Just ordered P90X

janie1234

janie1234

Cathlete
Okay after all the reviews I've read about this series I thought I'd finally give it a go. I bought the set of 13 DVD's off of Amazon for $89.00. Hope it isn't a fake. Odds are good since I haven't been ripped off on Amazon before and I've shopped Amazon.com for many years. STS is just taking soo long and I'm not very patient. I wanted something new. So I have a quesiton for everyone who's used this program. Do you HAVE to have a pull up bar?? Or are there alternative exercises that I can do. I worried a little about this with STS but I figured when the pull up tower comes I'd probably order it. I just don't know when that will be. I don't want to do the doorway thing, . . .because I'm a renter and I don't want to screw holes in the wall and have the owner throw a fit. Thanks everyone for your thoughts.
 
Thanks Shelly! Yikes that dude is ripped. Great alternative. Have you tried this?
 
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It sounds like you got a great deal on the X.:) I use the power tower that I got at Dunhams on sale for $100. They run sales on these all the time, so keep an eye out, and if they are not on sale now, they soon will be.

The only thing you need to worry about with this is the space commitment. I have a basement to workout in so it wasn't an issue for me, but if you have a small workout area, this might not work.

http://www.bayoufitness.com/Detail.bok?no=197&zmam=2856867&zmas=1&zmac=7&zmap=WEBE0914

HTH

Angie
 
Awwww, . . Angie, . . that thing is cool! Do you have one? It looks like it is really sturdy. It almost seems like it would be a better investment than the pull up tower in STS since you can do more exercises. I am limited with workout space, makes me a little nervous about STS since the You Tube clip has Cathe and the team pulling out equipment all over the place, but this doesn't look that big, . . at least not as big as a treadmill. This is another reason I bought the P90X.
 
janie1234 said:
Awwww, . . Angie, . . that thing is cool! Do you have one? It looks like it is really sturdy. It almost seems like it would be a better investment than the pull up tower in STS since you can do more exercises. I am limited with workout space, makes me a little nervous about STS since the You Tube clip has Cathe and the team pulling out equipment all over the place, but this doesn't look that big, . . at least not as big as a treadmill. This is another reason I bought the P90X.
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Awesome! Glad that you ordered it (even from Amazon, I'll forgive ya! J/k). I have the door pullup bar, but the towers look awesome! Good luck and feel free to ask if you have any questions!

Jess
 
i bought bands with a door stop to sub for a pull up bar. he has someone in his excersises that only uses a band. now i use the p90x chinup bar which woorks great.it needs no drilling so its perfect for an apartment.

laura
 
I just finished my first round of P90X and really liked it. I know some people were annoyed with Tony but he didn't bother me. I did get tired of doing the same ab, leg and cardio for 3 months so I subbed in some Cathe workouts that were similar.

You can do pull downs with bands if you don't want to do pullups. Tony always has an exerciser using the bands and they still get a good workout. There are doorway pullup bars that don't have to be screwed into the door frame. You can check beachbody's website to see the P90X one. I just have the standard bar that slides into brackets that are mounted on the frame since my door wasn't compatible with other ones.

Have fun doing the workouts...I hope you like them:)

JJ
 
Thank you! Thank you everyone for your replies. Does anyone have any suggestions for hand weighted dumbell excersizes that are substitutes for pull ups? I've been practicing my pull ups at my kids elementary school playground right before school. I can only do 2 boo hoo : ( , . . . but I'm working on it. I want to be able to do a pull and and tricep dip. I got work to do.
 
janie1234 said:
Thank you! Thank you everyone for your replies. Does anyone have any suggestions for hand weighted dumbell excersizes that are substitutes for pull ups? I've been practicing my pull ups at my kids elementary school playground right before school. I can only do 2 boo hoo : ( , . . . but I'm working on it. I want to be able to do a pull and and tricep dip. I got work to do.
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Hey, 2 is great. I couldn't do ANY when I started! LOL Do you have any sort of resistance band? They show the modifications in the DVD's for bands. You would need something to attach it to. Good luck!
 
If you can already do 2 pullups you are off to a great start. I can not really think of any dumbell exercises that mimic pullups or chinups. Pullovers do work the upper back and lats. But the best way to get better at pullups and chinups is to do them. Negatives are also helpful. Help yourself to the top and lower down as slow as you can.
 
Hey Janie

Just gettin' back to you on the power tower question. The base of it is 27" by 57" and the height is 84". It gives me about a 13" clearance to the ceiling which is plenty. It is very sturdy....never had a problem with it. The knee ups that you can do on the other side are great too. I've also used the handles on the bottom for push ups, although they are a bit wide for me but kinda nice to hit the muscles from a different angle. I also modify with a bar stool to help with the pull ups. I use it all the time when I'm doing P90X and I'm sure it will get lots of use with STS.:D

Angie
 
I love my power tower!! It's good for hanging ab work too!! P90X+ ab/core has hanging ab work that is awesome!!
 
Thanks Catherine and Angie. Hmmmm, . . .I just, . . . might have to. Darn it. I want it! May have to wait till Christmas since I ordered STS and P90X. Maybe if I tell my husband that it can double as playground equipment for the kids??. . . . . .Did you guys have to assemble it yourself? What part of your body do you feel helps the most with pull ups? Should I work on shoulders, chest, or back or all of it. I'm trying to get my weight down too so that there is less to pull up. I'm down to the last 10 which has been REALLY hard. I don't own a scale. I don't believe in them I just do the jiggle test. I stand in front of the mirror in the bathroom in as little clothing as possible (door locked of course) and do plie jumps, . . .whatever jiggles, . . .needs to come off.
 
With pullups the back are the primary mover. With chinups, the biceps are involved a bit. Of course the shoulders are an accessory that aid in both movements. Pull ups and chin ups IMO are the best upper body exercise!!! You won't regret getting a power tower ;)
 
Yes you have to assemble it yourself, but it's not too big of a chore. I can say that b/c DH put it together - HA! And, yes, my kids also climb all over it all the time.:rolleyes:
IA with Catherine.....the pull ups really get the back muscles. Although, I also noticed a lot of involvement in the biceps, forearms, shoulders, and chest as well. It really kind of gets it all!
I'm bottom heavy:confused:, so I still have to modify the pullups by using a bar stool. However, it is still a huge challenge and you can always move your chair back when they get too easy and that will incorporate more muscle involvement.
 
janie1234 said:
Does anyone have any suggestions for hand weighted dumbell excersizes that are substitutes for pull ups?
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When I first got P90X, I didn't have a way to do pull-ups, so I just did either pullovers (heavy) or lat rows (alternating sides with each set).

Then I moved on to getting the heavy Beach Body bands and doing pulldowns (I got this http://www.sissel-online.com/models/1207_tda-100.phpa door attachment that attaches the band to the top of the door in a safe way that I did not trust the Beach Body door attachment to do).

You can also do assisted pull-ups, using a kitchen chair--with weights on the seat if necessary--to help reduce the amount of weight you are lifting. This is what I did for all my pull-ups, as I was unable to do any unassisted when doing P90X (I did work my way up to 1 3/4 after P90X, but it was hard! And I can't do them any more). I still got excellent results for my back (and I can lift heavy for my back, just can't do pull-ups that well--I think it's more a whole kinetic-chain thing, and maybe shoulders).
 
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