P90x

P90x Round 3 Doubles Day 5

January 29, 2011 – 1:37 am

Today was Legs & Back and Ab Ripper X. The more I do the Legs & Back workout, the more I realize how much more work my legs need then the rest of me. My legs are my weakest area. More specifically, my hamstrings need the most work. My quads are much stronger than my hamstrings, and I have learned that this makes you more susceptible to pulling a hamstring. The only injury I have had from doing P90x was during my first time through it. I pulled a hamstring in my left leg while doing a lunge in the Legs & Back workout. I felt a pop and then a hot tingling sensation. After that, the pain came.

Currently I am not strong enough to be able to use weights yet in this workout. My body weight was more than enough for my legs today. I ended this workout about halfway through. A hamstring in my left leg, I think the same one I had pulled in round 1 of P90x, started to hurt in a bad way.

I didn’t do Ab Ripper X. So far I have been struggling mentally this first week of P90x, and have been feeling sluggish.

One of my goals is to get rid of this unbalance in strength, and develop stronger legs, and stronger hamstrings.

I don’t do well not eating before workouts, so for my pre-workout snack I ate energy pudding, and then got to working out.

Today I decided to make a batch of the energy pudding so I could refrigerate a bunch and have a supply ready to go in the fridge, that way I don’t have to run the blender every morning. I love it! For me it is the perfect vegan pre-exercise snack!

P90x Round 3 Doubles Day 4

January 28, 2011 – 8:02 am

I am now on Day 4 of my journey to get fit with P90x. Today was Yoga X.

My main motivation to do P90x is to achieve better performance in life. Yeah, I do want to get ripped, but most important to me is to achieve a higher level of fitness. I want to be able to enjoy life, do more, and not get out of breath walking up stairs. I want to be able to play any kind of sport or recreation and not be held back. I want to enjoy fantastic health from this point on until the day I leave this exciting world.

I am very glad they included Yoga X into the P90x program. It helped me break the stereotype that it is just for women. I’ve benefited greatly from it.

I hated it at first, but I kept trying it. As a result, my confidence about Yoga X is much higher. I’ve completed it so many times now that doing it isn’t much of a problem anymore, because I know I can get through it.

After the month I took off from exercising, I wasn’t able to do it as well as I was doing it at the end of round 2 of P90x. I lost quite a bit of flexibility and leg strength. One positive is that I was able to hold Crane pose for 40 seconds, the longest I have gone yet without touching a foot on the ground.

P90x Round 3 Doubles Day 3

January 27, 2011 – 9:26 am

Today’s workout was Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper X. I still can tell that my body isn’t quite into the swing of things after taking a month off from exercising. I still did a lot better working out today than I did on day 1. Day 1 was a shock.

Ab ripper X is a lot harder after not exercising for a month. It was very difficult to finish.

During this first week I just want to make it through it in one piece. There have been many times when I have set unrealistic goals, so I’ve been learning over time that I do better taking things one small step at a time.

One. Small. Step. At. A. Time.

By getfitblogger | Tagged P90x, p90x doubles | Comments (0)

P90x Round 3 Doubles Day 2

January 26, 2011 – 11:41 pm

Man, I am so very sore from yesterday’s Chest & Back workout. It feels great though! I thought I didn’t do very well in yesterday’s workout, however, judging how sore I am, I definitely damaged them (it’s weird to think of it that way isn’t it?). In this case, I welcome the damage, because I know it will lead to GROWTH!!!!!

Today was Plyometrics. I love this workout, it is a lot of fun. I got my jump on and was moving and grooving. All went well.

I do my workouts in the morning and so far I’ve found that I preform best when I eat before I workout. So, in an attempt to find a pre-workout snack that would be easy to digest and provide me the fuel needed to complete a P90x workout, I made and tried the energy pudding recipe found in my current favorite book, Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life.

My wife and I both liked the energy pudding. It was exactly what I was looking for. After eating I only had to wait around 20 minutes before I felt ready to workout. I had energy, and felt great. It was the easy to digest pre-workout snack I have been looking for.

