P90X

In a nutshell here's one way to go about it:

4 weeks: General Conditioning/Movement Prep

Pushups: 10 rep

Squats: 15 reps

Repeat for 2-4 sets, limited rest between exercises, 30-60s between sets

Inverted Row: 10 reps

Alternating Lunges: 15 reps each leg

Repeat for 2-4 sets, limited rest between exercises, 30-60s between sets

Explosive Pushups: 10 reps

Jump Squats: 15 reps

Repeat for 2-4 sets, limited rest between exercises, 30-60s between sets

4 weeks: General Strength: Increase Neuromuscular Effeciency: Twice a week:

Front Squat: 1 or 2 light warm-up sets, then 1 set to technical failure around 10-15 reps

DB Bench: 1 or 2 light warm-up sets, then 1 set to technical failure around 10-15 reps

Leg Curl: 1 or 2 light warm-up sets, then 1 set to technical failure around 10-15 reps

DB Row: 1 or 2 light warm-up sets, then 1 set to technical failure around 10-15 reps

4 weeks: General Strength: Increase Strength: Twice a week:

Front Squat: 1 or 2 light warm-up sets, then 1 set to technical failure around 4-6 reps

DB Bench: 1 or 2 light warm-up sets, then 1 set to technical failure around 4-6 reps

Leg Curl: 1 or 2 light warm-up sets, then 1 set to technical failure around 4-6 reps

DB Row: 1 or 2 light warm-up sets, then 1 set to technical failure around 4-6 reps

4 weeks: Specific Strength: Utilization of event specific exercises and increased power: once a week:

Plyos: 3 sets of 5 each: box jumps, split box jumps, focus on power and explosiveness

DB Alternating Lunge: 1 or 2 light warm-up sets, then 1 set to technical failure around 4-6 reps...focus on exploding back up

Cable Alternating Press: 1 or 2 light warm-up sets, then 1 set to technical failure around 4-6 reps...focus on quick turn around and fast reps

Single Leg Curl: 1 or 2 light warm-up sets, then 1 set to technical failure around 4-6 reps...focus on fast contraction speed

Standing Cable Row: 1 or 2 light warm-up sets, then 1 set to technical failure around 4-6 reps...focus on fast contraction speed

Maintenance: Done during your peak training/racing: once a week:

Split Jump: 3 sets of 10

Explosive Pushups: 3 sets of 10

Anyway....that's one way to do it. Without knowing your specific situation, time, resources and exact schedule it would be hard to put together a good program.

Alan

Synic wrote:

The advertizements are all over ESPN and this website.

How legit is this?

Would it be good for a distance runners?

It just seems like a series of workouts, some extreme, with supplements, right?

Any opinions?

P90X is the more advanced version of its predecessor Power 90. With Power 90, the "advanced" workouts are 38 minutes (for weight training) and about 45 minutes for the cardio. You alternate days and then take one day off each week. P90X workouts are about an hour long.

P90X is pretty extreme, and you should be in decent muscular shape before attempting it in my opinion. Many people try it and find they can't keep up and then do something like Power 90 first.

With both Power 90 and P90X, you'll need dumbbells and a sturdy chair. For P90x, you'll also need a pull up bar. The best one for the money in my opinion is the Iron Gym Extreme; fits in your door frame and holds up to 300 pounds without damaging your door.

Both programs can get you super fit and ripped. Depending on how fat you are, it might take 90 days or 450 days. I've used Power 90 a lot over the course of the last 7 years, and it whips me into shape every time I do a round (one time so ripped that my before and after photos were on Beach Body's home page), and then if I stop working out, I lose the rippedness and put fat back on. Funny how that works. I'm currently in the middle of another Power 90 round which I supplement with running, so currently I'm pretty fit, but I've got some fat to lose yet.

If you can't drop and easily do 10 REALLY GOOD pushups, then you shouldn't even think of doing P90X. The advanced sculpt (weights) workout in Power 90 has you do decline pushups with your feet up on a chair, and you adjust the weights to what is appropriate to challenge you. Do Power 90 first and then graduate to P90X...that's my opinion on that.

