P90x

[sandtrapjack]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

Im not really doing full blown p90x anymore, but i still use it as the main part of my work out regimen:

Monday - Chest and Shoulders with free weights
Wends - p90x plyo
Thurs - p90x chest and back
Saturday - A p90x workout if i feel like doing it to mix things up

So my goal this time around is to gain some weight and get a little bigger, im not really trying to just get in good shape. Ive read a lot of things about trying to eat a gram of protein for every pound you weigh in order to gain muscle the easiest. Ive seen some things say that you dont really have to eat that much, but i would like to strive for it and be okay if i fall a little short. The problem is i weigh about 210. I started looking at the things i normally eat and i just dont see how i am going to constantly eat 210 grams of protein.

For the guys that work out a lot or know about nutrition, when is the best time to eat? I think i can force my self to do around 200 grams of protein but only 2 maybe 3 times a week. So my initial thought is on the days i work out will be the days i eat big, prioritizing non-cardio type works outs. Is that correct: If i work out at night would it be better to eat big the next day? Or better to eat big leading up to a work out all in the same day?

I have been doing the P90X thing for about a year, give or take. And it has been a learning process.

I have to state that I have not followed P90x to the letter. Some routines I am unable to to do because of injuries I sustained in Afghanistan when I was in the Navy.

I can't do the Plyometrics because of my knees. So I substitute another form of cardio on those days, like my treadmill for instance.

When I started I wieghed 210 pounds, which was 20 pounds more than I was before I retired from the Navy.

After my first 90 days on P90x, I was down to 185 pounds.

I am kinda hovering around 180 to 185 still, but my definition is getting much much better. Bi's and Tris are getting cut, and my abs are starting to "peek" through.

To answer your question about WHEN is the best time to eat. All I can tell you is what worked best for me.

I work out 6 days a week, alternating between strength on M-W-F and cardio on T-T-S. About an hour or so each session. Yes, I still use P90x for most of my workouts.

I get up at 4:30 AM, drink my Pre-Workout drink (PMD-Pump Fuel) and do my workout. Within 30 minutes after I am done, I drink my POST workout drink, Amplified Whey Protein (40 grams) it also has BCAA's in it.

I get ready for work and leave, I have my breakfast at my desk (1 cup oats with a V8)

Morning snack about 10 (Yogurt and Protien Bar 30g)

Lunch = usually a salad with a low fat meat like grilled chicken

Afternoon snack = Protien bar with Protien Shake (30g each= 60g)

Dinner = whatever is on the family menu.

As I have learned, when I just eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, I tend to eat until i am full. From my bodys standpoint, it is too much and some can get stored as fat.

I learned that eating 5 or 6 "little" meals during the day, my body gets just the amount of protiens it needs and I do not over eat. By having that little snack before lunch, and that little snack before dinner, my portions at lunch and dinner are smaller because I am not that hungry. So I take in just enough foods for my body to use, and, very little is stored as fat.

I had to learn to "snack smart" too. I don't eat as much chips as I used to. I have a large can of cinnamon toasted almonds on my desk at work. Almonds are very low fat, very low carb and high in protein.

Snack Smart - Almonds, fresh fruits etc. Pistachios are good snack food too.

You do NOT have to swear off fast food and junk food. The key is balance and moderation is all. If you read the P90X nutirion guide, they list nutrition info for fast food joints like McDonalds. Its OKAY, just not EVERYDAY.

Thats the secret for me, 5 or 6 little meals so my body has time to burn them off.

Also to comment on your protein question. It's recommended that you consume 1g of protein per your GOAL weight, and not what you weigh now. So if you want to drop down form 210 to say 195, you should try to consume 195 grams of protein per day.

If you are doing P90x....FOLLOW THE NUTRITION GUIDE...IT HELPS! The "fat shredder" cycle in the first 30 days GETS RESULTS.

If you are not a big fan of green veggies, don't fret. I drink a V8 a day and that satisfies the green veggies you need on the p90x diet. I have gotten to really look forward to that V8 too.

When I first started P90x, I was meticulous and followed the diet and exercise as close to the letter as I could. After the first 30 days, I did not see much in the way of results. I was discouraged. But pressed on.

Just 2 weeks later, the results were starting to show. So if you do P90x, do not get discouraged if after the first month, you see little results, after 45 days, you will SEE RESULTS. Don't get discouraged.