P90X(www.buydvdhere.com)

After completing my P90X Review, I decided I could go into more detail about the individual P90X DVDs. Following are brief descriptions and some thought of each of the workout days prescribed by P90X.

Chest and Back DVD

Although perhaps intimidating at first, you'll soon realize how basic Chest and Back day is as a workout routine and in comparison to some of the other P90X DVDs. This is where the program starts, and you're bound to learn two important lessons. First, all you really need is a bar and a floor to have a crazy intense workout that hits some of the largest muscle groups in your body. And secondly, there's a certain practicality to it when you think about being able to push or pull your entire body weight. You'll thank Tony Horton when you find yourself hanging by your fingers off a cliff's edge one day.

On my first day, I remember being surprised, and a little disappointed, in how little I used the cool adjustable dumbells I bought for P90X. There are still a couple back moves that utilize free weights, but the rest is all pullup and pushup varations. Most people don't realize how many different kinds of pullups and pushups you can do, and here are only a handful to wet your fitness appetite. The funner ones show up later.

Pushups: Standard, Military, Wide, Decline, Diamond, Dive Bomber

Pullups: Chin-up, Wide, Narrow, Switch Grip

Plyometrics DVD

Anyone who's ever done Plyometrics will tell you it's HARD. For some that means a new challenge to conquer, and for others it causes them to drop the word and everything associated into their "hate" bin. I say don't be a hater!

Plyometrics is also called Jump Training, because you do exactly that... jump. You're mostly landing on your toes to reduce impact, and the goal is to be light on your feet while adding intensity over time. Most people will be struggling (or should I say dying) the first time they do this, but I promise it gets better. It's a great workout for sportsy folk, because you'll achieve applicable improvements in speed, agility, endurance... oh, and jumping.

Even after 90 days of doing Plyometrics once every week, it still kicks my butt. I think that's because there's very little you can do to cheat without actually stopping, and the modified moves are significantly different from actual. Although it's a high impact workout, it can't be that much worse than going running, and you have time for a solid warm up and warm down to prepare your legs for the hopping around.

Shoulders and Arms DVD

Break out the free weights for Shoulders and Arms. This is a pretty straight forward all upper body day with shoulder presses, curls, and tricep work. You alternate through each muscle group doing double circuits. Shoulders and Arms is also the workout where I hurt my neck during the first week while being a little too enthusiastic about my side tri raises.

Many people will be familiar with the moves, so it's important to push your limits and up the weight when/where you can.

Yoga X DVD

I wonder why the "X" for "extreme" was only added at the end of certain workout titles? Is it because those workouts aren't viewed as extreme under normal circumstances? I guess there are a lot of guys who think doing yoga is nambi-pambi.

For anyone, like myself, who's never done a day of yoga in their life, it's as difficult a challenge as Plyometrics - just in a different way. Figuring out how to do yoga poses while keeping your balance is tasking in a "my body doesn't actually turn that direction" sort of way. Then you find yourself sweating from both the effort and concentration. In fact, by the second or third week, Yoga day officially became my sweatiest day of all P90X workouts.

Especially for the guys, you'd think that your flexibility ultimately falls within a static range, but I suddenly found myself making large improvements. I would all of a sudden discover I could balance in a certain pose, or that I could stretch just a little further than the previous week. I left with a new respect for the art, and plan to continue learning yoga outside of P90X.

You'll also notice that Tony Horton is not a master of yoga poses, either, especially on the balancing side. He still does a good job teaching the skills, though.

Legs and Back DVD

When you think your legs can't be beat up anymore with jump training and balancing on one leg in half moon pose, you finally hit Legs and Back day. Most of the exercises are tough enough your first week with just body weight, and even later I found myself maxing out around 25 lbs. per arm extra.

This is another DVD that teaches you how to get a great workout without all the fancy equipment. The very first lunge sequence, the sneaky lunge, and the toe roll lunge are just a few exercises that I'd never done before. Then again, like most people, I would tend to skip my legs when working out at the gym. Plus, the squats are sure to make your glutes sore for a good couple days after.

The back exercises are no surprise as they mirror what you've already seen in the Chest and Back DVD. It's still good to get in those reps and try to hit some extra pullups, but I sense it was put into the workout to give your legs some much needed rest.

