Quote :

"i'm doing plyo today for the first time, and I figured it would be a nice respite"

hahahahaha there aren't really any respites in this program, maybe kenpo, but thats still pretty decent aerobic

plyo will kick your ass trust me, especially those one foot cross hops, they burn so good

4/7/2009 10:04:02 AM

i almost fell back on my ass and busted my head on the wall the first time I tried to do the squat-jacks....

4/7/2009 4:00:10 PM

So I just started today with Chest/Back and holy crap. I paced myself pretty well through round 1 and was still only able to bust off a few reps of everything during round 2. Except for the dumbbell exercises which I was able to match my round 1 reps (maybe not using enough weight?) The dive-bomber push-ups at the end of round 2 pretty much made me scream in agony and crumble to the floor (I managed to get 3 in the minute).

Ab Ripper X just proved to me how weak my core is. My hip flexors are killing me. It didn't help that I was doing it for the first time after a bunch of pushups which partially work your core if you maintain good form. I pretty much just writhed around on the floor like a fish out of water most of the time.

But it feels good to get in a really tough workout and now I'm motivated. I think the 3x a week just the strength days routine will def be enough to get me to where I want to be size-wise (I'm a short guy so I don't want to build too much mass).

Updates will continue as I progress (hopefully). Sorry for words

4/7/2009 8:39:14 PM

Great to hear more people doing this.

Today was day 60 for me. I took my pictures... I have made some monumental progress, but I still have work to do. I figure I'll end up extending this for at least 30 extra days. Keep up the good work guys.

4/7/2009 11:34:24 PM

Right on...my wife and I just started march 23, today is day 17 for us



you can do anything for 30 seconds

4/8/2009 1:27:20 PM

starting day 1 today

i think its going to be hard to stick to the nutrition portion strictly for me

4/13/2009 1:09:54 PM

fyi, if you need a pull-up bar, I can recommend this one
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000R0KO2C

I bought the Iron Gym one at Target a couple weeks ago and did my first Chest/Back workout with it. It was OK, but it felt mostly like a cheap piece of Target crap. I used the one from Amazon for today's Chest/Back, and it is much, much better. The build quality is great - it uses very heavy-duty steel, so there is no flex. The welds are strong, and the joints use very large bolts to hold it all together. The best part about it is how the main pull-up bar is about 8" off the wall, so you don't hit your elbows or arms on the door frame or wall. But since the metal is so strong, there is still no flex in the bars even 8" off the wall (with almost 200lb hanging off of it, in my case!). My only complaint is that I can tell the foam grips are going to start coming loose. I think I am going to cut them off and wrap it with bicycle handlebar tape.

here it is in my workout room (one with the main bar on, and one with the main bar detached for side-grip pull ups)

4/13/2009 1:50:22 PM

i picked one up already, but thanks.

4/13/2009 1:57:26 PM

"you" being the "collective you"

4/13/2009 2:14:47 PM

i'm on Week 6 right now. Almost halfway through. I only do it 5 days a week because i have trouble motivating myself to workout on Saturdays (maybe I'll try Kenpo this Saturday). I have definitely noticed that my core is much stronger than before. I used to lift weights at the gym about 3-4 days a week so I was in decent shape to begin with. I have lost some bulk and toned up instead which is what I was going for.

I haven't really been following the nutrion plan except for the Protein shakes and omelets in the morning every now and then but I don't eat alot of fatty foods anyway and I always to try to eat whole wheat carbs.

4/13/2009 7:57:10 PM

Just finished my first Legs/Back. It was worse than Chest/Back. Had me breathin HARD and man, did it burn. It didn't help that the only time I had to fit it in today was right now pretty late at night and about an hour after dinner. Felt like I was going to puke . But I'm proud of myself for fitting it in tonight and keeping on schedule even if I won't be able to fall asleep for awhile. On a good note, I have already noticed a difference in my Ab Ripper X just after a few sessions. I am able to do a decent amount of reps on all the moves where as when I started I could only do a couple reps of some moves.

