P90X - Get the Equipment You Need - Read Before Wasting Your Money
Congratulations on deciding to do the P90x program.
As a healthcare provider and clinical specialist in exercise and orthopedic physical therapy I frequently get questioned about the program and my assessment of it.
Overall the program requires little equipment compared to other sports or personal training sessions.
It is important to realize however that a lot of money can be wasted if you haven't done a little research first.
I have completed the P90x program, the P90x plus, and the one on one programs so I am very familiar with all of the exercises and their demands.
If you want to cut to the chase you can visit the link to the website for my specific equipment recommendations.
My first recommendation is to skip the doorway attachment pull up bar and go for a fixed mount pull up bar or freestanding unit if you can.
The door pull up bar is inadequate for some of the back and bicep moves as well as the 30/15 routine in the one on one.
Personally, I wouldn't feel safe on the door mount unit unless I was going very slow with no body swing.
The mild increase in cost of the joist mount unit is well worth it when you can focus on the exercise and not worry that you could go crashing to floor in a heap at any time.
Second, if you don't have dumbbells you will need some.
The Bowflex select tech ones used in the program are awesome but so is the price! There is another company that makes adjustable dumbbells that go up to forty pounds which is sufficient for most, and with the huge difference in price you could easily by 2-3 sets of these adjustables and still save hundreds.
If your budget allows you to buy the Bowflex dumbbells good for you but for most people individual iron dumbbells or these adjustables will work fine.
Third, you are going to do a lot of pull ups and most people use a chair to help them complete their reps in the beginning or if you are pushing for the last two to three reps.
A really cool adjustable pull up assist device just came out that hooks to the pull up bar itself.
Here again I don't know if I would trust this on the door mount version of the pull up bars.
This piece of equipment is really useful in the more advanced pull ups in the one on one workouts.
Lastly, the program recommends you wear a heart rate monitor.
I didn't wear one for the weight lifting routines but found it helpful to see how hard I was working in the more cardio focused routines.
Definitely get a good monitor that is easy to use and has comfortable chest strap.
When it comes to these devices the middle of road choices as far as price are the way to go.
You may also want to consider whether you plan to wear this as a daily watch or not because that will influence your choice as well.
You can also add components to many of these watches for hiking, biking, running etc based on your activities outside the gym.
Take a look around and don't be afraid to spend some money here and get what you really need.
I bought a cheapy to start and it drove me crazy during the workouts, so I ended up buying a much better one a couple of weeks later.
Don't waste your money.
Check the link for all the products I mentioned above so you can get the most out of your program without wasting money or time.
Trust me you will have enough to concentrate on, but it's definitely worth it.
As a healthcare provider and clinical specialist in exercise and orthopedic physical therapy I frequently get questioned about the program and my assessment of it.
Overall the program requires little equipment compared to other sports or personal training sessions.
It is important to realize however that a lot of money can be wasted if you haven't done a little research first.
I have completed the P90x program, the P90x plus, and the one on one programs so I am very familiar with all of the exercises and their demands.
If you want to cut to the chase you can visit the link to the website for my specific equipment recommendations.
My first recommendation is to skip the doorway attachment pull up bar and go for a fixed mount pull up bar or freestanding unit if you can.
The door pull up bar is inadequate for some of the back and bicep moves as well as the 30/15 routine in the one on one.
Personally, I wouldn't feel safe on the door mount unit unless I was going very slow with no body swing.
The mild increase in cost of the joist mount unit is well worth it when you can focus on the exercise and not worry that you could go crashing to floor in a heap at any time.
Second, if you don't have dumbbells you will need some.
The Bowflex select tech ones used in the program are awesome but so is the price! There is another company that makes adjustable dumbbells that go up to forty pounds which is sufficient for most, and with the huge difference in price you could easily by 2-3 sets of these adjustables and still save hundreds.
If your budget allows you to buy the Bowflex dumbbells good for you but for most people individual iron dumbbells or these adjustables will work fine.
Third, you are going to do a lot of pull ups and most people use a chair to help them complete their reps in the beginning or if you are pushing for the last two to three reps.
A really cool adjustable pull up assist device just came out that hooks to the pull up bar itself.
Here again I don't know if I would trust this on the door mount version of the pull up bars.
This piece of equipment is really useful in the more advanced pull ups in the one on one workouts.
Lastly, the program recommends you wear a heart rate monitor.
I didn't wear one for the weight lifting routines but found it helpful to see how hard I was working in the more cardio focused routines.
Definitely get a good monitor that is easy to use and has comfortable chest strap.
When it comes to these devices the middle of road choices as far as price are the way to go.
You may also want to consider whether you plan to wear this as a daily watch or not because that will influence your choice as well.
You can also add components to many of these watches for hiking, biking, running etc based on your activities outside the gym.
Take a look around and don't be afraid to spend some money here and get what you really need.
I bought a cheapy to start and it drove me crazy during the workouts, so I ended up buying a much better one a couple of weeks later.
Don't waste your money.
Check the link for all the products I mentioned above so you can get the most out of your program without wasting money or time.
Trust me you will have enough to concentrate on, but it's definitely worth it.
Source...