Day 78: My Tool Chest

P90X doesn't require a bunch of expensive equipment. Tonight's workout was fancier than usual and still only required some dumbbells and push up bars. Of course, you'll need a television and DVD player to watch the workout. If you do have some extra dough to throw around, you can always add some extra stuff.

In the photo, I have four sets of iron hex dumbbells (10, 15, 20, 25) totaling 120 pounds. You can buy these dumbbells for a little over a buck a pound. I seldom touch the $400 Bowflex dumbbells in the upper left behind the fan because I don't lift heavy very often. The pair of push up bars only cost $20. I did recently purchase the AKROwheels total body functional training system for $35. AKROwheels are like a dumbbell with wheels on the ends instead of weights. I used them tonight to do floor flys. In this exercise you put one hand on the floor and use the AKROwheel to roll the other arm back and forth to the side as you do push ups. This is not exactly how they do it in the video but it works for me. You can also use the AKROwheels to do all sorts of ab exercises.

The only other pieces of equipment you need for P90X workouts are some bands and a pull up bar. You can get a set of bands for about $50 and a pull up bar for $30. I had a lot of equipment before I started P90X and purchased some extra stuff including the rubber flooring. I probably have a little over $1,100 invested which ain't bad. I don't have any buyer's remorse because I use the hell out of my stuff and it is good for me. If you are frugal and on a tight budget, you can get setup with the basics for around $200.

I almost forgot. The set of 10 P90X DVDs cost a mere $120. They are the cheapest and best investment I ever made in my health.