Hope I'm not too sore tomorrow!

4/13/2009 10:34:07 PM

Day 1 in the books... sore. Couldn't do much of the ab ripper x.

4/14/2009 1:53:00 PM

I have been splitting up my ab ripper routine, waiting at least an hour after doing my regular workout. I feel much more effective, and it's always easy to find 15 minutes to do.

4/14/2009 1:57:28 PM

It seems like alot of people are starting this right about now?

I just started yesterday. I loved the dive-bomber pushups, but maaan I'm sore today. Plyo kicked my ass big time today. I didn't realize how weak my legs were! And tomorrow I get to do more legs...how awesome.

And yeah, like someone else said, the nutrition thing is going to be tough. Maybe not during the week so much, but Fridays? That is going to be TOUGH as I usually go out Friday nights. I do figure though that a single beer = my one carb serving for the day.

4/14/2009 10:30:11 PM

yeah, in the middle of week 2 now.

The 2nd Chest/Back exercise on Monday was already a marked improvement from last week. Last week my 2nd set was shit - I couldn't do any diamond pushups, barely any decline, only a couple dive bombers. Already this week I felt more solid - not that i'm already particularly stronger, but just after a week of working out every day, my body was ready for the 2nd set.

The 2nd plyo workout today, though..... i think it was worse than last week. I'm thinking because my legs are worn out from the workouts late last week and mountain biking on the weekend.

on the up side, I hit 189lb this morning. First time in the 180s in several years. I'll probably bounce around the 190 mark for a while before settling into the 180s (and lower) for good

4/14/2009 10:56:09 PM

Quote :

"It seems like alot of people are starting this right about now?"

Obvious reason.

4/14/2009 10:57:30 PM

So who wants to hook me up with a copy of this???

4/15/2009 8:12:30 PM

I'm in the middle of week three. I felt like I've made significant improvement in week 2 over week 1. I feel like I've regressed a bit with week 3. I've been trying to follow the nutrition plan that goes with it and I'm thinking that the lack of energy is what's preventing me from doing better. I still feel like I have too much body fat to lose the fat shredder program, and I need to at least give it another couple of weeks.

I really haven't lost any weight, but I can tell that the fat has been shrinking. I'm starting to get some definition in my stomach, my love handles are shrinking, and it's getting a little easier to fit into my pants.

Hooray for P90X.

4/15/2009 10:00:04 PM

^^http://www.mininova.org

4/16/2009 12:11:36 AM

I'm a pretty thin guy in the first place so I'm not trying to lose weight, but I find in terms of feeling tired/like crap/like throwing up/passing out during a workout, a peanut butter sandwich about an hour beforehand is excellent solution in that respect

4/16/2009 9:07:45 PM

same here, if I work out strenuously and I haven't eaten anything, I get nauseous towards the end.

4/16/2009 10:56:40 PM

A fucking peanut butter sandwich???

4/16/2009 10:59:03 PM

during my marathon training, a peanut butter and banana sandwich was money for a before training snack. I know alot of endurance athletes who swear by it. Good amount of carbs/sugars/protein.

4/16/2009 11:46:52 PM

How long before the activity though?

4/16/2009 11:49:15 PM

you missed the key macro for my objection jackass

4/16/2009 11:50:20 PM

if any of you torrented the program, you might have gotten an Excel tracking worksheet along with the videos and books. I've updated the worksheet with additional features and some different formatting that you might like to use.

I didn't really update the Instructions that were already there, but it should mostly be self evident. The Tracking page shows you the workouts for each day. Click on the name of the workout to go to a worksheet for that particular workout. When you're done with the workout, on the Tracking page, replace the day number with an "X", and the day will turn green. If you modified or did a different workout than what is listed, just type the name of the workout you did instead, but still put an "X" in the day-number cell, and it will show as a shaded green, indicating you did workout on that day, but it was not the one scheduled.



I also added a weight tracker next to the workout tracker, and a Weight Graph on a new sheet.

