Why the P90X Exercise Program is Overrated
October 9th, 2009
Everyone is talking about the P90X exercise program and ads for it are taking the internet by storm. In fact, I’ve even been seeing ads for it on websites like Miriam Webster. Is all of this hype justified? Not if you ask me.
Despite its gimmicky marketing, I was intrigued by the P90X program based on a number of people’s opinions and decided to check it out. Although my primary intention was only to learn more about P90X, I was actually planning to give it a try. That was until I watched it. Although this program may be well suited for some, which I’ll discuss later, it’s definitely not for me. I prefer fitness programs that are motivated by excellent physical function, high resistance to injury, and above all else, optimal health. Even though the P90X program can certainly bring the average person closer to these ideals, I think it does so in a manner that’s compromised by the program’s undeniable priority of burning calories and getting “ripped.”
There’s More to Fitness than “Getting Absolutely Ripped”
It’s not hard to tell right from the beginning that this product was intentionally designed to be mass marketed. I’m not mad at this, but in my opinion, it compromises the quality of the program by catering to a massive and mainstream audience that tends to value appearance more so than health. In my opinion, the P90X is nothing more than an exercise program of mediocre quality that’s designed to burn calories, get people fired up about working hard, and sell a few supplements. This may be fine for some people, but for me, it’s not at all what fitness is really about. A set of ripped abs may turn heads, but the more important concern should be if the actions you took to get those abs will help you function optimally well into your old age. Chances are that they won’t, and in many cases, they’ll likely do the opposite.
There’s a Healthier and More Functional Way to Develop “Ripped Abs”
Developing “ripped abs” seems to be the focal point of the P90X program and there are primarily two ways in which people develop them. The first way is by living a truly healthy and balanced lifestyle with an impressively defined abdomen being a natural byproduct. The second way is to compensate for an unideal lifestyle by doing a ridiculous amount of crunches and burning as many calories as possible which can be a significant and undesirable burden on the body. Most of the models that you see on magazine covers likely fall into this latter category, and despite how good they look, it’s very possible that they have poor internal function. Those who don’t believe this should read about fitness model Daniel Martin and the unhealthy practices he and his peers use to look their best for photo shoots.
It’s not necessary to do hundreds of crunches to make your abdominal muscles become visible. In fact, once I started eating a truly healthy diet, I lost 30 pounds in 3 months, and that was with minimal exercise because of the issues with chronic fatigue syndrome that I was dealing with at the time. I dropped to about 10% body fat and have stayed there ever since. The key to having a flat and defined midsection is losing abdominal fat, and the best way to accomplish this is through a truly healthy diet.
Your abdominal muscles have a much more important purpose than helping you turn heads at the beach. They’re crucial to the stability of your midsection and spine, and if you wisely choose exercises that work the rest of your body, your abdominals will get plenty of good training. Even if you’d like focus on your abdominal muscles directly, you still don’t need to do anything close to the amount of abdominal exercises that are included in the P90X program.
The P90X Nutrition Plan Falls Short
I didn’t expect much from the P90X Nutrition Plan, but was happy to see that it at least recommends a variety of whole foods. Although a few of the recipes surprisingly include steak, which I think is a good thing, the P90X Nutrition Plan is for the most part a politically correct low fat diet. Ironically, during the initial and easiest phase of the program, the diet plan calls for a “fat shredding” phase which is basically low in carbohydrates and high in protein. As the program continues and you proceed to push your body further, you’ll undoubtedly need an additional supply of fat and protein to rebuild broken down tissue. However, at this point, the P90X Nutrition Plan ironically decreases protein and fat intake to 20% each and increases carbohydrate intake to 60%!
During the three months of the P90X program, the Nutrition Plan has you eat a different way each month. Each of the three months actually correspond fairly well with the three general Metabolic Types which are the Protein Type, Mixed Type, and Carb Type. The philosophy of Metabolic Typing is based on a number of genetic and environmental factors that provide us each with a unique metabolism that will respond best to one of these three types of diets. The P90X Nutritional Plan basically has you eat as a different type each month which means that you’ll likely feel well for one month and possibly not so good for the other two. Why would you want to do that to yourself?
What I find most disappointing about the P90X Nutrition Plan is that it relies fairly heavily on protein powder, protein bars, recovery drinks, and protein shakes, all of which are highly processed and nutritionally inferior to natural whole foods. The ingredients of the P90X Peak Performance Protein Bar includes 26 grams of sugar, 5 different sources of soy, and a bunch of synthetic vitamins. In addition to the health risks associated with sugar, soy can cause digestive issues and contains phytoestrogens that can cause health issues and interfere with fitness progress by altering testosterone production. Finally, synthetic vitamins don’t always have the same benefits as vitamins that naturally occur in whole foods and may not be assimilated as well either. If you’re going to physically punish your body for 3 months, the least you can do is feed it as much high quality and nutritious whole food as possible.
Ironically, if more people avoided processed foods like the Peak Performance Protein Bar, there would probably be much less of a market for extreme weight loss oriented exercise programs like the P90X.
Eliminating the Unessential
The success of any fitness program depends mostly on how long you choose to keep up with it. Many people are extremely busy, very stressed, deprived of sleep, and as a result, are chronically tired. The P90X program requires a considerable amount of energy and time which a lot of people don’t have. Although it seems that many people are making room in there lives for three months of P90X, I think it’s appropriate to question if they’ll be able to make it a lifelong habit or if it will be like The Biggest Loser where many of the participants regain most of the weight they lost because they didn’t properly instill healthy and sustainable long term habits. More importantly, I think it’s also appropriate to question if a rigorous program like P90X is even a good idea to pursue as a lifelong habit.
Some people may have the physical capacity to easily handle the 6 days of intense exercise per week that the P90X program prescribes, but it’s more likely that many won’t. While it’s healthy to challenge your physical limits, doing so nearly every day will take its toll and likely cause chronic tiredness or even adrenal fatigue.
Fortunately, whether you’re concerned about overexercising or simply don’t have 6 hours per week of free time, it’s still possible to make a great deal of progress with your fitness. If you insist on using the P90X program, here are a few suggestions that I think will make it a more practical, useful, and sustainable workout routine.
Ignore the P90X Nutrition Plan
It would be much better to simply eat natural whole foods such as meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, and nuts. Don’t fall for the hype that you need an excessive amount of protein to build muscle or that you need to load up on a lot of bread and pasta to fuel the exercise that you’re doing.
Use Your Own Warm Up Routine
Soft tissue work, or self massage, should consistently be part of your warm up routine. By loosening tight muscle tissue, it will help to promote increased flexibility, range of motion, and strength. In turn, this will facilitate the execution of proper exercise technique and reduce the potential for injury.
To save time and reduce the performance impact that stretching is known to have, it makes sense to only stretch tight muscles prior to a workout. More specifically, you should only stretch the tight muscles that might prevent you from performing exercises with a full range of motion or correct technique. The stretching chapter of How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy by Paul Chek has an excellent and easy to follow self assessment that you can use to determine which muscles you should consider stretching prior to a workout. It also has a number of great strength training exercises that you might choose to replace some of the P90X exercises with.
An even better way to assess yourself for physical limitations and design a corrective warm up routine that will help to prevent injury is to use the Assess and Correct program created by Eric Cressey, Bill Hartman, and Mike Robertson.
Don’t Do the Plyometrics, Kenpo X, or Cardio X Workouts
When proper safety precautions are observed, plyometrics is a great way to improve performance and injury resistance. However, the P90X Plyometrics workout is more of a long calorie burning session than a true plyometrics workout. Along with Kenpo X and Cardio X, these workouts are very similar to aerobics, step, or spin bike classes which means that they’re relatively high in intensity and are a significant physiological burden that can easily wear down the body and require more time to recover from, especially when done on a regular basis.
The P90X schedule typically includes 2 of these 3 workouts each week. I think it would be better to replace one or two of them with a half hour to an hour of mild exercise such as walking, hiking, an easy bike ride, or whatever other type of activity that you might enjoy. It should be just enough to get your heart rate up to 55% to 75% of your maximum heart rate, but not enough to make you out of breath. If you have the capacity, high intensity interval training would make a good replacement for the remaining workout, and even just 10 to 15 minutes is fine. If you’re feeling up to it and really want to physically push your limits, interval training is the time to do it! This is also an excellent and efficient way to promote weight loss because the intense effort will cause your body to burn calories at an accelerated rate for up to 48 hours.
Forget About Your “Beach Muscles”
While different exercises strengthen different muscles, they all rely on the limitations of a single recovery system. In addition, functional strength is about much more than how much weight you can lift with a single muscle. It’s about how effectively you can incorporate your muscles into basic movement patterns. For these reasons, properly executed compound movements such as squats, lunges, deadlifts, pulls, and presses are preferable because they train multiple muscle groups and movement patterns and conserve energy and recovery capacity by doing so through fewer exercises.
The P90X program refers to the shoulders and arms as your “beach muscles” which is something that I’m sure will motivate many people. However, you don’t need to do specific exercises for your biceps and triceps to have impressive arms, and you certainly don’t need to waste time and energy by practically dedicating an entire workout to it. All of these muscles are sufficiently challenged with demanding compound exercises including the push-ups and pull-ups that are used in the P90X program. I think it would be better to pass on the arms and shoulders workout and replace it with some relaxing activities to help support your recovery from previous workouts.
If you insist on doing isolation exercises for your arms, you can replace a few of the exercises in the back and biceps video with a couple of the shoulders and triceps exercises.
Add Resistance to the Strength Training Workouts
It’s difficult to make significant gains in strength without eventually increasing exercise resistance beyond body weight. If this is a desired goal, it can fortunately be accomplished without going to a gym or spending thousands of dollars on a home gym, but it does require a few pieces of basic equipment.
Although the P90X program does suggest using dumbbells for some exercises, even this can be limiting unless one buys a complete set which can be quite expensive and take up a lot of space. Instead, a set of adjustable dumbbells such as Powerblocks can be a much more favorable option. Likweise, a dip belt will allow you to hang weight plates from your waist and do pull ups with more resistance than just body weight, and a weight vest will allow you to do push ups with more resistance as well. Alternatively, you can save money by using the weight vest for both push ups and pull ups, but the vest may restrict movement during the bottom portion of a pull up. Finally, if you have the space and budget, an adjustable weight bench will dramatically increase the variety of exercises that you can do.
Use Your Own Core Routine and Don’t Go Crunch Crazy
As I mentioned earlier, the abdominal muscles are for stability, and since most of us tend to sit for many hours each day, there’s no reason to worsen this imbalance by doing crunches. There are a number of great core exercises that you can do with minimal equipment such as plank variations, the ab wheel rollout, and perhaps even some reverse crunches. If you want your core training to be more advanced than this, you can include some of the swiss ball exercises described in How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy. You certainly don’t need to dedicate an entire workout or even 20 minutes to core exercises. Just add one or two of them to the end of each workout and that should be plenty.
Don’t Do Yoga X Unless You Truly Enjoy It
Yoga can be surprisingly strenuous, and in addition to that, the P90X Yoga X routine is an hour and a half long. You could be using that time to prepare yourself real food rather than eating the processed powders and bars that are recommended by the P90X Nutrition Plan.
Stretching is certainly important, especially if you have any tight muscles, but you certainly don’t need to do an hour and a half of it. Furthermore, it would be a much better use of your time to focus on stretching the muscles that you know are tight and in need of attention.
Self message and stretching are an important part of maintaining a physically healthy body and should be done on a regular basis. An excellent time to stretch and do soft tissue work is right before bed because it doubles as a relaxing bedtime routine that will help you fall asleep more easily.
Reduce the Workout Volume
The P90X workouts tend to be focused on many variations of a just few basic movements. For example, the chest and back workout contains 6 different variations of push-ups and a total of 12 different exercises. These 12 exercises are done in sequence and then done again in reverse order. In my opinion, this is an unnecessary amount of volume for just a few different muscle groups and is another example of the program’s emphasis on burning calories.
In addition, I really don’t think that you need to do 6 different types of push-ups, and even if you insist on it, you don’t have to do them twice. Either way, there’s plenty of opportunity to trim these workouts down to a size that’s much more manageable in terms of both time and energy.
What I Like About the P90X Program
I’d like to end this on a positive note, and fortunately, I do have a few good things to say about the P90X program. One thing that’s great about this P90X craze is that it’s inspiring a lot of people to exercise and stay committed, at least for three months. However, a healthy commitment to exercise needs to last for a lifetime and needs to be more about health and wellbeing than weight loss and ripped abs. If you choose to follow the P90X program, embrace your ambition, but don’t get carried away. If you notice that you’re feeling more tired on a regular basis, take a few steps back and reassess what you’re doing.
Another thing that I think is excellent about the P90X program is its emphasis on functional exercises, particularly lunges, pull-ups, and push-ups. These are basic movement patterns that we should all be doing.
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You are clearly writing this from your perspective and not considering that there are people — many people — for whom this program is exactly what they need. If this program is overrated, how is it that I am in the best shape of my life at 38…and I was a college basketball player? I am back at my college playing weight and yet feel I am much stronger than I was in college.
I wish had this program then. As you said at the end, it gives people guidelines and motivation to stay committed.
Cardio X is hardly a high-impact workout. In fact, I consider it a good warm-up for the day and not quite a workout. Yoga X is therapeutic both for the body and the mind.
Your statements are way too broad and irresponsible. I completed my 90-day cycle last week and now I am taking two weeks of cardio and core work before I start another 90. I am a firm believer in this program.
What a great idea, let’s rip something that is obviously working for many, many people and changing their lifestyles so that more lazy Americans who want a reason NOT to workout see your blog and stay on the couch.
Congratulations.
Hi Alan, thank you for sharing your thoughts. Unfortunately, I think you completely missed the point of my article, and given the craze surrounding the P90X, I suspect that I am going to see more of this.
Congratulations for being in the best shape of your life. It’s a great accomplishment and I’m sure you’re proud and excited. I’m sincerely happy for you. However, this doesn’t necessarily give any reflection on the state of your health which is mostly what this article is about. Perhaps you’ll say that your health is better than ever, but will it stay that way if you follow a routine like P90X religiously for years? Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. Why take the risk when there are much more practical and efficient ways to exercise.
I never said Cardio X is high impact. My issue with it is that it can push your heart rate fairly high for an extended period. This really isn’t a big deal on occasion, but doing it religiously can be a problem. This is why many people affectionately call this type of exercise “chronic cardio.”
Yes, Yoga is therapeutic for both the mind and the body. If you enjoy Yoga, then do it. If you don’t care either way, you don’t need to waste an hour and a half of time and energy on stretching exercises that aren’t even targeted to your individual needs.
I don’t think I’m “ripping” the P90X program at all. I’m simply pointing out what I perceive to be its flaws in order to help people exercise smarter and I’m also providing alternatives to help people customize it to their needs. I have no interest in criticizing someone else’s work just for the sake of it. My intent is to help, not harm.
I am ABSOLUTELY NOT recommending that people stay on the couch. In fact, I think my suggestions make the P90X program more sustainable and make it much easier to follow as a lifelong program. So many people are hyped up about P90X after doing it for 3 months, but that’s just a drop in the bucket in terms of developing a sustainable lifelong exercise habit.
Very well stated Vin and very kind and polite. Thank you for responding in this manner. It reflects highly on you.
I really like when you said, “…I’m also providing alternatives to help people customize it to their needs. I have no interest in criticizing somone elses work just for the sake of it. My intent is to help, not harm.”
This is so TRUE about you.
Thank you, Robin! Although I periodically write about the flaws I see in various products or programs, I don’t really like the negativity but I think it provides good examples for people to learn from.
It means a lot to me that you’re able to recognize this.
Great article Vin, and I agree with all your sentiments. In 2007 I did two rounds of P90X. I started out like many, totally enthusiastic, reading the message boards every hour, taking pictures etc. Towards the end of round two, I was absolutely sick of the program and will never do it again. Like anything done over and over, my body just got used to it and it became a mental and physical drag. I even tried P90X Plus for variety and did it for two weeks. I should have learned my lesson but bought Insanity this summer thinking I could manage a round after doing CrossFit workouts for a year. Again, by the end I was going crazy with fatigue, boredom, injury etc. I think these workouts are great to keep around to to on occasion, I just personally have a hard time buying into the idea that Beachbody has found a secret ingredient for ultimate fitness. The message boards are nice, and I still browse and post from time to time, but Beachbody is careful to delte any posts that speak negatively of its products
Between the workout programs, supplements and gear, I’ve spent several hundred dollars with Beachbody and have vowed to keep my wallet closed. Eating real food, and performing CrossFit workouts scaled to my ability has helped my overall well-being and fitness more than anything I have ever tried. Sometimes the workous are long, sometimes short. I’m always tired but I NEVER feel the sense of dread I get working out in front of the t.v.
The one thing you did not mention is the Beachbody coaching community. Beachbody is essentially a multi-level marketing company and if you spend enough time on the boards, you will be invited to “coach”. Your primary job as a coach is to introduce others to Beachbody products and hopefully sign up others for the wonderful business opportunity.
Some coaches are great and truly spend a great deal of time answering questions and helping people attain their goals. Ultimately however, the goal is to get you to sign up and start recruiting for the team.
Hi Amy, thanks for sharing your valuable experience! The good side to this is that you learned more about your exercise tolerance and are better prepared to make smarter decisions going forward. I’m happy to hear that you’re feeling better based on your healthier choices and I hope that others will benefit from your experience.
I’m well aware of the Beachbody Coach marketing program but didn’t feel the need to mention it. However, I do think it’s good for people to know about it and I’m glad that you brought it up. While I’m sure the majority of Beachbody Coaches have great intentions, at the end of the day, it’s a marketing system as you mentioned.
I used to be extremely gung-ho about P90X and the Beachbody community, getting involved with it earlier this year. I was a coach at one point. I really bought into their nutrition and fitness advice and completed 1 full round of P90X and several partial rounds. I started to realize I was investing a lot of time and money into a program that was making me tired and not giving me great results. I started to lose hope I was also under the impression the program was more of a marketing scam than I originally thought. I was also having some recurring digestion issues and horrible joint inflammation that didn’t improve the more “fit” I thought I was.
Like a number of other former P90X followers, I found Mark’s Daily Apple and several low carb communities. At first I was a bit confused – you mean fat isn’t bad for me? What gives? The more I read, the more I was intrigued. I stopped doing P90X. I cut my coaching subscription. I cut grains from my diet. I added more dietary fat. I became more aware of eating real, local foods for better health (no more fructose-laden “green” shakes and protein bars). I opted for more functional, shorter lifting sessions and just staying active through walking, hiking, biking, and other bodyweight exercises. Currently I’m following a program designed by Alywn Cosgrove. It works and it certainly doesn’t leave me feeling like crud later in the day. Plus, a 25 minute lifting session certainly beats a 75 minute one!
Now, don’t get me wrong, there are redeeming qualities in some of the workouts, but the length of workout and the continual repetition is what seems unnecessary and in some cases, unsafe, especially with the Plyometrics DVD. It’s difficult to express any concern in many of the message boards as the users have had such ridiculous success in getting ripped they don’t exactly want to look at any underlying problems. They don’t seem to understand, in many cases, that there are viable, safer, alternatives to maintaining a healthy and fit body. Many negative comments about the program are mocked and sometimes ridiculed by others who claim “Oh, well, if you’re bored with the program or not getting fast results you’re obviously doing something wrong.” Ugh. Frustrating.
One thing that is quite prevalent in the boards are posts about people being sick, tired, and hungry. I didn’t see the problem at first, but now I do. I used to complain of the same things and give the same tired advice to keep pushing through. Chronic cardio and overtraining have these effects over time. Before P90X I ran on a regular basis. I didn’t understand (at the time) how some of my health problems at the time were related to my choice of fitness. I also couldn’t grasp why my weight loss stalled after phase 1 of the P90X nutrition plan.
I guess I learned my lesson. There are certainly benefits to getting up off the couch, but sometimes a program that you think is the best out there may actually be more of a problem than you think.
Hi Melissa, thanks for sharing your story and taking the time to express your concerns. It’s great to hear that you’ve learned from all of this and are more conscious of your eating and exercising habits now. As with Amy’s story, I hope that your experience will be beneficial to others. Keep up the good work!
Hi Vin. Nice retort to P90X. I always love your very positive responses. I am sure he means well and is just defending what he knows. Many people don’t know what health is. Some people can live on smoke and mirrors for a while but in the end it always catches up to you. The latest fad exercise program will never make up for a solid eating plan with moderate exercise. Excessive exercise can lead to adrenal dysfunction which can wreak havoc on your body. I’m sure you written about this before. Anyhow, keep positive. You are helping many people move toward better health.
Thanks, Don! It’s good to see you back!
Yes, as Amy and Melissa have pointed out, many people have to get over the initial excitement before they realize what’s really going on. It’s all part of the learning experience.
Adrenal fatigue is definitely a significant concern with excessive exercise. I mentioned it in the article and do write about it frequently. Here’s an article dedicated entirely to adrenal fatigue.
I am so glad to see your article,you are right about a lot of things.
First I have that problem with the amount of time it takes up and I also have been feeling incredibly tired as of lately.I thought it was something wrong with me.
I found when I was doing it occasionally ,and then go to the gym and do about a half to 45 min.,of cardio my energy level was much higher.
Not to take away anything from the program but it is not for everybody.If you can stick to it
and have the time you will see results.
Dear Vin,
I just reviewed and stumble this article. Because I had looked into this program as well. and you have confirmed for me certain aspects of that didn’t sit right with me. I would not trade whole foods for even the healthiest of health bars unless weight or convenience was an issue like in doing long hikes, travel on a plane etc. I also feel that too much focus is on losing weight and having head turning muscles. I believe that is TOTALLY the wrong focus. Yes, it’s great and healthy to NOT be over weight and yes good muscle can really help strengthen the whole skeletal frame and spine, etc (I know this from experience)
…..BUT It’s really NOT about ANY of that. It’s about being overall totally healthy, about doing well rounded life-long consistent exercise and life-long healthy eating. There are so many “pump them up” programs and trends and hypes out that that I don’t even look at them any more. I am NOT saying that this or any other program may not help someone or be their entry into healthy living, but it goes soooooo much deeper.
I also do NOT agree with the whole protein craze. Too much protein can create a VERY acid body and an acid body can create all kinds of repercussions. It is very hard on the whole body and extremely bad for certain conditions. People think that if one has osteoporosis that you need lots of protein, that is not so. The resulting acid condition from it can actually inhibit bone growth.
At one point in my life I lived years as a total vegan (almost 90% raw) and lived a very rigorous lifestyle doing massive amount of physical work, lifting, lugging, pounding, load carrying, trekking, etc. and was stronger that most men I knew. And yet this might not work for everyone. Some people may need some animal protein.
Another thing is that now at an older age my body requires a program suited to ME and my various past injuries. I have a shoulder I once partially dislocated, I have an ankle that was damaged mountain climbing and high speed ski racing, etc. etc. So I had a friend who does yoga design a very very simple and short yoga workout (only very basic stretching poses) that took into consideration all those factors. And I listen to my body when I do upper body work outs (hand weights or rowing) or even hiking, biking or walking…eating. I go into it all with no set “beliefs”, but rather what is it my body needs now? This is important because I need to adjust this to how much sleep I’m getting, do I feel tired today? I need to check in with myself EACH day and adjust what I do accordingly. In that way I don’t get discouraged. I still get exercise and yet I don’t drain myself…..I instead ENERGIZE myself and walk away feeling better, even IF I am tired.
There is very little out there that speaks to the WHOLE picture of health. As my husband has been losing weight I keep telling him it’s not about losing weight it’s about healthy eating and healthy exercise…..then the weight will naturally take care of itself….for the rest of your life.
Also, Vin, I sense the P90X was too commercial. It made my insides cringe. For ME, and I speak ONLY for me, the program would take me away from myself and listening to my own body’s needs and going at my own pace, eating what my body was telling me to eat and exercising within my capacity (for where I’m at right now) and gradually building on that so that the exercise becomes just part of my life and who I am….and not some program separate from me or my lifestyle.
I do NOT want to discourage those who this program may be REALLY perfect for, but for me it takes me way off my holistic way of being in my body and in the world. I really like what DON wrote above.
There is a tendency with programs like this that people become discouraged when they are unable to make such a HUGE leap from where they are at into a dramatic and strenuous program like this. So they give up, without realizing that there is a middle ground. People can start right where they are at, simple, day by day. I believe the body will naturally increase it’s need for more exercise as it starts to heal and gain more energy and physical strength.
We tend to live in a world of extremes…and there really are many forms of middle ground. My yoga is VERY simple and yet it stretches me out and helps keep my limber and makes me feel better. Even if people started walking more and cut out all the nasties like sugar, white flour, fried food, etc, etc. Those would be HUGE changes in American culture.
Anyway Vin, I really enjoyed this article. It confirmed what I felt inside. “You’ve done a good jog, boy!!”
Trust your gut, you do know. I am proud of you. You speak to a larger audience who need to hear this. They then do not fall through the crack and/or give up. They feel there is hope.
Hugs,
Robin
Forgive typos. Proofed it but still missed a lot. Racing against work deadlines, but couldn’t resist commenting here. It’s a powerful post.
Hi Robin, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to leave such a thoughtful response.
In my opinion, exercise is a means to improve health and performance, and as such, fitness and athleticism should be one of the ultimate expressions of optimal health. The popularity of the P90X is one of many unfortunate indications that this is an uncommon perspective. However, I’m glad that you share it and am grateful that you’re helping to promote it.
I think the bottom line of everything that we do is how well we’re living life, and while having an impressive beach body might be rewarding, there’s so much more value to experience from a balanced and healthy life. What’s ironic about all of this is that it’s really not that hard to achieve an impressive physique if you regard your health as a high enough priority.
In regard to protein and acidity, keep in mind that some primitive cultures such as the Eskimos and Indians enjoyed superior health on very acidic diets that were very high in protein. Although many fitness enthusiasts, particularly bodybuilders, do tend to consume excessive amounts of protein, I do think that some people do better on larger amounts. Of course, it should be from a high quality source such as pasture raised meat rather than processed powder.
By the way, I fully dislocated a shoulder ski racing and had surgery on the other one. I’m right there with you in regard to valuing the importance of injury prevention.
Hi Vin. Another good article. This program caught my eye while TV surfing. only because I am in the process of a new routine and some of the exercises looked good for my program. My first impression was this P90X is not for someone that has been exercising on the couch for years. but for someone that may need some refreshing changes in a exercise program they are on. I can’t comment on the nutrients for this program but from what you say it seems liket this program then is a training program and not a way to a healthy lifestyle’ maybe a stop on the way there. I am always wary of programs with beach bodies pumping the programs. As my wife once said she is not going to the gym because she doesn’t want to look like that. Little did she know that it takes years of rigorous iron pumping and good genes. If the public knew the lifestyle to get six pack abs they would stay on the couch.
In one of your best articles ‘Top 10 Reason Why You Should Play Tennis’ I would move number 7 to number one and say it is a lot more fun than most purchased exercise programs like the P90X. Does anyone think that ad looks like fun!
Thanks, George!
That’s a good point about P90X not being for people who are looking to improve their sedentary lifestyle. The P90X material gives a big disclaimer about it being an extreme program and that you should be in excellent health prior to starting it. Unfortunately, it seems that people who are out of shape and overweight are ironically the program’s biggest audience.
Yes, it’s common for women to think that they’ll bulk up like Arnold if they so much as touch a free weight. Having put a lot of effort into becoming big and muscular when I was younger, I always find some innocent humor in this.
But in regard to developing a flat and defined stomach (not necessarily with the bulging abdominal muscles that you see on magazine covers), it really doesn’t take much work beyond living a truly healthy lifestyle.
I’m glad you like the tennis article! That’s a great point, exercise should definitely be fun. Although I think a somewhat structured fitness routine is an important part of being able to participate in sports with a minimized risk for injury, playing a sport is definitely a great way to make exercise more enjoyable.
Hi Vin,
I think there might actually be some validity to the P90X cycling Nutrition Plan. I have no solid evidence, only personal experience. Whenever I make a diet shift, I tend to notice an initial increase in my metabolism before it settles back down to normal. A few examples I have noticed in the first week after the change:
Increase total calorie consumption by 500 cal/day –> Decrease in % body fat, while weight remains constant.
Switch to a lower carb diet with lots of fat/protein –> Decrease in % body fat, weight decrease.
Go on vacation for a week and eat completely different diet (generally lots of restaurant food) –> No change in % body fat, weight decrease.
Generally after the first week, the changes stop and my % body fat and weight become stable again. I think it makes sense that the body becomes accustomed to a steady diet and thus burns food fuel efficiently. Once a radical shift is made in diet, the body initially becomes confused and burns more calories. I think of this as analogous to breaking a plateau in weight-training. The best way to do that is to completely change your exercise routine and stress the muscles in a completely different way.
I would think that our ancestors would have to adapt to radical changes in diet throughout the year. Maybe there would be more carbs consumed during the summer months when wild grains, nuts and fruits/berries were in season and more animal fats/proteins consumed during the winter months.
This is all pure speculation, but I thought I would throw the idea out there.
Keep up the good work on the blog. It gets better and better every week.
Hi Joe, thanks for your comment!
There’s no doubt that a dramatic change in diet can have a significant impact on body composition. For example, if you switch to a low carb diet, you’ll be more likely to burn body fat for energy. However, the more important question is how does this relate to your health? Take the Atkins diet for example. Of all the people who lose weight on it, some feel great and some feel awful. The people who don’t feel well are obviously interfering with their body’s ability to function optimally even though they achieved the desired effect of losing weight. What’s important to realize is that you don’t have to do this to yourself to lose weight, and the fact that the P90X Nutrition Plan recommends it is just another example of how it prioritizes appearance over health.
You’re right that the diets of our ancestors varied with the seasons, but I don’t think that the change is really that dramatic. People who follow Metabolic Typing, for example, tend to notice a decrease in appetite for protein and fat during the warmer months, but it’s a relatively small adjustment and they still stay within their “type.”
I’m happy to hear that you’re still enjoying the blog.
Vin,
Clearly everyone has an opinion, and I certainly have respect for everyone expressing theirs. That being said, I’m in complete disagreement with the nay sayers about P90X, or those that say it makes them tired and they didn’t see results.
The fact of the matter is (and this is REGARDLESS of the program you follow), the results come from following an eating plan, working hard on your workouts, and getting the proper amount of rest. Period!
P90X is a program that gives people a completely detailed structure to follow, and it takes the guess-work out of the equation. Those that fail the process do so by not following the instructions, or working out with enough intensity.
People start out at different places in their fitness journey’s, and it takes some longer than others to reach their goals. P90X is “designed” as a 90 day program, but it may take some people 5 rounds to get to where they want to be. Fortunately, Tony Horton designed the program with plenty of options, so the repeatability (while STILL getting great results) is there.
If people fail to get results with P90X, its because they’ve failed to commit to at least one component of the program. We all have to be in the right mindset to accomplish anything in life, but its time for people to point the fingers at themselves when they fail, and stop placing the blame on the programs they fail to stick to when they do fail.
Thanks for providing a venue for equal debate.
Mark B
P90X practitioner since its 2004 release!
Hi Mark, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
You certainly have a valid point that many people blame their exercise program for their lack of results rather than considering any faults of their own. However, I don’t think it’s justified to assume that this is the only reason why someone might not achieve good results from the P90X program. We all have different capacity for physical activity, and regardless of how healthy someone’s lifestyle is, it’s definitely possible for the demands of the P90X to overwhelm their capacity and contribute to fatigue and health issues.
The fact that the P90X takes the guess work out of exercising is part of the problem that I have with it. No exercise program is perfect for everyone, and as such, anyone who is serious about improving their health and their life through exercise should at least have some sense of how to customize a program to their own needs.
You touched on something that is a major concern for me-avoiding overworking your body. I have already experienced the negative effects of working out too much. I sustained a torn ankle ligament a few months ago (actually while doing the plyometrics section in P90X) but mostly devoting my time to jogging, and I’ve been meek about getting into a full fledged workout routine since.
I was wondering if you could offer a little advice as it seems that you have learned how to balance. I’m currently a student, and I work 3 days a week at a job that is very physically taxing. I’m on my feet for around 9 hours (with a lunch break of course). The first 5 hours-there are customers in the store and my duties rotate from the cash register and bagging, stocking, wheeling out heavy stacks of product, sometimes walking around to collect carts in the parking lot, etc. The last 3-4 hours are mostly just stocking, but first we have to unload heavy boxes from pallets and also wheel those out on the floor, so there’s tons of heavy lifting and bending. Definitely leaves possibility for repetitive strain injuries, and I am always exhausted when I get home and pretty sore in the morning.
The problem is-I’m not sure how much and when I should exercise. The idea of weight lifting before work sounds exhausting, but I need to make sure that some of my days off are completely restful. I have 10 pounds to work off, and am still trying to correct my eating habits as I was previously doing so much exercise it didn’t matter much what I ate. Does it sound feasible to do weight lifting, followed by about 20 minutes of interval cardio, only 3 days a week? It doesn’t seem like enough to me but, again, the problem may be my diet (I eat plenty of healthy foods just-too much. I snack when I’m studying and such). I know that was a lot to read-but I appreciate any advice if you get the time. =)
Hi Elyse, thank you for your comment! It’s great to hear that you’re trying to be more conscious of your health by not over exercising.
It sounds like you might have had preexisting ankle vulnerability even before doing the P90X program. I suggest that you find a good physical therapist or corrective exercise specialist to help you get your ankle back in good condition.
It seems as if your exercise goals are primarily based on weight loss, and that you’ve already experienced the effects of using exercise to compensate for diet. If you’re strict about eating mostly natural whole foods, which you should be doing anyway for your general health, it should be easy to manage your weight. As I mentioned in the article, I got down to less than 10% body fat with minimal exercise and without even trying to specifically do so. It was the result of my clean diet and healthy lifestyle.
Since you have a physically demanding job, I think your exercise goals should be primarily based on supporting your ability to do your work. This will go a long way in helping you avoid chronic pain and injuries. I think your top priorities should be to make sure that your core is functioning properly so that it will effectively stabilize your spine when you lift heavy things, to reinforce good posture and lifting technique in the movements that you do most often, and if you do a lot of the same movements repetitively throughout the day, to make sure that you train the opposing muscle groups to maintain balance.
We all have a different capacity for exercise. To determine what yours is in combination with your work, start small and gradually build up. I would start with 2 strength training sessions per week with maybe just two or three key exercises per session and just two sets of each exercise. To balance your training and help with weight loss, you can do some low intensity aerobic exercise and perhaps 1 day per week or every other week of high intensity interval training.
Hopefully you’ll find that this is enough to make you feel good about exercising, but not enough to wear you down and make you dread your workouts. Once you establish a sustainable level at which your comfortable, you can add more exercise and evaluate how you respond. Just remember to start small and increase the amount of exercise gradually.
For a variety of reasons, you may even find what I suggested to be too much. If that’s the case, keep eliminating until you get to a comfortable level. When I was dealing with chronic fatigue, I couldn’t even do 20 minutes of low intensity exercise without getting an “exercise hangover” for the next few days.
I hope that helps!
Hello again,
I seem to have an exercise plan that works for me-but my question is regarding changing the routine. Exercise advice always seems to include that you should change up your routine every couple of weeks. Is this mostly to avoid plateauing, or is this also a good idea to avoid overworking a certain set of muscles?
Right now I’m working 3 days a week at the very physical job, so my weekly routine is: light, functional weight training and stretching before work (I change the # of reps and weight a little every time I do them-often I just do 1 set of about 4-5 different exercises) and then one day a week I do glutes/lower body-and alternate every other week on that day with either HIIT cardio or a strengthening yoga routine, and then 1 day every week of strengthening yoga. That gives me 2 days of rest, but I also try to do very light yoga for stress relief and meditation every chance that I get. I suppose the main concern is my light functional weight training-if I am targeting certain muscles to avoid muscle imbalance, is it ok if I continually do these week after week without dramatically changing anything? Thanks!
Hi Elyse, I’m glad to hear that you put together a routine that’s working well for you!
Making planned and periodic changes to a program is generally referred to as periodization. Although it can be done in a number of different ways, it’s generally used to prevent plateaus as you mentioned, to allow a progression into more advanced training, and to incorporate a number of different types of training that wouldn’t work well together in the same program. It’s also used to help athletes peak at specific times of the year.
Although periodization is effective, it’s not the same as the “muscle confusion” concept promoted by P90X which I think is nonsense. It’s important to stick with an exercise or type of training long enough to benefit from it and be able to measure progress. This could be a few weeks, a few months, or even longer. It depends on the individual and their goals.
As long as your program incorporates safe exercises that keep your opposing muscle groups in balance and you give yourself adequate time to recover between workouts, doing the same exercises for an extended period of time shouldn’t cause any problems with overuse. In fact, some weightlifting philosophies actually recommend staying with the same exercises for up to a year or more while adding just a little bit of weight each time. Maintenance exercises used to prevent injury are another example where it could be advantageous to stick with the same thing long term.
What’s most important is that you’re progressing towards your goals. Most people who exercise just to stay healthy and keep their body functioning well don’t really need to worry about periodization, especially if the concept confuses them. Besides, most people like to change their routine after a while for some variety, and as long as they choose a new set of exercises that continue to be aligned with their goals, they’ll be doing a bit of periodizing without even realizing it.
If you’re worried about imbalances, you can use the Assess and Correct DVD to test yourself every once in a while to make sure that you’re not causing any new problems. You may even discover potential problems that you weren’t aware of.
One last thing. If your job is very physically strenuous, which you say it is, be selective about what type of exercise you do before and after work. You don’t want to fatigue a muscle that you’ll use all day, and it can also be a bad idea to exercise with fatigued muscles that might cause your technique to break down. Both scenarios can make you more prone to injury as well as overuse which is something that you seem to be particularly concerned about.
I hope that helps!
Thank you very much for your response, that was helpful. You are spot on-I believe I had weak ankles because I was jogging for an hour or longer, 6 days a week (because I had a desk job) and I don’t blame the P90X routine for the tear-just a coincidence. =)
I’m glad to see a health and fitness writer who is so well-grounded, for a change.
Just my opinion.
I have been doing P90x for about 1.5 month. And I must say that this program works. I can definately see the result and feel it of course. It works because it shows and demands us to push it. But I think this P90x will just be one of those programs we do for a period of time, after that we will move to another program. Like someone said above, I dont think beachbody discovered the holy grail of fitness prog. All that muscle confusion idea, yes I buy it. But after a while our musce will not be confused anymore, and eventually we will plateau with this prog.
Just do it while it still works for us. I also meet a lot of people being too skeptical instead of just doing it. Workout is workout. You just have to do it hard enough. Be it P90XXXX, if we dont do it hard enough, might as well warm our couch.
Hi Ron, thanks for sharing your opinion!
Since you say that the P90X works based on less than 2 months of experience with it, I assume that you’re saying this in regard to appearance. I’m not questioning the effectiveness of the P90X program for weight loss, but rather the emphasis that it puts on quantity instead of quality. As I mentioned in the article, I believe that the P90X program prioritizes appearance over health, and in this case, “pushing it” is not necessarily a good thing.
The fact that you perceive the P90X as a program that you expect to get bored of abandon is a sign that it’s a poorly designed program. A well designed program will match the individual’s physical capacity and have some variation as well as periodization which is a much more sensible and realistic form of “muscle confusion.” As such, a good program can be followed on a long term basis without causing boredom or fatigue.
I completely disagree that there’s no compromise between pushing yourself to the limit and sitting on the couch. This type of mentality is why so many people get frustrated with exercise and give up. In fact, pushing yourself to the limit too often can be much worse than not exercising at all, and it also completely disregards the importance of health which should be the top priority of any exercise program.
Vin,
Great article on the p90x. I agree that p90x is not the holy grail of long-term fitness but no program is. I believe the more holistic approach is to see one’s life as a continuum, for now p90x will work for the 90 days and it will help jump start fitness for many, in 90 days I will either try something else (e.g. perhaps Tennis). My point is that if you see life as one very long exercise program, you can do p90x now, then Tennis, then Run, then play golf. And as mentioned in your article and responses, exercise should be tailored to one’s abilities. For some p90x will work, for others it won’t. Just like Tennis works for some and not for others. I don’t think that p90x is badly designed because it won’t keep your attention forever. Very few things in life can accomplish that.
p90x, Tennis, run, or whatever – do it within your abilities, it says so in the p90x paperwork. For example, before running my first marathon, the most I had run in one go had been 2 miles at most. Slowly over a period of time I build up to 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 18, 20, till I was able to run the whole marathon. I plan to take this same approach with the p90x or any other exercise program, listen to your body and exercise accordingly. My point is that you can’t blame p90x for being “extreme.” It is as “extreme” as you make it and that is with any exercise. Even golf can give you injuries if you push it too hard.
Cheers,
Rodrigo
Thanks, Rodrigo!
I agree that variety is great, and as an avid player myself, I especially like your choice of tennis.
However, in regard to what “works”, there’s a lot more to consider than variety. For example, tennis, running, end even golf all have unique characteristics that put significant physical demands on the body. Without the proper preparation for such activities, injury becomes much more likely, and in my opinion, this contradicts one of the most important objectives of exercise.
While it might be more fun to simply jump from one activity to another, the P90X is not the best preparation for tennis, and tennis is not the best preparation for golf. While tennis and golf might improve our conditioning, they only improves our strength to a minimal degree and actually create undesirable muscle tightness and imbalances. As such, these activities by themselves do not promote well balanced physical health without the addition of other forms of exercise.
Regardless of what activities you choose, you always have to be conscious of the balance between strength, mobility, flexibility, conditioning, and of course, your capacity. Switching from one activity to another based on random preference completely contradicts this principle, and as I mentioned above, is much more likely to promote injury. Granted, it’s much better than not exercising at all, but with a little knowledge, it’s very possible to design an exercise program that promotes both balance and variety.
I actually think that you can blame the P90X program for being extreme, mostly because it seems to be marketed as more of an appearance and weight loss program than a true fitness program. As I explained in the article, there are much healthier and effective ways to accomplish these goals.
Finally, golf can definitely give you injuries, even if you don’t push it. Although most people don’t realize it, a golf swing builds tremendous forces throughout various joints and muscles of the body. This is a great example of why there’s much more to fitness than choosing whatever activities appeal to you most at any given moment and why it’s so important to follow a well rounded exercise program that intentionally intends to balance the different aspects of physical health.
Vin,
I have been doing P90X for 9 weeks. While, I have lost quite a few inches off of my body, I have lost very little weight. I do not follow the nutrition plan, but I do watch my calorie intake and eat plenty of whole grains, fruits, veggies, etc. I have actually had very little success losing weight since I had my baby 19 months ago. Anyway, I was wondering if you thought it was possible for the intensity of the P90X program to keep me from losing weight? I definitely love the variety of the program, but I have been considering cutting my weight routines in half and then adding more cardio to see if that would help me. Any suggestions on that?
Thanks!
Tiffany
Hi Tiffany,
Yes, overexercise can absolutely interfere with weight loss and even cause weight gain. Excessive exercise can lead to elevated production of the hormone cortisol which helps your body deal with stress (including physical activity). Part of the function of cortisol is to promote glycogen production and elevate blood sugar to prepare your body to respond to whatever stress it is dealing with.
Elevated cortisol levels are also known to increase appetite. If you’re producing excess cortisol by overexercising, this is promoting glycogen production, and if you’re eating more carbohydrate because of the resulting increase in appetite, this combination can very easily promote excessive insulin production, and in turn, fat storage.
In addition. elevated cortisol can also cause body fat to be relocated to the visceral fat cells that surround the organs of the midsection. This basically means that cortisol can promote an increase in abdominal fat.
When you say plenty of whole grains and fruits, this sounds to me like you’re eating a lot of carbohydrates. If you’re eating too much carbohydrate, it will definitely interfere with weight loss and may even cause weight gain. You can try replacing some of your carbohydrate intake with fat and protein and continue doing this until you reach a point where you’re shedding unneeded body fat and are also feeling well. It’s important to not compensate in regard to how you feel.
I think it would be a great idea to cut the P90X workouts in half, and instead of doing cardio, you can try doing 1 or 2 short sessions per week of high intensity interval training as long as your energy level allows it.
Vin,
Thanks for your reply! I forgot to write in that I try to make sure to get plenty of protein in during the day. I just meant that I eat plenty of other good stuff and I try to stay away from white flour. I actually decided to just drop P90X for a while, so that I can watch my calories more. I am now doing cardio & weight training 3 times a week for an hour total. For 2 days a week, I am trying some core vinyasa yoga. It looks like the scale is already starting to go in the right direction, so I will just try this for awhile. I am thinking about doing interval training in the future. What do you think of Kettlebells? Thanks for your help!
Hi Tiffany,
That sounds like a good plan. Good luck!
There are some advantages to using kettlebells, but they’re only as good as the exercises and program that they’re used with. I also think that you can get just as good of a workout with dumbbells which are usually more readily available.
