# P90x owwww, \*@%&ing OWWW!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [May 6, 2008, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224 "2008-05-06T00:53:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2008, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/1 "2008-05-06T00:53:36Z")
So, some Saturday morning I flip on the discovery channel only to find regular programming hasn’t started. Instead there’s an infomercial for something called P90x. I had not been this intrigued by an infomercial since The George Foreman Grill.
P90x stands for “Power 90 eXtreme” and is a 90 day super fitness regimen based on the muscle confusion concept, designed and hosted by Tony Horton. So, if you google it, you can see all about it.
I don’t want to be an infomercial here, but I’m a fitness freak, I run ultramarathons, lift weights big time.
I ordered p90x and today was day 1, which is chest arms and back and “ab ripper X”
I was pretty much crying because not only could I not keep up with the girl, I couldn’t even keep up with the wimpy guy who was using bands.
Holy crap! This is the real deal.
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### Author:  [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2008, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/2 "2008-05-06T03:34:40Z")
Huh. Okay, this sounds interesting. Tell us more!
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### Author:  [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2008, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/3 "2008-05-06T04:40:26Z")
Pictures! We must have headless pictures.
Day 1. Click.
Day 7. Click.
Day 14. Click.
And so on…
Now, go use those feeble arms and pick up that 4 ounce camera and take a pic to post it here.
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### Author:  [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2008, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/4 "2008-05-06T04:44:52Z")
Details.
Given the hours I keep at the gym, I’ve had occasion to see that infomercial a few times.
What, precisely, are you feeling in terms of pain?
What kind of work are you getting out of it? All those infomercial people seem lean- can you keep mass on while using it?
What groups do you work each session?
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### Author:  [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2008, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/5 "2008-05-06T13:09:16Z")
I keep waiting for **Scylla** to post “BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!”
Now tell me in a booming voice that part of the workout uses the cleaning power of oxygen.
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### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2008, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/6 "2008-05-06T13:44:23Z")
Call now and we’ll double your order - half as much sand will get kicked in your face at the beach.
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### Author:  [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2008, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/7 "2008-05-06T13:56:58Z")
I’ve just made the first easy payment.
My muscles are already aching.
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### Author:  [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2008, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/8 "2008-05-06T14:07:10Z")
Was the girl you couldn’t keep up with the girl on the tape or your daughter?
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2008, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/9 "2008-05-06T14:32:14Z")
I looooove that infomercial. It’s the hottest infomercial ever.
You and your abs should give me a call sometime…but not until they’re POWER 90 ABS. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/10 "2008-05-06T16:41:59Z")
Until he comes back, you’ll just have to [settle](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRuNxHqwazs) for [Powerthirst](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-3qncy5Qfk)!
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### Author:  [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2008, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/11 "2008-05-07T00:30:14Z")
[QUOTE=Happy Scrappy Hero Pup]
Details.
What, precisely, are you feeling in terms of pain?
[/quote]
Well Count Ruben, it felt like I was attached to the machine and a year of life was sucked away. I had the normal muscular pain that I’m used to, but what Horton seems to be doing is attacking muscles multiple times from multiple angles and building up the fatigue to failure. You get that rubbery completely useless feeling like you can’t do anything. In normal weightlifting and even ultramarathoning I’ve never gotten a burn to the point of total failure.
> [@](#):
>
> What kind of work are you getting out of it? All those infomercial people seem lean- can you keep mass on while using it?
I don’t see any problems. This is one of my concerns as well. It’s great for getting ripped, but if you look online at the before and afters you’ll see that there’s a net muscle gain.
> [@](#):
>
> What groups do you work each session?
Yesterday was chest and back. I thought I was pretty good. I could do 200 pushups, bench 285 and was at twenty reverse grip pullups. About halfway through the routine I had given up on keeping pace with the girl, and was just trying to do one or two each set. He mixes it up pretty good to keep you off balance and to keep the burn active.
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### Author:  [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2008, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/12 "2008-05-07T00:32:13Z")
Today was Pylometrics. I did better with this, ultramarathoning giving me pretty strong legs. It wasn’t total shame like yesterday. I still didn’t keep up with anybody on the DVD.
Even the guy with only one leg kicked my ass!
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### Author:  [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2008, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/13 "2008-05-07T00:33:17Z")
[QUOTE=Yeticus Rex]
Pictures! We must have headless pictures.
Day 1. Click.
Day 7. Click.
Day 14. Click.
And so on…
Now, go use those feeble arms and pick up that 4 ounce camera and take a pic to post it here.
[/QUOTE]
Hmmm. I did take my before pics. Maybe later.
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### Author:  [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2008, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/14 "2008-05-07T02:31:44Z")
[QUOTE=Scylla]
Well Count Ruben, it felt like I was attached to the machine and a year of life was sucked away.
[/QUOTE]
Ruben? You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.
(_Rugen_ is the six-fingered man.)
Sailboat
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### Author:  [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/15 "2008-10-14T22:11:06Z")
> [@Scylla](#):
>
> Even the guy with only one leg kicked my ass!
Was he able to land back on his foot?
I’ve been thinking of giving this workout a go, so I searched for threads about it here, but this was the only one I found. Did you complete the program, Scylla?
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### Author:  [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)
#### Post date: [October 17, 2008, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/16 "2008-10-17T23:28:06Z")
Yeah, I finished it. It was amazing. I took two months off and started another rotation today, believe it or not.
Highly recommended.
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### Author:  [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2008, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/17 "2008-10-18T00:46:15Z")
Before we continue, you must answer these questions three:
Would this totally humiliate and possibly injure a beginner at weightlifting? Is it possible to do this combined with the routine I already do (running and shovelglove)? Can we see pictures?
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/18 "2008-10-18T03:03:26Z")
Yes, pleeeease post pictures. If you look anything like the hot dudes in the commercial, you MUST produce proof!!
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/19 "2008-10-18T03:36:16Z")
This is worrying. I was thinking about trying it (you can get the DVD series at one of those “As Seen On TV” stores in the Upper Canada Mall), but it sounds like I am in MUCH worse shape than the OP.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/p90x-owwww-ing-owww/448224/20 "2009-01-08T14:43:51Z")
I know this is an old thread, but wanted to relate this. My son and his wife are using this thing, along with the dietary instructions, and her transformation has been amazing. From walking blob to washboard abs and a hard body. She lost 38 pounds in the first three months. In fact, she just won $10,000 from the maker of the product, although I don’t know the particulars. I’m assuming it’s some sort of promotional contest for best results or something. So apparently this system actually works. The problem with it is that you can injure yourself, and both of them have done so.
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