Extreme Home Fitness.

Due to extenuating circumstances, I haven't been able to bike as much as I'd like. I'm still concerned about my health and fitness, but was having trouble getting myself motivated to work out in my basement at night.

Then Kristin convinced me to order P90X. I know you've seen all the commercials and thought, "What fucking ever". So did I. I've always pretty much believed that "those" workout programs are designed to give false hope to fatties. But, what the hell. Why not give it a shot.

When the box arrived at our door and I started reading the literature, it actually started to seem legit. You are asked to pass a "fit test" before beginning the program and, surprisingly, the bar is set relatively high.

What really sold me, though, was during the first workout where Tony Horton says, "Some of this is high-impact. I know it's not very popular right now, but if you want real results that will equate to better athletic performance, this is what you do. You train like an athlete." Or something like that.

So I'm gonna try it. Here's my "before" picture.
Not terrible, but a little soft around the edges.

I've so far been doing the program for 2 days, and I'm sore as all hell. After the Chest & Back workout, I had to lay on the floor for over 30 minutes to recover. The plyometric workout went a bit better, but I was still absolutely cooked at the end. I nearly fell down the stairs this morning when my legs gave out on me.

The workouts are truly ass-kicking.

This probably sounds like a commercial for P90X, and that's not really my intention. There are some things I don't like about the program, too.

First, Tony Horton is kind of a douche. The videos are almost hard to watch at some points. Several times I've actually said, "Fuck off" to the TV.

Also, the meal plan is nearly impossible to follow. I mean, who the hell is able to cook themselves salmon, wild rice, and green beans for lunch when they're at work? They offer some alternative options, but I mostly had to take their plan as a template and design my own using foods with similar nutritional qualities but less prep time.

Finally, the workouts go on for-fucking-ever. I mean, I know the idea behind the program is to beat you into shape, but it seems that a 90-minute yoga workout could have been accomplished in less time for similar results.

That's all I've got so far, but I will update my progress here. If nothing else, at least it gives me something to blog about.