OT: P90X/Health and Fitness Thread

[steger_3434]

A few indoor soccer games a week and men's Major's for outdoor is enough for me. I try to get to the gym a couple times a week, but it's hard to find time regularly for it.

[Wilford Brimley]

A few indoor soccer games a week and men's Major's for outdoor is enough for me. I try to get to the gym a couple times a week, but it's hard to find time regularly for it.

im afraid that once i start working full time (half time right now, just out of college), i wont have time to exercise.

[steger_3434]

A few indoor soccer games a week and men's Major's for outdoor is enough for me. I try to get to the gym a couple times a week, but it's hard to find time regularly for it.

im afraid that once i start working full time (half time right now, just out of college), i wont have time to exercise.

It takes a lot more dedication. For awhile I was getting up at 4:30 in the morning to work out before work because I knew it would be a lot harder to motivate myself to go after work. Like I said, I'm on so many damn soccer teams right now, though, that I don't have enough energy to get to the gym.

[Wilford Brimley]

A few indoor soccer games a week and men's Major's for outdoor is enough for me. I try to get to the gym a couple times a week, but it's hard to find time regularly for it.

im afraid that once i start working full time (half time right now, just out of college), i wont have time to exercise.

It takes a lot more dedication. For awhile I was getting up at 4:30 in the morning to work out before work because I knew it would be a lot harder to motivate myself to go after work. Like I said, I'm on so many damn soccer teams right now, though, that I don't have enough energy to get to the gym.

well, the soccer counts as exercise.

[jerrod]

well, the soccer counts as exercise.

it's cardio but you won't build much muscle

[Wilford Brimley]

well, the soccer counts as exercise.

it's cardio but you won't build much muscle

true true

[PANDEMONEUM]

i play soccer and the outdoor season starts in june, so gotta b able to run around for more than 10 minutes

June? weak

maybe the over 30 league starts in May
when does outdoor by u start ?

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

A few indoor soccer games a week and men's Major's for outdoor is enough for me. I try to get to the gym a couple times a week, but it's hard to find time regularly for it.

im afraid that once i start working full time (half time right now, just out of college), i wont have time to exercise.

It takes a lot more dedication. For awhile I was getting up at 4:30 in the morning to work out before work because I knew it would be a lot harder to motivate myself to go after work. Like I said, I'm on so many damn soccer teams right now, though, that I don't have enough energy to get to the gym.

I graduated law school in May and this is pretty much what I've had to do. I wake up between 4 and 5 AM to go for long runs (even in the winter when it's brutally cold). Then I try to get a lift in after work if I'm not feeling too tired/lazy. I definitely miss being able to run and work out in the afternoon like I could in college.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

A lot of people aren't efficient with working out. It's like in college where you see that kid that can only study in the library across campus that spends twenty minutes organizing, another twenty highlighted stuff with out actually reading and then checking Facebook will complain how much work they have to do. Well no **** cause you spent over an hour before you actually started. I know a lot of people on this board are more advanced but for beginners time shouldn't be an issue. Put up a no damage pull up bar in the hallway, do some push-ups sit up and buy some cheap free weights. Do a quick twenty five minute rotation three times a week before you go to bed and sprinkle in 3 twenty five minute runs. Bam! You have a good amount of exercise in and probably the same as if you spent thirty minutes driving to the gym that you spend half the time walking around acting like you are achieving something.

[notoriousTJ11]

I graduated law school in May and this is pretty much what I've had to do. I wake up between 4 and 5 AM to go for long runs (even in the winter when it's brutally cold). Then I try to get a lift in after work if I'm not feeling too tired/lazy. I definitely miss being able to run and work out in the afternoon like I could in college.

I hear ya.. I have to be at work at 7 everyday with about a 45 minute commute so I generally get up at 3:50, start running around 4:10-4:15, get back home by 5-5:15, make some eggs and toast, shower, then hit work and hope that I have enough energy to do weights or atleast pushups by the time I get home (doesn't happen much).

