Quick Summary
P90X or Power 90 Extreme is a 90-day Beachbody home fitness program led by personal trainer Tony Horton. The P90X Base Kit is delivered on 12 DVDs and streaming online, and customers get satisfaction guarantees. Horton’s P90X exercises focus mainly on strength but also athletic performance, weight management, flexibility and cardiovascular health. The Base Kit includes a workout calendar and a three-phase nutrition guide. Advanced kits (Deluxe and Ultimate) include exercise equipment and/or additional videos. Read on for a full review.
Specifications
| Program | P90X by Beachbody |
| Rating |  83% |
| Skill Level | Intermediate |
| Program Duration | Varies |
| Workout Style | High Intensity |
| Benefits | Variety |
Rating:
Our Rating
Rating: 83/100. P90X is an all-in-one Beachbody home workout program for men and women. Over 90 days it focuses on comprehensive physical fitness with video sessions for strength, cardiovascular health, flexibility and other exercise objectives. The workout videos are available on DVD as a 12-part set with the Base Kit, plus you can stream them to your computer, mobile device or TV.
P90X workouts are led by the popular personal trainer and former NordicTrack spokesman Tony Horton. Horton’s been a personal trainer for decades, having started in 1980s California where he soon attracted Hollywood celebrities as clientele. As for his fitness videos, Horton is best known for P90X and its follow-ups, P90X2 and P90X3.
With purchase of the main 12-DVD set you’ll get accessories including a workout calendar, fitness guide and nutrition plan. With purchase of the Deluxe P90X set you’ll also receive exercise equipment (three resistance bands with handles and a chin-up bar). With the Ultimate set you’ll get three additional workouts, an advanced chin-up bar and a push-up accessory in addition to all of the above.
You can pay for any of the P90X kits in three installments or all at once. Beachbody gives a 90-day money-back guarantee on the DVDs.
Pros:
P90X is one of the most popular Beachbody video series. Here are key advantages.
- Comprehensive. The P90X home workout system addresses all the major workout objectives: weight loss, strength training, cardio training and flexibility. All the major muscle groups are addressed too. Examples of DVD titles in the P90X set are Ab Ripper X, Chest & Back and Yoga X. All 12 main workouts are listed below.
- Customized. Unlike some fitness programs, P90X doesn’t pretend that one size fits all. Different workout schedule options are suggested to meet people’s diverse fitness goals, time commitments and nutrition preferences. For example, the “Lean” workout schedule includes a higher ratio of cardio exercise videos to promote extra weight loss. A fitness calendar is provided to help you stay on track with whichever schedule you choose.
- Mix of activities and intensities. With P90X, home exercise is varied. You can choose from at least 12 workout videos (17 with the Ultimate Kit) and find a match for the day’s needs, from low-intensity yoga to high-energy plyometrics (cardio with jumping). An introductory video called “How To Bring It” gives an overview of P90X exercises along with safety tips and advice about taking vitamin supplements to enhance the effects.
- Minimal equipment required. You can accomplish all the workout routines either without equipment or with no more than a dumbbell set (or resistance bands) and a doorway chin-up bar. We recommend using an impact-absorbing yoga mat and a heart rate monitor too. Some exercisers like to use push-up stands as well.
- At home and on the go. All Beachbody exercise videos are available online when you buy the DVDs, so you can keep up with your P90X exercise calendar whether you’re in town or traveling. With online access you can stream the personal training videos to your TV, computer or mobile device.
- Fitness test. The P90X Fitness Test is included with the DVDs and also available online in PDF format. It describes different exercises for you to complete, and room to log your results with the date. You can complete the test at different times during the 90-day program to see an overview of your progress.
- Online support. Access to an online fitness support forum is provided to anyone who orders Beachbody DVDs or subscribes to Beachbody On Demand. Other P90X users and experts from Beachbody can be contacted through the forum anytime.
- Satisfaction guaranteed. Depending on the format you choose (DVDs or Beachbody On Demand) you’ll get a money-back guarantee or a free trial of the P90X home fitness program. In verified customer reviews the vast majority of customers are pleased with their results and the overall Beachbody P90X experience.
Cons:
The most common P90X customer complaint (and it’s not very common) is accidentally receiving the wrong P90X kit and needing to wait for a correction. Here are some other possible drawbacks.
- Cost. The Ultimate P90X kit (which includes exercise equipment in addition to DVDs) costs more than $300 total. The Base Kit costs about $40/month over three months, plus shipping and handling. Buying P90X DVDs is cheaper than hiring a personal trainer, but more expensive than a discount monthly gym membership.
