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Beachbody Workouts |OT| Gaf Does P90/X/X2, Insanity/Asylum, T-25 and More!

Here's my Body Beast/T25 hybrid. I'm going to start it next week, but here's the full Alpha schedule. Pretty simple, just incorporating the Bulk phase, minus Shoulders and Legs. I don't think Bulk Legs is very necessary during T25. Maybe I could alternate Bulk Shoulders and Bulk Back though? Let me know what you guys think:

1) Cardio/Bulk Chest
2) Speed 1.0
3) Total Body Circuit
4) Ab Intervals/Bulk Arms
5) Lower Focus/Cardio
6) Off
7) Bulk Back (Core Speed*)

1) Cardio/Bulk Chest
2) Total Body Circuit
3) Speed 1.0
4) Cardio/Bulk Arms
5) Lower Focus/Ab Intervals
6) Off
7) Bulk Back (Core Speed*)


1) Total Body
2) Speed 1.0/Bulk Chest
3) Lower Focus
4) Cardio/Bulk Arms
5) Total Body/Ab Intervals
6) Off
7) Bulk Back (Core Speed*)

1) Cardio/Bulk Chest
2) Total Body
3) Lower Focus
4) Total Body/Bulk Arms
5) Ab Intervals/Speed 1.0
6) Off
7) Bulk Back (Core Speed*)


1) Total Body
2) Ab Intervals/Bulk Chest
3) Total Body
4) Cardio/Bulk Arms
5) Total Body/Lower Focus
6) Off
7) Bulk Back (Core Speed*)

* optional
 

SteveMeister

Hang out with Steve.
Looks good HP. I might go for that after I finish my full round (including Gamma). For now I'm working on stamina and sustaining my strength gains with a weekly total body resistance workout (Lucky 7 or Beast Total Body).

The way FocusT25 is set up, where each phase builds into the next, I don't want to overtrain -- I want to get to the point where I can nail every workout, every time. Once I'm at that level I will feel more comfortable adding additional workouts beyond what I'm already doing.

Sounds good. How is the ab workout compared to P90X? It's 10 minutes longer, and I assume more intense?

Lots more scissors, V sits, plus there's some plank work and back work, and the floor moves are separated by cardio "recovery" moves. Definitely keeps your heart rate up, which is very different from ARX/ARX2.
 
Looks good HP. I might go for that after I finish my full round (including Gamma). For now I'm working on stamina and sustaining my strength gains with a weekly total body resistance workout (Lucky 7 or Beast Total Body).

The way FocusT25 is set up, where each phase builds into the next, I don't want to overtrain -- I want to get to the point where I can nail every workout, every time. Once I'm at that level I will feel more comfortable adding additional workouts beyond what I'm already doing.

Maybe I should do a full round first as well. Right now I feel like my hybrid is doable but who knows what Beta and Gamma may bring. When are you doing Lucky 7/Beast Total Body? On the stretch day?
 

Deadly Cyclone

Pride of Iowa State
Lots more scissors, V sits, plus there's some plank work and back work, and the floor moves are separated by cardio "recovery" moves. Definitely keeps your heart rate up, which is very different from ARX/ARX2.

Cool. Should I do Abs video first or the legs video first?

Man, my legs are still tired from total body... :p
 

SteveMeister

Hang out with Steve.
Cool. Should I do Abs video first or the legs video first?

Man, my legs are still tired from total body... :p

The Alpha schedule puts Ab Intervals as the second workout on the double days, EXCEPT in week 4 when you do it first and Speed 1.0 after. So I'd do Lower Focus first. But I'm kind of a stickler for schedule-as-designed, at least the first time through :)
 

Deadly Cyclone

Pride of Iowa State
The Alpha schedule puts Ab Intervals as the second workout on the double days, EXCEPT in week 4 when you do it first and Speed 1.0 after. So I'd do Lower Focus first. But I'm kind of a stickler for schedule-as-designed, at least the first time through :)

Fine by me. By the time legs are done I'll probably be ready to lay down and do abs for a bit. :p
 

izakq

Member
Quick question on weight gains for Insanity (yeah I know I shouldn't focus too much on it). Have any of you guys lost weight at the beginning stages and then start to gain some of it back during the Max portion of the workout. I'm on the first week of month 2, and I'm going up from 210 to 212 in a week. Now I admit that last week's 4th of July festivities didn't help.

