Probably the most valuable thing I’ve learned in my long tenure at Beachbody is the importance of efficiency. As an athletic trainer it mattered but you always had leeway. Athletes want to win and care less about how much time and effort it takes to do it. Regular folks have more pressing matters than being fit and time is of the essence. Over the years we’ve gotten better and better at distilling the necessities for being fit into as little time as absolutely necessary. We have it down to a science, literally.
I love seeing articles like the one that popped up last week on Science Daily, showing how short exercise can be more effective than long exercise.
It not only validates where we do it makes it easier for us to “prove” our results on TV. It’s funny—not in a ha-ha way—that we often can’t cite our actual results from our test groups because they’re beyond what the authorities have deemed “possible”. The fact is, if you train smart you don’t need to spend hours a day in the gym in order to keep your body at peak fitness. Sure, you can be fit using that model, but in my experience I’ve found that most people, including athletes, train more than they should.
We've been using both HIT and SIT for years, so the word unique seems a little strange, but that's probably why we run into issues with the FTC and such. Even though it’s not always “accepted”, we’ve proven that if you’re willing to make healthy lifestyle changes we can change your body composition from obese to healthy in as little as 10 minutes a day. With a 30-45 minute investment you can be down right fit, and an hour a day 6 days per week can have you as fit as people who use their bodies to make their living.
Another fact is that most of your super fit friends train more than they should. As your human lab rat I’ll be the first to plead guilty. I’m quite sure I spent most of my prime athletic years in an somewhat-overtrained and undiagnosed state. I now workout far less than I once did and, yet, since I’m smarter, my fitness stays high enough that I can get into competition shape for many different sports with a only few weeks of sports specific training. While I can say that wish I knew this years ago, I'm happy just to be able to pass on the knowledge so that you don’t have to make the same mistakes I did.
Look for a follow-up post, with examples and more in-depth analysis, later this week...
This is a reference post for those looking to use P90X for specific purposes like sports, weight loss, or muscle gain. I also explain how to mix it with other workout programs, like Insanity. There’s a fair bit of reading here but it’s pretty straightforward and very condensed—essentially just the basics of periodizational sports specific training—and well worth your time if you want to tailor P90X to suit individual goals beyond just getting in shape.
The principles here are valid for P90X2 as well. Of course the schedules would change but all the other info is vital for understanding specific uses of these programs.
These are posted in order. If you’re confused skipping ahead, chances are your questions were answered earlier. If not, post a question on the Team Beachbody Message Boards and it will get to me.
On 11/11/11 I’ll be living a historical tour of Beachbody by doing 11 workouts that date back 11 years. If you play along, even just in part, you stand a chance to win $1,111 by logging into the WOWY Supergym during the hour of 11:11 PST. It’s only going to be 11/11/11 once in your life. You might as well do something special.
jon and carl in 1999
Besides trying to set a daily record for Supergym attendance this date has some personal significance. One year ago tomorrow we lost Tuco the Rat and the outside portion of my challenge is dedicated to him (oh, yes, there’s more). I also did challenges on 8/8/8, 9/9/9, and 10/10/10 so this is a tradition. Finally, it’s part II of my November endurance trifecta that began last weekend with a 24 hour mtn bike race (3rd place) and will finish with a birthday challenge Thanksgiving weekend.
I’ve tried to choose workout that make physiological sense for the challenge. Not getting injured is paramount and this should be a good overall workout, even though it’s excessive. Admittedly PAP at the end is silly stupid but it’s too important to leave out. That’s because I’m also telling a story, which is my own personal history working at Beachbody.
#1 Power 90 Sculpt 1/2 (2000)
While not the first Beachbody workout released (which was Great Body Guaranteed) it was the first hit and first workout that I did to evaluate whether or not I wanted to work with the company. I was currently working as a fitness columnist and wasn’t going to shuck for an infomercial company unless their products made sense. Carl and Jon assured me that if their products didn’t live up to my standards they would improve them until they did. Not only was Power 90 solid but it was being led by a guy with charisma to spare. This had potential, I thought, to revamp home fitness. I signed on and the rest, as they say, is history that’s about to pay me back in a very painful way. “Things are startin’ to happen.”
#2 Ho Ala ke Kino (2001)
I’m testing everyone’s dedication to Beachbody with this obscurity. We once doubled as a travel company and had a trip called Power Kauai. Tony Horton and Debbie Siebers would lead workouts for the clients and one morning Tony did a workout on the beach that got filmed and voila! Or something like that. This is a funny low budget feature that still holds up as great workout. “You guys ever do this workout?” said Carl to the staff one day (when you could address the entire company without raising your voice). “Man, if you ever want to feel good check it out.”
