Week 6 is done and over! Like Week 5, we’re still in Phase 2 so we’re following the below structure:
Day 1: Chest, Shoulders and Triceps & Ab Ripper X
Day 2: Plyometrics
Day 3: Back and Biceps & Ab Ripper X
Day 4: Yoga X
Day 5: Legs and Back & Ab Ripper X
Day 6: Kenpo X
Day 7: Rest or X Stretch
It’s at the point where you can tell your overall fitness has already improved – a lot. You feel stronger and you can handle more. There were several instances where I’d kick it up a notch and made more progress this week (like when I finally did all 25 reps of every exercise in Ab Ripper X, or when I added an extra 5 lbs to every move in Back and Biceps, to when I was able to get my toes off the ground for a second during crane pose in Yoga, and I was able to hold chair pose the full length in Legs and Back). I love these little signs of improvement! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – there’s nothing that beats the energy you get from a great workout and the satisfaction you get when you’re practically shaking at the end, knowing you pushed yourself further than you thought. To me, that right there is what P90X is about. Doing your best, forgetting barriers you thought you had, and becoming a stronger person inside and out. I know, sounds cheesy, but true. 
I also wanted to share a link with y’all that I saw beachbody share on their facebook and twitter this week.
At what point in P90X should results really start to kick in?
Basically, the article said that P90X is designed to peak late. I just wanted to quote the last paragraph:
As an example, during our initial test group there was nearly a mutiny due to lack of gains. This was because our small group (4 people) was in breakdown through the first two stages and weren’t seeing great results. The all wanted us (me and Tony) to alter the schedule of the program. I drew a chart on a blackboard, showing them what was supposed to happen. Tony backed me up and the program stayed as designed. All of those people’s results went nuts during block three and they stopped complaining.
Well, that sure makes me excited for Phase 3! Crazy to think that this upcoming week is the last week of Phase 2, then another recovery week and then Phase 3! Time is FLYING! I also have some other interesting changes/ challenges I’m hoping to implement this week.
One change is that I’m going to start adding the Couch to 5K running program in three times a week (so it’d basically be an extra 20 minutes of cardio on strength days – Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays). I’ve been really wanting to get into running again, and this is a great, short way I can do it (and honestly an extra 20-30 minutes a day is nothing compared to doing an additional 45 minutes to an hour of Cardio X or another cardio program).
The other thing I’m going to try is small meals (hi mom if you’re reading, I know we just talked about this!). As you can probably tell by my blogging, I usually eat three solid meals a day, with maybe an afternoon snack. I really don’t know how doing three small meals will work out for my schedule, but I want to give it a try. Doctors recommend it, it makes sense, and I want to see if it could help me eat less overall throughout the day (I usually end up getting hungry and snacky at night with how I have been eating). What I’m going to shoot for is three meals of 300-400 calories each and 2-3 snacks of 100-200 calories. Obviously this may not always be feasible, but I’m going to do my best and be flexible if I need be.
I know these changes won’t work for everyone, and I don’t even know if they’ll work for me, but after some research and consideration, I want to give it a go. I’m still fighting to lose weight that I gained from a medication. Yes, I’ve struggled with thoughts that, "maybe if I just skipped a meal, I’d lose the weight," but I won’t give in to disordered thinking. I knew it was going to be difficult to lose the weight when I have been so healthy to begin with, but I’m still determined to get back to that "happy weight" where all my clothes fit. Smaller meals seem like they’d assist this goal, and more cardio (fat burning) seems like it’ll help, too. Time will tell!
You got a little more than a basic, boring P90X week recap in this post, but you got a little more me and how I’m actively trying to change myself in healthy, positive ways.
Miss my other P90X posts? Check ‘em out!
Couch to 5K is a great program. I did it a year and a half ago to start running, and now I’m training for my second half marathon and plan to run a full marathon this October. Stick with it! It works!
I know! I’ve used it before, love it!
I’m just using it now as a way to structure in a little additional cardio. 
Good luck, Lindsey! I really applaud your efforts to make sure your mental health comes first!
Good luck and great job with the gains! I did my thrid week of chest and back yesterday, and deicded to kick it up and did all the pushups on my toes (I was doing half on my knees), and my arms were FEELING it today! And I can do a pull up with out the chair! It may be cheesy, but you are right on about pushing through barriers. I have to remind myself that “to failure” literally means “to failure” and not just “until it hurts”. It really makes a difference!
Hey everyone! Im doing P90X and I recently became a Beachbody Coach bc I loved Turbo Jam and P90X so much! It has honestly been one of the best decsions I have made physically and financially! Talking to others abt my weight loss journey while helping them with theirs has been amazing and the extra income is very nice :0) If you are interested in some more info let me know! Good luck with the 90 days of torture…its worth every second!
My fiance agreed to start P90X if I want to but he says we have absolutely no place for the chin up bar. Is that a huge issue? Is there an alternative?
There are alternatives – resistance bands! Shoot me an email and I’ll send you a couple pics of our set up (we don’t have a chin up bar either, well, not one that works in our doors of our current apartment).
Something like this could work, too (similar to ours):
http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Resistance-Bands-Workout-Set/dp/B0018QY22C/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1269312294&sr=8-4
Awesome job. You are really doing great. Make sure you get enough protein, this might help with beigh hungry at night.