What To Do If You Can’t Finish The P90X Workout?
The P90X workout is pretty intense. What it really is though is a commitment. Its kind of like that Marines commercial where "we don't accept applications, we only accept commitments." If you are not ready to embark on this journey to get into better shape than this is not going to workout for you. I'm going to cover to areas that affect people the most if they can't finish the P90X workout. There is the time when you about half way through the P90X DVD and you are just exhausted and then there is the time when your life is just getting in the way.
P90X is a life changing workout. If you really get into this workout you will see the results and you will start to realize what your body is truly capable of. When you start out you will struggle with every move that Tony Horton throws at you. I mean who really does push ups and pull ups. I bet if you currently go to a gym and look at the pull up bar in the corner your not going to see anybody on it. The majority of people will be hanging out near the benches or the machines. After you do P90X you will realize that a lot of your muscle building will have to come from other types of workouts.
So lets say that you are getting started with the P90X Legs And Back DVD. The first leg routines are pretty tough. You are doing those lunges and it puts quite a strain on your knee because you have never done this before. You are able to make it through and now its your first time ever trying to do a chin up. Its pretty intimidating especially if you are doing this by yourself. Its always better to do P90X with a friend but if you must go by yourself just do your best. Get a chair to help you with getting use to the motion of doing a pull up. It might take you a month to do one without a chair and that is fine.
Continue on with the DVD as far as you can go. Don't feel bad if you have to press pause to catch your breath. The people on the P90X DVD are all in great shape and can keep up. You can't right now. Most workouts not including the pull ups or chin ups you do anywhere from 8-15 reps if your using weights or 25 reps if its like lunges or squats. Just do as many as you can and with time you will be able to do the full set.
What to do if you just don't have the time to do P90X? If you follow the P90X workout plan you will see that every week you are working out at least 6 days. For most people they workout about 3 days a week. So now you being forced to make another 3.5 hours a week available in your schedule for your fitness. Don't feel bad if you have to skip a day hear or there because things pop up. Life will get in the way sometimes. The best thing to do is designate a time every day just for P90X. The mornings are usually the best time because nothing in your day has happened yet and nothing is saying you need to be somewhere. It takes awhile to get use to waking up an 1.5 hours earlier but you will feel that much more energized through out your day.
There is no reason to ever give up on P90X. The people at Beachbody made this workout as efficient as possible to do from your home. Think about it this way. You would normally spend 15 minutes driving to and from the gym. Then spend another 5 minutes getting dressed. You think your working out for an hour but you only workout for about 35 minutes because you spend a lot of time waiting for the gym equipment to open up. So you spend about 1 hour and 35 minutes going to and from the gym for a 35 minute workout. With P90X you are getting 1 hour and 15 minutes of blood pumping good old fashioned working out in the comfort of your home. The P90X results will be showing in your body in no time by going this way. Its just, you and Tony Horton getting at it to get into the best shape of your life.
My name is Brad Gibala. In 2007 I was introduced to P90X by a friend training for the Marines. I didn't know it at the time but that moment changed my life. Since then I've become a full time 
July 16, 2008
7:16 am
If you are looking for great P90X info, reviews, and what to do before, after and during, check out http://www.fitlifesf.com
I think there is some great info there!
July 28, 2008
10:31 pm
I totally agree with everything you wrote– this is a great post! I do P90X workouts with my boyfriend is by FAR the better built for these types of workouts. There hasn’t been a workout yet that I haven’t been able to “get through,” but I would caution your readers that you still need to push yourself. For me, if I get used to doing push-ups on my knees, I really just need to hit myself over the head one day and say, ‘Screw that! Just do them normally!’ And, you know, usually I can. I still can’t do more than 3 pull-ups, but there is a lifetime to improve!
November 19, 2008
10:00 am
Great post!
December 4, 2008
10:22 am
When doing the P90X work-outs, you are doing them everyday, correct?
December 4, 2008
4:14 pm
@ Lexra
You do P90X 5 days a week. When you buy the DVDs they give you a schedule to follow.
January 11, 2009
3:48 pm
I am not strong enought to do the ab ripper i am getting stronger but ,abs are so out of shape. HELP TOYN!!!!!!
January 11, 2009
4:18 pm
@ Chris
As Tony would say “You’ve got to Bring It.”
