gonna rebuild a respectable frame...

[Manimalia]

i'm not bad off by any means. i can still hit some iron pretty well, but i just don't seem to have the umph i used to. my gut has grown bigger while my muscles have grown smaller. i can still squat 335 for reps. i can still military press 160 for reps. i am just not feeling healthy at all, and my metabolism has been for ****.

SO, i have began P90X. i am on day 2, and if you know my posts at all, you know that i have now transitioned back to a traditional diet. i have so far done chest/back on day 1 and on day 2 i just got done with plyometrics. i notice that the "muscle confusion" slogan rings true. i've noticed this after TWO days. i am highly impressed thus far. it's not about pushing weight with this one so much as being healthy and trimming/sculpting. i can't wait to get "cut" the healthy way.

one thing i like about the routine is that it is ridiculously high volume, yet, it seems that the exercises are set up to give the groups you are working breaks. the whole routine is one big superset essentially. it's metabolic and efficient all the way.

my diet right now consists of 3000 maintenance cals. i prophecy that i will allow for more in the future, because as i move up in weight/reps, i will need more.

the supplements i am using right now include a multivitamin, yohimibine hcl, NO shotgun, whey protein, dextrose.

my diet is something like this:

M1:
40g pro/50g carbs/15g fat
M2:
40g pro/40g fat
M3:
30g pro/40g carbs
PRE:
25g pro/20g carbs
POST:
25g pro/30g carbs
M4:
50g pro/40g carbs/ 10g fat
M5:
30g pro/50g fat
BED:
20g pro/20g fat


anyone out there familiar with this routine? believe me, I KNOW IT SEEMS LOOPY for me to be doing this, as this thing seems to be for beginners at first. no one who knows what they're doing should need to be told what to do with some videos, but i have lost track and motivation a tad. this should help me rebuild some strength and possibly even be truly healthy, flexible, cardiovascularly-correct right? can anyone who's done this correspond with me on their results? i want even more motivation.
anywho, i am going to take before pictures and then after pictures and post them up 88 days from now. be on the lookout for a lean ass bad ass photograph session. HA! hope it's awesome!!!!

 

[MasterFlexx]

Good Luck bro, I've seen the P90X commercials when I can't get to sleep some nights. Hopefully the results look true and you achieve your "Carved from marble" physique. Stay motivated and get ripped!:bb3:

 

[Manimalia]

ok, so after i did plyometrics last night, i found it difficult to sleep. i had to sleep for 12 hours just to get an equivalent of 8 because my sleep was fragmented a great deal. today is shoulders/arms day, and i will tear that up, BUT, i will do it with weights that are not killer. i mean, it's high volume. i know because i prewatched the video. HIGH volume.

here is what i will say about p90x so far:
1. it is a major metabolism boosting workout. i am hungry all the time thus far, even when i consume insane amounts of food.
2. it brings out the intensity that i had when i first began exercising. i am not only physically hungry again, the mental is ravenous as well.
3. you do not need to worry if you are on the wrong track with your plan, because this was designed by professionals, and since i've reached a sticking point and began to go downhill, this will help me get back up.
4. the exercises i am doing are BEYOND "new." they are simply ALIEN to me. this, i think, for most of us would be true. this is where the optimal "muscle confusion" comes from, and i'm liking it thus far. i'm feeling muscles i didn't know i had.


that's the opinion i got thus far. i will do shoulders/arms tonight, and then gorge myself on good foods after that. tonight, to curb the sleep problem, i will do a little bit of hippie-like meditation, make myself a good valerian/chamomile tea, chase it down with some melatonin, and sleep alone (sleeping with my lady in my bed makes me not only worry about myself tossing/turning, but then i have her lack of sleep on my conscience as well).

i'll kind of keep a log here, i think, if anyone is interested.

 

[ItsHectic]

Yea I would be interested, I think it would work great.

How hard is it? I don't know much about it but I imagine it is high intensity high volume anaerobic work along with a slight calorie deficit?

