Why Not Do Another Round of P90X Classic?

"Are you ever going to do P90X all the way through again?" M asked me after finishing tonight's workout. At long last, after doing months of ChaLEAN Extreme (and sprinkling in a mix of Insanity, P90X, P90X+, and Jillian Michaels DVD routines), M's thinking about starting her first 90-day round of P90X Classic. I guess she wanted to see if I might want to join her.

"I don't think so," I replied.

But her question got me thinking. Why not do another round? Plenty of P90X grads have repeated the program several times and continue to see improvements in their overall fitness. And God knows I haven't yet mastered all the moves introduced by Tony Horton -- especially the twistiest ones in Yoga X. So why didn't I repeat P90X immediately after finishing Round 1? And why don't I have plans to do another 90 consecutive days of P90X?

I can think of five reasons.

Round 3 / Day 9: P90X+ Interval Plus

The first few minutes of Interval Plus were deceptively easy. After a five-minute warm-up, Tony announces that we're going to do 15 different exercises -- each for one minute. That doesn't sound so bad, I thought. How's this going to be different from Insanity Pure Cardio?

(What are you looking at, Tony?)

More after the jump.

Round 2 / Day 51: Insanity Max Interval Circuit

I have no idea how I managed to avoid going into cardiac arrest during Max Interval Circuit this morning.

Insanity is scheduled so that for the first four weeks (or, if you're doing my version of a P90X/Insanity hybrid, first six weeks) is spent getting your body used to daily hardcore cardio. Each session in the first half of Insanity runs about 30 to 40 minutes in length (which -- believe me -- is plenty).

After a recovery week, you put away all the DVDs that came before, and start sweating to the Insanity "Max" workouts, each of which are 50 to 60 minutes long, and kick up the intensity level several notches. I'm too scared and exhausted to peek at what's coming up, but if Max Interval Circuit is any indication, these last six weeks of Round 2 are going to be utter hell.

Details after the jump...

Vacation: A Little Bit of Everything (Except Kenpo X)

For a quick-and-dirty, mix-and-match, do-it-yourself workout, the P90X Fitness Guide is a good place to get started. I used it to put together a one-hour, full-body exercise routine today, which consisted of several exercises from each P90X DVD (except Kenpo X, of which I think you all know my opinion):

• Runner's Pose
• Chair Salutations with Prayer Twist
• Balance Lunges
• Wide Grip Pull-Ups (there's no pull-up bar in the fitness center here, so I actually did these on a lat pull-down machine)
• Decline Push-Ups
• Squat Reach Jumps
• Alternating Shoulder Presses
• Side Hip Raises
• Reverse Grip Pull-Ups (again, done on a lat pull-down machine)
• Diamond Push-Ups
• Run Stance Squats
• Corkscrew Curls
• Step Back Lunges
• Heavy Pants
• Plyo Push-Ups
• Jump Knee Tucks
• Squat X-Presses
• Lawnmowers
• Side-to-Side Push-Ups
• Run Squat 180 Jump Switches
• Chair Dips
• Calf Raises
• Elbows-Out Lawnmowers
• Steam Engines
• Towel Hoppers
• Oblique V-Ups
• Mason Twists

I'll probably just go on a nice, long run tomorrow. It's our last day on Maui, and I don't want to spend it indoors. We're going to be leaving just in time, too -- it appears that the Flyin' Hawaiian, Shane Victorino of the 2009 World Series-losing Phillies, is getting married tomorrow, and his wedding party is staying at our resort. M tells me that Jon Gosselin's attending the wedding, so this place is bound to be crawling with douchebags soon.

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.

P90X Day 83: Kenpo X

M peered over at the TV screen as I dutifully plowed through the Kenpo X block sequence this morning. "Wesley Idol's jiggly," she observed.

"I know," I grunted.

"He's not down in horse stance," M continued, comparing Idol to Ex-Marine Tony. She thought about this for a moment, and offered, "Maybe he has bad knees."

I shook my head.

"Or maybe," she said, "he has two prosthetic legs."

P90X Day 76: Kenpo X

At this point, I'm getting very little out of Kenpo X.

