Losing weight with P90X

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P90X Setbacks

By Tim Pannell On April 18, 2010 No Comments

This was a crappy week for P90X!   There’s no other way to describe it.

I had a number of setbacks this week, mostly soreness in my left elbow and a fair amount of lower back pain.

I did the P90X Chest & Back workout on Monday and the P90X Shoulders & Arms workout on Tuesday.

On Wednesday I could barely move my left elbow.

This type of pain would come around fairly often in my right elbow when I was playing racquetball.

This is the second time I’ve experienced this in my left elbow.  If you’ve ever had tennis elbow…….that is what this feels like.

It got so bad I could barely play any low notes on my guitar without serious pain.

The twisting motion is just horrible.

I decided to take it easy the rest of the week……thinking that it would get better.

Well, it hasn’t really.  The left elbow is still really sore.

I’m guessing I overdid it with any of the bicep exercises in the P90X Shoulders & Arms routine.

I’ve added a lot of strength to my arms and I guess I just pushed it too hard.

As far as my lower back is concerned….I haven’t got a clue.  Throughout most of my experience with P90X I’ve been pain free in my back.

I did P90X Kenpo X yesterday with my wife, sister in law, brother in law and niece.

I figured this wouldn’t hurt my elbow any.  It was more painful than I expected it to be, but not too bad.

This workout actually helped stretch out my back and as of this morning the pain in my lower back is almost gone.

There is still some pressure, but nothing like the last couple of days.

I think this next week I’ll stick to the P90X Yoga X, Kenpo X and Aerobics X workouts to give my elbow some rest.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

P90X Diet Tips

By Tim Pannell On April 9, 2010 No Comments

I’ve done pretty well with the workouts for the last several months.

I’ve added quite a bit of muscle to my frame, but I haven’t lost any real weight….maybe 5 pounds.

I’ve said in earlier posts that I wasn’t going to let myself get too down if I wasn’t successful at dropping the weight.

I’m pleased with my efforts as far as the p90x workouts are considered, but I want to do better in the weight loss category.

I have to admit that my diet throughout my previous p90x cycle has been the ultimate problem.

We got into the habit of eating ice cream almost everyday and I know that I can’t keep doing that and expect to drop the weight.

I’ve cut out soda from my diet almost completely – maybe 12 oz. every week or 2.

On a typical day I’ll get up at 6 am, do a little work on my blogs and my commercial photography website.

At around 8 am I’ll pop in a P90X DVD and do an hour workout.

About 1/2 hour after my workout I’ll mix up a Shakeology Shake.

I’ll usually make an egg sandwich for lunch…nothing too crazy.

I haven’t done a good job snacking on healthy options in the middle of the day.

By the time dinner rolls around I’ve been starving and I’ll overeat.

Chicken, salmon, lean beef, pasta, salads, veggies.

They’re nutritious and healthy dinners, just too much of them……portion control will be the answer.

I’m trying to keep things simple and balanced.  No crazy diets…nothing overly complicated…..in other words just common sense.

I’ve got grapes and carrots lined up for gnoshing today.

My kiss of death over the last 3 months has been after 9 pm when I’m still winding down.

I’ve eaten junk to be honest – ice cream and chips and crap.

This time around with this P90X sequence I’ll do better with my diet.

The rule this time around is – no junk food during the week.

I’ll let myself eat ice cream or whatever on the weekend, but that’s it.

I should drop 5 pounds a week if I stick to these principles.

If I don’t drop a bunch of weight in the next couple of weeks I’ll have to go back to the drawing board as far as the diet is concerned.

P90X – Next Round – Day One

By Tim Pannell On April 5, 2010 No Comments

Here it is April 5th and I’m starting a new round of P90X.

Today is day #1.

Last week was a take it easy week for me.

I did P90X Chest and Back on Monday and I did P90X Plyometrics on Wednesday.

I also played racquetball for a few hours during the week.

