My P90X Odyssey: Day 1

I'm sure that this is going to hurt in the morning.

So, I'm carrying a few extra pounds, and I decided to try the P90X workout. The first day is "Chest and Back" which actually means "60 minutes of Push-ups and Pull-ups." Save for a few back exercises, that's all there is, and it is brutal. The first half of the workout consists of a dozen or so exercises that alternate between variations of push-ups and pull-ups/back exercises. After you've fried yourself, you get  to do everything all over again, only in a different order. I could keep up on the back exercises, but the push-ups completely humbled me. The rational part of my mind knows that it will be worth it; the emotional part wanted to punch Tony Horton in his face, except there's no way I could have thrown a punch after the workout.

Here are the rest of my impressions:
- My guess is that the majority of people who quit the program do so because of the first day's workout.
- Unless you are in ridiculous shape to begin with, you WILL struggle with it.
- It will expose your deficiencies in short order.
- There is absolutely no question in my mind that, if you stick with it, the results will be impressive.

For the record, I'm using the Portable Gym resistance bands set purchased from LifelineUSA. As far as I'm concerned, resistance bands have it all over free weights. They're small, light, portable, easier to control, and they're not gravity dependent. I'm going to pick up an Iron Gym for the pull-ups, but the video has resistance band alternatives for all of the exercises.

If you're in decent shape already or you used to work out on a regular basis and still maintain a lot of your strength, I'd recommend giving it a try. Otherwise, you should definitely find a less strenuous alternative to improve your strength and conditioning before trying P90X.

Tomorrow's workout: Plyometrics

Starting weight: 250
Starting BMI: 31.2 (technically obese, so that's fun)