OT: P90X/Health and Fitness Thread

[jakecronus8]

I haven't heard many good things about FRS. Douche Patrick endorses it so I'll never touch it though.

[BUCKnation]

Just started a lifting routine with my buddy who is an expert at it this week. Im not looking for anything specific, just an overall better body. Ive never lifted at all so I am quite sore right now.

My diet isnt too great but nothing too bad considering im in college. I usually will have cereal/banana/and juice in the morning with a mulit-vitamin. I have a sub nearly everyday and occasionally will have the cafeteria stuff.

My liquid diet is pretty good though. I mostly drink plain water, the vitamin/life water zeroes, OJ, milk, some V8 juices and sometimes gatorade. I rarely have soda.


I read some concerns people have about dumping soda from a diet, this really wasnt a problem for me. I love soda, but i dont drink it too often. When i was a kid i hated not being able to fall asleep on a school night due to the caffeine, so i limited my soda drinking to the weekends. Just a year or two ago, i went a whole year without soda . In restaurants i always get water b/c the other drinks are too expensive and i fine with just water.

[Rockmaninoff]

My heretic theory on non-diet soda is:

- drink it in the morning
- get fountain sodas (more carbonated water, less syrup)
- get a big size (like a 32oz) and fill the cup completely up with ice

I drink a Mountain Dew with those specs every morning. It hasn't stopped me from losing about 40 pounds over the summer (235 to 195). It really comes down to calories in/out, while consuming a high ratio of protein to carbohydrates. If you drink a soda like the one mentioned above, it's relatively low in calories and carbohydrates. When I'm in beast mode, I generally try to consume over 100g of protein and less than 100g of carbohydrates per day, while keeping total calories under 2000 for the day.

Burn calories with a consistant weight training/cardio program, and you should see results rather quickly. It should only take an hour to an hour and a half, five days a week, if you are doing it correctly. If you can't make it 5 days a week at some point, at least do it once or twice to maintain. Never slack off for a whole week. It will just eventually escalate. The key is to keep doing it, even if it is initally uncomfortable and difficult.

[Nebula1]

Just started a lifting routine with my buddy who is an expert at it this week. Im not looking for anything specific, just an overall better body. Ive never lifted at all so I am quite sore right now.

My diet isnt too great but nothing too bad considering im in college. I usually will have cereal/banana/and juice in the morning with a mulit-vitamin. I have a sub nearly everyday and occasionally will have the cafeteria stuff.

My liquid diet is pretty good though. I mostly drink plain water, the vitamin/life water zeroes, OJ, milk, some V8 juices and sometimes gatorade. I rarely have soda.


I read some concerns people have about dumping soda from a diet, this really wasnt a problem for me. I love soda, but i dont drink it too often. When i was a kid i hated not being able to fall asleep on a school night due to the caffeine, so i limited my soda drinking to the weekends. Just a year or two ago, i went a whole year without soda . In restaurants i always get water b/c the other drinks are too expensive and i fine with just water.

Totally agree on the soda. I gave it up years ago and haven't had any since and don't get any caffeine either. At this point it's far too thick and sweet for me.

However, I have found productive results from the Isopure protein and a creatine supplement. My energy is consistent and I can play harder and still lift after games.

Shifted my meals to mostly fish/chicken to get a steady protein source. Still enjoy Ab Ripper X.

[Mags FTW]

So I joined a gym today (Anytime Fitness) for multiple reasons. Being able to run indoors on a day like this, more free weight options, and the ability to use "not wasting my money" as a motivator to work out everyday.

Do one of you experts have a weight training program you'd like to recommend? I've heard a lot about Starting Strength.

[emunney]

I'm not an expert, but the best strength gains I ever made came on this routine:

http://www.surviveall.net/size_surge_ro ... ne_fiv.htm

Here's the ToC with more info and explanation:

http://www.surviveall.net/ten_week_size ... ooklet.htm

[Nebula1]

I think it's important to find something cardio that you really enjoy doing (running, biking, basketball, swimming, etc) so you have a foundation piece that will always bring you back in the gym. Then add weight training or other pieces to that. Otherwise people fall off quick if they don't find that part of the gym that draws them back in.

[Mags FTW]

I already do cardio. 5k every other day.

