P90X is a grueling exercise program created by trainer Tony Horton, through the company Beachbody. I have attempted P90X four times and actually completed the program twice. This every day, hour-plus workout schedule for three months will definitely push anyone to their limits. However, after going through the program more than a few times, the workouts become predictable (as anything would after spending close to a year rotating through twelve workouts). When Beachbody announced it will be releasing the next generation of P90X in 2011, I definitely took notice, even simply for variety. After learning more about the program, I am excited for a whole new set of reasons.
The program has gone through an extensive development phase for more than a year now, including a couple of name ideas. Tony Horton and Beachbody have finally landed on P90X2, and recently announced that preorders will start September 1st, with a guaranteed delivery by Christmas for anyone who preorders in September.
P90X2 will feature three developmental stages, as its predecessor did. However, there are several exciting changes to the stages. The stages are names Foundation, Strength, and Performance. This program truly has a building aspect to it, more so than the orginal, in that the exercises will have less repeating between phases. It has promised that there are several workouts will not even be touched at all until the Performance stage because the user will truly need the Foundation and Strength provided in the different workouts from the first two phases. Also, the program is designed for the user to determine when he or she needs to move to next stage, allowing for more customization based on your particular strengths and weaknesses. Overall, the goal for this program is to reach better performance levels in other activities.
The final stage takes advantage of a workout technique known as Post-Activation Potentiation, or P.A.P. A short explanation of this technique is the idea of using a muscle in a activation exercise, and then switching to an explosive strength move in another exercise. Research has shown that the second move will be greatly enhanced by the activation exercise, allowing the exerciser to make greater gains with the second exercise. It is an exciting new addition to the P90X repetoire.
Additionally, the exercises being used are extreme versions of exercises performed in other P90X workouts. By adding medicine and stability balls to many of the exercises, P90X2 will add a level of intensity to the workouts that force you to engage the entire body. Many of the exercises look nearly impossible to perform, so for those who enjoy a challenge, this should be an exciting change-up.
A few other changes coming with P90X2: the program is only five days a week, giving more time for rest and potential rescheduling of workouts. This will help users stick through the entire program. Also, the workouts will be slightly shorter, making each day more manageable. In particular, the yoga routine has been cut from over 90 minutes to right at an hour.
I am looking forward to seeing if P90X2 will meet up to its promises of being a new, exciting, challenging but manageable program. From all that I have seen in pre-release, it sounds like a logical next step for someone who has done P90X or other extreme workout programs, and should provide many hours of exercise challenges.
Sources:
Beachbody, “P90X2 Pre-order Available September – P90X2 Workout: The Next P90X. http://www.beachbody.com/product/p90x2-workout-the-next-p90x.do
Beachbody, “Facebook: P90X2.” http://www.facebook.com/#!/p90x2