If you’re a fan of getting in shape at home then you’ll love this guy! Tony Horton was born on July 2, 1958 in Westerly, Rhode Island, and is the creator of America’s best selling at-home fitness program, P90X. He attended the University of Rhode Island where he graduated in
1980 as a member of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. After graduation, Horton moved to Los Angeles, California, with high hopes of becoming an actor.
You may be surprised to find out that Horton wasn’t raised in the healthy environment one might think. He used to enjoy fast food, lacked motivation to exercise and had a small frame to prove it. After getting his foot in the door of the show-biz industry, Horton’s agent informed him that if he wanted to succeed he was going to have to “get fit.”
Horton didn’t take this order lightly and began working toward this goal by becoming a member of the World Gym in Venice, California, where he came in contact with famous bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger and actor Lou Ferrigno.
He learned as much from the two as possible and began transforming his body to a state that led him to start feeling more energized both physically and mentally. Though he realized Schwarzenegger and Ferrigno had incredible knowledge when it came to fitness, Horton decided he didn’t want the big and bulky look of a bodybuilder. Instead, he preferred more of an athletic look that would allow him to obtain agility, flexibility and balance.
In order to create his own program that would provide these athletic abilities, Horton began studying interval training based off of former Iron Man Mark Sission’s training regimen.
The program Horton is most known for, Power 90 Extreme, hit shelves in 2001 and later turned into America’s number one at-home fitness program combining training techniques such as intervals, cross-training, circuits, weight resistance, yoga, kickboxing, stretching and aerobics. Its purpose is to improve one’s fitness over the course of 90 days with dedication to a 1-hour a day workout and a nutrition dietary supplement plan. There are now six different versions of the P90X program available.
P90X is just one of the programs Horton has developed. His library also includes Power 90, Power Half Hour, One on One with Tony Horton, Tony and the Kids (ages 5-12), Tony and the Folks (for senior citizens), 10 Minute Trainer and Great Body Guaranteed. Altogether these programs have earned Horton more than $500 million.
Further accomplishments for the fitness guru include his book “Bring It” (released in December of 2024), ASH Fitness training facility in Santa Monica, California, appearances in several men’s magazines, spokesperson for Nordic Track, “Ripped and Ready” tour with Armed Forces Entertainment, appearances on National Television, and a celebrity personal trainer.
Currently, Horton resides in Southern California where he’s still practicing his career in the fitness industry and has just recently came out with his newest at-home fitness program, P90X2.
Also Read:
P90X are the Epitome of Workout Confusion
The Ins and Outs of the P90X Nutrition Program