P90X Extreme Home Fitness Workout Program - 13 DVDs, Nutrition Guide, Exercise Planner

This product is what I expected from the infomercial - the infomercial is a good representation of what you'll get. The DVDs are good, come in a small case (no excess packaging to exaggerate or compensate for lack of real product). The accompanying written materials are good too.
However, I found that I wasn't quite in shape enough when P90X arrived to use it well. I went back and bought Tony Horton's "Power Half Hour" and used that for a few weeks first - had to wake up some muscles I've let go dormant. I've been in good shape most of my life, but kind of got lazy lately - I needed to get a basic foundation before I could jump into the incredible workouts he provides.
Make no mistake; this is a commitment. The workouts are long, and hard, but they are engaging. No geeky cheesy cheerleader pep talks in the DVD, and no arrogant gym rat jerks either. If I win the lottery, I'll try to hire Tony as my personal trainer; he has a good positive attitude, and seems to keep the workouts real with a sense of humility and humor.
The segment timer is great. Though the workouts are typically an hour long, he has "chunked" them down into segments, with a "progress bar" on the screen - kind of like the bar on the computer - so you can adjust your pace or your mindset with the workout.
Tony uses both men and women of differing degrees of flexibility and fitness; there's always a body on the screen up there to help me with my own form.
I'm a former Marine - and this is used to replace my "daily thirteen." If only I knew about some of these workouts back in the day... So I give it a thumbs up from the perspective of some really challenging workouts I've experienced in the past.
Overall, a good deal. But be warned, it isn't for the fat couch potato. Like the infomercial says, its for folks that want to get in BETTER shape; the expectation is that you already are in shape and want to take it to the next level.

*Original Power 90 review*
Let me first say that i'm one of the people that tried the regular Power 90 workout videos at first. I was pretty much a couch potato who would work out once in a while, and then just stop completely for several months. Power 90 is a decent workout for people who are trying to get back into shape who want to get into a mediocre level of fitness; or just maintain an average body.
Pros for Power 90:
1.)A good smooth start for beginners. It will get your body in decent shape.
2.)Short workout time. The workouts last from 35-45 minutes; stretching, warming up, workout, and cool down in all.
3.)Good mix of everything. Tony incorporates stretching, warming up, and cooling down all at the right times during a workout.
4.)Has a timer countdown on screen.
5.)Tony has great direction, tries to motivate you, and tries to be funny. Just by listening to him speak and guiding on how you should do a certain movement/stretch, you get a sense that he actually knows what he's talking about when it comes to fitness.
6.)Tony TOUCHES, but doesnt dive into what's in the P90X program. He scratches on Stretching, Yoga, Strength training, Cardio, Kicking/Punching. This sets you up and gets you somewhat used to what comes in P90X.
Cons for Power 90:
1.)When I saw the routine and the small "studio" they shot this in, I really wasnt impressed. But then again, it was my first workout
video, so I have nothing to really compare it to. It just gave me the impression that the workout would be cheesy and generic.
2.)Repetitive. You have Level 1 and Level 2 routines. Basically Cardio Level 1, and Circuit Training level 1. Once you get to level 2, you're pretty much stuck doing the same thing every other day, and it gets old after the first month.

Bottom line for Power 90: If you're only a beginner or would just like to maintain your weight/average body, Power 90 is for you. If you can't get through the regular Power 90, don't try P90X just yet. Work your way up.


*And now for P90X Review*
Like someone already said, the packaging for all 13 DVDs is great, and no excess garbage cases. The Nutrition Guide is very informative and well written, and so is the Workout Book they include. I dont follow the food guide to the 'T' since i'm on a budget, but they include great recipes for pretty much anyone's taste.

The reason I included a review of the regular Power 90 was to express just how impressed I am with the improvement and greatness that the P90X routine is.

