, but here you go. Just don't ask me why I was watching my friend work out. He insisted. :lol

lolz0r.png
 
reaver18 said:
why not just get a gym membership

because some people who go to the gym have no direction.

I have 1 friend thats gone through the P90x program TWICE. He's pretty ripped. My other friend is nearing his 90 days and lost 25lbs.

I just think of course you're gonna lose a ton of weight and get defined working out hardcore 5-6 days a week. Also a strict diet.

I've been wanting to try it, but feel a little intimidated.
 

charsace

Member
bishoptl said:
Thanks for that. I used to work out hardcore when I was bouncing, then scaled back once I had kids and started drilling into the career stuff. Now that my kids are older and even more enthusiastic about kicking the shit out of me, it's time to cowboy up and get back to it.
Pay me and I will take care of your problem.
 

soultron

Banned
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6AUZDAwuPY&feature=fvw

There are tonnes of videos like that all over youtube. I'd say go for it.

This thread basically motivated me to finally start it up. I don't want to take any supplements or creatine. I think I'll just work more fish and chicken into my diet and eat 4 meals a day. Bam!

EDIT: Giant, just do it. What have you got to lose in trying it?
 

wenis

Registered for GAF on September 11, 2001.
P90X is awesome. Like anything else staying with the program is going to be the most beneficial thing, but it is always fun and it hits everything depending on what program you are doing that day. Haven't had that much fun working out in awhile and it's not a lie the results were pretty substantial after a short while.
 

SuperÑ

OptionN, ShiftN
I've been doing it for 20 days now and i can assure you IT WORKS (like would work any hardcore exercise you do daily).

Remember that X stands for Xtreme :)lol), so if you are not in shape beforehand it may be impossible to accomplish.
 

Kave_Man

come in my shame circle
My buddy just finished doing it.

Lost around 20 pounds from doing it and swear by it...although now that he's done he has gone back to drinking beer every other day so those results might be gone in a couple months.
 

sk3

Banned
Question for all those doing it.

I've dabbled with it, and I can't go as fast as Tony and his crew. The routine with a thousand pushups is particularly killer. So in an instance where he says do X pushups in 90 seconds, is it more important to do the full amount, or just do as many as you can in the time he gives you? He mentions you can take breaks and pause if you need to, but typically he never even says "Do X of these". It's just "Do as many as you can".

I guess my question is is it better to go at the same pace as the video, doing as many reps as you can, or set a target and do that many of the exercise regardless of how long it takes you?
 

soultron

Banned
Rur0ni said:
Too good to post in the fitness thread? Bastard.
I posted in the fitness thread about P90X while ago, but it was passed over very quickly.

sk3, I'd just say to pace yourself. The guys in the video only do 8-10 (usually) because they know they're going to have done about 150 push ups in the span of ~60 minutes. I'd also argue that it's more important to get the full range of variations in because that promotes muscle confusion within the workout itself by engaging more groups of muscles.

Set the bar low for a week or two if you need to. Go for 8 on each, pause the video if you have to.
 

jason10mm

Member
The wife and I use it. Pretty good results, though I don't stick to the diet that closely, so while I am putting on muscle, I am not losing weight as fast as I could.

There is nothing particularly unique about the program, it is designed to use mostly body weight and aerobic exercises to give you a hard core work-out in 60 minutes. I have a pull-up bar and the bands, there are only a few times I wish I had dumbbells.

Tony has a lot of class instruction under his belt and his personality carries across the DVDs. He is good at getting you motivated, knows right when to remind you about form or when to take a break, and the rotation of exercises is just right to keep you from being totally whipped.

They are HARD though, especially if you are out of shape. If I skip a week, coming back is just as hard (esp legs/back, that one is BRUTAL).

He uses other participants to demonstrate variations (yummmm, sophia and dreya....:p) and generate energy.

Bottom line, p90x will do nothing that you couldn't do on your own or at a gym, there are no magic secrets. But it is basically a personal trainer on tape, and the wide variety keep you from getting totally bored. But if you are not motivated to put in the disc or if you don't make the time for it, then it is pointless. You WILL sweat, and if you are not careful, you can get hurt.
 

hiryu

Member
I have it and use it and if you follow it closely it works. It's not necessarily great at getting stronger but it will make you look and feel better and you will lose weight. Do not use this if you are trying to gain weight.
 

snacknuts

we all knew her
I started this program about three weeks ago after a couple of friends recommended it and I have been enjoying it a great deal. I mean, I absolutely hate it because it kicks the shit out of you for an hr a day, but I feel amazing afterward. I haven't been doing the nutrition part of it since my goal was simply to get stronger and not to lose weight, and in that regard it is definitely working.

sk3 said:
Question for all those doing it.

I've dabbled with it, and I can't go as fast as Tony and his crew. The routine with a thousand pushups is particularly killer. So in an instance where he says do X pushups in 90 seconds, is it more important to do the full amount, or just do as many as you can in the time he gives you? He mentions you can take breaks and pause if you need to, but typically he never even says "Do X of these". It's just "Do as many as you can".

I guess my question is is it better to go at the same pace as the video, doing as many reps as you can, or set a target and do that many of the exercise regardless of how long it takes you?

What does Tony say? Do your best and forget the rest. For at least the first month you're not going to be able to keep up with the people in the video. Do as many as you can and keep track of your numbers. You'll definitely start to see some major improvements.
 

ChiTownBuffalo

Either I made up lies about the Boston Bomber or I fell for someone else's crap. Either way, I have absolutely no credibility and you should never pay any attention to anything I say, no matter what the context. Perm me if I claim to be an insider
Maximum..maximum..(drops into creepy whisper)..MAXIMUM reps.

Dude, non-dairy I hope.
 

soultron

Banned
agrajag said:
Would it do anything for someone like me, who can only work out 2-3 days a week?
Make time every day or it won't be worth it. You'll just hurt more than you should since you won't be used to whipping yourself every day.
 

ChiTownBuffalo

Either I made up lies about the Boston Bomber or I fell for someone else's crap. Either way, I have absolutely no credibility and you should never pay any attention to anything I say, no matter what the context. Perm me if I claim to be an insider
agrajag said:
Would it do anything for someone like me, who can only work out 2-3 days a week?

Any sort of workout is going to do something for you. But, don't expect to get anything near the results that people who commit to the full program get.

The point of it being 6 days and week, and combining with the diet plan is that it increases your metabolism, builds muscle and keeps your body guessing. If you take one day breaks in between the sessions, the muscle confusion/building and metabolic increase simply won't develop that much at all.

Like anything, you get from it as much as you put into it.
 

agrajag

Banned
But I've always been told that you need to take breaks in between workouts anyway, so your muscles can recover?
 

ChiTownBuffalo

Either I made up lies about the Boston Bomber or I fell for someone else's crap. Either way, I have absolutely no credibility and you should never pay any attention to anything I say, no matter what the context. Perm me if I claim to be an insider
P90X works different muscle groups/aspects of fitness everyday. So, example, day one you do chest and back. Day 2 is plyometrics and Day 3 is Arms and shoulders.

So you are resting the specific muscle groups, well, resting them from primary usage anyway.

Doing it 6 times a week ups the intensity and encourages your metabolism and stamina.

I had to wake up a couple hours before normal so I could do it. But now, it's kind of second nature to me, about 6 months into it. And I have enough energy to incorporate training in MMA in the evenings.
 

Replicant

Member
To those of you who do the full program everyday, do you still have the time/energy to go to the gym? Or should I forget about going to the gym if I fully committed to this program?
 
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