Check out all my hybrid schedules:
- P90X Focus T25 Hybrid
- P90X3 Focus T25 Hybrid
- P90X3 Elite Focus T25 Gamma Hybrid
- P90X3 Insanity Max:30 Hybrid
The old and the new. The alpha and the omega. P90X and Focus T25 combined into one, hybrid schedule. Here it is.Susan and I have already completed 2 standard rounds of P90X and 1 round of the P90X/Insanity hybrid. This fall we are due to kick off our 4th round of P90X but I didn’t want to repeat the standard program as in the past. Fortunately we received our copy of Beachbody’s newest program Focus T25 this summer and I have had time to demo most of the workouts and preview the rest. I think that qualifies me to design my own P90X-T25 Hybrid 🙂
Focus T25
For those not familiar with T25, this is the newest program from the creator/trainer of Insanity, the “hardest workout program ever put on disk”. It consists of 12 workout DVD’s that cover cardio, abs, and full body work in only 25 minutes a day. The program is split into two 5-week phases called “Alpha” and “Beta” (a third “Gamma” phase using more weights is available as an add-on). The T25 workouts are not as “insane” as Insanity because the moves are not as extreme. You might even say the moves in T25 are “easy”. But the 25 minute workouts are not easy because there are no scheduled breaks. That’s the concept behind the program: you go all out (“Focus”) for 25 minutes, alternating which muscles are working so that you never overwork any one muscle group. Including the additional 3-minute cooldowns, I typically burn 370 calories over the half hour, plus many more in the 1-2 hour after burn period.
P90X
What else is there to say about P90X? It is a full-body workout program that has stood the test of time and is still one of Beachbody’s best sellers. No gimmicks (not counting superman-banana), just pushing and pulling, push ups and pullups, curls and triceps dips and wall squats. This program gives you “functional fitness”–no matter how you approach it you will cut fat, add muscle, get toned, and not “bulk up”. If you want to bulk up do Body Beast. If you want to get fit do P90X.
The P90X-T25 Hybrid
Here is the schedule. Please click the image for directions on how to download a high-resolution, printable version.
OVER 4000 DOWNLOADS FROM JOHNTFITNESS: Click the image for a high-resolution printable version of the P90X T25 Hybrid Schedule and join thousands of others already doing one of my hybrids!
CLICK HERE to get the high-resolution printable version of the P90X T25 Hybrid Schedule
My approach to setting up this hybrid schedule was to generally keep the P90X resistance workout schedule and mix in T25 cardio to replace PlyoX and KenpoX. I also kept YogaX on the schedule because whether you like it or not, it’s good for you. As you move through the weeks, the T25 workouts shift from the Alpha to the more difficult Beta workouts. Here are more details behind what I was thinking:
- The schedule maintains the three-phase P90X schedule concept including Recovery Weeks (weeks 4, 8, and 13).
- In the first two phases, I keep the normal P90X upper body workouts on Days 1 and 3. In Phase 3 I inserted T25 Upper Focus into Day 1 of Weeks 10 and 11 for variety while maintaining one Back day each week.
- I get bored doing Legs & Back for 10 weeks, so this schedule alternates L&B with T25 Lower Focus. Lower Focus will make you sore, trust me, plus now you can fit all five L&B workouts on one P90X Workout Sheet.
- I only have an hour to workout between 5 am and 6 am. Fortunately the T25 workouts are (you guessed it) 25 minutes long which makes it possible to do more than one workout. And since I only have an hour I typically skip P90X Ab Ripper X on resistance days and fit it in when convenient (which is usually once on the weekend). This schedule includes ab work twice a week, once on Day 2 and once on Day 6 after T25 cardio workouts. These are split between ARX and T25 Ab Intervals or Dynamic Core for variety (who really likes doing Ab Ripper X three times a week anyway?).
- The Recovery Weeks are single T25 workouts to lighten things up a bit (plus Yoga).
- In Phase 3 I swapped in Upper Focus for Shoulders & Arms in Week 10 and Chest & Back in Week 11 just to fit it in to the schedule. You’ll notice that this also maintains one Back day each week in Phase 3.
