P90X - Don't Do It
Replies
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I didn't have the knowledge or back ground to design my own work out plan, nor did I have the time to research it.
Well...with 20+ years experience training athletes, powerlifters, bodybuilders and just good old fashioned "old men" just looking to improve their "alone time" with their wives & girlfriends, I DO and I can tell you after experimenting with every known training/nutrition program available this is THE BEST program I've run into. This wasn't my first "rodeo" with working out. I also have a college minor in nutrition.
If the person has the WILLPOWER/DISCIPLINE to put the effort in and follow the guidelines, it's idiot proof and you WILL get results! It isn't EASY but it is effective. I've personally tweaked the nutrition to my needs because I prefer more of a paleo lifestyle.
I ABSOLUTELY agree. My husband and I did the program and then moved on to working with a friend who's a college football weight training coach. We're now the strongest, leanest we've ever been. My knee injury is non existent. The trouble I used tohave with my shoulder is gone. We both started P90X with knowledge, but the drive wasn't there. Together we worked through the soreness and made it through. Id highly recommend it to anyone0 -
The fact that some untrained and unfit people claim to have experienced "success" with P90x does not really mean much.
Oh seriously! Azdak, some of your replies are just downright insulting. Just because the rest of us didn't ditch our office jobs & pick up a career in nutrition like you doesn't make us "untrained"! It doesn't take a "trained" person to see muscle development or the scale decreasing. Furthermore, "success" is subjective - there isn't a single, static definition. :grumble:
?????
Reading comprehension.
Ur doin' it wrong.
Social grace and spelling.
YOU'RE doing it wrong.
To put it more simply: you aren't the be-all, end-all of fitness and nutrition. People can recognize "success" in their own bodies without extensive fitness education. Not sure how much clearer I can make that!0 -
PROs:
It gives you a workout plan
It gives you a diet plan
It tells you to modify and quality vs quantity
Hit pause if you have to
Cons:
Its hard
It takes discipline and dedication.
The real question is how bad do you really want to be fit?:) Just press play and forget about it. Modify modify and modify:)0 -
So I went & read the OP's website. I think I have a better understanding of some of his concerns. One of his biggest concerns with p90x is that it is only for 90 days. So you finish the program & then what? (which is why I think his screen name has '52' in it...refers to all 52 weeks of the year). It is a valid concern. You do the program then on day 100, you're back to sitting on the couch eating chips. The problem is...I don't know of anyone who has actually completed p90x & then didn't know what to do next so they just stopped doing anything.
When I did my p90x round 1, I joined a check-in group on MFP. Of all the friends I made on that thread, we ALL went on to become almost 100% clean eaters (I just can't seem to give up Coffeemate!). Everyone went on to incorporate new challenges into their fitness routines...some have become runners, almost everyone is now into yoga, some are adding kettlebells, signing up for Warrior Dashes....etc. Everyone from that thread went on to do p90x again & almost everyone went on to do other programs like Insanity, Chalean Extreme, mixing the programs into hybrids....So day 90 wasn't the end point, it was the starting point of a whole new way to live...eating cleaner, finding new fitness challenges, becoming more active in general, finding great reward & feelings of accomplishments in discovering how strong your mind & body can be....p90x was the catalyst of all that for many people.
I seriously don't know of 1 person who has completed P90x & then went back to their old way of life. Now I know of at least 2 people who started p90x & only made it through a few weeks before quitting. Those people are both still doing what they were doing before...eating crap, working out a few times a week, doing the same-old same-old. Maybe the type of personality that is drawn to p90x & feels compelled to finish it is the type of personality that thrives on reaching goals, gets high off of the feeling of accomplishment, lives for challenging themselves, is amazed at the changes their body can make, loves to learn new things...and that's why when the 90 days of p90x ends the fitness journey doesn't end for them it actually just accelerates. This is just my own personal experience of what happens based on myself & a small little group of folks I met here on MFP doing p90x. Maybe that's not what happens with everybody??? (& I'm not saying if you have no desire to do p90x then you aren't goal-oriented, etc. I'm only talking about those that finish p90x. I realize p90x doesn't appeal to everyone. Heck, one ofmy most in shape friends doesn't even lift heavy weights. She does barre, kickbox, a little Tracy Anderson & runs)0 -
So I went & read the OP's website. I think I have a better understanding of some of his concerns. One of his biggest concerns with p90x is that it is only for 90 days. So you finish the program & then what? (which is why I think his screen name has '52' in it...refers to all 52 weeks of the year). It is a valid concern. You do the program then on day 100, you're back to sitting on the couch eating chips. The problem is...I don't know of anyone who has actually completed p90x & then didn't know what to do next so they just stopped doing anything.