Finally, I updated the Fitness Test worksheet in several ways. First, I added new cells to complete the fitness tests after each phase, so you can do a test at day 1, day 30, 60 and 90, instead of just the recommended Before and After. Second, I added graphs for the major tests and measurements. Here is what the fitness test would look like after the whole program (the "Before" numbers are my actual numbers. All the rest of them are hypothetical)


here's the download
http://joelion.com/software/P90X_Tracking_Template.xls

[Edited on April 19, 2009 at 11:34 PM. Reason : .]

4/19/2009 11:32:14 PM

if anyone is interested, i updated the Tracker Template again. The Tracking sheet now separates the Ab workouts into a different cell so you can track them separately. Also, if you miss or skip a workout, put "no" instead of "X" into the day-number cell. If you do a different workout than the one listed, just replace the name of the schedule one with the one you did and still mark it with an X
http://joelion.com/software/P90X_Tracking_Template.xls

4/20/2009 9:57:05 PM

no one has before and after pics besides porcha??!?!

come on people!!

im going on a 10 day hawaiian vacation at the beginning of 2010 and there will be A LOT of physical activity... need to be able to hike in a bikini without jiggly

one question though... once your ass is in shape how do you maintain it? because you certainly have to change your lifestyle.

4/21/2009 5:14:33 PM

Uhh, I think you answered your own question there

4/21/2009 5:26:57 PM

not really...

how do you maintain without doing the videos non stop?

im all about getting in shape but i need to stay in shape. and 1 hour videos at home 6 days a week are great to get me going but won't keep me going

4/21/2009 6:12:02 PM

i love you

4/21/2009 6:14:23 PM

i doubt you need to maintain that level of activity. you may lose a little tone but you'll still look good if you keep to a healthy diet and still find ways to exercise.

4/21/2009 6:24:03 PM

From what I have read once you have completed the program and gotten where you wanna be you can cut back to maybe 3-4 days a week and you just do the first set if there are repeating steps. So much easier to squeeze in 30 minutes 3-4 days a week

4/21/2009 6:33:53 PM

^ this is all im doing as a skinny man. doing both sets was almost burning too many calories for me (i lost 10 lbs while eating aton).

the 1 set gives me enough motivation to continue, but doesnt burn too many calories that i spend all day eating. i find it more manageable and it still gets you cut.

[Edited on April 21, 2009 at 6:38 PM. Reason : i also dont generally do the cardio since the weight workouts are still pretty good cardio wise]

4/21/2009 6:37:57 PM

yeah once you have burned all the fat things get easier then you can start eating more carbs and that makes the whole diet thing a lot easier to swing. Im pretty much where I want to be minus the little gut I have left that just wont die! haha

4/21/2009 6:42:49 PM

Had to take a week off due to partially tearing the anterior talofibular ligament in my ankle playing basketball . Couldn't even stabilize myself enough to do pushups. Started back at it today with Chest/Back. Even with the week off I was able to improve on almost all my sets by a couple reps.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to do Leg Climbers in Ab Ripper X? I feel like I should be able to do them, but my technique isn't close to how they do in the video. I can't seem to get my back off the ground very much with one leg in the air. I can do all the other moves fine. Maybe it's just something that comes with time/strength?

4/21/2009 8:01:12 PM

if you take the "climb" part literally, and grab your raised leg to help pull your upper body up, you should be able to get up

4/21/2009 8:54:41 PM

finished my second round of plyo... i felt like i may have regressed. I was winded 5 mins into the workout. Def my least favorite so far.

I noticed a big jump from week one chest/back and week two. Stronger on every exercise.

4/21/2009 9:23:33 PM

Quote :

"no one has before and after pics besides porcha??!?! come on people!!"

I have some before an after pics from the 03/04 timeframe when I got super serious about weights. I probably should have taken some before pics again a few months ago but I've since already bulked up a good bit which would make the change less dramatic. Having said that, I have only bulked up and haven't lost a lick of fat, so maybe I'll take them anyway.

