Sorry I haven’t written lately: I’ve been busy with my cousin’s wedding! As the only family member in town, I’ve been helping her out with dress fittings, giving workout advice and the like, and I even got to do her hair for the big day (that’ll be a future post)! She looked amazing. Second, my workout haven’t been too creative lately: I’ve been doing P90x. Finally, FINALLY it is over! I stuck with it, more or less, for 90 days.

In honor of this, I think it’s time for another blog entry, and I hope to be creating more as I get back into the gym.

So, what was my experience with P90x? Well, physically, I’m in great shape after the program. Cardio-wise, I’m pretty tough. The program shed a lot of body fat, improved my abs, but allowed me to keep my muscle. I’ve really leaned out in the hip area, which makes me happy. I think I could have improved by following the diet plan, BUT during the 90 days I’ve been re-thinking my thoughts on protein. That’s another post :)

My complaints with P90: At the end of 90 days, it gets to be a bit repetitive. We’re at the point where we’re incorporating the cheesy lines into everyday life and doing random chair poses that no one understands except for us. And, yes, this DVD is full of cheesy jokes. But, I sort of like it, if you can let loose and be goofy. Second complaint: which is really a matter of personal preference: I did the program with my boyfriend. At the same time. In the same small living space. We tripped over each other. We fought over weights. We sweated and stank. I’d like to say it improved our relationship (we did hold hands in an act of solidarity and support during one particularly awful abs session), but it mostly just reinforced that I like to workout alone and in a proper facility. Some people workout better with a partner or at home, so these are just my thoughts.

In the end, I do recommend this program to others that are serious about fitness. It’s a bit expensive, but if you are into it, it’s a great program. I wouldn’t recommend it to people who don’t work out much. First, it’s a bit advanced, so you’ll want to improve your cardio a bit before starting. By doing this, you’ll either start a new pattern of working out or abandon the idea altogether. That’s how I’d recommend evaluating whether the price will be worth it to you, as I fear many people would otherwise purchase the product then let it get dusty.

In the end, if you are considering it, you can of course learn a lot about the program online. My quick thoughts on each DVD:

Chest & Back: Awesome workout, one of my fav’s. I’ll incorporate this into my regular workout from time to time. Lots of pushups were great for improving the number I can do and my chest looked great at the end of the program.

Plyometrics: Monsterous cardio workout! The first time I did it, I had to stop after 15 minutes because I felt sick! Now, I can make it through the whole thing (although I absolutely cannot when menstruating, it’s very strange), but it has never gotten easy. This workout is worth it.

Shoulders and Arms: A bit too many bicep movements, but the shoulder workout is decent. The DVD moves a bit slowly, towards the end of the program I just fast-forwarded to keep my heart-rate up.

Yoga: Pretty cool, but long! 1.5 hours. Wide variety of poses, and it gets quite challenging. You do sweat! Even towards the end I had trouble with some poses, but my balance improved significantly over the 90 days.

Legs and Back: Some interesting moves (sneaky lunges!). I didn’t find this workout to be challenging, but my boyfriend did. I found it worked my butt more than my legs, but he blames my high hip attachments (my butt gets sore even on calf raises…? Don’t get it.)

Kenpo: HATED this workout!! I once took a short self-defense class, and it drove me nuts that this DVD copied the kick, punch, and block movements without explaining them. I know I’m just being biased. I was so bored I with this DVD I usually skipped it and jogged for an hour instead.

Stretch: Never did this one once (it’s optional on rest days), I think yoga provided enough stretching, plus I’m a big advocate of a rest day with no obligation.

Core Synergistics: I liked this workout, great for the core and a decent cardio workout. It’s interesting because 1. the movements are never repeated within the DVD and 2. You only do this DVD a few times during the 90 days, so it doesn’t feel as redundant.

Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps: This workout was decent. A good number of exercises, but again I found myself fast-forwarding to the next sequence to keep my heart rate up.

Back and Biceps: Again, I found myself fast-forwarding between sequences, but all in all a good workout.

Cardio X: This is what you do if Plyometrics is too intense for you. I’ve never done this workout, but have watched it. It’s definitely for beginners.

Ab Ripper X: You do this workout 3 times per week, so it gets quite redundant! It’s only 15 minutes, so tough it out. It definitely made my abs more defined and there are some very good lower-ab moves that I’ll incorporate into my regular routine.

The diet plan: It’s a good one, one that I’ll use regularly and one that I’m in the habit of recommending to other people. It’s very satisfying, easy and fulfilling.

Thinking of investing in this program and have questions? Have you done P90 yourself? I’d love to hear from you. As always, send me your thoughts in an email (VainJane3@gmail.com) or comment on the blog post. I love hearing from you!

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