P90x Newbie.

[Krukester]

Hello. I plan on begining the P90x program this upcoming Monday. Currently im a volunteer firefighter, and I weight like 270lbs, and am about 5' 10'' tall.

I was wondering if anyone had any tips/suggestions about the program? I plan on aiming for around 10 reps on most exercises to begin with, and will be using a resistance band to do pulldowns. My diet says it should be 60% Protein, 20% Carbs, 20% Fat, and that I should consume 3800 calories/day (which is really high in my opinion). This is all based on the P90x nutrition book.

Any information you guys may have would be appreicated :)

[JayG]

Hey there,
I lurk around this board a lot but have never posted before. I did however notice that you asked a question and haven't gotten an answer yet. Fitness and nutrition have been passions of mine for as long as I can remember and I've picked up a little bit of knowledge on the way. The following is simply my opinion based on what I've learned regarding strength and conditioning

P90X is a great program if you want to have sweet abs and look like a movie star. It may not get you as strong as would be best for firefighting and there are probably better modalities for improving endurance. You might be better served with a program of deadlifts, weighted pull ups, back squats, shoulders presses, and some power cleans in a five rep x five sets at heavy weights (read at or close to your five rep max at each lift) two to three times per week coupled with brisk walking in a fifty to sixty pound weighted vest for forty five minutes to an hour one to two times per week.

The weights will get you strong enough that lifting and pulling charged hoses, picking up people, carrying chain saws, breaching doors, and any other task you may encounter will be quite manageable. Not many things will be heavier than you can comfortably manage. The weighted walks will give you enough endurance that moving around in your bunker gear with SCBA will be much easier (you will still breathe heavily and you will still know you're working, but you won't feel like you're lungs are going to explode).

As far as the nutrition, I have a little more education in this area than I do with training, and do disagree with the prescription given to you. The things I am going to tell you will be at odds with what you have been told about nutrition but I assure you it is entirely based on the scientific literature, and I would be more than happy to provide you with the references for anything you may be wondering about, so feel free to ask. If you are unfamiliar with the scientific process, examining published research, or understanding the different types of studies (i.e. which ones are more reliable than others) you can PM me and I can give you some information.

So here we go (under the assumption you will be doing the program I recommended and NOT P90X)

60% protein will give you the runs. Their is a well known mechanism by which too much protein induces diarrhea. 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight is very adequate. The best sources are grassfed beef, pastured chicken and chicken eggs, bison, and buffalo.

20% carbs, maybe 30% max seems quite adequate to ensure that muscle and liver glycogen is close to full, ensuring you've got lot's in the tank for long periods of firefighting and your workouts without overloading your body with glucose or fructose. Best sources are sweet potatoes, yams, white potatoes, and any and all non starchy vegetables. Just be sure to peel the tubers because there are some toxins in the skins. Fruit is also great, just be sure not to overdo it (2 servings a day max) as fructose can only be handled by the liver so we don't to overload that organ.

The rest I would fill in with fats. You want these to be either monounsaturated or saturated fats. Yes I am aware that saturated fat is considered deadly, however a boatload of literature shows that the problems seen with high fats diets were due to the omega 6 content and that saturated fat is actually benign. I have a number of references for this if you would like them. Best sources will be avocados, olive oil, olives, and butter.


The total calorie prescription seems quite adequate for getting strong and putting on muscle mass. Usually 3000 - 5000 calories will allow most males to put on a good amount of muscle if they are lfiting heavy weights. With a mass gain program you will also put on a little bit of fat due to the calorie surplus, but it will also give your muscles the energy they need to grow.

Please keep in mind that I am not a doctor or registered dietitian so I cannot give nutrition advice. The information I gave to you is for educational purposes only. If you choose to follow my information, you are doing so at your own risk.

For more nutrition information I would highly recommend you search out anything by Mat Lalonde. He is the most thorough scientist doing nutrition I know of.

[Udollf]

I am interested to start the P90X program, diet and supplements. For the purpose of
reducing body fat, increasing muscle mass, sweating a lot .. are all good things for detox
and regulating blood sugar. If any one have knowledge or experience with this let me know please...