This week, questionable company Beach Body, announced that they were in the process of creating P90X 3. Having done and completed both P90X, P90X Plus, and P90X 2, one would think that I would be jumping at the chance to undertake a third round. This may only be a partially true assumption. While I am truly curious about what lies ahead for Tony Horton and the gang, I wanted to also look back at the impact this program has had on the those who are both inside and outside the fitness community.
Many people do not realize that this program was initially put on the market in 2004. I would say that it did not hit its real stride until a yr or two later. I was first exposed to the program in 2007, and I will share what it did for my life. I began the program in earnest from day one. I was a pretty well-conditioned individual at that point, holding a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I’d trained often, but my life began to get crazy (married kids, job far away) and it was limiting me to about two days per week.
P90X offered me a solution for all of this. Regardless of when I got home, I was able to use my own space, quickly change, and work out. The routines were tough, and I felt immediately, that in spite of what anyone said, I would not recommend this program to a beginner. It simply required too much base level conditioning for a sedentary person to complete. I grew to love all of the various dvd’s (except kenpo x). P90X had allowed me to make significant gains in muscular endurance and overall cardiovascular health.
Naturally, I went on to buy just about anything that resembled this program as time moved on. I mentioned them before. I’d also completed Insanity twice. On the whole, I was a very fit person. I continued to do Beach Body programs (adding in dead lifting) until fairly recently. I have a feeling many others, like me, were able to find themselves athletically through these programs. It set me up to be an active person on a daily basis, regardless of the fact that I was starting many dvd’s at ten pm.
There came a day earlier in the year when I forced myself to stop and re-evaluate. I had been exposed to some other theories and books that started to hold a heavier influence on me. It was as if Beach Body had taken me as far as it could. I was great in the realm of their exercises and their demands, but the holes in my armor began to show themselves.
I lacked absolute strength. The kind of strength that you get by loading up a barbell and working until you are shake. I also discovered that kettle bells build a more insane core than any routine I could ever hope for. I thought I was a stud until this point. I picked up quickly, but have to admit that I felt like the new kid on the block for more than just a day here. If anyone is looking for alternate ways to get strong, please check out http://www.dragondoor.com. I have no affiliation with them monetarily, but they offer amazing and refreshing insight into the real world of building insane strength.
In full review, P90X was a launchpad for me. I tended to stay in the comfort zone of that launchpad a bit too long, which led to a major false sense of security. They are great workouts though, and if you have not tried them, they are worth your time. Maybe they will light the same spark in you as they did for me!
1footinfit 