Thursday, February 24, 2011

P90X: Muscle Confusion Two


This ain’t your granddaddy’s weight training program. It’s too early to explain just what they are, exactly, but one thing that comes to mind consistently while doing the mc(muscle confusion)2 resistance workouts is a line Tony says in the preview to one of the P90X resistance workouts, “It’s just good old fashioned weight training.” P90X mc2 decidedly isn’t that, so today we’ll preview its weight training workouts.

In fact P90X wasn’t really old fashioned either. One of the things that make it so successful is that its workouts are complex. It takes a while for most anyone to master it and that keeps your progression curve heading skyward. This, of course, is part of our overall strategy for the program. By creating some amount of what our marketing team coined “muscle confusion” your body keeps adapting, and this prolongs the period of time it takes before you master the program and start to plateau.

But compared to mc2, 90x is old fashioned. Not only have we designed workouts that keep you adapting longer, they also target laser-specific weakness in the body that occur across a broad spectrum of the population. In the most laymen of explanations, this means that your muscles will not only grow and get strong, but they will do it in a way that’s forcing your body to use them more effectively. So as your muscles grow they are also going to work better from a biomechanical perspective. This means, quite simply, that beyond just improving how you look you are going to get better at doing stuff.

The first time you go through these workout it’s going to feel strange to most of you. At times you’re spending so much focus on holding the various positions that you may hardly move any weight. As your balance improves so will your ability to move more weight but, more importantly, you’ll be moving it with a more harmonious kinetic chain. This you’ll notice in your movements as everything you do in your daily life that requires you body to move will become easier. It’s the kind of feeling that’s addicting in an “I never thought this was possible” sorta way. Once you’ve felt it you’ll never want to go back, which challenges us to keep coming up with new and better stuff.

If this seems like a brush over of nearly half of the program’s workouts, consider that it’s really all you need to know. Decide, commit, and you’ll succeed beyond what you realized was possible.

pic: sure granddaddy was big but could he move?

25 comments:

Unknown said...

Bet you'd be surprised at how flexible and athletic Arnold was. Cant wait for mc2, very much looking forward to the release date, and getting ready for it with p90x!

Anonymous said...

Maybe this is already been posted but will you provide list of equipment you'll need for mc2 beyond what was needed for the original P90X? It seems like you'll need a jump rope, a stability ball, and at least a partial set of medicine balls.

Anonymous said...

The more I read about this program, the more excited I am for it to come out! I've done P90X, Insanity & I'm going through P90X w/ Plus Workouts included right now & plan on doing a P90X/Insanity hybrid after... All to prepare the best I can for the next evolution in home fitness P90X:MC2. As someone who loves basketball, what can I expect to see improvements on specifically for my sport w/ this program?

Dan said...

Yeah I'm wondering what equipment is needed so I can plan my budget accordingly

Steve Edwards said...

Huge bball improvements: jump highly, lateram mobility will improve, quickness, etc.

Equip is optional but the more you invest the better the returns. A stability ball for sure, a foam roller (or equiv), a few medicine balls of different weight, weight, and a pull-up bar assist and one exercise band will all add to the effectiveness of the program.

Steve Edwards said...

btw, not pointing a finger at Arnold himself, just that generation of bodybuilder and his pics are often the most fun. He was a fantastic athlete, as most champions are in any sport.

Chad said...

Steve,

Will the MC2 resistance workouts focus more on muscular growth or endurance?

Adam Burch said...

Love this blog and each entry about MC2 gets me excited for the program to come out. I've done P90x, p90x+, and Insanity, and hybrids of those. Looking forward to ASYLUM as well. Keep wanting ways to switch things up so that I get to the next level! Keep the reports coming and advice for work out nuts to structure our current programs to get us ready.

Steve Edwards said...

Chad,

It will focus on all aspects of muscular development and you'll be able to structure it for your goals/needs. It will teach you how to activate all stabilizer muscles along with your prime movers, develop atrophied muscles until you have muscular balance, hypertrophy relevant muscles as necessary, and then make those muscles strong, powerful, efficient.

