is the "p90x" really effective or commercial bs?

Oi · Posted On: 10/06/2009 5:00pm

I'v heard alot about the p90x but I was wondering if it is just more commercial BS that I see commonly on t.v

"OMgz why buy this product for 29.99 when u can only buy it for 3 prices of 15 dollars!!!"

**Kintanon** · Posted On: 10/06/2009 5:43pm

I dunno about how effective it is, but I can tell you it will certainly kick your ass. We add about 15 minutes of p90x style work after classes for the month or so leading up to tournaments.

**Punisher** · Posted On: 10/06/2009 8:34pm

P90X can be effective, but there is nothing magical about it.

Is it so hard to believe that if work out an hour a day for the next 90 days that you'll get into great shape?

Like any excercise program/diet the problem is sticking with it. Most people don't have the discipline to do it.

My sister and brother in law are both PE teachers and coach highschool sports. They made going through p90x their summer project. Even despite being athletes all there lives and having each other to motivate and support they stopped after a few weeks.

**Sikaranista** · Posted On: 10/06/2009 9:26pm

The other aspect is the weakness of any video training. A video can't tell if you're cheating through an exercise or not using the form to get the most out of an exercise.

Exercise videos do serve a purpose, and from what I've seen of the program it looks good. Not my choice though...I'd rather swim or work out with my trainer.

**shadower** · Posted On: 10/06/2009 10:15pm

While you may not end up as ripped as the commercials, if you follow the video you'll be in alot better shape. If you're in really good shpe to begin with it won't make too much of a difference. But in my opinion, its definitely worth the investment

**selfcritical** · Posted On: 10/07/2009 12:53am

Part of a 3 part critique of p90x from an RKC point of view- basically pointing out ways in which it inflates it's claims and misses some of the science it's trying to employ
http://www.begin2dig.com/2009/08/ref...rt-1-of-3.html

**apollyondestrud** · Posted On: 10/08/2009 12:44am

The only bit I've seen of this program is this little ad on a sidebar that was showing its founder or whatever in his before and after pictures. In the before pics you can tell that the guy has muscles. Essentially all he did was lose some fat to uncover them, bust out some sets for a quick pump, get dehydrated and then take some pictures body-builder style.

That's just the impression I'm getting. I could be wrong.

**Punisher** · Posted On: 10/08/2009 7:43pm

BTW. My brother-in-law who has a BS in Kinesiology and a Masters in Sports Performance Enhancement said the program was good. He didn't have any major problems with the excerises or claims.

But like I said, you have to do it. Go balls out for an hour at day for the next 3 months.

**Emevas** · Posted On: 10/08/2009 8:30pm

I wrote these critiques in an earlier topic

It may simply be the marketing I take issue with, but here goes.

1: It's a 90 day program, of course it's going to provide results. Any person following any decent program for 3 months is going to get results. The problem people have is sticking with the damn program in the first place. I know lots of people that keep falling off the P90X wagon after 1 month. There's nothing magical or exclusive to P90X on this one.

2: It's a system, not just a workout. Many people miss this fact. The system includes the DIET. If you follow the strict diet laid out in the program along with follow P90X, you'll get results. However, if you followed the diet and any other decent program on earth, you'd also get results, and I contend they may in fact be BETTER than the ones on the P90X workout.

3: Muscle confusion. Everyone has a hardon about this aspect of the program. Your body isn't dumb. You aren't "tricking" it into progressing because one day you did curls and the next day you did spider curls. It's just a mutation of the idea of progressive resistance. A GREAT way to "confuse" your muscles is by adding more weight or more reps to your workout every single time you step in the gym. Look at programs like Starting Strength, where you stick with the same movement for over a YEAR and STILL keep making progress, because every time you step into the gym you add more weight to the bar. It doesn't take anything overly complicated to make progress, just hard ass work, which most people would rather substitute by switching movements constantly.

4: Muscle group splits for beginning level trainees. I may just be old fashioned, by I fail to see the point in having an arms day when you don't even have any arms. Beginning level trainees don't need to focus entire days to muscle groups, they can work the whole body in one workout with simply a lower body movement, an upper body push, and an upper body pull. If you feel more volume is necessary, split between lower body and upper body. Save the muscle group splitting for more advanced trainees, and typically those with bodybuilding aspirations.

5: Ab ripper X. Most beginning level trainees spend WAY too much time on their abs trying to get a six pack through spot reduction, and really would benefit more from lowerback/core work to balance out the imbalances brought about by too strong of abs.

I will applaud P90X for getting people off the couch, but for the way the infomercials promote it and it's cultlike following, I just don't see what is so fantastic about it. I get tired of my friends telling me they're on P90X while they eat their 4th donut, or people in the gym talking about the great secret of "muscle confusion" and giving me a smug glance as I work on my front squats for the 6th week in a row. Oh when will I ever learn.

And here is a discussion on it

http://www.bullshido.net/forums/show...highlight=P90X

**selfcritical** · Posted On: 10/08/2009 9:33pm

I'm trying to remember, programs like starting strength still "wave" the loads with planned "back-off" weeks, correct? And then rachet up the load again?