When I finish my workout tonight it will mark day 45 of the P90X program. Halfway there. Things are still going well. I've been through most of the workouts several times, and familiarity helps. It's still very intense and several things (namely pull ups) are still very difficult for me. The following is a quick review of the program, and the differences, if any, that I'm seeing physically, and with my overall fitness level:
As for reviewing P90X as a whole, I can say I definitely recommend it. There are a few things to take into account if you're considering it. First, you need a pull up bar. Mine attaches to a door frame and works OK for me because I'm short. I've been telling people for years that I was 5'8" but the doctor informed me last week that I'm 5'7". If you're taller and have longer arms, you will have trouble doing a pull up without your knees hitting the ground, unless you get a different pull up system. Secondly, you need some weights. On all of the workouts they show you how to do the exercises with resistance bands as well, but I prefer weights. So, the up front cost may be a bit more than you want to spend. I have a friend who has been doing a program called Insanity, that (I believe) requires no specialized equipment. From what I hear, it's a very good workout (and I think it's 60 days instead of 90). I don't know much about that system, but I'm really enjoying P90X. Especially the variety. Throughout a week, you work pretty much all muscles, from top to bottom, plus lots of cardio. It's the beginning of week 7, and I'm still getting sore, which is a good thing.
Physically, I've seen some changes, although things haven't been what I would consider drastic. This is due to a couple of factors. First, I need to mention that I'm incredibly blessed with good genetics. As I stated previously, I'm 5'7" and weigh about 150 lbs. This is about 10 lbs heavier than I was in high school, 20 years ago. I've been fortunate to never have weight issues and have always looked much younger than I am. Like I said, very blessed. Secondly, I'm not participating in the nutrition portion of the program. My diet pretty much sucks, but I'm working on it. So weight-wise things are about the same. Physically, I feel stronger and am starting to notice more muscle definition. The biggest improvements I've seen have been in cardio fitness and flexibility (I can touch my toes again).
We'll see how the next 45 days go, but I'm proud of myself that I've stuck with it. I probably won't be "before and after poster" material, but it really doesn't matter. What matters is that it's been 45 days and I continue to press play every night.
Thanks for reading
Cool man... My wife wants to try P90X so i may be giving that a go here in a few weeks. I haven't been able to go "all out" with Insanity due to knee trouble and the constant jumping kills it, so i have to take days off for the swelling : / But i can say i am half way through it also and i feel 10x better than i did before.. I have lost weight, but a lot of that was due to diet, which i improved ten fold. Way more energy and better leg definition and some in the arms as well.
ReplyDeleteI think i'm gonna make a hybrid of the two to get great cardio and some weight training. The yoga part of it is also a must for me. Nice blog and even though u didn't ask me, i gave you my run down on Insanity. Good luck on the 45!!