July 13th, 2008 by Ventaur
Getting in shape and staying in shape seem to be very difficult for most of us. We have busy schedules and fitness does not seem to get its own place on our calendars. It’s an unfortunate side effect of modern life. Another side effect of this age is a sedentary lifestyle. We have physically stagnant jobs; we have remote controls; we hire people to mow our lawns.
The Plateau Effect
Hard work and effort are not even enough for satisfying results. We need to know how the body “thinks”. This is why I don’t like the word, “routine”. It’s the routine that is usually the problem. Many of you know what I mean. You get really pumped up about a workout routine that you’ve discovered or devised. You may even see some results. However, after a few weeks, you level out. That’s the Plateau Effect. The body gets used to the stress it is put under and it quickly evolves to the new pattern. Your weight loss and muscle gain level out.
Avoiding the Plateau Effect
OK, so our bodies reach a plateau after following a routine for a few weeks. If you think about it for a minute, the solution to that problem should come to you. Change it up! You need to trick your body so it doesn’t figure out what you’re doing to it. You cannot let your body adjust to a pattern. Muscle confusion is the answer. Stick with a routine for a few weeks, then switch things around. One last thing to remember; your diet is just as important as your workout. I’m not saying that you need to change your diet drastically every few weeks, but some change is very crucial. A lot of protein and hardly no carbohydrates to start does wonders. Then, you can slowly replace protein with carbohydrates every few weeks until you are eating more and more carbs. Remember, if you stop exercise with much intensity, cut back on the carbs again.
P90X and Muscle Confusion
P90X is a personal 90-day extreme workout and diet plan. Notice how I use the word “plan” instead of “routine”. Just when your body thinks it’s figured out the “routine”, things change and your muscles get too confused to adjust properly. As a result, you build muscle very fast. In case you didn’t know; muscle naturally burns fat faster than just about anything. P90X also lays out a diet plan for you that is essential to the whole process. I’m not using the word “diet” the way most people think of it. A lot of us think of a diet as a temporary change in our eating habits in order to lose weight. When I talk about your diet, I mean your eating lifestyle. It’s the food you consume every day over long periods of time. Sure, P90X changes your diet over the course of the 90-day period, but the key ingredients remain the same. The quality of food you eat is consistent. You just modify the quantity of certain categories of food (i.e. protein vs. carbs). There may be other workout plans out there that follow the golden rule of preventing the Plateau Effect and creating muscle confusion, but I am really impressed with P90X and the honesty it offers. Did I mention you do this workout at home with very little fiscal investment? Oh yeah; this is good stuff.
Getting Started
If you decide that P90X is right for you, but you’re not sure how to get started; buy the DVDs first. While they are being shipped to you, check out my post, “P90X: Getting Started“. The tips I discuss there will save you time and money. The best part is, you’ll be securing your fitness and health for decades to come.
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July 13th, 2008 by Ventaur
So, you’ve decided that P90X is the workout and diet plan for you to achieve lasting fitness and health for the rest of your life. Excellent! You won’t regret making the commitment. Now that you’ve ordered the DVDs, you need to get ready for their arrival. You ordered the DVDs, right?
Equipment Needed
You will need some equipment. Don’t worry though; it’s not much and you may already have some things. Let’s start with the most important first.
Weights or Bands
You’ll need either dumbbells (free weights) or resistance bands. There are a ton of options for each, but there are some basic guidelines you should remember when choosing.
You can get simple free weights at many department stores as well as sporting good stores. I recommend getting single piece weights. You can buy them in sets, but if you get the interchangeable plate design dumbbells, it may end up slowing you down. However, there are newer options now that let you adjust the weight of each dumbbell. These are very cool, but usually cost more at this time. If you get the single piece dumbbells, make sure they are coated for a good grip (or use gloves). Look for polychloroprene (i.e. Neoprene), or any kind of rubber/vinyl, coating. Here are links to some affordable dumbbells of each type:
Resistance bands are very versatile tools for strength training also. Each band is rated at a certain resistance, but you can vary the amount of resistance depending on the distance from the handles you pull. This actually allows for a much broader range of resistance. One option that I appreciate are bands that can be interchanged with a set of detachable handles. There are several types of bands that you can purchase. I, personally, own the full set of bands sold by the creators of P90X. Once I figured out how to easily swap the higher resistance bands among the handles, I really grew to like these bands.
