P90X: "It's Not That Special"

For you P90X-heads: There'a s big profile of Tony Horton, Beachbody, and the company's head honcho, Carl Daikeler, in the New York Times. Check it out here.

The guiding principle is to mix up routines and “confuse” the muscles so as to avoid hitting a plateau. So some days are devoted to dumbbells or resistance bands, in addition to old-fashioned push-ups and pull-ups. Other days are reserved for yoga or cardiovascular workouts that involve a lot of jumping and squats.

But Robert Marting, a personal trainer who sells his own exercise videos, says that “muscle confusion” is a time-tested principle of bodybuilding, and that the idea has been around since the early days of Joe Weider, a creator of the Mr. Olympia contest. Beachbody “kindly borrowed the principle and just retermed it as a training secret,” he says.

True enough, Mr. Daikeler says.

“Trainers love to give negative reviews of P90X, saying it’s not that special,” he said. “They are right. It’s not that special.”

[Source]

"P90X" Rhymes with "Really Nice Sex"

Sadly, my kindergartner is past his hardcore gangsta rap phase, and he's now groovin' to Top 40 pop (ugh). The silver lining: I got to hear a Bruno Mars song referencing P90X. Turns out he wasn't paid by Beachbody to do so -- which isn't surprising given what we've heard about the company's stinginess.

Although [Mars'] camp says he wasn't compensated for his reference to home exercise system P90X (he rhymes it with "really nice sex") in his hit "The Lazy Song," there's no question that he's getting a cut of another product mentioned on the same track: the Bruno Mars Snuggie, which you can buy for $25 on his website. The reference ("I'll be loungin' on the couch just chillin' in my Snuggie") slides seamlessly into the layabout anthem. "I'm not going to just take every dollar that's offered, it has to fit right with my brand," he says. "It has to be something I strongly believe in."

I love that there are people out there who "strongly believe" in Snuggies.

[Source]

Book Review: "Bring It!"

Since the start of the New Year, I’ve been slowly making my way through a thick stack of just-published health-related books sitting on my nightstand, including:

• "The New Evolution Diet" by Art De Vany
• "The 4-Hour Body" by Tim Ferriss
• "Why We Get Fat And What to Do About It" by Gary Taubes

As I finish ‘em, I’ll post reviews of each.

But first up: Tony Horton’s first literary work: “Bring It! The Revolutionary Fitness Plan for All Levels That BURNS FAT, BUILDS MUSCLE, and SHREDS INCHES.”

Read my review after the jump.

Men's Health on Tony Horton

The current issue of Men's Health features an article about our favorite douchetastic Beachbody guru, Tony Horton -- just in time to promote his newly-published book.

Horton is heading to QVC—the network darling of little old ladies in quilted housedresses—to sell his P90X workout program. ("Just two easy payments of $64.95, plus $9.43 shipping and handling.") He'll do an hourlong taping at 1 a.m. (right after Joan Rivers sells jewelry), grab a few hours of sleep in a back room, and then do more tapings at 6 a.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m.

It's hustle like this that has enabled Horton to hawk a reported 3 million P90X DVD sets, in addition to his fitness accessories, nutritional supplements, and other workout programs. Not bad for a 52-year-old former stand-up comedian and theater major who lacks a college degree or, for that matter, any type of fitness credentials.

"Hey, George Bush became president. What was his experience?" asks Horton.

Hmm.

What's Your Excuse?

For those of you who think you have valid reasons for weaseling out of your P90X workouts, I want to introduce you to Cammie Lusk.

Tony Horton Makes Politicians Weep

Tony Horton's the subject of a big write-up in the Washington Post today -- and there's a photo slideshow, too! Check it out here.

The article's a perfectly nice love letter to Tony and P90X. Even the criticisms (it ain't new! it's super-tough!) are actually praise in disguise:

Ah, yes, "muscle confusion," the cornerstone term of P90X, referring to the varying workouts that [Horton] says are necessary to combat workout plateaus.

Muscle confusion contains "absolutely nothing new in it whatsoever," says Todd Miller, an associate professor of exercise science at George Washington University, who is an expert in strength and conditioning. P90X "is very high-intensity exercises that you're doing for an hour a day. That's a lot of freaking exercise. If you do any high-enough-intensity workout and couple it with a [healthy] diet, you're probably going to get pretty much the same results."

