P90X Gear

So what goes into P90X you may be asking... well I will tell you. P90X is beautiful because it is simple. It is not easy, but again, it is simple. The program itself runs about $120 from BeachBody (you'll find rip off counterfeits out there... beware, their DVDs will likely skip and there is no way to get a replacement. BB replacement is for a lifetime!). You will then need a place to do pull-ups (doorway attachment or build one... I did and I love it!) and some free weights or bands. That is it! It was designed to be done in you living room. I worked out in the basement in a 10 x 11 room with a 7'4" ceiling. I know work out in the garage because I can't jump with a 7' ceiling. Can it really be that simple? It is... You don't need anything else. I have added push-up bars ($12 at Dunham's) for great range of motion and a HR monitor (Timex - $66 on Amazon, it is cool!) to really know if I am bringing the intensity I need.

No gym fees, no gimmicks, no huge pieces of equipment, just real work and real results.

My personal picks for gear:

Adjustable Dumbbells - Bowflex Selectechs or Weider Selects (I bought these... they were cheaper and my buddy Matt had a similar set that worked excellently... he took them back to bring it with the 'X' for himself. Make sure to get a range that works for you. You will use up to 50lbs and more. I am pulling 75lbs on rows now... pull ups make you strong.)

Home-made Pull-Up Bar - 4' of 1" black pipe, 90 degree fittings to 3/4", 4" pieces of 3/4" black pipe, and 2 flanges. I picked up everything from Menard's or around $25. Finally, I wrapped it with some athletic tape for comfort.

Door Mount P90X Pull-Up Bar
For use in any doorway. Temporary and easily stored. The beauty of the Beachbody Pull-Up bar is the huge variety of hand holds.  Super wide, narrow, palms in, etc. I started on one of these, but moved the fixed bar when I when out to that garage.

Push-Up Bars - More range of motion, deeper push ups, better results. Again, like $12 at Dunham's. Beachbody sells even cooler ones called Power Stands that the man, Tony Horton himself, designed. I got these because they worked into the budget. I have heard nothing but GREAT things about the Power Stands. They are evidently uber stable. 

                   

                     

Hit me up with any questions. I am an open book. It really can be as good as it looks... Decide, commit, succeed! BRING IT!!!

David

Tools at Hand Hybrid

Monday 6/27/11 will mark the start of my new hybrid... the Tools at Hand hybrid. It is a combo of P90X, Asylum, and some One-on-Ones. It puts the focus back on lifting, and I am really looking to use this round for two things. First, I want to get a little bigger while dropping a little more fat. Building muscle and dropping fat is a slow process. Normally, you should only pick one and do it. Drop the fat, get ripped, and then build. Or bulk up and then cut down to get shredded. I am happy with my current leanness and just want to building muscle and strength while tightening up what I can. This round's second purpose is to get ready for P90X2. That should launch this fall (2011) and be killer! My hope is to do a full on, daily blog of that journey.

For Tools at Hand, I will be sticking right at my maintenance calorie mark (2400/day) and using the ratios of 40/40/20 for my macros. Right now I am hovering at 156 lbs in the morning. I may decide to do a tiny surplus after I see what my daily burn is actually accomplishing and if my weight is maintaining or still decreasing. I will post some days with menus of what I have been eating to give you a rough idea of what has been making up my diet. I am still eating 6 times or so a day and limiting carbs in the evening... other than that, good clean food. Watching for and avoiding added sugar, HFCS, enriched white flour, saturated fats, etc.

So on to the plan:
TOOLS AT HAND HYBRID

Keep working hard and you will accomplish your goals. Let me know if I can help with anything!

Blessings,

David J

davidcjeffries@gmail.com

Switching Gears AGAIN!!!

Can this guy stick to just one thing? I think I can, I mean... I did fully rock P90X and Asylum... It is just this mass lifting. I am going to have to give it up (for a while). Here's why!

About 2 weeks ago, I was contacted by a manager at Beachbody. She had received my results from Asylum's Earned T-shirt offer and had a question for me. Would I be willing to share my results and a little interview with BB and see if they can use my story? OF COURSE I'D BE WILLING!!!!

