P90X questions- starting in November

[butterflygurl]

Hi All,

I plan to start P90X in November and I have a couple of questions. I can not guarantee this list of questions is exhaustive. I have not finished going through the books yet.

1. Should I start on Thursday, November 1, 2007 or Monday, November 5, 2007 (Sunday is my preferred rest day)?

2. I plan to do P90X b/f breakfast. Do I really need the recovery drink? I can just eat breakfast after. I start my workout at approx. 5:20 a.m. I am looking to lose weight and tone- I am concerned about the number of calories.

3. I also plan to incorporate my kickboxing classes at the gym several evenings a week. They are pretty intense... is this wise?

4. I plan to stick to the spirit of the nutrition plan (i.e. the number of protiens, carbs, etc. but do not plan to stick to the meal plan b/c I am single and live alone and it would have me wasting a lot of food if I had to purchase all the foods and I do not like cottage cheese. Has anyone else not stuck strictly to the plan? If so, how did that work for you? Is it wise to stay in Phase 1 since my goal is to lose weight?

5. I still have a significant amount of weight to lose. Therefore, I do not think it is wise or safe to try to do chin ups at this weight (still have 60+lbs to lose). Am I selling myself short? What is the alternative for chin ups? I saw an alternative of bands when I did a search. How does one use the bands?

Your advice and answers are greatly appreciated!! I am confident I will be back with more questions as I finish reading the book this weekend!!

 

[fit_fairy]

Kim, I will try to answer some of your ?s

1- I would start your workouts around your off day. I can not remember when the first rest day is, but if Sunday is your normal day then make the program fit that

2-JMO, but I can not imagine doing P90X first thing in the morning fasted. I would never survive-wouldn't have the energy to do it. Now you might be different. That being said you do not need the recovery drink. Just make sure your breakfast is appropriate protein/carb ratio for post workout. Personally, I am a firm believer in pre and post workout nutrition, again YMMV

3-I would hold off on the kickboxing classes for the first couple of weeks if you can. This will give yourself time to acclimate to the P90X program. Then if you still feel like you can do more then add them in.

4-sorry can not help you here. Never followed the plan

5- I agree pullups are hard if you have wt to lose. However, you could still try, if you have a bar, doing assists with the chair. They show this in the workouts. The bands, from what I understand are also a good option. I have never used them, but they show that variation in the videos as well!!

Good Luck and BRING IT!!!!!

[font color= purple size=+3]Catherine[/font]

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[butterflygurl]

Catherine,

Thanks for your response!! I actually do fine workingout fasting. I have been doing it for 10+ years. There are some mornings when I have to drink some OJ, but for the most part I am fine. Now after the workout is another story. I am ravenous after an intense workout, esp. a gym kickboxing or a weight training workout.

What were your results after the 90 days??

I plan to BRING IT!! I am so excited!!

 

[fit_fairy]

I've done the X three times- well, 2 1/2 (second round wasn't completed due to back troubles) What I noticed the most was an increase in strength. Was able to increase the number of pushups significantly. Was doing over 200 in C&B by the end of my 3rd round. I was able to do unassisted pullups and chinups. My upper body started to show more definition. Can't say it did much for my legs though.

Glad you are excited!! Have you previewed the workouts yet?

[font color= purple size=+3]Catherine[/font]

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[butterflygurl]

WOW!!! 200 pushups!!! I am impressed!!

I have not previewed all of the workouts yet. I previewed Kenpo X and Plyo X. I have to finish the rest this weekend. I have all these great new workouts and many of them I will have to wait until after the 90 days to do. :-(

I was doing Cathe weights and then kickboxing in the evenings- you thik P90X will take that much more out of me that I will need to back off the kickboxing for a couple of weeks?

 

[fit_fairy]

It's hard to say. P90X is as intense as you want it to be so to speak. You pick your wt and your rep range. You do as many pushups and pullups or modifications as you can. I just know with the doubles rotation they recommend that you wait a few weeks to start doing the doubles. You may be fine?? It's hard to say. Just don't burn yourself out.

