Workout Review: P90

I recently completed the P90 workout program, which is billed as an "on ramp" to fitness: completely accessible to raw beginners, with modifications throughout each and every session for people who are working with injuries and physical limitations. I am so glad this program exists, because I truly believe it makes exercise accessible for EVERYONE.

So what is it like? To see for yourself, check out the Fitness Programs playlist on my YouTube channel. I preview six different moves for you there. But I'll tell you a little bit here, too!

P90X is billed as a program that will build you up to being ready for P90X, so I gather there are lots of similarities in terms of the types of moves. It really is a mix of many different types of movement, which is one of the reasons I liked it so much!

The program is divided into Round A, Round B, and Round C. Each one is supposed to last one month, but you can start a round early if you're ready to move on, or keep going with the round you're on if you need more time.

Each round (A, B, and C) has 3 sessions: Sculpt, Sweat, and Ab Ripper. Three times a week you do the Sculpt session for your current round; three times a week you do Sweat + Ab Ripper for your current round; and once a week you do the Saturday Special session, which is sort of a mixed-level affair.

The sessions get more challenging as you move into the B and C rounds, and they also get longer. So for example, Sculpt A is 30 minutes; Sweat A is 25 minutes; and Ab Ripper A is 8 minutes... but Sculpt C is 40 minutes; Sweat C is 40 minutes; and Ab Ripper C is 16 minutes.

In addition, the same exercise moves recur throughout the program, but with more challenging variations in rounds B and C. For example, Round A starts with half pushups (not going all the way down). Round B has full pushups, and by Round C you're doing variations with walking across the floor, picking up the hand and punching, jumping feet in and out, etc. The difficulty level does ramp up pretty quickly—and this program really helped me get my strength back after being so ill last fall—but there are ALWAYS low-intensity and/or low-impact modifications shown!

Tony Horton, the trainer in the video, offers a bunch of pretty cool ways to use a resistance band (as shown in the photo that goes with this post). There are also moves with weights; moves that come from yoga and will DEFINITELY challenge and improve your balance; and lots of moves with a kickboxing or martial arts feel to them (kick-punch combos and the like). Then you've also got your standard drill-style moves like squats, jumping jacks, push-ups, and Burpees.... but again, always with a modified version demonstrated.

The music is rock-style guitar that verges on punk rock... not bad, but I usually do my own playlist instead anyhow. Have you checked out DJ Rolemodel's free workout mixes? They're my favorite.

Does this fitness program sound like it would be just right for you or someone in your life? It's one of the options for my monthly fitness challenge. You'll get access to the workouts via our streaming service on DVD, as well as my support as you go through the program! Click over to the program page and fill out the interest form on that page, or just send me an email (address below) if you think you may be interested and I will be in touch to chat more!