I have no clue if this will turn into anything, but I had to jump at the opportunity. So back into the Asylum I went. They want about 30 minutes of exercise video and a set of interview questions. I needed to get dialed in and quickly. I have dropped back to 1900 calories (I miss you 3000... ) and have been hanging out with Shaun T. again. My plan is to do at least 15 days again of straight Asylum and then head into my "Tools at Hand" Hybrid.

My "Tools at Hand" Hybrid will be fully detailed in a bit, but it uses what Beachbody DVDs I have and mixes in some fun. For a sweet 1st Father's Day gift, my son (with Erin's help I am guessing) got me 3 One on Ones with Tony Horton (30-15, Diamond Delts, and Just Arms). I will have an awesome hybrid now!!!

Keep posted to Xshred, it is summer and I will be blogging much more. I will also be including more multimedia stuff as well. Reading is great, but live action is cool too.

I leave you with a recently uncovered picture of the David of old... enjoy... or don't...

Blessings,
David J.
davidcjeffries@gmail.com

Being in the club...

Role models, coaches, and mentors are all good things. They give us an example to follow, and often have reached in their own lives a point or place that we hope to reach someday. In life, I was given some great advise about mentors from my father. He has told me multiple times to find men that I look up to that are 5 to 10 years ahead of me in life. All the while asking them and myself, "How did you get to where you are? What were the difficulties you faced in marriage, parenting, life...? How have you grown in your faith?" The same thing is good to apply to your fitness journey.

My original interest in teamRIPPED was one of plain curiosity. How did Wayne get so ripped? What did he do differently than my lackluster first round? After reading a bunch of his posts, and emailing a few times, I knew Wayne was a guy that I wanted to guide and shape my new experience with P90X.

Wayne did exactly that and more! He totally remade my idea of working out and nutrition. His posts encouraged and challenged me. Better yet, he motivated and encouraged my faith. He truly is the total package. What I didn't expect to experience was a little bit of intimidation. TeamRIPPED has some true all- stars. These are men and women that have made some amazing transformations and know what they are doing. You need to really stay inside of yourself and realize that Joe Blow's work is not mine. Frank may be further ahead in the journey. Don't get discouraged! Trust the system and it will produce results. I know this is paraphrased from someone else, but it may have taken you 5-10 years to get your body into the mess that it is in... you need to be realistic about the time it will take you to get out of it. What I can guarantee you is that after the 90 days of P90X or 63 days of Insanity, you will be in better shape than when you started. You will SEE changes. You will feel better. The only way these programs do not work is if you don't do the work (during the workouts and with regards to nutrition).

After a while, I really began to feel part of the club. I can stick with these guys and gals. I can be a little crazy like coach (backpacks for pull-ups... are you loco?) It feels really good to belong. The next transition was to contribute to the club. I had some valuable knowledge and experience... and I could back it up now! I am not just a bystander, I am a member of teamRIPPED. Part of the club.

Hook up with someone whom you respect. Ask them what they did to make the change you desire for yourself. These people can help you avoid many pitfalls and obstacles. They can also be the boost to get you over your next hurdle. If I can do that for you, let me know. I would love to help! My door, and email, is always open.

Keep pushing play and BRING IT!

Blessings,
David
davidcjeffries@gmail.com

YouTube Video! The Transformation is UP!

Come check it out! My P90X transformation video is up on Youtube.... Hope you enjoy!

DAY 90 - DONE AND DONE!

The day has come and gone! Day 90! I still can't believe that it is over (P90X that is, and for now that is... more on that later!). The past 90 days have been quiet a trip. Like many experiences, I think we tend to remember the bright spots more than the negatives. I wonder if the Lord programmed us that way. If I think hard enough, I can remember being really out of it during some work outs. I remember cheating on some reps (maybe too many on Crouching Cohen Curls - still hate them). I even vaguely remember stopping short of my best, once maybe twice. Those thoughts stink. Luckily, it is really hard to bring those out! What easily comes to mind is dropping 12 more pounds and then gaining 4 back in lean muscle. The excitement of seeing my abs for the first time ever... "Erin can you see them?" It is a joy to remember adding weight to a back pack to make the pull ups harder. I couldn't even do a pull up a year ago. I also remember peaking my HR at 183 during some awesome Jump-Knee Tucks and Mary Katerine's and feeling like a million bucks. Those good memories, and many others like them, are what I remember about my round of P90X.

