briancromer.com

11 weeks down. 2 to go.

Last week Heather and I finished week 11 of P90X. Some people have been asking me questions about how it is going, so I thought I would write another update to hopefully answer all your questions.

Here are a few important facts you need to know before I give the complete breakdown…

• We have not missed a workout during the first 11 weeks of the program. We’ve been dedicated and hardcore about sticking to the workout plan. That means we have worked out 6 days a week for the last 11 weeks.
• We have not followed the official P90X eating guide during this process. However, we generally eat pretty healthy.
• We have not done any before/after pictures so that’s not happening.

P90X Positives…

• Your core will no doubt get stronger. There’s no way you can do that many pull-ups and work out your abs four times a week without them getting stronger. In fact, I maxed out at 25 pull-ups and Heather did her first unassisted pull-up the other day.
• Your legs will get stronger. I have never been a guy that has worked out my legs a lot in the gym. However, this workout focuses on your legs quite a bit in very unconditional ways. Lots of jumping around, lunges, kickboxing, etc.
• Your flexibility will improve. The other day I actually touched my toes the other day during a hamstring stretch (which is unheard of for me).
• This workout will shred you up if you stick with it.

P90X Negatives…

• There is a high chance of injury. If you tackle this workout, be smart and take care of your body. Because you are doing almost every exercise to failure, it is very easy to lose form and hurt yourself. With all the pushups and yoga,I have had a lot of wrist issues that I have had to push through.
• It is a huge time commitment. There are 4 out of 6 days a week that you workout 90+ minutes.
• You only workout chest once a week. I get sore every chest workout, but I’m not sure if I am getting stronger or larger through this workout like other areas (back, abs, and legs). It is very tough to gauge because you are only doing pushups.
• Yoga is ridiculously long and hard.
• The Kenpo X is really easy compared to the rest of the workouts.
• To get the full results of the workout, you really need a wide range of dumbbells, which can get very expensive. Find myself too often settling for what I have instead of going to buy more weights (because I am cheap).

Reality Check Time…

• P90X is hard. Make no mistake about it, P90X is hard work. You will be sore. You will be in pain. You will be uncomfortable. You will sweat a lot.
• It is not a miracle workout. Just like any exercise program, you get what you put into it. If you work hard and stick to the program, you will get results. If you are lazy and miss half the workouts, you will not get results. It is a vehicle for you to get in shape. It is not something that will do it for you. It is not one of those infomercials where it says “just workout 15 minutes a day, 3 days a week to get jacked out of your mind” or “put on this belt that jiggles your belly and loose weight watching tv!” The same principles apply to P90X as it would for going to your local gym: work hard, eat right, keep working out, and start to see results gradually.
• P90X is not for people who are really out of shape. It is for people who are in decent shape to start with. If you are really out of shape, don’t start with P90X.

That’s all I got.

Any questions?