P90X Archives

Tony Horton’s 11 Laws of Fitness!

Variety. Variety is the spice of life and fitness. A lifetime of health and fitness is achievable when you can think outside the box. You have to mix it up all the time. Stay curious, creative, and stick with the kinds of workouts that you enjoy. A variety of exercises, workouts, and sports will allow you to avoid injuries, plateaus, and boredom.
Consistency. Improvement and change occur when you do things often. Stopping and starting all the time will kill any momentum you need to succeed. You must find ways to stay in the game. Moderate forms of exercise, done consistently, provide far better results than the occasional full-body pummeling. A lifestyle that includes multiple forms of exercise five to six days a week guarantees results.
Intensity. YOU’RE TOUGHER THAN YOU THINK. The fear of pain or injury from working out is a mindset steeped in failure. You must learn to “Find the Line.” Do the extra rep or two, increase your range of motion, and increase resistance as you get stronger. Intensity goes hand in hand with Variety and Consistency. The combination of the three work together as a triad that creates a platform for success. The programs provide variety. Your plan will keep you consistent.
Purpose. Your purpose is to have a better life. Exercise and eating right help you feel better. When you feel better, you do more. When you do more, you meet other people. A healthy lifestyle gives us the energy to be better than before. We want to participate, share, communicate, and build a community have purpose in our lives. If you had never found Beachbody, you might be right back where you were isolated, with nothing to share, no purpose, because you weren’t doing anything with anyone.
Reality. Why do we want life to be different than it is? Why do we think about who we were and who we’re going to be more than who we are? We certainly talk a good game about who we are now. Why do we try to predict the future with the hope that wishful thinking is enough to change it? Life is NOT the way it was. It’s the way it is. Life is not our fantasy predictions of the future or our glory days of the past. Life is that thing that is happening to you as you read this. We fall into the trap of living in the past and future because right here is not good enough. Back then and up there are keeping you from right now.
Sports. Take the onus off of weight, inches, and body fat percentages and put the focus on MOVING – from dancing, rock climbing, and mountain biking to table tennis. I love that ping-pong! Think in terms of “can do” instead of “look like.” Sports are fun and help develop balance and coordination which in turn accelerates your results. Jump, kick, run, spin, throw, skate, shoot, hit, score, compete . . . PLAY!
The Plan. SCHEDULE ALL WORKOUTS IN ADVANCE. This creates accountability. Plan an entire month ahead of time. Try to schedule as many workouts as possible with friends who have similar goals. WOWY was developed so that we could find an easy and effective way to stay accountable and work out together. Now we’ve got people in Trumbull, CT (my hometown), doing Power 90 at the same time with people in Hollywood. That is cool!
Sleep (and stress). Stressed out, sleep-deprived people don’t eat right and exercise regularly. Stress depletes energy, strength, and desire, while poor sleep habits affect your moods and immune function along with cognitive and motor performance. Burning the candle at both ends makes it impossible to be fit and healthy.
Loving It. Exercise and workouts involve commitment, determination, planning, consistency, and intensity. If you don’t like what you’re doing, there’s no way on earth you’ll succeed. Enthusiasm is a very big piece of the puzzle. Get creative and stay curious. If you enjoy doing Power 90 exclusively and it works for you, then keep doing it until it doesn’t. If you get part way through P90X and it’s not your cup of tea, then stop, and do something else. Something’s got to bring you back day after day, week after week. Love it (tolerate it) or leave it.
Flexibility. Flexibility is the fountain of youth. Flexible people are much less prone to injury. Yoga and stretching allow you to bring more intensity to your workouts. Flexibility is the key component to becoming less vulnerable and more durable. Aging has a funny way of making everything we do harder. Staying limber and flexible is the way to prevent that from happening.
Food and Supplements. You are what you eat! Food and supplements are your fuel. The right fuel supplies proper energy and recovery through balanced brain chemistry. The right supplements simply fill in gaps in your diet.

New Goals, New Workouts, New Motivation!!!

FINALLY!!!! I officially have 3 months left until my VERY first MARATHON! I am registered to run in the Portland Marathon here in Oregon on 10-10-10:) I will be posting video and blog updates along the way to let you know what I’m doing for workouts and nutrition.