I also remember my coach, Wayne Wyatt. I remember getting really jacked watching his transformation video. My wife can account for this, but I also remember being straight up giddy when he would email me back about my diet and plans. His answers were always thorough, honest, and just for me. He was a huge support! He helped me dial in my nutrition and keep me motivated with inspirational and informational posts at his site. He also directed me towards keeping my eye on the ultimate prize, glorifying Christ. He is the total package of a coach. I really can't say enough about him. He is the best. If you are thinking of doing P90X, get him as your coach. It is completely free. He never pushes anything on you, he is really just there to help. Come on! Go to teamripped.com for contact info and to get started! He will hook you up!

On to the results...
Start day - February 7th, 2011
Wt: 168.5 lbs
BF: 16.5%

End day - May 7, 2011
Wt: 159.5 lbs
BF: 8%

Pics-

 

So what's next...

Where do I go from here? I have got that question a few times, mostly around how I eat. I am going to change anything now that I am done? No way! This has been a total life transformation. I plan to eat this way forever. I may play around with my macro-nutrient percentages and calorie totals, but I am in it to win it! I have loved moving away from processed foods and simple carbs. I love my all of my lean meat.... no need for frying or batter. I love being healthy! I love knowing exactly what I am taking in each day. I want to see what I can do, and I am going to keep at it. One way I am doing that is by taking on the Asylum Challenge. I want to see what type of an athlete Shaun T. and his Insanity: Asylum can get me to be. I love the experimentation! After that (only a 30 day program), I am going to see what 90 days, broken into 3 phases, of traditional lifting with P90X/Insanity cardio can do. I have will being using the work and articles of Layne Norton (PhD and Pro Natural Bodybuilder) as a guide and backdrop. I will being keeping this blog going and truly see what I can do.

Thank you so much for following along. Thanks to Tony Horton and Wayne Wyatt. BeachBody, you make amazing products! Anyone would be crazy to not give them a try. I really like what Shaun T. says, "If this program doesn't work for you, you haven't done the work." Eat clean, push hard, and BRING IT every day!

The greatest thanks are owed to my beautiful bride, Erin. She put up with a lot. All of the days of chicken breast and broccoli. Morning workouts and the fear of waking up John. Money for whey and supplements. More chicken. You are the best, love. I could never have done this without you and I still can't believe that you picked me for the rest of your life. I love you.

God Bless!

David

The Final Week

I am currently in my final week of P90X. Typically, this would be a recovery week full of yoga, core work, and some cardio... Not for me! I have replaced my recovery week with the new Insanity program from Shaun T., The Asylum. As mentioned before, Asylum is a sports based performance program. It was designed to move you past Insanity and really get you ready to be an elite athlete. I sampled a few of the discs before this week. Let me say, they are some of the most intense combinations of moves I have ever attempted. Your heart rate is through the roof the entire time. This week has started well. I am thankful that I practiced some of the workouts before this week, and I believe I am going to see some great progress from the Asylum.

Part of my Asylum experience is a competition I am taking part in. I am a member of TeamRipped with Coach Wayne Wyatt. He was challenged by a fellow coach and team (TeamXcellentFitness) to see which team could dig deeper and get more out of the Asylum. Winners will get infomercial spots and free stuff. Shaun T. himself is the final judge! Since the Asylum is for sports performance, I have recorded some pre-Asylum data. I ran a mile,  40 yd spirit, 20 yd shuttle run, and vertical jump. Only time will tell, but I am very optimistic.

Pay Day
Sure my goal in all of this is to get ripped... I mean really, I want to see what my body can do. I am also very thankful that I am getting healthier. How much healthier... well I had blood-work done for my yearly physical. Here are the highlights:

Ht: 6'1" - on a tall day... which was today!
Wt: 160.4 lb (clothes on)
Cholesterol: 183 (down 23 pts)
Triglycerides: 66 (down 56)
HDL: 54 (up 9)
LDL: 116 (down 21)

CHOL/HDL ratio 3.4 (down from 4.5)

Booo yah! Look what clean eating and exercise can do... my doctor is a great guy and really funny. At one point he said something along the lines of, "I mean who knew diet and exercise would make you healthier. Thanks for listening." I was also down 25 lbs. from that last doctor visit. I couldn't be happier! Thank you Tony Horton and thank you Wayne Wyatt for showing what I could do if I stuck with it.

