[Deadly Cyclone]

Is it a matter of eating too much, or is it the type of stuff you're eating? If it's an issue with gargantuan restaurant portion sizes, try to think of your dinner as "dinner + lunch for the next day."

More just what I eat. This weekend went to visit a friend and we had subs for lunch but then went to the bar that night and had a bunch of beer and bar food.

Just seems every weekend now there is something different coming up keeping me away from the assured good food at my apartment. :P

I'll get there.

[SteeloDMZ]

Does the nutrition guide stay pretty similar for P90X to P90X2? Two weeks left of X, and starting X2 after, but I decided I am going to be very strict about diet and adhere to fat shredder as much as possible and want to start checking up on things.

Is pretty damn similar, with the exception that in X2, the carbs serving is divided in legumes and grains. So if you ate one portion of carbs in X1, in X2 you'll eat 0.5 of legumes and 0.5 of grains.

[nekura]

More just what I eat. This weekend went to visit a friend and we had subs for lunch but then went to the bar that night and had a bunch of beer and bar food. Just seems every weekend now there is something different coming up keeping me away from the assured good food at my apartment. :P I'll get there.

You should give fasting a shot when you eat out like that.

[Harry Potter]

E3 ruining my P90X Gaf work week viewing. Hold me.

[Hawkian]

E3 ruining my P90X Gaf work week viewing. Hold me.

Wait what?

[Harry Potter]

Wait what?

Couldn't get on earlier. I spend most of the day at my desk reading this thread.

[KingGondo]

E3 ruining my P90X Gaf work week viewing. Hold me.

Do your best and forget the rest.

Tony truly is a guru for every situation.

[LaneDS]

Buy all the Beachbody P90X2 equipment, go with the Amazon stuff linked in the OP, or other? Buying two medicine balls @ 8 lbs each and one stability ball unless people think I should do otherwise. Can't figure out which size stability ball to get because the Beachbody site lists the smaller up for up to 5'7" and the bigger one for 5'8" and above, and I'm somewhere in between. What says GAF?

[Harry Potter]

Buy all the Beachbody P90X2 equipment, go with the Amazon stuff linked in the OP, or other? Buying two medicine balls @ 8 lbs each and one stability ball unless people think I should do otherwise. Can't figure out which size stability ball to get because the Beachbody site lists the smaller up for up to 5'7" and the bigger one for 5'8" and above, and I'm somewhere in between. What says GAF?

Get the 65cm ball. More surface area is better no matter what your height is because of the moves you'll be doing on it IMO.

[LaneDS]

Get the 65cm ball. More surface area is better no matter what your height is because of the moves you'll be doing on it IMO.

You are my favorite wizard.

Edit: You and Gandalf.

[Hawkian]

Medicine balls sort of freak me out. I don't know why.

I'm thinking I really should get some free weights though now that I'm gonna be looking to bulk up. Stupid... moneys

[LaneDS]

Medicine balls sort of freak me out. I don't know why. I'm thinking I really should get some free weights though now that I'm gonna be looking to bulk up. Stupid... moneys

I'm of the opinion this is one of the best things you could possibly spend hard-earned (or easily-earned) cash on. Think of it as investing in yourself!

[Harry Potter]

You are my favorite wizard. Edit: You and Gandalf.

You're my favorite barbarian (tho I never see you online)

Medicine balls sort of freak me out. I don't know why. I'm thinking I really should get some free weights though now that I'm gonna be looking to bulk up. Stupid... moneys

Building a collection from nothing is expensive. Try looking on Craigslist or garage sales before going to a sporting store.

[Hawkian]

Building a collection from nothing is expensive. Try looking on Craigslist or garage sales before going to a sporting store.

That's a really good idea, I should try Craigslist.

I love the bands (like training with them more than I expected to) and I think it's so awesome that I can bring them to to actual legit resistance training on the go, but they have a few major drawbacks: some moves feel awkward or downright unpleasant to do with them when they're obviously intended for weights, some moves are just not explained very well in the P90X videos, and the most annoying of all... each band is obviously rated for a weight range, based on how much tension you exact before performing the resistance move, but there's no way to tell EXACTLY how much weight you're simulating at any time, and in fact it's likely to be an inconsistent amount even if you're always using the same band.

I didn't have any trouble with this for my first go through as I was going for lean/tone anyway, but now that I actually want to try and get some explosive growth, I'll need to consistently push my low-rep max...

[vatstep]

I need to somehow convince myself to do Core Synergistics in the next hour or so. Between the fact that I've been sitting on the couch all day, E3 mania on the gaming side, shitty weather, etc, I have NO motivation to work out right now. It's so much harder for me on non-work days. Ugghh.

