If you consider yourself a P90X beginner, congratulations! This means you have purchased or were given the P90X DVDs and you are ready to go. Starting the P90X program has been one of the best decisions I have recently made and I am confident that you will feel the same. I am not even finished with one round and I already feel that this program has changed my life. My eating habits have NEVER been this good, my cardiovascular endurance may be at an all time high and my overall mental state has improved. To be honest, my goal was to get in the best shape of my life through this program but I did not realize all of the benefits that came with that. Being somewhat naïve, I just thought my physical appearance would change and I did not think how it would affect my mindset.

P90X is marketed as a 90 day program but aspects of it should be maintained for a lifetime. Once you reach your goal through P90X, your new goal will be to maintain what you achieved. P90X is extreme and I don’t know anyone that follows it to a tee year after year but it’s very common to incorporate some of the P90X workouts into your own customized routine long after the program.

5 Tips for P90X Beginners

1) No matter if you are trying to shed fat or build muscle mass, you should track every calorie you consume for at least 1 week. Most people have no idea the amount of calories they eat daily so this may be an eye opener for some. I recommend you to track your calories throughout the 90 days but it’s easier said than done. I use a free program called “my plate”, it’s located at www.livestrong.com.

2) If your goal is to lose fat, don’t get too caught up on weight-loss. It’s almost guaranteed that you will gain muscle and muscle weighs more than fat so some will actually gain weight during the first couple of weeks. I know a few people that did not lose one pound in the first 30 days but they lost a considerable amount of fat and inches off their waist, thighs, etc…

3) Make sure you have some sort of recovery drink within 1 hour after your workout. After a training (non cardio-type) workout, your body begins a process that breaks down your muscles. A post-workout drink with carbohydrates and whey protein stops the breakdown process and stimulates muscle repair and growth. I am a big fan of the P90X Recovery Drink but there are others on the market.

4) If you are looking to build muscle mass and/or shed fat, don’t underestimate the nutrition plan. Speaking from experience, my results so far are driven because of the nutrition plan. Experienced P90Xers claim that the nutrition plan makes up 60% of the program, the other 40% are from the actual workouts. If you do follow the nutrition plan, schedule a few “cheat meals”. I find it easier to maintain the nutrition plan when you know you have a cheat day coming up.

5) Don’t give up! Some people quit at the 30 day mark. They are not happy with their results and feel like this program is too hard to not see significant changes. What these people don’t know is that most people start to see significant changes around day 45.

I would wish you all good luck but you do not need it. P90X has been proven time and time again so all you need to do is press play on your DVD player and follow the program to the best of your ability…and you do not need luck to accomplish that!

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