P90X vs Supreme 90 Day

jarrettd

I recently did 6 weeks of Supreme 90 Day, then switched to P90X because my husband wanted to try it. 6 weeks later, we've switched back to Supreme 90 Day. Here's why:

P90X:
Slicker production: Has a time-line on the bottom of the screen that shows time until the end of the exercise, and time to the end of the workout. But they play around with camera angles and it makes it hard to keep your eyes on the examples. Sometimes, they move so much it make you dizzy.
Host personality: Tony Horton is a goof. He banters and jokes (a little lamely) and talks up the routines.
The moves: lots of pushups and pullups. I mean LOTS, plus your usual weight moves. Kenpo X (punching and kicking) and Plyo X (jump-training) are some fun cardio. Ab-Ripper X is tacked on to the end of your strength days; makes it too easy to blow it off, especially if you are rushed. The warm-ups and cool-downs are specific to each workout.
The workouts as a whole: Not as intense as I expected. The videos are an hour long (an extra 15 minutes for Ab-Ripper X; also, Yoga X is 90 minutes!), but the breaks and Tony gabbing eat up a lot of that time. Didn't really feel like I was getting a whole-body experience. Way too much focus on "glamour muscles".

Supreme 90 Day:
Plain-jane production. They may have done it with the camera on a tripod, but it's good because you can focus on watching the person you are modeling your form after.
Host personality: Tom Holland messes up now and then, but overall, is a good trainer. Not as charismatic as Tony, but not as silly, either. It's just missing the catchy tag-lines and bragging rights.
The moves: straight out, tried and true weight routines. The basics, intensified. The changes are quick, and you don't spend any time waiting for him to move on. I usually keep the remote close to pause so I can finish my set. Not a single pull up on it, but you won't miss them. There is ab work built into each workout, so it's impossible to blow it off. Ultimate Ball is a killer core workout; Cardio Challenge and Tabata Inferno are calorie roasters. The warm-ups and cool-downs are mostly the same for each workout, but enough to be effective.
The workouts as a whole: Lots of multiple muscle involvement, and combination moves. I get soreness top-to-bottom from each workout, and the abs get their share every time. The best part is, they are only 30 to 50 minutes long, and don't require a pull-up bar or bands. Just weights and a ball (and he gives instruction for those without a ball on most stuff) AND THE WHOLE SET IS ONLY 20 BUCKS!!!

FireMama_24

I might give this a try and get the second set for a friend

Lyadeia

Not a single pull up on it, but you won't miss them.

Yes I will.

Whatever my program is, when I train my lats and assisting muscles, I do pull-ups. Nothing is better for the back.

Then again, I go to the gym, so it doesn't really matter to me. I have more success on programs tailored to my needs and goals as opposed to the population that shops at Costco.

whouwannab

Thanks for the comparison. Nice to hear from someone who has done both programs. Based on what you've said, I am not going to bother with investing in the P90X and will stick with my Supreme 90!

fairfieldbeach

I don't know what the Costco comment means but S90 has been great for me, and, with my second go-round, I am tailoring it to meet my needs by dropping some of the workouts I didn't feel gave me as much of a workout (Ultimate Ball and Chest & Back). Plus, I'm not wasting commuting time or money on the gym, and I can do the DVDs at my convenience.

smpreston

I haven't tried Supreme 90, so I can't really compare the two. I've done Power 90 with Tony and then P90X. Yes, he is annoying sometimes and his jokes are a little lame. My wife finds him too annoying and decided on TurboFire. But, the program has worked for me. The break in the first series of workouts (Chest and Back, Shoulders and Arms) are more plentiful than those is the second month (Back and Biceps, Chest, Shoulders and Tri's). I assume that is due to most people needing them when first starting. I do feel it is a whole body workout though.I don't think it is "glamour muscles" only.

The timing does get to be long. I would love to see them under an hour in total, including ARX. Yoga could stand to lose a few sections such as Yoga Belly Seven and maybe Warrior Three. The production value is much nicer than Power 90 though. I haven't gotten dizzy from the different camera angles. I'm usually concentrating on form rather than keeping my eyes on the TV. I enjoy seeing the modifications the various people in the videos make to the workout.

As far as the Costco slam goes,it isn't worth the effort.

sofaking6

Not a single pull up on it, but you won't miss them.

Yes I will.

Whatever my program is, when I train my lats and assisting muscles, I do pull-ups. Nothing is better for the back.

Then again, I go to the gym, so it doesn't really matter to me. I have more success on programs tailored to my needs and goals as opposed to the population that shops at Costco.

Wow, what a productive comment..thank you for adding such a valuable and appreciated opinion to this thread.

</sarcasm>
Is it really only $20?? where from? And I would really be okay without a ball (my place is seriously too small to have one)? Thank you for this review!

eta: I have avoided P90 precisely because I have a chronic shoulder injury.

jarrettd

I ordered mine from Amazon.com, but I have seen it at my local Dollar General. (We don't have anything as FANCY as a Costco here, I'm afraid! ;-)

erzille

Thanks for the comparison. I bought my s90 at ****s Sporting Goods, but I have seen it at Target. I love my DVDs :bigsmile:

hever79

I've done both P90x and Supreme 90 and have to agree that many of the P90x routines could be shorter if they cut out the extra time between sets. I know there is such a thing as rest between sets but much of it drags on too long. It is a really great program but if you are on a budget (both money and time) Supreme 90 is also a really great program. I purchased mine through CollageVideo.com and would recommend supporting them because they offer some really great workouts that you can't find in stores.

