Golfing is one of my favorite activities to do. I am not on a league but probably get out 4 times a month. During high school I played on the golf team so I was not so bad. My average was in the low 40′s back then when I was playing 4 days a week. Should have been better thinking about it now and I know why I was not. Its all because of fitness. I was not a “fat kid” to say but I could have enjoyed playing sports and golf more if I was in shape.

This was my first summer playing golf while doing the P90X workout. Some of the courses I usually play are Fern Hill, Rammler, and Plum Brook. I live in Sterling Heights, MI and these courses are about a mile away. Prices are reasonable and usually you can just go up there with out a tee time. I guess that’s what happens in a crappy Michigan economy.

The first thing I noticed this year was how much farther I was hitting my clubs. I bought myself a Taylor Made R5 Draw Driver for me for Christmas two years ago. I thought I was crushing the ball last year, you should have seen how surprised I was this year when I put another 15 yards on top of the 25 I put on last year just because of the club. My brother was even amazed with it. He was doing P90X with me in the beginning but did not stick with the program the whole way through. He did not quite get the same P90X results as I did mainly because he did not work as hard.

What I noticed a lot over the summer was the same par 4 holes I was hitting driver and 4 iron into, I was now hitting driver and 8 iron. What a big difference it makes when you know you can hit the golf ball 70% of the way to the green on the first swing. My confidence started to grow very quickly. I hit the ball straight most of the time but even when I would slice one it would still get way out there. Compared to last year I would still be some 50 yards further and even if it was not a great lie I could get out of it or at least be able to advance the ball further where my next shot I was still hitting a 8 iron (my money club) instead of a 4 iron.

More scores on average probably dropped about 2 shots per round than from last year. It probably would have been 2 more if I would have been practicing my short game and putting. That old saying of “drive for show and putt for dough” could not be any truer. My wedges and putter did not get me that much help in the score column. I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t go for a couple shots that I knew I could not have cleared last year and almost did it this year. Even though its not tournament play I still count my penalty strokes. This way even if I shot the same score as last year but had 3 more penalty strokes trying to see how far I could crush it I felt like I was improving. This way I now know my strength. Next time those 3 penalty strokes will not be there and I will probably be shooting in the high 30′s.

Some of the highlights of this year where playing at some nice courses. I was two months into P90X when I went down to Cancun, Mexico. I played a course called Iberostar. Very nice course with Iguanas every where. This is when I first started feeling the new strength. I was out driving the people in my group by 30-50 yards every time with a rental set of clubs.

 Probably the biggest highlight of the year came when I played at Sanctuary Lakes Golf Course in Troy, MI. It was a windy day out there but their 10th hole is up on a hill and is about 420 yards long. Its pretty much a straight shot to the hole but I was feeling like I wanted to unload on a drive. I crushed a drive and the wind was pushing it back from right to left. When the ball came down it hit the cart path and bounced towards the middle of the fairway. That ball ended up going 360 yards!! I was so pumped. Sure, the cart path added another 15 yards on the hop, but it still went over 330 with out it. Definitely my longest drive ever. This was only a couple weeks ago too.

I wish I could have gotten out more than I did this year but it still was an enjoyable year. Knowing that I can hit the long ball it made my game that much easier to control. With more practice on the short game and putter along with P90X I could definitely be shooting in the high 30′s for 9 holes. If you are looking for a great golf workout then I highly suggest buying the P90X DVDs. You will not only help your golf swing but your overall fitness.

Post from: P90X Workout – Insanity workout – Shakeology

My 2008 Golf Review With The P90X Workout

New P90X Results

I have a lot more definition now then after my first round of P90X.  While I did do other workouts like Insanity, and some of the Tony Horton 1 on 1 workouts, P90X was my main workout of choice. I say I did it about 85% of the time over the past 4 months.

What is interesting to know is that many of my reps (pull ups & push ups) along with the amount of weight I could lift were slightly higher. The biggest factor came from what I ate. I followed the meal plan about 90% of the time and if I had to pick one item that helped me have the definition it would be Shakeology. What a difference it made. I felt better and it was the one meal of the day where I knew I was getting all the vitamins, proteins, and other healthy stuff into my body.

