P90X3: enough to gain muscle?

anson808
anson808 Posts: 47 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Is P90X3 intense enough to build muscle?

I've been averaging 200-300 excess calories daily and I just think I'm getting fatter.
I have gained weight (3-4lbs) but I don't feel much stronger. Granted I'm only 3 weeks into the program.

In addition to P90X3 I also do some cardio, abs, and I'm also playing vball 2-3 weekly. On those days, I make sure to eat more to maintain my 200-300 calorie excess.

Thanks for the responses in advance

Replies

  • ParaoraBlue
    ParaoraBlue Posts: 5
    P90x3 isn't as weight intensive as the previous two, but it should still make you stronger from the resistance exercises it contains. Could you increase the weight you're using? On weighted exercises, make sure you're using a weight that will generally max you out between 8-12 reps unless given a specified target.
  • creativerick
    creativerick Posts: 270 Member
    It depends on your workout history. For any beginner (less than one year of serious lifting), you will gain muscle doing anything.
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    To Bulk up and Gain additional muscle you are also going to gain fat.. there is no way around it.. If you lift heavy enough with P90x3 I imagine you can gain muscle especially with all the pull ups and stuff.. now your doing all that additional cardio as well so if you can I would swap in maybe a traditional day or 2 of heavy strength training as well.
  • anson808
    anson808 Posts: 47 Member
    I've done some lifting in the past, but they were always sports specific, and not specifically for body building.

    I'm not looking at becoming a beef cake or anything, I just want to build some strength again, and I'm starting to think I'm better off working in a few more strength training sessions.

    I'm currently at 179lbs, and I've weighed as much as 208lbs in my younger years (heavy lifting, and a crap ton of calories). I doubt that I'm going to get any easy gains.

    I'll try to change my weights so I'm lifting a little more in P90X3, but I don't seem to be getting stronger. We'll see how it goes.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I would life weights if I were you.

    You are guaranteed to gain strength that way.

    After 3 weeks of doing 30 day shred I got stronger...so after 3 weeks of p90x3 .....

    There are lots of programs out there for strength ie Strong lifts (which I am doing) that give you those strength gains you are looking for.

    In 18 weeks I went from benching 45lbs (bar included) to benching 100lbs, squats 150lbs, DL 185lb...and I am doing chin ups again...imagine what you could do in that same amount of time
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
    p90x is a fat loss program.. not sure what p90x3 is but im sure its along the same guidelines... if u want to gain muscle you gotta slow down that cardio nonsense, eat, and lift heavy weights via compound movements (especially if you are out of the beginner range of working out)
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    p90x is a fat loss program.. not sure what p90x3 is but im sure its along the same guidelines... if u want to gain muscle you gotta slow down that cardio nonsense, eat, and lift heavy weights via compound movements (especially if you are out of the beginner range of working out)

    Yup. Almost any halfway decent lifting program would be better than P90.
  • 212019156
    212019156 Posts: 341 Member
    No P90X for gaining weight. Join a gym and do full body workouts 3 days per week with heavy compound movements that most people hate doing: squats, deadlifts, bench press, standing overhead presses, and pullups. Stick with lower rep ranges (sets of 5 to 8). You don't need to do any other isolation movements such as curls etc. Gradually increase weight on all movements 5 lbs for upper body and 10 lbs for lower body per week. Make sure to get your form perfect. Eat excess calories. If you do that you will gain muscle and you will get stronger. All of the above movements are great because they transfer to athletic performance as well. Also don't read bodybuilding magazines.

    P90X is good if you want to gain all around bodyweight fitness. Nothing wrong with that. But guidlines I provided will get you much stronger and bigger.
  • ATGsquats
    ATGsquats Posts: 227 Member
    Drop the P90X if you want to do serious bodybuilding. Get to a gym and hit the weights, the internet would be your best friend for information about sets, rep ranges, routines, splits, etc. What works for one person might not work for you, so you're gonna have to experiment with different programs, but give each program some time. If you've never lifted weight before, you'll probably see some gains rather quickly.
  • redheadmommy
    redheadmommy Posts: 908 Member
    I am just starting P90x3, so no experience, but I wonder what schedule do you follow? Classic or Mass?
    They are the same in the first 3 weeks, but changing after that. The 4th week they are slightly different( but that week is not that relevant), and they totally different from week 5.
    The Mass schedule became way more strength training intensive , with 4 strength training a week , alternating stretching/flexibility days with barely any cardio. There is this guy in the test group who gained 28 lb muscle . That probably an extreme success and average people not going to have that,. In any case , it shows that good muscle gain certainly possible on the program.

    As it is suggested going to the gym probably lead to faster result, but that requires much more time than 30 minutes a day.

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