OVERVIEW
X Stretch plays a pivotal role in the P90X series. It appears weekly in the rotation and then twice a week during the recovery weeks. It is the P90X first-aid kit. The workout is very thorough and it features a good mix of static and ballistic stretching. You literally stretch out your entire body, even your forearms and ankles! It seems like Tony vacuumed up almost every available stretch, as X Stretch is so rich in variety. You will see the same stretches from the other P90X warm-ups and cooldowns, but X Stretch still introduces a handful of new exercises. X Stretch also features most, if not all of the exercises from Power Half Hour Stretch, but clocking at twice the length, there is definitely more variety.

There is a lot of emphasis on the hamstrings and back, which is logical as the hamstrings are the tightest part of the body. And of course, with P90X you get a double dose of Back workouts (twice a week instead of once) so the extra back stretches are necessary.

X Stretch is not only very well balanced since the first half of the workout is dedicated to stretching the upper body and the other half, the lower body but it is also organized: the workout flows from top to bottom. It opens up with a 4 minute yoga warm-up, then follows with stretches that start at the neck until you work your way down to the ankles and closes with a short 4 minute yoga session. But since the emphasis is on the hamstrings and back, these muscle groups are worked in two instances of this workout, which just slightly interrupts the natural flow from head to toe.

PRESENTATION
There is a lot of calmness in this workout, even from Tony himself. The flooring like in Yoga X has changed to give the set a warmer appearance. The music is pretty – especially the music that is featured in the X STRETCH menu. The crew as always is inspiring. They all demonstrate different levels of flexibility which gives you someone to focus on.

DIFFICULTY
X Stretch is for all fitness levels. In comparison to Yoga X, X Stretch is very easy because it is not focused on balance postures or more strenuous exercises that build endurance – it is more relaxing in nature. Even during the warm-up, when the crew is doing yoga, Tony will ask you to step up to your hands instead of jumping up to them. There are a few exercises that might take you out of your comfort zone such as the camel (bend back slightly while on your knees) and plough (raising legs above your head and then bringing your feet directly behind your head) but these help keep me awake because I do not want to be in a constant state of relaxation. The majority of the exercises however, are very doable for people of all levels of flexibility.

TOO LONG?
If you are like me and do not have the attention span for long stretching sessions, do yourself a favour and split the workout into different days instead of tossing this workout. I usually break this up into three days, doing 20 minute sessions each day or you could do upper body one day (the first half of the workout) and lower body the next (the second half), or skip chapter points to specific muscle groups.

LASTING APPEAL
There are a lot of pluses to this workout. The stretches seem to be held for just the right amount of time: long enough to increase one’s flexibility but not overstraining either. The breaks between exercises are short as the exercises flow nicely from one to another. Compared to a lot of stretch workouts on the market, X Stretch offers more variety and room for increased flexibility. My only complaint is that I wish the DVD menu would offer chapter points that featured muscle groups – so if I just wanted to stretch my hamstrings I could select that from the menu.

I once thought that dedicating one day to stretching alone was out of question, X Stretch has made me reconsider. I really do think that after trying X Stretch, not only will more people be embracing the concept that stretching is vital, but they will be doing it too.

Instructor Comments:
It is nice to see the calmer side of Tony. Tony can still manage to be funny here and there – even in this stretch workout. His instruction being clear and detailed is extremely helpful.

Celes