Losing weight with P90X

Posts Tagged ‘P90X for women’

P90x Me and My Wife

By Tim Pannell On August 29, 2010 1 Comment

Another Saturday has come and gone and another P90X Shoulders & Arms workout is in the books for me and my wife Kim.  I love working out with her….it makes all the difference in the world.

She helps motivate me like no one else can.  I’m still having trouble with my left kneecap and my right shoulder so I have to take it easy on a couple of the exercises at the end of the Shoulders & Arms DVD, but I can do all the rest just fine.  The lying down triceps extension and the side tri rise exercises really put a lot of strain on my shoulder area so I’m only using half the weight and doing half the reps I used to do.

I’ve dogged it for almost 2 weeks now, hoping that my knee will get better and my shoulder will heal.  The good news is….my knee is finally turning the corner and in the middle of the healing process.  There were some days last week that I had difficulty even walking.  It felt like there was a little rock in between the joint….no fun at all.

Both injuries came from playing racquetball…..I’m sure of it.  I swung too hard at a “ceiling ball” and jumped too high in the air on the same shot and landed on the heal of my foot instead of the ball and jarred my knee joint.  This always seems to happen to me once I start feeling really good.  I forget to hold back just a little bit to protect against injury and blam…..I go and hurt myself.  Bummer.

I’m going to push myself a little bit harder this week….I don’t want to re-aggravate anything, but I’m tired of dogging it almost completely.  I’ll probably do Yoga X, Stretching X and Shoulders & Arms this week.  I might wait one more week to play racquetball as well.

My partner and brother in law Jon hurt his knee as well and can’t play for a while either……another bummer.

I’m just going to keep plugging along.  I know that even if I’m not losing all the weight I want to that I’m much healthier doing the workouts than I am if I don’t.

My wife Kim and I will have to get up earlier than normal for at least 2 more days this week…..I really want to make sure we do the workouts together…..I like having my workout buddy.

She responds really well to the P90X exercises and has pretty good results from it.  Her arms especially have toned up big time.  It’s fun to see.

Bring on the new week!

P90X Results After One Month

By Tim Pannell On August 7, 2010 No Comments

Here I am at the end of 4 weeks of P90X and the results are in.  I’ve lost 9 pounds total from day 1.  I still have a long way to go.  I lost most of that weight early on in the month….gained some of it back…..(bad eating habits) and then lost it again.  I still want to lose over 60 pounds.

I am stronger than I was at the beginning of the month.  I have better stamina.  My knees are still wishy washy, but I’m moving tons better on the racquetball court.

This week I had a photo shoot in LA and was unable……or unwilling to work out.  Our shoot schedules are always pretty full and it really is next to impossible to find time to work out unless I want to only get 4 or 5 hours of sleep and that puts my assignment at risk.

I did P90X Chest & Back Monday morning just before my flight out.  I got home last night….Friday and played racquetball for 2 hours.  When I came home, my knees and feet were extremely sore, so I iced everything. My gorgeous wife gave me a foot massage and today I feel pretty well.

Today Kim and I will end up doing P90X Shoulders & Arms with my brother in law Jon.  He’s one of the guys I play racquetball with.  His wife is the one that did P90X with us for the first 3 months out of the year.  She just finished her radiation treatments for lung cancer and is doing well.  She qualified for a new clinical trial that is over 80% effective at shrinking and destroying tumors.

We expect her to come through this and manage this ridiculous disease and live a long and productive life in spite of the current setback.

I will recommit to my P90X routine and do at least 5 workouts a week…..preferably 6.  I will also play racquetball at least 3 times a week for at least 2 hours a session.  I will be eating less meat than usual and I will be cutting back on everything that is not really healthy for me.

I started drinking diet sodas again during the last month and need to get back to only water.  No more daily ice cream binges…I’ve done much better with this over the last 4 weeks, but need to pay attention here……it’s my Achilles heal.

My overall goal for the next 4 weeks is to lose 15 pounds.

“Do my best and forget the rest.”

P90X Reviews – Week One

By Tim Pannell On July 18, 2010 1 Comment

Today is the last day of Week #1 on the P90X workout program.  It was a good week all in all.  I did 5 straight days of P90X.  I ended up playing racquetball yesterday instead of doing a round of P90X.  I just didn’t have time to do both.

