P90X Fat Man - Phase 2!

swashburn3
swashburn3 Posts: 172 Member
in Motivation and Support
Yes! That's right! I made it to Phase 2 of P90X! And I don't plan on stopping now!

First, like I said before, I'm just a fat guy trying to get fit and I'm not affiliated with the makers of P90X.

So, I've lost just 8 pounds over the last four weeks, but the fitness benefits have immeasurably outweighed any weight loss. I can tie my shoes without getting winded. I can jog from the car to a store entrance. I can do one real push-up and one real sit-up! I can touch my toes! Also my clothes feel a tad looser.

I started MFP wanting to lose weight, not necessarily to be fit. Now my perspective has switched, and I feel like it's the best decision about my health that I have ever made!

Today was an awesome round of Core Synergistics! I'm really stepping up my game for Phase 2. I've got myself a few weights and I've started using them with the exercises.

Now that my cardio system is in better shape and I can make it through most exercises without having to pause, I've had to switch my focus a bit. Instead of pushing to just make it through the routine, I'm trying to increase my reps and weights. I am also starting to work into exercises that I had heavily modified before. I did the prison cell pushups today. I could only do two of them and then I dropped into knee push-ups and finished my reps there.

By the end, I was toast. So I decided, for now, to keep skipping the bonus round. I'm pretty sure I am going to save that for when I can make it through everything without modifying, which might be during my second time through the program.

So, all in all, P90X has been an EXCELLENT experience! I highly recommend it to everyone! I would like to thank you all for your support and encouragement during my Phase 1!

I will continue to post my Phase 2 progress in this thread if you want to follow along or give more encouragement.

Thanks!
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Replies

  • harlychic
    harlychic Posts: 58
    please keep posting. Ive looked at P90X but was never really sure I wanted to try it. You might change my mind :)
  • bufger
    bufger Posts: 763 Member
    BRING IT (you know i'm doing the pose right now!)
  • MommaFuhrer
    MommaFuhrer Posts: 214 Member
    I'm def going to keep reading! Keep going :flowerforyou:
  • swashburn3
    swashburn3 Posts: 172 Member
    @harlychic I think you should! :) Overall, it's been an excellent experience for me.

    And thanks everyone! Seeing your posts really encourages.

    Today was an awesome day of CardioX! I really brought it today! I made it through the video in 52 minutes. The extra 7 minutes were pause times waiting for my heart to slow down. I'm making it through all of the exercises and pausing at the end of each. Though sometimes I can make it through two exercises in a row. Yoga is still the hardest section for me.

    So, I woke up sore and stiff today. This happens a lot actually and I think, "Ugh. How am I going to make it through a workout. Maybe I pushed myself too much yesterday.", but then I press play and start working out and within no time I'm feeling loose and the aching goes away, though it quickly turns into that awesome burning sensation when you're working your muscles.

    Still, I think I can say that every time, I've been glad I pushed through the workout.

    Time for a brand new video tomorrow! I mentioned before that i'm going through the "lean" version of the workout. Tomorrow I get to try out "Chest, Shoulders and Triceps" with Ab RipperX.

    Looking forward to it!
  • _SASX_
    _SASX_ Posts: 255 Member
    I like CST. remember that when Tony recommends a light weight, try really light until you are comfortable with the moves and you've done it at least once to practice good form. it's a good 'un.

    I'm glad you are still at it. Phase 2 is where you will really start to see your body change. At least that's the way it is for me :). It seems that the first phase shocks your body, wakes it up and squirts some sunshine into it. But there aren't a lot of physical results. Phase 2 you start to see more things happen. This is why before and after pics and measurements are so important to this process. weight is almost secondary to the muscles that are being built in your body by the DOMS deep burn that you get when you work hard. changes happen a lot in weeks 8 and 9. skin is places differently on the body as muscle takes over where fat was. then in Phase 3 more weight comes off (or muscle replaces fat pound for pound), as your body gets confused again by the workout changes. It's a great process.

    I'm about a day ahead of you...cardio today Plyo. deepest squats I could do, as close to sitting on my medicine ball as I could and now my hip flexors are killing me....ahhh DOMS. my friend.
  • swashburn3
    swashburn3 Posts: 172 Member
    Ow! Ow! Ok, things are getting real... My arms feel like jello. Like someone dipped my hands in cement.