Pros over the regular P90:
1.) The workouts are HARD. Unless you've have an Olympian type body(which 99% of us dont), these workouts will kick your butt. If it doesn't, you're obviously not trying hard enough or doing something wrong.
2.) No matter what level of fitness or what sport you love to play, you'll benefit from these routines. Tony covers everything to improve flexibility, strength, endurance, and stamina. Any athlete will become an even better one after 90 days.
3.) Not repetitive. You can go for almost 2 weeks without doing the same workout twice. In the regular Power 90, you only tasted some of the things that P90X has. This expands on EVERYTHING you learn in Power 90; things like Yoga, Strength training, Cardio, High/Low impact movements, Flexibility, etc.
4.) Price. For 120 bucks, you get the Nutrition guide, Workout Guide, and 1 intro DVD + 12 Workout DVDs. Pretty much under 10 dollars per DVD. That would be about 30$ a month, which is an average cost for going to a gym. In the long run, the program pays for itself.
5.) In reality, all you need are workout bands and your own body weight to do everything in the program. The key thing is how you use the bands, so you dont necessarily need weights or the pull-up bar. However, if you're trying to bulk up, I recommend using weights.
6.) Presentation. The workout studio they shoot it looks great and truly fits the atmosphere for the whole P90X image. Direction and guidance from Tony like always, is outstanding. He tells you exactly how to perform a stretch/workout/warmup, why you do it, and where you should feel the burn or stretch. Like someone else pointed out, his workout buddies vary in body types so you can see the results of what each body type can achieve in the end.

Cons:
1.) The workouts are long. I guess technically this isnt a con, since the program is meant to be (P90)Xtreme.
2.) Supplements are expensive. I was going to say over-priced, but then I look at the supplements that I personally like taking as an alternative to BeachBody's stuff. BB's supplements dont have as much protein as I like in my post-workout drink.


As you can see the Pros greatly outweigh the Cons...which there pretty much isnt.
Bottom line: Like other reviewers have said, if you're a beginner dont start out on P90X. Start out with Power 90 first. But if you're in decent shape, there's no other program out there that will turn you into a better athlete.

Lastly, follow a good diet. Whether you're trying to lose fat or bulk up, 60% of your results will be from your diet, believe it or not it's true.

There's so many positive things to say about this product it's hard to know where to begin. I'll try to avoid covering too much familiar ground of the other reviews. So let's start by saying this: It absolutely works. What's great about this program is that it addresses ALL your fitness needs. Whereas most workout videos/programs tend to focus on either strength training or cardio or flexibility or target specific areas, P90X does it all. Just be aware that you'll have to invest in a pull up bar (although alternatives are given for substituting power bands, but nothing beats the bar), some dumbells or power bands (the bands work fine if you're looking to tone up or travel with them, but for people really looking to do some work and get their Bruce Lee on, dumbells are a must), a yoga mat, possibly some push-up stands (they're worth it, or you can just use your dumbells if you have the kind shaped like a hex or a square), and a heart-rate monitor isn't bad either. I'm 30 and I've been an avid gym rat since I was 15. This thing beat me up the first time through. Plus, I'm flexible like I've never been before which makes life so much better getting out of bed not being stiff. Best of all, my abs are chiseled better than when I was 20. Tough to argue with that. Alright, enough about me, I think one of the strongest points of this program is it's level of customization.

The way the program works is this: For the first three weeks you'll do strength training workouts on days 1,3, and 5(each bodypart being worked once per week with the exception of the back-you're gonna do A LOT of pull-ups/chin-ups). On days 2,4, and 6 you'll do some form of cardio (yoga, plyo, kenpo). And then on day 7 you have an optional stretch. Then on week 4 you completely remove the resistance days and they're replaced with other types of cardio and stretching (the Core routine is amazing). In weeks 5-7 you keep the same days 2,4, and 6, but you have all new videos for the resistance days so your muscles are forced to adapt and grow and avoid plateauing. Week 8 is the same as week 4, allowing you to catch up for the final push. Weeks 9 and 11 are the same as 1-3, weeks 10 and 12 are the same as 5-7, and then there's the final week, same as 4 and 8. I know it may sound a bit confusing, but it's all laid out very clearly and concisely in the accompanying book. Plus, you'll be doing abs on the resistance days.

