P90X Changes You. Really.

From the looks of this ad in the current issue of Inc. Magazine, P90X changes more than just your body composition.

But for my money, I still say that this set of P90X before-and-after photos takes the cake:

(Source: Joe Petrusky of CrossFit Love)

Wow.

Hands-down: Best P90X before and after photos EVER.

Sit down and read the guy's entire blog -- it's...interesting, don't you think?

Reader Questions (and an Updated Photo)

First, an email from reader Prescott:

...I recently read your post "Nothing for Breakfast" and was very intrigued by the intermittent fasting concept. If you have space and time at some point, could you make a post about what a "typical" day looks like in terms of when and what you eat? Even just rough calorie counts and how everything would be great! I eat paleo/primal but have been doing 5-6 meals a day because of all the (supposed) benefits. i do feel that smaller meals make it easy on my digestive system; did you have trouble adjusting to getting in your daily calories in an 8-hour window in terms of gastrointestinal issues? IF and 3 meals a day would be much easier!

I don't weigh or measure my food, so my caloric intake's a mystery even to me. A while back, I posted about what I ate during a typical week. But if you want to get more granular, here's what I ate on a couple of days earlier in the week: Sunday (a rest day) and Monday (a workout day):

Sunday

After running some errands with the family, we grabbed lunch at the Old Port Lobster Shack. I had a "Shack Louie Salad" with lobster, crab and shrimp, which -- shameless plug alert! -- you can read about here on M's just-launched food blog, Nom Nom Paleo. (She's posting about what she cooks and eats on a regular basis -- and I pretty much eat the same stuff she does.)

In the afternoon, I snacked on a cup of dried flake coconut and a handful of macadamia nuts.

We made dinner for friends, and ate a ton that night: sous vide shortribs and carrots, cauliflower puree, braised cabbage (from the recipe that Mark Sisson stole), roasted broccoli, Creminelli salami with various cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery, spiced almonds, roasted peppers with balsamic, and fresh strawberries.

I was stuffed by 7 p.m., so I stopped.

Monday

After my 5 a.m. workout (done on an empty stomach), I swigged some coffee before heading to the office.

I got caught up with work and didn't get around to eating lunch until noon: Leftover shortribs, cabbage and carrots.

During a short break, I walked over to the Golden Gate Meat Company counter at the Ferry Building and grabbed a $2 "sausage-on-a-stick": A spicy Italian sausage link on a skewer, served with German mustard.

I also snacked on some of Alfieri Farms' Cajun-spiced almonds (I have a little bag of 'em in my desk drawer), some pistachios, and a hard-boiled egg. And when I got home for dinner, we had sous vide chicken breast with roasted delicata squash and cherry tomatoes, with a generous dollop of guacamole on the side.

Afterwards, I was still hungry, so I topped off with some flake coconut and mac nuts (my snack of choice). And at 7:30 p.m., I stopped eating for the night.

As you can see, I don't stick to a regimented meal plan. Rather, I eat whatever (as long as it's lacto-Paleo-compliant) and whenever (as long as it's not before lunch or after dinner). I eat until I'm full. And while I'm sure I end up downing a lot more calories than I'm "supposed" to, I still look, feel and perform just fine.

Next up: A question from an anonymous commenter:

You made some fantastic gains with P90X, but the progress pics stop after round 1 (unless I'm too computer illiterate to find the others). I'd like to see how far you've come now that you're doing the paleo thing along with Crossfit.

This isn't the first time I've fielded requests for more up-to-date progress photos. A few months ago, I wrote:

As for your question about putting up more recent photos, I explained in one of my posts a while back that I've decided not to post them. My goal during Round 1 was to get fit, and taking/posting my progress photos was a good way to keep me accountable. But at this point, I'm just working on maintaining what I achieved during my first 90 days -- so I don't have any visible "progress" to show off. (It's not like I've become Lou Ferrigno or anything; I look pretty much the same as in my 90 day photos.)