 

[Manimalia]

it is HARD HARD HARD. and there IS NO WAY you can get away with eating a mere 2000 cals on this program. that is gonna overtrain you bigtime. the intensity is as hard as it gets.

today i did shoulders and arms. i did a total of 291 reps for that. i didn't use anything over 30 lbs. though, with the exception of the 85 lbs. i used for the upright rows. it is killer. i didn't wanna use high weight today, as i had already ripped my arms/shoulders apart on chest/back day. today, i just did this to allow nutrients to flow into my muscles and make slight tears to build just a bit more. i didn't go heavy at all.

like i said, i'm gonna post up my before/afters 87 days from today. so be on the lookout in the 'pics' forum. if you like what my results are, you should try it. too early to tell if i'm gonna like my results, but i'm impressed with it thus far.

 

[Manimalia]

did yoga last night, a 1.5 hour session. i could do most of the moves with the exception of a few. it's funny. i always bashed people who talked about yoga a bit, because i thought it was a trendy thing people did just to say that they did it, like those who eat sushi all the time, just so they can say, "OH, i LOVE sushi." i dunno. i digress.

it was hard! but GOOD!! i mean, for the first few nights of this program, i found a bit of difficulty in sleeping, as my body was humming, but after hitting the yoga, i fell in like a baby, only to wake up 10 hours later to type this post. niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice. i might just do a bit each night before bed, not so much the moving poses, but the static poses and the breathing will do me right for sleep i hope.

as far as weight goes, so far i am down a pound and i don't feel any weaker. i am only on day 6, so i have to give it time, but results will come I AM SURE. i know this because, like i said, i am doing things that are totally different and they are things that are pushing me to the limit. it's comparable to the first time we ever picked up a barbell to bench. the gains were great, remember? well, this is new too, and it should work the same i hope!!! keep on goin!

 

[Manimalia]

completed my first week of p90x. i had hypothesized that i would feel overtrained by the end of the week, due to my initial reaction to the first workout. I FEEL GREAT. i'm ready for more. can't wait to start again tomorrah! i'm already feeling a tad thinner. i'm sure it has something to do with me having for a while raised my carbs and now they're lowered again, but it also has a lot to do with the deficit my cals are in. I SWEAT BULLETS for a week straight so far on this program. nice.

here's kind of how i am eating foodwise. i mentioned the ratio earlier, but i kinda wanna outline a day of eating. also, i've lowered carbs a bit more from the plan earlier, as i do not need them. kickass:

M1: blenderized 1.5 scoops whey, 1 serving oats, 1 cup berries, 1 cup 2% milk

M2: 8 oz lean beef, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 big bowl spinach

M3: 6 oz chicken, 1 green apple, 2 celery sticks, 1/2 cup tomato sauce

PRE: 1 scoop whey blended with 20g carbs worth oats
POST: 1 scoop whey with 40g dextrose, vitamin

M4: 8 oz chicken, 1 serving wheat pasta, mixed veggies

M5: 2 oz walnuts, 1 oz cheese, 1 scoop protein, bowl of salad

BED: 1 scoop protein, 20g fat from what i feel like (p.b., cheese, oils, etc).

FEEL GOOD!!!!

 

[nevergoodenough]

Good luck man! Great log so far. My brother just finished his first week, and is RAVING about the program. I am going to burn the DVDs and get started this Saturday. I love the idea of taking it back to basics with bodyweight, and a few dumbells. Strait caveman. Keep up the good work.

 

[nicktorres81]

sweet post i am thinking of picking up p90x. Looks like a good azzkicker. i have a newborn at home now so i cant get to the gym as often as i like, but very excited to try this home workout. Cant wait for next weeks up dates.