What I just described is called P90X Classic. It's the standard arrangement of exercises. Again, here's where the customization comes in. If your goals are more weight loss and slimming down, the book rearranges the videos into what's called P90X Lean, de-emphasizing the resistance training in favor of the fat burning. And for those truly "touched in the head", there's P90X doubles. This has you doing 2 programs per day on certain days, one in the morning and one in the evening. This is truly the ultimate challenge (but also a bit time consuming as you'll need more than 2 free hours per day to dedicate to exercising).

Another great feature of the program is the inclusion of Cardio X. PlyoX is, by far, the toughest of the cardio programs. It will chew you up and spit you out the first few times you try it. For those that find it too difficult or may have some joint issues preventing them from jumping, Cardio X is designed to be a low-impact substitute. Throughout all the different programs, Tony and the crew will show alternate exercises for people that may have some health issues (knees, shoulders, etc. . .).

Some people wonder what's next once they finish. Good question. For most, you'll benefit from going through the program one more time as is. Or, you can try the lean or doubles. Maybe just do the classic again, but try and do things double-time or increase your weights a good deal. It'll probably be a month or so before you're able to truly begin to keep up with the videos the first time through-and then they switch it up on you (that's the beauty of it). So doing it a second time allows you to go hard from day 1. Also, Beachbody is releasing P90X+ in Dec. 07. These are 5 new workouts that you can substitute in to the existing infrastructure. But, be aware, these are for people that have already gone through the entire 'X' or are in world-class shape, as they are more difficult than even their predecessors were. They were designed specifically with the intent of building upon the foundation laid by P90X, by no means are they a jumping on point. Plus, they don't replace all the existing videos, so you would be far from a complete set should you choose to grab just the + programs. But hop over to youtube and put in P90X+ for a preview (I get tired just watching). With the inclusion of these videos, the ability to mix and match as you choose to in order to meet your goals, and the format that allows you to determine intensity and speed, you'll be able to keep your workouts fresh for a very long time.

And once you've gone through the program, you'll get an excellent feel for what each video does and how to customize the program. You may want to increase your flexibility by using the Stretch X and Yoga X a few times per week, supplementing it with some cardio and strength work. Bottom line, the choices are yours. Just remember, these are not for beginners and you will need an hour per day (hour and a half for yoga)-no "30 minutes 3X per week" nonsense here. If you head on over to the P90X website (just google it since we can't use URL's), click on the picture about half way down that says "Learn more about P90X" and then click on "Is P90X for me", there'll be a link to a PDF of the fitness test you can do at home that will give you a good idea of whether or not you're ready to begin the program.

Even with the additional equipment to buy, it is well worth the money. Remember, you're not expected to be able to keep up right away. It'll be quite a while before you do. Go slow and at your own pace. You are encouraged to just keep with it, even if you can only do 1 pull-up, do it and wait for the next exercise to begin. Just stay with it and you'll be amazed at the progress you make. The last thing you want to do it burn yourself out right away. When I first got the program I spent 2 weeks just "walking" through all the routines (and I was still spent). One final note, just be careful if you live in the upstairs of a building as I do, it can make Plyo day a bit disconcerting for the neighbors beneath you if they're not expecting it ;)

One last note because I've seen some of the negative comments on here: Buy it from the official site. Just say no to all the special offers so you don't get billed for anything extra (I declined all offers and have never had a single problem with extra charges). Just buy it from the regular site at P90Xdotcom.

Update Jan. 2010: Just wanted to give everyone regarding the longevity of P90X. In short- it's still amazing. I actually started doing the program last year with co-workers. They liked it so much that some of them decided to go in on the Tony Horton 1-on-1 series and the Insanity series (that's how you keep it from getting real expensive, get some friends and share). We're currently doing the Insanity series and it is absolutely phenomenal. I do miss the weights, but the body weight exercises are still challenging. Once we're done we're going to sit down and combine P90X, P90X+, 1-on-1, and Insanity to create our own mixes. It's actually quite simple. 3 days of strength training (making sure we get each body part at least once per week) and 3 days of cardio (with 1 of them being a stretching or yoga day). Right now that gives us over 40 routines to mix and match, always obeying the P90X rule of muscle confusion and using the P90X calendar to structure the types of workouts and recovery weeks. P90X will always be the core of these routines with other things subbed in (the Insanity cardio routines are unreal-Pure Cardio left me on the floor the first time I did it). The bottom line is that this stuff works, and keeps working, and works well together. The beauty has always been in the mix and match. Once you can master that you'll have enough to keep you fit for the rest of your life. The advantage to Insanity is that there are no weights, so it travels better than P90X. I know you can substitute power bands, but it still feels like cheating. So when we travel for work for a few days it's Insanity that comes with us. But other than that P90X still rules and I still get amazing results by simply pushing harder, and faster, and perfecting my form. Plus, after I've been away from some of the workouts for a few months they do present a challenge for me when I return to them. I don't think they'll ever be "easy" per se. So just "keep pressing play".

