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First off, thank you to everyone who has posted kind words, sent me amazing e-mails and friended me on Facebook HERE - many new friends!

I finished Round 1 of the P90X on June 2, 2010 and then finished Round 2 on August 31, 2010. In all, I lost 49.0 pounds and 23.2% of my body fat and have been told that my results are in the top 5% of anyone who has ever completed the P90X program. I can't tell you how strange that is to hear, considering the "out-of-shape mess" I was just 6 mos. ago.

I remember when I was struggling I would always draw motivation from the amazing Before/After pictures right here on the Message Board. However, none of the threads really explained how these amazing results were attained. So, that was my intent - to try and provide some tips and advice that might help others in their P90X journey. The "X" is tough enough, it really helps to have input from someone who's already taken on those same challenges.

About a month after starting this thread I decided to become a Beachbody Coach. It doesn't cost you anything to allow me the privilege of coaching you, and I don't expect anything in return, except the enormous satisfaction I receive when helping others change their lives (like I did). If I think a Beachbody product/supplement/program is good and you should use it, I'll tell you. If not, as I've done many times, I'll tell you what I think is better. If you're interested in joining Team "X"cellent Fitness, visit my team thread right HERE. (many ppl have asked me about switching coaches - yes you can, just send me a message or Buddy Request). So again, thank you for your support and let's "Bring It" together!




First posted June 5, 2010:
I thought I’d take a few minutes and relate some of my experiences, for better or worse. First off, there is a ton of expertise on the boards from people like you, and many of you offered advice that was tremendously useful. So, thanks!

My Preparation: To me, the P90X is really like a P97X, because I believe to give yourself the very best opportunity to succeed, you need to begin preparing your body about 7 days out from Day 1. I cannot overstate how crucial this is. I went supplement shopping and began to take supplements 7 days before I started the program (more on supplements later). I also went grocery shopping and began to gradually move my diet towards the 50/30/20 protein/carbs/fat ratio recommended for Phase I. If you think on Day 1 you can just suddenly change your diet, you’re in for a lot of headaches and energy crashes due to your body not being acclimated to its new ratios of nutrition. It took me several days to get the ratios right, and a program I found to be extremely helpful, and motivating in a way, is FitDay (www.fitday.com). It’s 100% free and allows you to track everything you eat, even breaking it down into pie charts for you that detail what your ratios are. Another feature of FitDay is a journal, in which I would detail the times of my meals, the times of my workouts and generally how I was feeling (the aches, pains, gains, etc.) I am not affiliated with FitDay, but I will plug their site all day long, as I feel it really helped me stay on track. During my week prior to Day 1, I also stretched a lot and did some sessions of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) on my treadmill. I think this really helped my body be as prepared as possible.

My Supplements: I bought all my supplements in advance and began using most of them about a week prior to Day 1. The most important supplement to begin early, at least for me at age 37, was a joint/ligament/tendon aid, because you’ll be jumping, twisting and landing in ways you’re probably not used to at all (I used Super Cissus). I also bought an everyday, multi-vitamin that I took each morning/night. My fat burning product was called Oxy Elite Pro. Depending upon whether it was an anaerobic day (Chest, Arms, Legs, Shoulders, etc.) or aerobic day (Plyo, Kenpo or Cardio X), I mixed up 2 different recovery drinks. On anaerobic days, I took a product called Dark Matter, which contains, among other things, heavy doses of Creatine. Because Dark Matter’s protein level(s) are relatively low, 30 minutes later I would take two scoops of Whey Isolate (Cytosport). On aerobic days, in an effort to reduce Creatine intake for less water retention, I would mix up (2) scoops of Whey Isolate, (1) scoop of Glyco-Maize and (1) tablespoon of L-Glutamine with 16 oz. of water. I took one or the other after every workout, bar none, for 90 straight days. I preferred either over Beachbody’s recovery drink because they use Waxy Maize, which is a complex carbohydrate that dissolves/absorbs like a simple carbohydrate (sugar); most of the carbs in Beachbody’s recovery drink are from sugar. Ready-to-Drinks (RTDs) are really convenient and a real treat for your body; I usually drank at least one per day. Two RTDs that I really liked were Cytosport’s “Muscle Milk” and EAS’s Myoplex Original 42, with a slight preference towards the EAS product. Finally, if you’re having trouble getting your protein up, try “Isopure” – it’s an RTD that comes in glass bottles and has zero carbs/fat, with relatively few calories. It’s expensive, but it’s probably the best quality protein available. Around Day 20 I added Fish Oil pills to supplement my very low fat intake.

