I find my customers fit into one of two categories. Those that want to lose weight and those that want to gain muscle mass. An alternative on the second would be that they have lost the weight, and then want to add some lean muscle mass back on. You can read articles all over the internet on how to accomplish these two tasks. Simply google: How to gain muscle mass, or how to lose weight. Well, in my opinion, Beachbody has already proven that losing weight with their programs is easy. Well, that’s not entirely correct. Beachbody programs provide you with easy to follow fitness and nutrition plans.
You still have to be prepared to do the workouts and eat properly. But I want to focus on the question I get asked quite often. And if Beachbody is capable of giving you the tools to lose weight, then I believe they can help you gain muscle mass with P90X. Read the article below by Beachbody advisor Steve Edwards, and then get big. If you have success, we want to hear about it too. Email us your success story!
 | Before the BEAST, it was necessary to modify P90X to Gain Mass. NOW… you don’t have to modify. Body Beast was designed to gain muscle mass! Learn More |
Can I gain weight with P90X?
Guys have a thing for mass. It’s hard to explain, really, but boys seem to grow up wanting nothing more than to be big. Guys want speedboats and trucks, and they want to look like The Hulk, regardless of what their wives may think of green skin. If this sounds like you, here’s the article you’ve been looking for: customizing P90X for mass.
Even if mass is your only goal, make sure to read the subsequent articles in the series on customizing the X. Subscribe to our blog to catch these articles as they come out. The principles discussed in subsequent articles will be put to use here. To look like The Hulk, you don’t need to have a mad scientist father, but you do need to consider science as we know it. What is mass?
What is mass?
Because many of our Success Stories, not to mention Tony, aren’t exactly skinny, we must begin by defining mass—most of you are looking for more. Mass simply means size. As part of the word massive, we assume it means above average in size. It doesn’t, but that’s beside the point. A program targeting mass is concerned with one thing: muscle growth (from here on in referred to as hypertrophy), and a lot of it.
In a training cycle for mass, we should target hypertrophy even at the expense of other fitness goals. P90X is not a system designed for mass. It’s designed for overall fitness, which means that ultimate gains in targeted areas, like speed, strength, flexibility, and muscle growth, are compromised to provide a program that improves all of your body’s physical energy systems during one 90-day effort. We feel as though this is the preferred training system because it addresses the big picture. But if your picture is quite literally being bigger, then you’ll need to read on.
Foundation
You’ve read about the capacity for improvement throughout this series, so here’s where I tell you to do a round of P90X as it’s designed before embarking on a mass-specific program. It’s healthier, sure, but it’s more than that. Training all of your body’s energy systems until they’re running efficiently increases your body’s ability to do, well, anything. Part of anything includes looking like Lou Ferrigno. Once you’ve done a round of the X and aced your fit test, the foundation has been laid. You’re ready to start gettin’ big.
Resistance
Tony loves the word specificity. He often uses it when referring to exercise movements, but we’re going to use it to refer to the equipment you’ll need. With mass as your goal, you’d better acquire specific resistance equipment. The simplest form is weights; however, mass can also be created by using other forms of tension, like resistance bands. The bottom line is that if mass is your goal, you’ll need to have more weight available than you’ve been using. Body weight and plyometric movements can be used effectively for strength training, but strength and hypertrophy are not synonymous. To make hypertrophic gains, you’re going to need to find ways to make your body fail at a given number of repetitions. You’ll want an array of weights and bands, and some extra devices like ankle and wrist weights, or a weight vest, to add resistance to all the movements you’re doing.
The difference between size and strength
As we touched on last time, hypertrophy training simply increases the size of the muscle. Strength training increases the efficiency of the muscle. Large muscles have a greater capacity for strength. Absolute strength is the ability of the muscle to use all of its muscle cells for movement. People in sports dependent on strength-to-weight ratios target high muscular efficiency in their training, whereas those in sheer size-dependent sports will focus more on hypertrophy. Most sports are somewhat dependent on both size and strength, which are ideally improved during different cycles of training.
Periodization
The periodizational concepts that have been discussed in prior issues need to be explained here before a mass schedule is created. Remember that a standard schedule would look similar to this:
Foundation phase (Power 90® or what you did pre-X) + block 1 + transition/recovery + block 2 + transition/recovery + block 3 + recovery = peak (final fit test)
The difference here is that we’re going to structure an entire training cycle based only on hypertrophy. This means we won’t be setting up a peak phase. Over a long period of time, you would want to teach your muscles how to function more efficiently. We’ll get to this at the end.
For now, we’ll just say that there is still a periodizational approach to consider. You will still adapt, gain, and plateau over time, so we’ll need a structure to keep this happening. But the structure will be dependent simply on rep schemes (the number of repetitions that you target to bring you to failure) and progressive overload. The blocks of our 90-day schedule will each target a different number of repetitions, which you’ll want to aim for to induce failure. But because we’re not changing the schedule much, and thus creating less Muscle Confusion™, we won’t need such frequent recovery phases.
Progressive overload
Hypertrophy is all about creating progressive overload. To create muscle growth, you must keep stimulating the muscles during each workout. This requires that you add weight as necessary to create failure at the desired number of reps.
Recovery
The more we can focus on hypertrophy, the more muscle we’ll gain. Since we only have so much energy to expend, this means we should spend less time working on other areas. This is where you’ll see the biggest differences from the traditional P90X schedules. When you’re not training for hypertrophy, your entire focus should be on preparing your body to create more hypertrophy. Therefore, the P90X mass schedule will have a lot of active recovery and flexibility work and very little intense cardio. This means we’ll spend more time recovering during each training block and taking fewer periods focused solely on recovery.
Putting it all together
Before we get to the schedule, here are some general things to consider. The first is pacing. Instead of following the kids in the videos, target your rep scheme (and push pause when necessary). Do each set to failure (if you can add enough resistance; if not, get as close as you can), and don’t exceed your targeted number of reps. Do not, however, use the pause button simply to increase the time between exercises.
A good way to choose the resistance for each movement is to use enough so that you can only do the lower number of your targeted rep scheme. Once you can do the higher number, it’s time to increase the resistance.
Do your repetitions slowly and with control. Speed is for power, not size. Focus on perfect form and only add weight when you can do each rep with great form.
When you’re done, you’re done. You don’t need to finish an entire workout if you’re struggling. Once you lose the ability to move the weight or do the move in strict form, stop the workout. Any further training would only create more breakdown than you could recover from and increase your risk of injury.
Your diet
You won’t be burning as many calories as you would during the classic schedule of the X. If you eat the same amount, you may gain more mass, but you’ll also gain more body fat. This might or might not be acceptable, so pay attention and adjust your diet as necessary. If you want mass, then you need to eat enough for your body to put on weight. For more tips on diet and nutrition, while trying to gain muscle mass, read this article.
Block 1, phase 1
Weeks 1 through 3
* Day 1: Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps
* Day 2: Cardio X, Ab Ripper X
* Day 3: Legs & Back
* Day 4: X Stretch; Ab Ripper X or Abs/Core Plus (from P90X Plus)
* Day 5: Back & Biceps
* Day 6: Yoga X
* Day 7: Off
Targeted number of reps: 8 to 12 (focus on 10 to 12)
Block 1, phase 2
Weeks 4 through 6
* Day 1: Chest & Back
* Day 2: Cardio X, Ab Ripper X
* Day 3: Shoulders & Arms
* Day 4: X Stretch; Ab Ripper X or Abs/Core Plus
* Day 5: Legs & Back
* Day 6: Yoga X
* Day 7: Off
Targeted number of reps: 8 to 12 (focus on 8 to 10)
Recovery Block
Week 7
* Day 1: X Stretch
* Day 2: Yoga X
* Day 3: Core Synergistics
* Day 4: Kenpo X
* Day 5: Yoga X
* Day 6: X Stretch
* Day 7: Off
Block 2, phase 1
Weeks 8 and 9
* Day 1: Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps
* Day 2: Cardio X, Ab Ripper X
* Day 3: Legs & Back
* Day 4: X Stretch; Ab Ripper X or Abs/Core Plus
* Day 5: Back & Biceps
* Day 6: Yoga X
* Day 7: Off
* Day 8: Chest & Back
* Day 9: Cardio X, Ab Riper X
* Day 10: Shoulders & Arms
* Day 11: X Stretch; Ab Ripper X or Abs/Core Plus
* Day 12: Legs & Back
* Day 13: Yoga X
* Day 14: Off
Targeted number of reps: 6 to 10
Block 2, phase 2
Weeks 10 and 11
Same schedule as weeks 8 and 9
Targeted number of reps: 4 to 8
Block 2, phase 3
Week 12 and 13
Same schedule as weeks 8 and 9
Targeted number of reps: 4 to 6
Final note: This is an entire cycle of training based only on hypertrophy. To have an athletically efficient physique, you should do other training cycles that target different goals. Even if your only goal is hypertrophy, training these other systems properly will improve your body’s physical systems and increase your capacity for muscle growth, as well as the speed at which you can add or shed muscle and fat. So while you can tweak and reuse this basic structure over and over, it will also benefit you to get back to basics and do P90X classic from time to time.
So what diet would I follow? Do I follow the normal p90x level II diet?