February 24, 2009
8:44 am
I can’t do pullups but I can do pushups. Can I still do the P90X workout?
February 24, 2009
3:47 pm
@ Keroni
If you cannot do pull ups then you should get a set of resistance bands and wrap them around the pull up bar while being on your knees. This motion is the same as pull ups and will build up your muscles to get you ready to do pull ups.
August 12, 2009
3:51 pm
What If you miss a day I know you should try and avoid it, but should you do that days workout the following day instead?
August 13, 2009
9:05 am
@ Darren
I will do whatever workout I was scheduled to do if I missed.
January 20, 2010
10:31 am
Per dr. I can’t do push ups – what can i do in their place? I need something that doesn’t focus so much on the chest muscles.
January 20, 2010
6:04 pm
@ C120
Can you do “girl pushups?” If not you could mimick the push ups by using a wall and standing up doing them.
January 21, 2010
5:41 pm
This is my second week. I can get through all of the workouts except one. Which is Yoga. I make it through about the first 30 minutes then i have to stop because I am not flexible enough to keep going. Im not sure waht to do i feel like i failed
January 22, 2010
2:50 pm
@ Jake
I never would of thought Yoga would be hard to until the next day when I was sore everywhere. If you can only do half of the moves then “Do Your Best and Forget The Rest.” It took me until my 6th week before I felt like I was getting somewhere with Yoga. Stick with it because your core and balance will greatly improve.
February 8, 2010
6:01 pm
Help??
I’m really interested in losing weight and getting into shape. All through high school I was on the swim team and we worked out about three hours 5 days a week. After suffering from a pretty serious disease/surgery, I gained over 50 pounds in a year. The weight has slowly crept back on, and because of that, I’m not only 5’6 and weigh just over 200 pounds. I am able to do a fair amount of cardio and strengh training, so even though I weigh so much, I’m not completely out of shape, though I’m not saying I’m not hugely overweight.
Now that I’ve survived and recovered, I’m wanting to get back to the shape I was in in high school. I’m really motivated, and I’m used to self-discipline, but I can’t put $120 down on something won’t be able to do. I also don’t want to just get a 30 minute cardio workout- it will bore me and I won’t stick with it. Do you think it’s possible for somone so overweight but motivated to do well with this program?
February 8, 2010
8:32 pm
@ Nora
I’m happy to hear that you’ve recovered from your illness and make it through the surgery.
The thing about P90X is that its set up to show you modified moves. In each workout there are 3 people in the background in various levels of fitness. You’ll have the ripped person, the in shape person, and the beginner. What I suggest is trying to keep pace with the beginner. Once you’re able to keep up with that person then move onto the in shape person. P90X is set up to guide you along the process without getting bored.
I have seen lots oe people in your situation get great results. When you make it to Day 30 you will start seeing and feeling big changes. If you’ve got the determination then you’ll get the results you want.
February 26, 2010
11:32 am
I was on week 4 of p90x and there was a sudden death in the family. Everything just fell apart. My wife and I were in shock and working out or eating good food was the last thing on our minds. The kitchen was pretty much shutdown and we ate fast food and didnt workout for 10 days.
But, we have chosen P90x as a lifestyle not as a 90day program which we plan to quit after 90 days. So, this setback is not really a setback for us. What we did is just start the program all over again when we got a hold on ourselves. For some people, this may “appear” as if we were back on square 1 and that the 3 week effort went down the drain. But the reality is that we didn’t lose the results and strength gained in the 1st 3 weeks. When we resumed our workout, we were able to pile on extra weights and continue the workout. So, even a break of 10 days didn’t reset the clock for us.
February 28, 2010
6:58 pm
@ Nick
Sorry to hear about the loss in your family.
I have also chosen P90X and Beachbody as a lifestyle. They make it so easy to do as all you need to do is show up.
March 20, 2010
9:10 am
I’m interested in purchasing the p90x, but I’m just curious about the pull-ups. How important are they? I live in a double-wide and I’m 250 and the house isn’t exactly the strongest or the sturdiest so is there an alternative to pull-ups or no?
March 20, 2010
3:45 pm
@ Bradley
The pull ups are important. I’d recommend going into the Beachbody store and buying a set of resistance bands along with the resistance band upgrade kit. It attaches to your door frame allowing you to hook up a band to mimick the pull up movement.
