p90x vs Gym!

Having done both, I will say that the answer depends solely upon how much effort you put into either.

i can only speak for myself and for my husband. P90X gives the best results hands down. I've been a gym rat for years and was fighting a three year plateau. P90X brings on the intensity that going to the gym does not offer. You're focused and you're knocking out those lifts in a shorter amount of time. I go to the gym now in order to get in extra cardio and see people talking, chatting on the cell phone, walking at 2.0 mph on the treadmill. Wasting their time and wasting their gas. P90X rocks.

P90X is a great program. No doubt about it. As I said though, or at least implied, the "better" one is the one that you put the most effort into. You can really "bring it" with P90X or you can really "bring it" in the gym with a well-designed program and get great results either way. I get better results from the gym than I did P90X. The reason for that is because I'm more consistent and put more effort into my gym workouts than I did with P90X (primarily because I got bored with P90X).

Granted, if you spend most of your time in the gym chatting on the cell phone and walking on the treadmill at 2 mph then you're not going to make much progress. The same can be said for P90X if you do it halfheartedly. It's all about effort.

depends on motivation levels of average gym goer.

I have had better results for strength gains with regular gym stuff than P90x but it was definitely beneficial still.

I will agree with ShaneT99. No matter what program your doing or if your at a gym or in your garage, if you dont put forth the intensity, you will not see the same results. P90X , like Insanity, has someone coaching you along in timed intervals at a moderate intensity(P90) to a higher intensity(Insanity). Both are structured well, you dont have to plan any exercises yourself, just push play and follow along! You can get the same intensity at a gym, you have to pre-plan your routine, which to match P90 or Insanity, would need to revolve around circuit training. Short rest intervals combined with multiple exercises. The easier route, DVD's at home.
But you want results....again, depends on your intensity and effort into whatever your doing. Funny thing about DVD's, you can stop moving if you want, no one but you will know! Tony Horton or Sean T will not yell at you, it's not the military! You dont feel it today, push stop, workout over. Same as the gym , todays workout sucked, drove home.
Oh you still want results huh.....then no matter where you workout, push yourself, yes it will hurt, it is supposed to, if it didnt you would have stuck with it! Know that you will get sore, know that you will recover, and through all the soreness what do you notice.....extra energy! Wow......and your feeling good about yourself and your results! Whats that...why yes I have lost some weight, thanks for asking! How...I have been doing (insert workout here)____________ and I love it! Now another reason comes out as to which workout you need to do- you found one you love doing! A workout that makes you want to get back in the next day and do more, push harder, lift more, run further! Thats the best kind of workout no matter what it is labeled or how it is packaged...if you love doing it, then keep doing it, it will reward you as you push yourself!
Maybe you are the sadistic type....you enjoy the workout that kicks your *kitten*, your dog tired afterwards, drenched in sweat,lucky to be standing and breathing, or maybe your still lying on the floor after,forearm across your head, hoping you can get back up! So you pick yourself up, and within the hour you feel your accomplishment! you thought you were going to die during that workout, but you didn't! You stuck it out and now what a great internal feeling you have, wow,can it be..... it.....it's pride again! Your proud of yourself , and you should be! That workout was brutal and you finished it! You kicked *kitten*!
So.....find a workout your happy with no matter how it is packaged, or be sadistic and find a kick *kitten* workout.....remember workouts are like vegetables for kids....while they might not look or taste great, they are good for our bodies and our hearts, and at our age, its kinda nice to feel like a kid again!

It's just a much more structured "idiot proof" routine.

Absolutely, I think that is what makes the difference for me. I can be motivated as hell when I get to the gym, but a lot of time my focus disappears. Other people are on the weights that i want to use and I have to go to another machine. A lot of time the free weights are all over the floor and not racked right. Sweat left on the machines and mats. It's frustrating to go to the gym nowadays.

That's why I have a $30000 commercial gym in my garage.

I got the dvd's off of craig's list-if I did it again I'd ensure I got the calendars and nutrition stuff so I'd either buy it off the web or ensure my craig's list dude had it all.
Nonetheless, I got all of that off the web and the web research was good as I got to see a lot of ins and outs with regard to exercise and nutrition. p90x is just one way to go-albeit well packaged etc. but you need to have a well rounded view of nutrition and exercise to continue to grow. you're in it for the long run so one package probably won't it. The p90x package will give you the whole 9 WRT what to buy to take advantage of the DVDs. You don't need too much: mat, weights, pull-up bar, heart rate monitor. This will get you started and you can grow over time.

Gym is way harder! Would take more effort to get the same results you could get with P90x, which does the thinking for you and is "idiot proof".

I am the same. I still do yoga and stretch from time to time as these are just good things to do to compliment strength training and mma that I do. Never really liked Kenpo for some reason. Ab ripper is definitely a challenging workout. However, after doing some more research I can see how you could build your ab muscles with less reps of weighted exercises (just like any other muscle)

At the end of the day, you can make gym or p90x as hard (effective) as you want to by choosing lighter weights/bands and increasing/decreasing intensity. Try both Also, you didn't here it from me but check torrents out for p90x :P

Knowledge is power.