“You won’t be burning as many calories as you would during the classic schedule of the X. If you eat the same amount, you may gain more mass, but you’ll also gain more body fat. This might or might not be acceptable, so pay attention and adjust your diet as necessary. If you want mass, then you need to eat enough for your body to put on weight. I will write more about this diet scenario in the future.”
You can start with the Level 2 diet. This rotation will be reducing cardio, so it might be enough at that level. However, if you are not gaining, I would start out by adding 200 calories per day. Monitor, see how you do. Continue to add 100-200 calories until you are gaining no more than 2 lbs per week to minimize fat gain. Keep us posted!
First, I really appreciate the site and info.
Here is what happened with me. I was in good shape but I wanted to build muscle. I decided to do the P90X. I was about 170lbs., 5’11 and 12.5% body fat when I started. I did the portion approach since I go to school and work. After the first week, I was more disciplined and followed the diet. I would eat around 2500-2600 calories (based on the calculations) at the 50-30-20 ratio (used myfit to keep track). However, by end of week 4, I had gone up to 180, but now my body fat had gone up to 13.7-14%. I have stopped doing the program for the past week or two because of exams and I felt something was not going right.
Soooo, should I give this a try at the 2400 calorie/day? I assume my body fat percentage would go down then?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Hi John, Adding weight is HARD, especially when you are trying to gain LEAN muscle mass. You are going to put some extra fat on, but you can try to minimize this by gaining no more than 2 lbs per week. Go slower if you like, go for one lb a week. Since everyone is different. 2400 calories might work for you, but not someone else. There is going to be some experimentation involved, until you find what works for you personally. So with the 1-2 lbs as a goal, adjust your calories up or down until you see this goal met. Then hold steady. So start on your daily calories, and hold it for about 2 weeks, and see what your weight gain is. If its too much, adjust down 200 calories per day, or likewise, adjust up 200, depending on what happened that two weeks. Then go another 2 weeks and see what happens. In time, and consistent eating behavior, you will see where you need to be. You can also adjust your amount of carb percentage too. But I would start with the calories first. Hope this helps!
Thanks again, I guess my main concern was that my fat percentage was going up in the “fat shredder” phase. I felt I was getting stronger but everything I read said I should not have gained fat during this phase. That is when I eventually came to your site. Was this normal?
I wanna gain mass. Should I do the cardio videos? Tell me which ones to do and not to. Thanks !
Michael, I would definitely do the cardio videos. As a matter of fact, I would do the exact rotation presented in the article. The secret to adding mass is eating more calories than you burn in a day, but also not so many that you put on too much too quick and gain fat. You’ll gain some, but if you put your weight gain to 1-2 lbs per week, you’ll do ok. Now you will have to be the one to monitor this. Consistency is going to make this work, along with nutritional discipline. Pick a calorie level that is above your daily calorie burn, than add around 300 calories. Monitor your progress by checking your body fat levels, measurements and the scale. If you see you are adding too much weight too fast, slow down on the calories. If you are not seeing a 1 lb increase each week, add a couple hundred calories. Slowly but surely, you will get the right amount for you. Everyone is different. Good luck, and come back and let us know how your doing!
so with the exercises that do not require weights (push ups, pull ups) should i also do the recommended reps if i want to gain mass?
Timothy, I sometimes wear a weight vest on push ups and pull ups, to increase the intensity and lower my reps, due to the extra weight. Just an idea.
hi thanks for the info. i had a concern.
on week 12 its says to do week 8 and 9 does it mean weeks 12 and 13? or what?
thanks a bunch bro.
Hey Mike, yes that should be week 12 and 13. It was one week short!! What do you think so far? Results?
It’s been corrected now.
thanks!
result city is going well i am on week 11 of the classic version and will be trying mass x after.
thanks for askig.
Awesome Mike. Come back and let us know your results from P90X classic, and how you are doing on the mass. Talk to you soon,
Robert
Hey, where’s a cheap place to get a weighted vest??
Dave, I got mine at Wal-Mart, seems to work fine.
Sweet thanks!
This is great! I’ve always been on the smaller size. I got nice and ripped doing 4 rounds of P90X classic, but I never got the size I wanted. During the summer I took a break from P90X and did supersets of chins and dips (10 sets of 10 of each) twice a week, with a short HIIT workout two other days. I was surprised at how much mass I gained. But I also felt “out of shape”, and gained some body fat, so I definitely want to get back into P90X. I’m concerned I will lose the muscle I gained, though.
I’m 5’10 170lbs. I’d like to gain about 5-10lbs of lean muscle and little/no body fat. I’m going to give this workout a try. Unless you think I should just do a round of 90X classic, but just eat more and lift w/ heavier weights?
I think you could go either way. On one hand you could try to do a P90X Classic round and lean down before adding lean muscle. Or you could jump straight to the mass routine, and follow up with a classic round to lean up after you add some muscle. The second sounds better to me, but it’s your choice!
Thanks Robert. I’m going to do this routine first, then follow with either P90X classic or P90X+. I found P90X+ to be much more cardio-focused and a good option for leaning down.
I started this morning (chest, shoulders, tris) with a 20lb backpack for the bodyweight exercises, and slowing down my form for the dumbbell moves. Very challenging! I’ll post updates on my progress.
Hey Rob, do you recommend taking supplements like ZMA while on this routine?
I have taken ZMA before, but quite honestly, I don’t know if I seen any improvement. My nutrition is pretty simple. I am currently only taking Creatine, Shakeology, and the Activit Core Pack. Plus basics like protein etc.
One more thing, you said you’d write more about a ‘diet scenario’ in the future? Ever get to that?
I’ll see if I can’t get you some ideas in the next couple of days, stay tuned. 🙂
will it help my strength if rather than doing pushups for the chest excercises i do the the bench press instead. will i gain more muscle mass that way and build strength alot faster.and it would be a little harder to do hypertrophy.if this makes any since to you.
im basically substituting pushups for bench pressing (wide pushups, il just do wide grip bench instead
David, I think it would be just fine to swap in bench presses instead of the push ups. Good idea, one I have done myself. Keep me posted!
are you able to give me tips on what to eat to gain weight and muscle mass.im starting your p90x routine on monday . im able to eat every 2 hrs but i dont know what type of food to eat. right now im taking mega men sport vitamins and protein supplement called amped.i appreciate any advice that you can give me.im here to get ripped and big, thanks.
Hello Robert,
Just to give a quick update. I’m entering week 10 of this routine. I didn’t take before/after pictures, but I do feel that I’ve put on some muscle. The scale hasn’t moved much (maybe 3-5lbs total), but maybe that is because I’m just not eating/supplementing enough. I think diet has probably been the biggest struggle.
I also don’t have enough weights at home to produce failure at 4-6 reps, especially push ups and some of the legs/back exercises. I’m thinking that for the last 4 weeks of this routine I’ll replace the push ups with weighted dips.
Overall I’m impressed with the routine. Thanks for putting this together!
Thanks for the update RV,
Have you considered using some resistance bands for push ups? I have used a resistance band in a push up position, holding a handle in each hand, and the band over my back. It creates resistance. The band tends to slip easily, but I liked it enough that I actually purchased this from Lifeline USA. http://www.lifelineusa.com/en/products/powr-pushup-2
If nothing else it will give you an idea of what you can do to create resistance. I have also used a weighted vest with push ups.
The nutrition part is harder to do, I will try to get a sample for you soon, I have had some other requests too. Keep up the good work. And if the 3-5 lbs is clean muscle mass, there is nothing wrong with that! It’s best to put it on slowly, if you are wanting to maintain a lean physique.
Hey RV, how much are you lifting per dumbbell? I ask because I’m on the same boat and don’t have much flexibility with my weights. Never buy the generic Walmart brands >:(
Oh, and how much are you lifting Robert? Just curious.
I use PowerBlocks personally. It’s an investment on the front end, but so worth it. I have had mine for almost 4 years, and they are still working great. Two blocks, so there are not a bunch of weights lying around, and mine max out at 65lb each. I highly recommend them. Here’s the link to Power Block.
I got P90x a few months ago but couldn’t find the time to begin it. Now the winter semester is coming up and I plan to begin sometime in December.
Only question: should I wait up for you to post a diet guide or is there a section in the nutrition guide that gives me a diet routine for muscle building?
Thanks
My apologies for the delay in getting this article posted about nutrition for those trying to gain weight. See if the information here helps!
https://www.extremely-fit.com/fitness-tips/2010/11/gain-weight-fat/
lastResort, You have two options. If you have yet to go through P90X, you might do the first 90 days as written, meaning follow the nutrition plan exactly as it states. You will likely lean up quite a bit during that first 90 days. Then after that 90 days, if you are as lean as you want to be, but want to have more lean muscle, starting adding more calories to the meal plan. Keep an eye on your weight. If you are still losing weight, add on a few more calories per day. 200 or so. This will be a slower process, but you will stay leaner, and look better. The other option is to start P90X the first time and try to add weight from day 1. If this is your choice, start the diet as its written, but monitor your weight and add 100-200 calories per day until you are gaining weight and not losing. Only gain about a pound per week to keep from gaining to much fat as well as muscle. I also posted a nutrition article in the comments, be sure to check that out.
I don’t understand the weight gaining part to build muscle. What if I’m already kind of a heavy set guy? Let’s say I’m pretty satisfied with weighing 160 lbs., should I still gain weight while I’m on this routine to build muscle, or will weight training just burn the extra fat I still have stored and convert that to muscle?