I'm hoping to get back into P90X soon but we'll see. I could probably afford to lose 10-15 lbs but my problem has never been eating (I eat normal meals, never really snack except fruit or almonds) but post college has left me drinking way too much. I'm not a drunk by any means but daily (Sun-Wed nights, Thurs-Sat is another story) I tend to have wine or beer with dinner and usually have an old fashioned or two to end the night.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

A lot of people aren't efficient with working out. It's like in college where you see that kid that can only study in the library across campus that spends twenty minutes organizing, another twenty highlighted stuff with out actually reading and then checking Facebook will complain how much work they have to do. Well no **** cause you spent over an hour before you actually started. I know a lot of people on this board are more advanced but for beginners time shouldn't be an issue. Put up a no damage pull up bar in the hallway, do some push-ups sit up and buy some cheap free weights. Do a quick twenty five minute rotation three times a week before you go to bed and sprinkle in 3 twenty five minute runs. Bam! You have a good amount of exercise in and probably the same as if you spent thirty minutes driving to the gym that you spend half the time walking around acting like you are achieving something.

Or spend a hour less on RealGM every day.

[REDDzone]

The time thing is just an excuse for laziness. If you want to exercise, you will. And if you have your priorities straight, you want to.

[BUCKnation]

I one of those people who enjoy and want to go work out but once Im there I want to get in and out as fast as possible. I do my best to minimize downtime and rest.

[superelkman]

A lot of people aren't efficient with working out. It's like in college where you see that kid that can only study in the library across campus that spends twenty minutes organizing, another twenty highlighted stuff with out actually reading and then checking Facebook will complain how much work they have to do. Well no **** cause you spent over an hour before you actually started. I know a lot of people on this board are more advanced but for beginners time shouldn't be an issue. Put up a no damage pull up bar in the hallway, do some push-ups sit up and buy some cheap free weights. Do a quick twenty five minute rotation three times a week before you go to bed and sprinkle in 3 twenty five minute runs. Bam! You have a good amount of exercise in and probably the same as if you spent thirty minutes driving to the gym that you spend half the time walking around acting like you are achieving something.

Tabata is great for those that "have no time". tabatatraining.org/

[emunney]

A lot of people aren't efficient with working out. It's like in college where you see that kid that can only study in the library across campus that spends twenty minutes organizing, another twenty highlighted stuff with out actually reading and then checking Facebook will complain how much work they have to do. Well no **** cause you spent over an hour before you actually started. I know a lot of people on this board are more advanced but for beginners time shouldn't be an issue. Put up a no damage pull up bar in the hallway, do some push-ups sit up and buy some cheap free weights. Do a quick twenty five minute rotation three times a week before you go to bed and sprinkle in 3 twenty five minute runs. Bam! You have a good amount of exercise in and probably the same as if you spent thirty minutes driving to the gym that you spend half the time walking around acting like you are achieving something.

Tabata is great for those that "have no time". tabatatraining.org/

HIIT is great and I usually use the Tabata timing (8 sets, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off), but will add sets if I don't feel spent after 8. It should be noted though that when you first start doing them, if you really go hard, that 4 minutes of doing them can really stretch out as you'll need a lot of time to recover afterward. I suggest body weight squats as an entry exercise, if anybody's interested in doing it. Burpees, split squat jumps, weighted squats, thrusters are all great exercises to do once you get your wind up a bit.

[superelkman]

A lot of people aren't efficient with working out. It's like in college where you see that kid that can only study in the library across campus that spends twenty minutes organizing, another twenty highlighted stuff with out actually reading and then checking Facebook will complain how much work they have to do. Well no **** cause you spent over an hour before you actually started. I know a lot of people on this board are more advanced but for beginners time shouldn't be an issue. Put up a no damage pull up bar in the hallway, do some push-ups sit up and buy some cheap free weights. Do a quick twenty five minute rotation three times a week before you go to bed and sprinkle in 3 twenty five minute runs. Bam! You have a good amount of exercise in and probably the same as if you spent thirty minutes driving to the gym that you spend half the time walking around acting like you are achieving something.

