P90X
Encyclopedia
P90X, or Power 90 Extreme, is a home exercise system developed by Tony Horton
in conjunction with Beachbody
CEO Carl Daikeler, Beachbody Fitness Advisor Steve Edwards, nutritionist Carrie Wyatt, Creative Director Ned Farr, and workout video director Mason Bendewald
of MEGA MACE productions. It claims to significantly improve physical fitness in 90 days through a rigorous segmented training program combined with a nutrition
and dietary supplement
plan.
P90X's advertising emphasizes "muscle confusion", a method of cross-training and periodization
achieved through switching the order of exercises and incorporating new and varied movements. Muscle confusion supposedly prevents the body from adapting to exercises over time, resulting in continual improvement without plateaus.
had pursued a career in personal training, and had developed a series of home fitness training programs. In 1998, Horton and fitness trainer Debbie Siebers created a series of workouts called "Great Body Guaranteed". Horton's next fitness program was the "Power90 In-Home Boot Camp", which combined cardiovascular
with strength training
.
To date, Horton has created six different programs associated with the Power 90 name: Power 90, Power 90 Master Series, P90X, P90X+, P90X One-on-One, and P90X:MC2
(released in 2011). P90X debuted in 2004 to provide a more rigorous regimen than other Beachbody fitness programs. The "extreme" of Power 90.
In 2002 Beachbody CEO Carl Daikeler, noticing a gap in products available for people who already had some level of fitness, tasked Tony Horton to create an extreme fitness program so that users "could take it to the next level." He also hired Ned Farr to film its creation so users could "look behind the curtain" and see the process themselves. For the next two years, Tony consulted various fitness experts and experimented with a wide variety of disciplines to find the most effective moves for what became 12 different workouts based on a training concept called periodization, or "muscle confusion," and several 90-day test groups were also conducted to further refine the fitness system. The video diary documentary Ned Farr put together of this process originally appeared every month on Beachbody's website and can now be found on YouTube.
The completed program was released in 2004 and an infomercial was made using this documentary footage. Ned Farr continues to use a documentary approach to the infomercials, using raw home footage supplied by P90X graduates. "P90X: The Proof" infomercial won a Telly award in 2009 and "P90X: The Answer" infomercial won a Moxie award in 2010.
P90X is Beachbody's best-selling product after years of positive word of mouth
and heavy infomercial advertisements
.
Despite sales growth slowing to approximately 30%, P90X represented half of Beachbody's $430 million revenue in 2010.
As of November 2010, 3 million copies of P90X have been sold for an estimated $420 million. P90X was referenced in the lyrics to the Bruno Mars
song, "The Lazy Song
".
, cardio, yoga
, plyometrics
, and stretching
.
The program consists of a nutrition guide, fitness plan, calendar and series of DVD
videos featuring Horton as instructor assisted by several male and female fitness models who demonstrate a variety of techniques. For workouts that require weights, for example, one of the models demonstrates the exercise using elastic resistance bands. The models also demonstrate some moves at lower and/or higher levels of intensity.
P90X provides a fitness test to determine if the program is suitable for an individual.
and lower carbohydrates to teach the user the relationship between carbohydrates and energy. Participants then move to the second phase, which increases the percentages of carbohydrates. The third phase is a higher carbohydrate "athlete's" diet. Users progress through the phases of the diet that coincide with each program change. Each program lasts thirty days. By the end of the third program the user will be in the third phase, or "athlete's" phase of the diet.
Tony Horton (exercise instructor)
Anthony Sawyer "Tony" Horton, Jr. is a fitness guru best known for the boot camp style P90X home fitness program...
in conjunction with Beachbody
Beachbody Inc.
Beachbody LLC is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets fitness, weight loss, and muscle building home-exercise DVD's. The company's best-known product is Tony Horton's P90X, whose TV ads have become some of the most frequently run infomercials in the United...
CEO Carl Daikeler, Beachbody Fitness Advisor Steve Edwards, nutritionist Carrie Wyatt, Creative Director Ned Farr, and workout video director Mason Bendewald
Mason Bendewald
Daniel Mason Bendewald is an American director, producer and photographer. He is the director of the P90X workout program, which is still the top ranking infomercial...
of MEGA MACE productions. It claims to significantly improve physical fitness in 90 days through a rigorous segmented training program combined with a nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
and dietary supplement
Dietary supplement
A dietary supplement, also known as food supplement or nutritional supplement, is a preparation intended to supplement the diet and provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, or amino acids, that may be missing or may not be consumed in sufficient quantities in a person's diet...
plan.