I will be following the standard P0X Workout Schedule.

The previous round of P90X was pretty successful for me on a number of levels, but I failed on the “weight loss” front.

I am much stronger.  My arms are at least one inch bigger than 3 months ago.

I was more consistent with the previous set of P90X than ever before.

It really helped doing the workouts with my wife and sister in law.

It was much easier staying committed to the entire workout schedule and program than ever before.

My wife is now working from 6 am til 2 pm so the P90X trio has  been broken up for the moment.

My wife and I just finished P90X Chest and Back this morning since she has today off.

It was nice to have a workout buddy again.

I was surprisingly toasty toast today.

I fully expected to be full of energy since I took it so easy last week.

It wasn’t the case….I was breathing much heavier than I normally do.

Maybe its from all the crap I ate yesterday…..that’s my guess anyway.

In any case…..here I am, making another commitment to another 90 days of P90X.

This time around I have just one goal……LOSE WEIGHT!!!!!

I’m gunning for at least 30 pounds.  I know that my biggest problem is my eating habits.

Back in AZ I would start my mornings with a “Shakeology” shake and that really helped me get my eating habits in control.

When we moved up here to Utah, I just couldn’t bring myself to drink a cold shake since it was so cold up here.

I think in hindsight that really hurt me.  I have been much hungrier up here than back in AZ and I believe that the lack of Shakeology is the culprit.

After I’m done with this post I’m gonna make a shake and get my day started off on the right foot.

I slept well last night, I got in a great workout and I’ll start off today eating wisely.

It sounds like a good plan to me.

Have a great day! I know I will.

P90X Workout Schedule

By Tim Pannell On April 1, 2010 3 Comments

The P90X workout schedule is pretty ambitious.

I’ve had quite a few people ask me over the last several weeks what the actual P90X schedule is.

For any of you wondering about that….this post should explain it……….here goes:

There are a total of 12 DVDs that make up the P90X Exercise series.

The basic P90X schedule is broken up into 11 dvd routines plus an additional 12th dvd that focuses on your abs, called Ab Ripper-X.

DVD #1 –   Chest & Back
DVD #2 -    Plyometrics
DVD #3 –   Shoulders & Arms
DVD #4 –   Yoga X
DVD #5 –   Legs & Back
DVD #6 –   Kenpo X
DVD #7 –   X Stretch
DVD #8 –   Core Synergistics
DVD #9 –   Chest, Shoulders & Triceps
DVD #10 – Back & Biceps
DVD #11 – Cardio X
DVD #12 – Ab Ripper X

There is also a “How to Bring It” Instructional DVD included with your P90X Workout Schedule which gives you an overview of the entire set of P90X exercises.

Here’s what the classic P90x workout schedule looks like:

P90X Workout Schedule for Weeks #1, #2, and #3:

Day 1 – Chest and Back, plus Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Plyometrics
Day 3 – Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch

Weeks #4, #8 and #13 of the P90X workout schedule  are designed as recovery weeks.

P90x Workout Schedule for Week #4:

Day 1 – Yoga X
Day 2 – Core Synergistics
Day 3 – Kenpo X
Day 4 – X Stretch
Day 5 – Core Synergistics
Day 6 – Yoga X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch

P90X Workout Plan for Weeks #5, #6 and #7:

Day 1 – Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Plyometrics
Day 3 – Back and Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch

P90x Workout Schedule for Week #8 (Recovery Phase):

Day 1 – Yoga X
Day 2 – Core Synergistics
Day 3 – Kenpo X
Day 4 – X Stretch
Day 5 – Core Synergistics
Day 6 – Yoga X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch

P90X Workout Schedule for  Week #9 and Week #11:

Day 1 – Chest and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Plyometrics
Day 3 – Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 Rest or X Stretch

P90X Workout for Week#10 and Week #12:

Day 1 –  Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 2-   Plyometrics
Day 3 – Back and Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch

P90X Workout Schedule for Week #13 (Final Week):

Day 1 – Yoga X
Day 2 – Core Synergistics
Day 3 – Kenpo X
Day 4 – X Stretch
Day 5 – Core Synergistics
Day 6 – Yoga X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch

The basic P90X Workout Schedule has you working out 6 days a week for 13 weeks from 1 to 1  1/2 hours each session.