Tabata is great for those that "have no time". tabatatraining.org/

HIIT is great and I usually use the Tabata timing (8 sets, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off), but will add sets if I don't feel spent after 8. It should be noted though that when you first start doing them, if you really go hard, that 4 minutes of doing them can really stretch out as you'll need a lot of time to recover afterward. I suggest body weight squats as an entry exercise, if anybody's interested in doing it. Burpees, split squat jumps, weighted squats, thrusters are all great exercises to do once you get your wind up a bit.

Agreed. People think that 4 mins isn't enough to tax them but if you do these right and literally go as hard as you can for the 20 seconds on you will be spent especially if starting out.

I like to jump rope, do mountain climbers, sand bag squats, lateral shuffles when doing tabatas. Whats so nice about tabata though is that you can get an amazing workout in, in about 9 minutes(5 minute warm up, 4 min tabata) and with little or no equipment. Burpees like you mentioned performed at 100% for 8 20 sec rounds can be very, very intense.

[emunney]

It takes some practice to do a tabata interval with burpees even if you're in really good shape. The mechanics of the exercise require a pretty specific breathing pattern that you have to figure out on the fly. I instinctively want to inhale during the part of the exercise where I'm knees to chest, and that just doesn't check out.

[sotrak1000]

I started DDP Yoga about 5 weeks ago and really am enjoying it. I was very skeptical at first because I had never done yoga before but DDP makes it fairly exciting. I've tried to eat healthier (more fruits and veggies) as well and eat 1 vegetarian meal a day (DDP outlines a meal plan you should follow but I don't have the $$ to afford all organic foods). So far I've lost 10 pounds and honestly feel better than ever.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

The HIIT workouts I looked up seem to make you more lean/ripped compared to weights and machines. That is something I am looking for since I'm short and my chest seems to get thick making it look like I have little man syndrome when I hit the bench/pushups hard.

Any routine you recommend/how often should you do HIIT? Once a day? Doing a different thing every day?

[superelkman]

The HIIT workouts I looked up seem to make you more lean/ripped compared to weights and machines. That is something I am looking for since I'm short and my chest seems to get thick making it look like I have little man syndrome when I hit the bench/pushups hard.

Any routine you recommend/how often should you do HIIT? Once a day? Doing a different thing every day?

Well when done correctly it is extremely taxing so I would make it a rule to never do it on back to back days. On the site I believe they recommend twice a week but it all depends on what the rest of your workout schedule looks like.

I do it twice a week after I lift and focus on cardio/plyo type of exercises. On the tabata site I linked before they show a bunch of different things people do.

If you are just going to do tabata and no other form of high intensity training 3 days a week of it should be perfect. I'd just pick exercises that work the various muscles you are looking to work and that you can do for 20 seconds straight.

A sample of some of the lifts you could do would be:
pushups and the millions of variations of these(clap pushups are my favorite), bodyweight squats/goblet squats/sandbag squats(I wouldn't recommend going too heavy on this if you aren't comfortable with squats however as they are very easy to get injured on), curls, military press, pullups/chin ups, etc. Just have to make sure you can go 20 seconds as hard as you can.

I love to jump rope for cardio and do one whole tabata of just jump roping.

You can put the treadmill at an incline or go outside... sprint for 20 secs... hop off to the side for 10 secs... repeat

Burpees, box jumps, mountain climbers, squat jumps, lateral shuffles are good. Basically anything that you can safely do for 20 seconds at an intensity that makes your lungs burn badly.

Be creative with it and have fun and pick what you want to do. Usually people pick 4 exercises for one Tabata but I do some with all jump roping. I have a stand up heavy bag as well and love to do some with just wasting myself throwing hooks, jabs/straights, uppercuts for each round.

If you are looking for a full body workout do clap pushups, military, squat jumps, chin ups or something like that for one tabata.