Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've been a longtime devotee of Beachbody products. If you've ever read the P90X 1, 2, or 3 reviews by reviewer Garvinstomp, you'll note he's always talking about how he's making his friends and co-workers do all the programs with him. Well, I am one of those friends. Together we've done all 3 P90X series as well as P90X+ and Tony Horton's 1 on 1s, Insanity, and Insanity: Asylum. I've also done a few of Chalene's Turbo programs. I've never purchased any supplements or gear from Beachbody, nor am I coach. I'm just a 20-something female who really enjoys the workouts that BB puts together (and who Garvinstomp always pulls in to do these workouts with him). Considering I've done a lot of the more elite workouts I wasn't initially going to give P90 a try. But an injury a few months ago put me on the sidelines and has kept me from working out. And even though I've healed, the idea of lots of pull-ups and plyo jumps made me leery. Plus, my cardio was absolutely shot. When one of our friends who had early access to P90 offered to let me use it to recover, I decided to go for it. First, this is absolutely a program for beginners. For all of you that have been intimidated by previous version of P90X, Tony has taken great pains to make this accessible to people of all fitness levels, including no fitness level at all. Everything is simplified and slowed down, and even then there's modifications for people who need to go slower. I can't stress this point enough, if you are looking to get in shape and are starting from a place of having been on a couch for a decade, this will work wonders for you (although make sure to see a doctor first, please). The system is broken down into 3 phases (A, B, and C). Each phase contains a resistance workout, a cardio workout, and an ab/core workout. Gone are the multitude of routines with varying goals. Here it's been streamlined for you. Fitness here is less targeted and more about getting your whole body going, working all your muscles together in routines that can be varied according to your fitness level. Like the other Tony Horton series, there are multiple ways to arrange the sequence of the workouts, whether your goals are cardio centered or whether they're muscle-tone centered. You're going to be working out 5 days per week with an optional Saturday workout. The difference between the two different approaches (called SCULPT and SWEAT) is whether you're doing 2 days of cardio and 3 days of muscle vs. 2 days of muscle and 3 days of cardio (with abs two times per week). I opted for Sculpt and usually did the Saturday workout, which is more cardio-centered giving me a nice balance of workouts. Workouts tend to be around 30 minutes with 15 minutes for ab and core work twice per week. So you're in and out in under 45 minutes. All resistance moves can be done with a few dumbbells or resistance bands. No pull-ups! What's really nice is that between exercises little instructional vids will pop up to show you all the proper movements and placement of limbs for those that aren't familiar with working out or with newer terminology. Onscreen graphics are clear and concise, making this as user friendly as possible. Another great detail is that Tony has participants tape a grid on the floor. The point of this is that you'll be referring to it throughout the workouts in reference to foot placement or to how to move your feet. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of movements and allows you to focus on just working out instead of being concerned if you're doing movements correctly. They really have taken great care in eliminating guesswork and bending the learning curve down. The goal here is to really just get you to show up and follow along. Nothing overly complex. No confusing, esoteric movements. Show up on your workout days. Do what you see on the screen. Put your hands and feet in the right boxes. And FOLLOW THE DIET (it really is the most important part). Do that and you'll be joining us in P90X or Insanity or Chalene's programs in 90 days This is not a workout series for people in good shape. For those with an intermediate or higher fitness level you'll feel like you're not getting a good challenge in the first section. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a cake walk. It's working out. Tony uses some tough moves like sprawls (burpees). But they're done in a way that can be modified to everyone's needs. Another nice touch is that the vids have participants that aren't all fitness models. You've got regular people, some of whom are in their upper 50s and beyond, showing you what can be done. Unlike other series, you won't be mixing and matching these with other workout series when you're done. I wouldn't guess that you'd even do it a second time. It starts out at one pace, moves on to a bigger challenge in phase 2, and turns it up even more for phase 3. Maybe you'd repeat phase 3 when you're finished. But more than likely you'll be ready to move on to P90X or another in Beachbody's series. This one is really built on a progression to take you from completely unfit (or maybe just gun shy of more intense workouts) to putting you in a place where you're ready to jump into the `X' routines. This series has really helped me as I was healing. My injury weight has come off and my strength and wind have returned nicely. I encourage anyone who is looking to get fit but feels like they might not be ready for the X workouts to try this. This really is as simple and streamlined and evenly-paced as could be done and still be effective. Remember to go at your own speed and to modify. Because of my injury I often had to modify at first, and it worked just fine. This is as easy as it's every going to be. If you take it slow but stay dedicated, you'll absolutely get results. On a sidenote, I've got a nice diet that I've put together, so I didn't use the guide that came with this. In the past, Beachbody diet guides have been very solid. The X3 guide made diet very simple. Best of luck!