- Day 4 each week will be either the 90-minute YogaX (or at least up to the 50 minute mark where it switches from yoga to balance postures) or the efficient One-on-One Fountain of Youth Yoga which has been included in P90X sets recently. If you have P90X2 Yoga feel free to use that.
- Finally Day 7 every week alternates between Xstretch (which I love but don’t always commit to doing) and T25 Stretch.
What Do You Think?
Have you started Focus T25 yet? What do you think of this hybrid schedule? Let me know what you think–I’ll entertain all suggestions for modification.
I am an Independent Team Beachbody Coach who found success using Beachbody's fitness programs and nutriton guides. I'm here to see that you have the same success I have had using Beachbody programs.
This is great! Thanks for putting this together. I’m going to use your hybrid from now until January when I plan on doing a P90X3/T25 Hybrid!
It’s really a nice schedule. My wife and I are in Week 10 and what I like most about it is doing Ab Ripper X or a T25 core workout as a double and keeping it all under an hour. I’m looking forward to X3 also come December–thanks for the comment.
this will be a good routine and i’m gonna do it. thanks and more power!
Enjoy Erick–Now in Week 12, and since we’re almost done I’m thinking about a few minor tweaks like reversing the order of Core Dynamics and Speed 2.0 in Phase 3. I’ll post a revised schedule here if I change it. Thanks for the comment.
Hi,
I have done p90x in the past and my wife just finished T25 and was very impressed.
My question is: I am out of shape (again) and need to loose about 30 lbs. I am an experienced ‘gym rat’ and have always been very fit (apart from now) so I want to build muscle as well as tone – do you think that this hybrid is a good combo for me starting fresh again – starting from scratch again.
Thanks for your hard work in this… looks great!
Glen
Hi Glen–I appreciate your stopping by to comment. Yes I do think this hybrid would be perfect for someone who is already familiar with both programs, and 30 lbs is definitely doable in 13 weeks. I kept pretty much all the resistance workouts from the original P90X because I didn’t want to lose any of the muscle building. So all this schedule does is basically drop T25 in for Plyo X and Kenpo X for your cardio. Another thing you could do is do the standard P90X Month 1 schedule and then hop over to this hybrid in Month 2. Play with it, it’s totally up to you. When do you start? Let me know what you decide to do.
Great hybrid! John-Do you plan on creating a hybrid for the p90x3/focus t25 now that it’s coming out next week?
That’s a good question Nicole! I can’t wait to get my hands on the new program, but I’ll probably wait to do P90X3 straight through as designed before trying to blend it into a hybrid. One of the reasons I did this one was because I wanted something different for Plyo X and Kenpo X. With X3 it’s all going to be new the first time through.
We just finished this P90X/T25 hybrid schedule last week BTW. The only minor tweak I want to make is to reverse the order of Speed 2.0 and Dynamic Core on Day 6 of Phase 3. I found it hard to jump right into Speed 2.0 right after waking up in the morning, and Dynamic Core served as a better warmup.
Hey John!
This schedule looks pretty awesome, great job!
I stumbled upon this hybrid in my efforts to create my own hybrid of three Beachbody programs: P90x, T25, and Brazil Butt Lift. I’ve already completed one round of both P90x and Brazil Booty Lift and am about a week into my new T25 videos. I love these programs and have been wanting to create a schedule that would get the combined effects of all three however, I concerned that I may be over working muscle groups. I typically work out for an hour- hour and a half, but was thinking about using T25 as a warm up, then doing P90x, then moving on to BBL to complete my workout. Phew. Sounds intense but I’m stoked to get heightened results. I’m planning on following each workout calendar as they were designed, just three different workouts each day.
Do you think that sounds reasonable? I have the time and the will to succeed, just want to make healthy fitness choices.
Thanks for your feedback.
Roxy
Roxy–thanks for finding my hybrid schedule and commenting.
My first response is a word of caution regarding doing “doubles” let alone “triple” workouts in one day. More workouts does not necessarily mean more results, especially for the average amateur like most of us. Doubles or more should be left for those who are in tune with their body’s performance and nutrition needs. If you are adding extra workouts because you aren’t getting good results and you don’t know why, then there is probably something else in your workout or nutrition regimen that needs to change first. If you are doing the P90X resistance workouts as hard as you can, for example, you should need the rest of the day for rest and recovery. More workouts mean more stress to your body, which means more cortisol release, which means less fat burning and more fat storage. You’ll need to eat more if you do 2-3 workouts in one day. See the article “5 Reasons You Could Be Gaining Weight” under my Best of the Web tab for a short discussion of this.
