The 'P' Stands for Pain: My P90X Review

(NOTE NON-GYM BUFFS OR WORKOUT NON-ENTHUSIASTS: The ff. blog entry may either bore you or give you the impression that I'm a narcissist.)

Last week I completed the P90X Classic workout course. Ninety days and 12 videos of resistance training, cardio and yoga. While I agree that this program isn't for amateurs, as an experienced workout guy even this had me wanting to pass out (or throw up) in the first few weeks. The results:

CHEST: What I found telling is how my chest muscles "inflate" and "deflate" easily, whether from barbell presses, or in the case of P90X, multiple pushup techniques. I'd look pumped immediately or during the workout (this is the male underwear model's secret in looking buff on the catwalk or on photoshoots), but in 24-48 hours I'm back to where I started.

BACK: The difficulty in achieving the Y-shaped torso was from a lack of proper upper-back exercises, w/c in turn comes from not having proper equipment. My Nike workout bands weren't working (pros in the video could be seen managing only 20 tugs or less, yet here I passing 30 reps, so either I did it wrong or these "maximum resistance" bands are rubbish), and with no chinup bar, the best I can do was to place my barbell stands at maximum elevation and lift myself with resting barbell. This modification was definitely a cheat, because instead of muscle strength lifting I was using the momentum of my upper arms and shoulders in a diagonal upward thrust. (And as such our teacher's warning of "If you cheat during a test you're really cheating yourself" comes true.)

SHOULDERS & ARMS: My triceps didn't get much in terms of shaping or definition, and I think I sprained my left shoulder, w/c made the last few weeks difficult. But I learned a lot about rep sets (8-10 for bulk, 12-15 for toning), and the fact that w/ a sprained shoulder, bicep curls on resistance bands hurt more than w/ a dumbell.

LEGS: My old Muscle & Fitness leg workouts did a better job of shaping my thighs than P90X, w/c seemed to furthen maintain my chicken legs look. P90X has better calf exercises, though.

CARDIO: For my money, nothing beats Billy Blank's first Tae-Bo Advanced and Ultimate Bootcamp workouts, but P90X's Plyometrics (or jump training) and Core Synergistics came awfully close. I still need to run to get rid of love handles, but treadmill's on the fritz right now.

YOGA X: As a first-timer, let me say that I will never mock yoga again. This sh*t can get hard. Due to lack of heavy movement the video is 30 minutes longer than other 1-hour workout vids, but after 12 weeks I've yet to perfect my Warrior Three, Half Moon and Crane poses. It also had me wishing I had full length mirrors (or a proper yoga partner/instuctor) to check if I'm doing it right.

X STRETCH: This one bewildered me at first. Why would someone want to stetch for an hour? Beats having to pay for a massage if you're a cheapskate like me, but come on. It even had stretch excercises for the wrists, w/c I admit were hard, but I doubt it made my future pushups any easier.

AB RIPPER X: I first tried out this 15-minute exercise on its own before starting the program. Turns out this was supposed to be done after a resistance training video, and not to be done everyday. While it was tiring, I think my abs "plateaued" on this workout after the 8th week.

Overall, I liked how P90X kept me on a regular exercise schedule. I just wish it did more for me physically than previous workout programs. I think another mistake on my part lies w/ not following the diet program (w/c isn't all less-carbs-more-protein), and proabably why I have trouble maintaining muscle mass. And since I'm too cheap to buy their Recovery Drink I make do w/ a tall glass of cold Ovaltine (3 big tbsps, no sugar). Also by Week 11 I was experiencing workout burnout instead of "muscle confusion."

After this I'm supposed to follow-up w/ a P90x+ Program, lest all my hard work be "undone," but I'd better give the shoulder time to heal, sans wearing a splint.