When I did my p90x round 1, I joined a check-in group on MFP. Of all the friends I made on that thread, we ALL went on to become almost 100% clean eaters (I just can't seem to give up Coffeemate!). Everyone went on to incorporate new challenges into their fitness routines...some have become runners, almost everyone is now into yoga, some are adding kettlebells, signing up for Warrior Dashes....etc. Everyone from that thread went on to do p90x again & almost everyone went on to do other programs like Insanity, Chalean Extreme, mixing the programs into hybrids....So day 90 wasn't the end point, it was the starting point of a whole new way to live...eating cleaner, finding new fitness challenges, becoming more active in general, finding great reward & feelings of accomplishments in discovering how strong your mind & body can be....p90x was the catalyst of all that for many people.
I seriously don't know of 1 person who has completed P90x & then went back to their old way of life. Now I know of at least 2 people who started p90x & only made it through a few weeks before quitting. Those people are both still doing what they were doing before...eating crap, working out a few times a week, doing the same-old same-old. Maybe the type of personality that is drawn to p90x & feels compelled to finish it is the type of personality that thrives on reaching goals, gets high off of the feeling of accomplishment, lives for challenging themselves, is amazed at the changes their body can make, loves to learn new things...and that's why when the 90 days of p90x ends the fitness journey doesn't end for them it actually just accelerates. This is just my own personal experience of what happens based on myself & a small little group of folks I met here on MFP doing p90x. Maybe that's not what happens with everybody??? (& I'm not saying if you have no desire to do p90x then you aren't goal-oriented, etc. I'm only talking about those that finish p90x. I realize p90x doesn't appeal to everyone. Heck, one ofmy most in shape friends doesn't even lift heavy weights. She does barre, kickbox, a little Tracy Anderson & runs)
This is SO spot on. I completely agree with your second paragraph about moving on to other programs/hybrids, etc. If the OP's major concern is "what happens after 90 days", I think that most people either move on to another round, another program or integrate other programs in (Insanity) with P90X.
P90X, as it is comprised, will eventually become stale or too easy for some. After awhile I outgrew Kenpo & Cardio X so I got P90X+ and subbed it out with Kenpo/Cardio+ and Interval X+. After plyo became easy I purchased Insanity to continue to challenge myself. I'm constantly changing things up to keep it fresh & new. Besides, obviously, for profit, I believe this is why Beachbody is coming out with new dvd's. Just when you think you've mastered P90X, P90X:MC2 will be released.
Will I do P90X/Insanity hybrids ALL of my life? Very doubtful but I will keep major components (pushups, pullups, the ab dvd's and Insanity workouts for cardio) as building blocks for my fitness program. As I get in better shape I may WANT to go back to doing compound exercises (deadlifts, bent rows, squats, cleans, etc) but I will still include some of the pushup/pullup exercises.
P90X is designed, in 90 days, to get you in the best shape of your life. Where you go with it from there is up to you!0 -
PROs:
It gives you a workout plan
It gives you a diet plan
It tells you to modify and quality vs quantity
Hit pause if you have to
Cons:
Its hard
It takes discipline and dedication.
The real question is how bad do you really want to be fit?:) Just press play and forget about it. Modify modify and modify:)
In the movie White Christmas there is a disussion early in the movie about Angles. In other words what's the motivation. The OP has clear business interest in building a case against P90X, and the rest of team Beach Body in order to help sell HIS services as a trainer. That's fine. I used to be a Finacial Services Pimp. I get the need for self promotion.