4/21/2009 9:49:41 PM

^^ i had the exact same reaction on my 2nd week. Here's what I figure happened -
- for chest/back, after just one week, your body is already getting accustomed to doing pushups/pullups, and you have kick-started your arm and shoulder muscles. Likely, if you're like me, before week 1 chest/back, you haven't done a pushup or pullup in years. But now, you're back into it and have been active for a week, but your arms/shoulders/back aren't really worn out since you haven't worked him hard since the previous monday
- the 2nd plyo was harder because your legs are simply worn out. in week one you did plyo, yoga, kenpo, and legs/back, which are all moderately to heavily leg-centric. Plyo this week was hard because your legs are just taking a beating, but after a couple more weeks, they will become accustomed to it.


i just did plyo for the 3rd time, and honestly, it still might have been harder than the first week. my legs are just tuckered out. But my 3rd arms/back yesterday was already miles ahead of the first week - for example, going from 0/0 diamond pushups to 6/3, and 3/2 dive bombers to 8/5

4/21/2009 10:01:24 PM

Yeah and just keep in mind, some days are just not good workout days. I did Kenpo today and no matter what, I really felt blah throughout the entire routine. On the other hand, yesterday when I did legs and back I felt awesome the whole way through. I was even thinking of repeating the workout cause I still had a bunch of energy.

I have some 0/30/60 day pics, but I am waiting to post them until day 120 (I am extending it).

4/21/2009 11:31:11 PM

^^ makes sense, I haven't really worked my legs like that since high school.

It's only been a little over a week but I can already tell a difference.

4/22/2009 3:56:05 PM

i thought last time I looked at this thread there was a post from a guy who was a P90X trainer..... was that deleted? why? i was going to ask if he was an NCSU student.

anyway - i saw on some earlier pages that some of you aren't doing the Yoga routines because they're weird or gay or whatever.

well, I did Yoga for the 3rd time today, but it was the first time I made it through the entire 1.5 hour routine. Previously, I've just done the moving part, about 45-50 minutes. And I never really felt like I got in the groove while I was doing them. But today, it all kind of snapped. All of a sudden I was able to hold all the poses (well, most of them.... e.g. i can't do the sideways one-arm stand for the whole 30s, or crane for more than a few seconds), and man, what a workout. by minute 45 I was pouring sweat. It was probably more of a workout than any of the plyo's or kenpo's i've done so far. It was also the first time that I wasn't just staring at the clock the whole time.

Then I did the last 40 minutes, which is about 20 minutes of stationary poses, 10 minutes of ab/core work and poses, then 10 minutes of cool down. it was nice, and I finally was able to just do the movements, and not be bored out of my mind the whole time. It is also nice that Tony is so hyper and is such a busy-body that he talks and jokes the whole time, and doesn't take himself and the yoga session too seriously. I've seen some Yoga DVDs that my wife does, where the instructor fully buys into the whole life-force Chi bullshit and things Yoga is "serious business" and you're basically not allowed to have fun or smile or mess up or anything. Tony doesn't have that attitude, which is good.

4/23/2009 7:42:45 PM

man I'd love to get these dvds

4/26/2009 11:28:39 PM

the internetz haz them

4/26/2009 11:30:53 PM

Crossfit is alot more fun IMO

4/27/2009 1:09:54 AM

^and you actually get to lift REAL weight

4/27/2009 6:46:47 AM

For the people that downloaded the DVD's online can you please PM me the link. There's a lot of torrents of different sizes and I'm not sure which is the best to download.

4/27/2009 7:58:52 AM

^^ which is very convenient if you want to work out at home and don't own an entire gym set, no?

4/27/2009 8:34:50 AM

My sisters fiance is doing crossfit right now and enjoys it, but my sister made him do the first few weeks of this with her and he said he was actually surprised by how hard it was, after telling him about it and watching the first few videos he thought it was gonna be easy sauce.

4/27/2009 4:55:35 PM