Dads: If You Want Huge Muscles, Get P90X

Posted on January 31, 2009 by Jon

If you read my previous post on exercising, you know that my doctor gave me an ultimatum: either start exercising or go on cholesterol meds.

So I decided to try the exercise route first! However I wasn’t sure exactly where to start.

Well shortly after I figured out that I was going to start exercising, I was sitting on the recliner watching my HDTV. (You have to appreciate the irony in that!) We only have around 10 high def stations, and QVC happens to be one of them.

Wouldn’t you know it, but as I was trying to quickly flip past QVC, I noticed there were people working out on the screen. They were selling the P90X exercise system by Beach Body. I watched for almost 30 minutes before I told Shan, “I have to buy this.

First Time QVC Buyer

I’m more than proud to admit that I’ve never purchased anything from QVC before, so I wasn’t sure if I should call or go online. Then I figured I’d be better of going to their web site and trying to order. Sure enough, it was really simple because they highlight the product right on the homepage that’s currently being sold live on TV. I placed my order and felt pretty good about myself.

After all, I had just watched 30 minutes worth of exercising on TV, browsed a web site and ordered the exercise program. The doc wants me to exercise, and I was making progress (kind of)!

Well fast forward to last Monday. We got home from work, and the P90X shipment was sitting in the garage. I eagerly opened the box to find a large instruction book, a nutrition book, a resistance band, and 13 DVDs containing all the workouts.

P90X Is Not Your Ordinary Exercise Program

I quickly realized this isn’t a simple program. While it doesn’t rely on any fancy equipment (although you do need a chin-up bar), the program is extreme and demanding. You really do need to eat properly, take the right supplements, etc.

One thing that really surprised me was the fitness test. They have you take a self-administered test so you know where you’re at when you start. And if you don’t score well enough, then they don’t recommend you start the P90X program just yet because you’re not ready.

Sadly, I haven’t taken the fitness test yet, as I came down with a nasty head cold that’s been going around town. Plus I don’t own a chin-up bar, so I ordered one of those from Beach Body along with the exercise mat and recovery drink. I realize it all sounds expensive, but compared to gym memberships and fancy exercise equipment (like $1,500 treadmills), this program is quite a bargain!

Huge Muscles

So what does this have to do with having huge muscles? Have you seen the “after” photos of people who actually complete the P90X program! I’m not talking about them all being bodybuilders afterwards, but everyone has a huge improvement in muscle mass and tone. That’s something I’ve never had before, so I’m looking forward to trying it out for myself. (I’ll post before and after photos here to prove the results… either way.)

My chin-up bar and other stuff won’t arrive until late next week. Which is fine, because in early February, we’re driving out-of-state for a five day weekend. I don’t really want to be one week into the program when we do that, so in the meantime, when I fully recovery from this head cold, I’m going to focus on the cardio and yoga DVDs from the program only.

Once we get home from our trip, I’ll actually start the full P90X program lock, stock, and barrel. I’ll keep you updated on my progress.

What Do You Do?

Do you use any exercise programs like P90X? Please leave a comment and share what you do.

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  • Stephen Connolly

    Hmm. I’m suspicious of all Saul on the road to Damascus moments, especially when experienced from a barca-lounger. Fair play to you sir. Far be it from me to kick sand in your face. I avoid doctors unless I have a pain, as opposed to being one. Very un-American but I do come by it honestly. Our family just adopted a puppy. That’s my exercise plan.

    Stephen Connolly’s last blog post..Yankee Woods

  • http://www.kidkaizen.com Corey

    I saw this infomercial during a middle of the night bottle feed. It stuck out because it did not promise it would be easy like most 2am products. Keep us updated on progress. Good luck with that cold.

    Corey’s last blog post..Listen or Your Tongue Shall Keep You Deaf

  • http://dadtrek.com Jon

    @Stephen – yeah, unfortunately my genes have placed a huge heart disease target on my back. My dad had his first heart attack in his 30′s, and my mom has dealt with high blood pressure, and her dad had two open heart surgeries. So in the end maybe I won’t commit to the program and will end up on cholesterol meds, but I certainly have to try! :)

    @Corey – Thankfully I’m over the cold now. I will keep you updated on my progress. I ordered the BeachBody P90X chin-up bar, but now that it showed up, it doesn’t work very well for any of the door frames in my house. So last night I ordered a free-standing chin-up bar station on Amazon. Kinda unwieldy, but I know it will work, and shouldn’t look too bad in the house.

