In this edition of "P90X Reviews" I want to take a closer look into the claimed reason for the success of P90X which is "Muscle Confusion".
I want to dig deeper than most P90X Reviews to answer the following about "Muscle Confusion":
Is it real?
Is it as effective as claimed?
"Muscle Confusion" VS. Routine - Which yields better results?
Let's start out by looking at the human muscular system to understand how and why your body builds strength and muscle. This will be quick and easy but should give the basis for those with little understanding.
You see the body is a complex "system" of nerves, cells, tissues, blood, water, organs, etc. The bodily "system" as a whole produces what we know as our Body and all of the bodies functions whether they are voluntary or involuntary.
You may be asking "I thought this article was about p90x reviews?" Don't worry it all ties together because to understand Muscle Confusion you first must understand the basics of the human body and the muscular system.
When you work your body through fitness and exertion beyond your normal daily living functions your body goes through a series of chemical reactions, hormone production, muscle fiber destruction, metabolic increase, higher blood flow, and many other reactions.
This is good, the body is organic and therefore if it is not used and challenged it will simply atrophy and degenerate.
When you stress a muscle beyond it's normal capacity the first thing that happens is the communication between brain and muscle. After the communication happens your muscles react to the movement or weight by contracting and going tensile.
Muscle are made up of tons of little muscle fibers much like fiber optic cords all laying upon each other. When you over-load a muscle through resistance training you actually create small micro-tears in the muscle fibers themselves. So when you workout through resistance you actually destroy muscle fibers (This is why you find yourself sore after wards).
Now the body is an incredibly adaptive machine, when it gets used to something your body eventually reaches an equilibrium of whatever the action is and no longer reacts to build strength and muscle but only retains.
This is what we can call a "Plateau" when your muscular and cardiovascular system create a routine reaction to whatever the action is you take.
With this basic understanding you now know that "Muscle Confusion" is in fact the real deal.
So let's dig deeper than most P90X Reviews and check to see if "Muscle Confusion" is as effective as it is claimed to be. The P90X workout system boasts about Muscle Confusion as the money maker in the workout program but does it work?
The P90X workout system is broken down into 3 phases in 30 day periods allowing your body to adapt and continually be challenged through breaking routine.
Earlier in this P90X Review we looked at the muscular system and how it eventually adapts to routine and prevents further growth. The P90X Workout system and it's claimed "Muscle Confusion" sets out to break any possible equilibrium by constantly changing the focus.
During phase one you find yourself repeating weeks 1-3 doing the same routines and during this process your body is challenged, your muscles breakdown and rebuild, and towards week three you begin to plateau.
Suddenly week 4 comes along and is totally different - This is considered a "Recovery" week but still tosses incredible challenge through cardio, stretch, and balance routines. Basically the recovery week skips most resistance and allows your muscle to repair, adapt, and recover.
In weeks 5-7 which is considered Phase 2 you repeat again like weeks 1-3 except 2 workouts change entirely. You begin to challenge the same and different muscle groups through alternate moves. This begins to break down and challenge your brain/ muscle communication + your muscle fibers break down again.
When you begin to adapt towards the end of week 7 in the P90X Workout you will find yourself back in another "Recovery" week which is week 8.
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Saturday, October 13, 2012
Use Shaun T Insane Workout DVD For an Olympic Body
Every two years there are another Olympics and every two years people see the Olympic athletes' bodies and wish theirs looked like that. Olympic athletes spend years working out to get their bodies and it is hard to look like them, but there is a workout program that can get you on the right track, it is the Shaun T Insanity Workout.
This insane workout dvd has everything you need for a complete full body workout. When you purchase the Insanity videos you will receive: 10 DVDs, nutrition plan, fitness guide, and tracking tools. The program uses body resistance for the workouts, so you will not need any weights or resistance bands. The 10 DVDs cover your entire body for a complete workout.
Also, if you purchase the deluxe edition of the workout you receive an additional 3 DVDs that come with 3 new workouts called: Max Interval Sports Training, Insane Abs, and Upper Body Weighted Workout. These three additional workouts are harder and will strengthen you faster.
The Max Interval Sports Training is a system that Shaun T developed for training professional athletes and Olympians. This is an extremely difficult workout and is not for those with poor mental strength. You need to be prepared for an intense workout you are probably not used to.
At a similar level of difficult as the Sports training is the Insane Abs. The first 10 DVDs you receive come with abdominal exercises, but nothing that can compare to the complete and difficult exercises this DVD comes with. Do this work out and you can get Olympic abs.
Final, the Upper Body Weighted Workout is the only insanity workout that uses weight and teaches you the proper techniques for using weights and will sculpt your upper body into the look that the Olympic athletes have.
The workout you receive from the Insanity workout is at a level all of itself. It is an insane workout that cannot be compared to any other DVD workout available, and it is definitely a workout that will help you get an Olympic body. Just make sure you are prepared for the mental aspect of this workout, it is not for the weak minded.
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Saturday, August 11, 2012
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