pretty sure i have some short shorts to wear for this
#3 Slim in 6 Start It Up (2002)
Our second big hit was a low impact program that subtly breaks you down until you’re begging for mercy. It’s by design but also might have something to do with the fact that Debbie doesn’t always know her own strength. She can do squats as easily as most of us sit in a chair. In one of the Slim Series workouts she’s actually still squatting while telling the audience “we’re taking a little break here.” I’m using Start It Up because, well, I’m not in such specific squat shape and we’re still kind of warming up. But I’ve got the original version, which we had to tone way down because it was destroying people out of the gate, so it’s going to hurt. Btw, the long version of Slim Series is Beachbody’s first graduate program and probably not in your collection. These workouts still hold up—and feel very hard—even after the Insanity years.
debbie taking a rest
#4 Power Half Hour Arms (2003) “Bam!” This super intense set of 30 minute workouts was the cornerstone of many unofficial test groups I used with our customers to try and sort out how hard they were going to be willing to work in P90X. Because of this they will always have a fond place in my heart and, while decidedly low budget, they stand the test of time and remain in my arsenal. We didn’t shoot these in 2003 but we did launch one of our only failed infomercials that year about PHH. This is unfortunate because it was amazing. It’s also really weird because the entire company (now big enough you had to raise your voice a little) agreed it was the best infomercial they’d ever seen. Carl and Jon decided to chuck that standard format and go legit, using nothing by real people and stories without any glitz whatsoever. We found it incredibly powerful. When it didn’t hit we focus grouped it where the main complaint was “the people don’t seem real.” Go figure.
its time has still yet to come
#5 P90X Core Synergistics (2004)
P90X would eventually change the entire fitness landscape but not in 2004. When it launched our customer base ate it up but the rest of America was, like, “Wtf?! Dude, give me back my Ab Lounger!” Eventually we were able convey the basic science that human bodies require hard work in order to look like Tony Horton. And once converted, it seems like all you wanted was more. And this made my job a lot more fun. “Bring it!”
#6 Yoga Booty Ballet Pure & Simple Yoga (2005)
I’m not sure what year we shot this, actually, but from here on out the challenge is going to be a fight to the finish and pulling the yoga card from YBB means that I don’t have to do it for a harder program. I also wanted to throw some love Gill and Teigh’s way since they’re great people. Wildly popular on the west side of LA, YBB never struck a consistent chord with our customers. But that doesn’t mean the workouts are any less effective. If you’re looking for something different to simulate your training give it a shot.
#7 Chalean Extreme Push Circuit 3 (2006)
The first time I met Chalene Johnson I felt she’d be our next superstar trainer. Obviously I didn’t know since I was still waiting for the PHH show to hit but, anyway, she had the it quality Hollywood types are always yappin about. Like Tony Horton, only different. And while we had a lot of success with Turbo Jam her next program, Chalean Extreme, never quite took off. This is too bad because it’s a great program. The problem could be the title. It’s an intro program and perhaps Extreme is scaring off part of its audience. But like Slim in 6, just because anyone can start it doesn’t mean fit folks will find it easy. The workouts, especially as the program progresses, will challenge anyone. Of course it still might take off. It took a few years for P90X to find traction and I’m still thinking Power Half Hour's ascendency is on the cusp.
#8 Insanity, The Asylum’s Game Day (2007)
I’m cheating here because Asylum launched in 2011 but I was only going to get one representative from the Insanity series and Game Day fits the bill perfectly. At least if it doesn’t kill me. Apparently P90X wasn’t enough for you guys so we offered up a stiffer challenge, which you went after like Fluffy on catnip. I wonder what the people who said we were nuts while filming P90X would have thought watching Shaun drop mega fit trainers during the filming of Insanity like Brock Lesner with an overhand right? Then we went even bigger with Asylum, which is my personal favorite workout series at the moment (at least until P90X2 comes out). Game Day is its pinnacle and it’s an absolute blast. So painful; but with a 4th quarter with the game on the line kind of way that takes me back to my youth. “This is not Insanity, people. It’s the Asylum. I’m not messin’ with you today.”
definitive asylum shot: it's a fine line between resting and vomiting
#9 RevAbs Strength & Endurance (2008)
Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet? Most Beachbody customers are now well aware that to get a six-pack you need to train your entire body. The public, perhaps, is not and maybe they think RevAbs is a workout series done on the Ab Lounge and that's why it's yet to spend any time at number one. This full body program based around Capoeira is led by one of our most intellectual trainers, Brett Hoebel, whom I love working with because I don’t have to edit anything he writes. So buy RevAbs if for no other reason than you’ll make my job easier. Thank you.
#10 Turbo Fire HIIT 15 (2009) “Ya gotta dance with the one that brung ya,” said Darrell Royal and we listened, putting Chalene back in front of a class and shooting verite style to create Turbo Fire. In actuality development was more scientific than that but TF is like going to class down at the gym. Except you don’t have to go to the gym or choose which class you need to get the quickest results. It’s kind of like going dancing except there are scientists in the background making sure each move you do strategically benefits your physiology. On HIIT days the band is particularly enthusiastic.