Ravenent, If you are heavy set, I would follow P90X exactly as written. The classic rotation or lean rotation. Then use the nutrition guide to find the right number of calories. Do that for 90 days and see what your results are. If you are heavy set, I would think “leaning out” will be your best bet, and the traditional rotation of P90X will do just that! Good luck, come back and let us know how you are doing!
Hey Robert How You Doin?
A few questions for you i started p90x a guy with very little muscle and a gut 5’9 168 now after finshing my first round of p90x classic ive gotten a lean look and gained good musle gains as well. My weight now is 158. My question is i didn’t do any yoga i subsituted it for cardio intervals from power 90. Could i do the same thing here ? and also i followed my own healthy diet now the p90x sample. and finally im using 100 whey protein from twin labs workes good, should i jump up to creatine for hypertrophy? I want size im as lean as i want to be.
Thanks Bud,
Andrew
Hey guys…
one more question also when the article says the rep count push up and pull ups would still be max reps correct?
Andrew, I’m thrilled you are getting the results you want with P90X. Consistency always pays off! A lot of people hate the Yoga portion of the P90X program. While I can’t say I enjoy it myself, I do see the benefits of increased flexibility and movement. Try doing the first 45 minutes of the Yoga X workout, skip the last portion or balance postures. You can also take a look at some P90X One on One workouts, like Fountain of Youth or Patience Hummingbird. Both of those are only 45 minutes as well. You have to trust that Tony believes it’s important or he wouldn’t have added it to the program. You have to remember, that recovery is a BIG part of adding muscle mass. Cardio still has its place, to prevent fat gain, but should be kept at an acceptable level, otherwise your goal of adding muscle will be affected. Having said that, you know what works best for you. I would add 1-2 lbs per week max, so that you can stay lean. If you gain more than that AND you want to stay lean, you either need to back off the cardio, or back off the calories. I would add some creatine too!
Yes to max reps, but I would emphasize slow and controlled, and not focus on getting a high number.
Robert,
Thanks alot for the advice one last thing any tips on good creatine supplements ? I tryed six star’s muscle building formula with creatine mono., it would stick to the cup and didn’t see as much gain as expected?
Thanks, Andrew
I take just regular micronized creatine. http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/hp/creatine.html
Although, I have just heard of a new pre-workout mix from Muscle Sport called Pre-Workout Lean Revolution. I’m having trouble finding it for a good price, but you may look in local nutrition stores if you have any.
How you doin robert,
Just giving the page a little update.. January 3rd i started the mass X round i will post my 30 day results
Thanks 4 all the tips ill keep you posted
Andrew, keep us posted, I am very interested in how it goes for you!
Robert, I’m 5-6, 135 pounds 11% body fat. What do you recommend me to do with p90x? Should I do your version and gain lean muscle mass slowly or just do p90x as it? problem is it’s very difficult for me to follow the portion plan phase 1. I just can’t come up with the 50-30-20 ratio, Should I start of with the phase 2 or phase 3 diet plan rather than phase 1? or should I just come up with my own diet, what ratio of carbs, fats, and proteins should I take. My goals are to bring my body fat down below 7% but to also gain lean muscle mass and weight.
Thank you.
Ted,
If you have not done P90X yet, I would do the program exactly as it is stated in the manuals. THis will build you a solid foundation. After that you should be pretty lean, and we can work on adding in some muscle mass. It’s hard to put on mass and lose fat at the same time. I would focus on a complete round on insanity and leaning out the rest of the way first. Keep me posted!
Thank you for the insight Robert, But I just done the calculations for the Nutrition plan and for a level 2 like myself, it states I take over 300 grams of protein in order to achieve the 50-30-20 ratio. My concern is taking in that much protein because I only weigh 135 pounds.
Ted, take a look at phase 2 of the meal plan. That has a higher carb content, and might make your protein a bit more tolerable. 🙂
Hey Robert,
I like the information on the website here. I am going to invest in P90x
My main problem is I am 6’4 and 130lbs. I want to gain mass using P90x. Would you recommend it that I follow the guide line how it is written in both nutrition and routine? The idea I’m understanding is, lean out first then worry about mass by using hypertrophy( doing high enough weights where i cannot finish the set but without ruining form). I want to use XXX mass(hard gainer 4scoops 990cal) to help with the progress. I just do not know what is best for me.
Hey Rob, I in general and to many people am a very fit person, but in my eyes I’m still “scrawny”, just over a year ago i weighed 130 lbs, and now im at about 165, with 5-6% percent body fat. I took a break from going to the gym for a month so i could study for the exams and let my body just relax. So I saw your program, and thought to myself maybe this will help me feel more of a burn and help me gain some more weight. Let me tell you, I started on tuesday and i am soooo sore lol. I haven’t felt like this in a reaallly long time lmao. My question is, am i supposed to feel this sore after the first 2 days?, and how soon should i start noticing results?, my diet as of last week is a 4-5k calorie diet, and im eating about 180 grams of protein a day easy.
Matt, Since P90X is such an intense program, you will be sore. It will start to ease up, but this is a program your body is not used too. Keep working out hard, and monitor your weight and body fat. If you start to gain weight too fast, you’ll put on more fat than you want, so adjust you calorie to add about 1-2 lbs a week. Consistent working out and clean eating will get you there! Keep me posted on your progress!
Josh, since you need weight, and are plenty lean, I would do this rotation for workouts. I would also start with phase 2 of the diet, and be sure to get plenty of calories. The weight gainer is fine to help, but more whole foods is better. Let me know how you’re doing.
Hi Robert,
So here is the deal!! I am 5ft almost 1 inch female and currently weigh around 118lbs. What I want to do is be able to gain muscle and be able to lift a decent amount of weight! Like over 100lbs efficiently and be able to walk and move that amount of weight. Do you think I would be able to accomplish that doing the classic P90x? I have done week one and starting week two and I am totally sore but I need to be able to lift a lot of weight for my dream job and cant allow being short and small to get in the way. Please let me know your opinions and ideas!!! Thanks so much!
Her Robert,
This looks like a great work out! I cant wait to try it. I was woundering when you say, “When you’re done, you’re done. You don’t need to finish an entire workout if you’re struggling” it means pretty much when you have reach the point durring the whole workout (middle of workout or wherever) where you can not do the exercise with good form and your muscles are toast you end the entire workout? maybe do the cool down and call it quits for the day? And if this happens can you still see gains?
Thanks alot!
Jess,
Make sure to eat extra calories to add muscle and weight if that is your goal. I must admit, I’m curious what your dream job is. You can certainly get stronger doing P90X. I would keep up the workouts, modify your diet to add lean muscle mass, and see how you progress. Keep me posted!
Tom,
Exactly. Track your progress, and take notes on how you do, reps, weight, etc. If you are no longer able to keep good form, then there is no sense in progressing, as you are no longer getting any benefits. Just mark your progress, and try to do more the next time. Many people try to finish with bad form, and end up doing more damage then good. You’re still going to see gains, because you are going to stay consistent week to week. Let me know how you are doing.
Hi Robert,
Great article, thank you. I’m 39, male, 5′ 11” and weigh 152 lbs. I figure I’m around 25 lbs under weight. My metabolism has always run very high, and I’ve always had problems gaining weight. I’m about to start P90X, would I be better off with this routine? Or should I do the classic? My near term goal is to gain 10-15 lbs by the end of the 90 days, is that realistic? How about the nutrition plan, should I start with phase II?
Thanks for the help!
Also, what is your preferred method for checking body fat?
Thanks again.
I think the calipers are the only way to go. Easy to use, and affordable, and you can use them at home. http://www.extremely-fit.com/body-fat-tester.html
Tony, Have you done a round of P90X yet? If not, I would recommend Classic to start, then your second round to be this routine. When you figure up your calories, be consistent with your nutrition, so you can adjust as needed. Meaning, if you are losing weight, and your are consistently eating XX number of calories, then you can add 100-200 calories per day. Go a week or so and see if you are still losing. Keep slowly adding calories until you stop losing, and start showing a slow weight gain. Maybe 1-2 lbs per week. I find that you can gain weight faster, but gaining 1-2 per week is less fat, and more lean muscle. Let me know if you have any more questions. Good luck, and let me know how you’re doing!
Hey Robert,
Love the article. I am just finishing my 4th week and have already added 7 lbs while my body fat percentage has only increased by 0.5%!
Some of the exercises, especially in the legs and back workout, have a set number of reps (ex. “everybody does 25”). If I am following this program, should I do the exercises as describe by Tony, or should I up the weight to hit the “targeted rep range?” Thank you!
Toby,
That’s awesome! If it were me, and everyone is different, I’d add weight to the Legs routine. Some of our readers may like to know what a typical day of nutrition looks like for you. How many calories over your maintenance calories, and what foods you are going for. Keep us posted, and keep going STRONG.
Hey Robert,
Last January I weighed in at 140lbs and set a goal to gain 30 lbs in the long run. I was on a consistent low rep weight training routine and carried a healthy died while using weight gaining supplements. In July I unfortunately fell out of weight training due to what was going on in my life at the time. At that stage I had reached a weight of 163 lbs. Since then I lost some of the muscle I put on and currently weigh in at 151 lbs and at a height of 5’9. I have always had weight gaining issues due to my quick metabolism. I would like to get back into shape with the goal of gaining muscle mass. Do you think that it will benefit myself to do the original P90x first or go straight to the modified routine stated above? Or go with a more traditional muscle building routine? Everyone I talk to preaches that I will only get toned and not gain the muscle mass I am looking for.
