P90x review time.I don’t do a lot of reviews on my site but today I’m going to tackle the granddaddy of home workout programs, P90x.
First let’s get this out the way: Unlike most P90x reviews this is not going to be some feel-good story filled with fairies and unicorns about how P90x has changed my life.
Quite the opposite.
This is going to be a brutally honest P90x workout review and analysis of its system and methodology.
Let’s get to it.
Muscle confusion is (kinda) bullshit
Yeah that’s right, I said it.
In P90x, muscle confusion basically states that you must consistently switch up your exercise selection to continue to burn fat, build muscle, and avoid plateaus.
There is some truth to this but a lot of the theory behind muscle confusion is bullshit.
Your muscles can’t get “confused.” Sorry to break the bad news. As a human being, you and your thoughts can get confused (like when you go to Bangkok and find out half the girls there are dudes). But your muscles can’t get confused. Making your workout more confusing doesn’t result in a more effective workout.
Your muscles can ONLY adapt to volume and load. This means that if you want to gain more muscle, you need to be progressively push more weight and/or reps. For example, this can be as simple as going from only being able to do 1 push-up to being able to do 2 push-ups. You progressed from 1 to 2 so your muscles will automatically get stronger. And when you’re able to do 50 push ups, you’re going to have much stronger muscles.
See what I mean? You progressed from 1 to 50 so your muscles are now bigger and stronger. Boom! Logic and common sense FTW, none of that muscle confusion silliness.
P90x review: The workouts are overkill and unnecessary
With P90x you workout 6-7 times per week depending on whether you take the 7th day as a Rest or “X Stretch” day.
Day 1 – Chest&Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Plyometrics
Day 3 – Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6: KenpoX
Day 7: Rest or X Stretch
7x per week workouts. Fuck…
Professional athletes train 5-7 times per week, so why would an average Joe who simply wants to lose weight and look better need to workout every single day.
The answer – there is no need to train 7 days per week. This is just all part of P90x’s extreme branding. Obviously you’re going to be tired and incredibly sore from doing P90x so people inevitably say it’s “working” for them.
Even if you’re an advanced trainer, I can almost never recommend training 7 days per week. Granted some of these days are more relaxed than others (yoga and stretching) but still, training 7 days per week is unnecessary especially if your goal is to simply look and feel good (which is probably what most are trying to accomplish).
Will P90x get results if you do it? Yes absolutely, but it is by far one of the least optimal approaches to losing weight.
When it comes to fat loss, one of the best approaches to working out is to simply train 3-4 times per week to mainly preserve muscle mass, and to let your diet create the majority of the calorie deficit and burn fat. P90x takes the opposite approach – it tries to use the workout to create a calorie deficit/burn fat and the diet to sustain energy.
It’s much easier to eat 100 less calories than it is to burn 100 calories via exercise.
P90x review: Dieting not made easy
I’m not going to dive into the dieting section much since it’s a very very typical eat every 2-3 hours, 6 meals per day “eat clean” diet. You’ll also get the and exact meal plan to follow in the diet section.
And I am not a fan of these typical diets mostly because they’re restrictive, allow no room for error, and makes you form a bad relationship with food.
Not to mention the fact that the whole “You need to eat breakfast and eat every 2-3 hours.” saying is complete myth. Sorry, eating every 2-3 hours does not boost your metabolism.
You can eat 1 meal per day or you can eat 6 meals per day. It doesn’t matter.
Check out a sample day of how I eat here.
Dieting is a lifestyle change but do you really want to live a lifestyle where you have to eat every 2-3 hours on the clock and can only eat a specific list of foods. Of course not, that’s lame. You want to live a life where ice cream and doughnuts are regularly involved.
I really like how Nate Miyaki’s approach to dieting, Feat Your Fat Away where you get to feast on food every night and still lose fat. His approach makes it super flexible and easy to lose fat.
Why do you want to do P90x?
Serious question: Why do you want to do P90x? Just be honest.
Most people who do P90x fall into the following categories:
- You simply want to get in shape (lose fat and build a little muscle).
- You want to get in shape but are too lazy or embarrassed to go to the gym
- You want to get absolutely ripped and need an intense workout program to help you do that.
People in category 1 are typically the beginners. They end up doing P90x because they simply believe it’s the best option. They constantly hear their friends talk about it, they see the infomercials, and what the hell, it’s the New Year so I may as well give this new workout a shot, right?