Pull/Chin-Up Bar
A good pull-up bar or chin-up bar is something that you will absolutely need for this program. Depending on the type of person you are, you will learn to love or hate pull-ups. That said, you want to get a bar that makes the whole process much easier on you. You can get one that stands free like a tower on your floor. These are usually adjustable in height. A cheaper alternative is a bar that installs in a doorway. Some of these require a sturdy doorway with trim that you set the bar onto. Others need brackets screwed into the studs of your doorway with the bar resting into the brackets (these usually telescope to the appropriate length). Below are links to a couple of each type.
Fitness Floor Mat
Another essential for your workout plan is a floor mat. You will be on the floor for an hour and thirty minutes of extreme yoga. You will be sweating through plyometrics (jump training) for about an hour. You will be stretching all your muscle groups for another hour. Thankfully, these exercises are on different days. However, you will need a floor mat that is thick enough for these activities.
Heart Rate Monitor
Several workouts in this plan are cardio-based: Plyometrics, Cardio X, and Kenpo X. In order to get the most out of these workouts, you should monitor your heart rate. It is important to keep your heart rate within an ideal range for burning fat. A good monitor will prompt you for your physical attributes and calculate the rest for you. After a proper setup, you can equip the monitor and it will beep when you are out of your range. This allows you to adjust your activity to get back into range.
Other Equipment
Some other equipment that you may get could improve your experience.
Most importantly, a way to monitor your fat loss is very nice to chart your progress. You can get a standard caliper or an electronic monitor. Some are built into weight scales, others are hand-held.
If you have wrist issues or want to get more range of motion out of your push-ups, you can purchase a pair of push-up stands. I have a bad wrist, and a set of push-up stands are great.
Lastly, yoga blocks are absolutely great for so many people. For me (and most guys), yoga blocks will help to perform the more advanced stretches which would otherwise not be possible. For the more flexible people out there, yoga blocks will help you stretch beyond normal means.
Supplements
I suppose it is possible to experience this workout plan without supplements. However, I really do not see how this would work. In order to meet your dietary needs, I sincerely recommend that you invest in supplements. You can get all of these items at GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, and other similar shops.
Vitamins
The foods we have available to us today are usually very short on the vitamins and minerals our bodies need. Then, if you take on any workout plan, let alone an extreme plan, you will really need the vitamins. Get a multi-vitamin for men or women. For the P90X program, consider getting a multi-vitamin that targets sports activities or athletes.
Protein
The first phase of P90X expects you to really put down the protein and lay off the carbs. It is really, really hard to eat enough protein via food. You’ll want to consider a protein powder supplement. I keep it simple. I consume a generic brand of whey protein that is chocolate-flavored. It actually tastes great mixed with just water (this has come a long way in the past 10 years). 1 scoop of this stuff is equivalent to 1 protein on the P90X diet plan. Be aware that whey protein contains eggs, so if you are a strict vegetarian, look for an alternative to whey. You can mix a protein drink as a snack in the middle of the day and get a full protein count toward your daily goal.
Recovery Drinks
After an extreme workout, you need to recover; and fast. There is an important 1-hour window, right after your workout, when you have the opportunity to help your muscles recover from the stress and strain beyond natural means. Consuming a recovery drink after such workouts, you will experience less soreness and will actually repair your muscle tears so much faster.
P90X has a recovery drink that I understand is great. However, my wife and I decided to find out the ingredients and find an alternative. The key to a recovery drink is the 4:1 ratio. That’s 4 parts carbohydrates to 1 part protein. If you want an alternative that is fairly affordable, I recommend Accelerade. You can find it at GNC and Vitamin Shoppe at a decent price. I believe GNC only has 2 of the flavors, while Vitamin Shoppe has all 6 or 7 flavors. You should take 2 scoops of Accelerade, but you may want to divide that up into 2 drinks unless you like it strong. This stuff tastes great and we always look forward to it after a workout.