Carlo,
Ultimately it will be your decision on what you think is best for you. I think the rotation laid out here is pretty good, and if you already have P90X, you can just jump right in with whichever you decide to do. If you are wanting to gain weight, try this rotation and see how you do. Let us know!
Hi Robert,
I am 18, 6’0 and weigh 169-171 ibs. I am an athlete looking to build muscle mass and become lean, toned and ripped at the same time. Is this possible with the Classic P90X routine or should I follow the Hypertrophie routine stated above?
Thanks in advance!
-Nick
If you have yet to do P90X Classic, I would it first, establish a good baseline, then look at this routine as a follow-up routine.
hey Rob,
Im 19, 6’2 and weigh about 175-180. Ive done p90x for about 3 90 day cycles and have had great results, but no major gains to my size. should i purchase a weight vest for the push ups so i can target lower reps( my max push up count in 2 minites is 69) or should i just stick to doing the higher amount that im doing now. also if my pull ups are around the 12 count should i use a weight vest for that or is it not needed.
thank you
Hey Chris, Great work on the X for 3 rounds! If you are wanting to gain weight, I would try bumping your calories, 100-200 per day to start, and see if you can start adding a little weight. Be sure its clean calories though. I would consider that vest. I got one fairly cheap at Wal-Mart, that would allow me to add weight or take it away, make the vest adjustable. That should help too. Give it a shot and let me know how you’re doing.
hi , Rober
im currently 5’4 i weight 120, and my dream has been to get tone specially my floppy arm shoulders and my floppy belly my idea is to be able to see my arms really firm with a little muscle ,and to have really nice abs what kind of routine level should i do?
Kayla, I would do either the Classic of the Lean version of P90X as it’s shown in the fitness guide. I wouldn’t do the Muscle mass rotation until you have gotten the abs you are looking for. Then go for more lean muscle with this rotation. Just my two cents. 🙂
one more questions i have done the abs ripperx before but it dosent hurt mpor anything i wasent feeling any thing so i quit doing it does abs ripperx really works?
sorry to bother you again, im new at this so sorry if im a bother. i have a question, in order to gain muscle what do you recommend, less weight and more reppeticion, or more weight and less reppeticion?
Kayla, ABX works for me, but you can always alternate in another ab routine if you find one you like more. Once you choose the Lean or Classic rotation, Tony Horton will guide you through the workouts with how many reps to do. Typically lighter weight more reps = tone. Heavier weights and less reps = more muscle. But again, just follow Tony’s lead.
thanks robert i appreciate your help.
I’m 18 and wanting to gain muscle im 5’8 and 165 i want to gain muscle but also at the same time i want to get abs..my concern is that will this schedule work for me? or should i stick to the classic of the p90x routine?
If it were me, I would do the Classic rotation, and try to lean out and get your abs that you want. Then consider doing this rotation to try and slowly add some lean muscle back in.
ok thanks for the advice…do you have any tips to get abs…. and i should add that im asian and rice is daily part of my meal any tips on how i should approach my diet to get a lean
Hey Robert,
I’m Currently 5’7, weigh about 135 lb, and my body fat % is 13. I have a descent amount of muscle mass but it looks skinny looking. I really wanna get abs but at the same time gain more muscle mass. Should i stick with the regular P90x or do your version of P90x?
Please message me back. Thank you!
The old saying “six packs are made in the kitchen” is definitely a true statement. You are going to have to eat very clean, and make sure you stay at enough of a calorie deficit to burn off the extra fat. Rice is okay, if it’s brown rice.
Caleb,
I almost always recommend completing a round of P90X “as is” first. Then after you have gotten a baseline for your results, then act accordingly with modifications. To great great abs, you are going to have to pay the price, and that means excellent, consistent nutrition.
Will i still be able to gain some muscle mass if i do the regular P90x?
Depends on what your diet and calorie intake is. Get the nutrition guide, look it over, and figure up the recommended calories. Follow the guide, and monitor your results. I couldn’t speculate what your results will be, everyone is different.
HEY ROBERT,
I JUST GOT P90X AND I AM TRYING TO GAIN WEIGHT I READ THE ARTICLE ABOUT ADDING CALORIES I WEIGHT ABOUT 125 MY HEIGHT IS ABOUT 5’7-5’8 I WANT TO BE FIREFIGHTER SO YEA I AM TRYING TO BEEF UP WHATS THE BEST THING FOR ME TO DO?
Shon, complete 90 days of P90X, just as the program specifies. Choose the classic version, follow that program, and build a strong foundation with the program. Then look at this rotation.
Im 28 yrs old, 6’1 and weigh 145 lbs. I have been in the Army for about 10 years now and I take being in shape seriously. My problem is that Im extrememly skinny for my height. I would like to put on weight and do so with muscle mass and not fat. What program would be good to use. I have been using the insanity for 2 weeks now. But I understand that to be more of a cardio workout, which makes you lose weight.
Joseph, If you are wanting to gain weight, consider doing P90X instead. A lot of cardio will make you burn up fat, and lose weight. If you want to continue Insanity, that’s fine too, but you are going to need to increase the amount of CLEAN calories you take in, to prevent dropping weight. Just my opinion.
Hey Robert,
I am 5’9 and 155 LBS. I just graduated yesterday and I plan on starting p90x today. I have three college football scholarship offers and I need to get bigger and stronger but I have not done the classic p90x video yet. What would you recommend? I need to get up to 170 by September and add a lot of muscle. My email is vandykid19@yahoo.com, please emil me so we can discuss the diet plan that would work best for my goals (I bought the DVD’s but no diet plan was with it)
Zack, All of our programs at Extremely-Fit.com will come with all necessary information to complete the program. If you didn’t receive the nutrition guide, I would contact the place you made the purchase from and try to obtain all the needed information. The diet guide is a big part of the program.
Hey Robert I have another Question if i am already small will doing the classic P90x make me even slimmer I say this because I see the infomercials and people are saying how they lose weight I just need clarification will make really cut or really skinny
Hey Rob, quick question. I am an avid cyclist and cycle an average of 20 miles a day, 5 days a week. I also work in inventory shipping so I am constantly working out my back on a regular basis. I was wondering what your suggestion would be for a replacement workout substituting the Legs and Back routine of every phase? I am already satisfied with the strength and size of my legs and back and want to focus more on my chest, arms, and abs.
Michael, You could really do anything you like. But I would say that if you love cycling, on Legs & Back day, go for a nice long ride. Or a ride with lots of hills. Then follow it up with the Ab Ripper X workout.
I will definitely do the ab workout, but my concern is if i I substitute legs and back with for example P90X+ upperbody plus or Insanity upperbody weight training, will that effect the recovery process/muscle building process of the first two resistance workouts earlier in the week (chest,shoulders,tri’s/back&biceps) ? Or in better terms, will I be working out the same muscle groups too often, leading to a plateau?
Michael,
While it’s up to you on what you substitute in, I would do my best to stay within the guidelines of the scheduled workouts. If you don’t want to do Legs & Back, I would add in a bike ride since that’s what you like to do. I would try to give each worked body part a good 24-48 hours off to recover. Again, its going to be what works best for you!
Hey Robert. I’m a soccer player and I’m already skinny enough and I’m looking to put on a little weight. I need to put on some muscle mass for the upcoming season. Soccer isn’t like football where its true brute strength either. Based on the part of the article where it talked about the difference between size and efficiency do you think i would be better of doing the classic or this one considering i play soccer. Also if I do the program I’ll be doing soccer workouts (running conditioning) simultaneously. My one concern is that if I’m trying to gain muscle mass while also running constantly i will be unable to gain muscle mass. Should I simply increase my calorie intake? Let me know thanks!!!
Kent, It’s all about the calories. If you want to put on weight, you have to eat more than you burn in a day. If you eat 3000 calories, and burn 3500 with P90X/Soccer, than you won’t gain weight. So consider more CLEAN calories in your diet. Then you may want to consider doing P90X on your non soccer days, and use your soccer as your cardio, in other words, instead of doing the cardio in the hybrid, do soccer. It will be a personal experiment, everyone is different. Monitor your results and make adjustments.
Great site! I have completed a couple of rounds of P90X and it has been great. I would like to try this rotation, but I am wondering if there was a smart way to add squat, bench, and deadlift to this program. Any ideas? Thanks, Robert.
Tim,
I think it would be up to you and your creativity, but I would include them as additional or “in place of” a few exercises on the days in question. For example. Add in squats on Legs & Back day, maybe even Deadlift. Then add in some Bench on Chest days. You can either sub them in for a few of the other exercises, or do them in addition to.
Thanks for the fast response! That sounds good. Perhaps I could use a 5 x 5 approach with bench, squat, and deadlift as additional exercises at the beginning of the workout, like you mentioned (only one additional exercise per workout). Let me know if you have any other thoughts, and I really appreciate your insight.
