Im pretty sure some of you might have caught that P90X ad on TV by now. If not, here's the link to it. They claim you can get absolutely ripped in only 90 days which is true (depending on how strictly you follow the dvd). But for around a month and a half, i have been doing 'ab ripper x' which is the abs component of their DVD. And its amazing. I actually have the DVD version of it but its on youtube as well. Just follow this dude. 17 minutes of hell on your abs trust me. But it works. In those 17 minutes you do 349 ab movements and so far i can do around 220 and usually take breaks in between.

You should try it.

(If anyone wants a link to the entire collection PM me. I am not allowed to post any links on here)

And just 2 days ago i curled 90 pounds with 6 reps. Im so happy lmao.

you're a tank

^ lol. But yo i weigh only 134 pounds. I wanna get around 152 still. I was 145 about a month and a half ago but then i stopped eating and started workin on cardio and hit the weights. I dropped down to 120 pounds (!!). Now with the fat gone its gonna be 152 pounds of all muscle babyyyy

..wtf you're 138 lbs?!??! holy crap how skinny are you man, im guessing your in college right? but yeah that's the same goal i have for my self. Im trying to reach around 155-165 mark (Im 145 right now) during the summer I went to the gym everyday and saw results in 2 months so by spring im pretty sure putting on 15-20 lbs of muscle is nothing espcially during the winter.

anyways just eat right, lots of protein(fish,lean meat, eggs etc.) and you're good

I gave up on working out about 10 months ago and it's worked out pretty good so far. Dunkmachine, how tall are you?

im only 5'8

True.
I'm 6'2 and only 165. I tried working out for a year, and I got stronger, but not really bigger, so I got lazy and stopped.

Yeah the way I see it is I set small goals, so it keeps me going and it's just fun. I gave up playing basketball for it. I play for fun nowadays

so how does the p90x thing work? u do one video for 90 days? only one video? or do you alternate?

Ya man im going back up again. Im only an inch taller than you though so im 5'9 but im very strong for my built though. Atleast that's what others tell me. But i've been working out for a year and a half now (started in around March 2006) but up until now i've never been to a gym yet. I use free weights at home and also have a treadmill for cardio.



p90x is a system. There's 12 DVDs but its retarded to do them all at once. So if you download the "ab ripper x" and maybe a couple others like the shoulders + biceps, tri's, chest, and back and legs then you can do 1 dvd for a day and the following day do somethin else and keep doin it for 3 months. But remember you cant work the same muscle group everyday cuz that wont ever build muscle your only tiring your muscles. So if your workin your biceps, rest 36-48 hours before you work your biceps again. In those 36-48 hours you can work any other muscle group. And go into wal-mart sometime and buy whey protein. Its quite cheap there actually than GNC. Look for the highest protein content per scoop. 27 g of protein in a 30 gram scoop is ideal but they sell one that is 27 g/33 g scoop.

Also, regarding the p90x, i swear if you do it once you'll be soar as hell. So you'll barely be able to exercise the following day. But after your ready to work your muscles again and repeat your day 1 exercise, you'll be soar again which is friggin amazing. It takes long ass time for your muscles to adjust to the way p90x works. I believe its called "shocking" your muscle or some sh|t.

Tony Horton deserves the loot for this amazing system.

Shoulders and arms + ab ripper-x right after another = satisfaction

^ i did shoulders and arms too yo just finished it right now. Those corn cob pulls up or whatever they're called are hard as hell. I could only do 4 lol!

haha, which ones are those?

^ the ones where you pull up, go left then right then back down in your starting position.

How much weight do you use for the whole thing? Im assuming you use dumbells?

what? i dont think i have that in my vid (it gets cut off in the last 10 min, so if its at the end i prob dont have it)

And yea, i have ones that i can attach different discs on them, their kinda large in size, but w/e it was lying around in the house so i decided to use it. Im usins 2 discs of 5LB on each hand, pluss the stick that connects it weighs quite a bit, so like aournd 12 lb a hand. not too much i know but its a beginning,
how about you?

Thats solid for a beginning still. How many reps do you do on each exercise? I personally started with 10's but moved on to 15's in like a week.

I use 20 pounds per and usually squeeze 16 reps out each exercise. I wanna move on to 25 pounds per for a minute now but dont have the plates at home to make it work. I dont feel like spending money on light plates either. I wanna cop 2 25 pound plates but sh|t they're an investment b. 20 bucks per at wal-mart

first workout i did like 8-10, then mor like 10-12, i actually feel the difference from workout to workout...
like he said, dont let ur ego stand in the way dont take too much weight if you cant handle it.

the whole 45 min workout is so intense though, the streching already gets me burning up

Ok Gym Rats.

