Well... I'm trying to write this with both groups of people in mind. This is going to be a review for people who are thinking about P90X3 for themselves. However, it will be packed with personal stories from my 3-month journey, which was (spoiler alert!) a great success.
WHY I STARTED
Those of you who know me might remember that last year I went through the original P90X program (more on that later.) That was a long, drawn-out decision... something that I literally thought about for well over 6 months.However, with the newest P90X3 installment, this came about relatively quickly. For starters, it was not even released until December 10th, 2013. Therefore, to this day, it has still not received much attention. But soon after the new year, I was having a conversation with a co-worker about wanting to get back into shape. (After stopping the original program last June, I had done very little exercising, and I had lost just about all the progress I had once made.)
I told him that I was looking for another home workout program, but something that didn't consume an hour of my day for six days a week. He told me about a cousin of his who had just started the newest Beachbody workout, P90X3. And I ordered it online less than a week later.
THE WORKOUTS
P90X3 consists of 15 different workouts. And each workout lasts EXACTLY 30 minutes. This is what sold me! I was skeptical at first, but sure enough, each one was only 30 minutes, and that even included the warm-up.
So since the workouts are shorter, does that mean they are easier? No! I actually think these workouts are some of the most difficult I've ever done. They are more intense, have fewer breaks (in some cases, no breaks), and are designed to get you dripping with sweat.
The program does an excellent job of mixing and matching. Plus, one thing I especially liked was how many of the workouts were total body workouts. For example, while working your core, you also worked your arms, chest, and/or back. Many of the moves are complex, and some are just plain difficult, but there are modifications on nearly every move, creating a customized workout for nearly everyone.
P90X3 consists of 15 different workouts. And each workout lasts EXACTLY 30 minutes. This is what sold me! I was skeptical at first, but sure enough, each one was only 30 minutes, and that even included the warm-up.
So since the workouts are shorter, does that mean they are easier? No! I actually think these workouts are some of the most difficult I've ever done. They are more intense, have fewer breaks (in some cases, no breaks), and are designed to get you dripping with sweat.
The program does an excellent job of mixing and matching. Plus, one thing I especially liked was how many of the workouts were total body workouts. For example, while working your core, you also worked your arms, chest, and/or back. Many of the moves are complex, and some are just plain difficult, but there are modifications on nearly every move, creating a customized workout for nearly everyone.
THE NUTRITION PLAN
I did not follow the nutrition plan that closely. In fact, if I'm being honest, I didn't even look at it after the first week. But with that said, it was very helpful. And one reason I didn't bother looking at it beyond my initial week was because it was so simple and easy to follow.
Before you begin, Beachbody has you complete a short questionnaire to determine how many calories and what types of food you should consume each day. The foods are broken up into three simple categories: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Each of those three sections contained a list of foods that were characterized as a single portion of each category. (My numbers were 18, 9, & 9.)
Like I said, even though I didn't follow this to a "T", this was a very beneficial part of the program. And I used many tips from the book when planning my meals and grocery shopping.
I did not follow the nutrition plan that closely. In fact, if I'm being honest, I didn't even look at it after the first week. But with that said, it was very helpful. And one reason I didn't bother looking at it beyond my initial week was because it was so simple and easy to follow.
Before you begin, Beachbody has you complete a short questionnaire to determine how many calories and what types of food you should consume each day. The foods are broken up into three simple categories: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Each of those three sections contained a list of foods that were characterized as a single portion of each category. (My numbers were 18, 9, & 9.)
Like I said, even though I didn't follow this to a "T", this was a very beneficial part of the program. And I used many tips from the book when planning my meals and grocery shopping.
So for those of you who don't know, the "90" in the P90X programs refer to 90 days. I'll let you in on a little secret -- I never got to 90 last year. I only made it to 77... and even that took 120 days.
So this time around, I was determined to complete the entire program. I even gave myself a deadline to get it done in 3 1/2 months (because you got to give yourself a little bit of leeway in my opinion.) I started on January 22nd, and finished on May 4th -- a span of 103 days!
