As some of you may know, I was a major college athlete many years ago. In my best shape, I was about 260 pounds, with a body fat percentage less than 15%. Prior to my senior season, I suffered a catastrophic injury to my right knee, which effectively ended my football career. Like many athletes before me, once I got hurt, I never adjusted my eating habits. I continued to eat as if I was working out 6-8 times per week, even though I was now working out less than half of that. Needless to say, I put on some serious weight over the past 10 years, and just recently decided it was time to get back into game shape, or better. I have some very aggressive goals to reach, and am well on my way to achieving them.
In the course of deciding what type of workout plan would best suit me, I heard an enormous amount of buzz about P90X. The infomercial spotlights many people who have achieved massive success using this program. Is this thing the real deal or what?
P90X is a home exercise system, designed by fitness expert Tony Horton, in partnership with BeachBody. This program is designed for people with a solid base of conditioning, who are looking to take their level of training to a higher plane. The program is designed around a three pronged approach of strength training, stretching, and cardiovascular work. P90X uses the principle of muscle confusion (more commonly known as cross training) to help its users achieve total body fitness. By switching the order of exercises, and bringing new exercises into the program throughout, the body is unable to adapt to the workouts, which prevents participants from "hitting the wall" in their workouts.
The system consists of twelve workouts, seven that are strength training focused, and five that are cardio centered. The workouts include push ups and pull ups, as well as plyometrics, ken po and yoga. As is implied by the name, the workout plan is meant to run for 90 days, after which time you will have graduated from the course.
One of the most appealing aspects of this workout program is the flexibility built into it. The workout can be modified into the "lean" version, which substitutes most of the strength training with cardio and stretching. The program can also be modified into an even more strenuous "doubles" version, aimed at athletes looking to get back into competitive shape by combining the classic P90X workout plan with a Cardio X session starting in phase two during each strength training day. Whether you are looking to gain weight, lose weight or maintain weight, P90X can be customized to achieve that result.
The P90X program also comes with a nutritional plan, which is divided into three sections, each tailored to the three sections of the workout plan. The first thirty days emphasizes higher protein and lower carbohydrates, with a limited calorie count. The second phase increases the calorie count, with a more balanced plan of proteins and carbohydrates. Phase three uses higher amounts of calories, with more carbohydrates than proteins. This is designed to give the body enough quick energy to keep up with the pace of the phase three workouts.
Additionally, BeachBody recommends a recovery formula after each workout, to help the body more efficiently recover and build muscle. The P90X recovery formula contains 4 parts carbohydrates to 1 part whey protein, which is easily digestible and can reach the muscles immediately after the end of the workout. The recovery drink also includes L-Glutamine, L-Arginine and Creatine supplements. From my experiences as an athlete, what you do to your body externally is only trumped in importance by what you put into it. If I were doing this workout plan, I would want every possible assistance to recovery possible.
In order to complete the workout, you will need the following equipment, if you don't already have it:
-Dumbbells-either 15, 20 and 25 pound weights, or resistance bands can be substituted.
-Pull-up bar for strength training exercises
-Yoga mat for the abdominal and yoga portions, unless you don't mind a cold floor or laying on the carpet.
Also recommended are push-up handles(which increase the range of push-ups and put less stress on the wrists), a heart rate monitor for the cardio workouts, and a sturdy chair which is incorporated into a number of exercises.
Based on my research, I think that P90X is an excellent workout plan, for the right population. I would recommend it for people who are:
- Athletes looking for a greater level of fitness.
- Currently working out regularly, and are looking for something different.
- Knowledgeable enough to modify the workout plan to their level of fitness.
- Consulting with a physician regularly, and have received an approval from that physician to move forward.
If the most strenuous workout you've done in the past 6 months is getting off the couch to go to Cinnabon, this is not the workout plan for you, period end of story. However, BeachBody does offer numerous workouts for varying degrees of fitness, so you don't have to feel left out.
But, if you think P90X is exactly what you need, here's what I would recommend. BeachBody offers a 90 day, 100% satisfaction guarantee on P90X, because they are confident that everyone can have the proven success that P90X has produced time and time again. Commit to doing the plan for the full 90 days. After completing phase one, you should have a pretty good idea of whether phases two and three are going to be worth your time or not, but complete all three phases. If you're not satisfied with the results you get, box it all up and send it back.
The most important thing is this: get up and do SOMETHING!
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