So You Missed a P90X Workout … Here’s What to Do
You missed a P90X workout. Or, an Insanity workout. Welcome to the club. It happens to all of us.
Everyone, I mean everyone, misses a workout in the schedule once in a while. We get busy. We get sick. The workout schedule is overwhelming. Our kids get sick. Our kid’s kids get sick. Life happens. Everyone wants to make every workout on the schedule happen.
I talk to people all the time that tell me they are going to do every single one. When I tell them to be realistic, they usually tell me something like this: “Oh, no, I’m going to do them all. When I take something on, I do it 100% or not at all.” Inevitably, these people end up in the “not at all” box, because LIFE HAPPENS.
So, it’s going to happen. Now what?
What NOT to Do if You Miss a P90X Workout
1. Start Over—Don’t do this to yourself. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve talked to that have started P90X (or Insanity) five or six times. When I dig into it, I usually found out that they got sick or their kids got sick or there was a business trip or something in life happened and they missed a few days. They were going to do it 100% or not at all, so they started over. Guess what happened the second time? Yep, life happened again.
2. Give Up—Again, we see the 100% or nothing mentality victimize people more often than we would like. For whatever reason, they miss a few days or maybe a week, and they mistakenly believe all their hard work has been thrown out the window and they are doomed to a life of eating Cheetos on the couch. This is usually the group that will say something like, “I’ve tried to start P90X several times, but…” It’s not true. They started every time, they just didn’t keep going because something got in the way.
What to Do if You Miss a P90X Workout
If you miss just one day:
1. Move your Rest Day – Let’s say your Rest Day is Saturday and you miss your scheduled Legs & Back workout on a Tuesday. Just move your Rest Day to Tuesday and do Legs & Back on the following day (Wednesday). I realize this might throw off your schedule a little bit and you’ll have to adjust. Again, we are dealing with life. What thing in your life don’t you have to adjust and tweak?
2. Do a double workout—Let’s take the above scenario again. On Wednesday, just do Legs & Back and the workout scheduled for that day (this will depend on what schedule you are following). This will probably wipe you out. Eat some extra calories that day and try to split up the workouts if you can. This is a tough gig, so understand what you’re getting into.
3. Just skip it—I know, I know…100% or nothing. How’s that attitude working out for you in other areas of your life? If your kid got sick and you had to stay home from work one day, would you stop working altogether or just go back to work the next day and pick up where you left off? That’s just not what this is about. It’s about consistency. Consistency doesn’t always mean 100% of your workouts. Will you get the best results if you hit them all? Absolutely. Is it always reasonable to make 100% of your workouts? Probably not. My father-in-law once told me to, “Never say always and always never say never.” Consistency is about doing things most of the time. Tony Horton introduced me to the 80/20 Rule at his Fit Camp back in January 2010, and it’s been my mantra since. Do at least 80% of your scheduled workouts and make 80% of the food you intake good quality whole food and you’ll see great results. Which of these two things is better for you: (1) doing P90X 5 days a week and missing 1 workout; or (2) not working out at all? Pretty simple answer, isn’t it?
If you miss a few days or a week:
Just pick up where you left off. It’s that simple. Restart where you left off. Do not restart the program entirely. Don’t restart the Phase of P90X you left off with. Don’t go back to the beginning of Month 2. Just keep going. Again, this is about making it work in your life. If you get the flu and can’t workout, the best thing you can do for yourself is get back on the horse. Will it be perfect? No. Will it work if you have a 100% or nothing attitude? No. Will it be good for your body and help you move forward with your health and fitness? Absolutely. This is huge—and I can’t emphasize it enough. Your body does not know that you were on Day 42 of P90X when you stopped working out last week, nor does it care. That thing telling you to restart P90X is your brain and you need to ignore it. All your body thinks when you do the Day 43 workout after a week off is, “Wow, this feels good again!”
Now, I hope that people do not take this as a license to miss a week of P90X or Insanity and think they are going to get great results. That’s even less realistic than the 100% or nothing attitude. You are going to miss a few days during your program and that’s okay. If you are unfortunate and get sick, just pick up where you left off. The more workouts you can do, the better.
Also keep in mind that P90X is not about 90 days and Insanity isn’t about 60 days. These programs are part of a lifelong change that needs to occur. I don’t always do P90X, and I don’t always do Insanity. Right now I’m doing a hybrid of the two. In a month or two, I’ll start training for cycling and triathlon races. It’s never about 90 days, or 60 days, or a 14 week triathlon training program. It’s always about the next progression of fitness. Keep that in mind and you’ll pick up where you left off and simply get back to work.
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