With this being focused on cardio and not strength, potentially how much muscle can you gain from the Insanity workouts?

Quoting for new page and I have another question.

Starting next week, I'm going on vacation, and I'm not sure if the place that we're staying at is going to have a DVD player/space available for the workout. Let's say it doesn't, what are my options in not being able to do the Insanity program for a week?
 
Hi all,

So I've been doing two years of Insanity and P90X, then combining them into a hybrid routine designed around my time constraints. Largely, the results have been phenomenal. I'm in better shape than ever in my life and I've disciplined myself to eat right all the time and keep track of my progress via excel spreadsheets and a food diary.

Every day, as soon as I wake up, I weigh myself with a body composition scale which goes down to 5% fat; anything lower than the minimum reading and it will give me an error.

And that's my problem: I'm now under 5% fat! I don't look malnourished or anything like that. I just look really cut. However, now I can't keep track of my progress.

I guess 5% is realistically the lower limit of what I should aim for anyhow but does anyone know of a scale that has a wider readout range that I can buy? I checked out a couple on Amazon but their manuals don't go into that much detail.

By the way, this is the scale I currently use:

Omron Body Composition Scale

300.JPG
 

FOOTE

Member
FINALLY getting my T-25 set next week.

Anyone else here work (full time), go to school (only part time for now) and still get their workouts in everyday? I'm going to have to do that starting in August. Tips? How do you do it without exhausting yourself?
 
Quick question on weight gains for Insanity (yeah I know I shouldn't focus too much on it). Have any of you guys lost weight at the beginning stages and then start to gain some of it back during the Max portion of the workout. I'm on the first week of month 2, and I'm going up from 210 to 212 in a week. Now I admit that last week's 4th of July festivities didn't help.

With this being focused on cardio and not strength, potentially how much muscle can you gain from the Insanity workouts?

My first round throug insanity, I lost no weight In the end. However, I lost many inches and toned up my legs, calves, triceps and core. I made sure to overeat so I'd have enough energy to get through the workouts and recover in between.

Now I'm on my second run through and changed my diet to reduce calories and replace dinner with a protein shake. I'm dropping weight quickly and in turn more definition is coming through. I'm doing better on the workouts than the first time around because my body is now more conditioned to them. In month one I can comfortably keep up and maintain proper form. This was not the case first time through,

As always, diet is as critical as the actual exercise. It all depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

My strategy was deliberate and it worked as I expected. For reference, in the 3rd week of month 1, I've lost 8lbs.
 

gotoadgo

Member
FINALLY getting my T-25 set next week.

Anyone else here work (full time), go to school (only part time for now) and still get their workouts in everyday? I'm going to have to do that starting in August. Tips? How do you do it without exhausting yourself?
I'm the other way around(school full time and work every weekend) and I find doing my workouts in the morning helps as it means it's out of the way and nothing can get in the way of me doing it. Morning workouts also boosts your energy for the day(at least it does for me) so being exhausted usually isn't an issue.
 
FINALLY getting my T-25 set next week.

Anyone else here work (full time), go to school (only part time for now) and still get their workouts in everyday? I'm going to have to do that starting in August. Tips? How do you do it without exhausting yourself?
I work full time night shift (7p-7a) and im going to start my fall semester part time (tues-thurs 6p-8p). Sucks
 

FOOTE

Member
I'm the other way around(school full time and work every weekend) and I find doing my workouts in the morning helps as it means it's out of the way and nothing can get in the way of me doing it. Morning workouts also boosts your energy for the day(at least it does for me) so being exhausted usually isn't an issue.

Ye. Seems like morning workouts fix a lot of those problems.. Although I don't know about you but I'd have to get up at about 4ish to get it in. Too many things can get in the way if I do them in the evening.

