So, a few days ago, I was feeling in the mood to get my heart pumping, but not necessarily go for a run or go to the gym (time constraints + weather + lack of gym membership AT THE CURRENT TIME). Hmmm…oh right! I bought the P90X set for $4 at a garage sale! Didn’t it have some cardio thing in it? Yes, boys and girls, it did.
Now, I do Ab Ripper X on a fairly regular basis (when I’m in shape, usually once a week). Not because it’s the best ab workout, because it certainly is not, but instead because it’s an organized 15-minute routine that works my core. It’s decent and gets the job done, and can be found online really quickly. So, why not try Cardio X? Oh, and if you’ve never done any of the P90X’s, Tony Horton (the guy running the show) is creepy. Yes, I did just underline, bold, and italicize that. Because he is so creepy. Just to give you a warning.
Onto the actual program I’m reviewing: Cardio X. A 45 minute long cardio routine including 15 minutes of warm-up (with yoga, static stretches, and slow cardio), 20 minutes of “intense” cardio, and then a 10 minute cool-down. The warm-up is basic stuff, jog in place, and then go into a full yoga routine, and such. I felt unsure about this, and you’ll see me saying this multiple times this post, because not everyone has done yoga before, and he is definitely not a yoga instructor. It makes me uncomfortable because I don’t want people doing the poses incorrectly (not stacking properly, etc.) and thus hurting themselves. So he lost some points for that.
So in the actual “cardio routine,” there were wacky jacks (a weird bend-y type of jumping jacks), kickboxing routines, squat-like moves, high round-kicks, burpees, tire steps, and so forth. I’ll let you find out for yourself. It was just a bunch of weird exercises put together, had no great flow, and once more, I feel uncomfortable with some of the moves he put in. One was a squat where you have to touch your toes. That completely compromises the form of the squat, putting your back out of wack and leaving you with some back problems if you do it too often.
Besides the fact that he’s incredibly creepy, I wouldn’t do this again. I would rather jump rope for 15 minutes than do this again, a high-intensity cardio workout that is great! And cheap. And I would definitely not suggest it to others, because he makes it so easy to compromise form and do things incorrectly.
So grab a jump rope, your running shoes, or a freaking sport! Don’t settle for this strange injury-prone routine.
You’re an idiot