Currently I don’t have the book on hand. I had previously rented the book from the library, and after reading it I wanted to get my own copy, but I decided to buy it later. Now that I’ve seen how awesome the energy pudding is, I am even more excited to try the other recipes in it, and have finally ordered it.

The Plyometrics workout went great, although I can tell that a month of not working out has certainly brought my fitness level down a few steps.

After the workout I wanted to do something to alleviate my soreness, so I tried a hot and cold shower. I had the hot water go for a couple of minutes and then turned it to cold for around a minute (or as long as I could handle it). I managed to repeat that 3 times.

After the hot and cold shower my muscles felt much better! It is uncomfortable, but I find it a worthwhile way to combat soreness. Try it out and let me know what you think!

By getfitblogger | Tagged P90x, p90x doubles | Comments (0)

P90x Round 3 Doubles Day 1

January 25, 2011 – 9:47 pm

It’s been about a month since I ended my 2nd round of P90x, today I started day one of my 3rd round. This time I’m going to try the doubles schedule which makes me nervous because the classic schedule of P90x is hard enough as it is without the extra Cardio X workout thrown in there.

Day 1 was the Chest & Back and Ab Ripper X workouts. I did the workout after I woke up and tried to do it without eating anything beforehand. Sometimes I can get by doing the workouts without eating anything before, while other times, like today, I completely crashed about two-thirds of the way through Chest & Back. Like a car out of gas, I exhausted my energy supply before the workout was over. I ended it early and didn’t do Ab Ripper X.

Eating Before Working Out Dilemma

When I think about it, one of the trickiest things for me to figure out is what, when, and how much to eat before I workout. Sometimes when I eat I don’t eat enough and I crash while I’m working out, other times I eat way too much and I have to wait too long before I can workout.

Since I do my workouts in the morning, what I really want is a nice pre-exercise snack that I can eat before working out. I don’t want to have to wait an hour before I start my workout either, so I want something that is easy to digest, but will provide me with what I need to get through my workout with flying colors.

There’s a great book called Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brendan Brazier. It is an awesome resource for vegans, and is great to own because there are a bunch of awesome sounding recipes in it. Some of them include pre-workout snacks and post-workout recovery drinks.

I have never tried any of them, but since I am struggling so much with what to eat before I workout, I’m going to give his “energy pudding” recipe a shot as a pre-workout snack before I do plyometrics.

Also, I am going to take his nutrition advice and eat more of what is recommended in his book. In my second round of P90x I wasn’t as focused with my diet as I would like to be. I want better results than I got in round 2, so I’m going to be more focused this time through.

I would love to hear from anyone else who is doing or has done P90x. How is it going or how did it go?

By getfitblogger | Tagged P90x, p90x doubles | Comments (0)

Starting a 3rd Round of P90x

January 24, 2011 – 2:04 am

After a month off of P90x I am ready to start it up again. This will be my 3rd time doing it, but it will be my first time following the doubles schedule.

The other two times I followed the classic schedule, which certainly is plenty hard enough as it is. I am choosing to do the doubles schedule because I want to lose weight faster and, since this will probably be my last time through P90x for some time, I really want to give it my all.

I have yet to do the Cardio X workout, because in the classic P90x version it isn’t in the schedule, so you never do it. For those that don’t know, there are three different ways to do P90x. They are; classic, lean, and doubles. Classic is the standard way to do P90x, lean is for those that want to do less weightlifting, and doubles has an extra cardio workout (called Cardio X) included in the schedule.

After the first 30 days of the P90x doubles schedule is when you start doing two workouts a day 3 times a week. And, during the last 30 days of the program is when you start to do 2 workouts a day 4 times a week. I’m sure it will really whip me into shape! It sounds like it is going to be hard.

It says in the P90x Fitness Guide that you should be “completely injury free and have plenty of energy to add another workout to the schedule three or four days per week”. I am injury free, and I feel like I have enough energy to add the extra workout.

I would love to hear from anyone else who is doing P90x right now, or has done the doubles program. How is it going for you, or how did it go for you?

