Tony Horton - How I Made My Millions

Tony Horton - How I Made My Millions



I first met Tony at a fitness camp in 2007. No one had heard of P90X back then. Now everyone has not only heard of it, they've done it! Amazing what can happen in the space of a few years!

Who's behind the P90X craze?

Several you you hard working, sweaty people have asked me about the company behind the fitness DVD's.

Here's the scoop!

Beachbody was founded in 1998 by Jon Congden and Carl Daikeler as a direct sales company making fitness infomercials.  Their first product I believe was called Great Body Guaranteed.  It was followed up with Slim in 6, and Power 90 - the precursor of P90X. 

Jon and Carl realized a few things that led them to expanding their business model. 

1. The saw that selling videos is easy, but people push play and get results was tougher.  Even the world's greatest video on the shelf collecting dust didn't work!
2. Their customers getting the best results were the ones actively engaged not only with the products, but also on the Team Beachbody message board community. This was around 2005/2006- pre-facebook ;-)
3. They themselves got the best fitness results when they were financially involved.  When they started the company they had to get fit to show that the products worked.

So they decided to get people involved and give them a financial stake in the business by opening up a network marketing opportunity within Beachbody. 

In 2007, Team Beachbody, the first MLM opportunity focused on holistic fitness and weight loss was born.  "By putting the rewards for living a healthy lifestyle into the hands of the people who have the most to gain by getting healthy, Team Beachbody added the first scalable financial incentive to the obesity problem, which has reached epic proportions."  (200 million Americans obese or overweight)

Now they are the best selling fitness program company in America.  They have 260 employees, and 35,000 independent distributors called 'Coaches' throughout the US.  Beachbody still continues it's own direct sales efforts with over $100 million spent annually on advertising and sales of $319 million in 2009.

Current best selling products include P90X, Shakeology (health shake), Insanity, Turbo Jam, Turbo Fire, Ten-Minute Trainer, and Hip-hop Abs.

Now towel off. If you have any other questions about the company, as always, I can be reached at kevin@thefitdoc.com

Keep Pushing Play,

Kevin

Balloon Chest

Whew! I just finished P90X Chest and Back- the mother of all P90X workouts! I have not done it for a while, but since I got my new XtremeFit workout tracker, I decided to give it a go.

Three thoughts as I type here with shaky arms:

1. I'm gonna be sore! Newbies, take it easy your first few weeks. Give your body time to adjust. It is a lot of reps. I'm going to feel it in 24 hours!

2. Hit pause when you need to. Tony and the folks will be there. I hit pause after the second round of Heavy Pants when I puked a little bit in my mouth. :-)

3. C&B blows your chest up like balloons!

New Round of P90X!

I am officially getting ripped for summer! I just started a new round of P90X. The soreness is not as bad as I remember it. I'm wondering if it is because I changed my diet this time. In the P90X nutrition plan, it calls for a low-carb diet for the first 30 days. (Phase 1). For the first 30 days, I'm only allowed one 220-calorie serving of carbs. If I had my usual cereal in the morning, that would be all the carbs I get all day.

So, I decided to drink Shakeology every morning. I load it up with extra peanut butter, whey protein, creatine, and a banana. That gives me a big, healthy start to my day that is super high in protein and veggies, but low in carbs.

I can't say for sure, but since my soreness is less on the shakeology plan, it might be the difference. I know that proanthrocyanins, have been shown in some studies to lessen soreness after workouts, and Shakeology is packed with them. So maybe that is the reason.

In any case, I'm all in for my P90X round. Why don't you join us?! We have a super active P90X support thread at the TeamBeachbody.com called R2R (Regular to Ripped)! Everyone is welcome.

Tony's Rant of the Day

Weight-loss success story, awesome Beachbody Coach, and friend of mine, Jodi Myers sent me this motivational rant from Tony Horton. I hope you like it!


Doing the Right Thing—For the Right Reasons
By Tony Horton, creator of P90X®

We have become the United States of Quick Fixes.

Why are we so addicted to shortcuts, tricks, and magic potions? Far
too many people in this country live in some kind of wannabe
fantasyland. We're trying to keep up with the Joneses without working
as hard as they do. This bigger, badder, and faster world doesn't give
us an opportunity to stop and look at real and authentic ways to
achieve greatness.

How many people have you talked to about P90X® who, when they find out
they have to exercise and eat right say, "Forget it!" There are
millions of people in this country who have absolutely no clue that
you have to work hard, take risks, and be willing to fail over and
over again to earn what's worth having. Hard work, risk, and failure .
. . "Forget it!"

