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.

[skinsguy]

Very good post Sandtrapjack!

I started P90X back in August of 2009. By November, I had lost about 25 pounds and had nice muscle definition. I continued to do P90X, but more of a maintaining type of deal rather than actually following the program down to the letter. Of course, it was around the time of the holidays, which are hard time with me in regards to food! I tend to be a lot more liberal with my diet during the holiday season, and I then start cutting back after the first part of january.

P90X definitely works! There is no if, and's, or buts about it. And just like what was said early, I want to echo the fact that you can't get discouraged if you're not seeing the gains like you think you would see in that first month. Especially if you're not following it to the 'T'. But, once you start getting into the second phase and doing different moves, you start kind of seeing the difference, and it really becomes more noticeable in the third phase when you are going back and forth between phase 1 and 2.

Now, for me, I had allowed myself to kind of get out of shape in the last few months. Partly because my girlfriend and I were taking a lot of weekend trips or doing things during the week that would kind of interrupt my work schedule, and plus we were eating out a lot and eating foods that I wasn't eating when I had first started P90X (mainly because I was single then.) Plus, I had a foot injury which kind of kept me from working out as much as I would have liked, so I had a lot of things working against me.

But, I'm back into it now, and I am currently on phase 2. I can see my muscle definition coming back very quickly, even in my abs although I am having a tougher time getting the fat off of my stomach. Only thing I haven't started doing again at this point is the protein shakes, mainly because I have been too lazy and cheap to get them, but they were the main staple of my fitness the first time around. That and loading up on creatine, something else that I haven't been doing this time around. I figure for me it may take a couple of times through to get back to the point of where I was at before I had gotten lazy and injured, but the good thing is, I know the system works and I know as long as I put forth the effort, it won't take very long until I am back in tip top shape.

[mlmpetert]

Great posts from both you guys, thanks.

Im not really trying to lose weight, im trying to stay at 210 or even gain a little if possible. Im a little over 6’2” and I have a little fat but not much, and people ALWAYS think I weigh less than I do. The only reason why im doing plyo is because it works you like nothing else ive ever done in my life and seems like a great overall workout. The 2 maybe 3 other workouts I do a week are non-cardio.

What kind of protein bars are you eating? 30 grams sounds really nice. I eat a decent amount of hotdogs and I was looking at the package yesterday and it said 5grams of protein…. I was like you got to shitting me. After I work out normally I drink some creatine and have a Premium Protein shake/drink which has 28 grams, so if I could double that without getting full with a protein bar that would be great. How does Amplified Whey Protein taste? I have EAS Premium Protein shake mix and I have a hard time getting myself to drink it, but it is vanilla flavored.

I did 2 months of p90x early/mid last year and was really happy with my results, but I hadn’t had a real work out in at least 10 years. Also something else that I will be adding to my workouts pretty soon is mowing the grass X style. I just bought a 80lb weight vest im going to start wearing once its time to mow the grass. I also use it if I cant get to my friends house to do free weights on Mondays. It makes pushups a little tougher.

Since I plan on working out today this I what ive eaten so far:
Breaksfast –Kashi hi protein cereal 1-2 cups @ 14grams per so about - 21 grams
Lunch – Chickfila Chicken Strips salad and ice cream cone - 43 grams

I will also have:
Cliff Bar – 11grams (I eat these because I thought this was as good as it gets with protein in a bar)
Probably some candy off of this girls desk at work – 0 grams
Chicken strips I cooked last night – 15 -20 grams
Whatever my friend’s mom cooks for dinner – 40 grams (???)
Protein shake – 28 grams

So that gives me about 160 grams of protein, and ill be eating a little more then I regularly do. I would have to have about 2 more protein shakes to get up to 210+. I just don’t see how I can do that.

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

Great posts from both you guys, thanks.

Im not really trying to lose weight, im trying to stay at 210 or even gain a little if possible. Im a little over 6’2” and I have a little fat but not much, and people ALWAYS think I weigh less than I do. The only reason why im doing plyo is because it works you like nothing else ive ever done in my life and seems like a great overall workout. The 2 maybe 3 other workouts I do a week are non-cardio.

What kind of protein bars are you eating? 30 grams sounds really nice. I eat a decent amount of hotdogs and I was looking at the package yesterday and it said 5grams of protein…. I was like you got to shitting me. After I work out normally I drink some creatine and have a Premium Protein shake/drink which has 28 grams, so if I could double that without getting full with a protein bar that would be great. How does Amplified Whey Protein taste? I have EAS Premium Protein shake mix and I have a hard time getting myself to drink it, but it is vanilla flavored.

I did 2 months of p90x early/mid last year and was really happy with my results, but I hadn’t had a real work out in at least 10 years. Also something else that I will be adding to my workouts pretty soon is mowing the grass X style. I just bought a 80lb weight vest im going to start wearing once its time to mow the grass. I also use it if I cant get to my friends house to do free weights on Mondays. It makes pushups a little tougher.

