P90X Core Synergistics Review

P90X Core Sybnergestics
Tony Horton, 2004 

Tony leads this fun & unique 58 min core focused workout in the P90X gym set. You will need dumbbells, bands, and optional gliding discs. There is a countdown timer for the workout & each exercise duration.

After a warmup & stretch, exercises include: staggered hand pushups variations, banana rolls, lean crescent lunge, static runner, bow to boat, low skater & glute raise, twisting floor touch to overhead reach, burpee-pushup-Mt climber, side plank hip drops, chataranga climber, walking planks, supereman banana, lunge -kickback- clean & press, tire run- hi knee run, 1 leg tri dips, squat X raise, elbow to knee cross pulls, roll back & hop up, and includes a 5 minute c/d & stretch. This is mostly core work but does include some other strength work as well. 

I rate this hi intermediate - it will definitely burn out your core muscles!! Really enjoyed this workout- def one of my fav's in the set. Tons of unique & fun exercises that will challenge your body & core in a new way. Tony is chatty but not annoying to me- I like him, he keeps it fun and keeps the workout moving along. 

P90X Review: P90X Chest, Shoulders, Triceps Review

P90X Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
Tony Horton, 2004

Tony leads this 43 minute workout w/ 3 backgrounders in a gym set. You will need dumbbells and optional pushup handles, & a chair. There is a countdown timer for the workout & each exercise duration.


After a warmup & long stretch, exercises include: tons of pushup variations, side & front shoulder raise, chair dips, pike press, side tricep pushups, disc (plate or rag) shifting pushups, scarecrow wipers, overhead tri extenstion, Y press, seated tri extentions, 1 arm pushups, arm circles, weighted football throws, pushup to side plank, fly- row- press, lying cross over punches, etc. Guaranteed to burn out your muscles!


I rate this advanced because of the amount of pushups. Kind of redundant and just too many pushups for me to actually enjoy this workout. If you arent a fan of pushups this is not the workout for you, alternately if you love pushups- youll love this workout. Tony is chatty but not annoying to me- I like him, he keeps it fun and keeps the workout moving along. 

P90X Review: P90X Back & Biceps Review

P90X Back & Biceps
Tony Horton, 2004

Tony leads this 51 minute workout in a gym set w/ 3 backgrounders, one uses bands, and one does higher rep- lighter weights, and the other does heavy weight lower reps. You will need a pull up bar or chair and bands or dumbbells for this workout.

This workout really hits the bi's & back thoroughly! I dont have a pull up bar so I just did row variations. Exercises include: chin & pull up variations, lawnmower rows & wide lawnmower rows, 21's (biceps), 1 arm cross bi curl, open carm curl, static arm curl, locomotive rows, wall sit curl, corkscrew curls, upper back fly, curl to hammer, supermans, and strip set curls (varying poundage).

Definitely advanced with heavy weights and/or a pull up bar. Tony does a great job of including a good variety of exercises to keep it interesting and hit the muscles in a new way. Encourages you to write down your stats, and is chatty. The workout moves along pretty well but he does chat a bit- which is fine if you are working hard & need the break.

P90X Chest & Back Review

 P90X Chest & Back
Tony Horton, 2004 ]

Tony leads this 50 minute chest & back workout "the mother of all P90X workouts" in a  gym set w/ 3 backgrounders. One shows band options and 1 does chair pullups. You will need dumbells or bands, a pull up bar or support for a band, and optional chair & pushup bars. There is a countdown timer for the workout & each exercise duration.


This dvd is almost all pushups alternated with pullups with a few other chest & back exercises thrown in. Exercises include: push up and pull variations, rows, single arm rows, back flys and include some rest breaks. There are two rounds of 12 exercises in this w/o. 


If you dont have a pull up bar and/or arent a fan of pushups this is NOT the workout for you (for me). I dont have the bar so I subbed in various rows for the pull ups and Im not a huge fan of pushups so I didnt really enjoy this w/o at all. Its a solid workout and with a bar- definitely advanced, though Tony does a good job of providing a lot of options. Without a pullup bar its really hard to even modify these w/o's and I dont really recommend the set if you dont have a bar or good alternative. 

P90X Review: P90X Cardio X Review

 P90X Cardio X
Tony Horton, 2004

This is a very unique 43 min workout that combines exercises from other P90X vids (not a compilation -is all new footage). Optional equipment includes yoga blocks, chair, and mat. Tony works out w/ 3 background exercisers in a gym set. Tony provides modification options for some exercises.

You start with a warmup, then move into yoga, kempo, plyo, core work, and finish with a cooldown. Exercises include: sun salutations and vinyassas w/ various warrior poses in, lots of kick & punch combos- including some unique kickboxing type moves, skater hops, tire run, pendulum jacks, swing kicks over a chair, floor touch squats adding a hop, elbow to knee front pull down, roll back stand up, static runner (fun), superman to banana, and cooldown.

I would rate this a solid intermediate workout that is perfect for those that love variety. Its shorter than the other P90X workouts so good for days when your shorter on time. Tony is his usual chatty self but I like him & enjoy his banter. There is a music off/ Tony off option on all the P90X dvds.

