Looking to reduce that belly fat? Do you want to get rid of those love handles? Are you looking for exercises to lose back fat? If your goal is to decrease the size of your waist and reveal your abdominal muscles, then P90X is for you! In just 30 days, by the end of the first phase of the program, you will see your waist line begin to shrink. I have been there and I can vouch for the fact that this program works. I have tried everything to get rid of belly fat for the past 10 years. Abdominals, diets, various gadgets, I’ve had them all and none of them worked. P90X was the first time I saw a real improvement.
One thing I didn’t understand prior to my success with P90X is the importance of exercising the entire body. There is no such thing as spot training. You need a full body workout, including exercises that will work your entire core area. Crunches alone won’t do the job. The core muscle group is often referred to as the “trunk” and involves all of the muscles that surround the trunk area. P90X is a total body workout and all routines work your “core” in some way. However, the program includes two videos that specifically focus on basic exercises.
Ab Ripper X is a 15 minute video that runs 3 days a week on the classic version of the program and 2 days a week on the lean version. Ab Ripper X isn’t done every day because, as Tony Horton advises, “you don’t work your abs every day.” It is usually done after strength training routines, however the 15 minutes is not easy and I found it best to separate the two. In this way I was able to give everything in both routines. I do Ab Ripper X in the morning and complete the strength training videos at night. The workout includes 11 movements and most require 25 repetitions. There is only a 5 second rest period between each exercise, so it goes by pretty quickly. Don’t be discouraged if you have trouble at first. I started out doing just 5 reps of each exercise and slowly increased until I completed most of the reps. I still can’t complete 25 reps of all the exercises!
The other core training is Core Synergistic. This is done only during the recovery week in the classic version and once a week in the lean version. I actually modified my program where I did the classic version, but replaced Kenpo X with Core Synergistic. This was because belly fat, love handles, and back fat were key problem areas for me, but I wanted to benefit from the strength and intensity training of the classic version. Core Synergistic includes a variety of exercises that work your core from all angles. From push-ups done with your feet stacked on top of each other and your hands wobbling, to superman-banana where you switch from superman to banana pose every 10 seconds, to steam machine which essentially involves performing crunches from a standing position. You will never get bored with this video.
The best thing about these two routines is that they produce results while keeping you entertained. You’ll never get the abs you’ve been dreaming of if you start an exercise regimen and then quit out of boredom. This is not a problem with P90X. This program keeps your muscles confused by working them in different ways while keeping you busy at the same time. Also, the fact that the workouts produce results quickly is a huge plus. Watching my core get increasingly stronger and more toned at the end of each phase, including the lower abdominal fat issue, helped keep me motivated. Nothing trimmed my tummy like this program. My goal before I started was to be in a bikini by the time I finished and reached my goal. It was definitely worth the effort!