P90X Short: No Time For P90X or to Maintain

While P90X is a great program, the major drawback for most people is the time required for the program. On top of the short preparation time, you have to allocate 60-90 minutes 6 days a week. Yes, you are worth the time, and it more than pays back in the gains in fitness that you will make, but even many driven people will have problems finding the time with their busy life. For that reason, I created a modified version of P90X that should be able to be much more suited to anybody’s schedule.


Before I go on, I want to be very clear that P90X Short, as I call it, should not be your first choice of a schedule. It is an alternative to not doing P90X at all. Additionally, you can follow the recommendations for one day at a time, when you won’t have time to do a full P90X workout.

The Schedule is the Same

Even when you are doing P90X Short, you follow the schedule as defined. The only difference is the length of the workout. Specifically, you cut out about half of the workout.

First, make sure that you always do the warm up and the stretch. Also, you should do Ab Ripper X 3 times a week. While you should do it on the days that it is defined, you can do it on any 3 days as long as it is not on consecutive days, and preferably not on Yoga day.

How to Cut the Workouts in Half

Some workouts repeat the same sequence twice. Other workouts do not. So the obvious way to cut Chest & Back and Shoulders & Arms in half is to just not do the non-repetitive portions of the workouts. In Chest & Back, just stop halfway through, and fast forward to the cool down. In Shoulders & Arms, the workout does sections of 3 different exercises and then repeats the section. Just fast forward past the repetitive exercises.

The other workouts, with the exception of Yoga X, can just be divided in half. Even though the exercises are different in the halves, they tend to cycle through the same muscle groups, so you will get the required coverage. As far as which halves you should do, that is generally up to you. I find the second halves tend to have more challenging exercises, so you might want to start there. The exception seems to be Legs & Back, where the first half of the workout works the larger muscles of the legs better than the second half. The back work in Legs & Back repeats, so it doesn’t matter.

Yoga X clearly is a completely unique workout throughout. The real work is in the first 45 minutes of the workout. However, you want to also try to work in Yoga Belly 7. A preferred alternative is to get the Fountain of Youth DVD from the P90X One on One series. Tony describes it as a 45 minute version of Yoga X. It gets to most of the critical aspects of Yoga X, including stretching and ab work, but is again half the time. If you need to order Fountain of Youth, you can click here, and the Fountain of Youth workout is the 6th one down on the pull down menu.

Modifying Your Diet

If you are doing P90X Short, you generally want to cut a fairly significant amount of calories from your diet. The amount of calories to be cut depend on your caloric needs. For that reason, you should go to the Caloric Needs Calculator on teambeachbody.com and calculate your calorie needs for P90X. Then go back and calculate your calorie needs for doing no exercise. Then average it out the two numbers. If you need an account on teambeachbody.com, click here for a free account.

How Does P90X Short Affect Your Results?

If you eat properly, you should generally have the same amount of weight loss that you would have doing P90X Classic. Muscle growth and strength should still increase, although probably not as much as with P90X Classic. Muscle improvement comes by creating microtears in the muscles, and generally you will get about 80% of such tearing doing half the workout. The second half of P90X workouts provides mostly extra calorie burning, and as long as you hit all of the muscles in the part of the workout that you actually do, you should get most of the expected P90X muscle benefits. Again, I peg it at about 80%, but admittedly that is at best a knowledgeable guess.

Conclusion

P90X Short is also a potentially great maintenance routine, as it provides benefits without having to do the full workout in a tolerable amount of time. Also as I said in the beginning, this is solely an alternative for people who could not otherwise do P90X. It is not intended to be a fully functional replacement of the P90X schedule. Additionally, if you are short on time, and have already completed P90X, you might want to try P90X+, which is a great workout, but is more of a muscle endurance and toning workout, rather than a strength and size workout. The biggest benefit of P90X+ is that the main workouts are usually about 40-45 minutes a day.

Should I Do P90X Classic, Lean or Doubles?

The name, P90X Lean, makes people clearly assume that if they want to get leaner using P90X, they should do the Lean version. I actually had the same assumption when I decided to do P90X+Lean version. I soon learned I was wrong, and that P90X Lean was actually better named P90X Lite.


I believe that people think there is a much bigger difference between the programs than people think there are. The reality is that there are only a few differences between Lean, Classic and Doubles. However, there is a mystique surrounding the programs.

Before I go on, I want to clearly say that P90X Lean is not easy. It is just easier than P90X Classic version. You can definitely achieve awesome results with P90X Lean. All things being equal though, it is not as intense as P90X Classic.

What is P90X Classic?