This remains true. There's no visible "progress" to show off because I'm not trying to lose fat at this point -- I just want to keep on keepin' on.

But I get the sense that I'll keep getting requests for updated pictures until/unless I give in. So if you must look, I posted a new photo after the jump.

Push Past The Pain

What keeps an elite athlete going at a level of intensity that appears impossible for us mere mortals to maintain?

Instead of trying to distract themselves from the pain of extreme effort, they embrace it:

“Our hypothesis is that elite athletes are able to motivate themselves continuously and are able to run the gantlet between pushing too hard — and failing to finish — and underperforming,” Dr. [Jeroen] Swart said.

To find this motivation, the athletes must resist the feeling that they are too tired and have to slow down, he added. Instead, they have to concentrate on increasing the intensity of their effort. That, Dr. Swart said, takes “mental strength,” but “allows them to perform close to their maximal ability.”

(Source: New York Times)

Don't Be Shy: Go All In

I've started reading Richard Wiseman's "59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot," which is billed as a "myth-busting response to the self-help movement, with tips and tricks to improve your life that come straight from the scientific community." It's a brisk, enjoyable read. Citing research studies rather than just making shit up like most self-help gurus, Wiseman offers tips that "can help you change your life in under a minute, and guides you toward becoming more decisive, more imaginative, more engaged, and altogether more happy."

I especially perked up when Wiseman discussed motivation and accountability. One of his points (summarized in one of his recent blog posts) advises that one proven way to achieve goals -- fitness-related or otherwise -- is to:

Tell your friends and family about your goals, thus increasing the fear of failure and eliciting support. For example, write down your resolution on a large sheet of paper, sign it, and place it somewhere prominent in your house. Tell your friends, family and colleagues about your resolution, and ask them to provide you with helpful nudges to assist you in achieving your goal. Either way, do not keep your resolution to yourself.

Wiseman's not the only one saying this, either. As 6 Changes puts it:

1. Commit as publicly as possible to creating each new habit.

2. Log your progress daily, and very publicly.

These steps are extremely important — without them, you’re liable to drop your new habit at any time...You need to be all in. You need to tell everyone. You need to be completely committed, or you’re wasting your time.

So go all in. Don't keep your fitness goals to yourself. Post about your daily progress on a blog or message board, or tell your friends and family about what you're striving to achieve. And don't let them down by giving up. (Of course, this only works if they're not asshole saboteurs looking to derail you from your fitness goals to make themselves feel better.)

P90X: The Essentials

Did Santa bring you P90X last week? Or are you thinking of getting P90X to help achieve a fitness-related New Year's resolution? If you're a beginner searching for information about P90X beyond the marketing hype you've seen on late night TV, look no further. Below is a crapload of links to all kinds of essential -- and non-essential -- P90X stuff, organized (albeit haphazardly) for your browsing pleasure.

Should You Get P90X?

If you're considering whether to order P90X, you'll no doubt want to read some product reviews. Mine's here, but I've also listed a bunch of my favorite reviews on the sidebar to your right. Fitness Ninja's rundown is the most recent addition.

In my personal experience, P90X was just what I needed as a beginner to break through a plateau in my fitness level. I'm definitely satisfied with my results -- as measured by both what I can do and how different I now look.

Still, P90X isn't the end-all, be-all of home fitness programs, and it may not be for everyone -- especially if you're shopping for a weight-loss program, or if you're looking to quickly "get ripped" despite having excess body fat. As I wrote a few months back:

Can anyone who diligently follows the P90X plan actually get "totally ripped" in just three months? My conclusion: Probably not. While some P90X users will get "totally ripped," it appears that users who enter into the program with more than 15 or so excess pounds of body fat shouldn't expect to see the same "ripped" results after just three months.

Also, P90X is geared towards those whose primary fitness goal is improve their physical appearance. P90X incorporates plenty of compound movements and flirts with yoga and plyometrics, but first and foremost, it's a bodybuilding/weight loss program. If you're already happy with the way you look, and you're more focused on improving power and overall athletic/sports performance, you may want to try Insanity or CrossFit instead.

