Rss Feed
Tweeter button
Facebook button
Digg button
Stumbleupon button

Have A Strategy

March 12, 2012 –

“Have A Strategy”

This is the Tip of the Day from P90X2 Base + Back. Why? Because it is one of the hardest P90X2 workouts. It combines Pull-Ups and Plyo in a 30 minute session (excluding warm-up and cool down).

And after you have completed 5 rounds and are half way done, Tony talks about a quote from Mike Tyson.

“Everyone has a plan until they get hit!”

And the next thing that happens is the dreaded word “REPEAT!” That’s right, 5 more rounds.

Well, my goal has been to do 100 unassited pull-ups on Base + Back with NO PAUSING! That is 10 pull-ups each of the 10 rounds. I had been battling a head cold last week, but I still wanted to go for it last Friday. My strategy? Keep ahead of the crew on the DVD so I can incorporate more rest near the end. Once the warm-up was done, I was on the pull-up bar. I stayed a good 60 seconds ahead of the DVD up until the last set of pull-ups and then finished it out with them. My strategy worked and I did 102 pull-ups. This week? Time to break out the weight vest. (Gulp!)

As I was getting ready for my day after my workout, I thought how applicable that morning was to any program (or to life for that matter). You cannot expect to succeed and reach your goal if you don’t have a strategy. As I was watching the a replay of the ‘2011 Ironman World Championship’ last week, the pros talked about their strategy. And you would see each would have to adjust it based on the race. Maybe they fell back in the swim more than anticipated and would need to make it up in the bike. Whatever it was, as Mike Tyson said, each one “got hit!”

And so it will be with you. You will get P90X or what ever your program is and be all jacked up.  Then you will get hit. Heck, I got hit on Day 2 of P90X2 by spraining my ankle. But you need to be able to have a strategy and then understand that you will most likely need to modify it. Let’s be honest, this is life. We still have jobs, travel, kids, family obligations, etc. All  of these things (and many more) will throw unexpected punches at you.

Prepare yourself for the unexpected.


– If you have to travel for work like I do, plan your workouts for the week and pick the one that is easiest to do while travelling.
– If you are travelling for numerous days, pack your resistance bands and supplements.(See my Travelling Post HERE)
– If you are going to be going out to dinner with clients, look at t menu online first. Will you be able to order something that will fit into your nutritional plan? By the way, most of the time I order things that aren’t even on the menu.
– What will you do if you get sick? I can tell you what I do. I workout anyway. I always feel better. Maybe don’t push yourself as hard, but press play. I was sick through half  of 30 days of Insanity Asylum. You push through it.

The point is this. You can’t expect to succeed without a plan. And you can’t expect that your plan wont need to be modified. It will be your determination, flexibility, and “whatever it takes” attitude that will allow you to excel and meet or beat your goals.

So as you begin your program, “Have A Strategy” and then plan to get hit and modify.  But never ever give up and never take your eyes off your goal.

Leave a Reply