P90X Classic is the base program. It is P90X as it was designed. At a very high level, you alternate days of strength and cardio work. I can go on, but really I recommend that you should start with Classic, unless the next paragraph applies to you. Even if you intend to do Doubles, Doubles actually starts with a month of Classic, so it is essentially the same early on.

Why Use Lean?

P90X Lean is a great program for people who are uncomfortable starting with the full version of P90X. Also, it does take less time over the week to complete P90X Lean than P90X Classic. The workouts you do are shorter 2 times per week. That is a big benefit for many people.

The Differences Between Classic and Lean

The major difference between P90X Lean and P90X Classic is that 1) you replace the Plyo X workout with Cardio X and 2) you replace one (1) strength and one ab workout a week with Core Synergistics.

Plyo X is a 58 minute workout that is rather intense. Cardio X is a 45 minute workout that actually starts out pretty slow. Depending on your weight, it is very possible that you can burn an extra 300+ calories with Plyo X than with Cardio X. Also your legs are more likely to develop better muscles with Plyo X, so you burn more calories throughout the day because of the extra recovery you need.

Core Synergistics is definitely an awesome workout and gets you sweating, but it is still not a strength workout. You will not get the extra burn that you get for recovery throughout the day. Additionally, since you are also leaving out Ab Ripper X that day, you miss an extra 16 minutes of a very intense stomach workout, so again you burn less calories.

So you clearly burn more calories, and therefore more fat, with P90X Classic.

That does however leave the question of people, primarily women, who want lean, not bulky, muscle. The first thing to consider is that a woman’s hormones will prevent her from getting bulky muscles in general. There are some women who are predisposed to larger muscles, but they still won’t grow huge muscles. More importantly though, as long as you do 12-15 reps, you will develop toned muscles over large muscles. Tony repeats this again and again throughout the program, and it doesn’t change anything by doing one more or less strength workout.

What is P90X Doubles?

There is actually much less to P90X Doubles that people think. In short, Doubles is just adding Cardio X 3 times a week in Month 2 of P90X Classic and 5 times a week in Month 3 of a round of P90X. That is it.

Specifically you do P90X Classic in Month 1, and then on strength days (Days 1, 3 and 5) of Month 2, you do Cardio X in the mornings and the strength workouts in the evenings. In Month 3, you add Cardio X on days 1-5.

As I already implied, Cardio X is actually a relatively light workout. On average, you would be lucky to burn 1/3 of a pound extra per week in Month 2, and ½ a pound extra per week in Month 3 following the P90X Doubles schedule.

It is a good way to lose a little extra weight. However, I recommend that if you are inclined to do extra cardio, you can do that whenever you want, even in Month 1. Also I recommend that you do any cardio that you want to do. Get outside. Ride a bike. Go running. Walk your dog. Various studies show that working out outside actually burns more calories anyway. When I do P90X, I find that I end up staying inside more than I otherwise would.

What if I Want to Switch Programs?

In short, just start the new program whenever you want. If you are on Day 14 of P90X Lean and want to switch to P90X Classic, just pick it up at Day 14. As stated, the differences are really subtle. Same thing if you want to go from Classic to Lean. If you want to do Doubles, all you have to do is start doing Cardio X. It really is that simple. As you will see in all of my blogs, you don’t have to start over. You achieve fitness through your lifestyle, not following a 90 day program.

What Program Should You Choose?

Again, I am in no way implying that there is anything wrong with doing P90X Lean. It is an extremely challenging program, and anyone can choose to do it for any reason. However, do not choose it because you are under the mistaken belief that it will make you any leaner than P90X Classic would.

However, if P90X Lean fits your goals in the ways I defined earlier, just do that. P90X Doubles is again just adding extra cardio, which is always a great idea. But in summary, I generally recommend you start with P90X Classic and then decide if you want to change to Lean or Doubles.

If you have questions about what is right for you, or how to adjust your schedule to your needs, please feel free to mailto:ira@irawinkler.com. I am happy to help.

What's the Difference Between P90X2 Sets

As is hard to miss, the long awaited P90X2 is now available. While it is very welcome, there are 6 (actually 12) different ways to order it, with prices ranging from $119-359, it is hard for a person to tell what they really need, let alone want. So hopefully, this article will make sense of all of it.

First, I should summarize the equipment that you need, as the options really depend on different levels of equipment that you receive. While the base equipment needs will be dumbbells and a pull up bar, you will be able to get away with just bands, as you can with the standard P90X. Again, here is an article for P90X equipment.