Again, different programs affect folks in different ways. I, for example, always GAIN weight when I embark on a serious weight lifting /conditioning program. I believe it has to do with the addition of muscle mass to my slight build. Even if you are “trimming down” and dropping your % of fat, the increase in muscle mass may result in weight stabilization, or even weight gain.
Weight, by the way, is a poor indicator of fitness level and is something we focus on way too much. We are all built differently, require different foods (in different amounts), and even have different fitness needs. It’s all about balancing those needs with your activities, lifestyles, and diet.
Hi Vin – What’s your take on a program like Insanity Workout? This is a high intensity interval training workout. Have you had a chance to review it? I would be curious to see what you think.
Hi Phil,
Based on the website, I think it’s more of the same shortsighted and appearance driven approach from Beachbody. It only takes a couple of seconds to see that this program is all about a “60 day full body transformation” and “digging deep.” This is just like the P90X, but even more intense.
Typical high intensity interval training works well and is already a significant burden on the body without being “turned upside down.” Why make it many times more intense? Besides, interval training is straight forward and gives you plenty of opportunity to be creative without having to buy a program. You can turn any type of cardio into interval training, and you can even do weightlifting exercises in circuits to get similar results.
As I said in the article and in many of the comments, healthy exercise is a long term approach. Any program that emphasizes fast and dramatic results is clearly based on a much different motivation. Furthermore, great results that come from a truly healthy lifestyle don’t take much longer than they would with an extreme exercise program, and instead of potentially sacrificing your health for appearance, you’d be improving it.
For someone who is dead set on a program like this and believes that they have the necessary capacity, I’d say go for it, but to pay close attention to what their body is saying and to cut back if necessary. The “no pain, no gain” mentality will get you nothing but more pain. I love the idea of digging deep, especially in sports, but I think it’s a bad idea for it to be the foundation of a fitness program unless it’s intended to prepare someone for an extreme activity, and even then it has to be carefully moderated.
Vin-
Interesting take. I have actually been scouring the internet looking for some feedback challenging the P90X workout. I plan to start the workout on Sunday and will continue to check back in with this thread as I get into it. What is attractive to me about it is that it is spelled out for me. I am generally a pretty healthy person and eat high quality food most of the time. I ran a sprint triathlon last weekend and try to stay as active as I can with 3 kids under 4 years old. P90X attracted me because I can do it at home either before the kids get up or after they get to bed. I am hoping to get through a 90 day round of the workout and then begin training for an Olympic length triathlon this coming summer integrating swimming, biking, and running with some of the strength exercises from P90X. That is a lot of planning and I have no idea how it will go, but I will be sure to provide feedback as it progresses.
Hi Dan, thanks for your comment!
It sounds like you have some ambitious plans. Good luck with your training and the P90X. I look forward to hearing about your progress.
While it may initially seem like a benefit that the P90X relieves you from the effort of designing your own program, I think this is also what comes back to haunt many people and leaves them bored or fatigued and not knowing what to do next. Unless you want to spend the rest of your exercising life bouncing around from one popular program to the next, which usually isn’t very effective, you have to bite the bullet at some point and learn how to design at least a basic program for yourself. Although it does require some learning, it’s really not that hard and the long term benefits are well worth the effort.
Hi Vin, I’m back to comment on the Insanity question. I actually purchased this program and started it over the summer. At first I thought it was the new Holy Grail of fitness programs. The workouts are very demanding, but fun. Shaun T. is an excellent leader, and the people doing the workouts really struggle and you kind of feel like they are there with you. Breaks are encouraged and I initially saw an improvement in body-weight exercises and stamina.
After the first month things started to get old, the dvds changed to “Max” workouts, but they really aren’t that different. It’s the same type of exercises arranged a little differently. Mentally I started to drag and instead of looking forward to working out, I dreaded it, even though they were getting easier physically as the weeks went on.
My knees have never been as sore as they were this summer and there is no way to get around the constant squatting and jumping. While there are a lot of body-weight moves to get strong, there are no weights and I found I had lost considerable strength when I took up CrossFit again.
By the last week I had had it, I could not bear doing the same set of exercises again and again. There are 12 DVDs, but very little variety. One workout is called Core Cardio Balance and it is a little different, but places a great deal of stress on your knees and other joints due to the length of time holding certain positions. I was actually depressed and started gaining weight! I spent some time on the BB message boards and found I was not the only one having these issues, many people complained of weight gain, fatigue etc. I contributed a rather lengthy post stated my frustrations and the BB thread moderators deleted it. At that point I decided to quit the program and focus again on CrossFit. My weight has returned to normal, I’m gaining back strength and my running is improving again. Needless to say I will not be a Beachbody customer in the future.
Hi Amy, thanks for sharing more of your feedback!
The way you describe Insanity Workout makes me think it’s even worse than the initial impression I got from the material on the website. It’s hard for me to say much about it without seeing the DVDs, but the repetition and intensity that you describe sound to me like it’s even more of a questionable program than the P90X.
Vin,
Thanks for your thoughts about the program. I will say the program isn’t perfect but may the closest put on DVD.
Also, the ripped abs are merely a byproduct of the routines. You don’t do a single “Crunch” in this program. abs are developed through yoga, full hour of core training and yes the abripperX which is incorrectly named. It’s more of a quicker every few day core workout.
I am on my third round with some breaks in between. I have taken the workout to the gym and incorporated some more traditional weight/cardio/interval training.
P90X was life changing for me. It may not for those who are getting to the gym 4/5 days a week or can afford a personal trainer.
For me it was perfect to get me back in the game and motived.
Keith
ps. One on One with Tony and P90X+ offer some variety and more intensity.
Hi Keith, thanks for for sharing your experience!
The reason why the perfect program doesn’t exist on DVD is because such a program would be customized to your individual capacity and needs. A DVD program that’s mass marketed to millions of people simply can’t do that. One of the primary points of this article is that with a little effort, you can learn enough to effectively design your own programs and not need a DVD program or a personal trainer. In fact, by making this effort, you’ll probably be able to put together a better program than many of the personal trainers that you’d find at mainstream gyms.
In contrast, most people don’t learn much from programs like P90X, or even worse, they learn the wrong things. When they realize the program is too intense, or they get bored of it, they don’t know what to do and end up buying another similar program.
Ab Ripper X may not include any conventional crunches, but it’s FULL of movements involving spinal flexion (moving the shoulders towards the knees) which is basically the same thing. As I mentioned in the article, this worsens the imbalances that many of us develop from spending so much time sitting. Furthermore, there’s really no good reason to spend this much time training the abdominal muscles.
I’m happy to hear that the P90X has been a positive experience for you, that you’re working your own ideas into it, and especially that it has gotten you into the exercise habit. At the same time, I hope you’ll accept it as what it really is (a generic mass marketed program that errors on the side of overtraining) and that you’ll pay close attention to how your body is responding to it (for better or worse).
Good luck with your future exercising.
I am a personal trainer and I must admit this is a very difficult topic to address without ruffling feathers on either side. P90X does work, but it is not for the mass public that has been targeted. This program is for individuals that will push themselves to work extremely hard, eat right, and remain faithful for the complete 90 days.
This style of working out is nothing new to bodybuilders, fitness models, or athletes/extreme fitness enthusiasts so people who have been apart of these groups can really appreciate having this sort of format laid out to where all they have to do is push themselves. This is not to say that someone who has never been physical couldn’t come in, follow the program and get results but if they don’t have a natural desire to push themselve to the max they might feel discouraged and not get the full benefit of this sort of workout.
The bottom line is that P90X , Insanity and others makes people feel as if they are finally finding out what professionals are doing to get great results.(Natural) Body Builders can be fat in the off-season and in 3-5 months be ripped to the fiber so the public knows that there are ways to get fat off fast without taking drugs and that’s what they want. P90X fits the profile of what people imagine a body builders or athletes program to resemble therefore they want to try it. The factor being overlooked is that we all must examine a program to see if it is right for us and if we are ready to give it our all. P90X is one that if you can’t give 100% you will end up wasting your money and time.
Hi Jovaughn, thanks for your comment!
No ruffled feathers here.
I have nothing against people pushing themselves hard with workouts. In fact, I’m an advocate of it (for people who have the capacity) and do it myself. However, it’s of utmost importance to know why you’re pushing yourself.
The P90X is obviously not a good program for someone looking to maximize strength or muscle mass. It’s also not the greatest program for athletic conditioning. That leaves weight loss, which is primarily what it’s marketed for, and general physical wellness.
Maximizing strength, muscle size, or athletic conditioning are certainly goals that require intense effort. However, weight loss and general physical wellness don’t require this much intensity, and many of the people seeking these goals don’t have the capacity for it anyway. Weight loss is mostly about diet, and in my opinion, anyone who thinks they need an intense exercise program to lose weight isn’t eating right. Furthermore, general physical wellness for the average person who doesn’t have major fitness aspirations only requires a fraction of the time and effort required by the P90X.
Based on this, I believe that the P90X is well suited for those who simply want to exercise intensely for no other reason than it’s own sake. There’s nothing wrong with this as long as they respect their energy capacity and don’t force the issue. I think anyone using it for any other reason is shortchanging themselves.
Sure, bodybuilders can be fat in the off season, but that’s an indication that they’re not following a truly healthy lifestyle, even if they’re trying to “bulk up”, and this is exactly my point. The big picture is that a good fitness program is one that contributes to optimal health. In my opinion, the seemingly aimless intensity of the P90X can do the opposite.
Vin,
I have read your responding arguments and although I disagree with most of what you are advocating, you do have some valid points. If you read thoroughly enough into the P90x program it does state that there is a fitness test that you must pass in order to perform P90x safely and effectively.
Now I do agree with you on the point that every fitness plan is different and individualistic but you are dead wrong about any average person, with a little effort you can design your own effective workouts. Sure anyone can design their own workout program, even research it, but the average person knows hardly a shred about their own body, body systems, and all that entails when dealing with fitness, nutrtition, and injury prevention. Unless there is a trained professional to help guide them along for a time to instruct them on proper nutrition, mechanics, techniques, and exercises, they are basically people just waiting to become injured.
As with any fitness routine, the longer you perform it the more tedious it gets but, what Tony Horton states is that you “set and goal” you can still do the program multiple times and switch up the intenstity of it. I am a recent graduate from college and a former collegiate runner where I was averaging 80-90 miles a week with 2 weeks off between seasons running year round. The program worked for me yes, as well as it worked for my 20 plus odd teammates. It was specifically tailored to every individual but the training plan worked. This is also a fairly marketed plan. Now I do understand that this is a plan specifically for runners but anyone who wants to run can use this plan as a guideline, be it for lifelong fitness or for competitive racing no matter the level. (This plan isn’t just running, but it entails all details, cross training, nutrition, sleeping, miles, times, splits to hit, workouts, core routines, lifting routines, drills, stretches, ect…)
Your statement about adrenal failure is ridiculously exaggerated. Yes it can happen, yes it sucks, but people who set their goals to high are the ones to blame, not the program. This program can be life long since most of the program uses body weight or you can opt instead of weights to use bands (which I recommend for long term).
Although this program is mass marketed, it does provide a great guideline for a fitness routine. People who have no clue what they are doing want to be instructed, they want guidelines, they want to be told every single thing to do and not to. This program does it, down to the nutritional plan, workouts, and exercises. Speaking of which, yes people can not use their products and get the same results but your non-hype about protein powder and its companions is a little unsettling.
P90x has its ups and its downs just as any workout program, mass marketed or not, but it is still at the moment one of the better programs out there if done correctly. All the videos hits the same muscles and muscle groups as any self made workout program or designer workout program, it is all a matter of the FITT schedule.
Lastly, I would like to ask about you. What are your credentials? Where are your sources that you are pulling your information from? If you are just a person writing reviews is one thing. I had noticed giving advice to a woman about her own exercising program. If you are not a person with credentials to back your knowledge on the subject then I would suggest to stop for others safety as well as your own. I question your authority on this subject matter because in all reality it does make a big difference between a person just posting their thoughts and comments about a workout than a professional in the field of exercise science, kinesiology, human anatomy & physiology, and nutrition giving their thoughts and comments about a workout plan with intimate knowledge on the subject matter.
Thanks for your article,
Rob
Hi Rob, thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Here are the “Minimums” from the P90X fit test.
This “fit test” is great for establishing a baseline to measure progress, but beyond that, all it does is weed out the people who are in seriously bad physical shape. In my worst stages of chronic fatigue syndrome, I could have passed this test with flying colors. This test is by no means an accurate assessment of who does and doesn’t have the capacity for the volume of work involved in the program.
Yes, the average person knows “hardly a shred” about their own body, healthy eating habits, or injury prevention. This is exactly the problem and is why so many people are unhealthy and in pain. The trained professionals don’t always have the right answers either. Anyone who truly wants results and cares enough about their health will take the time to empower themselves with knowledge.
Here’s more on why I recommend that people take more responsibility for themselves and be more critical of the “trained professionals” you refer to (including myself). The Elusive Answers to Good Health and Success
Why don’t you call BioHealth Diagnostics to find out just how common it is for people to have a suppressed cortisol pattern throughout the day. I have been trained to run testing through this lab and you’d be surprised by how many people are dealing with adrenal fatigue.
Of course, everyone should take responsibility for their health, and I completely agree that if someone were to worsen their state of health by following the P90X program, it would be their own fault. As such, I’m not blaming the program, I’m just trying to help people not push themselves beyond their capacity, or as you put it, “set their goals too high.” Furthermore, the fact that this program is mostly based on body weight exercises has nothing to do with it’s long term effects. This may reduce the risk of injury associated with weightlifting, but it certainly doesn’t prevent someone from overtraining.
Yes, they want to be instructed, but they’re not really learning anything. When they become bored with P90X or realize that it’s too much for them, they’re left having to find a new program. As such, they end up bouncing from program to program without any type of definitive philosophy behind their training. This is not an efficient way to promote optimal health through exercise and is an unlikely way to maintain life long motivation to be active.
My opinions on the P90X program are based on how it does and doesn’t contribute to optimal health. It’s obviously more advantageous to one’s health to consume nutrients from natural whole foods rather than highly processed powders and energy bars. You’re certainly entitled to consider this “unsettling”, but it’s bold to assume that modern processed foods are adequate replacements for the foods that nature has provided us with for millions of years. It’s also bold to assume that science has discovered everything there is to know about our dependencies on these foods.
Despite the time you took to challenge my opinions and qualifications, you obviously didn’t read my about page.
My motivation is to help others be able to help themselves, and if they ask for my opinion, I’m going to give it to them. I have never claimed to be a source of recommendations for people to blindly follow and have no interest in providing such recommendations. I am an advocate of encouraging people to think for themselves, and this implies that they take responsibility for their own decisions.
At 28 years old, a low-carb phaze followed by the P90X program has made me feel and look much better than I did at 18 years old, no jokes.
P90X is probably not the best workout program you can buy if you are new to exercise since it is very extreme –but if you are already in somewhat good shape, it’s probably the best exercise program you can buy in DVD form.
I suppose that the extra muscle and nice abs I have now are overrated…
I don’t think it’s overrated -It works very well if you stick to it and eat properly as well… It’s hard work but it does pay off in the end.
You may say ‘but you could do it in the gym’ sure, but Gyms aren’t free either – a whole year here is 500$ every year. I can use p90 X for years for a mere 120$
It also depends on your goals… if you just want that ripped tone look p90x is great .. but if you want serious bulk and bodybuilding type stuff… you probably are better off with the gym.
Um, the protein bars and drinks are optional… You don’t need to use them.
Some people like the protein bars because being ‘chocolaty’ they have them as a snack rather than a real chocolate bar which is just as much, if not more, chemical and unnatural than a protein bar –minus the protein.
You have to keep in mind that very few people have iron discipline -few people can exercise like crazy and eat nothing but natural food without going nuts.
You said something about Atkins “some feel great some feel horrible” or something to that effect…
Anyways, I used to suffer from chronic migraines and lack of energy… like all the time, I would have a headache at least every second day.. it was dreadful…
Until I came across a book by Dr Atkins
The idea of eating a lot of fat and little to no processed sugars was strange to me… especially living in an age where all you hear on tv is low-fat, no-fat .. fat makes you fat etc…
I was about 225 when I started Atkins and in 4-5 months dropped to 145. Amazing..
What was really surprising was that the headaches were gone, my energy was back and I did not feel hungry all the time… even though I was eating less than a few months earlier…
I think some people are very very sensitive to sugar/insulin (I’m not a health pro … you probably know what I mean.)
I’m one of them… I still to this day cannot have more than 4 beers without feeling a headache coming on haha…
For me a diet rich in fresh meat, some veggies some fruit and some dairy was the best thing to ever come my way.
I should have know something was up when the media viciously attacked Atkins… makes sense, how could big diet companies make money when the cat was let out of the bag?
Simple trick to weight loss and health? Not powders, not miracle shakes or breads….
Pure whole foods.
Hi Justin, thanks for your comments and congratulations on improving your fitness and losing so much weight!
Like many of the other people who have commented, I think you may have missed my point. You have extra muscle and nice abs. That’s great, but the extreme nature of the P90X is not necessary for achieving these characteristics. More importantly, this type of extreme exercising is hard to sustain long term, and many of the people who try to do so are likely to overtrain and compromise their health. In this regard, extra muscle and nice abs absolutely are overrated. In addition, just because someone might feel great after three months of P90X doesn’t mean that it’s a healthy way to exercise. A more conservative exercise program can make you feel just as great without the risk of overtraining and the positive effects are much more likely to last long term. To support optimal health, exercise needs to be a lifelong habit and life is much longer than a three month round of P90X. If you’re able to repeat the full P90X program time after time without it slowing you down or making you dread exercise, then maybe it’s a good program for you, but I think you’d be in the minority.
In regard to the cost of P90X, I don’t really think you’re saving anything. P90X certainly isn’t the only way to workout at home, and as you can see from some of the comments above, most people grow bored of it and end up looking to buy another similar type of program. Besides, some gyms are as cheap as $10 per month now and a full year membership would pretty much be the same cost as the P90X DVD set.
In my opinion, the protein bars and drinks aren’t really any more or less optional than any other part of the program, and they certainly aren’t the only shortcoming. “Iron discipline” is not needed to follow a healthy diet, but a strong appreciation for truly good health is, and I think this is lacking in many of the people who emphatically support P90X. You’re absolutely right that it’s harder to eat only natural whole foods while “exercising like crazy”, but this is because excessive exercise dramatically increases appetite, especially for carbohydrates. Instead of addressing this by eating garbage protein bars and drinks, it would make much more sense to simply not overexercise! This brings us back to my main point. You don’t have to “exercise like crazy” to improve your appearance or your health, and doing so is more likely to detract from optimal health than promote it.
In regard to the Atkins diet, two major problems that I see with it are that it neglects food quality and nutritional individuality. Not everyone does as well as you and I on a diet that’s high in protein and fat. Some people have a metabolism that’s better suited for less protein and fat and more carbohydrates. However, nobody is well suited for the excessive amount of carbohydrates that most people eat today, and in comparison, any diet based on whole foods is relatively low in carbohydrates.
I have been doing P90x for 6 months now, and while I feel stronger and fitter, there have been several negatives, and I am getting tired of the commitment. First of all, I’m 48 years old and have done some sort of exercise since my 20′s 5-6 days a week, so I wasn’t a “couch potato” looking for miracles. I actually GAINED weight (fat) on this program, and have since joined Weight Watchers and lost 13 pounds, continuing to do the p90x 6 days a week. Secondly, the Plymetrics killed my feet and ankles, and the stretches for Kenpo and the “Dreya Roll” from the Core workout really killed my knees. I have since cut out all the cardio type workouts and walk my dogs on those days, which makes me MUCH happier. Thirdly, while I love the Yoga, 90 minutes of that nearly drove me insane, so I skip some of the Yoga Belly and excessive stretching and got it down to a sane 60 minutes. I am in the process of trying to figure out how to keep some of the workout, but only want 4 days worth of it-the others I want to walk my dogs! Thanks for your posts-they really confirmed what I have been starting to feel about p90x!
Hi Peggy, thanks for sharing your experience!
There are two reasons why I’m not surprised that you gained weight. First, excessive exercise is a significant source of stress that promotes an increase in cortisol and insulin, both of which promote fat storage. This is why you sometimes see a marathon runner or aerobics instructor who is noticeably overweight. Second, as I mentioned to Justin, excessive exercise can dramatically increase appetite, especially for carbohydrates. This obviously promotes weight gain as well.
I think you made a good choice by cutting out the cardio workouts. I really don’t think there’s much value in keeping a high heart rate for an extended amount of time. I think low intensity aerobic training, which walking your dogs can qualify as, and occasional interval training are a much better alternative and are more conducive to optimal health.
I have nothing against doing Yoga for it’s own sake, but I think it’s an inefficient way to improve flexibility. You certainly don’t need to stretch for 90 minutes, or even 60. As little as 5 or 10 minutes focused on tight areas can be plenty, especially if done daily.
Ok, Mr. Vin first off, I would like to commend you on a well written article on P90x. I have been doing P90x now for about a year and a half now. At first I was not able to complete the phases as instructed in the DVD outline. As a 29year old male at the time, I knew I should of been able. I found myself tailoring some of the exercises to my comfort level.
Please note, I do feel like it (P90x) is very effective, however, I must say it is not for everyone… Some people look at the commercials and order the DVDs as if its magic pill that will transform your body with no questions asked. Little do some people know, you have to TOTALLY comment yourself to 90days, 6 days a week, for an hour or more per day. That really sounds unrealistic for anyone that is not a fitness model or athletics.
Your comments on Cardio X and Stretch X are so true. I have many years of experience in Martial Arts, so the Stretch X is a total waste of my time. I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone that is flexible. As for the Cardio X, anything that is going to raise your heart rate is good for your health to certain degree of course. However, this DVD starts off too slow for me. Too much focus on yoga moves at the beginning of the DVD. I replace this DVD with many various speed interval training routines.
Yoga X is not a waste of time at all for me…. I found it to be very effective; however, I found myself “pressing play” only on the weekends with this DVD because it is the longest out of 12. I like to get my workout done in the morning before work.
Some of the exercises are very redundant. “Shoulders & Arms” and “Chest & Back” for example. I really feel like I could have created this workout. Really was looking for something that was going to be challenging right from the start, like “Back & Biceps.” I think these were the last two routines that Tony was looking for more ideas to fill the time up on the tape, so therefore, he just said, lets repeat the moves. In order for me to feel like I am getting a burn from these routines, I found myself combining the DVDs. Taking a little from one and adding it to another.
The nutrition plan is a total waste of my time because I am a vegetarian. I had to create my own menus that consist of high proteins and fibers into my diet. With the amount of money that P90x cost, it should have come with a vegetarian diet.
When anyone ask me how I got into the shape I am now, I tell them the truth. Nutrition, nutrition, and nutrition are the first three things that help me lose weight and maintain it off for 3 years now…P90x help shape my body, however, it is the dedication that is not outlined in the DVDs that will allow you to Decide, Commit, and Succeed. That has to come from within.
Sorry to say, with the 3 people that I recommend P90x, 0 have been able to complete 21 days without skipping or given up.
By no means am I knocking Tony Horton/Beach body’s hustle of making money. I’m just saying, if you don’t allow yourself to have time for Fitness in yourself for an hour per day for 90 days, these DVDs are not for you.
Lastly, it doesn’t take 90days to get into the best shape of your life…..it takes a lifestime. You have to keep going.
Hi Karon, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I think your experiences with the P90X highlights one of my primary complaints with it which is that a mindless and generic exercise program will rarely accommodate the individual needs that most people have. This requires a bit of knowledge about the advantages and disadvantages of various exercise methods as well as how much intensity and volume to take on. Unfortunately, mass marketed programs like the P90x that are marketed to people who are desperate to lose weight almost always fail to deliver such information.
You also reiterated two of my other major concerns. Weight loss is mostly about healthy eating, and using exercise to improve health, energy, happiness, and even weight loss needs to be a lifelong habit, not a 90 day crash course.
I have to agree with Karon about the Yoga X. While I have modified it to take only an hour, I think it’s much more than a stretch program-I have become much stronger, more flexible and feel less stiff and sore over all doing it. It’s actually my favorite workout now-if I am feeling sore beforehand, I feel great afterward! I have actually combined and modified most of the workout myself Karon. I now rotate the chest/back and chest, shoulders and triceps every other week, as well as the back and biceps and the shoulders and arms, and I do have the leg workout with each arm or chest workout, so that my workout week is like this example: Day 1, Chest and back and half of legs, part of Ab Ripper X, Day 2, Walk my dogs!, Day 3 Core Synergesics, Day 4 Walk my dogs, Day 5 Shoulders and arms, half of legs, Day 6 Walk my dogs, Day 7 Yoga X. It works for me!
Hi Peggy, thanks for sharing your experience. It’s good to hear that Yoga X is still working well for you.
In your case, Peggy, yoga is great because you enjoy it and it keeps you active. In contrast, anyone who does yoga purely for the strength and flexibility benefits is short changing themselves by choosing an inefficient way to achieve these goals. Also, people who incorporate yoga into a full workout routine need to realize that it can be strenuous, and in turn, can be a problem depending on their capacity and how much other exercise they’re doing.
As I mentioned in the article, I have nothing against doing yoga for it’s own sake, and I agree that it can have strength benefits. However, for someone who’s already doing strength training, these benefits aren’t really necessary and may be infringing upon their recovery from other workouts. As I also already said, the amount of stretching done in yoga is a lot more than what is necessary to promote and maintain good flexibility.
This is another good example of why I don’t like the P90X program. It’s a bunch of different workouts that seem to be haphazardly thrown together without much reasoning behind it and without a common goal aside from the misguided intention to burn as many calories as possible. People who follow a well rounded exercise routine don’t need to do yoga for strength or flexibility, and those who do yoga because they love it don’t need to do as much additional strength training or stretching depending on their goals.
Hello there Vin.
Thanks for a well-balanced, interesting article. I have no buck in the P90X bandwagon but I can appreciate the effort you invest in getting sensible, workable info across to anyone who would listen. The way you isolate elements of the program (plyo, yoga &c) and give pointers for customizing each is just cool.
I fully agree with you from a little personal experience that a truly balanced and healthy lifestyle will land you up with a set of stellar abs anyway. i train at home, doing heavy basic work (for legs i have to depend on high rep sandbag squats; good interval training), yoga (not one hour; i am an indian and value yoga as more than a fat loss gimmick) and maintain a high protein low nothing diet that keeps me decently ripped (10-12%) But the joe needs a P90X to prod him. which is just fine unless an injury happens. that’s what i told my friend who shot me a mail asking after this program’s worth. now i don’t even have to frame a response. i’ll just send your article to him.
keep strong
-Arka
Hi Arka, thanks for your feedback and support! It sounds like you have a good perspective on exercising and I appreciate your emphasis on doing yoga for what it is rather than using it as an inefficient way to obtain secondary benefits.
Hi Vin,
I came across this page while googling info on P90X. I’m glad that yours is a well thought out and a truly critical review of the program. My brother has been doing P90X for about a year and just lent me the DVDs. I intend to start the program soon. But I’m also slightly skeptical of a few things about the program, namely Plyometrics, Yoga X, Cardio X and Kenpo X. I’ve just not been convinced of the benefits of those exercises. I’ve been doing regular HIIT cardio for the past few months and it’s been working well for me, so I’m wondering whether I could replace all of the above exercises with just 20-30 minutes of HIIT. How effective of a workout is Cardio X compared to a shorter duration of HIIT on a treadmill or elliptical trainer? Or would it be advisable to do HIIT instead of Cardio X and Kenpo X, and weight training from the program instead of Plyo and Yoga? Yes, there will be far less variety than the traditional design of the program, but I’d imagine that it’d also be a more effective training system overall.
Ron
Hi Ron, thanks for your comment!
Keep in mind that interval training can be more strenuous and impose more of a recovery demand than a workout like Cardio X or Kenpo X. Since the intensity of the P90X program is already likely to overtrain many people, adding even more intensity may not be a good idea. I think it would be better to replace one of these workouts with interval training and simply drop the other workout entirely.
Cardio X and Kenpo X can provide some cardiovascular benefits that interval training won’t. If this matters to you, then you should consider replacing these workouts with lower intensity cardio which will provide similar benefits but with less need for recovery. I think it’s generally a good idea to include low intensity cardio in a well rounded and health oriented exercise program anyway. Within the limits of one’s capacity, I think a combination of low intensity cardio and occasional interval training is best.
Unless you’re an athlete or someone who needs to be prepared for explosive activity, you probably don’t need to do plyometrics, and even if you did, the plyometrics workout included in the P90X program isn’t well suited for this purpose.
As I mentioned in the article, you don’t need the full yoga workout to improve and maintain flexibility, but I do think it’s important to include some stretching and self massage in any exercise program.
Wow! I ordered p90x on the whim. I found this site on google, and I just asked the seller to refund my money before he shipped out the DVD’s:-).
The first couple of paragraphs sounded like you were hating on the program. But as I read deeper, I can feel your sincerity and alot of it just made sense.
I’m sticking to my calisthenics, running and whole foods. I think I’ve found a new site! Thx Vin…
Hi James, thanks for your comment!
I’m glad that you realize I’m not aimlessly bashing the P90X program. It sounds like you already have a decent idea of what type of exercise you enjoy, and with the money you saved, there are plenty of great books that you can buy to give you some new ideas. If you’re interested, there are a number of good fitness books in my recommended reading list.
I think he IS hating on the program. P90x is “all about getting ripped abs”? Really? I wonder what P90x DVDs you were watching because mine don’t focus on that. Unless you think the “getting lean” talk really just means “abs”, which it certainly doesn’t to me. Is the program overkill for a lot of “regular” people? Sure. But how many other workout DVDs out there tell the person up-front that you have to work hard to look this way and do these things, and then show you how to do it? Not too many.
And P90x isn’t about “useable fitness” or longterm health (or whatever you want to call it)? What? I’ve seen person after person on weightlifting and bodybuilding forums make fun of P90x for not being a “real” workout or whatever, and then some of them actually try it and have to eat crow because they can’t do what 50-year-old Tony Horton can do. Sure, maybe they can waddle up to the weights and bench or squat more than him, but they can’t get through the moves that are more about general, everyday fitness. I’ve been told Tony Horton is out on Muscle Beach every Sunday embarrassing “real lifters” with his overall combination of strength, endurance, and flexibility.
The P90x lifting, at its core, is basically a multi-day split routine that practically every bodybuilder on the planet does some form of. If you take out the extra cardio and plyo and whatever else, at its base it’s a “typical” bodybuilding program. Do people need to do so many different assistance exercises to be overall strong? Nope. Do people Need to isolate biceps? Nope.
But even on powerlifting forums I’ve seen countless people say if there was one thing they would have changed over the years it would be to have done more isolation arm work because they simply weren’t happy with the size of their arms. Are they “beach” muscles? Maybe they are. But I doubt there are many “regular” guys out there who don’t want bigger arms, and there’s nothing wrong with that. And if you don’t want to do them in the video, then don’t do them. Heck, I hate the Kenpo DVD for a couple reasons, so I go do something else instead. That doesn’t mean P90x isn’t good overall.
And anyone who says power yoga is easy or only about stretching or whatever probably has never done it. There’s a vid on youtube of a guy who did yoga to drop nearly 150 pounds and to walk again without braces for the first time in 15 years. And yoga isn’t good for overall fitness and strength? Yah. Someone implied the P90x yoga is a “gimmick.” I bet that “gimmick” would put most of the people reading this on their ass in under 30 minutes. Tony has said he can’t do what he can do because he does chin-ups, but because he does yoga. I made fun of yoga too. Until I did it.
So let’s get down to it. You more or less bash P90x because it has too much volume, too many “extra” workouts, too much focus for your liking on “beach” muscles because there are some curls in it, and they try to promote their protein bars. I’ll give you the protein bar one, but, as for the rest, eh. If you don’t want to be that fit in that many areas or think it’s overkill, fine, take more off days between workouts or go do something easier. Meanwhile, 50-year-old Tony Horton will be doing things that “fit” people half his age can’t do.
I mean, the nutrition part aside, (regardless that tons of weight lifters, including professional ones, eat like complete crap), you basically bash P90x for encouraging people to do (in your opinion) “too much.” How many other workout DVDs even get close to encouraging people to do “too much”? If you go to any serious weightlifting/fitness forum, you’ll see many people who consider P90x an “intermediate” workout plan that can help get a person ready to be “serious.”
Look at most “serious” weightlifting workouts, and there will be big, compound exercises, some isolation or assistance exercises, and then the author will recommend various forms of cardio or plyo or the like if you want to be leaner, with people often working out 5 or 6 days a week. How is that different from P90x? It’s not. You should be 80% praising/20% bashing P90x, not the other way around.
Hi Wes, thanks for sharing your point of view.
I think it’s quite evident from the overall message of my article that the P90X is focused on “getting ripped” in general, and “ripped abs” is the typical measure of this. Regardless of semantics, my main point is that P90X focuses too much on apperance and not enough on health and physical function.
Hard work is only a portion of what’s necessary to be fit and healthy. The hard work has to be applied with purpose, and it’s easy for some to work themselves to the point of it being detrimental.
I don’t know if there are any other DVD programs available that are better than P90X, but it doesn’t matter. Good information on fitness, weight loss, and health information is readily available to those who want it. Furthermore, as I mention in the article, the idea of generic DVD exercise program is flawed anyway because it’s very difficult for it to meet the individual needs of the people following it. If you’re going to spend hours each week busting your butt to get fit, you might as well also invest some time into educating yourself to ensure that you’re choosing methods that are effective, efficient, and supportive of good health.
Tony Horton undoubtedly has an impressive level of fitness. However, someone having a high level of fitness doesn’t automatically mean that they’re optimally healthy. Fitness and health don’t always corrolate with each other and it’s possible to be fit despite having compromised health. Furthermore, as a highly trained individual, Horton obviously has much more physical capacity for P90X type workouts than many of the people doing them. It takes time to increase physical capacity, and it should be done gradually.
In regard to physical function, some of the exercises used in the P90X program such as pull ups, push ups, and lunges will certainly facilitate improvement, as will the cardiovascular workouts. However, it seems pretty obvious to me that these exercises are incorporated into the P90X program mostly as means of improving appearance. Anyone truly interested in improved physical function should assess their strengths and weaknesses, use corrective exercises where necessary, and choose exercises that will support their typical activities. This is difficult to do with a generic workout program, and it’s a flaw that applies to only P90X and any other program like it.
I don’t doubt that the P90X program will improve physical function, but I also think there are much better and efficient ways to do it.
Yes, and the typical bodybuilder routine is just as flawed in this regard as the P90X.
However, if one’s goal is to be a bodybuilder, then this type of training has purpose, but I highly doubt that any successful bodybuilder would consider P90X to be an effective way to achieve their goals. This is primarily because it’s not specific or focused enough which is a point that I’ve made several times.
Indeed, there’s nothing wrong with that at all. The key is realizing that this type of training is more for appearance than anything else. In fact, I don’t see anything wrong with adding a couple of “beach muscle” exercises to a well designed program if someone is so inclined. However, a well designed program is one that is based on specific goals, limitations, individual needs, and overall capacity for physical activity which are areas in which I think the P90X falls short, as would any generic program.
One of the reasons why the P90X is so popular is because it can be followed mindlessly. However, if you reduce volume and cut out some of the workouts to stay within your capacity, which I think is a great idea, then this defining characteristic of the P90X program is lost. At this point, you might as well invest some effort in educating yourself and design your own program. While I do agree that P90X deserves some credit for providing people with ideas, I think this is outweighed by the potential for it to encourage people to overtrain and exercise without much purpose other than appearance.
Weight loss is mostly about correcting flawed eating habits, and for those who wish to accelerate the process, a reasonable amount of exercise will help. Yoga is a form of exercise and can certainly be a part of this. If it’s the only way someone is willing or able to exercise, then it’s great. Otherwise, it’s certainly not the most efficient use of exercise for weight loss.
Yoga certainly is good for overall fitness and strength, especially the more strenuous forms. However, if one’s goal is specifically to get stronger or become better conditioned, yoga isn’t the most effective way to do either. This is why I say to not bother doing it unless you truly enjoy it or want it’s primary benefit of developing a connection between mind and body. Besides, in a program like the P90X that already includes strength training workouts, the moderate strength building benefits of yoga certainly aren’t needed and may even impair recovery from other workouts.
Yes, if someone needs to reduce the volume and intensity of P90X to stay within their physical capacity, I think it’s a very smart idea. You can’t expect someone who’s sedentary or 30 or more pounds overweight to get up off their couch and start exercising like Tony Horton without unecessarily increasing their risk of injury and overtraining.
You’re right, many weight lifters eat poorly. This is the case for many athletes as well. However, this doesn’t make the nutritional advice offered by P90X any better, and I’m certainly not suggesting that people eat poorly like the typical weight lifter or athlete.
Maybe the P90X could be regarded as an intermediate level program based on exercise selection, but I think that’s a poor way to classify it in regard to volume.
If it’s a well designed program, the strength training will be based on one’s limitations, abilities, and goals. Depending on these goals, it would also likely include exercises that allow more potential for strength development than the bodyweight and dumbbell exercises used in the P90X program. Yes, these exercises were chosen so that people can do the program at home, but this is yet another example of the problem with following a generic program. Some people may want to become stronger and may be willing to go to a gym or buy whatever equipment is necessary to do so.
In regard to the cardio and plyometrics, I think you missed some of the main points of the article. Sure, cardio and plyometrics are a part of many well designed exercise programs, but it’s important to consider quality and qantity as well. Most knowledgeable endurance athletes do the bulk of their aerobic training at lower intensities than the P90X cardio workouts, and these are trained athletes who are very likely to have much more capacity than the average person following P90X.
Likewise, the plyometrics that most well trained explosive athletes perform are much different than the P90X plyometrics workout, and they’re typically done in a progression that starts off easy and gradually increases in difficulty and complexity. This reduces the risk of injury and facilitates greater improvements. Besides, most people who do the P90X program probably don’t even need plyometrics, and even if they wanted the benefits, they could get them with much fewer jumps and therefore less impact to their joints and less use of energy.
20% is a bit generous in regard to how much I’d praise P90X, but I’m not “bashing” anything. I’m using P90X as an example to help inspire people to learn and make more informed decisions about their weight loss and fitness efforts. If someone disagrees with my perspective and thinks that P90X is the best program for them, that’s fine!
Respectfully all,
After reading this forum and being completely non-biased in any of the stances, the main focus here is the obvious; fitness, life fitness, and of course personal well-being (homeostasis). A little about me, I continue to live, preach, eat, & breath the concept of fitness for over 25 years. I am in the Armed Forces, I teach the Physical Therapy Assistant course, and our main focus is (I guess I lied earlier and said I wasn’t biased…) to provide information which will assist our patients/clients in achieving 3 things, (round about) 1. The knowledge for recovery, 2. The ability to sustain & maintain (a lifelong practice), & 3. Prevention.
One of the blocks I teach (and this is where I fabricated a little) is A&P&K of the spine, Muscles of the spine, & Therex…so what does this mean? Core stability, absolutely just what you (Vince) were talking about. Without a strong core, an individual certainly can find themselves with a mess of associated problems, all of which stem from an unstable (weak) core. Our ability to strengthen this (large) area doesn’t rely on large muscular movements; it simply needs to have repetition. This is achieved through basic routines, those which ARE exercises, but even then by our methods within PT is quite simple and will NOT tax the individual to the point of exhaustion.
My promoting the PT field is obvious, but in regards to P90X, Cross fit, or any formidable (marketing) workout routine, I feel they are quite worthy of the monetary amount they are asking. In the military we preach fitness, fitness, & fitness; however when you look around we have service members who eat, look, & have the same problems as your every day Joe/Jane civilian. There isn’t a day which goes by when I don’t hear a Soldier speak about buying P90X, Cross fit, etc…What do I tell them? “Great, this could be a start of a new you” I have the video’s, I venture onto the cross fit websites, & our Company, BN even promotes some of the exercises.
Within this forum is a grand bit of insight, information, and opinions, but in the long run it comes down to this. Did the product get you moving, did you see results (whether negative or positive), and did you follow what they were selling/preaching?
All of these and more questions come up when speaking about ANY fitness program; it’s all relevant to the matter at hand…again, whether good or bad! If we buy into the hype Vince (which we did), and we discuss it with our friends or peers, we made a difference in our lives and there’s.
Lastly, I live in one of the most obese, fat, morbid, overweight states you could imagine, Texas (San Antonio); if half of this great state would take the initiative and “waste” a measly $120.00 (A month’s worth of burgers, hotdogs, & fast food), to buy just one of these products, it would make a world of difference in their life/lives.
Thank you for the forum and thank you ALL for what you do!
V/r
Keith
Hi Keith, thanks for your thoughtful response!
A number of other people have also said that the P90X is good if it gets sedentary people exercising, and I agree, but only to an extent. Especially with a sedentary population, jumping into the P90X routine is going from one extreme to another. For the people who are able to realize when they’re pushing themselves too hard and would be motivated to search for alternatives if necessary, then I agree that the P90X was worth the money for giving them the initial motivation to exercise. However, for the many other people who consistently push themselves beyond their capacity because they mistakenly think it’s a necessary evil of fitness, they may very well end up chronically fatigued and be more prone to injuries and other health issues such as adrenal fatigue or suppressed immunity. These people may end up being more opposed to exercise than they were before starting P90X. To be fair, this applies to any generic and intense exercise program.
It’s great if the P90X program motivates people to start exercising, but only if they’re able to channel that motivation into a desire to learn more about fitness and enable themselves to adjust their exercise routine into one that meets their individual needs, promotes health and function more so than appearance, and can be maintained as a lifelong habit. I don’t think people should pass on buying the P90X program only to return to a sedentary lifestyle, but I do think we all must take the initiative to ensure that our individual needs are met and that we respecting our individual capacity for physical activity. In many cases, including fitness, less is more!
It may not be for you but it works for me.I love tony as a trainer and p90x worked for me.By the way I have also used his power 90 work outs this to me is just that next step up.
Hi Julian, thanks for sharing your experience.
I’m glad to hear that P90X works for you and hope that you’re saying this from a long term perspective. It’s easy for someone to say that the P90X worked well for them after 3 months, but the real question is how well it will work when done consistently year after year.
Vin,
I came to the conclusion you are a girlyman. You cannot handle P90X. Twenty years ago I was doing triathlons as well as marathons. I slowly let myself go a bit. Fast forward to present. I am now in better shape at 49yrs. than I was 20 yrs. ago thanks to P90X. Keep up your safe, Richard Simmons workouts. P.S. did you even complete a cycle?
Hi Larry,
I can deadlift more than 300 pounds and I can do chin ups with 50 pounds hanging off of my waist. Not overly impressive, but not bad either if you ask me.
Apparently you don’t appreciate the simple concept that different people have different physical capacities. This is the result of a combination of genetics, health, and fitness level. Unlike a triathlete or marathon runner, many of the sedentary people who think they can jump right into the P90X program are unlikely to have the health or the fitness to withstand the amount and intensity of activity it demands, especially not on a long term basis.
It’s been a long recovery from chronic fatigue syndrome for me, and to be honest, I’m extatic that I can now play a tough 2 or 3 hour tennis match, do a half hour of heavy weightlifting, or do as much as an hour of low intensity cardio without feeling like I was hit by a mack truck for the next two weeks. To be honest, I probably couldn’t do 3 months of the P90X right now without it causing persistent fatigue, but I’m pretty darn confident that I have a higher capacity for activity than many of the people currently slaving away with it. Furthermore, as my fitness, health, and physical capacity all continue to improve, I’m confident that it won’t be long before I could handle a program with the intensity and volume of the P90X, but I wouldn’t try to even if I could. I know it’s not necessary and I have the ability to put together training programs for myself that are much more specific, efficient, and enjoyable.
As someone who’s completed triathlons and marathons, it’s really not surprising that you can handle the volume of the P90X, but it’s shortsighted to think that based on your level of fitness, which is not at all typical, that everyone else can handle the P90X as well. Besides, the volume isn’t the only issue with P90X. In my opinion, a good portion of the program is a waste of time and energy.
Vin,
I may have been a little overzealous and I aplogize. Within the program are MANY modified moves that sedentary people can handle. There is a testimony from a man that was well over 330lbs. that modified for a full year until he was able to grasp the entire workout. He calls it P lifetime X. This isn’t just a 90 day program. It can be preformed as long as an individual wants. It can be modified.
No need to be a rude jerk, Larry.
Larry must be a “Beachbody coach.”
Ron, Not a coach, just a believer. Yes, Peggy I did come off rude and jerky and I do apologize.
Thank you Ron and Peggy for your support, and thank you Larry for your apology. Most importantly, thank you all for not letting this degrade any further into a derogatory and inflammatory conversation (which is something that I will not tolerate on this site).
I think we can all agree that P90X does have some positive aspects and that it can work well for people, even on a long term basis, if they are willing and knowledgeable enough to modify the program to better suit their individual needs and limitations.