By getfitblogger | Tagged P90x, p90x doubles, P90x Fitness, p90x fitness guide | Comments (0)

My Round 2 P90x Transformation

January 23, 2011 – 5:33 am

After completing my first 90 day round of P90x I went from 182 to 171 lbs. I felt great, and was happy to have lost 11 lbs, but after it ended I made a critical mistake- I altogether stopped working out and eating right (read about it here – My P90x Horror Story – After 9 Months I Gained It All Back + More).

Only until I weighed 206 lbs did I finally decide I needed to get back on track before I continued on this nightmare roller-coaster. I started working out and doing P90x, and also decided to give vegetarianism a try.

I Lost 41 lbs Eating Vegetarian And Doing P90x On And Off For 7 Months

Once I started exercising and eating better, the weight really started to fall off. In 6 weeks of P90x I lost 10 lbs. After that I started working out off and on doing either P90x or some other kind of workout. Generally, I would do a P90x workout, stop exercising for a couple of days, and then start up again. I kept restarting P90x to day 1 hoping that I would stick with it and begin doing the workouts daily, but over the 7 months I was more irregular with my workouts than I should have been. On the positive side I still averaged 2-3 workouts a week, and overall, I was consistent and persistent enough to achieve results!

Over those seven months I ate mainly vegetarian and then towards the end I began to transition to a vegan diet. After seeing and feeling how well vegetarianism was working for me, I wanted to give veganism a shot.

After Going From 206 lbs To 165 lbs I Committed to Completing A Full Round Of P90x

When I got to 165 lbs, I started and committed to finishing a complete round of P90x. I was tired of exercising on and off and I wanted to complete a full second round of P90x, which I had yet to do.

During my first round of P90x I followed the nutrition plan, but this time around I didn’t because I was transitioning to a vegan diet which meant I was no longer eating dairy, eggs, or meat.

Figuring out how to successfully eat a vegan diet was the hardest part of my second round because I felt like I had to relearn how to eat all over again. I really struggled with it, and I think it didn’t help me get as good of results as I could have, because I ended up generally eating as much as I wanted, and whatever I wanted. For the most part though, I did manage to avoid refined grains, refined sugar, and junk foods.

I am very happy with what I achieved. I got back on the right track and have adjusted my mind to look at fitness with a long-term perspective rather than short-term.

Pants that used to not fit me now fit me, and pants that fit me before will now fall off if I don’t wear a belt. I went from getting comments about how much weight I had gained to now hearing comments about how much weight I have lost. I can say without a doubt that I prefer hearing the latter comments over the others!

My Round 2 P90x Results

I started round 2 of P90x weighing 165 lbs, and ended it weighing 157 lbs. In total I lost 8 lbs. I also got noticeably stronger and my endurance improved.

I hated how I looked in the mirror and how I felt when I weighed 206 lbs. Now I am much happier! I am seeing my muscles slowly emerge which is getting me really excited to start a third round of P90x!

What I Learned During Round 2 Of P90x

Weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise
Be consistent and persistent with exercise and eating healthy and the results will come!
I enjoy eating vegan!

By getfitblogger | Tagged P90x, p90x before and after, P90x Results, p90x success story, p90x transformation, p90x weight loss | Comments (2)

Can You Skip Yoga on P90x?

January 4, 2011 – 8:35 pm

So you hate Yoga huh? Or perhaps you haven’t tried it, but are thinking to yourself, “Ain’t no way I’m gonna do that weird Yoga voodoo!”. Well, whatever your reason for not liking Yoga, lets just get to the question.

Skipping Yoga On P90x – Will It Ruin Everything If I Skip Yoga X?

P90x is a well thought out home fitness program formulated to give you the complete package. Each workout targets a different area or aspect of fitness. So in short, you will be slapping Tony Horton in the face (and you’ll make him cry), if you choose to not do the Yoga X workout.

Nah, not really, I’m just kidding. The truth is that Yoga X is a tough workout, and it is long too. It is an hour and a half long and it has a lot of difficult Yoga moves and poses.

