Rocketing toward middle-age, I had to know if there were any new tricks left in this old dog, or if physical decline was inevitable. After watching the hyperactive infomercial for Tony Horton's P90X Extreme Home Fitness program, I knew it would present the perfect test OR it would kill me.
When the 13 DVDs, workout book and diet book arrived, I ripped into the 90-day fitness program with the enthusiasm of an eighteen year old. I was reasonably fit when I started, having spent years running five miles three days a week, resistance training another three days, and swilling beer and dancing on my day off. But after completing the nearly hour- long Chest And Back workout and 15 minutes of the aptly named Ab Ripper X, I was oddly exhausted and invigorated at the same time.
The next day, I had some soreness when I took on the 45 minute Plyometrics DVD, which involves a lot of lunging and leaping, but I got through it winded, but feeling great.
It wasn't until the next morning that P90x really hit me, literally, like a bus. I woke up stiff as a board. I walked to my car like I was rocketing toward the century and a half mark. I was so sore I had to sit sidewards in my car and lift my legs and crane them inside.
Fortunately, the day of rigormortis in my legs was a day the P90x workout DVDs focused on shoulders, arms and abs, so I was still able to keep pace. The first week was completed with a day of kick boxing, a day of legs and back, and a day of yoga. Then I had a day off to recover. I enjoyed the break but looked forward to getting back in there.
For the next 83 days, I followed Horton's P90x workout schedule without missing a day, and boy did I feel great. My body got stronger and leaner at the same time. During the entire program, right up to Day 90, I felt better than I did when I was in my teens. I didn't think it was possible, but I did.
Tony Horton gets the job done like no trainer I've ever seen in years of going to the gym. You can tell he and his team at Beachbody put a lot of thought into the P90x DVDs and workout book. I didn't use the diet book, preferring instead to keep junk food out of the house and eat smaller portions of healthier food several times a day. Absolutely, don't skip dieting all-together. Fitness experts will tell you diet is as important, maybe even more important, as exercise to getting ripped.
The P90x DVDs focus on exercising specific muscle groups in the upper and lower body, developing aerobic capacity, and stretching. They work together over the course of the regimen in a logical way, allowing parts of the body worked one day to recover the next day while you focus on another area. Horton also demonstrates proper form for each exercise. He's so good, I actually looked forward to spending an hour and a half every Saturday twisting myself into a yoga pretzel.
The secret to Horton's success (and mine) is that he and the team he works out with are very motivational, energetic and enthusiastic without being falsely hyper. Horton rapidly changes out exercises so you don't have time to get bored. He uses such a great variety of exercises to work the same muscle set -- imagine five different kinds of pushups and pullups -- that you forget you're even working out. And he sneaks a lot of lunges into just about every workout, which turns leg muscles into fat-burning machines. It's fun and challenging at the same time.
Another secret to Horton's success is he shows you how to perform modified versions of most exercises. So if you can't do a single pull-up, he'll show you how to use a chair for assistance, or even a resistance band strung over your pull-up bar, to get the same result. He also insists that you stop if you feel like you're injuring yourself and that you warm up and warm down properly. Horton's mantra is "Do your best and forget about the rest."
It's important to note that P90x is not one size fits all. There are many ways you can custom it to meet your needs. After a couple of rounds, I found that the kick-boxing DVD wasn't rigorous enough -- maybe you have to be beefy to feel the burn -- so I substituted a long run. There are also a few exercises that weren't mechanically right for me. For example, there's a pull-up that you perform with one hand on the bar and the other gripping a towel draped over the bar. The uneven nature of the exercise put too much strain on a shoulder I injured when I was a kid, so I substituted regular pull-ups.
This is the first infomercial product I've ever bought. I made the purchase based on my own understanding of training and after reading numerous expert reviews. I followed the program, and I was so satisfied with the results, I pull it out twice a year. I'd do it year-round but it's so rigorous I'm pretty sure it would become counter-productive and start burning out my body.
I know a few people who have seized the P90X challenge, and they are thrilled with the results. I know a lot more who told me they're dying to try it but they never did. Whether you're an experienced athlete who's tired of the same old routine, or a fit weekend warrior who wants to reach a new level of fitness, this program will deliver remarkable results. All you have to do is commit an hour to an hour and a half a day to it.
Bottom line: If you're fit, P90x is an affordable, proven way to work with an expert trainer to get even fitter.
Tony Horton's P90X is truly an EXTREME fitness program. It consists of 13 DVDs, a workout book and a diet book. All the materials work well together. If you follow his plan to the letter, you will get remarkable results and feel better than ever. All you have to do is be fit when you start.
