DAY 90 (P90X COMPLETED)

UPDATE

Finished! Though, I did have a minor setback as you'll see in the photos. A week-and-a-half before I completed, I slipped on some stairs at work and fractured a metacarpal bone in my left hand. For the last few weeks I've had to wear a hard splint on my forearm to my hand and have obviously not been able to lift weights or do push ups. Luckily, I was at the very end of the program, and only missed one heavy resistance day (Friday's Legs and Back routine). I was still able to do cardio X, Ab ripper X, and run, so I my cardio week to finish up was relatively uninterrupted.

PHOTOS

(Compare day-one photos here at Pre-P90X: The Justification)
As you can see, I kind of plateaued after day 60, not putting on any more size, but continuing to tone and slim my midsection. I'm still really happy with the results, and felt much stronger at the end of day 90 than day 60, increasing most of the weight I was lifting by about 5 lbs. per dumbbell. Unfortunately, due to the injury, I was unable to perform the final fit test (which you take before you start), so I don't know how many total push ups I could do, what my final vertical leap is, or how many pull-ups I could do until failure. However, based on my workout worksheets where I kept track of each session, I can say that by my last workout, I could do 18 overhand pull-ups consecutively (only 8 on day one), and barely feel fatigued after 50 push ups (which was my max before I started).

FINANCIAL INVESTMENT OF P90X

A lot of people have asked me how much it costs to do this program so I decided to tabulate everything I purchased including equipment and supplements. My grocery bills also doubled due to the massive addition of produce and meats, but I didn't keep track of those exact figures so they aren't included (but should definitely be considered).

P90X Workout Program including DVD's and workbooks (I borrowed this from a friend, but this is what it goes for): $153.4 (Tax included)

Equipment:

Yoga mat: $14.99
Additional Foam mat for ab ripper (not necessary but recommended): $24.99
Door Chin-up bar: $29.99
4 dumbell handles: $35.96
Weight Plates (about $1/lb.): $89.16
TOTAL
$214.11 (tax included)


Suplements:

Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein (1) 2lb. tub: $31.99
ON Casein Protein (2 @$31.99) : $63.98
Whey Protien Powder by Muscle milk (6lb. bag) : $32.99
N.O.-Xplode (2) @ 38.88) : $77.76
MRI WAR Berry Attack Recovery (3 @46.99): $140.97
Pure Protein Bars 32G Protein (60 @2.79): $167.40
GNC Men's Mega Men Mutli-V's : $33.99
Coral Calcium: $15.99
Fish Oils: $9.44

TOTAL
$630.52 (tax included)

GRAND TOTAL (For 3 months):
________________________
$998.03

CONCLUSION

Though it was pricier than I originally expected, I definitely think that it is has been a worthwhile experiment that I hope will have lasting results. The diet plan has been a great tool that I will continue to use, as I've become accustomed to eating healthy and actually prefer more nutritious options. I will continue doing P90X resistance routines 2-3 times/week (once my hand heals of course) to maintain the fitness levels I've established, including one day of yoga, or running as well. As they say in the pamphlet, fitness is a lifelong challenge, but when you're investing in your health, its worth the effort.

Photo update (Day 60)

UPDATE
So after 60 days, things are coming along just swimmingly. As you can see in the posted photos (compare to day one here at "The Justification"), I am showing a lot more definition in my shoulders and abs, as well as in my upper back. Honestly, if these were the photos after 90 days, I'd be pretty stoked, so I'm very interested to see where I'll be in another 30.

I've been far from perfect over the last month on both my diet and exercise routines, but I'm still hitting the basics. I never skip a resistance day (work outs with weights), or ab ripper, but quite often will neglect my yoga and kenpo responsibilities. I just don't like them. Yoga is an hour and a half, and extremely repetitive. I
usually will find a way to postpone my workout on this day until the very last minute, until I basically don't have enough time to complete the entire thing, and only end up doing the ab portion (which is 7 minutes). Granted, I usually play volleyball on this same day, so its not like I'm doing nothing. I'm not really into the breathing, flexibility, and spirituality that is associated with Yoga, so it just feels like a waste of time. I also feel like the Yoga X and Kenpo were added to attract more female customers, so the program had more "fun" activities and not just a bunch of push-ups and pull-ups. I see the merit in both, and how they can improve overall fitness, but I do a lot of other physical activities so I'm okay missing those particular workouts. That being said, I will still do them if I have time in my day, but won't bend over backward (intentional use of phrase) to squeeze it in.

