I've only been doing P90X for a month, but I've noticed a lot of the people that come in here are asking questions or commenting that they are having problems with this or that, so I thought I'd throw out a few tips for getting through the first couple weeks. Once you're past that, it's a lot easier and less frustrating.

1. Listen to Tony! The best advice he gives is "do your best, forget the rest". If you're new to working out like this, it's going to be frustrating. Do what you can, as much as you can, and don't worry about trying to keep up with Dreya. She's a monster, she can do things that mere mortals can't.

2. Start little, go big. With every move, don't try to do the max the first time. Start with a weight you can handle, and write on your sheet whether you should increase it for the next workout. If you're easily getting the reps you set as your goal, you need to raise the weight. If you don't use a weight you can handle, your form will suffer. So start little, then go bigger as your body learns to handle it.

3. Use a heart rate monitor. At the end of every set, check your heart rate. If it's higher than 85% of max heart rate, hit pause, and let your heart rate come down to 75% to 80% of max. If you don't let it come down, you won't have the juice left to make it through the next exercise. If you let it drop too far, you're wasting your earlier effort.

4. Ab Ripper X. It's a, well, a not nice word. Again, start little. Don't try to do 25 reps. Set a goal for today of 12 reps on every exercise. If you can make it through the whole thing at 12 reps, then bump up to 14 for the next time. In no time you'll be doing the full 25. Doing 12 of every exercise is better than doing 25 of the first two and only having the juice left to do 3 reps on each of the rest.

5. BREATHE! When lifting weights (or doing pushups, pullups, squats, etc.), you should be exhaling forcefully as you are exerting effort. On the negative, you should be inhaling slowly. If you hold your breath during the exertion, you run the risk of passing out (it's called the Valsalva effect).

6. EAT! Your body is being taxed in the P90X workout. You NEED TO EAT! But eat the right foods. The nutrition guide is surprisingly good (one you figure out just what the heck it means!). And the recipes in the guide are REALLY good. You won't even realize you're eating "healthy" because it doesn't feel like a diet.

7. Don't get frustrated. The first couple weeks you may not see the numbers on the scale move much. But if you're giving it all you've got, and eating right, your body is burning fat, and building muscle. The human body is remarkably adaptive, and all the work you're doing is telling it "hey! we need more muscle, this nut is pushing HARD!" If you can, get a set of bodyfat calipers and measure your bodyfat once a week (no more). Use calipers (or if you can afford it, get dunked), not one of the electrical impedance measures. You may not see your weight dropping fast, but you will see the bodyfat melting away. If the fat is declining but the weight is staying up, then you're building muscle. The more muscle you build, the more revved your metabolism will become.

8. Avoid alcohol, soda, and fruit juices. Some juice is okay, as long as it's pure (no sugar or HFCS added), but in moderation, and preferable AFTER a workout. Some people have done P90X and still had a beer here & there. No problem, it works for them. But if you want to see results, you have to treat your body like the intricate piece of equipment that it is. Alcohol is (technically) a poison to your body. I like to party like anyone else, but to get the most out of P90X, giving it up for 90 days isn't a big deal.

9. Think before you modify. A lot of people start doing the "days" out of order. But they end up doing stuff like Plyo on Monday and then Legs/Back on Tuesday, and then Chest/Back on Wednesday. So the Monday workout went well, but then their legs aren't recovered for Tuesday, and their back is still busted on Wednesday. If you're going to do it out of order, keep the weight days separated by a day, and don't do Plyo & legs back to back.

10. SLEEP! Your body can't recover without rest. Doing P90X then going out partying all night and having to get up early for work means your body is going to get drained. You will suffer for it, and you will be more likely to get sick. We're all busy, but try for at least 7 hours a night.

One last tip: Read the FAQs on this site. They're quite good!

Nice tips. I like number 3 - I think we all like to try and get trhough the workout with the gang! But I certainly need some rest after killing pullups and then having to do a bunch of pushups!

Good tips

thanks

good tips, the ab ripper x is tough and i agree. dont try and keep uo with Tony in the beginning.

