With so many fitness icons out there and so many different acceptable body images, for women, choosing a fitness program can be difficult. In a previous post, P90X Review for Women, I stated my reasons for choosing this program. Each woman must first decide what over all fitness goals and physically appearance she is looking to achieve. I chose P90X because of three main reasons:

First, I have been a gym rat my whole life, doing the same exercises on the same day, week after week, with little results. The idea behind P90X is muscle confusion. With P90X you’re working a group of muscles for three week period of time, training them, tearing them down and ultimately building them back up. The fourth week becomes a week of rest. This allows your muscles to heal and revert back to a state of normalcy. The next 3 weeks new muscle groups are trained, followed again with a week to recovery. This process goes on for 13 weeks, or 90 days. The size of the muscles you build depends more on the weights you use and your nutrition, so ladies P90X is for women who are not looking to represent a world class bodybuilder.

The second reason I chose P90X was I love variety. P90X includes weight training, cardiovascular conditioning, Kenpo (kickboxing), Yoga and an intense abdominal routine. With most workouts under an hour, each workout keeps your attention while providing the most effective way to lean out and tone up.

The third reason is convenience and efficiency. Within my hour workout, I sweat, sweat, sweat. P90X provides very little rest between exercises. Unlike the days at the gym, where you spent 50% of your time socializing and 30% getting there, only to workout for the 20% left, P90X provides you motivation and focus in the comfort of your own home. My fitness philosophy has always been, that you need to find an efficient routine that challenges yous as to not plateau, one that has variety and is worth it’s weight both in money, effort and results.

Okay, so now let’s talk specifics. The 3 key components to succeeding with  your fitness goals are to chose the correct program, maintain a manageable nutrition plan and have a support system in place.   Once I decided to see if P90X was for women too, I had to choose a plan to follow. The entire P90X program includes 12 DVDs and 3 workout plans; Classic, Lean and Doubles. I have mentioned before I chose to follow the Lean version. This plan provides a good balance of core strengthening , cardiovascular conditioning and weight training.  Phases I week 1-3   breaks down to something like this:

Day 1: Core Synergetics-  Build and support multiple muscle groups while conditioning your body.

Day 2: Cardio X – A fun, low-impact cardio routine that will leave you feeling lean and mean.

Day 3: Shoulders -  Potent combination of pressing, curling, and fly movements that will leave you stronger. Ab Ripper X-  Sculpt the six-pack abs of your dreams and benefit your health and physical performance.

Day 4: Yoga X- Combines strength, balance, flexibility, and breath work to enhance your physique and calm your mind.

Day 5: Legs and Back- Get ready to squat, lunge, and pull for a total-body workout like no other.  Ab Ripper X – Sculpt the six-pack abs of your dreams and benefit your health and physical performance.

Day 6: Kenpo X- Intense cardiovascular workout with punching and kicking for endurance, balance, and coordination.

Day 7: Rest or X Stretch- Achieve a higher level of athleticism over a longer period of time, plus prevent injuries and avoid plateaus.

Another reason why P90X is for women is the specifically designed nutrition plan.  The delicious recipes and daily meal schedules, are designed to fuel your muscles and helps your body recover more quickly from the intense P90X workouts. The P90X Nutrition Plan teaches you how to eat the right calories, correct portions and combine the proper nutrients for maximum results. First you will need to determine how many calories your body needs to sustain life, with a little adding and subtracting of calories for weight loss and to account  for workouts, you will have an idea of the exact number of calories you should be consuming during P90X.  The P90X Nutrition Guide will help you figure that all out.  The 3 phases are Fat Shredder, Energy Booster and Endurance Maximizer.  Each phases is important and should be followed to maximize your performance and fitness results.  In the Fat Shredder there is a higher emphasis on protein to strengthen your muscles while shredding fat.  A good rule is to be at 50% of your calories coming from protein, 30% from carbohydrates and 20 % from fats.  Because this stage has very little energy coming from carbs, how long you remain in this phases will vary person to person. The next phase, Energy Booster is a more sensible, long lasting eating plan. The ration of 40% protein, 40% carbs and 20% fat is a more well balanced nutrition plan.  Most people remain on this phases for a long time if not indefinitely.  Once your performance becomes that of an athlete, at peak performance level, you can move on tot he Endurance Maximizer.  Here only 20% of your calories are coming from protein, 40 % from carbs and 20% from fats.  If done right, everyone should reach this phases at some point.  If you train like an athlete, you cannot be afraid to eat like one.

Now that you have decided on a fitness program and figured out the correct nutrition plan, the last piece of the puzzle is a support system.  Being held accountable for sticking to your routine and remaining focused can be a daunting task if done alone.  Whether it be a buddy system, a trainer or your Beachbody Coach, having a physical reminder of why you began your journey in the first place can make or break your success.  Having a specific goal and a certain date in mind to achieve it, along with someone there to help support and motivate you, you can succeed at anything.  Bottom line is the answer is easy.  The experts have figured out all the hard parts.  P90X for women is as effective as it is for men.  All we have to do is do the work, follow the nutrition, and be accountable.  If you are looking for long lean muscles and a toned body, P90X is the way to go.  Bring IT!