P90X Workout Routine
Each of the three phases is split up into four weeks, the first three weeks are the demanding workouts with the fourth week being a recovery/rest week using different kind of exercises. Within each week there are 6 days of intense exercises with a rest or optional stretch day. The 6 days of exercises are split between 3 days of resistance training and 3 days of cardio/stretching. The workout videos themselves have Tony Horton demonstrating the exercises with three other people. Each person is meant to represent the different kinds of intensity levels available with one person doing the easier versions of the exercises and another doing the more intense/extreme forms with two people in between.
P90X Exercise Videos
- Chest & Back
- Plyometrics
- Shoulders & Arms
- Yoga X
- Legs & Back
- Kenpo X
- X Stretch
- Core Synergistics
- Chest, Shoulders & Triceps
- Back & Biceps
- Cardio X
- Ab Rippper X
Each week orders the exercises differently to give your muscles time to recover while instituting the "muscle confusion" that Horton describes. Ab Ripper X is done 3 times a week coinciding with the resistance training days.
P90X Nutrition Plan
Alongside the workout routines, the nutrition plan is split up into three phases:
- Fat Shredder
- Energy Booster
- Endurance Maximizer
Fat Shredder focuses on high protein and low carbs to offset the likely bad eating habits the exerciser was exhibiting prior to the program.
Energy Booster brings down the protein and dairy while increasing the carbs.
Endurance Maximizer continues the trend by bringing down the protein even more while continuing to increase the carbs.
There are two main ways the nutrition plan can be implemented
- Portion Method
- Meal Plan method
The Portion Method provides a guide on the number of portions that can be consumed per day, with a guide on what kind of foods map to different portions. For example, Phase 1 Level 2 states you can have 7 portions of protein a day, with 3 ounces of chicken breast equaling one portion.
The Mean Plan Method gives you a detailed calendar of meals giving you very specific food items to eat every single day. Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and dinner are all listed out in great detail with recipes included in the book for most of the plates.
P90X Community
One of the other selling points that P90X markets is their large online community that's available for support and motivation. Most of the community is free, though there are some "premium" areas and forums limited to paying members. There is also a large contingent of P90X success stories that have posted their pictures and videos on various social networks, blogs, and YouTube.
