P90X

[azhuntnut]

Blake, At one time in my life I used to spend quite a bit of time in the gym. One thing I found to gain muscle was to really eat or drink as much protein as possible. Your body will only absorb so much per day. I have read upto 300 grams, but everybody is different. If you do start drinking alot of it, make sure you add some Chlorophyll into your diet. Not only will this help you get rid of excess protein, but after a while your body will stop giving off any type of scent through your skin. Take an essential fatty acid to help with joint lubrication, plus it will trick your body into thinking you are taking in fat and will burn any excess fat you have. Take a gallon of your shake along with you at work so you can drink it whenever possible, plus have it ready if you get hungry during the night. I usually changed my workouts every 3rd week. Sometimes I would work heavy weights and then go back to lighter, more repetitions. Now I just hike different mountains in the valley with my pack and use those fancy rubber band thingys, they actually work. You are welcome to call me if you would like some more info. David

 

http://www.vitamins-supplements.org/phytochemicals/chlorophyll.php

[youngbuck]

A recent study showed that doing sprints for 30 seconds, say 4-5 of them, three times a week, will burn twice as much body fat as running for 30-60mins for three times a week. Sounds easy but sprints for 30secs are not easy as they sound, especially 4-5 of them. Limit resting in between to 30-45secs.

 

cmc

 

Lots of studies show this can increase levels of growth hormone too. Insulin spikes (eating carbs) 1-2 hours after a work out can kill this effect, from what I've read.

 

BML, a lot of gaining and retaining weight is genetic. I'm 25 and not a big guy, I guess I was never ment to be one. I'm 5-10. It is a full time job for me to stay close to 160. I'm normally around 155. I spend 1.5 hrs in the gym 4-5 days a week. I dont do too much cardio at the gym, I lose weight doing that.

 

Eating enough and right is tough and expensive. I supplememnt with optimimum nutrition whey, on occasion casein at night, but milk is cheaper and the same thing. The ON whey is cheap and tastes good, thay have like 24 flavors too. I also take a multi vitamin and fish oil. Some of the weight gainers have creatine, vitamins, and glutamine in them already too. Most are loaded with carbs, so I moved away from those.

 

Some foods that can be your friend: Natural peanut butter (I like the skippy brand when it goes on sale), Kroger carb master yogurt at Frys (44c each sometimes half off on sale) has 12g of protein in most flavors, eggs are cheap and last a long time hard boiled, nuts to snack on, I like cashews and almonds. Also look up almond flour pancakes. I like to make those and they are all protein and good fats and little carbs, I prefer them to regular pancakes now. I like trader joes roast beef hash, it has a lot of protein and less carbs than most others.

 

I try not to eat any junk food or empty calories. Its hard to eat 3-5k calories a day when there's no soda, candy, icecream, or junk. A good supplement bar that you can stomach is a welcome treat/change too. I really like the apple pie bar met-rx has. Pure protein bars taste good too, but they kinda taste a lot like alcahol (I don't like them any more). A lot of the "protein" bars out there have little more protein or nutritional value than a snickers.

 

It is a pain but switching from 3 meals a day up to 5+ can help too. That really depends on your work really. Its almost impossible for me to do more than 3 but I try.

 

For a recovery drink I'd stay away from ones full of carbs, they will reduce the hormone generation working out increases. I drink a whey shake (low carb) after a workout with glutamine added. Eating a high protein diet can be hard on you. I try to drink a ton of water. It has also forced me to eat better (more fiber and greans).If you are at a gym now, or start at a new one, find a good one. There are so many "tools" at most gyms. I drive out of my way to Mountainside in Mesa. There are a lot of helpfull guys there. Most guys will help out someone new and don't mind if someone works in with them. I lift with a lot of older guys (50+) who really know what they are doing. They are always changing thing up, tryng new things. Lately we have incorporated a lot of excercise ball stuff and bungees. I'm no expert on strenght training or nutrition, but have spent a lot of time in the gym and reading lots about nutrition. I've also struggled gaining weight. I've come to realize that I will never be 170+lbs with 5% body fat. I'll be happy if I can find a way to be around 160 and less than 10-12% body fat.