I just cleared out a large space in my basement. I wanted to get a gym/bowflex kind of setup. I need to work my back and shoulders.

Bowflexs are cheap from the guys that thought that just buying it would make them ripped...now they need the space. Are they any good?

^ Yep bowflex's are very good BUT only if you have the money to afford one and you actually commit yourself to using it regularly. I've had a lot of friends who bought one (ranging from the basic $400-$500 joint to the $2000 range ones). Only a couple have actually used it to its max and they look very good.

It is true that you see results fast cuz your basically performing a variety of exercises without the hassle of walkin around in a gym (and your in the comfort of your own home).

But, the Bowflex is still a machine. It will always ASSIST you (like other machines) to get a particular work out done. It assists you in different ways like taking some of the tension off the weights for you so that the motion is smooth. It still does not compare well against free weights. Now if you pick up a set of dumbells, your fukin bustin your ass 100% without any form of "assistance". Your assisting yourself.

Also, you are in your 50's and this is where you start losing your flexibilty a lot. I suggest you look into p90x. A bowflex wont help you as much as that program that seems oo so basic but once you get it poppin its intense as hell.

http://www.beachbody.com/jump.jsp?itemType...Y&itemID=63

^ scroll all the way down until you see the 12 different workouts that they offer. Select one and go to the site that ill PM you to download it. Downloading from RS is a b|tch i know but that's a small price you have to pay for this man. Its WORTH IT.

Yea, take it easy old man

free weights over machine anyday. Hits almost every part of the muscle and you'll feel it more

Take it easy 145 lb kiddies.

I was a buck65 when I was 16...and not an ounce of fat. And none of that muscle was workout muscle.

And I'm on the right side of 45.

Whens the weight lifting competition?

^ By no means was i disrespecting you effie! I just wanted to mention that as you age a lot of flexibility is lost naturally. I'll go through that stage as well so im tryin to keep it check from right now. You'll be surprised how many people in my high school gym class couldn't touch their toes without bending their knees. I was one of them now i can do it easily. Kids are gettin lazier.

Just playing...no disrespect taken.

And for the record. 30 is nothing. Stop fretting about 30.

40 is when your body starts getting ready for the grave. You are correct that everything is less flexible.

Kids are getting lazy?? They have DPA at schools these days "Daily Physical Activity". As the kids say "They make us run around for 20 minutes" WTF!?!?!?! When I was that age, my parents did all they could to stop me from running around! I can believe how many unfit 13-14 y/os there are. Crazyness.

Tony Horton = G.O.A.T

P90x rocks. I've noticed considerable change in my traps/delts/triceps/biceps/chest/ all at the same time. And i've been workin out on/off for a year and a half. And if you notice the 1st post in this thread, from that day to now (its been a little over a month) i've noticed more change in my upper body than before.

I'd say this change came about mainly due to the fact that Tony and his sidekicks workout non-stop motivating you to keep up with them. When i used to work out without using videos, i'd take mad breaks in between sets. That slowed the whole process down and made me a little lazier at times because it consumed a lot of time.

But the dude Tony is a freak of nature. If he was king, i'd kneel all day in front of him. I might just buy this program now.

Daniel what P90X videos do you have so far? I know you have ab ripper x, biceps, triceps/chest/shoulders. What else?

I started eating raw oats 2 weeks ago. I eat a cup pre and one after my workout. I feel more cut and am full of energy during the workout. Eating them raw is the hard part though.

ive done p90x routines a few times with a buddy who's doing the program, they are pretty intense... alot of the movements are good for both co-ordination and getting stronger, too, plus ur going all out so theres cardio involved, like everytime after i do a day of p90x with him im pretty pooched...

for just regular workouts, something that ive got into the habit of doing is drop setting everything- ie, doing a warm up set, doing three sets of near max, then right after the third set dropping down to like 50% and repping until failure. no matter what exercise it is you can isolate the target muscle and get the burn without having to put too much stress on ur back etc....

vc15 why raw oats?

p90x is good if youre looking to cut down and have that nice beach body
but if your looking to get buffed ala ronie coleman, i dont think p90x is the right program for you

Hey! Raw oats are high in fiber and digest slow. So they pretty much feed you the energy you need throughout your workout. And you don't feel tired/hungry. I usually eat them 45 minutes before and like 15 minutes after my workout. I like the results i see. But they also absorb excess water in your system so your 6 pack can show. Apparently, that's why Jay Cutler includes Raw oats in his diet before competitions and stuff.
And if you wanna gain weight, each 40 g scoop has 27 g carbs, 150 calories and 6 grams of protein. So they can help build mass.