MY DIET
I've still been pretty good, but not as regimented as I was in the first month. Phase II was a much more balanced diet which I will probably continue to stick with after the 90 days is over. I definitely ate more fruits than I was supposed to (about 3X as many) but I'm okay if that's where I slip. Also, I went on a couple short vacations to Catalina Island and San Diego where I didn't stick to it as well. I would do my best and not go completely crazy, but certainly wasn't perfect. I tried to pack healthy snacks with me on these vacation days (like 4th of July) so that I was putting in some good food with the bad, and didn't fall completely off the wagon. I also had 1-3 drinks about two to three nights of the week (more on 4th of July admittedly) for the past three weeks as things came up socially. I felt this slow my metabolism down, and dragged a bit the days after, but was usually worth it. That's kind of how I view going out and having drinks now: worth it (being the calories and next day effect) or not.

So I'm on to Phase III, the home stretch, and the diet changes again. Its now a lower protein (3 portions/day instead of 7!) and slightly higher carbohydrate intake (one extra portion of starch, two extra fruits, and one extra veggie). Its supposed to give you more endurance during your workout so you can lift heavier and longer, but I don't understand how your muscles rebuild. They tell you that you need an extreme amount of protein in the first two phases because you are tearing you muscles and need the proteins to repair them. Supposedly if you don't have enough protein, the muscles don't properly rebuild and get bigger, so I don't get how they rebuild in this last phase with so few portions. I'm skeptical, but also know that they wouldn't put it into the program if it didn't work so I'm doing it. I am slipping a little extra protein in here and there, at the expense of possibly gaining a little fat.

WORKOUTS
As far as the exercises go, for Phase III its back to what I did in weeks 1-3, Phase I, for a week, then it will be one week of what I did during Phase II, and then back to what I did for Phase I for the final week of resistance, followed by a week of low intensity. I've already noticed big improvements on what I was capable of doing in the first few weeks. On the recent Shoulders and Arms day, I was able to add five pounds to each dumbbell for each workout (a pretty big gain for two months considering I had already increased by five pounds from when I first started). I also felt much more fluid when I did everything because the stabilizer muscles are more developed.

I think in a week or so I will post another blog describing exactly how much I've spent on supplements and equipment, as well as an average monthly grocery cost, like I promised to do in my last entry. 60 down 30 to go...

Day 37 (Weekly recap)

Last week went pretty well, though I did have to do things a little out of order. I had two callbacks on Tuesday (Plyometrics) and planned on fitting the workout in between them, but the first ran long, and only gave me about an hour break. I had volleyball at night, watched game 6 of the NBA playoffs, and spent some QT with the GF, so I had to use it as my rest day. Moving things around is not so easy because the workouts are set up to give you time to rest your muscles before pounding them again. I decided to postpone plyometrics to Thursday (Yoga X day) and do Yoga X on Sunday (my normal day of rest/stretch). This wasn't the best idea because plyo is really intense on the legs, and friday is Legs and Back, so I basically worked my legs two days in a row. Normally I would get Wednesday and Thursday to recover from Tuesday's plyo workout, and my legs are ready(ish) to go by Friday. Not the case this week, and I really felt it. There was a fair amount of straining and burning early, and I had to use less intensity on most of the moves. Its really a testament to how well the program is set up because not a day is wasted. Your body needs the exact number of days to recover, and during those days, you are working other big muscle groups, or doing some sort of cardio.

Also new this week was Biceps and Back. These exercises are really draining and I had trouble keeping up after only a few sets. Its basically like non-stop biceps because the pull-up bar requires biceps strength as well. I was able to do 13 unassissted pull-ups in the first set, which is pretty impressive considering I could only do 8 when I started. Unfortunately, midway through this workout, my arms were so tired that I really couldn't even do one without the chair. I wish there was more variation to the exercise because once my biceps are fatigued, I'm useless on the bar. I'd like to get better at the corn-on-the-cobb (specific pull-up where you move side to side while at the top), but I don't think I'll have the endurance, even after a few weeks.

I skipped Kenpo in place of volleyball this Saturday, but I think I'm going to include it again next week. Volleyball doesn't give me as good of a cardio workout any more, so I think I should do both if I want to keep improving my results.