BWJ825

I'll add my opinions:

I've done P90X since September 2008, and back in July picked up Supreme 90 at Wal-Mart to mix things up even more. I like them both, but personally I wish Supreme 90 had more time for people to get a quick drink of water and towel off in their workouts. These workouts are quick and tough, and people need to stay hydrated and need an extra second to cool off a bit so they don't get dizzy. Sure you can always hit pause, but sometimes that feels like you're giving in.

I find Supreme 90 almost feels like a race, and sometimes proper weight lifting techniques suffer, which could lead to bad habits and possible injury down the road. I especially think Chest and Back is way too fast. That guy Mark on the right looks like he wants to be the first one done every set, and it overall hurts the quality of the entire DVD. Plus I've noticed Mark's workout form is horrible! He's not doing full motion, he's just racing through the workout. I think the Supreme 90 people should have realized these are instructional DVDs and redid that workout before production and got the people in Shoulders and Arms, who have proper work out form, to do that one instead. I'm actually surprised Supreme 90 thought Chest and Back was ok to sell to the public at that speed with bad workout form.

Also I wish the warm ups and cool downs in Supreme 90 were different and more specific for each workout. I don't really need to stretch my legs out if I worked out my Shoulders and Arms.

Those are my complaints about Supreme 90. Personally I think P90X is the better choice of the two, because P90X takes more time to give instruction, information, and proper workout form. Tony has time to teach you how to do the workout properly. I would have liked to seen what Tony would say to Mark about his bad form and unnecessary racing in Chest and Back. Tom does a good job of explaining things, but doesn't have enough time because the workouts can go to fast sometimes. I'm glad I did P90X first because I can use the knowledge I learned from Tony when I'm doing a Supreme 90 workout.

Also I think Supreme 90 can do without the comments against P90X, like, "You don't need to workout for an hour", among others. Let's just exercise.

I guess it's what you're used to. Maybe if I did Supreme 90 first, I would think P90X takes to long, and Tony talks to much . Despite my complaints, I do appreciate that Supreme 90 is completely different than P90X, with different kinds of exercises and routines. I'm enjoying the variety between the two systems.

MontanaDiva

I am loving the Supreme 90 and so is my Spousal Equivalent..He can do his at his pace on his days and I do mine..we encourage each other to get ours done each day, but we do them at different times. Since they are all under 40 min, they are perfect to fit in during my lunch.

I am a beginner and so this is kicking my *kitten*, but I can see that I can use this for some time to come as I add heavier weights.

sixpacklady

My hubby does S90 and i am working up to it. I agree that some of the guys go a little fast w/o paying proper attention to form. But Tom always waits till the last person is done and that gives the rest of us to catch up. He does emphasizes form and I find him more likable than Tony.

I have the p90X set as well, but have to still work my way up to it. I will get my hubby do that first. I like seeing him suffer first and then follow :happy:

I like that S90 has shorter workouts than P90X, which is a big selling point for full time working parents of 3.

p90x is also very thorough and very popular, as I can see here. And I'd definitely love to do that after finishing s90.

Both of these will bring results if we are diligent in doing it.

pcdoctor01

I have S90 but plan on doing it next year. Right now I'm doing 90 days of HASFit and then it's BeFit in 90. I want to make sure I'm in shape to do S90 before I tackle it. I have no plans to buy P90X.

lkcostello

Excellent, excellent comparison. I have completed three rounds of P90X. I'm definitely not a stud, but a 47 year old woman. I like to weight train. P90X just doesn't fit into my timeline anymore. Too long. I started Supreme 90 about a month ago--in fact, I just started the 2nd month today and got my butt kicked on the Back & Bi's workout. I really like it and the price was right on Amazon. Around $20.

sixpacklady

Another important difference which is in favor of p90x is that it has yoga and stretch sections every week. I feel that it is very thoughtful of Tony to include that as it is equally important when we are doing these hardcore stuff.

But if you can find some way to include it into your S90 schedule as well, then thats a win-win!!

smiletime82

I did Supreme 90 a couple years ago and am doing P90X now. I actually found Supreme 90 more challenging overall, but I like certain aspects of both. I love Kenpo in P90X but find I can only do about half of the Plyometrics. I can't do pull ups at all, so I have to use the bands. I also do not have time to do ab ripper on top of the 50 minute tape, so that suffers. I miss the ball and Tabata of the Supreme 90. I would like to do a combo of both at some point and see how that works. I did lose about 20 pounds on Supreme 90 and went from a size 18 to a size 14. I am only one week 4 of P90X, so I don't know how the results will compare. I've lost 4 pounds so far, but no clothing size. I actually like Tony's joking, but I do wish the workouts were a little shorter. I plan to try P90x# as they are shorter workouts.