However, I have to say that for me, Yoga has been the most beneficial workout in the P90x program. So let me sidestep answering this first question and proceed to the next question.

What Will I Miss Out On If I Skip Yoga? What’s The Big Deal About It Anyway?

So what’s all the fuss about Yoga? Why in the world do the creators of P90x think you need to do Yoga?

Let me tell you just a few of the basic benefits of this awesome old form of exercise.

Improve flexibility – Spend enough time twisting like a pretzel, and you can bet you’ll get more flexible.
Gain strength – Helps you gain all around strength
Calm your mind and body – Yoga helps you stay calm in the storm.
Improve breathing – Because you focus on breathing during Yoga, it helps you improve your breath control.

For me personally, the biggest benefits from Yoga that I have received are improved flexibility, focus, and control over my body. Tony Horton talks about calmness in the storm during Yoga X. Practicing this idea has helped me in my other workouts and elsewhere in my life.

It is hard to believe that such a hard workout could leave you with a calmer and more relaxed mind and body, but with Yoga X, it happens. The focus on breathing and staying relaxed helps you unwind.

For a more detailed explanation about why Yoga is super awesome, read – The Health Benefits of Yoga

Ok, Ok, Ok! I Get It That Yoga Is Awesome, But I Still Don’t Wanna Do It!

So you understand that Yoga is hugely beneficial for you, and that it will only help you achieve better results, but you still don’t want to do it?

Substitute For Yoga P90x – Can’t I Just Replace It With Something Else?

Getting fit is more important than following the program 100%, so if Yoga X is absolutely keeping you from doing P90x, or ruining everything for you, if you really must substitute it, you could do Cardio X in it’s place.

I recommend you do your best and forget the rest, and give Yoga X a try. Just do what you can and each time try to do a little better. If you aim to do what you can, and try to improve each time, before you know it you will be rocking Yoga X.

Unleash Your Inner Beast And Go For It! The Benefits You Get From Yoga X Make It EXTREMELY Worthwhile!

P90x is a tough program. During the middle of the week muscles are often sore and tight and in need of stretching. Flexibility is something that is often hugely undervalued in fitness programs. P90x is not one of those programs. Yoga is in there to help you get a great workout, and also help you limber up- and help you limber up it will!

People get fat because they DON’T want to eat right and they DON’T want to exercise. Sometimes it is hard to workout when you don’t feel like doing it. It is hard to eat right when you are surrounded by tempting, sweet, and fatty foods. NOT doing what you SHOULD do (exercise and eat right) is what gets you into trouble health wise.

I encourage you to do Yoga X. It may be hard at first (it is for many), but with practice you will get better, and the benefits you receive from it after the 90 days are up will have made doing it more than worthwhile.

With all of that said, having gone through P90x myself, I understand why someone would want to skip the hour and a half long Yoga workout. There have been many days when I didn’t want to do it. I made myself do Yoga X during my first, and second round (I plan on doing it during my third round as well), but frankly, in a future round of P90x I may choose to not do Yoga X and to instead substitute it with Cardio X.

For those going through P90x for the first time, I recommend you continue to try the Yoga X workout and do the best that you can. However, if you feel like you really must skip it, do the Cardio X workout in it’s place!

By getfitblogger | Tagged can you skip yoga on p90x, P90x, skipping yoga on p90x, substitute for yoga p90x, tony horton | Comments (3)

P90x Soreness – Are You Really Sore After P90x?

November 25, 2010 – 8:04 am

Most people are sore after doing P90x, especially during the first
couple of weeks. During my first time through P90x I was terribly sore for the first couple of weeks, but I gradually started becoming less sore after workouts once the first month was over.

Soreness is something both the physically fit and terribly unfit experience after a hard workout. If you are really sore after doing P90x, don’t worry, it is perfectly normal… and it is expected!

What Causes Muscle Soreness After Working Out?

Muscles are made up of tiny muscle fibers. When you work your muscles hard, the muscle fibers tear from the stress. The pain associated is from the tears in the muscle fibers and from inflammation.

It may sound terrible, but if you want to get stronger, you want your muscle fibers to tear, because when the tiny tears heal, your muscles get stronger!

