p90x
Replies
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I attempted P90X but I found the way the resistance training portions of the workout are structured (only 2 sets of each exercise? WTF) I wasn't seeing the strength gains I wanted to. The program is simply designed to make you LOOK fitter but not necessarily BE fitter it seems like. The strength training portions in particular need a LOT of modifications (adding more sets being the biggest one) if you want to see legitimate strength gains from them. I saw better results from doing other programs that only had you working out 3 days a week for 30-45 minutes a day.
Muscle tone and changing the way you look is nice and all, but if you don't have the legitimate strength, speed, and endurance gains to show for it, then it's all useless.
depends on what you're doing it for .. some people aren't looking to bulk up, they're looking to slim down/tone .. so while it may not be right for you it's certainly not fair to say it's useless.
Personally I've seen some nice reshaping of my body, including muscle toning without much lean loss, I've also noticed big gains in endurance and flexibility doing the Yoga and Plyo routines.
I wasn't referring to either bulking up or slimming down. I was not referring to visual at all. My point was that the changes I went through after going through a round of P90X were almost entirely visual. I felt no functional fitness gains from it at all. Improvements to strength, speed, power, and endurance were pretty insignificant, and that more or less is because of how the program is structured. And my opinion is that regardless of whether you want to bulk up or slim down, if the changes are purely visual and you're not any stronger, faster, and just all around better (from a functional fitness standpoint) when all is said and done, then the program is more or less just a vanity thing. And I'm not vain.
Fair enough regarding your experience, mine was not the same, and it will be different for everyone in some way or another. That was what I was getting at.
As for it being a vanity thing, again a very broad brush to paint with .. wanting to better yourself physically (whether it be for health reasons or whatever) is what we're all here for in the first place right?0 -
ARX kills my tailbone. do not like that one but hate Yoga X more. But overall, it really does hurt so good! I've seen both fat loss & muscle definition as a result. I'm finishing up my first round and will start a 2nd round of P90X/Insanity in July...
This sort of emphasizes what I've been saying. All these programs are purely vanity oriented. I have heard a lot from people who talk about seeing fat loss, seeing muscle definition, seeing all sorts of stuff. I don't want to hear about what you can SEE. I want to hear about the improvements to what you're physically capable of. I want to hear stories about how someone who could not manage a single pullup going into P90X can now bang them out after 90 days. I want to hear about improvements to how much weight you can move, to how fast you can run, to how long you can last. I couldn't care less about what you can SEE because that more or less is all about vanity. This is why I think beachbody is a joke...
Of course its vanity - seeing IS believing!!
But....to answer your question....I am not consistent with P90X but I can say that since starting it I can now finish Ab Ripper X. When I first started I could barely get through the 3rd exercise. I can even do ALL the Mason Twists at the end!! I can now do 3 pull ups and could not even do 1 at the start! I can complete a lot more of Plyo X and I'm not in dire pain the next 2 days after finishing it. There are many "physical" results beyond seeing the results.
I too was a skeptic - but now I'm a believer!0 -
I attempted P90X but I found the way the resistance training portions of the workout are structured (only 2 sets of each exercise? WTF) I wasn't seeing the strength gains I wanted to. The program is simply designed to make you LOOK fitter but not necessarily BE fitter it seems like. The strength training portions in particular need a LOT of modifications (adding more sets being the biggest one) if you want to see legitimate strength gains from them. I saw better results from doing other programs that only had you working out 3 days a week for 30-45 minutes a day.
Muscle tone and changing the way you look is nice and all, but if you don't have the legitimate strength, speed, and endurance gains to show for it, then it's all useless.
depends on what you're doing it for .. some people aren't looking to bulk up, they're looking to slim down/tone .. so while it may not be right for you it's certainly not fair to say it's useless.
Personally I've seen some nice reshaping of my body, including muscle toning without much lean loss, I've also noticed big gains in endurance and flexibility doing the Yoga and Plyo routines.
I wasn't referring to either bulking up or slimming down. I was not referring to visual at all. My point was that the changes I went through after going through a round of P90X were almost entirely visual. I felt no functional fitness gains from it at all. Improvements to strength, speed, power, and endurance were pretty insignificant, and that more or less is because of how the program is structured. And my opinion is that regardless of whether you want to bulk up or slim down, if the changes are purely visual and you're not any stronger, faster, and just all around better (from a functional fitness standpoint) when all is said and done, then the program is more or less just a vanity thing. And I'm not vain.
It all depends on where your fitness level is going into it. When I first did P90X, my legs were in great shape because I was playing hockey 7 days a week. However, I could barely do a pullup. By the time I finished the program, my legs were still in great shape and I was able to do pullups without any assist and a lot more pushups than I could when I started the program. While it definitely provides a visual "improvement", I noticed actual strength and performance gains during the program.