Vin,
Agreed, and again I apologize.
Thank you,
Lar
I’m proud of you, Larry! You were very humble and respectful. To be somewhat on your side, I do P90X myself 4 days a week…I do the upper body weight lifting ones, YogaX, and Core. I do like those and have really benefitted. But the remaining days of the week, I walk!
Hi Vin. I did p90x before I was pregnant with my son. I did not follow the nutrition plan or buy the supplements. I eat as organic as I can afford and stay away from sweets and “junk food”. At first I only did parts of the workouts as I could not make it through a whole one. As time progressed my stamina increased. I continued with easy activity and eating well while I was pregnant. Now my son is 9 months old (I also have a 6 year old daughter), I run a mile or two a day, 5 times a week and follow my own version of the workouts. Yoga is out since it is ridiculously boring for me. I LOVE the plyo video but make sure I can get plenty of rest afterwards. I don’t own a scale, but I feel so much better about myself and have tons more energy throughout the day. I don’t go crazy and I think that is why I like p90x so much.
Hi Belinda, thanks for sharing your experience!
I’m glad to hear that the P90X is working well for you and it’s great that you figured out a way to customize it to your own needs and capabilities. Despite my reasons for not liking it, I think your experience shows how it can work well for some people, particularly when adjustments are made.
I just started this program because I was tired of the various times that I started an exercises regime that would get me to a certain point and then I would plateau and go nowhere. I want to see a change in my body shape and increase my strength and energy levels. As with most women in theit 40s, I am very weak in the upper body and as a result of this weaknes and bad posture, I get aches and pains in the shoulders and back. I feel like this program will help me with these issues as well as lose the 10% of excess body fat that I currently have. As far as the rigors of P90X, the program continueally tells people to rest when needed and set reasonable goals for each set. DON’T try to do the same amount of reps as those on the video! I didn’t. I did the little girly pushups and used the bands for the pull ups. I felt great afterward. All that being said, I’m a little leary of eating too much protein which is how I found your article. I read that eating a high protein diet can inhibit calcium absorption and thereby cause osteoporosis which runs in my family. Your article really didn’t talk too much about the protein levels in the program. I will probably stick to a more sensible balance diet of whole foods.
Hi Tracy,
Just because the P90X is something different doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t hit a plateau while following it. In fact, I think you certainly can plateau with the P90X, especially in regard to strength because without going to a gym or buying additional equipment it will be difficult to consistently increase resistance.
Although the program may suggest resting when needed and not doing as many reps as the people in the videos, there’s a lot more to consider than this. Even if you do fewer reps, the program still involves a lot of sets. Far more than what is necessary to build impressive strength. Likewise, even with longer breaks in between sets, the excessive number of sets can still easily push someone beyond their capacity. In addition, doing an hour of fairly intense aerobic exercise 2 to 3 days per week can also be too much for some people, especially in combination with the strength workouts. It’s definitely possible to make great strength gains with much fewer sets and greatly improve fitness with aerobic exercise that is less intense. This is why I say the P90X is inefficient and is designed to burn calories more so than anything else. Exercising beyond what is necessary to improve fitness and health just to burn calories is not a smart way to lose weight.
As long as you’re not forcing yourself to eat more protein than what keeps your appetite satisfied, I don’t think it would be difficult to eat too much of it, especially if it’s protein from high quality meat rather than highly processed powders. Traditional Eskimos and Native American Indians eat significant amounts of protein and are known for their vibrant health. The key is finding the amount of protein that is suitable for your individual metabolism.
Regarding osteoporosis, I would be more worried about deficiencies of the fat soluble vitamins A and D which tend to be found in animal fat and along with … protein! I’d also be more worried about food and beverages like soda and coffee that aren’t good for us anyway as well as the pasteurization of dairy altering the structure of calcium and impairing it’s absorption. This is an especially important concern since most people rely on dairy for calcium. Another important concern is the phytic acid in nuts, grains, and seeds that aren’t properly prepared. Phytic acid blocks the absorption of a number of minerals including calcium and magnesium, both of which are important to bone health.
Nice article. I found your blog while was sitting here sore from P90x and searching for some balanced opinions. Very impressed with your demeanor answering reader comments. So I added your blog to google reader so I can catch your new articles.
I borrowed the p90x kit from a friend who gave up. I am very glad I didn’t pay full price for it. Really I am surprised this is rated so highly. When I looked at the before after photos in the materials, it appears very scam like as the if you check the shadows most of the before shots have the flash coming dead on, the after shots have the flash at an angle. It is very obvious and a bit sleazy marketing IMO.
Beyond that the volume seems ridiculous. You end up doing up 12+ sets per body part. I end up so sore from workouts I can’t even do the warmup the next day or two. Tony is very annoying. Having done a couple of the workouts more than once now, I find his banter wearing already. The constant pushing of their supplements is also annoying.
Though there are positives.
I never tried a video based home program before, so this does help me do more than when I just try making my own plans. I don’t know about many programs that are weight/strenght based at all. I think Leg/back disk is a pretty good core of a home program.
I am debating buying this from my buddy and maybe just doing the leg/back disk, Plus chest/shoulders disk twice a week each (throw in some stretching/plyo or nothing on the other days).
Or finding a better alternative (BTW I am thin summer runner in Canada looking for a home workout to build strength in winter).
Is there a similar program for doing at home workouts(with dumbells/chin bar) that has less volume, more emphasis on compound movement/functional strength, with a less annoying host?
Thanks, Peter!
I completely agree with you about the volume and it’s my primary point of contention with the P90X. While high volume training is appropriate in some situations, it seems that its only purpose in P90X is to burn calories. I wouldn’t worry too much about the soreness, though. Even just a single set can cause significant soreness if it’s challenging enough, especially if it’s an exercise that you haven’t been doing regularly.
I can relate to what you said about Tony. Working out day after day listening to him would drive me crazy. However, being that this is just my opinion, and a highly subjective one at that, I didn’t mention it in the article. I also appreciate and respect the fact that some people are motivated by trainers with this type of personality. To each his own.
I don’t know of any good DVD workout programs to recommend, and based on the importance of addressing individual needs, I question if such a thing could even exist. However, I think you’re doing the right thing by extracting the pieces of P90X that you find useful and incorporating them into your own routine.
A couple of good resources that I think might help you put together a well rounded program for yourself are How to Eat, Move, and Be Healthy by Paul Chek and Core Performance by Mark Verstegen. In addition, The Big Book of Exercises will give you more of a selection of exercises to choose from, a good portion of which can be done at home with dumbbells and minimal equipment. Just be sure to not let yourself be overwhelmed by the choices and the occasional contradictions from different authors. As long as you identify a few key training priorities and start off small and simple, you should be able to progress quite well and make adjustments along the way.
I’m generally not an advocate of high volume endurance training, especially at higher intensities, but if you’re a serious runner, you might want to check out some of Joe Freil’s books. He might provide you with some good insight on how to tailor your workout program to your running and how to do both without overtraining. I like his book on heart rate training and think he has a pretty good perspective on fitness that’s cautious about pushing people beyond their capacity.
Thanks. I have no issue finding workout information, but workout videos for home strength building seem rare. I do see value in having the on screen lead to keep you on track and provide some motivation(even from Horton, though eventually he may be too much). I never looked at anything like this before because most workout videos tend to be “aerobics”. While this one is more aerobic than I am looking for, it is still more strength oriented than anything else I have seen. If I was going to a Gym, I would have no problem coming up with a program or carrying it out when there. The problem is getting there and paying for it. So my apartment and a few dumbells creates challenges.
I have experienced lots of muscle soreness over the years, lifting weights at various times in my life, so I am not alarmed by soreness in general. But even after doing the same p90x workout a second time, it is a fair bit higher than I am accustomed to on traditional weight programs. I think the volume is a bit high for me. My school of thought is that a bit of soreness ideal(naturally more after a layoff). The goal is not to destroy your muscles, but to stimulate them. All this extra destruction might handy for extra load on the system for people trying to lose weight.
But some of us are skinny guys looking to build functional strength.
I will probably stick with tailoring P90x unless someone suggest better video led workouts.
Hi Peter,
Sorry if I underestimated your experience. Good luck finding another DVD program. If you find one that you like, please let me know. I’d be curious to take a look at it.
Vin, Ive been watching the P90x commercials, and find them interesting, @ 36 years old and in the worse shape of my life, im skeptical and nervous considering its been years since ive been in military shape, i am however a dedicated person and when i put my mind to uasually do something it tends to be done in extreme im tired of being tired and watching for the first time in my life my belly excaping my britches sucks, ive scrolled, and read all the comments, and have to applaud you, and appreciate your time well put into this, i am however going to try the P90x program and will keep you posted on how it turns out, hopefully without a heart attach do to shock. Also fatigue you talk about could that be posibly from depression, cause I know thats been a problem for me kills my drive, but with six kids, ft school (due to the economy and construction being crap) ive been severly depressed and know working out will help in eliminating it with the natural endorpines the body releases when you exercise, but i know ive been stressed out way to long with out the proper diet, and exercise, feel the toll its put on my body, along with the years of abuse, ciggeretts, alcohol ect. The P90x seems to be the cheapest most reasonable offer on the market , with a structured plan, and motivator which i need to keep me motovated aswell, also however would love to get back into playing tennis, and could use a tennis partner if your in the az area. Is their any supplements you would recomend (creatine) or such while going thru this program?, Again thanxs Vin, and sorry about the run on sentences im the king at that em
geez should of proof read before hitting send, sorry everyone still in school eng not being my best subject
Hi Jason,
I too am dedicated and tend to do things to extremes. We are the type of people who I think the P90X is the worst for because we’re more likely to look at it as a challenge and less likely to back down and reduce the volume if necessary. Based on this, keep in mind that doing the P90X can end up making you more tired than you already are if you’re not careful.
Exercise absolutely can help to reduce or eliminate depression. In fact, I think there might be some research showing that it’s at least as effective as some medications. However, like I said above, if you’re not careful about respecting your limits, you could make your depression worse. Keep in mind that a healthy diet can reduce depression too.
It doesn’t take much exercise to produce endorphins and boost your mood, and the exercise doesn’t have to be intense either. I’ve experienced an overall increase in my sense of happiness from doing short weightlifting sessions as well as low intensity cardio, but I’ve also experienced fatigue, depression, and irritability from exercising too much. I think the best approach is to error on the side of not doing enough and making adjustments as necessary.
For now at least, I think you’d probably be better off not worrying about supplements. I think it would be much more beneficial to focus your energy on quitting smoking if you haven’t already, eating a healthy diet, and getting plenty of rest. No supplement will make up for deficiencies in these areas.
I’d love to play tennis with you, but it would be a long drive from NY!
Hi Vin,
A very interesting article. Like a lot of other respondents, I too have been considering buying the P90X program. I have recently read the book the Abs Diet, and by following the dietary guidleines have shed 4.5kgs in 3 weeks. There is a workout program in the latter part of the book which looks quite good. I was wondering if you’re familiar with the book and the workout program? I am no stranger to exercise, having been a P.E. teacher before I got into sales. Now with 5 year old twins, I need to follow a plan that won’t interfere with the time I need to put aside for the family. When I was in my 30′s I got down to about 10% bodyfat; now I’m in my late 40′s I’m probably around 20%. What are your thoughts on the resistance bands and chin-up bar?
Thanks,
Dave
Hi Dave,
Sorry, I’m not familiar with The Abs Diet.
I think resistance bands are good for some exercises, particularly injury prevention exercises, but I don’t think they’re very good for building basic strength because they limit exercise selection and the extent to which you can increase the resistance.
I think chin ups are a great exercise, especially since most people spend too much time working on their chest and shoulders. The fact that the P90X program emphasizes the use of them is one of the few things I like about it. However, I don’t think it’s a good idea to do the wide grip pull up variation and I think it’s more than sufficient to do just a few sets of them.
Thanks for your reply Vin,
The Abs Diet focuses on 12 “super foods” and regular daily exercise; mostly in the form of resistance weight training. In fact ABS DIET POWER is an anacronym for the 12 super foods:
Almonds and other nuts
Beans and Pulses
Spinach and other green vegetables
Dairy (skim milk or low-fat yoghurt)
Instant hot oats
Eggs
Turkey and other lean meats
Peanut Butter (natural)
Olive Oil
Wholegrain Breads & Cereals
Extra Protein (Whey Powder)
Raspberries and other berries
The rationale is to have 6 small meals spread out through the day that combines as many of these super foods as possible. The emphasis is on carbs around workouts and exercise and the rest of the day each meal should have a protein component. I’m aiming at around 500 cals below maintainence, which for me is around 3,000 cals. As I indicated, I’ve lost about 4.5 kgs whilst utilising this program. The workouts are full body workouts done 3 times a week. The program recommends 2 sets of 15-20 reps for everything. Typically the exercises are done with free weights.
I intend to do the P90X program with your modifications; i.e. lose the yoga, stretching and diet.
cheers,
Dave
Hi Dave,
Based on what you described, there are a few things that I don’t like about The Abs Diet.
I’m not a fan of low fat diets and you can read why in the article I wrote about skim milk. In short, fat is important to our health for many reasons and it’s not the cause of weight gain and heart disease that many people believe it to be. A few other significant concerns with dairy are the quality of it’s source and if it contains A1 beta casein.
There’s a reason why beans are notorious for causing gas. They contain polysaccharides which are difficult to digest and can fuel the propagation of undesirable bacteria. This is how the excess gas is produced and is not at all conducive to good digestive health. This also applies to any food that’s high in starch.
I think nuts a great source of nutrition, especially for snacks, but only if they’re properly prepared. Otherwise they contain phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors which interfere with mineral absorption and protein digestion. Peanuts, however, aren’t nuts and aren’t necessarily a great choice either. They’re highly susceptible to mold growth, and as such, it’s easily possible for peanut butter to contain aflatoxins. You also have to be careful about reading the label because peanut butter often contains trans fat as well.
Turkey is great, especially if obtained from a reputable source. However, I don’t like the idea of only eating lean meats for the same reason I don’t like low fat diets in general.
The recommendation for cereals and breads is particularly suspect for a weight loss diet, even if made from whole grains. They also present the same concern as nuts. Other than the Ezekiel brand, few manufacturers properly prepare the grains they use. Also worth considering is that many people are sensitive to the gluten in grain without knowing it.
I especially don’t like the idea of relying on protein powder as a source of protein instead of real whole foods. Not only is it likely for at least some of the protein to be denatured from pasteurization, but the powder is also likely to contain oxidized cholesterol which isn’t good either. Using protein powder on occasion probably isn’t a big deal, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to rely on it as a substantial part of daily protein intake.
Berries are a great recommendation. They’re a great source of antioxidants.
If you stick to natural whole foods like meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, and nuts, I bet you’d still be able to lose weight without having to worry about counting calories which I think is often a flawed approach. I lost 30 pounds in 3 months this way which wasn’t even my intent. I didn’t even know I had that much extra weight to lose!
I hope that helps!
Nice site, and a great long discussion about P90X!
I think without any knowledge about exercise and general fitness, one cannot do P90X anyway, since it’s not easy. So armed with some knowledge, the individual can tailor the program to their needs.
Personally, instead of a 7 day training block, I’ve extended this to 10, with 3 days playing squash. And as for the nutrition goes, I’m vegetarian, mostly vegan though, so I don’t munch chicken or fish so a high protein diet is difficult for me. I don’t take any protein powders either. I’m soon adding running to my workouts during squash days too. Its totally customizable for me. It gives me exactly what I want, good bodyweight exercises, mixed in with dumbbells, it shows me modified moves too if I’m tired/hurt/not able to do a particular exercise. There’s strength work, flexibility, cardio…so it’s an all round workout. Tony can be too much, but generally entertains, and seems like a nice guy who shows you the moves exactly. I’m using this as a stepping stone for harder workouts, more intensity! If you think this is too intense, and you don’t like intensity, then this is not for you. Try Rosstraining.com for INTENSE. His products are amazing. Again if someone thinks P90x is overtraining, then Rosstraining is definetely NOT for them.
All this stuff about this program will get you ripped is up to the individual, and it obviously depends on how people are going into P90x! It’s just a marketing thing. And why hate them for that, they have made millions off this, good for them!! Check out the reviews on Youtube etc, from people who have got great results, they can’t all be liars can they??
Bottom line: You could do a LOT worse, than P90X.
Thanks, Gerrard!
It sounds like you do quite a bit of exercise, and in my opinion, the more you do, the harder it is to maintain your health with a vegetarian diet. This applies even more so with a vegan diet. I recommend reading The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith who was once a devoted vegan. You could also read Breaking Back by James Blake which is not necessarily related to nutrition, but provides some insight on his decision to abandon his vegetarian diet after realizing that it was inhibiting his body’s ability to cope with the physiological burden of professional tennis.
Yes, the P90X is about getting ripped, and that’s my primary contention with it. It’s all about being ripped with little regard for optimal health. Contrary to what most people think, it’s very possible to be fit, ripped, and unhealthy, and unless you have a naturally high capacity for physical exertion, I think following an exercise program like the P90X for a long period of time will push many people in that direction. And that doesn’t even take into account the fact that most people are already at a compromised state by eating poorly, not getting enough sleep, and being under too much stress. While some people think that intense exercise may compensate for these things, it actually adds insult to injury and makes matters worse.
You’re right again that you can do much worse than the P90X, but this doesn’t lessen any of its flaws. Why settle for bad instead of awful when you can choose to pursue something that’s excellent?
Thanks for the reply.
I like working my butt off in the gym. I love sport. Try telling a professional boxer or soccer player that by running miles on end, and then getting into the gym/training field and working for another 3 hours is “bad” for him. He’ll likely get knocked out, or embarrass himself in front of everyone!!! And just because most of us don’t compete professionally, it doesn’t mean that we also cannot enjoy the benefit of being super fit, like professional athletes. Obviously this has to come with the discipline to eat and rest well, otherwise I agree this could be counter productive. Which is basically what you are saying. P90X is not all about getting ripped, it IS about getting healthy if that’s what someone wants. Any exercise program with a diet of McDonalds and beer is not a good idea, not just with P90X. Eating right is obviously common sense, you don’t need a lot of protein or supplements to be healthy while maintaining an active lifestyle.
As for the books, I could name you 20 books which contradict the above books completely, but I won’t! Vegetarianism is a topic which I don’t like debating, like politics and religion! You get nowhere. It’s a matter of belief and opinion. James Blake? How about Martina Navratilova (she actually won things!), Edwin Moses (Multiple World Record Holder), Carl Lewis (Multiple World Record Holder). True athletes who were at the very top of their game, undisputed number 1′s.
And Matt, the plyo workout is a great workout. I love this workout, it’s challenging. Do not skip this at all, it’ll improve your explosive strength.
Hi Gerrard,
I too like working my butt off in the gym and love sport. However, I’ve experienced the effects of overdoing it which I don’t love at all. Some of us naturally have more capacity than others, and there’s probably no better example of this than professional athletes. Many of us simply don’t have the genetics to keep up with their training regimens. In a way, it’s probably a bit like natural selection. If you don’t have the capacity to do that type of training, you probably won’t make it as a professional athlete. However, there’s also another side to that. Some professional athletes do train much more than they need to and pay the price. For example, some of the best analysts in tennis have been saying for a while that Rafael Nadal trains too much and now it’s starting to catch up with him in the form of chronic injuries. You don’t have to worry about embarrassing yourself if you can’t even show up to perform! Besides, who’s to say that many professional athletes aren’t stealing from their future by training so hard?
If one has the capacity for a high volume of exercise, I suppose there’s nothing wrong with utilizing it as long it’s recognized that there might be undesirable consequences, but I still think it’s important to know what the intended purpose is. The P90X plyo workout you mentioned is a great example. If someone really wants to improve their explosiveness, why not research what the best strength and performance coaches are teaching. I’m confident they’d find something much different than the P90X. What then is the purpose of doing an inferior plyometrics workout? To jump around for an hour just to make marginal improvements to explosiveness and enjoy the sensation of working harder than necessary, or to make significant improvements to explosiveness with only the amount of work required? If the latter, then I would think the P90X is not the most efficient or effective use of time. Even for people who just want to moderately improve their explosiveness to prevent injury, a full workout dedicated to plyometrics certainly isn’t necessary. Again, what’s the purpose? Putting burden on your joints just to burn calories?
I agree that eating right is mostly about common sense, but it’s about much more than simply avoiding things like beer and McDonald’s. Besides, most people still opt to overexercise and mindlessly burn calories instead of fixing their diet. That’s not the healthy way to do it, and I also have a hard time believing that the P90X is about health more so than appearance based on the diet it promotes. Although the P90X is likely to improve the health of someone previously living an unhealthy lifestyle, this is not the same thing as optimal health. In my opinion, the general standard for “good” health these days is a compromise and isn’t really anything to be proud of, but I suppose one has to experience life both ways to really appreciate the reality of this.
Your absolutely right about Navratilova. However, based on her book, she clearly lives a much healthier lifestyle overall than even most “healthy” people. That’s important to consider as is nutritional individuality. Some people can do pretty well on a vegetarian diet, some can’t. I don’t think too many people would disagree that the more exercise you do, the more protein you need for repair which clearly creates an added challenge for vegetarians and especially vegans. Athletes like Navratilova certainly have shown that it’s possible, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best way. However, even if I don’t agree with it, I respect and appreciate your choice to be a vegetarian and apologize if it seems that I pushed the issue too much. My only intent was to share information.
Hello, I’m 60 and purchased P90X a month ago. I watched the DVD’s first without doing a thing, then modified the workouts for my needs. The different exercises, chin up bar, bands and the few weights I have allow me to do a SHORT workout to suit ME. The eating plan and chemical supplements went straight to the TRASH. I have eaten organic for 2 years now and found the overload of protein and the chemicals not to my liking. This system is a good plan to MODIFY FOR YOUR NEEDS. This system for a 60 year old is way to intense for me and I don’t have a desire to be ripped! I want to feel good, sleep well and exercise without causing damage to my body. Everything in moderation. Listen to your body, it will tell you when enough is enough.
Tony
Hi Tony, thanks for your comment!
It sounds like you clearly understand what so many others seem not to. Exercise is about improving quality of life. As you put it, feeling good, sleeping well, and avoiding injury. For others, this may include performance and physical function. Even for people who do want to be ripped, overall health and quality of life should be the top priority. Ironically, this perspective can actually make it a lot easier to produce an impressive physique because of the discipline and dedication that are typically associated with it, especially when properly applied to diet. Unfortunately, too many people are stuck on the dogma of calorie burning to realize this.
Your healthy perspective is refreshing, Tony. Thanks for sharing it and good luck with your exercise routine!
Hi…I recently purchased the P90X kit and began today. I’ve always been in good shape due to the fact I bike 5-6 days aweek to and from work, weight train 4-5 times a week and in the last 6 months have been running approx. 25 miles a week. The reason I began P90X is to add some variety to my fitness plan. (I felt as though I was in a rut). After reading your article…I was wondering if I should basically ignore the fat shredding diet and just keep eating as healthy as I was. Also.. since I’m pretty active already.. should I not do the plyometrics and kempo routines? I really appreciate your time. Thanks. Matt
Hi Matt,
You’re more than “pretty active.” You’re doing quite a bit! Instead of regarding P90X as additional variety, I would regard it as additional burden to your body that you’ll need to recover from. I think the important question to ask yourself is what value are you getting from this burden? If your primary goal is to lose weight, you’re already doing more than enough to accomplish that. In fact, too much exercise can actually impair weight loss because of the physiological stress it causes.
Weight training 4 to 5 days per week is quite a bit and is likely to cause overtraining unless you’re doing very light lifting. And that’s without the biking, running, and now the P90X. If I were you, I would assess the reasons why you do all of this exercise and ask yourself if you really need to do this much to accomplish your goals.
I don’t know what your definition of a healthy diet is, but a “fat shredding diet” sounds to me like a bunch of hype. Instead of “shredding fat”, your diet should be based on building health, and the best way to do that is to eat mostly natural whole foods. If you do it right, you don’t have to count calories or avoid fat either.
Matt (and Vin)
I too have recently purchased P90X and commenced today. I have already been on a low-carb/high protein diet for a month and I’ve been running 8km every other day in preparation for my 90 day challenge. I’m a very disciplined person so I have high expectations of actually getting in the best shape of my life at the end of the 90 days.
I did the chest and back routine today and whilst I couldn’t perform as many reps as the guys in the video, I faired pretty well. I don’t have the chin-up bar, so I used the resistance bands. I also substituted dumbell presses for some of the push-up variations which I found quite difficult. I was pretty spend at the end of the workout; however I feel really good about this program. The videos are great to follow along with.
I’m going to give this program a red-hot go; I want to challenge myself. I’ll put up a post every now and then and give you my feedback. By the way, I’m 48 years old; ex-physical education teacher and footballer, now working in sales.
regards,
Dave
Hi Dave,
I look forward to hearing about your progress. I’m especially curious to see how you choose to maintain what you’ve accomplished after the 90 days as I think this is one of the major shortcomings of P90X. It may be easy enough to get through 3 months, but what about 3 years? Regardless of that, I hope it works out well for you. Good luck!
hey vin.. u failed to accound that this program may be ideal for people who already are healthy and have been weightraining and doing cardio for years.. just need that push to get bigger, ripped or work at higher intensity.. although i understand your perspective that people need to tailor it to there needs. That goes with any program though and since people aren’t physical trainers they should seek to understand there needs.
Adressing your “Overtraining”. You clearly havent tried it out and are just speculating. The importance of alternating muscles worked on what days is adressed in this program. In addition p90x guy tells u to take breaks and pause when needed. However there may be a little too many exercises but this dependent on how u do them (Weighted non weighted) and your level of fitness. Also if people were overtraining, i guess that should be adressed in the video because it is not common sense. However this program can be tailored to fit anyone i believe.
Biggest point is whether people should understand self-specific training or p90x should be held responsible for telling people to set more specific program tailored to there needs (i.e. more rest days shorter duration)…..
Also i do think that in one video he states that you may not be able to do all his exercises to start with but eventually u can
Hi Sun, thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I appreciate your sentiment but certainly have not neglected to consider people who are already healthy. While such individuals may have the capacity to complete the P90X without much issue, my point that it’s a lot of unfocused physiological burden to the body still stands. Regardless of how healthy one is, they still have a limited amount of recovery capacity, and in my opinion, the P90X pushes the limits of this capacity more than it needs to for it’s intended purposes. Based on this, people who are already healthy aren’t immune to the volume of this program infringing on their health.
You’re right that I haven’t done the P90X program and that’s because I know that I’d be wasting time and effort. I know what my fitness goals are and know how to approach them in a more efficient and effective manner. My only intentions with this article are to help convince people to have more direction and purpose in their exercise programs and to not burden their bodies more than necessary simply to burn calories. If you consider that to be speculation, then so be it. You’re entitled to your opinion as well as making your own choice to follow the P90X program if you think it meets your needs.
Mr. Miller,
I understand your concern about over exercise, your experience with chronic fatigue syndrom and advocacy for a healthy lifestyle. However what I can’t wrap my head around is why are you so down on people trying to obtain a peak level of fitness in a short amount of time. Clearly you are well versed in your fields and are entitled to your opinion however, I disagree with your evaluation of exercise component of p90x. I won’t comment on the nutritional aspects of p90x as I do not follow that plan and have no need or interest in loosing weight.
I had the benefit during my college years of practicing karate under a traditional instructor. These classes were 4 days a week for about 2 to 3 hours each and were insanely intense. Easily 3 times more intense as anything p90x has to offer. Each class went until much of the class were completly exhausted. As I look back on what I could do as a result of that practice I can only conclude that it was because of the intense and repetative nature of the practice. I was not competing or training for some demonstration, I pushed as hard as I could because I felt most alive when I moved past what I thought were my limits. Ironically, I felt a certain kind of energy. Over the years I continue to train hard but with less frequency and also added lighter workouts. However, I would argue that you do not receive the full benefit of any training, workout or practice unless you consistently push yourself beyond your limits.
I believe that humans have much untapped potential and that we can accomplish seemingly inhuman feats through intense training. For this reason people should be encouraged to push themselves and not hold back for as long as they are able to perform the exercise or practice properly.
I attempted to run a marathon a few years ago because my father ran marathons and I wanted to take a step in his shoes. My goal was to finish one marathon and then if I choose to run another better my time. I followed a beginner running schedule but unfortunately I developed an illiotibutal (sp?) band problem (pain) and was not able to continue the program after my 18 mile run due to pain. I stopped because I could not run properly (ie. without experiencing the bad kind of pain). But my point is you train for a marathon by running a lot. Sometimes the training is too much for some people (it was for me) some people can handle it and much more. Perhaps I should have started out with a half marathon (even though I ran a few of those just in my training) that involved less running but my goal was a marathon and I trained accordingly. I did not accomplish that goal but at least I tried and if I had not tried I would have never known. The fact that I am no worse for the wear is probably due to me stopping when my body told me to. This principle is repeated over and over again in p90x.
Individuals who purchase p90x should practice this principle. There are always people who refuse or don’t know how. However, this is true for any kind of training, even if the training is specifically tailored to an individual. This is not the fault of the program it is the fault of the individual. What is more, maybe some people simply want to experience this type of training for a short period in their life and will move on to less intense routines. I see nothing unhealthy or inherently wrong with that. Simply because you reach a certain level of fitness by following a certain program and are unable to maintain that level for 3years or more in and of itself does not speak ill of the program or the individual. People have different goals at different periods in their lives. It goes without saying that following the same set or series of exercises for the rest of one’s life won’t continue to produce positive results and could in fact produce negative results. One’s routine of exercise and its intensity level must change over an individual’s life but the individual must be the one to recognize when that change needs to be made and then make the change. People such as yourself are well equiped at advising on these issues.
Another thing I noted relates to your repeated assertion that there are better ways to accomplish and maintain the results that p90x produces. I would agree that there are safer ways and ways that are more unsafe, that there are ways that take longer and ways that take a shorter period of time. Whether or not these ways are better is in the eye of the beholder. It just seems that your wealth of knowledge in this field and your personal experience make you focus more one the negative side of what if than the positive side of what if. My problem with that it results in you advising people to cut themselves too short instead of exploring their potential. Or at least that is the way it comes across to me.
That being said I enjoy reading this thread and compliment you on a forum that has provided for a healthy debate.
Hi Troy, thank you for your thoughtful comment.
It’s important to realize that peak fitness cannot be obtained in 3 months. It takes years. Besides, in my opinion, the P90X is more about weight loss than fitness. The program is very basic in regard to developing the individual aspects of fitness such as strength, power, endurance, flexibility, and mobility. Although the P90X can serve as an introduction to these aspects of fitness, an introduction isn’t enough to develop peak fitness, and most of these aspects take quite a long time to develop to one’s genetic potential. Whether you’re a dedicated athlete or just looking to promote good health, fitness needs to be a long term objective. Unless you have extremely strong motivation, a high genetic capacity for recovery, excellent health, and excellent lifestyle habits, the volume of the P90X program is not a good approach to developing long term fitness gains. Pushing your limits during each workout is similar to working to failure. Doing this consistently and frequently is a sure way to overtrain which is a very legitimate way to compromise one’s health, and in some cases, it can takes months to recover from it.
There’s a fine line between exercise contributing to one’s health and it imposing so much demand for recovery that it’s a compromising burden. For serious athletes and people who love intense exercise, this burden may be fulfilling enough to be worth while as long as it’s not taken to the point where it can actually hurt performance which is definitely possible. However, in regard to the P90X, it seems to me that most people who follow it simply want to lose weight, and this shouldn’t be a surprise since it’s exactly what the P90X is marketed for. Why put this much burden on your body to lose weight when it’s not necessary? And for anyone who is a serious athlete or enjoys strenuous exercise, why not do it with more direction and purpose to get more out of it?
Your marathon experience is a great example. You suggest that perphaps you should have started smaller and progressed more gradually. This is exactly what I’m saying, and although you say that the P90X promotes this, I disagree. Giving brief mention for people to go at their own pace is a lot different than providing the guidance people will need to help them determine how often and how intensely they should exercise. Many people are stuck in the mentality that more is better, and in regard to the people following the P90X program to lose weight, I think many of them will be hyped up by the marketing to do as much of the videos as they can and push their limits as much as possible. When this is repeated most days of the week for an extended duration, you have a classic overtraining scenario.
Even when someone approaches marathon training gradually, it’s still a tremendous burden on the body. If someone wants to complete a marathon as a fulfilling personal goal, perhaps that makes it a worth while trade off. However, training for marathon after marathon is a different story and may very well be borrowing from one’s future. If someone loves marathon running so much that they’d be unhappy not doing it, then maybe it doesn’t matter in their case. Not everyone understands that consistently pushing their physical limits comes with a cost, and this is all I’m trying to make people realize. The P90X just happens to be a great example of it that applies to a wide range of people.
I would like to emphasize that I am definitely not trying to discourage people from trying to discover their fitness potential and I’m glad you gave me the opportunity to do so. The point I’m trying to make is to be smarter about it, and if applicable, to do it with more purpose. Besides, the way the P90X program is designed, it won’t bring anyone to their maximum potential for endurance, strength, power, or any other aspect of fitness. As such, how can it truly allow someone to explore their potential? All it does is allow one to be intense, dig deep, and fight the feeling of fatigue to push past their limit all while burning a bunch of calories. Yes, it clearly improves fitness as well, but not to the point of allowing someone to experience their full potential. I like pushing my limits myself, and even if I wasn’t an athlete, I’d still want to do it, but not so frequently that it consistently challenges my capacity for recovery and threatens to compromise physiological function.
In most cases, you’re right that you can’t expect long term progress from following the same exercise routine for the rest of your life. However, simply bouncing around from one generic DVD workout program to another isn’t any better. There’s a lot more to periodization than simply doing something different. In general, a periodized program that changes over time will still have the continuity of a common and specific goal. While a marathon runner may adjust a training program that he or she has adapted to and is no longer progressing from, the overall training goal is still to run long distances as quickly as possible, and any adjustments that are made will be aligned with this goal. You can go from the P90X to Insanity or any other Beachbody program, and the only common goal will be pushing your body really hard just to burn calories. In my opinion, that has nothing to do with exploring one’s potential for maximum fitness.
If someone thoroughly enjoys the P90X routine and their only objective is to simply enjoy working hard, I suppose that’s fine as long as it’s not wearing them down, but I think it’s a waste to apply that much effort without directing it towards a more significant goal than simply challenging themselves or burning calories.
Vin-
That is exactly what I am trying to figure out right now. I am three weeks from finishing P90X but I knew from the beginning that I would probably not continue to do it. I just wanted something to get me in gear and maintain after I was finished. I didn’t weigh myself and take pictures when I started. I have not done so since either. I know I have lost weight since my jeans don’t fit anymore and am told by friends and family that I look better.
I credit just as much of my success to my change in the way I eat. I use a combination of “Eat This Not That” and the ABS diet (same authors) and am excited about the way feed both myself and my family now.
I am going to need a new workout routine in 3 weeks! I have no idea what to do now. Do I use a few of the P90X videos that I liked and combine that with jogging? How many days a week and for how many minutes of exercise should we be getting? How much should this be cardio? How much resistence? How much stretching (yoga)?
Hi Kevin,
Congratulations on your weight loss and I’m glad to hear that you’re inspired by the dietary changes you’ve made. Although I haven’t read Eat This Not That or The Abs Diet, some of the reviews seem to indicate that they’re largely based on calorie counting and avoiding saturated fat. If you’re open to the potential of getting even more benefit from your dietary changes, I hope you’ll consider that calorie counting can be a very flawed approach and saturated fat is an important nutrient that doesn’t deserve it’s bad reputation. In general, when you focus on eating mostly natural whole foods such as meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, and nuts, there’s much less need to worry about limiting calories or avoiding fat, even if you occasionally choose to indulge in fast food. Most importantly, this type of approach emphasizes optimal health as a top priority with weight loss being a secondary benefit. Either way, I wish you the best of luck with continuing your progress.
Unless your goals are more specific than simply losing weight and maintaining or promoting good health, I think it’s best to follow a well rounded routine that includes the basics: strength training, interval training, low intensity aerobic training, flexibility, and mobility. You can try starting off with 2 days per week of strength training, 1 day of interval training each week or every other week, and one day of low intensity aerobic exercise. Depending on your capacity and how you adapt to your workouts, you can add or subtract volume as you see fit.
For aerobic and interval training, you can choose from any of your favorite activities such as running, cycling, rowing, etc. You can even be creative and use other activities that provide about the same amount of challenge. For strength training, you can continue using the exercises from P90X and adjust the volume to meet your needs, or you can use something like The Big Book of Exercises to get some new ideas. I think it’s generally best to choose compound exercises that incorporate multiple joints, and it’s also important to make sure that the combination of exercises chosen works all of the major muscle groups. In regard to flexibility and mobility, you don’t need to do yoga unless you prefer to, and if you’re looking for something different, you can try the resources I recommended in the article. It would also be a good idea to do a self assessment of your potential for injury.
Instead of feeling overwhelmed by not knowing what to do next, I suggest embracing this as an opportunity to experiment and discover what you like most and what works best for you. Just be sure to error on the side of being conservative rather than trying to do too much at once. You can always add more later if you think it would be appropriate.
Vin,
Your article was boring to read and lacking. To me it wasn’t very convincing. It sounded very old school and not encouraging or motivational for anyone wanting to workout and get healthy. It had no positivity in it!
After the first sentence we got the point that you are not into P90x. I find it very disrespectful to those who are in the program. If P90x inspires people to do the program and to work out and challenge themselves then there is no harm in the program. Let them decide instead of you trying to persuade them not to do it. Everyone has done interval training and everything you mentioned it all gets old! Everyone is always looking for a new way to change up their workouts! P90x promotes doing different things each day, other programs is the same thing day after day.
The nutritional plan is not a must in the P90 program. It’s encouraged but you dont have to do it. Plus P90x is more than just getting ripped. If you want to get ripped and you’ve done everything else and have hit a plateau P90x will help you go all the way. It also is for getting in shape just not ripped. Have you actually gone through the program? All 90 days? Or did you just watch the dvd’s and not do it? If you haven’t, you have no clue what you are talking about and your article is pointless. Also, anything you do can cause an injury! P90x tells you and encourages you to focus on your form before anything else so you dont get injured! ANYTHING can cause injury and nothing really tries to prevent it!
P90x is challenging, burns calories tones muscle, it does it all! It’s a wonderful program. You’ve preached to the choir..we all know that intervals are good and biking hiking blah blah blah is good for you… but why not add that to P90x if you enjoy those things so much! Your body adapts to those exercises and those things. P90x keeps you on your feet and your body doesn’t adapt. I think you are missing the point that P90 is more than burning calories, it’s to improve strength and encourage an active lifestyle. It’s about goals and proving to yourself you can do it. It is about one’s quest to finding their maximum fitness. It helps with agility and so much more. I think you have your head so far up your own fanny that you missed the whole point of P90x!
I find it funny that most gyms are adding P90x programs to their facility and trainers are using P90x with their clients…..
Hi Lacey, thank you for your honesty.
Sometimes, opening people’s minds to what they might be doing wrong is prerequisite to helping them live healthier lives. In other words, you can’t fix something that you don’t know is broken. Because mainstream beliefs are often based more so on advertising and corporate influence than on science, experience, and logic, pointing out the flaws in a popular trend like the P90X can be an effective way to help people think more for themselves and more sensibly. Although the article may seem to be negative in regard to the P90X program, the overall message, which is to encourage people to make more informed decisions regarding their exercise habits, is intended to be positive.
Similar to the new trend of toning sneakers, many people argue that the P90X helps to motivate people and gets them off the couch. However, if you don’t guide them toward developing a balanced and informed perspective on exercise in addition to motivating them, then it’s likely that they’ll eventually end up right back on the couch after the novelty of the P90X wears off or after the program wears them out. The positive message here is that exercise needs to be done in a way that can be enjoyable and tolerable for a lifetime. Although some people will disagree, I don’t think the P90X program supports this. Most importantly, I’m not choosing anything for anyone. Instead, I’m merely offering a different perspective. Take it or leave it.
There’s a fine line between periodizing an exercise program to provide variety and prevent plateaus verses having so much randomness that it becomes difficult to monitor progress. Most people who are knowledgeable about strength training would likely agree that the “muscle confusion” discussed in the P90X program is pretty much nonsense. Furthermore, I never suggested that a high quality exercise program requires doing the same thing day after day.
The P90X will “bring you all the way” to what? This is one of the major problems I see with the program. It lacks the ability to support specific goals other than losing weight, burning calories, or working really hard just for the sake of it. If you want to maximize your strength, speed, endurance, or athletic performance, the P90X will only bring you a small portion of the way.
Anything can cause injury and nothing tries to prevent it? While any type of exercise does pose a risk of injury, the level of risk can vary significantly, and many exercise programs are indeed specifically designed to minimize this risk. In fact, it’s often one of the top priorities for strength and conditioning coaches that train professional athletes, and their reputation often depends on the injury rates of their clients.
You can “prove to yourself” that you can hang with three months of the P90X program and I’ll prove to myself that I will be a better athlete for years to come and that I’ll be fit and active well into my old age. To each his own! If having my “head so far up my own fanny” means having a perspective on exercise that’s based on optimal health, long term performance improvements, and lifelong exercise habits rather than embracing a 3 month challenge, then so be it. However, I don’t think I’m the one who’s missing the point, at least not in regard to your reasoning.
You may think it proves a point that private gyms and personal trainers are using P90X, but all this really shows is that they want to take advantage of a popular trend to improve their business.
I’ve just finished my second week of P90X and I have to say that this is the program I’ve been looking for. I have modified some aspects; I don’t do the plyo or yoga. I replace these elements with low intensity cardio. However I love the resistance training. Combined with my Abs Diet, I have lost 5kgs. My muscles are more defined, I’m fitting into clothes, I have more energy and people are commenting on how good I look. This is good enough for me. I’m going to get some bloodwork done at the end of the 90 days to see how other aspects have improved. I will continue some form of this program after the 90 days.
I find it very interesting that people like Lacey get so defensive of P-90X that they have to resort to bashing Vin and being completely disrespectful. You don’t have to agree with him, but why get defensive? He has his opinion and reasons for that opinion-this is America-you don’t have to agree, but at least show courtesy! You can disagree COURTEOUSLY! One more point. I did P90X religiously for SIX months, and now I’m paying for it with ankle problems and a pulled lower back. I still do parts of it (LOVE the YogaX), but I have mostly stopped doing the harder stuff as I’m just not designed for heavy weight lifting-and it took 6 months of being sore EVERY day, and then the injuries to admit that to myself. I’m 48, in good shape (have worked out my whole adult life), am at a good weight, and eat fairly decently (not real big on being a food martyr). But I’m fine-boned and don’t support much muscle on my frame to begin with, so needed to admit that and move to lighter weight training.
Hi Peggy, thanks for your support!
I don’t mind overlooking a little disrespect as long as there’s actually some thought involved in what’s being said and it makes for good discussion. However, I won’t approve a disrespectful comment that adds no value to the discussion, nor will I allow a comment like Lacey’s to proceed into an inflammatory conversation. As much of a challenge as it can sometimes be, I do my best to respect everyone’s opinion and I hope the more edgy comments don’t bother you or anyone else too much.
Vin,
Although I wasn’t overly impressed with the article, I did think your responses to the posters were top notch. While you make it clear that the nutrition plan is an issue, I find it hard to support ANY plan. For one, you WON’T have a custom plan in any pre-packaged system for the masses. Also, I can 5 different Nutritionist and health experts and they will have 5 different plans (obviously your daily activity and goals are a huge factor).
While I can see having issues w/ the products they push, I actually enjoy the program and feel they put together a good little work out in a short time fram (only one substantially longer than 1 hour total). To say these exercises are too much is kind of silly as I use it as daily change of pace in the morning in addition to my real workout. I also like to hike, bike, and play sports, but this is something I have as a set routine to start the day off right. I would consider this low risk (in terms of injuries) to sports like basketball or football as well as highly intense workout (a true plyo workout or explosive lifting for example). There are warnings given, modifications are available, and it leaves a set list of things to do to motivate those that wouldnt do as much on their own.
I have seen people that did work out at all use this program to great results. Not so much in losing weight, but also being a benefit to the cardio challenged. A friend of my wife has used the program and can run a mile (this person couldnt run 100 yrds previously). We are talking about 200+ lb woman being able to modify and make the program work. How hardcore is that?
Hi JP, thank you for your respectful comment.
I agree in regard to it being difficult to support any type detailed plan that’s delivered in a generic format, and I suppose much of my objection to the P90X program could be better explained by emphasizing this point more. Although your objection to such a plan seems to be in regard to nutrition, I think it applies to fitness just as much.