For a while, the addition of dumbbells helped increase the intensity level of the moves, but over the past couple of months, my body has gradually adjusted to the use of weights. It's frustrating to devote an hour to exercise, only to realize that the time wasn't productively spent: My heart's no longer beating out of my chest, and although I broke a (light) sweat during my morning workout, I never had to reach for a towel. I normally sweat buckets, so the relative lack of perspiration is the most telling sign that I'm ready to graduate to a more intense cardio routine. I only have two more Kenpo X sessions before my 90 days are up, but I'm seriously considering whether to switch to Plyo (or even an Insanity workout) instead.

P90X Day 69: Kenpo X

I was exhausted going into Kenpo X this morning, having spent half the night dealing with our haywire home alarm system.  (It's fixed now, in case any of you Internet crazies are thinking about breaking and entering.) A handy tip: Punching the air with dumbbells isn't a fantastic idea when you've had less than four hours of sleep, because if you're anything like me, you'll end up bashing yourself repeatedly with the weights.

Still, at least I'm giving 100 percent. Every week, I find myself hoping that Wesley Idol's going to start taking the Kenpo X workout seriously, but every single week, he lets me down.

That's not a horse stance, Mr. Idol.  That's just standing up.

Running Shoes or Cross Trainers?

Until today, I've been P90Xing in my running shoes. For the most part, they've been fine, but I've noticed that my ankles occasionally feel like they're in danger of rolling over when I jump or step laterally -- moves that happen with some frequency in Plyo and Kenpo X. The soles and heels of my running shoes are thick and hefty, and I'm constantly reminding myself not to let them catch on my mat and cause a sprain (or worse).

This may be painfully obvious to everyone but me, but it turns out that running shoes are terrible for exercises emphasizing lateral movement. Running shoes are engineered specifically for running (duh!); they're super-flexible up front, and sport thicker heels and soles to better cushion runners' heel-to-toe footfalls.  Cross trainers, on the other hand, are the utility infielder of the athletic shoe world.  They're built to be versatile, with outsoles designed for use in a number of sports and activities. To boost lateral stability, cross trainers feature soles and heels that are wider and sit lower to the ground.  They also have a roomier (but stiffer) toe box.

I was sold, but needed advice on the best pair of cross trainers for my overpronating feet.  Unbelievably, however, this information is incredibly difficult to dig up.  Specialty running stores are fantastic when it comes to personalized guidance about selecting the right pair of running shoes, but most don't carry cross trainers, and will just recommend that you purchase a pair of tennis shoes for some lateral support.  Numerous websites and magazines dissect running shoes in excessive detail; their reviews helpfully categorize each shoe for those with specific wants and needs (endurance! speed! overpronation! underpronation! motion control! cushioning! stability!).  But cross trainers get no such love.

So with fingers crossed, I blindly purchased two pairs of cross trainers online -- I picked New Balance MX1210s and MX840s -- and a few days ago, my new shoes finally arrived in the mail. (By the way, what happened to free overnight shipping, Zappos?) I stuck an insert for arch support in each shoe, and today, I broke in the MX840s with a rigorous Plyo session.

The verdict?  True to form, my cross trainers handled all the lateral movement with aplomb. I felt remarkably stable while cranking out Airborne Heismans, Monster Truck Tires, Football Heroes, and Lateral Leapfrogs.  I was less tentative about my landings, and could plant my feet without worrying about rolling my ankles. But when performing moves with no lateral action required, I definitely missed the cushioning provided by my running shoes.  During Squat Reach Jumps, Mary Katherines and Run Stance Squat Switch Pick Ups (or whatever the fuck they're called), I felt the impact of the landings in my knees.  (It's possible, though, that I'm just a clod who hasn't yet learned to land softly per Tony's instructions.) 

All in all, I give cross trainers a big thumbs up, as long as you have a thick mat or rug underfoot.

[UPDATED: I totally disavow and refudiate repudiate this post. Viva Vibram Fivefingers and going barefoot!]

P90X Day 62: Kenpo X

After finishing Kenpo X today, I put down my weights and -- for the first time in over a month -- performed the punch / jab / hook / uppercut sequence without dumbbells.  Without the drag of weights, the moves felt effortlessly crisp and quick.  I still don't think I could take anyone in a fight (other than perhaps a small, pudgy child), but at least I'm now confident I could break out some fancy karate moves before shrieking and running away.