This is the best thing going if your intent is real fitness. There's a lot to say so forgive me if this comes off as a bit disjointed.

Production values: I have no complaints. Tony is a likable guy, his banter is tolerable, and his tips are good. The camera work, music, photography, etc. leave little to be desired. He has three sidekicks in each tape, and they are all nice eye candy for both sexes. They tend to do the typical hard, middle, easy version of the movements which is what you would expect.

Equipment requirements: The only specialized equipment you'll need is a yoga mat, chinup bar, and some dumbbells. The tapes move at a good pace so you should probably get two sets of dumbbells, thats what I have and I find it works. With only one set you will pause the tape too much to adjust. If you can afford and have the space for a full set of hex dumbbells than you have the best possible setup. With two sets of adjustable bells I rarely feel like I'm working too heavy or two light, I just use 15 and 25 pounders. For some movements a five or ten pound plate held in your hands is sufficient.

Difficulty: This is pretty hard. Harder than most workouts by quite a bit. Lots of movements, not a lot of rest time. Certain tapes are tougher than others but you will wipe yourself out on all of them unless you are not trying or are in elite shape.

The tapes: Good variety on a good schedule. If you keep it up you will get fit, there is no way to avoid it. Some of my favorites include Legs / Back, Ab Ripper, Stretching and Yoga, and Core. There are no tapes that I feel are not useful or well done.

The movements: Lots of movements in each tape, not a lot of rest typically. This builds muscle endurance and tone. Good assortment, quite a few movements I've never seen. Expect to make close friends with your pull up bar.

Who should use them: Unless you are verging on morbidly obese I think you can use these tapes, but you will be frustrated and wipe out early. Assess yourself, assess whether you can handle not finishing workouts for quite a while until you get into shape. For most people, though, they can handle these tapes, if they are prepared to start slow and work at it and are of proportional weight. It will be a long time before you reach a fitness level where the tapes don't challenge you. For most people that probably won't ever happen.

Who should not use them: Don't use these if you fall into the following categories:

1) You are determined to get massive as quickly as possible. P90x is not bodybuilding. Its overall fitness. You won't get huge, you'll get strong and have good muscle endurance which helps out in the real world. Pure bodybuilding involves many fewer exercises, fewer reps, much heavier weight, and would be quite difficult to pull off with the P90x limited equipment requirements. Plus you need a special diet to really get the gains.

2) You expect this to be the solution to your weight problems. This will help. A lot. More than enough to satisfy the "get exercise" requirement of any diet. But exercise is not enough. You still, in my experience, need to make friends with hunger, and get used to the fact that you should be somewhat to moderately hungry much of the day if you really want to cut weight. The whole grazing diet craze where you eat 6 small meals a day and never feel the slightest bit hungry sounds great on paper but I never lost weight with it unless I did, in fact, eat small enough meals that I did, in fact, feel significant hunger. Maybe you are different.

3) You have sports specific needs. If you train for sport than you should know what you are doing anyways, or have a coach, so I don't need to say much on that.

What it lacks: The program still has some problems. The cardio routines are all well done, and will get you working, but it is still not as efficient in building endurance as pure cardio like running or swimming and sprinting. I still do them but I add a regular running routine that involves a lot of sprinting. There is no faster way.

The plyometrics routine is good but probably not tough enough to train for sport or develop real explosiveness and power. Too many movements, not enough rest, not enough focus on exploding with 100% of power that a typical sport plyometrics routine would have you do. Its still a good workout though, no question.