Feel free to read the info below and to look at my original P90X results. I cannot recommend Beachbody’s Shakeology product enough. It truly was a game changer. If you are struggling with meal plan like I was trying to get great P90X results then you need to be using Shakeology. I suggest signing up as a Beachbody Coach like I did first so you get a 25% discount on it along with free shipping. Feel free to contact me with questions.

Original Post from 10/17/2008 Below

I decided it was about time that I put up my P90X before and after photos. However, when I was going through my photos I found out that I forgot to take any Day 30 Before and Afters and some Day 60 photos too. Please bare with me on the photos. I never intended to put them up in the first place and I’m not a expert in taking pictures. You will see that I am closer to the camera in some pictures and did or did not use the flash in others. This is why you will see some pictures with different sizes. Sorry about that. Should of done a better job of documenting this.

A little background on me before you look at the photos. Before I started doing P90X I had been doing a lot of running and was in pretty good shape as it was. I usually ran about 20 miles a week and would do about 50 push ups and chair dips after a run with 100 sit ups. Six months before starting P90X I completed the Detroit Marathon. I was in good cardio shape but did not have a lot of muscle because of all the running. I would say that I was “skinny fat.” Please read the entire post and not just look at the photos as I go in depth about my first round of P90X.

Old P90X Results

P90X Photos Of Day 1, 60, and 90

I can see from these photos that my upper body got bigger. From day 1 to day 60 I can see the V shape coming from my shoulders to waist. My forearms look bigger too. Probably could of gone without the flash on the camera for the Day 90 photo and not stuck out my chest either.

P90X Front Photos Of Day 1 And Day 90

It looks like my chest and shoulders got a little bigger in this photo.

P90X Back Photos Of Day 1, 60, and 90

I can definitely see that my back, shoulders and arms got bigger and there is some definition now. I contribute a lot of this to doing chin ups and pull ups. I think all of those pull ups made me a little wider so I now have more of a “V” shape.

P90X Back with Arms Down Photos Day 1 and 90

My back looks a little meatier now.

P90X Side Photos Day 1 and 90

Either I had a little gut and no chest muscles when I started or I lost the gut and now have chest muscles. My arms and shoulders look bigger now too. I can see the outline for my oblique ab muscles now too.

P90X Side Angle Photos Day 1, 60, and 90

Sorry about the photo sizes. My Day 1 photo of P90X looks dumb. What was I thinking? What’s up with the beard?  I can see from when I started that I was skinny with little muscle definition. At Day 60 my arms, chest, and shoulders started to take shape. It was easy for me to see right off the bat where my improvements have been since Day 1 of P90X. My chest and stomach look a little more defined even from this side angle photo. My arms and shoulders look bigger too.

Why Don’t You Have Ripped Six Pack Abs?

Tony Horton once said “Abs are made in the kitchen” and of course he is right. I eat pretty good to begin with but only followed the P90X 3 Phase Nutrition Plan about 30% of the time. I thought what I was eating was good enough. Its not like I was fat before starting P90X so I figured that I could stay with what I was doing. Wrong again. Yes, I did P90X Ab Ripper X (watch my video) and could finish the entire routine after the workout around day 30. I could only do about 10 of each move the first time.

Why Don’t You Have More Muscle Definition?

The previous paragraph explains a large portion of that but I have to be honest about something. I started P90X in the beginning of summer. I ended up going out on my buddies boat almost every weekend that entire summer partying my ass off. We only get a couple months of sunshine here in Michigan so if you can get out on the lake then you do it. I know I was feeling a little bloated from all of the beer I was drinking so of course its not going to show off the abs. They are there, but hidden under a thin layer of beer. If I would of not partied every weekend that summer, my P90X results would have told a different story. Just being honest here as I’m sure your looking for real P90X reviews. After the weekend was over I pushed myself as hard as I could during the week with P90X trying to burn through those empty calories I consumed the previous weekend.

How Much Weight Did You Lose or Gain? How Much Did Your Body Fat % Change?

I started at 165 pounds and ended at 175 pounds. I was so skinny before starting P90X that my goal was to put on weight. My body fat percentage went from 13% to 11%. I was surprised with this as I thought it would go up based on how skinny I was. Turns out I was wrong. All the resistance training with P90X burned away the fat and turned it into muscle.

