P90X Beginner

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!!!

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.