What Horton calls "muscle confusion" exercise scientists call "periodization," and they've been calling it that for decades.

"Maybe the videos are well produced, or fun," Miller says. "But the reason the program works is ultimately because people do it." That's not a slam -- the hardest part of any exercise program is getting people to keep at it. And Horton manages to
do that, despite the fact that . . .

"It's awful," says [U.S. Senator] Richard Burr [R - NC]. "It doesn't matter how many times you do it, it still makes you cry."

Nicely done, BeachBody marketing department! After all, why pay for late-night infomercial airtime or teeny-tiny ads in the back pages of periodicals when the Washington Post offers free advertising?

(But for the Post, assigning journalists to write long-form advertisements for non-paying clients doesn't strike me as a smart business move. I know Friday's a slow news day, but isn't this just a little emblematic of why American newspapers are failing?)

Should You Buy P90X From Beachbody or Amazon?

I'm guessing that Beachbody coaches make their commissions primarily from sales of supplements and equipment rather than from selling P90X or other workout DVD series. After all, if you buy P90X from Beachbody's website, it costs $139.75 including shipping costs, but it may take a week or more for the product to arrive at your doorstep. Meanwhile, if you buy P90X via Amazon.com, it costs $139.80 (with free shipping), and it'll show up within a few days -- and faster still if you're an Amazon Prime member. It's still sold by Beachbody, but if the package is lost in transit, misdelivered or damaged, you can deal with Amazon rather than Beachbody's notoriously inconsistent customer service team. I bought my P90X DVDs from Amazon, and was very satisfied with the speed with which the set arrived; in contrast, I purchased Insanity directly from Beachbody's website, and it took the company a week before it bothered to ship the DVDs to me.

P90X was Amazon's bestselling product in its "Sports & Outdoors" category in 2009, so it's no mystery why Beachbody's using Amazon as an additional sales channel. But why aren't Beachbody coaches (who are no doubt losing commission-eligible sales to Amazon) demanding that Beachbody do more to match the customer experience delivered by Amazon, or alternatively, to raise the price of P90X on Amazon?

Chocolate Milk is Good for You

Remember how I said that chocolate milk is the perfect post-workout recovery drink?

The New York Times recently reported about a new study showing even more health benefits derived from regular consumption of chocolate milk. The study found that "skim milk with flavonoid-rich cocoa may reduce inflammation, potentially slowing or preventing development of atherosclerosis."

“Since atherosclerosis is a low-grade inflammatory disease of the arteries, regular cocoa intake seems to prevent or reduce” it, said Dr. Ramón Estruch of the University of Barcelona, the paper’s senior author, adding that more studies were needed.

Also?

Participants also had significantly higher levels of good HDL cholesterol after completing the chocolate milk regimen, according to the study, which appears in the November issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and is already online.

Seriously, folks -- it's time to ditch Beachbody's overpriced P90X Recovery Drink in favor of cheap, tasty chocolate milk.

[UPDATED: On second thought...]

Pam the Blam Wants to Be Your Coach!

As you know, I've talked enough smack about Beachbody that there's no chance in hell I would ever pass the approval process to become an independent Beachbody coach.

Still, I know a lot of you are eying P90X products, equipment and supplements. And if you're going to open up your wallet to order a bucket of Shakeology or whatever, you might as well buy the stuff from an awesome, committed Beachbody coach. Plus, a good Beachbody coach (as opposed to the vast sea of do-nothing coaches out there) can offer training advice, encouragement and inspiration -- all critical elements to a successful workout program.

Who better, then, to guide you through your fitness journey than one of the original P90X superstars, Pam the Blam? She's a newly-minted Beachbody coach, and is putting out the welcome mat for all who are interested in her free coaching services. Plus, when you buy Beachbody products through Pam, a portion of the proceeds will go to the non-profit headed up by Scott Fifer. After having read all about Pam, I'm you already feel like you know her, so why not take the plunge?

By the way, Pam didn't ask me to say this, but if you were already assigned a coach by TeamBeachbody.com and want to switch, I've read that you can let Beachbody know by emailing them with your name and screen name, as well as Pam's name (Pamela Moore) and her screen name, "pamtheblam."