For a very thoughtful, well-researched and comprehensive critique of P90X, check out Begin to Dig's three-part review. It's worth reading even if you're already sold on P90X.

Is P90X Too Hard for Beginners?

Take the P90X Fit Test. If you can meet the baseline standards, and your doctor gives you a clean bill of health, you're good to go. Otherwise, try Power 90 or ChaLEAN Extreme first.

From Where Should You Buy P90X?

My recommendation is to order it via Amazon.com rather than directly from Beachbody's website for the reasons stated here. But if you're intent on purchasing from Beachbody, I suggest ordering through Pam "the Blam" Moore -- not only because she's one of my favorite onscreen P90X personalities, and not just because she generously allowed me to interview her at length, but because a portion of the sale proceeds will go to support GO Campaign, a non-profit run by Scott Fifer, another P90X trainer you'll get to know soon enough.

And don't buy a pirated copy. It makes Tony Horton sad.

What About Equipment and Supplements?

As I explained in this post, there are reasons (primarily financial) to stay away from Beachbody's equipment and supplements. Note also that Mark Sisson -- the guy who designed the P90X-branded supplements for Beachbody (and got Tony Horton interested in personal training) -- has since distanced himself from his own chemical concoctions, despite his continued appearances in Beachbody's marketing materials.

If you're wedded to cushioned shoes, get some good cross-training shoes. Otherwise, try some minimalist shoes or go barefoot during your P90X workouts. (Just don't drop a dumbbell on your toes.)

As for my own P90X equipment, I use a set of Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells, a rafter-mounted pull-up bar, and Manduka mats -- all purchased from Amazon.com. (You can read about other pull-up bar options here.)

I take a handful of supplements each day: 5 teaspoons of fish oil, a multivitamin, vitamin D (4000 I.U.s), creatine (5 g -- the same amount used in the P90X Recovery Drink), cal-mag citrate, L-glutamine, and quercetin with vitamin C. My recovery drink of choice used to be chocolate milk or a protein shake using this recipe, but since going paleo and experimenting with intermittent fasting, I generally don't have any recovery drink at all -- and  look, feel and perform great nonetheless.

What Should You Eat?

Following the P90X Nutrition Plan can be daunting. I was certainly put off by its strictness, and ended up crafting my own rules of eating during P90X. There's only five of them, so they're pretty easy to remember. Still, everyone's different, so I don't know if these rules'll prove successful for others. Whatever approach you take, remember this: Mind your portions, and try not to eat shit like this.
[UPDATE: This is how I now eat.]

How Can You Possibly Get Through 90 Days of P90X?

Stay safe, and prioritize your fitness. Schedule your daily workouts, and stick with them. Set your alarm clock for an hour-and-a-half earlier if necessary. Don't let anything get in the way of completing your workouts. Keep yourself accountable by letting family and/or friends know about what you're doing, and urge them to push you. I started this blog knowing that I'd feel guilty if I didn't post about my workouts every day, which meant I had to exercise on a daily basis so I'd have something to write about.

Frankly, I didn't get into this knowing that there'd be so much other P90X-related stuff to discuss, like Tony Horton's acting career, Dreya Weber's omnisexuality, Erik Stolhanske's film career, Maren's hardcore porn resume, Muscular Attorney Phil's lie-detecting capabilities, and Wesley Idol's super-shitty performance in Kenpo X. But learning random bits of trivia about the people behind P90X certainly gave me additional motivation to keep going.

And beware the saboteurs lurking among your friends and family. You'll know them by their proffers of pastries and fried food, or by their expressions of concern that you're working out too much. If you can, avoid/ignore them; if you're living with them, encourage them to join you.

Lastly, if you're having trouble finding time for lengthy workouts, you can shave off some time by skipping the cool-downs. (Some experts say that stretching's also unnecessary, but I enjoy it too much to abandon it altogether.)

