P90x3

csmitty30
csmitty30 Posts: 3
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi, this is my first post so please excuse me if this has all been answered before. My friend let me use his my fitness pal account to kinda get a feel on some things. Said it helped him immensely in his weight loss goals.

I started P90X3 this week. Today is Day 4 for me, so I'll be doing The Challenge. For anyone who has done this, what are some realistic expectations to set for my goals at in the first part of the workout. I'm 6'2" 215lbs. I'm not really in great shape right now and could probably do maybe 15-20 push-ups. Since that's all I can do, is setting my goal at like let's say 7 a good goal or to low or high? I just want to make sure I can hit that goal in every workout.

And as far as chin ups and pull ups. I cannot even do one. Even in high school when I was really in shape I could never do it. I've always wanted to accomplish that so hoping this will do it. I purchased the chin up assistance and can do a good 10 chin ups with it. So is doing 5 with the chin up assist a good goal? I just want to make sure I get the most out of this workout as humanly possible. Thanks for your help!

Replies

  • impromark
    impromark Posts: 119 Member
    I can't comment on P90X3 yet... But WRT chinups, like anything else you just have to start with that first time and build from there. Like you, I was never able to do a chinup in the school phys ed. periods. I was really skinny back then too, but not at all a strong kid.

    I bought a cheap chinup bar at the beginning of winter 2013 and that first night doing just three killed me (and damaged the door frame despite what the box said, but I digress). The next day my shoulders and upper arms were blazing, and I didn't look at the bar for a week.. At the time I was around 160 pounds having dropped a good thirty over the course of the year by that point, but through diet and treadmill only; so my arms were skinnier but not worked on at all.

    But I kept going with a goal of doing six, which I achieved within a couple weeks of doing just three, then four, then five, every day, increasing the number only when I felt like I could really handle it. Once I got there I upped my goal to a firm dozen, and when I got there within a month, I started doing sets two sets of twelve on alternating days. THAT's where it really took off, because I was letting my arm muscles recover properly in between instead of just undoing what I'd done the previous day.

    Now, I do 6 sets of 12 every other day, mixing up the various positions the bar will let me do (I've since built a frame in the basement for the thing), taking just a couple minutes break in between each set. At this point that's what I'm comfy with, and I may change that up in the future. But it's working, and I've got definition in my arms better than when I took karate in my teens. It's great work for the core muscle groups too, and I'm sure it's helping with all the abs poking out down there.

    You can do it! Just persist and be safe, and it'll happen. :)

    Mark
  • csmitty30
    csmitty30 Posts: 3
    Thanks for the encouraging words Mark. I'm going to keep working hard. I've always been into heavy power lifting and have always tried to get myself into these types of workouts, but with working long shifts it was always tough. I'll give it to beachbody, this workout had actually kept me very very interested throughout and I look forward to completing it.

    Do you save any tips of modified chin ups/pull ups? I have a 1000 sq ft gym at my house with all the equipment you'd ever need. I've been using resistance bands for most of my modified pull ups and chin ups and even do a few sets with the beachbody chin up assist.
  • impromark
    impromark Posts: 119 Member
    Heh, all I've got at home is a treadmill, recumbent bike, the chinup bar for which I built a mount hanging from the joist, and a large rug on which I cardio to various videos on a TV next to it.

    Unfortunately I don't have too much advice to offer on chinup / pullups, but the NerdFitness guy has several articles I read to get started. For me, it was more persistence over technique... I'm just too darn bullheaded to do anything else but rinse and repeat until I get it done. But if I can do this through sheer stubbornness, I'm sure anyone with an actual reason can! :)

    Here:

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/04/25/do-a-pull-up/

    Mark

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