Any Accomplishments With P90X You Care To Share?

The first time I did P90X Legs and Back I was only able to do 3 total pull ups. At the end of the 90 days I did 82 through out the workout.  The first time I did P90X Chest and Back I could only do 75 push ups and 2 total pull up / chin ups. At the end of P90X I could do 220 push ups and 52 pull up / chin ups.

How Did P90X Help Your Sports Activities?

I put 30 yards on my golf drive…no joke. I was just as surprised as my brother and friends were when they saw me outdrive them. I was now hitting driver and 8 iron into a Par 4′s green instead of driver and 6 iron. My scores improved by 4 strokes. If I could only get that putting down. I went from hitting 260 foot pop ups in my softball league to sending lasers off the 290 foot sign. Must of hit that sign 5 times at the end of summer. These were the P90X results I was most impressed with. I’m sure skiing and snowboarding are going to be a lot more fun as my legs and core are in better shape too.

Are You Happy With Your P90X Results?

Yes. I put on 10 pounds of muscle and was still able to run as far and faster then before P90X. This says alot because I was an avid runner to begin with and would only run about 2 miles a week during P90X when I would normally do 20 before.

I am able to enjoy the sports and activities I play much more now that I am in better shape. I know I need to give the meal plan a chance in my next round as I’m sure it will make a difference. All in all I am very happy with my P90X results. What started as something to do with a friend became a education in fitness. I never did things like Plyometrics, Kenpo, Yoga (its now one of my favorites), or even attempt a pull up.

So if you are looking to start P90X and live a similar lifestyle to mine you can expect these P90X results.  If I had to grade myself with P90X I would give myself a 100% for effort on the workouts and a 70% on the eating (would be higher if it wasn’t for all of that beer). So 85% or a solid B. I highly recommend P90X to anybody regardless of your fitness level. 

Bonus: Check out my Insanity workout results and P90X / Insanity Hybrid workout results. I learned my lesson from my first round of P90X and ate much better during these rounds making my P90X results more visible.

Post from: P90X Workout – Insanity workout – Shakeology

My P90X Results

Anyways, before I left on friday to head up north I made sure I got a decent workout in. I knew from previous homecomings as a student and as an alumnus that I would be doing some partying, eating, and sleeping very little. This getting old stuff takes a beating on the body now and you just have to be prepared for it. Otherwise you end up being that first guy passed out on friday night at the bar, barely able to make it through tailgate on saturday, too wasted to go to the game, and then you feel like crap saturday night for the party.

I decided to do a 5 mile run friday morning to get the cardio going and burn as many calories as I could. Then an hour and a half before we were going to leave for up north I did the P90X Chest, Shoulder, and Triceps DVD. This is one of the hardest P90X DVDs for me to do. I can do all of the push ups but I struggle to do a lot of them. It really comes down to how much energy I have before I do this P90X workout. There are times when I cannot do any “clap push ups” and then some times I can do 10. I was able to do 10 this times but still cannot do any “one handed push ups.”

When I was done working out I felt great. Got some great cardio in and the upper body was feeling great. I needed to have the body working and burning calories because all of that changed the second we got up to school. Friday night involved a alumni dinner, then a trip to the old bar we use to go to. We partied until the bar closed and had a great time.

The next morning involved more of the same. It was weird this year that the football game was at 4pm. It only gave everybody 3 more hours t oparty than normal which is never a good thing. The rest of my day went like this. Started partying at tailgate from 1pm to 4pm. This involved a few beverages and eating some of the pig the guys were roasting. From 4pm-7pm I actually went to the football game. We won. From 7pm-9pm involved eating some dinner. From 9pm-3:30am involved partying at the old fraternity house. Lucky for me I have a girlfriend who likes to have a good time and does not care about being a little older than the average crowd that was there. We were the last “alumni couple” still partying. It was quite a day.

My legs were killing the whole next day from being on my feet but I felt great. All of the energy that I started from working out on saturday helped me get through the whole weekend. I have to thank P90X for getting me into great shape or I would be like my other friends that passed out after tailgating. Not the game at 7pm. Tailgate at 4pm.

