P90X Review

I feel it's probably time I posted my review of P90X, since I have gotten a lot of emailed questions on it. (Edit: Ultimate Fitness has contacted me to offer a coupon to everyone for $5 off the program. The code to input at check-out is: smw5off)

I initially started off with the standard P90X, and then switched to P90X Lean (in order to not beat up my husband, due to some scheduling issues.) Because I have done a big portion of both versions, I feel I can offer a pretty well rounded report on it.

The first thing I want to establish is a reminder of where I have come from over the past...Oh.... Eight years. I went from sedentary (220+ lbs), to cardio bunny (mostly tae-bo), to weight training, and then on to the serious fitness freak that you see before you today. I did NOT start this program after getting up off my couch one day and deciding it was the one for me.

This program is NOT a good starting point for ANYONE. I am speaking most directly to those men, and you know who you are, who regardless of your actual fitness level, assume that you can handle anything at any level, simply because of your testosterone and Y chromosome. I'm married to one of these "I can do anything" types, and trust me: he tried P90X, suffered, and dropped it - and he isn't a completely unfit guy either.

If you are interested in P90X, male or female - drop the ego and take their fitness test. For REAL. It will replace your normal workout, because it takes about 40 minutes. It's not a marketing gimmick, it's a necessary thing you should do. Because, if you can't hit everything you need to on the fitness test, you not only aren't ready for P90X, but you might cause yourself injury if you try it.

Now that I have scared everyone off, lets back up for a minute. It's not THAT bad, but you do need a certain higher level of core fitness in order to start in on this program. If you don't have that, there are a lot of places to start. If you have a long way to go, I recommend a doctor's clearance and then daily walks and body weight moves (like push-ups, sit-ups, etc), ramping up to a harder regimen. I also highly recommend Body For Life (NOT NOT NOT BFL for Women, that book is a total waste of good paper, and Eating for life is a good MAINTENANCE cookbook, but not so hot for an actual plan - and by the way, all the success photos/stories in the cookbook are from the ORIGINAL BFL plan, not EFL), but as the ORIGINAL plan was intended. Ignore the "official" website, and all the stupid tweaks people have tried to twist it with. Half.com has a ton of cheap copies ($1.37 when last I checked), so it won't even cost you much to look into it. Once you have completed that, you may or may not be ready for something like P90X, but you can try the fitness test again and find out where your weaknesses are.

The system is a set of DVD workouts which involve a ton of body-weight moves (like push-ups, pull-ups, plyometric moves, etc) as well as cardio and weight training cycles. The equipment you will require is a large enough space to go bouncing about in all directions without causing serious injury or property damage, free-weights of varying sizes, a chin-up bar/station, a yoga mat and blocks, and some people also use bands, as well as push-up bars (optional.)

**A note about the bands - I bought a set from Walmart. I snapped those suckers in half. They stink, don't buy them from Walmart or any of the other major retailers. You need a set of HIGH quality bands if you are going to be using them. I do not know if the set they sell through the Beachbody website are high quality or not, but you can try them or a serious fitness retailer. You need at least a medium weighted resistance band and the heaviest one they have (to mimic pull-ups if you can't do them.)

Personally, I have an interchangeable set of dumbbells with plates. This worked out OK, but there were times I had to hit the pause button because I couldn't get it set up quickly enough. If you have the cash (which I do not), I highly recommend PowerBlocks. I also have a Power-Tower station for the pull-ups. You can buy a standard chin-up bar from a major retailer for about $6, or you can invest in their fancy junglebar version for about $40. My power tower ($70) was a personal "I gotta HAVE IT!" freak-out, so it's not necessary. I just wanted a station that was good for not only pull-ups, but dips, leg raises and other exercises. Yes, I know, fitness freak. But for P90X , you only need the pull-up station, with the ability to do both wide and close handed grips.

The actual workouts range from a plyometric workout, core and cardio, to several weight/target area workouts (like legs & back, or shoulders & arms, etc). There is also a 90 minute Yoga session which you do every week, as well as a cardio workout of Kenpo. My favorite of all the workouts is the Kenpo, because I'm a sucker for anything that involves fighting moves - serious or not. I also value the yoga that has been incorporated because it has helped with some flexibility issues I was struggling with. Since the yoga also comes dead center of the week, it also relieves some tightness that you end up acquiring through the earlier workouts.

