P90X: A Review

Like most people, I am at once desirous of getting into the best shape of my life and yet very suspicious of products that make such boastful claims. Anything that promises incredible results with little work immediately screams scam at me, which is why P90X caught my attention: it promised the results I wanted, but only if I was prepared to kill myself to get them. Suddenly the equation made sense, and so I put my money where my mouth was and bought the program. Three months later I’m here to make a report on my experience, and so read on to learn about my P90X revolution.

First off all, the warning isn’t false: P90X is incredibly tough. Now let me qualify: this doesn’t mean that the exercises are too demanding; in fact, each workout features modified versions that are easier to perform for those who are not yet in great shape. No, what’s so tough about P90X is that it requires enormous will power. The first three weeks were easy, but upon hitting week four I was simply exhausted mentally from such sustained effort. P90X requires that you be ready to go the distance, and you simply have no idea what that means until you are half way through the program.

For example: the absolutely most essential part to this program is the nutrition. You must be willing to change the way you eat so that you are only eating healthy, whole foods on a regular basis, with plenty of water and no cheating. This is hard. This means changing your habits, the way you live your life, and resisting temptation at every turn.

Beyond that, the three months of exercises are mentally and physically grueling over the long term. Tony Horton is a huge believer of ‘Muscle Confusion’, which is essentially how he helps you avoid hitting plateau’s. You constantly switch the schedule of your workouts, so that your body can never fall into a rhythm and become accustomed to what it’s doing. As such you are always adjusting, always adapting, and consequently always getting bigger and losing fat.

Finally, the workouts themselves are the real deal. Tony Horton is here to help you change your body, but you need to be ready to put in the time and effort. That means hour long workouts where you will give it your all for sustained lengths of time, from plyometrics to cardio work, from kenpo karate to stretching, from yoga to upper and lower body weight training. Your whole body gets blasted, and unless you are mentally tough, that can wear you out.

It’s three months later, and I am proud to say I am a P90X grad. I look different. I feel different. I am different. I have accomplished something I can truly be proud of, and am now in the best shape of my life. P90X is for everybody who wants to really make a change, and is ready to make sacrifices to do so.