Brian said...

I hate to be a jack*ss but what we're doing with P90X and other Beachbody programs doesn't compare to modern bodybuilding... Beachbody is about fitness, health and functional movement and performance... modern bodybuilding is about chemical manipulation of the body for the most ridiculous look... Arnold may be big (and the modern guys even bigger - to the point of looking absurd) but it's fake because it's drug induced... and it GOES AWAY when the drugs stop... I only mention this as a contrast to the hard work and real world benefits of Beachbody fitness... it's comparing apples to oranges... organic washington grown apples to antibotic, steroid laden lab grown gigantic apples (that taste crappy)

The Badger said...

Ils Sont Tous Dopeurs

Unknown said...

P90X rock, but i want MC2 to rock my world.

Unknown said...

P90X rock, but i want MC2 to rock my world.

Unknown said...

"By creating some amount of what our marketing team coined “muscle confusion”..."


Joe Weider used this term decades ago. Not a new idea.

While I don't disparage your product it's a bit disingenuous to claim "our marketing team coined" the phrase.

Steve Edwards said...

Not disingenuous. I was in the meeting where it happened and I'm quite certain I was the only person in that room who'd heard of Joe Weider. Also, given that it was used to in relation to an explaination I was giving on periodizational training--something I've never heard Weider speak about--I'm crediting our version of the slogan to our marketing team.

Anonymous said...

Steve,

I was already almost fit (and to some extent thin) when I began P90X and then P90X+. After going through two complete rounds of P90X I realized I needed to adjust some of the workouts or I'd lose even more muscle rather than gain mass. Would I have to make some adjustments with MC2 and if so, right from the beginning or after mastering the moves to some extent?

Mind you I am not trying to become ridiculously big. But since I am just a tad over 160 pounds now, I'd definitely want MC2 to take me to the next level exactly the way you described in your note but also help me gain more mass.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Kash

Trainer T.s Fitness said...

PUMPED about this MC2 and I love Arnie he was the bomb then. Plus he still inspires so many so thanks for the great pic.

Justus, Ed.D. - Journeyman Enterprises said...

How will this compare to how the TRX workouts hit your body? It seems, having run through all their workouts over the past few months, including the Kettlebell routines, that the TRX really targeted functional parts of my body where P90X, P90X+ and the OoO's did not. Namely speaking, the postural muscles in my Back and the back, cuff parts of my shoulders, my hip flexors and my core. It has just annihilated those. I thought I was in shape 18-months and -50lbs.

Not that I care, but Tony credits The Weider System of Bodybuilding in the Diamond Delts OoO. That is why I bought it and read it. I have deduced that P90X basically is basically an incorporation of a bunch of the Weider Principals, not just Muscle Confusion. You guys did a great job setting up a system with a plan of it. It's okay to cop to it!

dpj

The Big Engine said...

I'm a little surprised by how interested I am to see how this program works. I'll be looking for a copy when it's available.

~TBE

paul g said...

Will it build more size? A lot of "core" people tend to be really small. Does all this functional movement lead to hypertrophy? Someone mentioned TRX. Most of those people have no size either.

How does awkward balance postures build biceps?

Anonymous said...

After 5 rounds of P90X....I CANNOT WAIT!!

Anonymous said...

Steve, thanks for all of the previews of MC2!!

just curious.......but will the MC2 workouts, on the whole, be shorter than the 60-90 min workouts in P90X?

or, will there be options/guides to shorten the workouts?

thanks.

The Big Engine said...

The Big Engine wishes he could understand these people who want to get big. All The Big Engine wants is to be just as powerful, but smaller.

All The Dude wanted was his rug back.

Chad said...

What are the fitness requirements before starting MC2? The same as P90X?

p90x workout said...

should we first complete P90x and then turn to P90x mc2 ?
Or just start P90x mc2 from the very begining ?