I’m going to tell you the stuff I’d want someone to tell me if I asked, “What is the P90X2 Plyocide workout?”
Plyocide is a solid cardio workout but far from perfect.
In the main workout there are 20 total exercises. Fifteen of them are high-impact (plyometric) moves.
Remember that most of the P90X2 workouts have several exercises that test your balance. Here’s a reminder of what the P90X2 program is all about:
Now let me explain to you why Plyocide isn’t my favorite P90X2 workout…
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Instructor-Tony Horton
Category-Cardio
Equipment-Platform*, 2 pieces of tape* (make a big plus sign on the floor), Stability ball*, Exercise Band* or a towel, Medicine ball (6 or 8 lbs), Mat, foam roller*
*You can do P90X2 Plyocide without this stuff. The platform (photo below) is only used in one exercise, the stability ball is only used in the warm-up, the band/towel and foam roller are only used for stretching exercises
Length-55 minutes
HRM-344 calories
Choreography-Simple
My rating– B
There are four moves in each round. There are 5 rounds.
The first move in each round is always a ‘non-plyometric’ exercise. That means your feet stay on the floor for the first exercise of each round. The next 3 exercises in the round ARE plyometric. (That means the next 3 exercises are high-impact, and your feet WILL be leaving the floor.)
The warm-up and cool/down are longer than necessary. The actual workout is maybe 40 minutes.
Remember to read to the end for helpful information on each round as well as links to a few places you can compare prices for the P90X2 program.
There’s an overlay image at the bottom of your screen during the routine. It shows the number of reps (or time left) in the set, the name of the exercise you’re doing, and a countdown clock for the entire workout.
This is super helpful. Here’s what it looks like:
You’ll recognize the warm-up. It’s the same exercises Tony does in P90X2 Core (and others).
He does the moves in this section with the stability ball but that’s the only place you’ll see it used in this workout. Sometimes I don’t even bother pulling mine out for this routine. Just make the moves big and you’ll be fine without the ball.
The warm-up exercises are: the twist, squats, side stretches, alternating back lunges, and atlas.
Now Tony tries to sell you a foam roller. You don’t need it. These 3 minutes feel like an hour. I really wish he would just do a guided stretch for a minute and then the next 5 moves and get into the body of the workout. I grow very impatient of the foam roller infomercial.
*If you have a foam roller go ahead and use it but don’t go buy one for Plyocide.
If you’ve ever done a P90X video you’ve seen the next 5 moves:
Roller Sphinx (a low plank)
World’s Greatest Stretch (I love these)
Inch Worm
Scorpion (My back pops when I do Scorpion, but it doesn’t hurt; don’t flop your leg over with no control and strain your back before the workout even starts)
Groiners (There are 20)
BREAK
Wide Leg Tiptoe Squats
You do 35 reps.
You don’t need any equipment for these.
The name of the exercise tells you exactly what you’ll be doing.
Killer Katherine Lunges
I use an 8 lb med ball (I don’t have a smaller one). If you have a 6 lb ball then I’d use it, instead. Try to keep up with the group. Keep your core tight.
These are alternating jumping lunges with the medicine ball held at your waist with both hands. You switch the ball from side to side with the legs.
Fast Feet Chair Jumps
You stand in place doing a football run with your hands in the air and Tony prompts you when to jump. Yes, it’s annoying that he’s bossing you around but not doing the workout.
Slalom Line Jump
A slalom line jump is a bunny hop back and forth over the line like you’re skiing down a hill.
You’ll use that tape on the floor for the slalom line jumps but you can just use your imagination, too.
Tony tells you what to do. Try to go fast. You’re trying to burn some calories, here.
Water Break
Warrior 3 Lunge
*Remember your first exercise is low-impact, so you won’t leave the floor.
You’ll start kind of in a runner’s stance with one leg forward and then lift up on the front leg into a scale with your arms reaching out. (If you do yoga you’ll be familiar with this move.)
I really like the warrior 3 lunge. You’ll need some balance. There are 12 per side.
Tony wants you to go at his pace but I’d recommend you set your own pace.
Jack-In-The-Box-Knee Tuck
These suck because they’re hard.
Start in a squat position and jump all the way up into a tuck jump and back down to a squat. The whole move is one fluid motion.
Do your best. I usually do 20 of these. Stick your butt out and land softly.
Think Drill
You know this move. Tony tells you what to do (runner’s stance ‘set’, football sprint with wide feet, narrow feet, bunny hands, arms wide, arms up…you get the picture).
You don’t need any equipment. Move your feet fast.
Spartan Squat Lunge
I usually do 15 per side. Don’t let these confuse you.
Start in a squat with one fist down towards the opposite shoe. Then jump up into a lunge. Focus on the one arm that’s going up and down. Your fist aims at the foot that shoots out into the lunge.
Water Break
Super Skater Kick
This is your low-impact exercise for round three and another balance move. There are 15 per side. You’ll be able to do these better on one leg than the other.