My Sample Diet - Phase II and III (Update!)

"I'm having lobster bisque, but it's not for me." - Tony Horton

I felt it was about time to update you on what I am doing nutritionally for these final phases. To see why I got here, we need to look back. I tried to maintain the Fat Shredder percentages for as long as I could. I even ended up bumping my calories to around 1900 a day at 50p:30c:20f. This worked for about a week (around 40 days in), but my body was calling for more carbs. As your body-fat percentage drops, you have smaller stores of energy to draw upon. You may have heard the phrase "bonking during a workout." This happens when you either have not consumed enough carbs or don't have any in reserve to draw upon. We want to avoid bonking because obviously you can't give your all during the workout. You may be temped to do too many cheat reps, sacrifice form, or just give up before failure. You would never be able to maximize your results. Secondly, you body will start using the muscle you have worked so hard to gain as its energy source. No one wants that! I was bonking and getting really hunger so I moved to 40p:40c:20f and roughly a 2200 calorie daily target. Still a slight deficit but more of a weight maintaining target. It has been delightful!

Outside of doing my best to hit my macros (240 g Pro and Carb, 49 g Fat), I also looked closely into my carb timing. My first meal of every day is always my post workout shake. The Results and Recovery drink for P90X is great. It has a lot of fast digesting carbs (39g) and some protein (10 g ). I ran out, and at $50 a tub... I will do my own concoctions for a while. I am taking 40 g of whey and roughly 40 g of fast carbs, usually from a banana. I have also started trying straight table sugar. Both the banana and the sugar cause a spike in insulin which is aid in glycogen (stored carbs) synthesis and protein synthesis. Timing is everything, your muscles are like sponges for up to an hour post workout. Without proper nutrition post strenuous exercise, you could experience proteolysis (protein breakdown). I also include some low GI (glycemic index - slow digesting) carbs to extend my body's carb usage. This is accomplish through some Ezekiel bread (sprouted grains). I usually include some fats (Natural PB) to make this a complete shake/whole food meal.

During the rest of the day, I taper my carbs as I approach the afternoon. I attempt to only eat fibrous carbs (no grains) after my afternoon snack (3 pm). No carbs whatsoever after dinner! These changes have made a big difference. I am feeling strong and have lots of energy to push through my workouts and then my day. I am getting up at 3:45 to work out, eat by 5:00, get ready for work and pack food, devos by 5:30, leave around 6:15... from there I get to school around 6:45 and teach all day. After school I am helping out with the MS track team. I head home around 3:45 (30-40 minute commute). Then I take care of my son while my wife is coaching tennis. The evenings are filled with normal life things and a little work here and there. I hit the sack around 9:30 to 10:00... to start it all over again! With that schedule everyday, I can positively say I have more energy than I have ever had. I give all the credit to P90X and my changes in nutrition. I am doing more and still wake up ready to Bring It everyday!

I am still tracking everything, although I am eating so many similar things that I don't have to watch my day as closely. I can hit my macros fairly easily without tracking until the evening. I must also thank my wife for turning me on to myfitnesspal.com. It does not have the awesome pie chart for your macros, but it has a huge user made data base of food items. I have not had to punch in a custom food yet! It even has all of my regional store's items (Meijer). It has a much faster loading site to boot.

I hope this gives to a insight into what I am doing. Please feel free to email at davidcjeffries@gmail.com with any questions or find me on Facebook (David Jeffries). Keep pushing play and God bless!

David

Complete Sample Days to follow shortly!

This was a 40p/40c/20f day at roughly 2200 calories:

Recovery Week

Ahhhh sweet recovery... not to be confused with rest!

