Workout FAQs
Q: What is P90X?
A: P90X is a 90 day home fitness program that will get you into excellent shape if you commit to both the diet and workouts! It’s the program that took me from a flabby 255 to a totally ripped 215 in just 90 days! You can learn more about P90X by clicking here.
Q: Should I do Insanity before P90X?
A: Insanity is a very intense program and is usually taken on by people who have already completed P90X and looking to lose that last bit of fat. Insanity only involves body weight for resistance, and is mostly cardio based. I love Insanity as a way to add variety to the P90X program, but I don’t want to go a whole 63 days without doing resistance workouts. I am currently using 2-3 Insanity days per week in my Hybrid workout schedules, but not doing Insanity all by itself.
Q: What programs have you used?
A: I’ve used P90X, Insanity, P90X2, Asylum, Tony Horton 1-on-1, and P90X Plus, among others. Read about these and the other great Beachbody programs available in the “Workout Programs” tab.
Q: I don’t really enjoy the Yoga workout. Can I substitute it with something else?
A: Yoga is very beneficial, and I recommend that you complete the workout. It increases balance, core strength, and flexibility. It’s an important workout if you’re looking to take your fitness to the next level. If, however, you just really can’t stand it, substitute Core Synergistics. I hate yoga and often sub Core Synergistics myself, but I still try to make myself do the yoga at least a couple times per month on the recovery week to keep myself honest LOL.
Q: Is it OK to do Ab Ripper X later in the evening instead of right after my workout?
A: Yes, you can do the Ab Ripper X anytime as long as you do it the same day. You can do it before, immediately after, or at an entirely different time of day. The key is getting it done!
Q: I’m struggling with Ab Ripper X. Do you have any tips?
A: With ARX, it’s important that you make sure you are using proper form for all the exercises. Most (inlcuding myself) find it impossible to keep up at first … or even for the first couple months. That’s fine. Just do your best. Maybe that means you do 15 reps while they do 25, and each week you try to add one more rep to it. Pick a plan that will help you improve each week as your core gets stronger.
Q: I just finished P90X, now what should I do?
A: You have many options: (1) You could do another round of P90X. (2) You can move to the next level by purchasing P90X2 or Insanity. (3) You can combine P90X Classic with other programs like P90X Plus, One on One, or Insanity. See my Hybrid Schedules for ideas! Get creative. Keep it fresh. And keep it fun!!
Q: I just finished Round 1 of P90X. How long should I wait before jumping into Round 2?
A: Many will say to wait a week before going into the next round. I tried this after my first round and it didn’t work well for me. I felt I was losing momentum and rhythm. Since the final week of every round is a recovery week, that’s enough for me. I’ve always gone right back to the next round with no break. But if you feel your body needs a break for a few days, or even a week, that’s fine. Then get back at it!
Q: Should I take pictures of my progress?
A: Yes! It’s important that you take all the necessary photos, preferably on Day 1, Day 30, Day 60, and Day 90. Here are the proper poses: front with hands down, front with hands on hips, front flex, back with hands down, back with hands on hips, back flex, side with hands down. By looking back at those pics, which seem embarrassing at the time, you’ll see the pay off for all the hard work!
Q: What version of P90X should I do?
A: There are 3 versions: Classic, Lean, and Doubles. I recommend the Classic version for anyone who is looking to put on some muscle and strength and lose body fat. This version is very popular among the men, but many women enjoy it as well. The Lean version focuses mostly on cardio, and is popular among the women. Doubles is for all the crazy people who can’t get enough exercise! It involves doing an extra cardio workout on resistance days.
Q: Should I do Doubles?
A: Doubles is very demanding on the body, and it’s very important that you take in the proper pre and post workout nutrition. If you feel like your body can handle the extra workload, and you are wanting to shed a bit more body fat, give it a try. Or, you can do what I did – substitute Insanity cardio routines for the P90X cardio, which will definitely up the intensity factor!
Q: I’m a woman, will I gain mass with P90X?
A: This is a common worry that most women have. There is no need to worry because men develop muscle much easier than women. Women who go through the P90X Classic version get toned, lose body fat, and get great results.