  • Stephen Connolly

    Whatever it takes Jon. You’ve got an obligation to stick around. Perhaps I feel that more acutely as an older dad. The puppy has me out walking for nearly two hours a day so I’m trying to do my part.

    Stephen Connolly’s last blog post..Stalked

  • Barry

    Jon,

    I recently faced a similar ultimatum from my doctors and did a ton of research about weight loss before I started. Check out these articles if you are serious about getting in shape:
    http://weighttraining.about.com/od/fatlossweighttraining/a/fat_burn.htm
    http://weighttraining.about.com/od/succeedingwithweights/a/muscle_program_2.htm

    And use this website (www.fitday.com) to track your calories and weight. You would be AMAZED to see where your calories are from, and once you know, it is easy to eat what you want, because you will know how many calories food is just by looking at it.

    I have lost 35 pounds in 5 months and feel GREAT . All I did was watch my food intake and exercise. No fad diets, no low carb, no low sugar. I typically do 45 minutes of “Hills” profile on the recumbant exercise machine (easier on the back), and 4 miles at a good pace on the eliptical. If you can start with something in the 30 min range of cardio and add in some mild effort lifting, the pounds will melt off fast. I started with only 30 min of hills on the bike at a very light load, and now I am doing a hard workout and feeling great. Even if you just travel a mile it is 110 calories per mile (more if you are over 160lbs), reguardless of the speed.

    Anyway, good luck on your weight loss!

  • http://dadtrek.com Jon

    I just finished my first P90X workout!

    All I can say is… “HOLY COW IT’S INSANE!”

    Seriously, it was all I could do to finish the workout. By the end my arms were shaking and I was spent. However that’s what the “X” is all about… extreme workout for extreme results. Time will tell obviously, but this is already the most intense workout program I’ve ever done. If I honestly stick with the 6 workouts a week for 90 days, I’m definitely going to see results.

    I’m already around my ideal weight, so my goals are simple:
    * Lower my bad cholesterol and raise my good cholesterol.
    * Eat better foods. Eliminate the junk food.
    * Get more muscle mass and tone. Be stronger.
    * Have a healthier heart.
    * Have more energy throughout the day.

    I really can’t imagine how I won’t reach those goals to at least some measure if I stick with the program. Again, time will tell, and I’m eager to find out. Day #2 tomorrow… :)

  • John Thomson

    I'm going to be a dad in a few months, I've already started P90x to keep off the sympathy weight!! It kicks my butt, but I love it. I'm already seeing some amazing results. Good thing i was in decent shape before hand :)

  • http://www.insuranceblogbychris.com/ Chris Huntley

    Hey Jon, We're in he same boat here. I found out I had high cholesterol a couple years ago. I haven't decided to anything about it until now. I found out when I got turned down for a life insurance policies preferred best rating. Now I'm a couple weeks into my p90x program and am hoping to reapply in December. We'll see if the work outs help my cholesterol. I've working out is good for lowering LDL and triglycerides, and can also increase your hdl. I'm in the insurance business so I wrote an article about my p90x goals on my blog: http://www.insuranceblogbychris.com/lower-chole… . Since you wrote this post several months ago, I'm interested in hearing if your cholesterol was affected. Please email me. Thanks. Chris

  • http://dadtrek.com/1253/p90x-complete-failure/ P90X One Year Later: Complete Failure

    [...] been over one year now since I purchased P90X, so I decided to give a status update on the progress I’ve made with the program. I can sum [...]

  • Hobo Jesse

    It’s been a year. Where are my damn updates. Lock, stock, and barrel my ass.

  • Shalena

    I have also heard that the P90X workout is totally awesome. A friend said he used it and lost a lot of weight fast. A lot of the time so many people get so far out of shape by the time they are still young that they have a very difficult time doing a high impact workout. I highly recommend that these people start out with somthing more simple like the ChI Machine. See it here-
    http://www.chimachineexercisers.com

  • Nettuni

    The thing that sucks about the cholesterol meds is that they have symptoms that can make you feel like you have the flu.  You have to take additional medication on top of the statins that will help to make you feel better and it just racks up.  I started the P90X program and with just 2 weeks, my cholesterol was lowered considerably from the previous year.  It’s an intense workout and changing your diet helps significantly.  Don’t be surprised if you gain 10lbs the first 2 weeks because it happens.