P2X

If you have been alive in the past year or two, chances are you have heard of “P90X.” It is the latest in a seemingly never-ending parade of fitness programs available to the American consumer. I have no idea what the “P” stands for, but the “90” signifies that the program is 90 days long. (One of the first things I noticed when I bought the P90X DVD set is that it is a 13-week regimen, which technically is 91 days, but I won’t quibble.) The “X,” of course, stands for “EXTREME,” a word that can only be adequately expressed by placing it in all capital letters. P90X joins the nearly endless list of “EXTREME” products on the market today. In fact, the only way I can think of to advertise this product better would be to call it “P90X-Naked.” (If you don’t get that, see my blog entry from September 15th.)

Alright, so, in addition to the slick marketing, I have also been impressed with the personal testimonials. Over the past year I know of several people who have done the P90X program, and to a person, they all have glowing praise for it. Over time I became intrigued enough to look into doing the program myself. And the first problem I ran into is that it costs about $120 to $150. I wasn’t sure I wanted to pay that much for a program that, quite frankly, I might use just once or twice and then never use again. But then I got an idea. I figured that there must be a lot of people out there who have paid $120 or more for P90X, used it once, and now it is collecting dust on their bookshelf. So, I bought the DVD set via Craigslist. After withdrawing $50 from my bank account and executing what felt like a covert drug deal at a local mall, I became the proud owner of P90X.

My next big decision (after making the purchase) was when to start my first 90-day run through. I already knew that I was going out of town for a weekend in September for my mother and father-in-law’s 50th wedding anniversary, where I would not only be away from home, but I would be doing a lot of eating. In keeping with my long standing policy of not starting any diet or exercise program before such a trip, I decided to start after I returned home. That way I would weigh even more at the beginning of the 90 days, and my results would be all the more impressive.

Okay, one more decision to make before getting started. That is, how much extra “fitness stuff” am I going to buy before I begin? Like any company concerned with the welfare of the American consumer, P90X recommends/offers exercise mats, fitness drinks, push-up hand grips, exercise bands, heart-rate monitors, etc. etc. In addition, they recommend that participants take “before,” “during,” and “after” photos so that you can see your progress. I think they want you to have your photo taken at Days 0, 30, 60, and 90 (why not on Day 91 when you really finish?).

Anyway, at the risk of great embarrassment, the photo you see above will suffice as my “Day 0” photo. Let me explain. The day that I bought P90X, I watched the first video in my family room, just to see what a workout looks like. By the end of watching it, I was so exhausted that I fell asleep on the floor. My wife thought that it was pretty funny that I fell asleep merely watching P90X (yes, it does seem pretty pathetic), so she took the picture. Things can only get better, right? Anyway, I decided not to buy any of the other stuff, at least for now. If I waited to buy this, that, and the other thing, I’d never get started.

By the title of this blog entry, you may have guessed that I have now been on the program for two days—it’s just “P2X” for me, so far. So, how do I feel after two days? MISERABLE! Day 1 was an hour-long chest and back workout, admittedly a weak area for me. In keeping with one of the program’s catch-phrases, I “did my best, and forgot the rest” (meaning do what you can, and don’t worry if you can’t do it all). I did a modest amount of the push-ups and pull-ups, nowhere near the full workout, yet still, I could not feel my arms when the workout was over. I didn’t want to be too sore the next day, but, by the morning of Day 2, I was—how can I put it?—EXTREMEly sore.

The Day 2 workout was “Plyometrics,” which is basically an insane aerobic routine which is heavy on jumping, squatting, and using the leg muscles. I began the day with my own “fitness drink”—a half a glass of milk with an 800mg Motrin. As for the workout, I could do only about half of it, which was more than enough for the first try. The thing I liked best about the Plyometrics workout is that my legs hurt so much that I actually forgot about how badly my chest, arms, and back hurt from Day 1!

Well, I’m sure I’ll have more to say about this as my 91-day adventure proceeds. While I am very sore now, I do believe that over time, once I get used to all this, I will no doubt enjoy the program to the EXTREME.