Summer Challenge 2008

[sanjuro_ronin]

There are so many "muscle confusion" programs and regimes that you can do.
P90x is a great one, especially for those that don't know enough to design their own routine to meet their specific needs.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

There are so many "muscle confusion" programs and regimes that you can do.
P90x is a great one, especially for those that don't know enough to design their own routine to meet their specific needs.

do people typically lose a fair amount of muscle on it though? muscle gain hasn't come easy for me and id hate to throw away more than i have to because i want a six pack.

[RUFNTUFGIRL]

One Week In. How is everyone doing? I have been keeping up with at least one thing a day. If you broke it start over again. You have 7 weeks!

[Samurai Jack]

I'm in late, but I didn't see the thread until today. I'm training for a super secret challenge... couldn't care less what I look like, but I need to be putting in a very sizeable amount of Martial Arts training if I'm going anywhere with it.

[sanjuro_ronin]

do people typically lose a fair amount of muscle on it though? muscle gain hasn't come easy for me and id hate to throw away more than i have to because i want a six pack.

Very few people can lose weight and NOT lose muscle mass, its a genetic thing more than anythign else.
Typically its "easier" to replace fat with muscle in terms of %, since you really can't replace one with the other.
If you are 180 and 24% Body fat with 15" arms, for example, and you go down to 170 with 18% body fat and 16" arms, you have obviously lost fat and gained muscle.
In truth that is th eonly way to know if you are doing both, by BF% and by muscle size measurement.
It only really matters in terms of strength, can you lose weight and at least maintain strength levels, that is far more important.

[Samurai Jack]

For what it's worth, the P90X people I've seen look like they put on a bit of muscle. On the other hand, the science of what they do logically runs counter to that, and it could be an illusion brought on by decreased bodyfat.

For example, working out six days a week will not give your body time to build muscle before the next workout as it's still trying to recuperate from what you did the day before. I know that Horton claims this is bypassed by the variable workouts, but it dosen't hold up in a lab. It's well understood that physiologically you can only systemically sustain stressful workouts (dosen't matter if the source is weights, yoga, cardio etc.) for so long before you start to catabolize muscle.

I know that I can hardly recover between the martial arts and weights that I do now, so I don't think I could handle P90X on top of it.

Still, I'm curious to see where David goes with it, because he obviously knows what he's doing...

[sanjuro_ronin]

For what it's worth, the P90X people I've seen look like they put on a bit of muscle. On the other hand, the science of what they do logically runs counter to that, and it could be an illusion brought on by decreased bodyfat.

For example, working out six days a week will not give your body time to build muscle before the next workout as it's still trying to recuperate from what you did the day before. I know that Horton claims this is bypassed by the variable workouts, but it dosen't hold up in a lab. It's well understood that physiologically you can only systemically sustain stressful workouts (dosen't matter if the source is weights, yoga, cardio etc.) for so long before you start to catabolize muscle.

I know that I can hardly recover between the martial arts and weights that I do now, so I don't think I could handle P90X on top of it.

Still, I'm curious to see where David goes with it, because he obviously knows what he's doing...

You are correct SJ, the only viable way to see if one is gaining muscle mass as one is losing fat is they way I mentioned.
Personally, when you have a full time job and train MA, to add stuff like P90X is a tricky thing, but that goes with anything, not just P90X.
The vast majority of Strength training regimes out there are NOT for people that have full time jobs AND do a demanding physical activity like MA, they are for people that wanna focus on ST and mayeb have "some cardio on the side" or people that wanna focus on cardio and have some ST on the side..

MA is by its very nature both HIIT AND moderate cardio, it is very telling on the body but in terms of strength training it can be rather lacking.
The majority of people doing a sport combat art probably need more ST than more cardio.

[RUFNTUFGIRL]

I'm in late, but I didn't see the thread until today. I'm training for a super secret challenge... couldn't care less what I look like, but I need to be putting in a very sizeable amount of Martial Arts training if I'm going anywhere with it.

Has more to do with how you feel, not how you look.
Two weeks...Everyone still in? 6 weeks left!

[RickMatz]

Has more to do with how you feel, not how you look.
Two weeks...Everyone still in? 6 weeks left!

