Anyone here ever done P90X?

[Xithras]

The last few years haven't been friendly to my body. Lack of time has kept me away from hiking, my job has shifted so that I now have a lot more sedentary desk work, and general apathy has kept me from worrying about it too much. I knew I was gaining weight, but last night I realized that I'd passed the 30 pounds threshold...I've put on 30 pounds in 3 years, and that isn't a good thing. I took a long, hard look at myself and realized that my pecs had turned into moobs, my 6-pack into a party keg, and I'm starting to grow a second chin. As I was looking myself over, my wife started cracking jokes about my "pillowy butt" as well. Thanks dear :eyes:

So, I'm looking for something that I can do in my own house to try and peel the weight back off and return a bit of definition to my muscles. I've been hearing about the P90X thing for a while, and there are a lot of blog comments talking about its effectiveness, but it's hard to differentiate the real comments from the astroturf. Does anyone here have any real-world experience with it, or know anyone who has? Does it work, or is it just another fitness fad?

[Arugula Latte]

1. It looks very intense. I would think that you need at least a few months

of conditioning before you start it. I have thought about starting it myself, but I'm sort of intimidated, and I've been working out fairly regularly for a long time (although I could definitely boost my intensity). I don't think jumping into something that hardcore without prepping your body would be a good thing. You could easily get injured, put a strain on your heart, etc.

on edit: You could also post this in the Exercise & Fitness forum: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=295

[Xithras]

3. Thanks!

I've looked at it a bit, and didn't realize that it was that intense. I'll try to look at some more videos to see if it's something I can even handle. I already have knee problems, and I've recently started having some lower back problems that my doctor has attributed to my weight gain. I've been "tweaker thin" all my life, just because that's how most of my family is built, and the relatively fast weight gain is starting to do a number on some of my body parts. I don't want to worsen the injuries trying to take it back off!

And thanks for the forum pointer. I didn't realize that we even had one of those here on DU :)

[Chan790]

2. My cousin and his wife did it and got jacked.

But they were athletic to begin with (they're both experienced half-marathoners) and all Paulie (my cousin) did was while in it was complain how miserable and sore he was. I'd post before/afters but it seems like an invasion of privacy to do so.

So...I can vouch that it works but I can't vouch that someone not coming from a basis of exercise can do it...or that you won't want to quit almost immediately.

I've lost 30# in a year but I did it the lazy way...more fruit, less fat and sugar & I stopped using public transit to go anywhere within walking/bike distance...and vastly increased that range. I don't use the bus for anything less than 3 miles one-way. When I started I was in 46" waist jeans...I bought 38" skinny today and they're slightly uncomfortable.

Paul went from a 36" to a 30" in the 90 days...but he doesn't have as much to lose.

[Xithras]

4. Wow.

6 inches in 90 days? I can see why it's so popular. Being sore isn't a big problem for me. Not all that many years ago I used to hike in the Sierra's on a near-weekly basis, and used to mountain climb at least a couple times a year. I also used to teach rock climbing to several local scout troops. Time doesn't let me do those things anymore, but until the past few years I've lived a fairly active life. A little work to get back into that groove isn't a bad thing, and I can deal with a little soreness to get there.

[Chan790]

7. Correction.

His wife said it was 36" to 32" and she's skeptical that he really needed the 36"...so it was probably closer to 3" than 6". But still...yes, it works. It took 3" off a out-of-shape jock.

[RSillsbee]

5. This is going to sound dumb but

Why not try the Biggest Loser game for Xbox Kinect? I've been doing it for 8 months and lost 30 pounds. It's interactive. It starts w/ a PT test and then it gives you a work out program to suit your fitness level. It has enough work out routines that I haven't noticed it repeating one and i've noticed my conditioning level increase since I started doing it.

It's not PX90 but it's a good start in that direction

[HughBeaumont]

6. My experience -

P90X is great if you're looking to transform that fat into muscle because not only is it a total body workout, it doesn't keep you on the same kinds of routines each month. Each workout first warms you up and takes you through some static and ballistic stretches.

If you have knee or joint problems, it can still be done, but you'll have to lessen the impact somehow. Much of the cardio involves plyo (jumping) or higher-impact aerobics and kicks. They're fun routines, but push you to the limit. Also, you're given a fitness test prior to undertaking P90X . .. things like how high you can jump from a standing position, how many arm curls you can do and how many pull-ups you can do. This last one is important, because the resistance workouts involve a LOT of pull-ups.

My biggest complaint about it all is the Yoga DVD. There is NO need to do 90 minutes of Yoga at one time; 45 to 55 minutes is good enough. The average person does not have 90 minutes to work out and the people making this program should have realized this from jump.

I would say that P90X is most effective if done twice in a row. This requires patience, but for an optimal body, it may take more than one workout. Let's face it: we're not going to follow the diet to the letter, and losing the inches might be more difficult when this is factored in. But you do gain lots of muscle in your back and shoulders and you will see some abdominal definition when you're done. Take some supplements . .. not talking HGH or anything, but definitely consider a post-workout recovery drink.

If you're looking to lose weight moreso than gain muscle, I reccommend Insanity for that.