You can go ahead and grind raw oats and mix them with protein shakes or whatever and consume it. Or mix it in with fruits. I just eat them with small sips of milk cuz my mouth gets realllllly dry.

True. It won't get you buffed. But if you follow the course, your going to be in excellent shape. Your athletic ability increases as well. Something a good ol' fashioned gym workout won't do.

I'm on day 63. I started the program again. I had initially started it a few months ago but couldn't keep up cuz of school. So far I've skipped 5 yoga sessions, 4 kenpo x (punch training), and 2 plyometrics sessions. Other than that, i been on it.

I can now VERY EASILYYYYYY do 1 arm push ups. I don't distance my feet as much as the guys on the video do either (the more the distance between your feet, the easier it is ). I do it the hard way and I can do about 7 while alternating arms after each 1. I'm left handed so i can perform them easily on my left arm but the right is a b|tch sometimes but I can manage 7. I'm pretty sure its the best "pushing" exercise there is cuz it takes so much out of you.

Now my goal is to do 1 arm Dive-bomber push ups. Only a handful can do those. Most usually do the Hindu push up. But I can't even get my balance right for now so it might take a while ( i started practicing these 6 days ago. )

crazy

^ Yea eh. Hey cdawg you will get a good laugh out of this. Watch dude at 29 seconds.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2-LgwJkVY2k

I couldn't stop laughing for a while.

lol 1 arm push ups is mostly depending on ur back, vc15 how much do you weight? im really considering doin p90x just to cut for the summer but i want to put on atleast 10 more pounds im at 165 right now, it just looks really boring tho, and working out in ur basement doesnt work for me..

^ No man 1 arm push ups don't engage the back as much as they do my triceps and pecs. Since its a pushing exercise, the back is barely involved. When I go down on my arm, my pecs and arms are engaged (for the balance) but when I push up my abs tighten, my chest is on fire, and my triceps are being engaged like crazy.

I weigh 140 now. My goal is 150-155 still. But I have high metabolism. Naturally, its going to slow down when I'm in my late twenties. So most likely I'm gonna fluctuate between 130-140 until then. And only god knows how much effort I put in to gain that mass. But its not working so I'm going to chill.

Yea if you can't workout by yourself then p90x can be tough. I usually blast classic bone thugs records to keep the energy going. But trust me man, its sick. Before I started I could do only 3-4 pull ups. Now I'm up to 12 on average. Max. I've ever done is 15. And its my favorite exercise of them all. I hate push ups!!

So, it's the new school year, and by now I'm pretty confident that I'm my full height and that my body can actually handle working out. So I organized my schedule so that I have time to get exercise everyday. Workout three times a week, play ball two times a week. I got this book a while back released by "Men's Health" with all these different programs. For my arms I'm sticking to the basics, such as chin ups and dips. Shoulders and chest I can't remember the exercises (the book's at Mac). But I start my working out tomorrow. I'm kind of excited at the great shape I'm going to be in by the time Christmas rolls around.

Right now I'm 6'4 and 170 pounds (I'm well aware of how light I am. I'm also fast though ). To add to that I plan on running 2.5 km around the indoor track before I start working out (so also three times a week) for 20 minutes. I've been biking quite a bit during the summer, but I find that it doesn't work my legs as much as I'd like it too.

I don't exactly have a goal that I'm reaching for, but assuming I'm staying 6'4 and not growing anymore (which I may not be), I'd like to get my weight up to about 180 by Christmas. My main reason for this is that I need exercise, and I hate getting banged around in the paint by smaller guys when I play pick-up.

Well, diet is everything. Going from 170 to 180 in about 3 months shouldnt be a problem. Don't focus on the scale to much though. If you feel your body fat is at a good level and your gaining muscle mass, then who cares what the scale says. Try to focus on the core exercises as well (bench, deadlift, pullups,etc.) to really give you strength.

But why so much cardio? Unless its for increasing your stamina for basketball, I suggest cutting the cardio a bit. Playing basketball 2-3 times a week should be good. And as for getting pushed around by little guys, I use to have that problem as well in the past haha. But just use your height in the meantime. Its all about where you catch the ball. Catching it at deep in the post as possible really puts them at a disadvantage regardless of how hard they push. Good luck with the workouts.

??????

I'm gonna change your name to MiddleBol

Well, I'm not concerned about my weight really. It's more an arbitrary number. But I have very little body fat, so gaining weight is a given. I want to jog to build stamina and to make my legs stronger. I could use the machines they have, but ultimately, running is the best for building athleticism. Is there anything bad about too much cardio?

