P90x Legs and Back

I have been doing P90x for almost 6 months now and have been getting lots of requests on how and why the program works.  The program is very effective because it targets every muscle in your body.  The targeting comes at different days and different weeks in the 90 day program.  I am going to discuss the legs and back workout which consists of a total workout of 59 minutes.  50 minutes is dedicated to working out and 9 minutes to warming up and stretching.  If you want to get a toned rear end(LADIES) or fit in a smaller size pair of jeans then keep reading!

Most people that I know always target there upper body and forget to workout the most important part.  Yes the legs and back!  Try and notice yourself picking something up next time and you will realize that you bend over Like a hinge)to pick something up and not bend your legs and grab the item.  We as adults get lazy and try to find the quickest way possible of doing something.  This routine will help you with your core muscles in your back as well as your legs.

Your workout will consist of using weights, a wall, pull up bar and a chair.  That is the nice thing with P90x is that there is no need to buy several pieces of equipment to workout.  So balanced lunges are first and all they are is lunges with one foot laying on the chair and the other on the floor with your knee over your ankle.  A total of 50 and your ready to move to the next p90 exercise.  The next are calf raise squats and with a set of weights in your hand you bend down and touch the weights to the floor and go back up on your toes.  So by now your thinking that it seems pretty easy or maybe you don’t but I promise you it gets harder.  Reverse grip chin ups are next and when I started P90x on 4/20/09 I couldn’t even do one chin up and now on my second time through I can do 13 in a row without any assistance. 

Super skaters are  next and just picture yourself skating on ice with the whole hand movement thing but doing a lunge as well.  The fun really begins when you still haven’t had a break and you have to do wall squats for 90 seconds.  Talk about a burn.  Every 10 seconds your allowed to come out of the 90 degree hold but then right back in it.  After a fun 90 seconds you give your legs a break and move back to the bar for some wide front pull ups.  I wanted to mention that beachbody has a patented pull up bar as well if your interested.  My biggest weakness on the bar is definately wide front but I am getting better at it.   The next few are lunges and with the third one being closed grip pull ups.  My biggest strength on the bar by far.  I started with doing zero to now doing almost 15.  The next two exercises are squats with the second most hardest one.  Single leg wall squats.  These are not fun nor easy but the longer you do this workout the better your legs will be.  If you want to be a better football, soccer or baseball player then keep this up.  Your doing wall squats and lifting one leg in the air parallel to the ground.  OUCH! 

Now the hardest pull up is next and its called switch grip which entails 2 front pull ups and then 2 reverse pull ups.  I have been doing p90x for almost 6 months and still can’t figure this one out.  There are a series of lunges which are by far a good break but always a killer on the legs.  After another round of chin ups comes chair salutations.  Try this.  Picture yourself sitting in a chair with your feet touching the ground.  Then put your hands up as high as you can.  Now do all this without using the chair and doing it twice with a 10 second break in between.  Not hard anymore but lots of bad words came out of my mouth for the first several months of doing legs and back.  Good thing I have lots of practice with Yoga X because that move happens a lot there too. 

You get into a rhythm of lunge and then back to the pull up bar for pretty much the entire video so it gives you a quick break between the two.  You end up finishing with what they call groucho walk.  This is a squat while walking forward 4 steps and then back.  Another set of calf raises but three different angles with weights.  25 per position totalling 75 raises.  My favorite pull is next and that is close grip.  Its just good old pull up with your hands close together.  I lifting my body weight of 168lbs and can do 12 but at this point 6 is plenty.  My results with p90x have been tremendous and I encourage you to try this program out. 

You close out the series with 80-20 Seibers speed squats and my not so favorite switch grip pull ups.  80-20 squats are deadly at this point because your putting all your weight on one leg and doing a squat as fast as possible.  Then at 15 Tony Horton wants you to jump in the air another ten times.  Oh wait then while that leg is on fire your have to give the other leg the same love.  Lastly, is switch grip pull ups and by this point your beat up but getting 6 done is magnificent.  Don’t forget to do Ab Ripper X after and then when completed take your recovery drink.  I hope this gives you a better idea of another exercise in the P90x program. 

If your interested or have any questions feel free to contact me at Gianni@phattyfit.com or check out the free membership and see what others are doing.  If you have been doing P90x and are not benefiting from the coach opportunity then read more about it here.  If you become a coach now you will get a hefty discount on all products but please contact me first before you sign up.