When I say that the the P90X is too much, it’s important to realize that I’m suggesting it’s too much for what it’s meant to do. For example, most serious athletes would have to do a lot more work to maximize their performance, and for them, this amount of work is not too much, but such a goal is not what the P90X is meant or able to provide for. Furthermore, pushing the limits of maximum performance like this may not be as healthy as everyone thinks and these athletes may be borrowing from their future to an extent. Obviously, it’s a much better situation than being sedentary, and there’s genuine purpose behind their effort, but it’s still a legitimate consideration. In contrast to truly maximizing performance, I see the P90X as a weight loss program, or even a basic fitness program for people who don’t need to lose weight. When I say that the P90X is too much, I mean that it’s too much for these goals. You can achieve these goals with much less physiological load. Furthermore, many of the people looking to accomplish these basic goals are also dealing with compromised health which is a very common result of the typical modern lifestyle. In my opinion, the P90X can easily push them over the edge if they’re not careful. While exercise can obviously build health, it’s also a physiological burden that can destroy health by adding to an already excessive amount of burden caused by other lifestyle aspects.
I think most of the people who object to my opinion of the P90X have a pretty good capacity for physical activity and are just looking to enjoy the high intensity of a demanding workout. Perhaps this is the case for you. Although I think it would be better to apply the intensity to a more specific goal, I suppose there’s nothing wrong with working hard just for the sake of it as long as it’s truly for enjoyment.
In regard to nutrition, you’re absolutely right that there’s a lot of contradiction out there. However, what I recommend is more of a guideline than a plan. While you may disagree with my objection to the politically correct low fat diet or the variation in macronutrient ratios, I think it’s difficult to disagree with the idea of a diet based on natural whole foods being one of the most simple and effective ways to support optimal health, and for the average person, this includes supporting exercise recovery. I think we can agree that the P90X does do a reasonable job of promoting whole foods but that it falls short when pushing the processed powders and bars.
Your wife’s friend is a great example. Good for her! While I could argue that there are better methods that she could have used, I certainly think it’s better that she achieved what she did using the P90X than having not achieved it all.
Hey Vin,
I agree with some of your article. I’m sorry if this has been said but I’m tired and I don’t feel like reading all those comments. I disagree with alot of the people that P90X has lost it’s luster and is boring. For me, I’m going to do P90X to get back into shape and then do my own cardio and strength workouts. If it’s meant to be an all the time workout then that’s dumb. I have tried it and then had to get my knee(s) surgery. I like the program. The only thing I don’t like is the main guy Tony. For some reason I want to reach through the T.V and punch him in the throat. He is so cocky. Other than that I would recommend this as a quick start to get you back into shape and then find another workout. That’s how I’m using it. Thanks.
Hi Chris, thanks for your comment.
Although some people might argue that the P90X program can be used over and over again, I agree that it’s not well suited for this. However, I don’t think the P90X is a good “get back into shape” program either. I think returning to exercise after a layoff should be a gradual process that gives your body the time it needs to comfortably readapt to intense training. There’s not much about the P90X program that’s gradual, and the manual and DVDs even say this. Maybe this is the approach that you prefer, but for many people, starting right away with high intensity and high volume is an easy way to burn out and lose interest.
If you’re confident enough in your exercise knowledge to plan your own cardio and strength training program, I think it would make much more sense to also put together your own program to get yourself back in shape. This would give you the opportunity to following a more gradual and incremented approach that could transition more smoothly into the program that you eventually plan on following.
The reason P90X is popular is that it provides a structure. The thing I like about the program is that it’s there on the DVD and in the booklet – all I have to do is press play. It may not be to your personal liking Vin, however there are literally thousands of people changing their lifestyle for the better through this program. It won’t suit everyone and you’re absolutely right – it’s intense and there’s a lot of exercises; however the results people are getting from this program speak for themselves. I also agree with you that the people who are getting the most from this program have a reasonable capacity for exercise. Everybody is different – I think there are a lot of positives about P90X. I for one will be continuing this program in some shape after the 90 days.
Hi Dave,
I can appreciate the fact that some people want to simply press play and follow a generic structure. Perhaps the average person with this mentality doesn’t have the motivation or desire to develop a better understanding of exercise and apply it to their individual needs more effectively. As long as they don’t burn themselves out, I would agree that something like P90X can suit them well. However, this is not the audience I had in mind when writing the article. As I mentioned to Steve below, this site is about optimal health and maximizing life which typically requires being proactive and taking control. Anyone who is open minded to such an approach should have at least some motivation to optimize their exercise program, especially considering how important exercise is to optimal and vibrant health.
Generic structure is convenient and generally effective, but rarely optimal, and in some cases, far from it.
This is an interesting bit of information here, much of it I agree with and some of it I don’t. I’ve been using Beach Body products (mainly Power 90) since 2003 and have had GREAT success with Power 90. Power 90 is not as extreme as P90X…the “advanced” workouts in Power 90 are just 38 minutes and 45 minutes for weights and cardio respectively. I find this to be plenty, so I agree with Vin that much of the P90X is just too much and in many cases unnecessary. I also agree with Vin that if you don’t like Yoga (and man I really don’t so I sometimes skip that in Power 90) then why do it? For longevity of your exercise program, you’ve got to like it at least a little bit. I continue to agree with Vin that a lot of focus on ab work is not necessary at all. There are three steps to nice abs, and in order of importance they are A) Good Diet; B) Cardio work; C) ab work done for just a few minutes 2-3 times a week max. The one area I will slightly disagree with Vin on (if I’m understanding him correctly) is that Beach Body promotes unhealthy ways to get ripped abs. The diet is central to the program, no matter what program you use, and their advice on what to eat is solid, especially when compared to the average American diet. I’m not a big believer in downing a ton of supplements (other than a one a day vitamin), so I don’t buy all that from them, but the diet portion of their programs is decent. Also, Tony constantly says to hold back if you’re not up for what they’re doing and to slowly build up the ability to do it and that if you can’t it’s not a big deal. I would also say that it’s a bit of a stretch for Vin to say that “Most of the models that you see on magazine covers likely fall into this latter category (that second category being “an unideal lifestyle by doing a ridiculous amount of crunches and burning as many calories as possible which can be a significant and undesirable burden on the body.”), and despite how good they look, it’s very possible that they have poor internal function.” That’s just too big of an assumption with baseless facts for me to buy, but in general I agree with what Vin has said.
Here’s something about programs like P90x and Power 90 that not everyone is considering…MANY people have incorporated cardiovascular exercise into their exercise programs but have NEVER done any weight lifting at all. I have long been a distance runner, ran for my college team have run marathons and ultra marathons, but prior to 2003 at age 36, I had never done any sustained weight lifting or resistance training of any kind. When I started Power 90 in 2003 I weighed 169 pounds, so I wasn’t Biggest Loser material, but I could only do 5 pushups MAX when I started. By the end of this program I was doing 30 pushups for the max pushups (this was at the end of the session…if I did them fresh I could get over 40)…just a CRAZY improvement. I also developed biceps and shoulder muscles that I never had before. This had a practical application for shoveling snow and trimming the bushes in the yard, etc. I lost some total weight (fat) while putting on muscle and was stronger in the upper body than I had ever been…a fact that has remained constant for 7 years as I often do rounds of Power 90 to supplement my running. I find that when I am in the midst of a focused training regimen that I will eat better, and so Power 90 and Beach Body definitely helped me clean up my diet…hardly just an outside improvement while neglecting the inside.
Bottom line is that there are many ways to skin a cat, and if you decided that P90X was the way you were going to go about it, if you follow Tony’s advice that you just do what you can do and hold back if you can’t on that given day, then you could use P90X to help you get where you want to be…it’s a very flexible program really. The key for any exercise program is to do it, so whether it’s Tae Bo or The Firm or Power 90 or Insanity or P90X, or whatever, eat well, constantly monitor yourself for injury and fatigue and just keep at it. If you decide you want to be bigger, then change your routine to include more weight training or to using heavier weights with fewer reps; if you decide you want more endurance then use lighter weights for more reps or start running or use an elliptical training or any number of things. It’s not rocket science.
Hi Steve, thanks for your comment!
In regard to the P90X being an unhealthy way to get ripped abs, what I mean is that I perceive it to emphasize appearance more so than health. Although the program certainly does provide nutritional guidelines that would be a major improvement to the typical modern diet, the overall emphasis of the program is clearly based on burning calories, and the typical modern diet is bad enough that nearly any diet program will look great in comparison. Also keep in mind that this site is about optimal health and that this is the perspective from which my opinion on P90X is based. While exercise is clearly an important part of optimal health, pushing the limits of overtraining is an entirely different matter.
My reference to cover models is also meant to be an example of the emphasis of appearance over health. There are many ways to lose weight and build muscle, and many of them are not congruent with optimal health. Excess calorie restriction, excessive exercise, hormone altering supplements, drugs, and cosmetic surgery are all examples of approaches commonly used to improve appearance that can also detract from one’s health. Just because someone has an impressive appearance with low body fat and plenty of muscle doesn’t mean that they’re vibrantly healthy, and it also doesn’t mean that their lifestyle habits will help them remain active and disease free as they age. Athletes and models represent some of best examples of physical greatness, but drug use and eating disorders are very common in these populations. Such behavior is clearly not focused on health, vibrance, and longevity. Some athletes and models are indeed very health conscious, but I think this is the exception rather than the norm. In short, an exceptional appearance doesn’t imply good health.
I agree with what you said in your last paragraph. I think the only major difference in what I’m saying is an additional emphasis on optimal health and exercising with direction instead of mindlessly following a generic program.
Hi Steve,
In regard to the following statement, I came across a very telling and unfortunate article that you might be interested in reading.
Here is a story about fitness model Daniel Martin and the unhealthy stresses that he puts his body through to look his best for a photo shoot. He also explains how the drastic measures that he takes are an industry standard and that magazines even expect their models to show up for photo shoots dizzy and feeling unwell due to their tactics for looking as lean and muscular as possible.
Hi Vin,
Nice post. And for one thing, its one of very few articles which talk critically about this P90X routine. I googled several times to find posts/articles listing cons of P90X but hardly found any worthy links there. That’s part of modern marketing strategy: Writing whole lot of positive blogs about your own products and use SEO tricks to obtrude negative reviews with positive (self created) articles.
I am trying P90X (yet again) with a sole objective to finish it. My previous few attempts failed partly because of reasons you mentioned (including tiredness, fatigue and boredom) but a major factor has been my lack of commitment to a healthy routine. I am one of those who starts going to gym every January and then drop out after March. I follow a strict food plan till Friday and come weekend its all out of window.
Now I take P90X as a challenge to myself for being consistent and staying with my resolutions. I am ready to compromise and modify the routine but just do it for sake of doing it 90 days on the trot. And thats one good thing about this program that it allows room for modifying moves and pace yourself.
One positive aspect of this workout is the basic exercises it involves. There isn’t much complicated in it. Its push-ups and pull-ups and abs and jumping and aerobics and yoga. Its all plain simple strategy to push oneself. Now you want to push yourself to limits, upto you. But I don’t see anything wrong with the routine. I go running few times and burn as much calories I would burn with plyometrics but plyo involves my whole body and I feel much more refreshed than running. So to say “Do not do plyo” wont be correct. You may take breaks. Skip few parts. Reduce intensity. But the fact remains that unless you get out of your comfort zone, you can’t be as fit as you desire. Its not about pushing beyond your limits but its more about pushing your limits further.
To expect it to take 90 days to reach your goals is not right. Its a lifelong commitment and so no harm in going slow. Beachbody has to make money and so they will obviously target masses and market it as quick 90 days solution. Its for one to use his/her wisdom to understand that it took more than 90 days to gain all that fat and get unfit and so it will take more than 90 days to revert that. Use P90X or any routine as a small step in changing your lifestyle to a healthier and fitter one. And I have no complaints with P90X as one of those steps. There is nothing more motivating than finding those pants going lose after a month of effort. Thats what P90X can do: Make you move out of your cozy bed and sweat out with dumbbells and push-up bars without an excuse of rain or cold outside.
Hi Anuj, thanks for your comment.
I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been struggling to find motivation to exercise. Perhaps you should give more thought to why you wish to exercise and maybe you can come up with a more significant reason that provides more motivation. When you say that you’re going to challenge yourself to complete the 90 days of P90X, that sounds like a short term perspective to me. You acknowledged the importance of exercise being a lifelong commitment, but what are you going to do after you complete your 90 day challenge? Is your sole objective to test your dedication to a 90 day goal and be able to say that you completed it, or to find a way to sustain the motivation needed to stay committed to exercise for the rest of your life? I think this question underscores why I think the P90X does a poor job of inspiring a lifelong commitment to exercise.
I never said to not do plyometrics. I suggested not doing the P90X interpretation of plyometrics. True plyometrics is about improving power by instigating adaptations to the stretch-shorten cycle and is a type of training that applies mostly to serious athletes. It’s a focused type of training that puts a lot of stress on connective tissue, and as such, should be very specific and should incorporate as few jumps as necessary to provide the desired training stimulus. It’s also not recommended for people who are heavy or have previous injuries, however, most people who follow the P90X program are likely to fall into one of these categories. Furthermore, the P90X plyometrics workout is basically just a bunch of random jumping that’s unlikely to provide the true benefits of plyometric training, and it includes an unnecessarily excessive number of jumps.
Although it depends on the goal, you’re absolutely right that it takes more than 90 days to achieve fitness related goals, especially if the goal is a lifelong commitment to good health and physical function. However, while you interpret the P90X program to be something that supports this, I interpret it to be the opposite.
Vin,
I am about to start P90X in April with a few friends who have challenged ourselves to complete the 90 day experience. We were drawn to it by friends and just lots of success stories from others who have tried it. I played soccer and rugby years ago in high school and used to be very active and fit, but have lost the drive to work out. I am hoping something like P90X would be a constructive way to increase my work out regiment by giving me advice and techniques to use. I have not worked out in a few years but stay active due to work and outdoor activities. I am a relatively skinny guy, i am 6’1” and 155 lbs and im looking to tone up, not bulk up, and to just get into shape. I am not willing to spend the money to have a gym membership and P90X looks to give me a cheap but fulfilling work out. I was wondering if you have any tips to improve my P90X experience (Meal plans or recovery tools) or any advice at all about in home work out routines. Thanks for the article.
Hi Jason, thanks for your comment!
I think the novelty of the P90X may very well succeed in renewing your interest in working out, but I think this will be temporary, and once the novelty wears off, you may end up looking elsewhere to renew your interest again. If you choose to do the P90X program, be prepared for this possibility so that you can avoid falling into another long layoff.
To maintain a long term interest in exercise, I think it’s critical to define some clear goals and to be creative in choosing exercises and activities that you enjoy. More importantly, overworking yourself is probably the fastest way to lose interest in exercise, so be sure to respect your capacity and recovery needs.
I think it’s smart of you to be looking for advice and instruction, but I don’t think the P90X is the best place to get it. The P90X is more of a generic routine to mindlessly follow than a learning resource. I think Core Performance by Mark Verstegen would be a much better learning resource that should help to give you some basic ideas about designing a well rounded workout program for yourself.
In regard to customizing the P90X program, I’ve provided a number of ways to do this in the article. Instead of doing exercises simply because they’re in the P90X DVDs, understand what the exercises are accomplishing for you and how well they correlate with your goals. This will help to give you some direction in regard to what changes to make and what you might need to learn more about. With this approach, you should eventually be knowledgeable enough to not need or want a generic program like the P90X.
Vin,
Your use of the phrase “mindlessly follow” is inferring that many who follow P90X do so without any thought to the exercise or the outcome. I would say the majority of us who are advocates of this program don’t “mindlessly follow”. It is a bit of an indictment on the people who have adhered to the principles of P90X. At the end of the day, people make different choices on everything in life. There are many ways to skin a cat as they say. Anything that gets people off the lounge and doing physical activity is a good thing. It doesn’t have to be rocket science.
Hi Dave,
Perhaps I should have been more clear because I didn’t mean it to be derogatory and I didn’t mean it to apply to everyone who uses the program. In a previous comment, you mentioned how you appreciate being able to simply press play which I assume to mean that you prefer the convenience of not having to worry about designing your own program. As I’ve already said, I can appreciate why some people might choose this route. However, unless there’s at least some attempt to consider how the individual components of the P90X program apply to one’s goals and how the program could potentially be customized to better suit these goals, then I consider this approach to be mindless (which, again, I don’t mean in a derogatory way). Sure, not everyone follows the program this way, but I bet a lot of people do.
If throughout your experience with the P90X you’re assessing how well each aspect of the training is helping you achieve your goals and thinking about how to make improvements if necessary, then I absolutely agree that this is not mindless. However, this is also a lot more than simply pressing play and following along. If someone wants to take such an approach to fitness, it’s entirely their choice, but I think they’re short changing themselves. As you said, everyone makes different choices and has different reasons for doing so. Some people simply don’t care that much about fitness or even health. Some people exercise just because they know they’re supposed to and don’t want to put any further thought into it. That’s fine. I’m not trying to force anyone into a different frame of mind. I’m simply offering another perspective for those who are open to being more proactive about maximizing their success.
The argument of getting people off the couch has been brought up many times. However, what good is getting someone off the couch for 3 months if they end up going right back? For the people who are inspired by P90X to make exercise a lifelong habit, that’s great. However, in my opinion, the P90X is not designed for this, and as you can see from previous comments, people end up looking for something else after they’ve been through it a few times. I don’t think going from one generic DVD program to another is a good way to instill a lifelong commitment to exercise, and even if it helps someone get in the “best shape of their life,” I think it’s likely that they’ll eventually end up back on the couch unless they have at least some motivation to exercise under their own direction.
The convenience of a generic DVD exercise program versus using “rocket science” to design a customized program are two opposite extremes. Being more proactive than simply following a generic DVD program may require a bit of learning, but it’s entirely doable for anyone who has a little motivation. Again, it’s a personal choice, and for the people who will never have this motivation, I agree that the P90X is better than sitting on the couch (providing it doesn’t cause them to overtrain). For anyone else who might be intimidated by the prospect of basic program design being too difficult, you’ve inspired me to work on a series of articles to explain it in more detail and show that it’s not. Thank you for this. It’s something I’ve seen wanting to do for a while anyway and I think it will be helpful.
Vin, thanks for the article. Overall, I think it’s good, but I also think it’s a bit overcritical. I would also like to correct a couple of points you made.
First, you described Yoga X as an hour and a half of stretching, which is not accurate. About 50% of the Yoga X time is spent in strength-building moves, including abs. The remaining 50% of the time is split between stretching and balance moves. Overall, I find it an excellent workout, although I balk at an hour and a half of anything, and am much more interested in in a 1-hour yoga alternative. A small number of the moves are just plain impossible for me to even attempt. I’m just not built to achieve them.
Second, you refer to the ab workouts as basically being a ton of crunches, but the entire P90X regimen actually has not a single crunch. This rocks, because crunches suck; nobody can tell you how hard a crunch needs to be, or how far it needs to go, and they are all but useless in my eyes. Contrarily, Ab Ripper X gives you precise and exact instructions for the 11 exercises it presents, and you can easily determine when you’re doing them properly.
Most exercise programs I’ve dealt with are underrepresentative of core work. I’m 45, and for years I’ve been a runner, but always have dealt with difficulty from old back injuries and generally poor posture. P90X has definitely resolved this issue for me. Its core focus has been a huge bonus and my back has never been better or stronger. Fine-looking abs are just gravy, so to speak.
One complaint I do have about P90X is that there is not enough time spent discussing adaptations. Tony Horton describes adaptations for several exercises, but not for the majority of them. My wife quit P90X in frustration.
As you say, 75 to 90 minutes of exercise every day is excessive, and I agree. P90X worked well for me, and I’m in my 2nd go-round now, but I’m looking for a new, less intensive (in time and effort) maintenance workout. I don’t need to be ripped, but I do need to have a balanced, changing exercise program. It’s possible that Power 90 might fit the bill, but I’m not sure I want to go that route. I tire of Tony’s persona.
Thanks again,
Br. Bill
Hi Bill, thank you for your feedback.
Yes, some yoga positions can be fairly intense and can build strength. However, the strength building benefits of yoga pale in comparison to actual strength training. Since the P90X does include legitimate strength training exercises, using yoga to build strength is redundant and unnecessary. Doing so would be beneficial for people who don’t do strength training, but this doesn’t apply to those who follow the P90X program.
In the section of the article that I mention doing a ridiculous amount of crunches, I’m referring to some of the common methods people use to achieve “ripped abs.” This was not meant to be a description of Ab Ripper X. However, Ab Ripper X does contain crunch variations that involve abdominal flexion. I estimate that this represents about a third of the Ab Ripper X workout. As I mentioned in the article, this probably isn’t the best movement for people who spend most of the day sitting which I suspect to be the case for many of the people who follow P90X.
I’m glad to hear that the P90X has worked well for you and that you’ve reduced your back pain. Good luck with your next program!
My 6th week using p90x and I am STILL very impressed. I had no idea it was such a popular workout when I first began. I have not seen any of it on TV as some have. Fact of the matter, I don’t watch television. However a friend of mine gave me the workout system to try since I had been talking about ‘getting back into shape’ and I gave it a try.
Now, I used to work out a lot using many different methods, but I have to say that p90x, minus the hype which I had none thrown at me is doing a mighty fine job at shaping my body. Common sense has me doing only what I can safely do as I work along it the folks on the video. No pressure felt and most importantly, IT IS NOT BORING and REPETITIVE! I love it and would definitely recommend the system to people who are looking for results.
In my opinion… what is right for one may not be right for another. If it works for you then great, if not, that doesn’t mean that the product is bad. In everything we do it is ultimately up to the individual whether he/she will stick to it or not. Some will, some will not. For me… this has been working, I feel great, I’m motivated and my entire life is moving toward a lifestyle that will definitely STICK. I can’t imagine falling back into my bad, unhealthy habits.
Bravo p90x! Two thumbs up along with two big toes~!
Hi Kikue, thanks for sharing your feedback!
I’m glad to hear that the program is motivating you to exercise, and most importantly, that your staying within your limits. Although you refer to this as common sense, I think it’s something that many people neglect.
I enjoyed reading your take on the P90X program Vin.
I do agree with you wholeheartedly that there is absolutely no substitute for whole foods, but a lot of the bars, shakes, etc. are infinitely better than what the normal person eats on a daily basis — I think it’s a good start for many who are not healthy eaters.
Health and fitness is a journey, and anything that gets people motivated enough to get off the couch is a step in the right direction IMO. I think P90X does amazingly well in this regard, and the workout is extremely effective to boot (the results clearly speak for themselves).
Another positive in my opinion is the fact that it’s laid out in a very clear, easy to follow manner. There is no guesswork with this program, you either follow the program or you don’t. For those who have no experience with working out, this is extremely valuable and results in a well-rounded, comprehensive workout schedule vs. working upper body 5 days a week.
Subscribed and will stop back soon Vin. Have a good one.
Hi Fat Loss Blogger, thanks for your comment!
I absolutely agree with the positive aspects of the P90X that you mentioned, but the program being a “good start” is only really a benefit for those who are truly willing to take the next step. Unfortunately, the program doesn’t really tell you what the next step is or that such a step even exists. As such, I think most people perceive the P90X as being a complete program that provides everything they need in regard to exercise and diet, and based on this, they may very well not see a need for a next step. Furthermore, some people consider the P90X program to be complete. I think these people are short changing themselves in some regards, and this is part of the premise for this article.
In regard to getting people off of the couch, I agree that this is a positive aspect, but as long as it’s just the appeal and popularity of the P90X program that’s inspiring them, it’s likely that they’ll end up back to the couch unless they find a more meaningful source of motivation.
Hi, Vin!
I found this article by way of Google, because I had started p90x and after 3 weeks.. I am convinced my previous work-out progam was better for me and my lifestyle, but was afraid to modify the program to do things I actually enjoy like walking/jogging outside. After 3 weeks of p90X, I have gained 6 pounds (wanted to loose weight) and have actually gotten bigger (wanted to get smaller…) my guess is this program is too extremely focused on building muscle and not really all that balanced. Plus… I go on frequent business trips and would constantly be having to repeat weeks due to missed sessions. I really felt like p90x was sucking the life out of me because every spare minute I had was spend doing workouts that either confused me, seemed like they were working against my personal goals or were just plain old not effective because I couldn’t do them at the same pace as the P90X team (Superman banana rolls… changing every 5 seconds??? I can’t even switch into the proper form that quickly… so, I felt I wasn’t getting the full benefit from the program.)
It is really refreshing to read a truly unbiased, logical article on the matter. Chances are I will go back to my other work-out habits that seemed to be working and possibly try p90x at a later time with some modifications. Maybe over the winter. For right now… I miss being outside.
My husband also started and stopped p90X, because he literally got sick after some of the workouts, but I expect he will start again. First, though.. I will your article with him, as I do want him to consider the risks and really just get healthy without putting unnecessary strain on adrenal function.
I am sure that P90X is right for some people, and might possibly be right for me someday… but just not now.
Thanks again for a fabulous, logical and unbiased article.
Best and healthy wishes to all who read!
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Your frustration with the time commitment and the lack of alignment with your goals are two key issues that I’ve tried to address with this article. In my opinion, most typical fitness goals, such as losing weight or improving health, can be successfully achieved in much less time (and with less intensity) than what the P90X requires. This statement is not intended to cater to laziness, but rather to limit the amount of unnecessary physical burden that one exposes their body to. While the P90X program might be a healthy amount of exercise for some, it could easily push many others beyond their limits, especially those who have been sedentary or are not in excellent health.
Even though the P90X didn’t work well for you, it at least sounds like you still benefited by learning from the experience. Hopefully that will serve you well in the future.
There are many reasons why you might have gained 6 pounds during your those 3 weeks, but it’s unlikely to be because of the strength training component of the P90X program. If you’re new to strength training, most of the initial gains in strength would result from adaptations of the nervous system rather than muscle growth. In addition, it would be difficult to increase muscle mass by 6 pounds in just 3 weeks, and the P90X program isn’t really well suited for such an increase. If it were, there would be much more of an emphasis on increasing the amount of resistance used for most of the strength training exercises. A more likely explanation for the weight gain would be an increase in appetite resulting from the intensity of the program, or possibly an increased stress response from pushing your limits (this can promote fat storage).
Vin, thanks for that reply… you are so right… when I was doing P90X, I was starving 24 x 7 and eating more than I knew I should have, no matter what the program recommendations were. And.. since the work-outs were so long, I was getting up extra-early to do them, which had a negative impact on my sleep patterns. So, you are probably right on about the weight gain. Since I stopped doing P90X, I have lost the 6 pounds I gained plus 4 more.
I have also lost an inch off my waist and about .75 inch on each thigh, which puts me just slightly ahead of where I was when I started P90X. I have along way to go, but I feel I am in control again and, more importantly… enjoying and looking forward to my work-outs again.
Thanks again for this FABULOUS forum.
Have a great day!
I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents.
First of all I just started the program. I am about to start my first recovery phase. I wanted to point out a few things that I think are important.
About yoga, it is extraordinarily important to differentiate isotonic exercises from isometric because they definately work the muscles in different ways. Sure there are many Arnolds in the world, but how many can gracefully hold headstand, insect, or crane posture? Not many if any. In fact, how many can achieve full extension in just seated forward bend?
Moving on to plyometrics. Yes it’s dangerous, but I think that like martial arts, if you focus on form (and it has to be something you’re good at, because form is something that is processed as a cognitive-spatial element, you have to see it to get it) it will work wonders for you. But for most people who cannot maintain focus for 60 minutes, form will suffer, and injuries will occur.
As for the isolated isotonic movements such as bicep curls. While there is little benefit in a routine full of isolated isotonic movements, because it does not train the muscles to work together, I think P90X gracefully handles this by having compound muscular workouts such as pushups and pull ups.
Now here is where I differ from some people. I do not really tire from things if I have not mastered them. Tony and friends can do 20 pull ups. I can barely manage one at this point. I use a chair to assist me. Until I can finish this program at that level, I will not grow disinterested in it. I am somewhat competitive. This brings me to my next point. A lot of people, you included, talk about “health.” As far as I have read there are two intrinsically important things related to aging healthy aside from diet. Muscular strength, and muscular flexibility. I.E. strength training and yoga. P90X has both things, so that’s a good thing in my book. Your main point has been that you “bet” that your health will be better than the people who follow P90X, yet you have advised modifying the program. Because the isotonic exercises must be balanced with isometric ones, you are short changing that aspect of the program and then betting against it. That does not seem right. I think that anyone who does P90X with proper form, and with proper focus, and still enjoys it (while eating decently, more on that in a sec), will maintain better health in their age than the “eats healthy and bikes for 30 minutes a day.”
You said that the muscle confusion idea was not valid, however Mike Geary in his stuff, as well as other authors, have talked about “turbulence training” which exhibits the same principles of variety causing the body to not be able to settle into an adaptation. While more mainstream that some of the turbulence training material, it is still sound in my opinion and there is a community behind it.
Lastly, to just touch on diet, I follow a variation, by the same author, of the Blood Type Diet. While not delving into it too much, there is credence according to the author that different blood and geno types should engage in different exercise patterns. Mine happens to advise switching between high and low intensity work outs. Plyo = high, weights = low in my eyes because I am not taxing my heart to much in weight training. Once again, P90X seems to have a nice balance here. While each exercise will spike your heart rate, it has a chance to drop, on the weight days. On the days like plyo, you will maintain a higher heart rate, that’s higher intensity. Some, like Type As should not do P90X at all because of the muscle acidity in high intensity exercise. While I do not advise anyone to this system, it is food for thought.
So to summarize: P90X is certainly not for everyone. You talk about having a long term plan, but for me my long term plan is to keep as athletic as possible. P90X and P90X plus are just my gateways to getting to a place with my body that allows me to do what I want. I have tried other routes and failed miserably. This is working, and it will work for many people. I think the only possible shortcoming is that like you said, being commercial, it is marketed to an audience irrespective of their special considerations, but that is not a short coming of the program design itself. If you want to be an athlete, I think P90X is a great way to get started, assuming of course that you have a moderate level of fitness beforehand.
Hi Brandon, thank you for sharing your opinion.
I think a more important question in regard to some of the yoga poses is how many people need or want to be able to master them. Sure, it’s an admirable accomplishment, but one that might hold little value to some people and not be worth the investment of time or energy required. For someone who just wants to promote or maintain basic flexibility as part of a well rounded exercise program, this investment is overkill.
I have nothing against plyometrics and think it’s an excellent method of improving athletic performance and even building resistance to injury. However, I think plyometric exercises are probably best left out of a generic workout program due to their high level of specificity and their potential to cause injury when used inappropriately. Furthermore, because plyometrics are used to develop power, they’re typically done with high intensity and low repetitions. The plyometric training in the P90X program pretty much follows the opposite approach. This makes sense from the perspective of reducing the potential for injury, but it also eliminates much of their purpose and raises the question of why they’re even included. For someone who doesn’t have the foundation of fitness to handle true plyometrics, I would agree that the watered down version in the P90X program can be helpful for some, but I still think less volume would be better. Either way, this watered down version of plyometrics still seems to have caused problems for people. Furthermore, the P90X is primarily marketed as a weight loss program, and it’s not a good idea for people who are overweight to do plyometrics. Extra body weight greatly increases the amount of impact force, and in turn, the potential for injury.
Yes, the use of compound exercises such as lunges, push ups, and chin ups is one thing that I do like about the P90X program.
When I refer to “health,” I think I’m referring to it on a much deeper level. Sure, there is a musculoskeletal component to health that includes muscular strength and flexibility, but this is just scratching the surface. Although exercise can improve health, it’s also a burden on the body, and when done in excess for an extended period of time, it can disrupt the function of important organ systems such as the endocrine system and nervous system, and this can lead to all kinds of dysfunction. Granted, some people have more capacity than others and will be less likely to enter such a state, but some of the sedentary people who suddenly jump into the P90X program may not be so lucky. For them, balancing isometric movements with isotonic movements is the least of their concerns. Furthermore, I completely disagree that this is even necessary. Isotonic strength training movements done through a full range of motion in combination with a basic stretching and/or self massage routine is sufficient for developing well balanced musculoskeletal health. I agree that the isometric strength development that results from yoga is beneficial, but I disagree that it’s a must for people who use other methods of building strength.
Yes, it’s beneficial to include variation in the way that an exercise program stimulates the body. Periodization is a structured and gradual approach to doing this. However, I think “muscle confusion” is unnecessarily excessive in the amount of variation it promotes. For the serious athlete or fitness enthusiast, this can make it more difficult to monitor progress. For anyone else, it’s completely unnecessary except perhaps for the simple enjoyment of variety.
I also disagree that the P90X is a good fitness program for athletes. In most cases, improving athleticism requires improvements in strength, power, conditioning, flexibility, agility, balance, and injury resistance. The P90X falls way short in regard to developing the strength that most athletes desire because there is little to no emphasis on increasing resistance. This, along with the watered down version of plyometrics and the lack of other explosive training, also makes it a poor program for developing power. The P90X doesn’t include any agility training at all, and rightly so since it would be inappropriate for a general population. Flexibility, injury resistance, and conditioning are perhaps where the P90X would be most useful for athletes, but even here there are shortcomings. Most importantly, it’s important for athletes to follow programs that are customized for the specific demands and common injuries associated with their sport. This is obviously not the case with the P90X, and to the program’s credit, it would obviously be extremely difficult for a generic program to accomplish this.
Disagreement aside, I’m happy for you that you’re motivated by the P90X program and I hope it continues to suit your preferences. Thank you for inspiring thoughtful conversation.
Vin,
I must say that I enjoyed reading your article and all 129 responses to it. I commend you on your professionalism and the way you present yourself in some of the responses to the feedback that your received. You sure have put a lot of time into this forum! From top to bottom, this has been the most helpful page in deciding whether to purchase or not to purchase this product.
I have a personal friend that has done P90x with very good results but wanted to see what others have done. I have been searching the internet for days watching the videos of how people have changed over the 90 days but could not really find anything negative except a couple reviews that were pushing other products. Your likes, dislikes, suggestions and recommendations have all opened my eyes.
I just recently turned 40 and I am not in the best shape of my life. I am 6′-1″ and just tipped the scale at 240lbs. I recently re-joined the gym with my wife since they were offering such a great deal but the problem is getting there. I am not looking to get “ripped” but getting back into a size 34 jeans would be ideal.
I’m not really sure what I am going to do but I do know that I have to get off the sofa and computer and do something, stop making excuses and live a healthier life. Your article/responses/feedback has been very helpful and I thank you for that!!
Hi John, thank you for your kind feedback! It’s refreshing when people see the bigger picture that I’ve tried to present and realize that I’m not looking to aimlessly criticize P90X.
I don’t have any doubt that the P90X program has delivered tremendous results for some people. What’s important to consider if there’s a more efficient way to accomplish similar results while being more conscientious of optimal health.
If your primary goal is weight loss, I think you might be surprised by how much weight you can lose by simply following a diet based predominantly on natural whole foods, and this will of course be conducive to improved health as well. Exercise will obviously help as well and is certainly important, but I consider it secondary by a large margin to good nutrition.
Great article! While I really enjoy a vast number of exercises in P90X (going back to what you stated as functional movement emphasis). Skepticism is always healthy, especially in regards to workout programs. I used this program for a short amount of time about 2 years ago, and it did wonders for me in regards to the strength I was looking for; however, I have been working out for years now and understand the dynamics of a good workout. I like to replace some of the dvd’s with a 30 minute interval run, or 1000+ yds in the pool. The I found that a little modification to the program that involved leaving your home really made the workout effective. I even took weekends off from it (with the exception of stretch X) and it did wonders for my maximums. Bottom line, your article really brings a healthy skepticism to this popular program, and while I really enjoyed (I had to stop because I had been doing some ground fighting for my military unit which resulted in someone busting my foot to pieces) it is necessary for people to realize that having some base knowledge on health can go a long way in making this program effective (or any program for that matter). I’ve personally always have had a bias towards circuit training
Hi Tyler, thanks for your feedback and for emphasizing the importance of knowledge and experience. One of the primary messages I intended to convey with this article is for people to take more accountability for their fitness and health than simply making a commitment to follow a generic program, and I think you’ve exemplified this perfectly.
Sorry but to me it sounds like your just trying to give people an easier route to being fit, people who have larger muscles and are more fit do not get stronger by trimming their exercises and just eating healthy you have to work for it. Some people like myself like the challenge anyways. I go to college full-time and work full-time while doing p90x and honestly p90x doesn’t add on any stress, deprive sleep, or make me chronically tired. You just have to be strong mentally. Good article, I might of preceived the article a little different but thats just how I feel.
Hi Nathan, thanks for sharing your opinion.
Easier can imply laziness which is not at all what I’m encouraging. What I’m trying to encourage is a smarter way to improve fitness while also being more conscientious of optimal health. The amount of effort and dedication one applies is only as effective as the intelligence behind it, and I am by no means suggesting that building fitness or strength doesn’t require hard work.
I like challenge just as much as anyone else, but there’s a point at which the physiological stress of challenge, particularly when related to physical activity, can be overwhelming and detract from optimal health. The point at which this happens can vary significantly for different people. This is one of the reasons why I think it’s important to understand your goals and make sure that you’re actions are aligned with them. It will help to prevent the scenario of wasting energy on activities that won’t contribute to these goals, and in turn, will reduce the chance of this becoming overwhelming to the point that it can hinder progress and impair general wellness. You may not be able to appreciate this because you can handle the volume and intensity of the P90X program without issue, but it’s important to realize that you have youth on your side. Just because you can handle it doesn’t mean that everyone else can too.
It certainly is possible to make significant increases in strength by doing less. I’ve done it myself and so have many others. It’s very possible to make impressive strength gains from just one or two resistance training workouts per week that are each less than an hour in duration. Because such workouts are intense and can have significant recovery demands, some people need to limit themselves to such a schedule in order to make progress. Contrary to what you might think, two half hour strength training sessions per week can still be extremely hard work and very challenging. Furthermore, the P90X program is not well designed for someone who wants to make significant strength gains because there’s little to no emphasis on increasing resistance. However, this is understandable for a program that is focused primarily on weight loss and the ability to exercise at home with minimal equipment needs. It’s just another great example of why it’s important to make sure that one’s exercise program is truly aligned with their goals.
Short and sweet it works and works very well for me. It is the closest thing to having a personal trainer. The advanced workout will require you eat benefical foods.I am on day 30 and I feel great .No assumtions I am 54 years old and ex-college basketball playerl I lowered my cholesterol 200 to 147, blood pressure 120/70 resting heart rate=63.
I also am active member of the Senior Games.
This program is not for every one it is very demanding like most high level tranning.
Thanks for your comments Vin
Hi Carlton, thanks for sharing your experience and congratulations on improving your health.
The P90X program is like having a personal trainer in regard to having someone there to motivate you. However, the primary benefit of working with a good personal trainer is their application of advanced fitness knowledge to your specific individual needs and goals. This of course can’t be accomplished very well through a generic video program.
If the P90X has motivated you to make exercise a more consistent part of your lifestyle, then I think that’s great. However, I assume that you’ll eventually grow tired of P90X, and when you do, I think it’s important to make an effort to identify and address your individual needs and goals at a very specific level instead of simply looking for another generic video program. It’s also important to realize that month after month of a demanding fitness program can actually detract from health when one’s physical capacity and need for rest are neglected.
In regard to advanced training, it’s my opinion that it’s typically much more focused on goals that are more specific and performance oriented than weight loss or general health. However, these latter goals are what most people seem to use the P90X program for, and I think the physiological burden of intense training, particularly on a long term basis, is unnecessary for these purposes and sometimes detrimental. If someone enjoys the intensity and can handle it without experiencing any negative effects, that’s fine, but it would be unfortunate for someone to push themselves beyond their capacity thinking that this amount of exercise is absolutely necessary to promote weight loss, great health, or even an above average level of fitness.
Hey Vin,
I’m sitting here at 1 am when I should be doing homework. Instead, I read through this entire page of comments. As a friend and I were interested in starting P90X, correct me if I’m wrong, but are you basically saying that P90X can act as a starting block for the “average” person, and can work, so long as I tailor it a bit to fit my own needs? I’m a “regular” teenager interested in staying in shape, especially since I’ve stopped swimming.
Hi Eric,
Yes, if you tailor the P90X program to your own needs and respect your capacity, I think you can gain value from following it. However, I also think it’s important to educate yourself about fitness as much as you can. Not only will this improve your ability to choose and apply exercise principles that relate best to your individual needs, but I also think it will greatly improve the chances of making exercise a lifelong habit.
Vin,
While I am a current P90X-er coming to the end of my 2nd month, it is nice to read an article to provide some contrast to the general P90x craze. For me, I honestly needed something to direct me and provide a rigid schedule. Countless times I have tried to motivate myself to begin regular exercise only to quit after a couple days. I know it is difficult to understand from the more fit side of the tracks that you are on, but some of us really struggle to get off our lazy butts.
I don’t think most people realistically think that they can do P90x for 90 days and be magically fit for the rest of their lives (at least I hope not). Some people just really need an organized and laid out way to develop a habit of fitness in their lives. I think that consideration of personal ability should be taken into account during any activity. I used to do a lot of long distance back packing and frequently saw hikers out of commission because they pushed too many miles.
I for one bought my dvds used and make my own energy bars, etc. from scratch from whole foods. The commercialism is unavoidable because it is in fact a product for people to buy and is a business. But, that being said, I don’t reject every product that I see a commercial for…I found my favorite trash bags based on a commercial.
Hi Stephanie, thanks for sharing your experience!
I completely understand that some people need a bit of a push into a rigid schedule to stay motivated. However, it’s also important to consider what the schedule entails. If the P90X motivates you to exercise a certain number of days per week, that’s great, but if what you’re doing on those days is too much for your capacity, then you’re likely to eventually become fatigued and not be able to keep up with the schedule anyway. Furthermore, if you can try to identify a more meaningful source of inspiration for exercising, that would probably be much more powerful and effective in motivating you to stick to a schedule than any kind of generic DVD program.
I agree, it’s common sense that the results of 90 days of P90X or any other program won’t last a lifetime. For the most part, you’ll obviously only enjoy the benefits of exercise for as long as you continue to do it. However, the rigid and intense structure of the P90X program isn’t very conducive to longevity which is why I’ve argued that it’s more of a quick fix approach than a well balanced long term solution that promotes exercise as a lifelong habit.
The advertising for the P90X program has no influence on my opinion of it. I too have chosen to buy things based on advertising. The only reason I mentioned the P90X advertising is because it’s a good indication of what the program is really about which in my opinion is getting “ripped” as quickly as possible. The purpose of this article is to encourage people to not only realize that there may be some negative consequences to this, but also that there are more practical ways to go about it that are more conducive to optimal health.
I really need to strongly disagree with almost everything you say. First of all, everyone is different – very very different – and while P90X doesn’t do it for you, it might do it for others. I, for example, was a mass building idiot until P90X came along. Now all of my knee and back problems are gone, I have FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH, and I live a considerably healthier lifestyle to supplement the hard work I do exercising. I have also been doing P90X since January ’09, and I don’t feel any of this so called chronic fatigue you speak of. P90X has inspired me to be healthy in all aspects of my life, and I now work out with different goals in mind (calorie burning and “getting ripped” are merely pleasant side effects). People who claim they’re now injured as a result of P90X are, forgive me, not cautious when it comes to working out. READ THE WARNING IN THE BEGINNING AND DO THE EXERCISES PROPERLY! I am defensive of P90X as it changed my life. It’s not for everyone, that is for sure, but don’t come down on it because you couldn’t hack it and quit, or because you didn’t listen to Tony (ok, he’s a little tough to really listen to, sometimes I have to tune him out when he gets absurd) when he said “let go of your ego.” The human body is capable of amazing things, and I found that out thru P90X. Your argument is biased and one-sided, and I think you need to update your point of view. Plyo and Yoga have turned me into an agile and flexible person, being able to do things I couldn’t even dream of before. I am a black belt, and kenpo has improved not just my cardio, balance and agility, but also my striking ability. Cutting out the yoga is a BAD idea – if you don’t have 90 mins do another, shorter, yoga workout. Yoga (any yoga) is the fountain of youth and CANNOT be replaced with cardio, and one would be foolish to suggest not doing yoga. And if you say you don’t have 6 hours of free time a week – you are a liar. I’m an attorney, and I find the time to get these workouts in. Stop blaming the program for your lack of motivation. Maybe it’s not for you, but don’t bash it because of that. Remember, people who will read this article and use it as yet another excuse to not exercise, try P90X, and if you hate it, return it. And listen to the instruction and read the guides – I don’t follow the diet plan I just try to eat healthy, but the guides (BOTH OF THEM) can help your efforts. Modify, make it your own, and don’t let your ego force you to do things you know you can’t. That being said, I agree that one must be very careful when doing this program, and realize that, after the 90 days, you need to keep up the intensity to maintain your gains (which Tony says in the work out guide). I hope I wasn’t a total jerk – I was going for partial jerk.
Hi Asasso,
Yes, individuality is very important, and this is a major point I’ve repeatedly made. However, this also implies how unlikely it is for a single workout program like the P90X to accommodate the individual needs of a large group of people. This is why I provided some suggestions on how people can modify the P90X program to better suit their needs.
