p90x to make BMQ PT a bit easier. Good/Bad Idea.

[Ex-Dragoon]

Reopened upon request.

Will be locked again if the usual suspects start their BS again.

Milnet.Ca Staff

 

[Searyn]

Thank you ex-dragon.

Back to the topic. My question was basically:

Have you used p90x to it's completion (all 90 days)?

If yes, Did you like it and Why? If you did not like it please explain what about it you did not like as it relates to the overall fitness level necessary in the Canadian Forces.

If you have not used it and you prefer your own method of PT please feel free to PM me with the name of your Training Program and it's pro's AND con's as it relates to CF PT.


This time can we please avoid the name calling and the confrontational tone in subsequent posts. (If someone does happen to start discussing their preferred method of PT please just point them back to this post and leave it at that.)

Thank you

 

[MPwannabe]

I have done the P90X doubles routine the complete 90 days. The last few weeks are the hardest, the cardio is quite intense at that point. I ended up losing too much weight near the end though, I was not eating enough compared to how much I was exercising.
Right now I'm on the P90X classic, but I've customized it so it's not so circuit training oriented. It's all about what you're comfortable with.

If I were you, the classic routine would be enough to prepare you for your BMQ. It's a good way to get in shape, and it's very specific if you follow the diet instructions, and keep a record of your workouts and eating habits.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Thanks Ex-Dragoon.

Stealing your thunder a little Searyn, sorry.

I'm taking a crack at the P90X Doubles with my own cardio instead of the P90X-  I'm basically mixing between running  long distance & interval running (which is new to me) and swimming like a shark is after me for cardio. Cardio every morning and P90x every night.

I'm still interested in putting on more "scaring women and children" type size like one would get from free weights in a gym. (The whole needing to lift MORE than just your body weight etc. I have 35 lbs dumbells at home I use for for the P90x but at the gym for example I was benching 90 lbs dumbells)

Can anyone (Kratos?) make a suggestion for adding free weights from the gym into the P90X routine?

 

[from darkness lite]

Searyn:

Take it from an old guy, P90X works.  I have been riding a desk way too long and I needed to get back in shape (can't show pain/weakness to you young'uns now can I  ;D).  I recently completed the P90X Classic workout and now can breeze thru the CF fitness standards (my pushups, pull ups, endurance, strength are all up - lost the "chimp belly" too and am just starting to see my long-lost 6 pack :nod. Will it get you ready for basic, in my opinion absolutely, it'll probably put you ahead of the curve in St Jean.  Are there better workouts, I have no doubt, it all depends on the results you're seeking.  Your question was will it get you ready for Basic, that's a big YES

 

[Brutus]

It is more than sufficient to prepare the average sloth for BMQ.

I have used it the full 90 days and it worked great.

I recommend you supplement it with running, but you get enough push-ups, situps, and chin ups in the program so that you don't have to do extra of those (but do the ab ripper x).

Good luck!

 

[tree hugger]

While I do think P90X is fantastic, I've always been more interested in cardio than any sort of weight training.  Speaking as a woman, I found using a program like this forced me to add the weight training aspect in moderation.  I didn't have to go to a gym and feel insecure about going to the free weight section and moving to the end of the row (where the lighter weights are  )

It did feel weird to not be on an eliptacal or tredmill, but I saw it through and I was very happy with my results.  I do the majority of my fitness from dvd's and still lean towards cardio discs; I haven't been on a tredmill or eliptical for a couple years now!  My favorite is one from Tony Horton's P90X+ called IntervalX or from his One on One series called Cardio-Core Medicine Ball.

Following almost any program takes alot of the guess work and over-thinking away.  You have schedule and you stick to it.

 

[canada94]

P90x is implemented at my high school in many courses mainly "Weight training". Also it is a very good idea, we have 3 gym teachers 2 of which are dietitian's and 1 a former personal trainer they tell me that P90x is an effect tool to getting stronger cardio vascular strength. FYI, stronger cardio means stronger everything, your muscles need oxygen to work! The more oxygen you can intake the more you can do! Personally I have not done all 90 days but I have two friends who have, one a draft pick of the Barrie Colts OHL team who is in "hell'a shape" and one friend who just wanted to get in shape and both turned out great.

Mike

 

[Ascendant]

FYI, stronger cardio means stronger everything, your muscles need oxygen to work!

Mike

Better cardio does not make muscles stronger. Increase work capacity? Yes. Make you physically stronger? No.

Muscular strength is the ability of a person to exert force on physical objects.

 

[Searyn]

Thanks for the reply's guys/girls.

I can't help but notice people are posting a lot of pro's about the program but not a lot of con's.

Don't forget, I would prefer to hear both sides. So if you have completed the full 90 days or most of them (70+) and didn't like it, I want to hear from you too!

 

[JB 11 11]

I haven't used P90x, but a lot of the training I did and still do is along the same lines. I used to take Combat Sambo, a especially brutal version on the Russian martial art of Sambo.

We had a lot of Members and ex members in the class, a couple of dudes from the hill a pathfinder or two and a hand full of semi-pro fighters. We had big guys, small guys and everything in between. From that experience I would say that the strength training vs. P90x is a non-starter.

They are different methods and are designed to achieve different results. The fact was, that big guys stayed big by supplementing the ass-kicking we received during the sessions with weight training.