During the most recent webinar, Tony listed the following equipment needs for P90X2, and implies there was an order to them:

1. Resistance Bands
2. Chin up bar
3. Dumbbells
4. Balance or Stability Ball
5. Foam Roller
6. Chin Up Bar Supporter (elastic bands to use for assisting pullups)
7. Medicine Balls (ideally 4 medicine balls)
8. Power Stands

Another piece of equipment that wasn’t mentioned during the webinar, but was mentioned during the Coach Summit and shown in the sample videos, is a weighted bar. While it wasn’t listed, it seems like it will really help with the core and shoulder work.

Ordering Through a Coach Has It’s Benefits

The first decision point you have to make, that doesn’t cost you anything is whether or not to order through a coach, in other words ordering through teambeachbody.com instead of other venues. I am clearly biased in that, but Beachbody makes it an obvious decision. If you order through a coach, you get two bonus workouts that you don’t otherwise get: P90X One on One: 4 Legs and P90X One on One: Upper Body Balance. These workouts were specifically chosen as they enhance the goals and benefits of the P90X2 program. Likewise, they are a time saver when you might only have 30 minutes for the workouts they can replace. This is a $40 savings alone, so order through me or another coach at this link.

Blu-Ray or DVD

From a cost perspective, Blu-Ray is more expensive. For the Basic set, Blu-Ray is $149 vs $119 for standard DVD. When you get to the Deluxe and Ultimate sets, it is $60 more expensive for Blu-Ray. Clearly, this is an individual preference.

Three Sets to Choose From

As mentioned, you have there are three different sets to buy, that each have a different level of equipment. As will be mentioned more, the Basic set does not include the V-Sculpt and X2 Chest, Shoulders, and Tris workout. You will have to buy the Deluxe or Ultimate sets. While I assume that you will only need those workouts for one month of the 90 Day program, imagine P90X where you don’t have Back & Biceps and Chest, Shoulders & Tris. So you want to make note of that.

The Basic Set

The Basic set costs $119 for DVD or $149 for Blu-Ray and includes:

1. 12 P90X2 workout DVDs
2. How To DVD
3. Nutrition Guide
4. Fitness Guide
5. 90 Day Calendar

To order the P90X2 Basic set, click here.

The Deluxe Set

The Deluxe set costs $239 for DVD or $299 for Blu-Ray and includes:

1. Everything in the Basic set
2. The V-Sculpt and X2 Chest, Shoulders & Tris DVDs
3. Stability (aka Balance) Ball
4. 2 – 8 lb medicine balls
5. Foam Roller

To order the P90X2 Deluxe set, click here.

The Ultimate Set

The Ultimate set costs $299 for DVD or $359 for Blu-Ray and includes:

1. Everything in the Basic and Deluxe sets
2. The Foam Roller is a Premium Grade Roller
3. 2 Tony Horton Power Stands

To order the P90X2 Ultimate set, click here.

Will I Be Able to Buy Just the 2 Extra DVDs in the Future?

The short answer is yes. They will sell the extra DVDs for about $60, which is half the cost of the actual set, so they are pretty expensive. Another option is that you can get the P90X One on One DVDs of the V-Sculpt and Upper Body X workouts, which are the “test kitchen” versions of the X2 workouts. That would be about $40. However, they are rough and vary somewhat in quality. Given the cost though, if you need any equipment, it is probably cheaper to just get the Deluxe set.

So Which is Best For You?

Clearly if you want all of the DVDs, you should get at least the Deluxe set. You will need the equipment and actually a little more. As mentioned, you will need up to 4 medicine balls, so getting 2 good ones is not a bad idea. When Beachbody does sell equipment, it is always of great quality at a reasonable price. Clearly P90X2 will be great with or without those 2 DVDs, but I assume that most people will want the full workouts, and need the equipment anyone, so it is your call. Concerning the Ultimate Set, you have to likewise determine whether or not you want the power stands and the upgraded roller. The upgraded roller appears to be significantly better, but you should also want to buy the power stands, if you want to consider upgrading from the Deluxe to the Ultimate set. Whichever set you choose, P90X2 will take you to a new level of fitness and athletic performance. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an e-mail at ira@xcompanionguide.com.

Beachbody Coaching is Not a Pyramid Scheme

A lot of people are interested in becoming a Beachbody Coach, but are concerned about the possibility that it is a pyramid scheme. People should be concerned about a business that they are thinking of getting into, and as this question comes up frequently, they have a right to get an honest, detailed, and knowledgeable answer before making a decision that can affect their lives.

What is a Pyramid Scheme?

A pyramid scheme, sometimes referred to as a Ponzi Scheme, is a situation where people give a lot of money to buy into a supposed business opportunity, in the hope that when other people buy into it, you get money from them. Supposedly, you recruit 2 people, who each recruit 2 others, and then they each recruit 2 people, and the money is fed into the initial person who recruited them. Once the person on top gets their money back and the profits, the people below them can then get their money back.