#11 P90X One on One PAP (2010)
This is a P90X2 preview and a great example of the full circle world of Beachbody. I came to Beachbody after mainly working with athletes. And while I found the non-athletic community great to work with—both easier to train and far more appreciative—sports performance is my forte and in my roots (both dad and I were coaches). Getting back to, as the old coach said above, what brung me has been my most interesting as well as greatest challenge yet at Beachbody. And while you’ve read plenty about PAP, my buddy Marcus and his training facility P3, here on my blog over the last few years you’ve never seen it implemented like this. I’m sure I’ll learn a little more by the day’s end. Assuming I survive as Marcus, nor any other trainer worth their schooling, would recommend PAP at the end of this kind of day.
tonys shows the it compared to my decidedly not it star quality as we banter about pap
But wait, there’s more! In honor of the best dog ever I’m adding 111 minutes of outside activity, either running or riding depending on the weather. During this time I’ll throw 111 rocks for Finnegan. At least I’ll be warmed up after Game Day.
I can’t believe that it’s only four weeks until I leave for Europe. The final phase of my training program has snuck up on me like a ninja in what’s been a chaotically busy summer. But that’s life as a recreational athlete. Every day doesn’t revolve around training. Training comes down to what I can fit in around everyday life. And this is the case for, like, 99% of the people I work with. And one of the major keys to success is getting them to adjust to the fact that their training schedule is a proposal, not game where one wrong turn means that you lose.
Last night I drew up my template for my final prep for Worlds. It’s a guideline for the volume, intensity, and amount of recovery I think I need to be ready for the race. But it’s only a logical proposal based on science. It’s not a daily schedule, even though it looks exactly like one. My realistic goal is to tick off what’s on the plan, and follow its structure, within the constraints of life. This means that my training log will probably look a lot different than what’s written here, but should yield the same results as long as I stick with the principles reflected in the schedule.
I’m writing this because rarely does a day go by when we don’t hear questions from customers who think that if they deviate from their workout schedule all of their hard effort will instantly disappear. We even stopped using suggested days on our schedules because we got so many “if I do Chest & Back on Tuesday instead of Monday will P90X still work?” type of questions.
Training is not magic. It’s not a game or a trick and there is no on and off switch. Our training schedules follow logic and are very important—as is the template I made last night—but only as a guideline. You need not follow the schedules to the letter to get results. You need to adhere to the principles to keep training hard enough, give yourself enough rest between similar workouts, and not over train and hit a plateau. Doing a Turbo Kick class at the gym instead of HIIT 20, a company softball game instead of Kenpo X, or going a little overboard at your friend’s wedding… it’s all just nitpicking. Success comes from training hard, seeing your program though to its end, then finding a new challenge to keep you moving.
The schedule here is my race-prep training only. Not listed is my mobility work (yoga, stretching—at least a short session daily), weight training (one PAP session per week for the next three weeks), prehab/rehab/core (2x/week), and climbing (Worlds are in Spain so climbing is definitely on the agenda—2-3 short sessions per week).
I love this workout. It’s a very boring thing to say but I can’t think of anything funny, sarcastic, or even clever to crack wise about. It’s one of those workouts that simply suits me. It’s hard but not in a “I’m about to dread this” kind of way (should be noted I enjoy pain because I’m sure many of you won’t agree). It’s just a solid total body workout that is the sort of thing I can almost always blend with my other sports specific training.
So what’s it like?
It follows the Asylum format of kicking into gear out of the gate with a very active warm-up. These warm-ups are the kind of thing that let you know if you should be doing this program. If you can’t complete the warm-up you aren’t ready. No reason to get frustrated, just use a different program to prepare. Remember it’s designed to be done post Insanity.
The workout consists of a bunch of functional-style strength movements that work every muscle group in your body. No matter which you are targeting each movement requires engaging your core from an athletic position. As the workout progresses form becomes harder to hold but remains the focal point of your concentration. It not so much about how much you lift as how well you can control each lift. The result is a balanced full body pump that has you feeling like... well... you just got stronger.
There’s also some variability for those of you without a pull-up bar. I’ve done the movements both ways and I don’t have a preference as the ground variations seems to work as well as the pull-up options. Ironically, however, the one place in this workout where I have the most room to improve is with an exercise called “rock climbers”. This is a move where you hang in a lock-off position and switch your grip back and forth for a full minute (or is it two? Felt like two)--and it come late in the workout. I’m not sure how well the cast did because I was too preoccupied to watch, but from what it sounds like I’m sure it laid the hurt on.
While this must be the dullest review of a workout I’ve ever written I think Asylum Strength will get more use than any anything in my Beachbody arsenal. For someone like me who does a lot of mountain sports--or, really, any weekend warrior whose sport provides a lot of cardiovascular fitness—it’s a perfect compliment.
pic: choosing between a plank row or 'rock climbers' (note lock-off position becoming compromised. yes, it's hard)
Jack LaLanne used to have a challenge where he’d give $10,000 to anyone who could keep up with him exercising for an hour. In his 80s he was contacted by a journalist from a fitness magazine asking if he was still game. Jack said sure and told him to show up at his house the following morning. The next line was something about how old Jack looked “like my grandfather” and how the writer was going to feel bad taking his money. This was followed by, “Five minutes later I’m about to throw up, during the warm-up. The bet is over. (sic)”
And that’s how I felt during the warm-up of Vertical Plyo. I seriously had to slow my pace down so that I didn’t puke. In fact the only thing that was worse than the warm-up was the “active recovery” as Shaun called a series near the end when we were doing, among other things, one leg explosive hops, as high as we could get while landing on the same leg, for one minute per side. Active yes. Recovery?!