I think at the beginning would be good, and you can always modify it as you go too. In the end, you’ll know what works best for you. Good luck!
hey Robert,
Like you said in your artical, I am about to start a round of P90x classic and then hopefully continue with massX, but while doing the classic, should I still go for low reps and heavy wieghts or stick to what the dvds say (max reps and so on)?
thanks
Ross, I would follow the Classic P90X instruction. He’ll tell you which rep range to go with etc. THis is the best way to see what P90X can do for you “as is” before any changes. Keep me posted on your results!
Robert,
Great article. I have read through your comments….I just want to reiterate that you recommend doing the Classic P90x first before trying your Mass P90 routine?
Im 5’6″ 145lbs. which is normal weight for my height. Ive just got a beer gut. If I do the classic P90, I am scared I will lose too much weight.
Also, would you recommend a “high calorie protein supplement” for my situation?
Mark, Yes. I believe everyone should do a round of P90X “as is” first time through. Including the nutrition guide and meal plan. Then after you establish what the program can do, and where you are physically, then you can re-evaluate where you want to be and how to get there. I do recommend protein supplements, but before you worry about losing too much weight, lose the beer gut. And cut down on the alcohol in general, if not eliminate it all together, it will only slow your results. Do the program to lose weight first. Don’t think about “losing too much” until after you are as lean as you want to be. Then you can start adding lean muscle back on. Let me know how you’re doing!
Finished my first round of this and gained around 20lbs of muscle, skipped the cardio and the yoga (probably bad form but I hate cardio), calorie spiked quite extremely (definitely bad form) and shot from about 1500 -3500 to start to an eventual 4000-4500 calories in the final weeks. Went from 12% to around 16-17% bodyfat overall and now in the process of doing a cut. Essentially quite a dirty bulk but it worked quite well for me on the muscle front as I went from 130 to 170lbs at 5’8″ (hoping to be in the 155-160lbs area after I’m done then clean bulk this time up to 170 as I doubt my body could maintain the same muscle growth rate – I was very skinny and to be fair some of that is probably water weight or carb storage thrown in with a dash of beginner luck)
I added weight to just about everything and just aimed to max out or reach the ‘pump’ as often as possible. P90x has a lot of sets for just straight up lifting though (I doubt you really need that many if you are going for the 8-12 rep range, I was definitely flagging about 2/3rds in but I always try to grit my teeth and bare it for the final third).
I didn’t start off with regular P90x because my body is a furnace and I doubted all the jumping about sections would help with my muscle gain, I had to eat loads to gain, to give an example; I dropped back down to 1800 calories for the last two weeks cutting with just the lifting and already shifted 6lbs which is probably on the aggressive side.
thanks for the quick response Robert, I’m glad I stumbled on this website off google!
Sorry I worded my question wrong. You state, “Do the [classic] program to lose weight first”. I do not want to lose ANY weight off the classic P90x. Do you still recommend doing the classic first? I really just want to go against your advice and jump right into your Mass P90 routine.
Scott, It sounds like you found what was working for you, and went after it. Come back and let us know what your final cut weight/bodyfat is. How much weight did you cut, and your resulting bodyfat at the end. That would then tell us your overall lean muscle gain. Great job, and way to put in the work.
Robert: I’m just finishing up my first cycle of P90x classic, and I’ve loved it so far. Once I finish it up, I plan on trying your recommended schedule to add some mass. My question is. for exercises like pushups and pullups, how should I handle reps? Right now, I can do around 20 classic pushups and really don’t do less than 15 on the other types of pushups. Should I employ a weight vest to reduce the number of reps I’m capable of doing? Thanks so much!
Jonathan, congrats on finishing up your first round. I’m currently working through a short mass round myself, and I use these for pushup resistance. http://www.lifelineusa.com/products/strength/power-pushup.html. You can use a weight vest too, anything to make the reps shorter, and more challenging. On pullups, I have a dip belt that I use to add a weighted dumbbell. You can also use the vest again too. Good luck!
So I stumbled upon your site from google and I have been looking around trying to figure out if this is right for me. I am currently around 175-180, 5′ 10′ and about 14% body fat. I run probably 15 miles or so a week but since it has been so hot lately, I want to switch my workouts and get some muscle. Do you think I should jump straight into this or classic? Also I have always had trouble gaining muscle in the past and I was debating on taking creatine, have you had any experience with that?
Jake,
I would highly recommend a CLASSIC round first. I would follow the Classic rotation and follow the nutrition plan very closely. This will give you a detailed breakdown on number of daily calories, and the macro values for carb/protein/fat. This will give you a very solid foundation of P90X, and what it can do for you “as is”. After the first 90 days, if you decide you want to add more mass, look at this mass rotation again. If you haven’t purchased P90X yet, our store actually throws in 2 free DVDs that you can’t get elsewhere, so check it out here first. Same guarantees and products as Beachbody, we are authorized retailers. As far as creatine, here is a great post discussing creatine. I also use creatine on a daily basis. 🙂
hey i was planning on switching push ups with bench press varients
because my bad shoulder gets really irritated doing high reps
should i do 10 reps with a high weight for each excersise or should i do 2×8 with a little less weight
thanks
ch, I would experiment with both methods to see which one has the best effect. We are all going to respond differently. Try it each way, and see which you like best, and which way you think will give you the best results.
hey i haven’t done P90x yet im getting it soon i want to lose a little body fat and gain a lot of muscle. So should i do P90x the normal way with heavy weights and then on my second round do it your way. Or should i do it your way for round one
Mitch, Definitely do the traditional round of P90X first. This will set you up with a good basic foundation. Then come back and do the P90X Mass rotation. Make sure you get P90X from us. http://bit.ly/get-p90x-today
Two free Tony Horton workouts, not available elsewhere. Let me know how you are doing.
Hi I have been trying this approach for a little over 2 weeks. So far everything has been going well. I have finally figured out my nutritional calories, etc. However, I will be leaving for a conference for work for 4 days next week. I will have no weights available and only the great outdoors to use. What do you suggest? Should I just take the 4 days off, do some cardio outside, ab workouts, and then start again when I come back?
Nice and great article. i am very confuse about the p90x program and i do not know what to choose. i am currently 221, 6 ft 4 inch. Some people say im skinny but i think i need to lose some weight. Basically i want to have lean muscle, tone and i am trying to add some muscle on my upper body. Beside i did the p90x classic first round but no so much satisfied. Should i do your version or continue with the p90x?
Prims, If you feel like you need to lose some weight still, then I would repeat P90X Classic. The secret is, push hard on the workouts, as much as you can while being safe. The next big thing is, if you really want to lose weight, you MUST follow the nutrition guide. Eat the right amount of calories, and the right foods. THis is the big secret to getting the most from the program. Did you lose weight the first time through?
Adam, Sounds like you have cardio outdoors, ab work, and if you had bands… you could do some resistance training too. You are going to have to do the very best you can do while away, then make up some ground when you get back. Have a great trip!
I’m 6′ 160(skinny, always have been;can’t gain weight). I want noticeable muscle size but I don’t want the monstor muscles. Should I do the traditional program and if I do will I still gain enough size to atleast not be skinny anymore.
Stephen. I’d go through P90X “as is” to start. And then use the nutrition guide to determine your calories needed. You might even skip the phase 1 (high protein) month, and start with phase 2 (moderate protein), since you are a hard gainer. I’d even consider adding a few hundred calories a day to gain weight. Make sure you still eat clean, so you gain lean muscle. If you haven’t purchased P90X yet, you can get two extra DVDs when you purchase here: http://bit.ly/get-p90x-today
My biggest problem is my diet. I’ve never had a handle on it, eating randomly, sometimes healthy sometimes not. I have no idea what my average calorie intake is. Sometimes I eat a lot sometimes not. I need to make a schedule or something to follow. Any suggestions on which foods to eat for my 3 main meals? The 2 snacks I think might be shakes or something easy because my days are very busy now because of classes.
thanks!
Stephen, Sounds like you know your weak spots, so now you know what to improve on! Use myfitnesspal.com to track your calories for two weeks, this will tell you what you are doing nutrition wise, and where to improve. It will also help you stay healthy if you have to log your cheats. Get the diet nailed down, and the results will follow!
Hi I’ve done 4 rounds of p90x and one of insanity and I’m now on a hybrid of both I also run about 3miles a day…I’m 5’11 173pounds 14%body fat(I’ve lost exactly 100pounds so far) and I’m now looking to gain some mass but still lose more weight what do you suggest I do it sounds like this mass workout plan is just taking the reps slower and maxing out every time with the exception of some days switched around but basically the same thing as the classic….do you think if I just slow down the reps and increase the weight I can gain mass and loss weight I’m stuck on what to do….that is so much in advance
Josue!! Awesome weight loss!! You have got to be an inspiration to your friends and family. Nice job! While I’m not an expert, I believe it will be very difficult to lose weight and add muscle mass at the same time. I would continue to get as lean as you want to get first, then start slowly adding on lean muscle mass. Continue to stay at a calorie deficit until you reach your goal body fat percentage. Then start something like this. When you do, you can do as you suggested, slow down the reps, add more weight, less reps etc. Just keep going, can’t say it enough, fantastic job!
Hi Robert, I’m curious if I should start with classic p90x even though I’ve been lifting weight already for the last year and did p90x over the summer of 2010. Should I start with classic or go to mass? Also I’m 31,125 lbs, 5’8 have some fat on waist but skinny ectomorph. My goal is to gain muscle and get ripped/lose fat on waist. Should I do level I phase 1 plus a few hundred calories, or level II phase 1 or 2? Thanks!