March 23, 2010
9:40 pm
so, i can do all exercises so far i did chest and back, pylo, arms and shoulders, but when the day of yoga came, i could not do it cuz of time. i said next day i ill do yoga and the routine that was due that day but i couldnt do it, i just didnt feel like doin it =( any advice?
March 24, 2010
11:06 am
@ Kenny
I know what your saying. Yoga is a long workout. I would just do as much Yoga as you can that day and move on. Even if you get in 50 minutes that’s still pretty good.
April 7, 2010
6:50 pm
Hi, I just started P90X and after the first thirty mins of the Chest and Back video I feel as if my arms are dying on me. My mentality is to finish as many push ups/pull-ups as I can but my arms give out on me and I would just fall flat on my face if I don’t stop. What should I do?
April 8, 2010
10:00 am
@ Ken
Day 1 is very humbling isn’t it? I felt the same way when I started. For many of those exercises, Tony Horton tells you if its a max rep move. If its time to “Bring It” then do it. If you are concerned about smashing your face then do as many normal push ups as you can and then do a couple from your knees. I always have to do a couple “girl pushups” when it comes time to do the Diamond Pushups on the second round. My arms are dead, but the only way I will get stronger is if I at least do the move. Stick with it.
April 25, 2010
1:59 pm
PX90 has been a huge life changer for me and making time to hit it every day for six days is a challenge. I made it 60 days and then work and family (i.e. Life) stated to make keeping that schedule and getting the required sleep difficult.
I switched to an every other day routine and what i noticed was that my strength and gains increased noticeable. I’m not sure perhaps I was over training for my body, but it has made a big difference. Also, I have low ceilings in my place and no doors that I can set up a pull up rig or pull up station.
What I do have is a total gym that I purchased years earlier. I set it at 60% (max angle) for body weight, and I do all my pull ups and dips on it. Since I am only lifting 60% of my body weight I consider every two pull ups as one and base my counts on that. So if I want to do 15 wide grip pull ups then I go for 30 or more on the Total Gym machine. Same goes for dips. I have to say that this piece of equipment (if you have one and many people do) really works exceptionally well with the PX90 program.
Good Luck..keep pushing play…and remember most people are sitting on their butts doing nothing. Even if you only manage to BRING IT a few times a week with PX90 (which is a very aggressive program) you are going to get some pretty amazing results. Consistency is key to change…
April 27, 2010
11:01 am
@ Phil
Nice work.
April 29, 2010
2:41 pm
Day 2.
Chest and Back kicked my ass but I managed. (even without the proper tools) … I didn’t finish it due to a 3 year old running circles around me (literally) but I felt good about the workout.
Plyo— what the hell is this? I managed 30 mins! That’s the warm up!!! Oh my! I feel like I should have AT LEAST got a little more than half way through this.
First I’d thought that I would do Plyo again tomorrow however I wouldn’t be allowing specific muscles to rest – besides, the system is created in a certain order. So- I figure that I will do week 1 twice. Hopefully this helps.
ps. my shoulders and arms are killing me!
May 5, 2010
4:32 pm
@ inJauary
The first week is humbling isn’t it? I felt the same way the first time I did those workouts. If you can only do 30 minutes than do that and move on. Rest is key for the next days workout.
May 5, 2010
5:18 pm
You are going to feel that way for a few weeks AND you can only do what you can do. What most people don’t realize is that if you have not worked out for years, and you try and strap on PX90 your are going to be shocked.
Yes, it is NOT realistic for a person who has not been working out on a regular basis to keep up. That is why Tony says, do your best and forget the rest. There will be days you will need to take a lot of breaks. There will be days when you get 30 minutes into the workout and you may have to turn it off and come back later or call it a day. Don’t beat yourself up!
Try to stick to a six day routine but if you miss a day, just pick up the next day with where you left off and push on. You’ll miss a few days in 90 days…maybe your too exhausted, sore or life just gets in the way. The most important thing for you to understand is that as long as you consistently use the program – over a period of time (say 3 months) regardless of the stalls, resets and occasional skip days, you will still SEE results.
Your adopting a new life style, one that now accommodates regular exercise. That is something you should feel very good about. Where most people are sitting on their butts, you are pushing play and doing your best to improve yourself.