This is a very sad commentary that reveals what we've become in this
country. We have the best of the best in the U.S. of A., but we hold
the record for the highest percentage of fat people. Why do we reach
for drugs, alcohol, sex, food, lies, blame, anger, hate, guilt, and
self-pity far more often than power, courage, discipline, forgiveness,
wisdom, and self-reliance? We've become a bunch of crybabies, filled
with excuses, blaming everyone else for our problems!

The freedoms and conveniences we now enjoy were fought for by men and
women who didn't think twice when it came to working hard, taking
risks, and failing over and over again. This generation's selfish,
lethargic, "woe-is-me" mentality is creating a country filled with
folks who live in a constant state of quiet desperation. Our ancestors
worked very hard to create a world with less stress and strife. So why
are we more stressed out than ever?

The pendulum has swung way too far in the wrong direction. It's time
to stop all the bitching and moaning and wanting, and the just wishing
and hoping and dreaming things will change. We need to start living in
the real world and begin to take some responsibility for what goes on
in our lives. It's time to start exploring and searching and devoting
and sharing and growing and working for what you want in this world.

It's really a matter of right and wrong. We know the difference
between the two, but we still fail to behave in ways that allow us to
be great human beings.

Right                          Wrong
Work out                    Don't work out
Eat healthy                 Eat junk
Fail and try again         Fail and quit
Persevere                    Blow it off
Forgive yourself            Blame others
Listen                         Complain
Be kind                       Be right (all the time)
Find out what you love  Ignore your greatness

This is a short list, but I think you get the point.

The list on the right will lead you down the road of endless
short-lived pleasures that result in lifelong pain, fear, and sadness.
The list on the left (which can be hard at first) will open you up to
a world filled with happiness, joy, and fulfillment.

You might want to ask yourself how history will see you after you're
gone. If you don't like the answer today, then it might be time to do
the right thing.

Peace,
Tony H.

P90X Resistance Bands

Another great question from a reader. Keep them coming:

Mike from Ithaca writes:

Dear Kevin,

I need to get a 50lb fitness band because I just can't cut it with real pull-ups yet.  I have however found a good way to simulate the moves using multiple resistance bands in combination with the pull-up bar.  My question is, can I order the band through you, so that you benefit somehow?  If so, I want to do it immediately (I should've done it last week).
Also, the push-ups are tough.  I'm still doing them mostly from my knees and am considering putting a board between two chairs so as to do some bench presses with my dumbbells.  Thoughts?

Many thanks,

Mike


Hey Mike

Stick with your P90X workouts and you'll be doing pushups and pullups like a madman before too long!

I appreciate thinking of me for the bands. 

Since I am already connected to you as your coach, anything that you decide to get from TeamBeachbody.com will give me credit.  They have an excellent 50# band for $22.95.  I am a fan of the bands they sell because in all these years of my own use and others, I have not heard of any breaking.  Some knockoff bands have been known to do so- and that is really unsafe. 

To get it, go to teambeachbody.com > equipment & gear > bands & balls.  Then scroll down to the black band (b10)- which says 50 lbs. 



As far as the pushups, there is nothing wrong with doing them on your knees.  That is one of the great things about working out at home.  You can do that, and no-one has to know!  At the gym, there is pressure to always look cool.  Not so in your own house.  This frees you up to focus on the important thing- results! 

I think shaking it up with some dumbell chest press is a great idea.  If you go with the board between two chairs, make sure it is sturdy and safe.  An alternate idea for you is to get a balance ball and use that.   It has the added benefit of working your core at the same time because you will naturally stabilize yourself during the exercise.  I suggest the medium ball for that.  It is the one I use and it works great for dumbell press.  You can find that on the same page as the bands on the Team Beachbody site.



Keep pushing play!

Kevin


Kevin J. Kane, MD
Independent Beachbody Star-Diamond Coach
www.TheFitDoc.com

----------------------------
SHAKEOLOGY
"Like a trip to the salad bar... With 5 plates!"
30-day risk-free trial at the Team Beachbody Store

Cage Match: P90X vs. "Super Slow" HIT

Today's Cage Match: P90X vs. Super Slow HIT (High Intensty Training)


I am a big believer in working out to the point of muscular exhaustion for the best results- which as I understand it is a hallmark of HIT.

I know there are several types of HIT now. I used to do a form called 'Super-Slow.' It was developed by the Nautilus founder, Elliot Darden.