I work full time night shift (7p-7a) and im going to start my fall semester part time (tues-thurs 6p-8p). Sucks

Tell me about it. I lucked out though, I guess. One of my classes is a three hour Saturday morning class. fucking MATH
Just kidding, I'm insanely excited to be back in school.

So, I've taken my C4 and I'm going to start my WOD. (no not crossfit) I just can't ever remember what I'm doing until I look at my sheets. So WOD will now be my go to acronym.
 

izakq

Member
My first round throug insanity, I lost no weight In the end. However, I lost many inches and toned up my legs, calves, triceps and core. I made sure to overeat so I'd have enough energy to get through the workouts and recover in between.

Now I'm on my second run through and changed my diet to reduce calories and replace dinner with a protein shake. I'm dropping weight quickly and in turn more definition is coming through. I'm doing better on the workouts than the first time around because my body is now more conditioned to them. In month one I can comfortably keep up and maintain proper form. This was not the case first time through,

As always, diet is as critical as the actual exercise. It all depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

My strategy was deliberate and it worked as I expected. For reference, in the 3rd week of month 1, I've lost 8lbs.

Yeah, my diet still needs work, but it was way better than what I was eating beforehand. Thanks for the input!
 

Korosenai

Member
Quick question on weight gains for Insanity (yeah I know I shouldn't focus too much on it). Have any of you guys lost weight at the beginning stages and then start to gain some of it back during the Max portion of the workout. I'm on the first week of month 2, and I'm going up from 210 to 212 in a week. Now I admit that last week's 4th of July festivities didn't help.

With this being focused on cardio and not strength, potentially how much muscle can you gain from the Insanity workouts?

I'm definitely going through this right now. I lost a lot of weight in the first month, but now in month 2 i'm gaining some weight back, though I think it's more muscle than fat.

In my experience/opinion with Insanity so far (and i'm no professional or anything) it seems month 1 is definitely designed to make you lose weight fast while gaining lean muscle, and then month 2 is more designed around gaining muscle rather than losing weight (longer dvd's, more moves). So I wouldn't worry about it too much, as long as you keep a good/relatively good diet.

With month 2, i'm eating a lot more, i'm gaining weight, but it's not fat. I'm definitely gaining a lot of muscle while slimming down. Month 2 has been very kind to me so far with results.
 
So my left hamstring has been dodgy for pretty much the last week and over the weekend it's gotten really bad. I have a slight limp when I walk. However, tomorrow is the start of my recovery week and it usually feels ok after I jog it out during the Insanity workouts. Should I go ahead with the workouts or take some time off? I'm thinking I'll just take some painkillers (and I have some pain relieving gel) and just getting on with it. What does Gaf think? Does the recovery week help for things like this or will it be made worse before month 2 proper rolls around?
 

gotoadgo

Member
So my left hamstring has been dodgy for pretty much the last week and over the weekend it's gotten really bad. I have a slight limp when I walk. However, tomorrow is the start of my recovery week and it usually feels ok after I jog it out during the Insanity workouts. Should I go ahead with the workouts or take some time off? I'm thinking I'll just take some painkillers (and I have some pain relieving gel) and just getting on with it. What does Gaf think? Does the recovery week help for things like this or will it be made worse before month 2 proper rolls around?
Painkillers and exercise is a terrible idea in my opinion, pain is there to tell you when you're doing something you shouldn't. I would rest or take it very easy. Maybe do the month 1 recovery video as its mostly stretching and yoga? The recovery weeks video isn't a cakewalk.
 

FOOTE

Member
So my left hamstring has been dodgy for pretty much the last week and over the weekend it's gotten really bad. I have a slight limp when I walk. However, tomorrow is the start of my recovery week and it usually feels ok after I jog it out during the Insanity workouts. Should I go ahead with the workouts or take some time off? I'm thinking I'll just take some painkillers (and I have some pain relieving gel) and just getting on with it. What does Gaf think? Does the recovery week help for things like this or will it be made worse before month 2 proper rolls around?

I know that personally wouldn't take pain killers to get over it. If it is ever that bad for me, then I'm seeing my doctor. Other then that, it depends how serious of an injury I have to decide whether to continue with the schedule or not. The recovery week is not exactly easy, but it might be what you need too. Only you really know.
 

izakq

Member
I'm definitely going through this right now. I lost a lot of weight in the first month, but now in month 2 i'm gaining some weight back, though I think it's more muscle than fat.

