P90X2 Review - Chest, Back, & Balance (I Hate It!) Extremely-Fit (2024)

In this P90X2 review, it’s all about How Much I Hate Chest + Back + Balance. Did my title and opening statement get your attention? It should have, this is likely going to be a controversial review. For those of you that have the P90X One on One: Chest, Back and Balls workout, some of the moves during this workout will be familiar. For those of you that don’t have the P90X One on One, there is a lot of balance and core stability required. Unless you modify. So now let me back up just a bit, and clarify. I hate this routine, because I suck at it. lol. And a few other reasons, such as: If you have wrist and/or shoulder issues this workout can be painful. I have both wrist and shoulder issues, so modification will likely be in my future. Another reason why I hate it. I don’t want to modify. I plan on using the Recovery + Mobility workout quite often, and I hope to improve my wrist/shoulder issues as time goes on. If you have any physical issues, address them, and take care of them. Don’t be stubborn like I tend to be, and hope they go away. This morning I did not modify, I wanted to try everything “as is” first, I made notes on my P90X2 worksheets, and I have a working strategy for next time. Another reason I hate this workout, which goes hand in hand with sucking at it… Some of the moves, my balance was so horrendous, that I could barely complete a few reps,without having to set up again. While I engaged my core like crazy, and my stability and balance was working like crazy, I don’t feel like my chest got much of a chance to work hard. Now my back on the other hand, got hammered. (I very much like that!)

P90X2 Review – Chest + Back + Balance, Continued….

So in a nutshell. If your balance sucks…. if you have shoulder or wrist issues…. this workout will have some obstacles. Here’s my strategy, now that I have attempted the entire workout “as is” with no modifications. (I’m talking specifically about the Chest workout, at this point). I’m going to continue to attempt each move, and work on my balance, I’m going to improve my balance if it kills me. But in the interim, when my balance fails me, I’m going to modify and get my chest workout in. So, if I’m doing push-ups on medicine balls, and my balance is all over the place… once I get to a certain point, I’m just going to switch to my Powerstands, and bang out some reps. On some moves, you’ll be on the stability ball and medicine balls. So I may just switch out one. Get rid of the medicine balls, but keep the stability ball or vice versa. In other words, dare I say it…… MODIFY. Now jumping over to the back exercises. There are some tough tough moves. You may have to modify here as well. I was able to summon the strength on most of the moves, but I need to improve my strength, I need to get stronger now in the new moves. To do that, I’m going to use my chin-up assist (or use a chair). Do as many as you can without them, then add it in to get a few more reps. Tony also mentioned taking breaks if needed. Do some reps, either chest or back, then rest a few seconds, and then get a few more reps.

P90X2 Review, Chest + Back + Balance. Let’s break it down:

This workout is approximately 59 minutes.

The warm-up, foam rolling, and warm-up/stretch routine is now very familiar, and the entire sequence is about 13 minutes. I’m actually wondering if I’m boring you with the same description on the warm-up routine. So I think I’ll skim this section from here on out. Check out one of my other P90X2 Reviews for a more detailed look. X2 Core, Plyocide, X2 Total Body, and X2 Balance + Power all have detailed warm-up reviews. Let’s get right to the P90X2 Review:

This workout has 2 rounds. Each round has 10 moves. You get about a 1 minute water break between each round. Last of all is a bonus round (optional). The workout section lasts approximately 40 minutes (which includes the bonus round). If you look at the worksheets, you’ll ask… Where’s the bonus round?. It’s actually listed as the last 3 moves of round 2. So all in all, 20 moves. Here’s the breakdown:

Round 1:
1.Pull-Up X
2. Plyo Stability Ball Push-Up
3. Core Crunch Chin-Up
4. Push-Up Side Arm Balance
5. Lever *
6. 4-Ball Push-Up *
7. Chin Pull
8. The Impossible/Possible *
9. “L” Pull-Up
10. 3-Ball Plyo Push-Up (Switch Left to Right)

P90X2 Equipment Required:

Stability Ball or Towel & Sturdy Chair
Foam Roller (Optional)
Plyo Box or Sturdy Chair
Chin-up Bar orBands w/Door Attachment
Chin-Up Max or Sturdy Chair
4 Medicine Ball (Optional)
Powerstands (Optional)
Mat (Optional)
2 hand Towels
Worksheets and Pen
Water and Towel

Let me sum up the necessary P90X2 Equipment Needed. More = Better, but not necessary. If your traveling, you have to make the adjustments as needed. You definitely need bands and the door attachment, so if your traveling, get some resistance bands. The list for this workout is extensive, you can always modify, or get creative.

So that’s it for this P90X2 Review of Chest + Back + Balance.Let’s finish up…

This is on my “must improve list”. But now that I’ve been through it once, I will make myself work harder next time. I’ll attempt the balance moves, and once I exhaust that effort, I’ll get old school and eliminate the balance portion to exhaust the targeted muscle set for the exercise. One thing I have not talked much about in previous reviews is the “secret’ to maximizing your results. Wanna know? It’s NUTRITION. Don’t work super hard during your workouts, and then take a nose dive on your nutrition. I get emails where people ask about 6 pack abs, not losing weight, not losing inches, or not getting results. The answer is the same for all of those…. look at your nutrition. It’s 80% of your results! Nail that down, and you’ll be a poster guy/gal for P90X. Now I’m super lazy on fixing my meals. I eat a lot of the same things daily because I have it balanced the way I want, and I don’t want to figure out multiple meal plans. The nutrition guide has a great portion plan and foods to eat. If you will simply eat from the list, you have it made! It’s not complicated to eat clean, what’s complicated is YOU. Don’t make it complicated, summon your will power, pass on the crappy food, and feed your body what it needs to get you the results you want. And if you’re not eating clean, you are either satisfied with the results you are getting (or not getting) or you don’t want results that bad. Resolve to do right, and guess what, you get results. I’ll make one meal out of your day super easy. Buy Shakeology, 30 meals per bag, 30 meal replacements. Stop buying food you don’t need to be buying, and funnel it into food you should be buying.

Who should consider P90X2?

Those that have graduated fromP90X,Insanity,Insanity Asylum,Chalean Extreme,Turbo Fireor other advanced program.
Athletes
Power 90 graduates can also consider P90X2, although they may want to stay in Phase 1 of the program for a longer period of time.

Additional P90X2 Information:

What’s New with the P90X2 Nutrition Guide and Meal Plan?
What’s New About P90X2?
P90X2 is Coming Soon. Here are the top 13 FAQ’s.
The Differences Between P90X and P90X2 (Video).