Archives for February 2012

Of course you should get started with P90X as soon as you get it but there are a couple of things you want to do before you get at it.

These things are important because it will set you up to get the best results you can from the workout.

If you fail to do these simple things then you might get frustrated that you’re not seeing results or realize you messed up and feel like you have to start over.

Do These Before Day 1 Of P90X

1. Read The P90X Workout Guidebook – Tony Horton and the people at Beachbody put this book together to give you the knowledge behind P90X. You’ll learn what each move is called, why the meal plans are important, what equipment you need to do P90X, and most importantly what version of P90X to do. Picking P90X Lean, P90X Classic, or P90X Doubles will set you on the right path to achieve your fitness goals. I recommend P90X Classic because it will show you very quickly where you stand with your fitness. Tony also gives some tips and advice to help you get through all 90 days.
2. P90X Fitness Test – Do it. You need to know where your fitness is at.
3. Put Up The P90X Calendar – This way you see it when you walk in or out of your house everyday. Cross off workouts as you go so you feel like your making progress.
4. Read The P90X Meal Plan – Over 70% of your results will come from what you eat. The P90X Nutrition Plan is a in-depth plan that tells you exactly what you need to be eating to provide the right balance of fuel your body needs to get through P90X. I thought I ate right before starting P90X so I didn’t read it. While I did get much stronger in my first round of P90X I didn’t see the definition I was expecting. Went through the guide, made some small changes in my diet, and what a difference it made in round two.

You should be able to get all of these done in about an hour. You’ll be opening the workout guidebook and meal plan every once in a while as you move through each phase so keep them handy.

Take the meal plan guide book with you grocery shopping if you need to. Doing these tasks before you start Day 1 of P90X will make a big difference in your results.

Unfortunately too many people carry the “I want it now” mentality that our society has grown accustomed to over to P90X.

I cannot tell you how many times people have emailed me complaining about why they are not seeing results with P90X in the first 30 days. Many give up because of this.

What you need to know is the real results don’t start rolling in until day 45.

But there are some things you can do to make sure you start seeing results in the first month and this is what I’ve found people are not doing to get them.

You’re Not Following One Of The P90X Workout Plans

Lots of people get P90X and did not read the P90X Workout Guidebook which explains how to do all 90 days. What ends up happening is they only get through each workout maybe two times in the first 30 days and that’s assuming they don’t miss a day.

Doing it that way won’t challenge the muscle groups targeted in month 1 of the Lean, Classic, or Doubles routine. Take the time to go through all of the materials and read what Beachbody and Tony Horton have put together. My recommendation is to start with the P90X Classic routine and stick with it.

You’re Not Following The P90X Nutrition Plan

This is probably the biggest reason why you’re not seeing results. This is also the one I struggled with in my first round of P90X. Tony Horton has said over 70% of your results will come from eating correctly.

Still eating fast food, junk food, having that 500 calorie Starbucks coffee in the morning, and the daily Pepsi / Mountain Dew?

Those things are hindering your results no matter how hard you work out. You might feel stronger but can’t see the changes in the mirror yet and its because of those foods / drinks.

I fell into the category of being in shape before and ate well 75% of the time which made seeing the definition a little harder in those first 30 days. Shakeology helped a lot and it’s why I’ve been buying the stuff every month since it came out in 2010.

You’re Not Pushing Play Enough

Don’t think you’re going to get the P90X results you see from people on the infomercials, YouTube videos, or on other websites if you’re working out 3 days or less a week. I’m sorry, it’s not going to happen.

You might see some small changes and feel a little healthier but you are not going to have dramatic life changing results in 90 days working out 36 times in 90 days. You missed 54 workouts. How are you going to burn the fat or build muscle if you’re not showing up? Better to miss one or two days a week when you planned for 6 than miss one or two when you planned for three days.

The P90X nutrition plan is something that you can make dramatic changes with by sitting down at your dinner table for an hour and writing down a shopping list of things to buy for the next week. If you have good food around the house you’ll start eating good food when your at work or out and about.

Working out is different because it forces you to do something you otherwise might not want to do. Make a habit of working out 5-7 hours a week and that 1 hour of writing down what to eat next week won’t seem like a big deal.

These are the 3 biggest reasons why people don’t see results in their first 30 days of P90X. If this sounds like you then you know what you need to do.

We have all been in the situation when you really don’t want to workout that day and skipping sounds like a better idea. You feel tired, work got you down, things around the house are crazy, its 10 pm at night, there is a big game on and you can’t miss it, etc. You give in and skip working out that day.

I’m not going to say I haven’t missed a day or two in the four rounds of P90X I’ve done since 2008. Those things happen. Sometimes your schedule is overtaken by outside forces that you cannot fight against.

What I think is most important after missing a workout or two during your 90 days of P90X is if it made you a little mad you missed it or if you just brush it off. If your mad you missed it then you know your going to keep coming back for more.

If you brush it off then its leading into a habit of allowing it to happen again when not so important things try to get into your schedule.

Will I Still Get Results?

Yes. It takes most people 110 days to complete an entire round of P90X. It’s not because they can’t set aside 90 straight days to do P90X. It’s because they have other physical activities set up in their lives and trying to do P90X and play a sport or an activity is too much. This is called over-training.

