How to cut the time on your P90X workouts

The first thing most people say when they think about starting P90X or they just purchased it is "the workouts seem so long!" Well, yes, they do seem long, but compared to getting yourself dressed, in the car and off to the gym, then start your routine, towel off and get back in the car to go home, they're really a lot shorter on time than trudging to the gym everyday.  And let's face it, most of us with gym memberships get tired of that routine so we slip up and stop going.

But there are ways you can make your P90X workouts a little shorter and shave off 20-30 minutes of your workout time.

1) One way to shave off time is by splitting your workout.  You can do your main workout (like chest & back) and then save Ab Ripper X for later in the day. This is good if you feel way to spent after your main workout.  Or you can split your workout by doing all the chest exercises in the morning (hit the next button on your remote to skip the back exercises) and then in the afternoon or evening do all the back exercises (again the remote comes in handy). Add Ab Ripper X in at the end of either workout.  But make sure you do the warm up and cool down with each split session.

2) You can do the first round of exercises only. I still highly recommendd doing the warm-up and cool down.  But be warned, if you get in the habit of doing 1/2 the DVD only everyday and every workout, you may have to decrease you calories.

3) As you get better at the workouts, you will find yourself able to start an exercise while Tony is still explaining the exercise.  You may finish by the time they start going.  Use the remote and skip ahead to the next exercise.  I do this a lot and it shaves off about 20 minutes.  I really don't do this with the cardio DVDs. But on occasion I will skip next during a few very challenging Plyometrics exercises (only if I'm really feeling wiped out).

4) Yoga X is long.  90 minutes is a long time.  Most of the poses in Yoga X are very advanced and if you;re not doing yoga more often can still seem too advanced for you by week 13.  On days I'm rushed, I will do the first 30 minutes and the last 30 minutes of Yoga X.  I used to teach yoga classes, so I know that some of the poses like crane, are poses that can take years to master.  You can still get an energizing yoga workout by eliminating some of the very difficult and advanced yoga poses.

So there you have it.  I know there will be some P90X purists who think what I said is blasphemy, but we all have busy lives and sometimes you need to make some adjustments.  I'd rather you do this than skip your workout entirely.

I'd love to help you reach your fitness goals.  As a Team Beachbody Coach, I'm here to support you and be your guide on your journey to a new, healthier you.  Please email me at fitwithjessica@live.com or visit my website http://fitwithjessica.com/ to get started. And please feel free to comment below.