    Chest, Shoulders, Triceps. Man. So, I'm back in noob-land. "Pick something light", he says, "I'm going to use 20s". I'm thinking "Where are those soup cans?"

    This first time through was ok. I was floundering a lot while I learned the routine. I paused a couple of times and even rewound once in order to get the reps in. It's kind of difficult to learn because you're switching equipment around quite a bit.

    BUT It's a really nice routine! I really do feel like I fully worked my arms. I had to modify all of the pushups, but even on my knees with my butt in the air I was still hitting failure at around 8-10 reps; most likely due to my weight. So, I'm ok with that so long as I can hit that point.

    Tomorrow is back to YogaX. I'm not sure I'm looking forward to it after today, lol. But, I'll bring it. :)

    On a positive side, I SAW MY BICEP TODAY! Just barely.

    Oh, and I did a little bit of ARX. I went about halfway through it, but did 10 reps for each exercise except the sit-ups, where I did 1 or 2.
  • _SASX_
    _SASX_ Posts: 255 Member


    On a positive side, I SAW MY BICEP TODAY! Just barely.


    WooHoo! NSV!! *fist pump!:smile:
  • swashburn3
    swashburn3 Posts: 172 Member
    Had a great YogaX today!! I can now kick my left leg into Runner's Pose! That makes the vinyasa routines feel more fluid. Like they are supposed to I guess. Hopefully I can get my right leg to cooperate soon.

    I also did well on the standing poses this time and I was so close at getting into the Seated Spinal Stretch a.k.a. Pretzel--I still can't get my elbow over my other leg, so I extend my arm instead.

    I'm so encouraged. I was quite a bit hesitant to get started this morning, especially after the difficulty I had with YogaX the last two times.

    Legs and Back again tomorrow!
  • learning2fly4
    learning2fly4 Posts: 303 Member
    Nice Work!!
  • harlychic
    harlychic Posts: 58
    You are doing great....keep it up. I dont know the terms you use from the video but Im sure they are difficult moves so keep it up.
    I keep tuning in for the last up dates. :)
  • swashburn3
    swashburn3 Posts: 172 Member
    You are doing great....keep it up. I dont know the terms you use from the video but Im sure they are difficult moves so keep it up.
    I keep tuning in for the last up dates. :)
    Well, they sure aren't the most difficult moves, but they are still tough for me :) I'll get there though.


    Today was Legs and Back. First time doing this since recovery week, and I was really bad at it. I was shaking a lot and even toppled a few times. The wall squats were seriously intense and I had to come out of them early. I did well on the arms section though. And I had my heart rate up the whole time, so I got a good cardio workout.

    I'm not as discouraged as I was with Yoga. Pretty sure now that being bad at a routine the first time after recovery week is a normal thing.

    KenpoX is up next tomorrow. I really like Kenpo. I'm almost to the point in it where I don't have to pause the video at all. Maybe that will be tomorrow.
  • amaria0803
    amaria0803 Posts: 3 Member
    I am so glad I found your threads! I started the Lean version of P90X this past Monday. Reading your progress over phase 1 and into phase 2 gives me hope that I will actually be able to get my body to cooperate on some of these exercises in the future. ;) For example...swinging my leg through to runner's pose at this point is simply a fantasy. Keep up the awesome work!
  • tiffanyheth
    tiffanyheth Posts: 510 Member
    You're doing great! I just started my third week of P90X and I love it! I feel awesome (yeah, ignoring the jello arms and sore abs!). lol
  • sixpacklady
    sixpacklady Posts: 582 Member
    Thanks for sharing your exp. I want to do it some day, but too scared to do it now. And I feel its too long to fit into my schedule.

    Keep up posted. Good Luck!!
  • swashburn3
    swashburn3 Posts: 172 Member
    I am so glad I found your threads! I started the Lean version of P90X this past Monday. Reading your progress over phase 1 and into phase 2 gives me hope that I will actually be able to get my body to cooperate on some of these exercises in the future. ;) For example...swinging my leg through to runner's pose at this point is simply a fantasy. Keep up the awesome work!