The weight workouts are good because there isn't a ton of monotony. You have a lot of different exercises you move through, and you never get bored because of that. The pull-ups aren't as bad as they sound. Yes, they're HARD. Yes, you end up doing a LOT of them. But there are ways to "spot" yourself, and assist with the pull-up until you can switch over to doing them without assistance. The DVD does show you how to do this, even expects you to. If you are interested in just learning about how to get your body doing pull-ups, Stumtuous.com has a whole "how-to" for you to get in gear.

I would say the workout I hate the most is the plyometrics, closely followed by the core synergistics. Why? Because plyo is HARD, people! Doesn't mean it's not worth doing. If anything, it's because it's hard that it's worth doing. Though, I admit that near the end of one of the workouts, I looked up to see the instructor doing a push-up where he brought his whole body into the air off the ground (feet and hands) and clapped in mid air, before coming down and doing it again - I almost took off my shoe and threw it at the screen.

The instructor, Tony Horton, is a good looking 40-something guy with a great attitude. Admittedly, at first I found him slightly grating. But I think that was because I have a lot of preconceived notions about DVD workouts, and their instructors. OK, they're not preconceived notions, we're talking outright hostility. If I had to endure another energizer-wind-up-pink-lollipop- cotton-candy-fluffy-should -be-tossed-out-of-a-plane instructor, I was going to lose it. Thank goodness this wasn't the case. Once I was able to understand the rhythm of his sense of humor, I was fine. Honestly, I think he's probably one of the best motivational exercise instructors I have ever seen.

However, for those who don't agree, the DVD's come with the options to play the workout with either the music or the instructor, or both muted and just have it give you your cues on the exercises. So far, I haven't done either, which was a total shock considering my propensity for a lack of patience in this area.

On certain days, you are expected to tack on the 16 minute "Ab Ripper" routine. This thing sucks. Sorry to use the language, but...Well... OW. Necessary, but OW. I also found that I have next to NO patience for tacking it on right after a regular workout. After 60 minutes of lifting weights and doing pull-ups, the last thing I want to do is look at some fresh-faced bunch of people and kill myself with an ab routine. So, what I have done instead is to tack it on later in the day. I'm MUCH happier with this arrangement, and it allows me to draft my husband into doing it with me. It's so much more enjoyable to hear someone else cussing and whining through a workout, than yourself.

These workouts are hard-core, but they're also geared for your own level. Basically, you will get out of this what you put into it. If you go through this DVD workout like a pansie: only lifting low amounts when you could lift more and doing half-hearted moves when you should be taking it to the mat - well, then you'll only get a blah workout and blah results. But if you hit it with the intensity you KNOW you have, and you work HARD and focused, you will get solid results. The upside to all of this is that it's an unlimited challenge. You keep pushing yourself harder and higher, and you will always be challenged by this workout (which is why I think you don't see many used ones for sale, they're definitely a permanent addition to my DVD library.) But, if you decide to be a slacker, then it's likely the best you'll do is whine that it's not enough and "whyyyyyyyy" doesn't it work for you like it does for everyone else?

This is like life, people. You want it? You gotta put in the effort. Plain and simple. It's a shut-up and put-up situation. In the end, you have the map - if you don't make it there, you have no one but yourself to blame.

From a personal trainer standpoint, I really appreciate that there is a real, serious, intense workout available like this. 99% of the video workouts out there are too weak for me, no matter how much effort I put into it. I think what makes this such a challenging set is because it has so many different types of exercise involved, as well as the open ended room to increase your own intensity level. After these workouts, I actually FEEL like I have worked out. In the case of all the other DVD workouts I have tried, I felt as if I hadn't done enough.

The regular version/schedule is six days of workouts (all different, except the added Ab-Ripper on three days), and then a day of rest (or you can do the stretching DVD which isn't included during the week.) Every three weeks, it changes over to a recovery week. While you still do six workouts, they aren't the weight training ones, so it is a little bit of a break. Not much, but enough. Then it changes to a different line up for three weeks, followed by another recovery week, and again for the last four resulting in a full 13 week program.

