P90X Extreme Home Fitness - Legs and Back Routine

P90X Workout for Legs and Back

You may think that you’re getting enough of a workout in your legs and back just by doing the P90X plyometrics workout followed by the many, many upper body workouts. However, you haven’t experienced a leg and back workout until you’ve done the workout in the P90X series that’s dedicated to these body parts. Today, we’ll be discussing the fifth P90X workout: Legs and Back

In this workout, you’ll do the standard Ab Ripper X workout that makes its appearance throughout the P90X videos. You’ll also find yourself doing some of the same back exercises that you did in the very first workout. What makes this workout different and brings a whole new level of challenge to it is that you’ll also be introduced to Tony Horton’s P90X leg workout. One thing we can say for sure is that you will not feel like jogging or even standing up any time soon after you finish this workout!

The leg portion of this workout isn’t done in the two-section format that you find on most of the P90X workouts. You’ll cluster all of your leg workouts together in one section. You’ll be squatting, jumping and lunging until you feel as though your legs are about to fall off. Then you’ll squat, lunge and jump some more! The exercises in this workout for legs include:

-         Balance Lunges

-         Calf-Raise Squats

-         Super Skaters

-         Wall Squats

-         Step Back Lunges

-         Alternating Side Lunges

-         Single Leg Wall Squats

-         Deadlift Squats

-         Three-Way Lunge with a Two-Kick Option

-         Sneaky Lunges

-         Chair Salutations

-         Toe Roll Iso-Lunges

-         Groucho Walk

-         Calf Raisers

-         80/20 Speed Squats

Just a little hint – that Groucho walk is very fun (and also hard)! One thing that is impressive about this workout, if you’re already a fitness fan and have done leg workouts in the gym, is that it manages to give you an effective, difficult leg workout without the use of weights. You’ll be surprised how much muscle definition you’ll have at the end of the ninety days just from this well designed workout that’s mostly weight-free. You can read more about the details by researching some of our P90X reviews at Finish Well Fitness.

Because your leg muscles are such large muscles, you’ll need to be sure to replenish yourself after this workout. Treat yourself to some P90X Results and Recovery Formula to make sure you get everything that you need to fuel your body for the next day of workouts!

P90X Yoga X

P90X Yoga | Yoga X Review

P90X Yoga is designed to help you gain flexibility and balance, while at the same time, providing a sense of inner well-being. In fact, yoga is imperative to living a long and healthy life. If you don’t believe me, just look at all of the people who remain healthy throughout their golden years – most practice yoga daily.

Whether you want to do it or not, Yoga X will change your body. I couldn’t believe how much more flexible I was by the end of P90X than I was in the beginning. I could barely touch my toes when I first started the P90X program, but by the final day, I could easily touch the floor with the palm of my hand without feeling like I was tearing a hamstring.

It’s also a great way to help you recover more quickly from the other workouts.

How Long is P90X Yoga?

In my eyes, the only fault of P90X Yoga is the length of the workout – 1.5 hours. Yes, that is correct - P90X Yoga is 1.5 hours and could easily be cut down by a half hour. It is very easy not to want to do a workout when you know it is going to eat up an hour and a half of your life; however, every Day 5 of P90X I would remind myself that this workout was really not one to miss, since stretching is imperative to the workout program.

This is really my only complaint about Yoga X is that it really is way too long, and I think this could be the reason why so many people feel they don’t need to do it or skip it entirely. My advice is that if you do not want to do this version of yoga for one reason or another, then it is best to seek out a decent P90X Yoga alternative that burns the same amount of calories.

P90X Yoga Alternative

There are tons of yoga videos out there, so it is important to choose the right yoga video to follow if you don’t want to do the P90X Yoga DVD.  There is a seemingly endless choice of yoga DVDS, including everything from Yoga for Dummies to advanced yoga DVDs where you can burn up to 500 calories.

It is these calorie-burning yoga DVDs that you should be looking for, since P90X Yoga will make you sweat profusely and is said to burn about 600 calories. Contrary to popular belief, yoga is not easy…it is just a different kind of workout that stretches every muscle in your body while strengthening. It’s really hard to verbalize. Let’s just say that you probably will not understand what I am talking about until you try it yourself for a period of time.

If you are dead set against not doing the Yoga X workout that is included in the P90X program,  here are a couple of good Yoga X alternatives for you:

1. Fountain of Youth Yoga – This is the seventh workout from the Tony Horton One on One video series. This workout DVD is free if you buy P90X program directly for BeachBody. It can also be purchased seperately. I have gone through the workout once and it is basically Yoga X wwithout the balance postures and long cool down.
2. Core Synergistics – Alternatively the P90X Core Synergistics workout is a good replacement for Yoga X. The only time you may run into a problem is during the P90X scheduled rest weeks, were you do core synergisitics twice and Yoga txice. In this week, I would subsitute Cardio X for Yoga X or you could just suck it up and do the Yoga a couple times.