In my experience/opinion with Insanity so far (and i'm no professional or anything) it seems month 1 is definitely designed to make you lose weight fast while gaining lean muscle, and then month 2 is more designed around gaining muscle rather than losing weight (longer dvd's, more moves). So I wouldn't worry about it too much, as long as you keep a good/relatively good diet.

With month 2, i'm eating a lot more, i'm gaining weight, but it's not fat. I'm definitely gaining a lot of muscle while slimming down. Month 2 has been very kind to me so far with results.

Yeah, with the second month, I have been eating a little more than usual. I try not to, but I don't want to fight what my body is telling me. I'll remember this, thanks.
 
So my left hamstring has been dodgy for pretty much the last week and over the weekend it's gotten really bad. I have a slight limp when I walk. However, tomorrow is the start of my recovery week and it usually feels ok after I jog it out during the Insanity workouts. Should I go ahead with the workouts or take some time off? I'm thinking I'll just take some painkillers (and I have some pain relieving gel) and just getting on with it. What does Gaf think? Does the recovery week help for things like this or will it be made worse before month 2 proper rolls around?

You have to listen to your body. It's always best to rest to avoid a more significant injury.

However, when I got back hard into Insanity earlier this year I had a knot in my calf that would flare up hard from the heisman and similar moves. Psychologically, I was terrified of falling back into my holiday season chunky malaise so I wrapped that sucker every day, gave it a lot of ice and heat and popped an alleve before every workout. It worked itself out in two and a half weeks. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it but I would have completely fallen off the wagon if I didn't push through.
 

Deadly Cyclone

Pride of Iowa State
Did one week of T-25, walked 5 miles over lunch, and did two 24 hour fasts last week.

Gained 4 pounds. What? I went from 207 to 211. I'm trying to lose weight here, not gain...
 
Did one week of T-25, walked 5 miles over lunch, and did two 24 hour fasts last week.

Gained 4 pounds. What? I went from 207 to 211. I'm trying to lose weight here, not gain...

Starvation mode kicked in? Why fast if you're working out hard?

Just reduce your calorie intake slowly instead of shocking your body like that.
 

Tash

Member
Did one week of T-25, walked 5 miles over lunch, and did two 24 hour fasts last week.

Gained 4 pounds. What? I went from 207 to 211. I'm trying to lose weight here, not gain...

Forget the scale...seriously!
Can be so much stuff, most probably water retention or starvation mode. Also, when do you weigh yourself? It's a huge different if you do it in the morning or evening. Make sure IF you have to use the stupid scale to weigh yourself the same time. Maybe you know this already then sorry :)

Also, I am always getting annoyed if people freak out if they gain weight while working out. Gaining weight does not mean getting fatter. Muscle is denser and thus heavier for example. I toned down during my first round of P90X, my cloth were fitting much more loosely but I was actually heavier in terms of raw numbers on the scales.

edit: by the way if we got a group going: I am a double P90X, Insanity, Asylum graduate.
 

Deadly Cyclone

Pride of Iowa State
Starvation mode kicked in? Why fast if you're working out hard?

Just reduce your calorie intake slowly instead of shocking your body like that.

I've read up on the fasting, it wasn't starvation mode. A lot of folks doing intermittent fasting note to work out after the fast. Also I eat dinner the night before and fast until dinner the next night, so I'm not missing a full day of eating, so I doubt starvation mode is kicking in at all. I've done my research there. :)

Forget the scale...seriously!
Can be so much stuff, most probably water retention or starvation mode. Also, when do you weigh yourself? It's a huge different if you do it in the morning or evening. Make sure IF you have to use the stupid scale to weigh yourself the same time. Maybe you know this already then sorry :)

Also, I am always getting annoyed if people freak out if they gain weight while working out. Gaining weight does not mean getting fatter. Muscle is denser and thus heavier for example. I toned down during my first round of P90X, my cloth were fitting much more loosely but I was actually heavier in terms of raw numbers on the scales.

edit: by the way if we got a group going: I am a double P90X, Insanity, Asylum graduate.

