Gaining Mass with P90X

Posted by Coach Sean on Mar 15th, 2010 in P90X, Workouts | 139 comments

Can you gain mass with P90X?

The quick and easy answer is Yes, but we all know gaining mass is neither quick nor easy. I am sure you have heard me say before that P90X was not designed as a mass gaining program. It is a fitness program designed to get you in the best overall shape. Which means getting the most gains in specific areas like speed, strength, flexibility, and muscle growth. I still feel that doing the classic program this is the best way to get in the overall best shape of your life but If you are looking for mass gain only then keep reading.

Gaining mass with P90X involves tailoring the program and nutrition to fit those goals. This is one of the things that make P90X such a great program…the fact that you CAN tailor it. A big misconception from non-believers is that P90X can only make you lose weight…that is just not true. I started at 150lbs and at 17% body fat. After my 90 days were done I had dropped to 8% body fat and gained around 10lbs. Was this huge mass gain? No, it wasn’t “bodybuilder” huge, but it was significant. And I wasn’t even trying to gain mass. The point is that it can work for whatever your fitness goal happens to be.

Who should try tailoring P90X for mass?

Those who consider themselves “hard-gainers”.
Those who are already low body fat % (under 10%) and want to put on weight

Those who have already gone through the classic P90X and are looking to increase gains

Keys to gaining Mass with P90X

Nutrition: More than half the people I talk to want to gain mass. Those that do aren’t gaining it currently because they aren’t eating enough. Nutrition can be the key to gaining that extra muscle that you are looking for. If you don’t know if you are eating enough calories then refer to page 5 of the P90X nutrition guide. If you still aren’t gaining then increase those calories by 200-400 per day until you start to see results. Keeping a higher ratio of carbs is key to gaining mass. Shoot for 40/30/30 or 30/50/20 Protein/Carbs/Fat ratios.
Resistance:If mass is your goal then you need to use the proper resistance equipment. You aren’t going to gain mass with 10lb dumbbells. The easiest way is to buy free weights or adjustable dumbbells. Resistance Bands also can create the proper tension. To make mass gains you need to find ways to make your muscles fail at the proper number of reps. You will want a variety of weights like a weighted vest, ankle or wrist weights to add resistance to all the moves you are doing.

The Schedule:

Before you start, make sure you recognize the proper reps in each phase. Also you will see a lack of the highly intense Cardio routines. This schedule won’t burn as many calories as classic P90X. If you are looking to burn body fat while gaining mass, then this might not be for you. What you can do is use the Sprint 8 HIIT technique a couple times a week if you want to add more cardio. This schedule focuses on resistance and recovery. You break down your muscles working out but you need recovery in order to let them grow.

You will not have to keep pace with the videos. You should pause for a brief time when necessary. Do not, however, use the pause button simply to increase the time between exercises. 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. Make sure you use good form and control each movement. Speed is for pure power, not size. So here is the Mass X schedule, courtesy of Steve Edwards:

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

Same schedule as weeks 8 and 9
Targeted number of reps: 4 to 6

Gaining mass with P90X is completely possible if you pay close attention to your nutrition, supplements and use the proper weight. If you follow the schedule listed above, apply a clean, high calorie eating plan and take the proper supplements than you will gains mass with P90X. Please feel free to comment or visit me on Facebook with any questions. You can also email me at scal11083@beachbodycoach.com

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139 Responses to “Gaining Mass with P90X”

Coach Sean says:

August 3, 2011 at 8:08 am

@Wills: One thing that stood out was that your starving yourself to try to lose the last body fat. I believe that is a mistake. Sometime we have to eat to lose. Otherwise your body goes into starvation mode and your body goes after your muscle for fuel instead of body fat. You are absolutely capable of getting a 6-pack with the right diet and fitness program. P90X provides both and has been shown to help all body types reach their fitness goals…I have seen it happen over and over again. You do not need to take test boosters, you need to change the way your working out and eating. It doesn’t even sound like your doing any sort of resistance training. Are you just doing cardio?
Wills says:

August 8, 2011 at 2:12 am

Dear Coach,

Thank you so much for taking the time out for such a comprehensive reply. I appreciate the help.

