Traveling with P90X - Gym Tips
I think it's absolutely funny when people say "Hey Coach Arnel, I'll be going on vacation so I may not be able to get my P90X workouts in, I'll catch up when I get back home". First of all...VACATION or travel IS NOT AN EXCUSE to not workout and live a healthy lifestyle. Whomever came up with that must have been drunk lol. Health and Fitness is a lifestyle, and P90X is no different.
Here are some misconceptions about P90X:
- It's only a home fitness program
- You need a DVD player or laptop
- It's only a 90 day program
And here's the real skinny:
- P90X can be done at home, gym, and even at the park
- As long as you have the worksheets, or the P90X app, you don't need a DVD player or laptop. It is recommended that you do watch the videos first to make sure that you understand the proper movements.
- P90X is a program that combines a structure of movements to help you get physical results in a certain period of time. Depending on your goal, you can use P90X to get results fast by one or all of the following: the 90 day program, incorporate it into your existing workouts, or use the 6 years worth of workouts for everyday life. With 6+ years of workouts, and more coming every year, it's impossible to do the same workout every day. Quit listening to people who tell you that P90X can't be customized, and talk to a Coach that actually knows what he's doing. Anyone who says P90X is a "cookie cutter program" needs to do more homework. And I'll be happy to help them with that =)
So back to my blog post on "Traveling with P90X", I recently finished a P90X workout "Chest, Shoulders, and Tris" and I customized it using the equipment that was available at a local gym in Bangkok, Thailand (I'm currently traveling South East Asia while writing this post). The gym (Power Zone Fitness) that I worked out at was perfect, and for only 500 Baht for a day pass ($15 US), I can't complain because the surrounding gyms were all asking 650 to 1070 Baht ($20-$32 US). In the Philippines, I was paying just a little over a dollar for a day pass!!! As long as they have ample space to workout, and a few dumbbells, that's all I need. Anything else is a bonus, and really not needed. Again, I'm traveling. I'm not training for anything right now. All I'm doing is maintaining my fitness lifestyle while trekking the globe. If you missed my post about "How Fitness Can Help You Travel Better", you can check it out here.
Traveling with P90X can get a bit tricky especially if you're doing P90X at the gym. Most people don't know how to modify the exercises with the actual gym equipment, and they end up making that excuse that "oh, I didn't have my DVD player, so I couldn't do P90X". If you are one of those people who is unsure how to do P90X at the gym, then I hope this helps you =)
- When P90X calls for any kind of push-ups, you can either do the push ups, or use any piece of gym equipment that focuses on your chest such as: dumbbell presses, chest press machine, or bench press with barbell.
- When P90X calls for Floor Flys or even side to side push ups, you can do the following: dumbbell flys or a chest fly machine or similar.
- When P90X calls for Tricep exercises such as side tri-rise. You can do tricep kick-backs with dumbbells, or even the tricep pull-down machine.
- When P90X calls for pull-ups, then I recommend that you really try to do pull-ups =). If not, use the lat pull-down machines and adjust your grip depending on which muscles you are trying to focus on.
- When P90X calls for In-Out Shoulder Flys, Military Press etc. then I highly recommend that you use dumbbells for sure. But if the dumbbells are not readily available because of the meat heads =), then you can use the shoulder press machines, or even better, a barbell.
These are just some quick P90X gym tips to help you. I know that certain gyms have really tight spaces, so trying to do some of the floor exercises are impossible (I've been to some really small gyms around the world). Just remember that if P90X calls for a certain exercise that works a certain muscle group, keep it simple and find a machine or use dumbbells that work the same muscle group. If you are ever unsure, most machines have pictures and descriptions to explain what the machines are used for. You can always ask anyone that works at the gym, don't be afraid to ask questions. Most every gym that I've been to have all been very welcoming. We all are focused on being healthy and fit. It's not a night club, it's a gym =).
In closing, I highly recommend dumbbells over using any equipment. Just find a bench and go to town. I always finish off my strength workouts with a cross-training run on the tread-mill or around the village =) or town.
If you need more suggestions on how to travel and do P90X at the gym, then feel free to connect with me. I offer free P90X Coaching and advice. I do recommend that you first make me your Free Coach by clicking here, then once you're all set, add me on facebook and send me a message, and I'll be happy to assist you.
Don't forget to drink your Shakeology!
Stay active my friends!
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