I used to be a running fanatic. I have completed several marathons and ran varsity cross-country and track in college. In fact, I was a cardio junky and felt like I was not getting a good workout unless my heart rate was pumping super high. All that has changed since I found P90x. Some of the workouts are cardio focused but most really concentrate on training a specific muscle group. During my running days, my legs were super thin and my arms were not toned and my stomach was downright flabby – I call this the potato on stilts look. By building muscle mass using PP90X, I feel that I have become leaner and more well-balanced.
P90X is a hardcore workout which consists of a series of dvds. This system works – a friend of mine lost 100 lbs doing P90X. Each workout is designed to hit a different part of the body and the premise of the program is that you “confuse your muscles”, meaning you never do the same thing two days in a row. I must admit that I don’t follow the program to the letter. For example, I do some of the dvds regularly and others I totally avoid. I don’t like the chest and back workout or the kempo. What I do like is that if you consistently press play, you will see results. I mostly do the following workouts: legs/back, core synergistic, plyometrics, shoulders/arms. I combine these four dvds with others like Insanity (very frenetic and not my favorite), Jackie Warner (my favorite for toning abs and arms) and various kundalini yoga dvds (my favorite is Maya Fiennes – Wisdom & Bliss).
This the fabulous Jackie Warner doing a plank. Her dvds are cheaper but they are not BeachBody so the quality is weaker. Main problem is there is no count down clock.
One thing I really appreciate about P90X is Tony Horton’s positive and encouraging attitude. I like that he does not mention things like “burn off your fat”. I am really turned off when I do the Physique 57 dvds and they are always talking about fat zones or when Jillian Michaels laments how much she hates a particular exercise. I have also grown to love his cheesey tag lines such as “just press play”, “do your best and forget the rest”. The most important element to home exercise is consistency so his little mantras really helps.
Tony Horton – doing his cheesey X for P90X thing. You got to love him. Here is a link to his blog http://tonyhorton.blogspot.com/. I love his emphasis on variety being the key to fitness.
These dvds are produced by BeachBody.com. Beach Body has so many options and their dvds are high quality, well-produced and have a money back guarantee if you buy from their site. I have P90X, Insanity and Brazillian Butt Lift. I will not be buying Body Gospel - sounds freaky. www.beachbody.com.
The New York Times wrote an article on Tony Horton today. I guess great minds think alike: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/The-Fitness-Revolution-Will-nytimes-3089176708.html?x=0&.v=1 or http://www.beachbody.com/product/p90x-online/newsletters/p90xnl_084.do?code=P90XNEWS_084#article1
