Click here to see my 90 Day P90X results!
In this 30-Day review of P90X, I am sharing the P90X results that my wife and I got after finishing the first of the three P90X phases.
During Phase I of P90X, you do a 6-day workout program that is the same for three weeks, and then you switch to a recovery week for Week 4. The P90X before and after pictures below were taken at the beginning of the program, and then after the final workout of week 4, which was actually Day 27.
Overall, I am very satisfied with the results, although I have already modified a few things in order to get even more out of Phase II, which is also 4 weeks long. After the pictures I will detail how to increase the effectiveness of P90X.
My Pictures
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In this picture, you can clearly see that not only is my waist smaller than it was on Day Zero, but the lines on either side of the soon-to-be-revealed 6-pack have already started to show. Also, the glare from the camera flash off of the sweat on my chest is there because there is now an indentation there that was filled with body fat in the Day Zero picture. Click on through to see my 90 Day P90X After Pictures.
Click Picture to open up a full-size, high-res version
This picture shows so many changes, and it’s great to see all of those pull-ups and chin-ups paying off, even though I am using resistance bands instead of the pull-up bar. Notice that every visible muscle on my back is bigger, and more pronounced, and body fat that was in the Day Zero pictures is simply not there anymore. Click on through to see my 90 Day P90X After Pictures.
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In these side pictures, you can see that the distance that my stomach sticks out from my body is visibly less than it was before, and also that the line on the left side of my stomach is getting bigger as more and more body fat gets eliminated from that area. Also, my chest is firming up as body fat goes away, and in this shot you can also see how much bigger the muscles of my upper back have become. Click on through to see my 90 Day P90X After Pictures.
My Wife’s Pictures
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I love this picture because it is often harder for women to see results as quickly because they don’t have the larger, metabolically active, fat-burning muscles that men do. However, in only 27 days you can clearly see that my wife’s mid-section is significantly smaller than it was on Day Zero. Every area of her mid-section has become smaller, and the body fat deposits are melting away.
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This picture clearly shows the definition in my wife’s back and shoulders, and she has also added a bit of sexy size to her back and shoulders. As a female, she won’t have to worry about getting TOO big, but continued body fat loss during the rest of P90X will ensure that all of those muscles become more defined as we move forward with the program.
How to Increase the Effectiveness of P90X
Even a program as effective as P90X can be changed up a bit in order to maximize your results. We will take what we learned during Phase I to make Phase II even more effective.
- Modify weights/resistance bands as needed – Even during a tough exercise program, you can “dog it” and not get as much out of the program. P90X is tough, and the tougher that you make it on yourself, the more you’ll get out of it. Modify the weights or the resistance bands so that on every single exercise, the last 3 or 4 repetitions are very, very challenging.
- Increase the Cardio – P90X has cardiovascular training built into the program, but if you already have a baseline level of cardiovascular fitness, you can modify, substitute, or add in cardio workouts so that you are still challenged. My wife and I are both graduates of the Insanity 60-Day Weight Loss Program, so our cardio-fitness is pretty high. We are adding in 2 additional cardio workouts each week during Phase II, and we are also substituting an hour-long, very difficult Insanity workout DVD instead of doing the Kenpo X cardio DVD that comes with P90X.
- Maximize your Calories – The P90X nutrition guide is all-inclusive and is probably one of the best nutrition planning tools that you’ll ever see. Use the guide to plan your caloric intake so that you get the most out of every calorie. For my wife and myself, we are switching from Beachbody’s whey protein supplement to their Shakeology Meal Replacement Drink. Shakeology gives you A LOT more nutritional bang for your buck, but it is still very low in calories.
- Make every workout Count – Even though P90X is 90 days long, the program is set up so that you don’t do the same workouts over and over again. There are some that you do every week, but there are others that you’ll only do 5 times during the entire 90-day period. If you want the benefits from those workouts (and you do!) then you need to make sure that every SINGLE workout is done to the absolute best of your ability.
I will be doing a 60 and a 90-Day review of P90X as we continue through the program, but I can tell you right now that P90X is worth every dollar, every ounce of sweat, and every bit of effort.
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Great progress! I am still doing it! Hanging in there! I showed some progress my first 30 days. Can’t wait to see what this Phase brings. I’m still eating right–fell off the wagon on Saturday–had pizza and chocolate. I belong to the 80-20 group– Eat right 80% of the time and then what you want for the other 20%. I really do try to keep it closer to 95-5. Sometimes life happens.
Hey, Shari!
Yeah, it’s pretty easy to fall off the wagon if you are trying to eat 100% perfectly. I usually hit around the 90% mark, although I have already tightened things up for Phase II.
One of the best ways to make up for a lack of perfection when it comes to nutrition is to crank up the intensity on the workouts to burn off some extra calories. I just did Plyometrics last night and I jumped around higher and longer than any of the previous plyo workouts, and it was awesome. My legs are really sore today, but it was worth it!
Great job on sticking with it, Shari!
awesome first 30 days.. i start on monday and reading your account gave me a lot of motivation. i’m also 38..
Jeff,
You’ll love the program, and with us being the same age, let me assure you that it is well within your capabilities to bring it and get great results.
The first time you go through each workout, don’t overdo it, though. It’s a learning curve, just like anything else.
Nice work for the first 30 days. Although you are in receovery week, stay pretty active, as when the next section comes, it will kick your butt early on. I say stay ahead of the game. Keep Rocking.
Rich,
We modified the recovery week because since we are Insanity graduates, we needed more intensity.
We still recovered, but not quite as much as the basic P90X recovery week normally calls for!