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P90X combined with running


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I'm a 24 year old male and over the past four months I have lost about 45 lbs.  I just ordered P90X and I am going to start next Monday.  The thing is, I have really got into fitness such as running and biking over the past couple months.

I'm looking to get a lean toned look.  My question is, if I run Mon-Fri about 5 miles in the morning before work and then do the P90X workout after do I still need to have a calorie deficit or will that much working out gradually just burn the fat and replace it with more muscle?  I'm 5'9 178-180 currently but I think that might be a good weight for me if  the fat i still have turns into muscle.  Or should I try to get down to 165(my original goal) while doing this by having a calorie deficit?  I would also be doing about a 60-70 mile bike ride on Sundays. 

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I had the president of the company come by my blog and recommend that I replace Kenpo X on Saturday with running, but I wasn't really doing much running during the winter.  My advice to you would be to not run on days you do Plyometrics or legs.  BUTTTTTT, you are young and obviously very fit, so you might sneak in a few more runs than I would try :-)

BTW:   Don't you ALWAYS need a calorie deficit to lose weight?

You may find that the P90X will be enough.  I've lost 11 pounds of fat, and dropped 3% bodyfat just in the first phase (4 weeks).  Like Wes said above, unless you're a badass, you will probably find running or riding on the Plyometric, Legs/Back, and possibly YogaX days extremely brutal (if you run at all, I recommend doing it after the workout).

I probably ride (bum ankle, running is not an option) about 3-4 hours a week, nothing heavy, just taking the kids around in their trailer, along with doing P90X,  but I never do it the same day as the workouts mentioned above.

I am a runner, too.  I have a goal to finish a 5K in under 25 minutes.  I was thinking about getting P90X, but I am concerned that I'll lose speed and endurance if I don't continue running for the next 90 days.  What's the point of being ripped if I can't sustain an 8 minute mile next spring?  How did this work out for you and how much did you run during your 90 days?

It's actually a misconception (result of marketing) that P90X will turn people into bodybuilders in 90 days.  What it will do is drop the fat that many people have when they start and add strength to the muscles they already have.

To illustrate, my musculature hasn't grown significantly, but there's more strength in what I have.  They've gotten more dense, but not necessarily larger, if that makes sense.

I like to run as well (more as a fun cardio exercise rather than training for races...for now), and I've replaced the Day 6 cardio with a good long run (Days 1, 3, and 5 are resistance days).  I'm also going to be doing the same on Plyometrics days.

If you incorporate P90X, something will have to give, as combining it plus additional running might be a bit much at first.  Like with all advice, you know your body the best, so if you can handle the additional work-out, go for it (in fact, the Doubles program in P90X does exactly that).

 

When I'm not injured from something stupid, I usually do two-a-days. Squadron PT in the AM, the gym in the PM. Once it starts snowing here I'll be doing squadron PT(usually running a 5k) in the AM and P90X in the PM.

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