Question about P90X

“Recently, I’ve begun doing P90X. I’m 57 and a former distance runner who has stayed in relatively good shape, although I now have osteoporosis. I’m seeing good results from this new regimen—more muscle, firming—however, I’m having what appears to be psoas problems, resulting in pain from mid-back around the pelvic area down to the inside of the knee.  P90X is intense and the plyometrics requires much jumping etc. This should help with the osteoporosis but not sure it’s good for the joints, psoas etc. What are your thoughts on this program?”

K

Thanks for your question. P90X seems to be a hot topic lately.

P90X is advertised as an “extreme home fitness system” and I agree. The workouts are very demanding for a beginner and tough even for the more experienced and fit individual. I’ve done some of the program as part of my research into the world of fitness and I had to modify parts and I skipped other parts because the drills were too risky. One, for example, is lying on your back with your legs and arms straight(arms overhead) and off the ground a few inches; then you roll over onto your stomach while still holding the arms and legs up – a “superman” pose. Then, you roll back and forth. Super risky for the spine because of the compression forces created in the spine.

About your aches and pains – I wonder if your symptoms are actually from the psoas muscle or perhaps from the lumbar spine and / or hip. The plyometric series carries a high impact load to the body and if you’re not ready for that kind of impact, you could easily damage joints. If you’ve not seen anyone for your symptoms, you may want to do that first before continuing with the program.

The average consumer simply doesn’t have enough knowledge about the degree of difficulty of drills nor how to train properly and reduce risk of injury. It’s compounded by such easy access to all sorts of theories, methods, approaches, and programs on fitness. While something like P90X seems simple enough, for most people, it’s hard to make the drills / routines fit them. In other words, you have to fit the system; the system doesn’t really fit you.

One more thing, you don’t need plyometrics to address osteoporosis. Just weight bearing exercise will help – like walking or lower risk resistive exercises. This reduces the impact, reduces risk of joint injury but helps the bone stay healthier.

Thanks again for your question and I hope you can get your back and knee pain solved soon.

If you have a question, you can ask me here or email me. I answer questions in the blog but will protect your personal privacy.