The move is a lunge balancing on one foot with a kick when you raise up. Expect to wobble all over the place.
Depth Charge
This is where Tony uses that platform.
You can just do vertical jumps in place if you don’t have a platform or step to use. Keep your core tight and do as many as you can. I do 20-25 using a platform but you should do more jumps if you don’t have a platform.
You walk up onto the step and then walk off the other side. When you have both feet on the floor you do a vertical jump. Turn around and repeat. Do as many as you can for one minute.
Frog Burpee Hop
You drop into a low plank/push-up and jump up into a frog jump. These are hard. Do at least 10. That’s my goal.
One-Leg Slalom
He uses that tape on the floor for this one.
This is the same slalom exercise as earlier but this time you’re on one foot (so, you’re hopping side to side on one foot). If you have a bad knee I’d stay on two feet. These hurt my feet sometimes. I have terrible feet, though.
Water Break
One-Leg Squat
Guess what? Another exercise on one foot. Balancing on one foot forces you to use your core muscles. It’s all good. There are 15 per side.
Some days I just can’t find my balance so I keep most of the weight on one leg (and barely touch the toe of my other foot) and try to get in all the reps.
Otherwise I spend more time hopping around than doing any squats.
Surfer Spin
You can do a quarter spin, 180, or 360 spin on these. You’ll burn the same number of calories (no matter how far around you spin) as long as you’re doing something.
Everything tends to make me dizzy so I only do the 180 spin on these. Then I throw in one 360 at the end for good measure.
Power 90 Cross Hop
You use the tape on the floor again for this exercise. Tony will tell you where to jump using the grid made by the tape as your guide. Keep your core tight. Go as fast as you can. These are fun.
If you have bad knees then remember that doing lateral jumps as fast as you can may flare something up.
Wide Leg Jumping Jacks with the Medicine Ball
I use my 8 lb. medicine ball.
It’s an air jack with the med ball. The ball goes over your head when you jump off the floor.
This exercise is really awesome because it’s super hard. I do the 22 reps. You can too. There’s a water break next so you can take a little longer to finish the set if you need to.
Water Break
Launcher Lunge
These are tricky with my 8 lb medicine ball. I move very deliberately to make sure I don’t tweak my back. Use a 6 lb. medicine ball if you have one. There are 10 per side.
*You lean low into a side lunge on one side with the med ball and then you raise up and push the ball out to the opposite side and raise the leg (that you just lunged towards) off the floor.
*I apologize if you can’t visualize this move from my description alone. My goal is to give you a general sense of what the exercise requires you to do (if you’ve never done this routine), and to jog your memory (if you’ve done it before). Sometimes, I don’t achieve my goals.
Toe Tap 360
You can use any size ball for these. You alternate tapping your toes on the ball as fast as you can while moving around the ball. If you’re coordinated you’ll think these are fun. If you trip walking on dirt in the carpet then you might want to try this without the ball.
I was coaching a soccer team one season and had the kids do this same exercise. They kept falling because they were trying to step up on the ball. Eight-year-olds are funny.
Flying Fighter Kick
If you’ve done kickbox before then you’ll be able to crush this exercise on the first try. It’s a switch kick followed by a back kick. The knee you drive up is the same leg that kicks back. There are 10 per side.
If you do it wrong don’t worry about it. Just do the same thing on the other leg so you’re balanced.
Set Sprint Plank Plyo Jump
Yes, there are plyo push-ups in this interval. Do them. It’s your last exercise.
Tony yells out what you’re supposed to do. The name of this exercise tells you all the possible things Tony will be prompting you to do. Tony shouts the exercises out faster than you can possibly accomplish them (because he’s not actually doing them).
You’ll be surprised that there’s still 11 minutes left in this video. Tony spends several minutes doing neurointegrated stretching (with your band or a towel; I think a towel is better for these). Just do them.
I know you’re looking at the clock and ready to get on with the day but we all need more stretching. I’m very impatient with this section, too. But this type of stretching is very good for you. You’ll need to mentally commit to this stretch segment when you hit play on this video.
Try adding one of the P90X Ab Ripper routines to the end of Plyocide for a total body workout. Check out the Original Ab Ripper X, and X2 Ab Ripper.
P90X2 Plyocide tests my patience a little. I really like to get down to business when I do a workout and this video makes me feel like I’m not doing that. But that’s just me. It fits nicely in the P90X2 family of videos.
You can find Plyocide with the other P90X2 routines by Beachbody on Amazon.
And the entire P90X2 series is in the library of workouts in a membership to Beachbody on Demand.
Beachbody on Demand is how I access all of the P90X workouts. I love it.
If you’re trying to decide between P90X programs then sign up for a Beachbody on Demand membership and try them all out first. They’re each unique and you’ll find one that fits your style better than the others. (My favorite is the P90X3 series.)
If you have questions about the membership I suggest you read, Beachbody on Demand–5 Reasons to Give it a Try.
Thanks for reading!
Have an amazing day!
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