Conclusion

I think I've rambled on long enough, so I'll just leave you with this: If you get P90X and you truly commit to getting through all 90 days, you'll see remarkable improvement, and you won't regret the experience. (But you will want to put Tony on mute for Round 2 of P90X. As my wife -- who cranked through an Insanity workout this evening -- put it: "It's no coincidence that Insanity doesn't have a 'silence' feature, but P90X does.")

P90X Review: Round 1 Wrap-Up

Now that I've completed a full round of P90X, I feel qualified (albeit just barely) to offer up some observations to those of you who haven't tried it yet.

Tony's a Total Douchebag, But P90X Works.

Granted, Tony Horton is an acquired taste. Douchebags are, after all, not known for their deliciousness. Nonetheless, he deserves a lot of credit for developing an incredibly effective home fitness program.

In just three months, I've gone from totally jelly-like to almost not jelly-like at all. My eating habits have dramatically improved, and I'm sleeping more and better (albeit mostly because I'm now exhausted from waking up at an ungodly hour to exercise). I'm able to crank out more pull-ups and push-ups than ever before. Pre-P90X, balance and flexibility were utterly foreign concepts to me, but now, I can rest my forehead on my knees while performing seated straight-leg hamstring stretches, and I can maintain moderately difficult yoga poses without toppling over. Physically, I'm in the best shape of my life (up to this point, anyway).

More after the jump...

The Insanity Fit Test

Holyfuckingshit.

Perhaps it's because my level of cardio fitness is crap, but the Insanity fit test is several orders of magnitude more difficult than anything -- ANYTHING -- I did on P90X.

Wielding a stopwatch, Shaun T marches you through the eight fit test exercises like a friendly, encouraging drill instructor, while two of his trainees, Tania and Chris, perform all of the moves along with you. The fit test itself is just 25 minutes long. Sounds easy enough, right?

Wrong. First of all, Chris and Tania (especially Tania) are -- in Shaun T's words, "MACHINES." They hustle like squirrels on speed, popping up after each set of exercises to flash their big fucking smiles. And the moves themselves aren't just insane -- they're IN-FUCKING-SANE. You're asked to perform each of them as many times you can in one minute, with good form.

Shaun T begins with a 2-minute warm-up: You jog, do jumping jacks, Heismans, butt kicks, high knees, mummy kicks -- nothing terribly difficult if you're used to doing P90X Plyo, but then again, this is just the warm-up.

Afterwards, there's a quick stretch, and then Shaun T turns to Tania and Chris -- both of whom have already completed a round of Insanity -- and leads them through the fit test exercises. After each move, they announce how many reps they cranked out, along with how many they originally did when they first took the fit test pre-Insanity.

I can be pretty competitive, so my goal -- however unreasonable it may have been -- was to try to kick Tania's and Chris' asses. And during the first few moves, I was feeling pretty damn good about myself; I was keeping up with Tania and Chris, and even beating them in reps in a few of the exercises. But three-quarters of the way through the fit test, my chest started hurting. And then both of my thighs cramped up. I could barely stand, and had to pause the DVD to catch my breath. I threw up a little bit of yogurt and banana in my mouth. After a three-minute break, I finished the finished the fit test, but I feel more battered than I ever did after a P90X routine.

After the jump, see how I fared on the Insanity fit test.

Post-Day 90 Fit Test Results

My pre-P90X fit test results (the ones I remembered to write down, anyway) were as follows:

Pull-ups: 7

Vertical leap: 20 inches

Push ups: 45

Toe Touch: +2 inches

Wall Squat: 2 minutes, 30 seconds

Bicep Curls w/Dumbbells: 13 reps @ 30 pounds

In & Outs: 25

Now, one day after finishing my first round of P90X, my results are:

Pull-ups: 18

Vertical leap: 21 inches

Push ups: 100

Toe Touch: +5 inches

Wall Squat: 3 minutes, 39 seconds

Bicep Curls w/Dumbbells: 33 reps @ 30 pounds

In & Outs: 77

My vertical leap didn't change much, but I'm pretty happy with my other numbers. I hope to God, though, that I'll never again have to perform 100 push-ups in a single set. My arms feel like they're going to fall off, and I already know I'm going to have trouble brushing my teeth and combing my hair tomorrow.

