So you are just getting started with P90X.
Feeling scared?
Maybe a bit intimidated?
I know I was when I first started it 2 years ago. The good news is that you don’t have to be if you implement the following steps that worked for me.
P90X is a very intense program and not for the beginner. As a an Independent Beachbody Coach it is my privilege to offer free advice and assistance to anyone who may not have a Beachbody Coach. My very first customer I received from Beachbody was a 43 year old male named Warren who was 5′ 11″ tall, weighed 272 pounds, and as he stated to me, he had not seen a gym or any kind of workout since high school. He had purchased P90X on television and I was assigned as his Coach by Beachbody.
First off, I told him that he may not want to start with such an intense program and that he should maybe look at Tony Horton’s Power 90, which is a very good program, but a lot less intense than P90X. He told me that he was going to do it and that he did not want to try anything else.
I asked him to at least take the fit test which can be found on page 17 on the P90X Fitness Guide to make sure he could pass it. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you purchased P90X new (the key word here is NEW) for anything less than the $119.85 retail price, chances are you have an illegal or bootleg copy of P90X and we have seen many of the DVD’s stop working after a month or two. Even if you or someone you know purchased P90X from any COSTCO for the $99.99 price they were selling it for - you have a bootleg copy of P90X that may stop working someday. Also, if you purchased P90X new and you did not receive the Fitness Guide or Nutrition Plan manuals, chances are you have an illegal copy that may stop working. Anyway, just thought it was important for you to know this.
Back to the Fit Test…
The P90X Fit Test is a small group of exercises you do before you start P90X to see if you are in good enough physical condition to take on the entire P90X program. So, because of my suggestion, my Beachbody Customer Warren reluctantly took the Fit Test, passed it (or so he told me) and said he wanted to do the program. At this point I could not argue with him.
So, long story short, with me doing a little email Coaching once or twice a week Warren was able to lose 54 pounds his first 90 Days on P90X - which was an AWESOME accomplishment. He did a second round of P90X and ended up losing a total of 72 plus pounds and has gone on to run half marathons and other things. His life has completely changed because of P90X and a little Coaching.
That said, you too can get incredible results if you follow the plan and use some of these tips that worked for me. I am a 50 year old male and P90X got me in the best shape I have ever been in my life. You can see my before and after pics (with Tony Horton himself) on my main home page at CommitToStayFit.com.
- If you are not in the best condition, or you have any injuries, make sure to check with your doctor before starting P90X.
- I tell EVERYONE, no matter what fitness level they are at to start out at 60% to 70% of their maximum ability. Too many people try and hit it using everything they have, and you can find yourself extremely sore or even injure yourself. Trust me on this, especially when you do Plyometrics because you are going to burn your legs like never before. I have personal trainers I have put on P90X who are generally in good shape, and after a few days on the program I ask them how they are doing. Almost 100% across the board the answer is something like, “I can’t believe this, it’s the toughest program I have ever done” - but they love it!
- Get a good heart rate monitor at your local sporting goods store, or from my site at CommiTtoStayFit.com. Here again, on some of the cardio days, especially Plyometrics, you will probably hit your max heart rate or go over it - something you do not want to do.
- This is an extremely important step and one of the secrets to success as you go through the program. Take your before pictures (front, back and side) in shorts (men) or a swim suit (women), measurements, weigh yourself and determine your body fat percentage. You will want to do this every 30 days. Trust me on this. Your first 30 days you may not see the “weight loss” results you were expecting and get discouraged - especially the women. I know, because my wife was one of them. She only lost a few pounds of weight her first 30 days. However, when we redid her measurements, pictures and body fat percentage, she had gained some muscle, lost a couple pound, lost some body fat, and lost some inches - and you could see a difference between her before and after pictures. And ladies, as reluctant as you may be to take a before picture in a swim suit, just do it - you will be glad you did.As for determining your body fat percentage there are a few ways to accomplish this. You can go to your local department store and purchase one of the scales that measures weight, body fat percentage. Some even check your water, muscle mass and more. They can run about $40 to $100 or so. If cost is an issue, you can get a pair of body fat calculators at your local sporting good store for about $10 to $15. I go to my doctor who has a really nice scale that costs $2,500 and it calculates all sorts of things, and one of her assistants does the test for me at no cost. Some gyms have them and so do many personal trainers. Remember, muscle weighs more than fat, so as you lose fat and gain muscle you will find that measuring weight alone is not good (or accurate) enough.Lastly, I have found that many people see the majority of their results the last 60 to 90 days. Don’t get discouraged and quit if you don’t see the results you expect your first 30 or even 60 days. Commit to the full 90 days and don’t quit.
- The toughest part of the program for most people is changing eating habits. I have a friend who is pretty diligent at using P90X, however, what he put’s in his mouth is horrible and looking at him you would never know that he did P90X. I will be perfectly honest with you. I did not follow the meal plan from the very start. If you can, you should as you will get better results much faster. What I did was started cutting back on all the bad stuff. For instance, instead of putting on a huge slice of cheese and a fair amount of mayonnaise on my sandwich, I simply cut everything in half to start. We used to go out or order in pizza almost every Friday. I immediately cut this to once a month and ate until I was satisfied - not stuffed. Portion wise, I also cut back on this, and instead of eating 3 bigger meals each day, I ate 4-5 smaller meals each day. As I started getting back in better shape, and could see results, I cut back even further and got to the point where I don’t use any cheese or mayo on my sandwiches, rarely have pizza unless it is one slice once in a while, and went to a good tasting fat-free salad dressing I found (check out Paul Newman’s stuff - it’s really good). Lastly, make sure you are eating enough. Another problem people encounter is that they try and starve themselves to death thinking they will lose weight faster. This will not work with P90X and can even have the opposite effect on you. It is important that you read and follow the information in the P90X Nutrition Plan or you may not get the results you are looking for.
- A word about Yoga X. Many guys think Yoga is for women or wimpy guys. Trust me on this. If you have never done yoga before, as I had not done, this program works you HARD. In fact, for me, it was (and still is) the toughest program out of all of them. Tony Horton personally told me that it is the most important program out of all of them in P90X. And if you ever get the opportunity to do a group workout with Tony, as I have done on several occasions, you WILL be doing Yoga - so just do it.
Anyway, I hope this helps a little since it is coming from someone who has done several rounds of P90X - and absolutely love it, and still do. Though I have just started Beachbody’s new program INSANITY, and all I can say is OUCH!
That said, if you do not have a Beachbody Coach, or you have any questions regarding P90X, nutrition, supplements or any other Beachbody programs, feel free to contact me at blake@committostayfit.com. I would love to help you get the results you want.
Blake Warrington
Independent Beachbody Coach
Tags: P90X, P90X Review, P90X workout, Tony Horton
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