P90x (Read 6266 times)

xor


     

     

    Crossfit

     

    Nah, around here Crossfit is already THE trend, not the next one.  Crossfit and P90x/BeachBlanketBingo have been brewing at the same time.  Crossfit here is huge.

     

    I mean, I wonder what will replace these.  I'm hoping that sooner or later, there's a circle of life effect and we're back to jazzercise and Richard Simmons.

     

    I was gonna say "I could make a ton of money for the next few years by teaching crossfit", but the reality is that there are a bazillion people doing exactly that already.  And the crossfit folks are way WAY too into it.  Kinda scary.

     

    Edited to add: I can't be too uppity about this.  I'm teaching spinning class today at 5:30p.  Ok then.

     

    Jen Runner


      I looooooove my spin class.  That and the rowing machine are my two absolute favorite cross training exercises.

        I feel the need to rant. And it’s a slow day at the office preparing for the holiday break.

         

        First, P90X is stupid. There, I said it. (I like Jeff's description, pee 90 times )

         

        Second, Crossfit’s quality has dipped tremendously with expansion. There are still some good affiliates out there but the rapid growth has led to watered down certifications of the staff and very poor coaching/training. The Workouts of the Day (WOD) seem more focused on who can come up with the most bizarre workout. Yeah, I’m sure balancing on one leg on a bosu ball while doing alternate dumbbell kickbacks with a 2.5lb pink dumbbell does a lot of good. Yeesh.

         

        Crossfit was initially designed to blend strength training and metabolic conditioning with “some” aerobic training. A typical WOD is only about 20 minutes, maybe only 6-10 minutes for newbs. It’s supposed to be General Physical Preparedness (GPP) and suited to cops and firefighters and others that require GPP for their work. It’s intense and there are still a lot of cops and firefighters that use the program.  BUT, the program is also much more beneficial if people build a base of strength first. Bulk up with heavy weights and lots of food on a pure strength program, then use Crossfit metcon and, very importantly,  a calorie reduction to lean out and build more endurance and aerobic capacity.

         

        What bugs me is that far too many runners waste their time in the gym. High reps, light weights are a waste of a runner’s time. And I hear/read that advice all over running sites and magazines. P90X is also a waste of your time. (caveat: an untrained person will benefit from any weight lifting – for a while. The question is whether it’s optimal).

         

        What’s my point? Your running should be your aerobic work and speed work can offer anaerobic/metcon trainng. As far as weight training it’s helpful to remember that muscle can either get stronger or weaker. You don’t “tone” it and you can’t lengthen muscle without surgery.  P90X is basically a metcon workout. It’s mostly endurance work and very hard to gain any kind of strength from it (again, exception to untrained newbs). Running should be your endurance workout, weights should be for getting stronger. I’d guess that running 30 to 40 mpw and doing P90X would result in serious recovery issues – you’re taxing the same energy systems.

         

        Simpler is better. Properly performed squats, deadlifts, presses and chins/pull-ups are pretty much all anyone needs.  And the focus should be on strength; let your running build your endurance. 2 sets of 5 reps, 3 sets of 3 reps, 4x6, etc. with a weight that is challenging and slowly adding a little bit of weight each time you do it (same as running - progressive overload) is far more beneficial than wiping yourself out and gasping for air with 60 minutes of high rep weight work and pointless isolation exercises. Adapt the frequency and intensity to your running training schedule.

         

        </rant>

         

        Oh, second rant: Lifting weights in this way does not bulk you up. I hear that as a big excuse not to train with weights. Weight training does not bulk you up. Only a surplus of calories can do that. No caloric surplus, no weight gain or bulk. Period. No exceptions.

         

        </second rant>

         


        i sacrificed the gift

          Yeah P90X is definitely more of a cutting routine than a strength-gaining one.
          Robot House Recovery Drink Protocol:
          Under 70 Degrees: Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
          Over 70 Degrees: Dougfish Head 60 Minute IPA
          xor


            But what pumps (clap) me up?

             

            DirtyGraceFlint


            The Crap Whisperer

              But what pumps (clap) me up?

              Power lifting!

               

              But I think that's only for really stocky overweight guys that like to talk about how they used to go to the gym...???

               

              Being the best tiny spec that I can be!

