My beef with P90X

P90X is a good system that I am sure would whip anyone into shape who stuck to it's program. Now with that said, I have an issue with this. P90X is probably the most popular workout program of its type, but let me tell a quick story. My step-dad has the program. He is just starting again, he has attempted one time back in 2011 but quit after about a month when after one too many "cheat" meals he lost his momentum. I am proud to say that he is starting up again somewhat sooner rather than later. If you know anything about P90X, you probably know it also has a nutrition plan with it. Long story short I opened my fridge and noticed strange ingredients for dishes, including: mushrooms, as well as cottage cheese.

Now I am all for a program introducing some new foods into a bland diet, but this is getting to the root of my concern. How many of you incorporate cottage cheese into your lunch or eat it as a midday snack? I am a firm believer that the less convenient a change/adaption is to put in place, the higher chance of failure.

It's one thing that P90X demands an hour a day for 5 days a week for at least 90 days, but a very strict diet is an all day challenge. What if somebody travels and forgets to bring their mushrooms? Not to promote, but as a comparative I enjoy my program from the 20 dollar book "Your body is your own gym". This is full of body weight exercises and most weeks are 4 days with about a half an hour (good intensity still). The best part? It tells you what you need. Trying to lose weight? Calculate this, incorporate about this much calories and this much protein to still build muscle. It even has some instruction for just bulking up for skinnies like me. What I mean is, it gives you the idea and tells you why you need it. I am unsure why cottage cheese is a good snack in P90X, but I am sure I could get most the same nutrients in similar proportions from other foods if challenged.


So in conclusion maybe P90X is more concerned with keeping it strict to make sure anyone who does finish defiantly got high results. Comparatively maybe Your body is your own gym places a little more on the user. In the end the results speak loudest, but, if by any chance Y.B.Y..O.G happens to finish with similar or superior results, P90X may want to give their supporters more to love for the big gap in price and effort.