In Super-slow, you worked one-on-one with a trainer (at about $45 per half-hour session) in a room full of custom designed machines. In most of them you were tightly secured with straps and bars so you physically could only move or work one joint at a time. (Not recommended for people who are claustrophobic!!!)

One in particular was scary because you had a padded bar at the top of your thigh preventing your leg from moving up. Then your feet were put on a steel plate. They raised the plate with a huge screw, moving it up toward your knees until you cried uncle! It was like a medieval torture machine.

The workouts were short, but intense. One set, 10 seconds up and 10 seconds down for each rep until complete muscular failure- exhaustion. (All on machines, no free weights.) Then on to the next body part. At the end of your half hour you are reduced to a quivering mass of jello!

The most you were allowed to work out was 2 times per week.

I saw good strength gains, but never saw any change in my body composition. Still, I am a believer in Super-Slow as a very efficient form of exercise. Probably the best possible in only 60 minutes a week.

But I have two problems with it.

The trainers actively DISCOURAGED cardio exercise. And I believe both cardio and resistance are essential to get the best results- from a looks and a health perspective.

Secondly, when I think of the cost of Super-Slow versus the cost of the X, it is no contest. If I did 90 days of super slow (13 weeks) at 2 sessions a week, it would run a whopping $1,170.

That is 10 times the cost of P90X for inferior results.

I'd consider going back there for a few months from time to time to change things up. But IMO as an overall fitness program, P90X beats the panties off Super-Slow.

-Doc

Kevin Kane, MD
The Fit Doc
Diamond Team Beachbody Coach

P90X Phase 2

Well, I'm starting phase 2 today. The p90X diet plan gets easier now. I'll be eating a moderate amount of healthy, whole grain carbs. The tough part- low-carb diet is over! Yea!

Today's workout was Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps. Talk about Muscle confusion! It was great. I am better now, but I was really shaky for about an hour afterwards. It must mean I'm doing something! Change is good.

Doc's P90X Review- Day 10

I always recommend to people to take it easy the first week of P90X. Did I take my own advice?

You bet I did! I didn't push my heart rate over 145 in Plyometrics or CardioX. I did only half of the legs and back workout. I felt like it was an easy week.

You know what? Two days after my mini Legs and Back workout I could barely walk!

Man, it just goes to show you that P90X is a really solid workout. Even on days you don't Bring It as hard as you can, just by showing up and being consistent you still "do your body good!"

So the moral to the story is two-fold:
1. Take it easy the first week. There is no need to keep up with Tony Horton and the kids right away. Your body will thank you.
2. Like Tony says, "Just show up. Get out of your head about it. Keep pushing play!"


OK, now on to this week. I had to switch my workout schedule around (I'll tell you why in a couple of days. Cool stuff!)

I was on call at the hospital on Monday. Pulled a brutal 36 hour shift with about 1 hour of sleep.

So I sleep-walked through Chest and Back Tuesday- still increased my weight and reps pretty much across the board, though!

Wednesday, I exercised after a short day of work. Early afternoon is the best time workout for me as far as energy level. I had a fantastic, high energy, loud-music Shoulders and Arms workout with Ab Ripper X for dessert. Still taking it easy on the Ab Ripper X. I'll keep ramping that up over time.

Today I got back to my morning routine. Popped in legs and back at 5 am. I went through the whole routine this week, but lowered my reps and didn't go as deep as I could. The idea was to burn more calories by doing the whole workout, but hopefully still be able to sit down in 36 hours when the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) sets in. I made sure to take my Recovery drink afterwards. I have to be ready for two big workouts this weekend! (more on that soon!)

-Doc out.

New Round of P90X- Doc's P90X Review

I have decided to "dance with the girl that brung me" - so to speak.

After just doing my own thing for a while- a little Insanity, a little weight lifting on my own, a little Ten Minute Trainer- I decided to get back to basics. I started a new round of P90X.

Those other programs are all great. But the thing is- in my experience, when you do a little here and a little there, you get a little in the way of results.

The key is to pick a solid program and stay with it. Do it CONSISTENTLY. When I go off a strict program schedule, I find it easier to make excuses and miss workouts or eat poorly.

Using a program and a workout calendar daily- like with P90X (or PX90 as some call it ;-) time and time again is what brings me the greatest results!

So....

I've decided to blog about my progress with this round of P90X. The purpose is both to tell people what to expect when they go through P90X themselves, and also as a way to help keep me accountable. (I'm big into using peer pressure as a means of accountability!)

Wish me luck! Stay tuned to find out how I do. Better yet, why don't you start a round of P90X with me!!

Off to push play,

-Doc