Day 90 Photos

Today's the day: P90X graduation day photos!

(Click on the image above for full resolution)

First, given that I posted just yesterday about photo fakery, I feel obligated to provide the following disclaimer: The dim lighting in the front profile shot (due to the camera flash not firing) makes me look more ripped than I actually am. (You can tell the difference when you compare the above photo against one taken with the flash on.) And yes, I'm totally sucking in my gut.

Still, thanks to P90X, I'm certainly in better shape than I was just 90 days ago, when I looked like I was wearing a sweater:

(Click on the image above for full resolution)

For side-by-side progressive comparisons with my Day 1, Day 30 and Day 60 photos, click here and here.

So that's it. Please rest assured that I have no plans to further embarrass my family and friends by posting any more shirtless photos of myself.

[UPDATED: Well, a year later, I was persuaded to put up one more photo to show that I haven't become Jabba the Hutt despite my high-fat caveman diet and dialing back my workouts to just three brief CrossFit sessions per week.]

Good Eats

My P90X Nutrition Plan book's been sitting in my work bag for weeks. Since early in Phase 1, I've ignored the Nutrition Plan, preferring instead to go by my own (somewhat haphazardly collected) rules of eating. So it surprises me that a number of you have asked what I've been ingesting during my first round of P90X -- are you not yet aware that I have no idea what I'm doing?

If you're really interested in what I've been shoveling down my throat, click below for the utterly non-fascinating details.

P90X Day 75: Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X

During last week's Legs & Back workout, I completed 132 pull-ups/chin-ups -- my all-time high. This week, I pushed hard to further increase my reps, and although I've lost all feeling from my fingertips, I managed to eke out a few more than before. So as of today, my new personal best stands at 141 pull-ups/chin-ups: 78 unassisted and 63 assisted. My goal is to hit 80 unassisted pull-ups in a single Legs & Back session, and I have one more shot at it before the end of my first 90-day round. My (numb) fingers are crossed.

As for Ab Ripper X, a lot of the moves have gotten much easier for me (e.g., Mason Twists, V-Up Roll-ups), while some continue to be a gut-punch of a challenge (e.g., Fifer Scissors, Heels-to-the-Heavens). But strangest of all has been my experience with Oblique V-Ups. When I started P90X back in August, Oblique V-Ups were the only move in Ab Ripper X that I could do without breaking a sweat. I loved them because they were easy. But as the weeks have gone by, they've become increasingly difficult to perform. They're now among the most difficult exercises in Ab Ripper X for me -- at the end of this exercise, I'm usually doubled over on the floor, gasping for breath. What gives?

Day 60 Photos

Okay, here goes:

(Click the image above for full resolution.)

For side-by-side comparisons with my Day 1 and Day 30 photos, click here and here.

I'm not sure I look much different than I did thirty days ago.  The fact that most of my visible gains occurred during my first month of P90X isn't a total surprise; as I've mentioned before, when I began P90X, I (thankfully) didn't have a significant amount of body fat to lose.  Much of my excess subcutaneous fat was burned off in Phase 1, after my first few weeks of intense exercise and low-carb dieting (per the P90X Nutrition Plan).  As a result, I wasn't left with a lot of extra fat to shed in Phase 2.

But at this point, I'm actually pretty happy with where I'm at.  I'm not looking to bulk up, so if my Day 90 photos end up looking exactly the same as the ones above, that'd be just fine.  I would, however, like to increase my strength, balance and flexibility over the next thirty days -- and, of course, avoid backsliding into my pre-P90X state of jiggly flabbiness.

[UPDATED: My Day 90 photos are here.]

Reality Check: Ripped in 90 Days?