What Equipment Will I Need for Yoga X?

The good thing about P90X yoga is that all you need to complete the workout is yourself, a yoga mat, and a yoga block if you know you are not flexible. If you really don’t want to spend the money, you don’t need a yoga mat or block – but they will make the workout lot more comfortable one.

A yoga mat will prevent you from slipping in tough poses and also add some cushioning to your spine and hip bones during others. You can also find a yoga mat for a relatively inexpensive amount, although there are higher end yoga mats available like the Manduka BlackMatPro for ultimate comfort.

For the best prices on any and all yoga equipment, I like to shop on Amazon.com. By far, they have the cheap yoga mats and yoga blocks that can be used for Yoga X.

Is the P90x recovery drink needed after Yoga X?

It is recommended to have the recovery drink after any workout that has any anearobic element to it. Yoga X is one of the few P90X workouts that does not contain any anearobic movements meaning the recovery drink is not needed after P90X Yoga. If you do however feel overly fatigued at the end of Yoga X, then you may want to to consider having the recovery drink.

I personally did not drink the P90X recovery drink after getting through the P90X Yoga workout. Instead, I had 1 serving of Optimum Nutrtion 100% Whey Protein, this way I still got the muscle repairing protein the body needs, but not the extra simple carbohyrates that are not needed unless performing an anearobic workout.

Is P90X Yoga Hard?

If you’ve never done yoga before, are out of shape, and/or are not very flexible, then Yoga X is going to be pretty difficult. Like I said before, real yoga is tough. While you might think that doing yoga could not in any way make you sore, then you are mistaken. With the sequence of moves you perform throughout this workout, you will definitely feel a little shaky during some moves – especially after you’ve done the same sequence several times adding slight variations each time.

This is what Yoga X is like - you repeat the same moves you begin with, but with each repeated sequence of moves, a new pose or movement is added at the end of the previous sequence to make things harder. The result is a heart-pounding workout…until the last 45 minutes of the workout when things change up a a lot.

The second half of Yoga X is mainly balancing poses and stretching, which quickly slows down your heart rate. I always thought of the second half as an extra long cool-down. During this segment of the workout, you do a bunch of balance poses and postures. While it seems pretty lame while you are doing it, it really does help you gain coordination of your body. I’m not going lie I did stop my P90X yoga workout numerous times after the first half of the DVD.

P90X Extreme Home Fitness - Shoulders and Arms

First off, I love the P90X Shoulders and Arms workout. It is probably one of my favorites. As a woman, having a strong upper body is fantastic: 1) It gives you more of an hourglass figure if you have curvy hips and a smaller waist, and 2) Strong, lean muscles always are sexy (at least in my book).

I’m going to apologize right off the bat on something about the video: I look very serious and dramatic. In short, I don’t look happy. I’ll work on that. I am much happier and am enjoying the workout much more than it appears, so in the future, smiles will be a bit more front and center. Another disclaimer: I’m 5′ – 2″ and 125ish pounds. I’ve always felt that I resemble more of a Labrador than a Greyhound and part of me feels that the video makes me look a little beefy. I may actually look beefy in real life, but I’ve been told that isn’t true. Depending on who you want to believe, I don’t think I’m really as beefy as I may look on the workout video.

Again, remember that the video cuts out the warm up, stretching, intermittent cardio breaks, and the cool down that is part of this workout. Further, the P90X Shoulders and Arms workout repeats and I haven’t shown that either. Here is the P90X Shoulders and Arms workout video for your enjoyment:

I realize I didn’t list out the shoulder exercises and arm exercises last time, so here they are for reference. Again, this workout repeats each group twice:

Group 1
Alternating Shoulder Press
In & Out Bicep Curl
Two-Arm Triceps Kickback

Group 2
Deep Swimmer’s Press
Full Supination Concentration Curl
Chair Dip

Group 3
Upright Row
Static Arm Curl
Flip-Grip Twist Tricpes Kickback

Group 4
Seated Two-Angle Shoulder Fly
Crouching Cohen Curl
Lying-Down Triceps Extension

Group 5
In & Out Straight-Arm Shoulder Fly
Congdon Curl
Side Tri-Rise

What do you think? Do you like what you see?

