My Fitness Journey

Hi, this page is meant as a starting point for my blog, and for those people who are trying to learn more about P90X and how it works. There's a whole bunch of other information over to the right side where it says "Blog Index". Or just hit subscribe and you'll get my fitness tips, diet tips, and motivational thoughts delivered directly to your email.

P90X In a Nutshell or What Most People Want to Know in 30 seconds:

• P90X is an extreme program that can be handled by those who have never exercised as well as those that are in fantastic shape. You get out of it what you put into it, you can walk or you can sprint.
• It is not necessary to be able to do a pushup or a pullup on day one.
• It is a 90 day commitment, 7 days a week (some people take the stretching day off, for me its the most important day) 1 hour to 1.5 hours everyday.
• There are three phases and you will not get bored, feel like you are not being challenged, or be pushed beyond your limitations resulting in injury. The leader is Tony Horton, you will stretch before, you will stretch after, and you will push yourself to your limitations. You will be sore.
• There are basically 12 different routines, every day is something new.
• There will be days that you don't want to push play, but afterwards you will be proud of yourself.
• Healthy eating is an equal part of the program and you will be eating more often than you probably are at the moment....this is not a starvation diet!
• Weight loss is not the focus, burning fat is the goal. If you have fat to lose, you will most likely lose weight, and definitely inches. This is also not a "body builder" routine, nobody gains weight in the 90 days, maybe a pound or two of water at first. You will replace fat with lean muscle.
• Read below for the routine.
• There is a Recovery drink and vitamins available which help results and recovery, but they are optional.
• Equipment needed is a pullup bar, a yoga mat is helpful, and resistance bands or light dumbbells: 5lbs up to the weight needed for a set of curls.

About Me:

I'm a Dad with 4 girls, ages 2-20, which yes, makes me old, but I sure don't feel it anymore. I'm also a co-owner of a growing and successful business, Rhombus Services. Life is good, but also very busy. So why am I blogging about how I got to where I am today? Because, it is important for me to share my own physical fitness story with you and hopefully, help you to evolve like I feel like I have.

I won't bore you with the details, let's just say after a few flights a week, a whole lot of fast food with super sized french fries, a pack of cigarettes a day, and maybe a real beer or two per week, I was fat and out of shape. I've been heavier, but it was 20 years ago and it was muscle. I've also dieted, and won about every diet competition with co-workers that I ever entered.....usually putting the weight plus a little bit more back on in the same amount of time it took me to lose it. Even in my 44th year, I still play hockey, but it is amazing how much I have slowed down since the age of 40.

My business partner whose 10 years younger told me about a program where he lost some weight but really started to feel good, actually as well or even better than he did in high school. I listened, but not really, probably like you are right now. A few weeks later I was in Colorado for yet another long boring business trip. Due to the altitude and being out of shape and yes, probably smoking I was winded just from walking to my hotel room. Once I got to my room, there was a scale, it wasn't a friendly number, 225lbs. For my height, frame, etc., not really an alarming number, but I looked in the mirror and for the first time probably ever, I didn't like what I saw. I decided it was time to make a change.

Laying in a hotel bed, unable to sleep at 2am, channel surfing, I came across the infomercial for P90X. There seems to be about 100 of these things on at that time of the morning, but this one caught my eye, yes, partially because it was the one my business partner was using, but also because it was the first one that I ever saw where I wanted to look like the "Before" pictures, sure we all want to look like the "After" pictures. I went to BeachBody.com the next day and got started. I later learned I could have saved some money by joining there Million Dolllar Body forum first, but hey, I was never known to be patient. The website, the infomercial, all of it gives you that feeling like this a scam or something, and if I didn't know somebody already doing it and seeing results I would have turned the other way.

Click here to get started: Get Started Now!

Or, click one of these links for my other blogs:
Why P90X for Me?