Now get of the computer…pop in a disk…and BRING IT!!!
June 8, 2010
6:50 pm
Hi Brad, thanks for reading through the posts and replying to each of them.
Here’s my case.. I bought and completed P90 some time (around 16 months) back and planning to buy P90X now. I’m 6’4 and 250 pounds now (Male). I started working out and this is my schedule
Monday: Cross training, 55 min intense cardio and 30 mins lower body weight training
Tuesday: Power 90 Cardio 3-4
Wednesday: Cross training, 55 min intense cardio and 2 hours outdoor sport
Thursday: 1000 calories elliptical and 30 mins lower body weight training
Friday: 1000 calories elliptical
Saturday or Sunday: 6-7 hours outdoor sport
Here’re my questions:
1. Is it okay if I do the P90X workout for 5 days a week as my work schedule may not allow me to work 5 days a week?
2. Do I have to do this workout during the same time of the day? How about 5AM one day, 9PM other day and 6:30PM remaining 3-4 days?
3. How important is it to take the P90X recovery drink and protein drink?
4. How important is it to follow the nutrient plan? If I take the recommended amount of carbs, fat and protein will it be sufficient? Or is it necessary to follow the exact meals as per the plan.
5. I usually do girly pushups and don’t do (can’t do) pull ups. My upper body is kind of small but my lower body is bulky. Will I be able to do P90X?
6. What all equipment will I need apart from the DVDs? I live in an apartment and the door’s width is approximately 3 feet. Will the pushup bar be good for this kind of a house or do you recommend the resistance bands?
I really really appreciate your reply.
Thanks,
Raj
June 8, 2010
7:03 pm
As a continuation to above I’ve another question:
6’4 Male 250 pounds.. small upper body huge lower half — more a pear shaped
If I do P90X will be there a chance that I lose fat overall and will be a smaller pear after the 90 days as said by some websites.
June 8, 2010
9:50 pm
Thanks Brad for the reply! Here’s the reply from him:
the program is 6 days a week but 5 days a week is good.
2. I recommend the same time everyday so you get a routine. working out in the morning is the best time. but as long as you get a workout in thats good too. consistency will get you the best results
3. Part of my success is do to the recovery, protein and shakeology.
4. the nutrition plan is not the best so it sounds like you have a good idea.
5. I couldnt do a pull up until day 50 on my own so yes you just have to use a chair for a while.
6. you typically need the pull up bar, bands or weights and the dvd set, recovery. They sell a results package for $240 if you want the link for that. You will save $70. Pull up bar is good for the width of your door. You will be in the best shape of your life IF you stick to the program and workout every day and eat good
June 9, 2010
10:28 am
@ Raj
1. Yes
2. No. Do P90X whenever you can.
3. Its important if you want to reduce the amount of time your sore.
4. Very. I picked out meals that were easy for to make and stuck to those.
5. Yes. That’s the point of P90X, to build your entire body. Tony Horton has a quote that I learned to appreciate and its “I presently struggle with…”
6. You need a pull up bar and resistance bands or dumbbells. If the pull up bar will not fit then go to the Beachbody Store and buy the resistance band upgrade kit. It clips onto your door frame and holds a resistance band so you can mimick a pull up.
June 9, 2010
10:29 am
@ Raj
Its guaranteed that you will lose fat with P90X. I’ve seen people lose up to 50 pounds in 90 days with P90X. All they did was follow the plan and more importanly they tried.
June 9, 2010
10:31 am
@ Raj
2. Agreed
3. Agreed
4. The nutrition plan is awesome, it just takes time to learn how to master it.
5. Agreed
6. Agreed
June 10, 2010
1:00 pm
So if i’m only going to be working out 5 days a week, what approach do you recommend? Should I skip a workout each week? Or should I do all of them even if I carry one over to the following week and extend the 90 days to whatever it takes to fit in all the expected workouts? Thanks!
June 11, 2010
9:22 am
@ Juan
Do all of them and carry one over to the following week. Doing P90X in 110 days instead of 90 is very common.
June 22, 2010
12:30 am
Hey, is it ok if i don’t do p90x in 90 days but do 90 days of it? Do to certain circumstances ive had to miss a couple of days but i make them up so like if i was on day 7, skipped a day, then i would start on day 8 when i did it again. Will I get the same results?