[Hawkian]

I need to somehow convince myself to do Core Synergistics in the next hour or so. Between the fact that I've been sitting on the couch all day, E3 mania on the gaming side, shitty weather, etc, I have NO motivation to work out right now. It's so much harder for me on non-work days. Ugghh.

DO IT

DO IT

hope I helped :P

[SteeloDMZ]

I need to somehow convince myself to do Core Synergistics in the next hour or so. Between the fact that I've been sitting on the couch all day, E3 mania on the gaming side, shitty weather, etc, I have NO motivation to work out right now. It's so much harder for me on non-work days. Ugghh.

LOL, I'll do my workout before the Sony conference starts.

[LaneDS]

I need to somehow convince myself to do Core Synergistics in the next hour or so. Between the fact that I've been sitting on the couch all day, E3 mania on the gaming side, shitty weather, etc, I have NO motivation to work out right now. It's so much harder for me on non-work days. Ugghh.

WWWWD? What would Walter White do?

While that is probably completely not relevant and/or helpful, do it man. You'll be glad you did and then you can go back to basking in the E3-ness. Going to leave work shortly, do chest/shoulders/tris, then bask in the Sony conference (or laugh at it, one of those).

Also, do I want 8 lb medicine balls for X2? Still waiting for someone to chime in on that if there is an opinion on weight/brand/number for X2.

[Harry Potter]

WWWWD? What would Walter White do? While that is probably completely not relevant and/or helpful, do it man. You'll be glad you did and then you can go back to basking in the E3-ness. Going to leave work shortly, do chest/shoulders/tris, then bask in the Sony conference (or laugh at it, one of those). Also, do I want 8 lb medicine balls for X2? Still waiting for someone to chime in on that if there is an opinion on weight/brand/number for X2.

I used two 8lbs and two 10lbs. I bought mine off Amazon. Danskin brand. The Valero balls looked better than mine but I didn't want to pay that much for them.

[Hawkian]

Stupid question, but how is there a variance in quality of medicine balls? Aren't they just balls... that weigh a certain amount?

[Harry Potter]

Stupid question, but how is there a variance in quality of medicine balls? Aren't they just balls... that weigh a certain amount?

Well the Valero balls seem more like basketballs which is good for X2 because a lot of the time you are balancing on them and it would help with grip. The Danskin ones I have are a slicker surface and are smaller in shape. They also came under inflated. Once I pumped them up they worked fine but if I hadn't they could have possibly lead me to a wrist injury.

[BeautifulMemory]

I have Valero and Beachbody. Difference is in texture of the ball...like an outdoor and indoor basketball, respectively. Matters when you do plyo push ups with them, but nothing ground breaking

[Guevara]

Oh god I'm done with P90X.

I had my last workout this weekend and it's weird not to have a structure for the week. I'm going to transition to a 4x a week program (2 days running and 2 days weights or yoga) for a few weeks while I decide what to do next.

Biggest changes:

> Thinner, stronger legs - wasn't expecting that. I actually bought some new pants because me old ones seemed huge. Before I was one of those guys that complained that pants don't fit real people with legs.
> Much better and stronger waist and core
> I can really do pull ups now. Not 100% of back day, but maybe 60% of it without using a chair. This is huge for me, I've never been good at pull ups.

Kind of surprised:

> I'm not sure I actually lost much weight. That's not a big deal for me and I think I just gained as much muscle as I lost in fat. I never weight myself beforehand.
> I "only" lost about a pants size on the waist, while also going from classic fit Dockers to slim fits from J Crew. Also all my belts are too big now.
> I got rid of all my large shirts in favor of mediums. Now I'm thinking more like slim mediums. I had expected to bulk up more than slim down in the arms and shoulders.
> I started with just bands, and 5lbs and 10lbs dumbbells; then bought a door frame pull up bar (4 weeks in), then bought dumbbells that go from 10lbs to 50lbs each (6 weeks in).
> I just feel a lot better and fitter. A bunch of people unsolicited have asked me if I lost weight. I thought I looked ok before but I feel like I look healthier now.

Next time/or advice to others:

> I'm going to actually take pictures and measurements before and after.
> I'm getting push-up handles and a yoga mat (and maybe yoga blocks)
> I'll probably get even more serious about the diet.
> I'd consider subbing in a different ab work-out, just for the variety.
> I'd take Yoga more seriously (but not Kenpo, feels like a second rest day).

Probably the best $100ish dollars I've ever spent. (However when you factor in the weights, etc. it's more like $500)

[Harry Potter]

Congrats Guevara! Welcome to the grad club.

