By: LL
In my quest to find fun, new fitness trends to start incorporating into my routine (which had me in a slump after years of the same old thing), a friend of my husband’s gave us P90X (or Power 90 Extreme). Whereas this program has been available since 2004, it is a “new” fit to me since I have never tried it. Yes, over the past two years, I have had more and more friends get into the 90 day program and talk about how insanely hard it is. I was curious, but did not want to spend the money on an “at-home” fitness program – I would rather invest the money in a fitness class at the gym, but that’s just me. Either way, now that we have it, I plan to start it after Thanksgiving (and hopefully, I can convince my husband to join me).
For those of you who haven’t jumped on the P90X bandwagon, you might wonder (like I did) what this program is all about. Apparently (as my sources explain), P90X is based on the concepts of cross-training and periodization, which means that the exercises are rigorous and continually switched so that your muscle-memory never develops and you never “plateau” rather experience continual improvement – and “extreme pain,” as quoted by my co-worker. Or, as the infomercial says “Get Ripped!”
During this program, you work out 6 times per week (approximately 1 hour each day) for 13 weeks. Over the 13 weeks, the exercises will use different combinations of strength training, cardio, yoga, plyometrics, and stretching. Three times a week, you will add the 15 minute “Ab Ripper X,” which I have done before separate of the program and is a great routine to carry forward from the program, even if you hate the rest. More like an “Ab Killer.”
So, here it goes – my fresh new fit of the winter season – P90X. Stay tuned to see how this pans out.