Originally Posted by annerj

Week 3 ends tonight for me with the stretch X workout. So far so good. Weeks 2 and 3 I've been on the road the entire time with several travel days so only doing the P90 workouts and not adding in much other. I head home later this week and hope to pick up spin and stuff again.

I've not hopped on the scale but feel pretty good overall doing these workouts. I'll weigh in at the end of the cycle 1 (28 days) and post.

Week 4 is the "recovery/transition" week:
Yoga X
Core Synergistics
Kenpo X
X Stretch
Core Synergistics
Yoga X
Rest or X Stretch

I'll say that if the core workout is a hard workout it isn't going to be much of a recovery week (yoga is brutal!)!

Week 5-7 looks like:
Chest, Shoulders & Triceps,Ab Ripper X
Plyometrics
Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Yoga X
Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X
Kenpo X
Rest or X Stretch

So the chest/shoulders and back/biceps are new workouts.

Originally Posted by dchristiva

Is there any way to do this program without equipment (i.e., pull-up bar & dumbbells)?

Originally Posted by dchristiva

Is there any way to do this program without equipment (i.e., pull-up bar & dumbbells)?

Originally Posted by chgoeditor

and instead rigged a resistance band over a doorway so I could do do sitting "pull ups"

Originally Posted by chgoeditor

On the DVDs, they offer adaptations using resistance bands, but that's obviously still equipment.

I never used a pull-up bar at home, and instead rigged a resistance band over a doorway so I could do do sitting "pull ups" (i.e., I sat on the floor & pulled the resistance band to my chest).

Is your issue with the cost of equipment, doing it on the road without the weights or something else?

Also, are you male or female? (Trying to gauge what weights you'd be using in the program.)

Originally Posted by dchristiva

The issue is primarily space and the fact that I know I won't be doing any pull-ups or chin-ups for some time given my body weight. I am a 43-year-old, relatively out-of-shape male. The resistance bands sound like a much better option for me.

Originally Posted by annerj

I travel too much to lug around pull-up bar and dumbbells!

I'm using a bag of exercise bands http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018QY22C (I added the orange band to the set). The bands and the CDs all fit in the bag that is smaller than a shoe box.

I'm sure a better workout with actual pull ups and weights but not bad with these bands.

Originally Posted by dchristiva

How's your experience been with the exercise bands? I looked at the customer reviews on Amazon and, while a large majority of them are positive, the negative ones seem pretty consistent about the quality of the merchandise. If they break, it always seems to be at the same place, at least according to the negative reviews. Would you give those comments and credence?

Originally Posted by annerj

I'm four weeks in without any problems with the bands. They seems to be really well built to me (but I really have nothing to compare them to as this is my first set of resistance bands)

Originally Posted by Silver Fox

Would you say the p90x has good exercises that particularly target the lower back? I haven't looked yet but I would be interested in experiences if they have. I occasionally experience lower back pain and am trying to figure out why at the moment without going to a physician.