In between I spent most of my time in the air while attempting a bunch of super explosive moves using bands for resistance and targets for accuracy. However, if I’d been in the cast I would have spent it doing push-ups as that’s how Shaun would penalize them for losing form and landing outside the lines.
While it’s needless to say that I didn’t on sight this workout, I often found myself exceeding the cast and, on one occasion, even out dueling Shaun. But this in no way means that I mastered anything. Far, far from it. On every individual move I sucked compared to most of the cast, hence the push-ups. Compared to the height and distance Shaun was getting on his jumps I felt like an old man. Sure, I’ve got some decent aerobic fitness but my explosive capability bites ass. The competitor in me wants to do this more. No, make that; absolutely has to do it more.
I felt a little less feeble when Shaun says to the cast “this is not Insanity,” as if that program were some kind of namby pamby cardio workout instead of this puke fest. At least I’m supposed to be dying, right? Shaun even cops to failure at one point. But again, to me it wasn’t the dying so much as the lack of flying that showed how much work I need to do. I used to be a basketball player fer crissakes! There’s got to be some hops left in there someplace. And, damnit, I’m going to keep doing this until I find them.
This morning as I write this I feel an interesting pattern throughout my body. It’s similar to how I feel after doing PAP workouts. Something inside me is trying to change, or adapt. Long dormant neuromuscular patterns that have been lost through age and endless hours traipsing through the wilderness have been awakened and are trying to remember what they used to do. It’s a physiological fact that we lose fast-twitch muscle fiber as we age but I’d say workouts like Vertical Plyo can not only slow the process but reverse it to some degree. We’re going to find out.
pic: who says white men can’t jump? Image credit: Robert Beck/SI via Sports Illustrated (h/t Reddit)
Back to Core is one of the more interesting core routines I’ve done, and unlike any other core routine in that its focus isn’t on your abdominal region. Right now my back is sore in spots I’ve never felt. My back. Not my abs or obliques.
The core is not just the front side of the body and by the time most people reach the entry level for Asylum they’ve done requisite ab work. Back to Core puts its focus on areas of neglect, which are mainly in areas of the back that aren’t strengthened doing traditional back exercises. The net effect is that you can feel your posture improve after each workout.
On the challenge factor—important for both Asylum and Insanity—it ranks below many of the other workouts in the series as it's not explosive. You can do these movements. The only question is whether or not you can do them with good form and for the requisite amount of time, which results in a dialog with yourself about pain tolerance. I have good core strength and was able to “on sight” this workout (do all of it first try). But it didn’t get easier second time through; it was the opposite. This is because as my form and range of motion increased, as each exercise can be made harder and then harder still.
I begin each set thinking “this isn’t too bad” but by around 15 seconds it’s hurting. By 30 seconds I’m thinking there is no way I’ll finish. The rest of the movement becomes about concentration and staving off pain. My focus is clearly placed on only the next breath and, if I’m still standing I re-focus on the following one. Somewhere in this pain exchange I would find the zone, which allowed me to finish sets that lasted as long as three minutes.
The benefits of this workout are already apparent. I’m standing taller, my shoulders fall further back, my stomach tucks in a more natural position, and I move in a more aligned position. It’s going to stay in my arsenal of workouts long after I’m through with this training cycle.
pic: of shaun, in case you're questioning the six-pack factor
Someone commented on my Asylum hybrid training posts that they’d like to see a schedule with a program that is already available, so here’s a hybrid training system primer. I’ve been creating training programs for pretty much my entire life—well, ok, that’s an exaggeration. I was eleven when I made my first training program after watching the Munich Olympics.
Anyways, if you dig through this blog, the Beachbody Message Boards, or Birthdaychallenge.com you’ll see training program examples for all sorts of targeted events. I've made these with pretty much every program we've sold, from Slim in 6 to Turbo Fire to Power Half Hour to Ho Ala ke Kino (this will test your Beachbody knowledge). But to start here are a few more formal articles I’ve written about how to create a training program suited to your individual needs.
Welcome to my preview of our newest workout program, Asylum. Over the next few weeks I’ll be using this program, along with my other training, to get ready for a race at the end of April that I’m nowhere close to being prepared for. It’s kind of like the “Hell Week” we’d go through prior to the football season, except this time it’s Hell Month.
