Monday, April 21, 2008



How to Replicate my Success

(Above = the end of P90X round one in April 2008 -- moved into Round FIVE near the end of 2008, more on all that in other blog posts. As 2010 began, was working into my fourth full year using Beachbody workouts, and a hybrid of P90X and Insanity. Latest news and posts here.)


I've been asked by a few folks to quickly write out how I went from a 231 pound, largely inactive office worker to a 183 pound active dad who loves to workout and hit the trails with his bike.

Here goes. The whole story, top to bottom. Then more about today's workout. Time machine, here I come!


You have to start somewhere... Let's do it!
Ready to get in shape, with my help? I can be your coach, help you via email/online, and get you started on the right foot. First, sign up here to get me as your free coach. Next, click SHOP here to get your copy of Power 90 (beginners) or P90X (intermediate and above). (NBA stars, singers like Cheryl Crow and Pink, and folks like you and I are doing it! Here's Tony Horton talking about P90X.) Bolster your food plan by tracking your calories with fitday.com (guys, 2,500 cals a day, gals 1,800), and consider drinking a Shakeology shake in place of lunch -- it's like going to the salad bar with five plates. If you're already a P90X user, take the next step and be a coach with my help. Keep pushing play, bring it, A+ P90X review!







Can I be honest? Sure I can... Honestly, I did Power 90 throughout the entire year of 2007. It wasn't a great way to get in shape fast, but it worked out.

Why did I start? I was staring down at the scale, seeing 230, and realizing that something had to be done. My 20th class reunion was two years away (coming up on October '08), and my son was a wonderful five. He was and is an active little guy, and I couldn't keep up.

On top of that, my doctor was a little miffed, seeing my weight move up steadily from 203 to 213 over a year, then up to near 230 in another year. I was putting on the pounds, not bothering to do any kind of workout or activity, and I was entering a second year of taking a statin for my cholesterol. The drug worked great, brought it down to a great number, but...

I hate taking drugs of any kind. So it was time to work on my weight AND see what doing a real workout routine for a long time would do for my cholesterol numbers. It was the only way to really see what would happen.

So part vanity and part reality check on my health and getting myself off the darn Zocor.

STARTING: I recommend that anyone who's overweight and wants to do something to get started to pick up the Power 90 DVDs right now and make a commitment to doing them five days a week. Tony Horton is your trainer, he's fun to watch and workout with, and you'll have a blast.

It's the Nike ad -- Just Do It. You'll want to get the full set of 1-2 and 3-4 Power 90 workouts, and get some weight bands or free weights. A set of 5, 10, 20, and 30 pound free weights work wonders. For the Power 90 discs, visit Tony's site at beachbody.com and order everything from them.

I did Power 90 level 1-2 for five days a week for two months. That was too long. Only do 1-2 for 30 days. Then, forget your ego, say you CAN DO IT, and move to level 3-4 for the final 60 days. Stick to the program and bring it!

While you're doing it, I recommend following the diet guide that comes with Power 90. I did not follow it, and I paid the price.

I didn't get the best results I could have, and I only have myself to blame. I like to say that any exercise program is 80% diet and 20% working out. It's true. What you put into your mouth = the results you'll get. So don't scrimp, buckle down and learn from the guide and follow it and you'll see amazing results.

In my case, I did Power 90 level 1-2 from Jan. - Feb. 2007, then level 3-4 for 10 months straight. Bad idea again -- because of this, I'm the world expert on the word plateau, which is defined as "a relatively stable level, period, or condition."

My body lost 30 pounds over the course of that year, and stabilized into a still-big all-weather Dunlop (over my belt) spare tire around my middle. A condition I couldn't shake. ;)

As 2007 came to a close, I liked my results. I was down to 201, and my cholesterol was down from 234 to 187. No more need for statins, and my doctor was smiling all the way from the scale to the examination room. Great year Tim, now... do more.

One final note as you get started. After a few weeks, take stock. Have some energy left over? Want to do a little more but not go over the edge? Turn your one hour lunch break into time for a light extra workout. Eat the first 15 minutes, then walk for the last 40 minutes.

I started walking around my neighborhood at lunch, and was able to work in a little over two miles of walking daily for 40 mins. Ask your doctor -- if you would just walk that much everyday, you'd maintain your current weight and even lose a little. So if you can do both, you'll super charge your results, and it really helps get your heart and lungs in great shape fast.

STEP TWO: So as 2008 approached, I saw Tony's new ads on TV for P90X (order here) -- basically, Power 90 Xtreme. Perfect.

My Mom (bless her!) made sure my stocking was properly stuffed. I decided to start P90X six days a week right after the holidays. I did the program from Jan. 1 to April 1, 2008.

The program -- workouts and, this time, following the Fat Ripper I diet to a T for nearly all of the 90 days -- helped me break through that plateau. I'm down to 183, and just moving into Round 2 of P90X.

You can see more (my fat self at Day 0 in Janurary!) and read more about the real results after 90 days/my first P90X round here. The numbers speak for themselves, and I have a totally new outlook on food and nutrition that won't wear off after a few days or weeks.

The eating guide helps you choose the right foods and eat 5 small meals a day... for life.

But honestly, after 90 days of P90X, again I felt my nose pressing against a wall. The routines are awesome and hard, but I know I need to get seriously busy to clean up what's left of my spare tire.

So, as the weather warmed up, I got my mountain bike in top shape and started riding down the road to our greenway/American Tobacco Trail. I've been hitting that for approx. 10 miles M-F for several weeks, and it's fun and burns a ton of calories. I'm challenging myself to stay in high gears, make it tough, for most of the ride, and I feel a crazy extra burn in my legs. All good.

CURRENT ROUND: So for this round, I've got some new free weights (35 pounders), am working into a new eating routine (adding more food/carbs to keep my blood sugar high), and am totally blessed to have my P90X+ workouts and all the necessary equipment to move into this next zone in a huge way.

Thanks ExtremeBodyWorkout.com for your crazy great support!

Round 2 Week 3 P90X+
Monday: P90X+ Upper Plus w/ Abs Core + & 10 mi. Bike

Which brings me to today -- Day one really of P90X+, the Upper Plus workout with the new Ab routine at the end.

WOAH.

The workout is shorter, harder, and crazy-intense -- as if it could be any more crazy than P90X right? Well, it 'tis!

When the description says "after this one, you won't be able to pick up a ping pong paddle for a couple hours" they are only embellishing a LITTLE. My midsection was tired, when I reached out to pick up my glass of recovery drink, it was shaking and like moving it through mud.

I had three times the energy I've ever had post-workout of any routine, and I can't get off cloud nine! Am I hooked on endorphins? Maybe. I hope so. ;)

The new Ab routine is crazy loaded with new moves. Just when I was sure I had all the moves nailed and really hated ;) the Ab Ripper X routine, this comes along and makes it awesome fun to work on the abs again.

Banner day, P90X+ in the house!

Have any questions about my workouts/what I've been doing? Don't be shy. Email me at timothymclain at yahoo.com -- of course, swap the at with @ -- and I'll get right back to you. I'm also on FaceBook, Twitter, and on AOL IM as Netpower555.

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