P90X3 Routine Equipment

• October 9, 2014
• Lifestyle

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor, health specialist, dietician, or anything of the sort. I am sharing what I learned from my own health and fitness journey and what works for me. Make sure to always check with your doctor and to always listen to your own body for your needs, and, of course, research from reliable sources, and talk to people you know who are experienced in this area.

If you are currently out of shape or slightly more overweight, I’d recommend you talk to your doctor first. And if your doctor gives you the green light, you should try Tony’s newest workout, P90. It is the non-extreme version of P90X.

Another word of advice – Always, always, ALWAYS listen to your body. Do not let ego get in the way and push yourself to the point where you can get hurt. You should always know what is best for you and whether or not you should start an extreme home workout or any exercise routine you choose to do.

What is P90X3? P90X?

P90X (Power 90 Extreme) is home exercise set created by Tony Horton and supplied by Beach Body. It is created to take 90 days (technically 91 days, 13 weeks) with cross training (strength, flexibility, and cardio) to help lose weight and gain muscle in three months. Their workout is meant for those that are slightly overweight and/or for those that are already fit. Just this year, Tony released another workout called P90, without the extremity from P90X, P90X2, or P90X3. This workout is for people who are moderately overweight.

I heard of P90X about eight years ago. I didn’t actually start doing any of the workouts until my boyfriend introduced me to their yoga. That was the time that I thought I could just do a bunch of cardio and yoga to get in shape, so I neglected all of the other P90X exercises. Earlier in March this year, I finished a couple of weeks of P90X and saw the immediate results it gave me. I felt a lot healthier and saw gain in muscle.

I got off track for 2 months. When I came back from my vacation in May, I researched and found the P90X3 program that has been out for a while now. I thought, hey, this looks intimidating, but it makes sense to exert all of your energy in the first 30 minutes to get the most of your workout.

So I started the complete set on June 9, 2014. It was up and down for me, because hey, it’s life. It didn’t bother me, because I kept going. Technically, I finished 2 months and a half. It isn’t the complete set, but it still counts for something. Some of you may think that I exaggerated my results or lied about my timeline, but I really am just emphasizing the journey and improvements. Most of the time, people get too down about results and forget to enjoy the road there. Enjoy the journey and raise a glass to each improvement. You definitely deserve it.

Schedules

There are four types of P90X3 Schedules that you could follow. Classic, Lean, Doubles, and Mass. Classic is the one that you would want to do if you are looking to get a balance workout in strength, cardio, and flexibility. Lean is for those that would like to lose as much unnecessary fat as possible by using more of their cardiovascular workouts to obtain that. (Similar to just running a lot, but also include some strengthening exercises to build muscle). Doubles, this one does what the title says, doubles up each workout to one hour each day, except for Yoga days, Sundays, and transition weeks. The fourth one is Mass, which is the schedule that you would follow if you want to build more muscle, putting more emphasis on the strengthening exercises. For this schedule, you should already be in shape.

The one I’m using is the Classic routine. I started this because I want to have a good balance between strength, cardio, and flexibility. You can’t expect to start doing pull-ups or push-ups right from the get-go. Since I have never been in shape in my life, I decided to start small.

Some of you may be intimidated by the compression of Tony’s workouts in 30 minutes. I was too. But you just really need to pace yourself. Don't let ego get in the way, and always try your best to complete each workout. Even if your moves aren’t exactly like how it’s supposed to be. In time, it will be!

Tony always has one person in the back doing a modification of the workout. For instance, if you can’t do pull-ups, there will be someone using bands to replace that move.

You can get the schedules here.

Equipment

1. Yoga Mat: A friend gave me a yoga mat a while back, but you can get them from $7-$20 + Tax at Wal-Mart, T.J. Maxx, Burlington, Marshall’s, any department store or on Amazon. Make sure to check for good quality.
2. Yoga Blocks: I got mine at Wal-Mart for $10. The ones I bought came in 2. This is important especially if you’re a beginner at yoga. You need the blocks to help you expand your lungs more.
3. Resistance Bands: I bought mine on Amazon for $30 + Tax. It’s called Black Mountain Products Resistance Band Set w/ Door Anchor, Ankle Strap,Exercise Chart, and Resistance Band Carrying Case. This is a REALLY good deal for your money. It’s very sturdy and doesn’t hurt your hands like cheap bands. You’ll definitely need this if you can’t do pull-ups or if you don’t have dumbbells.
4. Dumbbells: I bought a set of Gold Gym’s 40lb. Adjustable Dumbbells at Wal-Mart for $25 + Tax. The price went up to $40 + Tax but you can always check at other places for a cheaper price. You can always opt out of dumbbells by just using the resistance bands.
5. Pull-Up Bar: I also bought this at Wal-Mart $15 + Tax. The price for this also went up, to $22 + Tax. This is a must have even if you can't do pull ups yet. You'll need this to wrap your resistance band around so that it'll be sturdy to do your workouts (unless you have alternative solutions) but this is helpful to have because you should start training as soon as you can to slowly start doing pull-ups.
6. Cross Training Shoes: You can get any cross training shoes at any shoe department store. Just make sure your shoes aren’t for running because they are too big and won’t help with all the lateral movements that is in these workouts. Good quality shoes generally start at $60. I personally prefer Asics brand.

Note: Always compare prices if you are on a budget. Generally, Amazon almost always have the better deal, but sometimes they don’t, so make sure to compare prices.

You can purchase the workout set here.

It starts at $139.80 (Prime) but if you think about how much money you pay at the gym monthly, you only end up spending an estimate of $300-$350 max for all equipment and the workout set that you can bring anywhere with you (yes, even when you’re on vacation. NO EXCUSES!), and they will last a very, very, long time. Considering you choose quality over quantity and it won't get lost or burned.

Here are links to websites for information you need regarding P90X3:

P90X3 Workout Review
Beach Body

If you find that P90X isn't the right workout for you, perhaps you can check out some of Beach Body's other home workout regimens, like Shaun T's Insanity or Focus T25. Nonetheless, I can definitely assure you that you can always work out even if you don't have the money to pay for a monthly gym membership. You can spend $35 to buy a set of resistance bands use them for your workouts to help you build muscle, go running at a park or around your neighborhood, and buy a $10 yoga mat to do some yoga moves. That will cover the strength training, cardio training, and flexibility training.

What is your workout routine? Do you think a gym membership is better than starting a home workout program? What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear them!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below this post. As always, thank you for reading. Feedback are always welcomed.