Monday, March 21, 2011

It’s A Wrap!


The next great home training program is in the can, as they say in Hollywood even though it’s more like “on the hard drive” these days. So I’ll be shutting down my P90X mc2 preview while the editors do their magic turning a bunch of sweaty workouts into a TV show. Even without our usual advanced rehearsal time that a test group provides I can say, with some certainty, that we got the shots we need. It’s going to be a sequel worthy of the original.


It wasn’t without its challenges, which is true of almost any shoot. Most coaches, trainers, and exercise scientists have no idea about what’s behind making good TV—nor do they care. But as we raise the bar of our target audience, now to include more discerning groups such as athletes and scientists, it becomes trickier to keep it all in balance because our programs are successful, primarily, because they are good entertainment; brining me to my first anecdote of the day.

Up at P3 one day Marcus and I are yappin’ about how to create and evolution to P90X when Utah Jazz big man Al Jefferson says, “You guys going to make a video?” We look at each other, simultaneously thinking about what that would look like, and both break out laughing. I answer something along the lines of “no one would want to watch that,” leading to my second anecdote.


Tony is affectionately called The Fitness Clown. Yeah, he’s a super fit dude who knows how to train but what really sets him apart is his personality and his ability to convey it on camera. During the shoot my two staff trainers on set were making notes about techniques and flaws, in both the cast and Tony, to help us edit and know when we absolutely have to re-shoot something. This is more tech advice than we’ve ever used—on 90x it was just me—and vital for us to deliver a solid program. But it also created a serious air on the set and very early on Mason—the director—had to step in and tell Tony to stop trying to be technical and focus on what he does best, entertainment. And the more Tony became Tony the smoother the workouts went and the better TV they made.

So back to P3 and anecdote #2: we’re up there working with Tony on some PAP training and he tells one of the trainers how much he envies his knowledge of exercise physiology. The trainer replies that he envies Tony’s ability in front of the camera, to which Tony lights up, changing from student to teacher.


“Every time I workout I pretend there’s a camera on me,” he begins before going into many of the subtleties of acting. Marcus and I again exchange a look because, for us, it’s absolutely the opposite of what we’re doing when we’re exercising, which is evaluating how everything works the body and how it may be useful if incorporated into a training program. But as I’m sitting in front of the A camera with a stack of cue cards and a note pad, watching Tony work, I think of this over and over. And each time I hold up a card I see his lessons from that day play out in front of me as he seamlessly works the tip into his repertoire as if he were about to say it anyway—a professional on the top of his game. And maybe he was going to say it. And we’ll never know. And that’s the magic of Hollywood.

Coming fall 2011: P90x: The Sequel...

x next previews from t-b: we won't have any muscle bound charlatans trumpeting the x as you're are going to need to perform; we're still pushing iron but your form will force you to earn it; chicago’s (the band not the city) jason scheff promises some great TV by not only demonstrating hotel room modifications but attempting to out clown the fitness clown; the professional -- tony nails his nemesis moves when the camera rolls, every time.

25 comments:

Haley said...

I'm stoked for The Sequel! Can't wait :)

Bradley Dunagan said...

I can't wait! I agree what makes Tony's workouts so popular isn't the workout as much as how much he makes the workout fun while he's doing them. he pushes you to the max and has you laughing in between. Anyone who's done P90X can quote Tony's lines and probably does through the entire workout. I'm sure this one will be just as fun and of course on ____ of a workout! Thanks I'm posting this article www.braddunagancoaching.com

Erin said...

Sweet! I'm all excited!

yyyy said...

Thanks for the update Steve. Can't wait to get the DVDs. Sometimes I think the 90 should stand for 90% Tony Horton. Not to discount all of the hard work done by everyone at Beachbody, but of all the motivation I've gotten from Beachbody I have to say that I couldn't have done it without Tony. The man is my hero, and as many times a day as he hears it, he truly has changed my life forever.

Jeremiah said...

Can't wait! I have been gearing up with P90X, P90X+, and P90X One on One Volumes 1 & 3. I'll have time for at least one more cycle before it comes out, so hopefully I'm ready.

I agree Bradley - I like the fact that Tony's not all business when he speaks. A little adult humor can go a long way to distracting me from the pain lol.

Unknown said...

Now that the filming is done, will we see an equipment list soon for MC2?

Steve Edwards said...

Posted on equip last week.

Unknown said...

Sorry Steve...guess I missed that post on Facebook. Hoping Beachbody will sell MC2 items on the website (maybe a "MC2 Accessory Pack"?). I have most of the items needed, but would gladly purchase the additional items from Beachbody. I love this company & am proud to support it with my purchases!

Damon M said...