My Workouts: The workouts were difficult. I nearly hurled several times during the first week. The first few weeks I used aids (chairs for pull-ups, knees for push-ups, etc.) during portions of the videos; that’s okay! The key: don’t press “Stop” and walk away; keep moving around, keep your heart rate up and pick up the video when you’re able. For example, the first week, most of the sets are 30 seconds long. I would go as long as I could, maybe 20 seconds, and then just jog in place until Tony et al were done. By the sixth week I was finishing each set with the group. A couple words of advice on gear: get yourself an impact-reducing pair of shoes or shin-splints are in your future! I wore relatively thick socks underneath Reebok ZigTech shoes, which I thought were outstanding at reducing the repeated pounding your feet, ankles and knees take during the 90 days, especially during workouts like Plyo X. Another recommendation: invest in the Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells. I know they are expensive, but they cannot be matched in terms of convenience – you basically have one set of dumbbells that spans anywhere from 5 to 52.5 pounds – awesome! Another thing about the workouts: try to vary the times you do them, if at least only once or twice per week. For example, I work Monday – Thursday and would work out on those days after a light dinner, usually around 6:00 pm. On my off days, Friday – Sundays, I would work out first thing out of bed, or at the latest, shortly after breakfast. This was beneficial for two reasons: 1) it kept my body clock from acclimating to a routine, and 2) if I found the energy later in the day on Fri/Sat/Sun, I could go on a short, HIIT run (I never did a “double”). Last thing about the workouts: don’t sell X Stretch short! Keeping your muscles limber and “elastic” is so key for avoiding injury!

My Results: I never missed one single workout for ninety straight days. I followed the diet ratios, but not necessarily the foods, very closely. I was tested many times…I powered through being really sick once, operated on only a few hours sleep several times (just to squeeze in a workout) and tweaked one of my hammies pretty good at about Day 33. I realize that level of commitment may not be practical for everyone, but I’m an “all-in” kind of guy. I wasn’t willing to sacrifice ninety days of my life to get half-ass results because I half-assed it all the way through. That said, I truly, honestly believe my results are not atypical. Anyone with motivation, determination and heart can have similar results. My genes are not the greatest. And, although I have played sports most of my life and consider myself a decent athlete, I’m by no means super-athletic…until now. Don’t get discouraged by the scale! Muscle weighs more than fat, so it’s entirely possible your weight may go up at times. I had several weeks where I lost nearly no weight at all, and then several others where I lost four or five pounds – it seemed to come in spurts. I didn’t really start to get visible results until around Day 30, and then everything after that was just extraordinary. I tried to “one-up” myself every week, pushing myself just a little bit harder than the previous week. Refer to your charts, see what you did last time, grit your teeth and do one or two more reps, or use more weight…I accepted no less.

My life has changed dramatically. The other day my son, who’s 7 y/o, was playing a video game involving a shirtless, hero-type character and said “Dad, now you look like that guy.” For me, that was the pinnacle of a 90-day journey. Your pinnacle, too, can be only 90 days away.

Message Board people: your stories, photos and tips provided motivation all the way through. Your coach or not, I’d be happy to help any of you along your way, just let me know what you need in the way of advice, answers, etc. My diet was tweaked and evolved far too much to write about here, so type me with questions…I know for me it got confusing and I really learned everything through trial/error, advice at The Vitamin Shoppe and reading nutrition-based books. My starting/finishing stats are listed below, as validation of this amazing program called P90X:

Results:
AGE: 37 (unfortunately, we can’t change that…)
HEIGHT: 5’11” (I didn’t grow any either…)
WEIGHT: 220.5 -> 185.0 (-35.5 pounds)
BODYFAT: 31.5% -> 11.0% (-20.5%)
PANT SIZE: 38” (tight) -> 32” (loose)
RESTING HEART RATE: 77 -> 50
BLOOD PRESSURE: 148/80 -> 120/72
PUSHUPS: 22 -> 80
PULLUPS: 3 -> 25

P90X - I hate it, but I love it!
-Joel S.

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p90x_results_back.jpg (216.2k), p90x_results_front.jpg (204.6k)

Those are absolutely awesome results. After our round of Insanity, my husband and I will begin our P90X journey. I'm very curious to see what my results will be. As a woman, I'm very fixated on the number that comes up on the scale. I'm working to get past this because it's only moving up it seems with Insanity. I have a feeling the same may hold true with P90X. We shall see. You are definitely an inspiration. Thank you for sharing.

Shannon
Proud Fit Mama to a 7 year old and 4 year old TRIPLETS!

Shannon,

Thank you! I really appreciate your taking the time to comment!