Essentially, a high investment is paid directly to some person above them. That is the essence of a pyramid scheme.

How Beachbody Works

Let me make it clear that Beachbody Coaching is a relationship marketing business. Relationship marketing is frequently referred to as direct marketing, network marketing, and multi-level marketing. Unless you are a member of the military or a non-profit organization, you do have to pay a $39 sign up fee, which includes a $14 monthly fee and a $25 fee for your starter kit. Consider this your franchise fee. You are essentially buying a business franchise that you can do with what you want. For your fees, you get 4 websites as well as customer service, product fulfillment, etc.

Nobody makes a profit from the fees paid. Even Beachbody might not break even from those fees given the cost of customer service, website maintenance, etc.

There are no product purchases required. However I want to be clear that if you do want to be successful in the Beachbody business, you probably want to invest in making sure that you own a do a product as well as buy and use Shakeology and have some to give away as samples. This can cost about $200, but is again optional. You should also understand that by becoming a Beachbody Coach, you are essentially a small business owner, and even $200 is a minimal investment to start any business. Again though, you can just start by paying your $39 fee (or $0 if you are a military family or non-profit organization) and leave it at that.

Nobody Makes Money Unless You Make Money

Unlike a pyramid scheme, the only way a Beachbody Coach who sponsors you can make money from you is for you to make money. Without going into full details on the compensation plan, your recruiting coaches only make money when you are successful. This is the opposite of a pyramid scheme.

Frankly, when a coach is not successful in the business, it costs me as the person who recruited them. I am willing to invest hundreds of hours of my time in a coach to help get them started and continue their success. If they don’t make money, not only do I not make any money from them, I lose what I consider my most valuable resource: My time. I am happy to invest my time with someone who is willing to work, as it is a cost of doing business. However nobody should think that once a person becomes a coach, a lot of other people get rich from them. Again, nobody gets rich from another person in a legitimate relationship marketing business, unless that person makes money themselves.

Is it Too Late to Be Successful?

While it is true that the earlier you get in, the more money you have the potential to make at a given point in time, with Beachbody it is still very early in the business lifecycle. As of this writing, Beachbody has 65,000 coaches and is only in the United States. Based on my own experience, I personally estimate that at least 30,000 of those coaches are coaches only for the discounts on Shakeology, and are not actively pursuing the business.

However, even if you assume that all 65,000 coaches are in active in the business, that is tiny compared to similar companies. For example, Amway had approximately 3,000,000 distributors in 2008. Herbalife had 1,900,000 distributors at that time. Beachbody has had a relationship marketing program in place for 4 years, while Amway and Herbalife have been in business for more than 50 and 30 years respectively. The people who became involved in either of those programs within even the first 10 years, and remain active, are extremely happy people.

Your Job Makes You a Living. Part Time Makes You a Fortune

The above quote is from business guru, Jim Rohn. He is a big believer in relationship marketing. The quote comes from his belief that if you don’t do pursue a part time business, you are doomed to continue your same standard of living. Pursuing a part time business, like a relationship marketing business, provides for potential exponential growth in income.

I want to be very clear that there is no guarantee that you will be successful with Beachbody Coaching. Frankly, I have been very surprised when I saw people, who I was positive would be successful, turn out not to be successful, and people I was sure would fade away turn out to be very successful. As long as people are willing to work, work consistently, and don’t have grossly unrealistic expectations, they have the ability to succeed. Beachbody is not a “get rich quick” business, but a get rich steady business. How fast is determined by the individual. Beachbody Coaching is however very inexpensive to start.

Even if you spend $200 to get started, that is small compared to buying a business franchise, which costs tens of thousands of dollars. Beachbody allows you to start increasing your income, without having to quit your current job and risk everything.

If another Beachbody Coach sent you to this page, please contact them. Otherwise, please feel free to contact me by clicking here.

My P90X/Asylum Hybrid

For my current exercise routine, I decided that I needed a program that was as effective in all aspects of physical condition as possible. In my opinion, you are never going to get a more comprehensive program than P90X. P90X’s downside is that it is relatively weak on leg work. For that reason, I wanted to combine it with Asylum, which possibly has the most effective leg work and endurance training that you can find.

The Asylum workouts also have the advantage that they are significantly shorter than P90X workouts, while definitely being more effective. For example, Plyo X is about 58 minutes, while Vertical Plyo is only 38 minutes and few people would argue that Vertical Plyo is significantly better than Plyo X.