Best Regards,
Wills.
Coach Sean says:

August 8, 2011 at 9:34 am

@Wills: No problem man! Let me know what else you need help with.
Spencer says:

August 9, 2011 at 8:52 pm

if your like at 12-19% body fat could you get visible abs?
Coach Sean says:

August 10, 2011 at 8:35 am

@Spencer: Once you get down to the 10-12% range is when you can typically start to see your abs.
goob says:

August 11, 2011 at 11:53 pm

i will try this after p90x plan, my diet really stinks. I work on boats on the Mississippi river and can only eat right some of the time due to the food and being able to please a crew of men
Coach Sean says:

August 12, 2011 at 8:44 am

@goob: I would look into buying a good quality protein bar (see my protein bar post) and I would look into Shakeology HERE. You can’t get a better quality meal than that.
Azfar says:

September 16, 2011 at 12:37 am

Hey man, I was wondering, do you know anybody who tried this version of the p90x workout and how were their results like?
Coach Sean says:

September 16, 2011 at 9:22 am

@Azfar: I have had many people try this version of P90X and their results were great. All of them added mass, some more than others. Mostly based on how well they focused on the nutrition aspect as well.
Chris says:

September 19, 2011 at 12:45 pm

I want to do this workout but I’m in college and have a basketball class on Fridays that is 3 hours long.. what should I do to make my schedule more suitable for myself and how many calories should I take in if I already want to consume 2700-3000 Mon-Th, Sat & Sun.
Coach Sean says:

September 19, 2011 at 1:04 pm

@Chris: Do you already eat that many calories/day? It depends on what your goals are and your current height/weight/body fat %. If you want to not lose anymore weight you will want to add another 400-500 calories/day on top of that. You can use your basket ball class as you’re “kenpo day then do Legs/Back on Saturday. Join my team through the tab above and I will help you get your diet and schedule down so you can achieve your desired goals.
Chris says:

September 19, 2011 at 1:17 pm

I’m trying to gain a good 15-20lbs realistically. I’m 5’9, weight 140lbs. I don’t eat that many calories daily but im starting this program in 2-3 weeks and that was my assumption for calories. I will join your team, thnx for the Information.
Coach Sean says:

September 20, 2011 at 2:51 pm

@Chris: That many calories would be a great start. Definitely let me know when you join and I will add some more tips for ya.
Elvin says:

September 29, 2011 at 11:28 am

Hey Sean,

Im on my last week of Asylum and getting ready to start the mass schedule for P90X. My question is on the rep range. For sets that require pushing and lifting weights I can see how you can reach failure by the 8-12 rep range. My question is what do you then for chest since to reach failure for me is around 25 reps. Not really looking to spend money on a weighted vest since they are expensive. Is there a safe alternative to reach failure on push-ups by rep 8-12?
Coach Sean says:

September 29, 2011 at 12:21 pm

@Elvin: For exercises that require body weight, I always go to near failure. You don’t need to reach it by the 8-12 rep range. Focus on form and tempo. Go read my “How to improve pull ups” post for more info, it lays out there. Weighted vests can be great but I don’t think it is needed unless you follow some of the basic rule of form and tempo first. Again, I post about that in the post. Let me know if you can’t find it.
JimNYC says:

October 2, 2011 at 12:21 pm

In phase III of “Classic”. This is my 2nd rnd of P90X.

I’m 5’9″, and 40. At day 60 of round I (last time I checked), I was 136. Always been a skinny hard-gainer, but over the last 10(?) yrs or so, I acquired a *bit* of a pot belly and some flub around the sides (none of which was noticeable unless my shirt was off).

I always wanted to put on size and this is my first serious foray into weight training in my life. P90X has casued me to change my eating habits where I now eat healthy; no more junk (once a month maybe?) and to battle the little bit of mid-section I’ve acquired, I’ve been eating ~2000-~2300cals 50/30/20 since the start.

Flash to current, and my stomach is gone, and abs are beginning to show through which is great (and I feel better/healthier than I’ve felt in many years), but I’m still thin (ppl have said I look great, but, ‘..you need to put on a lil weight’). This round also has a bench press and squat added to Legs/Back days to try to increase my mass.

I’m considering upping my cals to ~3000, and trying to change the ratio (as you suggested) but I’m just concerned from some of the comments here, that the abs/cuts which are now coming through may dissappear.

Also under debate, is if I should give this “Mass X” customization a try for round III, or stick with my current classic + bench/squat.

Right now, I only take ON (4 scoops throughout the day), and cosamin for my joints (jury still out on the cosamin for me), as that’s about all I can afford at the moment.

I apprecaite any advice you can share.

Thanks
Coach Sean says:

October 2, 2011 at 1:31 pm

@JimNYC: As you get older your weight can stay the same but you actually loose lean muscle mass. So that’s why your body fat starts to increase yet your weight stays the same. Exercise and proper nutrition can counter this, as you have seen from your results! Great job! If you’re looking to add Mass then I would definitely start by increasing your calories. start by increasing them to 2400-2600, then every week move up another 200 calories. Your goal should be to get between 3000-3200 depending on how your body responds. You might find that at 2800 you start to gain mass. Some people need to go up to 3500+, it just depends. As far as ratios go, I would try doing a 40/40/20 p/c/f or doing a 30/50/20 p/c/f. Do this for phase 1 and phase 2, then during phase 3 cut back down to 2200-2400 at 50/30/20 and you should end up where you want to be.

