It’s Almost Time – P90X3!
WHY P90X3 INSTEAD OF MY CURRENT HYBRID?
Though I am one-third through my third round of my custom P90X + P90X2 Hybrid Program I have decided to start P90X3 sooner rather than later – this coming Monday to be exact! The timing, other than a brand-new, week-old-baby girl being in the house is perfect! Due to time constraints in both family and business life I have had to remove my post-strength-training runs from my workout regimen…and because of this I am as heavy as I have been in the last two years and my cardio fitness is not at its peak.
NOT HAVING ENOUGH TIME
So, the last few months of my life have been a little more than a bit hectic. Both my work and personal life have been full of commitments and obligations which forced me to make a choice I very rarely decide to make…I had to cut my workouts short.
For about 4 months now I have not been running regularly (if at all) and have completely removed the tailpipe workout from my regimen. On average, over the last 4 months, I’d say I’ve run about once every two-and-half to three weeks .
Removing the run and the tailpipe routine from my workouts saved me about 30 – 40 minutes from each workout which added up to about 3 hours per week…but it came with a bit of price…in terms of body fat.
So my friends, now that 2014, along with my new baby girl are here, the time has come to get back on the horse.
WHAT HAVE I BEEN UP TO?
Well, like I stated above, on top of having a number of work-related deadlines, family-related obligations, and the holidays, Niña and I found ourselves getting ready for the new addition to our family – Ella Sofia (i.e., baby number 3). So, to meet the deadlines and obligations, I found myself adding about 180 minutes (3 hours) a week to my schedule by eliminating my runs and the tailpipe routine from the end of my workouts.
My Princess – Ella Sofia
What Was I Thinking – Cutting The Workouts Short?
ONE | I NEED 5 HOURS OF SLEEP…I AM 31 AFTER ALL
At first I thought about just waking up a few hours earlier but I honestly could not take 30 minutes of sleep away from my designated 5 hours. The sad truth is once I hit 30 I haven’t been able to function with less than 5 hours of sleep a night. In my 20’s I could work off 4.5 hours a night but the older I get, the more sleep I need. So, cutting back on sleep just to get a good run in was out of the question.
TWO | P90X3
Once I heard P90X3 was due out in late December I thought to myself,
“Perfect! I’ll just stop running until I start P90X3. If I gain some weight before it comes out, I’ll be able to better test the program…how else could I give a true 100% review…?”
So, that’s what I did – I stopped my run regimen and the tailpipe routine…and just kept eating.
THREE | MY DIET
Though my life’s schedule had been pretty crazy I continued Intermittent Fasting…but instead of a constant 18:6 approach I found myself following The Spartan Diet (i.e., one big meal a day) a lot more often than I would have liked to.
On top of that, when I did break my fasts at 3 pm, I found myself just drinking a cup of café con leche for lunch instead of real meals.
It is important to note that I was not calorie counting at all while following The Spartan eating style,and, if you remember one of my past posts, The Spartan Diet doesn’t really work for me when it comes to staying lean….so, I am currently at a steady 180 lbs.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Long story short, in a four month period I gained 15 lbs. and have plateaued at 180 lbs….and, sadly, it’s not a real good 180 lbs.
END OF SUMMER 2013
At the end of summer 2013, which was the end of my second custom P90X + P90X2 Hybrid Program I was about 165 lbs. and probably in the best shape of my life.
Workout:
Customized P90X + P90X2 Hybrid
Cardio – Run 2-3 miles 5-6 days/week
Eating Style:
LeanGains 18:6
Weight:
165 pounds
START OF 2014
Well, right now, after 4 months of little to no running, no tailpipe, The Spartan Diet eating style with no calorie counting and or health choices to the wind, and in the first third of my third round of a P90X + P90X2 Hybrid Program I am at 180 lbs. I am still in very good shape in terms of strength and overall cardio…but no where near where I was back in August in terms of aerobic fitness and body composition.
Full Disclosure Here People! It’s all for science!
Workout:
Customized P90X + P90X2 Hybrid
**NO CARDIO**
Eating Style:
The Spartan Diet
Weight:
180 pounds
So, I’d Say I Am 100% Ready For P90X3!
Though I am not where I was (in terms of weight and fitness) when originally starting P90X, I am only 10 pounds away from that mark. I have tried everything short of completely stopping to work out to get my body in prime “shape” to start P90X3 – including a complete two weeks off from any workout at all….and if you guys remember, I personally think two weeks is one week too long to stay in workout condition.
Well, now that my daughter is almost a week old it’s time to give it a go!
P90X3 – 90 DAYS OF COMMITMENT STARTS NOW!
