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I am on my last week of p90x! First of all, I have to say the program is just fantastic. I have gotten very solid results. Going from the couch to p90x was a bit harder then I thought but I pulled through. Now I want to push through again and do another round to see if I can get that six pack!

I have a few questions I was hoping you could help me with.

Between Cycles
1) I am ending cycle 1 this week (Dec 9th) and starting the next cycle on January 1st. This gives me 3.5 weeks of 'down' time. Of which the first week will be a true 'week' off.

A) During this week off, do I cut my calories by 600, as I won't be doing the work outs?

b) For the 2.5 remaining weeks, what can I do to keep my gains going? Should I just do the Recovery week for that time? (I am really worried about fattening up and losing strength!) I am not going to go on a Holiday free for all with the food, that much I know I have to watch out for

For my 2nd cycle, I was thinking of making a few changes to fit my lifestyle and maximize (i think!) results

A) Substituting the p90x2 Yoga for the p90x Yoga. I have to be honest, the 1.5 hrs of yoga is just a bit too much time for me. And several of the moving (twisting half moon), I can't even do with my wife holding me up and helping lol)

b) I was going to use the p90x2 diet, rather then the p90x one. However, I am concerned that the diet is more for the energy requirements of p90x2, and that it won't work for p90x (I think the x2 diet is much more carb heavy).

C) Ab Ripper X and X2. To keep up with the 'muscle confusion' theory. I was going to due Ab Ripper X in Phase 1, Abb Ripper X2 in Phase 2, the alternate in P3. This way, I am hitting my abs with the confusion, just like I did with the other workouts

D) Similar to the point above, I am going to rotate Legs and Back, to work the muscled confusion (was actually surprised about the big push towards confusion, when the legs never changed!). I am not sure exactly which from x2 to substite yet though, Base and Back for P.A.P. Lower.

Thank you all for your insight. I have enjoyed trolling these boards as I went through my first cycle and I am glad I finally decided to ask for thoughts from the experts!

Thank you very much for such a thorugh response! Great idea to extend and do another recovery week, then start my second cycle after a break, rather then the other way around!

Not even close to 'cutting'. I am 6'0", about 192.5 this morning. BF (getting measured in a bod pod in 2 weeks before my next cycle) is probably about 18-25% honestly, but don't know. The reason i am not doing p90x2 is because I still don't think I am nearly strong enough as I started 90 days ago very soft (wasn't in shape to start, and really started on 'accident' as I did a week to just see if I could survive, and was hooked). And clearly I was hooked lol. But I still can only do 1 unassisted pullup (use a strap now, helped a ton) and on the 2nd part of the Chest Shoulders and Tri's workout, I can't even hold myself up my upper body is so tired.. have to do it on my knees... I think I am being smart by getting my base even more solid, before I start medicine ball pushups :-)

I would like to be around 180-185, 10-14% bf but solid (I have always been a 'bigger' guy, probably between and endo and a meso), with a 46 inch chest, big thighs and shoulders. But I have to say, even when I was doing triathlons, and was down to 6.5% bf and could run swim and bike forever, I still had the belly. My family thought I looked 'gaunt' meanwhile, I had maybe a 2-4 pack lol. So i recognize I may never get a six pack. My approach this time is to focus more on the muscle underneath, rather the distance so we shall see what happens