P90X Questions

I plan to start P90X soon and I'm very excited! I have read nothing but great things about this program! I really have never been this excited about exercise before! I can't wait! Anyway, I have some questions about the program for those who have actually finished it (or those of you who are far enough to be seeing results). Okay, here they are:

1. I've heard that the nutrition guide is very restrictive, and that if you don't follow the guide it well effect your results. My question is how many of you follow the guide to the letter, how many of you only loosely follow it, and how many of you don't follow it it all?And what kind of results are you seeing?

2. I've also read the fitness guide, and it seems to put a heavy recommendation on supplements. Do I really need to take supplements to get great results? And what is the bare minimum I need? What supplements do you guys recommend?

and...

3. I plan to buy some resistance straps and use those instead of dumbbells or a pull-up bar. What equipment did you guys buy? Did you invest in a pull-up bar and dumbbells? Push-up bars?

Well, those are all the questions I have. Any responses will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

I own the program and think it is a relitivaly good system but depending on what you want your results to be and if you are not 5'10+ I wouldn't follow the calorie requirements. *first determine what your resting heart rate is for your activity level not including the tapes/DVD's

• If you want to lose weight add the workout through the activity guide on CC than subtract 500-1000. 500=1lb a week 1000=2lbs a week

• If you want to build muscle add the workout through the activity guide on CC than add 100-300 calories.

Regardless you need to have a good amount of protein in your diet. Protein helps conserve muscles. A good way to add in the protein if it is just too much food than add a protein shake 1 time a day for building muscle and 2 for weight loss. Otherwise eat.

The reason for all the supplements is so that they can make $. Get your BCAA, Fats, Carbs placed properly (Around breakfast & pre/post workouts) always multivitamins. The after workout shake they talk about just is a protein shake with a decent amount of carbs in it....but you should always have that after weight training. You could get the same effect by 1/2 cup of yams, protein shake, 1% milk or water and blend with little bit of cinnamon.

I got the resistance bands and use those to take the place of the pull-up bar but you will need to get an adapter for the door hinge. You will not need the push-up bars for a while and plus now Bowflex makes a better pair or you could even get the push-up bars at Target. I use 20's, 30's, 40 lbs of weights maybe a set of 10 for tricep kickbacks.

Maybe some guys use more weight. Good luck.

Congrats on your purchase, you are going to love it! I'm on my 4th round, I did P90x twice and am on P90x+ for the second time. I'm a little addicted:)

I did not follow the nutrition plan at all. I felt I had a good handle on my nutrition. I did look it over, but again, I liked the way I was eating already, and I still got great results.

I am also not a fan of supplements. I want results the good old fashioned way. Strictly hard work.

I did not buy the bands, I use dumbbells. I did get a pull-up bar, but a inexpensive one from the store. My husband built a stand for it and it is working beautifully. Since I've never used bands in place of a pull-up bar, I can't compare. I would consider getting a bar though, you'll need it later in X+:) Push-up bars or stands are not necessary. As Tony points out in one video, if you want to increase your range on motion and don't have stands, use a set of dumbbells. I've bee doing that, and it works. I hope you get great results. Good luck and enjoy.

Thanks you both for your responses! So it looks like all I REALLY need are the resistance bands, and as long as I eat healthy in general I should have good results. That's reassuring. After reading all the positive things about push-bars, I think I want a set! But I really have no place to put a chin-up bar (I'm afraid of ruining the doorway with my heavy weight) and I don't really have the time, patience, of carpentry skills to build a stand. I also would like to drink a protein shake here and there, but I'm defiantly not gonna over do it on the supplements. Thanks!

Hey bud... Here is my take on your questions:

1)  I don't follow the nutrition guide at all.  I have my own nutrition plan that I follow.  I've seen a lot of benefit without the P90x one.

2)  Supplements aren't bad, but they aren't absolutely necessary.  The only one you HAVE to take is protein.  I would recommend a protein shake with 30-50g after each workout.  As for creatine, glutamine, etc., I would do P90x once without them and if you want a boost in strength, take them the second time through.

3)  Resistance straps work pretty well, but not as well as dumbbells and a pull-up bar would.  Of course, the most important thing is form... so get the right resistance and concentrate on doing everything with the best form possible.