However, Some of you P90X'er and other TBB Fans are being a little militant. This quote here: "How bad do you want to be fit?" Well Aperantly not bad enough that I'm going to spend $150 on DVD's. If I'm going to drop that kind of money I've getting a new driver, or upgrading the shifters on my Mt Bike.
Just because someone isn't doing P90X doesn't mean they're not dedicated. It doesn't mean they don't know how to "bring it"
It doesn't mean anything, really. There are 3 million ways to get in shape. However someone acheives their goals is fine, as long as it's healthy and it actually works.0 -
P90X works. Yes its hard, but why would anyone want to sell their self short of their FULL potential?!?!?!
My theory has always been go big or go home! :laugh:
I am on my second round of P90X and have had amazing results. I started to use the system 6 months ago as a "cross training" for my non-running days. Totally kicked my butt, but I am also in a size 4--from an 8/9, and that's after 2 kids.
I was in pretty good shape before starting the program, but still had trouble spots. P90X took care of those.0 -
I'm a little late to this discussion, but I'd like to add my opinion.
My wife and I are about to start our P90X journey. I did a lot of research on the different fitness programs before we got to this point. We both started out with low impact Wii Fit exercises and slowly progressed into higher and higher impact ones. Eventually this got stale, but we both knew we weren't ready for P90X. So I went ahead and bought Power 90 (the Tony Horton series before P90X). I would HIGHLY recommend that for anyone who is in that transition stage where they need a more challenging workout but physically they are not ready for P90X.
The nice part about Power 90 is that the workouts are 30 minutes and you can go at your own pace. Eventually for us, things became a little repetitive on the cardio so we moved to the fat burning workout. We ended up purchasing P90X because our Power 90 is coming to an end and we are both ready for the next step. We are still watching the videos to see what challenges are ahead for us. We saw that we need to get used to longer workouts, so we doubled the Power 90 fat burning workout. Now we are up to workout out 70 minutes every other day and burning 1000+ calories in that workout (we both have HRMs).
The nice part about this gradual increase in our workouts is that we are not intimidated by P90X. A good example is yesterday I did 5 decline pushups. I *NEVER* could do even one of those when I played Varsity Basketball and Soccer back in the day. I may not be quite ready in the upper body for P90X (I can do 10 pushups, not quite 15 yet), but I will do what I can and I know it will get better.
P90X is not for everybody, it does require a time committment. My wife is a stay-at-home mom, so she is able to get the workout done in the morning. I usually workout when the kids are going to bed. It is a little harder to go to sleep, but at the same time, I don't seem to need as much sleep as I used to. I still wake up after about 6 - 7 hrs of sleep refreshed.
Just wanted to give a counterpoint to the OP.0 -
Just because someone isn't doing P90X doesn't mean they're not dedicated. It doesn't mean they don't know how to "bring it"
It doesn't mean anything, really. There are 3 million ways to get in shape. However someone acheives their goals is fine, as long as it's healthy and it actually works.
I agree with this completely. I'm a 'p90x'er' but I stated this exact same thing in my post above. I hope I didn't make anyone feel like I was saying if you're not doing p90x then you're not dedicated, etc. I tried to make sure I made it clear that I, personally, was only talking about those who have finished p90x. I wasn't making any claim about those who have no interest in p90x or BB. As I mentioned, my best friend is 100% dedicated to fitness & she uses non-Beachbody things to achieve her goals.0 -
Just want to chime in and say that I think the OP is spot-on. I know there's a P90x fanbase and a lot of 'true believers' here, but he's right when he says it's not for everyone (most people). Most people need sustainable routines and lifestyle changes... if that's what P90x gives you, more power to you, but I agree that it could be demoralizing when simpler options are available.
Controlling your calories, lowering your fat %, building muscle and cardio are what people need. It's a gradual and lifelong process, not an *kitten*-kicking all-out workout. You can get the same results by practicing your elementary and middle school calisthenics combined with sensible eating (and if you want to be super-cut, just ramp it up!).
