Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 5

 Day 5 is the end of the first week of Dig Deeper (unless you do the optional steady-state cardio routine on one of the two off days). It is the second lower-body circuit of the week. It follows a very similar format to yesterday's workout, with two blocks/circuits with weighted exercises and a core exercise. Each block has three rounds/set, and you perform 12 reps of each exercise in every set. Also, like yesterday's workout, it goes quickly and has a bit of a cardio effect, even though you are not doing any traditional cardio. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 4

Day 4 is the second upper-body circuit workout of Phase 1. This one has two blocks/circuits, each with 4-5 resistance exercises (mostly using dumbbells, with a couple of bodyweight-only exercises) and an ab/core-focused exercise. As with the other workouts in this phase, each circuit is performed three times, but in this workout, each set has 12 reps. The total workout time, including the warm-up and cooldown, is just under 50 minutes. The "main" portion of the workout goes by quickly, however, since you are almost constantly moving, and the rest periods are short. I was not sweating as much as I was in yesterday's total body circuit workout, but my heart rate did get over 130 a few times. 

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 3

Day 3 of Dig Deeper is a total-body circuit workout. It follows a similar format as the first two workouts. In this one, you do four circuits of three exercises: an upper-body exercise, a lower-body exercise, and a core-focused exercise. You also do three sets for each circuit/block. The main difference between this one and the first two workouts is that you do 16 reps in each set, as opposed to the 20, 16, 12 format.  

It is a good workout, but tough. It goes by fast. In some of the exercises I fell behind the cast and was ending the prior exercise while they were starting the next one. There is very little rest between sets or blocks, so your heart rate will get up there, and you will be sweating by the end, even if you do not sweat much while weight lifting. 

Revisiting P90X 20 Years Later

 

As readers of this page know, I recently did the original P90X program. The program, which was originally released in 2004 on DVD (and VHS), took the home workout market by storm. Before it came along, most at-home workouts (aside from the handful of other BeachBody workouts that existed at the time) were cardio-based and required little or no equipment. It was created by trainer Tony Horton and released by BeachBody (now BODI). While BODI has stopped releasing DVD workouts, the vast majority of the programs they have released over the years, including P90X, can be streamed through their websites and apps. 

P90X is actually a follow-up program to Horton's original Power 90 program. It contains some of the same exercises, but P90X has more workouts, and they tend to be longer. The program is structured into three phases, each lasting 4 weeks, with a recovery week between Phases 1 and 2 and after Phase 3. In each phase, there are three weight-based workouts, two cardio-based workouts (plyometrics and Kenpo karate), a yoga routine, and an ab routine performed on lifting days. There is also an optional cardio workout that can be substituted for the plyometrics workout and an optional stretching routine that can be performed on the rest day (usually Sunday). In the recovery weeks, you do the yoga routine twice, the stretching routine, the Kenpo workout, and a core-focused workout called Core Synergistics, which you also do twice. In each workout, there is a modifier who performs alternate (usually less intense) versions of the exercises or uses bands instead of weights.

Some things about the program are very good and hold up well over time. Other things are not. The overall mix of exercises and workouts is good, but because you do the same workouts over and over, they do get repetitive. Many of BODI's newer workouts are real-time, with a new workout performed nearly every day. This not only helps avoid repetition and boredom, but does the "muscle confusion" thing (basically switching up workouts so your body does not adapt to what you are doing, which was a big selling point for the program if you watched the P90X infomercials) much better than P90X does. Having a modifier to show alternative versions of the exercises was good, and there is enough time between exercises to get new weights (which some newer programs do not always provide). The things that did not age well over time (or were just silly) include:

First, the warm-ups in each workout were absolutely ridiculous. You do about 3 minutes of calisthenics warm-ups like running in place, jumping jacks, etc. (which is plenty), then 5 minutes or so of stretching. In the Kenpo workout, you do 11 minutes of cold stretching. In a different workout, Tony makes a point of saying you never want to stretch an ice-cold body, then does it in the Kenpo workout. The stretching would have been much better post-workout, and I usually skipped it when I did the program.

Second, the yoga routine was insanely hard and way too long. In Power 90, the only yoga was about 3 minutes of moving asanas (which is the warm-up in P90X) at the beginning of the cardio routines. There was no separate yoga routine. P90X then throws 90 minutes of yoga at you, with some moves so advanced you have no shot at doing them (even if you are in good shape) unless you have been doing yoga for years. Then, he includes a core routine toward the end, despite saying in the ab-ripper-x routine not to work abs every day, so each week you do abs three days in a row. It would be one thing if Power 90 had a 45-minute yoga routine with some of the easier moves included to prepare people for the P90X routine, but this is like going from a backyard kiddie pool to being thrown into the deep end of an Olympic pool.

Third, some of the scripted elements that were meant to be spontaneous were really cheesy. For example, during the shoulders-and-arms workout, the guy in the back "loses track" of how many reps he is doing, and Tony tells the audience to keep track of their rep counts. However, the first time he does it, Tony misses the cue, so he does it again on the next exercise.