The mass X schedule is great because it focuses more on heavier weight and less cardio. You can also do classic but instead of doing Kenpo, you can add a “misc” day that you can do your bench/squat stuff.

I would definitely add the P90X recovery drink to your supplements. That is a must. It will help give your body exactly what it needs to build muscle post workout. You can even add 1 scoop of protein in as well on resistance days.

I would love to have you join my team so I can keep track of your progress and help ya along the way. I can also invite you to my private fitness group on facebook where my team hangs out, asks questions, get’s support/motivation and posts workouts. Let me know if this helps or not!
Elvin says:

October 5, 2011 at 11:26 am

Hi Sean,

Im starting my next round of P90X and im going to follow this schedule to gain mass. I noticed that there is no recovery week between Phase 1 and Phase 2. Is there any risk of overtraining with this schedule?
ryan d says:

November 28, 2011 at 8:18 pm

where would you put your chest x 2.0???? im starting this in 2 days and want to do 2.0 with it!!! i know you said do it instead of kenpo but there is no kenpo in this routine…
Coach Sean says:

November 29, 2011 at 10:53 am

@Ryan: I would use it during Stretch X day or switch Yoga and Stretch and put it in the Yoga place.
Mario says:

December 23, 2011 at 2:08 pm

Hello,
for the exercises where everybody does 16 reps or for the legs where everybody does 25 reps…how do you do in this P90x program? do you stick to the 16 or 25 or switch to 8-10 reps to failure?
thanks
MC says:

December 25, 2011 at 7:49 am

Hey Sean

Question: why does this schedule have advantages to the classic P90x schedule when it comes to mass gain? Does Tony Horton recommend this schedule or any other (as opposed to classic P90x) for mass gaining? Thanks.
Coach Sean says:

December 25, 2011 at 10:14 am

@Mario: Yes I stick to the 16 and the 25. I like the idea of adding a higher rep set here and there.
Coach Sean says:

December 25, 2011 at 10:17 am

@MC: This schedule is recommended by Steve Edwards who is one of the fitness advisers for P90X and P90X2. After speaking with him several times I am very confident in this schedule. This schedule is geared toward maximizing recovery time and hypertrophy. It also has less cardio and is meant for those who are ectomorphs.
MC says:

December 25, 2011 at 3:24 pm

Hi Sean

Thank you for the reply! Great site. I am 6’0, 160-180, completed 1 round of P90x about 1 year ago. Great, excellent program but was disappointed with my mass gain, especially in my arms. Suspect culprit was bad form, rushing, cheating, etc. when doing reps. Am just now starting 2nd round. Will do classic and then after 90 days will try this version if I still do not have the sort of results in the mass gaining department.

My question: is it OK to not feel sore after workouts? Usually for the first several weeks I am very sore but later, hardly at all. Just curious what are your thoughts on this.

Thanks again and congratulations you are in awesome shape dude!
AJA says:

February 9, 2012 at 11:08 am

Hi Sean,

I´m 5 feet 3 and 112,2 pound. I already did 2 rounds of P90X but I was looking to put more mass, especially in my arms.

I’m currently taking in 2250-2300 calories/day, what do you think? Is it good or not enough?

One more thing concerning the rep range, in those where you have to reach maximum reps, or everybody does 16 or in the legs exercises (where the rep range is 20-25 reps) how does one do?
Coach Sean says:

February 10, 2012 at 10:40 am

@AJA: How old are you? Are you currently seeing gains using that many calories/day? All body weight exercises, you should do max reps. When everyone does 16 reps I tend to do the same thing. Same for Legs. But for Legs I am constantly adding more weight to make sure I am really feeling it in that higher rep range. Legs typically are trained at higher rep volumes.
AJA says:

February 10, 2012 at 12:20 pm

Hi Sean,

Thanks for the reply.

I´m 22. The first time I did P90X my calories were lower, because since I’m in the Level I of the nutrition plan I stuck with 1800-2000 calories a day but in this 2nd round I decided to increase the calories and I’ve seen some gains.

My doubt is should I put on more calories or should I maintain it? Because I do want to gain more mass, and little bit more weight, but I don´t want to gain too much fat.

By the way since I’m not from the US I don´t take the P90X recovery drink, what I do take is a whey protein and a Carb supplement mixed together (to do the trick).

Thanks again and great results dude.
AJA says:

February 10, 2012 at 1:22 pm

One more thing.

I didnt´t make myself clear in my first post when I talked about the rep range and how does one do I meant in this new P90X plan.

Do you still do the maximum reps, the16 reps and the 25-20 reps in the legs exercises or you try to reach 8-10( or 6-8 reps, or 4-8 reps)?

Sorry about that
AJA says:

March 13, 2012 at 4:32 am

I didnt´t make myself clear in my first post when I talked about the rep range and how does one do I meant in this new P90X plan.