IF you'd rather not use any weights at all, you could do another one of Beach Body's products - Insanity -

. I've done P90X and Power 90 but not this one yet. The deal here is that it's a 60 day program and everything is done hard and fast.

The thing is that with any workout program, they work when you do them, and they don't work if you don't do them. Simple as that. If you ate extremely well, and worked out with weights 10 minutes a day three days a week and ran even just 20 minutes a day 3-4 days a week on top of that, you could be pretty fit and look ripped and all that...just need to run more to improve the running skill, but getting ripped is just all about doing consistent work and not eating crap. Easy to say. Harder to consistently do.

p90x changed my life. Couldn't recommended it more.

Changed my whole workout thought process. For 120 bucks can't beat it. Basically reps till failure(I think people get in trouble with this because they pick too light of a weight) with little rest between next exercise. Modify what you have trouble doing. Just stick with it.

I made my own pullup bar from this site.

http://celtickane.com/projects/homemade-pullup-bar/

Used a resistance band around bars to assist for pull ups at first.

Modified to make it wider and have handles as well.

I used the gym for the weight workouts because of weight changes required.

Used resistance straps as well to mix it up.

Recently purchased these at Costco. At the time for less than 300 bucks.

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10328485&search=dumbbells&Mo=2&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-CA&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Sp=S&N=0&whse=BCCA&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Ne=4000000&D=dumbbells&Ntt=dumbbells&No=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

Now I'm starting again at home.

I am on week 6 of my first P09X cycle. In a nutshell - I love it. It is as good as advertised.

I was very skeptical of the whole thing. In fact, I called my friend, who is a strength/conditioning coach for a professional basketball team. He said P90X is the real deal. I then talked to a couple elite runners to see if they could find areas of fault with this program. Each of them had either completed P90X or was incorporating different workouts from P90X. I was stunned.

I am a high school CC and track coach. Depending on the time of year, and the running cycle I was in, I was running between 30 - 60 miles a week. As I aged in to my late 30s, the weight did not come off as easily, even with modifying my diet, and increasing my mileage. I also started having minor knee, hip, and back issues, even with a decent stretching and weight routine.

After only 2-3 weeks of P90X, all the back, knee, and hip pain are gone. This is a total body system. EVERYTHING gets worked. Core, arms, legs, flexibility. . . everything. Also, the softness in typical middle age man areas is turning in to lean muscle. I feel younger, and I think I look younger. I have shoulders again!

I have began to incorporate the core, yoga, and some of the chest/arms in to my high school practices. The guys can't seem to get enough of it. While they complain during each of the workouts in typical HS boy fashion, they are always asking with enthusiasm for more. I honestly can't believe it, but the entire team keeps coming back, as I make these supplemental workouts optional. After only 3 weeks, the improvement in these boys core muscles, is pretty amazing. I attribute that to the yoga, and core routine I learned from P90X.

There are options from the P90X system that allow for what they call 'P90X lean' which you do more reps, and less weight. Build lean muscle, and not put on the mass.

If you are on the fence, buy it. I doubt you will regret it. It was the best $120 I have spent in a long time.

TurdFurguson

Well if I had all the time in the world and workout gym near my house. But thanks for the info.

changed my life. been doing it doe 2.5 years now and am pushing 50. i am in the best shape of my life and that counts the 15 years when I was running 100+ miles!

For those that say they have been doing it for several years, is this several years straight? I did it for 90 days and towards the end kind of wanted to be done. I loved most of it and had great results- brought my pull up PR from 15-29, definitely gained muscle in the right places- but did not enjoy the non lifting days for the most part.

In fact, at one point I stopped doing one of the cardio days and would just got for a run instead.

I can't imagine anybody doing p90x for years straight. I even been thinking about doing p60x, my own version. Since I've been working out pretty hard for a while since I finished p90x i think it could work.

Waterboarder....

do those costco weights you have a link to work well for you when doing p90x? can you change the weight on them very quickly so you don't have to pause the video?

i'm considering dropping some cash for something like that and want to find the best product for around the $350 range.

Thanks in advance.

X this wrote:

Waterboarder....

do those costco weights you have a link to work well for you when doing p90x? can you change the weight on them very quickly so you don't have to pause the video?

i'm considering dropping some cash for something like that and want to find the best product for around the $350 range.