P90X's advertising emphasizes "muscle confusion", a method of cross-training and periodization
Sports periodization
Periodization is an organized approach to training that involves progressive cycling of various aspects of a training program during a specific period of time. It is a way of alternating training to its peak during season. The aim of periodization is to introduce new movements as you progress...
achieved through switching the order of exercises and incorporating new and varied movements. Muscle confusion supposedly prevents the body from adapting to exercises over time, resulting in continual improvement without plateaus.
History
Exercise instructor Tony HortonTony Horton (exercise instructor)
Anthony Sawyer "Tony" Horton, Jr. is a fitness guru best known for the boot camp style P90X home fitness program...
had pursued a career in personal training, and had developed a series of home fitness training programs. In 1998, Horton and fitness trainer Debbie Siebers created a series of workouts called "Great Body Guaranteed". Horton's next fitness program was the "Power90 In-Home Boot Camp", which combined cardiovascular
Aerobic exercise
Aerobic exercise is physical exercise of relatively low intensity that depends primarily on the aerobic energy-generating process. Aerobic literally means "living in air", and refers to the use of oxygen to adequately meet energy demands during exercise via aerobic metabolism...
with strength training
Strength training
Strength training is the use of resistance to muscular contraction to build the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles. There are many different methods of strength training, the most common being the use of gravity or elastic/hydraulic forces to oppose muscle contraction...
.
To date, Horton has created six different programs associated with the Power 90 name: Power 90, Power 90 Master Series, P90X, P90X+, P90X One-on-One, and P90X:MC2
(released in 2011). P90X debuted in 2004 to provide a more rigorous regimen than other Beachbody fitness programs. The "extreme" of Power 90.
In 2002 Beachbody CEO Carl Daikeler, noticing a gap in products available for people who already had some level of fitness, tasked Tony Horton to create an extreme fitness program so that users "could take it to the next level." He also hired Ned Farr to film its creation so users could "look behind the curtain" and see the process themselves. For the next two years, Tony consulted various fitness experts and experimented with a wide variety of disciplines to find the most effective moves for what became 12 different workouts based on a training concept called periodization, or "muscle confusion," and several 90-day test groups were also conducted to further refine the fitness system. The video diary documentary Ned Farr put together of this process originally appeared every month on Beachbody's website and can now be found on YouTube.
The completed program was released in 2004 and an infomercial was made using this documentary footage. Ned Farr continues to use a documentary approach to the infomercials, using raw home footage supplied by P90X graduates. "P90X: The Proof" infomercial won a Telly award in 2009 and "P90X: The Answer" infomercial won a Moxie award in 2010.
P90X is Beachbody's best-selling product after years of positive word of mouth
Word of mouth
Word of mouth, or viva voce, is the passing of information from person to person by oral communication. Storytelling is the oldest form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others of something, whether a real event or something made up. Oral tradition is cultural material and...
and heavy infomercial advertisements
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
.
Despite sales growth slowing to approximately 30%, P90X represented half of Beachbody's $430 million revenue in 2010.
As of November 2010, 3 million copies of P90X have been sold for an estimated $420 million. P90X was referenced in the lyrics to the Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez , better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an Filipino-American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age...
song, "The Lazy Song
The Lazy Song
"The Lazy Song" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars from his debut studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. It was released as the third single from the album on February 15, 2011. Mars wrote the song with K'naan and his production team The Smeezingtons, who also produced the track....
".
Program overview
P90X is a 90-day program that combines a variety of exercise techniques including strength trainingStrength training
Strength training is the use of resistance to muscular contraction to build the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles. There are many different methods of strength training, the most common being the use of gravity or elastic/hydraulic forces to oppose muscle contraction...
, cardio, yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, plyometrics
Plyometrics
Plyometrics is a type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements, and improve the functions of the nervous system, generally for the purpose of improving performance in sports. Plyometric exercises may also be referred to as explosive exercises...
, and stretching
Stretching
Stretching is a form of physical exercise in which a specific skeletal muscle is deliberately elongated, often by abduction from the torso, in order to improve the muscle's felt elasticity and reaffirm comfortable muscle tone. The result is a feeling of increased muscle control, flexibility and...