So I was asked to share my program, which I believe is not only more effective, but frequently has shorter workouts. I also include some P90X One on Ones, which adds some variety and is also potentially shorter and more effective.

My Schedule

Weeks 1-3, 9 and 11

Day 1 – P90X Chest & Back and Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Asylum Vertical Plyo
Day 3 – P90X One on One Shoulders & Arms 2 and Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – P90X One on One Fountain of Youth
Day 5 – P90X One on One Back & Base and Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Asylum Speed & Agility
Day 7 – P90X X Stretch

Week 4, 8 and 13

Day 1 – P90X One on One Fountain of Youth
Day 2 – P90X+ Total Body +
Day 3 – P90X+ Kenpo/Cardio +
Day 4 – P90X X Stretch
Day 5 – P90X+ Total Body +
Day 6 – P90X One on One Fountain of Youth
Day 7 – Rest

Weeks 5-7, 10 and 12

Day 1 – P90X Back & Biceps and Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Asylum Vertical Plyo
Day 3 – P90X Chest, Shoulders and Tris and Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – P90X One on One Fountain of Youth
Day 5 – P90X One on One Back & Base and Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Asylum Speed & Agility
Day 7 – P90X X Stretch

Alternative Workouts

As you can see, I make use of various One on Ones as well as P90X+ workouts. If you don’t have Fountain of Youth, you can use Yoga X or the One on One Yoga:MC2. If you don’t have Base & Back, use Legs & Back. If you don’t have Shoulders & Arms 2, use Shoulders & Arms. If you don’t have Total Body +, you can use Asylum Strength or continue to use Core Synergistics. If you want to add more One on Ones, you can V-Sculpt is a replacement for Back & Biceps and Upper Body X is a replacement for Chest, Shoulders & Tris.

Getting the Most Out of Your Workouts

So this is the hybrid I currently settled into so that I get the most out of what I consider the best Beachbody programs to get extreme results, while saving some time as well, specifically P90X and Asylum. Adding variety to your workouts is also important. It can get tiring to do the same routine for years, no matter how much you love it. You can potentially integrate in other programs, but if you want something that you can do for long periods of time, I would recommend that you generally follow the P90X schedule.

Weight Watchers Points for Shakeology

A lot of people who do Beachbody programs, like P90X, Insanity, Hip Hop Abs, etc., follow the Weight Watchers nutrition program. While Beachbody provides a nutrition plan with all programs tailored to the program, many people choose to use the Weight Watchers program as they like it and are familiar with it. As long as they adjust the points that they need to account for the increased level of activity, Weight Watchers Point system can provide great results. In response, I wrote this article about how to estimate the points to add to their daily intake.

Many people doing Beachbody programs use Shakeology as well. Therefore, it would be helpful for the many people who use the Weight Watchers’ system to know the point value of Shakeology. So to simply provide that information, here is the point value for Shakeology, both Chocolate and Greenberry.

Weight Watchers Winning Points: 2
Weight Watchers PointsPlus:     3

Remember to add the points for any other ingredients for any ingredients that you mix with the Shakeology, such as milk, fruit, nuts, etc.

If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me at ira@xcompanionguide.com.

Kenpo Too Easy? or Should Kenpo Be in P90X?

One of the most common questions I see about the P90X Kenpo X workout is, “Do I really need to do the Kenpo workouts?” A similar comment is, “Kenpo X is too easy.” People seem to want to replace the workout with PlyoX or Cardio X, and want to know if there is a problem with that. I am biased, but I do think that Kenpo X is a critical part of the P90X program.

First I should say make the disclaimer that I typically replace the Kenpo X workout with Kenpo Cardio X+ from the P90X+ program. I do think I get a better workout with the +. Frankly, it is also shorter, and easier to fit into my schedule. I also think that Kenpo X is probably the least strenuous of all of the P90X workouts, with the clear exception of Cardio X, but that is a very relative term. It is still harder than most other exercise programs on the market. If you have any questions on P90X+, please ask.

Unique Benefits of Kenpo

First you should consider that Kenpo X offers benefits that the other workouts don’t. Kenpo Cardio X+, for example, is described as providing Endurance, Balance, and Agility. There is no doubt that Plyo X provides endurance and agility. Cardio X seems to help with endurance, but is not as good for agility. Yoga X provides balance. The Kenpo workouts provide another source for all of these benefits in a single workout.

As important though is that the punches, blocks, and kicks require people to rapidly extend their limbs, and cause the fast twitch muscles to fire. You don’t get that type of body movement or muscle use in any of the other workouts, so you actually develop quickness as well.

Also consider the placement of the Kenpo workouts at the end of the week. Kenpo X is frankly a great recovery workout. By frequently extending your limbs, it is essentially a form of ballistic stretching, which is a great feeling after Legs & Back.