That being said, if you want to combine these 3 programs on the same day here are a couple suggestions:
– For T25 warmups, I would stick to Cardio, Speed 1.0, Core Cardio and Speed 2.0.
– I would do Total Body Circuit and Rip’T Circuit during P90X Recovery Weeks only.
– Do Lower Focus and P90X Legs and Back at least 2 days apart from each other.
– Maybe mix-up Ab Intervals and Ab Ripper X three days a week, but not on the same day.
– For Brazil Butt Lift, separate High & Tight from P90X Legs & Back by 2 days. The others you should be able to do on schedule.
My wife Susan has done BBL and may have some more thoughts for you. Good Luck, and I’m glad you enjoy these programs as much as we do!
Hi John,
Your objective approach to putting together the hybrid schedule makes for great reading. My specific situation: completed P90, P90M, P90X Classic programs (in that sequence) over the past 9-10 months, and I really like the results. I am a 45 yo male, lost about 22 lbs, 6+ inches off my waist. P90X helped in strength department and got me leaner and stronger. I’d like to keep it up, but another round of P90X seems too boring at this point, not to mention the time investment it has taken. I got the T25 program and would rather use it more than P90X (given my time constraints), but still maintain strength results from P90X. I was thinking of cutting down to 2 strength workouts from P90X (to cover all upper & lower body including pullups), but pick the remaining 3-4 days from T25. What mix would you recommend given my objectives?
Sam–Thanks for the question. What you’re describing sounds alot like the P90X Lean schedule (remember that from the P90X Guide?) I would use that as a starting point since it drops one of the resistance days (if I recall the resistance days are Days 3 and 5). Then randomly follow T25 for days 1, 2, 4 and 6. Day 7 is either rest or one of the two Stretch workouts. The other thing you could do would be to stick alpha Total Body Circuit and/or beta Upper Focus in for Day 1 to replace the P90X resistance workout. Graduate Day 1 to beta Rip’T Circuit in month 2. If you look at Weeks 10 and 11 of my hybrid schedule I kind of so this. Try to keep yoga on the schedule every week or 2 so you don’t lose what you gained there.
BTW I’m sure you’ve heard but P90X3 is another way to get resistance work in less time and add variety. It woud be a natural follow on to P90, P90M, and P90X. Let me know what you decide to do.
John, thanks for your reply. I like your second suggestion (weeks 10,11 of the hybrid schedule), where I can replace P90X resistance with similar T25 workouts. P90X3 was on my mind, but after 10 months of the P90 series I am ready to try something different (for variety), though I realize P90X3 is new enough.
Let me work out a P90X-T25 schedule using your template & recommendations, and perhaps run it by you. My only issue really with P90X was that the resistance workouts took really long (I would pause a lot to recover/switch weights/etc., and ended up skipping Ab Ripper X most days). Hopefully, T25 will be shorter, but I need to check out the videos first.
When I do P90X I only give it an hour so I typiclaly skipped Ab Ripper X too. The glory of T25 is that the workouts are truly less than 30 minutes including the post-workout cooldown, so you could easily add ARX to any T25 day and keep it under an hour. I’ll send you the Excel version of my hybrid schedule off line.
Roxy – John covered it well above. My only other suggestion would be to not do BBL Sculpt on a P90X upper body day as you really do need time for those muscles to recover.
This calendar is awesome! Is there any way you can create a hybrid calendar for Focus T25 Gamma with P90X3 for people who are short on time?
Mary–that will give me something to think about 🙂 I guess it depends on what aspects of X3 you want to drop. Off the top of my head I’d probably start off by first keeping X3 The Challenge, Yoga, and Incinerator. The rest is on the table for substitution. Gamma Speed 3.0 could drop in for Agility and Triometrics, Rip’t Up and Extreme Circuit can be swapped in for Total Synergistics, Eccentric Lower and Warrior, and The Pyramid could sub for Eccentric Upper. And if you don’t want to do MMX then you could do Speed 3.0 again. Let me think about it and maybe I’ll come up with a schedule for you.
