So, I did the
P90x Plus "Intervals X Plus" workout today, along with the
P90X Plus "Abs/Core Plus" included on the same DVD. (For more information on these workouts, click the links and scroll down, it's the third workout set on the page.)
Tony Horton's form has improved over the past P90 series, so that's good (I thought he was a bit choppy and awkward in the P90 Sweat
Cardio 3-4 workout, for example). He's still very slightly awkward in a couple of the movements, but I think that's just because he's a guy--the masculine variety of humanity doesn't have the grace of movement that women do! Or am I being biased here? Well anyway, Tony is still a very solid, great instructor.
The choreography of this
cardio workout isn't what many of us "
vidiots" are used to -- not the funky, intricate foot patterns like you'll see with
Amy Bento, for example. However, I can see that the basic moves were done on purpose. "No dance moves here," Tony says several times, and he means it. Instead, Tony goes for basic moves so the intensity of the intervals can be fully appreciated. We're given three levels of each move: basic, then we up it a notch for medium intensity, then go all-out anaerobic for about ten seconds of high intensity. Each move with the varying levels lasts about a minute, so we're performing all this quite quickly, giving us the most of our workout.
I liked the
Abs/Core Plus workout quite a bit. I don't often work my abs because I build muscle too quickly in that area, creating a bulky look I don't like. Most of the moves in Tony's workout elongated the abs, or if they contracted them it was immediately followed by an elongation, so I felt that I was able to create lean muscle growth in that area rather than the bulky muscles I'm trying to avoid. One thing, though -- quite a few of the exercises required a bar to hang from, which I would have LOVED to do, but couldn't because I don't have a pull-up bar in my home gym. Well, maybe someday ...
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