More important though, there is a reason that Tony wanted Kenpo X in the P90X program. He could have easily just put Cardio X as Day 6, if he wanted to. I hope I captured the essence of Tony’s logic above, and he knows more about fitness than most of the people doing the program. So, I would tend to trust his judgment here.

Why Mess with Success?

Many people believe that Kenpo X can be replaced with a more strenuous workout to burn more calories. I guess that’s true. But again, you wouldn’t get the unique benefits of Kenpo X. There is more to fitness than burning the most calories, or you might as well rename P90X to Plyo90X.

However, the tremendous success people get with the program as is, more than proves people aren’t being hurt by the calories burned during Kenpo X.

Some people don’t like Kenpo X or Kenpo Cardio X+ and want to replace it with another kickboxing program. If that helps get you through the program, then you can probably do it. However, the Kenpo programs are already available to you, so why spend more money when you don’t have to?

Do What Works For You

While I hope I addressed the common issues, if at the end of the day you really hate the Kenpo workouts, and it affects your ability to stick with the program, do what’s best for you. However, they are a proven component to P90X.

The P90X Nutrition Plan Made Simple

Someone posted to the P90X Discussion Group asking for someone to simplify the P90X Nutrition Plan.  I responded and received good comments, so I thought I would post my answer for everyone.

The Response

Here is the essence of the P90X Nutrition Plan. The first thing you have to do is figure out how many calories you need to eat. There is a formula in the book, but there is a Caloric Needs Calculator on teambeachbody.com that is more accurate and doesnt require you to do all the math. It is under Eat Smart > Nutrition Tools. If you need an account there, here is a link for a free one:

https://teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=33357

Then based upon the calories you are supposed to eat, you look at the Level of the nutrition plan. If you are supposed to eat 2400 calories or less, use Level 1. If you need 2400-3000 calories, use Level II. More than 3000 calories, use Level III.

Then within the Levels are Phases. Generally you do Phase I in Month 1, Phase II in Month 2, Phase III in Month 3. The phases all have you eat the same amount of calories. What they change is the ratio of carbs and proteins.

Fat Shredder is Phase I and has you eating 50% of your calories from protein and 30% calories from carbs. The other 20% of your calories is fat. In Phase II the ratio is 40/40/20 and in Phase III it is 30% protein, 50% carbs, and 20% fat.

Generally the higher protein diets help to burn off fat more effectively. And I recommend that as long as you 1) Have enough energy to make it through your workouts, 2) Have enough energy throughout the day, 3) Like what you eat, and MOST IMPORTANTLY 4) Continue to get results, you can stick with the Phase that you like best.

If You Still Have Problems

Generally I recommend that people follow the sample menus in the plan for the appropriate Level and Phase.  That makes it simple for me.  However frequently people want a simpler plan.  In that case, I recommend that you consider the nutrition plan out of the Body for Life book.  The Body for Life Plan is generally similar to Phase II from the P90X Nutrition Plan, and should give you the right amount of calories.

Notes From the 2011 Beachbody Coach Summit

The Beachbody Coach Summit took place from June 17-19, 2011, and as expected there were A Lot of announcements to share with everyone. I normally mail updates to my customers, however a message with all the information would be overwhelming, so I thought I would send everyone a message referring them to this blog post if they want more info on the subjects. So, enjoy!

P90X2

P90X2 is supposed to be available for the 2011 Christmas/Holiday season. Preordering will hopefully become available in August, and you should take advantage of it, as Beachbody is trying to balance out the projected orders, and only does a limited run for new programs until they see the demand, so there is strong potential that it might go out of stock early.



As far as the program itself goes, P90X2 will be a 90 day program that you do 5 days a week. Yes I wrote 5 days a week. There will be 14 workouts that are part of the program, which will have 3 distinct phases; Learning, Strength and Performance, and it appears that you will do different workouts in the different phases.

Tony Horton and his advisors describe P90X2 as the most advanced program ever put on DVD. Note that they did not say the most intense. While it will not be as theoretically extreme or intense as Insanity or Asylum, the entire P90X2 program was scientifically designed to provide maximum gains in all areas of fitness.

P90X2 is not however a program for beginners. Doing pushups while your hands and feet are on balls requires very significant core strength for example. It is designed to improve all areas of athleticism, but needs a good base to build on.

The above also touched upon the need for some extra equipment. While there will be alternatives for people who don’t have the equipment, P90X2 will use medicine balls, stability balls, a weighted bar, and a foam roller.