Here's what Pam has to say:

Thanks to blogger extraordinaire Fitbomb for letting me make this announcement.

It's Pam the Blam and I finally decided to become a Beachbody Coach! Before now, I was otherwise busy living life and couldn’t give 100% but I’m here now. It’s clear that Beachbody is genuinely committed to helping improve lives and I'm also passionate about helping people make changes for the better. The genius combination of physical fitness, the possibility of financial security and helping others as I reach toward my goals is too great an opportunity to let pass. And since it's important that I contribute to a higher purpose, keep in mind that when you purchase Beachbody products through me, you’ll also be supporting the GO Campaign (started by P90xer Scott Fifer). Be well and do good!!

If you want to talk about your challenges and triumphs, become a Coach or just say “Hello” - shoot me an email by clicking “Contact Me!” on my Beachbody homepage.

I look forward to hearing from you!

How to Fake "Before" & "After" Photos

"Bigger, Stronger, Faster," an excellent documentary about the use of anabolic steroids, features a segment in which a professional photographer demonstrates how "before" and "after" photos can be faked by companies that sell fitness products and supplements:



The Las Vegas Weekly also recently wrote about how to fake before-and-after photos.

I'm not suggesting that Beachbody engages in Photoshop trickery. I'm pretty confident that the photos of "real people" featured in P90X ads are real (though, as Begin to Dig has pointed out, the company may use more dramatic lighting and slimming poses to further enhance P90X grads' legitimately ripped physiques in some of the "after" shots).

But the next time someone trots out "before" and "after" photos to try to get you to buy something, be skeptical. And if you catch the fakery, kick 'em in the balls for me.

P90X Day 87: Kenpo X

I've been wanting to abandon Kenpo X for some time now. It doesn't offer a great cardio workout, nor is it as intense as the other P90X videos. I was hoping my Insanity DVDs would arrive before today so that I could swap out Kenpo X for a total ass-kicking by Shaun T, but for reasons known only to Beachbody, my order (placed one week ago today) and extra payment for 2-day ground shipping from UPS isn't scheduled to arrive until the end of this week. Fuckers.

Anyway, M and I both did Kenpo X this morning. I'd been using 3-pound dumbells while performing the punches and jabs, but upped the weight to 5 pounds today and managed to break a sweat. I could feel the burn in my shoulders again. M, however, finished the workout and judged it to be far inferior to the cardio routines in ChaLEAN Extreme. "I would've gotten a better cardio workout if I just spent the hour doing jumping jacks and running in place," she declared.

I think she's right.

My Interview with Pam the Blam - Part Four

Have you caught up with Parts One, Two and Three of my conversation with Pam the Blam? If so, click below to read the final segment of her interview, in which Pam discusses her fellow onscreen trainers and life after P90X.

What's Next?

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.

Beachbody: Helping You Lose Weight (From Your Wallet)

To achieve "optimal conditioning," the P90X Fitness Guide recommends purchasing a crapload of "official" P90X/Beachbody-branded equipment and supplements, including:

• The P90X Chin-Up Bar ($75);
• Tony Horton's PowerStands ($53);
• P90X Peak Health Formula ($50 for a 30-day supply);
• P90X Results and Recovery Formula ($51 for 25 servings);
• P90X Peak Performance Protein Bars ($29 for 12 bars)
• Beachbody's Strength & Muscle Men's Formula ($51 for 78 servings);
• Beachbody's Whey Protein Powder ($47 for 30 servings); and 
• Beachbody's Joint Support Super Formula ($38 for a 30-day supply).*

If you buy all of the above (and order enough of the supplements to last the entire 90 days), you'll end up shelling out almost A THOUSAND DOLLARS -- and that doesn't even include stuff you actually need, like the P90X DVDs themselves and a set of dumbbells or elastic resistance bands.  Beachbody and its nutrition guru, Mark Sisson (who resembles a grown-up version of one of the freaky-looking kids from "Village of the Damned") may have developed the best damned supplements known to man, but we're still in a recession, people. I can think of much better ways to drop a grand.

