60 day fat loss: insanity over p90x to lower bf%

[stevenjcampbell]

Hi everyone! This is my first post here.

I'm one of those nerdy types who reads everything and has all the technical knowledge but maybe doesn't apply it like he should.

A friend of mine who has a body like a mens fitness cover model started to sell me on the idea of a serious cutting phase because he swears I have a great muscular frame...

I do workout but the lower body fat I've ever been got me Into a size 31 jeans with noticeable chubbiness so I've never been cut.

Unfortunately the same friend cycles steroids and his suggestion to me was weights and winnistrol which I will never ever do because I know that way leads to a bad place.

So that being said I am looking at two beachbody programs right now. And here's how my life for the next 75 days looks:

July 15th, my wife and I go to the Philippines. July 31st I return - she returns 2 months later.

I work outdoors in las Vegas (115 heat every day) and when I return I was set to do p90x but now am looking at insanity... The reason being is that I am 5' 9" and 179 lbs.
I can do 10-14 minutes of hiit on the treadmill to exhaustion so I'm thinking my fitness level is ok but really my main goal is good fat loss to see real cuts.

I'm starting to believe that underneath it all I have good genetics as if I simply eat clean I drop fat fast... So I believe there is a possibility that if I can cycle programs (Insanity/p90x or angood lifting plan) by the time I am 30yrs old I could look better than ever, maybe even as good as the friend I mentioned in time.

For those of you who have more experience in this, how effective is Insanity at fat loss?

I can in theory rip it to my phone and do it on vacation I suppose... A good benefit.

But really I want a much slimmer physique to add muscle to and my job really demands I be in better physical condition than I am as i work outdoors all day long in the heat.

Insanity done outdoors? Will that kill me or condition me?
Thanks for any replies...

In short:
1) fat loss
2) muscle gain
3) fat loss

Over and over again...
And am I in the right direction?

[stowellomite]

I have done both. I finished P90X about a month ago and with anything diet is 90% of results. As far as getting fat of your body Insanity will slice it off and tone w/e is there but you aren't going to add any mass. During phase 2 I was burning around 1000 cals a workout (I wear a HR monitor). Insanity is great at getting you to a running HR (85%) w/o actually running and rotating you from squat type movements to pushup movements as you start to gas on them. It sounds like you are more interested in burning the fat for some quick results so I would probably go with Insanity and you don't need to run it outside to burn 1000 cals :P

P90X was great at getting me back into weights (had not since the marines). They hold your hand through every move and get you in the practice of logging meals and workouts which is something I probably would have never done without someone yapping it at me.

I did gain 4 lean pounds which you can see in my progress photos but in contrast I have added another 4 in 1 month of full body and find it easier to consume a much smaller surplus to meet my goals. With all that said I still value the virtual trainer experience I got from P90X as it got me logging, measuring, setting goals and committing to work every day. So far it has carried over into my new routine. I also regularly use the stretch routine once a week. It is the best hour of my week!

[stevenjcampbell]

Thanks for the speedy reply. Really Dieting isn't all that hard for me. I either over eat or eat perfectly. There is. No in between - no "1 slice of pizza" for me. It's four or zero. Hence why I refuse "dabble" in the juice.

So over the sixty days my wife is gone I wonder how much I can loose.

My plan is just as you said, fat loss... As in real results in the initial 60 days then p90x to get my muscles to pop a little and take it from there.
I may want to get a HR monitor myself as I can only fathom what sorta calories I burn pitching married couples to do timeshare in the heat...

1000 calories x 6 days is almost albs a week of fat loss...
Makes me want to start today and do
It through vacation but I may miss workouts if i try that as it's a big family affair.

Lots to think of

[stowellomite]

Make sure you check eBay or Craigslist to save you some $$$. During phase one (1st month) it was around 650 cals; phase two (second month) it was the 1000. I burned off 15 pounds and was really left with nothing at 137. I didn't want to lose that much but it gets addicting and my diet was too far into deficit. I have been happy to start slowly climbing back up with quality weight. I had a friend go from 185 to 150 @ 5'7. It all depends on how much of a deficit you want to run. For my friend there was so much extra on him that the first 10 pounds came off in less then 2 weeks. The rest evened out for him at a more appropriate pace.

I would most def get an HR monitor. Even a cheap $30 one that you have to check will work great as you get mini breaks that will allow you to push the button.

[stevenjcampbell]

Make sure you check eBay or Craigslist to save you some $$$. During phase one (1st month) it was around 650 cals; phase two (second month) it was the 1000. I burned off 15 pounds and was really left with nothing at 137. I didn't want to lose that much but it gets addicting and my diet was too far into deficit. I have been happy to start slowly climbing back up with quality weight. I had a friend go from 185 to 150 @ 5'7. It all depends on how much of a deficit you want to run. For my friend there was so much extra on him that the first 10 pounds came off in less then 2 weeks. The rest evened out for him at a more appropriate pace.

I would most def get an HR monitor. Even a cheap $30 one that you have to check will work great as you get mini breaks that will allow you to push the button.

How long minute wise are the actual workouts? If they are long then it wouldn't be HIIT right?

My diet has been insanely low for a month. Mianly complex grains in the am, salad fro lunch, protien in the evening and little fruits mixed in during the day.

I lifted using a "ghetto" cable machine at my condo but when I reflected upon why I always failed... I realize that when I had to drive somewhere, change, workout, drive home it was easy to make excuses.

When I realized that "wow, in five weeks I can't be fat" I did hiit three or four days a week and lifted moderate weights high reps and lost sixteen lbs and nearly 2 pant sizes in that five weeks.

If these beachbody programs didn't work then they'd be doing a heck of an amazing "convert" ad campaign on YouTube...

One more q... I plan on doing p90x with bands... Ppl say u can get the same results as dumbbells... I mean Maybe even better as bands require more stabalizer muscles to react right?

I really don't have the space for an entire weight set and don't want to spend $300+ on the bowflex type compact sets.

[stevenjcampbell]

Bump? Just wondering about resisistance bands etc...