Tony Horton: Why I'm Excited About My New P90X3 Workout
Tony Horton is about to "annihilate" your fitness excuses. And he's using 30 minutes to do it.
That's right: P90X3 has arrived.
Like its popular predecessors, the third installment in Horton's P90X franchise - out today for $119.85 - works by mixing elements of body-weight training, cardio, yoga and martial arts. But you no longer need to spare a full hour of your day. P90X3, which revolves around 16 short, targeted workouts, requires just 30 minutes a day, six days a week. And Horton says it works: In a test group, 39 out of 40 people lost one-third of their body fat using the 90-day program.
In an interview with U.S. News, Horton dished on his favorite workouts and who ought to give P90X3 a try. His responses have been edited.
How excited are you about this new program?
It's very exciting, and it's kind of amazing to see the level of enthusiasm. A lot of people have said they loved P90X but couldn't get all the way through, so we've created techniques that will prevent people from finding reasons why they can't.
[Read: Tony Horton Talks P90X and What's Next.]
Have you ever made excuses about squeezing in exercise?
Well, if you know me and my travel schedule - I just did a trip where I went from Los Angeles to Miami to Fort Lauderdale, to three military bases, to Dallas, to Denver and then home - that was one of the reasons behind this. People like myself who travel and have busy lifestyles can still get it in, and if the sequences are right and the pace is right, you're going to get P90X results in a half-hour with P90X3.
Who can and should try P90X3?
These workouts have modifications so anybody can do them. It's not a graduate program, from X to X2 to X3. It's absolutely the opposite of that and a program for anybody, so don't let the No. 3 fool you. It's for people who are in their 60s, people who are overweight and people who are just starting out, doing fitness for the first time in their lives.
Of the 16 workouts featured in the program, do you have a favorite?
I really love the Warrior Workout. I just visited seven military bases in Korea and Japan, and that's the one we brought with us.
There's another workout called The Challenge, and it's pure pushups and pullups - a total of 16 sets. You have to challenge your friends who are doing it with you; basically, you say how many of each you're going to do, and you have to stick to that number. Mine is 40-18 - I try to do 40 pushups and 18 pullups every time, and it takes me right to the brink. For some people, it's going to be much less; they'll be thrilled to get eight pushups and maybe four pullups. And while everybody else is going crazy, they can stretch and hang out.
[Read: 4 Exercises Trainers Hate.]
P90X3 features Pilates, too. Are you a big fan?
We finally brought it into the game. That workout is spot-on, and it really focuses on connecting your breath and abdominal muscles with your diaphragm. I think there are a lot of guys who are going to be a little nervous about it - and very appreciative after they give it a try.
I'm a total convert to Pilates. It challenges me; I'm not great at it. That was the workout I was most nervous to shoot, and I put in three times more rehearsals as I did with the others. I think people are going to love it, because it's a key piece to the entire P90X puzzle.
Why include a Mixed Martial Arts workout?
MMA are one of the fastest growing sports in America, and I didn't want to neglect this really awesome way that people are moving and burning calories. What I love about it is that it's a skill you have to learn along the way - it builds coordination and stamina, and you're working on speed and strength. It's also a great way to work your abdominal area without just having to do crunches.
[Read: 5 Exercises to Lose Belly Fat and Build Sexy Abs.]
There are four different schedule options: classic, lean, doubles and mass. What are these?
The classic version is how I would tell most people to start. If you're doing your first round, don't mess with it, because it's not broken. But then we have guys who are really into weight-lifting and resistance exercises, so we created the mass version for them. It's less anaerobic and aerobic, and it really focuses on the chest, shoulders, back, biceps, triceps and glutes.
We've also got a lean version for people who want to focus on their legs and really work their core, who are more interested in burning calories than building muscles.
And then for folks who have done a couple of these versions - often athletes - we have doubles. If you're doing a double, all you're doing is an hour's worth of workouts; maybe a half-hour in the morning, and half an hour later in the day.
What role does proper nutrition play in P90X3?
There's always a diet component. I wanted people to eat like I eat - I eat Paleolithic meals, I eat raw meals and I eat vegan and vegetarian meals. We're trying to tell people to stop treating their diet plan like a religion and be open to eating as many healthy, whole foods as they possibly can. We show you what to eat, what's healthy and how to make healthy food taste good. I've always said that food equals health, and exercise equals fitness, and those two things really have to happen 50-50 to get maximum results.
Do your infamous donkey kicks make an appearance in the new program?
Donkey kicks are in there, man. But there are modifiers; you don't have to do a handstand like I do every time. It's a skill movement, and once you learn how to do it - when the body knows how to do a donkey kick, a body looks very different than it did before, when it didn't know how. Same thing with MMA, and same thing with Pilates. Always introduce new, foreign movements to human bodies so the body changes and grows. People will say, "Oh, I love to run." And I said, "Do you have the body you want?" Well, no. The minute you're willing to understand how important it is to work on your weaknesses as much as your strengths - and P90X will do that - you'll be blown away by what you look like after 90 days.
What words of encouragement do you have for someone who's never tried P90X before?
Just be patient those first 30 days. Don't think about the 90, don't think about the 60 - don't even think about 37 days. Just get through those first 30 days. Don't be attached to the outcome, and be OK with the fact that you're not going to be great at a lot of these movements. Your only job is to show up, do your best, forget the rest and come day 30, you're going to have built momentum.