Still, if you're dead set on replicating the full P90X experience (without breaking the bank), here's what I recommend:

Pull-Up Bar

Forget about the P90X Chin-Up Bar, and get yourself a rafter-mounted pull-up bar ($50) or the Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar ($40) instead.  The rafter-mounted bar is fantastic if you're working out in your basement or garage; otherwise, buy the removable, door-mounted Iron Gym bar -- it's virtually identical to the P90X-branded version, but sells for almost half the price.

Push-Up Stands

Push-up stands aren't absolutely necessary unless you have serious wrist issues (in which case you probably shouldn't be doing P90X anyway), but if you want a basic set, you can get them for about $12.  The PowerStands are for wealthy Tony cultists only.  (But even Tony himself doesn't use PowerStands in the P90X videos; he uses regular, no-frills push-up stands.)

P90X Peak Health Formula

The P90X Peak Health Formula is basically just another daily multivitamin, but costs TEN TIMES AS MUCH per serving.  Try Costco's 100-pack box instead, which sells for $16.49.

The P90X Recovery Drink

As for the much-heralded P90X Results & Recovery Formula (a.k.a. the "P90X Recovery Drink"), you can just swap it out for a glass of chocolate milk.  Researchers have found that chocolate milk's a perfect post-workout recovery drink; as one article put it:

Believe it or not, 1% low-fat chocolate milk is one of the best recovery foods out there according to the results of a small, randomized trial reported in the February issue of the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. “Our study indicates that chocolate milk is a strong alternative to other commercial sports drinks in helping athletes recover from strenuous, energy-depleting exercise," coauthor Joel M. Stager, PhD, from Indiana University in Bloomington, said in a news release. "Chocolate milk contains an optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio, which is critical for helping refuel tired muscles after strenuous exercise and can enable athletes to exercise at a high intensity during subsequent workouts."

If you compare the P90X Recovery Drink's nutrition label with that of skim chocolate milk, the latter actually has fewer calories (170 versus 220), less fat (0 grams versus 2 grams), fewer carbs (29 grams versus 39 grams), and about the same amount of protein (11 grams versus 10 grams).  Although the P90X Recovery Drink adds a boost of Vitamins C and E, it's not really necessary if you're already downing a daily multivitamin. The Recovery Drink is also spiked with a bit of creatine, L-glutamine and L-argenine, but you can buy these supplements separately -- and a lot more cheaply -- at a health food or vitamin store like GNC.  And while I've seen reviews touting the tastiness of the Recovery Drink, chocolate milk is both delicious AND cheap.

P90X Protein Bars

Clif Builder's Bars offer virtually the same nutrition as the P90X Protein Bars (260 cal., 7g fat, 31g carbs, 20g protein).  And if you buy a box of 12 Clif Builder's Bars for $17 from Amazon rather than buying the P90X variety from Beachbody, you'll save $1 per bar.  The savings add up quickly over a period of 90 days.

Beachbody Strength & Muscle Men's Formula

The "Strength & Muscle Men's Formula" is just creatine and artificial flavoring mixed with some carbs (in the form of dextrose) to spike your body's insulin and drive the creatine to your muscles.  For a much cheaper alternative, pick up some pure creatine monohydrate powder (Vitamin Shoppe sells a 181-serving container for $20) and some grape juice.  Better yet, just mix a scoop of creatine powder into your post-workout chocolate milk.

Beachbody's Whey Protein

You can buy whey protein powder just about anywhere (Sam's Club, Safeway, Costco, Wal-Mart, etc.), and for a lot cheaper than $47 for a one-pound package.  GNC sells a pound of 100% whey protein powder for $16 -- ONE THIRD of Beachbody's price.  You can add whey protein powder to your chocolate milk, too.

Beachbody's Joint Support Super Formula

The main ingredients in Beachbody's Joint Support Super Formula are glucosamine and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), which work together to form the building blocks of collagen.  Costco's version costs $17 for 180+ servings.  The same amount of Beachbody's product will set you back $228.

Frankly, none of the above items are essential for completing P90X (though taking a daily multivitamin's always a good idea, with or without P90X).  But if you're intent on going all-out, consider some alternatives before you take out a second mortgage to fund your Beachbody purchases.

*These prices include shipping & handling charges as listed on Beachbody's website.