As for "muscle confusion:"
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Biggest-Muscle-Building-Fallacy-in-Bodybuilding&id=553415
The 'trick' to fitness is sticking with what you're doing and having a balanced workout. There is no silver-bullet. If that's what P90x does for you (gives you a plan and the motivation to keep to it) then I'd say it's worth every penny. But for those who haven't started doing it already / want to save $150, there's other ways to reach that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow
. It's great if something works for you personally, but that doesn't mean it's going to work for the next person. 0 -
I don't think any p90x supporters are saying it's for everybody. We've done it. We know it's not. We all (well me) agree with you & the OP about that. The problem seems to be stemming from the OP basically saying that P90X is for NOBODY....which is why there is such an out-pouring of p90x testimonials I think. It's not to say p90x is for everybody, but that it sure as hell was for alot of people.Just want to chime in and say that I think the OP is spot-on. I know there's a P90x fanbase and a lot of 'true believers' here, but he's right when he says it's not for everyone (most people). Most people need sustainable routines and lifestyle changes... if that's what P90x gives you, more power to you, but I agree that it could be demoralizing when simpler options are available.
Controlling your calories, lowering your fat %, building muscle and cardio are what people need. It's a gradual and lifelong process, not an *kitten*-kicking all-out workout. You can get the same results by practicing your elementary and middle school calisthenics combined with sensible eating (and if you want to be super-cut, just ramp it up!).
As for "muscle confusion:"
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Biggest-Muscle-Building-Fallacy-in-Bodybuilding&id=553415
The 'trick' to fitness is sticking with what you're doing and having a balanced workout. There is no silver-bullet. If that's what P90x does for you (gives you a plan and the motivation to keep to it) then I'd say it's worth every penny. But for those who haven't started doing it already / want to save $150, there's other ways to reach that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It's great if something works for you personally, but that doesn't mean it's going to work for the next person.
I think the same thing would happen if I posted "30 Day SHred-Don't Do It' or 'Couch to 5K-Don't Do It'....lots of people would come out to tell you that they have in fact done it & that it worked for them. But that wouldn't mean that those supporters were telling every member of MFP that they should go out & do it too.0 -
PROs:
It gives you a workout plan
It gives you a diet plan
It tells you to modify and quality vs quantity
Hit pause if you have to
Cons:
Its hard
It takes discipline and dedication.
The real question is how bad do you really want to be fit?:) Just press play and forget about it. Modify modify and modify:)
In the movie White Christmas there is a disussion early in the movie about Angles. In other words what's the motivation. The OP has clear business interest in building a case against P90X, and the rest of team Beach Body in order to help sell HIS services as a trainer. That's fine. I used to be a Finacial Services Pimp. I get the need for self promotion.
However, Some of you P90X'er and other TBB Fans are being a little militant. This quote here: "How bad do you want to be fit?" Well Aperantly not bad enough that I'm going to spend $150 on DVD's. If I'm going to drop that kind of money I've getting a new driver, or upgrading the shifters on my Mt Bike.
Just because someone isn't doing P90X doesn't mean they're not dedicated. It doesn't mean they don't know how to "bring it"
It doesn't mean anything, really. There are 3 million ways to get in shape. However someone acheives their goals is fine, as long as it's healthy and it actually works.
You can disagree with the OPs opinion as vigorously as you want, but I think it is inappropriate to state that he is attacking P90x purely out of self interest. That would be like saying that everyone who defends P90x and happens to be a BB coach is a "Beach Body pimp".0 -
You can disagree with the OPs opinion as vigorously as you want, but I think it is inappropriate to state that he is attacking P90x purely out of self interest. That would be like saying that everyone who defends P90x and happens to be a BB coach is a "Beach Body pimp".
I've read most of the thread and just kept thinking to myself.... Is no one getting it - he is a personal trainer - he is losing money by people and programs like P90X. Of course, he wants you at a gym, working out with him and his other trainers, its about the money to him.
I'm not a beach body coach, I am doing the P90X program and plan on insanity next. I did it because I wanted to be a faster runner, and muscular, not just thin. I've met several people who have told me "I bought that program and have never done it". Exactly! But how many sign up for gym memberships and never go. The fact that anyone even gave creditability to his statements by this long ongoing thread has been very entertaining to read.