Since I plan on working out today this I what ive eaten so far:
Breaksfast –Kashi hi protein cereal 1-2 cups @ 14grams per so about - 21 grams
Lunch – Chickfila Chicken Strips salad and ice cream cone - 43 grams

I will also have:
Cliff Bar – 11grams (I eat these because I thought this was as good as it gets with protein in a bar)
Probably some candy off of this girls desk at work – 0 grams
Chicken strips I cooked last night – 15 -20 grams
Whatever my friend’s mom cooks for dinner – 40 grams (???)
Protein shake – 28 grams

So that gives me about 160 grams of protein, and ill be eating a little more then I regularly do. I would have to have about 2 more protein shakes to get up to 210+. I just don’t see how I can do that.

There's a point where you can intake more protein your body can absorb in a day. I think you're getting close.

Regardless, remember, the more protein you take in, increase the amount water you drink too for your kidney and liver's sake. You better be very active with the amount of protein you're already getting also.


Some tips:
Bodybuilding.com - Too Much Protein? - Randy Herring

[mlmpetert]

Originally Posted by Buster

There's a point where you can intake more protein your body can absorb in a day. I think you're getting close.

Regardless, remember, the more protein you take in, increase the amount water you drink too for your kidney and liver's sake. You better be very active with the amount of protein you're already getting also.


Some tips:
Bodybuilding.com - Too Much Protein? - Randy Herring

Thanks for the link. Its sounds like protein before a work out is a little more beneficial - at least thats the way he makes it sounds. I think the one thing that has kept me pretty healthy is that besides drinking excessive amounts of alcohol all I pretty much drink is water, Ive never really drank soda or sport drinks on a regular basis at any point in my life, so I should be good with flushing my kidneys and liver out.

Also my diet today is me making a concerted effort to eat a lot of protein. Normally I eat a smaller amount of cereal and a don’t drink any protein drinks or bars or make chicken strips. Also something else I want to post; I just started eating quinoa. It’s one of the only “complete proteins” that’s a non meat. Its high in protein and taste a lot like rice, except the texture is a little different. So if want to eat chicken and rice and you do this instead you up your protein a whole lot without sacrificing flavor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa

Also for the question Buster answered about the barbells I got these suckers. They are awesome and very compact and fast and easy to change weight. They are a little expensive (I got mine for 300), but with these, my weight vest and p90x I don’t really have any need for a gym. Also I think I bought them around the same time last year at Fitness Resource and they had a sale… I think 10-15% for Presidents Day.
Amazon

[Monkeydad]

I actually just learned about that Quinoa rice you posted last week from a coworker. She's some bug and nut-eating vegetarian, so she uses the extra protein in that rice to help offset not eating meat.

I priced it and wow...the cheapest I could find in a grocery store was $6.99 and $7.99 for 12 dry oz. The protein was 8 grams compared to 5g in regular rice. I'll just stick with my white rice (which I had for lunch today) and eat more.

We eat a lot of rice in my house, so we'd go broke buying that stuff. I'm sure it can be bought in bulk from a health store for a lower unit price, but the mere 3g per serving in protein boost doesn't justify the price for me since I ear a lot of meat already. If I didn't eat meat (I'd want to die), I'd probably scrounge for every gram I could, but that's not the case.

[mlmpetert]

Originally Posted by Buster

I actually just learned about that Quinoa rice you posted last week from a coworker. She's some bug and nut-eating vegetarian, so she uses the extra protein in that rice to help offset not eating meat.

I priced it and wow...the cheapest I could find in a grocery store was $6.99 and $7.99 for 12 dry oz. The protein was 8 grams compared to 5g in regular rice. I'll just stick with my white rice (which I had for lunch today) and eat more.

We eat a lot of rice in my house, so we'd go broke buying that stuff. I'm sure it can be bought in bulk from a health store for a lower unit price, but the mere 3g per serving in protein boost doesn't justify the price for me since I ear a lot of meat already. If I didn't eat meat (I'd want to die), I'd probably scrounge for every gram I could, but that's not the case.

I thought the same thing at first but rice is a incomplete protein, and you can only build muscle with complete proteins. Also the type of protein is supposed to be important and that’s partly why eggs have stood the test of time. I feel like eggs only have 8 grams of protein but it’s a easily absorbable protein. I think quinoa is susposed to be a real "efficiant" protein. I might start going Rocky style with eggs on work out days, anyone ever try it?

Fortunately I only have to eat for one so the cost doesn’t affect me that much. Also when im working out the amount I drink goes down dramatically, so I look at it like I would be spending the money consuming other stuff anyway.