I'm through Day 8 so far, 82 to go... the videos are tough (especially Plyometrics X) but you will see and feel a world of difference after you're done.

Original Post by yountsmonster:

Hey bud... Here is my take on your questions:

1)  I don't follow the nutrition guide at all.  I have my own nutrition plan that I follow.  I've seen a lot of benefit without the P90x one.

2)  Supplements aren't bad, but they aren't absolutely necessary.  The only one you HAVE to take is protein.  I would recommend a protein shake with 30-50g after each workout.  As for creatine, glutamine, etc., I would do P90x once without them and if you want a boost in strength, take them the second time through.

3)  Resistance straps work pretty well, but not as well as dumbbells and a pull-up bar would.  Of course, the most important thing is form... so get the right resistance and concentrate on doing everything with the best form possible.

I'm through Day 8 so far, 82 to go... the videos are tough (especially Plyometrics X) but you will see and feel a world of difference after you're done.

Ok. So Protein is the way to go. Any ideas on how much protein shake mix would cost? Buying that stuff online doesn't seem like a good idea to me...

I just started the program yesterday and love it already. I was pretty nervous to start and am following the nutrition(since that is one of my problems)but you can pretty much do your own as long as it is in the calorie range you should be in. Good luck with your program and I hope you get the results you want:)

I don't follow the nutrition guide at all, I'm vegetarian and moving towards being Vegan, so I pretty much make my own meals. I've lost plenty weight and don't think that that has adversely affected my results in the least. This program rocks, but really, I think you can decide on your own diet. That's why you signed up on Caloriecount in the first place, lol!

Okay, here's another question for you guys (and girls). I've read in a lot of reviews that if you are eating healthy or with a calorie deficit then you may actually have to eat MORE food to give your body the energy you need to full the workouts and to prevent starvation mode. The thing is, I really have no idea how much more I should eat. I was thinking about maybe changing my CC profile to active or very active (just to see what my calorie intake should be at that level) then changing my profile back to sedentary, and just manually changing my calories to match the higher activity level. Then I would be able to log in my P90X exercises and have a more accurate burn meter reading. Make sense?

Original Post by joekame:

Original Post by yountsmonster:

Hey bud... Here is my take on your questions:

1) I don't follow the nutrition guide at all. I have my own nutrition plan that I follow. I've seen a lot of benefit without the P90x one.

2) Supplements aren't bad, but they aren't absolutely necessary. The only one you HAVE to take is protein. I would recommend a protein shake with 30-50g after each workout. As for creatine, glutamine, etc., I would do P90x once without them and if you want a boost in strength, take them the second time through.

3) Resistance straps work pretty well, but not as well as dumbbells and a pull-up bar would. Of course, the most important thing is form... so get the right resistance and concentrate on doing everything with the best form possible.

I'm through Day 8 so far, 82 to go... the videos are tough (especially Plyometrics X) but you will see and feel a world of difference after you're done.

Ok. So Protein is the way to go. Any ideas on how much protein shake mix would cost? Buying that stuff online doesn't seem like a good idea to me...

 

I usually buy the Body Fortress Whey Protein mix from Wal Mart. It runs 14.87 a bottle for 2 lbs. I usually do a single scoop which is 26 grams of protein and I find that it lasts me for a month or two (depending upon how faithful I am at drinking shakes). I have also bought the Whey Protein powder from Costco in the past ($30 for 6lbs), but I don't like the flavor of the EAS stuff that they are currently selling at my Costco.

I also regularly buy coupons for protein bars off of ebay. Right now you can get a lot of $2.00 off any TWO MET-RX PROTEIN PLUS BARS for cheap on ebay. I like to have some on hand for those days when I can't stomach a protein shake. The coupon makes them around $1 a piece when I buy them at Wal Mart.

My advice would be to try a bunch of different bars and powders and find what you like.  Most of the manufacturers offer free samples on their website that you can request (that is also a good way to get free stuff.....I get a couple free bars a month that way).

DPSNutrition.com is the best place to buy it.  10 lbs of whey protein for $50.  Can't beat that.