P90X

Sitting around my parents home last November in a post turkey Thanksgiving haze I was having an interesting conversation with my cousin Tyson and her husband Mark. We were talking about working out and fitness and they asked me what I have been up to. I confessed that I was really good in the summer about running and working out but from about October to February I pretty much just lifted the remote control and "ran" to the fridge.

They said they had been doing an interesting workout called P90X. They said it was alot of fun, challenging and they were seeing great results. They are also both military men and women so I knew if it was good enough for them it would be good enough for me. I started using this workout routine last November and have to say it has been pretty great overall. Last night Danielle got the "all clear" to resume working out after her C-section and she was introduced for the first time to their intense workouts. Here are my pros and cons on P90X:

PROS

1. Very little equipment needed. I have 20lb dumbells, a yoga mat and a resistance band. I also use the deck behind the house to do pullups. That is it for my "home gym".
2. Not having to drive anywhere to work out. Maybe not a problem for some people but for someone like me looking for an excuse to not work out this takes that option away.
3. Variety. The workouts are scheduled for you and make alot of sense. After you kill your arms one day, the next workout hits a totally different area and lets you recover a bit.
4. Pretty quick results. If you do the workouts and follow the schedule there is no way you won't see results in 3 months.
5. You can workout at home with a partner. I am excited that Danielle can start joining the workouts.

CONS

1. Time. The workouts are long - at least 1 hour per day, 6 days a week is the recommended schedule with some workouts being 90 minutes.
2. Brutal. The workouts are not for the faint of heart. The first couple of weeks I was stiff and sore continually.

All in all I think P90X is a great way to get back into shape and stay in shape. I am looking forward to seeing if my wife agrees!