.
The program consists of a nutrition guide, fitness plan, calendar and series of DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
videos featuring Horton as instructor assisted by several male and female fitness models who demonstrate a variety of techniques. For workouts that require weights, for example, one of the models demonstrates the exercise using elastic resistance bands. The models also demonstrate some moves at lower and/or higher levels of intensity.
P90X provides a fitness test to determine if the program is suitable for an individual.
Exercises overview
The P90X program cycle lasts 13 weeks, exercising six days per week. The program has three "rotations" or emphases, called "classic", "lean" and "doubles," that the individual selects according to their personal goals. There are a total of 12 DVD workouts included with the program; each targets different skills and muscles. Most of the workouts are less than an hour in duration, although the abdominal workout ("Ab Ripper X") is performed three times per week, after six of the rotating workouts, which adds approximately 15 minutes of exercise to the times in the table below.| Exercise | Week | Muscles Worked | Type | Ab Ripper X | Length | Equipment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chest and Back | 1-3, 9, 11 | Pectorals, Back, Biceps, Triceps | Strength Training | Yes | 52:50 | Weights or Bands, Push-up bars, Pull-up bar or bands, Chair, Fitness guide and pen, Water and Towel |
| Plyometrics Plyometrics Plyometrics is a type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements, and improve the functions of the nervous system, generally for the purpose of improving performance in sports. Plyometric exercises may also be referred to as explosive exercises... |
1-3, 5-7, 9-12 | Legs, Full Body | Cardio | No | 58:36 | Heart rate monitor, Mat, Stool or Chair, Water and towel |
| Shoulders and Arms | 1-3, 9, 11 | Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders | Strength Training | Yes | 59:53 | Weights or bands, Wall, Chair, Fitness guide and pen, water and towel |
| Yoga Yoga Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul... X |
1-13 | Full Body | Stretch | No | 92:24 | Mat, Yoga blocks, Water and towel |
| Legs and Back | 1-3, 5-7, 9-12 | Quads, Hamstring, Calves, Back | Strength Training | Yes | 58:56 | Weights or bands, Wall, Pull-up bar or bands, Chair, Fitness guide and pen, Water and towel |
| Kenpō Kenpo is the name of several Japanese martial arts. The word kenpō is a Japanese translation of the Chinese word "quánfǎ. This term is often informally transliterated as "kempo", as a result of applying Traditional Hepburn romanization, but failing to use a macron to indicate the long vowel... X |
1-13 | Full Body | Cardio | No | 58:46 | Heart rate monitor, Water and towel |
| X Stretch Stretch Stretch can refer to:*Stretching is a form of exercise or a pre-exercise discipline, sometimes called Warming up*Stretch ceiling, a type of ceiling made from polymer.*Stretch ratio in the mechanics of materials*Stretched tuning of certain string instruments... |
1-13 | Full Body | Stretch | No | 57:32 | Mat, Yoga blocks, Water and towel |
| Core Synergistics | 4, 8, 13 | Full Body | Strength Training | No | 57:27 | Mat, Weights or bands, Plastic plate, cardboard or towel, Water and towel |
| Chest, Shoulders And Triceps | 5-7, 10, 12 | Pectorals, Shoulders, Triceps | Strength Training | Yes | 55:44 | Weights or Bands, Push-up bars, Plastic plate, cardboard or towel, Chair, Fitness guide and pen, Water and towel |
| Back and Biceps | 5-7, 10, 12 | Back, Biceps | Strength Training | Yes | 51:36 | Weights or bands, Wall, Pull-up bar or bands, Chair, Fitness guide and pen, Water and towel |
| Cardio X | doubles | Full Body | Cardio Workout | No | 43:18 | Stool or Chair, Mat, Yoga blocks, Heart rate monitor, Water and towel |
| Ab Ripper X | weekly | Abdominals, Core | Strength Training | N/A | 16:07 | Mat, Water and towel |
Nutrition
The nutrition plan is composed of three phases. The first 30 days emphasizes higher proteinProtein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
and lower carbohydrates to teach the user the relationship between carbohydrates and energy. Participants then move to the second phase, which increases the percentages of carbohydrates. The third phase is a higher carbohydrate "athlete's" diet. Users progress through the phases of the diet that coincide with each program change. Each program lasts thirty days. By the end of the third program the user will be in the third phase, or "athlete's" phase of the diet.