[Nebula1]

Oh right on. Then I would go with Emunney's link. Dude is ripped.

[Mags FTW]

Thanks, guys. Should be hilarious as I try to figure out what weight to start at for each exercise.

[Mags FTW]

We'll see how long I can keep it up, but I've decided to go HAM. Running 5K every day instead of just every other day. I'm addicted to treadmill running. So nice to be able to set a steady pace and track your progress.

[LUKE23]

I'm not an expert, but the best strength gains I ever made came on this routine:

http://www.surviveall.net/size_surge_ro ... ne_fiv.htm

Here's the ToC with more info and explanation:

http://www.surviveall.net/ten_week_size ... ooklet.htm

What kind of daily calorie intake were you putting down while on this?

[emunney]

Hard to say because I've never counted calories. I was eating two large meals (lunch and dinner) and supplementing with whey protein every day.

I didn't adhere to the full program as outlined by that Table of Contents. I just did phase 1 twice and paid no attention to the nutritional part. Maybe I could have gone farther had I done everything perfectly, but there's a degree of complication that I'm just not willing to accept in a fitness routine, and both the 2nd phase of the workouts and the nutritional plan were over the line.

I've been doing mostly body weight exercises and other core stuff for rehab, really trying to strengthen and open up my hips and ankles to take some strain off my knees and knock out the last of this tendinitis, while at the same time improving my body control and proprioception so that I can land more confidently. But I think I'm going to give this routine another shot within the next few months. I want to get my squat back up to where I can do my sets at +1.5 bodyweight before I start playing again.

[LUKE23]

I'm not a weight training expert by any stretch of the imagination. My only comment from looking at the program you were doing was that it seems to overdo it, especially in terms of working the same muscle groups so close together (in terms of days). But you've said it works, so.....

That looks even more intense than the weight training on P90X, just eyeballing it. Not sure I'm ready for that.

[emunney]

I found it to be extremely difficult, but you'll notice that a lot of those exercises are one set and they only go over 9 reps for the short RoM exercises (crunches and calf raises). If your heart and lungs are in order, Monday and Friday will beat up your muscles, but you won't be puking or passing out or anything (if your heart or lungs aren't in order, you should def straighten that out first). The Wednesday workout is also very light.

Give it a shot and I bet you'll be amazed by how much stronger you get. Just do five weeks and see what you think. If you like it, take a week off and do another 5 weeks. I saw substantial gains just in the first month.

I'm talking myself into doing it again. It is really hard, but it is also really rewarding.

[LUKE23]

I found it to be extremely difficult, but you'll notice that a lot of those exercises are one set and they only go over 9 reps for the short RoM exercises (crunches and calf raises). If your heart and lungs are in order, Monday and Friday will beat up your muscles, but you won't be puking or passing out or anything (if your heart or lungs aren't in order, you should def straighten that out first). The Wednesday workout is also very light.

Give it a shot and I bet you'll be amazed by how much stronger you get. Just do five weeks and see what you think. If you like it, take a week off and do another 5 weeks. I saw substantial gains just in the first month.

I'm talking myself into doing it again. It is really hard, but it is also really rewarding.

So how low of a weight would you start at if you've only done light weight training recently? I'm decently in shape, but more out of shape than normal (both strength and cardio). I'm assuming this is a "should be straining on the last couple reps on every set" type deal.

[emunney]

Yeah, absolutely. You're supposed to lift enough weight to hit positive failure on the last rep of the last set of each exercise, but not so much weight that you can't hit 7 reps. It will take a workout or two of lifting a little too much or too little, but you'll settle into the rhythm pretty quickly. So if you do 9/9, you mark that exercise to move up in weight for the next time. If you can't hit 7 on either set, move down. If you're within the range (or just outside of it, say you do 9/6), keep the weight steady and push for 9s. The idea is that you're constantly increasing the load, though.

The most critical part is being able to push yourself to get as many reps as you can without cheating any of the exercises, and then also being able to not miss workouts (or quit entirely) due to feeling like you've been pushed through a meat grinder (more or less the first two weeks).

[Nebula1]

E, do you supplement?

[Nebula1]

Kevin Hart is a funny dude

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPn5iCnBN08[/youtube]

[BUCKnation]

nice find neb. so true too