by Brian Kiley

Created on: May 03, 2010

I've been moderately athletic my entire life, and have consistently maintained a high level of fitness, but I have never experienced anything quite like P90x before. In short, it is fantastic. It is, without a doubt, the most intense workout regimen I have every participated in. The first couple of weeks were extremely difficult, but once I got used to it, I became a big believer in the program really quickly. Here are five aspects of the program that I really appreciate.

1) The DVDs guide you through everything from warm up to cool down. I don't know about you, but I have a long history of skimping on my warm up and cool down when exercising. These DVDs take the guess work out of those important parts of your workout by guiding you through the entire process. Then, when the DVD is over, you're done. No extra warm up or cool down, no driving to the gym, nothing.

2) You use mostly your own body weight. While you definitely need either dumbbells (my preference) or resistance bands, this program primarily has you use your own body weight for resistance. Some workouts are almost nothing but various types of pushups and pull ups. I found that this way of exercising really put the focus on building functional strength rather than bulk that is better for show than for function.

3) There is an aerobic component to everything. During every routine you are constantly moving from one exercise to the next with minimal down time. The result is that your heart rate stays up for the entire workout. Typically when I work out in the gym I rest between sets, but with P90x the rests are minimal such that you are getting the kind of workout that would take two hours in the gym in an hour at home.

4) The program teaches you how to eat as well. Exercise alone will yield minimal changes in body type if one's diet is not addressed. The P90x manual provides detailed dietary guidelines. I couldn't follow the guidelines perfectly (there's no way I'm taking the time to make shrimp scampi for lunch) but by following the calorie guidelines and making sure to get quality calories I was able to maximize my results.

5) The program flat out works. I have been very pleased with my results. The first week of the program I did about 35 pull ups spread out over eight sets, and by the tenth week I was doing over 100. It was hard work, to be sure, but the reward was great. I am now in the best shape of my life.

P90x is not for the faint of heart, and it requires a substantial commitment, but if you can keep pushing play every day, you'll be glad you did.

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