Week 1 of P90X3

How many of you reading this own or know someone that owns P90X. It is the program that made Beachbody and Tony Horton household names! I know SO many people that have P90X sitting on a shelf collecting dust. Most have attempted it and then thrown in the towel for one of two reasons: one, too hard or two, too long. I guess the third reason might be too many hard moves stretched out over too much time. I mean, I LOVE P90X yoga but I DON’T have an hour and a half to dedicate to a fitness program on a given Thursday! I wish I did, but I don’t.

That is why I was SO excited to hear about the launch of P90X3. Same Tony, different workouts. These are 30 minute per day workouts 6 days per week. I can start my workout at 5:40, be in the shower by 6:15, and be out the door by 7:00am. Can you say WINNING?! The workouts moves are based off the same science as P90X but there’s more to this DVD program - these workouts are packed into a half hour! For that reason, moves were rearranged, taken out, and added. The science of this 30 minute workout includes a lengthy extended fat and calorie burn after the 30 minutes are up!

Look at these results from the test group!! I mean, not only did Lauren lose 16 pounds, she looks like a different human!! I’m dying to know how many INCHES she lost! In 30 minutes a day?! Ah-ma-ZING!



Ok, so what did I think of week one? The week starts off with Total Synergistics which is a workout that focuses on resistance and because you work big muscle groups you get a good cardio burn! I like this workout a lot. There are several sets of pull ups so I do an uber modified version by standing on my resistance bands and doing a pull up motion. The resistance is the opposite direction but I am still hitting the muscle groups!

Tuesday of Block 1 (Month 1) is Agility X. If you played football, volleyball, soccer, ran track.. basically anything that required quick feet, this will feel familiar. The whole workout is done between two pieces of tape on the floor! I see the moves in two categories during this workout - ones that make you stable and ones that make you FAST! You go from one-legged hops from one piece of tape to the other balancing in between to doing “grapevines” around the tape! I played volleyball for 9 years of my life so this workout feels familiar, comforting, and difficult!

Then comes the “dreaded” Tony Horton Yoga! But there’s good news - no need to dread X3 YOGA! This workout moves through a series of strength building vinyasas for the first 18 minutes or so, but the switches gears and provides stability and flexibility poses! I LOVE yoga so this workout is a treat. If I wasn’t addicted to a sweaty, fast-paced cardio workout I would be a yogi. This workout is just awesome and so needed as a calmer stretch day before “The Challenge!”

That’s the next workout - “The Challenge.” It’s name isn’t a lie. The workout is described in the fitness guide as one that “stacks push-ups and pull-ups.” The entire workout you go between various versions of each exercise, back and forth. At the beginning of the DVD Tony has you pick a number and that’s what you shoot for each time. I shot for 12 push-ups and 12 modified pull-ups each set. I definitely had to modify even my push-ups a lot but I bet this week I will be better!

On Friday I got to do my “soul mate workout.” It is a cardio workout but you hold a light weight dumbbell (or soup can) throughout! There’s lots of squats, balancing poses, cardio, and endurance moves that are just “my thing.” The response to this workout in my challenge group has also been incredibly positive. Lots of people like the balance between cardio and resistance that this provides!

The week closes with “The Warrior.” It is tough but it is super fun! I found it to be a mix of everything - cardio, resistance, balance, and core work! At one point when you’re hopping around Tony calls out BUNNY and you get to make a bunny face with buck teeth and bunny hands. It is the laugh you need mid-workout! I love the mix of upper and lower body in this workout!

On day 7, we rest!!! There’s an option to do a dynamic stretching DVD but I needed the day off.

So that describes what I did. Now let me tell you how I feel: I FEEL STRONGER. It is seriously amazing what one week of dedication can do for your body. Challengers in my group are reporting 1, 2, 5, and even a 7 pound weight loss!!! In a week!! That is amazing. And the best part is that it isn’t some crazy, cheap, drastic, instant weight loss. That’s real hard work and honest, clean eating. I am so excited to keep you all updated with my progress on this journey and cannot wait to post some of the before and after photos!!
If you are interested in joining my next group starting January 27, be sure to fill out the form in the Beachbody Challenge section of www.christinapiercefitness.com :)