One major change that you might or might not notice is that there will be no traditional cardio in P90X2. As all the work is essentially intervals, you are improving your cardio vascular fitness enough for functional health as Tony stresses. Tony and the people he works with believe that intervals provide more effective improvements, and you also don’t see a functional reason for the normal person to just keep their heart rate in an aerobic range for extended periods of time.

Just to answer another question you might have, yes there will still be yoga, but it will only be about 65 minutes long.

For those of you that care, it might be available in Blue Ray format.

There will be multiple nutrition plans available to accommodate the most common dietary styles, including vegetarians and vegans. Shakeology will also be integrated into the plans.

I will provide more info and videos later, but please let me know if you have specific questions on this.

P90X iPhone App

The long awaited P90X iPhone app should be available in August. This was the most secretive part of the whole summit, where they wanted all recording stopped. While it is still unclear as to what can tell you now, I will say that it has the workout tracking that you all wanted, and so much more. You will definitely be able to take P90X to the gym. From the little bit that we saw, I can tell you that the P90X app is AWESOME!

To answer other questions, you should be able to run the app on iPads, as well. There was however no information about Droid or other pending smart phone versions.

Active Duty Military Coach Fees Waived

As many of you know Beachbody actively supports the military and their families. To further that support, people who have an active duty military person in their family will be able to sign up to be a Beachbody Coach for free, which saves $39, and the later monthly fees ($15) will also be waived. This means it is essentially free for you to be a coach.

While this is clearly an outstanding opportunity for military families to create a second income with no money out of pocket, it is also a great way to get all Beachbody products at a wholesale cost. For example, Shakeology will be $90 per order for military families. You get all programs, including Insanity and TurboFire for the coach prices of $90, and it costs you nothing.

Please email me at ira@xcompanionguide.com if you are interested or need more information.

New Shakeology Flavor

The new Shakeology flavor was formally debuted at the summit, and is named, Tropical. They describe it as based primarily on Banana, Pineapple, and Papaya, and was designed to be a light flavor that is there to enhance the flavors of what you add to it. It was designed to be versatile. For the summit, they were blending it with pineapple, strawberries, yogurt, and milk, and the closest thing I could describe it as was somewhat of a bubblegum flavor. I don’t however believe that that description does it justice.

Many coaches were mixing the Tropical with Chocolate flavors and loved the combination. Personally, I love chocolate, and prefer the chocolate, but I definitely liked Tropical more than Greenberry.

While it is pretty much ready to go, Beachbody is a major stickler for all around quality, especially with regard to Shakeology, and they are still making sure that the formula will have significant shelf life and will not be impacted by adverse shipping conditions. They intend for the flavor to be ready to ship by the end of the year.

Vegan Shakeology and Other Flavors

Very ironically, all of the people who designed Shakeology are vegans, and given that Shakeology uses whey protein, it is not technically a vegan product. They all drink it though. Given the market, they are continuing to work on Vegan Shakeology, and have the product ready during the first quarter of 2012. While I realize this is not the news you want to hear, I get enough questions about this, so I wanted to give you a status that Beachbody knows of your concerns, and is actively addressing them. Apparently the holdup is that they have had difficulties finding a formula that has a flavor and consistency that will meet all standards of quality, which includes taste and consistency.

While there was no detail about this subject, there is also at least one additional flavor in the works that they hope to also have ready in the first quarter of 2012. It will not however be Vanilla, as many people hope, as that flavor was nixed last year as it was being ready to be shipped. Again, they could not get enough quality vanilla that was not chemically treated to have a good flavor as a lead flavor. They will not compromise their core beliefs even when the demand for the product is huge.

New Tai Chi Program

The only new program announced, besides P90X2, is a Tai Chi based program. I will have more information on that later in the year. For those of you not familiar with Tai Chi, it is a martial art that is essentially a slow movement of Kung Fu sequences. The program is designed for people of all ages, but is probably going to be more popular with people who have flexibility issues, difficulty with the harder programs, or just want an easier program for a change that strives for mental clarity.

The New $100,000 Beachbody Challenge

Beachbody has completed renovated what was previously known as the Million Dollar Body Challenge, and renamed it simply, The Beachbody Challenge. Now you can win up to $100,000. Everyone who enters gets a T-shirt for just submitting their story. While a huge transformation is outstanding, for just signing up and submitting your Success Story, you will get a T-shirt. The only requirement is that you have an account on teambeachbody.com. If you are my customer, or have a coach, you already have an account. If you dont have an account yet, please click here for a free one. If you want more information, please e-mail me.

If you are interested in this in any way, please contact me so I can help you. My e-mail is ira@xcompanionguide.com. I have helped many people make it through their respective program, and have decades of experience in fitness and nutrition, and I am more than happy to help you find the right program for your needs, and make it through the program with the best possible results.

