I could start by telling you the basic vitals like changes in my waist and scale, but I'd be getting ahead of myself...I have to start at the beginning to make this tale worthy of telling. **you might need to pack a lunch, this is going to take a while to unwrap...it kinda became a big deal at our house**
Like many, I'd seen the late night infomercial of this incredibly ripped dude (Tony Horton) talking about how the average Joe could achieve new levels of fitness, thought the idea of muscle confusion was interesting, was impressed by the before and after photos, and quickly dismissed the idea of participating in such a sales gimmick.
Fast forward a couple years later to a late night joke with my friend, Matt. Our families were hanging out one evening and as the festivities were winding to a close, he brought up the subject of P9OX asking me if I had ever heard of it. Faintly recalling blurred images of ridiculously ripped workout enthusiasts, fuzzy recollections of the infomercials jogged through my mind as he went on about how the program looked amazing and was going to change his life.The only problem was the entire program--weights, workout guide, nutrition guides, pull up bar, etc. were still in the original packaging sitting under his bed where they had been gathering dust for the last few months. I'm sure he (like many P90X hopefuls) enthusiastically grabbed the promise of new life in a box from the UPS guy, hurriedly opened the potential goodness, and sat the entire treasure down in the living room where it remained untouched until Annie told him to do something with it or put it away. (WHAT's UP SCOTT--a friend and P90X believer who happens to be a UPS guy...keep pushing play, baby).
ANYWAY, I went on to ridicule him about how he had been suckered in by the sales pitch and obviously had bought the idea--hook line and sinker. The deal sounded fine, only problem was that neither of us were motivated at that point to do anything other than laugh about the idea of a new level of fitness.
That conversation took place years ago, and I believe Matt has gone on to achieve P90 greatness. For some reason, probably because it was late, that was a gut-splitting conversation, and I was scared by the hilarity of the prospect of P90X. I went on to kid him continually about being a P90 wannabe for a long time after that...
For those of you that care, P90X was released in 2004 and has enjoyed wild success. I've read that it has sold (as of Nov 2011) over 3 million copies. I've also read that it has changed the lives of over 2 million people--so Matt, clearly was not alone in purchasing then passing...at least for a while.
There is now a P90X "2" which was released this year in case any of you were wondering...
FAST FORWARD again, five years or so later.
I had reached an all-time high of 165 lbs and the nutshell version is the doctor said my LIPIDS and cholesterol were high. As Brian Reagan says, "doctors have carte blanche on insults." He went on to tell me I needed to lose weight and I paid him for the office visit and the sad truth...so I dropped 25 lbs by cutting sugar and carbs--no exercise--why bother, right?!?
THIS IS A HILARIOUS LINK to Brian's doctor skit--used to be me...Give it the four minute investment it deserves if you need a good laugh you can relate to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUU9CqrtFiU
FAST FORWARD a YEAR to April 2011. I was slowly gaining my weight back because, well...I was eating what I wanted and wasn't exercising...WHAT?!? I know, it just doesn't seem right. I was at home on Spring Break and came across a friend's blog... http://blairspin.blogspot.com/2011/01/p90x-before-and-after.html
I love Blair with an affectionate man love. He's a good friend that I don't talk to near enough.
Back when we used to hang out, he was a little...fat. Well, ok, a gentler description would be a fun-loving youth pastor who, like many in the pastoral realm, eat out too much and exercise too little. I know this because I used to fit the aforementioned profile...Anyway, I was so impressed by his photos that I began to recall a long-standing joke I had with my buddy, Matt.
Long story short, I came to find out that some mutual friends of Blair and myself had become inspired by his P90X tale (no, I don't think it was this long-winded but it's hard to go to sleep after a rousing musical performance of 1776).
I decided to investigate.
Tim had "climbed the P90X Mountain". Greg was on week 7. I think Seth and Heather were a bit further along than Greg, but in any case, they raved about the program and the impact it was having on the reduction of their "mass". I decided that rather than sit at home any longer wasting my break, I would buy into the P90X hype.
My brother-in-law, Jared, had also completed the program, but I'm not certain he took the dietary considerations seriously. He had all the necessary P90 gear and we've shared everything from a bubble bath to long hikes together so it seemed logical we would share P90.
He gave me the box and his blessing. He also laughed at me as I struggled to get the box of P90 treasures to my car--was quite heavy with the weights and all...
Jared, P90X can get you back to this if you would believe and "keep pressing play...
AnYwAy, God bless you if you're still reading...
I started with a box of promise, worksheets courtesy of Heather, and a determination to see, as Tony says, if I could get in the best shape of my life...
**like I said, if you don't want to see pictures of me, go back to your normal activities--quit reading or shield eyes**
DAY 1 PICS - APRIL 1, 2011 -- I knew I was out of shape, I had broken my leg 2 years earlier, but had lost some weight as I had mentioned. My sister, mom and brothers had all told me I was woefully "loose in the cage" to borrow another P90 euphemism...I didn't think I was THAT bad, but looking back...
I should also include that the reason I'm documenting this journey is that I believe it could do for someone what Blair's pics did for me...start you wondering about the validity of muscle confusion (the P90X prescription) and maybe plant a seed that leads to a significant change in your "general level of fitness."
I didn't take a picture of my back, because...well, what would have been the point...
This was taken a month later, MAY 3 (WEEK 5) after a workout. I was feeling good about my results at this point, and texted this pic to my sister to talk about that "silly little workout program" known as P90X...
JUNE 3 (Week 10)-- P90 was a family affair...
I began to raise the ante and text my brothers to remind them how weak they are...
Somewhere around week 12, we went to a festival in Parker (a small town feel type of place...picture merchant tents, free samples, carni rides and the United States Marines booth featuring their chin-up challenge...well, guess who can do enough pull ups at this point to impress the 18 year olds who can do pull ups without even trying and win a USMC hat...
Had to take this one after the final workout...I was happy.
I know there are all kinds of reasons to not do something like this...maybe you don't have a sweet in-home gym area...well, here's where the magic happened for me...late at night in my cluttered study. I resolved to clean it after I had finished the program...time to get busy.
So here are my "official" AFTER pics...if you stuck with (me) you did 349 Core slash Ab exercises--at least it feels like it, this is a long post...probably easier to do AB ripper X than read all this, but it was a journey worthy of documentation.
So, I didn't rip a 6 pack, but believe me...it's closer than it's ever been. I still ate dessert. I ate smart, but didn't use the P90X Nutrition guide (didn't have one, not sure I could have lived by it anyway...)I ended up around 135 lbs, a 30" waist, and in the best overall shape of my life. It's not a weight-loss program but if you're determined to see some significant changes, you can do it if you BRING IT!
