Tony Horton Appearance 2011

Tony Horton used to be a stand-up comedian. Now he's the front man for P90X and a millionaire exercise guru. So is he an infomercial salesman? Or a fitness savior?
By Joe Kita, Posted Date: December 18, 2010

P90X Principle 3
Find (and flirt) with the Line

The Line is your discomfort threshold. It's the one pushup beyond what you think you can do. It's that extra agonizing rep after you've finished a set. But it's not just the effort that's important; it's the desire to want to go there again and again. That's the secret to becoming fit.

And it's the reason Horton scoffs at walking, riding an exercise bike while reading, or doing any mild form of cardio as a sole means of fitness. "Walking is just a waste of time for most people," he says. "We're primates and we walk—that's what we do. And even though it's better than doing nothing, it's not enough. You have to find that Line in whatever you're doing and continually push it out."

P90X at your place Use Horton's discomfort scale to gauge where you are during your workout.

10 = so brutal, so awful, you're miserable.
9 = just short of the above.
7 or 8 = really hard, but you're maintaining form and hanging in there.
6 = it's not a 7 or 8, but you're working as hard as you can today.
5 = you can do more...but you're not.
1 to 4 = unless it's a recovery day, you're wasting your time.
The Line is at 6, 7, or 8 on the scale.


P90X Principle 4
Train resiliency, not vanity

Horton says that if a law were passed that limited him to one type of exercise, he'd pick yoga. And for once he's not joking.

"Yoga is resistance, it's balance, it's coordination, it's stamina, it's even cardiovascular, depending on how you do it....I can turn yoga into anything, and it's the reason I can do this"—he drops to the floor for clap pushups—"and this"—he hops back up for high leg kicks. "Ever see a 65-year-old guy run? That should be incentive enough."

Indeed, as you age, you lose your flexibility. That means by age 65, you'll practically be prepping for rigor mortis. "I put off yoga for 4 years because I thought it was silly," says Horton.

P90X at your place Swallow your pride and enroll in a beginner's yoga class taught by an instructor with at least a 200-hour certification. Flowing vinyasa styles, such as ashtanga, are more rigorous. Once you know the basics, you'll be able to practice on your own. (There's a good chance you'll be the only guy in a class of very fit, flexible women, though, so you may not want to.)

There's another advantage to yoga that is fundamental to Horton's exercise and life philosophies. Although it sounds contradictory coming from someone ironically nicknamed Tony Humble, he says that "externals," such as weight loss and muscle definition, should never be your primary motivators for working out. "Focus instead on the internals," he says. Are you less fatigued? Do you have more energy? Are you sleeping better? Do you feel stronger? Are you happier? Yoga helps you become more aware and mindful of all these things, and they're what will keep you working out long-term.

It's 2:10 A.M. QVC is now featuring the Stan Herman Collection. And Horton is finally looking a little tired as he sits on the stage steps sipping a smoothie. It seems like a good time to ask him a philosophical question: Tell us, Tony, what's the one thing fitness still hasn't brought you?

After an uncharacteristically long pause, he says, "Honestly? Nothing. Fitness and healthy eating have changed my life from soup to nuts. There's no area that it hasn't given me confidence in—physical, mental, emotional. I feel blessed that in some weird way I've been given this opportunity to help people...For me, fitness isn't about how long I'm going to live; it's about the quality of life right now. And let me tell you, man, I'm one happy dude."

http://www.fitnessatlantic.com/tonyhorton.htm