The calendar looks great! I have taken what you’ve done above and slightly tweeked it to better suit my personal needs – I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind taking a look at it for me? On resistance days, I found a way to add in a T25 workout without adding any time to the original workout+ab ripper-X ~1 hour & 15 minutes (I have condensed the P90X workouts by speeding them up to 1.5 times the original speed – allowing me to get the resistance training in 2/3 the time). I’ve done P90X a couple times, so I understand those workouts pretty well – I am less familiar with the T25 workouts, though I have done most of them. I just hope I’m not being too ambitious in my layout of the workouts – by overemphasizing a body part too much – and while I think I’ve got things spaced out right, I could use an expert’s opinion.
Dan–do you have your alternate schedule for me to take a look at? You can email it to me at info@johntfitness.com and I’ll take a look. Speeding up the resistance days makes alot of sense, in fact now I sometimes do them without the DVD’s and only follow the workout sheets, and that saves alot of time. I have to admit though I have become spoiled with the 30 minute P90X3 workouts. I’ve been thinking of doing this P90X T25 hybrid by cutting all the repeating moves out of the resistance workouts to reduce them to 30-40 min, and then do Ab Ripper X 3 days a week. That should allow for a good workout in an hour. I think I can still get a good workout without the repeating moves–what do you think?
John, I sent you the schedule. As I mention in the email, I am a bit more cardio centric due to IM sports being a big part of my life, but definitely need to have that resistance training or I get bored. I would be curious if the P90X3 workouts, being 30 minutes, would lend nicely to this schedule? I haven’t gotten/tried X-3, and was underwhelmed by P90X2, so I’m a little hesitant. To your thought about doing the workouts only once through: I did that for about a month a year back, just to see if it was a practical way of cutting down the time. I noticed that while I did get a pretty good workout, I would always finish feeling like I needed to do more, and never got that satisfying burn the day after (which turned into me running afterwards, until I went for 5-6 miles one day and got a nasty case of shin splints which brought everything to a grinding hault).
Dan–thanks for sending me your schedule, you have my comments in a reply email. Since several people are asking about an X3 T25 hybrid and I am now sitting down to craft one up and will post it here soon (make sure you subscribe to my blog to see it).
As far as X3 is compared to the original P90X, there are some workouts where I feel underwhelmed compared to the original, and some of the cardio workouts are downright gimmicky. But that’s because Tony has to pack so much into 30 minutes that alot of the moves are compound moves, or one legged moves like in X2. There are 3 upper body workouts that definitely hold their own vs P90X, namely The Challenge, Incinerator, and Upper Eccentric, but Susan and I have agreed though that there is nothing like the original resistance workouts for the burn you get–if you have the time.
I just happened upon your blog while searching for a P90X3/T25 Hybrid. I’ve done both programs alone and would like to combine them to build more strength. Also-do you have any advice on a workout regimen for summer (if it ever comes)? I bike about 20-40 miles daily in the summer and last summer biked and did resistance training. I did a lot of T25/P90x. I felt like it hindered my biking. Should I only focus on upper body in the summer?
Kim–I’ve been meaning to publish a P90X3 T25 Hybrid schedule but just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Now I’ll have to 🙂
I’m not an expert when it comes to bike training, but if you are doing 20-40 miles a day it seems that anything else for your legs would be over-training. When do you let them recover? Focusing on upper body and core when you are not biking seems like the right thing to do. P90X, X3, and T25 Gamma are loaded with upper body workouts to keep you busy.
Hi John –
I just just about to finish P90X3 (which I love) and am considering a P90X3/T25 hybrid also. I also would like to keep the muscle that I have gained during X3 but wanted to add something new. I think T25 would add some variety but not sure what to switch out. If you’re able to get the hybrid schedule published, that would be great! I honestly can only commit to a half an hour, so the P90X hybrids just don’t work. I may be able to add the longer routines on the weekends but not during the week.
Thanks!
Tracy–Now you have made me determined to knock out my P90X3 T25 30-Minute or Less Hybrid! I’ll post something in a few days, make sure you subscribe and you’ll get an email when it comes out 🙂 I promise, no spam.