Point blank, it comes down to a personal decision of what you think will work best for you. I love P90X for myself, but wouldn't encourage anyone that I didn't already think had some level of wanting to commit to do it.0 -
I'm not a huge P90X fan. I've tried it a few times and never finished it because I got bored with it. BUT...P90X is too hard. Is that brief enough?
Yes, it's hard. But on the other hand, anything worth having is worth working for. If you want to grow you have to push yourself to do things you've never done before. Doing that will ALWAYS be hard. Like I've told people before, if it's easy then you're wasting your time.P90X is too long.
I agree that the yoga workout seems entirely too long while you're doing it, but all the other workouts are an hour or slightly less. I work out at the gym every morning from 4:00 to 5:15....plus 10 minutes of drive time to and from the gym (1 hour 35 minutes total). P90X isn't too long. You spend about 5-7 minutes warming up and stretching, 40-45 minutes actually working out and another 5-7 minutes cooling down and stretching. The duration is actually pretty perfect.P90X is too complicated.
It's actually quite simple. Even the diet plan. Do what you're told. Eat what you're told. It's not easy, but it is simple. I design all of my own workouts and my own diet plan. That is far more complicated than "just hit play" and following the P90X diet plan.
You make some good points about longevity and being able to stick with something. As I said above, I got bored with P90X. Working out in the living room just doesn't work for me so for me it wasn't the right program. That being said, just because it wasn't the best workout for you or me doesn't mean it's a monumental waste of money for others.0 -
I think if I remember right, the OP said he had a hard time doing P90x. That's a bit weird considering although the program is difficult its not that difficult, especially after you get through the first few weeks. Also if you are a personal trainer you should be in good enough shape to be able to handle it.0
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I've read most of the thread and just kept thinking to myself.... Is no one getting it - he is a personal trainer - he is losing money by people and programs like P90X. Of course, he wants you at a gym, working out with him and his other trainers, its about the money to him.
You can disagree with him if you want, but you don't need to attack or dismiss him by saying it's all about money. Dismissing it like that is a logical fallacy - just because he says it doesn't work for people on an internet forum doesn't mean everyone he convinces is going to show up at his gym. More than likely no one he talks to here will even be a client, so I think that's a bit disingenuous to assume.
Also, he didn't say he couldn't do it, just that it didn't sustain his motivation with what it was compared to other workouts. Reread what he said more objectively and I think you'll find he's just sharing his opinion and has several valid points. I'd love to hear from people who are using P90x for 1, 2, 3 and 4 years to see how they've sustained their interest and see if they could keep it up.0 -
I'd love to hear from people who are using P90x for 1, 2, 3 and 4 years to see how they've sustained their interest and see if they could keep it up.
I'm entering my 3rd year of P90X based workouts.
I haven't done the program to a "T" for going on 3 years because my fitness level has become more advanced and for the cardio based component I have purchased either P90X+ or Insanity.
The weight training component of my workout has always been P90X based throughout this time whether it was a P90X "Mass" round (6-8 reps, heavy weighted dips between benches and 60 lb weighted vest) or higher reps.
By tweaking the workout it hasn't been difficult to maintain interest. I can't say that by just doing P90X with easy workouts like Cardio X, Kenpo & Plyo (which has become pretty easy) that I could have stayed completely focused for nearly 3 years.0 -
I'd love to hear from people who are using P90x for 1, 2, 3 and 4 years to see how they've sustained their interest and see if they could keep it up.
My husband and I will be finishing our 1st year of P90X on February 15th. Before P90X I was 273 lbs and couldn't jog on the treadmill for more than a 1/4 mile. The first time I did the P90X plyo workout I could only complete a half hour. in the summer we did Insanity and now do P90X and Insanity as a hybrid (2nd round of hybrid). I'm also doing plyometrics with a weighted vest. And now training for my first 5K. At today's date I've lost 61 pounds of fat since November '09. P90X was a major part of that fat loss.