See now this is what I want to hear. Unfortunately very few people I know who have gone through the program can say they've seen such improvements. =( They only talk about how much slimmer they are, how much more defined they are, but they still can barely manage a single pullup.
And I am by no means here to argue with you (and I think you know that). But I have a lot of friends that have had great performance improvements using beach body programs. P90X, Insanity, and P90X2 are the three that I have witnessed performance improvements on. My girlfriend, brother, sister, and several friends have all done these programs and all had improved performance by the end of the programs. Yes, we all saw our physical image improve as well, but we track our workout productivity throughout the program and increase the reps on each workout each time we do them.0 -
I attempted P90X but I found the way the resistance training portions of the workout are structured (only 2 sets of each exercise? WTF) I wasn't seeing the strength gains I wanted to. The program is simply designed to make you LOOK fitter but not necessarily BE fitter it seems like. The strength training portions in particular need a LOT of modifications (adding more sets being the biggest one) if you want to see legitimate strength gains from them. I saw better results from doing other programs that only had you working out 3 days a week for 30-45 minutes a day.
Muscle tone and changing the way you look is nice and all, but if you don't have the legitimate strength, speed, and endurance gains to show for it, then it's all useless.
depends on what you're doing it for .. some people aren't looking to bulk up, they're looking to slim down/tone .. so while it may not be right for you it's certainly not fair to say it's useless.
Personally I've seen some nice reshaping of my body, including muscle toning without much lean loss, I've also noticed big gains in endurance and flexibility doing the Yoga and Plyo routines.
I wasn't referring to either bulking up or slimming down. I was not referring to visual at all. My point was that the changes I went through after going through a round of P90X were almost entirely visual. I felt no functional fitness gains from it at all. Improvements to strength, speed, power, and endurance were pretty insignificant, and that more or less is because of how the program is structured. And my opinion is that regardless of whether you want to bulk up or slim down, if the changes are purely visual and you're not any stronger, faster, and just all around better (from a functional fitness standpoint) when all is said and done, then the program is more or less just a vanity thing. And I'm not vain.
It all depends on where your fitness level is going into it. When I first did P90X, my legs were in great shape because I was playing hockey 7 days a week. However, I could barely do a pullup. By the time I finished the program, my legs were still in great shape and I was able to do pullups without any assist and a lot more pushups than I could when I started the program. While it definitely provides a visual "improvement", I noticed actual strength and performance gains during the program.
amen. I went from being able to do A pull up to being able to do 15, pushup counts are through the roof, flexibility is at an all time and I'm curling and pressing almost twice as much as when I started. Functional gains in addition to visible gains.0 -
I attempted P90X but I found the way the resistance training portions of the workout are structured (only 2 sets of each exercise? WTF) I wasn't seeing the strength gains I wanted to. The program is simply designed to make you LOOK fitter but not necessarily BE fitter it seems like. The strength training portions in particular need a LOT of modifications (adding more sets being the biggest one) if you want to see legitimate strength gains from them. I saw better results from doing other programs that only had you working out 3 days a week for 30-45 minutes a day.
Muscle tone and changing the way you look is nice and all, but if you don't have the legitimate strength, speed, and endurance gains to show for it, then it's all useless.
depends on what you're doing it for .. some people aren't looking to bulk up, they're looking to slim down/tone .. so while it may not be right for you it's certainly not fair to say it's useless.
Personally I've seen some nice reshaping of my body, including muscle toning without much lean loss, I've also noticed big gains in endurance and flexibility doing the Yoga and Plyo routines.
I wasn't referring to either bulking up or slimming down. I was not referring to visual at all. My point was that the changes I went through after going through a round of P90X were almost entirely visual. I felt no functional fitness gains from it at all. Improvements to strength, speed, power, and endurance were pretty insignificant, and that more or less is because of how the program is structured. And my opinion is that regardless of whether you want to bulk up or slim down, if the changes are purely visual and you're not any stronger, faster, and just all around better (from a functional fitness standpoint) when all is said and done, then the program is more or less just a vanity thing. And I'm not vain.
It all depends on where your fitness level is going into it. When I first did P90X, my legs were in great shape because I was playing hockey 7 days a week. However, I could barely do a pullup. By the time I finished the program, my legs were still in great shape and I was able to do pullups without any assist and a lot more pushups than I could when I started the program. While it definitely provides a visual "improvement", I noticed actual strength and performance gains during the program.
amen. I went from being able to do A pull up to being able to do 15, pushup counts are through the roof, flexibility is at an all time and I'm curling and pressing almost twice as much as when I started. Functional gains in addition to visible gains.