June 22, 2010
10:49 pm
@ Owen
Yes. It took me 110 days to do P90X. Life happens and sometimes you have to skip a day. You will still get the same results.
June 23, 2010
4:30 am
Hey, I was wondering if I should start off with p90x or the easier Power 90 workout. I’m very overweight, and I’m not sure if I can handle the p90x workouts, but I also don’t know if I’ll see much results with Power 90.
June 23, 2010
12:47 pm
@ Alex
Power 90 is a excellent workout. The only difference between it and P90X is you don’t do pull ups and its about 20 minutes shorter. I mix in Power 90 with P90X every once in awhile and like it a lot. I would recommend you starting out with Power 90 and then moving on to P90X. I have seen many success stories of people in your situation going this route and having success.
June 24, 2010
3:36 am
Hi, today was day one for me and i’m not badly overweight, but I have a little bit of fat on my stomach and legs. Anyways I started with the Chest and back workout and I only made it through 40 mins (I didn’t even get to do the ap ripper workout) because I had gotten a headache,dizziness, and I threw up. And I tried to do my max and I even did “girl pushups” for the majority of the excercise and I still only made it that far. I feel like that the workout isn’t gonna have an effect on me if I dont complete it and also I feel that if I can barley keep up on all the workouts I won’t have that much of a change in 90 days.
June 27, 2010
10:27 pm
@ Justin
You’re not the first person to throw up on Day 1 of P90X http://workoutjourney.com/can-bodybuilders-and-powerlifters-get-results-with-p90x. Don’t beat yourself up about not being able to finish each workout. This should show that you have a lot to improve on. Best advice I can give is to just show up and push play. Go until you can’t do anymore and then stop. If you have the time to pause the dvd and come back then do it, if not, then come back tomorrow. The more that you stick with it, the longer you’ll be able to make it. Trust me, you will see and feel changes the more that you stick to the plan.
July 10, 2010
8:10 am
My son and I want to do this but he has bad knees. Any suggestions? Also, am I understanding that even if you can’t finish each workout, to do as much as possible because you will be able to eventually?
July 11, 2010
9:19 am
@ DD
The only workouts that will put a lot of stress on your knees will be Plyometrics, Kenpo, and maybe Legs and Back. Tony Horton shows you how to modify each move so you can build up your strength without injurying yourself. Yes, do as much as you can as the more you stick with it the more you’ll be able to do in the future.
July 11, 2010
1:11 pm
DD: The best thing you can do is go into this with the expectation that you are going to be challenged to complete each work out. Some exercises are going to have you shaking your head and others you will wonder how they are helping, but trust us (all of us) just follow the program and keep pushing play every day – you will be shocked at how your body responds.
Pull Ups are a perfect example of things that people may feel they can’t succeed at. Many people have no idea how much upper body strength is required to pull a 230 lb human body up. Now multiply that one time effort by 5, 10, 15, 20, or even 30 reps and do two sets!
My point is…you may only be able to do one pull up but by day 60 you are able to do 8 and by day 90 you are up to 20. If you can pull up a 230lb frame 20 times (2 sets) can you visualize how much physically stronger you must be and therefore look.
Just get started, do only what you can do and then show up the next day and push on. If you “bonk out” (i.e. no energy, tired, weak) and can’t finish a work out then stop…drink your post work out protein and come back the next day and push play.
DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP OR FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE FAILED THE PROGRAM SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL GIVE UP!
Well I hope this helps, as for supplements I personally do not use the P90X supplements. That is not to say they are not good (they are) but I like my supplements and the results I get on them are great. As Tony says, it takes good form, consistency and a clean diet is key. Abs are not made in the gym but rather in the kitchen – food for thought!
Cheers,
Phil
July 15, 2010
6:47 pm
hi. Im an 18 year old girl. and 5’5 and 165 lbs. Im out of shape but I had been running the treadmill for a few months before starting P90x. I did plyo today and could only get through 25 minutes before feeling faint. Is that an okay start? I stopped because the day before (day 1) I threw up. Also typically how long does it take before you lose fat. Im more focused on being lean than built.
July 19, 2010
10:44 am
@ Mel
That’s a good start. Focus on doing the workouts and following the plan more than when you’ll lose fat. The results will come as long as you stick to it. P90X is tough but the more you try the easier it gets.