P90X Day 52: Kenpo X

Oddly enough, I find the warm-up for Kenpo X to be more challenging than the main event. The "Saunders stretch cycle" isn't your typical Tony Horton warm-up; rather than hustling us through a bunch of now-familiar static and ballistic stretches, Tony tasks us with a series of balance-intensive moves and poses, including prayer squats and extreme side lunges. I'm usually still half-asleep when I start my warm-up in the morning, so launching immediately into balance poses can be tough for me.

As for the rest of Kenpo X, I'm still using weights, and trying my best not to land a hook/uppercut on my own face with a dumbbell.

Please Don't Hurt Me, Mr. Idol

I've not been especially kind to Wesley Idol. (See examples here, here and here.)

But now that I've learned that he's a fifth-degree black belt with over two decades of Kenpo experience, I'm starting to reconsider my previous remarks for fear of being pummeled or knifed to death. (According to various online bios, Idol's studied Kenpo knife techniques under Michael Pick, who Ed Parker -- the Father of American Karate -- once called "Kenpo's premiere knife fighter.") Also, I found this old clip of Wesley Idol demonstrating his prodigious ass-kicking abilities. This video is eye-strainingly grainy and microscopically tiny, but it doesn't hide the fact that Idol's no joke. His jabs and kicks are startlingly quick and explosive, especially in light of his relatively plodding and half-assed performance in the Kenpo X video. It turns out he doesn't always move like a bored zombie immersed in a tank of molasses.

Given this new knowledge (as well as my utter spinelessness), I feel the need to issue the following statement: Mr. Idol, if you're reading this, I take back everything I've ever said about you and your Kenpo X performance (including what I wrote in the immediately preceding paragraph). If we ever meet, please don't step-drag-claw-low-punch me. But if honor dictates that you must open a can of super-karate whoop-ass on me, please do it slowly and with zero intensity, just like you demonstrated on the Kenpo X video. (Sorry -- couldn't resist.)

P90X Day 48: Kenpo X

Using weights to increase the intensity of Kenpo X has really paid off -- I'm feeling the burn in my shoulders even during moves like knee kicks, when I have to reach overhead with my dumbbells before bringing my knee up to my chest. There is, however, a drawback to clutching weights while trying to keep up with the speed of some of the jabs, punches and blocks: After 45 minutes or so, one tends to get tired and a little sloppy. I ended up with a nice, purple bruise from slamming a dumbbell against my pelvic bone during the elbow series. All in all, though, it's not bad for my first P90X-related injury.

P90X Day 41: Kenpo X

For 40 days, I've been getting up no later than 5:30 a.m. -- and often even earlier -- to squeeze in my P90X workout before the kids pop out of bed. Today, with M in Chicago on business and the kids at their grandparents, I got to sleep in.

When I finally woke up at 7, though, I found that my whole routine was out of whack. I padded into the kitchen, rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, plopped my butt on a kitchen stool and flipped open a magazine. I didn't feel like exercising, and I had the luxury of being able to procrastinate, so I did. It wasn't until I ambled into the garage to start Kenpo X that I realized that I was going to be late for work if I didn't get my ass in gear.

And boy, did my ass get in gear. Kenpo X is a mighty fine workout if combined with weights; my shoulders were burning as I pushed through the moves. At this point, I can anticipate all the exercises on this video, so I'm pretty much on auto-pilot throughout Kenpo X -- I barely noticed Tony and the gang on the TV screen. My mind was focused on maintaining good form and high intensity, and when the workout ended, I was actually a little disappointed.

P90X Day 34: Kenpo X

Why won't Wesley Idol get down in a real horse stance during Kenpo X? He just stands there with his legs bent ever-so-slightly, totally phoning it in. Both Tonys (Ex-Adult-Entertainer Tony and Ex-Marine Tony) squat waaaaay down when they're in horse stance, working their glutes, hamstrings and quads, while Mr. Idol looks like he's just casually bending over to squeeze out a nonchalant fart. My legs and butt were completely sore from yesterday's Legs & Back routine, and even I managed to get down into horse stance a lot lower than Wesley Idol. And don't tell me he's supposed to be modeling the "easy" version of the exercises -- that's sweaty Vanessa's job. Plus, Wesley Idol's credited with being the kenpo master who introduced Tony Horton to this workout in the first place, so he should be one who shows off the super-intense moves.