Those in category 2 have probably already tried losing weight in the past with no success. Perhaps they went to the gym and had no idea what they were doing or perhaps they had a bad experience with a personal trainer that touched them in weird places. Now they simply want to stay in the comfort of the home and maybe give this P90x thing a shot.
Category 3 people are those who are already familiar with working out but want to give themselves more of a challenge. These aren’t beginners, but they want a workout to push their body to the limit.
To be completely honest, the only people who should do P90x are category 3 people. If you find yourself in category 1 or 2, P90x is going to be overkill for you. There are much better options out there.
Conclusion: P90x gets results but it’s not the optimal solution for weight loss
I know what you’re going to say.
“But Tony Horton does P90x and he’s ripped.”
“But my friend’s uncle’s second cousin did P90x and he lost a ton of weight.”
“Shut the hell up, obviously P90x works since so many people have used it and got in shape.”
And you’re 110% right. If you follow P90x to the letter, you will get results. You will lose weight and look better, guaranteed.
But you don’t need to do P90x to lose weight and get in shape. If you truly want to improve your conditioning, then P90x may be right for you otherwise it’s a bit pointless.
In fact when you talk to people who do P90x, all you do is hear them bitch and moan about how tough the workout is and how it’s kicking their ass. “Oh man, P90x is so hard but I know it’s working because I’m so sore.” No shit Sherlock, if you do any intense workout that you’ve never done before, you’re going to be sore. And people always tend to equate soreness to results even though it’s not true (but that’s another article altogether).
My point is – P90x works but it’s not optimal if you simply wan to to lose weight and get in shape. There are just so many more effective and simple options out there. Whether you’re looking for a great at-home workout routine (I like Bodyweight Burn) or you can just go to the gym 3x per week and do a few simple strength training workouts.
And boom, you’re done. There’s no need to train 6-7 times per week…absolutely no reason at all.
Remember, use your diet to lose weight and your workout to build/maintain muscle.
P90x review breakdown
Pros:
- Exact meal plans for those who don’t know what to cook
- Good workouts for building endurance and overall conditioning
Cons:
- Over the top and unnecessary workouts if you simply want to lose weight and look/feel good
- Absolutely no science to back up muscle confusion
- Diet plan is laughably cliche – your typical eat 6 meals per day, eat clean stuff
Overall P90x score – 6.5/10
Need a more better home workout routine than P90x?
So if P90x isn’t as great everyone else makes it out to be, what are you suppose to do use for a home workout program?
There are a ton of great options but one of my favorite programs is Bodyweight Burn by Adam Steer.
It’s a fantastic program that allows you get a great workout in as little as 21 minutes. To some that might not seem like a lot but if done effectively like in Bodyweight Burn, sometimes that’s all you need.
I know I’m in the minority when it comes to doing more negative P90x reviews, so PLEASE leave any questions or comments you have in the comment section below. I’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you have. As Tony Horton would say, “Bring It!”
Is P90X the same as Sean T’s Insanity work out?
No, they’re different programs.
nice review keith…..very detailed….i tried p90x myself about a year ago whilst i was overweight…..i found it brutal and pretty burned out…..its not at all fr the sedentary overweight guy just starting off…….and btw i loléd so hard at the batman and joker convo pic…..cheers
Thanks Vignesh.
Hey, Keith…
Good post. My sister is really into P90x, and she thinks that it’s the best thing since sliced bread! She’s after that elusive six-pack and what she doesn’t understand is that the more she trains the bigger her love handles seem to get. It’s a bit like the old cardio “blah, blah, blah”. The more you do it, the more cortisol your body produces and the fatter you get! I told her to follow my strategy: Work out thrice a week at the gym lifting heavy weights, do one HITT session per week, fast one or two days per week, and for God’s sake, and stop giving your teeth so much shit to grind everyday!
haha thanks Mario. Some people do tend to get a bit too preachy about P90x.
The problem is, Keith, some people tend to get too preachy about all types of cardio-like training without fully understanding the science behind it! Keep up the great work!
Thanks Mario.
My question Keith, is how much of a kick back is Craig giving you guys to put down P90X and promote his new workout? I find it odd that I got a wave of emails from people I’ve bought products from, all slamming P90X while pointing to Craig’s site to buy his new program. Not that there is anything wrong with this mind you, but you guys should at least be honest as to why all of a sudden you are writing these scathing reviews.
By the way, I have done several complete rounds of P90X. My review – it’s a well balanced program that gets you in very good condition. You do tend to lose absolute strength (or what I call “gym strength”) over the course of the program, unless you still hit the gym a couple days a week. By no means am I a slave to P90X or any other Beach Body program. They are tools, just like any other program.
