P90X – Week 1

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This is not a post written to explain what P90X is. We’ve all seen the infomercials and we’ve all heard about it. If you haven’t, you really need to get out more.

What this post will provide is the TRUTH. I will hold nothing back (except perhaps my sanity?) and divulge exactly what I think about this program.

To be clear, I have NO affiliation with P90X. Zilch.

Okay, now that we’re all on the same page.

I consider myself to be in great shape. I work out multiple times a week combining cardio and weight lifting. I figured if anything, P90X would serve as a good tool to help me kick it up a notch.

false.

P90X is HARDCORE. If you want to kick things up a notch, give the SHRED a try, not P90X.

P90X is structured for muscle confusion. Each day is different, targeting different sets of muscles and providing either a cardio or weight-lifting workout. In addition, each WEEK is different. It’s not like you just keep rotating the same DVDs in a continuous loop. Being someone who tends to get bored with monotony, I was happy to learn of the variety.

Day One: Chest and Back + Ab Ripper X

This workout revolves around the pull up and the push up. MANY of them, at that. Which was just swell because I cannot even do ONE. Luckily for me, we’re told to use a chair for assistance until we’re able to do them on our own.

It was about 10 minutes into this workout that I realized what I had gotten myself into. And I still had 50 minutes to go. How I survived I’m still not sure. Ever wonder if your armpits can quiver? They can.

Oh, and after I made it though the hour long workout? I got to do 20 minutes of some of the most intense ab exercises I’ve ever come across. Like I said, HARDCORE.

Day 2: Plyometrics

This was a cardio DVD. And after putting my shoulders through the third circle of hell, I was thankful for a break. HA! In P90X there are no breaks. None. Other than one day of rest a week, you should just know that you are going to work hard every.single.day. This workout was a great example of that.

After the Mister and I got 30 minutes through we both looked at each other and yelled – we STILL have 30 minutes of this sh*t to go! Reason #9875  recommend doing his program with a partner. You’ll keep each other motivated threaten the other person’s livelihood if they even CONSIDER leaving you alone.

Day 3: Shoulders and Arms + Ab Ripper X

When the alarm went off on Wednesday morning, my soul died a little bit.

But after powering through and putting my arms through one of the hardest workouts they’ve ever seen, I’ve felt the strongest I’ve ever felt. I’m aware that my muscles weren’t ALREADY getting stronger, people (although with this workout, who can say for sure!), I’m talkin’ inner strength. It’s something I wasn’t expecting with P90X. I wasn’t expecting to feel so accomplished, so proud. It was a happy surprise. It almost made the pain worth it.

You’ll notice that after the hour of weight training, I had to continue with the Ab Ripper. If hell is real, it’s the Ab Ripper on a continuous loop.

Day 4: Yoga

This workout was an hour and 30 minutes! Now I know a few yogis have said that P90X bothers them because it isn’t as authentic as “real” Yoga. I happened to love it. The poses were traditional yoga poses and it was one of the few Yoga workouts I’ve done where I actually feel like I’m working out.

Also — I’m not nearly as flexible as I thought I was.

While this workout FELT the easiest while doing it, my body felt like it had been trampled by the end of the day.

Day 5: Legs and Back + Ab Ripper

DO NOT — I repeat — DO NOT take a spinning class the night before this workout. In all fairness, I did not KNOW that day 5 was a leg workout. Taking that spinning class was the stupid. VERY stupid. At one point during this workout I was evaluating all the knives in my kitchen — trying to determine which one would do the best job of CUTTING MY LEGS OFF. I wish I was kidding.

And you may have noticed I got to do that lovely Ab Ripper again! I am the luckiest.

Day 6: Kenpo

BEST DAY OF P90X EVER!

I loved this workout. LOVED. Yes, it was hard, but it made me feel like a badass, and there are few things better than that.

As some of you may know, I have a black belt in karate! I earned it in high school after practicing for several years. I’ve been out of practice for awhile, but I’d like to think my technique came right back in this workout!

This workout was (dare I say?) fun and went by very quickly.

Day 7: REST

There is a God.

Week 2 starts tomorrow – this should be interesting.

26 Responses to “P90X – Week 1”

  1. Michele said:

    That review made me laugh out loud and scared the heck out of me at the same time. If it’s that hard for someone in really good shape I can only imagine how hard it would be for me. I was thinking about buying it but I know I could I never do it. I admire you for not giving up! Can’t wait to read about week 2! Good luck!

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  2. Tweets that mention P90X – Week 1 | The Daily Balance -- Topsy.com said:

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by The Daily Balance, 90xconnect. 90xconnect said: P90X: P90X – Week 1 | The Daily Balance http://bit.ly/aLcijq [...]

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  3. allijag said:

    LOL – you crack me up! I love how honest you are about this! I’m actually really glad you are doing this too – a few weeks ago I asked Mike “once marathon training is over, wanna do p90x for the blog?” – BUT NOW YOU HAVE ME TERRIFIED! :p

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  4. Nicole @ Making Good Choices said:

    I’m so glad to see an honest review of this! I have been considering buying this or the Insanity workout, so it will be fun to compare your experience with Fitnessista’s. Dare I say this seems harder than insanity? What weights or equipment do you need for this?