I’m in that same boat. In the winter I go snowboarding or skiing once a week and in the summer I play double-header softball games twice a week. Throw in a weekend tournament, round of golf, or the 40 miles of bike riding I do a week and that adds up. It takes a lot out of me but I enjoy doing those things.

As long as I’m being active then I don’t think its going to hinder my results at all through P90X or whatever program I’m doing. Tony Horton would probably agree. I workout to be able to enjoy those things. What’s key is to plan P90X around the things you like to do. Who cares if it takes you 120 days to complete P90X if you are being active during that time. You will still results.

Will It Take Longer To See Results If I Skip Workouts?

Yes. It will take longer to see P90X sort of results if you’re doing other things. If you’re not following the P90X workout plan the body won’t master the P90X moves. If you’re skipping lots of workouts every week then you might never see results. You’ll probably be healthier and a little bit fitter but you’ll never get everything you can out of P90X if you’re only doing P90X three times a week.

How To Get Results With P90X If I Skip Workouts?

Eat healthy. I remember Tony Horton saying one time that over 70% of your results with P90X (or any program) come from following the meal plan. Keep drinking Shakeology every day so your body is getting the nutrition it needs to properly function. This way you’ll feel ready for tomorrows workout.

How To Make Sure I Don’t Skip P90X Workouts?

Schedule a time to workout every day. It keeps you accountable and lets everybody else know what you’re doing. You’ll have to figure out the best time to do P90X but make sure you do it.

Do everything you can to not skip workouts. If your playing sports, training for a 10k, or doing something else active then don’t kill yourself about skipping a P90X workout because in the end your really not. It’s all about living a healthy and fit life. P90X is just a plan to help you get there.

One of the most popular questions people have with P90X is when should they workout. My best answer is it really depends.

I have read many of stories saying how mornings are the best because your body is fresh and you’ll carry the energy through out the day. I’d agree with that.

When I use to have a normal 9-5 job I made it a habit to hit the gym before work and get it out of the way. In most cases I would say it benefits everybody to workout in the morning because of just that. Getting it done and out of the way.

It’s easier to fall asleep an hour early, not watch the news or The Daily Show, and get up then try to workout at 9pm after a long day of work and running around. Doesn’t it always seem like work goes on for an extra hour or something pops up when you get home.

The biggest complaint I hear from people and especially parents is time. Most P90X workouts are an hour-long and trying to squeeze in that time if you have not done it already is tougher than doing the workouts. The hardcore P90Xers would call those excuses but they need to be addressed. Here are some tips I give to people.

• Commit To A Time – If you have a full schedule then you need to set aside time to do P90X where nothing else can take that time from you. P90X is not just for you. It’s for everybody else in your life. Think of it as they are getting a better person in their lives when you are a healthier/fit person. You’re doing them a favor.
• Split Up The Workouts – Going from an hour-long P90X Legs and Back routine to 15 minutes of Ab Ripper has a tendency to mess up people’s psyche. If this is so then do the long P90X workout in the morning and then the 15 minute ab ripper at lunch or before you go to bed.
• You Just Don’t Have An Hour – Do 30 minutes of each of the resistance workouts with ab ripper. That 45 minutes of working out will still kick your butt but will also get you in the habit of working out. You’ll probably be wanting to do the entire P90X workout in no time because your body will be ready for more.

What’s most important is that you are doing the workouts. If you’re a morning person than do mornings. If you’re a night owl then workout at night. Every persons schedule is different and hopefully these tips will help you in picking the right time to do P90X.

It seems like everybody wants to jump into a hybrid workout right after buying P90X. I get why you would want to but I recommend against it.

After doing four rounds of P90X my experience is you have to give the program a chance to work for you to see results. If you go picking and choosing what workouts you want to do with P90X you’ll never get to the mastery phase.

This is important because it’s when your body starts to understand the moves. You’ll be able to start pushing even harder from this point moving forward. Here are some tips for those people who want to do other workouts.

• Already A Gym Rat? – Skip the gym for 90 – 100 days and do the entire P90X program at home or bring the DVDs to the gym. If you don’t like the results after the 90 days then you can go back to what you were doing before. My buddy Brad was in awesome shape before P90X and got even more ripped. He said his bench press went up by 5 pounds his first time trying it in 3 months. He catches himself doing many P90X moves at the gym.
• Extreme Athlete? – I’m not an expert on this and can only assume that triathletes and marathoners use the off-season to recover. If your one of the people who only do 1 or a couple of them a year then plan a 90 day period with no event specific training and do P90X. You’ll be surprised how much more fit you are from head to toe the first time you go out for a run, bike, or swim.
• Play Sports? – Make P90X a priority to do in the off-season. It will work on your weaknesses so you’ll be ready to get at the sports specific workouts when the season comes around. If you like the results then stick with it. I seem to be having games all the time and I like to schedule Yoga or a stretching workout on game day. Sometimes I don’t workout that day and just play. They key is I stick with the workout plan and mix game days around it.

From my experience I would recommend seeing P90X all the way through before trying to do hybrid workouts. It will take you much longer to see results or any at all if you mix. The goal is to treat the P90X workout like the challenging program it is. The only way to do this is to follow the program for the entire 90 days.