OK you all guilted me into finishing my P90X3 T25 Hybrid. You can find it here. Let me know what you think.
https://johntfitness.com/p90x3-t25-hybrid/
I just finished Day 39 a few mins ago. I saved the schedule you posted up onto my phone so I can check it everyday and know what I need to do. So far, it’s been tough, but I have been sticking to it ALMOST everyday. I missed a handful of days during Week 4 after getting sick.
Anyway, I have a question about the Yoga X. Every time I have done it, I’ve stopped right after the three Chair Poses (so roughly 31-32 minutes into the workout; for anyone who has done Yoga X a few times, they’ll recognize this as the part where Tony Horton says something down the lines of “Wasn’t that nice? You can either take a break here and drink some water or keep going with us.”) My reasoning for stopping here has been my fear of my brittle knees giving in on me. I have bad knees because of a motorcycle crash from nearly 3 years back. Right now, I don’t mind stopping so soon into the Yoga X, but I am also worried that it is counterproductive to whatever progress I hope to make if I keep cutting the workout short.
Do you think it is okay that I stop when I do or should I try to chug through it anyway?
Thanks for the workout routine. It really has been helpful. I just have to stay motivated and keep pushing play. Hopefully it all ends up well for me.
Thanks again!
I’m glad you like the schedule. How do you know your knees can’t do more unless you try? What I tell everyone with P90X is to do a few more reps or a little heavier weight on something every workout. For you that means going a little farther into Yoga X. Besides, there is another natural stopping point around 52 min when the yoga ends and the balance, core and stretching begin. If you can get to the 52 min mark you’re home free.
Thought about P90X3? X3 Yoga is only 30 minutes 🙂
I am planning on buying P90X3. Only reason I haven’t is because I bought my P90X before the accident and never finished it. I want to at least do this program you’ve assembled just to prove to myself I can do it before I purchase the next one.
Thanks for the speedy response. I suppose I will try to do it to the 52 min mark next week then.
Like Tony says, do your best and forget the rest! Let me know how it goes
I need a hybrid workout schedule including Focus T25, Insanity and P90x. I just can’t figure out the most effective pairing. Thank you!!!
Lisa
Thanks Lisa- give me a little time to look at the P90X/Insanity and P90X/T25 hybrids and see what I can come up with 🙂 Shouldn’t be too difficult. –John
Thank you so much! I’m winging it now but unsure how effective the workout is.
Lisa–Do you have the P90X/Insanity Hybrid schedule that I have linked under my P90X or Insanity menus? Rather than over-think a 3-way hybrid, I would alternate entire weeks between the two different hybrid schedules like this:
P90X/Insanity Hybrid: Weeks 1,3,6,9,11
P90X/T25: Weeks 2,5,7,10,12
Your Choice: Recovery Weeks 4,8,13
This gives you a good split between T25 and Insanity and keeps all the P90X upper body workouts where they belong. What do you think?
Yes I do! Thank you for the advice I think that is a perfect workout schedule! I will begin the hybrid this coming Monday and will let you know the results! Thanks again!!!
Lisa
If you have been waiting to buy P90X3, the combo package just went on sale in May. See the link at the top of this post for details.
John, I recently found this post of yours, and I think it’s wonderful! Thanks for making this available.
I’m about to start Week 4 of Focus T25: Alpha. It’s my first Beach Body program, and the first home fitness program I’ve ever stuck with. I’m really enjoying it, and my current plan is to take it all there way through the end of Gamma (which I have yet to purchase). That should happen July 19th.
After that, I’m hoping the discipline of doing all the Double Day Friday workouts will enable me to move onto P90X and longer workouts as the rule, not as the exception (I also plan to start doing Yoga X on Saturdays while I’m still going through T25–another way to get used to carving out longer chunks of time). I’m eager to get to P90X, as the idea of increasing functional fitness through adding lean muscle mass, developing flexibility, etc., greatly appeals to me. I should probably add here that I’ve got no desire to lose weight either through T25 or P90X. If I lose 5-10 pounds, fine. If I gain 5-10, fine as well. I’d like to lose some body fat and gain some muscle, but the numbers on the scale don’t really concern me.
