I have seen a few mentions of P90X exercise program in these forums. not sure exactly where. Currently i exercise intermittently and am not fit, but not a total couch potato either. I would like to hear from any Zoners who have also done P90X -------- what were your experinces / results.
thanks in advance!

Deborah,
I had the same questions, but my understanding it was sort of a boot camp type of training. I was flipping through channels over the weekend and they were on the home shopping or qvc channel. I caught the end of it, but they were selling the dvds with resistance bands and they were doing boxing moves and sit ups and push ups. It was pretty interesting.

I haven'r done it myself but am going off the results of two people I know who did it faithfully. Both had there eating in check (as far as I know) and both did the program to spec. Unfortunately for them it didn't produce the results they were after. Neither had a drastic change in either bodyfat percentages or lean muscle gain. I'm not saying that's how it is for everybody, only the two I know who did it.

They than started doing Crossfit and within 6-8 weeks (at least for the one who I keep in constant contact with) his results have been great. Strength and LBM are both up, and fat % is down. He mentioned how great he feels on it. I can also vouch for Crossfit as it has helped me go from 314 lbs. to 252.o (as of this morning) in the last 6.5 months while still maintaining/increasing my strength and increasing my LBM, and drastically increasing my health and fitness level. Check it out: www.crossfit.com

Some other really great things about it are it focuses on health, is never boring, always challenging, and is a whole lot cheaper (it's free).

Good luck in whatever you choose.

I have had a great experience with P90X and have known many, many people who have as well. It is important to know that it is not intended as a weight loss program, per se. It is intended to help fit people get really ripped. I lost 4 lbs but went from 22% to 16% body fat.

Crossfit is also great, but certainly not for someone new to training. Women, in particular, find the Olympic lifts to be something that they need to ease into. Personally, I love Crossfit, but would have never been able to tackle it had I not done P90X first. The Crossfit website is very informative and in complete alignment with the Zone eating plan.

Good luck with your decision.
KC

Congrats on the bodyfat drop Kim; that's awesome!

As I said, I am only going off the results of two people. That's wonderful that so many people have found success using it.

However, I think Crossfit is actually perfect for someone who is untrained and just starting out. Reasons being:

1) Scaling-they are big on scaling the workouts to your fitness level or ability. They go step by step on how to scale for certain levels of fitness. Beginner, intermediate or advanced, it's for everyone.

2) Focus on technique-this is one of the biggest reasons I think beginners should go to Crossfit. You learn proper exercise technique right off the bat. This will save years (literally) of time and effort. See all the people in the gym doing half benches, doing crunches and muscling up cleans (if you even see anyone doing cleans in a commercial gym)? Dollars to dohnuts they aren't superfit/ripped/powerful people. Technique is everything.

3) Fitness-the focus on all areas of fitness make it ideal in terms of dropping fat, gaining functional strength, and having phenomenal cardiovascular fitness. Looking for longevity in your life? Crossfit is the answer (at least in my opinion).

4) Exercise selection-no useless exercises here. You won't find cables, pec decs, etc... . All exercises serve a purpose. The focus is on increasing your functional ability. Squats, deadlifts, cleans, pullups, sit ups, etc...; all functional and all amazing compound movements. Only the best. And the exercises can be learned. You aren't the first and won't be the last person who doesn't know the exercises. Just study them, get your form down, and then get to work (if you can get Mark Rippetoe's book 'Starting Strength' the Bible of exercise technique).

5) No wasted effort-The workouts are quick, intense and furious. You're not wasting valuable effort where you don't have to. The warm up, than the workout.

6) Can be done at home-you don't absolutely need to have access to the gym. The bodyweight workouts are great. Is it an ideal situation? Nope. However is it better than most other alternatives? I would say yes.

7) Support group-it's like a big family. Everyone helps each other out. Have a question? Ask it in the forums. You will get a lot of useful answers. I ask lots of questions (actually more than lots) and am given thought out, and very useful answers each time. Crossfitters are some of the nicest people I have ever met, with no hidden agenda. They (we) are around to help in any manner we can.