[birdcity]

Week 2, Day 1 complete!

Went out of town over the weekend and boned my diet. Saturday night had two pieces of pizza and two breadsticks because I was out with people and was crashing from not eating enough that day. I still hit under my calorie limit for the day, but I felt awful and guilty about it. This afternoon visited my parents and took me out to lunch. I opted for a salad with chicken and only ate half, so I felt better about today. Back home and did my workout and diet is back on track since I'm in a controlled environment. :)

[LaneDS]

Oh god I'm done with P90X. I had my last workout this weekend and it's weird not to have a structure for the week. I'm going to transition to a 4x a week program (2 days running and 2 days weights or yoga) for a few weeks while I decide what to do next. Biggest changes: > Thinner, stronger legs - wasn't expecting that. I actually bought some new pants because me old ones seemed huge. Before I was one of those guys that complained that pants don't fit real people with legs. > Much better and stronger waist and core > I can really do pull ups now. Not 100% of back day, but maybe 60% of it without using a chair. This is huge for me, I've never been good at pull ups. Kind of surprised: > I'm not sure I actually lost much weight. That's not a big deal for me and I think I just gained as much muscle as I lost in fat. I never weight myself beforehand. > I "only" lost about a pants size on the waist, while also going from classic fit Dockers to slim fits from J Crew. Also all my belts are too big now. > I got rid of all my large shirts in favor of mediums. Now I'm thinking more like slim mediums. I had expected to bulk up more than slim down in the arms and shoulders. > I started with just bands, and 5lbs and 10lbs dumbbells; then bought a door frame pull up bar (4 weeks in), then bought dumbbells that go from 10lbs to 50lbs each (6 weeks in). > I just feel a lot better and fitter. A bunch of people unsolicited have asked me if I lost weight. I thought I looked ok before but I feel like I look healthier now. Next time/or advice to others: > I'm going to actually take pictures and measurements before and after. > I'm getting push-up handles and a yoga mat (and maybe yoga blocks) > I'll probably get even more serious about the diet. > I'd consider subbing in a different ab work-out, just for the variety. > I'd take Yoga more seriously (but not Kenpo, feels like a second rest day). Probably the best $100ish dollars I've ever spent. (However when you factor in the weights, etc. it's more like $500)

Awesome, and great post. Also, congrats. My sentiments are similar to yours, as someone quite close to the end. Did you buy the Powerblocks? I keep saying I'm going to buy a pair and never pull the trigger. If you did, do you think it was worth the investment?

I'm personally a little frustrated that I still have a good amount of fat on my torso and thighs/butt, but I suppose I can't expect three months to completely change my body. Maybe after three months of X2 I'll be closer to where I want to be.

[CrankyJay]

Awesome, and great post. Also, congrats. My sentiments are similar to yours, as someone quite close to the end. Did you buy the Powerblocks? I keep saying I'm going to buy a pair and never pull the trigger. If you did, do you think it was worth the investment? I'm personally a little frustrated that I still have a good amount of fat on my torso and thighs/butt, but I suppose I can't expect three months to completely change my body. Maybe after three months of X2 I'll be closer to where I want to be.

Just curious, how closely did you follow the diet? I have a buddy doing this and he claims most of the magic in p90x is eating cleanly and never cheating.

Also, what was your starting/finishing weights (and height), I guess that could play a part of it as well.

[Guevara]

Awesome, and great post. Also, congrats. My sentiments are similar to yours, as someone quite close to the end. Did you buy the Powerblocks? I keep saying I'm going to buy a pair and never pull the trigger. If you did, do you think it was worth the investment?

Yes! Without weights my workouts still felt good, but with weights I can feel the burn the next day. I bought the Gold's Gym version of select weights for about $280 at Sports Authority because they felt better than the other options in person. I'm sure any will be fine though. I wish I bought them earlier in the process. Not going to lie: it can be a pain to switch weights between exercises.

I'm personally a little frustrated that I still have a good amount of fat on my torso and thighs/butt, but I suppose I can't expect three months to completely change my body. Maybe after three months of X2 I'll be closer to where I want to be.

Diet is really important. I made a few major changes and it paid off, but I could obviously do more. The biggest thing for me was planning my breakfast and lunch ahead of time and almost never deviating. I also cut my soda intake majorly. That + portion control for dinner/snacks.

[LaneDS]

Just curious, how closely did you follow the diet? I have a buddy doing this and he claims most of the magic in p90x is eating cleanly and never cheating. Also, what was your starting/finishing weights (and height), I guess that could play a part of it as well.