But he doesn't.

How can anyone expect to get an intense workout from Kenpo X when its creator looks like he's just sleepwalking through the moves? Clutching light (3 pound) dumbbells throughout the session, I actually got a decent workout this morning -- but only because I followed along with Ex-Marine Tony and did my best to ignore Wesley Idol.

P90X Day 24: Kenpo X

Kenpo X is the weakest, least "EXTREME" of the P90X routines I've completed thus far (not counting X Stretch). I usually approach my morning workouts with a mix of fear and giddy anticipation, but I haven't been able to muster up any excitement for Kenpo X. Fed up with the half-assed nature of this workout, I went to the teambeachbody.com message boards to scare up some advice on how to crank up its intensity.

The two best pieces of advice I got were to: (1) use weights -- light dumbbells or weighted gloves/ankle weights -- while performing the Kenpo X moves; and (2) add focus, intensity and speed to the workout -- even during the short breaks between circuits.

I incorporated both approaches into this morning's Kenpo X session, and I'm happy to report that with these modifictions, this workout has finally joined the more intense of the P90X cardio routines. I used 3-pound dumbbells through most of the moves (very effective when performing the jab/hook/uppercut combos), and during the breaks, I substituted fast high-knee jumps, front kicks, squat-jacks and X-jacks, and tried to do them at a faster pace than Tony and his on-screen minions.

At the end of the hour, I was drenched in sweat.

One more side benefit of using dumbbells during Kenpo X: it forced me to be more vigilant about maintaining proper form, because I really wanted to avoid injuring myself. (I'd hate to have to explain that I got hurt lifting 3-pound weights.)

P90X Day 20: Kenpo X

I'm guessing that Vanessa, the female trainer in the Kenpo X video, doesn't appreciate King Douche pointing out that she's sweating buckets at the end of the workout. Pointing to her dark green, perspiration-drenched tank top, Tony says to the camera, smirking: "That was LIGHT green when we started!"

He doesn't stop there. "We don't use any SPRAY-ON here! We do actual DNA REMOVAL -- coming out ALL OVER THE PLACE!"

Vanessa bravely grins through this, but you just know she's thinking: "Fuck you, you fucking asshole."

P90X Day 13: Kenpo X

Question of the Day: If Wesley Idol designed Kenpo X and this workout is such an integral part of P90X's mission to get people "ripped," why does he not appear to have the muscle tone or definition that the other trainers sport? The guy's upper arms FLAP AND JIGGLE, for crying out loud.

P90X Day 6: Kenpo X

I got through Kenpo X this morning, but feel vaguely unsatisfied. It's not that the hour of punching and kicking wasn't a vigorous one, or that I didn't break a sweat (because I always do). It's that I don't feel Kenpo X is all that different from any other cardio/kickboxing/Billy Blanks-esque home video workout, except for the energetic-but-smug (energetically smug?) presence of Tony Horton. The fact that my legs were achingly sore from the previous day's Legs & Back session made Kenpo X feel slightly more "EXTREME," but otherwise, this workout was just okay. I'm not going to bother listing the different Kenpo X moves here; there was nothing particularly innovative or surprising on the list of jabs and kicks and blocks, so use your imagination -- you're not likely to be far off the mark.

On the plus side, unless my eyes deceive me, my body's already starting to show some improvement. It's only been a week, and I can already see some definition (albeit slight) returning. It's impossible to have built any new muscle this soon after starting P90X, so I'm sure the P90X Phase 1 "Fat Shredder" super-low-carb diet is behind this.

Tomorrow is an optional workout: X Stretch (or is it Stretch X?). (As an aside, shouldn't they just call it "Stretch"? As with Yoga X, how "EXTREME" could stretching possibly be?) I might skip it in favor of a half-hour on the elliptical followed by 15 minutes of Ab Ripper X. We'll see -- it's my only rest day before Week 2 of P90X begins, so it's also possible that I'll just sleep in for the first time in a week. Waking up at 5:30 a.m. to work out is decidedly un-fun, especially for someone who's used to being a night owl.