It is a great set of workouts and I highly recommend sticking to the schedule if at all possible.

Good luck!

BRING IT!

P90X – Racquetball, Again? Are you Nuts?

By Tim Pannell On March 23, 2010 No Comments

Well…….here I am sitting in my family room all dressed up to play a little racquetball.

I haven’t played since last August when I hyper extended my knee and had difficulty walking for longer than I’d care to remember.

I swore I’d never play the game again, it took too long to recover last time.

My brother in law plays 2 – 3 times a week and honestly……the game calls to me.

I started playing in high school and college.

I got away from the game for a long time and then got back into it about 6 years ago.

Getting hurt last November was not in the cards.  I hated getting hurt and I hated leaving the game even more.

I miss it.  I love it.

It is hands down the best outlet for any frustrations I’m going through.

I am going to take it easy and see what happens.

If the knee feels the least bit weak…I’m gonna bail out.

I’ve done just shy of 3 months worth of P90X and feel a lot stronger than I’ve been in a while.

My knee feels strong and I’ve built up a lot more muscle to support my joints.

I should be ok…I’ll keep you all posted.

Well……..I survived.  We played for 2 hours, nothing popped, nothing pulled, nothing strained, nothing broke…..life is good.

I didn’t play worth crap, but I didn’t have to be carried off the court. What a winner I am!

My shots were off.  I can’t even count how many unforced errors I had….pathetic.

I have to retrain my reflexes to not immediately react to the ball.

It’s always like that after having not played for a while.

You want to react to where the ball will end up, not where it’s heading.

I don’t know if that makes any sense if you don’t play racquetball.

The ball bounces a lot in racquetball and unless it’s hit to a perfect spot, it will most likely bounce to an area where you can reach it without running everywhere chasing after it like an idiot.

It’s not like tennis where once the ball goes by you the point is over.

A well placed shot won’t give you an opportunity to hit it once it gets by you.  With experience you learn which ones to go for and which ones to let by you and pick up on the rebound.

You might be wondering what any of this has to do with P90X workouts so here ya go:

I’m not really sore today.  If I played 2 + hours without doing p90x for the last 3 months, I’d be crawling out of bed.

I would hardly be able to walk.  My knees would be killing me, my ankles would be swollen and my feet would be completely shot.

My quads aren’t sore, my calves aren’t on fire…..I feel good.

Today I’ll pop in the P90X Chest and Back DVD.

The weight isn’t coming off in spite of my consistently working out each week.

Toady I’m gonna work on a better eating plan.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  If any of you that are reading have had any success with an easy to follow menu please comment.

Just a warning….if it involves weighing, ridiculous amounts of calorie counting I will be doomed to failure!

Have an amazing day!

P90X – Problems?

By Tim Pannell On March 19, 2010 No Comments

Man, what a weird week!

I love P90X, but this week I’ve had some problems with it.

My wife and sister in law headed out of town Monday and Tuesday….leaving me all by myself.

Monday morning I got up and dutifully did my P90X Back and Chest workout.

It was great!  I felt good afterwards and was pleased with myself for doing it even though I was alone.

Tuesday………I don’t even remember Tuesday.

That wouldn’t bother me if I was a drinker, but I’m not.

I just know I didn’t work out that day.

Kim got back into town Tuesday night.

For whatever reason, we didn’t work out Wednesday morning either.

Yesterday I got up at 5 am because Kim started her new job and had to be there at 6 am.

I got up with her and took her to work and then got home to get the youngest of our kids off to school.

After that I went out and did some photography….shooting scenic backgrounds for a photo project I’m working on.

