Thread: talk to me about: P90X

i did a search and bhuz and found some useful info but had some more questions. what are you supposed to do after the 90 days are up? do the program all over again? also, i'm not looking to be ripped like a man so how would this work for those that don't want to be too toned? about how long does each workout last? and for you dancers, how did this affect your dancing?

thanks :)

In the booklet of information that comes with p90x, they tell you what videos to do on what days. There is a section with a plan laid out for people who want to get ripped and bulk up, and a separate plan for those who want to get lean. They just have you doing certain videos more than others for the lean program... more cardio, and on the weight and resistance videos, you do more reps with lighter weight to get longer muscles.

They also have a plan in the booklet for what to do after 90 days. You can do the same program again, up the workout and make it more intense, or follow their other plan to do about 3 or so videos a week to maintain your fitness if you're happy with where you are at the end of 90 days.

The workouts are usually about an hour. Every other day you do an extra 17 min with the ab ripper video. My boyfriend and I are doing this together. The first week, he could hardly do anything on ab ripper, then got better. I was able to get through most of ab ripper the first time and I think that's because of my dancers abs underneath my flabby belly! Anyway, there are a couple exercises that are 90min (extreme yoga), but they should be on the weekend.

I have had to stop and restart it a couple times because of illness and travel, but even after just two weeks of doing the workouts and kinda following the meal plan, I definitely noticed and improvement in my dance. I have a LOT more strength, so its been easier to get tighter movement and better technique for me. The biggest thing though is an improvement in my stamina. I can go through a whole 5 min song without feeling like I need to barf out a lung afterwards! I will tell you though, that during the first week, you will be very sore. I don't recommend dancing at all during the first week. Give your body a rest and a time to adjust to the heavy workouts. After the first week though, you stop being as sore and it's easier and easier to practice and perform... that's when you really start to notice the effects of p90x.

cool thanks! i dont have the option of not dancing for a whole week tho..thats about 6.5 hours id have to miss because i have class almost every day :(
but ill try and take it as easy as i can

oh and is there a minimum age for starting this? my 15 year old bro was wanting to do it too

there is no minimum age mentioned, but I thought it was unhealthy to do weight training while your body is still developing. Check with a physician before starting the program!

maybe its better if he either does the weights at a low intensity or skips them altogether.

also i read that u need yoga blocks, could a yoga/pilates ball substitute that?

You don't have to use yoga blocks. It is helpful to use them for stability and if you're not as flexible but not mandatory. Yoga mat is a good idea.
No weights needed, if you don't want to invest. I pretty much did the whole program with bands (especially the back exercises).

I PM'd you, but for others' info, you cannot look like a dude unless you drastically reduce the amount of fat you consume, drastically increase protein intake, increase cardio intensity/weights lifted/weightlifting intensity, and take steroids. I've done 2 13-week cycles of P90X and I don't think I look like a dude. I'm not even super ripped. But I did maintain whatever tone I developed from doing the program. The benefit was cardiovascular conditioning FOR SURE. THat helped dancing tremendously. I realized that it's important to train not for the training itself, but to increase fitness and stamina for other physical activities that you enjoy doing.

1 hour a day is not a huge commitment.

I didn't follow the recommended diet b/c I found the vegetarian options too limited and I know how to feed myself optimally. I noticed that when I first started, I was CONSTANTLY RAVENOUS b/c my body needed to replenish the calories I had exhausted doing so much intense, physical activity. Then my hunger stabilized as my body got used to how much activity it was doing.

Yes, as for 15-yr. old nephew, definitely check with doctor as developing bodies may be affected by such intense physical activity. But I've known plenty of teenage boys who started their weight training at that age without guidance. At least w/ P90X, you can adjust all the exercises, decrease/increase intensity, etc.

Azhia, good to hear some positive feedback from somebody with a similar build. I've been really intrigued by this program for overall conditioning and toning purposes, but the last thing on earth I need is to lose a whole lot of weight ..c::

thank you all for your input, i just bought the program :)

satin, u should come to FL and we can kick each other's asses into doing this haha

azhia, how were u able to curb your hunger? i added some cardio on top of all the dance i do and i feel like i'm starving all the flipping time

Originally Posted by zfejzic

azhia, how were u able to curb your hunger? i added some cardio on top of all the dance i do and i feel like i'm starving all the flipping time

I normally crave food all the time, but after a few days of the p90x diet, I didn't crave carbs so much anymore. I've actually found it difficult to consume all the food that they recommend! They've got you eating so many veggies and lots of protein and only small servings of carbs everyday that you don't even want to shove that piece of chocolate cake at the office in your mouth.

I'll kick ass with you! :)

I didn't do anything to curb my hunger, it curbed itself a little after half way through.

Also, one tends to gain weight with P90X but before you all freak out it is due to the fact that muscle weighs more than fat. So you are building muscle; hence, your numbers (if you go just by numbers, which I do not recommend) will increase a touch.

Also, high cardiovascular activity can incur what they call in American cycling parlance bonking (as opposed to bonking in the U.K. which is different) so you need to replenish lost calories. Coconut juice and things with coconut oil and coconut milk provide an incredibly healthy form of carbohydrate during high intensity workouts. Coconut oil is prevalent in many sports drinks. The fatty acid chain of coconut product is also medium, as opposed to long, so this type of fat metabolizes quickly and actually provides energy.

I need to start working out again. I was on my way to a serious yoga program until I sprained my ankle (2 days before moving to Toronto). I've actually been losing weight since I've stopped working out (haven't worked out since late November). I thought the scale was wrong and then checked out other scales. 80.

oh no azhia, i hope ur ankle gets better!

and michelle, i'm up for kicking ass together. the program should be here sometimes soon so i'm def. up for some buddy workout system :) we'd have to figure out how to coordinate our schedules around it tho hehe