A lot of people have been talking about P90X in recent years, and one of the most popular questions I see is, “Can lean men build muscle with P90X?” Before answering this question, you should know that I did P90X for 3 years. During that time period, I managed to put on about 30 pounds. However, before you jump to conclusions, please pay close attention, because there is important information that I need to discuss with you. Also, just so you know, this is a program review for lean men looking to bulk up. If this is not you, then this information may or may not be useful.
Today, I want to talk about the “big 3”. I want to talk about the top 3 reasons you can build muscle with P90X, and then the top 3 reasons you can’t. If you’re a skinny guy who has a hard time gaining weight, pay close attention to everything I’m about to tell you. Even if you decide not to follow the P90X program, this information will be useful to you.
#1. You will eat more food.
Naturally, when you start an exercise program, your body will need more food. P90X is no different. When I started training, I was eating 3000 calories a day, and for a long time it worked. I gained about 30lbs in 3 years and was happy with my results.
#2. You will lift weights.
For skinny guys, lifting anything will help them build muscle. It doesn’t matter if you’re shoveling dirt, lifting hay, or working out in your living room. Your training program doesn’t have to be perfect, and again, as long as you’re lifting something, your muscles will grow.
#3. You will work your whole body.
Many men make the mistake of only exercising the chest and biceps. With P90X, you get the complete package. You are exercising your entire body and this will help you build muscle quickly.
Those are the good reasons.
As you can see, there are 3 great reasons why you will see progress with this program. On another note, there are also 3 big reasons why you won’t see progress, or might see better progress with another program.
#1. You are not doing compound exercises.
Aside from pull-ups, you’re stuck with push-ups, one-legged deadlifts, and bodyweight squats. Unfortunately, these exercises will not help you gain a lot of mass. Will you see progress? You will see gains, but your gains will be minimal and you will eventually stagnate.
#2. Too much cardio.
If you decide to follow the P90X program, consider eliminating one of the cardio exercises. To build muscle, your body needs to have a calorie surplus. With all the cardio in this program, that’s just not going to happen.
#3. You lose weight.
What I mean by this is that your dumbbells can only take you so far. Even if you have dumbbells up to 100 pounds, what about the bench press, squats, and deadlifts? As much as I hate to say it, and as much as I’d love to work out from home, there’s nothing better than working out in a gym with a loaded barbell. Just think about how many pushups you’ll need to do to feel the burn in your chest, as opposed to doing 8-12 reps on the bench press.
Final thoughts.
If you’re new to training, the P90X program is a great starting point. You’ll see some nice gains early on, but as you get older in the program, which may even take a couple of years, you’ll eventually want to switch to something more advanced.