Ultimately, P90X is a good program that helped many people get in shape. There are definitely things that could have been done differently or better. For example, I think they should have done totally new routines in each phase of the program, if nothing else, to keep people from getting bored with the repetition. I also think some of the routines could have been shorter, and the muscle groups being targeted in the workouts should have been switched up more. But, hindsight is always 20/20, and while it may not be the revolutionary program it once was, it is still worth going back to from time to time.

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 2

Day 2 of Dig Deeper is the first of two lower-body circuit workouts in the program's first four-week phase.  It follows a very similar format to yesterday's workout. You have two blocks of work that form a circuit, and within each of the circuits/blocks, you perform 3 sets of 4-5 exercises, with minimal rest between the exercises and a short rest between sets. The workout is just under 50 minutes in length, but it is so fast-paced that it goes by very quickly. Most of the exercises are variations of squats or lunges, but the first circuit does include bench step-ups. There is no cardio in this workout (or the entire program), but because the first phase focuses on muscle endurance, and you are doing a lot of reps, your heart will get up into zone 2 or even 3 at times, and you will sweat a bit. As with all of Shaun T's workouts, he does get a bit goofy, and he loves saying the name of the workout multiple times. But if you have done any of his other programs, you know to expect it.  

Workout Update: Dig Deeper: Day 1

Today was day 1 of my next program, Dig Deeper, which is a muscle-building workout by Shaun T on the BODI platform. After finishing P90X, I was trying to figure out what to do next, so I did the 10-minute muscle program and then did the first two weeks of Joel Freeman's 10-minute speed train program. Those are good, especially if you are a beginner, have had a long layoff or break from working out, or want to de-load/recover and still work out in a way that prevents you from losing too much muscle. 

The first day is an upper-body circuit workout. The first month focuses on muscle endurance, so you do a high number of reps with light to moderate weight. This workout has two circuits, each containing 4 exercises (chest, back, biceps, and triceps), performed for 3 sets. In each set, you do all four exercises back-to-back, with little to no rest. At the end of each set, you do a core/ab exercise, then you get a 45-second break before the next set starts. In the first set, you do 20 reps; in the second, you do 16; and in the third, you do 12.  All four exercises in the first block/circuit use weights, and in the second circuit/block, two of the four are performed just using your bodyweight, and the other two use weights. 

You definitely need an assortment of dumbbells and an adjustable weight bench. The transitions between exercises are very quick, especially in sets 2 and 3 of each circuit, so it would be very hard to do this workout with adjustable dumbbells like Bowflex SelectTech or Power-Blocks. That is not to say you cannot use them, but you would need to be very proficient and quick at changing the weight. 

The workout is good, but it is tough. It will get your heart rate up a bit, and you will probably be sweating and tired by the end of it. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 90

 Day 90, which is actually the second-to-last day of the program, so I did the second core synergistics workout. Normally, this would be on Tuesday and Friday, but I mixed the workouts up this week, so I had to do the two routines I hate the most three days in a row. Oh, well. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 89

 Day 89 was yoga. Still hated it, but I got through it. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 88

On day 88, I did core synergistics. This, behind the yoga routine, is my least favorite workout in the program. Unlike what Tony Horton tries to say in the video intro, it is not anything that is remotely fundamental to the program. It is just a bunch of weird push-up variations, mixed with different cardio exercises, and some high-volume weight exercises, all of which require you to keep your core tight. But, if you are lifting with proper form, you would be doing that anyway. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 87

On day 87, I did x-stretch. It went well, and unlike the yoga routine, I love this one. It felt good to get it in. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 86

Day 86 was the start of the final week, which is the recovery week. I did the Kenpo routine today, mainly because I had just done yoga a couple of days ago, and did not want to do that again so soon.

Workout Update: P90X Day 85

Day 85 was a rest day going into the final recovery week of the program. I did the 645 cardio routine in the evening, again to get some movement in, but that was it. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 84

Day 84 was yoga. I feel like my flexibility and mobility have plateaued a bit, as my range of motion has not really improved since last week. But, it is kind of hard for me to tell during the yoga routine because it has never been easy for me to do.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 83

 Day 83 was the final Legs and Back workout. I was again able to get in a couple more assisted pull-up reps, but kept the weight for the weighted portions the same.

Workout Update: P90X Day 82

 Day 82 was Kenpo. It was fine. Nothing to really write home about. The workouts are definitely getting super repetitive and boring at this point, so it is a slog to get through them. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 81

Day 81 was the final back and biceps workout. This is still probably my favorite lifting workout in the program (aside from the corn-cob pull-ups), but I was even able to get a couple more assisted reps with those. So, overall, a decent workout.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 80

Day 80 was the final plyometrics workout of the routine. I must admit by this point, I am pretty much slacking in the program, so I did not go balls to the wall during this. But I got through it. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 79

Day 79 was the final Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps workout of the program. There was no big change from the last time I did the workout to speak of.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 78

 Day 78 was a rest day, but I did the 645 cardio routine in the evening just to get some activity in. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 77

Day 77 was Yoga. I still cannot stand the routine, but I can tell that my flexibility is improving incrementally.