P90X and "Insanity Workout"

[kdavid]

I'm turning into a fat sh*t. I don't have time for the gym. (Actually, I can make an hour everyday, but the additional hour commute I can't.)

I've come across the P90X and "Insanity" workout videos, and they seem worth a try.

From what I can tell so far, the insanity workout does not require any equipment. However, the P90X does.

I was thinking of investing in some resistance bands (拉力绳), and was curious if anyone could recommend a good brand name available on Taobao. There are many to choose from, but I'd rather buy a set that's been proven. I don't want to invest money in something only for it to break after a few uses. Especially something like this.

Also, I'd like to know if anyone has purchased other fitness equipment from Taobao, such as a Yoga pad (it doesn't have to be for Yoga; any kind of fitness pad for running, crunches, etc. wold be great) or dumbells.

Any recommendaitons would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[icebear]

I can't comment on specific products, but I'd say a good investment would be buying some type of cardio machinery to put in your living room. It's very easy to use a bike/elliptical trainer every single morning/evening for 30 minutes while watching TV or reading a book (casually). Do this daily, coupled with 15-30 minutes a day of dumbbells, and you'll see a difference after 6 months. Once you get it into your routine you might find it hard to skip even a day, because it feels good to be tired going to bed at night.

[kdavid]

Thanks for the suggestion. The Insanity workout is a cardio workout, and the P90X is for strength traning. Insanity looks like a much deeper workout than walking or a bike.

Plus, those pieces of equipment can be huge, and would require moving and/or leaving behind when I move back home. I like the aforementioned workouts because they can be done anywhere (i.e. when I'm traveling) and require no, or minimal, equipment.

[jasoninchina]

I have the Insanity workout. I would highly recommend it. No equipment and plenty of a challenge. There are lots of different workouts to do, so you'll never get bored. Seriously, buy it today!

[大肚男]

I never tried the insanity workout, but I tried P90x and I couldn't hack it.

So, I downgraded to the power 90 workout couple of weeks ago, and I love it.

P90x assumes you're in a great physical shape, while power 90 kinda prepare you for p90x.

[kdavid]

I never tried the insanity workout, but I tried P90x and I couldn't hack it.

I'll likely do a circuit of Insanity to start. I worked out religiously in university, and was in really good shape prior to going abroad. Since I started my MA last semester, I've been very sedentary, and it's really started to show.

[imron]

What floor do you live one? You may find that simply walking up and down the stairs everyday instead of taking the elevator achieves much the same goal. I had a friend who lost 18kg in 6 months doing nothing more than having to walk up/down 5 flights of stairs a couple of times each day due to their apartment building not having an elevator.

[icebear]

I had a friend who lost 18kg in 6 months doing nothing more than having to walk up/down 5 flights of stairs a couple of times each day due to their apartment building not having an elevator.

Second this. I found that upon moving to China I was able to drink and party much more with little consequence due to the elevators in my building being shutoff nearly all hours of the day. Amazing what six flights of stairs 5-10 times per day will do for you.

Of course that isn't a comprehensive workout plan, but just a reminder to cut out the "easiness" of your routine where you can find it. The workouts you cited also seem to be well regarded.

[kdavid]

My weight has fluctuated over the past 5.5 years. I've gone from 180 lbs to 215ish and back again several times.

I tend to be much thinner during the spring and summer as the temperature being above freezing makes it more pleasuable to be outside. (It's been in the -20s for the last couple months.)

My daily routine is very sedentary. I need a daily workout plan and I need to stick to it. I bought some trainers today, so I'll get started tomorrow. Insanity doesn't require any equipment, so I'll have a go at that and work into weight training once my body adjusts.

[carlo]

I’ve been rope skipping regularly for about six-seven years. I jump every day for about twenty-thirty minutes (I time it to music, about 6 to 10 tracks). This, plus body-weight exercises (Hindu squats/pushups and sit-ups, mainly), are the only workout that I’ve been able to stick to indefinitely no matter how much I travel. My favourite ropes on taobao are sold by this guy and are IMHO fantastic.

This Insanity stuff looks interesting, though probably the real challenge is learning to do all the movements without loss of form.

[Saxondale]

Unless you can get the diet nailed, P90X will be a complete waste of time. This is the same for any other sort of work out; a solid diet is way more important than working out.

Firstly, can you post your typical diet?

[kdavid]

I agree about the diet being essential.

My diet now is bad. I eat until I'm stuffed, which is a far longer duration than needed. My portion sizes are also out of control. I eat more fastfood than I should. I understand losing weight is all about burning more than you're eating. It's really just simple math.

I spent my first two years of uni as an exercise phyisiology major. At the time (as well as before and after) I was religious about my diet, supplements, and exercise regimine.

I know how to get in shape, lose weight, put on muscle, and diet. I have done all of these successfully in the past, just not at all in the last seven years.

I'm far from obese (6'1, 210ish lbs), but I know that once I get to the stage where parts of me jiggle long after I've stopped moving, it's time to make a change. I'd also like to make this a consistent life style so that I can stay healthy for my family. Cancer runs in my family, and my current, sedentary life-style won't help me prevent that.

My intention in starting this post was purely to see if others out there had equipment suggestions. Of course, it's good to see others have had success with these programs. I'm starting Insanity tomorrow morning (as well as a change in my diet).

@carlo

Thanks for the jump rope link.

[Saxondale]

That's good that you know what to do, since it takes people years to realise this. Since you don't have time for the gym, do you have any empty space around you? Maybe a field or just an open space? If yes, I'd say find some heavy sand bags, large bricks or anything with some weight and do some compound exercises. You should be able to find all of this without spending any money.

Effective weight training can burn a lot more calories than typical cardio, whilst adding substantial muscle.

[edelweis]

photos !

[Hofmann]

Cutting is mostly creating a calorie deficiency and/or more cardio. Take the amount of calories you eat per day and subtract 1000. That will take away 2 pounds a week. As for cardio, interval training works well if you're short on time.

[Saxondale]

1000 is too much in one go; i'd recommend gradually cutting down.

[kdavid]

I took some photos last night. I'll take some again after I finish the first 60 days.

My home office is actually quite big. There's more than enough room for me to do the Insanity work outs here.

I did the Fit Test this morning. While I did finish, I had to take a couple longer breakers (2 - 3 minutes, instead of 1) inbetween. I hadn't realized (but am not surprised) how out of shape I've gotten.

I'm going to cut my portion sizes in half; eating until I'm not hungry instead of until I'm full. If I can cut 500 calories/day, that will be a pound a week.

[calamindos]

Nice job on deciding to get fit. It definitely pays off.

I also tried Insanity last year and received several compliments from people around me on the visible weight loss.

At the beginning I was also impressed by how out of shape I was, but then I realised that the people who are involved in the Insanity video are mostly graduates of the program, so it means that at the time of shooting the video, their endurance and fitness will be a lot higher than beginners. As you progress, your performance in the fit test will eventually be a bit better.

[Guest realmayo]

I'm not sure I believe that exercise makes me thinner. It certainly makes me hungrier. Actually I'm a complete sceptic about the current dogma that more exercise and less fat will make most people thinner. But: an alternative theory blames refined carbohydrates. And my problem is that I think that would include white rice and noodles? But these have been staples in Asia for ages and obesity hasn't tended to be a problem until recently.

[Saxondale]

Diet is way more important than exercise realmayo. If your diet isn't right, then you're wasting your time exercising. If you have a spot on diet, exercise can transform your body in many ways.