P90X (Take a look!) :)

If you stick to it AND most importantly stick to the nutrition part, you can lose some good weight on it.

I didn't do so hot on the nutrition part the 1st month.. then did better on 2nd and 3rd. I skipped only and a handful of workouts and towards the last month I didn't take a rest day. I went hiking or biking instead.

I lost 18lbs on it. I had muscles in my arms and my legs looked even better..

I believe if I would had done better that first and 2nd month, I probably could had lost a bit more.

i love p90x, although i have never done the actual 90 program, only a couple of the dvd's to supplement a workout. my friend tried p90x, and had a hard time with the food because it's SO much, SO scheduled, and very expensive. the yoga is pretty awesome (my fav), hate plyometrics- but it's a good work out

can you borrow a couple of the dvds from a friend or the library to try it out?

Have done P90X many many times. I lift heavy, low reps. Have done Doubles my last two rounds.

I am not bulky - UNLESS I am in an arm flexed position. Unflexed, my arms, legs, abs - just look fit, tight, some light muscle definition - but normal.

I do not follow the P90X diet, to many calories for me personally (it was not actually created as a weight loss diet, so depending on your size, may need to be modified a bit) MFP can help you with a correct calorie range

The foods are not really reasonable for what my family eats. So not do-able for us.

You CAN succeed, and lose fat, and improve muscle definition without the P90X diet.

Make good food choices based on your calorie needs, You DO NOT need to eat all clean, all organic etc. Just choose healthy, nutrient dense food options based on what your cal count allows you, and what you like. Do not go to low on calories however.

Watch your macros - Protein DOES need to be higher then MFP ranges. I personal lose fat best, and get best muscle improvement with at least 90-100 grams or protein a day. Aim for 1 gram of protein per lb of LEAN muscle mass.

You can customize it in MFP, I use a 40/30/30 range roughly - making sure I have at least 90-100 grams of protein a day.

You can find your lean mass here.

http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html

Do not go to low on calories, do not aim for 1200 a day, you will not have enough energy for the program, and you will find your weight loss will stall, and you will limit your muscle improvement ability.

Do not cut your carbs to low, again, you will not have the energy needed for the program.

I have improved in some aspect every time I do P90X, and improved overall muscle tone, and inch loss.

I lost 20 pounds my most recent round. But more importantly I have lost many inches.

Please measure yourself with a tape measure regularly - you will find often you do loss inches, even though the scale may show no weight loss, or possibly a small gain. Thats normal. The scale weight is not the best tool to use to judge progress. Many things can make you appear heavy, that do not show a true indication of your actual fat and muscle changes.

Often when doing strength training, you will gain, and hold extra water weight for awhile. Eventually it comes back off, but as you up your weights, change your phase, stress your muscles in a new way - you may see some initial water gains again. Its normal - do not panic. Instead look at the overall trend from one month to the next. Look at clothing fit, inch measures, mirror tightness.

Some rounds I loss less, some none. Usually when I don't loss its because my protein is to low, my diet (cal numbers) are to high.

I personally would recommend you lift heavy, within reason, at weights that allow you to complete a set, with good form. You should find the last 2-3 reps very hard to do.

It is really not true that you will bulk lifting heavy with low reps. Thats an old school myth, that has been shown not to be accurate. It used to be believed to be true - newer studies have shown this not to be the case. When actively bulking, and eating many extra calories, a women is doing terrific if she can gain 1 -2 lbs of muscle a month. Its just not easy to do, without trying hard.

As a beginner, with some extra fat, you may have some initial small gains in muscle, but not a lot. And it will slow, as your bodyfat stores drop. However you WILL improve the muscle you have, tightening , and improving firmness and density all over.

You cannot make "lean muscle", or "bulky muscle". Its all the same - ether you improve its condition, or you leave it static. Thats it. Static muscle will continue to break down with time, until you look more and more flabby, and start to physically loss muscle tissue. (not good)

As a women, you are not going to bulk up, even if you do 3 reps with a gazzillion pounds. Your testosterone levels are 10 times less then a man, with even super low levels. Your body is not predisposition-ed to build bulk.

Lifting heavy will tighten and lean you out much faster then lifting moderate. Tried both options - when I am lifting heavier - my inch lose is much better. Many other women on this board have similar results, using this and other programs.

If you "see" bulk - you are seeing fat, over and under the muscle, that you are now "building up" - as you lose fat, that "bulk" goes away. Then you see lean tight muscle.

