One of the most sought after home fitness programs available these days is the Power 90 Extreme, or P90X for short. This was developed and starred by Tony Horton, a popular exercise instructor. Below you can find more information about him - the beginning of his career and the other fitness programs he came up with.
Born in Westerly, Rhode Island on the 2nd of July, 1958, he was christened Anthony Sawyer Horton Jr. After finishing his studies in the University of Rhode Island, he packed his bags to pursue an acting career in Hollywood. But he was told by agents to come back some other time until he’s fit. Tony, as a kid, hated exercising and loved fast food. He realized that making it in showbiz required having great physique.
What he did was join a famous fitness gym in Venice, California: World Gym. He was so into fitness that he also got information from books and the pros who were attending the same gym. That time, famous bodybuilders such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno frequented the place. But Tony wasn’t a fan of the bulky and non-flexible physique.
What he wanted was to have the sleek, toned and flexible body of an athlete. That’s why he designed his own workout routines to enable him to achieve such goal. Strength, speed, balance and flexibility - these were the things he focused on. His fitness level soon improved, and he started dabbling on other activities such as pilates, yoga, plyometrics, etc.
It was also during this time that he was introduced to interval training by Mark Sisson, a triathlete and former Ironman participant. Little did Tony know that all the things he learned would be the foundation for his revolutionary fitness programs in the future. News about his physical transformation from lanky to ripped spread like wildfire. Soon enough, opportunities came knocking on his door.
In the early 1980s, he became an in-demand exercise instructor for many celebrities - from film actors to recording artists. He started writing for many different health and fitness magazines. He became a spokesperson for a popular line of fitness machines. He also hosted a TV show. Additionally, he established his own company: ASH Fitness.
Tony and Carl Daikeler met through a client. He became Daikeler’s fitness trainer, and since then they became good friends. In the late 1990’s Daikeler and another guy (Jon Congdon) set up a company which offered products related to fitness - Beachbody. They asked Tony to come up with a series of home exercise videos where he’s also the star. The very first offering was called Great Body Guaranteed. It was followed by many others. Among them are Tony and the Kids, Tony and the Folks, 10 Minute Trainer, Power Half Hour, etc.
His earliest success is said to be the Power 90, which was launched back in 2001. Then in 2004, he created a much more intense version of it: the P90X or Power 90 Extreme. It’s a 90-day home fitness program that’s divided into 3 phases. Likewise, it’s backed up by a nutrition guide Tony himself developed. The foundation of the program is muscle confusion, which keeps the body from suffering from the plateau effect.
Tony Horton didn’t just design another in home fitness routine when he designed P90X. He revolutionized the in home weight loss industry by bringing not just what people wanted but what they needed. P90X MC2 being the next in his series will do the same when it delivers the next generation of muscle confusing exercises.