So Im going to buy the p90x with my next pay check...hopefully with some careful budgeting, this is also my first time posting to a forum of any kind so I dont know where or who to ask so here goes. I want to get it asap, but dont know if theres any cheap way to do it, like order just the dvds with the diet plan...or just the dvds with the pull up bars..stuff like that. I cant seem to find either what exactley comes with it for 130 dollars or whatever it is. I do know I want dumbbells though..any response would be awesome. Thanks

The nutrition guide is included with the package, the pullup bar is add'l. You'll have to buy your dumbbells elsewhere, since the Selectecs don't sound like they fit into your budget.

what are the selectecs? How much is the pull up bar..and Im thinking since I have experience working out with free weights that I wouldnt even want the resistance bands, I would just go straight for dumbells.

The adjustable bowflex dumbbells on the website, over $300, I can't remember exactly. The pullup bar was maybe $50-60, go to the website at beachbody.com and check it out.

Those sound spendy! Cool thats all the info I need to get started, once I get my paycheck on gonna be on my way...thanks yall for posted back so promptley! Have a good'n

What is exactley on the "how to bring it" cd, my computer wont recognize most cds besides music. Is the nutrition guide on there?

No.. the nutrition guide is a booklet that comes with the package. The how to bring it cd is basically just an intro to the program by Tony, the trainer/creator.

any reasonable way to fill that void, besides talking to trainers and attaining some other nutrition book?

I'm not sure.. the P90X nutrition system doesn't follow the normal weight loss formulas. In fact, I've noticed quite a few folks, including myself, thinking that they were having to eat too much using this system, but it has you eat in order to have the proper energy level to complete the rigorous workouts. I just completed my second week and I understand the eating process now. They give you either a portion plan or meal by meal daily plan to choose from. I'd suggest trying to find the guide somewhere online if you don't have the complete package. The nutrition is a huge part of the success factor with this system.

Thanks for the good advice for I am a newbie to P90x. However I have been exercising for years, and have made a commitment for the past 10 years to work out daily with a rest day once a week, and during full moon and new moon day. I am a yogi and do the yoga daily and now along with the P90x. I am finishing the 2nd week and look forward to day 90, but this like Ashtanga yoga is addictive and I look forward to a lifetime of extreme exercise with no injury. Adapt Adjust Accomodate.

What is a Moderator, and are they paid by Beach Body?

if you are talking about mods for the website then they just make sure there are no spammers hitting the threads, everyone is staying on topic and not getting out of line. I'm nost sure about this forum but most are volunteers that just want to ensure the integrity of the site.

Thanks medako. I am new to the site, using my son's DVDs for P90x. I completed Yoga X for week 2 today. Tony did a great job leading the class. I wonder where he learned yoga. His style looks more like Power Yoga rather than Ashtanga, which I love and practice the Primary Series often. Since starting P90x I have not done the Ashtanga practice daily, as I usually do. I had the Rhino flu during week 2, continued to do yoga and stretch, cardio, but did not do the weights until fully recovered and then restarted week 2. I am in excellent health and fitness for age 60, but need improved strength for muscle groups involved with chin ups. The P90x is helping me meet this goal.

Hi I started P90X about 3 weeks ago. About to start recovery week. I am looking to lose about 10lbs but have noticed the scale not moving much. I understand that inches matter so I try not to let the scale influence me too much. My question is about recovery week. Someone said they gained weight because of the "growth" - what does that mean? What else can I look for in this 4th week?

Thanks!

I started at 140 large 6, and after 90 days I was a small 6/large 4, but I gained 5lb. I lost 4% bodyfat, and gained 7.25lb of muscle. If you are close to your goal looking at the scale is just going to drive you crazy. Focus on clothing size and other measurements instead.

I think the "growth" you are referring to is the body getting a rest and being able to allow muscle tissue to recover and "grow".

so how do the days work with this im starting today. with chest and back do I just rotate through the dvds,like tomorrow do plyometrics then shoulders and arms? I dont understand how to approach the dvd rotation throughout the week