I've been getting back into trying to stay in shape again since the baby madness has settled down in our house and am looking for something new.

I happened to get a hold of a copy of this routine (P90x fitness) from a friend to review and have to say it looks intriguing (though not at all for the faint of heart). Anyone around here done this, or know anyone who has?

Jason

I see the infomercial everytime we visit the inlaws on their DirectTV. In fact just saw it again. I'm sure it works just like any fitness/eating right program, the problem most people don't follow through for more than a few weeks.

I have it and it is just a high rep routine, ie. chinups for 1 minute or as many as you can, followed by another set of chins then moving on to bent over rows with dumbells for another 2 sets of 1 minute intervals etc and this goes on for 1 hour including a pretty good warm up and cool down. It has lots of variation built in, good for those that are not willing to think of their own routines or need something to push for. As the saying goes you get out of it what you put into it, give it a try you have nothing to lose.

I have 3 coworkers who have tried it. One stopped after a few weeks as Randy says. The other 2 did the program at which point one of them stopped and has since lost what he accomplished. The other adapted to a less intensive program and has stayed in pretty good shape since then.

As Jason says if you need focus and/or pushing to higher intensity levels and lack a workout partner then something like this can work. Since it’s high rep low weight it would probably also work as a primer to get you foundation for heavier things if you wished or to cut up if to big. Personally I think most people get more out of putting the time into developing their own fitness programs that are sustainable.

I liken this type of program to crash dieting. Physical fitness like good nutrition is a lifestyle so while you may make substantial gains quickly most people are likely to loose them because they didn’t during that time adopt sustainable healthy habits. No reason not to try it out if you already have it but you should make a point to develop a sustainable program along the way.

My take anyway.

Cheers,
Dean

Thanks guys. I'm already in decent shape and am fairly careful about what I eat, so really I'm just looking for some new exercises to try to keep my workouts interesting. I put on about 8 lbs of "baby weight" between the time the baby was born and now, so I'm not trying to set world records, just getting back to fighting my weight.

Since I do most of my working out at home, I'm curious to see all of what they put together in their workout routines.

I'm not sure if I'll go whole hog for 90 days (unlikely), but I might give one or two of the workouts a try. They look like a$$ kickers.

Thanks for the info.

Jason

Haven't tried this. But I did notice a plyometrics DVD. From past experience, that's a session that you want to have with a trainer. There's a few plyo exercises that can really hurt you if you don't do them correctly and in moderation.

If you're a cyclist or want to be one, the Spinerval series are great. I've done the first few and they are great workouts. It does require you to have a trainer to put on your bike, I got one on craigslist for $100. It's similar to having a spin class at home.

CrossFit

Looking for a workout program? Go to the above. Do the workout of the day everyday (the include rest days). Three days on, one day off. Scaled down versions are included here, as the main page ones are for fitness beasts.

Thanks for the link Craig. I've bookmarked it to take a look at in more detail.

Jason

I've read a little about crossfit before. The wife and I were going to try to do it together but coudn't find a group to fit our schedule. We have Club One gym at work and I was going to use our in-house trainer but he wasn't trained on crossfit.

I'm still interested in doing it though. I get bored easily and prefer shorter, more intense workouts. Hence why I like cyclocross. And I'm amazed at what some of the elite crossfitters can do. There was an article in Men's Journal a few months back about a 70+ yr old guy that taught in So Cal. He surfs with Laird Hamilton. Nuff said.

The only downside to CrossFit for me is that I work out at home and don't have the garage space they advocate for a "proper" home gym with all of the recommended equipment.

At some point I hope to have room for a dedicated gym in the house, but for now, I'm squatting in an extra bedroom that is destined to be a kid's room before too long.

Jason

Oh, and btw, as I wrote Jay in a PM, I did Day 1 of P90x today.

