Starting P90X but wondering weight amount

maynarz

Hi everyone! I am thinking about starting up P90X but wondering how do you gauge the weight amount to start. First off in regular weight lifting I am used to doing a low rep count of 8-10 for strength verse endurance and only three sets. After reviewing the the bicep/tricep/shoulder video it seems that they always aiming for 10-12 or 15-20 and between In and Out Bicep Curl, Full Supination Concentration Curl, Static Arm Curl, Crouching Cohen Curl, and Congdon Curl you are doing 10 sets total of bicep related exercise. Is it suggested then to start at a much lower weight than what you would do compared to normal lifting? Thanks.

JBurger2066

I started out lower than what I was doing in the gym at three sets of 10-12 reps. The best thing to do (at least what works best for me) is to write down what you do each time. You can leave a note if you need to up it or lower it next time.

Rboch

He seems to say 8-10 reps for building 'muscle mass' and 12-15 reps for 'lean muscle'. As a woman I know I won't bulk the way I/most women think they will by doing lower reps and heavier weights so I try to stick to that. I'm on week 9 of P90X and I've always used weights that ensure I feel 'the burn' by the end of each exercise. When I started I used mostly 10lbs & for a few 15lbs and always aimed for 12-15. Now I try to up my weights (more 15lbs & 20lbs, 25lbs) whenever I can and I aim more for the 8-10 (max) range, I try to make it so I am struggling towards my 8, 9, and 10th reps. You may be more sore at the beginning (first few weeks) but it gets better and you will notice yourself getting stronger, I can see definition in my biceps and triceps that I haven't been able to see before. You won't wear yourself out my doing heavier weight even though it seems like you might because of how many exercises are involved in one workout. It's very doable! (and up your protein siginificantly). I'm becoming a huge fan of weight training!

Meggles63

He seems to say 8-10 reps for building 'muscle mass' and 12-15 reps for 'lean muscle'. As a woman I know I won't bulk the way I/most women think they will by doing lower reps and heavier weights so I try to stick to that. I'm on week 9 of P90X and I've always used weights that ensure I feel 'the burn' by the end of each exercise. When I started I used mostly 10lbs & for a few 15lbs and always aimed for 12-15. Now I try to up my weights (more 15lbs & 20lbs, 25lbs) whenever I can and I aim more for the 8-10 (max) range, I try to make it so I am struggling towards my 8, 9, and 10th reps. You may be more sore at the beginning (first few weeks) but it gets better and you will notice yourself getting stronger, I can see definition in my biceps and triceps that I haven't been able to see before. You won't wear yourself out my doing heavier weight even though it seems like you might because of how many exercises are involved in one workout. It's very doable! (and up your protein siginificantly). I'm becoming a huge fan of weight training!

^^^This! I really focused on the heavier weights and didn't worry about doing 10 or 12 reps. It made a big difference.

maynarz

Thanks for all the responses so far. Started working my way through the Kenpo X today. It wasn't until about 40 minutes in until I started feeling tired. I have a feeling I will be sore tomorrow though.

One more question, is it better to do less reps and finish the full work out or meet close to the rep count and lower the weight the next time?

mtread13

When you say, "finish the workout" - do you mean the next exercise? You don't want to be so taxed that you can't do all of the exercises, but if you are feeling the burn at 8 reps per exercises, then you are finishing the workout in great fashion.

Rboch

You will likely be sore tomorrow, I remember when I started doing Kenpo X I was sore in places I haven't been sore before lol. Mostly my back, good sore though! As long as you are using weights that enable you to feel 'the burn' and have you struggling in the last couple of reps you're good. If you find that at the end of a set you could only get to 8 or 9 but you were aiming for 10 then make a note of it on your workout sheet and next time either lower the weight a small amount or try to push through and beat your last numbers.

maynarz

Thanks for all the advice. Its greatly appreciated.

Completed the Fit Test for P90X and it is as follows;

---Resting Heart Rate - 77;
---Pull ups - 6;
---Vertical Leap - 18 in;
---Push-ups - 27;
---Toe Touch - 6 Inches past Toes;
---Wall Squat - 50 Seconds;
---Bicep Curls - 14 at 20 lbs;
---In and Outs - 17;
---Heart Rate Maximizer;
---Start -188 bpm;
---1 min - 129 bpm;
---2 min - 119 bpm;
---3 min - 100 bpm;
---4 min - 100 bpm;
---
Overall not too bad. Actually a lot better than I thought I would with some of it. The wall squat might be less accurate as we did out c25k prior in the day.