If all goes smoothly, I'll be done with my first round of P90X in about two weeks, so I'm starting to give some thought to what I should tackle next. Here's what I'm thinking:
Option 1: Do another round of P90X. Despite my occasional sniping at Tony & Friends, I've obviously gotten a huge kick out of P90X, and I'm reluctant to abandon the workouts entirely. If it ain't broke, why fix it? On the other hand, P90X is an enormous time-suck, and the workouts will likely get stale if I don't shake things up a bit. Come to think of it, I can't stomach the thought of hearing the same hacky jokes from Tony for another three months. Besides, isn't the whole point of "muscle confusion" to keep surprising your body with new exercises?
Option 2: Do a round of P90X Doubles. "Doubles" is the same as the classic P90X routine, but adds three to four extra cardio sessions per week during Phases 2 and 3. The good news? I already have all the necessary DVDs and equipment, so my bank account is safe. The bad news? I'd have to spend up to TWO-AND-A-HALF HOURS per day with Tony. Pass.
Option 3: Do a round of P90X+. Beachbody evidently rushed "Plus" into production when P90X exploded in popularity; as a result, reviews of the "Plus" videos are mixed. In fact, while some sessions look good-to-great (e.g., Interval X Plus, Total Body Plus), even some Beachbody coaches have proclaimed the Kenpo Cardio Plus workout to be "terrible." Smells to me like an inferior, overpriced product.
Option 4: Do a round of P90X, but replace some of the longer sessions with shorter "One-on-One with Tony Horton" videos. Beachbody's subscription-based "One-on-One" series is a stripped-down version of P90X featuring Tony working out alone in his home gym. A new video is shipped every month to subscribers, and each DVD runs roughly 30 to 45 minutes long. Some of the workouts (like "30-15 Upper Body Massacre" and "Fountain of Youth") look like they'd be a nice change of pace from Chest & Back and Yoga X, but I'm not crazy about the cost of the subscription service. For instance, Volume 1 of "One-on-One" (a 12-disc set) is twice as expensive as P90X, but contains far fewer total minutes of exercise instruction. I'm not the most frugal guy, but this sounds like a shitty deal. If I ultimately decide to go this route, I'll probably just pick up a couple of individual discs rather than subscribing to the series.
Option 5: Do an entirely different home fitness program like Shaun T's "Insanity." While P90X focuses primarily on building strength and endurance, Insanity -- another Beachbody product -- is all about crazy-intense cardio. According to the Beachbody site, Insanity is "is the most challenging cardio program ever put on DVD ... with 10 workout discs packed with plyometric drills on top of intervals of strength, power, resistance, and core training." I want to maintain my P90X strength gains, so I'm not sure I want to commit to a 60-day routine that doesn't include weights or pull-ups. Still, the Insanity reviews I've read are glowing (see here and here), and the infomercial makes the program look mighty tempting:
Option 6: Do some hybrid of the above (e.g., P90X resistance training plus Insanity cardio training, alternating every other day, and throwing in some yoga on the rest day). This would involve a lot of planning, but could be a nice way to introduce some variety (and max interval cardio training) without abandoning the strength-focused P90X workouts.
Option 7: Take a break from home fitness DVDs, and hit the gym once again. My gym membership is still active, so I might as well get my money's worth. On the other hand, my workouts at the gym have never come close to producing the results I've achieved via P90X.
Option 8: Sit on my ass and do nothing. A shitload of TV shows on my DVR have yet to be watched, and a ton of snacks in my pantry are just begging to be eaten.
I'm leaning towards Option 6 or Option 4, but haven't yet landed on a course of action. Feel free to drop me a note if you have any thoughts or additional ideas.