Earlier this year, Gina Kolata wrote an article for the New York Times explaining that despite marketing claims, it's "not really possible" for an exercise system to drastically change a person's body in just six to twelve weeks.

“To make a change in how you look, you are talking about a significant period of training,” Dr. Kraemer said. “In our studies it takes six months to a year.” And, he added, that is with regular strength-training workouts, using the appropriate weights and with a carefully designed individualized program. “That is what the reality is,” he said.

And genetic differences among individuals mean some people respond much better to exercise than others, said Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, an exercise researcher at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He added that although he does not think the before-and-after photos in ads are doctored, most people will not change so markedly no matter how hard or long they work. “I believe they are taking the top one or two people out of thousands,” Dr. Tarnopolsky said.

People who did change their bodies say six months is a bare minimum to see real change.

But wait: Doesn't P90X get flabby couch potatoes "ripped" in just three months? The P90X guidebook's very first sentence says flat-out that "This program is for you, if you want to get toally ripped and get in the best shape of your life." And we know from user testimonials -- not just those featured in infomercials, but also those posted online by independent P90Xers -- that after 90 days, people have six-packs and bulging biceps, right?

Maybe not.

Fitness blogger (and former P90Xer) Begin to Dig recently posted a very thoughtful critique of P90X, focused in part on the art of "before" and "after" photos, as well as the question of who actually gets "ripped" using P90X:

So knowing that we need to get to a low body fat % to get the "get ripped" look, and knowing how much caloric deficit we need to burn FAT (as opposed to just lose weight), and knowing that there's such variation of caloric deficit with P90X and that at the most it's calculated to drop about a pound a week of fat, AT BEST, what does this tell us about the likelihood of getting ripped on P90X?

If all the fat a person needs to lose is 6-12 pounds to achieve the ripped body fat percentage, then it's possible to get to the Ripped Place in the 90 days. Otherwise, it won't happen.

In the end, both Kolata and Begin to Dig end up at the same place: in order to get "ripped" in 90 days using exercise systems like P90X, you need to enter the program with relatively low body fat. Otherwise, you'll need to seek an alternative program, or plan on completing at least one additional round of P90X.

In fact, the P90X materials hint at the same thing, stating that "P90X is an extreme fitness program designed for individuals in top physical condition and health." The program's guidebook also suggests that P90X is for those who "meet the minimum physical requirements outlined in this guidebook" -- suggesting that anyone who can meet P90X's standards is in "top physical condition and health." Yet the requirements described in the P90X Fit Test aren't exactly difficult to achieve. For example, the Fit Test sets forth these "P90X Minimum" requirements:

• 3 pull-ups for males / 1 pull-up for females. Oddly enough, despite the "P90X Minimum" label, these pull-up standards don't actually appear to be requirements at all. The Fit Test says that "many people won't be able to do any pull-ups when starting P90X. You'll get more out of the program if you can do pull-ups," but according to the guidebook, it's okay if you can't.
• 5 inch vertical leap for males / 3 inch vertical leap for females. Really? If a guy can jump a mere five inches off the ground, he's in "top physical condition"? According to this website, a vertical leap of less than 12 inches for men and 8 inches for women merits a rating of "POOR."
• 15 push-ups for males / 3 push-ups for females (or 15 knee-version push-ups). Again, these requirements are below other published standards.

It's understandable why P90X has set the bar so low; BeachBody wants as many people purchasing and using their products as possible. But after reading post after post on the TeamBeachBody.com message boards from P90Xers who are frustrated with the lack of dramatic change in their bodies, I have to wonder if their expectations were unfairly inflated.

Personally, I'm happy with what I've gotten out of P90X thus far. I started the program with about 11 percent body fat, which means I was in the "sweet spot" for P90X: I didn't have much fat to shed to start seeing some results. The variety in the workouts have kept me engaged and committed to my exercise routine. I'm seeing positive changes in my strength, balance, flexibility and body composition -- and seeing my progress has boosted my motivation to get into even better shape. I'm also certain that anyone who follows the P90X diet and exercise plan for 90 days will see improvement -- how could they not?

