Changing my schedule for P90X doubles

Posted by stickel on April 2, 2009

Energy ups and downs

For Phase 2 (which I'm currently in) I'm doing two workouts a day three days a week. I get tired after working out then spending a day at the office. My energy levels are too low for my second workout of the day.

Here's an example schedule of two workout day:

• 7:20am - wake up and cardio workout
• 9:00am - breakfast
• 11:10am - meal (usually a P90X protein bar)
• 1:00pm - meal
• 4:00pm - meal (varies but nothing heavy)
• 7:00pm - weight workout
• 9:30pm - meal

I think there is a better way.

A better way?

The biggest hole in my schedule is the very large, food-less gap between 4pm and 9pm. I'm not eating a lot before the gap but I'm expending the most energy. Common sense tells me I should eat something closer to my workout time even if it means pushing my second workout a little later.

Drawbacks

Some drawbacks to changing my meal plan in the afternoon and hours before my workout are:

• skipped meals due to work schedule
• later workout time
• less energy for my workout (body too busy digesting food)

Benefits

There are benefits to planning another meal in the afternoon before my workout.

• more energy later in the day
• higher energy level for the workout
• better discipline during other meals throughout the day (less overindulgence at lunch)

The new daily schedule

Given the benefits and drawbacks, I'm going to change my schedule. For the next few weeks my days will look something like this:

• 7:20am - wake up and cardio workout
• 9:00am - breakfast
• 11:00am - meal
• 1:00pm - meal
• 3:00pm - meal
• 6:00pm - meal
• 7:30pm - weight workout
• 9:30pm - meal

My hope is this setup will give me more energy in the afternoon and give me an edge to push through some workout boundaries. It's not the most ideal schedule with my daily commute but I'm going to stick to it as closely as possible and see what happens.