Hey Nick,
I explicitly say that the link in my article to Craig’s program is an affiliate link meaning I do get a commission. I do think P90x is excellent for conditioning but very few people purchase P90x for the sake of becoming more conditioned.
Like I said, the majority of people get P90x because they want to lose weight, look and feel good. Their #1 reason for getting it isn’t to become more conditioned (do you agree?) And for this reason, P90x is largely a non-optimal solution. There are much easier approaches like Craig’s program that don’t take nearly as much time and can get you the same results.
Ok Keith, we could argue how explicit an affiliate link in an entire article slamming P90X is, but I’ll focus on the better conditioning. From my personal experience, and I’ve been doing the working out thing for over 30 years now, is the better condition you are in, the better you will look and feel. Are there exceptions? Of course, especially if you don’t watch what you eat. Also, if a person isn’t willing to give something 90 days (3 months) to get fit, what are the chances they’ll stick with any program long term? Just have major problems tearing down something to promote something else, especially when making a profit is involved. If you hate P90X fine, but Craig’s program should be sold on its own merit, not with some controversy grabbing headline.
My review of P90x would be exactly the same regardless of whether or not I promote another person’s program in it. While conditioning is great, you don’t need to train 7 days per week to be conditioned and feel great.
Hey Keith! Nice Review!
I like youre blog so much.
Finally someone who speaks the truth and doesnt confuse us with all the extras extensions and so called secrets the fitness industry wants to sell 😉
I have a question when it comes to home workouts:
Have you ever heard of freeletics?
Here in Germany its quite famous 😛
I simply dont know if its worth a try or not.
As an expert in workouts could you please make a review or give me a hint ? 😉
https://www.freeletics.com/en
Thank you Nico.
Never heard of freeletics, but it looks decent. Just give it try and see if you enjoy it 🙂
“You can eat 1 meal per day or you can eat 6 meals per day. It doesn’t matter.”
This is false you cannot eat once a day and expect to have energy to exercise at the gym properly unless you want to half ass it, this information misguides ppl. P90x works i agree if u are not commited and are not familiar with working out its going to be discouraging due to the fact that mos beginers dont know proper form and if you are not using proper form you will not see results. And dont look at the dieting from a negative aspect or temporary if you want to maintain a healthy good physique you will need to learn to eat clean there is no way around this and this is crucial eating healthy needs to be a life style not something temporary yes once a week to have unhealthy foods its fine but your diet is crucial to weight loss, muscle gains and keeping them. Eating unhealthy is fun and delicious i agree and its hard to break apart from that but changing ur healthy diet to a healthy one will improve ur life in many ways. Another thing “muscle confusion” is a metaphor everyone knows muscles dont get confused! whatever workouts you normally do will lead you to a plateau effect thats why you need to switch up your routine to maximize results. Ppl shouldnt be misguided by other ppls wrong perceptions but other than that this article is very relevant
It depends on the person, if you’ve been eating 6 meals per day your entire life and you jump to 1 meal per day, then of course, it’s going to throw you off your game. But there are plenty of people who do high intensity training training in a fasted state. You’re right, you do need to eat healthy and “clean” but there’s absolutely no need to forge such an absolute mindset. If you eat whole, nutritiously dense foods for most of the day, then why can’t you have a cookie every day?
A metaphor? Maybe to you but that’s definitely not how Beachbody pitches it. Fat loss is a matter of creating a consistent calorie deficit through (mostly) diet and exercise. That’s all. Swapping out exercises to confuse your muscles is irrelevant. Weight loss plateaus rarely (if ever) occur because you didn’t “switch it up” enough. They occur because you’ve either lost so much weight to the point that your current calorie intake is too high or that your current workout isn’t burning as many calories as before (since weighing less means less calories burned). No amount of exercise swapping is going to fix this.
Your article makes no sense! Here you are agreeing that P90X works, but the only complaint you can come up with is- “why should you workout 7days a week”. Lol
Well, if it works and people (myself included) don’t mind it, why do you care?
You’re trying to slam P90X and promote this other guys workout, but its not working. P90X works- numbers don’t lie!
And I was a beginner when I started the program and I went at my own pace and watched my body get stronger and healthier week after week.
And, no one should eat just once a day.
Do yourself a favor and take this ridiculous sounding article down!
I hear this all the time. It’s not about what works, it’s about what’s optimal.
