P90X QUESTIONS

DeadZip2010

Hey p90x vets out there!
I am about to start up the program and was wanting to ask yalls opinion. I have a set of adjustible dumbbells that range from 5 to 25 pounds. I was wanting to know if this weight range will go high enough.
I am about 6 foot and weigh 168ish.(just as a reference)
I am not expecting to get huge from the program, but i would like to put on a good amount of muscle. i know that p90x will help me loss and burn fat bt will 25lbs dumbbells be enough for the other excercises?

ill be taking the fit test later this week. but i would like to know know what yall used durring the program.

princess4mimi

BUMP!!!!

thomasbf

You *MAY* want to go higher, but try it and see how it goes. My heaviest was only 15 pounds. By month 3 I probably could have gone with 20, even 25s on some of the exercises. You have enough weight to start, and you'll know if you need to ge heavier ones.

lbkrillin

For some exerciese it will be enough, but for ones that involve your shoulders or back and later on your biceps, it wont be. There are some exerciese like lawn mower and heavy pants that you can need anywhere from 35 to 50 lbs.

TAMMY_76

It really depends on what u are wanting it to do for you are u wanting lean or are u wanting to bulk....if u are wanting lean then this weight lb is good do 12-15 reps..but if u are wanting bulk then u will have to go with heavier weights were u come to failure in 8 to 10 reps

bluellies

Can't say if the weight is enough, as I personally couldn't hack it due to back issues, but hubby does it. We had an adjustable set as well and had to go buy a few separate ones. My husband found that having to switch the weights broke up his concentration, he much preferred the flow of having different sets available for when he needed them. Also, he's only 5'6 and 135 pounds, so not sure on the weight issue. He uses 25 pounds, but he's also a tinner/architectual sheetmetal guy who uses his arms constantly. If you already have fairly developed muscles it'll probably work for a while, but you'll want to BOLO for some heavier ones.

CraftyGirl4

That sounds appropriate to me. From the DVDs I have done so far, I have not seen anyone really go over 20-25 pounds. However, I say that with a grain of salt, because I am doing the lean program. I don't know which one you are embarking upon.

MistyMtnMan

Hey man I WILL answer your question. I am almost through my second round of P90X and I would say it is NOT enough for you. You will get used to it quick and especially the back exercises I would get at least a pair of 35lb dumbells. I bought 15lbs, 25lbs and 35lbs and they have served me well through my 5 months of doing it. I am finally needing to up my weight for the back stuff. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Tankplanker

I'm with MistyMtnMan, you need at least a 35lb pair of dumbells. I'm currently using 40lb pair for all bicep, rows, squats (30lbs for everything else) and step up the weight each week. With all the press ups and pull ups you get real strong real quick!

focus2bfit

25lbs is enough to start but eventually you will want to add more. The nutrition plan is also a big help be sure to look at it. You can also get resistance bands as an alternative to the weights as they show how to use those with the moves too. Message me if you have any other questions!

thumper44

For some exerciese it will be enough, but for ones that involve your shoulders or back and later on your biceps, it wont be. There are some exerciese like lawn mower and heavy pants that you can need anywhere from 35 to 50 lbs.

^^^^^^^
It will be good to start off with, but you will need more for biceps and shoulders and arms.
You will hit 25 lbs on some exercises and wanting to move up to 30 and you will be stuck.

Lawnmowers and heavy pants you will need a set of dumb bells that are 50lb range perhaps

DeadZip2010

id like to thank everyone so far for posting, andim sure all of this feed back will help not only me but others.

pdxwarrior

Sounds like you have gotten a lot of good replies already, so I'm not sure how much this will add.

When I started, I had a set of adjustable (barbell with changeable plates) that went from 5 lbs to as much as 40ish if I only used one. I set them up at 15 lbs each and used this along with separate 5 lb dumbells for the first 60 days. I used the 5 lb dumbells for some of the one arm tricep exercises. This worked out for a while, but I found it frustrating to try and unscrew the dumbells, switch the plates and then reassemble so I left them this way. This worked for most exercises, but I could have used more weight, especially on the shoulder exercises.

If your adjustable weights are quick to adjust on the fly, you should do alright. Without knowing how much you can lift now, or how quickly you build, it's difficult to say for sure. However, 5-25 lbs is perfect to at least start. There's nothing to say you can't add more and doing anything is better than doing nothing. You could also do this for the first few months (or even finish the program) then go back for more in a second round and invest in heavier weights.

I just recently picked up a set up Bowflex 552s. These are adjustable from 5 to 52.5 lbs and adjust on the fly easily. They are expensive though, but if you are interested, shop craigslist - you should be able to find a decent deal if you show some patience.

In the mean time, grab the weights you have, push play and get started! You can make some decent progress with the weights you have

thumper44

I just recently picked up a set up Bowflex 552s. These are adjustable from 5 to 52.5 lbs and adjust on the fly easily. They are expensive though, but if you are interested, shop craigslist - you should be able to find a decent deal if you show some patience.

I have thought about getting some previously but they were so expensive, and couldn't justify the price.
Adjust easily on the fly as in not having to hit pause on the DVD?