Beachbody Continues to Grow and Improve

As you can tell, Beachbody continues to grow and expand their product lines to better serve you. They also have a special concern to supporting members of the military and will continue to support them and their families however they can.

I have clearly thrown a lot out here, so please feel free to personally contact me if you want details on anything mentioned here, or anything else related to fitness, nutrition, or Beachbody in general. I can again be reached at ira@xcompanionguide.com.

How To Get Shakeology As Cheap as Possible

For good reason, people do think that Shakeology is expensive. The fact is that you have to pay for a 30 day supply at one time, and I get that. However, when you break it down on a per meal basis, it is actually pretty cheap, and there are a variety of ways to get it that make the price as low as $3 per serving.

Why I Think Shakeology is Actually Cheap

When you do buy a one month supply at a time, I do understand that costs $89-$119. That is a given. However if you divide it into 30 separate meals, it works out to $3-$4 per serving. My Egg McMuffin with an iced mocha cost me $5+ the other day. Even making a reasonably healthy meal at home is going to cost more than $3 per serving.

I tend to eat out a lot and using Shakeology, instead of eating out and taking my family with me, has saved me hundreds of dollars a month. So, while I understand that laying out the money all at once seems expensive, to me it saves me a lot of money. Again though, stop and calculate what you personally spend on a healthy meal.

Spending As Little As Possible on Shakeology

Monthly Auto-Ship for Free Shipping

There are a couple of ways to save money with Shakeology. Fundamentally, you can start by ordering Shakeology with the Monthly Auto-Ship option, AKA Home Direct. If you use this option, you save the shipping fee, which is around $10 or more.

While the policy states that if you order with Home Direct, you have to order for at least two months, if you are not happy with the product, Beachbody will cancel your order at any time. You can also put your order on hold indefinitely. The risk most people are afraid of is that they will order with Home Direct and forget to cancel or hold the second order if they are not interested. There is however Beachbody’s 30 day unconditional money back guarantee, so at the worst case you are out the cost to return an empty bag of Shakeology.

The Preferred Customer Option

A Preferred Customer is the term that I use to describe a person who signs up to be a coach specifically for the discounts. Beachbody Coaches get just about everything Beachbody sells at 25% off, which means that you can buy Shakeology for $89. That is a $30 savings per order.

The fee to be a coach is $15 per month, so if you order nothing else, you have a net savings of $15 per month, or about $180 per year. This is in addition to saving $10 per order by ordering Home Direct. It must however be noted that there is an additional $24 fee when you sign up. For this reason, it is only worth becoming a coach if you intend to order Shakeology for more than one month.

Again, you also save 25% on just about all other products, including the upcoming P90X2 and any other product. Additionally, if any of your friends are impressed by your results and want to follow the same programs as you, they can purchase the products through you and you can earn a 25% commission.

Active Duty Military and Spouses Have NO Fees

Beachbody just started a program that waives coach fees for Active-Duty Military or their spouse. This way Shakeology can be a flat $89. Period. The sign up fee and monthly fee will be waived, so if you want just about any Beachbody product at 25% off, it pays to sign up to be a coach if you qualify. You need to fill out the right coach application to qualify for this. Please e-mail me at ira@xcompanionguide.comfor the forms.

No, You Don’t Have To Buy Anything

The one hesitation people have is that they are afraid they will be forced to buy products or make sales. To be very clear, the only requirement is the $14.95 monthly fee. Here is an excerpt from the Beachbody Coach FAQ.

Will I have to purchase products for resale?
Unlike marketing programs that require you to buy a lot of products in order to participate, the Coach Opportunity has no inventory requirements.

Likewise Section 2.2 of the Coach Policies and Procedures is specifically titled, No Product Purchase Required.

You Can Still Cancel at Any Time

Just like all Beachbody products, coaching and Shakeology comes with a money back guarantee. You can cancel Shakeology at any time, and return any for a full refund (minus shipping). You can cancel coaching at any time.

What I Tell My Friends and Family

Even if you only intend to order once, I recommend ordering with Home Direct/Monthly Auto-Ship. Again, you can put future shipments on hold and send it back if you are not interested. If you think Shakeology is something that you want to use on an ongoing basis, in my opinion, it only makes sense to sign up to be a Preferred Customer. You are otherwise throwing away money.

If You Are Interested, Please Talk To Your Coach

If a coach sent you to this page, please go back to them for help in deciding the best way to order. If you don’t have a coach already, or prefer to talk to me, you can email me at ira@xcompanionguide.com. If you just want to order Shakeology via Home Direct, you can just click here.