How To Recover From Muscle Soreness Faster

Ideally, you want to have your sore muscles recover and heal as fast as possible so that you can push it full throttle by the time you work them out again. The faster you recover, the faster you can get stronger, and the faster you can see results!

Here are a few tips to help you recover faster…

Make sure you do the cool down and stretching at the end of the P90x workouts.
Do X Stretch on the assigned days (even if it is optional)
Eat a meal after you workout. Since your body will be in need of building materials and fuel after a workout, a post-workout meal is important.
Drink plenty of water.
Get enough sleep! Sleep is prime time for healing. Everyone needs a different amount of sleep, so get the amount that feels right to you.

P90x Soreness Remedies

But what do you do about the pain in the meantime? While your muscles are hurting, here are a couple of remedies you can try to help alleviate stiff, sore muscles and speed recovery.

Take a hot and cold shower after you workout – alternate between hot water and cold water while you shower. Shower in hot water for 2 minutes and then cold water for 30 seconds, and repeat that 4 times.
Rub Arnica massage oil on sore muscles. Arnica is a flower with medicinal properties that are helpful for muscle pain and stiffness.

Embrace The Soreness

The soreness felt after working out means growth is coming! In a positive way of looking at it, it is your muscles way of telling you that you did a great job exercising them. Soreness means you tore your muscle fibers. And once those tears heal, you’ll be stronger!

By getfitblogger | Tagged P90x, p90x soreness, p90x too sore, really sore after p90x | Comments (0)

Is P90x Hard on the Knees?

September 8, 2010 – 2:34 am

If you have knee problems you may find yourself needing to take some of the P90x workouts more lightly than others.

The Plyometrics, Legs & Back, Kenpro X, and Yoga X workouts may cause some difficulty for someone with knee problems. Plyometrics involves a lot of jumping and squatting, Legs & Back has several lunges and squats, Kenpo X has kicking, and Yoga X has a lot of lunging.

P90x may be difficult for someone with knee trouble. However, there are ways you can adapt the exercises to not cause problems to your knees.

If you currently have knee problems, the high impact exercises in Plyometrics may be hard for you. In the Plyometrics workout you they show you a high impact and low impact version of the exercises. If you want to take it easy on your knees, do the low impact version.

For Yoga X, and Legs & Back you can squat or lunge as low as you can without pain or discomfort. If you feel pain or discomfort, don’t go down so low, and if some exercises are just too much for you, don’t do them. Listen to your knees.

With all the kicking in Kenpo X, it is important to not bang your knees when you do a kick. Stop your kicks before your knee joint locks to avoid injury.

You can tone down P90x and adapt certain exercises to be gentler on your knees. Listen to your knees while doing the exercises, and don’t ignore any pain or discomfort. P90x is tough, so give your knees time to adapt, and when you feel ready, increase the intensity.

When rehabilitating a knee, exercise is used to strengthen the muscles and tendons around the knee. Stretching is also used to loosen tight muscles and tendons. Why is it important to rehabilitate problematic knees with strength training and stretching? Because when leg muscles are weak or tight from lack of exercise or stretching, the knee joint is strained more during exercise or other activities. If the muscles that support the knee joint are weak, they will have a harder time supporting the knee joint. Tight muscles that are connected to the knee can also cause a knee to go out of place.

If you have knee problems, the bottom line is that you should take it easy and as your knees feel more capable, gradually increase the depth of the lunge or squat, or the weight. The idea though is to prevent injury and not to cause it, so listen to your knees, and back off if you feel discomfort or pain while doing a workout in P90x.

P90x works on building strength all over your body, which includes the leg muscles. It also works on improving flexibility. Building stronger and more flexible leg muscles helps to stabilize the knee so that it is less susceptible to injury. Improving strength and flexibility in the leg muscles will help to rehabilitate an injured knee as well as help prevent future injuries from occurring.

By getfitblogger | Tagged is p90x hard on the knees, P90x, p90x knee pain, p90x knees, p90x workout knee pain | Comments (0)