I’d like to be previewing this program under more relaxed circumstances but my recent production schedule for the next 90x threw my training into a tailspin. I followed this by getting sick on the last day of production, resulting in another week off. Conventional fitness theory is that when you stop training it takes you the same time that you had off to get back to where you were. With a race coming up in a month I simply don’t have that much time. So I’m stacking Asylum on to my regular training program as a little experiment and you can watch me either soar or crash and burn here.
Asylum, for those of you who may not know, is the sequel to Insanity that we’re releasing in about a month. It’s more of a full body training program than Insanity and should prepare you for just about any activity. The show’s producer, Lara, succinctly summed up its effectiveness with “my tennis game is insane now!”
It’s positioned as sports conditioning, where as P90X mc2 will be sports training. As a sequel this follows the way I view P90X and Insanity, where I often tell customers that if P90X is your training for a sport Insanity is the sport. MC2 will re-train your body movement patterns so that you’ll perform better. Asylum will take that base and whip it into battle mode.
Asylum is a short program; only 6 workouts that you do for four week cycles. They are, to put it mildly, grueling. But once you can finish these workouts you’ll be ready for the 4th quarter, final set, 9th inning, or as one of the workout’s title suggests, overtime. If you’re an athlete that wants to raise your game in a minimal amount of time Asylum could be your pot of gold.
We used to have a gossip column in our newsletters, written under the pseudonym of Gadfly. While I can’t promise to be bringing him (or her/it) back here at TSD my insanely busy schedule has dictated that I explain some of what’s been going on around the office because I’ve been too busy to write about anything else.
Let’s start with Asylum, which is on the top of the list because I’m going over the cueing on the final (yes, should be soon) round of edits. As soon as I check this off we’ll officially be on the final road to release. For you folks who just can’t get enough of Insanity I’ll just say this: that program is like a warm-up for Asylum.
And speaking of upping the ante, we’re into the nitty gritty of the Tony Horton One on One previews for MC2 (if you’re not getting these you might want to start now). Why I say this is that we’ve got a host of outside experts pushing Tony out of his comfort zone. Since Tony’s always pushing you out of yours it’s probably nice to hear that he’s human. What we’ve got on tap—all shooting in November—are three workouts that are far different than what you’ve seen before from Tony.
First we have a new Core/Synergistics where Tony teams up with his ski buddy/trainer extraordinaire Steve Holmsen. Tony’s been training with Steve for years for you’ve seen some of his handy work already but we’re looking at this one as the next level.
Next, we’ve taken a huge step in upgrading Kenpo X by signing on with some of the biggest names in martial arts to create what we’re calling MMX. I’ll wait to reveal the names but Tony’s actually nervous about working with them, and he’s not exactly the nervous type. Wow (inside joke on P90x development).
Conversely, success of both Body Gospel and Brazil Butt Lift have starting to bring our old core (non X/Insanity/hard core) audience back and we’re making plans to offer more intro programs, including a revamped Power 90 (our first hit program) and a simple Debbie Siebers IPhone app program that should be out fairly soon.
Oh, and speaking of apps I almost forgot that thing that’s taking most of my time later: our new P90x app. Deciding we were a bit late to this market we’ve contracted the best app builder team on the planet and made it our top priority. These guys really know their stuff. Prepare to be blown away soon.
There's the alarm. Don't want to get caught gossiping. Actually, it's a meeting reminder for the app. Hmm, I didn’t even get to all of our news. Maybe we’ll have to re-enlist Gadfly as a full time correspondent.
karla mohtashemi-reese's pic is so typical: me working away, tony on TV. ha! btw, the coaches beat us (in dallas) and tony summed it up nicely: "your before pictures couldn't have done that!"
After months of rehab and training I finally feel up to getting after it a bit. Life has a way of interfering with my objectives in an in-opportune way and, as October rolls around, both work and home life are a tad hectic. At Beachbody we’re developing four new workouts programs, revamping our entire supplement line, and at home we’re dealing with two convalescing dogs. Good thing I live in Utah, where adventure is practically out the back door. I’m looking forward to six to eight weeks of climbing as much as possible before turning my sights on next year.
The week’s psyche video comes from the psyche man himself, Joe Kinder. It’s actually not a very good vid but he’s climbing a route here in the Wasatch and references fall temps, so it seemed appropriate. Tomorrow is, to me, day one of the season and as I'm starring down the barrel at 50 I feel every bit as excited as I did 20 years ago. When one is motivated life is always good.
Friday’s psyche post is teaser for P90X: next. I just put our in-house MC2 (that’s Muscle Confusion 2) test group through their first PAP (postactivation potentiation) workout and they are absolutely destroyed, but in the best possible way. Along the lines of Tony’s “I hate it, but I love it” ARX description I was getting various quotes of conflicted praise from our (very fit) group. By the time I cut their workout a bit short of what I had planned these statements evolved into “Insanity (commonly thought of as our most intense program) has got nothing on this!” Yet these were not disparaging words. They were affectations of love and the group was pining for more. Not today, mind you, but in the future.