P90X is a complete program, and Tony has thought of everything. During my first round of P90X I did not take the recovery weeks very seriously. I viewed them as more of a rest week than a recovery week. I even took off the entire second recovery week. YIKES! This time around, I chose to trust the program and complete the recovery weeks as prescribed. They have been great! During the recovery weeks, you complete KenpoX, Core Synergistics, YogaX, and XStretch. These workouts will still challenge you but offer you a chance to recover from the normal stress of the program. My favorite of the recovery week is Core Synergistics. This workout works from your chest to your quads and offers some resistance work in the recovery week. The push-ups were a blessings. I have been so antsy about getting back to lifting! I can't wait for tomorrow morning (5 am for this week... sleeping in for Spring Break)! Core Synergisitcs gives you a good pump and focuses your attention to your core even on the chest exercises. I think that the change of pace also gives you the opportunity to get focused on really bringing it for the next phase. Phase III is already here for me. I AM READY TO BLOW IT UP!!!!

Take the recovery week seriously. Push play and push hard! Also, never forget your diet... I know it is easy to be a little lax when you are not pushing quite as hard with your workouts. If you are not burning your normal amount of calories from your workouts, you really need to make sure that your diet is spot on. 

Blessings,

David

The Man Cave

The beauty of P90X and the other Beachbody products is that you really can do them at home, in the living room, and without much equipment. I did my entire first round in the living room, in front of the family TV. It was good, but a little inconvenient for my wife. With our son getting older, and just being busy in general, I had to find a place and time to work out. I relocated to the basement and the Man Cave (PlyoX is in the garage). I also began to workout at 4 am. Yes it is a little extreme, but I have 30-40 minute commute and needed time in the evenings for my family. It was a little difficult to get up in the beginning, but I now really look forward to it. I haven't missed the sleep at all. It also sets up my eating pretty well (starts my first meal at 5:30ish).

So what does your workout area look like? Is it a specialized room or temporally converted living room? Well here is my space!

The Man Cave - Main space...

I play the DVDs on my computer and pump some of my own tunes in place of the P90X stuff. Lots of junk.










Manly Yoga Mat - Let over carpet... pad attached!

And yes that is a rifle... I ran out of cases. I had taken one from my father and he needed it back. It is a little Marlin 336 in .35 Remington. Fun lever action!

Oh and the piano came with the house... :(
I had a friend look at it once and say, "when I was working for a moving company, we called those widow makers... we always charged extra to get those out."









Mirror, Weights, and Chuck

With the adjustable dumbbells and some odds and ends, I can do it all. I had another Olympic set of weight and use it for rows (lawnmowers). Tony is right about getting strong from pull-ups. I am now pulling 75 lbs for rows.













So what does your space look like? I would love to see it! Mine is nothing glamorous... but it works. Keep bringing it and God bless.

My Sample Diet

Nutrition is 80% of the P90x equation. I really get a kick out of people who say that they are doing P90x, just not following the diet... I mean what do you expect! Garbage in garbage out. Without proper nutrition, you will not come anywhere near the amazing results P90x can give. If you are truly investing an hour a day and really bringing it with each workout, why wouldn't you fuel you body properly. It is really sad to hear of people that are discouraged, even after really pushing, because they failed to see the need for great nutrition.

I gave an overview of how I approach my diet in an earlier post. Here is an actual sample day of what I ate for the first 30 days. Again, I started on Fat Shredder (50/30/20) percentages at roughly 1600 calories.

Wake-Up - Work out (On an empty stomach is fine. You body is required to pull on fat stores for energy. You just have to Bring IT and be in the right mind set.)

Post Workout (5:15)
P90x Recovery Formula
1.5 Scoop Whey

Snack (8:30)
Pure Protein Bar
Apple

Lunch (12:30)
Chicken Breast (6-8 oz)
V-8 Low Sodium (12 oz)
String Cheese
Baby Carrots

Snack (3:00)
Jack's Jerky
1 scoop whey

Dinner (5:30)
Chicken (6-8 oz)
Broccoli (1.5 cups)
Spinach Salad

Snack (8:00)
FF Cottage Cheese (0.5 - 1 cup) Cottage cheese is a casein protein. It is slow digesting. Great for the night and before bed. This lets your body keep working into the evening. 