Post from: P90X Workout – Insanity workout – Shakeology

Always Do P90X Before A Long Weekend Of Partying

I have been working out for the most part on the carpeting in my house. It is fine for me. I do have a exercise mat that I occasionally use but its not a comfort thing. When I am doing P90X Yoga X sometimes I begin to slide a little bit on the carpet. This is due to me building up a sweat and drifting when I am doing the “Warrior Poses.” The yoga mats give me a little bit better friction so I do not slide anywhere.

The yoga mats are not necessary to do any of the P90X DVD workouts. If you want the extra comfort than go ahead and buy one.

Post from: P90X Workout – Insanity workout – Shakeology

Do I Really Need A Exercise Or Yoga Mat For P90X

I still am building muscle and strength and can definitely feel it when I take a day off or so because I am sore for about two days. Its crazy how your body hurts moretwo days after doing a workout instead of the next day. I am really happy with the results I have earned with P90X.

I went for a run the other day and man did I feel slow. I was barely able to get 3 miles done without stopping. To give you a little background on myself, I completed the Detroit Marathon a couple years ago so running should not be that hard for me. The problem I have found is that with the added muscle I have put on I have became a little bit bulkier. This is not what I wanted. I wanted to be lean and strong, not bulky strong.

What I am going to do is start following a new routine where I only do leg workouts and cardio for the next three weeks so hopefully it will tighten up a couple of my muscles and get me to a weight that I feel comfortable at. The workouts I will be doing more will include plyometrics, running, and swimming. The only P90X DVD I think I am going to do is P90X Legs And Back. It is one of my favorite workouts because I feel it in my whole body the next day and get to work on doing pull-ups and chin ups. When I get down with this workout routine in the next three weeks I should be in pretty good shape for the upcoming snow skiing season and my metabolism should help me burn more calories on a day to day basis.

Post from: P90X Workout – Insanity workout – Shakeology

Time To Start Doing P90X Cardio X

I busted out the P90X Legs and Back dvd yesterday because I felt like it was a good one to get back on track with. The Legs and Back dvd is one of my favorite P90X workouts to do. Once I could do pull ups and chin ups I felt challeneged while doing it. I always enjoy trying to push myself to do more pull ups every time that I do it.

Well, today I am very sore. My legs is what really is sore. I decided to go for a run to help stretch them out and to get a little bit of cardio in. I was almost able to do as many pull ups and chin ups as I normally do but fell short of just a couple. I guess that is not so bad considering I basically did not do anything strenuous over two weeks and still retained some strength. This tells me that the P90X results I have earned can stay there for quite some time as long as I maintain them and work on new muscles. I do not suggest anybody taking off an extended period of time off from doing any kind of workout or exercise. It did not help me and I just feel a little flabby and out of shape. My body is telling me it today that I need to do something every couple of days regardless of where I am at or I am going to pay for it next time I workout.

Post from: P90X Workout – Insanity workout – Shakeology

Do Not Take Two Weeks Off When Doing P90X

I had known all along that I was getting stronger just from the results I was getting from each P90X workout. I can feel the results in a lot of my activities such as softball and golf. I am able to hit the ball much farther in both activities and just feel like my performance in both is much better. I still do P90X about 3 days a week now while in my off days I started swimmingmore. The swimming has really tied all of the workouts together for me and been able to help me do more pull ups and chin ups when I do P90X. I think from here I am going to start doing more cardio workouts for awhile instead of trying to put on more muscle. I really have no need to keep getting bulky and let my quickness go to the wayside. Even though I feel stronger I can tell that I am carrying more weight around and want to be able to get used to this weight while still having good cardio and strength. I still highly suggest that if you are serious in getting in great shape that you try doing P90X. It has shown me a new way to think about fitness.

Post from: P90X Workout – Insanity workout – Shakeology

P90X Helped Me Put On 10 Pounds Of Muscle

P90X retails for $119.85 + S&H at the Beachbody Store

P90X = $108 + S&H for Beachbody Club members.

P90X = $89.89 + S&H for a Beachbody Coach.