This is just another testament to the importance of individuality. If you read through some of the comments above, you’ll find that not everyone has been as lucky as you. Furthermore, I never said that the intensity of the P90X program will cause fatigue for everyone who tries it.
Good, this is an example of how the P90X can lead someone in the right direction, and I’m happy to hear this. However, the key here is realizing the importance of going beyond the principles of the P90X and becoming more educated about fitness and health so that you can more effectively accommodate your own specific needs.
Don’t be so quick to forget about the individuality that you yourself said was so important. Some of the people who try P90X have been sedentary for years and are highly susceptible to injury. Others might have previous injuries that make them susceptible as well. In either case, such individuals may not be fully aware of the true extent of their susceptibility, and in these cases, the warning won’t make much of a difference. This is why I think it’s important to be assessed by a physical therapist or to use a self assessment like Assess and Correct.
I can assure you that my opinion on the P90X isn’t based on not being able to “hack it.” I have a lot more determination than you realize. Contrary to what you seem to think, my primary dislike of the P90X program is that it’s designed with appearance goals in mind more so than true health or fitness goals. Although, as I mentioned in the article, I do realize there are some aspects of the program that this doesn’t apply to.
Yes, the human body is capable of amazing things, but it definitely has limits, and if you push too much, its capabilities are diminished. While the P90X may have helped you realize your capabilities, it may cause others to realize their limitations in an unpleasant way. I’m all for pushing limits, but it has to be within reason.
As someone who practices martial arts, flexibility is obviously a specific need that you have. As we’ve been discussing, individuality is important, and the average person will not have the same flexibility needs as you. Furthermore, while yoga would certainly be an effective way for you to develop the flexibility you need, it may not provide enough of a focus on the specific muscles that are prone to tightness based on the particular style of martial arts that you practice.
I think it would be more appropriate to say it would be foolish to suggest not doing any flexibility work. However, this is not at all what I said. Instead, I suggested that people who don’t have a need for advanced flexibility and don’t like yoga can save time and energy by following a more basic self massage and stretching routine instead. I have nothing against yoga, but it’s certainly not a requirement for basic flexibility. I also never suggested that yoga can be replaced with with cardio. In fact, an increase in cardio would likely require an increase in flexibility work.
This article is not at all based on my individual needs, schedule, or level of motivation. In fact, I have a tremendous amount of dedication and don’t appreciate your insinuation that I’m lazy.
Making the time commitment to P90X is more about priorities than schedule. I agree that anyone who views fitness as a priority will make the time. However, it’s also important to consider how effectively that time is being put to use. In my opinion, for most people’s fitness goals, the P90X program is not an efficient use of time. Why do more than you have to, especially in cases where the increased physiological burden can be disadvantageous.
People with basic fitness goals can achieve excellent results with less of a time commitment and certainly with less intensity than what the P90X program calls for. Putting in extra time can obviously be more beneficial, but only if it’s done with specificity and within one’s capacity.
You keep bashing specific workouts in this program, and specificity in general, but then turn around and make specific claims on why these workouts are bad. “It’s overkill” “It’s ineffective”, “It’s inefficient”, etc etc. Every single one of your comments contradicts what you yourself keep repeating as a bad thing about P90X. You say it’s too specific, but then you say it’s too generic. There’s too much volume that’s too generic, but it’s too specific in workouts (abs, curls…) Which is it? You complain that it’s not efficient, but then that each workout needs to be custom tailored to a person, which for some people P90X fits that mold.
Martial artists need more flexibility, this needs that, etc etc. The premise of P90X is to cover as much as possible, and to skip any of the details included is to short-change yourself in the process. It’s quite clear you are advocating people only follow a rigid guideline for the things they wish to do in life, but I disagree with you whole heartedly. I enjoy being able to do *anything* physical whenever I want, whether it’s rock climbing, tennis, basketball, skiing, gymnastics, martial arts, or anything in between. I enjoy going to the park with my kids, and playing on the jungle gym with them, doing FUN stuff! P90X helps to maintain a level of physical fitness that a specialized custom workout plan for set activities would prohibit or be detrimental to.
I sort of wish I hadn’t wasted my time reading the comments, because it undermined what I thought was your initial premise in the article. It seems you are more interested in “being right”, than in actually learning and becoming wiser, as your original article seems to indicate.
What specifically made me realize that you in fact are not interested in what is best was your statement about flexibility in regards to yoga. Yoga isn’t about being hyper-flexible, and it’s not even about a Mind Body experience or some crap (at least, not for me). Your whole argument was about P90X not focusing on overall healthiness. Flexibility is one of the most important parts of being healthy, next to diet. You have these stories about “if only you knew how many people suffer from …”, well, I can tell you the same thing about people who don’t focus on flexibility, or only do so to a small degree. A vast majority of peoples’ aches and pains, including joint issues, are associated with flexibility. P90X looked at the big picture, and came up with a solution that covers a large portion of the populations problems (from dietary issues, to weight issues, to lack of exercise, to lack of flexibility and muscle strength, power, and endurance.) Oh, and it was made over SIX YEARS ago, before the explosion of the “organic” and “whole foods” lifestyle hype. Back then, it was much more difficult to locate such products at all, and even if you could, they were even more expensive than they already are now. I don’t know about you, but I personally know many people struggling to put any food on their table, let alone those types.
There is a lot that you (yes, you specifically) can learn from P90X. That in and of itself would make you a more healthy and fit person, by incorporating some of the lessons you’ve learned from it into your long term workout plans. I do sincerely hope that you’ll spend less time trying to be right, and more time bettering yourself. (Or maybe this is just some ploy of yours to make money on ads, by writing commentary such as this against such a successful tool… In which case, that would explain why you didn’t bash their MLM model like some of your commentators have.)
Ugg, I’m sorry, I forgot to mention details about stretching in both of my replies. I remembered both times after submitting my comment.
You advocate some psuedo-massage the sore muscle approach to flexibility. If this is so great, why aren’t physical therapists using, experimenting with, or advocating this type of plan? It’s because it’s not the best approach for a vast majority of people, and for all muscles. Many of our muscles are so deep, that you cannot get them fully massaged without a very deep (and painful) massage. And good luck massaging most of your own muscles effectively, unless you are already flexible! That alone undermines the purpose of this type of stretching, as if you can’t reach your own back, how can you possible massage your lower or upper back muscles. Additionally, there is literature that suggests that certain types of massaging and massage patterns can actually be less than beneficial.
For me personally, a simple (and short) amount of dynamic stretches generally works best for me. I’ve always been fairly flexible, but I always am mindful to do small amounts of stretching.
All that said, I think the stretching in P90X is almost all overkill. However, it is tailored more for people that are NOT ALREADY flexible, as opposed to those who are. For me, I use that time to focus, breath, and relax, even if the extra stretching isn’t the most optimal time investment.
Squeezing every last minute out of your day only adds to your stress, it doesn’t decrease it. If you want to promote being healthy, perhaps you should be less tied to your watch, and more to your life.
Thanks, and take care!
Hi Bob,
I think you’ve misinterpreted a lot of what I’ve said.
You’re confusing specificity with isolation. Specificity is designing a training program to meet specific needs. A marathon runner runs long distances and a powerlifter lifts heavy weights. Although that’s an extreme example, everyone has specific needs based on their activities, health status, and current physical condition that should be a focal point of their training.
An exercise like the biceps curl is an isolation exercise because it works a relatively small amount of muscle through the movement of only a single joint. Including such exercises to the extent that they are included in the P90X program contributes to excessively high volume. This has nothing at all to do with specificity. In fact, it actually supports my argument for specificity rather than contradicting it because an exercise like the biceps curl is not specific to many needs or goals other than appearance, and even then it’s not as necessary as many people think. This is not to say that isolation exercises have no place, but it’s generally not a good idea to include a lot of them in a program that is already high in volume, and it’s especially not a good idea to use them in place of more effective compound (multi joint) exercises.
Most well designed training programs, even if designed with specific goals in mind, will still provide a well rounded foundation of fitness that includes the strength, flexibility, and endurance to enjoy a variety of activities with an improved level of performance and less risk of injury. The point of specificity is to focus on the requirements of the activities that you participate in on a regular basis.
In contrast to what you’re implying, I’m not advocating that people become too narrowly focused on specific goals. Instead, I’m simply advocating that they actually have focus. In other words, exercise with purpose!
I’m sorry you think this. Based on the popularity of the P90X program, it’s not surprising that many people have criticized and questioned my opinions. Where appropriate, I have acknowledged critical opinions that I think are reasonable. Otherwise, the only thing left to do when questioned is to explain my disagreement. I consider myself to be open minded, but nobody has given me any reason to change my basic opinion of the approach to exercise promoted by the P90X program. I am simply holding true to my beliefs, and just because nobody has convinced me to change them certainly doesn’t mean that I’m only interested in being right.
I never said or even implied that flexibility isn’t important. In fact, I absolutely agree that it’s highly important. However, although you may not interpret it this way, yoga is indeed about the mind body connection. While there’s nothing wrong with this, yoga is overkill for most people when done only for its flexibility benefits. Furthermore, dynamic flexibility exercises and self massage are also very important for promoting and maintaining a healthy range of motion, but neither yoga or the P90X include them.
Learning is my thing. I love it, value it highly, and am constantly reading and looking for ways to better myself, especially in regard to my health, fitness, and perspective. The fact that I haven’t changed my beliefs about the P90X approach to exercise doesn’t change this one bit.
This site does generate money, but not much. In fact, if I were to equate it to an hourly wage based on the time I put into this site, it would be laughable. I run this site because it fuels my desire to learn and I find it fulfilling to share the knowledge I gain and the ideas and opinions that follow.
Although there is a mixed body of research showing that massage can reduce muscle soreness, this is not the primary benefit of self massage. It’s primary purpose is to reduce the stiffness that results from exercise and every day use which assists in maintaining range of motion and preventing pain and injury. Because it is so great and effective, many physical therapists are using massage and recommending self massage. Mike Reinold, a physical therapist and the athletic trainer for the Boston Red Sox, is one of them.
With a foam roller, a TheraCane, and a tennis ball you can very effectively target every major muscle group. Even with just a foam roller, you can still get every major muscle group, just not as effectively.
Certain types of exercise and food are harmful too. Does this mean we should avoid all exercise and all food along with all forms of massage? As the saying goes, don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.
I’d appreciate it if you could provide references for the research that you’re referring to. I’d like to take a look at it.
Assuming you’re referring to the Yoga and the time commitment of the P90X program in general, I completely agree. Many parts of the P90X program are redundant and unnecessary. Since weight loss is a major focus of the program, I can only include that this is for the purpose of burning additional calories which I think is a misguided and potentially unhealthy approach.
Hi Vin,
I really liked your article about P90X. My husband and I are considering purchasing this video to use at home together. I have been trying to research it and this seems like the first real review I found that did just say it worked or it didn’t. My husband and I are in our early twenties and we don’t always have the time to work out outside or at the gym. I was hoping to find a good workout video that we could use at home together. My husband does not want to spend money on a gym membership because he knows he probably will not go. We live in a nice neighborhood and often take walks, but we don’t really jog or run because my husband has problems with shin splints. He developed them in basic training in the airforce and was medically discharged. I am glad to know that you disprove of the P90X nutrition guide because we had no intention of using it. I am not fond or pills, shakes, or gross energy bars and I don’t want to change the way I shop for groceries. I cook everyday and we eat few processed foods. I would much rather cook our regular meals than to try and make ourselves eat food we do not like. I think we may order the video and do the regular workouts combined with a regular diet (maybe less red meat and hearty meals) and try it for 90 days. After that we figured we would just pick and choose videos a few times a week to maintain a healthy routine that we enjoy.
Hi Elizabeth, thanks for your feedback!
Since you’re primarily looking for a workout to do at home and probably don’t want to invest in any equipment, I think the P90X will serve you well if you pick and choose from it wisely and respect your capacity. Good luck!
Vin,
Thanks for the good reads…. I did P90x and agree with you. I was wondering if you could turn me on to an at home workout routine that will help me lose weight and build muscle(more concentrated on losing weight) I do eat well but would like a 30-45 minute routine I can do 6 days a week. I like to bike and run but looking for a full body workout. PLEASE HELP ME..thanks!
Hi Matt,
As I mentioned in my article, I firmly believe that healthy eating is the most important aspect of weight loss, and to address this, you should be eating mostly natural whole foods, particularly meat, fish, moderate amounts of fruit, low starch vegetables, and nuts. The more closely you adhere to this principle, the easier weight loss will be, and you’ll likely enjoy the benefit of improved health as well.
If you enjoy biking and running and they don’t cause you any difficulties, then it makes a lot of sense to include them in your routine. I’d keep the intensity low and would reserve maybe one day per week for intense intervals if you feel that you have the energy for it.
For strength training at home, assuming you don’t have a lot of equipment, I’d focus primarily on lunges, chin ups, and push ups, but not necessarily with as much volume as is used in the P90X program. I’d also include swiss ball rollouts or planks for core work, or even better, ab wheel rollouts if you can do them. If you’d like to get more serious about strength training, I’d consider some of the equipment recommendations I made in the article which will greatly expand the variety of exercises that you can do at home as well as the amount of resistance that you can use.
For flexibility, I’d use the stretches from any of the resources that I’ve recommended in the article and would also include self massage.
Although this may not sound like much compared to the P90X, I think it’s sufficient for a well rounded exercise routine that supports both health and weight loss. I hope it helps!
Hi Vin, I appreciate the feedback that I have picked up by reading some of the positives and negatives of the P90X program and fitness in general. Thanks.
I am 53 years young, married with three daughters 20,18,16 and we are looking for an exercise program that would fit us as a family. I too believe that being in good health is a much better goal than a beach body (I may not have always said that).
I have attempted to stay fit all my life by running and training with weights (lighter as I age). My wife and daughters have not been very disciplined in exercise but eat fairly healthy. None are terribly overweight and all have done some running. One daughter and I just completed our first marathon.
Two of us (wife and daughter) would like to lose 10 – 20 pounds and gain a bit of muscle and the rest of us would just like to gain a bit of muscle and tone up. All with the end goal to feel and look healthier. Beyond that, I would hope that my family would have such a good experience and reward from this that they would be motivated to continue the process for life.
Can you and would you have any suggestions or direction for me?
Thanks for your help.
Hi Bill,
Congratulations on completing a marathon. That’s an impressive achievement!
One thing which stands out to me is that you and your daughter are fit enough to complete a marathon but are still looking to lose weight. This leads me to suspect that perhaps you’re not being as mindful of your food choices as you could be or that you’ve been overtraining (the physiological stress of excess exercise can impair weight loss). As you decide how to proceed, this is something to consider.
As I said to Matt above, I really think diet is the most critical factor in weight loss. However, the key is really focusing on food quality by choosing whole foods that are low in starch and sugar and avoiding processed foods and flavored or sweetened beverages as much as possible.
It sounds like your primary concern is long term motivation. I suggest choosing activities and exercises that you truly enjoy, not pushing yourself too far past the point where exercise becomes more of a burden than something enjoyable, and to find a convincing way to associate the benefits of exercising with meaningful personal values. This last aspect is arguably the most important. Here’s an article that discusses it in more detail.
Hi Vin. I think we can all agree that doing what ever it takes to get this country moving and eating correctly is a very positive start. I am in the best shape of my like thanks to P90X but I am not opposed to cross fit or any other training methods for that matter. I think they are all fun and I love the variety and I love to challenge myself. Most people need a structure laid out for them that they can follow and P90X does this. They don’t say you only have to do P90X. Of course you can move on to other things, mix and match it get some personal training sessions to learn even more but P90X lays an awesome foundation. P90X will hopefully change a persons bad habits and at least open their eyes to a new world of fitness out there. Heck, if someone doesn’t like P90X just return it for a refund. Yes, I am a coach and I like to share fitness and health with everyone but I was a customer first, doing P90X and that is what led me to the coaching program. It is a lot of fun getting people to work out and seeing them do a complete 360 in their lives.
As far as eating bars and protein powder goes, well if you don’t need to supplement then don’t do it. I find the bars come in handy for me when I am crunched for time or on the road. I don’t use them every day but they do make things a little easier.
Hi Jeff, thanks for your comment!
I totally agree about the positive start about getting people moving. However, as I’ve said before, this start needs to be followed up with some ambition to make exercise a lifelong habit. In my opinion, this requires at least some level of education and an awareness of how to address one’s individual needs. Most importantly, there needs to be a meaningful source of inspiration. Unfortunately, because much of the appeal associated with P90X is based on rapid appearance based results, I think it’s easy for people to approach the program with a quick fix mentality that doesn’t include much concern for longevity. Hopefully there are sensible Beachbody coaches out there like yourself who are compensating for this.
In regard to the bars and powders, being busy is a convenient excuse to eat processed foods. However, there’s no reason why someone who’s pressed for time can’t prepare themselves for such situations by making healthy snacks or meals in advance or even choosing bars and powders that are of higher quality and contain fewer undesirable ingredients.
Im not a P90X supporter or detractor. I was simply looking for some unbiased information on the subject. I think the problem some people have, myself included, is not whether you think the program is good or not, its the biased way you put it. How serious would you take a food critic that has not eaten at a place but rates it low anyway just because he read about it in some books? Movie critics have to see a movie in order to rate it. Would you believe me if I told you how horrible a movie was or how great and awesome it is only to find out at the end that I had never seen it? What if consumer reports gave a rating on a product yet never tested it? Thats how I felt reading your article. I was happy to hear something that wasnt sugar coated like so many other reviews only to find out that you hadnt even done the program. Not doing it simply because you think it wont be good doesnt cut it for me, not if you are going to rate a product. I had hoped youd have done it then formulated an opinion. But instead you say many things based upon what? Not direct experience. It would be like saying I know what birth pain is like because Ive read a bunch of books on it. Your answer may be I already know so I dont need to do the program to rate it. Well that goes back to the food or movie critic or consumer reports analogy. Their credibility would be shot had they not seen that movie or eaten at that place or actually tested that product. Does this compare to a boxed exercise program? yes. They dont say they are health critics, but you say you are. So I continue on in my quest to find someone who has actually done P90X in its entirety and can give an unbiased opinion of the product without sugar coating it, try to sell me something.
Hi Dan,
Can I critique the taste of a particular wine without actually consuming it? Obviously not. Can I be justified in suggesting that consuming the same wine too frequently is probably a bad idea? Certainly, and I think this is the case with my criticisms of the P90X program as well. The point of this article is not to share personal experiences with the program, but to discuss the exercise principles behind it (or lack thereof), and I think the many years I’ve been exercising and studying fitness have provided me with plenty of experience and knowledge to do so.
I encourage you and anyone who shares your sentiment to try the program for yourself and come to your own conclusions. If the ideas that I’ve presented in this article help you make better use of the program or make you more aware of the need for longevity and a more balanced and health oriented perspective on fitness, then my intentions have been realized.
Doing any workout, will i need a recovery drink and a protein bar?
Hi James,
No, recovery drinks and protein bars are not necessary. There are many people who were able to achieve incredible fitness before such things even existed. As long as you’re regularly choosing high quality foods, eating enough to support your activity level, and getting plenty of sleep and rest, this should be more than sufficient. It’s amazing how many people use expensive recovery supplements without giving enough appreciation to these basic factors. If you’d like to be more proactive about improving your recovery, one thing you can do is to make sure that you have a high quality meal shortly after exercising.
Good article, lots of postings. P90X is appealing on the surface level because its results are visible, very visible, but mostly on the surface level. But once you’ve figured out that you don’t have to be fat, a slug, a couch potato, then a more important question arises. What do you want to do, and what do you want to be? P90X and other programs (taebo, etc.) focus very hard on producing a “beach body,” but for the 99.9% of the time you are not on a beach or wearing a sleeveless T-shirt, what do you really want to be able to do?
The answer should be contain the word “fitness”. You should choose your activity (tennis, golf, skiing, mountain climbing, marathon, triathlon, kayaking, bicycle racing, bicycle touring, fly fishing) and create a training, diet and lifestyle program that puts you toward your goal. Anything else is, frankly, shallow, and most likely unsustainable. You should aim to be a totally fit person who can practice and improve on the chosen activity, getting better at it all the time with minimal (less than 0.01%) of injury. So, if you are a tennis player, you should have proper stroke technique, excellent and balanced muscle tone for legs, core, arms and good tennis endurance. To do this you will need to hit the track, hit the gym, eat right and pursue improvements in technique. You will probably look, in street clothes, remarkably normal and even in a swimsuit just reasonably fit, and not “cut” or “buff.” THIS is what will make you a happy, physical person. Having a ribbed ab or “guns” for arms will not do it, over time.
If you are a high angle mountaineer then you will need excellent endurance and stamina, the cardio ability to perform at peak levels in much thinner air, excellent muscle tone for legs, core and arms, the ability to haul a 50 pound pack 7~10,000 feet up from where you start, and specific skill sets with ropes, caribiners, chocks, protection and expedition safety and emergency medical care. Again, achieving your physical activity will make you a complete person, not sporting a pair of deltoids that look like 18th century cannonballs.
It doesn’t much matter what it is you choose to do; choose it and then structure a fitness and lifestyle plan to achieve constant improvement in it. Anything else is underperformance or vanity, or both.
However, it is entirely possible that using the above method, you could find a number of exercises and inspiration from P90 or something similar that you could adapt to truly important goals.
Hi Doug, thanks for your comment!
I completely agree with your perspective and I think it’s very much in line with what I’ve been trying to say.
One thing I’d like to mention is that some people aren’t interested in pursuing an “activity.” While it can certainly be a great source of motivation, it’s possible to find other sources of motivation that will help to make exercise a sustainable habit. The key is to find a way to associate the benefits of exercise with meaningful personal values. For some, this may include a sport or some other similar type of activity, but for others, it might not, and it doesn’t have to. For example, late in his career, Andre Agassi was motivated to train hard because he realized that his tennis success could support the development of his charter school for underprivileged kids in Las Vegas. Helping these kids is valuable to him, and once he realized that he could leverage his fame to support this value, it motivated him to fully dedicate himself to his tennis career, and in turn, his fitness. This is especially noteworthy because he very much lacked this commitment earlier in his career. I think this is a great example for people who don’t naturally enjoy physical activity.
I agree that someone who follows a basic fitness routine, whether it be to improve performance or simply support good health, can expect to look “reasonably fit.” However, I think it’s realistic to expect even more than this. Although it typically requires a good amount of strength training to develop a muscular “beach body,” anyone who follows a truly healthy diet and is reasonably active can look very lean and fit without dedicating a lot of effort solely to this purpose.
I also agree that there are aspects of the P90X program that can be of value to people who are motivated by meaningful goals and are aware of how to apply these aspects to their personal needs.
I KNEW IT: After a year of trying P90X and really being faithful for the first 4 months, I did the same as you and missed my walks, etc. I also gained weight and had joint issues. I still do a few of the videos when I’m stuck inside due to rain, but that’s pretty sparing. What I find with any programmed exercise and me is that I’m gung-ho at first, but the routine gets me down after awhile and I need a change to something less structured and more free, plus an hour in front of a video isn’t how I want to spend my time!
Peggy, it is so validating to hear that I am not alone in my less-than desired results. I agree… I’d much rather be outside.
I, too, like to change things up- it’s just nice to not feel beholden to P90X and know that it’s OK for me NOT to do it, because it wasn’t the right thing for me.
Good luck on your fitness endeavors.
Vin,
This is an amazing website, I totally understand your emphasis on healthy functional and sustainable fitness.
Thank you for providing a wonderfully moderated environment for all parties. The way I see it, P90x is a good program, a very good program at that. However, it is not the holy grail of fitness, and has drawbacks like any other program.
You have done a good job of bringing its deficiencies to light, even if people were to do P90x, they would be better off educating themselves to its potential drawbacks. I have started p90x and reached a lot of the same conclusions independently, ie I have halved the volume and doubled the frequency as I am in a wheelchair and unable to do cardio.
I totally concur with you on many of the observations. Above all your caveat regarding the total emphasis on cosmetic looks and profit motive rather than sustainable and functional life long health.
I cannot thank you enough. P90x is simply another weapon in my arsenal.
Zak
Hi Zak, thank you for your kind feedback!
More importantly, thank you for emphasizing the importance of learning, especially since I intended this to be one of the more important aspects of the article. Although it may seem like a critique of the P90X program, my real intention was to use it as a way to suggest what I consider to be a more balanced and health conscious approach to fitness.
Thanks for the informative website Vin. I just saved the link and will definitely read it in the future.
This has been an interesting read, although I only read maybe 40% of the posts.
I both agree and disagree with the original post.
I was unfamiliar with P90X until recently. I saw the first infomercial about a week after I started doing P90X, so no hype for me.
A lot of what you mentioned is actually shared in the P90X DVDs. I think that it does a good job at promoting health, safety, improved physical function, etc.
The focus on ripped abs and crunches is relative. I’ve only done the first 2 weeks, and the focus seems to be on improved fitness, coordination, stamina, strength, flexibility, nutrition, attitude, etc. There’s also emphasis on proper form vs. increased repetitions.
I don’t follow their diet, but the initial stage makes perfect sense to me. Although most popular diets can be unhealthy, reducing carbohydrates is a good way to jump start weight loss. I think this is where I first heard it, probably near the end of the show:
http://www.ucsd.tv/search-details.aspx?showID=16715
They have some other wonderful programs available for online viewing. I think you’ll enjoy them.
A bit about my story:
After a motorcycle accident in 1996, and then working on my Ph.D. in 1999 without much physical activity, my health deteriorated. At one point I was weighing 260 lbs, and for the past few years I have dealt with arthritis, tendinitis, sleep apnea, and a bunch of other problems.
I think it was 2 years ago when I entered a weight loss challenge (and won). I had returned to training Karate and also took up inline skating. One day I could not get out of bed and it turned out to be a herniated disc and a couple of damaged discs. Many months later I got over that enough to be able to train karate again, but 2 or 3 months ago I had problems with my neck, which are finally going away thanks to a lot of acupuncture, exercises, and a change in diet. I HATED the Percocet, Vicodin, Parafon Forte, etc., that the doctors gave me in the past and I prefer a “healthier” approach to improve my health
So, I discovered P90X and started the program about 2 weeks ago, still with some back and neck problems. I don’t want a beach body or to be ripped, but it really seemed like a good workout, with a lot of variety, and doing things I had done in the past (except for Yoga).
I lost 6 pounds in the first 10 days, but I’m definitely tailoring it for my needs as follows:
-I don’t follow the diet. Based on my unhealthy weight of 242 lbs when I started I’m supposed to eat way too many calories (3500). After one week I adjusted this to 2400.
-Regarding supplements (e.g., protein powder, protein bars, recovery drinks, and protein shakes) I do take multivitamins, protein powder (since my doctor told me to before I even began doing P90X), and lowfat chocolate milk as a recovery drink. I only drink soy or almond milk these days, so I’ll try to find out if those alternatives would work as a recovery drink. My current diet pretty much consists of salmon, fruits, and vegetables.
-I don’t do any jumping, or plyometrics. I may give them a try once I lose at least 40 pounds and regain my strength. I’m scared to do that now because of my back and because I injured my Achilles tendon a few years ago while trying to jump rope again. It was at the last minute of my routine, and it was awful. I used to jump for 45 minutes when I was lighter and exercised regularly
-I don’t go beyond my limits. I was actually surprised to be able to do quite a bit of the exercises. I was told that this was EXTREME and so far it’s been perfectly doable. Since I could not work out a couple of days, I actually combined 2 sets of exercises on 2 consecutive days to catch up. Not ideal, but I was able to do it.
-I may substitute some of the routines. This idea came about while doing Kenpo X. I read asasso’s comment (“I am a black belt, and kenpo has improved not just my cardio, balance and agility, but also my striking ability”) and my experience is the opposite. I have to mentally tell myself that this is more like “dancing” or “aerobics” instead of a Martial Art. Yesterday I started training Karate for the first time since my neck injury, and the workout I get there is much more intense than what I get with Kenpo X, and this is while training within my limitations. Doing a kick, punch, or strike with the proper technique is quite a workout. I’m looking forward to getting back to it. I may still do Kenpo X but more like aerobics. (Not that it matters, but I’m also a black belt. My Sensei (Hanshi) is an advanced black belt in a wide variety of martial arts. 8th Dan in Karate.)
-Given the impression I got from Kenpo X, and as a Yoga newbie, I’m thinking of following a Yoga workout by an actual Yoga instructor. I tried “Yoga for Beginners & Beyond: Stretch, Strengthen, Be Stress Free! – Ana Brett & Ravi Singh” and liked it but had to stop. I’ll give it another try this weekend. Seemed better for me than Yoga X.
So in my opinion P90X offers a few advantages:
Variety
Enthusiasm
Nutrition guide
All in one package
Any program that restricts carbs for a month and includes over 6 hours of intense exercise per week is likely to result on weight loss (or at least fat loss).
Disadvantages:
By offering so much variety (e.g., Yoga, Kempo, Plyometrics, etc.) I don’t think that they’re offering the “best” example of each.
So far it has worked for me, but I’m modifying it to better suit my needs. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate it an 8.
Thanks again for your wonderful website!
Hi Eddie, thanks for sharing your experience and congratulations on persevering through your challenges!
It seems that you have a good grasp on how to take a generic program like the P90X and modify it to your needs. For people who have the awareness and motivation to do this, I agree that the P90X can provide some value.
I agree that a reduction in carbohydrates along with 6 weeks of exercise will help just about anyone lose weight, but like you said, this is a “jump start.” Although it’s fine to try things that may accelerate progress, it’s only worth doing if it supplements a more reasonable and sustainable plan for long term success. And of course, it’s questionable to pursue such approaches if they have the potential to compromise health. For some, this could easily be the case with a high volume of exercise.
I’m not surprised by your assessment of Kenpo X in comparison to martial arts training. I don’t think the P90X program is specific enough to be a good training program for athletes. However, to be fair, I don’t think it’s marketed as such.
In regard to your consumption of soy milk, I suggest reading The Whole Soy Story by Kaayla Daniel.
I am a big fan of P90X and I also enjoyed this article. I just finished my first phase and, yes, it worked as advertised. When I first started, I just wanted the “beach body”. Now that it’s over, it’s become much more than that. I actually care about fitness now as a lifelong thing. I think the 3 months of P90X really helped me open my eyes. The commercials are slick but over and over Tony Horton really emphasizes a fitness life-style as an anti-aging mechanism.
However, looking back, I think it may have been possible to get the same or very close to the same results I had by eliminating 1/3 to 1/2 of the overall workout volume. There were some weeks I felt like I was overtraining but I got through it somehow.. sometimes a little slugglishly. Maybe I am lucky to not have been injured or pull something.
After reading your excellent detailed essay, I agree and am considering to eliminate some of the redundant moves for round 2 of P90X, for example: the 2nd half of the Chest/Back workout and the repeat sets of the Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps workout. They are awesome but I remember thinking — is this too much? I followed my own healthy-eating guidelines and did fine. I only used the P90X plan as a basic reference.
I must admit — I love Plyometrics and Kenpo. I really felt the benefit of Plyo last week when I was playing volleyball with a bunch of guys in their mid-20s and I am 37. I was running for every ball, kinda doing the tire moves and the side-to-side quick squats to go for the ball. It was the first practical application of the Plyo workout and it felt very “natural”. The guys I was playing with couldn’t believe I was pushing 40.
So overall I am a big fan of P90X.. it works as advertised and I also agree with your findings regarding redundant moves and potential over-training. In the end, Tony does say to “modify modify modify”.
Hi Viktor, thanks for sharing your experience!
One of my primary criticisms of the P90X program is that it’s focus on appearance and speedy weight loss doesn’t cultivate a good perspective on long term health and fitness. I’m glad to hear that your experience has been different. It’s definitely a plus if the P90X can help get people out of the quick fix mentality, but I question how likely it is for this to happen.
I certainly agree that you could have made excellent progress with less volume. Recognizing that will hopefully help you optimize your training going forward.
I’m glad to hear that the program has improved your performance. If you’re serious about volleyball, you may want to consider adding some weight training (instead of body weight training), true plyometric training, and anaerobic interval training to your program. These are important components of improving athletic performance that I think are given little emphasis in the P90X program (and rightly so since many people who follow the program are probably not athletes).
Wow. Thanks for the article and honest input which seems hard to come by these days seeing the hype on P90X. I am currently doing the program for over a month and a half now. After many years exercising and personal training a lot of what P90x had to offer went against my better judgment.
After reading your review it only confirms my thoughts of modifying the program to meet my needs. I should have listened earlier as a shoulder problem from benching years ago suddenly came back to light. I believe that happened in conjunction with the “volume” approach in P90X. I will be taking your advice, making the changes and enjoying exercise again. Add me to your mailing list if you like. Also, any other info on how to make the program more efficient let me know. Or, if you have any advice or knowledge of in-home workouts with minimal equipment let me know.
Hi Max, thanks for your comment!
Other people have insinuated that it’s obvious that the program should be modified to meet individual needs. I think your experience is an important example of how this isn’t always the case. When one follows a structured program like the P90X, it’s easy to think that it needs to be followed as closely as possibly to obtain the promised benefits.
Here are some things that you may want to consider in regard to your shoulder problems.
-Avoid movements that require a wide positioning of the hands and outward position of the elbows. Examples include wide grip chin ups, wide grip pull downs, push ups with wide hand positioning, and wide grip bench press.
-When doing pulling or pushing exercises, use dumbbells instead of a barbell when possible, position your hands slightly wider than shoulder with, and keep your elbows aligned with your wrists (which should be somewhat inward towards the trunk). If you decide to do a chest pressing exercise, choose incline over flat bench.
-Try some shoulder isolation exercises with light dumbbells to improve the strength and stability of the joint. Here are two good ones to try: Shoulder External Rotation and Rear Lateral Raise (better done with chest supported on an incline bench).
-Make sure that you don’t have forward shoulder posture and balance your pressing movements (chest and shoulder) with pulling movements (back).
I hope that helps! If your shoulder pain is bad, you should also consider seeing a doctor or physical therapist.
Hi Vin,
So I was also looking through google to find info on p90X when I found your page.
I have to say I am extremely dissapointed. I am a 30 yr old father of 3. I use to be an avid aggressive in-line skater. Not only riding ramps and grinding curbs and railings but also with a friend of mine would skate about 10-15 mi per night. I was in decent shape. I have never had a six pack or any thing like that but I was at least thin and fit in my clothes comfortably. Once I went to college the skating slowed to a stop. I have since done no real excersize for an extended period of time. I have honestly never really eaten well. Fast food and soda are a large part of my diet. I am aware I need to cut those things out and am working on it. I also just quit smoking cigarettes a little over a year ago. I am desperate to get healthy. To the extent that when I exert my self my body seems to beg for more. And if I drink water I feel the difference in my body. I havent drank a lot of water for most of my life but have been incorporating it heavily as of recent. I was really looking forward to P90X to jump start my getting healthy goal. But after reading this im honestly disheartend and depressed. I need help ! what do I do to get into this healthy Life style if I have no knowlege of what is or isn’t healthy. Not to mention the proper way to work out and the right things to eat ? I will be the first to admit the fact that P90X seems to “lay it all out” for you is very appealing. As well as the “ripped abs” and the “beach body” ! Help Me Please ! what do I do? Where do I start ?
Thank you
James
Hi James,
Please don’t be depressed. Your ambition to take control of your health is very positive, and to take full advantage of it, it’s important to pursue an approach that prioritizes optimal wellness and longevity. Any appearance related benefits are best considered secondary and should come naturally.
The best way to avoid feeling overwhelmed is to start small. With your diet, you can start by simply replacing processed foods with a balance of natural whole foods such as meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables.
Given your excitement towards the P90X program, maybe it would be beneficial to follow it with some of the considerations that I discussed in the article. Instead of blindly following it and overextending yourself to keep up with it, follow it with the perspective that you’re looking to learn and gain experience with various forms of exercise. As you become more experienced with exercise, you should be capable of designing your own programs that are much better suited to your individual needs and preferences.
Keep in mind that doing a little for a long time is a lot better than doing a lot and then giving up, so don’t force yourself to do everything in the program. Do what you enjoy, what you think is beneficial, and what you think you can handle given your current capacity.
As you do all of this, it’s incredibly important to educate yourself. This will give you further direction and new ideas to try. Over time you should end up with the experience and knowledge you need to promote .
A good primer on an overall approach to healthy living to help you get started is How to Eat, Move, and Be Healthy by Paul Chek. In addition, there are plenty of articles on this site that you can read. Check out the getting started page.
You are definately right. This program is not for EVERYONE. However, as an ex-special forces vet and life long advocate for finding the best ways to push myself to the limits – I’ve found this workout to be very challenging. I do the P90X workouts every morning and continue to lift 4 evenings a week. I’ve found that the overall variety and broad spectrum of workouts in these routines to benefit and compliment one another (as well as my lifting routines). Yes, your article does have a hint of critique overtone to it, but we all have different wants and needs as well as limitations. I think its safe to say – the P90X workouts were beyond your comfort level as well as not being congruent with your goals. For the extreme athletes – this might be more up your alley as it has been mine!! I love the regimes and have continued with the program and others like it. Good health. Good strength. Good body. Its all a matter of what you deem important, I guess.
Hi Jason, thanks for your comment.
You’re right that the P90X is not congruent with my fitness goals, but this article isn’t about me. In fact, one of my criticisms of the P90X program is that as a generic program, it’s difficult for it (without customization) to be congruent with anyone’s goals except for those who simply want to challenge their physical limits (which is fine, but also vague) or are after the advertised benefit of a “beach body.” With a bit of thought, just about anyone should be able to come up with more specific and beneficial fitness goals.
The P90X does not exceed my comfort level, but as I already said, this article is not about me. I suppose my opinions are partially based on having experienced the unpleasant effects of overtraining, but they’re also based on my experience with the impressive fitness (and health) improvements that can be gained from a program that is more abbreviated, concise, and goal oriented than the P90X. This approach I describe in the article may not satisfy those who simply want to exhaust themselves with hard work, but I think it’s a more practical, sustainable, efficient, and effective way for people to promote optimal health through fitness or pursue more advanced and specific fitness goals with health still being a top priority.
I’m not sure what you consider an extreme athlete, but I consider the P90X to be lacking for athletes in general. This is not the audience it’s intended for anyway. Being an athlete implies the need to physically perform in a specific way that dictates specific needs for strength, power, endurance, flexibility, and injury prevention. Ideally, the strengths, weaknesses, and other individual aspects of the athlete need to be considered as well. A generic program like the P90X can only marginally satisfy such needs.
Hi Vin,
My partner and i are thinking of starting up the P90X program. do you think it would be benificial to do it at a slower pace? can it be done say over 120 days instead? and maybe walk on the days in between? I was never going to eat the protien bars or anything i am still going to stick to my usual healthy diet. surley doing this program at a pace i can handle is more benificial that not doing anything at all?
thanks
Hi Christine,
Sure, you can abbreviate the program and extend it for as long as you’d like. The primary goal should be to make exercise a long term habit, and based on this, the number of days is irrelevant. If you focus on the exercises and workouts that are enjoyable and apply to your goals, but at your own pace, and only as frequently as you feel comfortable with, you should be able to continue the program indefinitely. I think this approach would make the program more sustainable and would be more conducive to making exercise a lifelong habit.
You can also periodize a bit and choose to focus on certain aspects the program for a while. For example, you can focus mostly on strength training exercises for a few months and do a bit less of everything else. Then, for the next few months you can do more low intensity aerobic exercise or more anaerobic interval training (neither of which are actually included in the program) while cutting back on the strength training. If you feel a bit overworked, you can give yourself a break on focusing more on yoga or other types of flexibility and mobility training for a while. You can keep this up until you either gain enough experience to put together your own program, get tired of P90X, or both.
Yes, doing less exercise is certainly better than doing nothing at all, and in regard to overtraining, it can even be better than doing more.
I hope that helps. Good luck!
Hey Vin,
I have read your article and most of the comments. I agree that P90X is not the only answer to being completely fit. I have recently started it and i love the program to be honest…but i consider myself in better shape than most. I play basketball at least twice a week, tennis couple times a month, golf once a month, and occasionally football, swimming, cycling and running. Plus i ran a marathon a little over a year ago. I tend to eat pretty healthy and avoid junk. I do push-ups, crunches, and bi/tri’s every now and then but, i needed something more and more regimented. Looking to define the body and P90x i feel is doing this….i understand the over working out can be bad for some…but i truley feel a P90X can be a great workout. I still continue to play basketball, use this program, and eat healthy. If i need a day off, i take it. Like most have said being in shape is a lifetime commitment. I know i wont complete this in 90 days but i dont think that is a bad thing. Or makes the program useless. Also i know you mention that eventually people will get tried of P90X….but honestly that goes with everything. Considering there are so many different work outs and exercises….i am sure i will create my own routines and then switch them up and over and over again. It’s not the end all but a very nice addition!!
With all this being said i do have an actual question with regards to a revcovery drink. I have never done a recovery drink with except to the marathon. P90X has definitely brought out muscles that i didnt even knew exsisted (Another reason i love it)…but my soreness has been prolonged and i need something to help it. I have done my research and found that Organic Low fat Chocolate Milk with maybe a banana right after my workouts will do the trick. Good 4-1 ratio of carbs to protein while not over doing the protein. What do you think about this as a recovery drink? I know you mentioned a good meal shortly after but sometimes hungry doesnt hit that close after a workout.
Thanks!
Hi Jason, thanks for your comment.
It sounds like you have a pretty good perspective on how to benefit from using the P90X program, but considering that you’re already quite active, I think you’ll need to be especially careful about overtraining and injury. It sounds like your primary activity is basketball, and based on this, I think you’d be better off following a more sports oriented program that’s more focused on basketball related needs and injuries and also takes into account how often you’re playing. If you’re not that serious about basketball and are really set on completing the P90X program, you may want to consider saving it for a time of the year when you’re less active with sports.
In regard to recovery nutrition, I stand by my statement that quality food is most important. With the possible exception of elite athletes, I don’t think there’s much need to get carried away with specific formulations. In general, you want complete protein (from an animal source) for the repair of tissue damage, a small to moderate amount of simple carbohydrate to replenish glycogen, and maybe some antioxidants to counter the free radicals created by strenuous exercise. Fruit, particularly berries, is a choice for post workout carbohydrates and antioxidants.
I think the 4:1 ratio can quickly become excessive. For example, if you have 20 grams of protein which isn’t all that much, you’d have 80 grams of simple carbohydrates which in my opinion is more than necessary in most cases. Even though the body is more receptive to sugar after exercise, many health problems are associated with excess sugar consumption.
In regard to chocolate milk, I consider it to be a highly processed beverage that’s best avoided. There are a number of concerns to consider with pasteurized milk as well as chocolate. The added sugar in chocolate milk could also be a concern depending on how much milk is consumed.
Prolonged soreness is a symptom of overtraining. If this continues after your body becomes more accustomed to the P90X program, you might want to consider cutting back some.
I find this to be very informative page. I am a 43 year old female, about 25 lbs over weight, but always worked out never could lose the weight. I did cardio kickboxing, running, cardio cardio cardio for 15 years and managed to all this weight. I have to say is that i was told over and over I was not eating enough, but hey I thought if I eat, I will get fat. P90x has taught me about nutrition and how much it goes hand in hand with weight loss.
The first 2 weeks of p90x, I was religious, and on top of that I was doing extra cardio at the gym. 1hour in the morning, 3 times a week. I bonked hardcore in the 3rd week. Felt like crap, my muscles were cramping, feet and hands cramping, tired……after never tracking my food, I logged it and found out I was eating only 900 calories, and I was eating alot!! No wonder I have so much abdominal fat. I was resigned to being fat and very depressed. I couldn’t understand for someone who was so athletically active why I stayed F A T!! So now with p90x, I am eating ALOT. And, I am seeing a tighter body after just a week of changing my diet. I also have learned from this article that too much exercise will produce cortisol. I weigh 170, large boned so I look smaller, but i put on muscle fast. How many calories do you think I should be eating? Thanks for all your advice.
Hi Kat, thanks for sharing your experience!
As strange as it sounds, undereating can make it difficult to lose weight because it slows down your metabolic rate in order to conserve energy. Combined with the stress of potentially overtraining, you may have very well had two things working against you. I’m glad to hear that you’ve made some adjustments and are now seeing progress.
For a very active woman, a general recommendation for energy requirements is 20 calories per pound of body weight. For your weight, this would be 3,400 calories per day. If you’re still looking to lose weight, you can reduce this by about 500 calories per day. A better way would be to estimate your calorie requirements based on your ideal weight rather than your current weight and not subtract any calories. Either way, it’s only meant to approximate how much you should be eating, so be careful to not be obsessive about calorie counting. Also pay attention to how your body responds in regard to your weight and how you feel and make adjustments if necessary.
Vin,
You are obviously well – educated in health and fitness. I think most people need two things for their workouts: structure and simplicity. A personal trainer and even the cost of a gym membership is a problem for many these days.