Did Yoga X with the GF on Sunday night, which was actually kind of nice. She can't do all the moves completely through, but performs most of it, and its good that we can do it together.

Chest, shoulders, and Triceps was awesome again this week. I worked really hard pushing to failure every time, and increasing my weights a bit to max out at 8-10. Its such a thorough upper body workout and afterwards I just feel really pumped up. I was late for work however, and had to postpone ab ripper x until the next day.

I really didn't feel up for Plyo today, but did it anyway. I just didn't feel focused, and repeatedly had to remind myself to push harder and do the moves more intensly. I don't think I ate enough food as I had breakfast at around 10 am, and then a snack at 2 and started working out at 3:30. It was my friend's birthday the night before, so I celebrated with him having two drinks, so that could have contributed to my lethargy as well. I did the entire thing, plus ab ripper x, and then went to volleyball in the evening, so I think I'm good on the PT for the day.

As far as the diet goes, I was just okay this week. I've been eating far more fruits than I should (like 3-4 portions per day, where the allottment is only 1 per day), but I get hungry, and that's what i feel like snacking on, or rounding out my meals with.

I also drank a little more alcohol than in previous weeks which is definitely not on the diet plan. Had a glass of wine on Tuesday, a few beers and a shot on Thursday while watching the final Laker game, a few drinks on Saturday with freinds in Manhattan beach, and two drinks last night for my buddy's birthday. None of it was excessive, but added together its a bunch of extra calories for the week. It definitely could have slowed my metabolism down and affected my workout today.

Next week I will post more photos, and also give a breakdown of how much money I've spent on equiptment and supplements, so that those who are interested can see what the true costs are of completing p90x. 37 down, 53 to go...

Day 30 (Updated photos)

I've pretty much decided to make this a weekly blog because I've only been keeping up with it every few days. I feel like I've given a decent description of what the day-to-day procedures are like, so I don't need to continue describing how "chest and back" was for the 5th time, or exactly what I ate on a day-to-day basis. I will hit on the major points of the week, as well as struggles I had, or things that interested me.

Recap of the last week:

Finished up with the recovery week, which was core synergistics twice, yoga x twice, kenpo, and X stretch. The second time I did core synergistics, I got a lot more out of it because I really tried to intensify each move and "engage" my core (as Tony suggests we do). This week was a little boring for me however, and I had to resist doing push-ups or pull-ups (I did "cheat" a few days and do a some sets of pull-ups because I wanted to get the blood pumping through my veins a little, but I didn't over do it).

I was pretty on top of the diet, but found myself a little more hungry than usual, and craving some really crappy foods. I snuck in a bite of pizza, and a half slice of tuxedo truffle cake, along with a few other less than nutritious snacks, but only had tastings of each. Saturday was the big break from the diet, as I competed in a volleyball tournament in Manhattan Beach. Entitled "LUSHNESS XII," it was more like a beach party with a little bit of volleyball, as there were beer chugging contests, jello shots, and challenges to skim points off the other team that usually involved eating whip cream off someone or drinking something. It was a costume event, and we went as 'Gangstas n' Paradise.' The guys dressed up as gansta's and the girls were our tropical "paradise." It was a good/early time (started at 8 am), and worth the calories, though I do wish there was a bit more physical activity. I had to delay my Yoga X workout until the following day.

I've started Phase Two, which is back to resistance training. The first day (Shoulders, Triceps, and Chest) is my favorite routine so far. It really pumps up my whole upper body, and isolates the muscles that are targeted. Plus, there is no repetition so its a new exercise every minute or two. I crushed ab ripper x, and even intensified some of the moves by raising my arms or legs when it wasn't required. I'm really happy with my improvement in this area after just one month because it used to be like torture.

An added bonus to Phase Two is the second phase of the diet: "Energy Booster." Slightly less protein, and vegetables, with the addition of two more Carb/Starch portions per day. I am super excited about this because I really missed bread, and can now have toast or pancakes with breakfast, a sandwhich for lunch, and rice or baked potato with my dinner (instead of just one of those options per day). I'm able to eat a little more like how I used to, though of course it's all still low fat, highly nutritious.

