P90X Extreme Home Fitness Workout Program
P90X Reviews
Review by Colin South
$139.80 plus free shipping on Amazon.com here.
The P90X Extreme Home Fitness Training System has been designed by the celebrity trainer, Tony Horton, to take someone who is already in good shape to the next level.
For people who are not physically fit or have significant medical limitations, this fitness program may not be appropriate because of the real risk for serious injury. That said, the P90X can help increase your strength, coordination, balance, flexibility, and stamina, while shedding any extra pounds, in just 90 days. If this program sounds too advanced for you, check out Tony’s Starter program Power P90 In-Home Boot Camp.
In Summary
- Progression from Power 90
- 90 day duration
- 12 varied Workout Routines
- Muscle Confusion Strategy
- Nutrition Plan
Muscle Confusion
The innovative edge the P90X has over other home fitness programs is a method Tony Horton has developed called “muscle confusion”. By relying on 12 different workouts, and limiting the number of times each workout is performed for a given period, muscle groups don’t have time to fully adapt before confronting a new challenge. This prevents muscle groups from reaching a plateau, increases the overall complexity of the training program, and ensures that a more comprehensive fitness level is attained.
The P90X Extreme Home Fitness Training System comes with 12 DVDs that provide six strength training workouts, three cardio workouts, one stretching session, one yoga session, and a workout for sculpting abs.
During the 90 day period, strength and cardio workouts are done on alternating days, except for weeks 4, 8, and 13 when only cardio and stretching is done. Muscle confusion is accomplished by the following:
(1) three different strength training sessions are used for the first three weeks and the other three strength training sessions are used for weeks 5 through 7,
(2) during weeks 9 and 11 the first three strength training sessions are repeated, and during weeks 10 and 12 the second three strength training sessions are repeated.
Using this schedule, the muscles are first conditioned during the first two months and then challenged during the last month with a two week rotating schedule that never repeats a strength training session.
The P90X System includes other training tools to help enhance your workout experience. These include a DVD that provides an overview of the complete system called “How to Bring It”, a detailed fitness guide containing training tips, a calendar for tracking your progress, and a nutrition plan designed by the celebrity nutritionist Carrie Wiatt that will maximize weight loss without robbing you of the energy needed to complete the workouts.
Customized fitness programs are also provided that allows you to focus on specific fitness goals. These include the P90X Lean for focusing on weight loss, P90X Doubles for performance athletes that need more than one workout per day, PlyoX to increase the difficulty of cardio workouts that will challenge both the heart and joints, and the Cardio X for a more sedate, low-impact cardio workout.
Does Power P90X work?
Based on the large number of customer reviews that have been posted, the P90X Extreme Home Fitness Training System is very popular. The vast majority (83%) of these reviews were from happy customers.
Probably the most common comment is that the P90X Training System actually works, if you’re able to set aside more than six hours every week for completing the workout sessions. Some customers also noted that the cost of the system is about equal to the cost of a three month membership at a health club, which is good news for anyone who can’t get to a gym. The bottom line is that the P90X is a good value for the money and works as advertised, which is no small achievement.
P90x Before and After
P 90X Complaints
There were a few cautionary comments by customers worth noting. A few customers didn’t realize until after receiving the P90X training system in the mail that additional equipment would need to be purchased. Purchase recommendations from customers included stretch bands or barbells (preferred), a pull-up bar, push-up stands (or simply use barbells that can’t roll across the floor), and a yoga mat.
Some customers also noted that following the recommended diet was probably more expensive than some customers might be able to afford, and another customer discovered meal recommendations three weeks into the diet that weren’t appropriate for diabetics.
The relatively small number of negative customer reviews helped paint a more realistic picture of the P90X training system. The P90X is no magic bullet, because a significant time and energy commitment must be made to take full advantage of what the training system can offer. The heavy reliance on pushups, squats, and pull-ups limits the amount of resistance that can be used for these exercises. Should these exercises become easy, increasing resistance can only be accomplished by joining a gym or purchasing relatively expensive resistance training equipment.
More than a few customers commented that the P90X is hard on people with joint problems, so consult with your doctor before you purchase the P90X if you have medical ailments that could be aggravated by the intense training sessions. Quite a few customers grew annoyed with Tony’s occasionally “cheesy” banter, while others seemed to enjoy it. For anyone belonging to the former group, relief can be found by silencing the DVD sound track and listening to your own. Some customers complained that detailed explanations for how to use barbells and stretch bands were lacking, but these types of comments seemed to ignore the fact that P90X customers should already be in good shape by virtue of having learned the basics of resistance training.
Customer Comments
Here are some comments from people who have already purchased this program:
By A.S. Montgomory…My neighbor bought this workout and got great results. I tried it out, I did every workout for 90 days and stuck to the diet 99%, two days I ate like I wasn’t supposed to. I have wrist, elbow, knee and back problems, years of basketball. At the end of the 90 days I had virtually no joint pain. I did not do the full range of motion early on, I worked my way into it.
End result, I lost 32 pounds and looked good enough that I put my before and after pictures on facebook. It is a difficult series to make it through and my wife can’t stick to the diet. She does the workouts 3 to 5 times a week and looks much better now than she did before she started. Very good workout to get you looking good and feeling good.
J. Schwendinger…This program is the real deal. I have been doing P90X for 30 days now (Just finishing phase 1) and I can clearly see results! I am almost addicted! It’s fun, and hard. Don’t be surprised, the workouts are tough, they will drain you, this is the real thing. If you are not willing to push through pain, this is not the workout for you. But, if you are, if you are ready to do your best (regardless of what that is) and push until you can push no further, than P90X is the program for you. I used to think I was fairly in shape, HA, then I did Plyometircs. I used to think Yoga was for sissies, then I did yoga X. This program will change your perception of fitness.
The diet guide is essetial to the program. You can pump as much iron and burn as many calories as you want, but if your not putting the right fuel into your body you will not see the results you are looking for. P90X is much more than a workout. It is a way of life. It is a commitment to change the way you do things in every aspect of your life. To “Do your best, and forget the rest” as is repeated over and over in the DVD’s. I love it, and i hope you do too!
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The P90X Extreme Home Fitness Training System can help anyone relying on exercise for weight loss to arrive at their goals more quickly. Experienced athletes in sports-specific training programs may be able to avoid burnout, and the types of injuries common to this condition, by including Tony’s workouts into their training. If you are simply stuck in a personal training rut, the P90X could be exactly what you need to break free and attain a level of fitness you may have thought impossible.