P90x

[Mac]

I've added the p90 ab ripper X to my 300 workout. Whew, I thought I was going to die the first time I did it last week (it hurt to breathe). Yesterday was my 4th time doing it, and I'm doing very well. Had my hands up during all of the in and outs. The thing that I struggle doing because of balance are the ones where you have to lay on your side and lift your feet/head.

 

[Dryden]

It gets easier after two weeks. Hell, it gets to be FUN after two weeks.

As for my progress, I wound up having to back off everything this week because I came down with a respiratory infection (classic symptom of overtraining) which didn't clear up completely until yesterday afternoon. Otherwise, I've been following along with my paleo diet and avoiding processed garbage outside of the occasional dinner roll or slice of pizza when time constraints prohibit fixing a real home cooked meal. I'm now over a full month without having either a cigarette or a soft drink - my two worst vices.

Last night I went out at 8:30 and ran a 5K four minutes under the times I was running just last month. I've dropped 11 lbs overall since starting P90x and going paleo, and I don't feel (or notice in the mirror) that I'm simply shedding water and muscle tissue, which is what people usually lose on fad diets/programs. Unfortunately, I expect I'm going to hit a wall here this month. I may have to resort to whey powders and l-glutamine shakes to add lean mass, because I just don't think I can possibly eat 150-160g+ of protein a day naturally. I don't have that kind of an appetite, even with the exercise, and I'm a hardgainer.

I love doing Plyo and Kenpo now. I really missed not being able to do those this past week.

 

[BlufftonBuckeye]

Dude, Plyo today was intense. Kicked my ass in a big way.

The diet has been ok, besides a beer I've stuck to it reasonably well. Cutting the carbs are hard, I really like mashed potatoes...and bread...

I have found that I can't seem to eat according to the plan as for as quantity, because I'm a fatass (250 lbs) and am supposed to get like 9 proteins a day. I try, but 6-7 is the most I can get. I just don't have the appetite to eat all of that. Is that what you're talking about as far as whey and l-glutamine? I have some whey, I suppose I can just start drinking one of those in the afternoon.

 

[Mac]

Rocked the p90 this morning at 7am...it's getting easier and easier. And I'm starting to feel results in the abs for sure.

 

[Dryden]

I have found that I can't seem to eat according to the plan as for as quantity, because I'm a fatass (250 lbs) and am supposed to get like 9 proteins a day. I try, but 6-7 is the most I can get. I just don't have the appetite to eat all of that. Is that what you're talking about as far as whey and l-glutamine? I have some whey, I suppose I can just start drinking one of those in the afternoon.

Well, I don't do the P90x diet specifically because I don't subscribe to portion control and the calories-in/calories-out equation. Calories and macro-nutrients are not created equal, so there is little reason to count them. Besides that point, any 'diet' that relies on portion control or points is doomed to failure. I'm not trying to diet, as that implies doing something short term. I'm trying to change my lifestyle and eat healthier overall, so it needs to be something I can realistically maintain. If that just means drinking water instead of Pepsi, having a Big Ass Salad for lunch instead of a combo meal from a fast food joint, and snacking on fruit, seeds, or nuts instead of cookies and candy before bed, well hey, every little bit helps. I know it does, because I'm seeing huge results in my body composition already.

Now, all that said, I am currently monitoring my protein intake. And I mean that as in estimating protein intake over the course of a week or on any random day. I am not carrying around a journal and writing down numbers off the nutrition label. The recommendation I'm working from is 0.5g/lb of lean mass to maintain weight if sedentary, 0.7g/lb of lean mass to maintain weight if active, 1.0g+/lb of lean mass to add weight, and even over that after cutting the carbs from grains. At 1.0g per pound of lean mass, that means I'm (5'-9.5") going to need to be taking in a minimum of 135g of protein per day to add mass, and ideally I'd be well over that. I know I cannot do that on a paleo diet without supplementation (which I'm generally against outside of daily multi-vitamins or Omega-3 fish oils). If I eat that many eggs I'll puke, and I cannot afford to eat that many steaks (I have a family of five, so if I'm going to eat steak every meal, I'm going to have to feed them steak every meal too). I'm going to need to get cheap, dense protein from somewhere, so at ~$1/25g serving I can't really think of anything better than whey powder.