 

Oh another thing you may find discouraging. All the work I put in at the gym is pretty much out the window come hunting season. I lose most of the weight I put on during non hunting season. I loose some size and strenght too. Its hard to hunt from July through January and not drop many days at the gym.

 

I have 2 roomates that eat the same as me, so it's easier to cook and eat right. Its' hard if you are living with someone who doesn't eat the same. One of my room mates has the highest metsabolism I've ever seen. He can eat as much candy and junk food on top of 4k cal a day, and still be less than 5% body fat. The cheapy readers won't work on him, they say hes over 60% body fat. I have a hard time with insulin spikes so I have to watch the carbs I eat, especially junk carbs in the morning. You may not have this problem, so your diet may be easier to stick too. I have to watch my carbs, but I'm young and still have a high metabolism so I dont worry too much about cholesterol and fat content in food yet. I do watch what I eat but cholesterol and fat is lower on my list.

[CouesWhitetail]

Just a heads-up, I am now a dealer in Wilderness Athlete products. I really like their energy bars and the hydrate and recovery drink mix. I haven't had a chance yet to post the products in the CW store, but you can read about them on their website:

http://www.wildernessathlete.com/Home2.aspx

[BML]

The diet does take time to experiment to see what you like in taste but also helps keep you on track with the program. Google online as there are several sites that go over the food items specifically. I would think that 5'10" and 155 that's pretty skinny/light if you ask me. I'm same height but I'm 175 and holding. I kind of turned the tide and quite losing weight on the scale as I was putting on muscle and dropping fat. If you want to really bulk up then you need to keep adding in the right food and don't worry to much at this first round for cutting fat. Add a Creatine to pre-workout which will help you add bulk and keep pounding that protein right after, and I mean right after you get done lifting, not after a shower but right when you're done. Also try and keep that high weight and low rep count as best you can and push, push, push yourself. That motto no pain no gain is really going to help you. Bulking up means you are going to be sore if you're really pushing hard. I would put in the effort to bulk up then after you complete the program try a circuit training program like Insanity or CrossFit that will help you get cut. During that training you get serious about not eating fat and lots of calories but in bulking up you need to make sure you're eating a lot to build muscle.

 

A recent study showed that doing sprints for 30 seconds, say 4-5 of them, three times a week, will burn twice as much body fat as running for 30-60mins for three times a week. Sounds easy but sprints for 30secs are not easy as they sound, especially 4-5 of them. Limit resting in between to 30-45secs.

 

cmc

 

Chris,

 

I skipped the fat burner phase when I started and went directly to phase 2. I agree with you. I think I am too skinny, but you have no idea how hard it is for me to gain weight. Last summer I hit the gym really hard. I was eating 4k+ calories a day and it took me 4 months to get from 160 to 170. Problem was, it was 10 pounds of fat. I had some life issues and a minor injury which didn't allow me to work out for a month and I immediately dropped all 10 pounds back to 160. I am pushing myself as hard as I can right now with P90X. I choose weights so that I fail between 6-8 reps. Some exercises I am failing at 5-6. I do all my pushups and pull ups to failure. Even after all that, though, I rarely get sore afterwards. I get a little stiff, but that's about it. I drink EAS Myoplex recovery shakes within minutes of the end of my workout. The first 3 days I started, though, I didn't have the recovery drink and I was very sore. I figure the recovery drink was why I am no longer getting sore.

 

The only thing I have never tried is Creatine. I am going to get some tomorrow and give it a shot.

 

Quick question for you regarding post work out. The recovery shake I drink right now has 26g of protein. Should I consume more protein than that right after?

 

Youngbuck,

 

Thanks for all those tips. You've pretty much suggested everything that I am currently doing. I eat a minimum of 6 times a day and finish the day with a Casien shake before bed. I like the ON products as well. Right now I also supplement with a mass builder shake from SEI. It's pretty good, but not cheap. I take a multivitamin every day as well.

 

It wasn't that long ago that I had the metabolism that your friend has. I managed a fast food restaurant for 8 years out of high school. I ate fried food and drank soda all day long 6 days a week and never tipped the scales over 140. I can still eat that way if I wanted to, but I just don't feel very good when I eat like that anymore. It won't add an ounce of weight, but I have no desire to eat that crap anymore.

