When I heard about P90X, an extreme 90-day fitness program, I knew it was the fitness program for me. Besides, I love a good challenge. I was already very fit and healthy, focusing mostly on outdoor activities like hiking and some at-home pilates and yoga. I stopped going to the gym a couple of years ago because it was crowded all the time and stinky.
It was no surprise then that my upper body lost strength and tone. I felt weak, my back hurt, my posture suffered, and I really wanted some nice looking, toned arms before Spring!
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The day my P90X package arrived, I couldn’t wait to get started. I made a commitment to myself to complete P90X according to the plan outlined in the included book. No matter what! That meant devoting at least 1 hour per day to my P90X workout.
Let’s get started with the basics. What’s in the P90X box?
- “How to Bring it” DVD
- 12 Workout DVDs
- Fitness Guide
- Nutrition Guide
- Calendar
Read through the material before starting! There is important information you should know about before starting an extreme fitness program. After reading everything, I decided that P90X Lean was for me and matched my 90 day goal of getting that nicely toned look!
I officially started P90X on January 2, 2009. What a great way to start the new year!
P90X offers three fitness programs that all use the same set of DVDs:
- P90X Classic:
- P90X Doubles: Adds extra cardiovascular exercise
- P90X Lean: More cardio and less resistance for lean body mass goals.
Before starting, it’s important to take the Fit Test that is included in the Fitness Guide. You should do this test a few days before you start the program. The Fit Test will give you an indication of the improvements you will make during the 90 days of P90X and, more important, let you know if you are even ready to do P90X. It is not for everyone, in which case you may want to try a different Beachbody program to prepare yourself for this advanced fitness program.
P90X also includes a eating plan. Do not toss this guide aside. It will show you what types of foods to eat to achieve maximum results. You can work out forever but if you do not eat properly you will not get the results you desire. That is just a fact of life. Food is fuel.
Each program (Classic, Doubles, Lean) consists of three phases:
- Adaptive
- Mastery
- Recovery
Each phase is divided in to four weeks that include three weeks of intense training and one week of recovery. The recovery week in the P90X Lean program was still tough, consisting of core muscle strengthening and intense cardio routines.
My first week was a real energy lifter. I used muscles that I did not use on a regular basis and boy, did I feel it! I could barely sit down for a few days because P90X literally kicked my butt! I could feel all my muscles waking up and it felt great!
Each week requires that you workout at least 6 days in a row. On the seventh day, you have a choice of rest or the Stretch X routine. I always did the Stretch X routine because it just topped off the other 6 days of exercise so nicely. I love it! It felt great, was much needed after P90Xing for an intense 6 days, and helped increase my flexibility.
In Phase 1, I started out using little three-pound weights for shoulder presses due to a weak upper body. By the end of the Adaptive Phase 1, I moved up to five-pound weights. The first time I did Kenpo X, I was quite uncoordinated and had a difficult time balancing well enough to throw kicks. By the end of Phase 1, my coordination and balance improved a great deal. I definitely started seeing the changes in my body by the end of 30 days.
I purchased some heavier 12-pound weights in anticipation of being able to use them in Phase 3, Mastery. I also purchased B-lines before starting for the back exercises.
I really enjoy Tony Horton’s sense of humor and the way he leads the routines. Tony Horton kept me inspired, and more important, kept me honest. What do I mean by honest? Well, you get out of this program what you put into it. You can play the DVD and not put your best effort into it or you can do your very best. Tony is great at encouraging everyone to do their best. He has real people in the DVDs that are working as hard as we are to complete the exercises too.
Tony includes stretching exercises before and after every workout. I had been a “stretching slacker” for a long time and the stretching became one of my favorites in every workout and made a big difference in how I felt.
By the end of Phase 1, I can honestly say that P90X is unlike any fitness program I have experienced. My body was continually challenged by the variety of different workouts and I developed coordination that I didn’t have when I started. I had a great sense of accomplishment. I saw great improvements in my flexibility and was standing up straighter due to strengthened back muscles, which also helped my chest open up. And, my arms were starting to look more toned.
I was excited to start Phase 2, where I could focus more on reps and failure, and start increasing the weights. Stay tuned for Part 2, where I talk about my experience in Phase 2 of P90X! Bring it!