Do you still do the maximum reps, the16 reps and the 25-20 reps in the legs exercises or you try to reach 8-10( or 6-8 reps, or 4-8 reps)?

Sorry about that. I know I already did this post but I didn’t see an answer.
Coach Sean says:

March 13, 2012 at 9:23 am

@AJA: Leg exercises are typically always done at a higher rep range then upper body. I try to shoot for 15-20 reps on legs using heavy weight when trying to gain mass. As for the maxium reps, I always go to failure(push ups, pull ups, dips, etc). The 16 reps, I vary it up. That’s something that you can decide. Sometimes I did 8-12 other times I did 16. Depending how how I felt that day. If you stick to the rep range listed you can’t go wrong with doing 16 here and there.
David says:

March 21, 2012 at 11:36 am

this sounds like me, im on the skinnier side and dont really need the cardio, quick question, does the fact there is less ab ripper x than the normal schedule mean that your abs wont improve as much, so far abs have been the only thing that has been improving while everything else hasnt really changed much, I want the abs more than anything, but being generally vaguely bigger is also a must, are you sacrificing one for the other or can you just add in an ab ripper x at the end of something else?
Coach Sean says:

March 21, 2012 at 11:41 am

@David: No it doesn’t. The idea though is that most of your energy is focused on the resistance workouts and not to much on calorie burn. But if you want to add in ARX then that is totally fine. Make sure you are using the right weight/rep range for that weight. focus on the rep ranges suggested. And if you can do more then do more and up the weight by 5lbs next time. That is crucial. That along with the proper nutrition (see my Gaining Mass with P90X Part 2). ALso if you need extra help feel free to join the team and I will help you customize both P90X and the nutrition to help achieve your desired goals.
Nico says:

March 27, 2012 at 5:28 am

Hi Sean,

I’m glad that I found your blog! I’m excited to see how much will I gain in doing this mass gain program for P90X.

I did a round of P90X back in 2010 and my weight went down from 155 to 140lbs. Currently, my weight is 142 and I would like to reach 150lbs. I am also following a paleo approach diet.

What should I do to shed body fat and at the same time increase muscle mass and a little hypertrophy? Also, I have read something that doing explosive reps like clap push-ups would aid muscle hypertrophy vs. regular push-ups or slow motion push-ups. What do you think helps muscle hypertrophy?

Thanks

Nico
Coach Sean says:

March 27, 2012 at 8:52 am

@Nico: Great man! Make sure you read this Gaining Mass with P90X series and let me know what questions you have. Also make sure you join my team so I can help you further. As far as promoting muscle hypertrophy goes, there are a couple schools of though. Yes, explosive moves can help gains with type 2 muscle fibers but there is also a thought called Time under Tention which also said to promote growth in type 1 muscle fibers. Luckily there is a combo of these movements in P90X that will help you increase hypertrophy.
Scott says:

April 3, 2012 at 6:58 pm

Could I substitute the cardio with Insanity Fast & Furious?

For Example:

Block 1, phase 1
Weeks 1 through 3
Day 1: Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps
Day 2: Insanity Fast & Furious, Ab Ripper X
Day 3: Legs & Back
Day 4: Insanity Fast & Furious; Ab Ripper X
Day 5: Back & Biceps
Day 6: Yoga X
Day 7: Off
Coach Sean says:

April 3, 2012 at 7:46 pm

@Scott: Yes you can!
jake says:

May 6, 2012 at 8:16 am

hey your workout schedule seems awesome but i was wondering how im supposed to do the workouts if the p90x videos comes in sets like Chest and back…how am i supposed to do the workout you require like chest shoulders and triceps when they are all on different cds?
Coach Sean says:

May 6, 2012 at 8:39 am

@Jake: There are 12 different P90X workouts including Chest/Back and Chest/Shoulders/Triceps. Each workout listed is it’s own dvd.
Mortada says:

May 8, 2012 at 4:40 pm

Coach,
I have restarted P90X twice in the past year but neer got to finish it all the way due to a back injury and torn ACL. Everytime i start the program, I follow the classic version except that I mix it with your version above for max mass gaining. so month 1,2,3 with resistance workout on a day and cadrio and abs on the other. although I have just restarted the program but this time I’m using your method which starting with the second month first. I guess my question is, do you recommend your workout routine to a soccer player who’s 6’00ft tall and 165lbs and trying to add some around 10lbs of pure muscle and get ripped while keeping his agility and speed like me? I just did chest shoulders and triceps yesterday for the first time since Feb and I must say that was suicide lol what do you think? Let me know!
Ps. I have just added you on facebook so you can either respond to me here or shoot me a message on facebook.

Thanks
Coach Sean says:

May 8, 2012 at 4:45 pm

@Mortada: Bummer that you got injured. Yes I would recommend for you in the off season. If you are in season right now then it wouldn’t be smart to try to add mass while you are playing games.