I bought P90x for my boyfriend and my brother for their June birthdays. Both of them had been going on and on about how their friends were pumping up and getting into fantastic shape with this workout. It seemed a bit expensive when I first looked in to it, but then I realized the system includes 12 DVD workout videos and a nutrition planner. Extreme home fitness is 90 days of constant, rotating workouts that balance your muscles and promise to get you in to “the best shape of your life”.
So, as predicted neither one of the guys has started the program since I purchased it, but who has? Me. I just couldn’t resist a workout program that told me exactly what to do and how to do it, every single day. In my opinion, P90X is geared towards men, but this actually makes the videos easier to watch. There’s no tight, leotard-clad woman jumping up and down telling me to think about my perfect butt in that new pair of jeans as I do a hundred squats. It’s literally just hard core moves and lots of sweating, which in the end, equals results!
That’s not to say that Tony Horton, the fitness instructor, isn’t a bit cheesy and over the top. His opening DVD “How to bring it”, had me laughing out loud (the title speaks for itself). I think most men might hate his sarcastic humor and at times vain, egotistical need to "out pump" the people in his videos. But as one who has done a fair number of DVD workouts, I can say this series is a diamond. You don’t walk away from an hour workout feeling like burned 20 calories. You walk away feeling strong, tired and glad it’s over.
I’m currently doing the lean program (recommended for women) which includes more cardio per week and a bit less weight lifting. My routine includes: Shoulders & Arms, Cardio X & Ab Ripper (the hardest ab workout I’ve ever had in 16 minutes), Kenpo X (martial arts), Legs & Butt, and Yoga X (90 minutes of sun salutations and poses). Honestly, I love the Yoga X video. It’s a hard workout, but extremely centering and relaxing.
My only complaint is that it is really hard to do 6 to 7 days of workouts in a row. When I started, I did the first 10 days with no problem. I was motivated by the new video content and my desire to conquer the workouts and program. Unfortunately, by day 11 that determination had waned. I was tired, my muscles ached and I couldn’t do one more push up. So, I’ve come up with a compromise: 4 days a week and Yoga X is my extra workout if I’m up for it. This keeps me going, isn’t too exhausting and the results are still great.
I highly recommend it for those who want to see results!