You bet! Keep training!

[David Jamieson]

well, I am still doing my regular kungfu training plus keeping up the p90x 6 days a week.

p90x is about shedding fat and toning muscle and is not really for building muscle so much as shoring it up, toning it and making it stronger. I guess it will build if you do the weight routines with low rep and heavy weight, but, if you are not a previously fit or have knowledge of good lifting mechanics etc, then I would NOT recommend this program for you. p90x is for people who are already fit and want to go to another level in that area of their training. there are other programs that can shed fat better or build strength better, but I haven't found an all rounder one like this. It's pretty cool.

the routines are good and I am seeing genuine results in my body shape. especially doing the ab ripper 3x a week on top of the fairly intensive cardio sessions. The weight sessions are easy for me so far. the plyometrics are great, the kempo is goofy and more like taebo, but it's a good cardio session. so is taebo though lol. really it amounts to kickboxercize but it is constant and demanding and keeps the heart rate high. the yoga sessions in p90x are wicked though.

they basically go through some of the most difficult yoga postures such as eagle, plough, upward dog (not cobra, get the knees off the floor!) and run through a series of dynamic and static postures that would give even the most seasoned yogis a good workout.

I will post 30/60 and 90 day photos seeing as I am keeping them. so on july 17th, I'll roll out my new stuff and you guys can decide for yourself if you want to do a systematized regimen.

Like kungfu, or anything, I truly believe commitment is key and your only barrier is YOU. There is no blame!

Commit!

[RUFNTUFGIRL]

How is everyone hanging in? 5 weeks left until summer. Mother's Day was hard but I did make the time to workout. Food was not so healthy though! Hopefully everyone is still pushing through. Next week will be one month and then you'll truly feel summer in the air. I'm in NY and Spring is having a hard time showing its face this year. I am sure as the weather gets nicer and the days get longer it will be an added push. Good Luck to all!

[RickMatz]

I'm training almost everyday. I have to admit that sometimes I am weak. However, training is like gravity. You can get away from it only for a little while, then it draws you right back.

[RUFNTUFGIRL]

ONE MONTH UNTIL SUMMER!

How is everyone doing? Still in?

[David Jamieson]

For what it's worth, the P90X people I've seen look like they put on a bit of muscle. On the other hand, the science of what they do logically runs counter to that, and it could be an illusion brought on by decreased bodyfat.

For example, working out six days a week will not give your body time to build muscle before the next workout as it's still trying to recuperate from what you did the day before. I know that Horton claims this is bypassed by the variable workouts, but it dosen't hold up in a lab. It's well understood that physiologically you can only systemically sustain stressful workouts (dosen't matter if the source is weights, yoga, cardio etc.) for so long before you start to catabolize muscle.

I know that I can hardly recover between the martial arts and weights that I do now, so I don't think I could handle P90X on top of it.

Still, I'm curious to see where David goes with it, because he obviously knows what he's doing...

Well, this is not actually the way it is.

you do have extreme variation between cardio light and heavy, to yoga to weight lifting.

you do have recovery weeks at the end of each cycle and combined with the portional recovery of the variation, this does work. I am just finished week five and yes, you gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, like any other rigourous routine will do.

so, you basically have a recovery day every week and a recovery week every month.

Horton does understand that exercise is the architect and rest is the builder. I think he actually puts it in those terms.

Seriously, my only issues with p90x is that Horton talks too much during the sessions, but luckily, you can Mute him! hooray! hahaha.

There is a lot of things in these routines that I will be taking with me into the future.

Best 100 bucks i spent, it's a cool system and if you commit, it will deliver.

I do not recommend the program for anyone who isn't already in decent shape, so if you are slightly obese and not really much of an exerciser, this would be a terrible buy for you. It would kill you on day one and then gather dust. lol

so, keep that in mind if yer gonna give it a go.

I've lost 8 lbs in and gained same in muscle. cool eh. 5 weeks girls, 5 weeks! 7 to go and then i'll cycle into a more rigourous MA cycle that will really tick off my training partners. hahaha.

[sanjuro_ronin]

How do you guys find that time for all that?