If you do not want "to much" definition - just do not drop your body fat to super low levels. Women body builders, and fitness models have very low BF levels for completion events. They do not maintain this year round, its almost impossible to do so. But they do drop low for competition.

A fitness model, body builder etc. uses a much more intense and specific program then P90x. They have higher calorie amounts while bulking, and low cal amounts when cutting - or dropping fat, just before a show. They also use carb free diets (for short times), dehydration and more "special" steps, to make them look even more "muscley"

Their diet while cutting is very strict, and limited, to force them to loss all the body fat they can. Bodybuilder women are often at 8-9% bodyfat while on stage. Fitness Models, closer to 11-15%. Staying below 15% longterm for women is generally not recommended.
The average nicely cured, and soft looking swimware model, in good shape, is closer to an 18-20% Body Fat level, or even a bit more..

Many of the "man" looking women, are at super low BF%, and use special diets, dehydration, and drugs to force their body's to do this, including male hormones.

No women can accidentally get bulky in that manner. It takes strict dedication in diet, exercise etc. Beyond what P90X will do for you.

P90X can give you some terrific results, especially if you truely push yourself, and watch your diet and macros. I have done it 7 times, now doing version 2 - and no I am not bulky or close to it.

I would need to drop my bodyfat down to about 18 percent or less, and I love food to much to do that. That would not be a sustainable lifestyle for me. (or many women)

I have lost 60 lbs total, and P90X was a big part of that.

I am trying to loss about 10 lbs "roughly" just to get a bit more visible muscle definition, especially in Abs.

But you can still look amazing, with great results, and not all muscly with a reasonable fat level, that allows you to look "tight" and toned, and feel great.

If you feel you are looking to muscly, just allow your body to add on a few more pounds of fat to soften your over all look, and change your lifting routine slightly. In a very short time, you will have a softer look.

But trust me - its NOT easy for a women to get muscly arms. Not without some very hard work.

You should start with P90x1 - not 2. And best results will be from Classic version. (or Doubles if you really like that challenge)

I highly recommend P90 for the weight loss. Then I would move onto P90X. I have completed both programs in the past. P90 is my favorite by far.

no problem, good luck to you all, in your fitness goals.

Remember - you are in the Drivers Seat, time to take the wheel - and be who you want to be.

I agree P90X is NOT a program to gain bulk, In fact that's part of why Tony created it. Some guys have used it to gain bulk, but it takes a far amount of tweaking on their end, and not something the average user will "stumble" onto. You will not do it the first round.

Tony was in the Gym, and saw many of the massive Bulk Builders of that time. Arnold S for example was working at the same Gym, as well as some other well known Olympians, and Strongmen type lifters. And though Tony did use their wisdom to learn, he also noted he DID NOT want that bulk. That was his concern, and thing to avoid.

He wanted functional fitness, strength, good muscle tone, health improvement, but also the flexibility and function needed to play sports, do everyday living and so on.

If you look at the P90X gals in the videos, they are generally not "bulky" - some do have very low Bodyfat, which makes some look "more muscly" then others - but that is more related to their individual "body look" and body fat levels. If they added on about 5 lbs, they would be much softer, which is a look many women prefer, and can easily get and maintain. Some girls are more or less "athletic" looking, some more or less curvy, some square shaped and flat and lean, some "harder", some curvy and softer- but that is true of all women.. And you just see the video showing the same cross section of body forms and types.

And keep in mind - these are "the cream of the crop" picks to appear in the videos. They are not the average person, who did P90X one time. Some are from a fitness background, and at the least have worked out for a "few rounds" before they appeared in the videos.

Tony has been lifting for roughly 20 plus years, to get where he is today.

I am an hourglass figure, short curvy girl - I will never have a leaner/svelte typical "athletic" or gymnast type built. (which I do not want) - I am to curvy in body built shape.

But I can (and have) certainly improved MY built, and my muscle tone, and my body composition, and lost fat and inches - based on the parameters allowed by my body shape, and genetics. I am tighter all over, including many of the trouble areas women have. And no jiggles - but I still have my nice curves, and feminine look. I am 47 - I could wear a Bikini today and rock it if I choose. Could not say that before P90x

Thats all P90X will do for you - allow you to enhance and improve what you are and have. Its not going to make you a bulky Hulk - guy or gal.

ty

Start with p90x first.