Weekly Diary

Results

Getting Started

I'm now starting round 5, 90 days to each round-3 phases per round, and I find the results hard to believe. I actually lost 25lbs in the first 30 days! Two weeks into Phase Two, I quit smoking for good!!! Usually, I gain a bunch of weight when I "quit" smoking, instead this time, I've lost a few more % of body fat. My goal from a starting point somewhere north of 20% body fat is 10%, I'm now at 11.5%. I'm no longer worried about the scale, I measure everything in % of body fat with a caliper. I'm adding a lot of muscle, so the results on the scale are immaterial at this point. My waist has gone from 38" down to nearly 32". Unfortunately, my clothes that fit are from the 80's and I'm told no longer in style. On the hockey rink, I'm now flying by the 18 year olds, which I didn't think was possible. I'm even being recruited by a few other leagues....good feeling at this age!

Before/30 days/60 days/90 Days/120 Days/150 Days

Okay, why don't diets work long term? Here is my philosophy, some smart college kid may need to validate this theory - actually they have according my daughter who is a Nutrition and Fitness major at Purdue - Laurens blog. When we diet we not only burn fat but we burn muscle. The more muscle we have the more resting calories we burn. So after the diet, if we go back to our old ways, we are now adding fat easier. I know it sounds simple, but in reality, most of our calories are burned in a resting phase - sleeping, digesting, breathing, etc.

So what is P90X? It is a system of 12 sweat-inducing, muscle-pumping workouts, designed to transform your body from regular to ripped in just 90 days. It includes a comprehensive 3-phase nutrition plan, specially designed supplement options, a detailed fitness guide, a calendar to track your progress, online peer support, and much more. The DVDs feature Tony Horton, who will keep you engaged every step of the way, and you won't believe your results! Tony is this extremely fit guy even older than me. The diet itself is livable - I eat 6 meals a day and cook for the family within the guidelines.

Why is P90X so effective?

The secret behind the P90X system is a training technique called "Muscle Confusion," which accelerates the results process by constantly introducing new moves and routines so your body never plateaus, and you never get bored! Whether you want to get lean, bulk up, or just plain get ripped, there's an endless variety of ways to mix and match the routines to keep you motivated the full 90 days and beyond! They put together three different programs for every interest - classic, lean, and doubles.

The system includes:

P90X 3-Phase Nutrition Plan designed to help you lose fat while maintaining high energy levels.

P90X Fitness Guide packed with valuable fitness information to help you get the most out of your program.

"How to Bring It" video for a quick overview of the complete P90X Extreme Home Fitness training system.

and 12 Extreme workout videos:


01 Chest & BackTargeted strength and definition workout emphasizes two classic upper-body exercises.

02 PlyometricsExplosive jumping cardio routine proven to dramatically improve athletic performance.

03 Shoulders & ArmsPotent combination of pressing, curling, and fly movements, that will leave you stronger.

04 Yoga XCombines strength, balance, flexibility, and breath work to enhance your physique and calm your mind.

05 Legs & BackGet ready to squat, lunge, and pull for a total-body workout like no other.

06 Kenpo XIntense cardiovascular workout with punching and kicking for endurance, balance, and coordination.

07 X StretchAchieve a higher level of athleticism over a longer period of time, plus prevent injuries and avoid plateaus.

08 Core SynergisticsBuild and support multiple muscle groups to build and support the core while conditioning your body.

09 Chest, Shoulders & TricepsTargeted strength and definition workout emphasizes two classic upper-body exercises.

10 Back & BicepsFlex those powerful biceps and focus on toning and tightening these showcase arm muscles.

11 Cardio XLow-impact cardio routine that is a fun fat-burning workout that will leave you feeling lean and mean.

12 Ab Ripper XSculpt the 6-pack abs of your dreams and benefit your health and physical performance.

Tools to keep you motivated:

P90X Calendar to set your workout goals, track your progress, and stay motivated.

FREE Online Support Tools for access to fitness experts, peer support, and motivation!

All it takes is an hour a day to get in the best shape of your life. And other than a set of dumbbells or resistance bands and a place to do pull-ups, all you really need is some grit-your-teeth commitment. I get up every morning before the rest of the family and push play. I also frequent the forums at Team BeachBody where I find other people like myself, we even have a little competition between a few of us, which I have found to be very motivating and get me past that point of giving up when it wasn't convenient.

Please feel free to leave me a comment if you have any questions, I'm now a coach helping to motivate others to change their lives!