David’s P90X “Must haves”

I’m not interested in only ‘good’ results and life is TOO short to aim for mediocrity.  I’m all about achieving GREAT results WITHOUT killing yourself on a daily basis. Gone are the days where you have to spend hours a day working out to be fit and healthy.

With the latest advances in training and discoveries in nutrition, it’s possible to be incredibly fit & healthy with less than 1 hour a day of working out and with the right foods, which are widely available.

However, in our society it’s very easy to get drawn into eating rich-tasting, high calorie, nutrient-devoid, artery clogging food!

When you decide to become fit and healthy, it can feel like you’re swimming up-stream. Family may not immediately support you, friends may even heckle you but whether you’re in it alone or not, you CAN be very successful with the right determination and by following the right program.

The items on this list will HELP YOU BE SUCCESSFUL with the least amount of struggling.  I relied on all of them during my first round of P90X and believe in each and every one.

I present to you…

David’s “MUST HAVES” to achieve GREAT results with P90X:

1)      A perspective change on nutrition! It’s not enough to just follow a diet or a set of guidelines, you have to see food differently. When you really understand how our country’s food supply has changed and how it’s impacting your body, you will find the power to change your eating habits. It becomes much easier when you experience a perspective change! The #1 best book I’ve ever read that causes a perspective change on nutrition is “Master your Metabolism” by Jillian Michaels.

2)      Mental commitment – Perceived physical limitations can be overcome with the right mental determination. When you first start P90X, your body will be screaming “What are you doing to me?!”.While performing the exercises, you will be tempted to quit early. The voice of self doubt will enter your mind “Can I really transform my body like the other success-stories I saw”?. ALL OF THIS MUST BE PUSHED ASIDE and it can be with the right mental determination. Believe it or not, *I* experienced all of those doubts during my transformation. I remember when I had a few weeks left, I thought to myself “Am I really going to get a sixpack? I’ve never had one before…”. As Tony Horton says “Get your mind right!”

3)      Daily Food Tracking software – online website or phone app. After reading the book above, this is the single most important thing you can use to educate yourself on the nutritional value of food and ensure your reaching your nutritional targets. For all new team members, I help you determine the right calorie goals and protein/carbs/fat. You won’t know if you’re hitting them until you start tracking your food. I recommend Loseit for the Iphone (Loseit.com) and Fitday for the Android (Fitday.com). You can use the app on the phone or the website on a PC/MAC.

4)      Whey Protein – To reach the target of 40%-50% of your daily calories coming from protein, it’s very difficult with normal food alone. This is where whey protein drinks make it a lot easier.Additionally, to take full advantage of the window of opportunity after working out, a protein drink is easily digested and absorbed by the muscles. Having  a post-workout protein drink is one of the most important parts of your daily nutrition.  I use Optimum Nutrition Whey from but there are MANY other great brands available.

5)      Recovery Drink – Important for replenishing glyogen (energy) and protein to the muscles immediately after working out. It’ll eliminate about 80% of soreness and give you the energy to do the next day’s workout. I suffered through the first week of P90X without and have been on it ever since.  As a P90X graduate, I can say that I WILL NOT DO P90X WITHOUT A RECOVERY DRINK. I started out using Endurox but upgraded to the P90X R&R Drink when I saw that they improved it by removing the fructose. Fructose inhibits your HGH (Human Growth Hormone) from being released! If you want maximum results, the P90X R&R Drink is the best on the market.

6)      Shakeology – If you want to really transform your body as quickly as possible, then Shakeology is the best way.  It’s a unique meal replacement unmatched by anything else on the market.  It contains 70 of the healthiest nutrients from around the world that improve your digestive system, removes toxins, lower cholesterol, helps to lose fat and improve energy levels, hair, nails and skin.  With all the nutrients that are stripped out of our food supply today, Shakeology is essential!  Some people think it’s too pricey but I can tell you that it’s worth it!

I started on Shakeology for the last 30 days of my first round of P90X and it played a huge part in my transformation. Take a look and see for yourself!

Shakeology allowed me lose the crucial last few pounds of belly fat that is hardest to lose.  Shakeology nourishes your body to allow it to be at optimal levels.

7)      Heart Rate Monitor – Knowing your heart rate during your workout lets you know if you are pushing hard enough or pushing too hard!  They sometimes have a lot of features but the most important one that I like is tracking calories burned. Most other HR monitors that track calories burned cost A LOT more! The price on the Timex that I use is OUTSTANDING, especially for the quality!

8)      Impact reducing  shoes – When I first started P90X, I was getting some knee inflammation and pain from all the jumping moves. Plyometrics can beespecially brutal if you don’t have a pair of good impact-reducing shoes. Today I am pain free and have no more inflammation because I use the Reebok Zigs. They are well made and the bottom is very thick. I had some Nike basketball shoes and these are 10x better!  Check them out.

9)      Pull-up bar (required for the workouts) – Pull-ups are a big part of P90X and you will be doing them 2x per week for most weeks. Having a pull-up bar with multiple handle positions allows you to follow the workouts as designed.  I use the Iron Gym pull-up bar.

10)   Yoga Mat (required for the workouts) – You will be doing Yoga X every week! This is not your mom’s yoga! This is very intense and the last thing you want to do is slip and injure yourself. A yoga mat helps you to hold some pretty tough postures.  This can also be used during Plyometrics to reduce the impact to your joints while jumping.

11)   Weights or bands (required for the workouts) – Bands are good to get you started (heck, I used them in the beginning) but real weights will work your muscles in ways that bands wont. Buy whatever you can afford but I personally used the Ripcord Resistance bands and  Bowflex 552s  during round1 and the 1090s during round 2. You can check out my Bowflex dumbbell review here.  For women, this is a great set.

There you have it…  my “Must Haves” to achieve GREAT results.

Do you have other “Must haves” on your list? Leave a comment below!