Well, interestingly enough I saw better, quicker gains doing a program I put together myself that did not involve workout out nearly as often or for as long. And that was what got me over the "pullup" hump that P90X couldn't. I guess everyone is different though.0 -
Yeah, there's a schedule so that you work different groups each day. You don't have the booklet? Maybe it's on the website. It is good because there are different phases, "rest" periods and mini goals. And it keeps you from burning yourself out.
nooooooooooo lol my guy downloaded the program for me
Always a good thing to announce publicly.0 -
Invest in a foam roller. It will help a LOT with recovery and muscle soreness. It is one of my favorite additions they made with P90X2. I can't wait to spend some time on mine tonight after my TRX course this morning.
Or even better, a rumble roller!0 -
I attempted P90X but I found the way the resistance training portions of the workout are structured (only 2 sets of each exercise? WTF) I wasn't seeing the strength gains I wanted to. The program is simply designed to make you LOOK fitter but not necessarily BE fitter it seems like. The strength training portions in particular need a LOT of modifications (adding more sets being the biggest one) if you want to see legitimate strength gains from them. I saw better results from doing other programs that only had you working out 3 days a week for 30-45 minutes a day.
Muscle tone and changing the way you look is nice and all, but if you don't have the legitimate strength, speed, and endurance gains to show for it, then it's all useless.
I got this feeling too. Fat loss, yet, no muscle gain. What other programs would you recommend?
Honestly the MOST progress both functionally AND visually came from putting together a program myself that consisted of the following:
Go to the gym one day a week for heavy lifting focused on the lower body and back. More or less it's just to use the squat rack and lat pulldown machine, and the lat pulldown machine will become obsoleted once you become strong enough to legitimately incorporate full pullup sets into your workouts. The reason being is because bodyweight training is all you'll ever need for resistance for your upper body, but lower body muscles need a bit more of a load to challenge them. 1 day a week of utilizing the squat rack at the gym doing sets of squats, lat pulldowns, and rows was sufficient here.
Follow it up with one day of rest or very moderate intensity cardio (such as going on a nice long brisk walk)
For the rest of the week alternate between doing TOTAL BODY calisthenics workouts (I do mine on a suspension trainer) and HIIT cardio (I did mine using either a jump rope or sprinting drills) EVERY DAY. Your workouts should take no more than 30-45 minutes. When you get strong enough to incorporate sets of pullups into your workouts (which you will in a relatively short amount of time doing what I did) you will be doing them on calisthenics days.
Except for gym days everything I do revolves around timed supersets in 35 second intervals followed by 30 second rests, each set is done 4 times:
I start out with a warmup consisting of two exercises: 3 sets of 20 reps of squat into a row followed by 3 sets of 20 chest presses (all light intensity). I then do 4 sets pullups & chinups.
Set 1: 2 arm bicep curl followed by alternating 1 arm rows, each arm (my suspension trainer features rotation so I can do this)
Set 2: Chest press followed by alternating single arm chest flye
Set 3: Shoulder press/superman followed by alternating triceps press (skullcrushers)
Set 4: Lunge followed by lunge-jump (plyo lunge) - This one I do 4 sets one leg then 4 sets the other leg.
Set 5: Hanging knee raises each side
HIIT cardio consists of 2 minutes 30 seconds of brisk walk followed by (depending on whether I'm doing it indoors or outdoors) jumping rope or sprints for 30 seconds--repeat 10x.
Hey! We workout VERY alike! That said, I like your style, and I am SO excited to try this workout today! Thanks for sharing it with me.
I do most of that, but haven't focused on the lower body/back in the same way that you do, so I am psyched to try it out. I also started running a few weeks ago and am up to 2 miles a day, so we will see how that effects the legs with all this new lower body. =P 0 -
ARX kills my tailbone. do not like that one but hate Yoga X more. But overall, it really does hurt so good! I've seen both fat loss & muscle definition as a result. I'm finishing up my first round and will start a 2nd round of P90X/Insanity in July...
This sort of emphasizes what I've been saying. All these programs are purely vanity oriented. I have heard a lot from people who talk about seeing fat loss, seeing muscle definition, seeing all sorts of stuff. I don't want to hear about what you can SEE. I want to hear about the improvements to what you're physically capable of. I want to hear stories about how someone who could not manage a single pullup going into P90X can now bang them out after 90 days. I want to hear about improvements to how much weight you can move, to how fast you can run, to how long you can last. I couldn't care less about what you can SEE because that more or less is all about vanity. This is why I think beachbody is a joke...
This is garbage. "Purely vanity oriented"? I'm sorry you or people you know didn't get anything out of it, but that doesn't mean the program is "a joke".
I can appreciate that you made your own program that works for you, but many people cannot. That does not mean that their exercise choice of P90X is all about vanity and yours is about real improvements (what a comparison!). P90X and programs like it provide a structured way to exercise at home that people can apply at the level of intensity they choose. The success stories about P90X are out there, a simple search will find you thousands of them.0 -
Invest in a foam roller. It will help a LOT with recovery and muscle soreness. It is one of my favorite additions they made with P90X2. I can't wait to spend some time on mine tonight after my TRX course this morning.
