I’ve had the great fortune to be among the P90X/P90X2 cast for the QVC showcases over the last year.  These are typically long days with up to 6 shows in a 2-day period, leaving sleep and muscles beyond the definition of fatigue.

That being said, it tends to create some of the most gut wrenching belly laughs and over the top goofy-antics.  After each trip out to QVC, I typically get a flood of emails with questions like, “what’s it like behind the scenes”, “how is Tony Horton off camera”, “does everyone get along” or “are you really working out the ENTIRE show” – YES, that’s real sweat people!

So I thought I’d share a little sneak peak into what goes on behind the scenes while at QVC headquarters.

As many of you saw from all my Facebook posts and pictures, we just returned from a 7 show stint, in a 24 hour period.  It was grueling, but since Beachbody always does a stand up job of selecting a cast that compliment one another, here’s what our 48 hour trip entailed:

Day 1:

3:15am (PST): Wake up, shower and ready for flight

4:15am: Car pick up for Airport

6:10am: First leg of flight to Philadelphia by way of O’Hare

1:45pm (CST): Second leg of flight to Philly

4:30pm (EST): Arrive in Philly and it’s off to the airport

5:00pm – 10:00pm: Free time/Rest/Nap/Work

10:00pm – Meet in lobby to head to QVC studios for 1^st show

12:00am (EST): First 1 hour airing of P90X2 showcase (full cast)

2:00am: Back at hotel for 3 hours of sleep

Day 2:

5:00am: Wake up, shower and prep for 2^nd show – just 20 minute Hit.

7:00am: 20 min Hit of P90X2 (1^st half of Cast only – myself included)

9:00am: 20 Min Hit of P90X2 (1^st half of Cast only)

9:30am: Breakfast…FINALLY!!

12:00pm: 20 Min Hit of P90X2 (2^nd half of cast)

12:30pm: Head to local gym for a workout of Shoulders & Arms w/ Tony and cast.

2:30pm: Back at QVC to rest, eat lunch and prep for LIVE show.

6:00pm: Live studio audience; 1-hour showcase (full cast, split 30 mins)

7:00pm: Meet n’ greet with audience

7:30pm: Rest and snack and lots of delirious conversation

9:00pm: 20 Min Hit of P90X2 (partial cast – myself included)

10:30pm: FINAL 20 Min Hit of P90X2 (partial cast – myself included)

11:00pm: Back to hotel for pre-ordered dinner and BED!

Day 3:

7:30am: Get ready to head home!

Nuts, isn’t it??

In between each of the shows and the 16 hour time period we were at QVC, we sure had a lot of fun and certainly learned a ton about one another, perhaps more so than one would desire – LOL.

We were beyond delirious as we entered into the later afternoon and evening show times.  We would find ourselves laughing at an iPhone app that would repeat back to you in a cat voice (Talking Tom Cat app), whatever you say.  I had tears running down my face with laughter.  I come home to do it and show my kids, not as many tears of laughter, but still entertaining.

Then we turned to Facebook to get some good laughs….were the posts funny?  Probably not, but when working on 6 hours of sleep in a 48 hour period, EVERYTHING was funny.

For the ladies, we probably had to reapply our makeup between each show, as we all came to the same decision that it was too much effort to wash and re-wash after each show.  That being said, LOTS of deodorant and toothpaste!  Haha.

I can’t tell you how fortunate I feel to be apart of this experience.  I feel blessed to be able to share my story of my P90X transformation and how it changed my frumpy Mommy figure into a fit n’ lean Mommy, and to be able to share that with viewers, is truly an honor.  Not to mention, Tony and each of the hosts had amazing rapport with one another.  They could be successful selling brown paper bags if they had to!  P90X2 certainly came easy to get excited about for Tony, as he genuinely has a passion for functional fitness changing the lives of America!

We are always looking for success stories with P90X, P90X2 or any of the Beachbody related products.  If you have one, please share it below!

A few days ago, I wrote a post on “What is P90X?”.  I mean, who hasn’t heard for P90X??  With the $150M + in advertising Beachbody shells out per year, you’d have to be living in a cave not to know the program.  But, I had to appease my audience and be sensitive.