 

[Wanker527]

keep updating, this is really motivating for me because my girlfriend and i start p90x this upcoming monday. i've browsed through most of the dvd's and the workouts look tough as hell. great log and keep up the hard work!:cheers:

 

[Manimalia]

thanks for the support guys. if you haven't started....START. it's not about packing on slabs of muscle with this. this is about fitness. i am about done with my second week. i hit the yoga last week. just got done with it again tonight. was ALREADY more flexible, had more stamina to hold the positions, breathed easier, and felt better.

i recommend this to anyone/everyone, if anything, just for the three months to use. it's a nice change, and it incorporates every aspect of fitness. if you were not flexible enough, i speculate you/i will be. if you had no cardiovascular endurance, i speculate you/i will have it. if you had no speed, i speculate you/i will have it. and finally, if you had no endurance for resistance training, i speculate you/i will have it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

awesome so far! get on it boys/gals! i'm going to post up my before/afters, so if you wait a while longer, you'll/i'll hopefully see some amazing results. as i said, i'm impressed thus far. thanks y'all.
E.

 

[Manimalia]

am now going to lower my cals even more so as to maximize fat loss. i was at 3000, but now i will go down to 2500, so as to keep losing. i will have five low carb days and two higher carb days (still within reason). all days will be at 2500 cals though, so the macro ratio is adjusted accordingly:

REGULAR CYCLE
250g protein
170g carbs
95g fat
2500 cals

40g pro/50g carbs

m2:
40g pro/25g fat

m3:30g pro/30g carbs

PRE:25g pro/20g carbs
POST: 20g pro/30g carbs

M4: 50g pro/40g carbs/10g fat

M5: 30g pro/40g fat

BED: 15g pro/15g fat





CARB CYCLE
225g protein
250g carbs
70g fat
2500 cals

40g pro/60g carbs

m2:30g pro/40g carbs/10g fat

m3: 30g pro/30g carbs/10g fat

PRE: 25 g pro/30g carbs
POST: 25g pro/30g carbs

M4:30g pro/50g carbs/10g fat

M5: 30g pro/40g fat

BED: 15g pro/10g carbs

Do the carb cycle once midweek and again at end of week---------two days on carb cycle

5 days on regular cycle


*PROGRESSION- after you weigh in at 195, drop it down to 2250 cals
and after you weigh in at 190 drop it down to 2000 cals. This is tentative of course, though.

CHOICE FOODS:

Chicken breast
Salmon
Lean beef
Eggs

Oatmeal
Sweet potato
Carrots
Corn
Vegetable juice
Brown rice
White rice
Tomatoes

Walnuts
Cashews
Fish oil
Flax oil
Coconut

Lettuce
Celery
Asparagus
Broccoli
Green beans
Spinach

Apples
Bananas
Oranges
Pineapples
Mixed berries


AM STILL a rockin' and a'rollin' with this program. i have a slight qualm with the high volume stress put on arms, however. i may be tweaking the arm days in the future, and simply doing the arms on my own with more weight/less reps. heck, i've even noticed that on most before/afters with p90x that everyone has disproportionately large chests/backs compared to their arms. that may be cause they're overworked. no, actually, i believe it is. so we'll see what my brain can come up with. but, all is well.

i am gettin' to be one flexible, stamina havin' mofo!!!!! keep tabs on this cause the before/afters will come!!!

 

[nicktorres81]

right on bro, diet is looking good. keep up the good work.

 

[Manimalia]

just finished the serious part of week 3. got to do some cardio tomorrow and then it's time for a week of cardio/core work to get myself rested....kind of. the cardio is harder than the weight lifting. but it will nonetheless give my muscles a short break to repair, and i can seriously focus on some fat ripping this coming week.

speaking of fat ripping, the fat is coming off nicely. i should shed, if i apply myself, at least a pound to two this week. we'll see. all in all, it's comin' along.

after this week coming up, i enter phase 2, where it's really time to 'bring it.' this is where the numbers in weight should move up a bit. i'll be still trying to lose weight, but will not go higher than 12 reps, so as to keep my strength going up a bit more. a lot of moves'll be done with 8 reps, i believe. when i do, the carbs'll be dropped even more on the regular cycle diet and the carbs'll be up about the same on the two-day carb cycle.

keep an eye out. only two months left until before/afters. should be a real hoot. haha!

oh yeah, and i figure in about another three weeks, i'll drop the cals down to 2000. that's just a tentative guestimate. i'll listen to my body like i always do and see if it'll work accordingly when i get to that time period.

p.s.- still lovin' it!