COMPARISON TO THE ORIGINAL P90X
Which is a better program? I cannot answer that with confidence. They are both very good, and they both got results. The workouts are comparable to each program, despite being called different names. (e.g. - Kenpo X is similar to MMX; Plyometrics is similar to Triometrics; Chest & Back is similar to The Challenge) When comparing the workouts, the biggest difference is clearly in the time. Take Yoga for example... The original takes 3x longer.
The nutrition plans are almost completely different. The first is much more complex. However, some people may like how there are specific recipes and meal plans for every single day of the week. If you have the time on your hands, it could actually be very beneficial. Plus, it's more specific in regards to what type of foods you should eat. But if you live a busy life, and don't want to worry about cooking things you've never heard of, then X3's nutrition plan is MUCH better. It's simpler to follow and appeals much more to the average person.
I don't know what the better program for you is. But I can tell you what the better program was for me -- and that is P90X3. I got better results and just plan feel better. Perhaps part of that was being able to actually make it all the way through the program this time. And the main reason for that was the 30-minute workouts and being able to do them in the morning.
The nutrition plans are almost completely different. The first is much more complex. However, some people may like how there are specific recipes and meal plans for every single day of the week. If you have the time on your hands, it could actually be very beneficial. Plus, it's more specific in regards to what type of foods you should eat. But if you live a busy life, and don't want to worry about cooking things you've never heard of, then X3's nutrition plan is MUCH better. It's simpler to follow and appeals much more to the average person.
I don't know what the better program for you is. But I can tell you what the better program was for me -- and that is P90X3. I got better results and just plan feel better. Perhaps part of that was being able to actually make it all the way through the program this time. And the main reason for that was the 30-minute workouts and being able to do them in the morning.
FINAL RESULTS
Now it's time to give you some numbers. Before and After the program, they have you do a fitness test, gauging your improvements in seven different areas. My results are below:
Pull-Ups -- 7 reps to 21 reps
Vertical Leap -- 24" to 30"
Push-Ups (w/ bar) -- 22 reps to 42 reps
Toe Touch (flexibility) -- Improvement of 7 1/2"
Wall Squat - 69 seconds to 114 seconds
Bicep Curls (red resistance band) -- 21 reps to 47 reps
In & Outs (abs) -- 41 reps to 73 reps
I improved in all seven areas. And to be honest, I'm probably at a career best in six of the seven categories. (My vertical leap peaked during my high school basketball playing days.)
Pull-Ups -- 7 reps to 21 reps
Vertical Leap -- 24" to 30"
Push-Ups (w/ bar) -- 22 reps to 42 reps
Toe Touch (flexibility) -- Improvement of 7 1/2"
Wall Squat - 69 seconds to 114 seconds
Bicep Curls (red resistance band) -- 21 reps to 47 reps
In & Outs (abs) -- 41 reps to 73 reps
I improved in all seven areas. And to be honest, I'm probably at a career best in six of the seven categories. (My vertical leap peaked during my high school basketball playing days.)
CONCLUSION
I have nothing but great things to say about P90X3. When I bought the program, there were not a whole lot of reviews available aside from what was promoted by the Beachbody website (which is guaranteed to be positive.) So for anyone out there looking for a transformation, I strongly recommend this. You WILL get results.
In fact, as I'm writing this, I made the decision to start over and go through it again. I do not want to the lose all the progress I recently made. I want to make X3 a lifestyle. Wake Up. Workout. Be Awesome. Go to Sleep. Repeat.
I have nothing but great things to say about P90X3. When I bought the program, there were not a whole lot of reviews available aside from what was promoted by the Beachbody website (which is guaranteed to be positive.) So for anyone out there looking for a transformation, I strongly recommend this. You WILL get results.
In fact, as I'm writing this, I made the decision to start over and go through it again. I do not want to the lose all the progress I recently made. I want to make X3 a lifestyle. Wake Up. Workout. Be Awesome. Go to Sleep. Repeat.
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