Does P90X Really Work?

If you're asking yourself this question, the answer is absolutely. And honestly, if you are working out hard 6 days a week and watching what you eat, it's kind of hard not to.

Success in P90X is made up of two parts - the workouts, and the diet plan. BOTH are important... in fact, I'd say the diet plan is 60% responsible for results and the workouts 40%, so don't discount the importance of the diet plan. Go here if you want to read more about the P90X workout, and here for details on the P90X diet.

So in what ways does P90X work? You'll see a lot of positive stories with results focusing on weight loss, strength and fitness gains, and some incredible health and wellness gains. What seems to press a hot button for a lot of people is weight loss, so we'll start with that. Here's a video of my and my husband's results after our first round of P90X:

If you go on YouTube and look up P90X, or go to Google, click on Images, and type in P90X, you'll have pages of terrific before and after stories in front of you in seconds. Those kinds of stories are fantastic, and honestly not that hard to find. In fact one thing some people complain about is the abundance of stories about fit people using p90X to get more fit, or started with 30 or 50 lbs to lose. Many people want to know P90X does it work for obese people or very obese people.

The answer again is absolutely yes - although going from obese to fit takes longer than 90 days. Take a look at this video that I think is just incredible, you have to be dead to have it not inspire you.

I think this says it all. What I like about this story is the illustration of how persistence over time pays off big. This gentleman put in the effort, even on days when he didn't feel like doing it, and obviously is now turning the support he got from his Coach and other friends into a vehicle for helping others. Body transformations aren't just about the body, they're about life and things most dear to people.

Sure, You'll Get Ripped - But Stronger In Ways You Didn't Expect Too

P90X actually was designed to be a fitness program, not for weight loss per se (although obviously weight loss is a very common result). This has played a big part into my own results. I have always been weak in my core muscles... I often got a sore lower back from too much running or even walking, and remember very well the volleyball practices in high school where we were doing core exercises and my back and abs would just be sore, sore sore. My core is stronger than it's ever been... my lower back literally NEVER gets sore anymore.

I was shocked in Phase 3 to realize that this was GONE. It had healed, probably a long time ago, I was just stupid weak in this area. Upper body workouts have never been my strength and I still struggle with them. I didn't realize how much good they were doing, though... I'd noticed some tweak in it when I started the program, but now it's gone, gone gone! This may not seem like a big deal to you... but it is to me. I didn't like not being able to wear my baby in a sling for any appreciable amount of time because it hurt my shoulders, and now that chance is lost, they're both way too big for that now.

Over time I have spoken with many other people who have found similar things... a guy who got a shoulder injury in Iraq greatly improved by the muscle training in P90X, an older gentleman with a back injury.... P90X is a tough program, so if you are starting off with an injury, be sure you are on board with your doctor about if it's appropriate for you. If you are, don't be surprised to find greatly strengthened EVERYTHING, in places you didn't even realize.

Other health improvements? You Bet

I am truly inspired by the story of Joe W., a gentleman I met recently on Facebook. After taking control of his health and diet and doing P90X, his doctor took him off his diabetes medication. What more can you say, does P90X work? Yes. I could go on and on... and you know, if you just head over to the P90X page on Facebook, all you have to do is scroll through the comments for the recent posts and you'll see all kinds of success stories. That's more inspiring than any compilation I can put together here.

If you need to lose weight, improve your cholesterol, want to get strong, want to get insanely ripped, whatever your fitness goal, you can do it. P90X is a great tool and it's become a way of life at our house. If you feel a little intimidated at first, I encourage you do it anyway - I was worried I wouldn't be able to do it at first and am glad I tried. Results don't happen overnight - as Tony Horton says in the videos, Rome wasn't built in a day, and if you're looking for a magic pill or great gadget that will do that for you, you're fooling yourself. Expect that in the beginning, you might not be able to keep up with the pace on the videos, or need to take longer breaks, or whatever. So what? You just have to Bring It - show up and try your best.

The motto is Do Your Best and Forget The Rest, and it's true....over a few weeks, then months, then 90 days and beyond... your goal is attainable. Does P90X really work? Yes - you just have to commit to putting in the effort over time and the rest takes care of itself.

Do you have a P90X success story or benefit you've experienced that you'd like to share? Please comment below, you'll be helping to inspire and motivate others to get healthy.