Photos! As seen above, there have been some minor improvements from my week 2 photos, and certainly from day one (click here to compare to day one "The Justification". I notice the biggest difference in the pictures of my shoulders and back. Biceps and Triceps have gained a little size, and my chest is starting to shape up, but my shouders show a lot of definition, and my lats are starting to form the much sought after "V" (admittedly the growth is slight). Also, my abs are starting to show a bit and I'm starting to get some definition around the pelvic, hip thruster area. Its really motivating to see these kinds of results after just one month of a program, and I am interested to see where I'll be after eight more weeks. 30 down 60 to go...

Day 23 (Core Synergistics)

Something new! Part of this work out can be really intense, but others are manageable . Tony's (instructor on DVD) tip of the day is to remember to engage everything at all times, which I may not have been doing. It took me a little longer to complete this than the 58 minutes that it lists because I had to keep pausing and rewinding to see the demonstration of the moves.

This is a core (abs, lower-back, lower chest, upper legs, trunk) work out that also involves pretty much every muscle in your body. For example, they will have you do a lunge that involves a triceps kickback, biceps curl, and shoulder press in consecutive moves. So far this is the best cardio workout I've had as well. My heart rate was at its highest point, and I was sweating throughout the entire thing. If weights are used, they are light and only to add a small amount of intensity to the already difficult exercises. I'm looking forward to doing this again in a few days now that I am familiar everything and can really push it.

I experienced a bit of hunger today because I was running around town. I had a commercial audition for Garnier (that actually went pretty well), which I was rushing to because it was a last minute call. I finished my workout and had a protein shake, but that only filled me up for about an hour. I had some carrots and a protein bar on the ride from hollywood to manhattan beach for volleyball, but it didn't really do the trick. I had enough energy to play, but had those hunger pangs in the pit of my stomach. When I got home I had a big dinner with tilapia, potato, and green beans, followed by my nighttime shake which satisfied me. I'm really looking forward to next week when the fat-burner phase is over and I get to eat carbs with every meal (I never thought I'd be looking forward to eating oatmeal, a sandwhich, and having brown rice, all in the same day, but so it goes). 23 down, 67 to go...

Day 22 (Yoga X)

This was the first day of the recovery, core week. The was the program works is that you work out with heavy resistance and tear-down muscles for three week, then you give them sort of a break to rebuild for a week. In that week you do Yoga X and Core Synergistics a couple of times, as well as Kenpo for cardio, but no real weight lifting, push-ups, or pull-ups.

I really want to just pound my chest and back because I've been getting some decent results so far, and haven't done so in a week. It seems like all the work i just did would just start going away if I stop pushing it, but I have to just trust the system and know that by allowing everything to repair, I can get even stronger in the weeks to come. (I cheated a bit and did one set of pull-ups just to get the blood flowing in my arms, chest, and back. Immediately I felt guilty and will try to refrain for the rest of the week)

Yoga X was good today, and I was a little more balanced in the moves than in previous weeks. There is one set of moves where I am on only one leg for what seems like 5 minutes that I am having trouble with because the sides of my calves, and quads get extremely fatigued. I fall out of it from time to time, so this will be my focus to improve upon.

By the end of Yoga X I feel a little shaky from holding every pose for so long. It's still a little boring to me as it is an hour and a half, with a bunch of repetition, but I can see how it is worth while. 22 down, 68 to go...

Days 20 and 21 ( Kenpo and Rest/ X Stretch)

I substituted BVB for Kenpo again on Saturday, which I can see becoming a trend for me. I get a really good aerobic workout in the sand, and enjoy it far more than Kenpo, so I don't feel guilty for skipping it. I also get to be in the sun with people instead of in my garage watching a TV so BVB's going to win hands down everytime.

Had lunch witht the GF at a great healthy/flavorful place called Mendocino Farms in the Marina. It's sit down restaurant quality food that you line-order, pick-up and eat at picnic benches outside the store front. They're a part of the "slow-food" movement, which involves providing fresh, locally-grown produce and meats, that are prepared in a delicious and interesting fashion. I highly recommend it to those that live near one.

I chose to rest again on Sunday because I had to work during the day and watched the Laker game at a sports bar directly after (Ref's played a big role in this one; Kobe sidelined for several minutes in the first and second half due to ticky-tack fouls that put him into trouble early). I was going to stretch after, but had some other errands to take care of and talked to my parents for about an hour (Happy Birthday Mom). I'll probably stretch next week since I've skipped it twice now. There's a lot of stretching anyhow thoughout the week, in addition to an hour and a half of Yoga, so I'm okay if it doesn't fit into my schedule. 21 down, 69 to go...