ChaLEAN Extreme or P90X : How to choose?

Whether or not you choose ChaLEAN Extreme or P90X, you are going to get a great workout program. I am a Beachbody coach and have done both workout programs. By clicking any link, you are supporting SoreyFitness; however, all of the opinions stated are my honest thoughts on both programs.

ChaLEAN Extreme and P90X differ, though. For me, I enjoyed ChaLEAN Extreme more than P90X for a few reasons.

You can check out my individual reviews of ChaLEAN Extreme or P90X here.

Why I liked ChaLEAN Extreme Over P90X

• ChaLEAN Extreme targets multiple muscle groups at once.
• Chalene sets defined reps for every move unlike some of the timed moves in P90X.
• The Extreme Sets in ChaLEAN Extreme really dig deep into the muscle fibers getting you results faster.
• I didn’t need a chin-up bar.
• The workouts are shorter than P90X. Every ChaLEAN Extreme workout is under an hour. (Unless you do P90X3)
• Honestly, I saw better results with it.

One thing I didn’t like about ChaLEAN Extreme was its meal plan was much weaker than P90X’s. If you plan on doing ChaLEAN Extreme, I suggest looking into the Eat Clean Diet or It Starts with Food; both links will take you to Amazon, which is an affiliate of SoreyFitness. You should utilize the nutrition plan given to you in ChaLEAN Extreme or P90X for reference, though.

I also thought P90X was more of a balance of strength, cardio, and flexibility. ChaLEAN Extreme is more strength training with a couple beginner-to-intermediate card workouts.

If you are leaning towards P90X, but the time is just KILLER….check out P90X3. We’ve been doing the classic schedule and wrote about the pros and cons of it here.

Here is a quick comparison of the two workouts to help you choose ChaLEAN Extreme or P90X.

ChaLEAN Extreme or P90X: A Comparison by Carl Daikeler

ll try and clarify this as best I can. ChaLEAN Extreme is confusing a lot of our members who are expecting it to be her version of P90X. It’s not.

P90X was designed as a workout program, to be done a number of different ways but always in a point A to point B linear fashion.

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ChaLEAN Extreme was designed from the point of view of Chalene Johnson being posed the question, “What would I do if you hired me as a personal trainer?”

So the philosophy of ChaLEAN Extreme is a lifestyle change. The periodization aspect of her program is what’s called undulating periodization. This is a plan designed to be mixed and matched to create its adaptive state. Progressive overload is reached by adding resistance, not be ramping up the structure of the workouts.

Diet is not discussed in detail other than making healthier food choices, and how to do this in the real world.

Chalene believes, and rightly so, that if you take care of the fundamentals of your diet it will fall in line over time as you adjust it to your lifestyle by feel. This will work but is confusing for some people because we’re often schooled that we need to follow a structured “diet” in order to achieve body composition changes. Her plan doesn’t nit pick with the details. Make healthier food choices and the rest will sort itself out is her mantra.

Another reason for this is that the intensity for this program is based on the individual. You choose how much weight to use in each exercise. To put it simply; the more weight you move the more breakdown you create and, thus, the greater your caloric needs are. So two people could do this program and require much different caloric intake even if their body compositions are similar.

Still debating on ChaLEAN Extreme or P90X?

Here are 2 videos on ChaLEAN Extreme and P90X: ChaLEAN Extreme or P90X clips.

You can also check out our full review of ChaLEAN or P90X here.

If you have chosen ChaLEAN Extreme or P90X to try, you can order it through me and have me as your Beachbody coach by using the links below.

Order P90X

Order ChaLEAN Extreme

If you don’t think ChaLEAN Extreme or P90X is right for you — I’d look at P90X3. It combines the principles of P90X into just 30-minute workouts.

If you are considering any of the 3 programs: P90X3, ChaLEAN Extreme or P90X, you will get an awesome strength workout!

Which would you choose: ChaLEAN Extreme or P90X?