P90X Plus - After P90X

January 12, 2009

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The P90X Plus Package
The P90X Plus Workout Differences
The Tony Horton Returns
The Costs & Commitment
The Benefits

My P170X Plan
My Favorite Exercises from P90X Plus

The P90X Plus Package

If you've only just seen the P90X infomercial, then you probably have yet to hear about P90X Plus. As you start looking into P90X online, however, you're bound to find mention of its sequel.

Ok, truthfully its not really a sequel like "The Empire Strikes Back" is to "Star Wars". The ex-gamer in me thinks of P90X Plus more as an expansion pack. In the computer gaming world, you buy the expansion pack in order to have access to new skills, new areas in the game, and new equipment. In the same way, P90X Plus offers 5 new DVD workouts that you can use in combination with the original P90X system.

It's important to note that P90X Plus is not a standalone system. The workouts are supplementary material that offers variety beyond that of P90X. It does not come with a Nutrition Guide or really much of a Fitness Guide.

In the case of P90X Plus, the "fitness guide" is a small marketing pamphlet with a few tips and descriptions on how to schedule your DVDs over another 90-day time period. Like P90X, there's the option to do a Classic, Lean, or Doubles program with the P90X Plus DVDs mixed together with some of your old favorites.

The P90X Plus Workout Differences

The first difference you may read about even before trying the DVDs is that the P90X plus workouts are shorter than P90X, closer to 45 minutes instead of an hour or more (except for Abs/Core Plus which is 20 minutes like Ab Ripper X). Before you feel too cheated out of those 15 extra minutes, you might as well jump in and see what it's all about. You'll find that those 45 minutes are spent with less rest time, and more constant movement.

My sense is that P90X Plus, for the most part, de-emphasizes the whole 8-10 reps for bulk rule re-iterated many times by Tony in P90X. The new workouts are generally timed instead of having you count reps and you're expected to continue exercising throughout the alotted time period. That means most people will have to use slightly lighter weights to get them through an entire 1-minute interval, for example. Doing so definitely pushes you more towards the lean and toned side of the spectrum than previous, but it also keeps you more intense and sweaty overall. It kind of reminds me of CrossFit philosophy.

I'd say about 85% of P90X Plus is actually new material. You'll be familiar with many of the basic movements from completing P90X. Even though you'll recognize some things, however, that remaining 15% isn't an exact match either. The true genius behind the new exercises is that they're more complex, requiring either a combination of motions that exercise more than one body part, or else increasing your range of motion beyond what you've seen in P90X.

The Tony Horton Returns

Tony Horton reappears in similar fashion to P90X, though I'll admit he looks a little more slim and trim this time around. Jovial as always and ready to "ham it up" some more, he entertains while leading you through each exercise.

This time, Tony tends to spend more time training, leaving it to his two helpers to be your competition as they do most of the athletic work. Both Traci Morrow and Mark Briggs are extremely fit, and you'll quickly gain respect for their abilities while you attempt to match pace.

There's also a new feature on some of the DVDs called "Trainer Tracks". Basically, with this option Tony Horton's voice jumps in with additional tips on how to perform exercises correctly. I thought it was nice to have on occasion just to make sure I was doing things properly.

The Costs & Commitment

P90X Plus costs $59.90 before tax and shipping.

Since you've already completed P90X, there shouldn't be any additional equipment costs from before. Through P90X Plus, there is a greater emphasis on getting PowerStands designed by Tony Horton, and they've also begun cross marketing BowFlex SelectTech Dumbbells. At the time of writing this, these products are priced as follows:

Product	Brand	Price*
PowerStands	P90X	$19.99
Dumbbells	Bowflex SelectTech 552	$449.99

*Prices at the time of this review.

As mentioned before, the time commitment is slightly less than P90X because the DVD's average about 10 to 15 minutes shorter. You should also be picking things up faster since you're now familiar with the P90X series format and more fit than when you first started the initial program.

The Benefits

It all comes down to variety, not getting bored, and expanding your fitness vocabulary.

You could definitely maintain or continue to improve your new body by simply repeating the original P90X program. For me, that could work for 180 days or so, but I'm likely to want to do something different eventually. What I've found is by doing P90X Plus for a month or more, I was re-invigorated when I returned to P90X afterwards. Going back to Day 1 of Chest and Back was like visiting an old friend, and I find myself enjoying the old workouts as much as I did when I started.

My P170X Plan

I think I've figured out a fun way to do a REALLY LONG and HARDCORE fitness program with all the P90X and P90X Plus DVDs I've collected. Here's my schedule for a 170 day program.

Weeks 1-13 (90 days):
Do Classic P90X as published in the Fitness Guide.

Weeks 14-17 (30 days):
Do Weeks 1-4 of Classic P90X Plus.

