30 Day Shred or P90X? Tony Horton or Jillian Michaels? A Comparison

In the search statistics for this blog, I have noticed some people are looking for comparisons of 30 Day Shred (by Jillian Michaels) and P90X (by Tony Horton and Beachbody). As stated in the tag line for my blog, I have completed both programs, as well as other workouts by Jillian and Tony, so I feel confident about comparing them, if someone wants to know.

When I started writing about this topic, I was hoping to fit it into a single blog post. As it turns out, there’s too much information for one post, or two, so I will cover the similarities and differences between Jilllian and Tony’s products in various categories, over the course of several weekly posts.

There is a Summary of today’s post at the bottom.

Jillian, Tony and Me

First, as a point of reference, here’s a list of the Jillian Michaels DVDs I own:

• 3 DVD set: 30 Day Shred, Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism, No More Trouble Zones
  (now available as a 4 DVD set with Yoga Meltdown)
• Body Revolution

I used 30 Day Shred for a couple of months straight, I think, and probably about the same for No More Trouble Zones. I wasn’t as crazy about Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, which had too much of a kickboxing influence for my personal preference. Body Revolution is still relatively new, so I haven’t worked my way through Phases 2 and 3 yet.

Noteable Jillian DVDs I haven’t tried yet:

• Ripped in 30, Shred It, Shred It with Weights, 6-Week Six Pack, Yoga Meltdown
• (Endorsed by Jillian) rip:60

Cost

• Jillian: Low Cost Many of her DVDs are less than $10, and are intended for daily workouts up to a month. The ones I have tried include several levels of difficulty, so potentially in a month’s time you could do three different workouts (in the case of 30 Day Shred, for example). Body Revolution is $120 for a 15 DVD, 90 day program, which sounds very similar to P90X in its pricing.
• Tony: Higher Cost As far as I can tell, the only low-cost DVDs Tony offers are “Tony & the Kids” and “Tony & the Folks,” which are less than $10 at beachbody.com. From there, P90X One on One is $20 per DVD (one workout), 10-Minute Trainer is $80 for the Deluxe version, P90X is $120, and there are multiple cost options for P90X2, starting at $120. I suppose the upside is that a program like P90X will take three months to complete, includes a lot of variety, and has a well-established support community at teambeachbody.com.

Note: As a low-cost alternative which includes a lot of Tony’s information about exercise, nutrition, and motivation, I highly recommend his book, Bring It! as well as the follow-up e-book, Crush It! It’s more difficult at first to follow a workout printed in a book, but it’s similar in concept to P90X.

Intended Audience

• Jillian: Girls Club? In the videos I have, which were produced in 2008-2009, Jillian’s workout buddies are women. As a man, I felt a little like I was sneaking in to the ladies’ gym and getting a killer workout. Based on this, I would suspect her earlier videos were targeted primarily towards women who want to start exercising at a basic level, all the way up to those who want to lose the last 10 pounds and get that “ripped” physique. Note that Body Revolution (2012) includes both male and female participants.
• Tony: 98 Pound Weaklings? He has called Power 90 “The On Switch to Fitness,” an introductory program. He has also created workout DVDs called “Tony and the Kids” (for children), and “Tony and the Folks” (for seniors). With P90X, he entered the realm of “extreme fitness,” but it is possible to start slowly with P90X and achieve impressive results. P90X2 builds on the success and concepts of P90X, with the new emphasis on “functional fitness.” Tony has a certain reputation thanks to P90X, but his products cover all fitness levels. In contrast to Jillian, all of his videos feature both male and female participants.

Workout Philosophy

• Jillian: A “short and intense” workout strategy, covering as many body parts as possible. In Body Revolution she says, “I would die if I had to work out for an hour!” meaning that she prefers 30 minute workouts for the sake of her schedule. Some of her workouts are 30 minutes total, while others stretch that definition by having a 30 minute exercise segment, with additional warm up and cool down (about 35-40 minutes total time). If you want to get into the workout with minimal equipment, and be done in about 30 minutes, Jillian’s your buddy.
• Tony: Start Slow, Build Intensity Power 90 and 10-Minute Trainer provide shorter workouts for beginners, or people who want an intense workout in a relatively short time. These are multiple DVD sets, with cardio, upper body/lower body, or similar themes.

P90X and P90X2 workouts are usually 60 minutes long. They are named after the body parts they cover: Shoulders and Arms, Chest and Back, etc. Others are specific to an exercise type: yoga, Kenpo karate, or core muscles (P90X Core Synergistics, or X2 Core). One one hand, Tony has said in a P90X workout,  “Some workouts are done by now. We’re just getting started!” On the other hand, he often notes that in an hour, it’s possible to do much more than the people who take rest breaks between weightlifting sets at the gym. In my experience, the 60 minutes turns into about 75 minutes, with pauses and equipment changes, but it’s worth the time. In P90X2, there was a shift to a shorter, more intense workout period surrounded by warm up, foam rolling/stretching, and cool down/stretching. A notable exception to the 60-minute rule is the Ab Ripper workout, 15 minutes long, which can be done immediately following a long workout, or done separately.

Influences

Jillian mentioned in one of her workout DVDs that she used to borrow her mom’s exercise tapes during the 80s. The music, exercises, and pacing of Jillian’s workouts reflect those early influences… in a good way, honest! High intensity, synchronized movement, set to thumping electronic music… I’m just sayin’.