 

It's just me and my daughter in the house, so staying on track with eating really isn't that difficult for me. My biggest problem is that I just hate to cook and I need new food ideas. I'm one of those guys who has to cook from recipes with specific instructions or who knows how it will turn out!! haha.

 

How do you have enough energy throughout your day eating so few carbs? I am in the delivery business, so I am pretty active for 8-10 hours a day at work. Then I come home and work out. I also run 3 miles a day, 3 times a week. If I didn't eat carbs I would never make it. In fact, there have been days where all I want to do is nap and I know it's on days where my meals were low carb meals.

 

Thanks again for all the tips, guys. I appreciate it.

[cmc]

Rule of thumb has been 1g or every pound of body weight so if you spread that out on your multiple meals per day you're close with 26g. I'd be at 28-30gs of protein a serving at each meal and I consider my post workout a meal. You might want to try a pre workout combo of creatine and protein, then a post workout of just protein for a bit and see if that helps.

[ggpwr]

Good to see this topic on here! I have done the full 90 day workout 3 times now and I love it. I still incorporate many of the different exercises into my routine at the gym and do some of the workouts on off days at home. I plan to start another 90 day cycle next week because I am in serious need of getting back in shape again. I could list every excuse in the book as to why I am out of shape again.. 2 yr old daughter, pregnant wife, just moved, just switched jobs, etc. but the fact of the matter is I let it not be a priority anymore. I have a lot of athletic background but have never been a small guy. I was a high school and college lineman and wieghed in at 280 during my playing days, and I am only 6ft. I also competed in powerlifting, strongman and highland games for 6 yrs out of college. At one point when I actually got down to 215, which was great but very difficult for me to maintain. Now I am about 250, but would like to be back around 225-230 again.

 

P90X was one of the most challenging and exciting workout programs I have ever done. It takes time to get used to it and takes some serious discipline, but the rewards are incredible. I could drop 5 lbs a week on just the workouts and not following the nutrition guide. Side note, I don't eat junk all day and I don't drink soda, my problem is skipping meals and eating 1 or 2 big meals a day, which is terrible for losing weight. That and beer! Anyway, I reccomend it to anyone and there are plenty of ways to make it harder/easier if needed.

 

On the supplement side, everyone has their own opinion and how it affected them. Personally, I use the protein from Costco because it seems to digest the best for me. I also eat tons of tuna, chicken, eggs and salmon. For recovery drinks, the absolute best one I have ever had and still use is called Aftershock by Myogenix. Unbelievable how well it works if taken right after a workout. And if you are looking for something preworkout to really push yourself, the i-force Maximize V2 is killer.

 

For other supplement needs or for questions, I always go to House of Fitness on Country Club and Southern. I know that sounds like an advertisement, but I have been going there for years and Ray, the manager there, is an encyclopedia of knowledge for the products.

 

Best of luck with the P90X, all hunters should do it preseason to help them prepare! I'll let everyone know how my next round goes. Or if you are in the Gilbert and Ray area and want to try it, e-mail me, it's a lot more fun with someone else pushing you forward.

[Mark Sipe]

Blake,

 

For meal ideas & recipes my wife & I love the "Eating for Life" book by Bill Phillips. Lots of great tasty & healthy recipes. We subsitute wild game in the recipes whenever we can. For instance, if the recipe calls for ground turkey, we use ground venison, elk etc. I will be starting back on a regiment right after my Turkey hunt to prepare for my Elk hunt this Sept.

Good luck to you,

Mark

[BML]

ggpwr.

 

Congrats on being a 3 time graduate. That's pretty impressive.

 

Mark,

 

Thanks for the tips on the cook book. I will have to check Barnes and Nobles and grab it.

 

 

 

A quick update on my progress: I just started week 5 on Sunday. I have followed the nutrition plan nearly to a T and it shows. I took my 30 day pictures Sunday and compared them to my day 1 pictures and was very surprised to see some great improvements. I can't say that I have bulked up really, but my body fat percentage has gone down considerably. I am pretty excited to see how much more I can improve in the next 4 week phase of the program.

