LifeWorkOut: P90x

Welcome to Lifeworkout — a series about how you can make fitness a part of your life.

In the early to mid oughts (2000s), I recall hearing about a home workout program called P90X, part of the Beachbody Fitness family. It had all the markings of a brand clawing onto the 90s as if Friends hadn't already concluded its tearjerking final season and WiFi wasn't ubiquitous. Of course, that meant a DVD (what is that again?) and 5 easy payments of $19.99 was your best chance of getting your hands on this gem of a program.

IT. WAS. THE. 90s. all over again...

And a gem it was: Beach Body, run by some fitness fanatics ? from sunny SoCal. The setting was a dark gym graced by faux fans, probably stinking of old socks and sweat. The self proclaimed leader of the band, Tony, was and still is a model human being for his physique. His banter in each course is tacky and sometimes delightful, and occasionally a bit annoying. Again the trappings of the late 90s, yet something easily to look past if you are laser-focused on getting fit.

At the time, I was working in the D.C. Beltway, having accumulated a fair amount of weight from the daily 2 hr commute on public transport and plenty of Yeungling, when I got my hands on a DVD set of P90X. Although I had been relatively fit in my younger years, I had become the epitome of "letting oneself go" and I knew that it was now our never. "Sort yourself now or remain more rotund than you ever wanted," I told myself. So the first DVD found its way into my computer's disc drive (what is that again?) and I started my journey to finding my fitness again.

IT. WAS. HARD.

With minimal equipment and plenty of body weight, you could sweat your ass off and on your way to fitness, all while listening to the dopey musings of the "leader of the band". Dumbells. Chest. Back. Plyometrics. Dumbells. Arms. Shoulders. Throw in some speedy yoga. Finish with leg day. Just kidding, no rest for the wicked! Saturday is no time for rest, rather Kenpo. Then after 6 days of commitment to building your temple of a body, even if a pear-shaped one, you can rest (or actively stretch with P90X) on the 7th.

I forgot to mention... the 90 in P90X denotes 90 days to run the full program. As disappointed as I was to learn that the fine number didn't refer to the decade like some period piece tribute to MC Hammer and neon, loose-fitting clothing, I was all the more distraught to know that I had a full 3 months ahead of me of hell. Did I make it? NOPE ??

I ended up adjusting my routine to work for me and my 12 hr days. I didn't do every workout, I didn't follow through over 90 days. But a spark was lit in my. I discovered that I can push through the pain again, I discovered yoga for myself, I got a new taste of martial arts in Kenpo.

It was only a few months later, when I moved to Munich, Germany that I found the time to dedicate myself to the program. Almost every single workout, tracking every exercise, even doing the extra days on Sunday, eating well.

I. WAS. HOOKED.

Would I give all the credit to P90X for getting me back to the fitness mentality? 100% The series did one thing extremely well. It set expectations. The first stage of 7 daily workouts, repeated over 3 weeks, with a bonus week to wrap it up, made clear the path to finishing, while providing light at the end of the tunnel in an achievable way.

Can you only do 4 weeks? Rock on! ?? Get that done. When you have more gusto inside yourself, come back for more.

I learned to look past the tacky speech, despite my wife's repeated attempts to direct my attention Tony's kitschy banter. ?? I learned to do what no one... and I mean no one does... to love leg day. I learned that fitness is about more than having ripped deltoids and pumped glory muscles (those are tri, bi and whatever else is nice to show off, but relatively offer less). No fitness is being ripped, lean, strong, AND flexible, agile, good at landing on your feet, balancing, and moving in ways, where you say... "whoa". ??

So did I finish the full program? You bet. 3x4 weeks. The results? Clocking in at damn near a whopping 100 kg (but not quite ??) when I left the DC beltway, I knew I had my work cut out for myself. By the end of my 90 days sometime in winter, I had dropped almost 20kg.

The numbers speak for themself, although not necessarily an indicator of good health. But I felt healthy. Sprinting up stairs, hiking, even walking on flat ground became effortless. My confidence exploded. My colleagues started remarking on my suddenly svelte face. And that confidence was contagious, as I spoke more optimistically to my friends, improving their tone too!

I'M. STILL. GOING.

After 10 years, what are the results? Good habits. Out of this one decision came a full decade of them. Slowly but surely, each good habit pushed out the bad. And I am still going. Added running. Swimming. Biking. Climbing. But I will always come back to bodyweight workouts as my go-to. Much like this really weird GIF of me doing never-ending pushups, I'm still going.

As for my friend Tony at Beachbody? He is still kicking it. Beachbody is still going too! Their streaming service has been up for several years and at $100 for a year's membership, you money could be worse spent. From the looks of it, they have come a long way.

Even as I look back fondly on this amazing workout program stuck in the 90s, I'm certain that they have leveled up. I'll go back to try it out, some day. My only excuse for not having tested it out myself is being preoccupied with a series of other amazing home workout programs... but that is a story for another day. ??