Live Workout with Tony Horton, Creator of P90X

Tony Horton is a trainer who gives you a challenge, not just a challenge you know you can make, but a challenge he knows you can make. He pushes you so you push yourself. I always feel like I did more than I thought I could when I workout with Tony Horton.

So imagine yourself showing up with 300 other people and watching the stage as you anxiously wait for this famed trainer to enter the room. People are starting to move around, loosen up. I wonder if anyone else is a little apprehensive about the workout they’re about to do. Then, there he was. A man of steel with a slightly odd sense of humor. He was somewhat profound on that day too, with statements like “Americans who watch American Idol are idle Americans.” His point was everyone had time to exercise if it is a priority for us.

The music was jamming throughout the event . I’d buy a copy of Tony’s playlist. I am hoping that that music shows up on P90XMC2 when it is released later this year. Yes. I am going to put myself through some Tony Horton punishment when that program comes out. Some of the moves we did in the group workout will be in the new program. The sphinx pushup will be one of the exercises if you want to start practicing now.

So, 300 people start warming up together. After the warm up, I’m sweating. Tony says that’s just the warmup! We do a series of exercises and get a short rest – just long enough to have a sip of water and wipe off sweat. Then, Tony says one round down, only four to go. I looked at my friend who had traveled with me. We both had the OMG look.

By the end of the third round of exercises, I was breathing heavy. I could feel my heart pumping. My legs were shaking. I thought about giving up. I had to start modifying some of the moves, but Tony kept me going. Do you know what it looks like to be in a sea of 300 people who are all doing Mary Katherine lunges? Wow! How could you sit out on that?

The workout session ended with Mason Twists which is an absolutely tortuous ab exercise from P90X Ab Ripper X. How long can you do Mason Twists? I made it about two minutes. The longest run was just over four minutes. That was inspirational! After I couldn’t go any longer, I just started cheering for that guy. I wonder if he would’ve given up sooner without his support system.