Q: I’m having a hard time staying motivated. Can you help?
A: Motivation is critical to sticking with the program. You need to plug in, hold yourself accountable, and connect with others. That’s why I have so many groups available to you. Be sure you check that out in the “Getting Started Right!” tab, and PLUG IN!! Also, keep checking in here to be inspired by all the amazing Hall of Fame results, videos, and pics of our teamRIPPED success stories!
Q: How many reps should I do?
A: If you’re looking to get toned, then focus on 12-15 reps, and if you’re looking to gain mass, 8-10 or 6-8 reps is best.
Gwoziewicz Yes, I know exactly what you are saying. 8-12 would still best best for hypertrophy, but as long as you are working to failure you can have great results too. I am not sure why P90X was tentative to use big weights to lift legs. If you feel comfortable, pick up some big dumbbells and work in those lower ranges. Just keep your form on and watch your lower back (keep it straight).
Hi coach, this is my last week of my first round of P90X and I would like to do a second round because I just incorporated the pull up bar for phase 3 and loved it. (was using bands for the other 2 phases). My question is, should I start next week with with phase 1? or should I do a recovery week before I do round 2? since i´m seeing results in definition, mass and strength, do u recomend a second round of P90X or a hybrid with P90x and 1 on 1, or something else?
Thanks for you time and greetings from Mexico.
rene_vc I would do the final recovery week and then jump back into a new round. If you wanted to throw in a 1-on-1, the Thirty - Fifteen Routine would be great for Chest and Back.
CoachWayne great, this is the only work out you recomend from 1 on 1? is there any other work out I could incorporate? thank you for you advice.
rene_vc Diamond Delts and Just Arms can replace Shoulders/Arms. You can look at the MC2 stuff as well. They are all the P90X2 workouts when they were in the development stage.
Coach, I had one simple question on what you did on your P90x days of Legs & Back. I'm wondering if after you did a few rounds of the X did you up your leg weights and focus on 8-10 reps even if that specific workout Tony does 15,20,24...etc? Or did you specifically stick to the reps that Tony did. Just trying to see how you modified the workouts, if at all, to help you gain size for legs. Thanks in advance and have a Merry Christmas!
Hey Matt, on Legs and Back, I've gotten to where I wear a weight vest for the whole workout, which makes the pullup moves very difficult and I usually get 8-10 reps per pullup set. But I still do the reps that Tony does on the leg moves, except that I do them with the vest on in addition to holding dumbbells on the moves where that's called for. But no, I have never done fewer reps on the leg moves.
Hey Coach, First off, sorry if you have answered this before. I am about to finish p90x2 and would like to know what you would recommend I do next? I own p90x, Insanity & p90x2. I am tempted to do p90x2 again. What would you recommend based on your experience?
Chris, I know I could have still improved from another round of X2. If it still motivates you, keep pushing and try to improve with X2 even more.
Hey coach, Two weeks ago I tore my ACL in my left knee playing basketball in my league.. and I saw a doctor and will have surgery in a month, and will be out of action for 4-6 months following surgery... Is there anyway to maintain the muscle mass i built the last year or so doing p90x, or will it fade away?
Michael, bummer man. Can you do any type of lifting? Keep focused on nutrition and that will help, but see if there are any exercises you can do without using your leg.
Here's a question that has been bugging me, I'm following myfitnesspal and tracking all my fuel/food. As long as I hit my budgets for the day before I go to bed/last meal, do I HAVE to be at 50/30/20 for EACH meal, or as long as by the end of the day/last meal I'm at 50/30/20 is that ok? For example: My first meal is 60/20/20. Is that unacceptable? By the end of the day I'm almost always within a percent of 50/30/20. Thanks!!
Larry the whole day should break down to 50/30/20. Not each individual meal.
Hi Coach! When doing p90x workout first thing in the morning, did you eat or take anything? i just usually take E&E before and Intrabolic during to get my BCAA's to not lose alot of my muscle gain. Is this a good idea for burning fat? thanks a million!
Dan, that is a perfect way to do it. Keep up the good work.