I spent the whole day after that at the computer processing and retouching….at least until I went out and shot scenics for another 3 hours in the late afternoon – early evening.

Right now it’s 5 am and I’m going to shoot outdoors again at sunrise.

Kim will head off to work at 6 and won’t get home til this afternoon.

Here’s the question – When in the crap are we going to work out?!?

For almost 3 months now, we had a nice little system in place.

We’d get up, get the kids off to school.

Kim’s sister would come over around 8 am and we’d pop in a P90X workout and we’d get moving.

We were really consistent with this P90X routine.

It was really nice starting the day off with a great sweaty workout.

It was also nice having 2 other people there to keep me motivated.

Afternoons are busy around here and I’m worried we’ll find excuses.

Melanie won’t be able to work out at that time every day.

Kim really enjoyed the P90X workouts and was getting stronger and stronger by the day.

It was fun watching everybody make a lot of progress from week to week too.

It’s always a drag when a good routine comes to an end.

I guess we’ll see what happens today.  The plan is to workout at 2:30 when Kim gets home.

I’ll keep you posted.

P90X Reviews – Plyometrics Still The Mother of All P90X Workouts

By Tim Pannell On March 10, 2010 1 Comment

Yesterday I wrote a post and then went off to do P90X Plyometrics for my weekly butt kicking.

This P90X workout is the mother of all workouts.

It’s just brutal!

I am happy to report though, that I’m making progress and it was readily apparent yesterday.

The pain in my left knee is beginning to get better after several months of sharp pain.

There is a P90X Plyometrics exercise called “Hot Foot”.

You stand on one foot and jump up and down at a fairly brisk pace forwards, backwards and side to side.

The first time that I tried this exercise on my left foot….I couldn’t do it.

It felt like a knife was being plunged into my kneecap.

I ended up doing the exercise with both feet at the same time.

Yesterday I was able to do the whole exercise one footed.

Today I am not paying a price for doing that at all.  No limp, no pain, no struggle.

I’m grateful for the added strength in my legs that is taking some of the pressure off my joints…..especially my knees.

I still have weight issues, but there is no doubt that I’m getting stronger and stronger by the week.

Today my wife and I took it a bit easier and instead of doing P90X Shoulders and Arms we did the P90X Stretch X workout.

This is a great workout when you find yourself running out of gas or if you’re sore from the p90X workouts that focus more and more on weight lifting.

Here’s what I noticed most today……….

I was able to grab my left ankle for the first time in years while doing the standing quad stretch.

I had prolotherapy treatments several years ago on both of my knees and the very last treatment that I had done on my left knee pumped so much liquid into the joint area that it swelled up and stayed that way to this day.

Its never really dissipated.  Consequently I haven’t been able to reach behind me and grab that foot or ankle…..it’s just been too swollen.

I would have to grab the back heel of my shoe in order to do the stretch.

Today to my surprise I was able to reach back and actually grab my ankle.

I was then able to reach back with both hands and grab both ankles while lying on my stomach in order to do the “bow” exercise.

I’ve never been close to doing that exercise prior to this week.

It’s so nice to see progress being made on a daily basis.  No matter which workout I’m doing I’m noticing areas that I’m getting better at.

If you have struggled with your weight or your fitness level and haven’t found anything that works for you I would strongly recommend P90X.

I’m so glad that I decided to try P90x.  It’s not an easy workout.

My old racquetball partner just started doing the P90X workouts.

He may be in his 30′s but I would consider him to be in really good shape.

He still has a 40 + inch vertical leap….I know it’s ridiculous.

Try playing racquetball with the guy, he’s fast as a rabbit and can chase down just about any shot I can hit.

In any case, he called the other day to let me know how badly P90X Plyometrics kicked his butt.

He laughed……it’s only jumping and squats…nothing earth shattering.

He couldn’t believe it worked him as hard as it did.

So…any of you guys and girls out there making fun of the P90X hype……try it before you poke fun at it.