Jeff,
If gaining weight is your goal, I would say phase 2. Your level (number of calories) should be a few hundred above your maintenance level. This level will need to be flexible. These things are unique to each person, so you may need to adjust frequently. You want to gain 1-2 lbs per week. Any more than that and you may put on more body fat than you would like. Adjust your calories to stay in this range.
Robert,
Thanks for the website. I just purchased a powerpush up based on my reading of your site.
I have been doing P90X for 2 years straight now. I started at 270lbs and probably 37% body fat (6’7″ tall). I did 4 rounds of classic P90X ate very strictly (no alcohol for 1 year). No sugars at all except from 3 small apples at each main meal. After 4 rounds I was at 191lbs with 5.1% body fat (have a digital analyzer). After this I was being told that I look sick and asked if I had cancer. Anyway, I did 2 modified bulk rounds that I started last Sept and finished in April this year. I was up to 237lbs and 14% bf. I did 2 rounds of classic again this summer and just finished this Monday. I am down to 205lbs and 9%bf. I figured this is about 5lb muscle gain in 8 months of bulk. From what I have read you can expect to gain 5-10lbs of muscle a year (I’m 35). Not to shabby.
That all said I am curious how some of the exercises are done to hit the targeted reps. For instance a lot of the moves in legs and back are extremely hard to use weights. I used a different leg workout.
I substituted bench press for the push ups and tried to mimic the grips (wide, military, decline). I also did weighted push ups with my powerblocks in a old northface back pack (excited to try the power push up). I weighted my pullups also with the pack. How do you or other reading these posts do some of the exercises for bulk? Which ones are difficult to do for bulking? Sorry to be long winded. Just excited to hear others stories and share mine.
Reed,
First of all, NICE! You have been putting in the work! Something to seriously consider, with your dedication: http://bit.ly/tbb-business
You are doing a lot of the right things for mass. I use power bands for push ups. A dip belt with added weight for pull ups. And then like, you, I get creative with making the moves more challenging where I can fail sooner than later. Legs & Back is a challenge. I do about half the leg moves, but use heavy weight. I do wish there were some bigger lifts in there somewhere too.
Hi. On week 1 it says ‘X Stretch; Ab Ripper X or Abs/Core Plus’.
I was wondering what the semicolon after X Stretch means?
Do you do X Stretch and Ab Ripper X or is it just one or the other?
I guess ‘Cardio X, Ab Ripper X’ means you do both.
Thanks
Thanks for all the info I have read so far. I am at the other end of the scale. I need to put on weight. I have always been a stick. I just started p90x with a minium 6 month commitment. I am 6-1 and weigh about 160 I have been as low as 129 when I was 18 I am looking for more of a build to improve my golf game. I do not need to look like a gorilla. I think more of a Tiger Woods build would be good. What is the best way to achieve this. Should I be looking at certian type of foods. I am not a big eater and do not want to sit down and eat 12 eggs with 3 pounds of meat.. any advice would be appreciated……
John, On those days, you would do X-Stretch then also do ABX or Abs/Core Plus.
Rhio, This is what you should do. First read this Beachbody Meal Plan review. http://bit.ly/custom-meal-plan
Then you should sign up on the plan, figure out how many calories you need to maintain your weight, not gain or lose. Than add a few hundred calories per day to that amount. Try to gain about 1, maybe 2 lbs per week. I would go with 1. Gain slow, and get lean muscle with not a lot of added fat. The meal plan will help you eat the right foods. Let me know how I can help. Also by signing up on the plan, you can get access to other tools and support.
hey im 16 years old im 5’10 190 pounds and kinda chubby i wanna be ripped and gain a lot of mucsle mass too. how do i do it.
Zach, I would get P90X, and do a Classic round, slim down first, then we can build you back up. 🙂 http://bit.ly/get-p90x-today
do you have to follow the p90x nutrion plan exactly as it says
That depends Zach. I think everyone should follow the entire program as closely as possible the first time through. See what results you get, and then modify the program, if you think changes are needed. Lots of great people put this program together that know how to get results.
if i do p90x and follow the nutrient plan do you think i will get good results
Definitely.
Robert,
I am 6’0″ 145 lbs. I am in good physical strength / condition because I play on my high school varsity basketball team. I wantam to be 155-160 lbs by june (2012). I don’t want to look like the hulk, I want lean, strong muscle but at around 160 lbs. For example I want to look likelike an elite, lean NFL wide receiver. What do I need to accomplish my goals? Mainly how much do I need to eat and what do I do to get bigger and leaner. If possible getting faster and quicker would help me a lot too. Please help.
A.osman. You didn’t mention whether or not you have P90X? If not, you need this first. http://bit.ly/get-p90x-today
Then you need to determine your calories, so that you are consuming more calories than you burn in a day. The P90X program actually has a formula for this. I would recommend gaining weight at about 1 lb per week. This will keep the weight gain LEAN, with limited fat. That means you need to be eating lean meats, fruits & veggies, and healthy fats. At the rate of about 4 lbs per month, you should be able to hit your goal fairly easy. I have free fitness coaching for my customers here. https://www.extremely-fit.com/fitness-tips/free-fitness-tools/
hi robert! I’ve completed phase 2 of classic p90x! I’ve followed the diet and every workout but I’ve not obtained results! I started p90x in order to gain weight but I gained only strength… Now i’m thinking to start your schedule and stop with classic p90x! What do you think?
Hi Robert,
Thanks for the great article. I’m just finishing my first P90X classic program and I’m extremely happy because I’ve lost a lot of fat. However, I want to try the mass program now. I just have a question, what should I do with the exercises that are supposed to be max number of reps or where Tony says that everyone does 16? Should I follow him or keep targeting the number of reps specified for each week?
Thanks!
Luis, I think you could do it either way, but I like going for the targeted number as described in the article.
Giovanni. Are you at your targeted body fat? I would first attempt to reach your target body fat, and then try this schedule to add lean muscle mass.
hi robert. This schedule is fantastic, I’m gaining weigth 😀 2lbs the first week!
Robert,
Have you heard of any body transitioning a classic p90x or this modified version into weightlifting splits at the gym? E.g. someone doing chest, shoulder, triceps workout day 1, then cardio day 2, then legs and back, etc. day 3…Thanks. Great article!
Hi Robert,
I am a 6’0″ male, about 160-165 pounds. I am not overweight, but I am not as cut as I used to be. My question is, since I don’t really want to lose weight, but rather convert it to muscle, should I follow the classic plan first? The first phase of the nutrition plan is aimed at shedding pounds, which I don’t really want to do, so what type of nutrition plan would you recommend? I want to bulk up, but I want to tone up first without losing too much weight. Should I do a round of P90X Classic verbatim and then start on your modified plan? Or modify the nutrition/fitness plan somehow to accomodate my needs? If it matters, I completed the P90X Classic program once before, though it’s been about 6 months since then with minimal exercise (hence the tone loss.)
Thanks,
Sean
Hey Robert I was wondering If this would work for me cause I did a full cycle of p90x and ended up losing 10 lb from my measly 135lb body so now I’m 128lb and I need to gain some mass also Im 16 so I have a REALLY fast metabolism and I don’t eat meat due to my parents so how can I get the right nutrition? Srry for long question
P90X can be used in conjunction with about any workout program, in my opinion. I often go to a gym for change of scenery and do the routines in the gym.
Sean, If you are not wanting to lose weight per say, then you would probably be best suited in either phase 2 or phase 3 of the diet. Then make sure you are eating at your maintenance level of calories. I would monitor your weight, so that you eat enough to maintain but not necessarily lose any. The classic rotation would probably be better, or you could try this rotation as well, whichever you prefer. Everyone is different, so modify to fit you!
Unfortunately, if you don’t want to lose weight, you have to eat more food. Clean food. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. The P90X Nutrition guide has a portion plan that shows you the foods to eat. See if your parents would put some on the list. If you are burning more calories than you eat, you WILL lose weight. This rotation might be better for you, because the cardio portions are reduced, which should remove some extra calories burned.
I completed P90x about a year ago. Excellent program, but ideally I would like to gain more mass, as I’ve always been on the skinny side. Now I am getting back into P90x.
My question: Do you recommend that I do another 90 days of regular P90X and THEN doing this program, or do you recommend doing mass FIRST?
Thanks in advance.
I think that depends on you, and your preferences. Personally, I’d do a classic round of P90X first, and try to get to my ideal body fat percentage, and then try to add some lean muscle from that point forwards.
I am just about to start this customized X program but I am a little confused. For day 2 it says “cardio x, ab ripper x”.. Does his mean to choose from one of those exercises or to do both??.
You’ll do both. Usually ab workouts are added to another workout. So if you see something like “X Stretch; Ab Ripper X or Abs/Core Plus” that means you’ll do X-Stretch first, then choose either Ab Ripper X or the Abs/Core Plus.
I just finished my second round of the P90x classic and I recently dicovered this customized version. Would you recommend doing two rounds of the classic then donig two rounds of this customized version?
My personal opinion would be to try and reach your desired body fat percentage first, then do the mass routine. Not sure if that will take 1, 2, or more rounds. Once you get to that body fat percentage, switch and try to add lean muscle with very little extra fat.