I get asked this question by young women, seasoned women (I don’t dare say “old”), new and old Mom’s. ALL-THE-TIME. Immediate answer, YES!  Doesn’t it look like it can work for women?? And I’m no preview fitness model, personal trainer, etc..  Just a newer Mom that needed a new workout program to change my life.

It’s amazing how more and more women are starting their physical transformation with P90X®. Why? Because it works. If you’ve ever watched QVC and seen the airings of P90X®, about 80% of the callers, are women in their 40’s and 50’s, that are starting the program and GETTING RESULTS.

And you know what, ladies, you don’t have to fear building bulk. Majority of us females, don’t carry enough testosterone that inhibits the bulk in muscle growth. This type of dynamic workout, will build LEAN, sexy muscles, without the bulk. Find out why weight training is important for women.

How stellar is that??

Ok, so what is P90X®? It’s a 90-day, fail proof system, that gives you all the proper tools to be successful in both the nutritional category (Nutrition guide with phased eating plan) and fitness (breakdown of each exercise and options for modification.

I embarked on my own journey with P90X® after my 2^nd baby was born, as I was tired of being the “frumpy, fat” Mom. As a former gym rat, I needed a plan. A plan that worked with my limited time and failure to get back to the gym with, now, 2 kids, on hand. A plan that was spelled out for me, told me what to eat, what exercises to do and how to do them. BINGO. Enter P90X®.  It came full circle with my missing link in nutrition and exercise.

What you get with the entire P90X® Extreme Home Fitness system? See my prior post on it’s contents.

After reading through entire box of contents (Nutrition Guide, Fitness Guide, “How to Bring-It” DVD and 12 DVD set), I was nervous and excited about what was on the horizon.

Push ups??  Pull ups??  Oh HECK NO!  I sucked at push-ups and never could do a pull up if my life depended on it. How was I going to keep up?

Well a few things to consider, it’s a 90 day program, so I had 90-days to work on improvement and see progress. If I stuck with the nutrition and fitness guidelines, I was pretty much guaranteed progress. Also, Tony Horton prepared me to know, it’s not just a 90-day system and you are done. It’s a lifestyle switch and a lifetime of better health, ahead, if I so choose.

Yes, I CHOOSE!

So what can you expect?

- To get in the best shape of your life!

- To develop skills, coordination and flexibility to enhance every aspect of you physical abilities.

- To increase your knowledge and educate you on smart and CLEAN eating through healthy diet choices.

- Oh, and to SWEAT a lot!  Think DNA removal, fat shredding and major lean-age in your future.

If you squirmed at the last one ladies….buck up!  Sweating is good for you!  That, and you can just shower off.

And ladies – you can modify ALL the moves! Yup, you don’t have to get through a military boot camp to qualify for the program, despite what some say, but with the beginning fit test, it acts as a STARTING POINT for you. Not a scare tactic.

Want Guidance?

Be sure to join my Newsletter List (>>>>>>RIGHT SIDE BAR >>>>>>) to get access tips and advice on how you can be successful with a program like P90x, not to mention advice on nutrition, life and balance.

The workouts.  

Fit Test:

A starting point to gauge your level of fitness out of the gates. An opportunity to evaluate HOW you need to start, which version of the program to start with (Classic*, Lean or Doubles) and quite frankly, a reality check.

So I kicked things off with the Classic Version with my husband and there was no looking back. I started and low and behold, I started to see it.

Here’s a summary on each of the workouts, from a women’s perspective:

Chest & Back:

Push-ups, although on my knees at first, were getting deeper and stronger. I didn’t have a pull up bar, so modified by using resistance bands. Someone in the video is ALWAYS modifying each move. Mom’s, picking up your babies after this day…geesh! Come week 3, your baby never felt more like a feather! LOL.

Plyometrics:

Dubbed “The Mother of All Cardio Workouts”. How fitting! Starting out, I was exhausted from the warm up. But pushed through and did my best, and forgot the rest. This phrase will be seared into your brain as you do the program.

