By Jimmy Hays Nelson
The journey to the neXt frontier as begun! The anxiously awaited sequel to the best selling in-home fitness program, P90X2, arrived at my house in time to make it a very Merry Christmas!
After 8 years of doing P90X, and having the privilege of working out personally with creator Tony Horton on many occasions, I was excited to see how this new version differed from the original.
All I can say is, if the first 4 weeks of Phase 1 set the tone for the next 60 days, then this truly is the cutting edge of fitness and I cannot wait to see my full 90 day results!
The workouts in Phase 1 of P90X2 are:
· X2 Core
· Plyocide
· Recovery and Mobility
· Balance and Power
· X2 Yoga
· Total Body
· Ab Ripper X2
As opposed to the original, P90X2 does not ask you to crank out pushups and pull-ups like a Navy S.E.A.L. on Day 1. Instead, this entire phase is a real baseline to prepare you for what’s to come. Every workout in Phase 1 stress the importance of 2 things:
Core Strength & Balance
I can tell you, me and the other people in my current Challenge Group, are quickly finding out that it doesn’t matter how much weight you can curl or how many pushups you can do – this Phase of P90X2 has humbling way of showing you were you are lacking in your overall functional fitness. For most of us, and most people in general, the area of true core strength (not just pretty abs) and balance have been a weakness because we have ignored training specifically with those areas in mind.
I was quickly reminded of my very first round of P90X. Back then there were no infomercial success stories, or 1000 YouTube videos to look up for How-To’s. My wife and I got up every morning at 6am and struggled our way through it and figured it out on our own ‘Trial and Error’ style. There was LOTS of failing, falling, and frustration. But we continued to show up every day and got better. The same is true with Phase 1 of P90X2. Using a big bouncy stability ball, smaller medicine balls, and a crazy looking foam roller introduced new ways to fail and fall! But each time you revisit the workouts you get better and better. Instead of being excited that I upped my weight on a Congdon Curl, I’m stoked that I was able to 15 Sphinx to Planks on a stability ball.
And for those of you who are fans of the results the resistance training and old school weight lifting brought you in P90X, don’t you worry. As I start Phase 2, I was quickly reminded that Tony Horton still likes to lift weights. The difference is now you are forced to engage your newfound core strength and balance skills WHILE doing those Wide Curls and Decline Pushups.
The new nutrition guide is also much easier to use and has varied plans for any personal diet plan including: Vegetarian, Vegan, and Paleo!
This is an extreme program, and like with any program diet along with supplementation is extremely important. If you are asking a lot from your body by training it like an athlete, wouldn’t you want to give it the tools it needs to perform, recovery and repair like an athlete as well.
I am often asked what supplements I use, so I thought I would list exactly what I am taking through my P90X2 journey. Links below will give you more information on each of them!
Shakeology –I call Shakeology the ‘Great Filler’ because no matter how clean you think your diet is, we all have holes in our diet and nutrition. Vitamins, Minerals, Super Foods, and Phyto-nutrients that there is no way you could get from your regular meals unless you had a private chef that made weekly global grocery runs!
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One month into P90X2, me and my fellow Challenge Group participants, are seeing amazing results. I’m excited to see what the next 60 days bring.
If you are ready to take your heath and fitness to the next level by taking on P90X, or being in my next Challenge Group, leave a comment below and I will get back to you ASAP to help you see your results!
Your Success Story is MY MISSION! – Coach Jimmy