Getting Tough With P90X

A few years ago I was sick and unable to get out of bed, running a high fever with chills and aches all over my body. Since I am not a television junkie and, in fact, not a person who likes to be still for longer than 25 minutes, the illness was driving me crazy. I needed to move even when going to the bathroom five steps away was enough to completely exhaust me.

Lying in bed, mindlessly watching game shows and old movies, I found an infomercial for P90X which is an extreme workout. So I watched and visualized myself working out, and then when I was getting better and my thoughts became more rational, I realized it was my players who should be getting the benefit of an extreme workout. Right then and there I purchased the entire P90X package.

In fact, not only do I have the original series, I actually have all of Tony Horton's workouts which by the way the Golden Eagles have come to love. Well . . . not all of them. In fact, I'm pretty certain the newcomers are not very fond of P90X. It is the way they shake and nearly pass out which makes me think this. Upon further review, maybe it is just the coaching staff who loves the workouts.

What I love about the workouts is how much they challenge the players. Who wouldn't want to try to do a combination of lat pulls and push-ups for two minutes? Who wouldn't want to do a lunge while executing a bicep curl or a tricep hammer curl? Who wouldn't want to do a combat push-up for a minute and a half? Who wouldn't want to go from one challenging exercise to another with only a 20 second rest?

The problem I've found is not the exercise; it is the puddle of sweat accumulating at the players' feet. This puddle seems to grow in size and depth until the sweat has formed a miniature swimming pool. With the sweat pool all around them, their hands tend to slip during push-ups and their feet slide every which direction. If they wouldn't sweat so much I'm certain the exercises would be easier.

While I understand P90X is probably not sport specific for basketball; it is a mental toughness workout. When players can go through a 40 minute workout with only two 30 second breaks, continue through an exercise when their breaths are pounding in their chests and their muscles are next door to total exhaustion, then I know they will be able to talk themselves through a double overtime, a week with three games in it and a long road trip.

If the P90X is not enough, we manage to do a little 40 minute conditioning workout before hitting the weights. Our goal here is simple enough: we want the players to sprint so hard they feel their heartbeats in their toes. If they are able to stand up and walk easily out of the gym after a conditioning workout, we have failed to make them better. Somebody should be on the floor unable to move, struggling for breath and praying thankfully that sprints are over for the day.

Preseason is about mental toughness and mental toughness is what the game is. If we can succeed in creating the right mental attitude now, the games we play will be so much easier.

I believe we are on the right path. I love the heart, the desire and the passion and I love TONY HORTON and P90X.

ONE HEART. ONE DREAM.