P90X: What is It?
Most know P90X as an exercise program. It is consider an extreme conditioning program. But, it’s more. P90X is also a nutrition program. Exercise and nutrition go hand in hand and are both needed to improve fitness and health. P90X stands for power 90 extreme. By following P90X you will gain muscle power in 90 days.
P90X can be done in the convenience of your home in limited space and only requires dumbbells and/or resistance bands and a pull-up bar.
I have used P90X. It is an excellent program, but if you are not accustomed to regular exercise I recommend you “ease” into it to prevent overuse injury. The workouts are intense and proper nutrition is critical to recover from the workouts, lose weight, and gain muscle. Don’t be surprise if you find yourself eating more while losing fat and gaining muscle.
I found it difficult to follow the P90X program exactly the way it is designed for the 90 consecutive days because of my schedule. One of the things I liked from P90X was being exposed to different ways to exercise muscle groups – you may surprised at the number of ways to perform bicep curls and abdominal exercises.
I found the yoga DVD the most challenging, but extremely helpful in improving flexibility. There is enough variety in the program to keep from becoming bored.
P90X: Muscle Confusion
P90X contains 12 fitness DVDs. The exercise programs involve the use of dumbbells, resistance bands, and your own body weight. The program contains a variety of workouts for cardio, abs, martial arts, yoga, and strength exercises. P90X is based on the principle of muscle confusion.
Muscles adapt in specific ways to specific stresses. However, muscle confusion is based on the concept that gains in muscle strength will plateau if the stresses are the constant. So to continue to make gains in strength it becomes necessary to “confuse the muscles” by working them in different ways. P90X utilizes this principle of muscle confusion.
Nutrition
Beginners to exercise many times do not appreciate the significant role nutrition plays in workout recovery so that physiologic adaptations to the exercise can occur. The benefit of exercise does not occur during the workout, but rather during the recovery phase and proper nutrition is critical. The body needs both macronutrients and micronutrients so that fitness and health benefits can occur.
The nutrition program is flexible. It provides three different programs or phases. One is designed to shed fat, the second to boost energy, and the third to maximize energy.
There are three approaches to each phase that you can pick. One is based on portion control, the second based on meal planning, and the third involves quick options or convenience foods for those times when you have little time to prepare a meal. Depending on your needs you can use all three approaches – it’s up to you.
If you love to cook you’ll be excited to know that P90X provides several recipes to hone you culinary skills.
P90X is an excellent program, but requires commitment, which is what it takes to improve your health and fitness. You will get results from P90X if you follow the program.
See related articles.
The Benefits Of Body Weight Exercises
How To Build Muscle Regardless Of Your Body Frame