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  5. Wei-Wei said:

    WOAH. Sounds intense! I would never be able to workout like that… I’m not exactly the fittest person (understatement of the year!) and workout DVDs make me feel awkward. DVDs that have a schedule make it easy to keep track of your progress, though, right? I should give it a try… any recommendations for “beginner” exercisers?

    Have a great Sunday! (Darth Vader voice) and welcome to week 2 of doooooom… >:D

    Wei-Wei

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  6. Kristin (Cook, Bake and Nibble) said:

    Thanks for an honest, real review! I have wanted to try P90X, but it sounds so hardcore! I wish I could compare it to the Insanity workouts… I’ve heard those are intense too.

    xo
    K

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  7. Jeremy Logsdon said:

    That’s fantastic! I hope you’re taking before and after pictures. You should both be completely ripped by the time its done based on how tough these workouts sound. :)

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  8. Liz said:

    This post is awesome! I appreciate all the info about P90X, and you had me laughing hysterically. I am nowhere near being in shape enough for this program, so I’ll live vicariously through you for now :)

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  9. Gemfit said:

    P90X scared me before reading this post.

    Now it terrifies me.

    Yeah, my and P90X will never be meeting in real life.

    Thanks for the HILARIOUS post!

    Posted on | Reply
  10. Lin said:

    Oh my gosh! the p90x sounds INTENSE! I reallly want to try it but am totally chicken! I’m so glad you’re posting your experience with it!!! I’m both inspired and scared by your post… eeep!

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  11. StyckyWycket said:

    “Reason #9875 recommend doing his program with a partner. You’ll keep each other motivated threaten the other person’s livelihood if they even CONSIDER leaving you alone.”

    I snorted out loud at work reading this. :D

    Posted on | Reply
  12. Erica said:

    Everyone is doing p90x lately. I heard it works great and it sounds like its working out awesome for you. Maybe I need to get on this band wagon and check it out! Good luck!

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  13. Rebecca @ How the Cookies Crumble said:

    I’m so glad to read your review on this. The most I’ve really heard about p90x is a facebook status update saying “p90x kicked my ass”. A friend of mine who recently had surgery lent me her dvd’s so I’ve been thinking about trying them. I’ve had some minor surgery as well so I don’t think I can do the arm ones yet, but I definitely need to give this a try.

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  14. Anthony said:

    I just got on the ball with P90X. I can’t wait until it all comes together in a beautiful body.

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  15. beetred said:

    Ah! I’ve been drooling over these infomercials!! I think I need to get me some firey warehouse to workout in and give this a shot. Thanks for the honest review and for the comment :)

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  16. Chad said:

    Great write up on week 1. Only 12 more to go.

    I’ve completed a few cycles and it’s a great all around fitness program. Others posts above reference Insanity and those workouts are tougher, but they’re all cardio and I like alternating days with weights like P90X does. I also find Insanity much tougher on the joints plus there’s no modifications, it’s all about pushing yourself.

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  17. P90X update — Week 2 | The Daily Balance said:

    [...] you miss my experience with Week 1? Make sure you catch [...]

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  18. Work it – P90X Week 3 and some fitness news! | The Daily Balance said:

    [...] structure of the week was identical to Week 1 and Week 2. But while it was the same, it was very, very different. At this point, I’m going [...]

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  19. Jason Kellebrew said:

    I saw the P90X advertisement this morning and I’m intrigued. I will do more research online before I buy it. It is kind of expensivewith all the accessories.

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  20. artcentric said:

    I just started this yesterday. Do you keep pushing past the soreness? I ache like a mofo this morning. I’m no stranger to 6 pack ab workouts at the gym but the P90X version was pro style all the way.

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  21. P90X – So am I still alive or what? | The Daily Balance said:

    [...] I’ve been a bit neglectful of my p90x updates (read week 1, week 2 and week [...]

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  22. Work it- My current state of affairs | The Daily Balance said:

    [...] you know, I was doing pretty awesome at P90X (see week 1, week 2, and week 3). Let’s just say due to the human growing inside me, I’ve cut back [...]

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  23. Agent Womack said:

    All I can say is…. WOW! This morning was my 8th day on the program and you just gave the best description I have ever read of what week one was like! I agree Kinpo was the best workout of the week (next to X Stretch that I did yesterday). But I’m not going to lie, Plyo kicked my A@#!!! I made it all the way threw only putting in about half the effort and the next day I could barely walk! (I walked like a penguin to be more specific). But regardless my wife and I kept hitting play and following the nutrition plan and this morning I nearly doubled all of my reps during the chest & back program from the week before. I am truly amazed that we made it threw the first week, but if today is any indication of how good I’m going to feel I cant wait for the next 11 weeks! Thanks again for the blog, best of luck in the new year!

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  24. Losing the Buddha Belly – My Post-Pregnancy Workout Plan | The Daily Balance said:

    [...] my previous posts of P90X (week 1, week 2, week [...]

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  25. Mike said:

    I’m on day 3 now and had to find a blog to make sure other people were feeling the pain I feel. I used to be fit back in college but that was 6 years ago and I haven’t done any significant working out in years. The explanation above is to the tee how I feel and it’s motivating to see somebody else in this pain endure and continue. I’ll keep pushing but can’t wait for day 7!!

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