My wife watched my progress for a few weeks and then got inspired to start as well (although she won't admit that I was the inspiration, lol). She did portions of the P90X mixed in Tony Horton's 10-minute Trainer and Shaun T's Hip Hop Abs. She was pretty darned fit when she started, so she lost very little weight and got discouraged a lot. However, what she didn't realize was that she was changing her BODY COMPOSITION. When all was said and done, she had only lost about 2 pounds, BUT dropped several clothes size and her body fat percentage considerably.

Don't concentrate on the scale! I know, I know...when I started out on Day 1 as a fat guy, I totally focused on JUST the scale. But, as I went on and on it became more about my body fat percentage.

Justin, thanks a lot man! Haha, as a fat guy I wasn't too fond of mirrors...now they're OKAY.

Go hard in Round Two brother!

onintwo574,

Thank you for the very kind words Sir! I remember when you posted your final results a few weeks back and it inspired me! I thought "that guy really brought it!" haha

My wife did purchase Insanity, and my only concern would be that it is so extreme it would eat away my NEW muscles (I'm kinda fond of them).

I agree, the diet is so important. The routines, well, you just pop 'em in and do the very best you can. By the end I was trying to match Tony Horton! (in the beginning I was reduced to a quivering pile of jelly by the 20 minute mark!). But the diet, well, that was tricky and constantly evolved for me. That said, I can account for every calorie I put into my body during those 90 days, right down to a stick of gum (I'm serious). It's obvious you nailed your diet as well!

I have mad respect for ANYONE who graduates this program, so, congrats to you as well.

Do you have a formal, structured routine for X-Sanity?

-Joel

Excellent job one of the best transformation I've ever seen! Whats next for you?

I did some research and found one that I really like. The hybrid is a 90 day program not too dissimilar from X classic but without legs and back. I think you are doing plenty of leg work in all of the more intense Insanity workouts (Max Interval Plyo, Plyo Cardio Circuit). We can talk in more detail offline, if you are interested.

You may see some minor loss of muscle mass if you decide to do the full Insanity program. However, I am seeing some real noticeable difference in my chest definition and upper arms after 36 days of Insanity. I'm positive that will continue as I struggle the Phase 2 and finish this thing up.

Nathan, thanks for the great compliment. My family, friends and peers have been after me to do that as well, but I have such a critical eye I'm not so sure.

I'll send you a PM.

Best,
-Joel

Hey thanks for the VERY encouraging story and diet details. I'm having a really hard time imagining that P90x's recommendations WORK for bigger guys like us. Doing their calculations gives me this off the chart number - I've come down to 2400 (which is my goal set in myfitnesspal.com - cool site!) and even with this smaller number I still can't get all the protein it recommends... I know I need to keep experimenting. I'm not currently losing any weight, but my body is responding is muscle growth BIG TIME (in only two weeks, to boot). I'll probably stay where I am, calorie wise, for at least the rest of this phase (this week and then recovery week).

Any tips on shedding the fat? Or do I just need to be patient (lol I know I do). FYI, I'm doing a creatine loading phase for the third day today and I've been doing one whey protein shake after each workout since about day 3. That's it for supplements right now - maybe I need a fat burner?

-Matt

Attachments:

P90x Day 15.jpg (668.4k)

Hi guys!

I've been getting some PMs asking about my supplements, specifically what I used as a fat burning supplement. I used a product called Oxy Elite Pro. I never exceeded the recommended dosage, which meant I took (2) capsules when I woke up in the morning (about 25 minutes before breakfast) and another (1) capsule mid-afternoon (on an empty stomach). I really feel like this product worked well, and could feel my body go "thermal" shortly after taking it. Plus, a tremendous upside, it didn't keep me up at night at all. Although, I think most nights I was so spent from the day's workouts, ect that I would have crashed out no matter what. I think you can really find honest reviews of products on Amazon...usually there's several reviews for just about anything, allowing you to really get a consensus.

People have also asked me about energy drinks. Before the "X" I drank at least (1) Lo-Carb Monster per day, religously. During the "X" I didn't have any, not even one. Since finishing the program, about 2 1/2 weeks ago now, honestly, I haven't had the urge to have one at all (so I haven't). The only real vice I've returned to is coffee, with about 2 or 3 sugar cubes and 2 tsbp of flavored creamer. Luckily, my metabolism is so jacked right now that my body burns through just about anything I put into it.

I'm going to tackle the monster, Plyo X, tonight! I'm wondering - I'm researching Hybrid programs combining the P90X with Insanity. A friend sent me a few to review...do any of you have some to send along to me. Thanks in advance, cheers to all.