My goal with P90x and my lifestyle change was never to lose weight (though I have), it was to gain mass.

 

[Dryden]

Today at lunch was Day 1 of Phase II for me (or beginning Week 5, Day 29 overall).

Let me tell you, if you haven't done the Chest, Shoulders & Triceps routine you're going to need a load of dumbbells and a sense of humor.

I have now had the pleasure of doing what is in my opinion the hardest body-weight exercise I've ever been asked to do (and military, diamond, and plyo push-ups are no walk in the park). The exercise is named "Two-Twitch Speed Push-Up." The way this is done is you do four regular push-ups as fast as you can (down-up x4 at ludicrous speed), then you immediately go into three regular push-ups at 1/4th time (count to four slowly on the way down, then count to four slowly on the way up x3). Repeat the sequence without pause over two minutes, or about four times (28 push-ups total if you follow the pace in the video).

That's 4 fast, 3 sloooow, 4 fast, 3 sloooow, etc ...

I think what makes this a challenge is that, on its face, it looks so easy. Anyone that is moderately fit is going to say, 'Oh, I can do fast push-ups, and I can do the slow deliberate push-ups. I'll hammer these right out.'

No flippin' way. Pain. Those slow push-ups BURN by the end.

 

[BlufftonBuckeye]

Well, today is day 10 for me, did plyo yesterday.

So far I'm about 4 lbs down, loving the workout. Kicks your ass, sure, but its a great program. Horton is an excellent instructor, and I really like how they have everything set up.

Been a good run so far, can't wait to see the progress from week 3 to 4, hopefully the number of pullups/pushups will be a bit more doable then.

 

[powerlifter]

Well, I don't do the P90x diet specifically because I don't subscribe to portion control and the calories-in/calories-out equation. Calories and macro-nutrients are not created equal, so there is little reason to count them. Besides that point, any 'diet' that relies on portion control or points is doomed to failure. I'm not trying to diet, as that implies doing something short term. I'm trying to change my lifestyle and eat healthier overall, so it needs to be something I can realistically maintain. If that just means drinking water instead of Pepsi, having a Big Ass Salad for lunch instead of a combo meal from a fast food joint, and snacking on fruit, seeds, or nuts instead of cookies and candy before bed, well hey, every little bit helps. I know it does, because I'm seeing huge results in my body composition already.

So true..

Any preference on the whey? I picked up syntha 6 for 18 bucks a few weeks ago. If you are just looking for something cheap,walmart always has the body fortress whey protein (2lbs,26 grams of whey) for 14 bucks. GNC rapes people.Always a good idea to check slickdeals.net.

Most of the time I use a whey blend that has very few carbs and sugars. It's a lot more compatible to diets using fat+protein/protein+ carb meals,then just having a shitload of carbs,regardless. I also use a casein powder for night time shakes.

 

[BrianO]

Good luck to all my P90X brothers and sisters! Keep hitting play!


Day 20 for me is in the books...


I think eating ?clean? - lean protein, avoiding bad saturated and trans fats, avoiding crap like soda and sugary junk and basically eating more fruits and veggies while drinking more water goes an awful long way for most people.


****Calories and macro-nutrients are not created equal


I certainly agree with this. 100 cal of soda and 100 cal of lean protein are not the same. Food is the fuel for your body's engine calories are only one aspect.