(SCHEDULE + PREVIEW VIDEOS)
Starting this coming Monday, January 13, 2014 I will start my very first round of P90X3.
As I share my journey with you guys I will document;
- My weekly intake along with my Intermittent Fasting approach (i.e., when I fast for a full day versus my typical 18:6 approach and the food I eat)
- My runs (number of runs per week and distance)
- Hiccups along the way (i.e., if I have to pull doubles to make up for sick days, injuries, or unforeseen travel).
- My overall stats and results
- Number of Calories Burned during every P90X3 workout.
***IT IS IMPORTATN TO NOTE THAT REGARDLESS OF THE HICCUPS, I WILL COMPLETE ALL 90 DAYS EVEN IF I HAVE TO PULL DOUBLES TO MAKE UP LOST DAYS.***
At the end of the P90X3 Program I will share my overall opinion but I will also be sure to share my thoughts along the way…and to be honest I am a bit skeptical…but Tony has yet to let me down!
By Rolando Rodriguez
Ali
Jan 12, 2014 -
Your daughter is adorable. Congratulations!!
Rolando, what would you say would be a good long-term program for maintaining a good body (i.e. what you had in the summer) without leangains. Clearly it would be hard to maintain a time consuming workout + IF forever. It would be a good experiment to find the minimum amount of work needed just to maintain a good body composition although clearly one would still need extra work to get toned before any important cosmetic event.
Rolando Rodriguez
Jan 12, 2014 -
Thanks Ali! Still getting used to having a daughter in my life and it still throws me off when I hear someone say, “your daughter.”
As for your question – I am actually in the middle of writing a post about that exact topic.
I personally follow the LeanGains IF approach and workout for at least an hour 5-6 days a week year round. When I do find myself with less time to workout, my post-workout runs are always the first to go…and I always gain a bit of weight due to the fact that I maintain my same caloric intake even if I am not running.
For the last two years (with the exception of my current state as noted in the post above), I have maintained 10% body fat during the “off season” (September – April) and then cut down to about 7% for spring/summer (April – September). I tell people to not gain more than 5-10 lb. of fat on their “off season” because 5-10 lb. can be dropped fairly easily. To stay in this range I suggest working out at least 4 days a week for a minimum of an hour…and, if you are going to shorten or cut workouts out completely then you WILL have to cut your caloric intake if you wish to stay lean.
As seen in the post above, though I have continued to strength train 5-6 days a week I have completely cut my runs and the tailpipe out of my workout regimen. And, because I have maintained my same caloric intake (3,000 – 3,200 per day), I have gained 15 lb. in the process…which is not what I recommend or what I’ve done in the past.
Yeah, I let myself slip a bit more so that I can truly “test” P90X3 but I would never suggest that to anyone!
Ali, I am a big boy who loves to eat by nature and anyone who is like me needs to workout a minimum of 3 days a week (though I really recommend 4 days a week) and “watch” what they eat to maintain a manageable weight throughout the year. Remember, it is always easier to maintain than to lose/gain! FYI – when I am at my target beach-body weight and my workouts are kicking on all cylinders (from March-September) I TRULY EAT EVERYTHING I WANT AND DO NOT CALORIE COUNT because I don’t have to! The problem always happens when I start shortening my workouts…because, as noted in this blog before, weight managment IS ALL ABOUT CALORIES IN AND OUT!
Hope this helps! Please feel free to e-mail us with any questions and I’ll be sure to let you know when the post on this topic is up.
Take care and thanks again.
Ali
Jan 17, 2014 -
Thanks dude. I’ve been doing insanity without diet to improve my cardio (I’ve been going gym for years without any cardio and I’m naturally quite poor in the stamina department). As I’m usually just swamped with commitments at medical school, I’m going to jump into p90x3 + IF!!! Will be following your blog closely 🙂
Rolando Rodriguez
Jan 17, 2014 -
To be honest Ali, Insanity scares me a bit but a ton of people see really good results with a P90X/P90X2 + Insanity Hybrid program.
I am currently only doing P90X3 to see how good the program is on its own but I am certainly thinking about getting on board the Insanity train as soon as I finish P90X3.
Anyways, good look with whichever workout regimen and eating style you decide to go with and, more importantly, good luck with med. school.
FYI – The maintenance post went up the other day and we’ll surely be writing more on the topic in the future because it is certainly one of the top topics we get asked about.
Link in case you missed it:
https://x-gains.com/the-secret-to-maintaining-weight-andresults/
X-GainsP90X3 Review – 5 Steps To Starting P90X3 | X-Gains
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