Hi Coach - I have a couple of quick questions as I'm now looking at doing P90X for a second time around. Firstly, what rep range did you do on the first and so on rounds of P90X for all the weight exercises? Now that I am stronger and can list more weight, I have been doing 8-10 reps. Secondly, did you do any other kind of cardio exercise outsidfe of P90X during each round? Thanks for the help, Jon C - England UK.
Hey Jon, I always lifted as heavy as I could. 8-12 reps. If I was able to get to 12 reps, I would go up in weight next time. For my second round, I did a hybrid of P90X and Insanity. No extra work, still one workout a day, but I replaced the P90X cardio with Insanity workouts.
10-4 Thanks Coach.
Well I was going good and then had surgery today. I had a pre Pre Cancerous mole on my stomach that had to be removed. It wasn't too big. I was told to stay of any strenuous activity until I get the stiches out witch will be the 10th of september. The good news is that next week is my recovery week, so I'll be able to so light yoga and the recovery and mobility dvd. My questions is since I will not be doing any hard cardio or resistance what should I do about eating. I was thinking about going to fat shredder for a week and then starting to move back up to energy booster to finish out X2. What are your thought? Thanks Coach and Bring It!!!
John, whether you change your macros or not, I would make sure that you dial back your calories. Less output, less input of food. Glad you are doing ok!
hey coach, I had a question about chest and back and reps..I can do around 30 push ups the first time around but the second round I only get about 15..should I bring my first round reps down to about 20 so I can get closer to that on my second round?
Ryan, keeping a little in the tank for the second round is not a bad idea. Try stopping at 20-25 and it you can bring your next round to 20-25. If you think it is a recovery issue, don't be afraid to take a longer break.
I dont get this, Im on month 4 now. Down to 175 from 197 pounds, and i can pretty much see my 6 pack almost in mirror, but still doing fat shreddar diet of 1900 calories a day, but today during plyo it felt like i had no energy, even though the past 2-3 weeks plyo was great for me, had lots of energy. Is this because my body fat is becoming lower and thus less fat available for energy or something? If so, does that mean i should be leaving fat shreddar mode?
Yes Michael, as the body fat gets lower, you have less reserves to draw on. Also, by nature the fat shredder diet doesn't fuel you with tons of energy. That's how it burns body fat. As for whether you should leave fat shredder mode, that depends on if your body fat is about where you want it. Otherwise you have to do the trade-off between burning fat and having lots of energy, like I talk about in my energy balance article = http://teamripped.com/energy-balance
Hey coach, Just a quick question. I usually wake up and eat a p90x protein bar right away, then workout around 1.5 hours after that. I know that would help preserve muscle vs not eating anything before working out, but in terms of burning fat in plyo and kenpo, would it halter that? Or would it still burn fat a good pace?
Hey Michael, if you are looking to maximize fat loss on the cardio days, do just some protein (instead of the protein bar which has both protein and carbs). That way you don't have circulating carbs in your system, and your body will use the fat stores right away for energy.
Hey Coach, I have a tricky question. I have been doing fairly well with maintaining my nutrition...I cook (mostly) everything I eat. However, college just ended for the summer and I will be working at summer camp until school starts up again. They serve us food 3x + a day..but it's what they serve. Is there any way I can look out for certain foods so I don't start eating the wrong things?
Hey Terrell, you'll have to get very familiar with how to choose good carbs, healthy fats, and lean protein sources. You'll also have to learn how they prepare the foods. Basically, it's time to start studying nutrition so that you can make the wisest choices from the foods they serve. Study the nutrition guidebooks, and spend time looking up the foods and seeing how they stack up against each other. And track what you eat so you can monitor yourself. Have fun at camp!!
Hey coach, You know you said how you can change yoga on day 4, to plyo. Is it ok to do plyo day 2, plyo day 4, legs and back day 5? Thats what the schedule would look like, but isn't that over working the leg muscles? Thanks!
Yes Michael, that's fine. You can sub any cardio for yoga, just like in the hybrids. Cardio work is different than resistance work as far as the 48 hour rule (obviously, since Insanity works the legs every day).