P90X also has a version called doubles, which is essentially the regular schedule plus doing the 40 minute CardioX workout (which you only see during the recovery week or on the Lean version) several extra times during the week. I have to tell you straight out that this would drive me INSANE. Doing the P90X Lean version, you do the CardioX workout every week, replacing one of the weight training sessions. If I had to see that cardio DVD that often I would probably lose it. The obvious alternative, however, is simply to add your own cardio workout of about 50 minutes to those days as your extra workout. They're just offering the basic option with their doubles plan, without having to figure out a different workout without guidance.

The program also comes with an eating plan. I will tell you straight that the plan is maintenance level as far as calories go for MOST people. If you are thinking about losing a lot of weight, the eating plan is too much. It's the right kinds of food, and I 100% approve of the layout, it's the quantity verses goal.

*If you are wanting to gain mass, it might be enough calories, or a little low for a male. For a female it might be enough. However, I would like to point out that P90X isn't a muscle-mass increasing routine. It WILL build some muscle, make no mistake, but it is more about power. P90X is about creating strength with what you have, and refining it. Power over size, for all intensive purposes.

* If you want to maintain, I suggest you follow their eating plan as it's laid out. However, I would suggest you monitor your levels of body fat, measurements and scale weight to see if you should add calories or subtract them.

* If you are trying to LOSE weight, this is where things get tricky. The calories are a bit high for women (for men, I would start with it and then adjust as necessary) and I would probably start off about 100-300 calories less than the plan equates to on a daily basis. HOWEVER, you need to understand that these workouts are power oriented workouts. They demand a great deal from your body, not only to rise to the occasion with the proper intensity, but also in the matter of recovery afterwards. If you drop your calories too low, you will wipe yourself OUT. Your workouts will suffer, you will get less results, and frankly, you will just feel AWFUL. So, on the angle of a cutting program, this one walks a fine line.

One of the reasons I chose the P90X Lean version of the schedule was so I could actively pursue the weight loss side of it. It IS easier than the regular version, and obviously less demanding than the Doubles. But even so, it is a demanding routine on the body. Because of that, there is no room for error. You must fuel your body at the appropriate times, or you will feel it. You cannot skip meals, because it will tank you.

Now, one last thing to be clear on. If you are after visible results, you need to understand that those are 80% rooted in your kitchen. What you feed yourself, how much, and when are absolutely KEY. There is no workout, or pill, or magic wand that will enable you to get around this fact. If you don't eat right, you will not see what you are working so hard for. You will experience an increase in strength/power, you will probably even feel better, but you won't SEE it, OR feel as good as you COULD if you did right by your body in the kitchen. You want to see your abs? You could do a million crunches, and it won't make a damn bit of difference if you are eating in excess and the wrong things. It's the one hard fact that people want to deny, yet can never truly do so.

You want to be fit? You gotta do the work. You want to LOOK fit? You gotta do the work AND eat right. It's that simple, it really IS that black and white. No if's, and's or but's.

So, to the point: I like the workout. I like the food plan. And I even like the instructor and his presentation of the whole plan. Oh, one technical note, though - the whole thing is kind of dark. Not that it isn't shot well, it is. It's just that the room it was shot in is dark toned, and there are often shadows in the background which leads to an even darker appearance. This was probably on purpose since it allowed you to 100% focus on the instructor who stood out well against this background. However, it did make it tough to see sometimes because of the glare of lights in my own room against the television, regardless of where the lighting came from (above, or from a lamp or window, etc.) Don't misunderstand me, it's not a poor quality recording at ALL. And hey, maybe it's just me.

If you are now interested in P90X, Ultimate Fitness Gear has contacted me to offer a coupon to everyone for $5 off the program. The code to input at check-out is: smw5off


Edit 2/2008: I have recently been able to try out two of the nutritional supplements many had asked me about, this link is my review of them.

Edit: I wrote this review in July 2006, and recently it has been getting a lot of traffic. I still stand by everything I said. I am not affiliated with Beachbody. Up until now I had been taking questions, but it is becoming more than I can keep up with, so I won't be answering any more. Please see if your question has already been answered in the comments. Thank you!