Agree with all of the other comments. Tony does indeed make it, dare I say, 'fun!' Love the quotes... Also, once you go through the routine you start to 'bond' with the others in the video. Hopefully, we'll have Drea, 'Pam the Blam' , and (sorry, forgetting his name) the guy that pulled the 'I'm stirring trouble' quote that Tony probably still hasn't gotten over.

Like a lot of us, I'm not a pro athlete, just someone that enjoyed getting fit with Tony, and just cannot wait for more...

Bring it!!!

Chris Ousley said...

Cant wait till fall! Crazy Phil was the one stirring trouble. Keep up with him...forget it!

The Dude said...

Great series on p90x 2. I hope you have dropped the "MC2" label. Almost anything is a better name for it. "The Sequel" seems to work well.

Look forward to hearing some thoughts you have on the Asylum coming out next month.

Disco said...

Damn, is the move in the first picture mountain climbers on four med balls?

If so, P90X2 is going to be awesome (and extreme^2...which actually is a good name imo. P90X^2. Makes it appear to be even more Xtreme).

Anonymous said...

Excellent. I'm hoping you will be as careful as you were on P90X to get the music to match the rhythm of the workout. I really appreciate the attention to detail. Also, there were a few places where the video cuts got out of sync with the rhythm, which can be a bit disconcerting when you are jumping along with Tony and all of a sudden he's up and you're down for a couple seconds. Anyhow, keep an eye out for that if you can.

DK said...

Is there any info about the remake of Power 90 that is supposed to come out this year? It was scheduled for the 1st Qtr of 2011...is there any news on the progress of that series?

No offense to the P90Xers but the Power 90 users seem to get brushed aside...we either use a 10 yr old set of videos that were pilot quality or we move into the P90X realm - which is not possible for many of us due to time and current fitness.

Any info would be great!

Steve Edwards said...

We were trying to develop both at the same time but had to scrap it as Tony's a big star and his time is pretty much taken up. We'll get into development on this shortly. We could easily just re-do P90 with slicker production but we wanted to bring more to the table then that so an actual development process is needed.

We've still got a lot of good in between 90 and 90x programs. Chalean Extreme comes to mind and, if you want more Tony, try Master Series or even just good old Power Half Hour.

Unknown said...

I can't wait for the sequel!! I have but one feedback on packaging...the jacket book that the DVD's are stored in seem to cause unnecessary scratches in each of my dvd's, resulting in "skips" and "stalls" when playing. My DVD's are gold to me and I try and return them as gently as possible into the jacket. So my hope is that Beachbody develops a new jacket to hold the DVD's. With that said, P90X has transformed my life after 48 years! I can take on the world! Beachbody & P90X has been one incredible gift! Make it a great day my friends!

Anonymous said...

Great point on the packaging for the dvds! I love the way Insanity dvds are stored. How about that? Love you guys at Beachbody!

Trainer T.s Fitness said...

I can NOT wait for this to come out thank you for keeping all this info in one place.

Its really got me ready to brrrring it!

Thanks again :-)

Anonymous said...

Re P90X dvd storage - I noticed mine were starting to get scratched (no skipping yet), and I put each in a separate plastic jewel case. You can buy these in quantity at Walmart, Staples, etc. for cheap. I agree that I hope they improve the packaging for P90X2.

Q.VandenHeuvel said...

Hey Steve,
Just curious if the Legs part of base and back day will be more plyometric the way it is in p90x:one on one vol.3, or if it will be more strength training like in the original p90x.

Q.VandenHeuvel said...

Hey Steve,
Just curious if the leg portion of base and back will be more plyometric the way it is in p90x:one on one vol.3 or if it will be more strength training like in the original p90x.

Anonymous said...

I really, really hope that you guys decide to include the Making Of on one of the DVDs. It was great to see the YouTube vids, but I know most of us would LOVE an inside look on everything you're talking about. Pre-production, production, post---all of it. Love the behind the scenes stuff.

Unknown said...

This is great news to hear! I second the comment about the behind the scenes DVD (or blu-ray). I would like to hear comments on Tony about how the workout went and any possible "bloopers." Also, I am not sure if anyone has suggested this, but if "MC2" is not a finalized name, "MC^2" as in MC squared, would be another idea. It is a common phrase to remember, the words flow better than MC2, and reiterates the science behind P90X. Just an idea.

Matt Withers said...

Was wondering if this is likely to be released by September. I have a 4 phase, year long program I've dubbed Puppy To Beast that I'm tackling in the next year and is mostly centered around BB programs. My plan is to make P90X:MC2 the third phase of it with a start date around Sept 5th, although within a couple weeks of that would also work.

Can't tell you how much your blog has influenced how I approach training. Thanks!

Steve Edwards said...

I believe November is the target date. Always subject to change but we are currently on schedule. I think it will happen.