Perhaps you read the news that P90X got some mixed press over the weekend. In an article posted on Yahoo! News, you’ll find the story of Matt Lombardi. The article describes Matt as a “businessman” who says just one day of P90X had “sent them into the emergency room with near kidney failure.” Feel free to read the whole article here, but I’ll quickly summarize the main points.

Matt wanted to use P90X to lose around 20 pounds. He began the program with the day one, Chest and Back. He tells that he “lost count of how many of each [push up and pull up] I did – but it was a lot. Eventually my muscles just shut down.” He only completed half of the first work out and moved on today 2, PlyoX, but again found himself in pain and stopped with half a workout.

After trip to the bathroom, some very dark-colored urine, and an online search, Matt believed he was experiencing rhabdbomyolysis. That is the extreme breakdown of muscle fibers, to the point at which they actually get released into the bloodstream (The National Institute of Health).

He claims that he knew about all of the warnings given by Beachbody and P90X. He writes, “if I had specifically known about rhabdbomyolysis, I don’t think I would’ve ever taken the plunge.”

He did get checked into a hospital for treatment.

(Summarized and quoted from Yahoo! News – “Man says one day of P90 X send them into the emergency room” by Eric Pfeiffer.)

First off let me say I am glad that Matt’s okay. I never want to see anyone have such a bad experience with P90X or starting any workout program. It does make me scratch my head and wonder how half of Chest and Back and part PlyoX could do that to a person. We all could speculate on what he did wrong and even throw him under the bus but let’s take this story for what it is and learn from it.

Starting P90X – Read the Fitness Guide!

Right from the P90X Fitness Guide, you find a section called “Lessening Your Chance of Injury.” Here it details cautions like: Don’t cross the threshold. Stay in control. Maintain proper form. Warm-up. Listen to your body. Each section stresses important signs and facts to pay attention to while starting P90X. I’m not sure if Matt read this, but it definitely would’ve helped. I especially like the Listen to Your Body Section, it reads: “No one knows it better than you do. If something feels wrong, it probably is. Learn to stop at any discomfort. Then assess the situation and decide whether it’s physical problem or you’re just having an off day. This isn’t a race. If you stay healthy, results will come plenty fast. If you push too hard, you can get hurt, and Bam! You’re on the sideline. The goal is to complete this program. Don’t try to peak on day two.”

You’ll also notice that Matt didn’t talk about doing the Fit Test. This is a great assessment to see where you are physically before you start P90X. There are Fit Tests for every program that Beachbody produces. With P90X, there are metrics to tell you whether you’re ready for P90X or not. If you “fail” the Fit Test, you may want to start with a different program or realize that you’ll have to heavily modify P90X.

Listen to Tony!

Tony constantly reinforces these ideas and more throughout each workout. You’re told to do YOUR best and forget the rest. This definitely doesn’t mean keeping up with Tony and the gang during your first workout. Something that should also be a caution from Matt’s story is one he said that he “lost count.” If you’ve done P90X, you know Tony tells you time and time again to write down your weights and write down your reps. You should never lose count of what you’re doing.

Modify

I think some people think that because P90X is an at-home workout where you follow along to a DVD that it is somehow not a serious workout. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in good enough shape to hang with Tony the first time through workout. You need to leave your ego at the door and modify the moves. There’s a great line from X2 that should be taken seriously and used in P90X as well, MODIFY TO FINISH. It’s about getting results, not getting hurt… I think Tony said that too :-)

Listen to Your Body

Matt did do this but it was already too late. Be proactive and not reactive. If something feels “off,” it very well could be. Use the pause button, take breaks, and talk to your coach (get a coach in the first place!). Again it’s not a sprint, you want to be there in the end.

Last but Not Least – Check with Your Doctor First.

You might think it’s overboard but if you really have concerns just check with your doctor.

Moral of the Story

Follow the program as designed. Listen to Tony and write your reps down. Go at your pace and make sure to maintain a big picture view of your journey. This is clearly a case of an exception and not a rule. With the thousands and thousands of teamRIPPED members who have attempted and completed P90X, I have never seen or heard of this happening. If Matt wants to try it again he could always join teamRIPPED and do it right! Bring it (but bring it safely)!!!

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