Lack of focus on lower back. You'll do some lower back work in some of the tapes but not enough to prevent injury long term if you have a history in my opinion. This is probably an equipment limitation. I supplement the tape by doing a workout once a week consisting of barbell dead lifts and barbell good mornings and my back doesn't go out anymore, thank God. Three sets of each, go heavy, max effort then some downward dog and child's pose to stretch it out. Stretch and warm up beforehand, obviously. Your lower back will be like steel cables if you do this. I also do heavy squats in the same workout since they are the key to overall body strength but the legs routine is plenty for most people.

Some of the worksheets are not as detailed as I would like, and are missing exercises, especially the legs worksheet. They are also frustratingly small.

All in all if you do p90x you will have real fitness that you can use in the real world. You won't impress other guys at the bar with how big and buff you are, but if you can keep your weight under control you will end up ripped and toned, and most people agree thats the most appealing look anyways for both sexes.

Just expect to work hard to get it. Fitness isn't free. Good luck to you.

Disclaimer: I don't do the p90x diet plan nor do I use their supplements and recovery drinks. Too expensive for me and I can whip those up on my own by doing some research. For all I know they are awesome but in reality if you eat a varied healthy diet and maybe drink some grape juice immediately after working out and then a meal after you've cleaned yourself up you should be good to go.

I agree with all of the postive reviews described earlier for this product. This is the only "infomercial" product that I have ever purchased, and I did so because I could tell it was the real deal. No quick fixes, just a solid plan to follow for someone who is willing to work hard. A few thoughts:

1. This is an advanced workout system. I had been working out in a gym for 6 years and was in excellent shape, but had hit a plateau and was looking for something to take me to the next level fitness wise. This has exceeded my expectations in that regard. Despite my good level of fitness to begin with, I still found the program to be very, very challenging! This is not for beginners.

2. A few of the individual DVDs in this package are "lifetime" workouts (ie. I can see myself doing them for years to come), including Plyo, Yoga X, Legs/Back, and X-stretch. The other workouts are all excellent as well, but to avoid plateauing it would be best to cycle in and out of these workouts once you complete the 90 day program (they have just issued a follow on program called P90X+ that would be the logical next step).

3. Nutrition: As Jack LaLanne is fond of saying, "Exercise is King and Diet is Queen. Together you have a Kingdom". Eating clean (following their guidelines) is key to maximum results. It's 80% nutrition and 20% exercise to achieve the results you see on TV.

4. My P90X package came with two "bonus workouts", which are from the P90 Master Series (UML and Cardio Intervals). The Cardio Intervals workout is actually more demanding than the Cardio X workout that is part of the P90X system, but not as demanding as the Plyo X workout. It's a great addition to the whole system. I use it when I want something less intense than Plyo X. Cardio X is a workout for an easy day in my view. UML stands for Upper-Middle-Lower, a 30 minute full body workout that you might do on a day when you're short of time. There are some very challenging exercises on UML.

5. Kenpo X - nice workout but doesn't really get the heart rate up too high for me (this is supposed to be a cardio workout). I'm told that many P90X fans deal with this by wearing weighted gloves and/or ankle weights and that solves the problem. I have yet to try that, but it sounds like it would work fine.

6. Plyo X - a great workout (my favorite actually), but somewhat high impact. If you have knee, feet or shin problems, you can do this workout but in the modified fashion that they show you. This is so hard, cardiovascularly, that I was not able to finish it the first time I tried it (I was trying to keep up with a guy in the video who has a prosthetic leg; he's tougher than I am). I'm a former track and cross country runner by the way, including interval work, so I'm no stranger to tough cardio workouts. Still, I found this one to be very tough, which is why I like it.

7. Equipment: you can do this program without a chin up bar and without weights. You'd instead use resistance bands. However, I tried doing the program with just the bands for the first month and found myself constantly wishing I had a bar and weights, so I went out and bought a chin up bar (the Door Gym which is great) and a set of adjustable dumbbells (I bought Power Blocks which are terrific; Bowflex SelectTechs are also terrific). I still use the bands for certain exercises, but I like the flexibility of having multiple "tools" to use to achieve the best result.