But to get back to your question about the con's.... at the time I was more than happy with the results and couldn't even imagine doing Strength Training on top of  the classes! But, I think if you are going for a physical trade like Infantry or Combat Eng., specially if you have the intention of going for any tier 1 or tier 2 units in the future, there are definitely some con's to consider.

The main Con for me was that if I wanted to get to the level of those guys, Combat Sambo(P90x) alone was not going to get me there. I would have needed more weight training and definitely more running/ interval training. It all came down to what you wanted and what you needed....hence the vs. thing being moot.

From what I have seen, if you can do the P90x stuff, you'll be leaps and bounds ahead of your comtemporaries at BMQ. Have look at the basic up stuff.... I think if you compare what they are subjected to and what you subject yourself to to be very different indeed! 8)

 

[JB 11 11]

Just add to that.... the CSOR training guide Chilme post on Pg. 2 is worth a look. It is very comprehensive.

 

[Kung Fu Sifu]

You stated in your post that you hold a black belt in Itf TKD. Do as I did, put your martial arts training to use and you will have no problems.

 

[Ascendant]

P90x is implemented at my high school in many courses mainly "Weight training". Also it is a very good idea, we have 3 gym teachers 2 of which are dietitian's and 1 a former personal trainer they tell me that P90x is an effect tool to getting stronger cardio vascular strength. FYI, stronger cardio means stronger everything, your muscles need oxygen to work! The more oxygen you can intake the more you can do! Personally I have not done all 90 days but I have two friends who have, one a draft pick of the Barrie Colts OHL team who is in "hell'a shape" and one friend who just wanted to get in shape and both turned out great.

Mike

Better cardio does not make muscles stronger. Increase work capacity? Yes. Make you physically stronger? No.

Muscular strength is the ability of a person to exert force on physical objects.

 

[canada94]

Better cardio does not make muscles stronger. Increase work capacity? Yes. Make you physically stronger? No.

Muscular strength is the ability of a person to exert force on physical objects.

I beg to differ, making your  muscles endure more, makes them stronger, the difference between 4 and 8 reps is a lot and is made through strength and endurance. BUT I don't want this to become a bickering battle, regardless cardiovascular strength is important.

Mike

 

[MJP]

I beg to differ, making your  muscles endure more, makes them stronger, the difference between 4 and 8 reps is a lot and is made through strength and endurance. BUT I don't want this to become a bickering battle, regardless cardiovascular strength is important.

Mike

He isn't arguing that at all, reread what he was quoting.  Kratos was right, you are interpreting what he said wrong.  Cardio is important but it does not make you stronger.  Your 1RM for a squat doesn't get better if you improve your cardio, you may get better at running but you will not become stronger.

edited for clarity

 

[LoKe]

I was initially going to suggest that cardiovascular health has no bearing on strength, but then I realized that it would help in supplying more oxygen to the muscles, thereby allowing you to push more.

Maybe.

 

[Searyn]

I was initially going to suggest that cardiovascular health has no bearing on strength, but then I realized that it would help in supplying more oxygen to the muscles, thereby allowing you to push more.

Maybe.

Push the same weight for longer time yes, push more weight for the same length of time? no.

 

[Ascendant]

I was initially going to suggest that cardiovascular health has no bearing on strength, but then I realized that it would help in supplying more oxygen to the muscles, thereby allowing you to push more.

Maybe.

You are describing work capacity, not strength.

 

[Chilme]

Kratos,

Below is just one example (of many) of evidence that is contrary to what you re saying.  I'm not necessarily saying you are wrong, I'm just saying human physiology is not always Black and White.

"Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 278: R1282-R1288, 2000;
0363-6119/00
Articles by LaStayo, P. C.
Articles by Lindstedt, S. L.
Search for Related Content

PubMed

PubMed Citation
Articles by LaStayo, P. C.
Articles by Lindstedt, S. L.
Vol. 278, Issue 5, R1282-R1288, May 2000
Eccentric ergometry: increases in locomotor muscle size and strength at low training intensities

P. C. LaStayo1, D. J. Pierotti1, J. Pifer1, H. Hoppeler2, and S. L. Lindstedt1
1 Physiology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011-5640; and 2 Department of Anatomy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland CH-3000

Lengthening (eccentric) muscle contractions are characterized by several unusual properties that may result in unique skeletal muscle adaptations. In particular, high forces are produced with very little energy demand. Eccentrically trained muscles gain strength, but the specific nature of fiber size and composition is poorly known. This study assesses the structural and functional changes that occur to normal locomotor muscle after chronic eccentric ergometry at training intensities, measured as oxygen uptake, that do not influence the muscle when exercised concentrically. Male subjects trained on either eccentric or concentric cycle ergometers for 8 wk at a training intensity starting at 54% and ending at 65% of their peak heart rates. The isometric leg strength increased significantly in the eccentrically trained group by 36%, as did the cross-sectional area of the muscle fiber by 52%, but the muscle ultrastructure remained unchanged. There were no changes in either fiber size, composition, or isometric strength in the concentrically trained group. The responses of muscle to eccentric training appear to be similar to resistance training."

A perfect example of this eccentric work is the Hamstring during the foot strike of running.  Its something to think about...