P90X (Take a look!) :)

carmenf21

Im considering purchasing the p90x. From your experiences is it worth to buy to try and lose 30lbs? or is this program to gain muscle weight?

Laceylala

You will gain a ton of musce and thus burn a ton of fat. You may or may not lose lbs but you will most definitely lose inches. The body you show in your profile will be much more svelt and thinner when the 90 days are up. So I would buy it. Its a great program that challenges you and keeps you interested because each day is a new program.

La_Amazona

If you stick to it AND most importantly stick to the nutrition part, you can lose some good weight on it.

I didn't do so hot on the nutrition part the 1st month.. then did better on 2nd and 3rd. I skipped only and a handful of workouts and towards the last month I didn't take a rest day. I went hiking or biking instead.

I lost 18lbs on it. I had muscles in my arms and my legs looked even better..

I believe if I would had done better that first and 2nd month, I probably could had lost a bit more.

carmenf21

Thank you ladies! I will consider doing it. My worry is looking muscular.. I personally dont like muscular arms but I would most def like to get rid of my flappy stomach and thighs . Thats why I wanted to read about others opinions.

MalibuBeth

i love p90x, although i have never done the actual 90 program, only a couple of the dvd's to supplement a workout. my friend tried p90x, and had a hard time with the food because it's SO much, SO scheduled, and very expensive. the yoga is pretty awesome (my fav), hate plyometrics- but it's a good work out

can you borrow a couple of the dvds from a friend or the library to try it out?

OkieinMinny

Thank you ladies! I will consider doing it. My worry is looking muscular.. I personally dont like muscular arms but I would most def like to get rid of my flappy stomach and thighs . Thats why I wanted to read about others opinions.

I have done it and you will not look more muscular IF you dont want to, TH (Tony Horton) talks about what to do if you want to look lean..more reps at a lighter weight...and be ready for Abripper X - Its hard but worth it...

carmenf21

I actually have no one to borrow it from.. but i really want to try it.. now the question is which one shall i purchase.. p90x or p90x2??

carmenf21

And thanx! i had no idea it actually gave you options on how one is seeking into looking... muscular or leaner..

carmenf21

Madroch: Thank you soo much for your informational comment you posted

waxon81

Feel free to take a look at my before and after pics on my profile. I lost 30lbs doing p90x, and got lean, but I wouldn't say it was a programme made for building mass. Im doing that now having lost the flab via p90x. Friend requests welcome

tangal88

Have done P90X many many times. I lift heavy, low reps. Have done Doubles my last two rounds.

I am not bulky - UNLESS I am in an arm flexed position. Unflexed, my arms, legs, abs - just look fit, tight, some light muscle definition - but normal.

I do not follow the P90X diet, to many calories for me personally (it was not actually created as a weight loss diet, so depending on your size, may need to be modified a bit) MFP can help you with a correct calorie range

The foods are not really reasonable for what my family eats. So not do-able for us.

You CAN succeed, and lose fat, and improve muscle definition without the P90X diet.

Make good food choices based on your calorie needs, You DO NOT need to eat all clean, all organic etc. Just choose healthy, nutrient dense food options based on what your cal count allows you, and what you like. Do not go to low on calories however.

Watch your macros - Protein DOES need to be higher then MFP ranges. I personal lose fat best, and get best muscle improvement with at least 90-100 grams or protein a day. Aim for 1 gram of protein per lb of LEAN muscle mass.

You can customize it in MFP, I use a 40/30/30 range roughly - making sure I have at least 90-100 grams of protein a day.

You can find your lean mass here.

http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html

Do not go to low on calories, do not aim for 1200 a day, you will not have enough energy for the program, and you will find your weight loss will stall, and you will limit your muscle improvement ability.

Do not cut your carbs to low, again, you will not have the energy needed for the program.

I have improved in some aspect every time I do P90X, and improved overall muscle tone, and inch loss.

I lost 20 pounds my most recent round. But more importantly I have lost many inches.