If you do it right and keep up with the pace on the DVD’s….it should kick your butt too.

P90X Reviews – Weight Loss?

By Tim Pannell On March 9, 2010 3 Comments

My wife, sister in law and I have been doing the P90X workouts for 2 months now.

Here’s my review of that 2 months.

In the beginning, I really struggled.  I had done P90X back in Chandler, AZ off and on the second half of last year.

I had made progress…..at my worst I weighed 310…still can’t believe it.

At my best I weighed 261 lbs.  Right now my weight has been fluctuating wildly and not staying consistent.

Since moving to Utah my weight has been bouncing around between 263 and 270 lbs.

My guess for the yo-yo effect is the stress of moving and getting things set up.

It really has been a hectic 2 months moving in and making changes to my photography business.

I have eaten more crap than I should.  The culprits – ice cream, brownies, cookies.

I have gone cold turkey on those kinds of things in the past only to end up pigging out on them later.

I decided a while ago to just eat smaller amounts of them.

It worked for a while, but gradually the portions and/or frequency has grown.

My wife and I decided to just do desserts on weekends a couple of weeks ago.

We also forgot about that decision a couple of weeks ago……….crap!

I didn’t remember that decision until just now writing this post.

I will try this again starting today……..no junk until Friday night.

I guess we’ll see what happens.  Will it make a difference with my weight?

Honestly, I don’t know.  I assume it will help.

In 2 months my weight has bounced around, but my strength and stamina has increased continuously.

We did the P90X Chest and Back on Monday, Plyometrics on Tuesday, P90X Shoulders and Arms on Wednesday, Yoga X on Thursday, P90X Legs and Back on Friday and on Saturdays we would do either Kenpo X or Shoulders and Arms.

I have gone from being able to do 5-10 push ups to 30+.  I can actually do the “diamond” push ups now.  I think the first time I tried those suckers I could do 1 or 2…..now I can do 20+.

I still struggle with the “divebomber” push ups, but can do 6 of them without collapsing.

I’m amazed at the progress I’ve made and that I’ve been able to see progress as quickly as I did.

Each week brought better results and statistics.

P90X Shoulders and Arms is still my favorite of the P90X workouts.

I’ve added 5-10 pounds to each of those exercises.

I have had something going on in my left elbow for the last 2 weeks so I backed off on the amount of weight I’m using for the last week as well as this one.

It feels exactly like tennis elbow except I’m not left handed and I don’t play tennis.

I used to play a lot of racquetball and would experience “tennis elbow” from time to time in my right elbow from that.

Plyometrics still kicks my butt.  I find it extremely difficult to keep up with.  I honestly dread this workout, but even with it I can see progress being made.

P90X Yoga X is also still difficult for me at this point.

I find it extremely difficult to breath because of all of my excess weight, but I do the best I can.

Kenpo X is a lot of fun and a bit more aerobic than the other P90X workouts.

I was sick with bronchitis for all of January so that made working out that much harder.

The other obstacle for me was the higher elevation here in Utah.

It took me a while to adjust to that, but at this point I have made the transition.

Have I reached all of my goals yet?……..NO!

Have I reached some of them?…… YES!

I love working out now -(with the exception of Plyometrics).  Today is Plyo day and I’m dreading it.

My arms are bigger, my core is tighter, my legs are stronger and even though I haven’t lost any real weight over the last 2 months, I’m in better shape than I was.

Everybody responds differently to exercise.  I feel at times like a chemist….tinkering away with my little experiments to see what will work best for me.

All in all, the latest of my P90X reviews is this:  I still love these workouts!

They have changed me for the better and I will continue doing them long after I’ve hit my desired weight.

I will be exercising for the rest of my life.

There is no going back to my previous sedentary lifestyle.  In that respect, P90X has been a wild success.

If you want to give P90X a try……you can order it here.

Good luck!

