P90X, week 8 (recovery week)

JustMichelleB

Liking the program, watching diet (tracking through MFP), trying to get my protein, and still not seeing any marked transformations in my body. Getting discouraged, and feeling like I"m the only person who does this program and doesn't see many changes. )-:

starboardzor

Have you cut out foods like soda and fast food? I, too, am doing the P90X program and I didn't start to see drastic changes until i completely quit sugary drinks and fast food. Then it was phenomonal. Do you finish each DVD and push yourself (safely) and effectively doing the workouts? Like Tony says, too often people stop way before they should... just some things to think about. I hardly recognize myself in the mirror anymore thanks to P90X, but then again I push myself pretty hard every single day and I'm constantly sore to the point it's tough to move the day after.

erickirb

how many calories are you eating. P90X suggest the minimum amount you take in to be 1800, any less and you will not have the amount of fuel to fuel your body. If you are eating less than 1800 , I suggest you increase your intake.

JustMichelleB

I don't drink sugary drinks at all (and have just one diet coke a day, otherwise water).
I don't do fast food, except for very occasionally.
I complete each and every workout, don't stop until the people on the video do, and even do the "bonus round".
I was in decent shape before starting the program, 5-10lb up from my goal weight, working out daily (including running).

JustMichelleB

Hmmm, I"m eating the 1200 MFP tells me to eat and I generally eat 2/3 or more of my exercise cals.
Fwiw, i'm only 5'3", but maybe I'll try a week of eating more and see what happens.
Oh, i'm doing the LEAN version of the program, if that makes any difference.

starboardzor

Oh okay.. I'm doing classic. I can actually do one unassisted pullup, which I've never been able to before in my entire life. Maybe try classic the second round

MakingAChoice

I don't drink sugary drinks at all (and have just one diet coke a day, otherwise water).
I don't do fast food, except for very occasionally.
I complete each and every workout, don't stop until the people on the video do, and even do the "bonus round".
I was in decent shape before starting the program, 5-10lb up from my goal weight, working out daily (including running).

I can tell you if you are not sore you did not do enough reps or did not use enough weight. If you are pushing yourself to the 'safe' edge you should be sore. Press pause and do more reps or grab heavier weight/stronger bands. You will feel the difference. That soreness me and other posters feel is a sign of progress and muscle building (not necessarily bulk). I am very happy to be on my day of rest/Xstretch today as my body needs it. :happy:

erickirb

Hmmm, I"m eating the 1200 MFP tells me to eat and I generally eat 2/3 or more of my exercise cals.
Fwiw, i'm only 5'3", but maybe I'll try a week of eating more and see what happens.
Oh, i'm doing the LEAN version of the program, if that makes any difference.

Why are you on such a calorie restricted diet when you are so close to your goal weight. When you have less than 15lbs to go your weekly loss goal should not be more than 0.5lbs/week. I would suggest you change you goal to 0.5 and continue eating most of your exercise calories.

The 1800 includes exercise. So that would be like eating 1300 plus your exercise cals if you burn 500. Not sure how you are calculating calories burned.

The lean version may not yield the same results as classic as the program was not designed the "lean version" way. That was adapted as many, usually women, like more cardio then strength training.

I would suggest after this round, try classic and do some of your running on the side. That is what I did and saw amazing results, I actually went 5lbs under my goal weight, which I have since put back on, gladly.

cancopper

P90X is one of the best workouts I have ever done. I've done it 2.5 times and have always had results. I found that the first month - month and a half, I couldn't see results but I could feel them. It wasn't till the last phase that I noticed a change in my body. My first time I lost close to 40lbs.... I was 250 and went down to 210ish. Here is what I learned, I modified a lot my first time through but gave it 110% effort every workout. I stopped worrying about results and focus on completing the workouts. This was fricken hard but worth it cause I believed in Tony Horton and what he was telling me. I didn't follow the food guide but started eating cleaner and leaner. I would eat 5 meals a day, 3 regular size and a fibre one bar for first snack and a fruit/veg for the second. On resistance days I would have a protein shake directly after the workout (those days would equal 6 meals).

If P90X is too hard and you find yourself not being able to give it 110%, I recommend an easier program like Power 90, or even P90 Master Series. OR modify, modify, modify.... (when I started I couldn't do one pull-up!) Find your motivation, work hard every workout and they get easier.

Just keep pressing Play!

JustMichelleB

You know, you're right, I need to push my weight more. I do have some right shoulder issues, so I try not to push it too much, but have noticed that my right shoulder is definitely stronger and experiencing less pain than before i started the program (although the first couple weeks were dicey).
And I just might switch to "classic" for round 2. I admit to being a bit intimidated when I chose to do Lean.

JustMichelleB

Oh, I am not finding it too hard, I friggin love it!!!
I don't do the pullups, i do the band version instead, but perhaps I start to need to try the chair assisted pullups...
I run twice a week (on my rest day and in place of cardio x or kenpo, depending on my mood).
I just started wearing a POlar FT4 HRM and am noticing the calories is says i burn is less than MFP (by a decent margin).

On the whole, I am happy with the program, just jealous of some of the remarkable results others are getting.

I didni't do wk 4 pics, but perhaps I need to do wk 8 pics to see if there's some changes.

I don't intend to stop doing the program after 90days, that's for sure.

Thank you ALL for your input. Honestly.

starboardzor

What I like so much about the program is that I can't keep up or do all the moves. I've been doing it a couple months and I still can't keep up 100% of the time, but I can almost always do better the next time I try. It never really gets easier, because each time I push my body to brand new limits.

Classic has you doing a LOT of pushups and pullups. I still have to do many of them from my knees, and the pullups with a chair. But you will see results when you give Classic a try!

erniemj

I agree with others, changes may be happening, but you might not see it - I am in my first recovery week, so I am not necessarily speaking from experience, but I have heard many others mention that they did not really see body results until half-way through phase 2 or beginning in phase 3 - and I agree, I am not seeing any drastic changes - yet, but I feel a whole heck of a lot different - I even carry myself different, more confidently - I have lost about 7lbs on P90x so far (and thanks to MFP and major diet changes from processed foods to more healthier choices), and clothes are fitting more loosely - but the body still looks the same to me -

We have a thread going of P90x support - it was started by ddavies - so if you see it, feel free to hop on in!

nikkishai

I hear ya. I'm on round 3 of P90X and I'm JUST seeing results with my eyes, eventhough I've lost pounds and inches. I heard that the most visible results are seen in phase 3, but I have to keep in mind that every body is different. There were times when I just wanted to quit, but I pushed on and now I'm finally seeing what I want to see. Plus I keep my before photo handy and when compared to that, I really see a difference.

My advice is to hang in there! "Fake the funk" if you have to until you see the results you want. Worked for me...