P90X Advice

bradspace
bradspace Posts: 54
edited September 23 in Fitness and Exercise
I have been a fitness fan for most of the last 25 years. Over the years, I have gone through a couple minor knee surgeries and a couple moderate shoulder surgeries. I am very excited to begin P90X as my next step in getting back into shape. I would rate myself as being in "decent" shape with some extra weight. I lift weights regularly, and have recently begun to step up my cardio as well. Having said all of that, here is my quandary: I just watched the chest/back disk and realize that there is no way that I can do half of the push ups due to the stress place on my surgically repaired shoulders that are still not back to full strength yet. My wife is also going to do this with me and she has serious doubts about her ability to complete more than 20% of this. So here's the question, is there another good workout regimen that is a bit shorter and less stressful to begin with before embarking on P90X?

Thanks!

Replies

  • BiloxiBelle
    BiloxiBelle Posts: 680 Member
    Power 90!!
  • geberdaisy
    geberdaisy Posts: 3 Member
    I was 46 years old when I did my first round of P90X. I was about 50lbs over wt. I had broken both bones in my arm below the wrist 3 years ago. My wrist is weak and I have alot of trouble doing the pushups. I did as many pushups as I could on my toes and then went to my knees. I will never be able to do as many as the people on the dvd but I do my best. the P90X series is a great workout.. I would give it a try just do your best and see what happens.
  • what about the pre-cursor p90??.....I have done both...p90 isn't as intense as p90x...but still a good workout!
  • TByrd1325
    TByrd1325 Posts: 920 Member
    Well you can always modify and shorten to your needs. However, there is Chalean Extreme which is a great prep to P90X. The original P90 is also a good prep, but it gets very boring. (Four workouts for three months)

    Chalean doesn't have nearly as many pushups and no pull ups. I loved Chalean Extreme and got awesome results from it.

    Beachbody.com has a comparison list for all the programs. let me see if I can find the link real quick.
  • Rappla88
    Rappla88 Posts: 185 Member
    The videos show you all kinds of ways to modify the moves. If you can't do the pushups... do them on your knees.... or against the wall.... it's all about "do your best and forget the rest" Have you tried doing the fit test yet?? That will help give you a better idea of where you are and help you figure out if the program is right for you. I know you have to be careful so that you don't get injured however there are plenty of ways to modify so that you can keep up... and over time you'll get stronger and stronger... if the fit test doesn't go that well, then try to do Power 90 first. I'm currently on my second round of p90x and I still can't keep up but I went from doing push-ups on my knees, to doing real ones.... I also graduated from using the bands for the pull ups to now using the pull-up bar with a chair... slowly but surely i'm getting stronger and stronger... it's all about doing what you can do and sticking with it!! Hope it helps!!!
  • LIke stated before Power 90 is the next best thing to p90x, it is the workout system that lead the way to P90x. So it could be worth given a try.

    That being said p90x is still a good workout. But what is great is you dont have to match Tony or the guys on DVD, Modify to what you can do, If you can only do 5-1o push ups then do those 5 to 10, If you have to go to your kness then go to your knees. Do what you can with it and dont do more than what you can handle. You know your body and your limits better than anyone. Just do your best and forget the rest.
  • glfprncs2
    glfprncs2 Posts: 625 Member
    With your wife's success in mind, I would choose ChaLean Extreme. You'll both get a great workout from it, it's similar in nature to P90X (though the workouts are much shorter and it's only a 5 day/week workout plan), plus it's currently on SALE!
  • AwMyLoLo
    AwMyLoLo Posts: 1,571 Member
    Well you can always modify and shorten to your needs. However, there is Chalean Extreme which is a great prep to P90X. The original P90 is also a good prep, but it gets very boring. (Four workouts for three months)

    Chalean doesn't have nearly as many pushups and no pull ups. I loved Chalean Extreme and got awesome results from it.

    I second this!
  • Thanks everyone for the insight and advice. I think we will give the P90X a go at whatever level we can manage and see how it goes. At this point, I just want to get started on SOMETHING, so I'll have to quiet that inner competitive voice that wills me to make stupid decisions and override my limitations. If that fails, we'll give the Chalean a go.
  • To Bradspace: You could try Bob Harper series (I'm currently doing the cardio and strength 5x a week). it is hard but it is below P90 for what I heard. It is better to work your way up instead of starting from the top specially when you are dealing with injuries. I do not know about your wife's level of fitness but Jillian Michaels is an amazing workout to begin with. I lost 2 sizes in 4 weeks just by doing the 30 day shred video. Good Luck.
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