Please measure yourself with a tape measure regularly - you will find often you do loss inches, even though the scale may show no weight loss, or possibly a small gain. Thats normal. The scale weight is not the best tool to use to judge progress. Many things can make you appear heavy, that do not show a true indication of your actual fat and muscle changes.

Often when doing strength training, you will gain, and hold extra water weight for awhile. Eventually it comes back off, but as you up your weights, change your phase, stress your muscles in a new way - you may see some initial water gains again. Its normal - do not panic. Instead look at the overall trend from one month to the next. Look at clothing fit, inch measures, mirror tightness.

Some rounds I loss less, some none. Usually when I don't loss its because my protein is to low, my diet (cal numbers) are to high.

I personally would recommend you lift heavy, within reason, at weights that allow you to complete a set, with good form. You should find the last 2-3 reps very hard to do.

It is really not true that you will bulk lifting heavy with low reps. Thats an old school myth, that has been shown not to be accurate. It used to be believed to be true - newer studies have shown this not to be the case. When actively bulking, and eating many extra calories, a women is doing terrific if she can gain 1 -2 lbs of muscle a month. Its just not easy to do, without trying hard.

As a beginner, with some extra fat, you may have some initial small gains in muscle, but not a lot. And it will slow, as your bodyfat stores drop. However you WILL improve the muscle you have, tightening , and improving firmness and density all over.

You cannot make "lean muscle", or "bulky muscle". Its all the same - ether you improve its condition, or you leave it static. Thats it. Static muscle will continue to break down with time, until you look more and more flabby, and start to physically loss muscle tissue. (not good)

As a women, you are not going to bulk up, even if you do 3 reps with a gazzillion pounds. Your testosterone levels are 10 times less then a man, with even super low levels. Your body is not predisposition-ed to build bulk.

Lifting heavy will tighten and lean you out much faster then lifting moderate. Tried both options - when I am lifting heavier - my inch lose is much better. Many other women on this board have similar results, using this and other programs.

If you "see" bulk - you are seeing fat, over and under the muscle, that you are now "building up" - as you lose fat, that "bulk" goes away. Then you see lean tight muscle.

If you do not want "to much" definition - just do not drop your body fat to super low levels. Women body builders, and fitness models have very low BF levels for completion events. They do not maintain this year round, its almost impossible to do so. But they do drop low for competition.

A fitness model, body builder etc. uses a much more intense and specific program then P90x. They have higher calorie amounts while bulking, and low cal amounts when cutting - or dropping fat, just before a show. They also use carb free diets (for short times), dehydration and more "special" steps, to make them look even more "muscley"

Their diet while cutting is very strict, and limited, to force them to loss all the body fat they can. Bodybuilder women are often at 8-9% bodyfat while on stage. Fitness Models, closer to 11-15%. Staying below 15% longterm for women is generally not recommended.
The average nicely cured, and soft looking swimware model, in good shape, is closer to an 18-20% Body Fat level, or even a bit more..

Many of the "man" looking women, are at super low BF%, and use special diets, dehydration, and drugs to force their body's to do this, including male hormones.

No women can accidentally get bulky in that manner. It takes strict dedication in diet, exercise etc. Beyond what P90X will do for you.

P90X can give you some terrific results, especially if you truely push yourself, and watch your diet and macros. I have done it 7 times, now doing version 2 - and no I am not bulky or close to it.

I would need to drop my bodyfat down to about 18 percent or less, and I love food to much to do that. That would not be a sustainable lifestyle for me. (or many women)

I have lost 60 lbs total, and P90X was a big part of that.

I am trying to loss about 10 lbs "roughly" just to get a bit more visible muscle definition, especially in Abs.

But you can still look amazing, with great results, and not all muscly with a reasonable fat level, that allows you to look "tight" and toned, and feel great.

If you feel you are looking to muscly, just allow your body to add on a few more pounds of fat to soften your over all look, and change your lifting routine slightly. In a very short time, you will have a softer look.

But trust me - its NOT easy for a women to get muscly arms. Not without some very hard work.

