After you get through the long warmup, P90X2 Shoulders + Arms is traditional weight training (with a lot of repetition).

Shoulders + Arms is just ONE of the routines in the P90X2 series:

Like a lot of the P90X2 workouts, some of the exercises have a balance option.

If your balance sucks then keep both feet on the floor the entire routine.  The workout is effective whether you ever lift up one leg or not.

Tony encourages one of his team members to ‘ribbit’ like a frog before the main workout even starts.  Not cool, Tony.

Let me tell you what tools you need and what you’ll be doing in P90X2 Shoulders + Arms…

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Instructor-Tony Horton

Category-Strength

Equipment–

Stability Ball

dumbbells (5, 8, 10, 12, and 15 lbs. is what I use)

Optional Equipment-foam roller, fitness band, Plyo Box

Length-52 minutes

HRM-260 calories

Choreography-Simple

My rating- A

Tips-Ladies, if you still need to add a few weights to your collection check out my favorite colored dumbbells.  And I recommend this article, A Woman’s Guide to Buying Dumbbells.

The Important Stuff about P90X2 Shoulders + Arms

X2 Shoulders + Arms is made up of three rounds of 7 exercises in the main workout.  You repeat the same exercises in each grouping.

There’s a balance option for some of the exercises.  Sometimes I do it and sometimes I don’t.  It helps engage your core when you add the balance to the move but if your balance is crappy then you miss out on a bunch of reps while you’re hopping around.

Try to add the balance element.  If you can’t do it then at least you tried.  You’ll get better at it every time.

There’s a lot of padding that happens before the main workout (about 13 minutes of warm-up which includes 3 minutes of foam rolling).  The main workout is about 33 minutes in length.  The cool down is another 6 minutes.

Once you get past the warm-up, this program is traditional weight training.  I’ll tell you what weights I use when I do X2 Shoulders + Arms.  You’ll have to figure out what works for you but this will give you a starting place.

Monica is the girl in Tony’s team.  Tony points out that she’s a mother of twins.  Go Monica!  She looks incredible.

I’ve never considered wearing cargo shorts for my workouts.  Jason shows us that it’s possible.  Jason also shows you how to do this entire workout with a fitness band.

Remember to read to the end for information about each section and links to a few places you can compare prices for this video 🙂

Warm-Up

Tony uses a stability ball for these 5 moves.  Don’t worry about it if you don’t have a stability ball, you can do these just fine without one.

Twists-10 reps

Squats-10 reps

Side Stretch-10 reps

Alternating Back Lunges-10 reps

Atlas-12 reps (6 per side)

FOAM ROLLING

This goes on for over 3 minutes.  I don’t have a foam roller.  I wouldn’t recommend buying one just for P90X2.  I know this section feels like it lasts for 3 years.  Resist the urge to go check your Twitter or Instagram feed.  Stretch during this time whether you have/use a foam roller or not.  Tony introduces his team while you’re stretching.

Next there are 5 more warm-up moves/stretches before you start the workout.  Make the most of these to stretch out your muscles.  You don’t need a foam roller to do any of these but Monica and Jason show you how to.

Roller Angel

Roller Sphinx

World’s Greatest Stretch*

*I love this stretch!  Tony forces Jason to *ribbit* during this section.  No, dude, no, don’t do it…not cool, Tony.

Inchworm

Table

Main Workout (The Exercises in P90X2 Shoulders + Arms

ROUND ONE

Do all the balance elements on the same foot for Round One (if you’re incorporating the balance option).

Balance Curls

You can put one foot up on the Stability Ball or hold it in the air if you want to add this to the exercise.

Set One-16 reps with 12 lb. DB’s

Alternating Arnold Press

Set One–10 per side with 12 lb. DB’s

Overhead Tricep Pulls (with the Stability Ball)

*If you have a stability ball then pull it out for this exercise.  If you don’t have a stability ball then do them on the floor or on a bench/step.  Lower the weights to your ears.

Set One–16 reps with 10 lb. DB’s

6-Direction Shoulder Flys

Set One–8 reps with 8 lb. DB’s

Crazy 8’s

Try to do the balance version.

Set One–16 reps per side with 10 lb. DB’s

Y-T Flys (on the Stability Ball)

Set One–12 reps with no weight

Rocket Launcher Tricep Kickbacks

Tony does these on the Plyo step to add a balance element.  I think that step is too high for this.  Sometimes I put my foot up but I use a lower step.

Set One–16 reps with 10 lb. DB’s

Water Break

ROUND TWO

Balance on the other foot on all the exercises in this round

Balance Curls

Set Two–16 reps with 15 lb. DB’s

Alternating Arnold Press

Set Two–12 per side with 15 lb. DB’s

Overhead Tricep Pulls (with the Stability Ball)

Set Two–16 reps with 12 lb. DB’s

6-Direction Shoulder Flys

Set Two–10 reps with 5 lb. DB’s

Crazy 8’s

Set Two–16 reps per side with 10 lb. DB’s

Y-T Flys (on the Stability Ball)

Set Two–8 reps with 5 lb. DB’s

Rocket Launcher Tricep Kickbacks

Set Two–16 reps with 8 lb. DB’s

Water Break

ROUND THREE

Do the balance options on your dominant leg for the last round (or switch feet halfway through the set)

Balance Curls

Set Three–16 reps with 15 lb. DB’s

Alternating Arnold Press

Set Three–16 per side with 15 lb. DB’s

Overhead Tricep Pulls (with the Stability Ball*)

Set Three–12 reps with 12 lb. DB’s

6-Direction Shoulder Flys

Set Three–8 reps with 8 lb. DB’s (alternately you could stick with a lower weight and do more reps on the 3^rd set)

Crazy 8’s

Set Three–16 reps per side with 10 lb. DB’s

Y-T Flys (on the Stability Ball)

Set Three–8 reps with 5 lb. DB’s

Rocket Launcher Tricep Kickbacks

Set Three–16 reps with 8 lb. DB’s

Cool Down/Stretch

Tony uses the Stability Ball during this section which is about 6 minutes long.  Whether you choose to use the SB or not, make sure you stretch out whatever muscles that need it.

Now What?

P90X2 X2 Shoulders + Arms is a solid strength-training program. 

I wish the Beachbody gurus had condensed the format to be a short warm-up (which is all that’s really needed for this type of routine), the weight work, and then a short stretch at the end.  I don’t mind a long workout but I want every move to be essential to the workout and this video is longer than it needs to be when you consider that parameter.

But I still do X2 Shoulders + Arms regularly because it’s a good video to get you sculpted and strong.

You can find P90X2 X2 Shoulders + Arms in the P90X2 family of workouts on Amazon.

And P90X2 is just one of the programs in the hundreds of workouts you get with a Beachbody on Demand membership. (Try it.  There’s a FREE TRIAL.)

Learn more about Beachbody on Demand here.