Sometimes its not life that gets us offtrack, sometimes its doubters and people projecting their problems. I have heard, more than once, that “P90X is a scam” or “how can you get in shape from a infomercial?”. The reality is, P90X works and those people have issues of their own. This reminds me of a quote from Franklink D. Roosevelt:

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

Basically, don’t let those watching from the sideline have an impact on what you are trying to do….they aren’t even in the arena!

Keep at it, keep pressing play and keep ignoring the critics!

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Getting Back Up When You Fall Down

This weeks product spotlight is the Bodylastic Resistance Bands. The resistance bands made by Bodylastics are above and beyond the best on the market. Your entire P90X workout regiment (sans Yoga X) can be administered by the Bodylastic Resistance Bands. They are strong enough to be used as a pullup bar replacement, and they hold up for all of the arm workouts.

One aspect of a good product is durability. I have used many resistance bands and time after time, they begin to weaken over time. I have now had my Bodylastic bands for quite some time and they are still as resistant as when I first bought them. This is the ultimate sign of quality and a product that I feel good about recommending.

Please click on the image below to get more information on this amazing product. As you can see, the Bodylastic bands are promoted by Terrell Owens. Now, you may not be a big fan of T.O., but he is in amazing shape. There are several videos out there that detail his workout using the bands.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will respond. Trust me, you will take your P90X workout to the next level with the Bodylastic Resistance Bands.

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Product Spotlight – Resistance Bands

The people who know it only by the infomercial will almost never give it a try or listen as you try to explain it becase “how can an infomercial ever be for real?” I don’t waste my time with these people, becasue they probably don’t work out to begin with and aren’t open to changing their bad habits.

The people who know nothing about it are the people that I love to talk to. They are usually stuck in the same routine of going to the gym and working out with no purpose. They are usually openminded and looking for a regiment that works. They usually will listen.

The people that have worked out with P90X understand its power. They get it, they really understand what its about. They understand that not only does it change their lives from a fitness perspective, but it can change their lives from a life perspective. 

BeachBody, the creators of P90X, have created an entire industry around P90X. Hundreds of people are employeed via the coaching opportunity, while others have become personal trainers inspired by amazing transformation from P90X. When you enter the world of P90X, you are given every support tool possible to be successful. 

You can sign up to have a BeachBody coach assigned to you, for free. You also have access to the forums that have thousands of people on hand to give you support and answer any questions you have. There are numerous videos on YouTube of people giving their weekly updates. 

What I am trying to get at is that the only way you can fail at P90X is within yourself. If you give to it, it will give back tenfold. You are given all the tools and support that you will ever need. Its out there for you to take………..go get it!

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P90X Community

In comes my iPod!

I took my P90X DVD’s and ripped them to my computer using Handbrake. I then put the ripped video on my iPod and now I have Tony Horton in the gym with me. I love doing my P90X workouts at the gym!

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P90X On The Go

Eat five to eight fresh fruits and vegetables every day
The P90X philosophy is: Don’t ever hold yourself back from enjoying all the fresh fruits and veggies you want!

Enjoy whole-grain carbs
Ditch white breads, bagels, doughnuts, cookies and the like. Tear into a hunk of all-natural whole-grain bread instead with gusto! You don’t have to eat carbs at every meal, but you should have at least one serving of carbs every day. That’s because your brain relies solely on carbs for its energy source. Sure, you’ll be trim if you don’t eat any carbs, but you’ll come across as a ditz! Your protein serving should always be larger than your carb serving to prevent your blood sugar from spiking, then plummeting. The last thing you want is to feel weak and shaky during your P90X workout!

Enjoy good fats
Good fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated; some sources include avocados, olive oil, fish and nuts. The P90X fitness system recommends fish as the most lean source of protein and as the best source of omega 3 oils. Wild Alaskan salmon is best. Saturated and trans fats are bad; some sources include meat, dairy products and hydrogenated oils.

Drink at least six to ten 8oz glasses of water every day.
Water flushes away excess fat. That’s a good thing, because you’re going to crave tons of water after your P90X Cardio X, Plyometrics and Kenpo X workouts!

