This is one of the best fitness purchases and I have ever made. I am not into the P90X rotation and prefer different cardio, so I did not keep all of the videos. But I was able to sell off the workouts I didn’t want to keep and ended up with 8 great workouts for less than $50.

The set is made up of:
* Ab Ripper X (I don’t love it because it is hard on the hip flexors, but great workout.)
* Back and Biceps
* Cardio X (An easier cardio workout that I didn’t keep)
* Chest and Back
* Chest Shoulders and Triceps
* Core Synergistics (One of my favorite strength workouts ever, that works a little of everything)
* Kenpo X (Kickboxing, I didn’t keep this one)
* Legs and Back (A great leg workout with functional moves. I always skip the back work.)
* Plyometrics X (A very nice interval workout using good plyometric moves.)
* Shoulders and Arms
* Stretch X (A nice stretch workout that allows you to pick and choose your stretches)
* Yoga X (A 90 minute yoga workout that looked great, but I didn’t keep because of its length.)

FYI, Ab Ripper X is found on all the upper body strength workouts.

There are several things I love about these workouts.

1) The sequencing of the upper body work. I appreciate the cycling through the body parts, instead of just working one part to exhaustion, as Cathe does in most of her strength workouts. For example you do Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps, etc. This allows you to lift a little heavier and it is less boring to me.

2) The functional fitness aspects of the leg and core work. Tony understands that it is not just about lifting heavy and there are lots of exercises in at least a few of these workouts, that will work your body in different planes and with functional movements. I am a fan of functional fitness, so I appreciate being able to work on this at the same time as you are building strength.

3) Pushups! I used to hate pushups, but I have grown to love them with the variations that Tony has in this workout. I can do a few more every time I do this workout, and that is very motivating.

4) Good stretching in all of the workouts.

5) The trademark Beachbody Timer, and excellent chapter points. You can skip exercises very easily (which I do often!)

6) Tony’s reminders to write things down (and the time to do so) are very helpful.

There are also a few things I don’t love so much about these workouts.

1) The same old boring warm-up over and over.

2) The heavy focus on back and the reliance on pull-ups, which are still out of reach for me. Even if I had the strength, I don’t have the space in my basement to do them. The bands work OK, but I wish there was more variety in back work.

3) The length of the upper body workouts are too long for me. However, this is easily handled with skipping some sets. I can build strength doing just half of the upper body workouts, so that is what I do. It works well, and I have time for some cardio then.

4) Tony is a bit of a show-off - grabbing heavy weights, and then stopping early to give form pointers. Although he does re-endear himself to me at one point when he admits that he wouldn’t have been able to finish the set with his original weight.

I’m really neutral on the music and the set. Everyone raved about these factors when these workouts were first released, but I find the music pretty repetitive and boring. The set is fine and works well for these workouts.

Overall, this set is a great value, even if you can’t sell off some of the workouts like I have. Although the workouts come with a very effective rotation that many people have had great results with, you do not need to do the workouts as is, to get good use from these workouts. If you want to build strength, I highly recommend these workouts.

Instructor Comments:
You can’t have a review of a Tony Horton workout, without making some instructor comments. When I first purchased these workouts, I previewed them, and I hated Tony. I was afraid I could not enjoy the workouts, because I found his mannerisms so annoying. For example saying “my brother” quite frequently, and his goofy way of counting down “5,4....,3,2...1". I also found his tendency to pick heavy weights and then stopping early (as I mentioned above) to also be extremely annoying. I also found his look to be a little disturbing, because I think he has too much makeup on.

However, when I do these workouts, I don’t notice those things as much. And, I could even say now that I kind of like Tony. He is extremely encouraging and will push you to do things you didn’t think you could do. He has great form pointers and he clearly understands the importance of working in a functional way. He is not just about building big muscles. So, I would recommend holding judgement on Tony until you actually do the workouts. I don’t think I’m the first one who has changed their opinion of him over time.

Lisa C