What I’m hoping the p90x is doing is motivating people to try to get into shape, have some success, and continue on in life more healthy and confident.
Hi Noel, thanks for you comment.
Despite my enthusiasm for healthy living, I do understand that many people don’t want to invest a lot of time, energy, or money into planning an exercise routine. However, the more knowledge someone has about exercise, the more easily they can plan a simple and inexpensive program that can be done at home. While the P90X eliminates the need to plan a program or buy a gym membership, I think that for many people, the program itself is not well aligned with their needs. When this is the case, the effort and money saved up front isn’t worth all that much.
I too hope for people to be motivated, but they have to be motivated to do more than simply start being active. I do think the P90X deserves some credit for motivating people to exercise, but if they’re not motivated to take it a step further by determining what their needs are and learning what type of program would most effectively meet them, they’re less likely to succeed and more likely to return to their sedentary way of life.
Hi Vin,
Great info and conversation you have here. Here is my take on P90x. I don’t necessarily think that it is overated. I think that if you follow the plan, it does what it says. Granted, it my not be something that substainable over a long period of time but you cannot deny that it does work for SOME people (not saying you are). I faithfully did about 60 days of the program but got to the point where it became pure torture to even drag myself in front of the television to PUSH PLAY, The workouts are long and repitituos (IMO) and some of the exercises just seemed totally ridiculous (banana roll). I also have knee issues that prevented me from doing some of that jumping around that’s involved in Plyo X. Having said this, I did get decent results for 60 days losing about 18 lbs but I ended up quitting because I just burned out. I went back to a more sensible approach for ME of weight lifting using free weights and cardio using my treadmill, elliptical, and recumbent bike. So far this is working for me and I have lost 30 lbs in a little over 3 months. Old fashioned exercise, coupled with a balanced diet and not restricting ANY foods (in moderation) has been the the key to keeping me sane and slowly allowing this to be more of a lifestyle change than a DIET.
Hi Ken, thanks for sharing your experience!
Your story highlights most of the issues I have with the P90X program. It’s geared more towards being a 3 month weight loss crash course than a program that promotes a truly healthy and sustainable lifestyle, and because it has great potential to push the limits of overtraining for many people, it can arguably compromise one’s health more so than improving it. My primary point is that I think the P90X is not a very health conscious or sustainable way to lose weight and make exercise a lifelong habit. Maybe overrated is not the best word to have used, and I agree that the P90X is perfectly capable of delivering weight loss results, but the issue in my mind is how the results are delivered.
I’m happy to hear that you’ve found a more sustainable, sensible, and enjoyable way to continue your progress.
I am not sure how I feel about this article or the people speaking negatively about P90x. I am in my 4th week of it and I like it so far. A lot of the exercises are similar to what I did when I was in kung fu or Tae Kwon Do in high school. However, I have become a bit out of shape over the years and I wanted something I could do at home, so I looked to P90x.
My opinion:
I think that people get injured just because they are not listening to their bodies and they are trying to get a “quick” fix. When I first started, I could only make it through about 45 minutes of the workouts and then I would do some stretching I learned in kung fu to cool down and keep my muscles stretched. Tony Horton is always saying to pace yourself and have good form. If you sloppily do any exercise, you are going to injure yourself.
As far as the nutrition plan, I am still doing the low carb part but I know my body and if I start feeling like I need more carbs, I will give my body some more carbs. I might have a piece of whole grain bread or oats or something like that. The nutrition plan even says to do so.
I say that people need to use common sense and listen to their body when doing any type of nutrition or exercise.
I’d just like to mention that P90X is a heavily hyped product that attempts to build a cult following. They’ve used fake-grassroots marketing repeatedly, on and offline. One wonders how many of these boosters here are actual supporters or are paid marketers. That’s the state things have gotten to in this society.
The P90X program was designed to sell product. Weird chemical bars, powders, shakes.
That said, I think it’s probably pretty good. I tend to disagree with a number of Vin’s concerns but there are indeed a number of things I find sleazy about the P90X program.
I’m going to be working it myself and we’ll see how it goes. But I’ll be cooking for myself, not eating food-like substances released by the P90X Chemical Corporation.
Thanks, Vin, for being reasonable in an era of extreme credulity and hype.
‘Nother thing is, P90X is all really basic stuff. There’s nothing unusual about it in any way. His concept of “muscle confusion” may be true but it’s just another way of looking at the old bodybuilder idea of shocking techniques to get out of plateaus.
The only thing I like about it is that it’s all packaged up and ready to go.
Hi roou, thanks for sharing your opinion.
If you look hard enough, I think it’s possible to be turned off by the marketing for just about any product. However, given the number of ads I’ve seen for the P90X program, I wouldn’t doubt that they’ve probably crossed some boundaries. Either way, what I think is telling about the marketing is that it’s mostly directed at people who care more about appearance than health.
There is indeed a scientific foundation behind the importance of having variation in an exercise routine to promote continued progress. It’s called periodization. However, in my opinion, the P90X “muscle confusion” is a gimmicky and unscientific butchering of this concept. Periodization implies variation with purpose that aligns with training goals. In contrast, P90X “muscle confusion” seems to be random variation for it’s own sake, which if anything, makes it harder to track progress.
Hi,
I bought P90X 3 months ago with the hope that I will finally get in shape in three months. I must say I tried it many times but simply couldn’t get it done till the end. I simply would give up because I felt so tired next two days. I work at least 9 hrs per day and doing P90 for an hour or even more was just too much for me. I thought of doing only some of the exercises but realised I wouldn’t win anything.
The worse thing is that ex. Last 6 days so you only have one day to rest. Having only day didn’t give me flexibility because sometimes I had to stay longer at work or simply wasn’t feeling in good mode to do exercise.
I will definitely buy one of your suggested books but is there any DVD or guide that will provide you with tips how to get stronger and build muscles and that it is not as intense as P90X. I can only afford 40 minutes a day of exercise and was thinking to run 4 times per week but this will only help me remove some weight but not built my muscles. Any advice from your side will be highly appreciated.
Hi Remi,
My book recommendations are intended to help people learn more about exercise so that they can design their own programs to suite their individual needs and goals. It’s practically impossible for a DVD program to accomplish this. Until you have the knowledge you need to put together your own program, perhaps your best option would be to trim down the P90X program to be a better fit for your schedule and energy capacity. I think you’re selling yourself short to say that you “wouldn’t win anything” by doing only a portion of the program. It may take you longer to see results, but what’s more important is that you won’t overwhelm yourself and will probably be able to stick with the routine longer.
I think P90X is all about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and seeing/feeling the results. After 3 months, you may decide it doesn’t work for you and try something else, but what do you have to lose by trying something different for 3 months? You can still listen you to your body during a P90X workout – just don’t do everything they are doing on the screen if you can’t do it or don’t feel up to it or it doesn’t feel right. The diet changes every month, and you are allowed to change the phases in less than a month or more than a month, depending on what your body is telling you! Also, you don’t have to use protein shakes or bars…it’s all up to you. Of course their stuff is for sale, but you don’t have to buy it!
Anyone can use P90X to teach their body what it can/can’t do, what it needs and what makes it feel the best!
I really feel you should have tried the program out before giving this critique. It’s kind of unfair to judge this book by its cover, so to speak. For example, the Yoga X routine is much more than 90 minutes of stretching. The first 45 half is packed with pretty intense strength & balance building asanas.
Hi Jackie, thanks for sharing your opinion.
I fully support the idea of someone pushing themselves to achieve a goal as long as they’re not excessive or obsessive about it. However, pushing your limits just for the sake of it seems a bit misguided to me. I suppose it’s like running a marathon just for the pride of having been able to do it which can provide a lot of value and meaning, but I question how well the P90X program can equate to this. Besides, the premise of this article is exercising to promote optimal health or performance rather than challenging one’s limits, and it’s important to realize that these two objectives can be contradictory.
Yes, anyone who follows any exercise program has choices and can make modifications, and that’s the reason why I provided some suggestions for doing so. However, the P90X program appeals to many people because it’s designed to spare them from this effort. In other words, many of the people who follow the P90X program are likely to feel compelled to follow it exactly, especially if they fear that not doing so will compromise their results.
I am very familiar with every mode of exercise included in the P90X program and have enough experience with them to recognize the shortcomings of the program. Furthermore, any personal experiences I might have with the P90X program would give little indication of how well it would be suited for other people. As I’ve already said, the purpose of this article is not to critique the program based on my personal preferences or capabilities, but rather to use it as an example to discuss sound exercise principles.
Hi Vin,
just found this link while searching for comments on the p90x . There are many valid points from both sides and i have read them with great interest . Being a Fire-fighter for over 20 years i have always been lucky to be able to weight train every day/night whilst on duty and then resting my body on the 4 days off i have .
My social lifestyle and the fact a serious knee injury meant i had to retire from playing football (soccer) over 10 years ago , and the weight has very gradually piled on !
I have always trained very heavy with the basic compound exercise’s being my basis of all my training ( dead lifts, squats, bench , dips , chins etc etc ) .
I recently was put onto the p90x programme by another Fire-fighter who along with other members of the Fire service started doing the programme together . Now i was very sceptical about the whole process , but after looking into the programme and now having just started week 3 i would like to pass my comments/observations to the forum if you dont mind?
I did the first DVD by myself , and one of the other members on my watch came down and watched me doing it so i felt very very awkward doing it in front of him ! The next shift i did he watched again but then started playing about with the resistance bands , but then did the Ab-ripper x section which we found very hard to say the least !
Anyway 2 weeks later and we now have 5 members of the watch all doing it together via a big screen in our lecture room ! This programme is not for everyone , it clearly states that at all times BUT we have all seen really good results especially myself as i have been doing it for the longest , so far i have lost 7lb in the 3 weeks , which is not huge i know but for someone as big as myself that is the most ive lost in over 3 years . I am not hungry in anyway and continue to eat a healthy diet and i do allow myself treats at weekends !
I have not purchased any of the supplements they bang on about and just stick to whey protein and plenty of water for my training , we have found it to be superb to workout together , yes hard to do but that’s the challenge for us and we will i am sure complete the 90 days as we are all to stubborn to quit this programme! After the 90 days i will incorporate HIIT into my workouts and vary the programme to the ones i enjoy which will not be the easiest !!
All training programmes have good and bad points its how you approach them and to what level you want to reach that matters , personally its been a breath of fresh air for me after so many years weight training , as they say” you pays your money and you make your choice!!!”
All the best Mark and the Fire-fighters from Red Watch Earlham ( Norwich UK )
Hi Mark, thanks for sharing your experience!
It sounds like you have some solid weightlifting experience, but as you probably know, it’s important to realize that such exercises aren’t going to make a significant difference in regard to weight loss which is what you seem to be after.
I’m glad that you’re enjoying the P90X program and have experienced some success with it. In conjunction with this, remember that truly healthy eating is the most important aspect of losing weight and keeping it off and that it will be difficult and potentially undesirable to sustain the volume of the P90X program long term.
I just want to put my 2 cents in that my husband transformed his life and his health with P90X at the age of 48 and I think it is not good professionalism to bash a health tool publically. you can state your opionion of better ideas without putting a great tool down.
Tony Horton is a great role model ….over 50 and in great shape and a great motivational trainer. I hope that the replys have made an impact before casting judgement on other health or exercise tools that are valuable in the market place. your opinions are great and thanks for sharing your truth…but please be careful not to cast to much opinion on tools that have not gotten into your actual life and have made a huge difference in others…
you can promote your ideas without putting down others…if your ideas are worthy!
I know this to be true in the biz I am in ….we never bash others products and we still do great!
just saying…
Hi Linda, thanks for your feedback.
Even though there is some overlap, I think it’s fair to say that the P90X program is much more a weight loss tool than a health tool. They may sound like the same thing, but they’re not.
I have nothing against the P90X program or Tony Hornton directly, and I’ve said this previously. What I’m criticizing is the extreme focus on burning calories through exercise to lose weight, particularly in relation to the misconception that this is a good way to promote health. Anyone who’s interested in longevity and wellness would be better off pursuing weight loss in a more sustainable way that promotes optimal health. Despite what some might people say, including Tony Hornton, it’s very obvious that the P90X program and the advertising for it are more focused on appearance. Health should come first, and I mean optimal health, not the poor modern standard of “good” health which is nothing more than not being obese and not suffering from a major chronic disease.
I congratulate your husband for transforming his life. What matters most, though, is how much of his daily lifestyle habits will be permanently improved for the better. I think it’s fair to say that the P90X is sort of a weight loss crash course that can’t be followed continuously on a long term basis without putting unnecessary physical demand on the body, and based on this, it’s not well aligned with the goal of optimal health. In my opinion, if your husband is able to live a healthy and vibrant life years beyond doing the P90X program, he will have undoubtedly gone far beyond the principles offered by the program, and for this, he is much more deserving of the credit than the P90X program. In regards to health, the only credit that I think is deserved by P90X is for initially encouraging people to take more responsibility for their health, and this is despite it happening in a somewhat indirect way. For this, I do give the P90X credit even though I think it’s more a result of the program’s immense popularity than it’s quality.
I appreciate your sentiment that I’ve been too negative in regard to the work of others, and in general, I much prefer to be positive and keep criticism to myself. However, I see people interpreting the P90X as a guideline for living a healthy lifestyle and I have objections to this that I’d like to think have been valuable for some people. For anyone else who cares more about rapid weight loss or challenging their limits than optimal health, by all means, buy P90X and have at it! And if someone is able to learn from the P90X and understand and avoid the potential of overburdening their body, then even better! I am by no means trying to hurt the sales of the P90X program, but am instead trying to broaden people’s perspective on how to make exercise a part of a truly healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
As a fitness professional wth an academic background in both exercis ephysiology and biochemistry, I can tell you that this article is dead on.
Mr. Miller, I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Hi Kelli, thank you for your kind feedback!
Great Article! I’m have started p90x 25 days ago and have also some complaints about it.
In General I think it’s a good program, at least for me. I don’t follow the nutrion plan, didn’t even bother to read it, as I changed my eating habits before and cook everyday.
I will finish the programm and then build my own training plan. As a start it is great, because when you decide that you want to workout, you usually don’t know how and you will lose your motivation when you have to read 3 month before you can start.
I’m 30 years old and already pretty fit – the programm is ok for me, but I think it’s way to hard for alot of people that are overweight and can’t do a pullup. Those shouldn’t start with maximum rep intervalls of pulls/pushups.
My complaints are:
1. 90 Days – The reason why it’s a 90 day workout is because you can sell it better that way. Get fit in just 3 month! But actually the workout will take longer than that, because you need more recovery. If your muscles are sore – don’t train. The plan isn’t very clear how to cope with this. It will force people to workout everyday, even if they need recovery just to get it done in 90days. There should be at least one more recovery day a week.
2. Abripper X is too hard. Your lower back is really worked out in the exercises and that causes pain in the lower back when doing those insane situps exercises. Also, abdominal trainig that is that hard is a little bit too much 3x a week. I would exchange at least one ab workouts with training the lower back (supermans, …). The warming up should integrate more core exercises.
3. I really miss dips in the chest workouts.
4. I think you should set goals, that go beyond having a nice body. Getting better at your sport, learn a handstand or something like that.
Some Questions to you Vin:
1. Why do you recommend to skip yoga? It’s probably to long, but it has some good core exercises.
2. You said P90x Plyo is actually plyometrics. How should one train plyometrics? Fewer exercises?
Hi Simon, thanks for your comment.
I completely agree in regard to the 90 day time frame because in my opinion it contradicts the concept of making exercise a lifelong habit. Granted, it’s desirable to include phases of variation in a long term workout plan, but similar to what you said about goals, which is also something that I completely agree with, I think such variation should have a more direct and beneficial focus than using high volume to burn calories.
What I suggested is that people not do Yoga unless they have a purpose for it. Some people find it relaxing or use it to clear their mind in a similar way that meditation would be used. This is great, and I think people who find value in it for these reasons should continue to do it. However, although Yoga does provide strength and flexibility benefits, I think it’s a poor and misguided replacement for a strength training and stretching program. A good strength training and stretching program should be dictated by an individuals strengths, weaknesses, and performance or activity based needs. Yoga programs are generally not designed this way, and the P90X Yoga workout certainly isn’t. Furthermore, the P90X program already involves a lot of strength training which makes the strength benefits of Yoga redundant and unnecessary. In short, Yoga is not nearly as effective for developing strength as a strength program is, and it requires much more time and energy than what is necessary for an effective stretching routine.
Plyo-X is a very watered down version of plyometrics, and it’s arguable that this defeats the purpose of doing it. Another consideration is that plyometric exercises are generally contraindicated for overweight individuals, yet these are the people who the P90X program is primarily intended for. Fortunately, the low intensity of the Plyo-X exercises makes this less of an issue, but this is countered by the high volume. Plyometric exercises should generally be done with a low volume (low number of jumps or foot contacts) because of the required intensity and the resulting stress on joints and connective tissue. The purpose of plyometrics is to improve power production through the exploitation of the stretch-shorten cycle and is generally only used in sports orientied training. Based on all of this, I think plyometrics is inappropriate for someone who’s been inactive and is possibly overweight which represents the majority of the P90X’s target audience. Plyometrics can be beneficial for non athletes, but it’s generally recommended to complete a phase of strength training first. For example, it’s recommended that anyone performing lower body plyometrics is able to squat 1.5 times their body weight for 1 repetition, and most of the people following the P90X program are probably unable to do this. There are also additional considerations for older people and people with previous injuries.
I am interested in the calm backlash against P90X. I have been doing it for the last few weeks, and though it does have some issues (mainly size/strength loss,) I find the program to be effective in losing unwanted fat quickly. I have say very few people mention that P90X is nothing more than well put together circut training. I knew this going in and was up for it. Being 51, 6’2″ and 240 after going to the gym 4-5 days a week for two years I realized I was eating wrong (by my own bad choices..I know better,) not doing much cardio, and not pushing myself like I should. P90X has become a tool for me to recharge my fitness habits. Reminding me you can not be healthy by just squeeking by. So again, it works for me.
Your dead on about the processed suppliments you mentioned in the original post. I avoid these unless there is no other way possible to get food in me. I don’t keep them around but rather grab one somewhere if I need to.
I gues what I am saying is P90X lays a good ground work for future fitness. Seeing the results I am seeing, and feeling, I know I must do cardio three days a week. I have to push myself when doing resistance training. And I have to eat properly to keep my body healthy.
Hi Phil, thanks for sharing your experience.
For someone who’s already fairly knowledgeable about exercise, I agree that P90X can be valuable in helping to recharge someone’s interest in fitness as it’s seem to have done for you. I don’t agree that it’s a well designed circuit training program, though. Circuit training is an effective way to get modest aerobic improvements from a resistance training program or to save time by grouping unrelated exercises together and therefore reducing the amount of rest time needed between sets. However, this is a secondary focus of a well designed training program. The primary focus is still on based on some type of specific goal relating to fitness, and this is something that the P90X lacks in my opinion. You even said yourself that the program has resulted in strength losses which is obviously not a typical characteristic of a well designed resistance training program.
I also agree that P90X can be an effective way to lose weight fast, by my contention here is that this mentality is typically not in alignment with promoting optimal health. I think it’s questionable to push the limits of one’s physical capacity just to burn more calories and lose weight faster when a more moderate amount of exercise and more focus on diet can produce as much benefit in a slightly longer time frame. Furthermore, such an approach is more healthful and more supportive of developing habits that can be sustained long term.
OK.. This blog is a bit disturbing and i hope you’re not a trainer because you have no idea what it takes to bring about real long lasting change. If i applied you’re lack of motivation and goal setting to my life it would take me 90 days to take out the trash.
90 days is a reasonable time for P90X and a solid goal that provides a feeling of accomplishment upon completion that makes you wanna set your next goal higher and push on.
P90X GRAD Here! Bringin’ IT! 58 pounds lost in 3 months and, according to my family doctor, in the best shape and health of my life.
I find it rather telling about the kind of person that you are and a certain lack of motivation that exists in you. There is nothing unhealthy about working hard for extended periods of time and taking your recovery seriously.
P90X was and is exactly what i need. All of the workouts, although not for the weak of mind or heart who lack motivation, are long, hard, fun and fulfilling. Tony is always very clear and open with the fact that some may need to take additional breaks. In fact he encourages it. “Do you best, forget the rest”
Throughout the entire program Tony preaches safety and form in a way that makes it feel OK to modify if needed.
For those of you who would rather do 10 minutes of weak cardio, 2 minutes of pretend ab exercises, and pat yourself on the back for a job well done, great job…its better than the average American, but that’s not for me.
That’s nothing near the pursuit of serious progress that I crave. If you want serious life-altering results you need serious life altering motivation and HARD WORK with a goal, in this case it’s 90 days. How do you reach a goal in a timely manner without a serious expectation? Plain and simple.
NOW, From a statistical standpoint, people who are driven to workout hard and fight through the pain tend to apply that motivation and ambition to their life. Unfortunately, the same holds true for those who pretend to work hard and just go through the motions..you know…Those who feel that ..”ehh.. i did enough to say i worked out today”
P90X is definitely not for the latter. For the others who want to change your life…Bring It!
Headway fitness,
You couldn’t possibly be more wrong about me. Strong determination is one of the most defining aspect of my personality. In fact, because of this, I’ve pushed myself excessively to the point of overtraining numerous times, and this is part of the reason why it’s so obvious to me that the calorie burning focus of P90X is misguided.
Think about how many people lose weight and then gain it all back. 90 days is an irrelevant goal if you can’t keep the weight off, and without modification, the P90X is for most people not the type of fitness program that can be made into a lifelong lifestyle habit.
I congratulate you on your 58 pounds of weight loss. I never had that much weight to lose, but I apparently had 30 pounds extra because that’s how much I lost in 3 months by simply following a an excellent diet, and if you think it doesn’t require strong determination and motivation to implement and stick with a truly healthy diet, then I’d say you’re greatly mistaken, and that’s being polite. And by the way, I’ve kept the weight of for years and have every intention of keeping it off for good. That’s what I call determination and “bringin’ it,” and I’d love to see if you’re still “bringin’ it” a few years from now.
High intensity or high volume exercise comes at a physiological cost. It’s a significant burden to the body, and that’s precisely why proper recovery is so important. However, it’s shortsighted to think that the body can repeatedly recover from such burdens without any negative impact, and for this reason, it’s even more shortsighted to repeatedly impose such a burden without good purpose. As I’ve said many times, burning calories is a very questionable justification for this, and it’s also unnecessary. Even if you crave high intensity exercise for no other reason than simply doing it, there are more focused and appropriate ways to implement it. High intensity interval training on a periodic basis is a great example, and you don’t know what “bringin’ it” is unless you’ve experienced the hunched over sucking wind feeling that follows a tough interval workout.
I never suggested 10 minute cardio sessions or “pretend” ab exercises. You’re obviously exaggerating here to support your point. Besides, if you think planks or ab rollouts are “pretend” ab exercises, then you’re in disagreement with many very knowledgeable experts.
I also never suggested that people don’t have serious expectations. Staying active and maintaining ideal weight for the rest of one’s life are both very serious and admirable expectations. “Timely” should be a reasonable amount of time to get to this point without it being overwhelming and should be considered a secondary goal. Of course, what is overwhelming varies by individual, but the purpose of the primary goal is lost if one tries to progress too fast and burns out.
The point of this article is definitely not to about laziness and getting away with doing as little exercise possible, but rather to exercise intelligently. In my opinion, “bringin’ it” nearly every day for 90 days primarily to burn calories is not intelligent.
I’m currently halfway through my first cycle of p90x. I came to P90x after reading about it on mark’s daily apple. I have been eating primaly for 8 months which has made wonderful changes to my life and my body. I realised though that I had a lack of knowledge when it came to exercise. Mark Sissons spoke about lift heavy things and intervals. I been in and out of the gym for many years but knew I needed guidance. For a couple of months I plugged away doing my own routines but to be frank it, was a bit shambolic. Trying to juggle designing my own workouts, a young family and a full time job was proving difficult.
That is where p90x has benefitted me. As a relative novice, or someone who has struggled to designed varied workout programmes, I see p90x as a perfect induction, as sort of boot camp to kick start me, show me some variety and give me some knowledge. Having a routine to work to has allowed me to relax and just go with it.
I can see it has limitations but only represents itself as a 90 day boot camp. That’s how I intend to use it. After the 90 days I intend reintroduce my weekend hiking, mix it up a little, drop one of the cardios and take an extra rest day etc.
I have a slight issue with your criticism of p90x because it isn’t a life long solution for everyone. This seems a little harsh to me? Where is this ideal lifetime solution? I suspect the answer is that real health is a life long journey of learning, enjoyment, variety and improvement. I get that, but p90x seems a good place to start the journey.
If p90x is doing anything for me it is changing my mind set. A life without regular exercise, in whatever form’ is no longer an option for me. I suspect it has done this for a lot of people. Opened their eyes to what their body is capable of, given them an introduction to health and fitness and the desire to grow and learn more. I thinks it deserves praise for that, which to be fair you have given it.
Great blog by the way.
Mark
Ireland
Hi Mark, thanks for your feedback!
It’s important to realize that when you plan an exercise program, you shouldn’t be doing it on a daily basis. It should be done with a longer term perspective. For example, if you decide that for the next month or two you’re going to focus on improving strength, you’d put together a program focused mostly on resistance training and include a minimal amount of other types of training to maintain other aspects of fitness. It might take some time to organize this, but once you’re done, you’re all set with planning for weeks or even months with the exception of any small adjustments that you might find necessary. Elite athletes who are under the guidance of a good trainer tend to have their training planned for the entire year!
I completely agree that the P90X shouldn’t be regarded as much more than a bootcamp. However, many people seem to be doing just that, and this is precisely what I’m arguing against, especially since I disagree with the concept of a bootcamp. While an intense and accelerated training program might be appropriate for a well trained athlete who has an event to prepare, I see little justification for the average person to do so, especially given the potential for it to be too much and translate poorly into lifelong habits. Unless there’s a legitimate reason to rush, slow and steady progress is more sustainable and usually leads to better long term results. When it comes to weight loss, I think many people are impatient, and I don’t consider this to be a legitimate reason to rush progress.
I suppose it’s reasonable for people to want to go through a brief period of rigorous training just for the challenge, but even in this case, I think it should still be more focused on a more specific goal than burning calories bootcamp style to lose weight. For example, focus primarily on either strength training or aerobic training, but not both at the same time. Doing high volumes of both at the same time impairs the progress of both and makes overtraining much more likely. I’m not saying to completely exclude one at the cost of the other, but rather to do more of one and less of the other.
The ideal lifelong solution comes from one’s knowledge about themselves, particularly their needs and goals, and their knowledge of how best to meet them. This requires some dedication to learning which is what I’ve encouraged all along. Some people say that the P90X is life changing, but in my opinion, any weight loss or motivation obtained from the program pales in comparison to the empowerment of knowledge and the understanding of how to apply it to improve one’s life.
I think your main point is that I’m criticizing the P90X based on expectations of it being more than it’s meant to be, and I think you have a somewhat valid argument here. I suppose I could have presented it in a better manner, but what I’m really addressing in this article is other people’s expectations of the P90X being more than what it really is. As I’ve mentioned in other comments, I truly have no interest in criticizing the P90X directly. My main intent has always been to address some of the misguided perceptions about healthy and intelligent exercise that the P90X’s popularity seems to have fostered.
Thank you for recognizing that I do appreciate at least some of the motivational potential of P90X. My hope is that what I’ve presented in this article will help people use this motivation to transition into more sustainable habits and seek more self awareness.
Hello Vin,
I really enjoyed your article. I absolutely agree with you on the compound exercise stance. I love the chest/back,and legs/back dvds. I usually do the chest,and back 2 to 3 times per week. Do you feel that this may be to much? I also do the core synergistics at least once a week. Is this program unnecessary,or does it provide benefits?
I also find your opinion on the cardio programs to be truthful. I do on occasion perform a condensed version of the plyometrics for variety. I skip some of the jumps, and do not repeat each sequence. Is this a more sensible approach to the plyo workout? I also enjoy the Kenpo x in part, because I have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. This workout is not hard for me in the least, in fact i often make it a little more challenging by holding light dumbbells in each hand to add a little extra difficulty,but like the plyometrics I often shorten this workout to make it more managable.
I also have many concerns with the Yoga x. I simply can’t seem to find any interest in this program. I sometimes perform a few of the vinyasa portions for a warm up, but beyond that I really find little use for this dvd. I often choose to use many of the stretches that I have learned through my many years of martial arts training. Is this enough to provide protection to my joints,and prevent injury?
Thank you for taking the time to read this today.
Hi Cory, thanks for your comment!
Working the chest and back twice per week is reasonable as long as you continue to make gains from it. Depending on your recovery capacity and current level of strength, three times per week may be pushing it. There’s nothing wrong with trying, though. The key is to back off if it feels like too much or if you’re getting weaker instead of stronger.
If you’re doing the Core Synergistics workout on top of all the other workouts that already target all of the major muscle groups, then I would say that it’s probably redundant and unnecessary. The added training volume can potentially be a benefit in some cases, but the P90X program has more than enough training volume as it is. Core Synergistics can also be used for variation, but keep in mind that if you change what you’re doing too frequently, it will be more difficult to know if you’re continuing to make progress.
In my opinion, people who don’t have a need to make explosive movements don’t have much reason to do plyometrics, and people who do will typically need a more intense form of plyometrics than what’s included in the P90X program. Since you’re involved in martial arts, which is obviously very explosive, I doubt that the Plyo-X will do much good for you.
If you don’t enjoy yoga, then there’s no reason to do it. However, it’s still important to maintain a healthy range of motion which will probably require some form of stretching or mobility exercise. Fortunately, you can typically accomplish this in as little as 10 or 15 minutes a few times each week. In the beginning, it’s important to take the time to figure out which muscle groups need the most work so that you can focus most of your attention on them. For example, as with most sports, I’m sure that there are certain muscles that are more prone to becoming tight from participating in martial arts. It sounds like you’re already doing what you need to in this regard.
I have to agree with your criticisms. I am doing NROL now and have done cross fit in the past. These are good systems that don’t have you spending hours working out. P90x isn’t all bad, but the one problem I found with it was fighting to boredom. I mean lets face it. Tony can get pretty tedious 6 days a week. P90x is a good system, and if you do it, great. As Alayn says. Do something. I just prefer the weights and compound moves.
Hi Jeff, thanks for sharing your opinion!
I too prefer weights and compound movements. Although the P90X program does include them, there’s not really any focus on increasing resistance which makes it inadequate for anyone looking to make significant strength gains.
Interesting article, and I agree with pretty much everything you had to say. I have a couple of ‘schools of thought’ here. First, the best exercise program is the one you do. I think if P90X gets people ‘off the couch’ then that’s great. But I also don’t think you can keep up this type of program for the long term. Most people get bored after a period of time, and 6 days a week for any extended period of time (a year or more) doesn’t give your body time to recover.
In my opinion, what people find appealing about this program is that it ‘challenges’ them. The average person gets little to no exercise and this program walks them through a series of routines that pushes them, and (at least initially) mixes it up enough to keep it from getting monotonous. The concept of “muscle confusion” is a bit odd, it’s basically just mixing up the workouts to keep things fresh and working the muscles a little differently, this is not a new concept by any means. So for the short term this is a good program, doesn’t require much for equipment and incorporates many aspects of a complete fitness program. I have tried it, borrowed a friends DVD’s and went through the various sessions. I thought the cardio was a bit “light”, plyometrics were OK, but not a real ‘plyo’ workout. I thought the routines were a little too focused on certain exercises, specifically pull-ups and push-ups (although if you’re going to slant towards certain exercises, those are 2 of the best for upper body), not enough compound exercises and no high intensity intervals. After doing P90X for a bit I thought it was OK, but not really for me. One of the main reasons is it didn’t mix things up enough (believe it or not) and it was too restrictive, how do I do this when I’m traveling? And certainly wasn’t going to get me “in the best shape of my life”… Those days are long gone. At 53 I will never get into the shape I was in as a college wrestler, wouldn’t even want to try.
Bottom line, I gave it a shot, thought it was OK, but went back to my personal workouts, which include running stairs (I can do this anywhere, and it’s great when traveling, hotels always have stairwells), jumping rope, and all the various weight workouts (I really mix things up, from light weights/high reps, to heavy sets low reps to circuits to bodyweight only routines). I really like the Ray Lewis iPhone app, lots of good routines that mix things up, add those to a 20 minute stair run with some sprints mixed in, that’s a great workout.
Hi Rick, thanks for sharing your opinion!
So many people argue that any type of exercise is better than none at all. I don’t think this is the case. Someone who compromises their health by being very determined and consistently pushing themselves too hard is probably better off not exercising at all than exercising to this extreme. The same goes for someone who incurs injury through overuse, poor technique, strength and flexibility imbalances, or a combination of these factors. Exercise needs to be approached intelligently. As I’ve said in the past, if the P90X program is the catalyst that leads someone to this realization, that’s great. However, the popularity of the program deserves more credit for this than the program itself.
I agree that the average person gets little to no exercise. As a result of their inactivity, their fitness tends to be poor and their capacity for exercise limited. Such individuals should gradually work their way toward exercising with high intensity or volume rather than going all out right from the beginning. The chances of injury, burnout, and overtraining are all increased with the latter approach, and although the P90X videos do say to go at your own pace, many people will want to challenge themselves as you said and will ignore this suggestion.
I’m all for pursuing challenges, but it makes a lot more sense when there’s a purpose behind it. Instead of seeing how much torture you can endure for three months, why not challenge yourself to adopt sustainable healthy habits that last a lifetime, or at least longer than a few months? It sounds boring, but it’s quite difficult. If it wasn’t, more people would be doing it.
Perhaps even more so than pursuing a challenge, I think the P90X appeals to many people because it tells them what to do. It spares them from having to educate themselves and saves them the cost of hiring a personal trainer. However, these latter two options are much more likely to provide the knowledge needed to support lifelong exercise habits. In this sense, the P90X is the easy way out, but as with most things, the easy way is rarely the most effective or appropriate over the long term.
Hi Vin,
How would you feel about someone using the P90x routines but on a more relaxed schedule. For example, rather than doing 6 workouts a week, do those 6 workouts over a fortnight. That is my embrionic plan for after I finish my first round.
I am still enjoying p90x, still feel fresh, I’m seeing great results, but I do recognise that you could not keep it up indefinitely and even if you wanted to, if wouldn’t be good for you at that intensity. BTW, if anyone claims they could keep it up indefinately, I would have to question the intensity at which they are performing the routines. I tear the ar5e off it and I know if I tried to do this for 1 year, I’d burn out. I have also had to slightly increase my carb intake, but have managed to keep that 100% natural, using more fruit mainly.
So, considering that there is a decent amount of variety in the P90x library, expecially if you have p90x plus (17 in total), what would your opinion be of the schedule I described. I would follow the p90x/plus programme in the prescribed order but over 180 days, only doing 3 workouts a week. This would leave 4 non p90x days a week. I intend to use one of those for a casual hike or cycle, a further day for some non p90x Yoga- although I think I am one of the only people who enjoys yoga x) and then have two complete rest days, just walking the dog.
I actually really enjoy following an instructor on a DVD. I am considering buying more of the same thing, P90xMC2 when it comes out, Insanity etc, and then creating my own schedules.
I’d really appreciate your thoughts?
As for the haters – I’m a big p90x fan, Vin has just highlighted some concerns he has. I don’t eat any processed food at all, but I’m not screaming at those of you who still eat bread and pasta etc. Despite our different approaches, we are all on the same side here, trying to encourage healthy eating and exercise habits. You really have to find what works for you and allow space for other peoples opinions.
Hi Mark,
I think that’s a reasonable approach, especially if you prefer being led by a DVD. Another alternative is to only complete a portion of a DVD which would allow you to workout more frequently. Since most of the DVDs are structured with a second half that repeats the first, and easy way to accomplish this would be to just do the first half.
I hope that helps, good luck!
i am starting p90x with my own healthy diet, screw their supplements, i allow no chemicals into my body, wanna get ripped!!! good article btw, the point about food and supplements is well made, the nutrition is the key aspect and the better nutrition you consume the better the results and you will feel better as well. i suspect if ppl will use p90x with whole foods more ppl will finish the program
Hi mongojongo, thanks for your comment.
I think your enthusiasm for healthy eating is great. However, even though a clean and nutritious diet can improve one’s capacity for exercise, it’s also important to realize that there’s a genetic component as well. Even with an ideal diet and ideal lifestyle habits, some people may still not be able to complete the program without seriously draining themselves.
Hi Vin
I too came across your article from a Google search. I think what you have written is great food for thought and there are clearly aspects that anyone thinking of doing the program should be aware of and think about before taking it on. I think you already know that motivation and dedication are hard to find these days within the general population.
I think BeachBody has tried to clear up the huge misconception that P90x is for weight loss because it is clearly not. I don’t remember infomercials touting it as such but I don’t generally watch much of those anyhow. Clearly this program is NOT for anyone who is more than a little overweight and to give credit, I believe BeachBody has tried to divert these people to a more suitable program for their needs. Where they failed miserably is with their coach program. Qualifications? None. Zero. Sign up and pay, then earn money off others by encouraging them to buy a product that is not suitable for them and push the supplements. My assigned coach was almost 70 and enjoyed walking and yoga a few times a week.
I don’t think P90x is meant to be a sustainable ongoing workout program that one does 6 days a week for the rest of their life.
It has good points and bad points and a little common sense goes a long way. I have plenty of beefs with marketing tactics of diet fads as well as nutrition and exercise.
As you know, people want instant results and there isn’t any fitness company OR blog that has or even can make a dent in this issue. Unfortunately those people will continue to be targets.
Just as overweight people will complain about their weight while cramming a snickers into their face and overweight people are at this very minute sitting on their couch eating crap and complaining about how crappy they feel and complaining about it rather than doing something about it!
I know which group I tolerate more. The ones who bring focus, dedication and determination to be better.
For me P90x was the chance to get rid of that post twins pooch that would never go away. 5 years of plenty of good exercise and dedication to my eating habits did wonders for my body but the pooch would not budge. I don’t guess you have ever had a baby let alone twins? At 38 years old? I didn’t do it to lose weight, I was down to my normal weight 3 months after. I did it for the reasons it was intended. Taking it to the next level and a step in the direction of where I want to be.
Sometimes it takes a challenge but most importantly it takes commitment in every single aspect. Day in and day out I hear people complaining about it not working for them. Then they say they only worked out once that week but ate 3 bags of doritos. I know you know what I am talking about.
Just as severely overweight people should not be standing in the Burger King line every day, they should not even be thinking about purchasing such a program. What do you think would happen if they were denied a burger?
Hi Tara, thanks for your comment.
It’s interesting to hear that BeachBody has made an effort to portray their P90X program as something other than a weight loss program. As of today, their website still advertises the program with the slogan of “get absolutely ripped in just 90 days.” Weight loss is a critical part of “getting ripped.” Perhaps it would be more accurate to suggest that the program isn’t intended for people who are significantly overweight and out of shape, but either way, I still consider it to be a weight loss program. If it’s not, then what is it?
The other major component of “getting ripped” is building muscle, and although the P90X program does include some decent strength training exercises, it lacks a focus on progression, primarily in regard to increasing resistance. Based on this, I have a hard time crediting it as a true strength training or even bodybuilding program. Given its accelerated and high volume approach that we agree can’t be sustained long term, I also have a hard time considering it to be a health oriented program.
If the P90X isn’t a weight loss program, then the only remaining way to classify it is as a program for “taking it to the next level.” This, however, is very vague and lacks any true purpose relating directly to health or function. Praising the P90X program for the pure challenge it provides is fine, but it shifts the focus away from health and fitness oriented discussion and towards an entirely different topic.
have to disagree here… It specifically tells you that the program is for those already fit enough to handle strenuous exercise… It also emphasizes keeping track of your every set, so you know where you were along the way and where you are now… That would be the definition of progression… Everyone is different, so telling someone to increase their weight when they may not be ready would be discouraging. You have to look at the program for what it is… Its a workout video meant to appeal to the masses, when the masses consists of people that are all in need of different things. The videos are what you make them, I take more breaks than they do, but they tell you to if you need to. I wasn’t trying to lose weight, but lost 20 pounds quickly and kept it off…
Hi Aaron,
You say that the program specifically notes that it’s only intended for those who are fit enough to handle strenuous exercise, but then you say that it’s a workout video meant to appeal to the masses. I think there’s somewhat of a contradiction here because it would be a stretch to say that the “masses” are fit enough to handle the high volume of strenuous exercise that the P90X includes. Besides, people who are desperate to lose weight or have a lot of ambition are likely to ignore this warning, and I think this applies to many people.
Yes, the P90X suggests tracking workout results which is a great idea. However, this is not what defines progression. It only facilitates it, and contrary to what you seem to be implying, I don’t expect the DVDs to indicate exactly when resistance should be increased. A general recommendation on how to recognize when it’s appropriate to increase resistance would suffice. Either way, because the P90X is mostly based on bodyweight exercises and in some cases bands and dumbbells, the possibility of increasing resistance is very limited. Yes, it’s an alternative to going to a gym or buying additional equipment, but one that’s limited in its potential to increase strength and muscle size.
I have no problem accepting the P90X program for what it is – a rapid weight loss program that is strenuous and incorporates some basic aspects of strength training and bodybuilding. However, many people have embraced it as a fitness program for a variety of other purposes such as athletic training, and most unfortunately, getting sedentary people “off the couch.” I don’t doubt that the P90X can be effective for weight loss, but I don’t think it’s a health promoting or sustainable way to do so, and that’s the primary point of this article.
I just started p90x, and I am on day 11 tomorrow…I am a 26 yr old female, trying to lose about 20 lbs of baby weight. I was pumped about p90x and hoping to see results soon- however I am very discouraged by this thread!! I honestly don’t know what to think now. But I am going to continue with p90x and hope for the best!
Hi Em,
Please don’t feel discouraged. If anything, hopefully you’re more informed now and will be prepared to make adjustments to any part of the program that you find overwhelming or inappropriate. You certainly don’t have to follow it exactly to benefit.
If your primary goal is weight loss, which appears to be the case, you’ll most likely have the best results if you focus primarily on diet. This is especially the case in regard to keeping the weight off long term. As I said in the article, it’s hard to go wrong with whole foods, especially if you make an effort to not eat too much fruit and starchy vegetables.
I thought I was the only one saying this! I’m glad I found somebody else with the same opinions as me. Although, I’m far more critical of every aspect of P90X. I really really really dislike the programming. It leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. I also agree that the warmups are horrendous and there needs to be far more soft tissue work. Thanks for being a voice of reason against all the marketing BS that goes into P90X.
Hi Tim, thanks for the support, it’s much appreciated!
I think it would be a huge improvement if the program included even just a quick overview of soft tissue work, but it doesn’t. Foam rollers are inexpensive, and you can even get a lot done with just a tennis ball. It would relieve a lot of the tightness undoubtedly caused by the high volume of exercise and help people feel better physically. Heck, BeachBody could even market and sell their own foam roller. I don’t see any good reason for them to have not included it. I guess it doesn’t burn enough calories.
I am 60 years old and have walked on the treadmill for years. I started the P90X program and have lost 40 pounds. I was at a plateau for almost three years. I have also gone from a size 14 to a 6. But with all at that aside the most important part is I am now off of my diabetic medication and several other medications. I have been doing P90x for 4 months and there is a lot of it I still can’t do, but I’m still working at it.
Hi Pat, congratulations on your health improvements!
What stands out to me is that you say there’s a lot you can’t do. This tells me that you’re moderating the amount of exercise you do based on your capacity which is great. As obvious as this may seem, not everyone abides by this simple concept, and for some, the challenging nature of P90X unfortunately reinforces this tendency.
I hope you’ll be cautious about completing the full P90X routine just for the sake of doing it. Although you’ve lost a lot of weight and have improved your health, pushing yourself too far physically can invite a new set of problems that can defeat the purpose of exercising to improve health. If you learned anything from this article, I hope it’s that the full P90X program is generally not a suitable program to consistently follow for an extended duration. In other words, it’s a poor representation of the amount of exercise that you should be doing as a sustainable and lifelong habit.
Hi, I’m on phase three of p90x at the moment, week 10. I had an unrelated medical problem during week 8, which had me preoccupied for a week or so until it was cleared up. During that time I couldn’t focus or get motivated because I was having tests to make sure I didn’t have something serious and that weighed quite heavily on my mind.
The reason I am telling you this is because it lead me to modify p90x for phase three. I stuck with all the resistance DVDs and followed the programme. However I dropped Plyo, Yoga and Kenpo all together. With those three days, I gave my self an extra rest day and on the other two I do half of the Intervals X workout. This only takes me 15 minutes and is a fairly intense interval workout. I have also stopped doing Ab Ripper and am doing Core Plus which is far less crunch orientated and far superior in my opinion.