Avoid these items at all costs:
fast food burgers and fries; hydrogenated oils and high-fructose corn syrup. When you follow the P90X fitness mindset, you don’t even regard them as food. Think of them as poisonous artery-clogging and liver-taxing toxins.

Never, ever skip meals or starve yourself.
This will only slow down your metabolism anyway. You are going to need plenty of energy for your P90X workouts! Never leave the table hungry, and never leave the table miserably stuffed. Eat until you are full, but not overloaded.

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P90X Nutrition – Guidelines

What I liked about Cardio X
I really enjoyed the fact that the workout was not borning. Cardio X mixes in exercises of all different sorts: Yoga, Plyo, Kenpo, Ab Ripper etc. This workout really kept my attention and the workout seemed to fly by.

What I didn’t like about Cardio X
This workout was not as intense as Plyo or Kenpo X. While Kenpo X isn’t as intensive as Plyo, it is much more instensive than Cardio X.

I think Cardio X is a really great workout, but I htink its a better substitute for your Rest or Stretch X day than it is for Plyo or Kenpo X. To me, Plyo is the greatest workout in the P90X program due to its intensity.

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Cardio X Review

What are circuit workouts anyway?

Circuit workouts basically combine strength training with cardio. Circuit workouts will consist of several exercises being performed back to back without a rest interval in between transitions. The concept works best when you focus on “compound” movements that work multiple muscles at once. These compound movements will not only keep your heart rate elevated – which is where the cardio benefits come in – but by performing compound movements rather than isolation (single muscle) exercises, you’ll end up burning more fat as well.

Why do circuit workouts burn more fat?

Circuit workouts are so effective because they manipulate hormone levels. High intensity circuit workouts will increase lactic acid accumulation. In turn, the increased blood lactate levels stimulate the release of growth hormone. Growth hormone – which is secreted from the pituitary gland – helps transport fatty acids into the mitochondria for oxidation. In other words – it helps you burn more fat.

Here’s a sample circuit workout..

Circuit workouts will typically look something like this..

Bench Step Ups / Push Ups / Squats / Pull Ups / Medicine Ball Twists

All of these exercises would be performed back to back without taking a break as you transition between movements. You would perform each exercise for a minute (do as many repetitions as you can within the time frame) and only once you’ve completed the entire circuit will you be allowed to rest. Once completed, you would then either repeat the circuit or move on to different circuit workout grouping.

If you’re looking for good Circuit Workouts to follow, just click the link and you can get the entire program for free!

Bill Forestell is a certified personal trainer and fitness author with over a decade of industry experience.

Want to read another one of Bill’s articles?

Reduce Arm Fat – Here’s how to do it!

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/circuit-workouts-a-great-way-to-burn-fat-787738.html

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Circuit Workouts (P90X) – A Great Way To Burn Fat!

Muscle failure has become the key component in the “high intensity training” weightlifting movement. Under the high intensity training (or HIT) model, short but intense workouts are used for maximum gains in minimal time. Additionally, due to the effort exerted in an HIT workout that goes to muscle failure, someone participating in such a fitness regimen will require greater amounts of rest and recovery. During this recovery, muscles experience extensive growth as they try to heal after being pushed to failure. Remember, muscles grow larger and stronger by rebuilding the fibers that have been strained during exercise.

Muscle failure has proven exceptionally beneficial for people known as “hard gainers.” Hard gainers are individuals who find it nearly impossible to increase their muscle mass due to their bodies’ natural inclination to be skinny. However, everyone can benefit from incorporating muscle failure exercises into their fitness routine. Why? Because muscle burns fat. (more on that later).

Two excellent programs for reaching muscle failure is the new ChaLEAN Extreme and the ever popular P90X! Each program emphasizes this process called muscle failure. In order to consistently reach this goal, though, you will need to keep track of the weights you use each workout session. Remember, as the sets get easier, you need to add weight to keep challenging your body. The last 3 reps of each and every exercise should be hard. And the last rep should be the last rep you can perform with good form.