Complete vs. Incomplete Proteins

[mlmpetert]

^ I bought mine on line, there is no chance i walk into a health store, and it works out to 4.15 per 12. I know its more expensive, but i have no idea how much rice costs. About half as much as the stuff you saw but still expensive. Trying to eat high protein is expensive as shit. Espically protein bars and shakes.

this is what i got at .35/ounce

Bob's Red Mill Organic Grain Quinoa, 26-Ounce Packages (Pack of 4): Amazon.com: Grocery & Gourmet Food

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

Trying to eat high protein is expensive as shit. Espically protein bars and shakes.

Got that right.

Here's the last tub I just finished. Up Your Mass.

62g per shake (with milk, is 46g with water), which is the highest I could find. Tastes great, mixes better than anything I've seen, even in water and decent price. 802 cals with milk, but I add fruit, ground oats and other ingredients so I could be pushing 1000 cals a shake. Of course, I'm trying to gain, not lose weight. I don't know where you are.

I think this is my most highly-recommended protein. LOVED it.

Up Your Mass at Supplementwarehouse
Bodybuilding.com - MHP Up Your Mass - Sustained Release Proteins!* On sale now!


It's so fine that it makes a cloud when you put it in your cup. But, mixes instantly, never a clump.

I bought locally at The Vitamin Shoppe (never stepping in a GNC again).

[skinsguy]

While you guys are trying to bulk up, I'm actually trying to cut fat. When I was doing my protein supplements, it seemed to really help me cut fat which was great. I did gain some muscle mass, but I'm not trying to look like some WWE wrestler.

One thing I want to ask is, have any of you guys tried using HGH? I know it's illegal for athletes, but it's not illegal to consume. Just wondering what type of negative or positive effects you guys got from taking it? I've heard that it doesn't really enhance performance, but actually might hinder performance, but it does help with reducing the amount of fat your body has. Again, this is just something I have read and I don't know that for fact.

[Monkeydad]

If it weren't so expensive...honestly I might give it a short-term run to bulk up. I've always been a slim, hard gainer.

The part some people forget with HGH and steroids, you have to use another substance (a PCT) to cycle OFF of it if you want to keep your gains.

Now, steroids, I would not touch...too dangerous and you really have to stay on them longterm.

HGH or testosterone boosters I'd think about.

But, I won't. I'm trying to bulk up naturally the right way. Plus, I have better things to spend my money on, like my family.

[mlmpetert]

Yeah ive heard HGH doent really help with preformance at all, it just helps with recovery time so you can work out sooner..... you got to be working out pretty extreme to justify using it. I have heard it cuts fat though. Too expensive if youre not a profesional in my mind. I would never do steriods, it seems like they can just mess you up to much.

I take creatine as my only regular supplement. I think it definitely helps me, but i fatten up a bit while on it. Ive taken L-Arginine a few times and didnt really notice anything. Ive also taken Jack3d, which gives you a uncomfortable amount of engery and definitely helps you do anything but sleep.

Amazon.com: Vitamin Shoppe - L-Arginine-Ornithine 2000 Mg, 2000 mg, 100 capsules: Health & Personal Care

Amazon.com: USP Labs Jack3d Fruit Punch, 250-gram Tub: Health & Personal Care

[MTK]

Personally I don't get too caught up with loading up on protein, if you're eating a balanced diet consisting of lean proteins, veggies, whole grains, fruit, and limit junk, refined foods and sugars you'll be alright. You should be able to get what protein you need from meats, eggs, nuts, and beans.

[mredskins]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Personally I don't get too caught up with loading up on protein, if you're eating a balanced diet consisting of lean proteins, veggies, whole grains, fruit, and limit junk, refined foods and sugars you'll be alright. You should be able to get what protein you need from meats, eggs, nuts, and beans.

I think those guys are trying to gain mass so protein is a big issue in muscle growth.

[Monkeydad]

I only take a single shake post-workout.

I also rely on meat...a lot of chicken (and rice) and beef. Not hot dogs and beer, healthy food.

Oatmeal in the morning, no sodas or alcohol ever, fruit when possible, veggies added into every meal (even if having spaghetti, throw some spinach into the sauce).

I take a multivitamin in the morning, along with extra Calcium, Glucosamine/Chrondroitin/MSM and Fish Oil (I have arthritis since childhood, helps the joints).

I tried some Glutamine a couple months back (amino acid) but I didn't see much of a benefit.

It's always best to rely on food for your protein and nutrients, but it doesn't help to supplement if you have a special need or deficiency. For me, I need extra joint support.

The main reason I started with protein shakes was not for protein intake, but for caloric intake. Even in my 30s, I still need an extra 800-1000 cals a day just to maintain my weight. I hate it. I really do think it's easier for anyone to lose weight than gain it when you have a high metabolism like me.

I work out like crazy and I'm getting really cut, but the mass is slowly coming on. I've added 40 pounds to my bench in 2 months since resuming my post-injury regime. But, not getting huge and probably never will..but it won't stop me from trying. My chest has grown a lot recently though.

I suppose it will pay off later in life, like looking young.