P90X2 Review – Base & Back (The Monster Workout)

In this P90X2 review, let’s talk about Punishment.  I feel like I just got punished on Base + Back.  lol.  Tony Horton was brutal in this routine, and it was by far the hardest one I have done to date.  So far I have completed, X2 Core, Plyocide, X2 Balance + Power, Total Body, Chest+ Back + Balance, X2 Shoulders + Arms. I’m not going to include X2 Yoga, and Recovery + Mobility.  I’m sure the upcoming P.A.P. workouts will challenge me more than this one, but I have yet to complete those.  The moves by themselves were not necessarily the hard part, I mean they were challenging…  But it was the pace… going from Legs to Back repeatedly that stressed my system.  Using two of the largest muscle groups in the body, back to back, was a MONSTER.   I looked at the P90X2 worksheet for this workout, and thought, this looks short…. and the actual workout for Legs & Back is only 30 minutes.  But you are working HARD for 30 long minutes.

P90X2 Review – Base + Back, Continued….

Let me give you a quick, in a nutshell look at Base + Back, and then we’ll break it down. The workout is a total of 55 minutes, 30 minutes (30 long minutes) for the workout, and then the warmup and cool down on each side. This is the first workout, of all the workouts I have completed so far, that I actually hit my “own personal pause” button.  I can generally push through, but I had to take a 30 second personal break just so I could survive.  🙂  Now if you’re reading my review.  I have a requirement for you….  Take a minute and tell me what you thought of this workout in the comments below.  It was a monster for me, how was it for you?

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

• This workout is approximately 55 minutes.  

• The warm-up, foam rolling, and warm-up/stretch routine is the same as always.  It’s approximately 15 minutes. You do get the addition of Leg Swings and Scapular Retractions though.  I’m assuming these were added to give you an extra stretch in your legs and back before the beating you’re about to take.  lol.  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.  Onward to the P90X2 Review:

• This workout has 2 rounds.  Each round has 10 moves.  Fortunately, you get a quick water break every 5 moves.  So you go 5 moves, water break, 5 moves.  That’s the end of round 1.  Then you repeat the sequence.  On the pull-up exercises, Tony states to do between 10-12.  On the plyo exercises, he states between 20-30.  But there are one or two plyo moves he designates a number, I’ll comment below which ones.  The actual workout is approximately 30 minutes. Here’s the breakdown:

• Round 1:
  
  1. No Kip Pull-Up (10-12 reps)
  2. Plyo Frog Squat (20-30 reps)
  3. Wide Leg Close Grip Chin-Up (10-12 reps)
  4. Chair Jump (20-30 reps)
  5. Chin Pull (10-12 reps)

  Water Break, 45-60 seconds

  6. Plyo Lunge Press (20-30 reps)
  7. V Pull-Up (10-12 reps)
  8. Surfer Spin (22 reps)
  9. Kippy Cross Fugly Pull (10-12 reps)
  10. Jack-in-the-Box Knee Tuck (20 reps)

  Water Break 90 seconds

• Round 2:
  
  1. No Kip Pull-Up (10-12 reps)
  2. Plyo Frog Squat (20-30 reps)
  3. Wide Leg Close Grip Chin-Up (10-12 reps)
  4. Chair Jump (20 reps, go for height)
  (My Personal Pause Button)
  5. Chin Pull (10-12 reps)

  Water Break, 45-60 seconds

  6. Plyo Lunge Press (20-30 reps)
  7. V Pull-Up (10-12 reps)
  8. Surfer Spin (22 reps)
  9. Kippy Cross Fugly Pull (10-12 reps)
  10. Jack-in-the-Box Knee Tuck (25 reps)

• The cool down and stretch is 11-12 minutes.  The bad news and the good news.  Going into the cool down, I was absolutely exhausted.  I wasn’t this tired at the end of Plyocide.  But the good news…. at the end of the cool down, I was for the most part recovered.  Heart rate was down to normal, and although somewhat recovered, I wasn’t taking any chances, this was a Recovery Drink kinda day.

• Can you travel with this P90X2 workout? Yes.  On this workout, at least make sure you have a few bands to travel with, and the door attachment.

P90X2 Equipment Required:

• Stability Ball or Towel & Sturdy Chair
• Foam Roller (Optional)
• Chin-up Bar or Bands w/Door Attachment
• Chin-Up Max or Sturdy Chair
• Weights (Optional)
• Worksheets and Pen
• Water and Towel

Let me sum up the necessary P90X2 Equipment Needed.  You can easily get by with bands and the door attachment.  It states weights, but they were only used one time, and you can easily get by without them.  I’m a big fan of the foam roller, so that’s a must have for me, but if you’re traveling, you can work around it.

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

Tony giving you high fives for survivng!

This workout had the exact same pullup moves as the P90X One on One Base & Back routine.  Some of the Plyo moves were different, some were the same.  Although I have done the Base and Back routine in the One on One series several times, this one seemed “harder”.  Maybe the pace was faster, I don’t know.  Maybe I had a “off” day.  Maybe it was just hard.  Tell me what you think below after you complete the workout.  Am I crazy, or was it a monster? I also had to use my chin-up assist to get to 8 towards the end of the workout.  Looks like I have some improvements here as well in the future.  As always we would appreciate your support, please visit our store if you need something from Beachbody, we’re an authorized distributor, and we’ll take good care of you.  🙂 Good luck with P90X2!  If you want to read another P90X2 Review, you can find them all by clicking here.

Who should consider P90X2?

1. Those that have graduated from P90X, Insanity, Insanity Asylum, Chalean Extreme, Turbo Fire or other advanced program.
2. Athletes
3. 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).

Read More P90X Reviews.