This is my review on P90X Legs and Back.

This ranks right up there with the Plyometrics Disk 1 I reviewed a couple of days ago. Come to think of it, this might be a tie with Plyometrics. I don’t necessary follow the P90X laid out plan on how to do their program. I am just doing these as I feel necessary.

P90X Legs and Back

The thing with this workout is you have to really concentrate on keeping your form correct or you won’t get the full benefit out of it. (But that really applies to any workout.)

The Legs & Back Disk opens up as normal with Tony introducing everybody that will be working out with you. Then it’s on with the show. In this DVD, you do the exercises like you would in the other DVD’s accept here you only do the back exercises twice and the leg exercises once. Just like the other DVD’s, pick a number and stick to it.

Back exercises were incorporated into the workout, but I did not write about them as the exercise itself was covered in Disk #1 that I reviewed a few days earlier.

The Exercises:

Balance Lunges

Here, just like the name says, you balance your leg on a chair, or your $15,000 mail order Russian bride….coincidently, I used my sofa! I know that is pretty exciting; what can I say? So all you do here is balance your leg on your chair and lunge over your other leg. You do 25 reps, rinse and repeat with the other leg.

Calf-raise Squats

Also here, as the name implies, you do a squat calf-raise. First squat down, then come up on the balls of your feet. Done! I was not using weights here but next time I will.

(I just ordered the Terrell Owens (T.O.) Bands by Bodylastics. I heard good things about these so I am going to be using the T.O.s for some future reviews and also a full fledged no-holds-barred review.)

Super Skaters

The best thing about the Leg & Back workout DVD is you can pretty much tell what you’re going to be doing by the name of the exercise. Super Skaters is just like the Olympic event. You are “skating” side to side and balancing on one leg while putting your arms into it. Honestly, I think this should have been included in the Plyometrics DVD also. This is a good pre-curser to getting your legs warmed up and the synovial fluid flowing. You’re going to need it when you start your next exercise.

Wall Squats (aka Iron Chair)

Oh boy! If you have never done Wall Squats (or what are more commonly known as iron chairs), you are in for a surprise . . . a rude painful surprise! Here, all you do is put your back against the wall then squat down so that your quadriceps are parallel to the ground – and hold it there.  This is cool for the first few seconds. Then, like a magnesium fire starter, the lactic acid appears and makes your legs tell you that they love you. The only modification to this exercise is to possibly come up a bit on the wall. If I wasn’t a cyclist, I would’ve been in the fetal position – and we’re only 4 exercises into the DVD…a lovely way to start the day!

Step Back Lunges

Here is where I wish I would’ve used weights, but I didn’t. However, the exercise is effective without them. In a normal lunge, you would step forward with the weights in your hands. Here, the only difference is…Yep . . . it is *very* important to get deep into the exercise; where the magic is. By deep I mean get the leg you’re stepping back on as low as possible…without hurting yourself. The deeper and the heavier the weights/bands you are lifting the harder the exercise is. I love lunges, so this is probably one of my favorite exercises of the DVD, although not THE favorite; that comes a few exercises later.

Alternating Side Lunges

This was an easy exercise and just like any other lunge. The only difference is you go from side to side. The hardest part of this exercise will be choosing a weight/band that is neither too heavy to complete the exercise nor too light to not really be working out. But for me it’s cool because the next exercise is my favorite of the DVD, also the most sadistic. (Go figure, huh?)

Single Leg Wall Squats

Yep. . . you read that right. . . just like the aforementioned Wall Squats, except the only difference is you are now doing these on one leg. Here, you hold the exercise for 15 or so seconds on each leg over a two minute period. If you don’t have hair on your chest…this is the exercise that will bring that follicle out. Expect to wake up in the morning with some stubble on your chest…even if you’re a girl! This is the stuff that makes dreams possible.

Deadlift Squats

The name of this exercise conveys a different message to me than the exercise actually is. When I think of a deadlift or a squat, I think of weightlifting. But that is not what this is. This is just like the earlier Step Back Lunge, but you don’t put your foot on the ground.

Here, you want to touch the floor with your hand while putting your back foot out and keeping it off the floor, also you want keep your knee from going over your toes. The key to this exercise is to never put your step-back foot on the ground. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very hard move to perform correctly, especially keeping that rear leg off the ground

Three-way Lunge with a Two-Kick Option

I hope you brought your balancing hat with you because you’re going to need it. This is a very difficult exercise to explain in writing, but think of lunging in three different directions kicking up and kicking after each lunge. So to not confuse you I will just keep it to that. This exercise I think is sort of a cool-down from doing the Deadlift Squat.

Sneaky Lunges

The key here is to get into the groove of the exercise. All you do is get “sneaky” while doing lunges. By sneaky I mean you do lunges on your toes and stay on your toes the whole time, while lunging back and forth across the room. The staying on your toes is the most difficult part of the exercise. This exercise really attacks your calf muscles. A very effective exercise when done right.

Chair Salutations

Again, a very hard exercise to explain on paper. Really, you have to watch the DVD to understand this move because there is a whole process to just get yourself into the position to do this exercise. Essentially, you do a modified version of the Wall Squat with your hands over your head.

Toe Roll Iso-Lunges

On this exercise, you start off with a deep lunge with one foot forward and one foot back. On the rear foot, you roll up on your toe just like the exercise name says. The only thing you need to worry about is not rolling your front leg knee over your toes. This is also another exercise that is easy to mess up.

Groucho Walk

The late great Groucho Marx. If you can get a mental picture of Groucho Marx, with a cigar in his mouth, you already have half this exercise down. In this exercise you want to do a very wide leg low squat. By low, that I mean you are in a wide stance with your quadriceps parallel to the floor. After this, you take 3 steps forward and 3 steps back while holding that wide leg stance.

Calf Raises

This was probably my second favorite exercise of the DVD; it is also one of the easiest to do. What you do is calf rises at three different angles: feet pointing outward, feet pointing forward and feet are pointing inward. Then, use your calves to rise up on your toes. Easy and effective.

P90X Legs and Back

80/20 Cyber-speed Squats

These are just normal squats. The only thing different is you shift 80% of your weight on one leg then do a squat, then change legs, rinse and repeat. This is the last exercise of the DVD. This is definitely a 5 Charles face DVD. Very good and effective.

5face

Interested? Go get it in my Beachbody web store. If you want a 25% discount sign-up as  a “Coach” and spread the word!

Thanks for looking at my review on P90X Legs and Back.


Charles Lloyd
Charles Lloyd

Self processed fitness missionary and author of most of the ridiculous fitness articles written on Charles Lloyd Fitness.com. I am not really a writer, but a workout fiend who happens to have a blog. The single mission of this website is very simple: Get You In Shape. I have been blessed with the gift of good health and want to share it with you. Join Me.

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