Or even better, a rumble roller!
I'm still afraid to try that one out! The foam roller hurts so good!0 -
How did you guys put this on your exercise? I could not find it on the exercise look up on here. I love it and do it all the time except when I ride my bike. I find my legs too sore to do the road bike on those days.
You can add your own exercises and save it to your own database. That's what I've done for P90X and then just put in the calories burned each time. I have a HRM so just put in what it calculates for aerobic-style exercises. For the weight training exercises, I multiply the HRM calories by 65%. There's also a link that estimates calories burned for P90X.
http://p90xcalories.com/
oh awesome thank you0 -
The abs are killer. I love it. =D
...but I hate it!
Not gonna lie, it's a love/hate relationship. =( Always should be when it comes to workouts, otherwise, you likely aren't improving! See, now that's good news, eh?
LOL yeah and I can tell it is working cause I am so so sore I want to cry LOL0 -
I think it hurts so good!
lol eventually I will be able to say that0 -
Yeah, there's a schedule so that you work different groups each day. You don't have the booklet? Maybe it's on the website. It is good because there are different phases, "rest" periods and mini goals. And it keeps you from burning yourself out.
nooooooooooo lol my guy downloaded the program for me
Always a good thing to announce publicly.
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WHAT!!!!!!! if I wasn't downloading it I could find it on youtube.0 -
ARX kills my tailbone. do not like that one but hate Yoga X more.
I recall my tailbone hurting during the early days of ARX. Not so much anymore. Guess as you strengthen your core your tailbone can better handle the stresses of the workout.0 -
ARX kills my tailbone. do not like that one but hate Yoga X more.
I recall my tailbone hurting during the early days of ARX. Not so much anymore. Guess as you strengthen your core your tailbone can better handle the stresses of the workout.
It's not so much that as it is this:
Your tailbone should not even be a part of the equation. But if your core is in sub-par condition for the workout the tailbone will end up becoming a load-bearing member in what are supposed to be core-only movements. Strengthening your core as you progress through the workout program will get it to the point where your tailbone is where it should be--not involved at all. Really though you SHOULD be getting your core at least to THAT point before you begin the program otherwise you risk severe injury. It's one of the reasons P90X is recommended only to people who are alread in decent shape (people who have gone through a few rounds of Power 90, for instance).
P90X and Insanity are considered Beachbody's advanced level workouts. They are not meant for people who are out of shape. Yes portions of them can be modified but you are still risking injury attempting things that are way beyond your fitness level. Yet every day I see people on forums such as this attempting it against all conventional wisdom when they should be starting out on something more mild. Even Beachbody themselves highly recommend people who aren't yet at a good level of fitness start out on Power 90 or something else along those lines.
The more and more I learn about fitness and the science behind it, the more and more I see people actually ENCOURAGING other people to do things the totally wrong way and risking severe injury in the process. Encouragement is nice and all, but people need to have some sense here.
Sorry, just something that's growing to become a bigger and bigger pet peeve.
Understand your limitations, people. Be sensible when working out.0 -
This is garbage. "Purely vanity oriented"? I'm sorry you or people you know didn't get anything out of it, but that doesn't mean the program is "a joke".
Agreed. No workout program is right for everyone. Not P90X nor Insanity nor some workout a person created on his/her own. And of course, not everyone's fitness goal is the same either. Some may want to improve strength, while others may want to improve flexibility or speed. If some want to just lose weight and tone their muscles to look good, who are we to tell them differently?
In my case, I wanted to lose weight and get back into shape. My family has a history of heart disease so I have that as motivation to reach those goals. P90X coupled with a healthier diet allowed me to lose 23 lbs since February. I would like to lose another 15-20 to get down to a more healthy BMI so I started a round of P90X/Insanity Hybrid. In addition to the weightloss, P90X has toned up my muscles including my ab area. I have to admit that I like that, as does my wife. Does that really make me vain? Or her shallow?
As far as strength goes, I was able to do 93 more pushups and 39 more pullups on the last day than I was able to do on day-1. I also increased my weights and reps for all of the weight-training exercises since I started the program. On top of that, the yoga and stretching workouts have my flexibility just about back to what it was when I was younger and did martial arts.
For me, P90X works. So I will continue working out with it and now Insanity. I know people who are happy with their results from it. I know people who quit because it was too difficult. Now I know of someone (and I'm sure there are a lot of others) who didn't get anything out of it. Like I said, no program is right for everyone. You need to find what works for you.0 -
I am a P90X fanatic and if you stick to the program AS THE SCHEDULE DICTATES and follow the diet plan (fitness is 80% nutrition!) you will see results...I just finished a round and am now two weeks into P90X2. I have completed 6 total rounds over the past few years and if you do it right, it will give you results. Enough said
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