5'8" on a good day (a little shy) and started around 205 lbs. Lowest I've seen on my scale is 192 lbs, and I'm on day 78. Much more muscular though, and getting a lot of "wow you've lost a lot of weight!" comments so I'm maybe being overly critical of myself. My diet has been good let's say north of 75% of the time (maybe 80%). I have been doing high protein and most days am probably well south of 2000 calories (maybe too far south).

When I start X2 in a couple weeks I plan to have a very clearly laid out diet planned based off of fat shredder and groceries purchased. Plan is to follow the diet to a tee for 30 days along with X2 workouts and see what progress I see. Will be posting before/after pictures on or close to day 90, and then you guys can tell me if I'm crazy or not.

Guevara- I'm going to just suck it up and order the Powerblocks along with the X2 gear, seeing as how you and a few others in the thread seem to really recommend them. Also, when you say you cut your soda intake, was that regular or diet soda you were cutting out? Previously I drank a ton of diet soda and have at least cut back a lot on it and opted for water when eating out a few times, which has been harder for me to replace than some other things. Anyway, great work once more!

[vatstep]

Diet is really important. I made a few major changes and it paid off, but I could obviously do more. The biggest thing for me was planning my breakfast and lunch ahead of time and almost never deviating. I also cut my soda intake majorly. That + portion control for dinner/snacks.

This is huge, really. I think back to how I was in the past when a lot of my eating was decided upon on the fly (which is a terrible idea on workdays) — and I'd end up just eating fries for lunch, or a chocolate-chocolate chip muffin for breakfast, and other shit like that, which was a major reason why I was overweight. If you plan ahead, you're much more likely to eat something good, and also stick to a proper portion size.

Anyway, I did my workout, guys. Now I guess I'll watch Sony's conference even though I only have a PS2. :|

[Deadly Cyclone]

I squeezed in Insanity between EA and Ubisoft's conferences. :P

[BeautifulMemory]

I squeezed in Insanity between EA and Ubisoft's conferences. :P

How did it go? I tend to be anxious when it feels like the workout is in my way of fun!

[Hawkian]

Congrats Guevara!

And somewhat relatedly.... goddamnit. I just took my Day 90 pics (with a new camera)... then realize when my phone was stolen on Friday, it had all my day 0, 30, and 60 pics on it. Motherfucker. That wasn't even the third-worst thing to happen to me Friday, by the way.

Oh well... Graduation day nonetheless. I really loved P90X, and I'm absolutely doing it again (probably not really even taking a break). I basically accomplished my major goals set at the outset for my personal desires, which were:

-Lose weight, get more-or-less "in shape" for the first time in my life
-Get some strength, specifically in my upper body
-Work out a healthier, sustainable lifestyle (diet/extra cardio/etc.)

To these ends I did the Classic Schedule, but all the "lean/tone" rep numbers (12-15 reps on every resistance exercise). As expected I toned up and lost a good bit of fat from every part of my body, but didn't bulk up that much. My one regret is that I really thought I'd be able to cut through my stomach and get something toward a 6-pack in the 90 days, but there are a few pounds just stubbornly hanging around Grr.

But anyway it was a great experience and I'm definitely not stopping, which is the main thing that surprised me (I didn't expect to be motivated to continue anything like this schedule after 90 days, but here I am). This time I'll be going for some major strength and bulk in my arms and hopefully my abs will take care of themselves at the same time.

Thanks to EVERYONE in here for all the help and encouragement! Couldn't have had nearly as much success without you guys.

edit: Wait! Looks like there was a mobile backup! Seems only my day 0 pics were lost... bear with me

[nekura]

5'8" on a good day (a little shy) and started around 205 lbs. Lowest I've seen on my scale is 192 lbs, and I'm on day 78. Much more muscular though, and getting a lot of "wow you've lost a lot of weight!" comments so I'm maybe being overly critical of myself. My diet has been good let's say north of 75% of the time (maybe 80%). I have been doing high protein and most days am probably well south of 2000 calories (maybe too far south).

Damn man, I'm the same height as you and after Christmas vacation I was around 195; I've been reading through this thread from the beginning so I caught your old pics and have to add to the chorus of "I wish I looked like that when I weighed that much!" Down to 172 as of today and I still don't look that good, haha -- getting there each week, though! It's really interesting to see how different people's bodies store weight.

Today is X-Stretch; tomorrow is my first day of Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps. From what I've read in this thread it sounds like I'm in for a world of hurt. :D

[vatstep]

As far as first times go when it comes to these workouts, Chest, Shoulders & Triceps was by far the hardest for me. You'll be surprised at how much better you do your second time, though!