You should start with P90x1 - not 2. And best results will be from Classic version. (or Doubles if you really like that challenge)

tangal88

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dragonfly74

I highly recommend P90 for the weight loss. Then I would move onto P90X. I have completed both programs in the past. P90 is my favorite by far.

ALW65

@tangal88 --- very nice, informative post! Thank you :flowerforyou:

carmenf21

Tangal : thank you so much for you informative post!!!! i really really really appreciate it ))

nsimportant

@tangal88 - Really great post.

Dont worry about getting bulky. P90X isnt made for mass building its a great program to get fit but watch Your calories and dont lift too light.
I would say that pull-ups, push-ups and squats will make the biggest strength gains or in other words You will train your current muscles and make them tough.

tangal88

no problem, good luck to you all, in your fitness goals.

Remember - you are in the Drivers Seat, time to take the wheel - and be who you want to be.

I agree P90X is NOT a program to gain bulk, In fact that's part of why Tony created it. Some guys have used it to gain bulk, but it takes a far amount of tweaking on their end, and not something the average user will "stumble" onto. You will not do it the first round.

Tony was in the Gym, and saw many of the massive Bulk Builders of that time. Arnold S for example was working at the same Gym, as well as some other well known Olympians, and Strongmen type lifters. And though Tony did use their wisdom to learn, he also noted he DID NOT want that bulk. That was his concern, and thing to avoid.

He wanted functional fitness, strength, good muscle tone, health improvement, but also the flexibility and function needed to play sports, do everyday living and so on.

If you look at the P90X gals in the videos, they are generally not "bulky" - some do have very low Bodyfat, which makes some look "more muscly" then others - but that is more related to their individual "body look" and body fat levels. If they added on about 5 lbs, they would be much softer, which is a look many women prefer, and can easily get and maintain. Some girls are more or less "athletic" looking, some more or less curvy, some square shaped and flat and lean, some "harder", some curvy and softer- but that is true of all women.. And you just see the video showing the same cross section of body forms and types.

And keep in mind - these are "the cream of the crop" picks to appear in the videos. They are not the average person, who did P90X one time. Some are from a fitness background, and at the least have worked out for a "few rounds" before they appeared in the videos.

Tony has been lifting for roughly 20 plus years, to get where he is today.

I am an hourglass figure, short curvy girl - I will never have a leaner/svelte typical "athletic" or gymnast type built. (which I do not want) - I am to curvy in body built shape.

But I can (and have) certainly improved MY built, and my muscle tone, and my body composition, and lost fat and inches - based on the parameters allowed by my body shape, and genetics. I am tighter all over, including many of the trouble areas women have. And no jiggles - but I still have my nice curves, and feminine look. I am 47 - I could wear a Bikini today and rock it if I choose. Could not say that before P90x

Thats all P90X will do for you - allow you to enhance and improve what you are and have. Its not going to make you a bulky Hulk - guy or gal.

abbyy182

tangal88 you are 47 ?! You look AMAZING ! And your post is very informative and extremely helpful, you helped me sum up a lot of things I wasn't too sure about, now I have confidence to try P90X

tangal88

ty

FatFernando

I bought a copy of P90X off Craigslist a couple weeks ago for $50, way cheaper than new. I started 8 days ago. Every day has brought new sorenesses and it was difficult to keep up. I am happy to say it is getting easier and my body is starting to feel better.

Doing p90x, doing the stairs(up to 40 floors a day) during the work day, and staying under my calories on mfp.

5 lbs In less than 2 weeks.

Count my calories and exercise more! Could it really be this easy?

millermack

Start with p90x first.

Russian1

I've done P90X a few times as well. As stated before you won't bulk up. If you are 'out of shape' you could try doing the 'lean' version of the program (when you get the package you will understand) for the first month and then I would highly recommend switching to classic (or doubles) to see even better results. By doing lean you will get into shape to be able to handle more and you will find you aren't quite as sore. A few of friends did it this way. You just have to stay motivated in the first month if you do it this way as the results will not be as dramatic but they will be there. Modify what you need to for exercises, don't try to keep pace with the DVD if you can't. Do what you can, take a break and jump back in. Eventually you will find that you can keep up with them.