P90x Plyometrics Workout Exercises

The first thing that is always asked when it comes to plyometrics is what is it? It's a fairly new term in the fitness community and this is because the concept of it is new as well; in fact it was relatively unheard of a couple decades ago. But since it went, in a mix of words,'viral' it has become one of the most popular workouts around.

And rightly so.

Plyometrics calls into action all parts of the human body - core strength, legs, feet, mental toughness, and even a few more - and it doesn't stop there; it will push you to your limits, will you to a new level of power that you never thought possible. it will make sweat; it will make you burn; it will make you wish you were doing some more cardio. Seriously.

Are you surprised then that Tony Horton, the leader in home fitness, decided to incorporate a whole program dedicated to plyometrics? Probably not.

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Some of the best plyometric training occurs in water.

Many sports require what the plyometrics training will teach you.

P90x Plyometrics

Plyometrics is also known as `jump` training or, as I like to call it, the most intense leg workout you can do. It's also very dynamic; this means it activates many body parts and thus is good training for any sport. Tony Horton, who runs P90x Plyometrics, is a big believer that you need to to train muscles exactly the way you will use them in the real world. This means that if your muscles are meant for specific procedures, then train them that way; and if, like in P90x plyometrics, the muscles are supposed to take a beating then train them in that same way.

Have you ever wondered why knee injuries are such a common occurrence? It's because the muscles around the knee, as well as the cartilage, hasn't been trained for it. Sure - many athletes who have knee injuries have been working out their entire lives - but they never truly train the knees for wear and tear. That's what Tony Horton, and the P90x plyometrics program, want to do: it's hardcore enough that your muscles will take a beating, and specific enough that you won't hurt them in the process, so that when you go out in the real world, or play sports, they will be ready for any strenuous activity.

With that in mind be prepared to do a lot of jump training; find a big enough space where you can move around - there will be some cardio - as well as jump around. Make sure you have water, and make sure you have enough energy to complete the program. It will push you to the limit.

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You won't exactly do this, but leapfrog is an exercise is p90x plyometrics.

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P90x Plyometrics Workout Guide

The workout starts out easy and simple enough. You'll begin with a few jump squats; these are when you jump as high as you can, and then coming down, bending the knees - like a squat - and touching the ground, You'll do this in a few different variations in sets of four; in other words, yes, you will be burning after just fifteen minutes.

Next is lunges. These are sort of a cool down from the squats, but, if it's your first time, you will still feel the burn. In fact it actually works more muscle groups then the squats so you may even feel more burn while doing these. Mostly you will feel the burn in your quads and calfs.

After that you'll do many unique plyometric exercises which focus on jumping into the air, and then landing with strong balance. Some of my favorite are sets which include jumping over an invisible bit, as well as doing 360's and 180's. Cool.

Here is a list of the workouts you will be doing in the P90x Plyometrics workout:

• Jump Squat
• Run Stance Squat
• Airborne Heisman
• Swing Kick
• Squat Reach Jump
• Circle Run
• Jump Knee Tuck
• Jumping Lunge
• Twist Combo
• Rock Star Hop
• Gap Jump
• Military March
• Lateral Leapfrog
• Hot Foot

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Get 6 Pack Fast!

One of the most frequently stated goals of men in the gym is to "get ripped abs." The ab muscles are what really identify someone who is serious about their fitness and diet plan, because without determination and a fair amount of effort, getting ripped abs is a goal that will never be reached.

While everyone has developed ab muscles to some extent, it’s getting them to show that becomes the biggest issue for most. This is due to the fact that most of us tend to store our body fat, at least partially, in the abdominal region. This is also one of the most stubborn places to lose fat from.

That said, if you know the principles for how to get ripped abs, you can make this goal a reality.

Genetic factor

The first thing you must realise is that every guy has his own uniquely shaped abs. Randomly selecting a picture out of some men’s magazine or billboard and saying that’s what you want your abs to be like could be slightly self-defeating, because even if you did get to low enough body fat levels, your abs may not be genetically shaped in a similar way; therefore, the appearance of your abs will still be different.
Recognising that this factor is out of your control and not getting hung up on it is one step forward on your quest to get ripped abs. If you are unable to do this, you’ll only become more frustrated as time progresses, which is a serious motivational killer.

Rest assured, though, that if you can get your body fat levels low enough and perform correct, targeted exercises for this muscle group, your midsection will garner second glances.

Food factor

Next comes the diet aspect of the equation. Ever heard the saying, "Abs are made in the kitchen"? Nothing could speak the truth more. As stated, everyone has some ab muscles, but most have a layer of body fat hiding them. Removing this layer is going to be about 90% dietary effort and 10% exercise effort when it comes right down to it. If you aren’t ready to take control over the foods you are putting in your mouth, getting ripped abs should not be a goal for you.

