I’m a big fan of home workouts. HUGE, actually. But just like online dating (which I’ve also had success with), I never thought it would be something I’d really be into. I’m glad I gave these DVDs a shot one day. At a cost of less than $150 between the DVD set and the equipment, it was a total bargain given how great everything worked. Now, I recommend them to just about everyone. Here’s my story.
P90X and the Best Shape of My Life
When I first heard about P90X I was somewhat skeptical. Up to that point the only at-home workouts I had heard of was either 8-Minute Abs or the Total Gym, both of which I doubted would work. But after looking at my friend who completed the program, I was convinced it would work. This guy was truly in great shape and a walking testimonial.
After hearing more about the program, I realized it certainly wouldn’t be any cake walk either. And once I started, it definitely wasn’t. P90X required working out at least 6 days a week. Most workouts were 60 minutes, but some went as long as 90 minutes. And I did all this for 90 days (where the “90” in the name comes from). These weren’t Wii-Fit style workouts either. These DVDs have you moving constantly, doing dozens of pushups, and lifting big weights.
Despite how hard it looked, I just jumped in, stuck with it, and finished the 90 days.
When I finished (which was just over 2 years ago now), I was undoubtedly in the best shape of my life at age 23. I wore size 32 waist pants for the first time ever in my adult life. I felt great and looked it, too.
I succeeded with this program (and not with others) for a few reasons:
1) It was well-structured. I knew exactly what I had to do on each day that I had to do it. Each DVD is timed, so I knew exactly how long it would take. Plus, the program was 90 days, so it was an easy goal to get to the end. Having someone talking to you on the DVD is almost as good as having a personal trainer in my book, too, which really kept me moving.
2) I made the time to do it. I knew that I couldn’t make excuses and skip workouts. It was a serious time commitment that I knew I would have to make form start to finish.
3) I didn’t have to leave my house. This was a huge advantage compared to going to the gym. I didn’t have to convince myself to head somewhere else before or after work each day.
4) It was fun. I enjoyed doing it and felt really good about myself since I knew how hard I was working. I was very pleased with the results, and that kept me going, too.
5) I could afford it. I paid just as much for a few personal training sessions in the past, yet I got much better results with P90X. Generally I’m willing to spend just about any amount for great results, but under $150 is a great deal financially, too.
Next Up: Insanity
After finishing P90X, I failed to stick with it and I’m not in as good of shape as I was when I completed the program. Now, Beachbody (the company that created P90X) has created Insanity. It’s a similarly-structured program, but the workouts are different. I already tried it out, and it’s much more geared towards someone like me that doesn’t want to get big and bulky but prefers a fit and toned look instead. Pat Flynn has had a lot of success with this program, as have my cousins who convinced me to do it this time.
I posted my goals over on Crystal’s latest post on fitness. They’re pretty simple:
1. Complete Insanity by Feb 15, 2012
2. Weigh 155 lbs by March 1, 2012
Now that I’ve doubled up on my accountability, I’ve gotta get it done!
Give it a Shot Yourself!
I’m confident that this can work for a lot of people, especially if you’ve never been a fan of going to the gym like me.
There’s really not much to lose by trying one of these programs, as just about all of the Beachbody programs (not an aff link) are for sale used on Amazon for less than $100. If you don’t like it, you can sell it back in the Amazon Marketplace and get back what you spent to buy the DVDs (which is what I did once I finished P90X). There are different programs for all levels, so, seriously, GO FOR IT!
Have you tried or completed these programs before? If not, what’s stopping you?
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We are big fan of home workouts too. We have tried the P90x workouts but we never did the program so to speak. We could just never commit to 6 days a week with our schedule. They were a great way to work out though although I found them a bit long. We have since been using a ton of the Jillian Michaels workouts. We love them. We do a workout 3-4 days a week. Each workout is 30 minutes and high intensity. We work hard in a short amount of time which we really like. We have been able to be much more consistent since we started this and we are seeing results.
Best of luck with your new goal. I bet you will have huge success.
Thanks! There are several great options if you don’t want to do P90X 6 days a week, like you mentioned. I don’t think everyone needs that much working out. Sounds like Jillian Michaels is a great choice, too.
Hmm.. That’s the big problem with these programs. Once you’re done, it’s tough to maintain, kind of like a crash diet? Isn’t it better off to stick with a sustainable workout program?
Maybe, but how would you describe a more sustainable workout program? For me, it’s tough to stick to something for 60 days no matter what it is. Do you have any recommendations?
In my mind, it would be best to just do these programs all over again. They come out with new ones, too, so there’s always the option to get the new one.
I haven’t, but I’m all about exercise TV in the winter when I can’t get my workouts in outside.
Way to go!
I’m a big fan of home workouts too! I completed Insanity about a month ago and got in really good shape. It wasn’t easy though, you really have to commit mentally and physically to the program. After I completed it, I got a lot of compliments and people definitely noticed that I slimmed down. I honestly prefer working out at home instead of the gym because people aren’t staring at you. 🙂