My wife, Kim and I did P90X Kenpo X on Friday and it went well.  The only workouts I struggled with this week were Plyometrics and Yoga X.  I just couldn’t get through the entire workouts.

I have a lot of soreness in my elbows.  I have a pulled muscle in my right shoulder as well as my right tricep and that has caused me some problems with the P90X Shoulders & Arms routine.  I pulled the muscles playing racquetball.

I played racquetball 4 times this week for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours each session.  I have a couple of ribs out of place as well, so I will probably take a trip to the chiropractors this week.  The problem with ribs is always one of breathing.  I just can’t get full breaths all the time.

In spite of the ribs keeping me from getting full breaths I am breathing better when working out.  I’m not sucking air playing racquetball quite as badly as I did a few weeks ago.  The problem I’ve had with racquetball this year is a lack of consistency.  I’ll play a couple of days and then miss a couple of weeks.  I just haven’t played enough to get my legs back under me or get my arsenal of shots back to workable numbers.

I have to admit that being 49 years old seems to be a big pain in the butt.  It seems as though some part of my body is always in pain.  Usually it’s my knees, but when they feel good typically some other body part rises to the challenge and makes fussing noises for good measure.

I believe that once I get a handle on my weight that a lot of this day to day pain will go away……lets hope I’m not wrong on that one.

So to recap…..I did 5 straight days of P90x Monday through Friday.  I played racquetball Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.

I lost a total of just 4 pounds from a week ago.  It really does seem that I should be able to lose more weight when I’m working out this hard, but I just have to continue being consistent and see what happens.

I am a lot hungrier when I’m working out this much, so I know that I have to be extra careful with what I eat and I don’t always make the wisest of choices in that arena.  One of my biggest problems is staying up too late and eating something just before going to bed.  I guess my will power is just pathetic.  I have to do better with this during the upcoming week.

For the most part it was a pretty good week.  I lost a little weight, I’m breathing better in spite of displaced ribs and my attitude is better.

I’m looking forward to week #2 of P90X and to the results.

P90X Reviews – Weight Loss For Women

By Tim Pannell On July 23, 2009 1 Comment

We talk about P90X as though it’s only for big ‘ole tough guys.  That sells the workout program a little short.

Will P90X work for women? For anyone who has ever done or followed a P90X Workout DVD you already know that there’s always a woman on the program, and they all kick butt.

I know that for many women there is a fear of bulking up too much and looking un-feminine from lifting weights.  As with all things in life, it really depends on what your goal is.  There are women out there that have created enormous physiques for themselves, to the point where most people find it gross.

P90X is not designed with that in mind.  It’s purpose isn’t just about losing weight.

It’s goal is for people to get fit and lean.  By building muscle, the body naturally uses more energy, aka calories.  As your body adjusts to the workouts and the healthier diet you’ll see your body fat % shrink and your lean muscle mass increase.  Your arms  and shoulders will have greater definition, legs will get more toned and tummy muscles will tighten.

Take a look at the women on the DVD, they actually represent a variety of different sizes and shapes, but they’re all fit.

My wife usually works out at the gym, but we were on a family trip recently and while we were gone she did some of the P90X workouts with me and really enjoyed them.  I really enjoyed working out with her.

We did P90X Shoulders and Arms first, followed by plyometrics.  She kicked my butt at plyometrics.  I still struggle with this set of exercises because of my knees, but I am getting better and better at it.

We had such a good time doing them together that we’re continuing the mutual workouts at home.  She keeps me focused and on track on the days that my attitude isn’t as good as it could be.

P90X training can benefit just about anyone that is trying to get back into shape.  I realize that it’s marketed for people that are already in fair to moderate shape, but speaking as a guy that’s still 55 lbs. overweight, it’s been great for me as well.

You can go at your own pace, from moderate to really intense and the DVDs always have someone doing lighter weights and more reps.  So, for any women that are considering P90X and unsure about whether or not it’ll be too intense for you, I wouldn’t waste my time worrying about it.

My wife says that the workouts she’s done with me seem to be a bit easier than what she does at the gym.  I guess that sounds like P90X heresy, but that’s her experience.

She does however like the workouts and it is nice to be doing them together instead of by myself.  So whether your a guy or a girl or a couple, P90X will work for you.  Just be sure to check with your doctor before you start if you have any questionable health risks or concerns.