 

 

If anyone out there is looking for a program to get fit, this is the one. It's intense, but if you can dedicate yourself to it, you will see amazing results!!

[cmc]

Ggpwr...did you compete here in AZ in the Highland games? If yes how long ago? My brother competed for several years here in AZ.

[daryl_s]

Ok, so I have been interested in P90x for a while and I'm finally taking the plunge. My story is similar to a lot of others. I was heavily involved in athletics in high school and for a while in college. I was always in great shape. Now I've got 3 kids and spend most of my time at work. I'm 5'10" and 210 lbs. I would like to be about 175 lbs. It looks like P90x is the real deal. So my question is this: What else do I need to buy besides the actual program? I'm guessing a pull up bar and some smaller weights at minimum. I've also heard the nutritional products can be pricey, but I'm willing to spend to get what I need. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks, Daryl

[ggpwr]

CMC,

 

Yes it was here in AZ. I did the games Mesa games from about 2001-2005. I did the Tucson games a couple times and the Camp Verde games once. My name is Matt Hendricks, and my good friend Glen Adams did them with me and still competes. What's you brothers name?

[atforest]

Ok, so I have been interested in P90x for a while and I'm finally taking the plunge. My story is similar to a lot of others. I was heavily involved in athletics in high school and for a while in college. I was always in great shape. Now I've got 3 kids and spend most of my time at work. I'm 5'10" and 210 lbs. I would like to be about 175 lbs. It looks like P90x is the real deal. So my question is this: What else do I need to buy besides the actual program? I'm guessing a pull up bar and some smaller weights at minimum. I've also heard the nutritional products can be pricey, but I'm willing to spend to get what I need. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks, Daryl

I started out with 15lb dumbbells, 8lb dumbbells, and bands. I built a pullup bar out back but do not use it all that often as I still use the bands for the legs and back workout. That's it!

[BML]

Ok, so I have been interested in P90x for a while and I'm finally taking the plunge. My story is similar to a lot of others. I was heavily involved in athletics in high school and for a while in college. I was always in great shape. Now I've got 3 kids and spend most of my time at work. I'm 5'10" and 210 lbs. I would like to be about 175 lbs. It looks like P90x is the real deal. So my question is this: What else do I need to buy besides the actual program? I'm guessing a pull up bar and some smaller weights at minimum. I've also heard the nutritional products can be pricey, but I'm willing to spend to get what I need. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks, Daryl

 

Daryl,

 

Congrats on taking the plunge!

 

As far as gear, it depends on the style you like. Every workout can be done using the resistance bands. If you don't like the bands, you will need a set of dumbells and a pull up bar. How much weight is up to you and your goals. I use the plate style weights, but if I could afford it I would much rather have the fixed weight dumbells. Much more convenient since you don't have to stop and change weights all the time. Most of the exercises are done with little or no rest in between so having to stop to change weights kind of sets me back. I have enough weights to go from 10 pounds all the way to 35 and use all of them, depending on what I'm doing. Also, depending on how flexible you are (or aren't) you might need a yoga block or two. There are a few awesome stretches in yogaX that can be tough to do safely without a block.

 

 

Nutrition is critical with this program to really achieve good results. They claim that their products are specifically designed for the P90X program, but I have been getting great results without them. I use supplements, just not theirs. A good multi vitamin and recover shake are absolutely critical. The rest is really up to you.

 

Good luck and keep us updated with your progress!

[CouesWhitetail]

Ok, I finally got the Wilderness Althlete Products added to the store...check them out:

 

http://www.coueswhitetail.com/bookstore/wilderness_athlete.htm

[lionhunter]

I have done P90x twice and it is the best program i have ever done. If you are going to do it follow the diet it comes with as closely as you can. Although the program is great, you will not get the results without the diet. If you follow that diet you should not need to supplement. Also the times of day you eat are crucial. If you didnt get the nutrition guide and phase sheet, they are available online. As sore as you get just keep pushing through, and after week 5 or 6 you will be addicted. This program made hunting so much more comfortable for me. Good luck!

Jake

A bud light just before and then 20 minutes after thinking about working out works best for me. Mixed with sitting on the couch watching hunting shows on tv. I im in top-notch shape!!!

Whitey