Buy P90X With A 10% Discount

With the Beachbody Club you save 10% on anything you buy from the Beachbody store and get a 50% discount on shipping. Do you buy things like supplements, protein bars, meal replacement shakes every month or two? Makes sense to sign up.  It costs $2.99 a week and with it you get customized meal plans, advice from personal trainers like Tony Horton, fitness tools, and recipes. You do need to pay for it upfront. The club membership has a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee. If you do not like it then cancel and get a full refund while keeping everything you bought with your 10% discount.

Buy P90X With A 25% Discount

The best way to buy P90X is to sign up as a Beachbody Coach first and then buy P90X. Its kind of like being a “VIP” with Beachbody. You get 25% off all Beachbody products including P90X and a 50% discount on shipping. The second is that you get your own website from Beachbody where you can promote their products and earn money. There is nothing required of you when you sign up. I’d say about 90% of people who sign up do it for the discounts alone. Beachbody started the Coach program because many people who did buy P90X or other programs would get questions from friends, family members, co-workers, etc about how they are getting into such great shape. Instead of sending your friends to Beachbody to buy P90X you can now send them to your personalized site and earn a 25% commission on whatever they order. I am a Coach and apart of the Club.

Edit – 7-23-10 You might have seen other websites out there selling P90X for less then the $119.85. You need to be aware that there are a lot of scams going on out there and people are getting ripped off. All of the links on this site send you to the real products. Better to buy P90X from the real site instead of gambling on a fake site and not getting anything.

How the Coach program works is you pay a one time fee of $39.95 to get started. This covers them setting up your website and your Coaches packet. After the first month there is a $14.95 monthly cost to stay in the program and you can cancel at anytime. Beachbody handles all the orders, shipping, customer service, and pay you weekly. If you decide in the first 30 days that you want to quit, you can return the materials they sent you and get your $39.95 refunded minus shipping fees.

You are probably saying right now that you don’t want to pay $39.95 to get started or the $14.95 a month and I understand. I was skeptical at first to. Then I thought about a couple things. My last gym membership had a $200 enrollment fee and was $59 a month. It was a nice gym so it might seem high. My problem was that I would get bored and it was because I was not an expert in physical fitness. The gym did offer personal trainers for $80 a session. That’s for one time, not for a month. I never hired one because it was too expensive. Without knowing any better I could never get out of the  same workout routine. Then I decided to buy P90X after a friend recommended it to me. Not only did I get great results but I learned about fitness.

Beachbody has six 90 day workout programs getting people great results right now with more coming. You are buying a personal trainer like Tony Horton for $89 for 3 months (or longer) instead of for one day. You will no longer need the gym membership and if you think about it you are coming out ahead with your discount when you sign up to be a Beachbody Coach. You save 25% on everything including supplements, protein bars, meal replacement shakes, and exercise gear. I hope you see the value in that even if you do not want to pursue it as a business. If you want help in the business aspect feel free to e-mail me at brad@workoutjourney.com as I am helping people do it for free.

When you sign up you get a one time offer from Beachbody to buy 6 of their best workout dvds and accessories in a “Showcase Pack.” The workouts you get are P90X, Power 90, Yoga Booty Ballet, Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Abs, and Slim In 6. You also get a set of their B-Line Resistance Bands, weighted gloves (great for the cardio workouts) and a squishy ball. All of these retail for $446. If you want to see for yourself go to the Beachbody Store again and check out the retail prices. You will get all of these for $199 when you become a Coach. That is a saving of $446 – $199= $247. This is the best deal available from the Beachbody Company. After you sign up, go into your store and buy the pull up bar and recovery drink with your 25% discount. Doing this is a investment for your health. There are a lifetimes worth of workouts for anybody in there. Here is a photo of what the Showcase Pack I got looks like. You will get the same when you sign up to be a coach.

If P90X is too extreme for you then return it and get something else. P90X has a 90 day money back guarantee. If you need help choosing one then let me know and I can help you pick one.