8) They love the Zone <img src='desktopmodules/ntforums/images/emoticons/smile.gif' height='20' width='20' border='0' title='Smile' align='absmiddle'>

I could put more but I don't want to sound like a shill. Does P90X work? I'm sure it does. Does 5/3/1/ work? Yip. Does Power To The People work? Not sure actually (but that is what I am going to be doing next; it sounds like fun). Does Crossfit work? One hundred thousand percent yes; when you are able to give it the intensity it calls for will you hurt? Yip. Will you want to give up? Most definitely. Will you see results faster than you imagined? I would not be surprised (look at the testimonials forum; amazing stuff). I only wish I started with Crossfit when I first began training. I would have saved years of effort (at times useless) and LOTS of injuries.

And the good thing is you don't have to have crazy intensity right off the bat. You scale to what you are able to do and will soon be doing the workouts as Rx'd. To start I would pick some of the bodyweight only workouts and get yourself used to resistance exewrcise first (good point Kim). Don't worry to much about your time, or distance, etc...; just scale to what you feel your abilities are (i.e.-says run 5 K for time. Scale it to run 1 or 2 K for time; even jog it or trot it). Here is a link to the bodyweight workouts. It is in the first post by Shane Skowron:

http://www.board.crossfit.com/showt...hp?t=38312

Anyway I have rambled on long enough. Sorry about that. Good luck with everything.

George

Awesome stats George.

Thank you all for your responses. much appreciated!

George --------- i know a little about Crossfit. do you think it is something a middle aged, overweight woman, who currently exercises intermittently could even begin to do? or would there be something else to start with and "work my way up" to something more?

George --------- forgot to ask you this ------ it's free? there are places here that have Crossfit, however they are not free. If i don't have a lot of experience in the type of things they do, how would i even know what to do, much less correctly ---- if it's free?

Hi Deborah. In terms of cost, it will cost you (a very worthy invenstment) if you wish to attend a Crossfit gym and their routines as layed out. What I usually mention to people who can't/won't want to pay the cost of a membership is throw down some money for a couple hours/few hours of personal training so they could show you the correct form for exercises. That will put you leagues ahead of many other people who think they have great form. And if this doesn't work for you, ask questions. Go on the forums and ask away; concerns, opinions, etc... . You'll catch on much faster than you think.

Regarding your question of you being middle aged, out of shape, etc... go to the testimonials page, or just ask if there are any people on the forums who are middle aged and out of shape females. You will be shocked at the amount of women who started in your very position.

Deborah

If you go to www.crossfit.com there is a section where they show videos of how to do the exercises. Most of the exercises dont need to be in a gym. Its about being functional in the movements like squats, push-ups, etc. If you do join a gym it will increase the activities that you can do though.

Have been on P90x for 6 months. Lost 30 lbs and 4 pant sizes. Weight is not coming off that fast anymore but continue to lose inches. was on the Zone and P90x while aboard a 128 day cruise and lost weight. 5 others from the trip bought P90x before getting off the ship so it would ba at thier house by the time they got home. Many neighbors have commented on how fit I look and how you could lose weight on a ship. They now have started P90x. I would recomend it to everyone. You can start at any level. In time you will be able to keep up with them in the videos

Congrats on your accomplishemnts Bob!

Dear Swimfit,

I don't usually participate in forums, but when I read your question, I just had to reply. In November of 2007, I was 52, weighed a miserable 265 lbs and had a waist/hip measurements of 50 & 56 inches. I went to my physician to ask for a referral for bariatric surgery. Happily, she refused and when I said I didn't know how to exercise, insisted I learn how. I started with a personal trainer and after a few weeks found out I was actually doing crossfit routines that had been scaled to my poor fitness level.
I am currently 85 lbs lighter, wear a size 12 and my waist is 35 inches. In December 2008, I ran my first competitive 5K.

I still have room for progress and just started on the zone diet. But, at age 54 I practice crossfit 5 days a week and really love it. Well not all of the exercises. I especially hate burpees. But I can do things now I couldn't do in my 20's!. Try it, I'm glad I did.

Deborah, I've done P90X in the past along with various other home fitness programs. It's a great program, but I do think it is better to work your way up to P90X if you're not already relatively fit and working out consistently. It's definitely an advanced program. Have you ever tried the FIRM? A few years ago when I first started on the Zone, I did the FIRM workout videos and I lost over 50 pounds in a year. The FIRM is great for exercisers of all fitness levels and there are tons of different FIRM workouts available to combat boredom. Alternatively, you could try a program like Power 90, which is the beginner-intermediate level of P90X, led by the same instructor, Tony Horton.

I'm a Beachbody coach, so feel free to check out my website for more info on Power 90, P90X and other Beachbody programs:

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/Sarah79

Good luck!