So with an extra day off and 2×15 minute interval workouts replacing Plyo X, Yoga x and Kenpo X, I’ve noticed a few changes. I feel fresher doing the resistance workouts for starters. My life has a better balance with more spare time. I also only eat whole natural foods but found I had to eat extra fruit and startchy veg to keep up with the p90x schedule. Now, I’ve gone back to my normal eating patterns. I haven’t put on any fat either and I’m still adding muscle.
I still believe the man on the street can get huge benefit from p90x. It isn’t perfect but no workout is. It certainly proved a good place to start for me and I enjoyed the 6 days a week for the first 2 months. But less is more sometimes. I think 13 weeks of six days a week is too much and unneccessary.
I’d encourage people to try Vin’s recommendations for a couple of months. I think you’ll be pleasantly suprised.
Hi Mark, thanks for sharing your experience!
It’s great to hear that you’ve found success with a more realistic workout schedule and the addition of interval training. I’m also not surprised that the full program increased your need for carbohydrates. It’s strange how we sometimes make important discoveries like these by accident and it reinforces the importance of trial and error.
I’ve done P90X before, and got a few weeks into it, and I definitely saw my body getting more lean. I’ve already weight trained a lot before I discovered P90X, but this program showed me how in order to get lean, you have to pay a price for it. This is a helpful program for some people who can handle it, but it wipes me out physically and mentally. I think the program is a good template: you can increase/decrease the number of sets, or maybe add in another resting day during the week, etc. Getting lean takes work, and P90X will help you do that, but I had to take extra resting days to feel better, because when I followed the schedule precisely, it made me so lethargic that I couldn’t think straight and even be social because I was so worn out.
Hi Andre, thanks for sharing your experience.
Yes, being lean takes work, but the work should be in the form of being dedicated to a truly healthy diet. “Paying a price” only really applies to those who haven’t made enough of a commitment to improving their eating habits and instead choose to exercise excessively to burn calories. As I’ve said many times, the primary motivation for exercising should be to improve health and physical function. Along with an excellent diet, this approach is sufficient to facilitate healthy weight loss without the need to add additional and unnecessary exercise volume just to burn calories.
I agree that the P90X can be a reasonably good template for people who prefer to exercise at home, are not interested in improving maximum strength or athletic performance, and aren’t knowledgeable enough to design their own program. However, this completely depends on their willingness to adjust the program based on their capacity. Many people will push themselves too far because they’re either desperate to lose weight or think that they won’t benefit if they don’t complete the program in it’s entirety. Anyone who’s willing to learn would be better off educating themselves to the point of being able to design a program on their own.
I’m glad you’ve been able recognize the importance of making such adjustments and hope that the program continues to work well for you.
You really should have done a round of P90X, or at a minimum, done each video instead of watching them. I’ll cover a couple of the obvious errors in your article below:
“However, the P90X Plyometrics workout is more of a long calorie burning session than a true plyometrics workout.”
This statement couldn’t be farther from the truth. This workout is one of the most difficult workouts, because it requires a lot of strength and muscle endurance to complete. While it is also a cardio workout, to call it a long calorie burning session only shows you’ve never actually done it (or been able to complete it). Your legs will likely burn more from this workout than if you ran a marathon (especially given that marathon runners run a lot, and their muscles *gasp* used to the exercise, something you seem to blast as a bad thing in this article..)
“Don’t Do Yoga X Unless You Truly Enjoy It”
While Yoga X is a long workout (which can be condensed), yoga in and of itself (if done correctly) is far more than a “stretching routine”. In your article, you blast ab work of “just crunches” being bad and imbalanced (which I agree with, and so does Tony Horton, which I’ll cover in a moment..), and say you should incorporate such workouts from other routines. Yoga does exactly that, it builds core strength, as well as all the tiny interconnecting muscles throughout your body (arms, shoulders, legs, etc). Yoga, when done correctly, probably is the hardest workout in this exercise program. It is also the workout that I feel the best after completing. When I stopped doing regular scheduled workout plans, I typically do some yoga workout at least twice a week, and that has kept me “in shape” better than random hit and miss workouts, or of course, doing nothing at all. Yoga is the last exercise you should skip, because it is the most beneficial overall from a complete body workout perspective.
There’s a Healthier and More Functional Way to Develop “Ripped Abs” (and other wrong comments about P90X being crunch only…)
P90X (and even P90!) ab workouts are not all about crunches. They work your entire abdomen area, so that you do have a balanced core workout. In addition to this, these core workouts are *not standalone!* If you follow the workout schedule, you do them roughly on alternating days, after a regular workout. They compliment existing workouts. While I agree that just crunches is bad (or just any singular exercise), having strong core muscles is essential to any physical activity you do.
I do agree that the Kenpo X is rather a joke, but when I did P90X, I swapped it out for Kenpo Cardio + (from P90X+), which was a better workout overall. I only say this coming from a martial arts background, so it was all pretty basic stuff.
You claim P90X is designed in a way that makes it risky, but in fact it was designed with safety in mind from the onset. Tony is constantly giving you reminders on how to do things correctly, and the wrong ways to do things, as well as telling you not to overdo the things that are dangerous (ie, don’t be a hero!) Even whole workouts (like Kenpo) are designed from a safety standpoint. There are no round-house kicks, or kicks that require pivoting on the foot (due to most people not doing this, and resulting in knee injury). Most of the routines can be done with your own body weight. There are many other examples throughout the program that you can see for yourself if you gave it an honest review.
The diet guide in P90X, for many people, is the closest thing that a lot of people get to any basic 101 introduction to healthy eating. By providing a variety of different recipes, it gives people a chance to try different things that may or may not work best for them. I personally didn’t follow the guide, but I was already in shape when I started P90X, and have a fairly good diet plan anyway. It is a far more comprehensive diet plan than any other fitness package I’ve seen (to date).
P90X (or any workout program) is not for everyone. If you want an all around workout that hits every body part from head to toe, P90X is a great program to do that. If all you are interested in is singular activities, such as running or biking, of course P90X will not be as beneficial to you. If you want to be fit for cross training activities (to be able to transition from running to biking to swimming to baseball to martial arts, etc), then P90X is a fantastic program. If you just want to get “ripped” like a body builder, P90X is not for you either, because of all the cardio workouts! It is a very well rounded program, where each weeks worth of routines builds on the previous days in a way that works your entire body.
P90X is successful because it works. It is successful because it is not a gimmick. You continually claimed that all this fitness was at the expense of other health for those doing it, but if you go and actually look at pictures of people that have completed this, you will see that they are not built in a “model” type way, but in actual functional strength. They are not body builders, they are just average people with toned (and in some cases ripped) muscles. If you want to see muscle imbalance, go visit a local gym sometime. Guys sitting on bench press or doing squats all day…
Finally, you may be interested to see the latest stuff Tony Horton is working on, which is P90X:MC2. Most all of the workouts are “core-centric”, meaning, you’re not focusing just on single movements or motions.
Thanks for your time, and I sincerely hope that you give it a shot, and do a single round of it, then submit a new review. Would love to see a before and after review from you on this product, as well as some recommendations for improvements for those that have completed it and want to do other things to stay fit, and/or other workout routines that look better or show promise.
Hi Bob,
I’m worried I didn’t explain myself sufficiently because you’ve grossly misinterpreted much of what I’ve said.
Plyometrics is not about strength or endurance. It’s about improving the utilization of the stretch-shorten cycle to increase explosiveness. In addition to this type of training being unnecessary and even inappropriate for most people who follow the P90X program, what’s included in the P90X workout is a very watered down version of plyometrics that’s unlikely to deliver the improvements in power and explosiveness that plyometrics is meant to provide. Based on this, I consider the P90X version of plyometrics to be misguided and of little value.
You describe the P90X plyometrics workout as if it’s a good leg workout, but this is not what plyometrics is meant for, and it’s certainly not the most effective way to develop strength and endurance in the leg muscles. Furthermore, it’s redundant in a program that already includes a leg workout and can impair recovery as a result.
Yes, yoga can help to build core strength, but not as well as a strength training program that incorporates specific exercises to improve the strength and stabilizing ability of the trunk. With such a program, this benefit of yoga is overshadowed and redundant. The same applies in regard to yoga being a complete body workout. Granted, it can be great for people who aren’t active otherwise, but there’s no need the for small improvements in strength that yoga can provide when following a well designed strength training program. In regard to flexibility, which I discuss in more detail in response to your second comment below, a full yoga workout is not necessary to improve or maintain range of motion.
I claim it’s risky because of its potential to cause overtraining and fatigue. This has nothing to do with safety or dangerous exercises. I agree that the program generally doesn’t include dangerous and complicated movements. However, I will say that wide grip pull ups and push ups aren’t the greatest choice for shoulder safety, and even the watered down version of plyometrics that P90X includes is a risk for people who are overweight or have a history lower body injuries.
The “don’t be a hero” message is mixed with the message to “bring it.” This is a bit of a contradiction, and as I have said a number of times, many people will ignore the warnings because they want to push themselves or because they worry about not getting as much benefit if they don’t follow the program in its entirety. I’m not blaming P90X for this, but it’s important to realize that many people have this tendency. These are the people who are more likely to overtrain and for whom the P90X program is more of a “risk.”
That may very well be and it reinforces my point that anyone who wants to support their health and quality of life with a truly healthy diet needs to look beyond the nutritional recommendations provided by a generic fitness program.
It’s not possible to assess functional strength from a picture because there’s more involved than just a balance of size across major muscle groups. For example, a picture gives no indication of stability or strength throughout a full range of motion, and even people who look strong and well balanced in a picture can have significant problems in these areas.
Aside from the high volume, I’d agree that the balance of the P90X program is better than what a lot of people are doing in the gym. However, just like the diet plan, simply not being the worst doesn’t make it the best. Besides, health and functional strength are not completely the same. For example, someone who doesn’t allow for sufficient recovery can overburden their endocrine system, nervous system, and immune system in the process of developing functional strength, and this is obviously not healthy, especially for someone who consistently remains in this overtrained state.
The best routine is the one you design for yourself. If you don’t have the knowledge to do so, then acquire it. Beyond that, if you don’t like to read, the best routine is one designed specifically for you by a good trainer who will help to educate you. Yes, fitness is a complicated subject that requires a lot of time and effort to learn about, and trainers are expensive, but exercise should be a lifelong habit that supports optimal health, and as such, it deserves this investment of time and/or money. In this regard, the P90X is ironically an easy way out.
Vin,
I have been looking for peer- reviewed studies that follow the P90X participants over the LONG-TERM and offer findings on repetetive activity injuries, weight loss maintenance, and long term compliance. I have been unable to find any (the marketing people have flooded google searches) and wondered if you knew of any.
My latest concern with P90x is it’s connection with Beachbody. I’ve been dismayed at the multi-level marketing approach toward recruiting ‘coaches’, individuals who are likely NOT to have any fitness education and it seems that the company has embarked on an aggressive recruitment campaign with renewed vigor. The coaches ( some may be actual fitness professionals but the vast majority are not) often lack the knowledge to encourage proper and individualized modifications to the p90x program.
Hi Kelli,
I’m not aware of any studies like that, and if they do exist, I’d love to see them! As of today, a search through Google Scholar with the term “P90X” didn’t return anything that resembled any kind of study on the efficacy of the program.
In regard to the coaching, I can see the value of people having someone to rely on that’s already been through the program, but as you indicate, I can see how being a BeachBody coach could easily be abused as a more significant qualification that what it’s meant to be. I don’t doubt that this is more a business strategy than anything else, but for the purpose of this article, I wanted to focus strictly on exercise principles.
Just wanted to let you know how I’ve turned P90X into a sustainable program that can accommodate an out of shape novice.
Here’s how:
1) First, start with only the logical half of any of the workouts. If there are repeat rounds in a workout, skip them. For example, on Chest and Back day — do only only the first half. On Shoulders Biceps and Triceps day, don’t do the repeats, etc. Same for Plyo the first few times. This is consistent w/ Tony Horton’s philosophy of “modify modify modify”.
2) Do only 1/2 to 3/4 the reps to start. Don’t feel bad, it’s alright. Consider the first round of P90X a primer round. If you can do more during the first round, that’s great. Again, this is consistent with the programs inherent philosophy of modification. If you want to use P90X to increase size and strength, keep all the reps 6-10 or 8-12. Buy a backpack, stuff it with a couple of 10 lb. plates or whatever, and do your pushups. Now it’s a strength/mass building exercise.
3) Double all the rest-times. For example, during Plyo they rest for 30 seconds between each round. Take 60 – trust me you’re still going to burn calories. Rest doesn’t mean lying down on a hammock. Walk around, shake it off, do light marching, shake your arms, etc.
4) Do all of the suggested modifications. There’s no shame in doing pushups on your knees. You’re still doing pushups! As long as it’s challenging, it’s still good. Fight for it but don’t injure yourself. Plyo is full of really good modifications. If you can’t do Plyo, do cardio-X. If you can’t do Cardio-X, got for a power walk.
5) Don’t do both Kenpo-X and Cardio-X in the same week. Choose one and just go for a nice invigorating walk the other time. Walking as in the kind of walking where you break a sweat, not mall walking.
6) Never skip the warm ups or cool downs. This is critical.
7) Skip the bonus rounds.
Relax for two weeks doing only light cardio and start the next round and do better.
Then do it again and modify according to your goals. Do less reps with more weight for mass. Fol
Hi Viktor, thanks for sharing your suggestions.
I agree that doing half of each workout is a great way to reduce the volume. It’s a logical place to stop since the second half of each workout is the same as the first. No exercises will be missed.
Adjusting the number of repetitions is a good idea too. The 6-12 range is generally best for hypertrophy (muscle growth) while anything greater than that is best for training endurance. 6 reps or less is best for training maximum strength. Of course, there is a crossover effect for each of these ranges. For example, while training in the 6-12 rep range is most conducive to hypertrophy, it will also promote smaller improvements in muscular endurance and maximum strength.
Although I agree that warm up is important, I think the routines in the P90X leave a lot to be desired. As I described in the article, I think it would be easy enough for most people to establish their own warm up routine and I think they’d be better off if they did.
I especially like your emphasis on recovery which is arguably the most important aspect of a sustainable exercise program.
Hi Vin,
I recently finished the 90 day p90x program. Here is the results.
I started out weighing @195 and i currenlty weigh 185. I have always been on a low carb/sugar buster diet but I had also opted to not eat wheat rice,pasta or bread. After about 2 months in i started eating them in moderation and lost 7 lbs in a week. I started the program again but shortened the workouts to about 1/2 the time and instead of doing the various aerobic/cardio routines i will do about 20 minutes on my ellipical using the body for life cardio ramp up routine.
Alot of the workouts are pullups or pushups and are divided between upper and lower on different days. I was thinking of combining the upper and body and putting together my own workout routine of about 30 minutes as the 1hr to 1 1/2 hour is just to much to keep up with and i feel a 30 minute workout is enough anyone needs to maintain ones health. I don’t want to bulk up per say but just want to maintain my currently weight. I do count calories and each 2400/day. I am 35 and 5’11.
Hi Jason,
It sounds like you’re doing a good job avoiding the more common processed foods. If you’re not doing so already, you can take your low carb diet to the next level by transitioning to a diet based on whole foods. Most whole foods are naturally low in carbohydrates in addition to being much healthier. It will also reduce your need to count calories.
I think you have a good strategy for using the P90X as a template to create your own program. I hope it works well for you!
I read you thread and thought I would add my thoughts….
First let me say, I consider myself very fit (I am a US Army Ranger) and P90x kicked my butt. I am in better shape now than when I completed Ranger School. I think that every “workout routine” is what the individaul puts into it. If you are going to give half effort, you’re only going to get half results. As far as the nutrition part, people know what’s good for them and what’s not. Eating McDonalds five times a week is not healthy. Everything is fine in moderation, key word there morderation. I eat what I want, when I want and I challenge anyone to find somehting wrong with my health. I’m healthy beacuse I eat right. There is no perfect eating chart to follow. People just need to be smart about what they are eating.
This I know for sure, P90x works! There is no question to that. I have since passed my set of disks on to fellow Rangers. I am looking forward to the release of the next version of P90x MC2.
Again, just wanted to share my thoughts. Thanks for your time.
Hi Chris, thanks for sharing your experience!
I apologize if I’m misinterpreting your comment, but what you’re saying in regard to effort seems to resemble a “no pain, no gain” or “more is better” type of mentality. Either approach can certainly deliver results, as can the P90X, but this doesn’t always mean that it’s appropriate.
You don’t need to train like a marathon runner to improve cardiovascular health and endurance, and likewise, you don’t need to train like a competitive powerlifter to improve your strength. Compared to the extremes at which these individuals train, it’s certainly possible to achieve great endurance and strength benefits with “half effort.”
In regards to the demands of the P90X program, I think it’s important to realize that some people only have the capacity for “half effort,” and “half results” may very well fully satisfy their needs and goals. This is not laziness, it’s intelligence. Granted, BeachBody fully acknowledges that the P90X is an extreme program, but this doesn’t change the fact that many people who don’t have the extreme fitness goals to match it are still using the program for general fitness purposes, or even worse, just to lose weight.
Even for those who do have extreme fitness goals, the P90X program may still not be the most appropriate. In most cases, they’d be much better off following a training routine that’s more focused on the requirements of whatever their extreme need is. For example, self defense and the ability to fight and take down combative individuals are important for an Army Ranger, and this is certainly extreme. These abilities depend on a variety of fitness factors including maximum strength, muscle mass, explosiveness, quickness, and anaerobic endurance. While the P90X program will improve these characteristics to some extent, it will only improve them to a fraction of the extent that a more focused program would. When you consider the relevance of the results to the goals, following the P90X program to become a better fighter is like putting forth a full effort for half results. Why not get more value from the effort you invest by being more focused on the specific fitness qualities that you really need? If you’re going to put your body through the burden and stress of an extreme fitness program, make sure there’s purpose behind it!
I disagree that most people know what food is good for them and what isn’t. There are a lot of people who think foods like bread, pasta, bagels, and cereal are healthy, but in reality, they’re highly processed and full of refined carbohydrates. Granted, these foods aren’t as bad as soda and candy, but over time, a diet based mostly on these foods is bound to lead to chronic health problems.
Hi there – I just wanted to make a comment – I am in week 12 of P90X and I have personally been loving it. I am 35 years old and I am in better shape now than I have been since I was a high school athlete at 16. My plan is to finish this round – take a bit of a break then do an P90X/Insanity hybrid and see where I stand. That being said, prior to starting P90X I had been taking karate classes 3 times a week at what I would consider to be a fairly intense school – not UFC prep or anything like that – but lots of pushups, ab work, semi-full contact sparring (the best cardio workout ever in my opinion) etc – so I was in at least OK shape to start with.
Where will I go from here or after my next round? I am not sure. Do I want to keep working out 6 days a week forever…I am not sure – probably not – but I’d like to keep up a multi day per week routine…then change that routine etc. I think you make some good points about long term fitness.
That being said I’d like to make a few comments about P90X overall – I like to think I can think for myself – that I am not a sheeple so to speak – that I can look at P90X as a framework and a place to start or kick you in the butt to move forward…but not as a holy grail or anything like that. Trouble is, a lot of people can’t do that. I loaned the DVD’s to my day who is 67. in decent shape and always has been…and thinks he’s 25. Fortunately he was smart enough to realize he needs more recovery time, cannot workout as hard that many days a week, and plyo is not for him in its entirety. However, I can see a lot of people not being able to do that…not being able to shelve their ego and getting hurt. If you watch a video and you can’t keep up with Tony Horton or Drea Weber but think you should be able to you will get hurt trying to do so. I mean…Tony Horton didn’t get to his level of fitness in 90 days – he has been doing this for a long time. So I can see your point as to how this could be a “harmful” program…if you don’t keep it in perspective and have the right approach.
As for Beachbody…they are definitely a company in business to make money – the whole coach thing is marketing and that is definitely part of it. I kind of ignore that and take what I need and leave the rest. I do have a Beachbody coach and he has fortunately not pushed anything on me in an aggressive way. He has just offered encouragement and answered questions about particular exercises when I have asked them. So I may be lucky in that regard. However, if he had come across as a big hard sales pitch it would have turned me off greatly.
I haven’t really stuck to their diet plan…my wife is a nurse and my father a chiropractor and one of our best friends is a nutrionist – so I have some good guidance and drastcially changed my diet in a good way but I read the P90X diet guide and that was just NOT for me. I have no opinion on it other than I did not want to eat quite that way. That being said I have lost about 18 pounds in the past 80 days and I feel great – so something is working.
I just wanted to share my thoughts and experience and also say I am glad to have stumbled on this site as you gave me some good things to think about.
Hi Neil, congratulations on your weight loss and thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I agree that ego can be a big part of the problem. I also think that P90X appeals to some people specifically because they don’t want to think for themselves which is unfortunate. I hope this article has convinced a few people to be more proactive and take more responsibility for their health.
Taking what you need and ignoring the rest is a great way to learn. Nothing is perfect and just about everything has at least some value. As I mentioned in the article, many people can learn and gain value from the use of multi joint exercises like lunges, pull ups, and push ups in the P90X program.
Hi, Vin.
I’ve worked my way through most of the posts on your topic and critique of the P90X program, and this discussion thread has been going on for over a year now. Congratulations on stirring the pot. I love it.
I am 61 and have been training pretty much daily since I turned 20. I bought the P90X program two years ago because I was working 65 to 70 hours a week in IT, and I needed something I could just plug into and start moving in the evening before I lost my intention to train. The reason I selected P90X from all the other stuff available was the before and after pictures of people who had been through the program. It was not that they were ripped–frankly, having big muscles and being ripped is not indicative of strength–but rather because the alignment of the cervical and thoracic spine in the pictures looked much improved in many of the P90X participants. When I got home after a 12-hour day at my desk, I just plugged in the P90X workout and kept moving. By the time it was over, my mind was settled and the larger, superficial muscles tired, and I was ready to begin my own training, which is a much more integrated plan than P90X. Of course my muscles started growing, and I had to keep that under control by backing off on the weight. As part of my overall training, I study and practice martial arts–karate and kendo–and big muscles get in the way after a point.
I think the marketing for the P90X program is excellent. The diet is just not practical or affordable, but it would be great if I could hire a cook and have them prepare those meals. I do think most people know what they should be eating, but they do not know where to get the kind of foods that provide what they need. Highly processed food (the stuff in cans, boxes, and cartons of any kind) is what they know and what they eat. That’s the refined carbohydrates you mentioned above. Aside from the diet plan, the program has only the workouts.
I think the program is a collection of good workouts IF AND ONLY IF a person has NO soft tissue problems and NO joint alignment problems. I am not referring to painful muscles and painful joints. Imbalances in muscle tension and recruitment can be worked intensely without pain, but not in the long term. After a time, pain will seep in. Could be a few months before it happens, or a few years.
Otherwise, there is absolutely nothing new in the P90X program–Tony just gave a different vocabulary (i.e., hype) to training concepts that have been in use for a very long time. Nothing new. And by the third time I was going through a given workout, it was already old stuff, and I was improvising to make the training more challenging and more interesting. For example, if you want to find out how strong you are in P90X, start doing the strength training on one leg or barefoot on a BOSU ball without unnecessary movement in the trunk, especially the Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip-Complex.
In the Chest, Shoulders and Triceps workout, Tony says of Phil, “Phil’s a strong guy, and sometimes his muscles get in the way.” Phil is unable to control his elbow and shoulder joints in an overhead movement. In my mind, that is the very definition of muscle-bound, and a corrective exercise program should begin at once. Tony says Phil is a “karate guy”, but when I watch his (Phil’s) overall movement patterns, the overdevelopment of the prime movers (bulking up, getting ripped) have given him a very small range of motion. His punch would be very short because of out-of-alignment development of the biceps.
I see the people in Tony’s workouts performing the various exercises with some serious compensations going on, and that include’s Tony himself. However, none of these people are receiving corrections to their movements; they are only being encouraged to do more, do a lot. The time a muscle is under stress and moving with good muscle recruitment patterns is far more important than how many reps are completed. There is a lot of sweat in P90X, but precious little helpful instruction. The program pays lip service to proper form and safe exercise practices, but the tempo being demonstrated often precludes good technique, and you can see this in the folks participating in the videos.
The problem I see with P90X is that most people (even fit people) who take it up do not have optimal neuromuscular control and joint alignment/movement, and the program does nothing to improve these imbalances. It just reinforces, with intense workouts, the maladaptive patterns. So at the end, many people have bigger (and ripped) muscles overlying poor movement habits. Big muscles are not necessary for having considerable strength, and it’s possible to be ripped and not in good overall health.
Overall, I think the P90X program is good for getting ripped in 90 days, but it’s a very limited program for overall health and fitness. These videos are simply not enough for long-term (years), continuing benefit.
Hi Tim, thank you for your inspiring comment. It certainly sounds like you’ve certainly learned a thing or two in your admirable 40 years of consistent training experience. It’s always refreshing to be reminded that some people really do get it.
I couldn’t agree more about the need for an emphasis on optimal function, and when needed, corrective exercise. As a tennis player, I can also appreciate your concern about excessive muscle mass getting in the way. Non only can it interfere with range of motion, but it’s extra weight to carry around as well.
Thank you for reiterating that it’s possible to be ripped and not be in good overall health. I think this is such an important concept that many people either aren’t aware of or choose to not believe. It’s a shame, but as they age, they’ll probably learn the hard way. Better late than never, I suppose.
I hope your 40 years of consistent training and your participation in intense activities like martial arts will make people more open to your statement that the P90X is a very limited program for overall health and fitness.
Cheers to exercising intelligently!
I haven’t commented for awhile, but I have a new condition, so stuff like p90x, is definitely out for me. I’m 49, and am having joint and muscle pain, and find most traditional workout plans make it so much worse, so I really have to baby my body right now and take it easy! I think that p90x is too hard on most older bodies, and the younger folks i know who get fired up about it, burn out after their 90 days…it’s just too boring, too long (I have a rule that exercise can’t last longer than 45 minutes, preferably 30, as life is too short!). On the up side, I am thin and have good muscle tone, but just can’t stand all the jumping, high reps and heavy weights!
Hi Peggy, thanks for the update!
I think 30 to 45 minutes is a great guideline for a single workout. Although many people will be able to handle a full hour or more, there’s no reason to push to this point if it’s a struggle. There’s a fine line between determination and pushing too hard, and it’s critical for everyone to discover for themselves where that line is.
I’m not sure what condition you’re referring to, but since you mentioned joint pain, I highly recommend trying self massage. It may not help, but there’s a good possibility that it will, and it’s so inexpensive and easy to try that there’s no reason not to.
As a follow up to to anyone that wants to substitue the plyo cardio, yoga, or core synergistics for some shorther than a hour, here is what i do. I have an elliptical. I do 2 minutes on level 3, then 1 minute on 4, 1 minute on 5, 1 minute on 6 and 1 minute on 7, then repeat 4 times. The 4th time i go for max which is an 8 on my elliptical, them 1 minute on level 3 , and 2 minutes on level 1 and 2(coold down). 22 minutes total and a heck of a better cardio that i ever felt with core syn, or cardio x or kenpo x(no joke). And the best part I was over on 22 minutes(this is the routine in body 4 life). also i managed to shorten the workouts on the strentgh days to 40 minutes. I do the warm up then 1/2 of the strength exercises, then i do the ab x routine up to phiffer scissors. Beats an 1hr and a 15minutes bigtime. Per the P90x book, 80% is done in the 1st 1/2 of the strenght routine. works for me……180 lbs and 5’11.
one more thing i must add…don’t be fooled by the p90x shakes and supplements and bars and etc. Its a load of BS and they are simply trying to make $$$. Compare the protein and carbs on the recovery drink that sell for 50 bucks a tub to a gallon of chocolate milk and hersheys syrup. 1 c of 2% milk and 2 tablespoones of Hersheys syrup has the same ratio as a tub of the stuff they sell. The meal replacement bars i been butying are from wal mart called MET-RX colossial. They are 400 calories. I only use them when i am on the road and only for my 5th meal of the day.
Hi Jasson, thanks for your comments.
It sounds like you’ve done a good job of abbreviating the P90X program. If you wanted, you could abbreviate your elliptical routine even further without limiting its effectiveness. You’re basically doing a form of high intensity interval training, but after your first round (which serves as a good warm up), you could drop the intervals done at the lower levels. If necessary, you can add a few additional intervals at the higher levels to compensate for some of what you eliminated and end up with an even better workout in less time.
I don’t doubt that there are cheaper powders, supplements, and bars than what BeachBody sells, but even if you save money by using different brands, you’re still paying a high price in regard to your health if you rely too much on this stuff. Even when traveling there are better alternatives.
All you seem to want to do is argue. I gave you nothing to debate, yet you reply with some long drawn out explanation. I get it now. You are some wash-out that couldn’t take the physicality of P90x and want to give people all these reasons why they shouldn’t try to push themselves to be better so they have just as low self-esteem as you. Lonely down there!
Again, I am a US Army Ranger, we are some the most fit people in the world and P90x pushed myself and at least ten others in ways that have bettered us. And that is something we all get benefit from. Even you, cause remember we are the ones defending your freedom. If it were up to me the P90x program would be completed by all those in the military. As far as your statement on people not knowing what foods are bad for them, with the amount of information available on healthy eating habits, if people don’t know what bad food is then they are ignorant. And ignorance is a excuse.
Get over yourself man. Life is too short to swim in your self pity. So P90x didn’t work for you, that is not a reason to bash the program and try to deter others away from it. I feel sorry for you!
Hi Chris,
I apologize if I came across as argumentative. That is not my goal at all, and I certainly don’t enjoy arguing. However, you did indeed mention a few things that I think are worthy of debate (but not an argument).
I think many people abuse their bodies unnecessarily by exercising to extremes without good purpose or direction, and despite the information that’s freely available, I also think many people are unaware of what a truly healthy diet is, and it’s not always due to ignorance. If you took the time to read through the rest of the site, you’d see that these are two things that I’m passionate about trying to help educate people on, and that’s why I felt compelled to comment on what you said.
In the article, I included suggestions on how people can make the P90X program work better for them. I’ve also provided similar suggestions in many of the comments. As such, it should be clear that my motive is to help people exercise more intelligently and not to argue or take money away from BeachBody.
I don’t pity myself nor do I lack confidence in my knowledge or abilities, so please don’t feel sorry for me. I’m actually quite happy.
And of course, even despite your derogatory comments, I do appreciate your effort in protecting our freedom. Thank you for that.
Vin,
I posted quite some time back and am glad to see this debate is still going. Unfortunately, not everyone has the ability to learn from other perspectives. It has been about a year since I completed my second round of p90x. After my first round I really started researching fitness and exercise. I did my second round because I wanted to improve on my first round results. But after putting my research together I now exercise in a manner that is more intense than p90x but is faster and with less repitions. This blog really motivated me to keep trying new things that worked but to emphasize form over repition and focus on multijoint exercises. My point is that I see much greater results from the manner in which I exercise now than what I saw with p90x. So the points you have made about p90x are very well taken and I would even go so far as to say that I may have misjudged you a bit in my last post. Keep up the good work.
Troy
Hi Troy,
Congratulations on making a commitment to educating yourself and turning it into results. With all the people who claim that I don’t know what I’m talking about, that I’m too lazy to complete P90X, or post mindless, vulgar, and derogatory comments that I won’t even publish, comments like yours make all the difference. It’s great to know that I was a helpful factor in your process of learning and empowering yourself. Thanks for taking the time to tell me!
Thanks so much Vin! I’m excited to see that there is an inexpensive alternative for massage therapy…I’m jumping on this one!
Vin,
I think P90x is not for everyone, I actually gained weight while doing it. The exercises are a little too extreme and not everyone can handle them. If you must do P90x, do it, but tailor it according to your needs.
Hi Anna, I agree. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Hi, Im 18 yrs old and my whole life I been pretty much obese. Just recently did I start to lose my weight and obtain a healthier body. Im still for from fit and have a lot of areas to work on. I was wondering since Im so young have some time on my hands would this program work for me. I jsut recieved it today and was wanting feedback from people who know more about it than I do even though I did my research.
Hi Jacob,
First of all, congratulations on dedicating yourself to improving your health and function.
As you can read from some of the previous comments, BeachBody is apparently claiming that the P90X program is not intended to be a general weight loss program. While I think the principles behind it are based on weight loss, I guess you can say it’s a very demanding weight loss program intended for people who are already relatively fit.
Although I disagree with many of the principles behind the P90X program, I think you’d be better off doing a portion of it than not doing any exercise at all. I say portion because you probably won’t have the capacity to do the program in its entirety, and because of the extra stress that your body weight puts on your joints, you should especially avoid the Plyo X workout.
Losing a significant amount of weight takes time, and I assume that you want to keep it off. Based on this, the most important thing is for you to make changes that you can maintain indefinitely. If you are overzealous about exercising, which I can certainly understand, you’ll likely burn yourself out, become tired, and lose your motivation. Go at your own pace, and make sure it’s a pace that’s comfortable enough for you to maintain on a long term basis. Although the results may come at a slower rate, they’ll accumulate to much greater extent over time than if you give up after a few weeks or months.
Last but certainly not least, make sure that your diet is the primary focus of your weight loss efforts. It’s hard to go wrong if you limit yourself as much as possible to whole foods such as meat, fish, fruit and vegetables with an emphasis on not being excessive with fruit and high starch vegetables.
Good luck!
i see this conversation has been going on for a long time, but i’ll throw in my 2 cents anyway since people are still commenting.
First off, I think your original commentary was well considered and reasonable, although i disagree with some of it. I’ve been doing p90x for about 4 months and have had good results, but I altered the program significantly. As you said, its far too intense and tiring for me so I still only do about half a workout and supplement it with some of my own exercises. I think this is probably a critical change since most people i know who have p90x either stopped or never even really started. Same with your advice to decrease the number of workout per week. 6 days is a lot.
I haven’t looked at the recommended supplements but i’m sure they are mostly an unnecessary money maker. I do like a protein shake (or yogurt) after workouts just to get something in my system when i need to take time to make real food. So yeah, concentrate on making your own whole, healthy food with fresh meat, fish and vegetable etc. I started making small healthy lunches and freezing them in tuperware at the beggining of each week. I quickly dropped several lbs of fat and the meal reheated nicely in the microwave.
As for the need for resistance, i’m not quite clear why you criticize p90x on that. dumbbells and resistance bands are used constantly. And weighted pullups are really unnecessary for more folks.
The beach muscle critique is kinda valid, but basically its what people want. And making people feel good a bout their bodies (even if the standard is silly) is an important part of health. And although appearance is cleary an important component of the program I think its reasonable balanced with consideration of whole body workouts. And I’ve found the plyo workout (along with p90x as a whole) has helped my endurance and performance in sports.
All that said, i do need to move on to a new workout an probably a gym. But p90 has helped me quite a bit and i think can help many others with the caveats you and I mentioned.
Hi kahner, thanks for your comment.
To make significant gains in strength or muscle size, it is necessary to progressively increase the amount of resistance used. Relying on bands and a couple of dumbbells creates two primary problems. First, there is less potential to increase resistance consistently, and second, it won’t be possible to attain the high levels of resistance needed for significant strength gains. There’s only so much strength one can gain by using body weight as resistance. At some point it will be necessary to add weight. The equipment recommendations I made in the article can help to resolve this issue.
Here’s an example. A sedentary individual can increase their leg strength by doing lunges with 20 pound dumbbells, but relatively speaking, this isn’t very strong. They’d be able to develop much more strength if they consistently progressed to heavier dumbbells over time. It’s impressive what can be accomplished with the minimal equipment required by the P90X program, but the minimal use of equipment presents some significant limitations.
I don’t have any problem with wanting to look good. In fact, I appreciate this benefit of exercise myself. However, health and function should come first. I agree that the P90X provides a fairly well balanced selection of exercises, and as I mentioned in the article, I like that compound movements such as lunges, pull ups, and push ups are emphasized. However, in my opinion, the excessive volume of the program completely contradicts the premise of health and function being the top priorities. It seems obvious to me that this excessive volume is intended to promote more calorie burning, and given the unnecessary physical burden and potential for overtraining, I consider this a case of prioritizing appearance over health and function.
I totally agree with what you said about the recovery drinks and bars, i believe that people should eat natural whole foods. However P90x is a great program. Tony Hortons goal is to get people to live a healthy lifestyle. I started the program more than a year ago and it has changed my life. The workouts are about a hour which really isnt that much time after all im sure we can find one hour at least a day for exercise. The workouts are intense but they are not so intense were you overwork yourself. Its good to fell sore. I believe in order to be at the top of your fitness level you have to work hard. Im sorry that P90x didnt work out for you but for over 2 million other americans it has and im proud it has for me.
Hi James,
This article is not about how the P90X program worked for me. Many people have made the assumption that my dislike for the program is based on it not matching my personal preferences or me not having the ability to complete it. This is not the case. The purpose of this article is to point out what I consider to be some fundamental flaws in the program and to use them as an opportunity to help people become more educated about fitness and health.
The assumption that the P90X has “worked for over 2 million other Americans” certainly doesn’t mean it’s the most effective or healthiest way to improve fitness. Using a sledgehammer to hammer a nail is overkill just as P90X is excessive and inappropriate for many people’s needs, and I believe this applies to many of the 2 million that you mentioned. Besides, even for people like athletes who need a training program with this much volume, it’s unlikely that the P90X will be well aligned with their needs.
Just because you may have the capacity for the high volume of exercise included in the program doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for everyone else. Likewise, while I totally agree that a high level of fitness requires hard work, it’s important to put this hard work to good use by working towards meaningful fitness goals that are primarily and specifically orientied towards one’s individual needs in regard to health and function. In contrast, it seems to me that much of the work required by P90X is aimed at burning calories which is wasteful since there are healthier ways to lose weight that impose less physiological burden on the body.
Hi Vin,
A bit of advice please. I finished P90x and am in pretty good shape, about 8.5% body fat using calliper test. I tend to carry a bit more fat on my stomach so I only had the 4 pack!
I’ve since gone back to the gym. I’ve a highly recommended personal trainer and he has devised a 3 week routine for me. He supervises one session and then leaves me to my own devices. It works out cheaper that way. There is day 1 and day 2. The general plan is 6 exercises on each day, doing 3/4 sets of 8 to 10 reps, 4/5 sec eccentric motion, explosive concentric movement, alternating between lower body, upper body or core, with 30 or 45 second rest in between. I do it 4 times a week, day 1 twice and day 2 twice and takes me about 35-45 minutes. The excercies are stuff like, shoulder presses, split squats. dumbell rows, reverse crunches, back extensions etc. He’s made it clear that after the 3 weeks the exercises, reps, sets, tempo etc will probably change to keep the variety. I like the cut of his jib. With the 45 secs rest, my lungs feel it too. It feels like a hard workout, however, I’m not quite as out of breath as I was during p90x.
My issue is, I’m convinced I’m putting a bit of fat back on and have lost a little definition. My muscle have got a bit bigger but so has my waist line. I’d like to avoid this.
Would you recommend throwing in a couple of interval sessions or perhaps a sprint session. I used to do a 10 minute burpee challenge, or 15 minutes of 20 sec work, 10 second rest, rotating 4 or 5 moves. This would always have me gasping for air and I always believed it burnt fat and raised the metabolism.
Or should I persist with the weights and would I be in danger of over training if I add these to the 4 days a week.
My diet is very good BTW and hasn’t changed. All natural food, not processed food at all, inc rice. Only eat food that can be eaten raw. Apart from 70% dark chocolate. I eat a couple of squares a day on average.
Hi Mark,
Although I don’t know much about your situation, it seems like your trainer has you on a pretty good program. One thing worth considering is that the short rest periods may inhibit your strength development, but if you’re more concerned about muscular endurance and getting more of an aerobic workout from your weight training, then it’s appropriate.
If your eating habits haven’t changed since you completed P90X, I’m not surprised that you gained some weight back since you’re probably not burning as many calories with your new program, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you’re already eating a minimal amount of processed foods, the next step would be to be more moderate with fruits and high starch vegetables. If you’re already doing that, another thing you could try is changing your intake ratio of fat, protein, and carbohydrates.
It should be possible to maintain ideal weight with minimal exercise which means that most of the emphasis should be on diet. However, since you’re already below 10% body fat, it’s arguable that you already are at an ideal body weight. If you feel compelled to lose more body fat, then perhaps more exercise is the answer, but keep in mind that by doing so, you may be pushing the boundaries of emphasizing appearance over health.
If you do choose to add more exercise, I think high intensity intervals is a good choice. However, since you’re lifting 4 days per week, this may be a lot depending on your capacity. If you find that it is, you might be better off lifting 3 days a week with 1 or 2 interval sessions.
Also, keep in mind that if your primary goal is to increase strength or muscle mass, it will be difficult to do so while also reducing your body fat even further below 10%. It’s difficult to lose weight without muscle tissue being broken down in the process, especially when you’re already at a low body fat percentage. This is why bodybuilders tend to go through cycles of “bulking” and “cutting.”
I hope that helps. Good luck!
P.S. I like dark chocolate too.
Here’s a series of articles I wrote about it’s health qualities.
While looking around for information on the follow-up exercise program to P90X I ran across this blog and am thankful for your writing. Perhaps even more, I am thankful to at least the first dozen or so commenters giving their own experiences.
I wanted to do the P90X program because on non-beachbody sites there was support that it was effective. At that point in my life, my wife wanted to exercise with me despite having a very different body structure and needs: her wanting weight loss and my wanting muscle definition. It has been effective in driving both and we are now on our second round, with a planned two week vacation and then going into the lean sessions instead of the classic next.
For me, I wanted improved posture and for my shoulder musculature to be more balanced. Volleyball injuries suggested some muscles were overdeveloped while others were underdeveloped. My objective to create a greater balance there seems to have been achieved. And as a track-riding motorcyclist, I wanted greater core strength to move around on the bike through corners and while I haven’t been able to verify that success I am optimistic that goal has been reached as well. Alternately, reduction in my wife’s weight has been reasonably successful and I believe she finds it easier to keep her weight in check.
As a focused professional outside the physical fitness industry, I wanted something that was clearly effective, challenging, worthwhile, and reasonably well balanced. Time wasted is unacceptable. I still believe the program achieved that for us and my wife agrees. Your depiction of the diet phases isn’t strictly correct as you are encouraged to utilize the phases (dietary balance) depending on how your body reacts. We have done that and for us, largely, our diets changed mostly in reduction of “bad” fats (pork bacon, for instance) and desserts (a huge problem, IMHO). The amount of food was actually overwhelming and we have cut it back some such that I really don’t ever go hungry.
To date I am satisfied with the results and if I grow no further but merely maintain, I would be quite satisfied. Because the program did such a good job getting us started, I expect the drive to keep working out in the evenings after the kids are in bed to continue. But we lack the time to create these routines and will purchase programs that are effective and entertaining. Naturally, the hard part is successfully identifying them. With a fair number of references in this very post it would seem I have some new leads to follow up on. I grant that since this is the first posting of yours I’ve read perhaps you have already provided guidance, but as a busy professional with a family to (help) manage I need clear, concise, direction. Think automaton.
Vin,
You are a master at written communication. Your ability to deflect and not get personnel is a valuable lesson to all of us in life. I did 68 days of P90X until my shoulder said no mas. I find your comments about exercise of some value but the manner in which you carry yourself…. priceless!
Dan
Hi Dan,
I would be lying if I said it’s not a challenge at times, especially in regard to some of the mindless and vulgar comments that I’ve chosen to not publish. However, I do my best to be civil and objective and I really appreciate you taking the time to point out that it shows. Thank you!
I read your article and found most of it quite amusing some for good reasons some not so good. I’ve done 3 full rounds of P90X and love it. I am an athelete and tell anyone who asks me about P90X should they try it. I’m honest if it’s an overweight person or even an inshape person I most of the times tell them NO! Not because I don’t think it’s a great workout but mainly because I think it will be too hard for them. These are people I know so I feel secure in our friendship to say, “you’ll never be able to do it” or i’ve said, “you could never give up the sweets or keep with the diet”. I’ve even said to my best friend, ” you’re too dam lazy to do it”. None of them tried it because of that. But I also tell them to try something that isn’t as time consuming, regimend and less strainuous. Fortunately a few have listened and have gotten in or getting in better shape.
I agree wholeheartedly that the program isn’t for everyone but for people such as myself who workout 7days a week and who feel guilty if they miss a day, this is a perfect program. When I complete the 3 phases of P90X which constitute one round I take at least a few months off of the program and go back to my normal workouts which I might add aren’t as tough or time consuming. Then when i’m ready I decide to donate the next 3 months to the program. I’ve never lost more than 5 pounds on the program but I’ve always noticed that my muscles are tighter looking especially my abs and shoulders. Does this matter to me that much? No not really, just an observation. So I would agree that the statement beachbody makes about being ripped I find to be true, for me at least.
I don’t follow their diet plan to a T but I do use some of the recipes and ideas that they came up with. I also agree with you about not using the shakes and protein bars as a total supplement for a well rounded meal. I will admit that I do at times eat a protein bar, not P90′s but one from GNC (2:1 Protein Bar) if i’m running late and can’t make breakfast or feel run down in the middle of the day.