What this style of training does if take all of the fitness gains you’ve been making using 90X, Insanity, or whatever your advanced fitness training program has been and turn it into performance. In other words, you will: run faster, jump higher, be stronger. I know, you’re doing that already. Now we bring you into focus even more.
The workouts don’t look like much on paper. In fact they don’t look too hard when you observe them. But your weaknesses will get exploited, and by following the scientific principles of PAP each repetition of each set is done at your maximum and the cumulative result is devastating, in an oh-so painful yet blissful way. You will hate it. But I guarantee you will be in love in what your body will be able to do.
vid: an example of what some focused power training can do for you. this guy wasn’t meant to be a high draft choice until this video came out. now he’s about to be rich.
Climbing is easy. Training is hard.-Patxi Usobiaga
I’ve been training now for 10 weeks and looking at my stats, not much has changed. I weigh about the same. According to my scale my body fat is about the same. I currently feel tired, beat up, and yesterday I fell off a route that I do easily when I’m not training. Most importantly, since I began this program to rehab my back and it’s hurting as I type this, so you might think I’m a fool for doing all this work in the first place. If my back isn’t better, I’m not climbing better, and I can’t even oil myself up and pose anyone down then why, pray tell, am I bothering to train at all?
It’s a fair question and I have a very reasonable answer; it’s my job. I need to experiment if just to get a better idea about what works and doesn’t. That way when we film a program to sell we have a better understanding of why it works the way it does. Theory is great and all, but when it comes to training programs practicality is all that matters. We run our prospective programs through test groups and use those who succeed to market our products. But before we test a product on the masses we test it on me, and I use my experience to decide if it’s ready to test on a larger audience or if it needs to change.
But that isn’t the real answer. I trained like this when it wasn’t my job . It’s my passion, and has been so since I was a little kid. I like to see how training affects the body and I’m always looking for the next great secret. And even though some of my experimental training programs have worked and others have not it’s pretty safe to say that training as an overall lifestyle works pretty well. As I approach 50 I can look back and say that I’ve put my body through the wringer and it still works better than most. I’ve had a countless number of minor injuries but I’ve avoided major injury and never had a surgery. And while pushing my limits has resulted in overtraining, minor breakdown, mistiming a peak and countless other setbacks my body’s ability to perform, according to the Jack LaLanne age test , still pegs me at 29, the peak age for a human.
Countless hours are frittered away discussing training theory; what works, what doesn’t; is Insanity better than P90X?, Crossfit better than HIIT?, Mentzer’s “Heavy Duty” or Arnold’s “Encyclopedia”?, yadda, yadda, yadda.... You know what works? Exercise. Do enough of it and you’ll be fit. The rest is nitpicking.
But that’s not to discount the importance of training scientifically or even the merits of my modern version of the Workout From Hell. If you want to maximize your body’s ability to perform than you need to train it specifically. During the years I was climbing hard and training I improved systematically every year. Many of my friends, who didn’t train and only climbed, never improved. Their performance would vary slightly at times but, basically, they remained the same over the years. My performance would dip wildly throughout the year as I’d be training for a specific peak. The casual observer would see the non-training group climbing better most of the time. But during peak phases, the only thing that really matters to an athlete, my performance would improve more than theirs each year like clockwork. In a year or two it was hard to tell the difference but after 5 years of solid training my peak periods started to improve to the point where those guys didn’t want me getting near their projects. Training works, but you need to be regimented and patient.
Which brings me back to the WFH. I was fit to begin with, only injured, so I wasn’t looking for a lot of change in the mirror or on the scale. Intensity has increased as my workouts have become more movement oriented, causing new adaptation to occur and, hence, my feeling beat up. I strained a different muscle in my back but it’s minor and my actual injury seems fine. I was horrible climbing yesterday because I went straight after my workout to see how it would affect me. That it did means that my training is working. My upper body muscles are larger so my body fat scale is probably wrong (they are almost always wrong anyway). Power is always a challenge for me. I knew this final phase was going to create problems. But I’m both positive and psyched. I think it’s working. Sadly, I still can’t pose anyone down .
pics n’ vids: patxi, ‘my talent is being a masochist’ from the film progression and the posing master, ed corney.
I was asked to critique Dr. Mercola’s critique (like the show we once wanted to do where we came on after Sneak Previews and critiqued Siskel and Ebert’s movie reviews) of a USA Today article on how short, intense exercise is better than long, easy aerobic exercise. We’ll begin right after this word from our sponsors.
Mercola can be sort of fringe in his thinking. I don’t always agree with him as he’s got an even more skeptical view of mainstream nutrition thought than I do. He also spends a lot of time pitching his products but, hey, a guy’s got to make a living. Anyway, he rarely discusses exercise and in this article he goes into quite a bit of depth. Of course, as a nutritionist that is the line he tackles first:
This article is definitely worth a read and my only critiques are about its hyperbolic nature. The idea that short and intense exercise is better is not new, as he states. Those in the business have always known it. Granted, it isn’t the way mainstream health clubs or the medical community has spun things but, as I’ve stated before, this has a lot to do with liability. Many professionals are afraid to prescribe intense exercise because of lawsuits. It’s much safer to advise walking around the block.