:laugh::laugh::laugh:
I'm one of those that have a few on my floor.
2 - 5 lbs
2 - 10 lbs
2 - 15 lbs
2 - 20 lbs - Increasing to 30's next week.
2 - 25 lbs
2 - 55lbs

FrodoB

I have thought about getting some previously but they were so expensive, and couldn't justify the price.
Adjust easily on the fly as in not having to hit pause on the DVD?

I have the Powerblocks, not the Bowflex. For me, they were worth it for the space savings. I did sometimes have to hit pause to make the adjustment, but it wasn't too bad.

thumper44

I have thought about getting some previously but they were so expensive, and couldn't justify the price.
Adjust easily on the fly as in not having to hit pause on the DVD?

I have the Powerblocks, not the Bowflex. For me, they were worth it for the space savings. I did sometimes have to hit pause to make the adjustment, but it wasn't too bad.

Thanks for the reply Frodo.

To those who use the adjustment dumb bells up to 50lbs.
What do YOU use for lawnmower and heavy pants?

DeadZip2010

i just found my old logs, from the last time im ran through the first phase. i was using these same dumbbells and used 25 lbs on almost ever move during shoulders & arms with reps between 10 and 12 (or16 which is what tony says to do). only move i used less than 15 lbs were the shoulder flys and i used 15lbs on static curls and flip grip kick backs. every other move was 20 or 25 pounds.

ill make my way back through phase one with these weights, let my pull ups cruch my back, and think of is as a great way to lean my other back and leg muscles for the first four weeks.

would it be cheaper just to pick up some 35lbs and lose some of the reps or would 30lbs be the way to go?

Tankplanker

What I do is aim for a max of 8 reps for each move, if I can do more I mark it down and next time increase the weight. The last two of any move should be very hard to do and the last one you should be really struggling to maintain form. In practice I increase the weight each week for all moves as I'm getting good gains in strength.

The above means you'll need to be able to incrementally increase the weight on a regular basis unless you are happy topping out at a certain weight, however this means you won't be getting as much benefit from the weights exercises.

@thumper44 I use 40lbs pairs for those, I could stand to may be double it for those but I use plate based bars so I'm too lazy to adjust mid workout.

DeadZip2010

@ Tankplanker
I see what you are getting at, in order to build more muscle and increase size I will have to have heavier weights in order to constantly challenge my muscles to grow.
But if im looking more towards leaning out and increasing my enurance without losing what muscle size i already have will using the weights i have currently, plus a few pair, work for that in your opinion?

hamton

Just start with what you got. Get a feel for it. If you really like the program, you will decide what upgrades to get.
I started using hex dumbbells. Bought a generic quick change dumbbells. A few months later bought the Bowflex 552 off craigslist. It made working out much better. About a year later, I sold the 552 and got the 1090 during a sale. The downside of the 1090 is that it is pretty bulky, but it sure beats having dumbbells all around. I use 90lbs for lawnmowers for 11 reps. I would love to upgrade to the Powerblock 130lbs one day.

MistyMtnMan

@ Tankplanker
I see what you are getting at, in order to build more muscle and increase size I will have to have heavier weights in order to constantly challenge my muscles to grow.
But if im looking more towards leaning out and increasing my enurance without losing what muscle size i already have will using the weights i have currently, plus a few pair, work for that in your opinion?

Hey I thought I'd answer this since I've been through it. It takes A LOT to build muscle especially huge muscle. I think a lot of people don't understand this. Not only would you have to be curling like 80lbs you'd also have to eat a ton of cals.

Just look at my pics, I'm not big by any means. i'd say I am way more on the lean side and I am lifting more every time. A lot of P90X is also body weight resistance which will keep you more lean. I really wouldn't worry about bulking up. I think up to 40lbs in 5lb increments will do you good for a while.

Tankplanker

@ Tankplanker
I see what you are getting at, in order to build more muscle and increase size I will have to have heavier weights in order to constantly challenge my muscles to grow.
But if im looking more towards leaning out and increasing my enurance without losing what muscle size i already have will using the weights i have currently, plus a few pair, work for that in your opinion?

its not just about size as lighter weight means less work unless you add in more reps, less work, less calories burnt.

johnwhitent

The 5-25's will be great for many of the exercises, maybe most, but not adequate for heavy pants and such. You can start with what you have and add as you need/want to (and can afford to, dumbbells get expensive at higher weights!) There is a lot of body weight stuff so what you have is a great place to start.

pdxwarrior

I have thought about getting some previously but they were so expensive, and couldn't justify the price.
Adjust easily on the fly as in not having to hit pause on the DVD?

I have the Powerblocks, not the Bowflex. For me, they were worth it for the space savings. I did sometimes have to hit pause to make the adjustment, but it wasn't too bad.

Thanks for the reply Frodo.

To those who use the adjustment dumb bells up to 50lbs.
What do YOU use for lawnmower and heavy pants?

When going through the Shoulders and Arms video I was able to change up the weights without hitting pause. This is really going to depend on a few things though. For instance, if you change the weight on every exercise and/or if you push all the way to the end of each rep set (or go over by a rep or two) you might run out of time. Also could depend on how fast you move I was able to do so without rushing too much, but on some reps I may finish up before they do as well. Either way, I would consider it to be reasonable.

I haven't done the heavy pants or lawnmowers with these weights yet, but I imagine I could do 30 or so. I was only doing this before with the dumbells I had available so they were 15 pounders, having the 552s will not only give me a better chance to grow, but a better understanding of where I am at.