Losing muscle mass on Foundation

Started Foundation 6 months ago. Prior to that was doing beach body program called P90x, 6 times a week including lots of pull-ups, push-ups, drum bells work on strength days. Plyometrics, cardio, yoga for stretching, was toned with lean muscle mass and 29 inch waist. Am small normally 130 pounds.

Started F1 & H1 6 months ago on a 4 day schedule, following the program to the tee. Run for cardio as well.

However have gained almost an inch on my waist since I started with no change in diet. Also have lost muscle size. Feel that body not being taxed sufficiently even though I have not found the exercises to be easy. Just feel that volume is not much. However when I get into the 9th week of the cycle find the exercises hard to do. Currently repeating entire cycle of PE1 for deck squats and arch hold. Have progressed forward on all other exercises to PE2, except hollowback press and rope climb where have advanced to PE3.

Should be doing more outside of F1, H1?

Looks like you're body can do more but it's locked. At first you should work more on the mobility - with that your strength will allow progress with F1 and you'll get to the taxing and hard exercises. Want more suffering, do the F7, three times a week. ;p

Because gymnastic training requires the body to work as 1 unit, it might seem in some areas too easy and too hard in others, this is because your body is not balanced. For example, I am doing SLS and RC in F2, but still doing PE2 on 3 elements. Mostly due to lack of flexibility and core strength and imbalance from my other activities in life. I was 152 lbs and what I thought was lean starting this program 4 months ago and am now 141 today, now I could say I lost some muscle but its too early to tell since I feel much stronger in the last 2 weeks than I ever have in my life. Give it some time and you will find it will even itself out and you will come back better than before. I might add that muscle mass is not determined by sets or reps, but quality of sets and reps. Form and tempo has a lot to do with hypertrophy, at first I was more intent and mastering and getting everything done so I can do the cool stuff, but the more I focus on form and tempo the most I notice physical changes and even increases in strength.

 

As to you gaining weight, P90x is more cardio than strength, its a lot of calorie burning, its easy to trick someone into thinking their building a bigger body when what they are really doing is shedding lbs and revealing the body they already have. My gf does this program and I ********** hate it..

With F1 you don't lose muscle mass at all, maybe at the beginning and I doubt it but definitely not when you're progressing throught it. In fact, you put on muscle mass, BUT THE RIGHT ONE. 

 

What you've to take into consideration is your nutrition, rest, and lifestyle because they are the most important factors when we talk about muscle grow. Training is OK, but as long as you're doing the things right (and with Foundation you already do), you're OK.

 

P90x is a calorie burning program, not a muscle grow program at all. The "muscle" do you think you've created is just a layer of fat gone. It's OK to bunnys and skinny dudes that want fancy training, but it's not a masterpiece of program. Besides, a program called "beach body program" I will highly doubt about its method.

 

With F1+HS1 you're on the right track to create the right-balanced muscle mass. But, repeat, you've to take everything else into account too, not just training. Training is a piece of the puzzle, not the puzzle itself.

 

By the time you will be doing PPP, Rows, Planche Leans etc... come back and tell me if you have not put muscle It's not that you're going to put on mass, is that YOU HAVE TO in order to move thought the progressions.

 

Good luck my friend

And if we all talking about pure size then maby bodybuilding is the way to go

The thing anout GB is that when you do the work and do is really to progres. Your body just have to adapt like Adriano pointed out!

If you've spent 6 months on the program and you're only at PE2 for most exercises, I have to question whether you really tested for mastery at the beginning, and for each subsequent progression.

I think it depends on your background and where you came from some muscle loss is expected. With P90X you were targeting specific muscle twitch: the one responsible for countless push-ups, etc. It was mostly going through the motion in marathon like trainng. It will never make you strong. Gymnastics is always close to the max effort training way out of comfort zone (how it should be done) targeting very different twitch. Muscle loss will happen if all your hypertrophy occurred in that slow twitch. It is not necessarily a bad thing. Real strength is in fast twitch and maximum contraction.

Thanks for all your feedback, very helpful. I likely need to add structured cardio 2-3 times/week to get sufficient volume to control waist size and remain toned. Length of time is not an issue can do foundation for years was just concerned about gaining weight from insufficient volume.

Appreciate everyone's comments.

I don't know P90x but if it is a calorie burning program maybe you should adjust your calorie intake donwards, now that you stopped doing that program