Overall, an outstanding product. High quality, very professional, no gimmicks. Just a solid plan for improved fitness that truly does work.

Okay so I love to go to the gym but I don't always have the time. These workouts are great for when you are home and need a strong workout. Grab a couple weights and do some pushups and pullups and situps etc. Good Militant style workout. My biggest complaint with home workout videos was that they did not have enough exercises for a strength training. These workouts are different. Lots of routines for the price...even if they are a little expensive but worth it for the variety and a quick home workout. One other awesome Feature about the dvds....Once you go threw the videos once and understand the workout you can choose to turn off the instructors voice during the workout and he only speaks when the next execise is up. You can also choose music or no music. Great feature. Turn on some good workout music and get to it. Would buy again. If you need a good strong workout for home and want to build up strength this is good set. Being a guy it is hard to find a strong workout for home on a video. Seen the wifes video but they where just not my type of workout. This is a good workout for a guy or a woman.

A great aspect of this workout program is the fact that you need very little to actually use it.
A few dumbbells you can find at Wal-Mart, a 10 dollar door frame chin-up bar and a good, strong chunk of willpower is just about all you need. If you're like me and wanted to get something to use on the road while you're away from your basement gym, this is perfect.
If you don't have a basement gym, this is still perfect.

Not everyone has the same body type, and the people performing for you on this DVD reflect that. The people run the gambit of body types, from taller and bigger to leaner. It does a great job showing results possible for several different body types.

A warning, this workout set will kick your body HARD at first. You will not be able to finish most of the workouts, don't hurt yourself trying to. Go as far as your muscles will allow you (your muscles will literally stop working. You will reach "failure" and that's what you want.) and then stop. Rest.

Take it slow in the beginning. Try to ignore the pep-squad style yammering of the coach unless you need the encouragement and enjoy the results.

This was the first in home workout I have ever done and thought I would never do one.

But for some reason this one caught my attention and has held it. I am in my second round of this workout and using the food plan this time. The first time I lost 8 inches around my chest and waist and a good deal of weight, and that was without the food plan. i did not eat nachos everynight but I did follow the workouts...

Let me say this, I was overweight and way out of shape, and found it hard to get started, but with motivation and determination that this place provides I am almost a year into my weight loss and I have kept it off.

I have faltered and fell at times, only to get back on the wagon, and I have to say this without sounding cheesy...but this thing really changed my life.

If you get this be sure to get bands or a pull up bar...it will make a huge differance

If you want more info you can contact me and I will help all i can...

If you buy it...use it...and you will transform your body

I ended up not being able to use this product and had to send it back. There is a fitness test in it because it is so extreme. They recommend that if you can't pass the test to start with something lighter. This is a good recommendation, and goes to their credit. Of course it would be better if they told you this before you purchase the product then lose money in shipping to and from. It would also have been nice if I knew ahead of time that I needed a large area with all the moving around this course requires. The area that I have to work out in is to small for all the exercises.
And most inmportantly, if you do return it, watch your bank statements! I received the return authorization number and sent mine back. Thankfully I had delivery confirmation on it. Not only did I not get a refund, but the next month they charged me the second installment! (Yes I bought this directly from the company.) When I called to question this they needed to track the package to make sure they received it. I then received the refunds that I was supposed to get, and quickly too. But of course the refund did not cover shipping and handling either way. And even with the "free upgrade to express delivery" the S&H was over $21.

First off let me say that I am a 23 year old male who has consistently been working out at a gym since I was 16. I have always felt it was only women who use fitness videos. After watching the P90x informercial I decided to order this product but was skeptical working out at home would be as effective as the gym. After completing the 90 day bootcamp, let me say wow. I went from 14 to 8% bodyfat, my chest, arms, and abs are ripped and I feel great, I am in the best shape of my life by far. Even though I am done with this 90 day program I still use it everyday because I enjoy it so much more than going to a gym. Tony and co. make you feel like you are working out with a bunch of friends which makes this workout more enjoyable. This was the best $150 bucks I have ever spent, just remember to Bring It!