Searched the Site and did not see an answer. On your first round of P90x, were you a 8-10 rep guy or 12-15? I started doing creatine as recommended on phase 2-3 and now working out using 8-10 reps. My goal of losing weight while getting stronger has not changed. Comments?
I've always lifted for size/strength (8-10 reps) no matter what irruption phase I was on. Even when on the fat shredder diet, I lifted as heavy as I could.
Or would core syn be a better replacement?
hey coach, Is it alright to replace yoga x with plyo x and do plyo twice a week?
Yes, you can do either Michael (plyo a second time or core syn). The choice is yours. Both are good.
How would you suggest I combine P90X with other exercise? I enjoy going for long runs for about an hour or two, and I don't want to give this up. I'm also considering going back to mma (just for fun), and the sessions can be quite intense.
Hey Roar, what you are describing (long runs / mma) would fall into the "extra cardio" category. And it's simple. You can always do extra cardio as long as you have the time and the energy to do it. But make sure the P90X workout is your first priority and that your other activities don't limit your ability to push as hard as you can on the P90X workouts.
Thanks a lot for such a fast response!! Then, I'll check how I'm feeling through this week, and maybe change some "sweat" exercise with insanity LOL. This is a little take on my progress so far http://imgur.com/qd6E7
Nice! Keep it up Malorite!
Hello Wayne. Greetings from Spain. I have already lost 44 pounds (from +275 pounds to 231), but I still have, at least, 22 more to lose :( I've done it in 8 months, because my lifestyle is a bit chaotic, to say the least. I have done P90, P90 Master Series and Insanity. I'm now starting my 2nd round of P90, because I'm on a tight budget at this time and I can't afford buying more equipment right now. I've to say I've done this with NO supplements at all and I'm definitely going to give whey protein and creatine a shot (you know, equipment or supplements....) and your transformation was one of my examples and motivations. Now, I have a couple of questions: 1-As an endomorph, Is it ok to ad fat burner express as a workout on my rest day? 2-Could I do a hybrid between P90 and Insanity? I love the Insanity's intensity, but I miss weightlifting and my muscles are weaker now than 2 months ago.... Thanks for paying attenttion!
Hey Malorite! Way to go so far! Awesome progress! If you want to do extra cardio, that's fine as long as you have the time and the energy (see today's article for details on that). And yes, you can absolutely do a hybrid with P90 and Insanity. I don't have a specific one already put into a calendar, but you can get ideas from my P90X Insanity hybrid (in the hybrid tab above) and sub in the P90 workouts. Keep bringing it!
I know this may be a premature question, but I want to make sure I have everything tuned in. I just completed my first week of P90X (absolutely love it!). I know it's early, but for fun I weighed myself and measured my mid-section. In only a week, I've gained a lb and 1 inch on my stomach. Is this normal? I've heard random comments about water gain, etc. I feel like my nutrition is pretty on track. What's up? Am I being impatient?
Hey Lindaay, you are shocking your system so lots is changing. Don't worry. Just stick to the plan!
ya i didnt wanna do it four times hahah, thanks
hey coach i like doing yoga but i have bad back and i find that its very hard to do that workout, i remember reading an article you posted and it said that you did not like yoga so you replaced it with core synergistics. My question to you is that during the recovery week, when there is two yoga workouts, can i replace these with core synergistics. I don't know if that is too many days doing core synergistics or not, what did you do when replaceing yoga (if thats what you actually did) or what can i do to replace it with a workout that wont cause me to injure my lower back?
I actually did the yoga on recovery week cuz it doesn't make sense to do core syn 4x lol. You could sub stretch for yoga on recovery week, or cardio x.
also I had a question about yoga..is it ok to split it.? as a full time student and a part time worker I'm kind of stretched for time..
Sure Ryan, you can split it up into 2 sessions. Just do them during the same day.
hey coach Wayne, I usually do my plyo at the park with a laptop in order to avoid complaints from my downstairs neighbors..but it's sprinkling today would it be ok to switch my plyo day for my yoga day this week only.?
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During P90X, Tony stresses not to do more than 8-10 reps if you are looking to build size. However, during back and legs, all the leg sets are 20-25 reps. Should I do this many reps if I want size or should I increase with weights and do less reps?
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