For me eating clean got me down to the last 10 pounds I wanted to lose. To kill those pesky last 10 pounds I did religious calorie counting. Even though it was a pain in the ass, It really educated me on what I was eating. Now I am in my target zone within 0-5 lbs of my high school and OSU graduation weight. I generally watch my portions but do not count calories unless I go astray. I do weight myself daily and have done so for a long time ? you have to be mentally tough ? it is certainly not for everyone. I also have a tape measure for my waist and a fat caliper. This type of measurement focus works for me but I certainly understand it is not for everyone.

 

[BrianO]

So true..

Any preference on the whey?

I have by no means done an exhaustive search but if weight maintenance is important I have had good luck with IsoPure. It tends to have very low saturated fat and cholesterol compared to many other brands. You can get it off Amazon.

 

[THEWOOD]

I have by no means done an exhaustive search but if weight maintenance is important I have had good luck with IsoPure. It tends to have very low saturated fat and cholesterol compared to many other brands. You can get it off Amazon.

I use Optimum Nutritions 100% Whey. I buy it in 5 pound tubs for for about 40 bucks. It tends to be the highest regarded whey protein available. I think it tastes fine and mixes very well, I mix with water only. Its 24g of protein/scoop.

 

[Dryden]

Any preference on the whey? I picked up syntha 6 for 18 bucks a few weeks ago. If you are just looking for something cheap,walmart always has the body fortress whey protein (2lbs,26 grams of whey) for 14 bucks. GNC rapes people.Always a good idea to check slickdeals.net.

Funny you mention that, because I wound up finding the Body Fortress at Meijer for $14. The popular brands of isolates sold at GNC are generally just an unnecessary waste of money to the people that buy them. 26g of powdered whey protein is 26g of powdered whey protein, the only measurable difference between concentrates, isolates and hydrolysates being how much lactose and fat are left in the powder after refinement (E.g., How 'pure' they are) and their rate of absorption (which is largely just slick marketing).

I'm not allergic or even sensitive to dairy in the slightest, so I don't see the reason to pay the premium for the purity of isolate when I can get a lot more for my money buying concentrate. The Body Fortress is cheap, has all the essential BCAAs and Glutamine already in it, and doesn't taste bad mixed vigorously for about 60 seconds in milk. It was admittedly a bit of a struggle to get down in water though, the texture was all wrong.

 

[THEWOOD]

I think the biggest thing when buying protein is mixability, taste and BCAAs. I have cut almost all dairy out of my diet and need something that mixes well with water. Also you better like the taste of whatever you buy since you are going to be drinking it twice a day.

 

[Dryden]

I think the biggest thing when buying protein is mixability, taste and BCAAs. I have cut almost all dairy out of my diet and need something that mixes well with water. Also you better like the taste of whatever you buy since you are going to be drinking it twice a day.

I've tried cutting dairy at various points in the past (the whole 'cows milk is for baby calfs' thing) but I just like whole fat milk too much. I actually wish there were a place around here where I could get fresh, raw "organic" milk instead of hormone-laden pasteurized stuff.

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

I use Optimum Nutritions 100% Whey. I buy it in 5 pound tubs for for about 40 bucks. It tends to be the highest regarded whey protein available.

where did you hear that? according to the product's nutrition facts, only 75% of the powder is protein. the company pulls the wool over the buyers' eyes by listing in its ingredients a "protein blend," which allows them to list whey protein isolate as the first ingredient even though it's definitely not the most abundant ingredient in the product. with only 75% of the powder being protein, concentrate is surely the most abundant ingredient. a product with pure whey isolate is about 90% to even 95% protein. whey concentrate is about 75%.

i generally don't look at the overall price of the protein product when i'm looking to buy more. instead, i determine the price per gram of protein. optimum nutrition's 100% whey (concentrate) is 3 cents/gram. the protein factory's 5 pounds of whey protein isolate is 2 cents/gram, which is 33% cheaper.

finally, the highest regarded protein available would generally be hydrolyzed. peptopro is widely regarded as "the" protein of choice. unfortunately, hydrolyzed proteins are extremely bitter. isolates and concentrates are much more palatable.