Ever since this column launched eight months ago, there has been one workout I’ve been asked about more than any other: P90X.
If you’ve turned on a TV between 11 p.m.-7 a.m. anytime in the last eight years, this probably doesn’t surprise you. Even now, the infomercials saturate the cable networks, turning P90X into a pop culture phenomenon.
It’s even made its way into the lyrics of a Bruno Mars song (Thanks in no small part, I’m sure, to the fact that P90X rhymes with “sex.”)
And it’s not going anywhere. A new version, P90X2 is scheduled to release this fall.
So, the questions typically go like this:
“Does it work?”
In a word, yes.
“Is it hard?”
Yes.
“Is it right for me?”
Maybe.
P90X is a 90-day workout and nutrition program with a variety of exercise designed to keep your body from adapting to the training. It calls this technique “muscle confusion.”
The program has 12 workouts including resistance training, cardio and yoga and sells for $120, plus shipping and handling if you buy from manufacturer Santa Monica, Calif.-based Beachbody.
The primary workouts range from 55 minutes to 93 minutes per day, but expect at least four days per week of 70 minutes or longer.
The nutrition program is strict but allows the consumption of plenty of calories (typically 2,000 or more) so it’s not a constant fight to follow unless you are trying to wean yourself off poor dietary habits. It starts off with a high-protein diet before evolving into a higher carbohydrate diet designed for increased performance.
Like any workout program, you aren’t going to see results unless you follow the nutrition guidelines along with the workouts.
I did P90X about 16 months ago and was happy with the results. While the program encourages you to take pictures every month to document the changes in your body, I did not (nobody needs to see that). Still, I noticed positive changes.
While the workouts require a serious commitment of time, energy and focus, after a week or two I settled into a routine and found it fairly easy to squeeze in the workout every morning before work.
I also appreciated the DVD features that allowed me to shut off the commentary, easily skip past instructional speeches (I only want to hear those once) or even shut off the music and leave on the instructional commentary.
I enjoyed P90X enough that I’ve since used parts of it in my regular workout program.
However, I did find flaws and annoyances.
First off, be prepared for high-impact cardio. The plyometrics workout, easily the most challenging of the cardio workouts, requires tons of jumping that can leave your joints aching.
The program’s chiseled 53-year-old instructor, Tony Horton, recommends replacing the plyo workout with a shorter one called “Cardio X.” The supplemental workout is included and definitely lowers impact, but it is significantly less challenging.
In fact, I found almost all of the cardio workouts to be less intense than I wanted, and I eventually supplemented or replaced them with my own workouts. My wife, who did the program with me for awhile, was mystified how the physical specimens on the DVDs could be sweating through their clothes while less-fit people like us were keeping up and barely breathing heavy.
The only other concern I have with the program is the same as the one I have for just about every exercise program like this: It has an end date.
While the countdown to that 91st day (the program is actually 13 weeks, but apparently P91X didn’t sound very cool) definitely keeps you motivated, unless you have something else to transition into, your results are going to fade.
The 100-page manual does explain this, but it gives little more guidance than keep using the workout or buy P90X Plus.
The truth is, there are higher levels of fitness training out there. One gym owner smirked when I asked him about P90X and referred to it as “a good way to get in shape to try CrossFit.”
That might be true, but P90X does produce results that will make most people happy. And, in the end, that’s exactly what you want from any fitness program.
Craig Hill’s fitness column runs Sundays. Submit questions and comments via craig.hill@thenewstribune.com, facebook.com/adventureguys or twitter.com/adventureguys.
Get more fitness coverage at blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure, thenewstribune.com/fitness.
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