Much controversy exists around the training to failure issue. While many bodybuilders practice this method of training, others are not convinced of its merits. Those who don’t support muscle failure fear it can be dangerous. This is true, but only if you do not use proper safety and form. When working to muscle failure, you want to push your body to perform repetitions until no more can be sustained with proper form. Some people try to push even further, though, by continuing to move through repetitions using improper technique. This can lead to injury and even over training. When either of these results occurs, strength gains will obviously be less apparent.

Ultimately, working to muscle failure can help you challenge your body, push past a workout plateau, and reach a new fitness peak. This exercise principle encourages the growth of new muscle mass. As anyone interested in fitness knows, this increased muscle mass means greater calorie burns each day. Subsequently, increased muscle mass is directly related to faster weight loss. So, if you want to gain more muscle, lose more weight, and reach your peak potential, remember to push your hardest at each workout. If you try hard, you can fail, and if you fail, you will grow.

Author: Robert Harden

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Muscle Failure, Get in Shape by Failing First

Raised in the small Rhode Island town of Westerly, Tony preferred fast food to his mother’s healthy home cooking. As a kid, he hated exercising, and didn’t particularly like sports. He describes himself as the “quintessential 98-pound weakling,” and had all of the insecurities that went along with it.

Onward to Hollywood
After graduating from the University of Rhode Island, Tony moved to Hollywood to pursue his dreams of becoming an actor. He found himself working long hours, which didn’t leave time to exercise or eat right-or so he told himself. Although his ambition was high, his physical health was at an all time low. With some urging from his talent agent, Tony realized that to make it in showbiz, he needed to get fit.

But Guys Like Arnold Were Too Big
From that point on, Tony says his life changed forever. He joined the World Gym in Venice, California, where Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferigno worked out. He watched them and asked questions and read every book he could get his hands on. But Tony didn’t like the bulky, stiff, body-builder look, so he focused on exercises for speed, flexibility and balance that would give him a more streamlined appearance. He learned cardiovascular training, from world-class triathlete, Mark Sission, who introduced him to exhilaration drills and interval training.

Looking Good
As Tony got in better shape, he noticed that other things in his life were shaping up too. He felt better, his brain was sharper and he was more productive in everyday life. Tony had hit his stride and his world opened up. He started…

* rock-climbing
* inline skating
* doing yoga (laying the groundwork for P90X Yoga)
* practicing Pilates
* utilizing plyometrics

The more he learned, the better he looked and felt.

Friends and acquaintances were blown away by his physical transformation and started asking him how he did it. Before long, word got around: whatever Tony Horton, trainer, was doing, he was doing right! Word soon got to musician Tom Petty.

Tony Horton: Fitness Trainer to the Stars
Tony helped Tom get in the best shape in his life, and then went on to train some of his rock-n-roll friends. This began Tony’s career as a sought after fitness trainer. Over the years, he built his training career, establishing ASH Fitness in Santa Monica. His acclaimed exercise techniques appeared in Men’s Fitness Magazine and Tony established an on-camera presence as the spokesperson for Nordic Track. Then, in the late 90’s, he was retained by a major Hollywood studio to condition the entire cast of the motion picture The 13th Warrior.

In 1996, Tony met Beach Body president, Carl Daikeler through one of his clients. Tony and Carl hit it off immediately and soon became friends. Before long, Carl hired Tony to be his personal trainer.

After three months of Tony’ s instruction, Carl was in absolute disbelief. In just 90 days, he saw changes in his body, he never thought possible. Carl knew Tony had hit upon something truly revolutionary…

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Who is Tony Horton?

I really enjoyed the the permutations of pushups that were presented in this routine. Tony introduced about four new pushup variations that really workout the chest. I was surprised at how great of a pump I got from the different pushups.

I am still trying to figure out the right amount of weight for each exercise, especially when it comes to shoulders. The issue I have is that I don’t have a full set of dumbells. I suppose this is where the BowFlew Select Tech really comes in handy.

I was really surpised at how great of a workout this was; it really renewed my motivation and confidence in P90X. I am looking forward to seeing my results at the end of week 5.

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P90X Chest, Shoulders & Triceps