If you look at our Beachbody products we’ve always used intense exercise done in an interval format. This goes back 12 years but we’re playing on principles that have been around all of my life. Sports trainers and coaches have always known (I would submit the Greek’s knew this) that for maximal performance you need to train every energy system and stress the muscle fiber types that are specific for performance. We are pitching HIIT training with the new Turbo Fire program but, remember, our very first products (Great Body Guaranteed) were intense 10-minute workouts.
And the powerful link between diet and exercise he addresses is, indeed, the cornerstone of our company. We don’t just provide exercise programs, diets, or supplements. We sell the entire package. So, again, there is nothing new there from our perspective. I mean, he’s even teaming up with Kathy Smith and she is one of our trainers!
He also fails to mention the importance of not training the same way all the time or how longer more intense exercise can yield even more benefits. There is benefit of training all other systems, and even that walk around the block is not a waste of time. But I’m going to let him slide here because it’s not the article’s premise to discuss all aspects of training. His point is the easy aerobic cardio is not a very efficient way to change your body, which is true.
Where there is some confusion amongst Beachbody-ites is in his dietary guidelines where he recommends not eating, especially sugar, after your workouts. He’s not wrong here because the entire article is addressing 10 minute workouts only. I will, however, take exception with the growth hormone spike window being up to a couple of hour when the research I’ve seen shows this happening within about 20 minutes. But, more importantly, in 10 minutes you cannot extinguish your body’s glycogen stores. When they are exhausted, however, your nutritional needs change and sugar becomes vital because the longer it takes to recharge those stores the more damage is done to your muscle tissue. This is why we recommend Recovery Formula with our longer workouts like P90X and Insanity programs only—and with Turbo Fire in it’s later stages—and not with programs like Ten Minute Trainer. Different situations call for different nutritional strategies. And that’s nothing new for us either.
But do give the article a read. Mercola makes you sign up for a free account and sends you newsletters daily. And while I wouldn’t blindly believe everything he says it’s probably a lot more valuable than watching Fox News. The Straight Dope says two thumbs up for Dr. Mercola's critique of USA Today.
It's not too differenent from the normal Beachbody Newsletter except the content is often geared more towards graduate-level workout programs instead of any workout program. Topics may include anything about nutrition or fitness but you'll also find targets subjects customizing P90X, how to create hydrid programs with Insanity, Turbo Fire, 90X and any of our graduate programs, a how to use our workouts for sports specific training. If you don't find a subject you're looking for don't forget to look on our standard archive, which goes all the way back to 2000.
My friend Ben, a firefighter, says guys at the station are always asking him if P90X really works. He usually just shakes his head, in amazement, and replies with something banal like “its diet and exercise, of course it works!” I guess people are trained by their television to think everything is a magic pill that’s probably nothing but snake oil. And, certainly, the infomercial world that’s been dominated by Thighmasters and psychic friends has done its part in perpetuating that myth. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret: diet and exercise, assuming you’re following sound advice, always works.
Ben isn’t your average fireman. He studied pre-med, climbs, trains in jiu jitsu, and spends so much time doing off-the-beaten track activities that the guys at the station call him “the most interesting man in the world.” But that doesn’t mean his baffled demeanor comes from an Ivy League intellectual stance. When he was a kid basic health education was taught in school and, apparently, he was one of the few people who listened. Therefore he wasn’t nearly as surprised as most people are when I told him that all of our programs work. And each program works just as well as the next. That’s right, the test group for P90X and Insanity had pretty much the same stats as those from Rev Abs and 10 Minute Trainer.
This doesn’t mean the P90X isn’t more intricate than Project You or Slim in 6. It’s just targeted towards a different audience (one that requires more subtlety). Every Beachbody program, from Hip Hop Abs to Turbo Fire follows the same principle: diet and exercise targeted toward a specific group of people. And when you get that specific group to train hard and eat to support the exercise they are doing you get results. It’s a 100% fact. There’s no big trade secret, no miracle supplement or style of training; its simple human (animal, actually) physiology. Train hard and eat well and you’ll be as fit looking as a lion (or shark, gazelle, eagle, marlin, marmot… ). The only things in the animal kingdom that don’t look like fitness models are domesticated animals, whom we’ve also deprived of their simple life lessons from Health Ed 101. In fact, I guarantee you that when P90X canine comes out it will work every bit as well as Yoga Booty Kitty or Brazilian Body Gospel For Birds.
above: based on an idea from this photo, we're thinking that p90xII will allow you to do any training you want so long as you catch your own meals on foot. we are quite certain that this modern concept will revolutionize fitness.