                I think the main thing is to get people active.  Most of us on this forum are already active but the other 99% of the population are a heart attack brewing.  Some like to hit the gym, do spinning, swimming, cross training, P90X, Insanity, kettle bells, MMA etc.  That's AWESOME! Do what you like.  If you do that then your fitness regiment will never be work, it will be fun. Personally, I love P90X.  After my initial 90 days I decided to mix it with some heavier weight training and some running. (About 12-16 mpw)  Starting another round of P90X in Jan.

                 

                 

                Also, a few of you had asked me if you could still run while doing P90X?  Sorry for the late reply but I didn't notice I had messages.  If you asked this question to 10 people you would probably get 10 different answers.  In my humble opinion you can still run but you will have to cut down on the miles.  If you run don't do it on plyo, legs and back or yoga day.  Everyone is different but I feel if you try to do P90X and keep up your current running schedule that one or the other will suffer. Is cutting back some miles to work in  P90X worth it?  I definitely think so.  I feel P90X will enhance a persons performance in any sport. You can try both and see how it goes but if your times are suffering then you will have to cut back.  Finish out your 90 days with P90X and then you can customize it to work with your running.  By the end of the 90 days you will be very familiar with all of the workouts.


                  i sacrificed the gift

                    I feel the need to rant. And it’s a slow day at the office preparing for the holiday break.

                     

                    First, P90X is stupid. There, I said it. (I like Jeff's description, pee 90 times )

                     

                    Second, Crossfit’s quality has dipped tremendously with expansion. There are still some good affiliates out there but the rapid growth has led to watered down certifications of the staff and very poor coaching/training. The Workouts of the Day (WOD) seem more focused on who can come up with the most bizarre workout. Yeah, I’m sure balancing on one leg on a bosu ball while doing alternate dumbbell kickbacks with a 2.5lb pink dumbbell does a lot of good. Yeesh.

                     

                    Crossfit was initially designed to blend strength training and metabolic conditioning with “some” aerobic training. A typical WOD is only about 20 minutes, maybe only 6-10 minutes for newbs. It’s supposed to be General Physical Preparedness (GPP) and suited to cops and firefighters and others that require GPP for their work. It’s intense and there are still a lot of cops and firefighters that use the program.  BUT, the program is also much more beneficial if people build a base of strength first. Bulk up with heavy weights and lots of food on a pure strength program, then use Crossfit metcon and, very importantly,  a calorie reduction to lean out and build more endurance and aerobic capacity.

                     

                    What bugs me is that far too many runners waste their time in the gym. High reps, light weights are a waste of a runner’s time. And I hear/read that advice all over running sites and magazines. P90X is also a waste of your time. (caveat: an untrained person will benefit from any weight lifting – for a while. The question is whether it’s optimal).

                     

                    What’s my point? Your running should be your aerobic work and speed work can offer anaerobic/metcon trainng. As far as weight training it’s helpful to remember that muscle can either get stronger or weaker. You don’t “tone” it and you can’t lengthen muscle without surgery.  P90X is basically a metcon workout. It’s mostly endurance work and very hard to gain any kind of strength from it (again, exception to untrained newbs). Running should be your endurance workout, weights should be for getting stronger. I’d guess that running 30 to 40 mpw and doing P90X would result in serious recovery issues – you’re taxing the same energy systems.

                     

                    Simpler is better. Properly performed squats, deadlifts, presses and chins/pull-ups are pretty much all anyone needs.  And the focus should be on strength; let your running build your endurance. 2 sets of 5 reps, 3 sets of 3 reps, 4x6, etc. with a weight that is challenging and slowly adding a little bit of weight each time you do it (same as running - progressive overload) is far more beneficial than wiping yourself out and gasping for air with 60 minutes of high rep weight work and pointless isolation exercises. Adapt the frequency and intensity to your running training schedule.

                     

                    </rant>

                     

                    Oh, second rant: Lifting weights in this way does not bulk you up. I hear that as a big excuse not to train with weights. Weight training does not bulk you up. Only a surplus of calories can do that. No caloric surplus, no weight gain or bulk. Period. No exceptions.

                     

                    </second rant>

                     

                     

                    Since you seem pretty knowledgeable what kind of routine (specifically) would you recommend for a runner who has some time off from running?  I have a foot injury that won't let me run for at least 8 weeks, and was going to use the time to do some heavy lifting that I previously wouldn't have done (I run high mileage 7 days a week).