The one consistent criticism I’ve read of P90X is that the cardio (Cardio X and Kenpo X) is not demanding. It looks like you’ve addressed this in your calendar above. Some questions, if you’ve got the time:
-This being my first round of P90X, would you recommend I try it “pure” or go hybrid, having just completed the full T25?
-If I go hybrid, should I go back to the Alpha-level cardio when I start P90X (as your calendar reflects), or stick with the Beta/Gamma cardio exercises?
-On that note, would you recommend incorporating Gamma into the hybrid or sticking with Beta (or Alpha/Beta)? I’ve read that Gamma makes frequent use of light weights/multiple reps, and I’m not sure whether that would enhance or detract from the core P90X experience if I mix it in (I plan to focus on heavier weights/fewer reps with P90X).
-For that matter, do you agree with my plan of taking T25 all the way through Gamma, or (since my goal is to progress to and stick with P90X for the longterm) do you think I should jump right into P90X after completing Beta?
-Finally, moving from T25 to P90X, do I risk losing some of the energy gains I’ll have made? What I’ve read suggests that P90X is a more well-rounded program, but that T25 is better for developing endurance.
Thanks so much for your time. I’m loving T25, and I constantly look forward to the next day’s challenge and whether I can get more weekly ticks in the “Nailed It” box versus the “Barely Made It” box (and let’s just say that I’m making slow gains there :), but ultimately I’d like to do T25 primarily on days when I’m traveling and/or just don’t have the time or equipment available for a longer workout. Once I transition to P90X (whether hybrid or “pure”), I’d like to stick with it round after round, upping the dumbbell weight, maybe eventually adding a weighted vest to certain exercises, and so on.
Hi Andrew–thanks for the detailed questions. I saw them last night but decided to sleep on them since they deserved a little thought first.
Good idea getting into the longer workouts of P90X. Even after doing the short 30 minute workouts in X3 both Susan and I realize that there really is nothing like the hour long resistance workouts from the original X, and the hour is worth it. On to your questions:
– P90X and cardio: Remember “cardio-vascular workout” means any workout that gets your heart rate up, preferably into the 80-90+ percent of your max. And all the resistance workouts in P90X qualify as cardio workouts IMO (when you have to pause the DVD to catch your breath, that’s good cardio). Cardio is not just jumping up and down. That being said I agree with the comment that you should leave Cardio X in the box. It’s not really part of the Classic schedule anyway (and that’s the schedule you should follow–don’t do Lean). Kenpo X is a good heart rate workout if you push hard–and try some weighted gloves or ankle weights to make it harder.
– First time for P90X I really think you should do the Classic schedule as designed so you get to see what all the workouts are like (and so you don’t miss any of Tony’s classic lines). You never know what you’re missing until you try it. My hybrid leaves out Plyo X but believe it or not it is harder than most of the T25 workouts, and being an hour you will burn more calories. I only took it out for variety, not because is was a less strenuous workout. At least do the schedule for a month and then decide.
– If you do the hybrid, since you have already done T25 it’s entirely up to you whether you go back to alpha as I designed it or substitute beta. Guess what–you are as qualified as me to make that decision 🙂
– Gamma: I would leave gamma out of this hybrid, with the possible exception of Speed 3.0 which doesn’t use weights. Gamma is all about increasing muscle endurance and not really muscle growth IMO. If you want to be able to curl 20 pound dumbbells constantly for 30-60 seconds then go for it, but you won’t grow much muscle doing that. If you want to look like Tony or Shaun T you need to “lift heavy and finish early” as Tony says in P90X. Shaun T didn’t get the way he looks by doing T25. You need high weight-low rep workouts to really shape your body (and I’m not talking Charles Atlas shape, that comes from Body Beast). And from what you said about losing fat and gaining muscle Gamma won’t do that like P90X will. Save Gamma for later after you’ve changed your body and begin “maintenance mode”.
– Not sure what you mean by “energy gains”, unless you mean your cardio vascular endurance. There’s no reason to believe you’ll lose any of that if you move on to P90X and continue doing workouts like Plyo X and/or T25 a couple times a week.
