Fitness Your Way

One on One: Cardio Intervals

I’m really hooked on Tony Horton and the P90X Extreme Training System. After going through this grueling 90 day program, I decided to take a break from building muscle and focus on losing a little weight. To accomplish this task, I turned to Debbie Siebers and her Slim in 6 workouts to burn fat.

I still have the P90X bug though, so when Beachbody offered the July DVD of Tony Horton’s One on One: Cardio Intervals for one penny, I had to get it! I figured that it was a cardio program so it would support my current fitness goal of dropping 15 pounds. I knew it would be good because it was Tony’s workout.

This is how the One on One program works. Each month a new workout is automatically sent to you. Previous programs have names such as Diamond Delts and Core Ball Sandwhich. The workouts are between 20 and 40 minutes in lenth. If you’ve ever worked out with a P90X video, you know that this is a short workout for Tony. The P90X workouts are about an hour long with the exception of Yoga X which is a heart-pounding 92 minutes. (Yes, you do sweat doing yoga with P90X.)

Anyway, I got the program and just stared at it with a grin. Welcome back Tony! Bring it! I put on my workout clothes, got out the mat and prepared myself for a 40 minute workout. The One on One workouts are also different from P90x because Tony Horton is the only one in the gym, so it’s like you getting a personal workout with Tony. Mason, the camera guy is quite entertaining as well.

So how is the One on One workout like P90X besides having one of the greatest trainers of all time? In almost all of Tony’s P90X workouts he reminds you that “you can do anything for 30 seconds”. He used interval training to keep you moving and motivated. Some of his P90X routines used a series of exercises that were repeated once you made it through the first round.

In Cardio Intervals, Tony uses a set of 20 exercises. Each exercise is 30 seconds in length. He actually holds a stop watch to keep us on pace. After the first round of 20 exercises is completed, the set is repeated for round two. The rest periods between exercises is really short, so you might have to hit pause or take quick small drinks to keep up with him. I sure got my heart rate up doing this routine.

The other thing you’ll notice is that many of the exercises are variations of P90X exercises…but with a twist or a jump or something else that makes it unique to Cardio Intervals. You’ll also find a lot of new moves to keep it interesting. Here’s a list of the exercises that Tony does in this One on One:

As you can see, this workout builds on exercises from several P90X workout routines. If you’re a P90X graduate, you’ll recognize a combination of Core Synergistics, Plyometrics, Kenpo X, Cardio X moves. It’s a great way to wrap up your P90X program, revisit P90X or supplement your current fitness program.

By the way, my 1 cent July special also included a free DVD wallet that can hold twelve months of DVDs. I’m looking forward to shaking up one routine each month. Whether it’s focusing hard on my back, legs, shoulders or another muscle group, I plan on using One on One to supplement my fitness routines.

If you’re curious about the One on One program, now’s the time to try it. If you order it during the month of July, you’ll get the 1 cent deal, too. There’s a 30 day money back guarantee, so if you don’t like it just cancel your subscription. Otherwise, you’ll get a fresh Tony Horton routine every 30 days.

Plyometrics Jump Training Not For Everyone

I talked about interval training in an earlier post and Shaun T’s upcoming Insanity program that incorporates MAX interval training. Well, I thought about interval training a lot today as I worked my way through the P90X Extreme Home Fitness Plyometrics DVD.

I remember being overwhelmed the first time I pressed play on plyometrics day. It was day number two. I was feeling my workout from the previous day (Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X). I hoped I had what it would take to do the whole 90 day program. Tony Horton started talking about something called “plyometrics” or “jump training.” He went on to say that plyometrics was designed to increase speed, strength, and sports performance. Ok, I thought. I can handle that.

I didn’t make it through my first plyo workout. I wondered if I had made a mistake. I decided to take Tony’s advice and keep pressing play, give it my best and…forget the rest. Then, he’d really push me harder by saying you can do anything for thirty seconds. Believe it or not, that was enough to keep me going. I’m much better at plyometrics these days, but there are a couple of moves that are still very difficult for me, and I can always count on a workout that maintains a high heart rate.

The plyometrics session is just over 58 minutes. It’s no joke! It works in a series of four exercises that repeat themselves followed by a short (30 second) active break. The first three exercises are usually 30 seconds long and the fourth one is 60 seconds with a higher intensity. Once you work through one series of exercises two times, a new series is introduced which kicks up the volume a little. Sweat pours off every square inch of your body.

Plyometrics follows the philosophy of all Beachbody workouts. It uses real people in the DVD, not perfect models. There’s always someone in the video you can watch as a mentor. Some participants are extreme and can jump high and wide. Other participants are more like me and typical family members – giving it their best and forgeting the rest.

The hardest two exercises in plyometrics for me are the Jump Knee Tuck and Rock Star Hop. The Jump Knee Tuck requires you to jump vertically, pulling your knees in towards your chest. It sounds easy, but the execution if far from easy!

The Rock Star Hop is a variation of the Jump Knee Tuck. You don’t bring your knees to your chest in the jump move. Instead, you kick your feet to your butt like a “rock star” strumming down on an electric guitar. I’ve got to say that the Rock Star Hop is more entertaining whether you’re doing it or watching someone else do it.

Plyometrics jump training may not be for everyone, but if you want to get some high intensity cardio interval training, you’ve got to add plyometrics to your routine. If you have any questions about plyometrics or any of the P90X Extreme Home Fitness DVDs, don’t hesitate to ask. My best advice for plyometrics? Don’t give up before the miracle and keep pressing play. You’re going to grow to love this extreme workout.