Usually weigh every Monday morning. Maybe a few more times during the week, but always morning. Last Tuesday morning I was at 207, today 211. Before I went on vacation I was 202 or so. That's why I'm wanting to lose some again, I ate poorly on vacation. T-25 could be giving me a bit of muscle already though. I did use muscles that haven't been used for a while.

I know you shouldn't pay attention to the scale, but I really feel I should weigh about 190 and I'm at 210. I was down to 197 after P90X2 I believe, but gained weight over vacations and in general. We'll see how my first month of T-25 goes and if I can see a difference visually. I just don't want to grow out of my pants again! :p I lost 30 lbs on P90X two years ago and don't want to regain.
 

Korosenai

Member
I've read up on the fasting, it wasn't starvation mode. A lot of folks doing intermittent fasting note to work out after the fast. Also I eat dinner the night before and fast until dinner the next night, so I'm not missing a full day of eating, so I doubt starvation mode is kicking in at all. I've done my research there. :)



Usually weigh every Monday morning. Maybe a few more times during the week, but always morning. Last Tuesday morning I was at 207, today 211. Before I went on vacation I was 202 or so. That's why I'm wanting to lose some again, I ate poorly on vacation. T-25 could be giving me a bit of muscle already though. I did use muscles that haven't been used for a while.
Everyone's bodies react differently to different things. Maybe your body isn't agreeing with this new eating method?
 

Tash

Member
I've read up on the fasting, it wasn't starvation mode. A lot of folks doing intermittent fasting note to work out after the fast. Also I eat dinner the night before and fast until dinner the next night, so I'm not missing a full day of eating, so I doubt starvation mode is kicking in at all. I've done my research there. :)



Usually weigh every Monday morning. Maybe a few more times during the week, but always morning. Last Tuesday morning I was at 207, today 211. Before I went on vacation I was 202 or so. That's why I'm wanting to lose some again, I ate poorly on vacation. T-25 could be giving me a bit of muscle already though. I did use muscles that haven't been used for a while.

I know you shouldn't pay attention to the scale, but I really feel I should weigh about 190 and I'm at 210. I was down to 197 after P90X2 I believe, but gained weight over vacations and in general. We'll see how my first month of T-25 goes and if I can see a difference visually. I just don't want to grow out of my pants again! :p I lost 30 lbs on P90X two years ago and don't want to regain.

If you use muscles you have not trained before there will definitely be water retention in the mix. This happens automatically due to the small tears that can create (does not always have to happen though) DOMs.

It's a vicious circle to be too focused on the scale because it tends to push people into under-eating. I did that for a long time to myself so I know where you are coming from :)
During P90X and Insanity I had to increase in calories insanely and was still loosing inches. I was up to over 2k calories per day which is not little for a girl of my posture.

The first thing I need to drill into (especially girls) when they start out is to not freak out if they have all of a sudden problems fitting into their pants or if they actually have more on the scale at the start. Well at first you lose a lot (because you might lose water) but you will then spike again due to the water retention in the muscles due to the workout (different water retention than the one you get through too much sodium intake, though).

Btw, has anyone watched/done the Focus T25 Gamma yet? I ordered it but it's not here yet. REALLY looking forward to do that :)
 

Deadly Cyclone

Pride of Iowa State
Everyone's bodies react differently to different things. Maybe your body isn't agreeing with this new eating method?

It's possible, but I don't think it's that. I'm leaning more towards going from 2 workouts a week since my vacation, to 6 on a brand new program gained me a bit of muscle paired with eating just okay this weekend (which didn't help).

I'm watching it closely though. If it still is weird after a few weeks I'll switch back to a more standard eating plan and see what happens. I've just tried damn near everything to finish off my shape at this point. P90X did wonders to get me from fat to average (-30 lbs) but I've had one hell of a time losing the last 15 pounds and toning. :p

EDIT: Thanks Tash. I'm no little girl, I'm a man with a slight belly, but your points still stand. :p
 
It's a vicious circle to be too focused on the scale because it tends to push people into under-eating.