Why isn’t there more Core Synergistics days in this program? I’m a big fan of doing those workouts.
TSW, I would guess that it’s not as good at adding mass as the other workouts. Just speculation, this is not a rotation I created, but I trust that Steve Edwards at Beachbody had a reason for making the schedule as is.
Robert,
I play professional baseball for the past 6 years and want to try something new than just being in the weightroom every day. Several other of my teammates have said they did P90X in the off season and liked it. I’m 6’1 and 195lbs. I’m somewhat lean and very big and strong in my legs. My upper body is what needs the strength and SIZE. Never done P90X but because of what I do I’m in pretty good shape I would like to think and that is why I want to jump into your above Mass program because I don’t really need to lean up. Just wanted to give you a little background on myself so it might be easier for you to answer my questions. If I’m wanting to put on size I should follow the above program outlined correct? I see you have 12 to 8 reps per set, how many sets are we suppose to do or do we follow to amount of the sets in the video? So if there are three sets should we go 12 reps first set, 10 reps second set, and 8 reps third set? Will this program help me to have strength gains as well because I need strength gains also? I have several other questions for you if you don’t mind but I’ll wait till you have time to answer these questions which are the more important questions for me first. Thanks so much for the info and I tried reading most of the older post to get answers first!
Hey Chris, thanks for writing in. The weight workouts run in 2 rounds. First round and second round. As far as reps are concerned, lets look at Block 1, Phase 1 (weeks 1-3), targeted number of reps: 8 to 12 (focus on 10 to 12). So you’ll pick a weight and go for 10, if you get 12, you need to add more weight next round. On Block 1, phase 2, (weeks 4-6), it states 8-12 (focus on 8 to 10 this time). That means your new target is 8 reps, but if you get to 10, you need to add weight. You’ll continue this approach throughout the workout. If the target is 6-10, aim for 6, but when you get to 8, I’d add weight. Hope this helps! Let me know how you do!
Thanks for the above info Robert. Couple other quick simple questions for you. I thought that during hypertrophy you should be doing 3 to 4 sets. I’m not saying your wrong by doing only two sets, I’d just like to know the reason for only doing two sets instead of the traditional 3 or 4 sets that way I can understand it and explain it to several other players that are doing it with me? Last thing is that I read in some other post where people substituted other exercises in for another exercise. Example one person said they asked if they could put bench press in instead of push ups and you said yes. With what I’m trying to do gain mass and strength would you recommend the same or any other substitutions for me? Thanks for the help Robert!
Chris, This rotation was created or provided by Steve Edwards, Beachbody advisor. I think the idea is how to best modify P90X to obtain added lean muscle mass. The way P90X was designed was not initially intended as a mass building program. So this rotation works within the workouts provided in the program. When someone asked if bench press could be added, the answer I advised was yes, only because I believe people should modify as they see what works best for them. My usual advise is to try it “as is” first, and then modify to suit you personally second. Without at least doing the “original” how would you know it doesn’t work. I think that question was also asked because its hard to reach failure on a low rep pushup, so if a bench is available and that’s what you decide, go for it. I personally like adding a weighted vest to pushups. I feel it engages my core strength more than a bench. Again, personal preference. They also make resistance bands that work specifically for pushups as well. I’d recommend trying the rotation first, and then modify as you go.
I might add for everyone that has commented or is reading comments. A new program called Body Beast will be coming out soon by Beachbody. Look at the information top right of this page. Sign up for the newsletter to catch more information as its available. This program is going to be designed specifically for adding mass!
Hey Robert what do you mean by round one and round two? I watched the first video Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps just to see how it was set up. I only saw one set for each exercise and I don’t believe he ever came back to it. Did I miss where he came back to each exercise or are we suppose to pause the video and do a second set after the first set? I hope this makes sense how I explained it. Thanks again for taking the time out to help!
Chris,
Chest & Back is repeated twice.
Shoulders & Arms is repeated twice. (Although its slightly different, you don’t go 1-12 moves, and repeat. You do the first 3 moves, repeat those, next 3 moves repeat. But you do them all twice, just like Chest & Back).
Legs & Back you repeat twice.
Chest, Shoulders, & Tris is a straight 24 moves, no repeat.
Back & Biceps is a straight 24.
I just assumed you were starting with Chest & Back, because that is how the regular P90X round starts. The hybrid starts with Chest, Shoulders, & Tris. Hope this helps!
Robert,
We are going to do it exactly how you have it set up above which from my understanding of what you are saying above is the Hybrid program. I checked out the Body Beast website and it sounds like pretty much what we are trying to do. We’ll go ahead and knock this program out and wait for the other one to come out. There has been a small percentage of baseball players that are shying away from the traditional weight room routine and getting into programs like this. I’ll keep ya updated Robert. Last quick question. Is it okay to take in more carbs in the morning and less carbs in my lunch meal or dinner meal? Or should it be like that anyway?
Robert,
So I’m 19, my height is 6’2 and weight 160. I’m also a soccer player so that means a least two to three times a day i need to run to keep my cardio up. Should i run then do abs instead of doing X stretch and cardio X? Also would you recommend i take pre workout supps and/or protein, etc? If so which ones should i take?
Hey Robert,
A bit if a background I’m 6’1″ AND 130 LBS so I’m tall and skinny I’m already at my target body fat percentage and would like to gain some weight as well as muscle mass where would you suggest I start on this I’ve never done the p90x program but am.about to start
Hi Terry, I think you can go either the classic rotation or this mass rotation. Gaining mass will probably be easier with the mass rotation, but I think the overall conditioning of the classic rotation would be beneficial as well. In either case, you need to make sure you are eating more calories per day than what you burn. So use the P90X guide, figure your calories, and then add a couple hundred. Take measurements and body fat percentage, and then carefully monitor your progress. If you start losing weight, you need to make another small bump on your daily calories. I would aim for a slow weight gain, maybe a lb or so per week. Keep me posted! You might also be interested in signing up for this newsletter here. http://bit.ly/AzuVo5
UruMike, It’s really up to you on how you want to work your rotation for exercise. Just make sure you don’t overtrain. I like E&E for preworkout, http://www.extremely-fit.com/energy-endurance-preworkout.html
Protein I like Optimum Nutrition, Syntha 6, MyoFusion, etc. Good luck!
Hi Robert,
I am a 33 year old female at 5’2″ & 95 lbs (obviously trying to gain weight & mass). I have rotator cuff impingement so I can not do pushups, fly’s, presses & dips; but I do replace all of those with rotator cuff strengthening exercises. Is there anything else you can recommend in place of the exercises I can’t do? Also, I’m on phase 1, week 3 of the mass rotation & feel extremely tight even after X Stretch. I usually take my rest day after X Stretch/ab ripper x. I have replace yoga with Tai Chi because of my shoulder as well, but still feel really tight like I need to stretch more. Is this normal?
Hey I just started this program about 2 weeks ago I I’ve seen some good results..I am just curious to know if I can swap out push ups and put in benchpress on Chest, Shoulders, Triceps and Chest and Back? Let me know!
Neil, While you can modify the program to best suit your personal goals and preferences, I usually recommend everyone do a complete round of P90X “as written” so they can see their results from the program. Then after the first 90 days, modify and tweak the rotation to their personal preferences. Let me know how you do!
Marjorie, I’m afraid I dont have much advise on shoulder injuries. I would suspect that you have to be very careful not to cause further problems. Wish I could help more. The workouts affect everyone differently and to different degrees. I’m sore often, and I recently started using a foam roller, in combination of adding the Recovery Formula post workout. http://www.extremely-fit.com/p90x-peak-recovery-formula.html
Good luck!
Mike,
I recently lost a lot of weight and want to put on muscle now. I am confused on the workouts. You say for example chest, arms, triceps, but is the specific workout explained in the video? I haven’t bought the videos yet but i was wondering about this.
Sorry not mike, Robert.
Mike, The workout is demonstrated from start to finish on the DVDs. http://www.extremely-fit.com/p90x-extreme-training-workout.html
I just recently purchased a 40lb weighted vest to wear during Legs & Back and Chest & Back. I feel that it makes the push-ups resemble a bench press a little more by adding so resistance. Clearly, the number of reps I can do drops dramatically with an additional 40 lbs but I think it will help in building muscle mass more than doing 40 pushups with no added weight.
I agree Benjamin, I have a weighted vest as well!
Hi Robert,
Great article and thanks for taking the time to respond to our questions. It’s very helpful. I’m starting the above workout, but just a quick question. Figured I’d buy just your basic whey protein to supplement my diet, but when is the ideal time to have this in relation to the workout? Before, after, or just in the morning or night regardless of when the workout is done?? Thanks a lot, Robert!
I try to drink a 4 part carb to 1 part protein recovery formula after my workout. Check in our store for All P90X products. In general you want to eat protein at every meal of the day with about 5 to 6 meals per day. I also researched your question at livestrong.com which stated the following: The best time for consuming whey protein shakes is before and after you work out. An article on Stay Fit Central explains the reason for this is that “whey is digested and absorbed very quickly after you drink it.” The rapid rate of digestion and absorption enables protein and nutrients to assist the body in activating the recovery process. Consistent nutrient and protein delivery before and after workouts will ensure muscular gains.
Good luck!