In summary:

You Can Buy P90X These Three Ways

P90X Retails For $119.85 + S&H  at the Beachbody Store

P90X = $108 + S&H in the Beachbody Club

P90X = $89.89 + S&H for a Beachbody Coach – This Is What I Do

If you are sharing or borrowing P90X with a friend or family member then sign up for a Free Beachbody Account. You can win daily cash prizes worth up to $1,000 and a annual $250k prize. I hope this clears up any questions you might have about trying to buy P90X.

Post from: P90X Workout – Insanity workout – Shakeology

Where Can You Buy The P90X Workout DVD For Cheap

B-Line Resistance Bands Standard Kit

3 Resistance Bands
Popular With Women
15, 20, and 30 Pound Resistance Bands
$39.95

B-Line Resistance Bands Super Kit

3 Resistance Bands
Popular With Men
20, 30, and 40 Pound Resistance Bands
$39.95

B-Line Resistance Bands Complete Kit

10 Resistance Bands
10 to 50 Pounds of Resistance
$119.95

Are The Resistance Bands Used In Every P90X Workout?

The resistance bands can be used in every P90X DVD except for the cardio workouts like Plyometrics, Yoga X, Cardio X, and Kenpo X. The cardio workouts do not call for any weights to be used during the workout so you do not need them.

You will get a very intense workout using the resistance bands. You might not get the full range of a workout as what you would do with a set of dumbbells but you can expect to really work your muscles out. I use the resistance bands for some exercises more than others mainly because I just cannot use the dumbbells at all. I have a kink in one of my shoulders and when asked to do arm curls in a squat position I just struggle to do it. My form gets very messy and I really get no benefit to the exercise. I then added the resistance bands and it makes it a little easier to control while still giving my biceps a good workout. There have even been times where I just have nothing left in me and the dumbbells are going to be too much regardless of what weight I use. So I bring out the resistance bands and use those instead.

Can I Use The Resistance Bands For Something Else Than Bicep Curls?

If you struggle doing pull ups and chin ups when doing P90X you can use the resistance bands to simulate the motion you would do when doing a pull up. Even when you watch the P90X DVDs you can see the people in them do this. They will wrap the resistance bands around the P90X pull up bar so its as tight as they like. Then they do the workout as if they were doing pull ups. If you do not struggle doing pull ups but just cannot seem to do anymore in a set anymore, try this. Do as many pull ups as you can during the one minute or so the routine is doing. Then when you can’t do anymore drop off the bar and wrap the resistance bands around the P90X pull up bar and get in another 5 or 6 reps in that way. This should really burn up your muscles and start conditioning them for extra gains. I did a P90X review of when I started adding the resistance bands after I could not do any more pull ups and my numbers told me that I had a 8% increase in all of my P90X results. If you are serious about getting in shape with P90X you should get a set of resistance bands and a set of Bowflex Selecttech 552 dumbbells.

Post from: P90X Workout – Insanity workout – Shakeology

Resistance Bands For The P90X Workout

It was actually one of my better workouts. I did more pull ups and chin ups than I had ever done before and was quite proud of my improvements. I know all of the swimming I have been doing lately helped out with my back muscles which leads to more strength to do pull ups and chin ups. Let’s just say that the P90X results are speaking for themselves right now. I checked my log book and can see how every week my results are getting better and I am feeling stronger.

Fast forward two days and I can barely walk. My legs are arms were feeling so tight that it hurt to move. It was some soreness that I have not felt in awhile. Probably as much soreness as when I first started doing P90X. I think I might have pushed myself a little too far two nights ago and now I am paying for it. I decided to do P90X Yoga X yesterday morning before my softball game last night to hopefully stretch out my body so I did not feel so tight. All it did was make me more sore through out the day.

I made it to my softball game and it took my a half an hour to get warmed up. My body was so sore. It wasn’t tight anymore but just sore. I was really trying to hit a home run last night because the there was a 15 mile per hour wind blowing out to the left field fences but it was just not meant to be. My body was just not loose enough to get the power I needed to hit it out.

A good piece of advice for any extreme P90X people out there would be to not try to do too much at one time. I know that day of working out woke up my body but I probably could have done just half of P90X legs and back or half the amount of laps in the pool. This was I would have been able to walk.

Post from: P90X Workout – Insanity workout – Shakeology

Do Not Swim And Do The P90X Legs And Back Workout On The Same Day