- Time. This exercise program takes about an hour per day. Some of the exercise sessions are shorter.
- Intensity. The program is flexible to accommodate beginners through experienced total-body trainers. Still, some of the workouts are too difficult for P90X to be considered the best home workout program for anyone. For instance, it’s recommended that you be able to complete at least one pull-up before starting the program.
- Advertisements. Beachbody offers lots of products besides Tony Horton’s DVDs, and they let you know. Commercials for Shakeology (the Beachbody nutrition shake) and other Beachbody offers are played before and after workouts.
Introduction
P90X with trainer Tony Horton is one of Beachbody’s most in-depth home fitness programs. It includes 12 videos (plus bonuses) to address head-to-toe needs. Over 90 days it can transform your body for better definition, strength, flexibility, cardiovascular wellness, and athletic performance. P90X exercises range from slow yoga stretching to ab crunches, dumbbell reps and plyometric jumping. The program can meet a wide range of ability levels and objectives (e.g., losing weight, making muscles lean, or bulking up).
How it Works
The 90-day body makeover involves completing a daily exercise session (six days/week) and following a three-stage nutrition plan.
As for exercise, Tony Horton’s exercise sessions are provided on DVDs and streaming online. Twelve workouts make up the collection. Three workout schedules are suggested to help support different kinds of exercisers:
- Classic P90X – For weight loss, toning, strengthening, balance, flexibility and more
- Lean – For extra weight loss
- Doubles – For extra performance training
As for nutrition, Beachbody’s P90X diet plan is designed to supply the calories you’ll need for workouts, plus a nutrient balance that promotes recovery after exercise. Beachbody advises that supplements can further help you intake a specific ratio of protein to carbohydrates.
P90X Workouts
Twelve workout sessions are repeated over the 90 days. Each session focuses on different sets of muscles or a different type of exercise.
Some days are reserved for “active rest,” which means that you’ll do cardio but give your muscles a chance to heal from dedicated strength training.
The 12 DVD workouts are:
- Chest & Back – Classic strength exercises for the upper body
- Plyometrics – A cardio routine that’s heavy on jumping to boost athletic performance
- Shoulders & Arms – Pressing, fly, and curling exercises for strength
- Yoga X – Strength training with balancing, breathing and stretching to benefit the mind and body
- Legs & Back – Squats, lunges and other lower-body strength training
- Kenpo X – Intense cardio with kicking and punching to improve coordination, balance and endurance
- X Stretch – Movements designed to improve athletic performance and help prevent exercise-related injuries
- Core Synergistics – Tones the whole body but focuses on the core; includes a wide range of floor exercises, lunges and moves with resistance bandsChest,
- Shoulders & Triceps – Targets larger muscles and smaller muscles that you might not have noticed yet
- Back & Biceps – Tightening and toning the upper body; getting lean definition or bulking up
- Cardio X – A low-impact mix of yoga, kenpo and plyometrics; an easier alternative to Plyometrics described above
- Ab Ripper X – Repetitions of crunches, twists and other floor exercises to help create a “V” abdomen and define your six-pack
What home exercise equipment will you need? A floor mat is recommended for the yoga workouts, pushups, crunches and other floor exercises. For strength training you’ll need dumbbells with different weights and/or a variety of resistance bands. Using a chin-up bar is also part of P90X training. Resistance bands and chin-up bars are included with the Deluxe and Ultimate P90X DVD sets.
P90X Pricing
How much does P90X cost? That depends on which kit you select: Base, Deluxe or Ultimate.
Base: The P90X Base Kit includes 12 DVDs, the 3-Phase Nutrition Plan, and a printed fitness guide. Three payments of $39.95 + $19.95 S&H = $139.80
Deluxe: The Deluxe Kit includes the above plus a chin-up bar, resistance bands and vitamins. Three payments of $79.90+ $19.95 S&H = $259.65
Ultimate: The P90X Ultimate Kit includes everything from the Deluxe Kit plus an advanced chin-up bar, push-up stands, and five additional personal training videos. Three payments of $109.85 + $19.95 S&H = $349.50
The DVDs are sold with a 90-day money-back guarantee minus shipping and handling.
Conclusion
Tony Horton’s P90X home workout program can help almost anyone achieve their best physical condition yet. It’s recommended for men and women with a wide range of fitness objectives; it’s flexible enough for all but the least-conditioned beginners, and it’s useful for everything from slimming down to bulking up. You’ll need to devote a good deal of time to this program (six days per week), but within three months you can be significantly healthier and more toned, have greater athletic ability, and feel more confident about your body.
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