It's no secret to my friends & family that I've wanted P90X for a long, long time. I've asked for it for Christmas & birthday presents for the last year and a half. When that box arrived, I tore it open.
My first impression of the nutrition plan was that it was WAY more detailed than I thought it would be. I thought it would give daily portion amounts for different body types and goals, as well as some recipes. It had that and more. There's actually a day-by-day, meal-by-meal approach where it gives you the exact menu of what to eat each day in addition to the other options. So, someone who knows how to eat correctly & within the given portion amounts can choose the first option. However, for the person who doesn't really know how to do this and needs a highly structured menu, they've got it. The nutrition plan is very much along the lines of the information you'll find in this blog - lots of veggies and lean meats, fruit to balance out the blood sugar, and the good whole grains. The difference is that this is broken down into three 30-day cycles with the first 30 days having a higher protein:carb ratio than the the second and third 30-day cycles. This is to take off fat quickly in the beginning and to have more energy during the later cycles. Another difference is that there are no cheat meals during the 90 days.
There is no alcohol during the 90 days. This is right along the lines of other well-respected results-driven trainers. While the caloric content of alcohol is of concern, it's not the only thing that makes it important to avoid. Mixers are usually high in calories & sugars as well. But, the most important aspect of why one should stay away from alcohol during a kick-your-butt training run is because of the way it changes our hormone levels, which are largely responsible for how we store (or don't store) fat. Also, not drinking during this time makes the body feel clean, energized, and well-rested.
The intensity of the two workouts I've done is similar to our dry-land exercise when I was a swimmer at the University of Houston. During the plyometrics session, the trainer says..."all elite athletes train with plyos..." He's exactly right. It was almost as if he had a session with our old trainer and had the workout down pat. We all had similar plyo workouts - basketball players, the baseball team, swimmers....that is what helps an athlete with explosion off of the blocks or their vertical jump. It also kick-starts the body into shape, burns fat, and helps immensely with cardiovascular fitness. I found the shoulders and back session to also be similar to what we did at UH....back to the basics. It was a lot of push ups and pull ups - body weight exercises that are rudimentary yet highly effective. Today, I've got the shoulders and arms workout which is biceps, triceps, and deltoids. And, every Sunday I'll be doing 92 minutes of Yoga X.
The workouts are 6 days a week for about an hour daily. There's the doubles option, which is similar to 2-a-day workouts we did in college. The 7th day is a rest day, or one can pop in the "Stretch X" video for an hour long stretch session, which helps prevent injury, increases flexibility, and reduces soreness. I'm choosing the stretch option for now.
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