Insanity is now more challenging cardio wise than P90X. P90X definitely gave me my start. We plan to order Turbo Fire (gasp, another Beachbody workout), but we plan to do a P90X and TF hybrid when we do. P90X is the staple. I love challenging myself each week.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/Sgorrie
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/june_warner
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tenaarnett
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/lewis2583
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/frankbo25
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/roylawrence870 -
And now training for my first 5K.
I think you're gonna find that 5K to be pretty easy - don't know what kind of time you're aiming for.
Running was my preferred exercise for most of my adult life, then I took the summer off (brutal Houston heat) & did P90X instead. After I tried running again after the summer I expected to have lost some of my cardio & general running conditioning, but the amount of cardio P90X gave me was sufficient to keep my at my level previous to taking time off. And I know how dedicated you are to the program so I'm sure it'll be a piece of cake for you.0 -
Aw shucks, thank you!0
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And now training for my first 5K.
Currently doing a P90X/Couch to 5k hybrid. I'm on Week #30 -
Do you have a race coming up? We will be racing February 19th.0
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Nope don't have one picked out yet. Other then doing LIVESTRONG: Philadelphia in August. Hopefully by then though I am running half marathons, because I want to run the ING Rock n' Roll half in September.0
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Great! Plan it, do it.0
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I'm a big fan of the "modified p90x". I'm following it, but if I happen to get bored halfway through a DVD, I stop and go for a run, do another DVD (Jillian and Juliane Hough are big favs) or simply move on with my day.
Also, I hate their food plan. It's complicated, as you said, and I think it's a LOT of food for females. So I count my calories on here like all your wonderful people.
Why stay with it? Because the short, simple circuits (especially with strength training) keep me interested, and I get in tons of reps, whereas when I'm left to my own devices I slack off a little. I also find Tony to be one of the less-annoying DVD trainers out there, but that's a personal choice.
No matter what the program is, leave ample room to make a couple of adjustments in for yourself. As long as your feeling a burn and putting the time in, you'll do well. It's all about balance.0 -
Do you have a race coming up? We will be racing February 19th.
My wife is running in the Amy's Fund 5k in April. It benefits cervical cancer. My wife is a 2 time survivor.0 -
Doing P90X and love it and the results. Don't follow the diet plan per say because it is too complicated for my time restrictions. I use MFP to track my goals. I absolutely hate running but wouldn't advise against anyone running by suggesting it is a fraud or too hard. In order to be successful you have to find what works for you, but to say P90X is not a good program and not worth the money is inaccurate. It is not a weight loss plan to drop X amount of lbs by X day. You will get in shape and lose weight though.0
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Running was my preferred exercise for most of my adult life, then I took the summer off (brutal Houston heat) & did P90X instead. After I tried running again after the summer I expected to have lost some of my cardio & general running conditioning, but the amount of cardio P90X gave me was sufficient to keep my at my level previous to taking time off. And I know how dedicated you are to the program so I'm sure it'll be a piece of cake for you.
I was mostly a runner prior to P90X (and Insanity) as well. I ran a 1/2 marathon 3 or so years ago. I like P90X/Insanity because it gives me a schedule that I need to follow. Similar to training for a race - you have a schedule that you need to follow in order to be able to complete the race.
If I left my exercise schedule to myself to decide, I would talk myself out of doing it or not go as hard or as long.
I'm thinking of running the Disney 1/2 marathon next year so I've started doing more running. I also noticed that my general running conditioning really hasn't been hurt by just doing P90X/Insanity.0 -
Doing P90X and love it and the results. Don't follow the diet plan per say because it is too complicated for my time restrictions. I use MFP to track my goals. I absolutely hate running but wouldn't advise against anyone running by suggesting it is a fraud or too hard.
Hmmm, interesting point. And running is really hard for me.0 -
Sounds to me like someone is just trying to promote his own personal training service! This site isn't intended to DIScourage people, it's intended to help motivate and encourage people on their personal fitness journeys. If you're just interested in plugging your own business instead of being a positive influence then I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself.0
This discussion has been closed.
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