Some things changed based on my needs. I have found that you need to be recording all of your food. Use myfitnesspal.com or fitday.com, but you must track. If I went high in an area, I would dial it in with changes to dinner. I found it easier to go high on protein. I avoid all added sugar (only fruit). Only water for a beverage, no juice, beer, wine, soda, etc. I have skim milk occasionally... it is just a lot of calories for a drink. I do use some water flavor packs (zero sugar and zero calorie). With moving to 1900 calories, my portions have increased and I have added more carbs to my early meals and snacks (i.e. extra English muffins, brown brice, etc.). I noticed a drop in energy around day 38.. my body was asking for more and I needed to give it what it needed!

Supplements
I am using a few supplements to fill in the gaps of my diet and to get the most from my work.Whey is needed for almost everyone. It is really hard to get enough protein from whole foods. Whey is a fast snack too. I use the P90x Recovery Formula (40 g carbs, 10 protein, creatine) only on cardio days. Otherwise my post workout has a banana added for fast carbs. I am using creatine in the form of Gaspari's SizeON. This is an intra-workout supplement with tons of amino acids and protein peptides. I also take 5 g of straight creatine with my afternoon shake. For a pick me up and nitric-oxide boost, I use Gaspari's SuperPumpMAX. This has helped a lot with my workouts... 4 am is early and this gets things started. Lastly, I am taking a multi-vitamin from GNC. This rounds out my vitamin and nutrient needs.

Crazy SelectTech Sale - BowFlex!!!

From www.teamripped.com and the wonderful Coach Wayne:


"It’s Back!!  Hurry!  3 days only, for those of you who have been waiting for the next Bowflex sale!!!

I know there was a big response last time Bowflex had a sale on the Selectech dumbbells, and one of our loyal teamRIPPED members (Jonathan B.) just alerted me they are back on sale today (the same deal as last time), where the 552 dumbbells are 40% off (which makes the set $239 plus tax).  FREE SHIPPING!!

If you missed it last time and want them, go for it!  I got some when they were on sale and I’m loving them.

Promotion code at checkout = D4PFSE2

Keep bringing it gang!"

That's right, go to bowflex.com and go to the store-front... you really can't beat this price! FREE SHIPPING! Act now and get some great P90x gear!!!

Nutrition Overview

I am amazed at what difference I am seeing with my change in nutrition. I completed the first round of P90x using their nutrition guide. They calculated me as needing Level II, or 2400 calories daily. This was great! I ate a lot of good food... but it was too much food to really drop my body fat. Here is a quick overview of what I am doing this time around.

P90x Calculations
RMR = Weight x 10               (So, 160 x 10 = 1600)
Add
Daily Burn of 20% of RMR    (1600 x 0.2 = 320) Total now, 1920.
Add
600 calories for the approximate P90x workout.  TOTAL 2520!  That put me square in the level II range.

That is what I stayed at for the entire first round. On the advice of my coach, I decided to run a deficit. I landed on a 900 calorie deficit for the first 30 days. I wanted to hit roughly 1600 calories. You won't drop fat quickly without a healthy deficit... don't worry about going too low, males above 1200 is still safe and females 800... after that you will lose muscle.

P90x is broken into 3 phases for workouts and nutrition. Phase I of nutrition is called the fat shredder phase. It has your calories coming 50% from protein, 30% from carbs, and 20% from fats. You can stay in this as long as you want. Moving to the next phases will slow fat loss. In order to know if I have hit these percentages, I have tracked everything that eat (I mean everything!). I use a free online program called fitday.com. Other programs exist and there are apps as well for you tech people.

I have now bumped to 1800 to 1900 calories as I have lost a fair bit of fat and need the extra calories to sustain my energy levels during my workouts and day (with less fat to pull on for energy you will slow muscle growth if you stay too low). I am about to move to the second phase of the nutrition program as well. My percentages will change to 40/40/20 (P/C/F). Phase III is 20/60/20.... crazy carbs, but your body is a million dollar sports car by then and burns everything you put in it!

Lastly, I eat every 2.5 - 3 hours. This keeps your metabolism rocking all day long. I am also not cheating. I only eat items from the P90x nutrition plan. I use whey to hit my protein needs and eat extremely clean! No beer, no cookies, no sweet, no soda... (a little diet as a treat once and while). You really need to decide, commit, and then you can succeed with this program.

I know this is a little rushed and brief... but it gives a good overview of what goes into the nutrition aspect of P90x.