P90X Alternative

By Tim Pannell On March 6, 2010 No Comments

Yesterday we woke up to 12 inches of snow and that was just enough to give me a new P90X alternative.

With shovel in hand I shoveled six driveways and a couple hundred yards of sidewalks.

After shoveling I did a series of photographs for my stock agency of my nieces, nephew and son playing in the snow

I actually like shoveling snow….maybe proof of my low I.Q.

I remember watching my mom shovel snow when I was a kid and throwing snowballs at the big picture window my sisters and I would watch her through.

I was really excited once I got old enough to go out and shovel and through snowballs at the big window while my sisters watched me shovel…….a winter right of passage of sorts.

We’ve lived in Arizona for 22 years before moving up here to Utah so I’ve avoided snow shoveling for almost half my life.

I still enjoy it.  It’s actually a great workout.

There were several people on the block with snow blowers, but they didn’t finish their driveways any faster than it took me doing it “manually.”

How many things are sold to us in order to make our lives easier?

Save time, save energy, save effort etc.

Many of these things might make life easier, but the real question is…….do they make our lives better.

We’ve sought out ease of living at the expense of our health in many cases.

We use our lungs less, we use our legs less, we use our backs less, we use our muscles less.

We get weaker and more and more out of shape as we seek a life of ease.

In the long run, so many of these things we do to make our lives easier actually make it worse as we lose more and more of our physical abilities.

I have no plans to buy a snow blower…..on this one….I’ll stick to the old fashioned way of doing things.

Heaven knows I can use the workout.  I spent 2 hours yesterday morning shoveling snow.  It felt great.

The really cool thing though is this……because I’ve been doing P90X consistently over the last 2 months, my back isn’t sore at all today.

No pain, no soreness, no side effects from 2 hours of shoveling……not bad.

Doing the P90X Legs and Back workout is probably responsible for my lack of pain.

P90X does such a good job of exercising all areas and muscle groups in your body that there are very few if any that don’t get worked out, so when you do something physical that is different from your normal routine you don’t end up paying the price of a super sore rarely used muscle group.

I know that in the past, even as a young kid that was in great shape….and I was.  I was always sore the day after shoveling our super long driveway.

Today I’m pain free……cool!

So what if I didn’t end up doing any P90X workout yesterday……shoveling snow for 2 hours sure seemed to be a great P90X alternative for just one day.

P90X – Still Plugging Along

By Tim Pannell On March 1, 2010 No Comments

Well, I’m still plugging along with my P90X workouts.

My wife and I just got back from a 5 day photo shoot in Arizona last week.

We didn’t work out at all the last 5 days, with the exception of the running around we were doing for the shoot.

We started back up today with P90X Chest and Back.

It always feels great to get back into the P90X routine.

The 5 days off was actually kind of nice.

My left elbow has been extremely sore lately – it feels like “tennis elbow”.

This 5 days gave it a little time to heal up.

Today the elbow wasn’t nearly as painful as last week.

I’m not exactly sure what the pain was caused by.

No obvious injury or “aha” moment.  It’s just been sore for a couple of weeks.

It’s not the muscle, but the joint.

In any case, progress is being made.

All 3 of us are seeing improvement in our ability to perform all the exercises, especially the ones that give us the most trouble.

Diamond push ups and divebomber push ups in particular.

When I first started doing P90X last year I couldn’t do a single diamond push up.  Not one.

I was just a useless fat blob.

Today I did 2 sets of 25 diamond push ups.  Not a bad improvement.

Now I’m a usefull, fat blob.

My wife, sister in law and I have been doing P90X for almost 2 months now, so it has become what I would call a routine.

We’ve had 2 periods during that time where we missed 5 days.

We’ve gotten right back into the swing of things after those down times.

Having the workout partners has helped make it much easier for me to start back up after periods where I just can’t do the workouts because of work or travel.

If you’re struggling with consistancy try and find someone to do the P90X exercises with.

Trust me…….it’ll work.