The answer depends on what you want to get out of the program, how much you are willing to put in, how much time you have, and your fitness level.
P90X is one of the best fitness workouts on the market from Beachbody. Beachbody has some of the best and elite trainers on its staff and Tony is no exception and at 51 years young looks great. P90X is an excellent program and will produce results if you do the workouts as they are laid out.
P90X is a 90-day workout broken into 3 phases and uses the muscle confusion principle keeping your muscles from adapting to workouts so you can continue making progress.
It is a body weight program but it does incorporate the use of dumbbells, push up stands and pull up bar. Additionally a workout mat and heart rate monitor will be needed. You may skimp on the mat but be prepared for some rug burns. The heart rate monitor will let you know how many calories you burn and if you are in your target heart rate.
It was not designed as a weight loss program but with modification to diet plan, you can and will lose weight on it as many have done.
The workouts change from day to day and week-to-week to keep your muscle from adapting. You will be doing a lot of pushups and pull-ups thus the need for a pull up bar. Push up stands help but you can get by without it.
Workout time will range from an hour to over an hour and a half so you will need to make sure you have the time. The program will have you doing Yoga to Kenpo karate. Abdominal routine is about 15 minutes and done 3 times a week.
After each phase, you have a recovery week to prep you for next phase. You will need the time to recovery before jumping into the next phase. You are not expected to keep up with the people on the videos so don’t worry. In time, your body will get stronger and you will improve on your numbers. “Do your best and forget the rest” is Tony’s motto throughout the workouts.
You are allowed to modify moves if need be. Remember that the people on the videos have gone through the program and are at a different fitness level then you so do not get discouraged. This is especially true for those who have not done much in the form of exercise. Should you try P90X? Absolutely! With hard work, dedication, and following what the program tells you and with good nutrition, it is a winner.
Your ab workout should start with core training. Whereas abdominal crunches only work your muscles in a single direction, core training involves the stabilizer muscles in both your back and abdominal area. Crunches can’t touch most of those secret stabilizers.
A good core training program works on lots of different muscle groups: upper back, lower back, the butt muscles, hips, inner and outer thighs, and hamstrings. A well-rounded program can even go a long way toward helping you get rid of lingering or recurring back pain.
It targets muscles all up and down your abs and your back. With stronger muscles to help support the entire length of your spine and placing serious emphasis on posture, your body won’t have to work as hard to maintain its proper alignment.
In any ab workout, the proper form is essential. Make a point of keeping your ab muscles tight and your back as straight as possible. If, at any point, you feel your back starting to arch or if you experience any spinal discomfort (usually in the lumbar area), stop and rest awhile.
You can always resume your exercise routine later. Don’t over-extend yourself in terms of either range of motion or if you are bone weary. That is precisely when injuries are most likely to occur.
Remember that the purpose is to strengthen your body’s core and that’s not possible if you cheat on the form. If you have access to a full-length mirror, try to arrange a way to exercise in front of it so you can keep an eye on your form moment-to-moment. There’s a reason ballet studios have wall-to-wall mirrors.
First, INSANITY is not the state of your mind but the latest fitness workout put out by the good folks at Beachbody.com, but you do need to be insane to do it. This workout is no joke and neither are the results you will get. Insane results from an insane workout.
INSANITY is the creation of Shaun T. who also created the Hip Hop Abs workouts. With INSANITY Shaun has taken interval training and turned it upside down to create his 60-day workout program called INSANITY.
In your normal interval training, you start out slow then go all out for short periods but INSANITY has done the exact opposite. Shaun has you starting at full blast with short 30-second rests between these extreme periods. This is going to have your heart racing like a racehorse and you dripping in sweat.
If you have ever done their P90X workout and cursed the day you bought that program, you will be cursing the INSANITY workout ten-fold.
This is not a workout for the faint of heart. You will be sweating and you will be feeling each workout. This is not a workout for anyone who is starting out, has not worked out in years, and has been a couch potato. Be prepared to hate this workout and curse Shaun T. for creating it. On the other side if you want results that will blow you away and in only 60 days then INSANITY is the workout program for you.
As with P90X, INSANITY comes with a well thought out nutrition plan to feed your muscles and handle the workouts. Nutrition is a vital part of any successful program and Beachbody knows this and makes sure you do too.
INSANITY is a great workout as it can be done anywhere you have access to a television and DVD player. Just pop in the DVD and you are ready to workout. Because you workout at home you do not have to worry about traffic, the gym being packed or the weather. You also will not need any equipment except your body, mind, and lots of water. You definitely will want to keep your body hydrated on this one.
If you are new to working out and haven’t done so in some time you will want to pace yourself and take extra breaks but because this is a DVD you can pause at any time and restart and Shaun and the gang will be there waiting for you. This extreme program gets you extreme results and well worth adding to your workout arsenal.