    Great to hear! Yeah, I've found that the most important part is just doing your best and doing it everyday. Just keep at it, you're doing great!
  • _SASX_
    _SASX_ Posts: 255 Member
    So glad to hear that so many are sweating to the tune of P90X and Tony! it really is a great program! Legs and back for me, too! It does get easier, but sometimes, it's hard hard hard. Like today. It was brutal. I don't know if it was that my house was a little warmer than it ususally is when I workout or if it had something to do with that caramilk bar (EEK!) an hour before I pressed play. *whispers-I think it was the caramilk bar* but I worked it off today! It was the iso lunges and the chair for me today...

    Sixpacklady, you can always break it up into smaller bits of time. do your own warmup and cool down, then do 1/2 a workout each day. there are usually 24 exercises in a P90X workout, so if you do 12 today and the next 12 tomorrow.... might work for you
  • sixpacklady
    sixpacklady Posts: 582 Member
    So glad to hear that so many are sweating to the tune of P90X and Tony! it really is a great program! Legs and back for me, too! It does get easier, but sometimes, it's hard hard hard. Like today. It was brutal. I don't know if it was that my house was a little warmer than it ususally is when I workout or if it had something to do with that caramilk bar (EEK!) an hour before I pressed play. *whispers-I think it was the caramilk bar* but I worked it off today! It was the iso lunges and the chair for me today...

    Sixpacklady, you can always break it up into smaller bits of time. do your own warmup and cool down, then do 1/2 a workout each day. there are usually 24 exercises in a P90X workout, so if you do 12 today and the next 12 tomorrow.... might work for you

    Thats a great idea!! Thanks SASX. And good luck to you as well!!
  • swashburn3
    swashburn3 Posts: 172 Member
    Another great KenpoX today!! I was hoping that I wouldn't have to pause but those kick routines push me over the edge. But I noticed that I'm recovering faster. I now only need about 20 seconds to get back into the zone. So, that's progress!

    I felt the burn a lot in my arms today. And I was struggling a bit to keep my form at the end. I was surprised because I haven't really struggled with the arm sections in a while.

    I'm really looking forward to XStretch tomorrow. I've been kind of stiff feeling this week, and the workouts have helped a lot with that, but I have a feeling XStretch is going to feel REALLY good!

    And then, on to week 6!
  • swashburn3
    swashburn3 Posts: 172 Member
    Man. I love XStretch. It's just so relaxing. I still can't do the Shoulder Stand/Plough and the two legged Hamstring Stretch. But, everything else is going well and feeling wonderful.

    So, this completes week 5. I feel like I'm getting into a groove now with the program. It's starting to feel like a regular part of my day now. And I really enjoy doing it every day.

    I'm looking forward to another great week with P90X!
  • harlychic
    harlychic Posts: 58
    Good to hear you say exercise is part of your day. We just have to make it a habit we dont break. I have to exercise at 5:30 am so I dont get out of the habit.
  • swashburn3
    swashburn3 Posts: 172 Member
    I struggled with Core today. I just felt zapped, and my form was sloppy. Now that my heart rate doesn't peak as often, I find that I work my muscles more. No more excuses to sit the last half of an exercise out.

    But I was able to do three real Prison Cell push-ups today, which is progress!

    Today was tough, but I just keep pressing play each day and I know I'll improve.

    CardioX tomorrow!
  • harlychic
    harlychic Posts: 58
    Good job we are getting stronger everyday we workout.
  • swashburn3
    swashburn3 Posts: 172 Member
    Good job we are getting stronger everyday we workout.
    Yes! Sticking with it is the key to progress!

    I had a great CardioX day today! I was really strong and active. CardioX is still a routine that I need to pause after nearly every exercise, but I've noticed that my pause times are getting shorter. Often I'll finish the exercise just before my HRM kicks in but I'll still pause to get my heart rate further down into my zone and ready for the next exercise.

    I did great on the Kenpo routines. I didn't have to pause at all. Yoga is getting a lot better too. I still struggle on kicking my foot up into runner's pose, but the rest of my vinyasas are getting stronger and more fluid. I'm doing a lot better on Plyo. I feel bouncier; less stepping more jumping, and I can make it all the way through the Swing Kicks routine now.

    It's great thinking back to just over a month ago where these same routines totally kicked my butt. I'm already thinking about doing a second round of P90X when I'm done with this one.

