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p90x Review
I got p90x last year, did one video, then let it sit on my DVD player for about six months.
But then earlier this year I decided the stack of dusty workout DVDs were destroying the feng shui in my living room, so I’d best use them or get rid of them. At the time I’d just started Weight Watchers, and wanted to supplement the diet plan with a workout program. Since p90x is a full body workout (or so the infomercials tell me every time I turn on the television after 2am), I decided to give it a go. This review, by the way, is just about the workout program. It comes with a nutrition guide, which I’ve never so much as opened since I was already doing Weight Watchers.
For starters: see those people in the ad? They sure are pretty. Muscular. Impressive. They’re also Tony Horton, the instructor for p90x, and Dreya Weber, a professional aerialist who has more muscles in her forearms than I have in my entire body. So while they’re very pretty, they’re people who were in pretty damn good shape pre-p90x. You can’t fool me, advertisement. I’M ON TO YOU.
Anyway.
p90x contains twelve different workouts— five workouts that cover all your major muscle groups, one ab workout, five cardio-eque workouts, and one “stretch” workout. They all contain different people getting fit with Tony, included a dude with an artificial leg (to remind you to SHUT UP AND STOP COMPLAINING), a guy that looks just like Tony (to remind you to BEWARE, THERE’S A WHOLE PLANET OF TONYS OUT THERE SOMEWHERE), and a former porn star (to remind you to GOOGLE BEFORE YOU HIRE THAT HOT CHICK FOR YOUR WORKOUT PROGRAM).
Tony is peppy. He’s bouncy. His favorite phrase is “I’m gonna get sideways so you can see me,” which I’m beginning to suspect is actually a magic spell that keeps the fitness minions in the background enslaved. But you know what? Tony has a good workout plan. Because after doing p90x religiously for 90 days, I had better muscle tone. I’d lost a little weight. I’d started lifting heavier weights more often. Cardio-wise, things had only improved a tiny bit— this is definitely a strength-based workout. But still, I was impressed.
What’s good about p90x:
-My favorite thing about this DVD series is that…you can mute Tony. Which sounds mean, but let’s face it— if you’re doing a single DVD over and over, you get tired of hearing the same pep talk over and over. The DVD allows you to mute the background music, OR mute Tony except for when he cues a new exercise. That allowed me to blast Lady Gaga instead of listening to the freakishly porno-type music most workout DVDs use without missing the cue to switch exercises.
-It really is a full body workout. The infomercial didn’t lie!
-It’s easy to modify. Some workout videos get so easy after a few weeks that they cease to be effective. With p90x you can always go up a weight, use a tougher band, etc. Tony is big on showing several variations so all fitness levels can get the most out of a move.
-You can do it at home. I wasn’t sure about working out in front of people— after doing this series, I felt confident about joining several workout classes.
What’s bad about p90x:
-While lots of moves have modifications, there’s one DVD in particular that’s pretty much hell on your joints— plyometrics. It’s all jumping, bouncing, bounding like a little workout bunny, and it was pretty damn tough on my knees.
-While you’ll see results in 90 days, the total body transformation the infomercial promises isn’t realistic unless you’re already in pretty good shape to begin with and just wanted to tone.
-You need several sets of handweights, bands, mats, etc. If you’ve got these, awesome, otherwise expect to spend a small fortune and a few hours lugging weights from Target to your apartment. Which I guess is a workout in and of itself though, so…bonus?
-That shot where the porn star girl is doing shoulder rolls and her eyes go back in her head and it’s sexual and creepy and makes me cringe and shiver.
In conclusion:
If you aren’t quite ready for the gym scene, or just like watching pretty people, porn stars, and amputees sweat, this is the series for you. It’s not cheap, but it’s a good, effective workout that anyone can modify to their individual fitness level. I don’t think I’d ever do the entire series again, but I’m glad I got through it once, and feel like it jump started me into getting back in shape. Even if now chant “I’m gonna turn sideways so you can see me” as I run on the treadmill. What can I say? It’s an effective spell.