[Hawkian]

Damn man, I'm the same height as you and after Christmas vacation I was around 195; I've been reading through this thread from the beginning so I caught your old pics and have to add to the chorus of "I wish I looked like that when I weighed that much!" Down to 172 as of today and I still don't look that good, haha -- getting there each week, though! It's really interesting to see how different people's bodies store weight.

I know, right? I wonder how many silently envious people there are in here

Anyways:

Found em all! :P Sorry for the discrepancies in the numbers/shapes/sizes of pics and the weird upgrade in quality and camera flash on the day 90 pics, I just got it and I'm learning its tricks.

Day 0



Day 30


Day 60


Day 90


Starting weight: 178
Current weight: 150.5

Day-1 Wide Front Pull-ups: 0
Day-90 Wide Front Pull-ups: 8.5 unassisted, 12 assisted

Day-1 Chin-ups: 1... ish
Day-90 Chin-ups: 10 unassisted, 15 assisted

I'm done losing weight essentially (you can actually see my ribs in that one pic, eesh), though I do wish I could just get my damn 6-pack to emerge already. You can see the makings of it there when I'm engaged/flexing. But anyway, yeah, good stuff, thanks to all of you again!

[BeautifulMemory]

looks very nice Hawkian. Really, really amazing progress. It's like a prototypical before/after pics!

And yeah that ribs :/ I don't know what to do with mine either

[vatstep]

Awesome results, Hawkian!

[Harry Potter]

Fucking awesome Hawkian. You should be damn proud.

[Hawkian]

Hey thanks guys :D Was a little disappointed my chest hair didn't fall off like Alfarif's

[3pheMeraLmiX]

How necessary is the jump mat? I was thinking about picking one up because the $20 price in the OP wasn't so bad, but it's 3 payments of $20. I'm a little skeptical about it having that much value over a yoga mat. Thoughts?

[BeautifulMemory]

I really like it. Provides a very soft ground, easy on the feet, and helps buffer the noise if it's a concern. It doubles as a yoga mat too. There might be cheaper alternatives. But like a a lot if Beachbody's products, premium comes at a high, sometimes too-high, a price

[3pheMeraLmiX]

I really like it. Provides a very soft ground, easy on the feet, and helps buffer the noise if it's a concern. It doubles as a yoga mat too. There might be cheaper alternatives. But like a a lot if Beachbody's products, premium comes at a high, sometimes too-high, a price

Hm, thanks, I'll consider it but the price is fairly hefty.

[vatstep]

How necessary is the jump mat? I was thinking about picking one up because the $20 price in the OP wasn't so bad, but it's 3 payments of $20. I'm a little skeptical about it having that much value over a yoga mat. Thoughts?

http://www.amazon.com/Everlast-Foldi...8878430&sr=8-1

I got that one (a bit less than $40) and it's great. I pretty much only use it for the two really jumpy moves in Plyometrics and Ab Ripper X (the padding helps a ton), but it's been worth it.

[Hawkian]

I don't own a mat, but I wish I had one for ab exercises :P

[BeautifulMemory]

Hm, thanks, I'll consider it but the price is fairly hefty.

yeah I meant to say earlier that if you are doing plyo with shoes and there's no concern about the noises you are making, and if you already have a yoga mat, you don't need it.

And Vastep, by Ab Ripper X you meant that the mat helps the back right? Or you meant more?

Hawkian, since we both have the problem of no longer needing to lose weight, what are you going to different? I need some ideas because I really think I will see my rib cage first before I see my abs. For now, I am upping the calories a bit on lunch and dinner, incorporating more meat, making sure I eat my legumes (some day I only eat half), and also drink protein shake eveyday now - overall, eating more

[vatstep]

And Vastep, by Ab Ripper X you meant that the mat helps the back right? Or you meant more?

My tailbone, mostly — I have issues with it. Most people probably don't need a thick mat for ab stuff, but moves where you're sitting up (like the first few) are extremely painful for me on a regular floor.

[criesofthepast]

You the man, Hawkian. Congrats!

[Hawkian]

Thanks a lot!

[LaneDS]

Hawkian! That is awesome work sir! Thanks for posting the pictures too because I think image results inspire the rest of us more than words likely can.

Time to work for those day 180 pictures, right? I think a second round will offer just as much in terms of body change as the first, only instead of losing weight you can expect to see a lot more muscle definition and tone... i.e. good luck and keep it up! Should make up for the phone too!

As to those commenting on my weight, I don't really get it. My roommate suggested a body scan sometime soon to get a detailed body composition report, because most people are shocked when I say I'm close to 200lbs. I remember a couple years ago being on a date and the girl guessed something like 60 lbs south of what I weighed, so I think I might actually be a mutant.