P90X Beginner

tgparent

This is the first time I have ever made a committment with both diet and exercise. I am excited & a bit apprehensive. I am getting up every morning at 6am to do my workout. If I don't do it then, I will think up way too many excuses why I can't do it later. After completing the exercise I feel good all day -- probably because the workout is over!

I have just completed Day 5 of P90X (Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X). Oh my, Ab Ripper X just about kills me. I feel sick to my stomach for about half of the workout, and then it passes. I can't do a lot of the ab + elevated leg exercises as shown -- yet. I do a modified version, but still feel the workout. Yoga, holy cow! I had no idea that yoga can be such an intense workout! Again, I can't do everything, but most of the poses I can do (not the hand stand -- don't think I'll ever be able to do that!).

Has anyone else struggled through P90X? Have you been able to improve and do more exercises as time goes on? I am eager to see weight loss, and a fitter me! I am not going to quit. I know I can do this.

PJilly

I'm on Week 3 of my third round, and I promise you will get better and better at it. My second round was last summer, but I didn't finish it. (My dad got very ill and passed away.) I spent nine months doing Slim in 6 and Slim Series and lost 28 pounds (thanks in large part to the tools here on MFP as well). I was amazed that I started this round of P90X being stronger than I was last time.

I'm about to do Legs & Back and Ab Ripper X myself. It's my second-favorite workout. Kenpo is my favorite!

scweegie

Welcome to the world of p90x! I will be starting the 3rd phase of the lean program on Monday. I find that the more I do a workout the more of the workout I can do. It took a while for me to actually hold the chatarunga pose, but now it is super easy. I am with you though, I am not sure I will ever be able to do the crain, even though I try every time. Also there are times when I just want to mute Tony, I am getting the thing memorized, some of the sayings are a bit too much at times.

Good luck with your journey!

jewell80

I've started P90x about 3 times and have not completed a full week yet. Like you I was getting up early in the AM which was great cause it gave me a lot of energy for my work day. The first attempted I completed 5 days (only 30-40 minutes of each DVD) and then pulled a stomach muscle. I was unable to work out for about a week. My second attempt was not at all benefical because I spent most of the time being cautious about my actions so that I wouldn't pull a muscle again. Eventually I just gave up. I later tired again. Made it thru 1 day and called it quits. It's was just too hard for me. I decided to join the gym at work which I commited to 3-4 days of 30 min eliptical and 6 days of dieting.

I've lost 7.4 lbs in a month. Please be careful. That work out is for people who are already physically fit.

tgparent

First of all, my condolences to you on the loss of your dad. I lost mine almost 16 years ago, and I know how hard that is to go through.

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement! I look forward to improvements in my ability to do these workouts. Wow, you are on your third round! I can't think that far ahead yet. I am still at the stage of "Okay, I got through today's workout." I can't say I have a favourite yet, but maybe a least favorite is the ab ripper x. I hope that will change.

I am somewhat new at navigating around MFP. I joined in February, but only really started to use the website about a month ago. This has been a great tool in helping me set goals for myself, as well as track my food intake and calories.

Would you mind adding me as a friend? I could use some support!

Thanks,
Tina

hiddensecant

Has anyone else struggled through P90X? Have you been able to improve and do more exercises as time goes on? I am eager to see weight loss, and a fitter me! I am not going to quit. I know I can do this.

On Day 1 I was doing push-ups against the wall because I could hardly do any on my knees. Just this past week, I did 100 on my toes during Chest & Back. So yes, improvements will come over time. I think I was able to start doing all 25 reps in ARX around the end of Phase 2, though some I had to keep modifying until later.

Stick with it and the word "impossible" starts to apply to you less. I used to look at Dom in Plyometrics X and think I would never be able to do that. But about a month ago I started to keep up with him and these days I'm finding myself push for a few extra reps than him.

Yoga definitely helps. And also, make sure you're lifting HEAVY! Recent studies found that 8-10 reps build lean muscle faster, not bigger when it comes to women ... It takes years for female body builders to develop such visible muscles and even they end up slimming down before they're able to bulk up, not to mention the fact that they eat more calories at breakfast alone than we eat the entire day. I think it wasn't until I started to lift heavy consistently when I noticed the biggest changes in fitness, especially with the cardio.

