Intent of Fitness Program

P90X is intended as an advanced fitness program that provides a comprehensive fitness routine including cardiovascular exercise, strength training workouts of all the major muscle groups, stretching, yoga and Kenpo. The P90X fitness program is designed to produce several health and fitness benefits including improved cardiovascular capacity, weight loss, increases in muscular strength, visible toning and improved mental well-being. The P90X fitness program achieves these results by combining the aforementioned types of workouts with a high intensity pace, designed for completion over a 90-day period.

P90X includes the following exercise routines:

• Chest & Back Workout
• Plyometrics Workout
• Shoulders & Arms Workout
• Yoga X Workout
• Legs & Back Workout
• Kenpo Kickboxing Workout
• X Stretch Workout
• Core Synergistics Workout
• Chest, Shoulders & Triceps Workout
• Back & Biceps Workout
• Cardiovascular X Workout
• Ab Ripper X Workout
• Nutrition & Fitness Guidebook

Primary Areas Worked

The P90X fitness program provides you with separate workouts that target the upper body, lower body and core. Additionally, the P90X fitness program includes exercise routines that work on improving your overall cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, balance, coordination and strength via plyometrics.

For example, Kenpo is used as one of the forms of exercise to work your cardiovascular system. Kenpo is a form of martial arts. The P90X fitness program utilizes Kenpo movements such as punches, kicks and blocks. You'll go through hook and upper cut combinations, jab and cross combinations, high punch and low punch combinations, knee kicks, high blocks, high sword and low hammer combinations and a variety of other movements. Each series of movements is performed for approximately 40 to 60 repetitions, and is designed to promote a caloric expenditure of 200 to 600 calories per session while providing a solid workout for all major muscle groups.

Another example is the P90X chest, shoulders and triceps workout. The entire workout is performed twice, with the first time being slightly slower and more focused on learning the proper technique. You'll begin by performing standard push ups before moving to military push ups, chin ups, and additional push ups to work your arm and shoulder muscles. Single arm and two-arm dumbbell row exercises are performed to work your triceps, rotator cuffs and back muscles before revisiting the push ups with advanced diamond and dive bomber push ups.

All of the P90X workouts are sequenced so that you alternate through the muscle groups on which you focus during the 45-minute exercise session. This approach is designed to prevent the need for significant rest breaks while providing each muscle group a minor period of rest before being worked again.

Program Length/Frequency

The P90X fitness program offers three 13-week long programs: The Classic, the Doubles, and the Lean. The primary P90X fitness program is the Classic program, which is divided into three phases. Each phase is comprised of a 4-week period, with the first 3 weeks of each phase consisting of a set routine outlined in the calendar provided with the P90X fitness program. The 4th week is a recovery week consisting primarily of yoga, stretching and core synergistic workouts.

Depending on what day and week of the program you're currently on, you'll be performing either one or two workouts per day. However, the accumulated time for each daily session is typically no longer than 60 minutes. The workouts are all home-based, so they can be performed at your convenience whenever you have time.

Effectiveness/Results of the Program

The P90X fitness program results are highly effective and produce rapid results due to an exercise technique known as "muscle confusion." In essence, muscle confusion is an exercise principle based on progression. Typically, standard fitness programs offer results up to a point where neither intensity nor variety are increased. This results in a lack of continual fitness gains and results. However, the P90X fitness program is a high intensity workout program that is designed to provide continual improvements throughout the entire 90 days by increasing the resistance and difficulty of the workouts. This approach forces the body to continually adapt to the new challenges being placed on it, and as such, greater results are achieved within a shorter period of time.

If you follow the nutritional plan and fitness guide, you should expect to lose a significant amount of weight and tone your body while improving your overall body strength and endurance, cardiovascular capacity, flexibility and coordination.

Equipment/Space Requirements

The P90X fitness program will require you to purchase a few support products before getting started. You'll need a good yoga or exercise mat for the abdominal workouts. You'll also need a set of dumbbells, which will typically cost between 50 to 75 cents per pound. Additional support equipment items that are recommended but optional include a heart rate monitor to gauge your intensity, the specialized P90X pull up/chin up bar, and a couple of resistance bands with various grades of intensity. You will need a moderate amount of space to perform the exercises as you will be performing moves that utilize plyometrics, Kenpo and weights.

Physical Requirements

The P90X fitness program can be successfully performed without any prior experience in a fitness and exercise routine of this type. However, the P90X fitness program is designed as an intense fitness program, hence, individuals that are unaccustomed to regularly performing an aggressive exercise routine will require additional patience in the beginning to allow their body to become used to the pace of the routines.

The P90X fitness program is an aggressive exercise program that is designed to produce rapid results. If you are looking to lose weight, increase overall body strength, improve cardiovascular endurance, increase coordination and flexibility, and achieve a toned and sculpted body, this program is for you.

Support

P90X fitness program is produced by Beachbody and includes an extensive customer support department that consists of the following support items and features:

• Online FAQ database
• 24/7 customer support telephone line
• Online email customer service support
• Live chat support via their website
• Online message board community

Cost

The P90X fitness program costs 3 monthly payments of $ 39.95 plus $ 19.95 for shipping and handling. The total cost of the P90X fitness program is approximately $ 130.00. For this price you receive 12 workouts, a fitness guide, a 3-phase nutritional plan, a workout calendar and a "How to Bring It" video.

If you do not already have them, you will need to purchase an exercise mat and a set of dumbbells. As with all fitness programs that are designed to provide effective increases in overall health and fitness, you will only get out of it what you put into it. This being said, if you purchase the P90X fitness program and perform the exercises as intended for the entire 90 days, you will experience considerable gains in all aspects of good health and fitness.