Wondering if any hybrid workout similar to this is in the making for p90x2?
I don’t know if the workouts in X2 would be as good as P90X for gaining mass. The workouts are more for explosive power, athletic performance, and speed than adding mass. While I think you will be able to add muscle, just not sure its a good MASS type program for a hybrid. What you really need to look for is Body Beast when it comes out. Here’s a link for more info. http://bit.ly/body-beast-info
Appreciate the extremely fast response. I’m 5 weeks away from finishing a round of x2 and I’ll be sure to follow it up with this p90x hybrid after a small vacation in June. Body Beast looks amazing, I’m sure your hybrid will be a great build up for it.
No problem! Keep me posted on your progress.
When you have Chest and Back listed, does that include doing Ab ripper x? I’m pretty sure that what is meant, but I’m asking since on the next day it directs us to use Ab ripper x.
David, You will NOT do ABX on Chest & Back day. You’ll do it the following day. ABX is on the Chest & Back DVD only because in the classic rotation (the original P90X rotation) you do ABX on Chest & Back days. But with this rotation, it’s done as marked. Hope that helps!
Hello!
I’m in doubt and I’d sure need advice fast. I was planing to start with P90X ASAP. What I’d like to know is if P90X would be better program for me than Insanity or should I wait for Body Beast program. I don’t want to wait for BB program, instead I’d like to start training ASAP, just like I mentioned before. I had 198 lbs 3 months ago. I changed my eating habits and I’m down to 165 lbs at the moment. I went down from around 25% BF to around 15,5% but probably a bit more. I don’t want to lose any more weight, because I’m 6 feet tall and already look skinny now. I’m 20 and I want to get in shape before my b-day and I have time till October, thats why I think I should start ASAP.
So question is … Insanity or P90x?
BTW I’m training at least 3 times a week for about an hour – 1,5 hour already. What should I do with my karate lessons and running? Should I stop with it while being on program or ..?
What I’d like to do is get down to 10% fat or lower ASAP and start gaining weight. Right now I’m under 2000 cal/day (around 1500 I think) and I’m eating at least 5 times a day. Instead of chocolate I’m eating protein bars and since I never ate breakfast I started drinking shake for breakfast and dinner/after workout.
If P90X is the right program for me – should I drop my BF <10% first and then change my eating habits again and eat around 2500 cal/day so I'd gain weight?
In expectation of a fast answer I'm thanking you in advice.
Sasha,
Without a doubt P90X is my preference, especially for your goals. Drop your bodyfat first, and then start to gain is also my preference. Others might have various ideas/opinions, but these are my favorites. Be sure to buy P90X here, as I give two bonus workouts that’s not offered at all outlets, plus reduced shipping and free coach support. It sounds like you are losing weight fine and body fat so keep up the good work. Also make sure you sign up for my Body Beast newsletter, this will help you add muscle mass and gain weight when the time comes.
what kind of equipment do you all need for the body beast workout?
Shane. Here is a blog post about Body Beast Equipment. You might want to subscribe to the newsletter too, so you can stay updated! http://eepurl.com/iGIar
Hi Robert. I’ve been training for the last 2 years. I’m 1,71m and used to weight 72kgs. Now I’m weighting 64 and my body fat is around 10%. Usually I do functional training and use some P90X videos, and sometimes I go to the gym. I would like to gain more lean muscles. Can you give me your opinion?! Should I do this mass plan, or should I start with the standard P90X?
My nutritional plan is based on vegetables, fruits, proteins and carbs. I eat 4 to 5 times a day.
Thanks
Renato, I always recommend that everyone do 90 days of the regular version of P90X first. This will build a strong foundation of the program. Then move into the mass routine. Also subscribe to my newsletter for Body Beast. This will be a mass building program designed to gain weight. Just search for Body Beast on my blog.
For everyone looking to GAIN MASS with P90X…. Beachbody has released a new program called Body Beast. This program was designed by pro bodybuilder Sagi Kalev. This program has ONE GOAL….. GAIN MASS. Everything is spelled out, food, weights, programs, supplements, EVERYTHING. Same as P90X, this can be done from HOME. It’s TIME to get BIG! All the available programs, supplements and exclusive bonuses can be found here at this link: http://www.extremely-fit.com/body-beast-workout
Robert,
I’m wondering how post work out you get a 4-1 carb protein ratio. What kind of carbs do you eat. Also say you drink a 30g protein shake you would need say 120 carbs! Lastly what would you recommend pre work out?
Joe, Post-workout, I drink the Results and Recovery Formula. This has the EXACT ratio for 4-1 carb:protein. The reason I take the R&R drink, is because I don’t want to measure around with the ratios. Some say you can drink low fat chocolate milk and obtain the ratio, but you miss out on the BCAA’s etc that comes in the R&R. Here is the link to R&R. There is a video on there too that talks about that window of opportunity for the intake of nutrients etc. For pre-workout, I take the Energy & Endurance formula. It’s on the same page. Let me know if I can help further. Also visit my free fitness tools page as one of my customers for free coach support.
R&R and E&E: http://www.extremely-fit.com/all-p90x-products/
Free Coach: https://www.extremely-fit.com/fitness-tips/free-fitness-tools/
Robert,
Can you explain why during weeks 1-3 legs and back is between the two arm work outs which allows maximum rest time. But then it is moved during weeks 4-6 to the end of the week and having 2 arm work outs in 3 days occurs seeming like not enough rest time is allowed. Why is this done?
Lastly shouldn’t legs be workout out more than once a week. Your body grows in proportions and for the top to get bigger the bottom must grow as well. Shouldn’t legs be worked out then twice a week as well?
Thanks!
Mark, Not every rotation is going to be perfect for every person. This is a great guide, but feel free to move/add workouts to fit your individual tastes. Also, this is a “hybrid” workout, meaning it is being put together to change P90X from its original intent of getting lean and ripped to one that will help people also gain muscle mass. If you would like a program SPECIFICALLY for gaining mass, check out Body Beast. It was MADE for MASS. http://www.extremely-fit.com/body-beast-workout/
If I do p90x regularly but try to add resistance to where I can only do 8 to 10 reps would I still gain muscle mass?
Fernando, That would help yes. This hybrid would help too. It changes the rotation of the workouts in a way that makes it better for those wanting to gain mass. It also specifies number of reps etc. If you would like a program SPECIFICALLY for gaining mass, check out Body Beast. It was MADE for MASS. http://www.extremely-fit.com/body-beast-workout/
hey sean I’m 5’8 138 pounds, what would be the best thing for me to do? Should i go with this p90x schedule
Sunday – Off
Monday – Chest / Back / Abs
Tuesday – Shoulders / Arms
Wednesday – Legs / Abs
Thursday – Chest / Back
Friday – Shoulers / Arms / Abs
Saturday – Off
or should i go with your schedule because I’m trying to get a little big and still get a little cut, I am on a weight gainer that has 700 calories and 56g of protein but i currently deciding whether to go on lean protein in order to get a six pack and get muscle and can i get a six pack but doing your method
So bottom line will i get a six pack with my mass gain schedule and by taking a weight gainer or will it just cover up my abs
Rabih,
It’s difficult to add muscle mass and keep a six pack. You are naturally going to gain some fat along with muscle as you add mass. The idea is to gain weight slowly, and reduce the amount of fat, but you’ll still get some. After you have added some muscle mass, then you can come back and cut off some excess fat weight that you might have gained along the way. Since Body Beast has been released, that’s the number one program I am referring now for people that want to gain MASS. Check it out here! This takes out all the guess work, follow the exercises, the nutrition, the cutting phase, it’s all SPECIFICALLY designed for MASS.
I posted a while under my middle name (Scott) but this is the final result of 1.5 years working out from April 2011 to August 2012 purely on a mildly modified version of this program (never done anything else, never been to the gym, never done an original P90x rotation before). I had to cut back hard after my first bulk – and ended up at about 147 (11% BF), I did a second bulk since then and now I’m around 162 at 5’8″ (what I’m guessing is about 12% BF). Once again, I never did any cardio or conditioning work just purely the weight training sections + diet and whilst I’m not super lean I am getting there. I couldn’t tell you what round I’m on because I rotate the weeks at will and don’t really keep count. Anyway, here’s a picture:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4363530/P90X.JPG
Unfortunately I don’t have a before one because I’ve never kept very good track of where I was, suffice to say before I started a friend told me I looked like I looked like a starved child I was that skinny. Anyway I’m hoping to reach the upper 160’s/early 170’s leaner than this by next year. Until then I’m cutting to 8-10% area or until I get bored and start craving metric tonnes of peanut butter again.
Owen. Awesome results!! Stay the course, you’re making your fitness goals a reality! Nice work…. keep me posted!
Hey,
Is the first block designed to gain mass or lose fat?
It’s an entire rotation for building mass. However, this rotation was designed before the release of Body Beast. So while its still a good rotation, if you want a program DESIGNED for MASS, by a champion bodybuilder, than look at Body Beast. http://www.extremely-fit.com/body-beast-workout/
During some of the pushups. If I add resistance bands will that add mass? Rather than pumping out 20-30 pushups to get to failure. I did one workout that way,And feels amazing. But will it work?
Jason, Adding tension to your pushups will help, yes. Take a look at Body Beast too. This program is designed for adding mass. http://www.extremely-fit.com/body-beast-workout/