While the old notion used to be that you should eat a diet as low in fat as possible in order to remove body fat, this has changed in modern times. Now, diets that are higher in protein, moderate in fat and low or moderate in carbs are making headway, as this helps to control insulin levels better, and insulin happens to be the prime hormone that stores body fat (in a hypercaloric balance).
That’s not to say you can’t get lean on a higher-carbohydrate diet; you most certainly can -- and some guys do -- but for the vast majority, hunger levels are much more manageable on a low to moderate carb approach, which correspondingly makes eating fewer calories easier.
At the end of the day, it’s really going to come down to your total calorie intake, with less importance placed on how you get there -- assuming sufficient protein is present, of course.

Ab Routine

Finally, you have the actual ab routine. The regular performance of these exercises will play a large role in shaping the way your abs look once the fat is removed and they are visible.

Furthermore, since your ab muscles form the core of your body and are recruited for all other lifting exercises, it only makes sense that you’d want to dedicate some time to strengthening them.

Exercise Ball Movements

When selecting ab exercises, think of anything that will decrease your stability -- this effectively causes the abs to work harder as they are recruited. Exercise balls are the perfect tool for this, and there are a variety of movements you can do with them.

Examples of such exercises include basic front and side crunches, ball kick-outs (lying on the floor with feet on either side of the ball and palms on the floor, squeeze the ball with your legs and move from a crunched to a straightened position), and lying leg raises with the ball between your legs.

Weighted Exercises

If you are looking to actually increase the size of your ab muscles, weighted ab work will be your best bet. Since muscle tissue will only grow significantly when an overloading weight is placed upon it, you must treat your ab muscles like you would any other muscle in the body. You wouldn’t get as developed doing push-up after push-up as you would with heavy bench pressing, so the same principle applies here.

Terrific options here include decline weighted sit-ups, weight abdominal twists (moving from side to side), and hanging leg raises with weight strapped onto your ankles.

Isometric Contraction Exercises

Finally, the last types of ab exercises to include in your program are ones that have you contracting the ab muscles and holding this contraction for an extended duration of time. The benefit to this is that it will help the abs learn how to remain contracted, which will help when it comes to keeping them slightly flexed, allowing the muscularity to show even more.

As you’ve likely done before, if you stand in the mirror and flex your abs they look better, right? Well, the more isometric contractions you do, the more habitual this type of positioning will become, and you'll likely start to keep them contracted to a slight degree all the time without really noticing it.

This could include performing the plank exercise and variationsof that or simply tensing your abs, holding for 10 seconds and releasing. Repeat this tense/hold combo 5 to 10 times a couple of times a day and you should notice a difference in a few weeks.

Abdominal Greatness

If you are trying to get ripped abs, be sure to keep these major factors in mind. Most importantly, do not overlook the importance of your diet. Far too many guys think that they can just be sure to do enough ab work and cardio to make up for a less-than-stellar diet, but this kind of thinking almost always leads to less-than-stellar results. 

The Big Arm Routine

Shock your arms with this routine! Work this routine into your workout for 10 weeks. Once per week for the first 8 weeks, then twice per week for last 2 weeks.

Workout Summary

• Main Goal: 
  Build Muscle
• Workout Type: 
  Single Muscle Group
• Training Level: 
  Intermediate
• Days Per Week: 
  1
• Equipment Required: Barbell, Cables, Dumbbells, EZ Bar
• Target Gender:Male & Female

Workout Description

Want bigger arms? Arms stuck in a plateau? Shock your arms with this routine! Work this routine into your workout for 10 weeks. Once per week for the first 8 weeks, then twice per week for last 2 weeks.

Workout Notes:

Thoroughly warm up and stretch both biceps and triceps before the workout. Stretch both muscles at the end of the routine.

• Rest between sets: 90 seconds.
• Rep timing: slow and precise.
• Frequency: once per week for weeks 1-8, weeks 8-10 twice per week.

Workout Schedule:

Big Arm Routine
Biceps
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Barbell Curl	5	8
Barbell Curl	1	20
Incline Dumbbell Curl (bench 30-40 degrees)	5	8
Incline Dumbbell Curl (bench 30-40 degrees)	1	20
Triceps
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Close Grip Bench Press	5	8
Close Grip Bench Press	1	20
EZ Bar, Lying Tricep Extension	5	8
EZ Bar, Lying Tricep Extension	1	20
Tricep Pushdown, (hands 8-10" apart)	5	8
Tricep Pushdown, (hands 8-10" apart)	1	20