But does the hype match reality? Can anyone who diligently follows the P90X plan actually get "totally ripped" in just three months? My conclusion: Probably not. While some P90X users will get "totally ripped," it appears that users who enter into the program with more than 15 or so excess pounds of body fat shouldn't expect to see the same "ripped" results after just three months.

U.S. Marine Corps Fitness Test

I'm too much of a pampered wimp to ever join the military, but I'm curious to see how well (or, more likely, how poorly) I'll perform on the Marine Corps Fitness Test at the end of my 90-day fling with P90X.

Day 30 Photos

Well, it's Day 30, so I guess it's time for my Phase 1 Results photos:

(Click the image above for full resolution)

For a blast from the (recent) past, my Day 1 photos are here. Also, side-to-side comparisons between my Day 1 and Day 30 photos can be found here and here.

I'm pretty encouraged by my results so far, but I also suspect that any visible improvements are the result of the P90X Nutrition Plan diet rather than new muscle development.

One more thing: I just noticed that my belly button is off-center, which I'm finding both awesome and disturbing.

[UPDATE: My Day 60 photos are here, and my Day 90 photos are here.]

The P90X Infomercial

I happened to catch the P90X informercial on the tube last night. I recall seeing it a few years ago (and being surprised that one of the contestants on "The Apprentice" was featured in the infomercial -- pre-Trump, of course), but now that I've started the program in earnest, I'm noticing things that wouldn't have caught my eye before.

For instance, I realized that most of the featured P90X user testimonials are provided by folks who were once incredibly fit: collegiate athletes, police officers, soldiers, tennis coaches, firefighters. Even the President of BeachBody (the makers of P90X), Jon Congdon, whose own super-ripped P90X results are prominently featured on the informercial, is "a skilled volleyball player and belongs to the California Beach Volleyball Association," according to his web bio. These are incredibly fit people who may have recently had a few too many cheeseburgers, and are using P90X to get back in shape -- not schlubs using P90X to get fit for the very first time.

So what does this say about P90X's effectiveness for those of us who've never been super-fit? I suppose I'll find out in about 12 weeks, but my antennae are up.

"Before" Photos

As part of the P90X program, I'm supposed to take "Before" photos of my jiggly body to motivate me into really committing to the plan. According to the guidebook, "[t]he P90X train is about to leave the station, and [your] body is going to leave some baggage behind," so I need to take snapshots of the junk in my trunk before it disappears.

Let's hope P90X delivers on the promise of losing my baggage, because otherwise, this is going to end up being one hell of an embarassing post. This is probably shocking news for you, but I'm not in the habit of going shirtless in public.

I don't think you're ready for this jelly, but in the spirit of employing humiliation as a self-improvement tool, behold my "Before" photos.

(Click on the image above for full resolution)

I'm regretting this already.

[UPDATE: My Day 30 photos are here, my Day 60 photos are here, and my Day 90 photos are here.]

Pre-P90X Fit Test

According to the P90X materials:

Before starting an extreme fitness program like P90X, it's important to know where you stand and if your current fitness level is adequate. ... If you can't do what is listed below, you'll see better results by doing another exercise program before you take on P90X.

After shelling out big bucks on the program and equipment, I sure as hell wasn't going to fail the fit test.

A few nights ago, I took the 40-minute fit test, quickly moving from pull ups to vertical leaps, push ups , toe touches, wall squats, bicep curls and in & outs. I meticulously wrote down all my results on a sheet of paper.

I then proceeded to lose that sheet of paper.

Here's what I remember:

Resting Heart Rate: 57 bpm
Pull-ups: 7
Vertical leap: 20 inches
Push ups: 45

Toe Touch: +2 inches

Wall Squat: 2 minutes, 30 seconds
Bicep Curls w/Dumbbells: 13 @ 30 pounds
In & Outs: 25

With any luck, in 90 days, I'll crush these numbers. (And by "crush," I mean "not do worse than.")