We’ll go ahead and cut right to it! This is the first 4 weeks of my new training schedule I put together. I wanted to put together a schedule with LOTS of variety. This basically breaks down to 5 days of running, 2-3 of those being sprints at the track, 4 days abs, and 3 days of weights. At the end of each month I’ll make the next 4 weeks training schedule and update:)

Week 1
Mon- 2 Miles, Chest/Back, Ab Ripper X
Tues- 4 Miles, Pushups/Pullups
Wed- Shoulders/Arms, Ab Ripper X
Thu- 4 Miles, Pushups/Pullups
Fri- 2 Miles, Insanity Upper Body Weights, Cardio Abs
Sat- 5 Miles, Pushups/Pullups, Ab Ripper X
Sun- Rest

Week 2
Mon- 2 Miles, Chest/Back, Ab Ripper X
Tues- 6 Miles, Pushups/Pullups
Wed- One on One-Just Arms, Ab Ripper X
Thu- 6 Miles, Pushups/Pullups
Fri- 2 Miles, Insanity Upper Body Weights, Insane Abs
Sat- 5 Miles, Pushups/Pullups, Ab Ripper X
Sun- Rest

Week 3
Mon- 2 Miles, Chest/Back, Ab Ripper X
Tues- 8 Miles, Pushups/Pullups
Wed- Shoulders/Arms, Ab Ripper X
Thu- 5 Miles, Pushups/Pullups
Fri- 2 Miles, Insanity Upper Body Weights, Cardio Abs
Sat- 5 Miles, Pushups/Pullups, Ab Ripper X
Sun- Rest

Week 4
Mon- 2 Miles, Chest/Back, Ab Ripper X
Tues- 10 Miles, Pushups/Pullups
Wed- One on One-Just Arms, Ab Ripper X
Thu- 4 Miles, Pushups/Pullups
Fri- 2 Miles, Insanity Upper Body Weights, Insane Abs
Sat- 5 Miles, Pushups/Pullups, Ab Ripper X
Sun- Rest

I am currently on Week 1 Day 3. I’ll be hitting Shoulders/Arms with Ab Ripper X as soon as I’m done with this post:)

Stay tuned for what I’m doing for Nutrition!!

P90X Review

My Experience with P90X

This P90X review is going to give you an overview on the entire program. I will have seperate articles that will go into depth with each workout. P90X was the very first workout program that I ever did. I started in September 2008 and finished in December 2008. I lost a total of 20lbs and 6 inches off the waist!

What is P90X?shop p90x

P90X stands for Power 90 Xtreme. It is a 90 day fitness program that is based on muscle confusion. There are 12 intense workouts varying from strength training, yoga, and cardio. P90X is broken down into 3 phases. 1 month=1 phase. For the first month, a typical week will include 3 days of strength training, 2 days of cardio, and 1 day of yoga. At the end of each month there will be a rest week which will help your body recover. When the new month begins, this is where the muscle confusion takes place. There will be a new routine of workouts which will keep your body from having the plateau effect. P90X is a commitment. Both physically, and mentally. This program will require 6 days per week and about an hour each day. Because this program involves strength training, there will be some equipment needed.

Equipment

  • Dumbells/Resistance Bands
  • Yoga Matt
  • Pull-up Bar
  • Sweat Towel
  • Water Bottle

The Nutrition Guide

P90X® Nutrition PlanFollowing the P90X Nutrition Plan is just as vital to your overall success as any of the extreme workouts in this program. Specifically designed to work in tandem with the P90X routines, this 3-phase eating plan provides the perfect combination of foods to satisfy your body’s energy needs every step of the way.

P90X is not about quick fixes or miracle diets. It’s about selecting the healthy foods that you WANT to eat, and determining the portion amounts that will provide your body with the right amount of fuel to excel during exercise.

Identifying what, when, and how much to eat so you can lose fat and still get into incredible shape is the goal of this nutrition plan.

P90X® Nutrition Plan | Salad PhotoThe fact is, you are capable of achieving awesome results if you follow this eating plan as designed. For many, this may be the toughest exercise—but it is absolutely essential to succeed in this program. Once you incorporate the principles of the P90X nutrition plan into your life, you will quickly begin to feel better, look better, and without a doubt perform better. You’ll also soon discover that your cravings for unhealthy foods will be greatly reduced.

P90X® Nutrition Plan | BBQ PhotoYour commitment to getting in the best shape of your life depends on your willingness to adhere to the guidelines of this 3-phase eating approach. The fundamentals are simple and easy to follow. All you have to do is make the commitment to stick to the plan and give your body the high-octane fuel it needs to get to the finish line.

The Three Phases:

Phase 1: Fat Shredder
A high-protein-based diet designed to help you strengthen muscle while simultaneously and rapidly shedding fat from your body.
Phase 2: Energy Booster
A balanced mix of carbohydrates and protein with a lower amount of fat to achieve additional energy for performance.
Phase 3: Endurance Maximizer
An athletic diet of complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, and lower fat with the emphasis on more carbohydrates. You’ll need this combination of foods as fuel to get the most out of your final few weeks and truly be in the best shape of your life!

Why Diet Matters

P90X® Nutrition Plan | Wrap PhotoA large body of scientific evidence shows that diet and exercise work hand-in-hand to promote fitness and physical performance. One reason for this symbiotic relationship is the energy equation. When you expend more calories than you consume, you burn body fat (aka “stored energy”) and build lean body mass—but because you need energy to exercise, every calorie you eat must be of the highest quality to get you over the hump.