This is like me saying “You can only eat brown rice, steamed chicken, and broccoli if you want to gain muscle, absolutely nothing else.” If a person followed this advice, will they gain muscle? Absolutely. But is it the best approach to dieting? probably not. It’s redundant.
My constant driving point with this article is that if your goal is weight loss (which is what 90% of interested P90x buyers want) then you don’t need to put yourself through 7 days of training per week. It may work, but it’s not optimal.
And why should no one eat once per day if they enjoy it. As long as you hit all your calorie, macro, micro-nutrient needs…meal frequency is irrelevant.
Keith,
I’ve been using p90x for 2 years and have to say that it has been wonderful for me. I think 1 hour a day isn’t asking much at all to keep your body in good shape. It doesn’t take a genius to figure there are easier ways but that’s the problem. Many are always looking for easier and immediate results. After doing the first 90 days it’s easy to tailor workouts to fit your goals to keep up your initial results . If you really break it down its push ups, sit ups and pull ups. Pretty simple, convenient, and it works. I have never used the diet program but we eat a lot of fish and healty foods out here in Hawaii. Also the DVD set is really easy to follow and you can get copies at no charge should u need to replace damaged dvd’s. I think it would have been fair to give it an 8 or 9 of 10.
If you’ve used P90x with much success then I’m not going to tell you to stop. Just like if someone loses 100 pounds by doing nothing but running 10 miles per day, I’m not going to tell them to stop either. Like I’ve been saying, P90x works (just like running 10 miles per day) but when it comes to goals (in this case, weight loss), there are far more less time consuming and just as effective ways to reach your goals.
You describe three categories of people, all the way down to those who just want to lose a little weight and tone up. But that is not what P90X is for. P90X is for people who want to get in the best shape of their lives; who may already be in decent shape but want to bring it for 90 intense days and have a complete transformation at the end. And for this goal, it works 100% as advertised.
Is it the only approach to fitness and diet? Of course not. But you can’t criticize the program because it’s not suited to beginners who just want to lose a little weight. That’s not what it’s for.
So the 3 million+ people who have P90X are not beginners? Is that what you’re saying? (Not trying to sound mean, just want to understand your POV).
If I walked into BeachBody HQ and told them that I’m a beginner, am sick of the way I look and need a program to simply help me lose some fat so I can feel better about myself, do you really think they would turn me away from P90X?
And it’s not about beginner, intermediate, advanced levels of fitness. If you want to become a badass athlete, play a sport. Always train for your primary goal. If your primary goal is fat loss P90x may not be the best solution.
Hi Keith —
If you’re arguing that many of the people who purchase P90X might be better off with something easier, fine. I could go out and buy a pair of super-high-performance skis, but they’re not going to make me a good skier. And, my point is, that this is not a sign of bogus engineering in the skis, which is what I think your article implies about P90X. (Whether the ski shop, or Beachbody, should work hard to talk me out of buying things is irrelevant.)
You do mention that P90X can be a good choice for people who are already experienced in fitness and want to get really ripped, so maybe we don’t disagree completely. But the larger points of your article are that muscle confusion is BS, working out 6 days a week and rigorous food management are overkill — the whole tone suggests that P90X is a scam — and so presenting that as “the truth about P90X” is what I dispute.
When I completed the program some time ago, I was absolutely the fittest I have ever been in my life — and I’m in my 40s. Since then, I have continued to work out, and eat pretty clean, but there’s no question that I am not at the peak that I was after the program. For a lot of people, this structure is hard to manage on their own — exactly what should I eat now, what exercises should be done today given what I did yesterday. With this, you don’t have to design your own HIIT routine; you just push play and work your a** off and you will feel amazing.
So if you want to say, “If your goal is *not* to dive into an extreme program to get in truly amazing shape, then maybe P90X isn’t right for you,” I have no problem. But when your headlines are that “the truth” about P90X is that “it’s (kinda) bullsh**”, then I think you’re flat-out wrong.
— Marty
Yes I claim muscle confusion is kinda BS because it is. Show me the research behind it and I’ll gladly alter my review. And good for you – I’m glad you did P90x and got in great shape. I’m not trying to stop you from doing it. It seems in fitness, a lot of people get emotionally and personally vested with whatever workout/diet they do because it helped them get in shape, but you can’t use “because it worked for me” as an excuse for everything. It’s like saying if I lose 100 pounds running 20 miles per day, should I go and tell everybody that they need to start running 20 miles per day if they want to lose some weight?