Shoulders & Arms:

I felt rather successful with this workout, as I could mange most of the moves, even if it was with light weight. I learned, through the material, to PERFECT each move with GREAT FORM, rather than banging out 16 sloppy reps.

Yoga X:

I HATED this day. Hated it. Dreaded waking up on Thursday’s to do it. Why? Because I’ve never survived a Yoga session a day in my life, let alone, enjoyed it. But, I kept at it, as I’m stubborn and wanted to truly see what this program could do for me. I won’t lie ladies, even for those yoga enthusiasts that live and breathe yoga, I’ve been told it was even hard for them. But I came to enjoy it and the results I felt as it lengthened, stretched and worked out all the kinks…even though it was tough as sh*t. Check out this video from Tony Horton on his message on the importance of Yoga.

Legs & Back:

I love working my legs, so I really enjoyed the legs portion. Pull-ups, not so much, as I wasn’t good at them…yet! All in due time. Different variations of lunges, deep squats, calve raises, wall-squats, balance moves (core work!!) and isometrics. Good stuff.

Kenpo X:

A great workout to pretend you are kicking the snot out of someone. Often times I took it out on Tony Horton, as I was so miserably sore from the week’s workout. And oddly enough, I found I CRAVED that feeling of soreness. It’s a cardio based kick boxing that brings together your mind & body through focus and precision during each punch or kick series.

Ab Ripper X:

This is a series of core moves that is tacked on to the weight training workouts, in the Classic Version. So basically after Chest/Back, Shoulders/Arms, and Legs/Back, came Ab Ripper X. A variety of 367+ dynamic core exercises that had my holding my stomach in and avoiding any jokes, for days. Ahhh, again, good stuff!

This series of 6 workouts repeats for 3 weeks, then comes the Recovery Week. Oh, how I was looking forward to this. Until I embarked on my first Recovery Week.

What is the purpose of Recovery Week?

It’s intended to give your muscles a break from all their hard work in the week’s prior of challenging them, pushing them to fatigue and ultimate soreness. While still working hard during this Recovery Week, your body gets a break from the heavy resistance and allow those little “micro-tears” to heal, so you can push harder as you enter the next phased training block.  Also maybe even a test to see if we, women, could still life our arms to wash our hair! Ha.

It’s 6 days of that alternates in some newer workouts and cardio from the weeks prior:

Yoga X: See above

Core Synergistics*:

Still cardio based, but uses a lot of your core stabilizers to carry you through each motion. Good news, NO Ab Ripper! Bad news, still working on core stretch. Ok, I think that’s actually still good news.

*My personal favorite.

Kenpo X: See above

X Stretch:

A great series of stretching exercises that come as a MUCH needed break in addition to minimize any potential for injury as you go about the program.  Although you may be craving the sweat and heart pounding workouts, TRUST ME, this is well worth it and your body will crave it.  DON’T YOU DARE SKIP IT.

The second and third Phase of the 90-day Classic program, bring in other strength training exercises on the notion to continue to stimulate your muscles via Tony’s trademark – Muscle Confusion.

What’s muscle confusion?

There is no opportunity to hit a plateau here…thus the welcomed appeal to muscle confusion.  The combination of the strength workouts, cardio and flexibility, constantly challenge your muscles to be activated and continue to develop.  By switching routines through the various “training blocks” (30 day phases) your body never has the chance to adapt to any one routine.  Thus, why results happen so quickly.

Want to see what each 30 days can do?

Day 1                           Day 30                          Day 60                            Day 90

Believe it ladies and gents!!  It can happen!  You just have to WANT and be willing to work for it.

Remember, we didn’t put this weight on all over night, it may have taken months or years.  So don’t expect overnight results.  But, you certainly can expect results in the initial 30 days, if you follow the plan!

And men or women, I’d be happy to be YOUR Coach and help you succeed with this program or ANY program for that matter.  Let’s find a workout program that works for YOUR goals.  Is it P90X?

Your partner in health & fitness.