“OH MY GOD,” was the first thing Debbie Siebers said to me at this year’s Team Beachbody Summit. The exasperated look on her face was one of disbelief—perhaps even shock—which was saying something coming from Debbie, who has trained movie stars and performed in front of huge crowds—including a Super Bowl—many times. debbie the rock star
Debbie was the first in a line-up of Beachbody trainers to lead a workout involving all the attendees of the 2010 Beachbody Summit. Having led workouts at every meeting we’ve had you’d think she’d be ready. But, as Tony Horton says back in our first big hit, Power 90, “things are startin’ to happen” and, this year, we can officially say that the Beachbody Revolution is more than a slogan. A thousand Team Beachbody coaches packed the Century Plaza’s convention hall and greeted Debbie like a rock star. And despite the fact that “it was so crowded people could hardly move” one Beachbody coach claimed that he and a few others had burned 1,400 calories according to their heart rate monitors. rev abs' brett hobel works the crowd while shaun t impresses with his vertical.
Siebers had shouldered her flabbergasted-ness on me because we were around back when Beachbody was barely a mom and pop operation. In those days the office consisted of the two founders, Carl and Jon, and the two Heathers (both still here). As consultants there were three trainers: Tony, Debbie, and me. There was no talk of revolution, or even Team Beachbody. Back then we were only concerned with making another good exercise program.
A passionate fitness trainer’s ultimate goal is to get as many people fit and healthy as possible. The vision and hard work of our founders has allowed us to reach an audience that I’m pretty sure none of us ever considered. It’s a bit like a dream, really, but a serendipitous one because I doubt the reality of what is going on could have even made its way into our subconscious a decade ago. But since we’ve been given this opportunity we’re going to run with it for as long as we can.
carl's closing remarks
I wasn’t slotted to give a presentation at the Summit except as part of a panel to explain the science behind Chalene Johnsons's upcoming Turbo Fire program. But after three days of answering questions virtually non-stop I think I will give one next year, if only to try and sum up the most popular inquires and save my voice, which was almost completely shot by the end. Apparently, more people want to hear my scientific mumbo jumbo than we thought. with coaches reaf and joey, just prior me giving a late-night rehab demonstration.
And to all of you who thanked me for what I do, I want to thank you too. It’s your work and dedication that makes it possible for me to do my job more effectively and, hopefully, to continually expand my knowledge so that we, as a team, can continue to pay it forward to a world that badly needs us. No one becomes a fitness trainer or nutritionist in order to make money. It has to be a personal passion. But if we can find a way to sustain our lives by doing what we’re passionate about there isn’t much more that we can ask for.
Before I start sounding too serious I’m going to wrap this up with a line from Eddie Adams from Torrance, aka Dirk Diggler. “We can always do better. I’m going to keep trying if you guys keep trying. Let’s keep rocking and rolling, man.”
SIDE KICK. BOW. BOW.
CUT.
on top: with million dollar body grand prize winner, cammie lusk, and her inspiring story below.
One of my co-workers said it'd be great if I wrote an article on mixing Insanity and P90X. I replied that I've already written two. But if the folks in the office don't know about them, perhaps you don't either. They were both released before we had our "Extreme Newsletter" archive page up. I think they should be required reading for anyone considering mixing these two programs. I would hope they'd help you mix any two programs.
The first analyzes the diet structure of each program and how to move from the X diet into Insanity, in which case you'd skip the Insanity diet plan.
The article then addresses how to structure the into phase on Insanity on the heels of X. The second article, on how to create hybrid programs, takes this into further account. For example,
After digging through the archive there aren't many articles there that aren't appropriate for those looking to take your workout program to the next level. So bookmark this page and reference it often.
Certainly the Barrancas del Cobre will offer some good blogging opportunities but, while you wait, Ben Kallen over at the Beachbody office found some fun news on Insanity and the X. Enjoy!
According to Atlanta Journal-Constitution sportswriter David O’Brien, the Braves’ Matt Diaz did P90X again during the offseason this winter:
Diaz doesn’t call around to ask reporters or club personnel: “What about me? Will there be a roster spot or any playing time left for me?” No, he hangs out with his family in Central Florida while all this is going on during the offseason, does his P90X diet/fitness regime for the second winter in a row, and prepares for spring training and the 2010 season.
This weight-loss blogger is doing Insanity while wearing a GoWearFit electronic activity tracker, and posting the results. On Day 2, you can see that she was burning up to 14 calories per minute.
Anyone who follows my blog has read a lot about how to customize P90X for sports, specifically the ones I do. Now I’ve writing a series about how to customize the X for all sports (including mass, weight loss, and combing X with other programs--like Insanity--which aren’t sports but could be objectives for sports) and, finally, we’ve got the archive up. Here it is:
I think that in order to get both the Beachbody Newsletter and the P90X newsletter you need to enter different email addresses. The may have fixed this but if you aren’t getting both try that. Beachbody coaches feel free to share this info so I can quit answering email about it!
To read the customizing series, begin with newsletter 4 on defining muscle confusion, then skip to customizing X and read forward in order as each article in the series references the older ones. Each article is short but there’s a lot of physiological info to understand (keep in mind it’s written very much for the layman) if you want to create your own training programs, which you should. The series is far from finished. Next up are running and triathlon training.