I use the headline “truth about P90x” because P90x is marketed and pushed onto pretty much everyone who wants to lose weight and there are far more efficeint ways to lose weight and feel good. And let’s face it – 95% of people who do P90x just want to lose some weight and feel good. The other 5% (you included) want an extreme conditioning program. And again – my bullshit statement refers to muscle confusion. Show me a single piece of scientific research to back it up and I’ll stand down and change my article.
We can argue back and forth all day but I stick by my views.
I did P90X and I agree with you 100%. I wanted to teach myself to do a more effective workouts. I had always worked out hard but these taught me how so many more moves that I would never have learned on my own. I never tell people who are just getting into working out to use this program.
Yup, thanks Craig.
I totally agree… This program is definitelly NOT for beginners. I was always fit, doing many sports for many years and I still first take some soft approach before going P90X, lol. I mean I would rather suggest doing Hip hop Abs by Shaun T. (very soft approach and seems quite efficient, and, if sb likes hip hop should be a really fun way to loose fat and get fit) or totally for free – seven-minute workout (start form one circuit, add another one after a few days if you are a real couch potato until now, then another one, and gradually start prolong the intervals from 30 seconds up to 2 minutes. Really works for all of your body and just need a chair and a wall… 🙂
What degrees or certifications do you have in the pt or cscs field?
What other studies have you done besides Web surfing?
And have you actually done p90x?
P90X is a perfect program, that has a workout schedule is very balanced.
Muscle confusion is not b.s. by a long shot sir.
Could you please substantiate your claim that P90x is well balanced program for weight loss and provide scientific proof to back up muscle confusion?
Have you actually tried p90x? I mean.. At all? Because claiming that stretch AND yoga are easy days is a bit telling…
Yup i have.
Hey Keith, agree w/your points on the program. I just think for the person that wants to get fit while saving some money and working out at home, this program deserves + credit. The individual here that sees where they hope to get w/fitness could hopefully determine how much to put into it, Tony simply gives us a great, drawn out program. It’s up to you the consumer how to use it. I for one cannot wait to try the new p90 3 that is 30 min. Sounds a bit more manageable yet most importantly all the new exercise moves constructed in a timely fashion. My luck to you sir on a more glass half full kinda life!
Dude like I said in all the article and comments above. My problem with P90x is that it makes people believe that they need to train 7x per week to lose weight and get in great shape which is simply not true.
Actually, no it doesn’t. It doesn’t say you have to work your ass off in every workout to lose weight. It says, with this program, you have to work your ass off to get ripped and be in the fittest shape of your life. Horton says multiple times in practically every DVD “do your best and forget the rest.” He also says you don’t have to keep up with him and the people on the DVD’s, and “don’t be a hero.” He says do your best each round, write everything down, and try to improve on that next time. If you are struggling doing a bunch of reps, focus on form because form is very important in this workout. He says all these things. It’s also mentioned multiple times in the readings, and in the Beach Body forums that P90x is not a weight loss program, it’s a strength training fat loss and muscle gain program. They don’t advertise it as a weight loss program. They say if you want to get in the best most ripped shape of your life, do this program by following the diet, pushing play, and bringing it. This article is a slam piece that’s arguing nothing essentially. Maybe muscle confusion is not a scientifically proven concept, but that is so far from the point that it is totally irrelevant to the people that do the program. Yes, Tony Horton loves to mix it up, as he states about a billion times throughout the program, but people don’t care why it’s working, they only care that it works. However, they don’t push this as a “lose [enter weight here] in 90 days!” It’s “get in the best shape of your life in 90 days,” and that alone says that it’s not necessarily for extremely sedentary or obese people. That’s not realistic for them, but it can work for them by doing what they can each time and improving the next time. There are plenty who were very obese and sedentary and completed multiple rounds of P90x and got ripped. They didn’t do multiple rounds because they firmly believed in muscle confusion. They continued because they were getting results, and that’s all anyone cares about. The attack on P90x in this article is largely irrelevant to your plug in those regards. Also, where on earth are you getting these changing figures and percentages? 90% of people who do this just want to lose some weight…95% of people…The other 5%. Seriously, where are you getting those percentages?
Strangely enough the author hasn’t responded. You are so right i agree with you. I got here to read reviews on p90x and though i appreciate his opinion, I think he forgets that THE PROGRAM DOES ASK YOU TO DO A FIT TEST BEFORE YOU COMMIT TO IT. If you don’t pass it, the advice is to try something less intense like P90. I don’t believe in muscle confusion but i believe in making things interesting and not boring. Thats what p90x does.