Kenpo X DVD

Kenpo is probably the one DVD where people will feel most comfortable out of the gates. The pace isn't too crazy like some cardio kick boxing classes offered at local gyms, but the intensity makes it a great workout.

In addition, I'd say this is the one DVD where the P90X crew seems the most normal. While I do trust that everyone represented on camera went through P90X, they all seemed to have started out already super athletic. In Kenpo X, they seem more like regular people who are just excited to be in one of the P90X DVDs. That's just what I see, anyway.

X Stretch DVD

How many people out there can honestly say they stretch for a full hour straight at least once a week? The X Stretch DVD is listed as an optional workout used every 7th day, but I highly recommend keeping it on your calendar. By the end of the hour, my body is totally loosened up, and I feel pretty energized without having broken a big sweat.

I really do believe that stretching is one of those things that prevents injury. And having X Stretch plus Yoga X will offer you large improvements in your overall flexibility.

Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps DVD

In the Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps DVD, it's time for some of those moves that may have drawn you to the P90X program in the first place. I'm talking about the One-Arm Pushup, and the Plyo Pushup, both of which make an appearance in the original P90X infomercial. There are several other interesting push exercises that I'd never done before such as the Plange Pushup, and the Pike Pushup.

There are a few interesting shoulder and tri workouts in this DVD, but for the most part it's just about blasting those muscles in rotating fashion. This is the one P90X DVD where I can actually get an equal or better workout using resistance bands. Adding high tension to your triceps can be pretty killer as long as you push up the resistance.

One of the unique things you'll notice about this P90X DVD and the biceps portion of the Back and Biceps DVD is that it's virtually non-repetitive. That is to say, you're doing a circuit, but you never do the same exact exercise twice. This adds to keeping the workout interesting, so your hour seems to pass faster.

Back and Biceps DVD

This is just what the doctor ordered for me, since my biceps starting out were abismally weak - not to mention the fact that my left arm was significantly weaker than my right. Again, nothing mysterious about how you're targeting your biceps. Curls at different angles, in & out hammer curls, and even some drop downs at the end will help your arms get cut.

Back exercises may be a little more challenging on this day, because you're hitting your biceps pretty ferociously, and your triceps may still be recovering from two days ago. On the plus, this could teach you how to use more of your back when doing a pullup, which is the point of these bar exercises to begin with! Add also the Towel Pullup, which you won't have seen before this DVD.

Core Synergistics DVD

Core Synergistics is a great cardio workout. In fact, I prefer this DVD over Cardio X, because the moves are more original and challenging. With the way the P90X system is arranged, you pretty much never get a chance to master the DVD, because you only do the routine once every month. Even though you're definitely targeting your core strength, it feels much like a full body workout, getting your arms, legs, stomach, and lower back involved.

If you think about it, working your core is important when trying to make drastic changes in your body composition. For example, if you're losing a lot of fat around your mid-section, you want to make sure you are strengthening the muscles around that area to replace some of the padding your body has relied on for a long time. It'll preven injury in the long run. Plus, there are many studies suggesting links between core strength improvement and overall longterm health. I've noticed more stability and better posture just from this set of exercises.

Cardio X DVD

You may not use Cardio X much if it's your first round through P90X. The Cardio X DVD is suggested as a secondary workout if you plan on doing the Lean or Doubles version of the program. It's shorter than other P90X DVDs, running around 35 minutes total - just enough time to break a good sweat and wrap it up.

Intensity wise, it's just enough to push yourself a little extra during the day, but it's also probably my least favorit DVD in the series. About 95% of the exercises are the same as what you see in other sections of the P90X program. It combines moves from Yoga X, Plyometrics, Kenpo X, and Core Synergistics - a little bit of everything to get your heart pumping.

Ab Ripper X DVD

If you've been researching online, you'll probably read the most whining about Ab Ripper X. For one, it's a VERY serious abs workout to begin with, and it'll be really tough for anyone to keep pace for the first few weeks. The other chief complaint is having to add Ab Rpper X on top of your resistance workouts 3 times per week. Not only does it push your exhaustion to the edge, but you're tacking on an additional 20 minutes to your workout time.

By about halfway through the abs routine, I keep my eyes close and just concentrate on getting through the whole thing without stopping. Of course, like any other P90X DVD, you don't won't to take it to the point where you injury your body. With the difficulty level high and every move 25 reps each, there's no