    Pretty exciting! :)
  • _SASX_
    _SASX_ Posts: 255 Member
    I'm glad you had an awesome time with cardioX today. Progress in health and what you find you can do is amazing, isn't it? :)

    secret: I've done P90X a few times and I still have to readjust my knee into runners pose. I can get it 'so' far under me but then have to skip it forward to in between my feet.
  • swashburn3
    swashburn3 Posts: 172 Member
    I'm glad you had an awesome time with cardioX today. Progress in health and what you find you can do is amazing, isn't it? :)

    secret: I've done P90X a few times and I still have to readjust my knee into runners pose. I can get it 'so' far under me but then have to skip it forward to in between my feet.
    It *is* amazing. I've been sort of peeking at my scale this week and my weight has even gone up a bit. But I'm totally cool with that because I sure feel stronger. I love doing this every day.

    So today was CST again. And my triceps are on fire! I watched a video on the web about how to go from zero to 100 pushups. He talked about doing counter pushups if you can't do knee pushups well. Counter pushups are you standing at an angle and pushing against a counter.

    So, it's kind of embarrassing to admit that I can't even do knee pushups well. But I swallowed my pride and tried the counter pushups. They were easier to start with and I could keep better form, and I started to fail when I hit 8-10 reps. So, I think I'm going to stick with these for a while. Maybe the better form of the counter pushups is why I feel it in my triceps.

    Well, tomorrow is Yoga day! Looking forward to it!
  • _SASX_
    _SASX_ Posts: 255 Member
    weight can go up for a number if reasons...but first things first...you are feeling well and how do your pants fit?

    weight can go up because of the water weight in your muscles as you break down the old weaker tissues and build up stronger tissues
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/393797-water-retention-after-resistance-training/

    http://www.buzzle.com/articles/do-sore-muscles-retain-water.html

    Pushups are a good workout for chest, tris, abs, back...more more more! Everyone has to start somewhere and modify anything you need to. that way when it gets too easy, you can increase your difficulty keeping good form. Good form will work your body no matter what.

    Have fun tomorrow with YogaX
  • swashburn3
    swashburn3 Posts: 172 Member
    My pants are definitely looser and shirts that were tight on me fit better now too. So, yeah, there's stuff going on for sure. It's probably water weight. It's been challenging keeping my sodium down recently.

    But, like I said, I'm not worried. Fitness is my goal and today's workout was a pretty good example of that.

    YogaX! I was able to make it through the strength section without triggering my HRM. And I really pushed myself with the form. I kept falling out of the one-legged warrior three and my legs were ablaze, but I pushed through it all. The balance poses were quite shaky after all that, but I did my best.

    Also, last night I had a bit of insomnia and all this pent up energy, so I decided to do a late night CardioX. It didn't help the sleep this time, but man I sure felt great!

    Legs and back tomorrow. I like this shift from trying to keep up to trying to do things well. I hope I can stay at this level.
  • _SASX_
    _SASX_ Posts: 255 Member
    Nice workout! Cardio was scheduled for me today, too. WAS. I have a wonderful excuse for not doing it today though. I had to get my report cards done (due to office monday. tomorrow night and saturday is all about hockey [like i'll be in arenas] hockey hockey] and I'd like my family to know I'm still alive on sunday) so. sunday. it's my new thursday. and today is my rest day for the week. I hope it doesn't backfire on me for tomorrow's weigh in. but at least i got my reports done!

    man, there are a lot of "I"s in that...

    woot! legs and back for me, too! can't wait!

    what do you do for pull ups? I use my table and do reverse rows under it.
  • swashburn3
    swashburn3 Posts: 172 Member
    Yeah, a mid-week rest day can make a lot of sense.

    For pull-ups, I got a set of resistance bands off Amazon with a door mount. They are nice because they have clip on handles and you can use multiple ones together. So I use the three largest together and put some tape on the floor where I need to be kneeling and do them like that. It works really well for the time being and I think I have some room to grow, since I can still scoot further back for a bit.
  • _SASX_
    _SASX_ Posts: 255 Member
    I have bands, that I don't use. LOL. I've tried the over the door, but had to do it at the hinge and it abraded my bands to the point where I thought they would snap! so I found online a way to do modified pulls by doing them reverse, under the table. They work for me and it means I don't have to run down the hallway to a bedroom to do my pullups now!

    L&B done for the day for me. Sent home early because of the snow, so got it in. Now for a 30 min cardio to offset the restaurant order at lunch!

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