Like a lot of other P90X newbies I really hated Yoga X the first time I did it. But week after week I managed to push through, and now I look forward to “Yoga Thursday.” However, while I enjoy doing Yoga X now, I have to admit that some days I wish the workout was shorter.
Fountain of Youth is Tony Horton’s
recommended alternative to Yoga X.
First of all, if you’re looking for a substitute or alternative to Yoga X I should tell you that if you leave yoga out of the equation altogether, you’re no longer doing P90X. Tony Horton included it for a reason. You paid over $100 for this program . . . if you decide to change it up by omitting what’s probably the most important workout, that’s your choice. But I wouldn’t expect to get the same results. Sorry!
Remember what Tony says during the introduction, “Yoga focuses on your weak spots . . . ” Who doesn’t want to do that? You signed up for P90X, right? Do you want to transform your body or not?
Recently, on the P90X Facebook page, the Beachbody folks posted this question: “How long into the program did it take for your hate for YOGA X to turn into your LOVE for YOGA X?”
As of today, there are 1,306 comments. Here’s a few good ones:
The first time I did Yoga X I never wanted to do it again. However, now I am almost 60 days in and I am really starting to enjoy it, which I never thought that day would come.
Yoga X is starting to give me the strength and flexibility to do a lot of the other workout routines that are part of P90X!!!
I used it for the First Round, but was very excited to find Fountain of Youth Yoga for the next three Rounds!
About a month. When you can actually do more of the moves it makes it really awesome.
So, I guess my point is: you CAN’T substitute Yoga X for another type of workout, like cardio. It just isn’t the same. However, if the 90 minute length really grates on your nerves, a different yoga workout is better than no yoga at all. Make sense?
Probably the best alternative or substitute for Yoga X is Tony Horton’s One on One Fountain of Youth Yoga DVD. At 48 minutes, it’s about half the length of Yoga X. You can think of it as the Cliff Notes version of Yoga X.
Another yoga workout worth considering is Gillian Clark’s Yoga Booty Ballet Pure and Simple Yoga. Unlike Tony, Gillian is a yoga instructor, so her approach to yoga is a bit different (more traditional). However, the level of intensity is less extreme than what we find in Yoga X. But with three levels of difficulty, this DVD may be more appealing to those that are looking to ease their way into Yoga X.
Comments
35 responses to “Is There a P90X Yoga X Alternative or Substitute?”
Just did my 1st yoga, dvd #4, probably only did 35 to 40 minutes of it. Its not that I hate it,,,its that in order to watch “how” its done my neck is in a bad position,,,,which Im sure thats the problem and it gave me a badf head ache so I did (or tried at this point) everything that wouldnt bend my neck into looking at the tv.
Love the tigers.. .. ..
Brian
Hi Brian, yeah that can sometimes be a problem the first couple times you do it. But it gets easier. 🙂
Maybe I don’t get it, but to me, the P90x yoga was a complete waste of a day. None of it was hard and after 20 mins of throwing my arms all over the place and getting in different lunge positions I was over it. Maybe I’m just not granola-eater enough, but I hit stop after 20 mins. I didnt’ even sweat! What exactly is the point of this workout day in a program that is suppose to be “extreme”? I tend to think that this program was put in here to make the women feel like they weren’t left out. It looks like I will have 2 rest days per week now.
No wonder you didn’t think it was difficult Robert….you quit after 20 minutes. 😉
Yeah um if you quit in 20 minutes you arent even doing a quarter of the prescribed workout, no wonder you arent sweating.
If you arent doing yoga then you are chicken!!!
Anyone found a MORE extreme version of Yoga than p90x? I’d love a better challenge, and am getting bored with 90 minutes of mostly vinyasas
Hey Kenneth, P90X2 is coming out soon. 🙂
It is extremely hard to get motivated for the yoga. The routine presupposes that you are gumby and have a high level of patience, unfortunately I am neither. Today was 1st day of week 4 and I essentially quit out of frustration after about 10 minutes. If the yoga is supposed to help with flexibility and balance then an alternative that helps a person achieve this would be nice.
It’s not the 90 minutes of yoga that bothers me, it’s Tony talking through the whole thing. I try to do it without sound, but then I have to look up all the time. UGH! I am finding another Yoga DVD to workout too. He talks WAY Too much for a time that is supposed to be soothing and meditative!
I I I am 52 y.o. I am am having so much trouble with the poses and with the lack of upper body strength I feel that I cant even come close to doing the yoga correctly. I am stiff as a 2×4 but I really want this all to change. Do I keep plugging away doing the best I can or is or is there a beginner yoga that I can feel like I and actually doing it?
Hey Tim! I would take the advice of Tony Horton and “do your best and forget the rest!” Each time it will get easier and easier. Just remember, you signed up for P90X….not some silly-little class…so BRING IT!
I can honestly say that I LOVE yoga. Yoga with tony however is a different story. It is too hard to get into the yoga mindset with him constantly talking. Although I love all of the other p90x videos, I will be substituting this one for a 90 minute hot yoga session at a studio.
That makes sense Hannah…most people doing Yoga X have never done yoga before!