Weeks 18 & 21:
Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
Plyometrics or Interval X Plus
Shoulders & Arms, Abs/Core Plus
Yoga X
Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X
Kenpo X or Kenpo Cardio Plus
X Stretch

Weeks 19 & 22:
Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Ab Ripper X
Plyometrics or Interval X Plus
Back & Biceps, Abs Core Plus
Yoga X
Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X
Kenpo X or Kenpo Cardio Plus
X Stretch

Weeks 20 & 23:
Upper Plus, Abs/Core Plus
Interval X Plus
Total Body Plus
Yoga X
Upper Plus, Abs/Core Plus
Kenpo Cardio Plus
X Stretch

Week 24: "Recovery"
Make it fun and do any combination of your favorite cardio and stretch DVDs while your muscles recover!

My Favorite Exercises from P90X Plus

Double Dip Will Do Ya
Side Hammer Kick Backs
Frog Pushup
Warrior Swim
Tip Toe O Crunch
Discus Thrower
Gladiator
Pull Up Crunch

11 Comments

03/08/10
Tony said,
Congrats on your results. I'm not man enough to start with P90X. I am starting Power 90 today and will go through 30, 60 or 90 days of that. When I'm ready I'll switch to P90X. You can check it out here http://www.tonyisfat.com. What is the hardest part of P90X? I think the hardest part for Power 90 for me will be the diet.

01/29/10
Taylor said,
Or you could try the new Insanity workout that is out right now if you really want a 6-pack. It is completely based off interval training and if you aren't too worried about losing a little of the bulk that you would gain doing P90X, i think that would work well too, plus it's only 60 days

01/29/10
Taylor said,
Okay here's the trick to the 6-pack. Everyone has some sort of abs underneath their layers of fat on the stomach, and doing P90X really helps build up those muscles with the Ab Ripper X, the Abs/Core +, and the other core routines you do throughout the program. But, no matter how strong those muscles are, they won't show the way you want them unless you shred the fat that is on top of them. The best way to get rid of that fat is not by just doing simple cardio and jogging for 30 minutes, it is interval training...that's why the interval DVD is so effective on the P90X +. The reason interval training works so well is that your heart rate is working at so many different levels it doesn't know how to keep up and you end up burning so many more calories and all the "goo and grissle" as tony horton would say. Running is very unproductive! Look at all the long distance runners, they are just skinny and a lot of them don't really even have abs and all they do is run, plus, all that running can be bad on your knees. Just think about it, all the professional athletes that train in intervals (ie. football players) are the most ripped. They do tons of sprints which allows their heart rate to slow down and speed up a lot. I mean, look at Adrian Peterson and Terrel Owens...all they do is sprints. So what I'd recommend is maybe doing the interval workout a couple times a week or just doing sprints for 30 minutes or so...I promise it will work.

01/15/10
peng said,
dude, can you please post down the workout plan without the classic p90x workout please? i really need it my sister lost it

12/18/09
Rob said,
Wow, Mario! Those are huge results. Congrats! Keep up the great work.

12/03/09
Mario Rio' said,
Did a few rounds of P90x and lost 70Lbs, got abs. 210 to 140lbs. Amen. Last round a big biker friend showed up every day for 90 days. He went from 245 to 193 so far. 2 weeks o' cardio and next week we begin adding P90x+. STOKED!!

10/11/09
Mike said,
Rob- I like the review. Good stuff. Starting week 12 of my first round of P90X on Monday. Considering getting P90X Plus. I'm planning on 3 rounds by the time summer comes. Harland- I got the Powerblock Sport 9.0 5lb-50lb set. I got it for $330. It think it's better than the Bowflex stuff because you can add more weight and you don't have to get it all at once. You can add 55-90 lbs and then you can add again 95-130 lbs. Jimmy- I suffer from the same thing as you with no 6-pack. I've started to run on Sundays for about 30 minutes. I'm hoping by the summer I'll have a 6 pack. From what I hear, cardio is the key.

09/25/09
Bob said,
Jimmy - lose some more weight - that's the only way to get a 6-pack

09/07/09
Jimmy said,
I have just completed P90x and did not get the results I was looking for. I mean I did loose weight but was looking to loose more in my stomach area and try for that 6-pack. I have the P90x plus and considering to continue on your routine. What I am looking for is to be nice and cut with a 6-pack. Before i started I weighed 230 lbs. and now weigh 205 lbs. Any suggestions or feedback????

07/30/09
Chris said,
I have a question for you. What dumbbells do you use for P90X? Would I be better off purchasing the Selecttech dumbbells, or simply buying regular pairs of dumbbells from a sporting goods store, such as the ones Tony uses in P90X.

07/02/09
Harland Abraham said,
This is a great blog. Thank you.

About Me

I'm an entrepreneur who's steadily become interested in health, nutrition, and fitness over the last couple years. With this blog I'm hoping to keep motivated to get ripped and beyond!