This past Saturday, Trumbull High School graduate and creator of fitness routine P90x returned to his roots for an hour long instructed workout.

Horton, a 1976 THS graduate, created P90X, the in-home bootcamp style fitness routine as a part of his dedication towards healthy lifestyles and exercise.

The sold-out 9 a.m. workout session took place to a packed auditorium to both men and women as Tony Horton started with words of motivation before an hour-long extreme cardio routine.

On a small stage in front of the large group, Horton kicked off the morning with a ton of energy and took to the crowd to walk around and make sure everyone’s form was right, ensuring a proper workout.

Tickets to the event were $45 which will directly benefit the Trumbull High School Athletic Fund. A meet and greet was set up for admirers and workout guru’s to meet Horton and take pictures.

Tomás Materin, an attendee from a New Haven was seeing Tony Horton live for the first time.

“I like P90x because it give you an opportunity to do a hardcore exercise without leaving your home,” Materin said.

Among the many reasons people want to do P90x is that it’s effective.

“It really does work. I lost 30 pounds in the three months that I started it,” Materin went on to say.

If you’re interested in trying P90x with a group of people head over to P90x.meetups.com and check out where they’re being held in your area.

Alison Schmidt, Fairfield resident and veteran of the workout for over a year says she’s been to plenty of meetups in the area that are lead by motivational trainers, but nothing compares to being in the presence of its creator.

“Tony Horton really is an inspiration to people like myself who have searched for years for a workout that is fun and really works,” Schmidt said.

The mom of two says she opts for P90x over other workouts because she can get a satisfying workout in quickly, which works well with her hectic life.

“Just because the kids went back to school doesn’t mean it’s any quieter in my house. I am always on the go, and P90x fits in perfectly with my mom schedule.”

Horton’s Rise

The festivities began in the new THS auditorium with First Selectman Tim Herbst lauding Horton for creating P90X, a demanding workout regimen that Horton created and made an all-time best seller. Herbst then made Horton the recipient of the first Key to Trumbull and read a proclamation naming Saturday Tony Horton Day.

Horton took center stage and wowed about 400 fans with a fast moving presentation of his “11 Laws.”

He said high school was a tough time for him, a kid who acted in student productions, served as the “tackling dummy” on the football team and was the target of bullying.

He discovered weightlifting at the University of Rhode Island, graduated and headed to Hollywood with $400 in his pocket to become “the next Brad Pitt.”

Preparing for his big break he waited tables, did carpentry, was a street mime and “drove two-and-one hours to audition as a stand up comedian.” Meanwhile, he worked out with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno.

A job at 20^th Century Fox introduced him to stars including Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and Bill Idol. Seeing how he looked, they asked him to help them, and so Horton learned he really could get paid to train others.

All the while he was trying many of the programs Los Angeles gyms offered – yoga, martial arts and many more – and integrating the pieces he liked into what evolved into P90X.

For more on Tony Horton, his book, appearances, and products, visit his official website at Tonyhortonsworld.com.

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