I guess you can tell I’m biased in my thinking that P90X is the best all-around program for changing your body composition. Maybe that’s why Susan and I have done it 4 times already, and she’s on her 5th round. And my completed workouts sheets show that I’ve improved every single round (they are linked above). I can’t say I will ever do T25 with or without Gamma straight through again. I hope this helps–let me know what you think.
Thanks for the detailed response, John. You gave me a lot to consider. Based upon what you’ve said, I think I’ll skip getting Gamma for now. That means I get to start P90X a little earlier–June 23rd. Can’t wait!
Additionally, I’ll go with the original, “Classic” calendar like you suggest. I hadn’t even noticed that the Classic schedule doesn’t include Cardio X until you pointed it out! So I guess that won’t be an issue. I’ll give Kenpo X a try and use wrist/ankle weights if I feel I need them (I’m guessing I probably won’t–at least, not up front).
Sorry for being unclear about the “energy gains,” but yeah, you got it: I’m hoping my cardiovascular endurance won’t take a hit when I transition to P90X. Based on what you said in your reply, I don’t think that’ll be a problem.
June 23rd can’t get here soon enough. In the meantime, however, I’ll continue to fight through my remaining weeks of T25!
what is your approach to eating?
Christie–thanks for stopping by. How you eat, of course, depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. For example if you are trying to lose weight (fat) you should go high protein/low carb (P90X Phase 1), but if you are not losing weight and want to eat for max performance you should flip that around (P90X Phase 3). I think the first 2 pages of the P90X Nutrition Guide is all most people need to understand why.
I basically have continued to follow the P90X Phase 2 approach but have gravitated to a 30% protein 40% carb 30% fat diet. Since I am no longer trying to lose weight I cut the protein back down from 40%. But over the past 2 years I’ve read books like Paleo diet and Wheat Belly and have tried to incorporate those ideas too (I really try not eat much cheese or any wheat products anymore, that book was too scary for me).
If you want to see how I ate during P90X check out this post from Feb 2013. It is a little dated but at least shows how I split my day up (I added Shakeology daily beginning in March): https://johntfitness.com/what-i-eat-on-a-work-day/. You can also check out my MFP diary which I kept daily from 1/1/13 – 4/19/13 here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/JT1414
Glad this topic came up! I’m not really trying to lose weight, but I’d like to lose fat. I believe I’m somewhere in the 15% to 18% range of body fat, but I’d like to get down to at least 10%. I just started using MyFitnessPal, and wow, what an amazing resource! Calorie goals are easy to meet/beat using the MFP Food Diary.
That said, I’m definitely scratching my head about how to manage the Protein, Carb, and Fat percentages. One thing MFP has taught me is that Carbs and Fat are in almost every food known to man (or at least all the ones I eat). Using the Phase 1 approach, I aim for 50% protein, 30% carbs, and 20% fat. And yes, I said I aim for that, but I miss the mark every time. 🙂 Plus, it looks like I need to get something crazy like over 200 g of protein per day to make it work perfectly. Yikes!
Now to be fair, MFP gives you credit for exercise done (whereas the P90X nutrition guide takes that into account right off the bat). This can skew your totals/goals. I’ve found that to make this work as far as calories are concerned, I need to plug in my caloric goal on MFP as my baseline calories from P90X (that is, my weight and the extra 20% for just being alive), and not add in the extra 600 for doing P90X workouts (and for me, most days are actually in the 300-range as I’m still doing T25–although I did burn 530 calories doing Yoga X on Saturday. That’s right, doing friggin’ YOGA. Good workout!)
So that fixes MFP when it comes to calories. However, when I log my exercises, it also adds extra amounts of carbs, fats, and proteins that I can eat. And then I just get confused. 🙂
Still, I definitely feel like I’m moving in the right direction. Just like sticking to the workout, sticking to a disciplined diet approach (even if I haven’t quite figured out how to make all the percentages line up the way I want) is a huge confidence-builder.
Trying to hit the Phase 1 target of 50% protein is really hard. You almost need to double up on the proteins you think you would eat in a normal day (double eggs at breakfast, 2 chicken breasts at lunch, double meat at dinner, plus multiple scoops of protein powder and or protein bars to fill up the day, and top it off with a cassein protein shake before bed). That’s why you should only do Phase 1 for a limited amount of time (3-4 weeks max).