On the court my main problem is that I'm just not comfortable in the post, since I've always considered myself a wing player. I've finally stopped lying to myself about that though and decided I need to get much better at playing defense inside, and rebounding. My scoring consists mainly of face up moves (shooting and driving, the occasional hook shot). My ultimate goal is to have a Bosh-like repertoire of offensive moves, since relative to the guys on the court, I have a similar build.

I'm skinny. I have no fat though. And I'm more mobile than most other guys I know who are my height.

Its all about your goals. If you want to gain some muscle and overall mass, to much cardio may take away from that. You can't be playing basketball 2-3 times a week, running, biking and expect huge gains. Cardio burns calories and helps reduce body fat. The more cardio you have in your week, the more you have to eat to maintain your calorie intake (in order to gain muscle mass). And if you want to build your athleticism, those machines will do much more for you then running. Im assuming your already quick and agile, so you need to put some strength in those legs. Strengthing and adding mass to your legs will make your speed, strength and jumping ability that much better. Similarily, if one was in the gym all day working there legs but never running, they would just be carrying two logs around and not be able to run fast or jump high. You gotta have a balance.

I WANT A FREAKIN' 6-PACK!

Okay, I've been working my abs for a while now. I've noticed an increase in their strength from my plank workouts and being able to hold them longer and actually lift my legs and such. I have a flat stomach and all, and if I were to guess my body fat% I'd say it's about 11%. But this damn 6-pack won't show! Any tips?

I believe VC posted some links to an ab exercise that seems to work earlier in this thread. Maybe give that a try? I have the exact same problem to. My abs dont really show well. but for me its because I hate doing ab exercises.

I trust this isnt the real Vince C.....his abs look slightly better than mine.

Abs are over rated in my opinion. They're really not as important as other muscle groups.

An update though, I've worked out a couple times using my new program, and I can already notice a change in my arms (although minute as it is). The full routine for my arms is 5-6 chinups, 6-8 dips, 6-8 close grip bench presses, and 8-12 dumbar curls. This program basically aims at getting bigger, so it works on developing fast twitch muscles, hence the low repetitions.

I'm not looking to improve strength in important muscle groups, I'm looking for cosmetic muscle groups to be more defined.

And I'll check out the VC workout, thx.

hey man abs is full out cardio and diet, you can do 1000 sit ups a day or crunches you'll see somewhat of a difference but it's all about diet. You gotta eat low carb/fat food and stuff that's high in protein. it also woult help alot if you have a low body fat which means it should be easier for you.

But abs is really important especially on what you do. Basketball wise abs is just as important as having strong legs and such.
But than again there are people like me who arent really concern about abs lol
Im at 5'7 165 right now once i reach 190 of pure bulk than Ill cut. yeahhhhhhhhh buddaaaaaaaaaay! light weight!

i took a break from the site for a while, but now that i'm kind of back, i figured a thread like this could use a little update or some discussion. what sort of training are any of the raptorbloggers doing when not busting their hump on the court or watching bosh shoot three pointers?

i spent last school year in england so i didn't get to do a whole lot of basketball over there. now that i'm back in north america, my once decent vertical (in the low 30-inches, i believe) has somewhat escaped me and i fear my only discernable skills on the basketball court, rebounding, eblowing and defense, will suffer as a result.

when i was across the atlantic, i kept up my workout routine, as well as playing rugby (union and league for those of you experienced in the matter) to stay in shape, but now that i'm back, i've been trying to kick it up a notch.

the "handsome boy workout routine" breaks down like this
day 1 - upper body, chest emphasis
- do a bunch of bench press-type exercises with lots of pull-ups as well. i used to be terrible at any pressing exercise due to relatively long arms, but i'm improving.
day 2 - lower body, max effort
- either squat or deadlift is the featured exercie, lots of sets, low reps and push the envelope when it comes to weight (although within the limits of senibility)
day 3 - weighted abs and cardio
day 4 - upper body, back emphasis
- heavy bent over rows, lots of pullups and lots of sets of dips thrown in the mix
day 5 - lower body, dynamic lifts
- various power-related exercises, cleans, dumbbell snatches, push press, maybe some box jumps and jump squats if i'm feeling up for it

i used to do more of the "one muscle group a day" workouts when i first started, but after reading a lot of stuff on "defranco training" and other sports training sites, i've devised this to get as strong as possible for sports (as well as getting back into rugby in the spring)

let me know what you guys are doing in the downtime from computing and watching hoop

Honestly, it's winter. I'm working on my beer belly so I can be a jolly santa clause.

Handsome has a name to live up to. He'll be the pride of Thunder bay

i already am, it's a weak crop.

when i resume my rugby career, i'd like to have a bit more muscle to throw around. it was a benefit to be in better shape than most of the fat forwards on other teams, but if i can be stronger as well, it'll be a bonus.