Note: Accelerade (and most recovery drinks) use whey, which contains eggs. So, if you are strictly vegan, know this fact and read the labels to find something suitable for you.
Summary
It may seem overwhelming at first to get started on a high intensity workout. However, once you make a list of the things you need, it is not that bad at all. If you have to purchase everything listed here to get the most of your P90X workout plan, you can expect to spend the following amounts:
- $150-$225 start-up costs for equipment
- $35-$65 monthly costs for supplements
You will not regret commiting yourself to this workout plan. P90X definitely guides you to real results of fitness. I mean long-lasting fitness. My wife and I love the results we are getting. I expect to finish the program, take a small break, then start it all over again. Yeah, it’s that good!
Good luck!
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June 15th, 2008 by Ventaur
My dad and I have a lot of memories involving late nights up playing games.
There was the time I got home at around 2:00 AM from working at my inventory job in college, only to find him playing Hexen with a friend of his via modem connection. He wasn’t doing too well that night, so I stepped in to take over. His opponent had just turned him into a chicken, so I ran to a spot I knew where I could pick-up flight via some wings. After I flew away from my poultry pursuer and scored several immediate kills, I typed in, “I bet you didn’t know chickens could fly, sucka”! My dad couldn’t stop laughing.
Other times we were up far too late playing the original Mario Kart. Work and class was usually a struggle the next morning, but it was always worth it. We eventually knew all the tracks of all the releases of Mario Kart that came out over the years.
Now, my dad has visited me and my wife a couple of times to play the latest Mario Kart Wii. He really likes that game, and who can blame him! It’s an awesome game for an awesome console. He has mentioned numerous times how badly he wants to get a Wii.
Unfortunately, he cannot see spending all that money for a gaming console. I really want to help him with this plight, so I came up with the idea to create a new website for just that purpose. MyDadNeedsAWii.com is now up and running, and accepting donations. Since it’s Father’s Day, my wife and I donated the first $20, in addition to the domain name and website design/programming. I hope he likes it!
Better still, I hope it raises enough money to get him a new Wii bundle! It would be truly awesome to play some Mario Kart Wii online with him whenever we could.
Happy Father’s Day, dad; and all the other deserving dads out there!
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September 5th, 2005 by Ventaur
Recent events in the south have caused me to voice a dormant opinion.
Hurricane Katrina ripped through the southern U.S. without mercy. The hardest hit states declared a state of emergency as the damage began to pile up. People were not only struggling with the idea of losing their homes and livelihoods; they were faced with death and separation. These are the facts.
So, what is my dormant opinion? Well, as with many crises, some people make the choice to take advantage of such a situation. I’m referring to people that commit crimes during these times; looters in particular. Dare I say, I am upset to see and hear of these acts at any time, but I am enraged during a state of emergency. It’s utterly appalling to me that these morons would detract emergency personnel from their duties of rescue. So much so, I have decided to contact my senators and congressmen with a petition for new law.
This certainly is not the first time that looting, and other crimes, have reared up during a time of distress. I strongly feel that these thugs should be tried and punished under completely different circumstances than the “normal”. I believe all crimes committed during a state of emergency should be tried as federal offenses. Let’s face it; these criminals are interfering with federal assistance, as well as state officials. Our tax money is put to good use assisting those states in need during and after such disasters, yet a few jackasses put lives in danger with their actions and waste the valuable resources needed.
Let’s not stop there! If convicted of a lesser crime (like looting) during a state of emergency, these idiots should be sentenced to hard labor targeted at rebuilding homes, businesses, roads, bridges, entire communities, etc., in places with the most need as a result of the emergency. In other words, if you decide to loot during a hurricane (or other disaster), get caught and convicted, you will be forced to rebuild the very homes and businesses you looted.
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