While it's a good workout, my main gripe is that it takes so long to get through. Because I can't get through as many reps as they do (yet), I end up having more wait time between sets than I really need. (believe me, it's plenty hard)

With that said, once I know what all the moves are without watching the video, I imagine I can cut about 1/2 the time out (until I can do 2x the reps I can do now). I'm going to stick with it at least until I've tried all of the workouts. We'll see how it goes.

The Ab Ripper X program lives up to the name. My gut hurts!

And as I just replied, don't wait till the next set starts, give yourself some time to recover a little and then knock off a couple more reps before the time is up. This eliminates the extra wait time and you do more work

You can easily get away doing CrossFit without much equipment. I too workout at home, and just have a basic bench, dumbbells, barbell, and a pullup bar. Also bought a kettlebell, but it's not necessary. The FAQ on their site has subs for anything you need to do that requires odd equipment.
I really enjoy it because it has a relatively short time requirement, intense, and is quite varied. The Workout of the Days are great cause they take all the thinking out of exercise, which is perfect!

I have used freetrainers.com for a more usual approach to weight training, as they have built in 8 week programs that you just print off and follow week to week. The weeks are customizeable for 2, 3, 4 or as many days a week you want to work out. It came in handy when I got bored of my more usual routines.

Thanks for the update Craig - in that case I may take a second look. I've actually been considering getting a kettlebell as well. Do you get by ok with just one or do you find you need a pair?

By the way, I'm now through two days of P90x (I'm at P2x!). The plyometrics workout yesterday was a killer. My main complaint remains the same, the workouts are lengthy, an hour or more each. However, at this point I can make it work in my schedule so I'm going to stick with it for a week or two and see if I'm still enjoying it.

I generally get bored doing the same routines after more than 2-3 weeks, so I might be back to looking at crossfit or freetrainers like Jay mentioned once I tire of the P90 routines.

Jason

I keep expecting this to be about machine guns.

I think there might be an ab exercise with a name involving machine guns.

I saw the P0x infomercial last night for the first time.

Holy. I wish I could look like he does at 50 now at my age of 41.

With P90X, the whole idea is to do different routines, so for the first few weeks you get to do the same ones then a week break with the yoga or what ever and then onto the next set of routines which are even more demanding and different than the first ones, etc. You shouldn't get bored with the same routines as it changes, but you may get bored with the idea of working out for an entire hour, but really most real workouts take about an hour anyway. I did start to split up P90X inot 30 minute work outs just from time constraints.

I'm up to P4x at this point and scheduled for P5 today. I'm finding that once I know what the moves are that are scheduled in the workout for the day, I can get them done in ~40 minutes, which isn't bad, especially considering I'm doing them at home and don't have to drive to/from the gym.

The exceptions (that I know about so far) are the cardio and yoga days. They are just both long workouts and it's hard to cut time out of them. Yoga was interesting... haven't done that for about 6 years and it made me realize just how inflexible I'd become.

Jason

For those of you interested (relatively few I'm certain), I'm through the first month of P90x and it is definitely working its magic on me.

Some quick facts:

Waist, -2 inches
Abdomen, - 3 inches
Hips, -1 inch

Weight, -7 lbs, though I've now started to gain again as muscle is overtaking fat - or so I hope, it could just be Christmas!

Resting Heart Rate - Down ~18%
Max Pull ups - increased 100%

More importantly, the changes are starting to become visible which is encouraging me to hit the next 60 days just as hard as the first 30. Hopefully I can stick with it!

Jason

Good work Jason!!, Now I just need to get motivated to do the same

That’s great Jason especially considering this time of year is notoriously hard to stay focused on something like that.

Well, I hit the sweets and baked goods pretty hard over Christmas, but I did manage to keep to the workout schedule, so still better than just gorging myself and then sleeping it off like I do most years.

Jason

Awesome job Jason... I have the program and must say hard is an understatement. I'm 44 and have always been athletic, my last fitness endeavour was biking. I knew I wasn't strong but I thought I had some cardio, wrong!!! That first week humbled me immensely. My entire upper body ached, hip flexers were killing me, I was a big ball of pain. I had to ask my 82 year old dad who just got out of the hospital from a bad car wreck to slow down when we were walking around a store.
I am now on a contract in California working 60+ hours a week (to save for my Axioms)so I put it off until I get back home but you are really inspiring me to "just push play"....

