I’ve heard is that people don’t find the kenpo to be hard enough once they’ve been doing P90X for a
The Workouts
Once I was committed to the process and had the necessary equipment it was time to start. Looking back on day one of p90x, it was really, really tough. I came at it from a year of weight lifting and crazy cardio and pushed through. Starting from a level of lesser fitness would have meant lots of breaks but I did it without stopping or modifying exercises on day one. That wasn’t true every day but now I can do almost all of the exercises without modification. I sweat, I huff and puff but I do it. P90X has enough depth to stay challenging.
The program breaks down to 3 resistance or weight lifting days, 2 days of cardio and 1 day of yoga. Day 7 can either be rest or more stretching. There are alternate calendars for “Lean” which limits the lifting and builds in more cardio and “Doubles” which adds a second workout every day. Also there’s a dedicated abs routine that is built into the program as an add on to the other workouts. There’s a great little tool here for adding P90X to iCal or Outlook.
The weight routines are straightforward, old-fashioned weight training. There’s not a lot of complicated combo moves and the chest work is a little limited. It’s going to be almost impossible to get big pecs from p90x workout but for those with a genetic predisposition to them the number of push-ups in the program may get you there. Frustration is sure to come with pull-ups, I know it did for me. I couldn’t ever do pull-ups or chin-ups in high school. I remember being the somewhat mushy kid with the coach yelling at him as he dangled unable to get to the bar during the President’s Physical Fitness Test. It took months to get where I am and knocking out 20 pull-ups is still hard but doable. For lower body, the workout is just solid and leans down legs adding definition and strength over the course of the program.
The cardio routines are straightforward including a high impact jump routine and a kenpo based hour. There’s a more basic workout for those still working on the cardio fitness level that can substitute for the jump routine. Kenpo is a problem for a lot of people especially as their fitness level rises. The biggest complaint I’ve heard is that people don’t find the kenpo to be hard enough once they’ve been doing P90X for a while. Your mileage may vary but I’ve found that pushing harder during the “breaks” in the routine can push my heart rate to make up for the dips during the rest of the routine. Other people end up wearing weighted gloves and ankle weights to keep kenpo challenging.
The yoga routine to is my favorite part of the program. It really is. Most people don’t feel that way. For starters, if you aren’t flexible to begin with any yoga is frustrating, the p90x reviews routine even moreso. Tony doesn’t fool around and the postures can be difficult. Secondly, it’s about the time. The yoga video is 90 minutes long. Committing to an hour every day is hard enough but that extra 30 minutes is killer. I’m still doing P90X but I don’t often do the full 90 minute yoga routine. I either strategically abbreviate the official yoga routine or do an alternate but similarly difficult routine on most yoga days. When I have the time, I’m always glad to when time allows me to revisit the official yoga video. I sweat like hell but at the end I feel so good it’s pretty amazing. Yoga really does belong in every workout plan.
The Diet
The diet is the same diet Beachbody sends out with most of their programs. It includes Michi’s ladder of things that are ok to eat and their level of desirability. The diet is fairly programatic and easy to follow, focusing on the low-fat model. There’s adequate protein to build muscle but it’s not overboard on any one thing. Philosophically, I like other diet models better but this one will get the job done for someone who needs help making the jump to healthy eating.
Conclusions
I love insanity and it’s my favorite home video routine but it’s not for everybody. If you’re not going to put the hour a day in, don’t bother buying the videos. Seriously, you’re wasting your money.
The equipment requirement is higher than a lot of home videos but the results are there. You’ve got to commit to spending some money on some weights for home. They don’t have to be fancy and you can build a set over time buying cast weights at the sporting goods store as you progress and need more weight. You can do pull-ups with a resistance band hung over a door. It’s daunting and makes a good excuse but really you can get by with very little equipment.
It boils down to Tony, though. If you’re not a fan and just can’t imagine listening to his man-perkiness every day for 90 days or longer then you really need to find a different routine. There are lots of options.

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