P90X – Week 1 & 2 Complete!

I’ve completed the first two weeks of P90X but did make a few modifications. I took out the Chest & Back workout and replaced it with running since I need to keep up my running. I decided that back is covered in the Legs & Back workout and I’m still doing the 100 Push Ups Training Program so those muscles are covered. I also decided that I when I go rock climbing I will push all the workouts back a day. When I go belly dancing I will try to also do the P90X workout for that day. If it’s easy to fit it in, then great, if I can’t fit it in then I won’t and will push the workout to the next day again. This will prolong the actual schedule but I don’t mind. Schedule flexibility is key for me.

I found that the first week was more of an introduction to the different workouts and some were definitely more difficult than others. I might not have picked the appropriate weights but that gave me a better idea of what I needed to do the next week. Week 2 is when things really start. I know what’s going on and I’m ready for it. Here’s my review of the different workouts thus far.

Plyometrics - Tony calls this the “X” in “P90X” and it is freaking hard. My lower body hurts like crazy the next day. I’ve never done jump training before and thus can’t jump high so I’ve modified a lot of the moves to reduce the impact. Be prepared to sweat buckets. This is probably the most intense cardio workout I’ve had since I can remember.

Yoga X – Even though Plyo X is insane I actually found Yoga X to be the most difficult even though I have beginner yoga experience. Around 45 mins of this workout are sun salutations moving poses and thus there are a lot of planks. My upper body can’t handle that much so I had to break a lot. Yoga is a great workout because it covers a lot – strength training, core work, stretching, balance, etc.



Shoulders & Arms – This one is a pretty standard workout. It goes through many different exercises that cover shoulders-biceps-triceps for about 4 sets. I think this is well thought out as the circuit lets you exercise the same muscles multiple times, maximizing the number of reps.  Depending what I was doing the weights I used ranged from 5 lbs to 12 lbs.



Legs & Back – The first week I didn’t add any weights for legs and used exercise bands for back. I found this wasn’t enough resistance. The second week I added weights and used the lateral pull-down machine which was much better. Ideally I’d use an assisted pull-up machine but I don’t have that right now. Like Shoulders & Arms, this workout alternates between legs and back exercises so at the end you’ve completed a lot of reps.



Kenpo X - This workout is similar to the many cardio kickboxing classes I’ve taken. It’s not as good of a cardio workout as Plyo but it raises your heart rate. Because I’m able to get a workout without feeling like I’m going to die and because sometimes I like to punch and kick, I’d rank this as my favourite workout. Though I wouldn’t mind burning a few more calories. . .



Overall P90X is pretty brutal. It’s a huge time commitment and the workouts are difficult. What I do like is the variety of workouts and that Tony is pretty entertaining. I stopped Slim in 6 because it was too boring doing the same thing everyday. I’m going to keep up with P90X until the end of the first month. If I don’t see any improvements at that time I’ll probably stop the program and try something else but if I do see improvements in my appearance, then on to the second month!