[font color= purple size=+3]Catherine[/font]

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[Jess_jugs]

Hey there! I'm on my 2nd round of P90X and love it!! Here's my answers...

1. Should I start on Thursday, November 1, 2007 or Monday, November 5, 2007 (Sunday is my preferred rest day)?
You should start on a Monday if you want Sunday to be your rest day. That's what I have done, it works well for me!

2. I plan to do P90X b/f breakfast. Do I really need the recovery drink? I can just eat breakfast after. I start my workout at approx. 5:20 a.m. I am looking to lose weight and tone- I am concerned about the number of calories.

It all depends on you. For the cardio (plyo especially) I would not eat right before. For the weight workouts, if you feel you need a little something then eat. I absolutely LOVE the BB recovery drink. I did not use it all my 1st round and now the 2nd round I'm noticing a huge difference in my recovery time & how I feel. (I typically just use 1 scoop instead of 2 though)

3. I also plan to incorporate my kickboxing classes at the gym several evenings a week. They are pretty intense... is this wise?

Again, it's up to you. You can do doubles which is basically just adding on extra cardio. If you feel that you're suffering or extra tired then maybe back off a bit. I've been running 2-3 days a week along w/ the X w/out any problems.

4. I plan to stick to the spirit of the nutrition plan (i.e. the number of protiens, carbs, etc. but do not plan to stick to the meal plan b/c I am single and live alone and it would have me wasting a lot of food if I had to purchase all the foods and I do not like cottage cheese. Has anyone else not stuck strictly to the plan? If so, how did that work for you? Is it wise to stay in Phase 1 since my goal is to lose weight?

I have done mainly the portion plan, not the meal plan. I tried to stick to Phase 1 for 2 weeks, but found I needed some extra carb since I was running also. I say give it a shot for at least a week or 2 before going to Phase 2.

5. I still have a significant amount of weight to lose. Therefore, I do not think it is wise or safe to try to do chin ups at this weight (still have 60+lbs to lose). Am I selling myself short? What is the alternative for chin ups? I saw an alternative of bands when I did a search. How does one use the bands?

I could not do a full pullup when I started. I did assisted chinups w/ a chair until I had the strength to do them. Now I just did 50 unassisted chinups on my last Legs & Back workout. You can use the bands, there is always someone showing you how to use the bands on each workout.

Check out my link in my siggy & email me if you have more questions. I have seen a huge difference in my strength & definition from P90X. I did 325 pushups on my last Chest & Back workout. I thought I was doing good before when I could do all 72 pushups on Cathe's GS series, but this will take you to a whole new level.

Here's a back shot of me from Day 60.

(and Wendy/ fit_mom pointed out that I look like I have a flower basket on my head- LOL)

Good luck!!

Jess

 

[butterflygurl]

WOW Jess!!! You ladies are truly and inspiration to me!! When I was at kickboxing yesterday, the instructor kept pushing us, telling us to dig deep, you know what you are capable of. He kept saying it is in your mind. It truly is!! Your "guns" and calfs are great!!

I checked out your page!! 70 pounds and kept it off, that is impressive. Also, 3 inches off of your waist and hip in 65 days!! You go girl!!! Okay, so I will be keeping your screen name and pm you . I am excited and nervous. I think it is a fear of "failure" but when I think about it, how can I fail? It is a win/win situation. I am doing this for me and whether I set the goal of doing 50 pushups on my toes for example, if I only do 30 that is better than what I am doing now!!;-)

I have decided that MOnday 11/5/07 will be X-day. I need this next week to prepare to BRING IT! Which bands would you recommend to sub for the chin ups. I was looking at the red or green.

 

[Jess_jugs]

Hey girl!! Thanks, I am absolutely thrilled w/ my progress so far!

The B-lines resistance bands from Beachbody are awesome. My brother has been doing the X w/ just the bands and loves it! I would just order the set of 3 that go from weights 15-30 lbs (you get pink, magenta, & red) or the 20-40 lb set (you get magenta, red, & green).

Please feel free to PM or email me w/ any questions & I KNOW you'll be doing those 50 on your toes. I did 600 on my toes last Friday and I never imagined I could do that!!!

Take care!