                     

                    Right now I am doing Starting Strength, which I think is actually the program that we did in high school football, with rows instead of power cleans (cannot do power cleans due to foot injury).

                     

                    In case you aren't familiar with it, it's pretty simple:

                     

                     

                    Workout A:

                    3x5 Squat

                    3x5 Bench Press

                    1x5 Deadlift

                     

                    Workout B:

                    3x5 Squat

                    3x5 OHP

                    3x5 Bent Over Row

                     

                    Workout on MWF, alternating workout A and B each session.  Add 10 lbs to Squat and DL each session, 5 lbs to everything else (if possible).

                     

                    Exercise bike ( ,,|, ) on T-TH-SA.

                     

                     

                     

                    Is there anything else I should be doing?  It seems like these workouts are really easy, and I have a lot more free time now.

                     

                     

                    Also for a runner to start lifting really shows the difference in running's effect on the posterior vs anterior chain.  I'm having trouble squatting 135 lbs and deadlifting 285 easy.  To be fair, I am having form issues with squats though.

                    Robot House Recovery Drink Protocol:
                    Under 70 Degrees: Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
                    Over 70 Degrees: Dougfish Head 60 Minute IPA
                         

                      Right now I am doing Starting Strength, which I think is actually the program that we did in high school football, with rows instead of power cleans (cannot do power cleans due to foot injury).

                       

                       

                      Is there anything else I should be doing?  It seems like these workouts are really easy, and I have a lot more free time now.

                       

                       

                      Also for a runner to start lifting really shows the difference in running's effect on the posterior vs anterior chain.  I'm having trouble squatting 135 lbs and deadlifting 285 easy.  To be fair, I am having form issues with squats though.

                      Starting Strength is exactly what I do. I missed 4 months of running last year due to a shin injury and added about 20 lbs. I Did the same workout but was able to do the power cleans. You have the book? If not, definitely buy it. Also buy Practical Programming for Strength Training. The Starting Strength book teaches proper form, Practical Programming teaches in more detail how to program workouts. The two books combined are less than $60 and the best $60 I've ever spent on anything fitness related. I also found it very helpful to buy a pair of 1.25 lb plates so I could make smaller incremental increases on presses and bench presses. 5 lbs can be a lot after a while. If it seems easy, then keep adding weight incrementally and it won't be easy for long.

                       

                      I'd also go here and you can view videos on squats and read Coach Rippetoe's critiques. Plus, the Q&A forum is very entertaining. The book, combined with watching the videos and reading the coaching helped me tremendously.

                       

                      I'm training for Boston now so I only lift twice a week (Mon & Thurs) and only do squats on Monday and ease up on the intensity. I've lost about 8lbs, some fat, some muscle. Plan to lose at least another 10 lbs. But running is going great and I feel really strong on hills. 

                       


                      i sacrificed the gift

                        Cool.  I thought I was doing the right thing, but I'm pretty newbie at lifting weights.  I do have the SS book but not Practical Programming.  We have fractional plates at my gym.

                         

                         

                        I am pretty sure the problem with my squat is the classic "too far forward" problem.  I am trying to get better at it but it is a work in progress.

                         

                         

                        Thanks for the tip on the Rippetoe forum.  I might make a youtube of a squat and DL.

                        Robot House Recovery Drink Protocol:
                        Under 70 Degrees: Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
                        Over 70 Degrees: Dougfish Head 60 Minute IPA
                           

                           

                          I am pretty sure the problem with my squat is the classic "too far forward" problem.  I am trying to get better at it but it is a work in progress.


                           

                           

                          I struggled with the knees sliding too far forward problem for quite a while. Consciously pushing the knees out at the start makes a world of difference. (the TUBOW trick). It feels a little counter-intuitive but shoving the knees out at the start makes it impossible for them to slide forward at the bottom. Good luck.

                           

                            You guys getting into powerlifting?


                            i sacrificed the gift

                              lol no.  I am just trying to get a little bit stronger while i'm on a mandatory break from running.
                              Robot House Recovery Drink Protocol:
                              Under 70 Degrees: Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
                              Over 70 Degrees: Dougfish Head 60 Minute IPA


                              Bugs

                                Becareful with Legs and Back. I did this on Sunday, and having a tough time recovering from it while running.

                                Bugs