Anyway, never stop struggling. Once the workouts start to feel easy, go for the more challenging variation. It might take a while but keep it in mind, hehe. The biggest changes happen when the workouts are hard and feel "impossible". :bigsmile:

So kudos for struggling! You're already more fit than you were 5 days ago and it will improve every time you press play.

happybrooke

I used to get a sickly feeling for the first part of my early morning workouts. I now get up and eat an apple while I am waiting for the TV and DVD to power up and get in the right place. I heard eating an apple before a workout helped burn more cals which is why I started, but I also noticed that having a lite amount of food in my stomach really cured that sick feeling. Plus, an apple has the same effects as the caffeine in one cup of coffee. It really has helped on a couple different levels. Maybe it could work for you too.

vinjama

This is the first time I have ever made a committment with both diet and exercise. I am excited & a bit apprehensive. I am getting up every morning at 6am to do my workout. If I don't do it then, I will think up way too many excuses why I can't do it later. After completing the exercise I feel good all day -- probably because the workout is over!

I have just completed Day 5 of P90X (Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X). Oh my, Ab Ripper X just about kills me. I feel sick to my stomach for about half of the workout, and then it passes. I can't do a lot of the ab + elevated leg exercises as shown -- yet. I do a modified version, but still feel the workout. Yoga, holy cow! I had no idea that yoga can be such an intense workout! Again, I can't do everything, but most of the poses I can do (not the hand stand -- don't think I'll ever be able to do that!).

Has anyone else struggled through P90X? Have you been able to improve and do more exercises as time goes on? I am eager to see weight loss, and a fitter me! I am not going to quit. I know I can do this.

Well see.. that's just the thing, P90X is NOT a beginner program. That program is for people who are already are in somewhat decent shape and or are at least experienced exercisers. Yes, a beginer CAN do it and complete it. There are thousands of beginners who struggled through it and completed.

Power 90 is the program for people who are full blown out of shape.

Yes, you can do it. Anybody can do it. It's a matter of willpower and self perseverance. The most realistic thing you can tell yourself and accept is that you wont be able to keep up with the kids in the dvd this round. Like Tony says " do your best, forget the rest"

And yes, you will see results. At the end of the 90 days.. hell.. after 30 days, you're gonna see really encouraging results.

PJilly

First of all, my condolences to you on the loss of your dad. I lost mine almost 16 years ago, and I know how hard that is to go through.

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement! I look forward to improvements in my ability to do these workouts. Wow, you are on your third round! I can't think that far ahead yet. I am still at the stage of "Okay, I got through today's workout." I can't say I have a favourite yet, but maybe a least favorite is the ab ripper x. I hope that will change.

I am somewhat new at navigating around MFP. I joined in February, but only really started to use the website about a month ago. This has been a great tool in helping me set goals for myself, as well as track my food intake and calories.

Would you mind adding me as a friend? I could use some support!

Thanks,
Tina

Happy to have you as a friend, Tina! :flowerforyou:

Thanks for your kind words. I still miss him so much.

Just take it one day at a time, and before you know it, you'll be on your third round too! Or maybe you'll be like me and alternate between P90X and something else you love. The key for me has been consistency – in my eating and in my workouts. MFP has been a godsend for planning and tracking my food. I love it!

OK, now it's time for me to go work out with Tony. See ya!

marpod126

Congrats on starting the program!! You will see great results!! I started it about two months ago and then life took control and I could not fit it into my schedule, but when I was doing it I loved it!! My favorite is ab ripper. I still do that on a regular basis and I don't even need the dvd anymore! I can't wait to jump back into it. Good luck with your 90 days and keep with it!!!

Reign

Good job on even starting the program. My husband has been doing it for months, and I have even yet to work up the nerve.

snl1952

I just joined this website. I am starting P90X on Monday. I've been doing Power90 and parts of Slim in 6. I need a lot of support. To that end I started a Fit Club in Houston that will host free weekly workouts. We meet once a week to workout, motivate, and support each other to reach our fitness goals. It doesn't matter if you are a P90X regular or just want to workout. We also keep in touch and support each other through our website. If you have a question, there is someone with an answer.
If you are in the Houston area feel free to join us. If not, there may be a FIt Club near you. Email me for info.
I will keep you posted on my progress.

PJilly

I just joined this website. I am starting P90X on Monday. I've been doing Power90 and parts of Slim in 6. I need a lot of support. To that end I started a Fit Club in Houston that will host free weekly workouts. We meet once a week to workout, motivate, and support each other to reach our fitness goals. It doesn't matter if you are a P90X regular or just want to workout. We also keep in touch and support each other through our website. If you have a question, there is someone with an answer.
If you are in the Houston area feel free to join us. If not, there may be a FIt Club near you. Email me for info.
I will keep you posted on my progress.

If you've been doing Power 90 and Slim in 6, I think the thing you will appreciate most about P90X is having something different to do every day. I hope you like it!