I definately agree with you that this program is not for the masses, but we also have to understand that beachbody is a company looking to make money and whether or not people finish the program or even start it after buying it, the company still makes money. I don’t agree with that philosophy but as the latin phrase goes, Caveat Emptor. I actually have a nurse that works for me who bought the program and has had it for over a year and has never started it. She watched a few of the dvd’s and said yep i’m gonna start tomorrow. Some people have great intensions but don’t want to put the effort into it. P90X as you state does take a lot of time. Not 6 hours a week but over 8 hours if you count XStretch done on the 7th day and the 17 minute Ab Ripper X done on the 3 weightlifting days. Plus 1hr. 32min for YogaX. Lots of commitment but for me I love that commitment and the feeling I get from accomplishing my goal. I’m in the 3rd phase now of my 4th round, 3 more weeks to go, then i’ll stop until maybe Feb. or March. I’ll just go back to working out everyday with either jogging or basic weight(resistence) training.
Thanks for the article though well written, but I have to wonder if you had done the entire workout for the 90 days if your opionion would be different in at least some way. You can’t say as well as I can’t since you didn’t do it. For me i’m glad I did and glad I still do. Best wishes
Hi Jonathan, thanks for your comment.
I think it’s great that you’re so committed to exercise. However, the fact that P90X made your muscles appear tighter and fits your preference for exercising every day doesn’t in my opinion give much indication of the program’s quality. It’s great that you want to exercise 7 days per week, but this has very little direct correlation to the extent that P90X or any other fitness program will satisfy your health and function needs, and in my opinion, these are the two most important reasons to exercise. Aside from the mental satisfaction you may gain, exercising 7 days per week may not be optimal for improving health and function, and depending on what you’re doing each of those 7 days, it may even be counterproductive.
With many things, more is not always better, and fitness is no exception. I too value the satisfaction of commitment, but it’s important to understand what the commitment really means. Rather than being committed to workout frequency, I think it’s better to be committed to doing what’s truly best for one’s health and function. Such a commitment has more substance behind it and is more likely to last for life. Besides, we all have times when we’re worn down for one reason or another and would be better off skipping a scheduled workout. Although it would be ideal to try and address whatever it was that led to feeling worn down, there’s no reason to feel guilty about such a situation. In fact, I think forcing an overstressed body to exercise is a more legitimate reason to feel guilt.
Aside from my dislike for the P90X program, it’s not appropriate for my fitness or health related goals, so there is little point in me doing it. Like you, I’m an athlete, so this isn’t based on me not being interested in advanced fitness. In fact, being an athlete is much of the reason why I consider P90X to be inappropriate for my needs. Besides, doing the program would only give me an indication of how well it worked for me which is not the point of this article. The point is to consider the principles behind it in a way that can be applied to any program.
Hey Vin!
I came across your website as I googled “P90X and overtraining”. I’m currently on day 67 today and have had great results. But after reading your post I realized that they were all appearance-based. I used to run 4 miles a day and went from 205 to 185 in less than 3 months but then got tired of it. I tried P90X to get rid of the last 15 lbs and I did, I’m currently at 171 lb. I’m a 5’10 21 year old college senior, by the way. After my 60 day mark I came face to face with the dreaded overtraining syndrome! So I took 5 days off…and started the week again. Guess what, 6 days later overtraining again! Insomnia, loss of appetite, resting heart rate is OFF the charts. (Regular is 47, this morning was 72). I will say I learned many things though from the program. And to tell you the truth I WILL use most moves used in the DVDs and incorporate them into my own workout and go to the gym…it gets SO boring and lonely working out alone at home. My body has been battered and beat and I get 8 hours of sleep every night and take the right supplements! Anyways, great write up and good luck to you in your fitness future! I will definitely bookmark your website for future references.
Cheers.
Ahsan
Hi Ahsan,
Thanks for sharing your experience! I think it will be helpful for others, especially since you’re young.
Given the extent of your symptoms, it sounds to me like you were overtrained a while ago and continued to push yourself. When you get to this point, it can unfortunately take a lot longer than 5 days to recover.
Unless you were running at an easy pace, running 4 miles every may have set you up for overtraining even before you started P90X. If I were you, I would cut back to very light and less frequent workouts while paying close attention to signs of overtraining. Early symptoms of overtraining tend to be individual and can be subtle, so try to figure out what they are for you and be on the lookout for them. Hints of exhaustion, depression, and irritability are usually the first signs for me, and soon as I recognize them, I know to cut back. Over time, you should gradually be able to increase your training to a more normal level, and this process should hopefully help you avoid ending up in this situation again. You seem to be getting a good amount of sleep, but also keep in mind the importance of other lifestyle factors such as diet and stress.
Congratulations on your weight loss, but I’d bet you’d agree that it’s not worth feeling unwell. Hopefully you now have the experience you need to maintain the weight loss without overworking yourself. Good luck with your recovery!
Hi, Vin.
I left a comment a couple months ago, I think, and I checked the ‘Notify me by email’ box when I did. Can I have that stopped, please?
I admire your tenacity to continue this discussion so long, and particularly since I know how defensive and ‘religious’ people can be about this topic. And I agree with Dan you have done an excellent job of managing the over-emotional responses (and direct or borderline attacks on you for expressing your opinion) and keeping your tone professional and instructive.
Let’s see….how could we stir the hornet’s nest a little more? Do the P90X’ers know that CrossFit practitioners consider P90X as a prerequisite for beginning CrossFit training?
I appreciate your fine work and wish you well.
Thanks,
Tim
Thanks, Tim!
For anyone else who wishes to unsubscribe from receiving comments by email, there should be a link to do so in each message that you receive.
I have been doing P90X for over a year. The program Flat out Absolutely Works and works Awesome. And I personally guarantee that anyone who puts their best effort into it will see incredible results. I wish i could show my before and after results, because you would be amazed.
But that said…I recently stopped doing the program for about a month. And I must say it was incredibly difficult to gain the motivation to start again. And once I started again, my rep counts had dropped off by HALF the number I was doing before I stopped. And That decreased my motivation even more….Its like Im having an argument with your body. Im telling my body, “I invested a whole year into getting you(my body) into shape and in less than 1 month, you(my body) have deteriorated and have taken me backwards about 6 months”. It doesnt seem fair!!! Understand that the workout is atleast 1 hour a day, 1 hour 15 mins with ab ripper and 1 hour 30 mins with Yoga…and thats 6 days a week….a LOT of time and sacrifice went into a year of doing this program. And I did not skip routines…even if I was not feeling well.
So, Its incredibly demoralizing to know that I was knocking out 31 pullups and 1 month of not working out, my body is not forgiving and now I can only seem to get to 21.
So to summarize…the program ABSOLUTELY does work if you put effort and committment into it, but I have to agree that for long term, it can be tough to maintain the committment! and to stop doing it will be very very difficult to deal with…cause you will daily be thinking I need to go do P90x…but then you dont..and there’s another day gone..and it was so easy not to do it…you find it even easier to skip it the next day. I would be inclined to lean toward workout programs that involve other people or fun activities(running or riding bikes), instead of locking yourself in a room for an hour everyday to watch the same repetetive videos….I can almost repeat word for word, every tony horton funny line….and thats over 300 hours of time I invested last year into working out….instead of playing guitar, playing with my kids, or enjoying life….I think workouts are necessary…i just think there needs to be some proper balance.
Hi Mark, thanks for sharing your experience.
It’s quite impressive that you were able to continue doing the P90X program for that long. However, it’s a mistake to assume that everyone else can do the same, and that’s regardless of how much determination they have. Some people will hit a wall long before a year and their bodies simply won’t allow them to do it anymore.
Also, the meaning of “incredible results” can vary drastically from one person to another. I don’t doubt that P90X can deliver impressive appearance and fitness related improvements. However, the more pertinent question is how appropriate are these improvements for the individual obtaining them and at what expense are they being made?
For you, the expense was enjoying your hobbies and time with your family. For others, it’s overtraining and the compromised health that follows. Are the benefits of P90X really worth sacrifices like these, especially when there are more appropriate approaches that can deliver similar results in a more time balanced and health oriented manner? You’re saying that the P90X “works awesome,” but from a broader and arguably wiser perspective, you’ve also shown why it doesn’t work at all.
It’s expected to lose some gains from being inactive for a month, but it seems like the losses you experienced are quite a bit more extensive than normal. Perhaps this is a result of pushing yourself too far, or maybe it has to do with other lifestyle factors, but it indicates to me that something went wrong. It shouldn’t be this difficult to improve your fitness (or appearance), and the benefits shouldn’t disappear this quickly.
If something requires commitment to work, but the very same thing makes commitment difficult, then I would argue that it doesn’t work very well. Many people make the P90X program out to be an honorable display of commitment and I think this is short sighted. The P90X is a 90 day commitment to working your butt off to improve your appearance. I’m much more impressed by a daily and lifelong commitment to optimal health and function. Commitment is only as valuable as whatever it is that’s being committed to, and in the grand scheme of life, appearance is not nearly as important as things like health, function, happiness, and family. I do appreciate the value of appearance, but as you said, there needs to be balance.
Hi Vin. I agree with your article, that is if you are of 35 years and older. I’m 14, yes 14, and i recently did P90x. I have played football throughout my youth, and doing p90x has drastically increased my skillset. I by no means did it for the “beach muscles”, but instead, to give me the upper hand on the gridiron. Since doing this program, I have become more stable, quicker, faster, and much stronger than before. I’ve also become the fastest kid in my middle school. I know it would be difficult for you guys, because of your age. Not because you can’t perform, but instead because you need to watch your health. I, as a teenager, benefit from a workout on the level of P90x. I also benefited largely from Yoga, as it was not just a grueling chain of stretches, but an effective chain of challenging and relaxing postures. Yoga helped me attain phenomenal balance, and also to be more solid in my hitting formations. I agree p90x is hard to keep doing after the first rounds, but I look at it as more of a chance to put yourself in the shape to do other excersices. P90x, in essence, is just a jumpstart to becoming that perfectly fit person, in my opinion.
Hi Jaelin, thanks for your comment.
It’s great that you’re being proactive about your fitness and improving your performance, but there are a few things that I think would be beneficial for you to consider.
First of all, the appropriateness of the P90X doesn’t necessarily depend on age. It’s more dependent on one’s goals, needs, and level of physical capacity. Contrary to what you may think, there are many people under the age of 35 that don’t have the capacity for the P90X program, and in contrast, there are many people who are much older and could do the program without issue. Either way, most people don’t properly assess how the demands of the P90X program will suit their needs, and your case of wanting to improve performance for football is a good example of this.
Strength and power are two very important fitness characteristics for football. Consider Barry Sanders who is regarded by some as one of the best running backs ever. It’s reported that he could squat 600 pounds and I don’t think there are many people who’d say that this strength didn’t make a significant contribution to his success. There’s simply no way that the P90X could be used to develop this kind of strength. P90X won’t do much to help translate this strength into explosive power either. In addition, most football players require a higher level of anaerobic fitness than what the P90X program is designed to provide.
I don’t agree with your evaluation of the P90X as a good “jumpstart.” Even while developing a base of conditioning that enables one to handle more demanding training in the future, this can still be done in a manner that’s more focused on specific needs and goals.
I don’t doubt that the P90X improved your strength and athletic ability, and I congratulate you for your improvements. However, just about any training program will bring improvement to some extent, especially if you weren’t training much before. The more appropriate question is if the training that you’re doing is the most effective way for you to improve the specific athletic skills and other fitness aspects that are most important to you. For example, a linebacker has different fitness needs than a wide receiver, and both have drastically different needs than a long distance runner. All of their training programs should differ accordingly.
If you’re serious about football and improving your performance, I suggest you consider seeking the guidance of a good trainer who has experience training football players. Ideally, they should also be NSCA CSCS certified which is a highly regarded sports oriented certification.
i read a few replys. the last one got my attention. I understand stoping for amonth and not being able to do what you were doing the month b4. ( (wich i did last month and my body changed i stoped cause i gave my cds to a friend.) Now im back on it and i feel Great. My thing is you make 6 hours aweek a bad thing. You get home from work or even wake up in the morn and have the whole day of doing nothing ahead of you. Think how long you sit on the couch watching tv doing nothing. Its 60 min gets me of the couch I do other things also besides p90x i have an ab rocket that i use after i do my p90x . like watching tv sports and a few shows. and have a weight set. When i have nothing to do i just turn it on and stop when i want. Why should i spend $$$$ on a gym where i have to leave my house for hours in a gym wich takes you further away from (family). Talk about motivation for the gym its oh i have to get dressed and leave the house what about bad weather rain snow and stuff. this keeps me active. motivation to press play its a mental thing like quiting smoking drinking or what have you. Iam not a coach nor will not bcome one i see what you were talking about about selling the product. In my eyes it sells it self. I just bought it for my bro and his fam even if they use it 3 times a week its being used and he or his wife will not be taken away from their kids. If you think about it everything you do needs some commitment
Hi Mike, thanks for your comment.
I never made any general statement about training for a specific number of hours per week being a problem. Exercising for 6 hours per week is only a problem if too much work is being done within those hours. The argument I make in the article is that 6 hours of P90X is too much for many people. For the average person, I have no problem with 6 hours per week of a more reasonably designed program.
Keep in mind that although you’re only working hard for an hour per day, your body has to continue working for much longer to recover from what you did. The tougher the workout, the longer the recovery, and in many cases, it takes longer than 24 hours. This is why working out nearly every day can eventually cause overtraining. The body simply doesn’t have enough capacity to recover from all of it, and this is compounded for anyone who is dealing with a lot of stress, isn’t getting enough sleep, or doesn’t have excellent eating habits.
For someone who needs or wants to workout every day, finding the right balance of tough and light training days will allow for adequate recovery, but the training should still be more focused than burning calories or “getting ripped.”
Whether or not you should spend money on a gym membership or additional equipment to use at home depends on your goals. You can only get so strong using bodyweight, bands, and light dumbbells as your resistance. If you want to get stronger, you need to lift heavier weights, and to do so, you’ll need to go to a gym or buy more equipment. If you don’t care about improving your strength to this extent, then you probably don’t need to invest the extra money.
I appreciate your concern about spending time with family. The P90X may not require you to leave home, but it’s a time consuming program that’s ironically taking you away from your family for much longer than what is probably necessary to meet your goals, especially if they only involve weight loss and a basic level of fitness to promote health.
I absolutely agree that commitment and motivation are very necessary. However, while you think these qualities are necessary to overcome the difficulty of the P90X program, I think they’re necessary for educating oneself to the point of exercising in a more effective manner and being able to sustain healthy habits for a lifetime. Furthermore, someone who is motivated and fully committed to their health and fitness doesn’t mind getting dressed and going out into the rain and snow to go to the gym.
They say many times in P90X that it isn’t a weight loss program, it’s a lifestyle-changing program. I can tell you that this has been true for us. My wife and I were way out of shape last March when we started the program and we dove right in. We knew it would be difficult, and it certainly was, but we did 97 days of it and kept going with 4 days a week of assorted P90X, P90X+ & One on One vids since then.
This, coupled with more balanced eating has had a profound change in us. I am down from 220 to 185 (i’m 6’0) and much stronger/flexible/toned than before and my wife can now do 30 pushup sets (not the girlie ones) and 7 pullups. She was at 5 & 0 respectively before the program. If that’s not a testament to total body transformation then I don’t know what is.
This was not about vanity, this was not about weight loss, it was about changing our ways and needing something to jumpstart that. P90X was there and while there were some tough times, it was just the thing we needed.
I hadn’t been active for about 9 years prior to March. I will freely admit we were probably nowhere near the fitness requirements for this kind of undertaking and had initial problems with wrist pain (pushups), ankle and knee pain (plyo & legs). This was, I believe, a byproduct not of the program, but of our own vulnerabilities and lack of small muscle strength. We have not had any issues since that first 1.5 months and work out even harder and jump higher than we ever had in those days.
I have done the same routines you speak of (not having done them a single time), dozens of times and disagree with you completely. Kenpo X & Cardio X are terrific for getting the heart going and offer a great variety. Our hand and foot speeds have gone up drastically in doing so many punches, blocks and kicks. Some of your concerns have been dealt with, in particular there is a terrific routine in P90X+ called Interval X + and the One on One with Tony Horton has a 55 minute yoga routine called Fountain of Youth that addresses the length issue of the original Yoga X. Don’t forget that P90X came out a long time ago.
We are going to hit the one year mark for P90X in a few months; this proves to me that the program does in fact have long-lasting qualities, although Tony’s jokes do get really old after about 6 months!
In closing, the program wasn’t just a 90 day fallacy for us, it showed us how to work hard and commit to longlasting and lifelong changes in eating & fitness. We can’t wait for the P90X MC:2 to come along!
Hi Dan, thanks for your comment.
You and your wife deserve the credit for your improved lifestyle much more so than the P90X program. It’s your perspective that inspired you to prioritize health over appearance and modify the volume of the program to be more suitable for you. Perhaps the P90X program deserves credit for getting you started and provided some instruction on how to exercise, but I don’t think it deserves any more credit than that.
After responding to more than 100 comments on this article, I am confident that many people who follow the P90X program lack the perspective you have that P90X program is not effective in promoting it. After all, how could it be when the very nature of the program contradicts it.
There are many different reasons why people embrace P90X. Some people want to improve their performance while others simply want to challenge themselves, and of course, there are the many people who just want to “get absolutely ripped in just 90 days.” However, when you regard a fitness program as a part of a truly healthy lifestyle, then the priorities of the program become health and physical function. In this regard, I think there’s little value in shocking your body into a healthier lifestyle with abrupt and dramatic changes, especially when they can backfire by introducing too much physiological stress too soon which can ironically worsen health and cause mental burnout. For many, I think a gradual approach is more appropriate and sustainable. Besides, as I mentioned in the article, it seems abundantly clear to me that high volume of the P90X program is primarily intended for calorie burning. Exercising to improve physiological function is great, but beyond this point, putting your body through the stress of a significant amount of exercise just to burn calories is not healthy and is not part of a truly healthy lifestyle.
I never claimed that Kenpo X or Cardio X don’t “get the heart going.” In fact, this is why I think they can present a problem. For an athlete who wants to increase their anaerobic threshold, long and steady moderate to high intensity aerobic training is effective and has purpose. Even still, the duration of such training typically doesn’t need to be as long as it is in the P90X program. For a fitness program that’s intended to promote a healthy lifestyle, which is what you’re claiming the P90X program to be, low intensity aerobic exercise (about 75% of max heart rate or less) is perfectly adequate for improving cardiovascular function. In contrast, long duration aerobic exercise done at higher intensities can promote overtraining and adrenal fatigue which is obviously not healthy. This is particularly a concern with the P90X program given the additional demand of the strength training workouts. As I mentioned in the article, a modest amount of high intensity interval training would be a good compromise, but I’m not familiar with the Interval X workout and therefore can’t comment on how well BeachBody has applied this concept.
Disagreements about the quality of the P90X program aside, what’s important is that you seem to have the right perspective and are indeed living a healthier lifestyle. If P90X is a meaningful component of this for you, then so be it. I wish you the best of luck with MC2!
I think that P90X is great for what it is, a one size fits all fitness program that is geared to take a person to another level of over all muscular fitness. It introduces people to a variety of exercises that don’t take a lot of equipment. I disagree with you about yoga the P90X yoga is a fantastic program that builds strength and flexibility. Many might never even try yoga if they had not used a program like this. I think best way to use the program is a way to get your core muscles in shape which will help you in most other forms of exercise and sport you are involved in not to mention daily life. I agree that you can mix a modify aspects of this program with other forms of exercise. I thinks the 90day concept has a great deal of value however to get many people started and excited about fitness and nutrition. The change they experience can many time give them momentum to continue for the rest of their lives. The nutrition plan I thought was very basic and they are no question trying to sell their supplements many of which can be purchased other places both better and cheaper. I don’t really use their diet at all but for someone who knows nothing about nutrition it is a great place to start. As for the question about can people keep up such a program long term. I work in a prison and many of the prisoners who have been lock up for better then 25 years have been doing similar routines at least in terms of pull ups, push ups, crunches and dips for the better part of that time and are in excellent shape. This is basic Jack Lalanne stuff and he is what close to 100years old. In short I think P90X is a great starting point for many people and a way for other to get up to another level of fitness. Like anything it is a tool and I think the video format helps keep people interested and motivated to get in shape and the best exercise program is one you will do.
Peace
Hi Mark,
My argument is that a one size fits all fitness program is an inefficient and in some cases ineffective way to address the specific needs and goals that everyone has (and should become aware of if they’re not already). The concept of one size fits all doesn’t apply well to fitness or health, and P90X is therefore based on a fundamental flaw.
There really isn’t a such thing as overall muscular fitness. You can train a muscle to increase in size, have more maximal strength, contract faster, or fatigue more slowly. Although there’s some overlap among these adaptations, you can’t effectively train for all of them at the same time, and some of them are even contradictory. For example, maximal strength and contraction speed (power) are contradictory to endurance. This is why elite distance runners tend to have a pitiful vertical leap (as low as 3″). The rep range and volume used in the P90X strength training workouts is primarily geared towards hypertrophy (muscle growth), but the lack of increases in resistance greatly limits the potential for improvement. With the higher rep ranges, it can be argued that the strength training in P90X is more geared towards muscular endurance.
Yoga only trains muscles to have more endurance against the resistance of body weight, and only does so isometrically (in a fixed position). This is not adequate for promoting optimal function because the forces applied to bones and joints through even the basic activities of daily living often exceed body weight by a considerable margin. The surrounding muscles not only need to counter this with forces that are at least equal in magnitude, but they typically also need to do so through a dynamic range of motion. Walking briskly up or down a flight of stairs is a great example of both cases.
For someone who is out of shape, Yoga may help to improve their strength levels and basic function, but only to a limited extent. Conventional strength training is much more effective for this, especially for people who are active. Besides, because the P90X does include conventional strength training to an extent, the strength benefits of yoga become irrelevant.
There’s no doubt that yoga improves flexibility, however you certainly don’t need to work on your flexibility for an hour and a half. It’s much more effective to focus on tight muscles and leave the already flexible muscles alone. In line with this, relying on yoga for flexibility training tends to promote excessive flexibility in some areas while not providing enough attention to others. The former scenario increases injury potential while the latter does little to reduce it. In addition, flexibility training should be done multiple times each week, not just once. The excessive amount of time that yoga consumes makes it even less practical for flexibility purposes.
If someone enjoys yoga and is unwilling to do anything else, or more appropriately, they do it for its intended purpose of improving mind-body awareness, that’s fine. However, there are much more effective and efficient ways to develop strength and flexibility, especially in regard to promoting optimal function.
I agree that core strength is important, but you certainly don’t need to dedicate an entire workout to it.
I also agree that the basic premise of compound body weight movements such as push ups and pull ups is a good one, and I did credit the program for this. I think lower body exercises need more resistance, and P90X does suggest using dumbbells. Although, progression will be limited by the range of dumbbells one has available which is why I recommended the Powerblocks. In addition, the issues I have with P90X are related to the overall volume of the program and the emphasis on calorie burning more so than the exercise selection used in the strength training workouts (although I do think there is still a lot of room for improvement there).
If you’re going to credit the P90X for introducing people to exercise, what you’re really crediting is the marketing and the program’s resulting popularity. This is what’s drawn so many people to it. However, popularity is not always synonymous with quality, and in my opinion, an extreme fitness program geared towards “getting absolutely ripped” as quickly as possible is not at all a good introduction to healthy exercise habits. In my opinion, such an approach does a poor job of promoting sustainability and even presents the risk of burning people out and discouraging them from continuing. As you say, the best program is the one you’ll actually follow, and I agree with this to an extent. However, I see a lot of people losing interest in P90X, even before the first 3 months in many cases.
I think if you actually did a month or so of the program (or watched the videos attentively), you’d see that in many of the vids they implore you to use a heartrate monitor. He often says, “check your heartrate and either take it down, or get going if it’s too low!”, so they are cognisant of the fact that there is an optimal target rate to look for. I personally didn’t want to spend the money on that so I gauge my own rate by my breathing and other indicators.
I think you should really give it a shot Vin, you might gain greater insight on the program than by examining it from afar.
The program I found to be way outside of the norm was Insanity, it was truly ridiculous. None of the beach bodies in the videos that I watched could even do the entire video. To me, that just proved how ridiculous it was. I also found the impact to be very substantial and the chance at injury very high. I didn’t find the same to be true for P90X.
Hi Dan,
Here are a few of the primary reasons why I consider P90X to be inappropriate for my needs and why I’m therefore not interested in following it:
1. As an athlete and someone who enjoys strength training, maximum strength is a significant fitness priority for me. Training with bodyweight, bands, and light dumbbells doesn’t even come close to meeting these needs. I’ve gotten to the point where I can deadlift well over 300 pounds and am looking to continue improving on that. P90X wouldn’t even have gotten me close to this point regardless of how long I followed it for.
2. As a tennis player, power and explosiveness are important to my performance. P90X fails to support these priorities for three reasons. It lacks the emphasis needed on strength training to establish an adequate foundation of strength for power development. Second, the Plyo X workout (P90X’s version of plyometrics) is too lacking in intensity and too excessive in volume to get the most out of this type of training. And third, long and steady aerobic training (Cardio X and Kenpo X) is counterproductive to developing power and explosiveness.
3. As a tennis player, I also need to be well conditioned. Most points in tennis last for about 10 seconds or less with up to a 20 second rest in between. This means that the phosphagen system is the energy system that’s relied upon most, and the aerobic energy system is relied upon to replenish it. Short and intense intervals are a much better way to train for these energy requirements than Cardio X or Kenpo X. Interval X may be appropriate, but as I previously said, it’s not part of the standard P90X program and I’m not familiar with it.
4. As someone who has overtrained many times and has recovered from chronic fatigue syndrome, I am especially aware of my limits. As a result, I am very deliberate with the amount of exercise volume that I choose and know exactly what the purpose behind it is. I think a lot of the volume in the P90X program is unnecessary and doesn’t apply well to my goals. In addition, since I tend to play tennis 3 – 6 times per week throughout most of the year, it would be unwise of me to add any unnecessary training volume to that.
5. There are certain strength training exercises that I do to support the demands of tennis and to help prevent injury and pain in places where I’m prone to it. For example, my left knee is prone to chronic pain, and I’ve previously dislocated the shoulder of my dominant arm. Despite the fact that tennis puts a lot of stress on these joints, I’ve done a good job of keeping them healthy and relatively pain free mostly thanks to exercises that aren’t included in the P90X program.
6. There are specific stretches and mobility exercises that I like to do to counteract the tightness in certain muscles that results from my typical activities. I also do a lot of self massage for the same reason. This is not part of P90X either, and I don’t consider Yoga X to be a suitable replacement or a necessary addition. I’ve done enough yoga in my lifetime to say this with confidence.
I am well aware of my goals and needs and have done a pretty good job of exercising in the best way possible to support them. For my needs, I’m quite confident that the P90X program would be quite inferior to what I’m doing now. If I were to modify P90X to meet my goals, it would end up having very little resemblance, so what’s the point?
Although they may be more or less specific, we all have individual needs and goals. The reason why I included so much detail about mine is because it shows how a generic fitness program becomes less and less appropriate as you gain a better understanding of what your specific needs are to improve performance, quality of life, or whatever other aspects of fitness and function may apply.
In regard to heart rate, you’re right that P90X embraces the concept of zones. If I remember correctly, 70-80% of maximum heart rate is recommended for Cardio X and Kenpo X. While I said 75% and below is reasonable, even 70% can be pushing it as duration approaches an hour. This isn’t such a big deal in regard to a single Cardio X or Kenpo X workout, but when considered in combination with the other P90X workouts, it becomes a bigger concern.
Hi Vin,
Instead of doing the P90X, i was wondering if the yearlong plan in Men’s Fitness is a better alternative?
Does thie yearlong plan help improve strength, flexiblilty, endurance, power, and explosiveness? Would you recommed this program?
Hi Tony,
Thanks for pointing out this program. I like it A LOT more than P90X! Here’s what I think the strong points are:
Here are a few adjustments that I would consider making:
I think this program is best suited for improving strength and muscle size. It recommends sets of 5 reps or less for most of the major lifts, and this primarily promotes strength development. The rep ranges tend to be higher for most of the other exercises which promotes muscle growth more so than strength development. However, there’s obviously some overlap between the two.
Aside from completing the exercises throughout a full range of motion, this program won’t do much to improve flexibility. You can use some of the suggestions I made in the article to put together your own stretching and mobility program to do in conjunction with this one.
Unless you already have great endurance, this program should improve it, but only to a certain extent. You have to realize that training for endurance is somewhat counterproductive to training for strength and power. This is why elite distance runners sometimes have max vertical jumps as low as 3 inches. The interval training in the Men’s Fitness program will train endurance, but not to the extent that true endurance training would. However, this isn’t such a bad thing because as I just said, true endurance training would likely hinder your development of strength and power. This is a good example of why your training needs to be based on your needs and goals.
Yes, this program can improve power, but to a limited extent. The jump squat is a great exercise for developing power, but it’s the only power exercise included in the program. In general, the program has little emphasis on developing power, but this is a good thing for a few reasons. First, training for power requires that one already has a good foundation of maximum strength which may not be the case for many people following this program. And second, aside from athletes, few people really need or want the additional emphasis on power. If you do, you could pretty easily alter some of the phases of the Men’s Fitness program by replacing some of the strength exercises with plyometrics or explosive exercises like olympic lifts or their derivatives. If you choose to do olympic lifts, be sure to learn excellent technique, and do them before doing any other lifts.
Hi Vin,
Great blog, I hope you keep it going. I was really happy to find it – I and my husband started and stopped and now have started P 90x again. My goals are health, and of course weight loss and appearance (I admit it – being chunky at 200lbs – now 26 lbs down from 226lbs). I had trouble with P90X the first 2x for many of the reasons you mention. I finally changed the program around a bit and now have much more motivation to do it. My husband is more hardcore and he does it 6x a week (he is tall and weighs about 174lb).
Here is what I am doing:
1. Strength portions (chest/back/legs) 3x per week. (Monday, Wed, Fridays)
2. I sometimes yoga (either the shorter one and one or a completely different yoga routine 20-40 minutes)
3. 2-3 days (2 days if I do the yoga) of dancing type work outs (dvd sets that I alternate between styles). Here I add on 10 min of abs or sometimes I do a “ab” focused dance dvd for 30 min once a week.
4. I walk to work in addition and use a monitor to keep an eye on my activity (in case of my work getting busy, it lets me see a decline in activity so I can rev it up before I see weight creep up). It also helps me track my sleep – if I see a trend in a bad way, I make a change to get the zzz’s I need (a challenge in a job that at times involves 36 hours on) I also set up my work station to stand when I do some (note the “some” not all) computer work.
For food, the p90x plan made no sense to me – seemed to complicated. I cut back on eating out (and have a fatter wallet too). We eat lower fat proteins (chicken, game, some red meat too), some fish, tons of fruit, veggies, healthier grains, olive oil based stuff, etc. Mostly stuff is not processed. Both of us may drink one protein shake a day (the limit), due to schedules – I sometimes pull all night type shifts and the shake at times saves me (and makes it easier to eat more frequently and avoid the starving looking-at-anything-to-eat syndrome that can happen to me in the afternoon). We do have 2 cheat meals on average per week (sugars, muffins, calzone, etc.) which may creep up in the holiday week, then back down.
If my weight loss stops for about 3 weeks or so, I track my calories and portions for a few weeks until I feel like I have a better grasp on portions (I tend to creep up in portion size when I do not do checks every now and then). For me food was harder than working out – I get hungry. That is getting better (having walnuts around, staying hydrated), though at times portions still are a challenge.
My husband does it P90x pretty religiously. He periodically bonks and after increasing his calories and moving those workouts to later in the day (plyo, kempo), he feels better. We are now over 60 days and doing much better than before.
I will likely be looking for something to add in a series (like my 3 p90x workouts for 3 months, then alternate with another similar program, etc.). The other P90x type programs (plus, etc.) do not seem to have alternative exercises (no offense to the devoted fans, being “fluffy,” I have a ways to go before I can do a pull up – will get there) and I can’t stand the marketing in my actual work out (no problem with them making the dough, just keep it out of the work out section). I have a knee and foot that act up – I try to be religious about form to avoid injury. Already the weight loss has improved my knee and foot issues.
Like Vin had originally mentioned, I really do believe it helped me tremendously to alter the program somewhat and my husband finally seems to get that this part is necessary for me. He was so focused and did not want to alter anything, and he is much more ok with that. Boy, what a difference tweaking the program makes for me. I believe that is the key.
My goals are to be healthy and while weightloss is really important, my goal is more based on size and measurements and perhaps body fat over the actual weight number. I admit, I do love the toned, even more muscular look (defined arms, etc.) and hope I am on the road to getting there. I feel I am much more toned under my “fluffiness.” During this process if I can get stronger and faster and more flexible that rocks (and is already happening). I did enjoy weightlifting (true split routines, etc.). Eventually I would like to get back on the treadmill and back up to running a bit (goal 2 miles for stamina 1-2x a week which I successfully did in the past before the weight gain). In the summer, I hope my hiking stamina will only increase.
Anyway, this blog is great and I will check back often for comments. Vin it is truly a pleasure reading your comments no matter where you stand – class act all the way.
Hi Natascha, thanks for you kind feedback and for sharing your experience!
I think your story is a great example of how the P90X can be used loosely as a template to get started with exercise and a healthier lifestyle. Although, it’s ironic that your husband is reluctant to change the program because it’s an example of why P90X is generally not well suited for this purpose. In fact, I think the people like yourself who achieve results by customizing the P90X program to be more appropriate for their needs deserve much more of the credit than P90X itself. Determination, ambition, and self reliance are inherent to this approach, and as such, chances are that any program would help guide someone with these qualities in the right direction.
There’s nothing wrong with making appearance a priority as long as health and function are higher priorities, and this seems to be the case for you. Congratulations on what you’ve accomplished and also for approaching your health and weight loss with intelligence!
Hi Vin,
Your feedback is greatly appreciated. I was wondering if i could incoporate pylometric exercises/cardio after my workout day. For example, if i follow the program monday-wed-and fri, can I do cardio(playing basketball)/plylometrics on tuesday and thursday? Is it best to stretch after every workout? Thank you for your time and consideration!!
Thanks,
Tony
Hi Tony,
That should be fine. Explosive training relies a lot on the capacity of the nervous system, so to make this type of training as safe and productive as possible, it’s best to do it before other types of training. Based on this, I would do it before cardio or basketball. However, if you were to do Olympic lifts or any other type of explosive lift involving weights, it would probably be better to do them as the first part of a strength training workout rather than on a separate day.
Yes, it’s good to stretch after a workout. However, if you have any areas of tightness that prevent you from lifting with excellent technique, it’s important to also stretch before you workout. As I described in the article, self massage and mobility drills are great for this purpose as well.
P90x should be taken as a jump start into health and fitness. One 90 day round should get you motivated enough to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Hopefully you will see and feel the results you want, and want to continue to exercise, not just for looks but for your well being. Health is the most important thing, everything else will fall into place.
Hi James,
If health is most important, why not start off with a more health oriented exercise program?
A healthy approach to exercise implies starting off slow at a level well within one’s capacity and assessing basic movement ability to minimize injury potential and identify the areas where improvement is most needed. The significant demands of the P90X program contradict the approach of starting off slow and offer, in my opinion, an inadequate method of assessing current ability. Based on this, I completely disagree that the P90X is a good “jump start.”
The P90X is marketed as an intense exercise program intended for people who are already relatively fit, so even the people who designed it don’t consider it to be an introductory type of program.
For people who are not already relatively fit, how do you know that one 90 day round won’t wear them down, cause overtraining and fatigue, and be counterproductive by discouraging them from continuing to exercise?
What would you recommend? I know that you obviously don’t know in what condition i am in but I am 200 pounds and about 6 feet tall, actually I maybe 6 feet now but anyway, do you know a good program or manual or even a book that helps you loose weight and gain muscle the correct way without any extreme torture? I think that the reason people buy p90x is because they like it when everything is done for them, even me. All we do is buy the program with the best of hopes to achieve our goals but the problem is, we wouldn’t know if it is natural, real, healthy, long term or safe. I would like to learn how to live a healthy lifestyle but no one has ever tought me how? I feel that if people knew how to live healthy lifestyles they wouldn’t need these programs would they?
Hi Brayan,
Your last sentence says it all. This problem can be solved by picking up a book and making the effort to learn, and this is exactly what I recommend to you. What’s important is that you learn the foundational principles of healthy living rather than simply looking to follow other people’s direction.
As I said in the article, healthy weight loss should be more about nutrition than anything else. Exercise just helps it along. A good book that will help to give you a good understanding of both healthy living and functional exercise is How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy by Paul Chek. Another good resource that is more specifically about losing weight through exercise, but through a health oriented approach, is PACE: The 12-Minute Fitness Revolution by Dr. Al Sears.
Hey Vin!
Great article. I am one of those people who really enjoy P90X..but it was refreshing to read your article and some of your tips about the program I’ve already been doing… I’ve never followed the nutrition plan since I eat pretty healthy already (if it aint broke, don’t fix it..etc) and yoga-X is better used as a coaster around here..I hate it. While I do enjoy plyo once a week or so…I normally replace the “cardio” DVDs with outdoor running or hiking in the mountains. I will say that I’ve seen impressive results from doing it this way! I feel like I am in the best shape of my life..the only thing I wanted from P90X is to feel stronger and have more energy..and it has done that for me! I’m also not planning on doing it for 90 days..I don’t follow the calendar…I just wake up every morning and do it. I have no idea how long i’ve been doing it…I alternate the weight DVDs (never doing back muscles twice in one week, etc…) and it seems to be working just fine. It’s part of my life..not just a note on my calendar.
Thanks for the article!
Great article Vin,
I truly appreciate being able to hear ALL of the pros and cons about a program in order to make the the best and most responsible choice possible. I was 190lbs last summer, and in January (2011) I joined sparkpeople.com – which is where I heard about P90X – and have, so far, gotten down to 155 by making a lifestyle change. Not a diet. What you said about needing to make changes that last a lifetime are so true. Our society has become so focused on the instant gratification of every single thing in their lives (remote control; microwave oven; dishwasher; garage door opener; high-speed internet; etc.) that the thought of gaining success slowly and over an extended period of time is unfathomable. But that’s the only way for it to really and truly work. Thanks for such a great and informative article.
Thanks for the articule man, I start P90X, 3 weeks ago and was wondering about a life long term on this
Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for writing this! I wondered why the heck I wasn’t getting anywhere and all the soreness and extreme fatigue was happening. when Tony and the gang all looked like they weren’t even tired.
I was exhausted all the time. I tried cutting out certain workouts like plyo and yoga and some of the weight training exercises that were repeats. I can’t afford all the protein they were requiring and the carbs I ate were all that were keeping me going.
I followed the meal program and the exercise was way too much for someone my size 5’4” female ~135 lbs.
I’m glad someone else agrees that this program isn’t all healthy.
Hi Vin,
I just finished the p90x program and I’m happy with the results but found your article to be an honest assessment of the program. I plan to do the program again but will forgo the powder mixes and bars and will be using a diet plan based on real foods. I plan to modify the program the second time around in a way that works best for me. I like the yoga section for example but find 1.5 hours too long so I cut it to an hour and only work out 5 days a week. I like the ab routines though so I’ll keep doing those etc. Some that stress the lower back I’ll adjust accordingly. ‘m looking at this as a long term investment and realize I can’t or won’t do a program this intense for long. I admit, I did begin this program in order to look good but I don’t think that’s a bad place to start either.
I agree with this article 100% and I did P90X several times along with Insanity and Turbo Fire. I was at one time an elite athlete so I didn’t come to these workouts out of shape BUT I ended up having many of the physical problems that are stated here. I was RIPPED at one time and sore every day. I looked great in a bikini but felt if I didn’t continue to go full bore that I was going to lose it and then be a loser. Yes, my choices, my decisions but we all want to look great. And especially as time marches on.
You are very well informed and I concur on every point about the protein bars and shakes and the weights and the plyo, etc., etc. I feel P90X emphasizes the WRONG things about being fit and healthy. If I am in pain from overexercising and suffer the problems athletes suffer from the abuse their bodies take in their career, (and this abuse has been self-induced because I want to look better in a bathing suit) honestly, I have discovered, I am coming from the wrong place about my fitness.
Hi, I was about to purchase this program, to jump start myself, after losing my job 2 years ago, and constantly being taken down a peg for trying to fill work void, I have had other life altering disasters occur, like losing my family, trying to make sense of everything. I have spent enough time burying myself, other family have been trying to get me motivated to care really, this may sound silly, but I saw an asian guy on the p90 commercials, he was flabby, I am more than flabby. I am 310 pounds of irresponsible choices, and sadness. I fight my bouts of insecurity, depression, and pain…I don’t do drugs or drink alcohol. But I have let myself go. I used to play football in high school years ago, I was very fit I believe, but alot of the exercises have prob been more harm than good, feet constantly hurt even back than, as did knee.
I am down on my luck, and financially stuck. Going to use last bit of money, to buy the program, and try to invest in myself, no nearby gyms what so ever, so going to try to make the best of what ever is around me, from walking at night when its much cooler, and I don’t have to get gawked at cruelly, or have things thrown at me.
Your article really helped, so I can take this program with a bit of salt as it were, I hope it helps get me in the right direction, because I need to lose some weight, while I accomplish that, I may go back to school. Change career fields. I dont have much, and everything has burned down around me, my wife and kids may they rest in peace, but; I will try to change things.
Whats the worse of things, that could happen. Oh yes, Diabetic, and liver enzymes are elevated. I dont really care about being super model visually hyped appearance, I just want to lose weight to be both lighter, stronger, and healthier most importantly. I dont want to be ripped, I want to get thinner. I want my body to react and be healthier, chemically my body to be healthier. Maybe this system can help me drop the weight a bit faster, and than I can switch to other forms of training and maintain the lighter me in the future.
I just completed a round of P90x, and I’m in the best shape since I played football in high school. (I’m 40 now.) To be fair to P90x, they put out a number of warnings about the intensity of the product, they show various ways of completing different exercises from beginner through advanced. They constantly advise you to modify exercises if necessary and keep track of your progress. There are quite a few exercises that I modify or avoid altogether due to a past back problem. But I still lost weight and built up strength.
As for the diet, I did buy protein powder, but only used it a couple times a week. I didn’t buy their recovery drink or protein bars. I went to a fairly standard, healthy diet after 30 days and didn’t use the diet guide after that.
Yoga X … too long. I usually do about 45-60 minutes worth. Or I use the stretching DVD.
I don’t think it’s for everyone, but I do think that it provides a good variety of exercise routines to keep you motivated and going. I’m doing cardio and strength training on my own through the holidays, and I’ll probably start up another round of P90x in January.
I know this conversation thread is dated, but it’s new to me. I honestly cannot see how any one could have read this post and thought your were biased, unreasonable, lazy, misinformed. The post was thoughtfully written and thought-provoking. It makes sense. It was a call to action to your readers: To decide on their true health and fitness goals, to make choices based on their real goals, to respect their physical and nutritional individuality, to consider how the “depth” of their fitness values, and to become truly involved in the process of building their health and physical function.
Vin, thank you for generously sharing your point of view, and I greatly admire your patience with the commenters. I received so much value from this post and your responses to the commenters.
It seems that you haven’t written anything new in year. This is definitely a loss for those of us seeking intelligent, balanced information on building our health — without the hype.
I hope that all is well with you and yours.
Hey Vin, nice effort. I think your main message is for people to build a program that suits their needs and I agree. Personally, I rearrange P90 and P90X myself, and it works fantastic.
First of all, I ignore he nutrition part completely. I eat healthy. I am 5’11 and 168 lbs, I don’t need to bother with supplements, although occasional protein shakes make me happy.
Second, I started with P90 because I knew P90X was going to be too hard for me. P90 is the first weight exercise that I am able to do, and for this P90 deserves a huge credit. I am 10 weeks into P90, and I am gradually incorporating exercises from P90X into P90. The biggest change is that I actually do P90X Workout 7 Stretch almost every day. I know that flexibility is the most important part of the exercising, and the most part I think P90X Stretch pretty good.
Third, in terms of intensity, I do wonder because I also play 3 hours of ultimate every Sunday. Because of this, I will likely loosely follow the schedule of P90X. I enjoy running and biking, so I really don’t have intention of following P90X religiously anyways.
Fourth, I think P90X is a fantastic place to find out new ways to strengthen different muscles. As an endurance athlete, I have a tendency to neglect strength training…and I HATE THE GYM! P90 and P90X is the first strength training that has worked for me. So will likely go through P90X to find out what types of exercises will most benefit me. Since P90X is just DVDs, I can just pause, fast forward, rewind, and skip whenever I want to. And that’s what Tony Horton recommends anyways…
So I only see benefits from P90X. It’s just a tool, and it all depends on well we can use it.