Thanks in advance.

$350! Man. Go to Play It Again Sports and buy several sets of weights...enough for you to use for WAY less than $350. I don't want to have to fiddle around with changing the weights; I'd rather have set weight dumbbells...and hey, that's what I do have.

Go to sears.com

search for Weider PowerSwitch 100

Inexpensive, easy to change, do not need to pause. 50 lbs. max each side, which unless you are built like a linebacker, should be enough weight.

TurdFurguson

Flagpole wrote:

[quote]X this wrote:

Waterboarder....

do those costco weights you have a link to work well for you when doing p90x? can you change the weight on them very quickly so you don't have to pause the video?

i'm considering dropping some cash for something like that and want to find the best product for around the $350 range.

Thanks in advance.

Weight change is easy. They have levers for quick weight change and map you place next to it for the weight amount.

I had weights but was forever stopping and changing weight amounts. Buying adjustable weights is tricky because they come in set amounts. If you don't buy the 55's the next is 35's and I was already using greater weight on some of my shoulder exercises. I still have the old dumbbells but I set that for the larger weight I need to pull i.e.. Lawnmowers.

$350.00 for adjustables up to 55lbs is a great buy.

I hear you flagpole. My issue is that I'm extremely limited on space. If I can get a good product that will last a long time I don't mind spending the money.

If I didn't live in a tiny condo I would definitely go with multiple sets of weights.

Went to the Sears website and I agree with Turd.

The Weider's set is a better bargain. I bought my 55's

in January at Costco for @300.

X this wrote:

I hear you flagpole. My issue is that I'm extremely limited on space. If I can get a good product that will last a long time I don't mind spending the money.

If I didn't live in a tiny condo I would definitely go with multiple sets of weights.

Then get those changeable weights brother! A couple here say it's not a problem to change and that you don't have to pause your workout...maybe those Weider ones are better than others I've seen. Main thing is to do it! HUGE biceps await you...no kidding. I wish other areas of my fitness could improve as quickly as my biceps come back to life when I'm working out.

So, if you don't have those magically switchable weights, which you apparently don't flagpole, how much do you recommend. I'm getting p90x coming soon and I'm curious how many different weights you NEED. I have one of those sets that you screw on the ends - can be from 5-50 each side. But it takes way too much time to keep up with the switching exercises in p90x from what I've seen. Is 3-4 different dumbbell pairs enough to get the variety for p90x?

after the 90 days I dropped all cardio (and continued with my usual running program). Monday and Wednesday I do the weight disks (c/b, s/b/t, c/s/t, b/b) and M,W,F abs X. It is my maintence program. (also do yoga once a week)

For those who want to save a few bucks, you might consider looking on Craig's List ... go to "fitness" and do search for it. I live in Houston and was able to find a number of brand new packages for about $65 to $75

The Stache wrote:

So, if you don't have those magically switchable weights, which you apparently don't flagpole, how much do you recommend. I'm getting p90x coming soon and I'm curious how many different weights you NEED. I have one of those sets that you screw on the ends - can be from 5-50 each side. But it takes way too much time to keep up with the switching exercises in p90x from what I've seen. Is 3-4 different dumbbell pairs enough to get the variety for p90x?

It depends on how strong you are. You should use a weight that allows you to do 8-15 reps per exercise (smaller number of reps if you want to build bulk, and higher reps if you slimmer toned look). Yes, 3-4 pairs is enough variety. Lately I've been using 15 pounds for anything I raise above the shoulder, 10 pounds for shoulder flys and kick backs (a triceps exercise), and I've been using 20 pounds for bicep curls and heavy pants, but I need to up this to 30 pounds for the biceps and maybe even more for heavy pants and lawnmower exercises as they've become too easy. When I started lifting weights in 2003, I hadn't done any weight lifting at all since college in the 80s, and so I started really light...5 pounds for shoulder exercises and 10 pounds for biceps curls. Slowly I added the 15 pounds and 20 pounds, and now I don't use the 5 pound dumbbells at all.

Can you substitute bands for weights, and if so, what kind of bands would work best?