When beginning an exercise routine you are typically indoctrinated into the plan by learning several new (often made up) terms and catch phrases. However, some at home exercise routines are truly based in science and use the knowledge of their creators to educate you about terms and concepts that are well known in the fitness community. Muscle confusion is one of those terms.
Often used in the body building world, muscle confusion is a concept that is not new. It simply refers to using different exercises and movements to keep your muscles “on their toes”. Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight knows about “plateaus”. If you hit a plateau in your weight loss journey, you have come to a place where your body has adjusted to the exercise routine you have been doing, and refuses to progress further.
Once your body and your muscles become accustomed to being used in a certain way, they stop responding so eagerly. This means that as time goes on your weight loss will slow dramatically or even come to a screeching halt.
By confusing your muscles or by constantly changing the routine, your muscles have no time to get accustomed to repetition. Utilizing muscle confusion in your weight loss goals allows you to consistently reach goals and blast through any potential plateaus.
Celebrity trainer Tony Horton embraces the power of muscle confusion and uses it as a focal point of the P90X system. By incorporating 12 very different workouts, he has developed a superior system that will keep your muscles guessing from day to day.
With P90X you will move through a great variety of fat blasting workouts every week. You may start out with Kenpo followed by Shoulders and Arms or Back and Biceps. The next week you may go through Core Synergistics, Plyometrics, and the ever-powerful Ab Ripper X.
Not only does the variety of workouts in P90X keep your muscled confused, it keeps you interested. Workouts get old and it is easy to get bored with doing the same thing every week. The P90X system works for the benefit of your muscles as well as in the interest of you maintaining the program.
Understanding how your body responds to exercise is an important tool in the battle of weight loss. It’s true that knowledge is power and when you really understand the science behind the movements and workouts, you are more likely to want to stick it out. Based in real science and tested by bodybuilders and fitness fanatics, muscle confusion is the real deal and not some weight loss gimmick.
Oct 29, 2008 @ 18:56:21
how long are the workout, and are they done everyday?
Dec 04, 2008 @ 17:22:24
Michael,
The Workouts are about an hour long 6 days a week.
Feb 24, 2009 @ 23:09:43
I’ve been going to my local gym for the past 4 years. I’ve tried a couple different programs (BFL & BFFM)…both OK, and I did lose some weight and gain some muscle, but after 4 years of going to the gym 5/6 days a week, you get bored and plateau, plateau, plateau. I watched the infomercial on P90X and was captivated instantly. I began the program on Feb. 16 and am on my second week. I have already improved from last week (woo hoo) and I am excited about coming home and working out. I look forward to it every day, instead of kinda dreading it like I was. I feel AMAZING after each workout…exhausted as hell, but amazing. Thanks to TONY and everyone. OH, and Tony is awesome…funny, entertaining, and most of all, very motivating! He keeps me going, smiling and LOVIN’ EVERY SECOND!!!!
May 12, 2009 @ 15:13:54
When doing the daily exercises, is it okay to add running each day along with them or does that throw off the whole muscle confusion?
Hello Aarika,
It is a great idea to add additional Cardio to your workouts. Adding any Cardio to your daily workouts is essential to getting yourself into top physical shape. So, by all means, add running to your daily regiment, it can only help you to your goal.
-RJ
Jan 27, 2010 @ 11:01:13
I lost the instruction papers for this, what video do i start with and how many do i do a day?
Jan 28, 2010 @ 16:04:17
Hello Matt,
please contact customer service for information on how to obtain another copy of the fitness guide.
http://www.extremebodyworkout.com/customer-service.php
Sep 26, 2010 @ 17:28:22
Hello. I am 41 and pregnant. I have always been very active, lifted weights and done cardio for years. However, after special treatments in order to get pregnanct and given my age, I am restricted to no more than 25 pounds of weight lifting and nonbouncy cardio(stationary bike or walking). Do you think P90X would be reasonable for me? I see in the info that all exercises are modifiable based on fitness level and restrictions.
Thanks in advance for your time in response to this question.
Hello Lori,
P90X will be very reasonable for you. During the P90X program, you will not be required to lift more weight then you can handle. Most of the exercises in the workout use your own body weight and when you do have to use resistance, you should only be lifting what you can anyways. Do not be afraid to start off slow and work your way to your ideal weight. Tony Horton will never rush you or ask more of you then you can handle. If you feel like you are exerting yourself too much, pause the DVD, take a break and come back to it when you’re ready. P90X is also very customizable, so if one particular exercise isn’t working for you, there are plenty of others that you can substitute to get you to your goal. Enjoy your workouts.
-Nate
Jan 19, 2011 @ 21:36:33
hi my name is samantha and a friends gave me the p x 90 all 12 dvds but thats it i have no routine plan or how to plan it out for three months can u help me plan out the classic i think its called i need to know how many dvds i do a day or how it all works ? please and thank you
Hello Samantha,
if you contact out customer service department, they can hook you up with the info you need to get a replacement guide.
http://www.extremebodyworkout.com/customer-service.php
-Mike
Jun 05, 2011 @ 06:57:05
hello, my name is Neyo. i have a question about the cardio work out while your your doing the P90x program thing. How long should i run after doing the Workout videos? My friend told me that 60 mins below you lose weight and above 60 mins, you lose muscles. is this true? also, if i dont have any pull up bars, is it okay to skip that exercise? Also, if i want to just get bulky and massive ripped with like 8 pack abs, what is the sequence of the work out videos should i follow? im only in day two. please help. THANKS!
-Neyo
Hello Neyo,
I think an extra 60 minutes of cardio would be quite enough! It will take a lot, but eventually you may start to lean out if you do too much cardio. How much is hard to say, but if you keep it under 60 minutes, you should be fine. If you you want to get ripped, you should probably find a way to use the chin-up bar. Even if you have to go to the gym. The chin-ups are really important if that is the direction you are going in. If you want abs, remember that you also have to lower you overall body fat percentage to allow you muscles to be defined so try not to focus solely on the resistance workouts. You should probably follow the classic approach and use heavier weights to gain muscle mass. Tony will say from time to time what you should be doing to gain mass and what you should be doing to get lean muscle.
-Mike