I would start with P90X before doing P90X2. I'm doing X2 now - it is different so far from the first, easier in some ways but more difficult in others. The first month you are really working on your core muscles however I think if I wouldn't have done P90X first I would be finding it more difficult than I am.

With P90X make sure you are taking in enough calories. I didn't lose weight for the first 2 months AT ALL! I was so disappointed however I had to buy new clothes as my old ones were falling off. The last month I let my diet 'go to heck' - still ate fairly healthy just pretty much all that I wanted and then the weight started to drop. I obviously had put myself into the infamous starvation mode. Overall during the program I went down from a size 10 - 8 to a 4 - 2 depending on the fit of the pant. One pair I bought was even a 0! Can't complain about that! This is why measurements are the way to go.

I think you've been given some great info by others - so I say go for it! What can you lose besides a few dollars and maybe some pounds? What you could gain is a whole new you! Good luck! And as Tony would say 'Keep pushing play. Do your best and forget the rest'.

bikingpanda

Very informative! Thanks!:happy:

Karenrenee07

I've tried both P90X and P90X2. I recommend P90X. I did this one after my first child and lost 10 pounds in a month. I am now trying Insanity - Asylum. I feel it is more female friendly. It is a lot of cardio. I've done it for a week and already lost some pounds and and couple inches on my waist. I am pretty excited. But I can testify that P90X work! It is a hard workout but its good.

UnderConstructionLuis

Don't be consumed with pounds on the scale. Be more consumed with inches lost. With P90X, you will lose weight and inches. You will build muscle which in turn will burn more fat. It's a fantastic program. I did it last summer and saw incredible gains in overall fitness and body image. Good luck with all those taking the challenge. As Tony says in the video.....you're going to get "Supersonic X Fit!". I am starting back on the X tonight. Unfortunately, after "graduating" from my 1st X session i stopped and allowed myself to gain and lose what i worked so hard to get. Anyhow, i'm back and starting tonight. I am so looking forward to 90 days from now. And i will continue to do it afterwards....Good luck everyone!

Scorpioangel

I did P90X starting out at 5'4" and 151 and had extremely awesome results! See my ticker. Friend me if you have further questions

roro73

Hi All - I have P90X and have started it a few times and always end up stopping in the first month. I recently started the C25K running program with the mindset that runners are very lean and doing really well with it. My plan was to finish the running program then start up wtih P90X again (hopefully alot lighter than I am now) around summer time. After reading these posts, I kind of want to do both. Do you think it's possible to do both or do you think it would be too much? I also just joined the gym and am really looking forward to zumba and other group exercise classes. I'm new to MFP and its really motivating me to eat healthy and work out, I'm just afraid of getting bored which I think is why I never made it through the fist month on P90X before. Opinions??? Suggestions???

patricia909

bump

teamfit2day

I can tell you from experience of being in a challenge group for P90X involving men and women, muscle growth only occurs if you are doing 2 things: A calorie surplus, and heavy weight lifting. Please dont be discouraged by a program like P90X. It is quite possible the best program available. It will tighten ALL areas of your body, you WILL lose weight fast (if you stick to a clean, healthy nutrition plan) and no you will NOT look muscular, unless you want to. Trust me, P90X will keep you sore, but you will look AMAZING in less than 90 days! Hope this helps.

junyr

P90x2 is for those that have completed p90x, that's their pitch anyway.

Scorpioangel

Hi All - I have P90X and have started it a few times and always end up stopping in the first month. I recently started the C25K running program with the mindset that runners are very lean and doing really well with it. My plan was to finish the running program then start up wtih P90X again (hopefully alot lighter than I am now) around summer time. After reading these posts, I kind of want to do both. Do you think it's possible to do both or do you think it would be too much? I also just joined the gym and am really looking forward to zumba and other group exercise classes. I'm new to MFP and its really motivating me to eat healthy and work out, I'm just afraid of getting bored which I think is why I never made it through the fist month on P90X before. Opinions??? Suggestions???

Yep you can do both! Friend me and send me a message if you want help