Just when I was starting to brag to family and friends about the tremendous gains I was making with P90X; the second-naturedness of the program growing on me like a shadow; the warm familiarity of discovering routines that seemed like a long lost part of me reawakened in me to give birth to a new body — just when I was getting comfortable, then entered Core Synergistics. If you don’t know what Core Synergistics is, don’t worry, I didn’t either. It sounds like a Corporate Management Leadership program run amok. But it’s so much worse.

Take Yoga X, Ab Ripper X, Plyometrics, and add a dash of Back, Chest, and Leg exercises, and you have this unholy amalgamation of bodily confusion. None of the exercises contained therein should be *that* hard in isolation, but taken together, it’s a demoralizing romp through muscle endurance drudgery. OK, I lie, there’s one move that’s probably relatively difficult even when you’re not tired.

Behold, the Reach High and Under Push-up!

You know, this move might not be that hard if it wasn’t about 20 moves in and your arms weren’t already Jell-O and, oh, you’ve never tried it before, but given that it’s your first time, the move is a real soul crusher. I did manage a couple, but they were sad and wobbly, like my spirit.

This is the “recovery week” and I’ve already done this dispiriting set of crapsuckery and Yoga X. I’d hate to see “hell week”. In a way Core Synergistics may be the one routine that best embodies the most extreme parts of P90X, for better or worse. I’m glad it’s over…for now.