Okay, not really. That would be dumb, and you should stop reading if I ever become so ludicrous. I am starting to see very minimal results, but more importantly, I see potential for greater results. I also see some weaknesses.

Here’s the rundown:

Rundown

P90X is split into three phases, with seven different videos performed every week (with one rest day). These workouts are:

Chest and Back on Monday (with Ab Ripper X afterwards)

Plyometrics on Tuesday

Shoulders and Arms on Wednesday (with Ab Ripper X)

Yoga on Thursday

Legs and Back on Friday(with Ab Ripper X)

Kenpo on Saturday

The Good

I have a lot of good takeaways from P90X so far:

• I’m already able to do more pushups and pullups than when I started.
• I currently have more ab definition than I’ve ever had in my life. It’s a far cry from a six pack, but it’s progress for me.
• The Chest and Back routine is a fun, engaging workout that leaves your upper body feeling wonderfully exhausted.

The Bad

It’s not all sunny in P90X land:

• The videos don’t do much to get you pumped. If you feel a little sluggish before your workout, God help you
• There is hardly any cardio in the program, so if you’re looking to improve endurance, look elsewhere.
• The hosts in P90X weird me out. I can’t put my finger on it.

The Ugly

Kenpo makes me want to die from boredom.

P90X vs. Insanity: Round one

Like I promised, I’m going to feature a faceoff every so often to highlight the differences between P90X and Insanity. P90X is a very different workout than Insanity, so you can’t quite compare them directly, but I have definite takeaways:

• if you’re looking to lose weight or improve your cardio, stick with Insanity. No question. You burn more calories and work up more of a sweat in Insanity’s warmup than the entirety of P90X. There’s something to be said for the latent calorie burning induced by weight lifting when doing P90X, but there is no way it’s more than the calories you burn in Insanity.
• if you want to build muscle, go with P90X…as long as you can motivate yourself. Here’s the thing; in any workout you do, you have the choice to work hard or to slack. Obviously. The difference is that with Insanity, Shaun T. is helping you strive from the get-go to do as many reps of whatever workout you can. In P90X, you set your own goals, both with the amount of weight you lift and your amount of reps. If you’re not really motivated, you can set the goal low. Or, in what I estimate is more common, you don’t know what goal you should actually be setting for yourself to progress at the proper rate. In this sense, I think P90X requires more commitment to see results beyond simply showing up to every workout.
• Insanity is more fun. The workouts are more varied and move at a faster pace, but they also achieve a higher intensity, which “gets your body going.” Alternatively, P90X is lower intensity. Here’s the difference; if you’re not really feeling up for the workout in a given night, Insanity’s high intensity will get your body accustomed and pumping through the workout. Alternatively, P90X is lower intensity, so if you feel sluggish in the beginning, you’re more likely to feel sluggish throughout the entire thing.
• Insanity is also much harder. There were days at work where I’d dread going home and putting Shaun T. on my TV screen. P90X is easier on my soul in that way.
• P90X’s ab work out and emphasis is better than Insanity’s.
• I hate P90X’s Kenpo more than anything.
• the people are better in Insanity. They do a better job keeping you motivated, and they struggle along with you, which makes you feel more motivated. By the end, I was as good or better than a lot of the Insanity peeps. On the flip side, I’m currently doing probably five percent of the pullups these guys in P90X are doing.

Progress/photos

While I wish it wasn’t the case, I’ll be posting before and after pictures next week to chronicle any changes between Day One and Day 19. I will probably see zero differences, but it’s my duty to chronicle my change. For you, America. And the truth is, whether or not I see change, the photos will be demonstrative for how the program is working.