Yeah I had to push through that.

I'm up to day 71 of P90X and have lost ... 0.5 pounds. But still somewhat happy with the results.

Starting to struggle a little for motivation and I'm very keen to move on to something else.
 

Tash

Member
Yeah I had to push through that.

I'm up to day 71 of P90X and have lost ... 0.5 pounds. But still somewhat happy with the results.

Starting to struggle a little for motivation and I'm very keen to move on to something else.

I always found that looking at before and then progress pictures helps. I was really horrified to take them and then think I would not see any difference but you won't notice if you do not take them. It's even more annoying since now that I look back and some of the progress I did when I first started is so much more obvious now then it was to me back then.

At the beginning I found that every inch I was more flexible and every jump more I could do before having to rest for a bit was the thing that keep me going and motivated. :)

Another question: how are your cloth fitting? Can you do crane? How many more push-ups can you do compared to the start? All of this stuff is really important too and everyone should be hell of a lot proud if those numbers even increased slightly. Or in the words of someone else:

"You are still running circles around the person just sitting on the couch" - no matter how slow you go :)
 

Deadly Cyclone

Pride of Iowa State
Yeah I had to push through that.

I'm up to day 71 of P90X and have lost ... 0.5 pounds. But still somewhat happy with the results.

Starting to struggle a little for motivation and I'm very keen to move on to something else.

You best not be quitting with a lowly 19 days left to go. :p Finish strong, then jump into another program.
 
I always found that looking at before and then progress pictures helps. I was really horrified to take them and then think I would not see any difference but you won't notice if you do not take them. It's even more annoying since now that I look back and some of the progress I did when I first started is so much more obvious now then it was to me back then.

At the beginning I found that every inch I was more flexible and every jump more I could do before having to rest for a bit was the thing that keep me going and motivated. :)

Another question: how are your cloth fitting? Can you do crane? How many more push-ups can you do compared to the start? All of this stuff is really important too and everyone should be hell of a lot proud if those numbers even increased slightly. Or in the words of someone else:

"You are still running circles around the person just sitting on the couch" - no matter how slow you go :)

All good advice. I've got plenty of comparison photos and I'm glad I took the time to take them. If I didn't, I may have stupidly given up on the lack of results on the scale.

Similarly I've got all the numbers recorded and have increased them all. It is also funny you mention crane, because I can do it pretty well now and thought it was just crazy the first time I saw it. If anything, the first time I got into the air made me feel good about Yoga.

Flexibility is still the main issue. I still can't touch my toes and the bending over to flat back type exercises shit me every time because I can't do them :|
I'm 6 foot 5. Is that a factor in bending down? I can seem to do other things easily like torso twists.

You best not be quitting with a lowly 19 days left to go. :p Finish strong, then jump into another program.

Oh god no. You would have to chop my legs off to get me to stop at this late stage. Just meant it is feeling a bit more like a chore now rather than something I look forward to doing.
 

Gumbie

Member
After having T25 for a couple of weeks I'm just now getting to the point of being able to start it today. I haven't done any cardio work since March. I might die tonight.
 

FOOTE

Member
Damn, she's 39?!
Ye. She looks real good for that age AND after a baby. I think the same way about Tony(age wise, it would be awkward if he had a baby) and now I wonder what Shaun's age is.. Seems like this stuff is the real fountain of youth.

Edit he's 35.

Before I found out Shaun T was gay I was almost certain he was banging Tania from how they interacted in insanity lol

Hmm didn't know. Not quite as mind blowing as Marian though.
 
Ye. She looks real good for that age AND after a baby. I think the same way about Tony(age wise, it would be awkward if he had a baby) and now I wonder what Shaun's age is.. Seems like this stuff is the real fountain of youth.

I imagine Shaun is mid 30's. That dude has the best physique, IMO. A damn Adonis. My wife was upset when she found out he was gay, haha.
 

xnipx

Member
I wonder who is making more between Shaun T and Tony. Back when P90X I know it was Tony for sure but it seems like Shaun has all the attention now as far as in home workouts.
 
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