P90X Review: P90X Ab Ripper X Review

P90X: Ab Ripper X
Tony Horton, 2004

This is a 16 minute floor ab routine led by Tony in a dim gym set w/ 3 backgrounders. One shows modifications. You wont need any equipment for this workout. There is a countdown timer for the workout & each exercise duration.

This is a nonstop ab/core workout. Each exercise Nothing fancy but it really works those abs- you could do half of this and get some great ab workout in in my opinion LOL. Exercises include: V extensions, bicycle legs, crunchy frog, sit up toe touches, scissor leg drops, frog hip lifts, heels to heaven, roll up C curve, side lying oblique crunch, 1 leg extended sit ups, and twists.

This is an advanced ab workout. My abs were fried! Tony moves right along though I didnt feel rushed. He provides plenty of options and encourages you to take breaks when needed. He is chatty but not overly so. While this is def a kick butt ab workout I dont see myself reaching for it often (ever) since its nothing too exciting.

P90X Legs & Back Review

P90X Legs & Back
Tony Horton, 2004

This is a 59 minute lower body & back workout. Tony works out w/ 3 backgrounders in a dim gym set. You will need dumbbells or a band, a chair, and a pull up bar or band for this workout. I dont have a pull up bar and dont have a stable area to loop the band so I just did row variations- which was fine. One backgrounder provides modifications. This dvd also has Ab Ripper X on it which I will review separately later.

This workout is set up to do 20-25 reps of most of the exercises. Most of the lower body work is unweighted- you can easily grab dumbbells to up the intensity. They show pull ups w/ a chair to assist, w/out a chair and band pullups (though you still need something sturdy to hook your band to).

Exercises include: a warmup and LONG stretch, elevated rear leg lunges, calf raise squats, body wt skater, wall sit, plenty of pull up and chin up variations, side lunge, dips, toe lunges, chair pose, static lunge w/ a rear leg shift, low pliet walk, calf raises, 1 leg hop squats, lunge kick combos, and ends with a cooldown & stretch.

I rate this a high intermediate workout for the lower body and I even added weights to many of the lower body exercises. As far as back- its gotta be advanced if you are able to do the pullups- since I did row variations, it wasnt as challenging. I think you could easily make this advanced by adding poundage to the lower body work. This workout moves right along but is not rushed at all. Tony provides plenty of different exercises and new spins on exercises that there is no boredom and the time really goes by quickly.

P90X: Plyometrics Review

P90X Plyometrics Review
Tony Horton, 2004

This is a 58 minute cardio workout led by Tony in a dim gym set with 3 background exercisers. You will only need an optional chair for this workout. One exerciser shows modifications and Tony offers mod's & encourages resting when needed. There is a countdown timer for the workout and specific exercise duration on the bottom of the screen.

This workout includes a lot of high impact, high intensity exercises but Tony does a great job of mixing in plenty of lower impact & lower intensity exercises keeping it very doable. Each round consists of three 30 second higher intensity exercises, 1 60 second lower intensity exercise, repeated and then followed by a rest break.

Exercises include: a warmup and stretch, jump squat, skater, high swing kick, floor touch 180 jumps, circle run, plyo lunges w/ pulses, frog hops, squat jacks, long leaps, rock star jumps, lo shuffle, low 180 jumps, squat hops to floor touch, monster & normal tire run, and military march. Concludes with some sports moves: pitch & catch, jump shot, football drill, and a cooldown & stretch.

I rate this an advanced workout but not super advanced- it is very doable and there are plenty of lower intensity exercises added in. Tony is chatty but I dont find him annoying at all-actually amusing. The time really flys in these workouts and Tony keeps everything moving along smoothly. Plenty of different exercises to prevent boredom but not at all scattered.

P90X Shoulders & Arms Review

Today's Review: P90X: Shoulders & Arms
Tony Horton, 2004 **** (4 of 5 stars)

This is a 60 min strength only workout led by Tony in a kinda dark gym set w/ 3 background exercisers. You will need a chair (or hi step), and dumbbells or tubing for this workout. Tony offers variations and modifications for many of the exercises. There is a timer on the screen for the workout duration and exercise duration.

The workout is structured into five rounds of three exercises and a rest. You perform each round twice. Each round has one shoulder exercise, one bicep, and one tricep, followed by a 35 second rest- where you can jog, stretch, etc. Tony encourages everyone to write down how many reps and their poundage for each exercise. You decide how many reps you want to do (8-10, 12-15, etc) and then complete them in the time given.

Exercises include: a warmup and long stretch, alternating shoulder press, in & out bi curls, tricep kickback, deep swimmers press, concentration curl, chair dips, upright row, static arm curl, tri kickbacks w/ a twist, seated delt fly, crouching cohen curl, lying tricep extension, straight arm shoulder raise, gongdon curl, & 1 arm side tricep pushups. A warmup (including a long stretch) and a cooldown/ stretch are included.

I rate this an advanced strength workout. If you use heavy poundage you will thoroughly work the targeted muscles. I like using the 30 second rests to jog or hi knee run to get the heart rate up a bit. The pace is pretty good- not rushed at all. Tony is very chatty but I did not find him annoying. He does a good job of providing unique twists on tried & true exercises and offering plenty of modifications & tips.