P90X Fitness Program

Hi, I'm about to turn 40 at the end of August. I've had two babies since June 2009 so I've been overweight since then. My second was born Oct. 2011 and I've lost 40lbs since bringing him home. I HATE how my body looks and I won't take a before picture. I'm on day 2 of p90x lean. Since starting on here about 3.5 weeks ago I started cardio workouts to try to get in better shape before starting.The only time I can find is 5 am before my husband goes to work...otherwise the kids keep me busy. I feel like I may never be the old me again.

First off, DO NOT give into the thoughts of "I may never..." As Tony says, "Take 'I can't' and everything like it out of your vocabulary. Say 'I presently struggle with...' and work on it."

You have to believe you can accomplish this, and you CAN!

Next, being that this is sort of my forte, I'd HIGHLY suggest switching in week 2 to Classic. I know, I know, the Workout Guide says Lean is to lose more weight, but it's not really. What it was developed for (this is right from Tony Horton himself) was because some of the test group balked at lifting weights 3 days per week because they "didn't want to get bulky." So they couldn't call it "Don't get bulky," and chose "Lean" and a way to market that. Also you won't get bulky doing P90X, even for a man. Women simply can't without a LOT of training for years, and some serious supplementation, because you don't have the testosterone in your body to develop big bodybuilder muscles naturally.

Truth is this: You will get FAR BETTER results with Classic, and with lifting as heavy as you can. You have to push your limits to their max on all of the workouts. If you can do more than 12 reps with a weight (except Tony's 16 rep moves) pick up something heavier. If you can do more push ups during the routine, do more. Again, like Tony says, P90X is about going past that point where you think you're done but your body has more in it.

Doing Classic also really preps you properly for Phase II. If you do Lean you miss out on Chest & Back, which is REALLY a good foundation for moving into Phase II's Chest Shoulders & Triceps.

Please feel free to shoot me a message, contact me on FB or FS, etc. if you need some additional support, have questions, etc. I believe you can do this, now you just have to believe it to and make it happen.

Derek

You mean I fell for marketing?? My brother told me that I should do weights at least 3 times a week. (he's a personal trainer but lives far away). I've added extra cardio on those days to try and burn this fat but NOTHING. I did get through the first week...tomorrow is stretch/rest. I'll take your advice and switch to Classic on Tuesday. I probably won't be thanking you during the Plyo video though...I noticed it is not part of the lean series.

Thanks for your encouragement. I think you just gave me the boost I needed.

Glad I can help! I'll drop in and see how things are going along the way.

Plyo is a beast of a workout, especially when you first start, but go at your level. As with all of the workouts, there is a low impact, standard, and extreme version being done of each move. Do what you are ready for.

The final piece to this equation is going to be your nutrition (notice I did not say diet). Nutrition and developing healthy eating habits for the long haul are what will truly help you lose the weight you want.

Most women need to be eating around 1800 calories doing P90X to maintain their weight. 1400-1500 should be right about what it takes to slowly burn off that last 17 lbs your profile shows you are working on. Give it time, work hard, and over time it will come off. It's not going to happen as fast for you as it would for a man, because men build muscle and burn fat faster; an unfortunate fact of genetics. But consistency and persistence will get you there!

Derek