One thing I started watching relative to my HRM calorie burn is what I call “excess calorie burn”, or the calories burned above and beyond what my normal resting calorie burn is. I’ve determined that my average burn during waking hours is 130 cal/hour, so in a 90 minute Yoga X, if my HRM says 530 calories, I really only burned about 335 extra calories due to the workout. You might want to try this math and plug this excess calorie burn number into MFP for a few days to see if the numbers make more sense–they did to me.
I came the closest I ever have to hitting 50% protein yesterday (and probably the highest I’ve been for over all protein grams count), but still didn’t hit the mark. Nevertheless, it was a good increase. I think a big part of the reason for the improvement was that the bag of whey protein I ordered from Amazon came in yesterday.
I’m interested by this “excess calorie burn” concept. How do did you come to the conclusion that you burn an average of 130 calories per waking hour doing regular activities? Did you wear your heart rate monitor off and on for several days, an hour at a time, and make an average? Deducting that total from your workout total makes sense, and is very specific, but also seems to go even beyond what’s called for in the P90X Nutrition Guide. Sounds like a great approach for those who need to really hone in!
Yep, that’s exactly what I did. I did it 3 separate times and averaged them together, and I’ll probably spot check it going forward. I did get widely varied readings so it really depends on what you’re doing when you measure. 130 might be too high because that means I would be burning 2080 during 16 waking hours, but I think it’s close enough for now.
Hello hybridders–I finally published an X3 T25 Hybrid that includes both the X3 Elite workouts as well as Gamma. If you want to read what I was thinking here is the blog post: https://johntfitness.com/p90x3-elite-t25-gamma-hybrid/
I like the P90X3 program, but don’t feel Agility is really up to snuff.
Any suggestions on what I can do as a substitute for Agility X?
Worst case scenario I’ll just do a cardio session of sprinting totaling 20 minutes.
Thanks for input!
Hi John–Sounds like you are falling into the mindset like I had when I developed this hybrid that Agility X is supposed to be a “cardio” workout. In fact I’ve since come to appreciate that it is an “Agility and Quickness” workout more than regular cardio. Agility teaches you how to “accelerate, decelerate, stabilize, and change direction quickly while maintaining posture, and Quickness is doing these things with max force in all planes of motion, while responding to visual or auditory cues” (I learned all that in my personal training training). So this is more about the subtle aspect of athletic performance and not the hard core go fast and get your heart rate up performance. For a suitable substitute get yourself an agility ladder that you lay on the floor (like they use in Insanity Asylum) or some cones and do some drills with them (you can probably find many drills on youtube). If all you want is more cardio, then go back and do more Triometrics, CVX or MMX. If you have T25 choose Speed 2.0 or Core Speed. Better yet try the new Insanity Max:30–it’s better than sprinting. Make sense?
By the way for all of you who are subscribing to comments on my P90X3/T25 Hybrid post, I just released a new P90X3 – Insanity Max:30 Hybrid. Max:30 will kick your butt 🙂
https://johntfitness.com/p90x3-insanity-max30-hybrid/
Hi, John hybrid program is looking great. I also checked out other hybrids but I can’t decide which one I have to do so I wanna ask you; I have to lose 100lbs and I have fitness experience which one do you suggest. Thank you for everything.
Hello Yusuf, and thanks for downloading my hybrids! In all honesty to lose 100 pounds it really doesn’t matter which workout program or hybrid you do, your bigger decision is which nutrition plan to follow–nutrition is responsible for weight loss, and workouts are responsible for shaping what’s left 🙂 If you haven’t done X3 or T25 or P90X yet, then I suggest doing the programs straight through in this order–X3, T25 then P90X. Only after you complete them as scheduled should you try one of them in a hybrid. If you have done them all then it’s really up to what your personal interest level is because the purpose of most hybrids is to prevent boredom and provide more variety with trainers, not lose weight any faster. As far as nutrition I only recommend that you do not follow the P90X nutrition guide since it is way out of date with nutrition science. The X3 and T25 guides are much more useful for weight loss. What do you think?
Thank you John i am gonna do what you say because you are the expert. Beach body programs always a good option and in in the past i got good benefits from them