Hello! I am on my second round of P90X and found the yoga to be enjoyable once I got the hang of it but…too long to fit into the limited 1 hour of workout I get daily. So I picked up Rodney Yee’s Ultimate Power Yoga at Target and highly endorse it! It’s broken down into (5) 20 minute blocks so you can adjust your time as needed. It is important to do at least 40 minutes in order to stay close to the P90x design, I think 60 minutes is perfect. Just my 2 cents. 🙂
Dont be so close minded Amanda. I did p90X and transformed my body completely. You cant decide on a whim that it is “probably the most important workout.” You also cant decide that it is necessary if you want to transform your body.
Except for balance and flexibility as long as you substitute for something which does not hinder other workouts you can expect as good or better results without yoga x.
That said I now do ashtanga four times a week and do think it is worthwhile making the effort and even substituting with one of your offerings. Good idea.
No worries Shane, I was just repeating a statement I heard from Tony Horton in regards to Yoga X…I figure he knows a thing or two about P90X. 😉 Namaste!
Hi I am about a month into p90x and I wanted to know if I can do anything to help with yoga
Hey Nate, this post might help: http://www.amandakjones.com/p90x-yoga-stop-whining-and-just-do-it.php
I love yoga and I know the benefits of it but I was wondering if it hurt to substitute it out for a hybrid of Qi Gong and Tai Chi
Hi Qaaim, sure you can substitute yoga for something else but understand if you do that you’re no longer doing P90X. 😉
Amanda,
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on Yoga X.
In the context of P90X, while referring to Yoga X in your opening comments and analysis, you wrote that it’s, “probably the most important workout.” You subsequently attributed this position to a statement by none other than Tony Horton. Will you please provide a citation or reference for this? Thank you.
Hi Paul, I’ve heard him say this during interviews on more than one occasion…he may even mention it during the video I have posted at the very end of this article: http://www.amandakjones.com/p90x-yoga-stop-whining-and-just-do-it.php I hope that helps!
Amanda, can’t say that I love Yoga X. At 62 I suck at it because of lack of flexibility, strength and endurance. However, I do find that I really work up a sweat and at the end I feel great. One thing that has helped me has been working out with a little yoga routine that Dr. Oz has on Utube – basically goes through the moves but only lasts 6 minutes. He uses it for morning stretches.
Hi Alex! Yeah, Tony Horton refers to Yoga X as “meathead yoga” so it’s a good fit for P90X I guess! Thanks for the Dr. Oz recommendation, I’m glad you found something that helped you!
I did p90x and got awesome results and omitted yoga x 80-90% of the time. I think I only did it 3-4 times. Instead I did core synergistics. Again, I got awesome results meaning: 5’10” male went from 190lbs to 150-148lbs, could do all/more than the people in the videos around day 90, had a 6-pack, could do 3 sets of 10 bench pressing my weight (150lbs), could do 15-20 pull ups at a time, etc… really the best shape of my life and I did it all without doing much yoga x.
Good to know other people dislike this workout as much as I do, I’m in week 3 right now and I dread every Thursday still. The prob is I dont think I’m doing everything 100% right and I can’t really correct myself. I’m going to try and stick with it but if I’m still feeling this way in a few weeks then I’ll either sub in Core Synergistics like Mike recommended or hit up a one hour Yoga class at my gym. Hopefully I will start to enjoy it like other people seem to!
P90 X is not a religion! I think just substitute with whatever you like and as long as you are exercising everyday, you will have a great body. Well, I hate yoga X and started P90x for 3 weeks.
I lost 60 lbs upon completion of P90X. I went from 210 to 150 and I did it with omitting Yoga X. Instead of yoga, I did Core Synergistics. I always looked at the yoga workout as sort of a filler or as another poster mentioned, something for the ladies. I just wasn’t interested in it, yet I still achieved amazing results! Tony ALWAYS says to modify… so that’s what I did and it worked great!
I absolutely love doing yoga, but the Yoga X video is a disaster. He put cool down poses in the middle, has wheel before any quad or shoulder stretches, and skips over some excellent poses to do more vinyasas and warriors. The progression isn’t there.
I’ll be finding an alternative yoga video.
Just wanted to thank you for the good advice. Just got my One on One Yoga disc in the mail right on a yoga X day. It’s perfect! Not that i suddenly have a great love for the yoga moves, but I didn’t find myself wanting to hurt whoever the person was that invented it.
That’s great John, just keep pressing play…your body will thank you later! 🙂
I just tried Yoga X for the first time and I hated it. I only did about 30 mins because I couldn’t do all the moves and watch the screen. Does anyone else get pain/cramps in the feet while doing this? I think I will try to substitute for today and give it another shot next week.
Trina, cramping in your feet or other sometimes the calves or back of the thighs usually is a sign of dehydration. Make sure you’re getting enough water throughout the day especially when adding in such intense workouts. Also if you drink caffiene, keep in mind this dehydrates you too, so drink extra water for every cup of coffee, iced tea etc:)
Today was my first Yoga X and I had already done my research on it’s importance (or lack thereof depending upon whose report you read). Since I’m only 4 days in and SORE SORE SORE I quite frankly could not handle a majority of the moves and ended up stopping about 15 mins the way thru. 90 minutes is a lot of time to dedicate to one workout, instead I just did some running to get in my cardio but in the future will sub in the core synergistics. Thank you for this article though.
Don’t be obtuse Amanda. You can’t honestly think that you will see a difference in results if you were to sub cardio x for yoga x…..