P90X Classic

The P90X Classic routine is the option that most people use when they begin P90X. 90 days, or 13 weeks, of fat-burning, muscle-building success are ahead of you. Here's the P90X schedule

P90X Classic is divided into three phases, each about a month long

In the first phase, you do three weeks of upper body, lower body, cardio, and yoga. The upper body workouts are Chest and Back and Shoulders and Arms. The lower body workouts are Plyometrics, which many people think is the toughest of all the routines, and Legs and Back. You also have Kenpo X, a fun, cardio/kickboxing program, and Yoga. Ab Ripper X, which is a 16 minutes, is also included on three days. This goes on for three weeks, 6 days a week, with the 7th day being a rest day, or doing Stretch X. Doing the stretch is recommended to help balance out all the hard work you did during the week.

The recovery week for Phase 1 consists of Yoga twice, Kenpo once, Core Syngergistics once, and a Stretch day. The 7th day is, again, Rest or Stretch.

If you're someone who goes, whoa, what's all this yoga stuff?, let me reassure you. Don't think yoga won't be a good workout - properly done, it's hard work, and you'll have no trouble breaking out a sweat. You'll also build strength, balance and coordination, as well as increase flexibility and range of motion. If you want to play sports, play with your kids, or just feel more fluid as you go through your day, I think you'll find yoga will help in surprising ways.

Phase 2 and 3 are aimilar to Phase 1 in that you have three weeks of 'harder' work, and then the recovery week, but you're using different resistance workouts than in Phase 1. Rather than getting verbose here, check out the the P90X schedule.

Some tips for starting the P90X classic program

- Do the fit test that comes in the P90X fitness guide, and take your 'before' photos. No matter how you feel about your 'before' photos, you will be glad you took them when it's 1, 2 or 3 months down the line and can have an apples to apples comparison. Some people don't see a big change on the scale right away, but see inches lost and their clothes fitting better. Having those before pictures will really help keep your motivation up.

- Realize that the first week, and month, is hardest. And that's OK - you're getting used to a new, challenging workout routine and may not be able to keep up with the people in the video. Follow the mantra of DO YOUR BEST AND FORGET THE REST. If you have to take extra breaks - fine. If you have to modify the moves - fine. If you put in an honest effort, you will improve over time. It's not a race - and your best results will come in the last phase.

- Watch what you eat. The P90X nutrition guide is included for a reason. You can exercise like a crazy person, but if you're still eating junk, you aren't giving your body the proper fuel and nutrition to lose weight, build muscle, or achieve whatever is your goal. Garbage in, garbage out... in the end, it all comes down to what you put in your mouth. Even small changes like healthy snacks instead of junk and drinking more water add up.

Go here to find out what P90X equipment you need to get started. You also get free support through your free, online Team Beachbody account. I wish you all the best as you start the P90X Classic routine, and feel free to contact Todd or I if you have any questions. You CAN do this!