Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Ten ways to prepare for P90X


Your excited, nervous, anxious and a little scared, but ready to do whatever it takes to finally get into shape and you have decided that P90X is going to be your rocket to take you on your journey. P90X has arrived and you are ready to bring it, but first there are some things that need to be covered to insure that you stay true to your journey.

1. Make your decision pubic!

Tell your friends and family that you have made the choice to become fit and healthy and you are committed to changing your lifestyle. Most are going to support you in your decisions and some might roll their eyes at your decisions, just use the eye rolling to fuel your motivation. Do not try and change the ways of anyone else this is about you and its time you foucs on yourself you can worry about the others later and you might find that when the others see your commitment and determination they will appraoch you.


2. Take your time read the fitness guide and Nutrition program.

Understand how P90X works, understand the workout schedule and nutrition program, these are key to insuring that you will get the results that you want. You must understand that nutrition is 70% of having awesome results and the workouts are only 30%. The amazing P90X results that you see on tv and on the web are obtained from those people following the nutrition program. If you need additional help with understanding the nutrition guide please see my detailed post called "P90X Nutrition Program explained & Nutrition 101"

3. Take the Fit test!

To many people skip this very important part of the program, the fit test gives you a good idea of your current fitness level and is also a great way to show your physical improvments over the course of the program. Its amazing how quickly your physical condition will advance and you need a having a starting point to refect back on is very important.

4. Take your before pictures.

This step is crucial and if you want ultimate motivation take your before pictures. When I first started P90X I was so embarrsed with myself I didnt want anyone to take my pictures for me and I took them myself in the bathroom mirror, thinking there is no way on earth that anyone will ever see these pictures but me. I rolled out of bed on day one in my boxers and took the pics. Never would I imagine that I would be happy to show them off to others when I completed P90X to prove how much I had changed and to show the world the greatness of P90X . So take your pictures, hide them and only use them for you, but understand your outlook on your before status is going to greatly change with your after results.

5. Choose your start date wisely

P90X is six days a week with one rest day. Choose your start day after the day you want to be your rest day. I always start P90X on Monday so that Sunday can be my rest day, this works the best due to my schedule and allows me to really enjoy my rest day and your rest day needs to be just that a day of resting and recouping from kicking your own ass all week long.

6. Surround yourself with others on the same journey.


Surrounding yourself with others that have the same goal in mind greatly increase your motivation and accountability and is key to your own success. To start join Team Fitness Journey for free and receive my personal coaching. Next make sure to join our Facebook group to help you find others that are also commited to reaching thier goals.

7. Watch the DVD learn how to Bring it first.

Tony H. talks about what it takes to bring it and how p90x works, he explains muscle confusion and why it is so imporatant to your P90X success. Most important Tony explains that P90X is proven to work the entire program is designed to work together. All the guess work about fitness and nutrition and been removed and the program is listed out for you in great detail. So trust the plan and work the plan and know that it will work. The only thing that is in your way is you.

8. Equipment you need.

You need atleast a pullup bar and resistance bands to perform the p90x workouts. I recomend that everyone start P90X using resistance bands, this helps you identify what weights you will need for specific routines in P90X. Dumbbells are the better of the two, but are much more expensive. Using bands will help you decide what weight dumbbells to purchase. I use resistance bands for all of the tricep and lower weighted routines, and I use dumbells for the heavier routines like curls and shoulder presses.

9. Equipment that is nice to have but not a necessity.

Yoga Mat, yoga blocks, and heart rate monitor. Don't get me wrong they are recommended by me but they are not must haves to do p90x, and if you are on a budget you can skip them.



•A heart rate monitor is great for knowing if you are pushing yourself to hard or not pushing hard enough. Learning your heart rate zones and then staying in the "Zone" for the majority of your workout will help you maximize your results.


•If you have never done yoga you will soon understand why yoga mats are so nice. They prevent your hands and feet from sliding, they also add an extra layer of padding between you and the floor. I workout in my carpeted living room and after doing YogaX for the first time without a mat I quickly ran to the store to pick one up.


•Yoga Blocks are great for those like me that are not flexible at all and help you get into some of the pretzel like positions that Tony demands. Yoga blocks also offer added flexibility for those of you crazy flexible people.


10. "Bring it" every workout, every move all the time!

When you push play, you are committing yourself to P90X for the entire workout. Give your all every workout, each move has to be intense and you have to really push yourself. That does not mean that you have to keep up with Tony and the kids, it means that you are honest with yourself and give everything each exercise. "It does not matter what your best looks like just give it." Over time you will be amazed how your fitness levels will increase and before you know it you will be keeping up with Tony and the kids.

The above ten tips will help insure that you obtain the best possible results with P90X and that you stick to the program.

No comments:

Post a Comment