Joel Epstein: Super Bowl Sunday and the Elixir of Fat
The Ultimate Arms And Abs Workout
Tony (Horton) Hears a Who
Posted on Jul 22nd 2009 11:00AM by Karla Carrington
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| Photo: Getty Images I AOL |
One day Andre' mentioned Tony Horton's P90X DVD fitness series. He said he'd been using it and then pulled up his shirt to show off his results. I visually saw the difference between cut and ripped. After wiping the drool from my lip, I said, "wow!" He gave me his version of Tony Horton's muscle confusion concept and how the program had worked for him. I listened intently and decided to find out more.
The following day, I was fortunate enough to catch the infomercial. I saw Tony Horton talking about P90X, and I immediately thought, "That's my baby daddy right there." Oh, but that's probably not the thought you guys care about. My second and more weighty thought was, "Dang, could I do this? Could I have six pack abs? Could I take my fitness level to the extreme?" Listening to the conviction in Tony's voice about the program made a hint of belief creep in.
See the photo to the right? That's me! Well, I mean, that's my head. I have no idea whose abs those are, but thanks to PhotoShop and my girl Waj, I could be looking at the future me. According to Tony Horton, also known as the "10-minute trainer," I can have those abs, and he's much too hot to ever lie.
I decided to give P90X a shot. I popped in the first DVD -- Bring it! Tony had me amped enough to preview DVD #2 -- chest and back. OK, so now I'm seeing what extreme means, and I wish I had Tony Horton's number so I could call and ask him who the hell can do this? I certainly couldn't. The workout was extreme and packed with moves I felt were too advanced for me. I packed P90X away and revoked Tony's baby daddyship privileges.The next day, I took a package to the mail room and what are the guys talking about -- P90X! They give me their thoughts, according to what they'd seen and heard, so I decided to talk about it with my trainer, Jake. He reviewed the material, gave me his thoughts and we were off to the fit test. We went to a beautiful park filled with exercise equipment for the serious minded -- let the fit test begin. Although it was tough and I struggled in some parts, I did fine, until I got to the pull-ups. Jake did his pull-ups with ease to show me how. I was up next. I stood looking up at the bar. It looked harmless enough. I proceeded to reach up (so far so good), I grabbed the bar just fine, and as soon as I go to pull up -- something farted! I don't know if it was Jake who was trying to help lift me or if it was me from exertion. For all I know, it might have even been the bar itself, I'm still not sure. Either way, I don't know who did it, but there it was. The fit test was over, the air was foggy -- and I was mad at Tony all over again.
After recovering from the comic relief, we discussed P90X seriously and at length. Jake talked about any current limitations he thought I may have, but he felt like I should give it a try. Thanks to Tony Horton's well thought-out plan, the variations using the bands will help overcome my limitations. However, I will do pull ups!
My first thought about P90X was that you'd have to be in optimal shape to attempt it, but the more I watched it, the more that changed. I began to see that Tony encouraged me to move at my own pace and comfort level. I didn't have to match his reps, I could work the program within the confines of where I am today. Building a body that's ripped and toned is similar to that of a mountain. It won't be done in a day, and it will take hard work. I'm glad I was smart enough to revisit it and take a second look.
As for the DVD itself, I found Tony to be both warm and engaging. I also appreciate that the folks working out with him are real people and not Barbie dolls. They share a camaraderie that is genuine. Plain and simple, as hard as the program appears to be, I am motivated to at least try. I have teamed up with a partner and August 1 marks the date that I BRING IT! Stay tuned.