Good luck and keep us posted.
Jim

Hey Jim, funny you mention the hip flexors... apparently mine were immensely week as well. The first time I did the ab workout my hips flexors hurt me worse than my stomach muscles. Of course the next day it was hard to decide which hurt more, but at the time I'd have sworn it was a leg workout.

I'll keep you guys posted. One more workout this week then I get a rest on Sunday (and I need it!).

Right now I'm breaking most of the P90x rules by kicking back on the deck in the 70 degree twilight sipping a beer and listening to my Algonquins. It's a top 10 evening in Texas tonight, what a night to be on the deck surrounded by Axiom.

Jason

Jason

70 deg!!! We are at -13F/-25C right now I just did a couple of the Wii Fit excercises and considering I haven't done anything remotely like a workout in a number of months or any workouts strung together for almost 2 years, Yes I have become a couch potato , The exercise felt good.

On the plus side my Wii Fit age is 33, not that it is all that hard to get that reading, I am sure I will improve on that shortly.

Sounds like you have a bad case of Axiom-itus... Every once in a while you just have to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor...

Jim

Hey guys... Well, since I started this thread I figure I owe it to you to let you know how it turned out. It's now ~90 days later and I finished P90x on schedule about a week ago (and have now started round two).

The end results were just what I was looking for. Most of my body measurements that I posted in my last update stayed the same (waist & abdomen both -2"), though I did manage to add an inch to my biceps and shrink my thighs by an inch since I last posted as well. I also ended with the 'six-pack' I was looking for, even though I have to strain a bit to see them all, they are there. (compared to my "zero-pack" before I started, I'm not complaining)

On pullups, I maxed out at 21 in a single set at the end of 90 days (compared to 8 when I started). 20 was my goal when I started, though honestly I didn't think I'd ever get there, so I'm pretty amazed with how much strength I've added in just three months.

For anyone looking for a serious workout that will get you major results in 90 days, P90x is the real deal. Feel free to PM me if anyone is interested in more detailed info. Otherwise thanks for listening.

Jason

Hey, very nice progress.

Just saw P90X available in WalMart(?) up here. I guess with the advanced version out they don't mind selling it in a store now.

Yeah, I think the originals are close to 5 years old now, so they're probably looking for new outlets to keep the cash flowing in. I'm planning on trying the advanced version after I do the first round one more time.

Jason

Well, we did the P90X stretching DVD yesterday. It was an odd mix of sports stretches (which I recognized), yoga poses (which Lisa recognized) and some basic core strengthening.

Was a pretty good hour long stretch. The host is kind of annoying, but it wasn't too bad.

Bren R.

Cool Bren, you planning on doing any of the other videos too?

Jason

To be honest, I probably won't even do this one again. I just went along with it after you mentioning it here.

I'd rather just do things at my own pace and not have to keep peeking over at the TV to see what's coming up.

Bren R.

Gotcha. I've only done the stretching routine once myself because I found it fairly boring. It's a once a week workout in their master program that they use as a rest day. If you like going at your own pace, you probably won't ever love this.

For me the scheduling works really well, but I'm more anal-retentive and really like having a detailed schedule and knowing exactly what I'm going to do every day (without it, I find myself not working out at all!).

Jason

The pacing is just weird for me... I'd like to hold some stretches (especially shoulders) longer because it takes longer (due to injuries) for those to open up.

And the thigh ones, especially hero pose, I'm long stretched and starting to put undue pressure on joints, and he's still talking.

I dunno, between playing and coaching... I know how I like to stretch, doing that video was like following another person in a car to a place I've been a few thousand times. Rather take my own route and pace.

Bren R.

Is it just me or is Jason's avatar strange.

It's definitely you. :p