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Review: P90X2 Workout

Sian — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:48:18 +0000

To give you a sense of what you’re up against if you attempt to make it through P90X2, the sequel to the phenomenally popular P90X fitness program, here’s a sample exercise: the four medicine ball push-up. Yes, that means having a ball under each hand and foot. “It’s like doing push-ups during an earthquake,” says Tony Horton, the 53-year-old former stand-up comedian who created the original program eight years ago.

That 90-day, 12-DVD regimen has sold 3.5 million copies, spawned an astounding number of before and after photos, persuaded politicians from both sides of the aisle to sweat it out together at the House gym and become shorthand for “really hard workout.”

Now it’s time for an even harder workout. P90X2 (Beachbody, $139.80), which shipped just in time for the holidays, is designed for folks craving more “muscle confusion,” a phrase Horton coined to describe the mishmash of moves designed to keep viewers’ bodies guessing.

What’s new for version two is that the cardio’s gone, replaced with workouts emphasizing a combo of speed, power and balance. And there are plenty of exercises Horton expects no one to be able to pull off on the first attempt, including lever pull-ups (performed with your body parallel to the ground rather than perpendicular) and a push-up variation he’s dubbed “the impossible.” “If you’re not in shape, it’ll be like climbing Everest,” says Horton, who notes that P90X2 is five days a week rather than six because anyone slogging through it will need the extra recovery time.

If you’re wondering who would pay to subject themselves to such a thing, meet 49-year-old lobbyist Stephen Sayle. The Capitol Hill resident bought P90X in September after pledging “to be in better shape at 50 than at 40.” It’s the challenges posed by Horton’s program that seem to be making that goal a reality.

“You do so many lunges you think you’re going to die,” Sayle says. But after more than three months of lugging his DVD player to Results Gym almost every day to complete the workouts, he’s a believer — and eager to take it to the next level.

He’s a typical P90Xer, as are young moms and college students and former athletes. The program appeals to a wide swath of folks who want to be told what to do without having to think about it, have the ability to work out where they want and when they want and know that they’re guaranteed to see results. Some also credit Horton’s goofy form of motivation that includes the occasional pterodactyl impression (although that’s not universally beloved).

But what really seems to set P90X apart from other DVDs on the market is that these workouts aren’t merely a way to lose weight or get healthier. They’re a kind of dare. Anyone can exercise, but it takes a certain level of persistence to keep up with such a demanding program day after day.

What worries Ed Ingebretsen, director of training at Results Gym, is that Horton’s encouragement to “Bring it!” can push people beyond what’s safe. “If you want intensity, jump out of a plane. Intensity doesn’t mean fitness,” he says. “Guys especially can blunder through something, and it can trash your body.” (Sayle admits that he developed tennis elbow from the huge number of reps of push-ups and pull-ups.)

Horton tries to temper overzealousness with his other motto, “Do your best and forget the rest.” He makes it clear there’s no shame in choosing one of the simpler modifications he offers of every exercise, or hitting the pause button while you figure out a move. And if something is deemed too risky, it’s cut from the DVDs. For instance, P90X2 viewers won’t see the four-ball pike press, a variation on the four-ball push-up that’s done in downward-facing dog position. It’s great for your delts, but not for your skull if you manage to smash your head into the ground.

The earliest clue of whether P90X2 is striking the same chord as the original will come in about three months, when the earliest adopters complete their initial pass through the program. They’ll be the first people to ever attempt it. For P90X, Horton worked with a test group for 90 days. For P90X2, he couldn’t be in any one place for that long and still manage a packed schedule that included traveling overseas to exercise with troops and writing his second book (“Crush It”).

If these people emerge buff rather than broken, it may not be long until we start seeing infomercials for P90X3.

More online Follow @postmisfits on Twitter, and read more fitness coverage at washingtonpost.com/wellness.

The Best of Girl Get Strong for 2011

Sian — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 15:45:10 +0000

Where did the year 2011 go? I’m sure we are all feeling this way. I hope your year was full of great health and happiness. Here are the top posts from 2011 and some of my favorite motivational quotes to bring you into 2012.

7 Detox Smoothies With Added Health Benefits

Magic foods that reduce bloat
The Secret to Using Mantras for Motivation
The Best Ankle Weights Workout
From Jody from Truth2BeingFit.com

Victoria Secret Model Candice Loses her Job for Being Too Thin
The 17 Day Diet Review
Champion Toning Shoes Review
Review: Tracy Anderson’s 30 Day Method
Have a Safe and Happy New Year and here is to 2012 of Health and Fitness from the GGS Crew!
Visit us on Pinterest for some healthy inspiration! Our virtual vision boards are jam-packed with thing we love including recipes, workouts, fitness reviews plus so much more.

Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Health

Sian — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:39:10 +0000

Girl Get Strong’s Holiday Gift Guide

Giving the Gifts of Health and Fitness

Stocking Stuffer Edition

Only a few days until Christmas! If you are like me, stocking stuffers get left to the very last moment. Even a treat yourself to a great jump start for a healthy January with these goodies!

Body Media

This little gadget, I am loving right now. This is probably the best gadget if you want to lose weight. If you are familiar with the BodyBugg, this is very similar but has more features. It can tell you exactly how many calories you are burning at the moment. It has tiny little sensors that reads your body through an armband that you wear. It comes with a weight lose program, that can track what you are eating. This little gadget also lets you know how you are sleeping at night. There are charts that tell you your target calories out and your target calories in and if you reached that target. There is so much to this product, that you really need to get to their site to learn more. What I do know is that, calories out needs to be less than calories in to lose the weight and this tells you both. You will lose the weight if you follow this program. So COOL!

Know Your Body. Change Your Life.

The four sensors in our little Armband pull data off your body at a clip of 5,000 data points per minute. All of that data gets categorized and analyzed and delivered to you in an easy-to-understand way. With this info you can unlock the secrets of your body and determine what you need to do (or stop doing) to lead a healthier life

C.T.B.S. Aero Jump/Sculpt, Aerospace’s award-winning fitness DVD, and patented ‘Rainmaker’ jump rope and make sure your workouts won’t skip a beat. Perfect for people on-the-go, you can now gain access to a fitness workout unlike any other that uses training techniques from professional boxing to quickly and efficiently slim up the body. Set to a heart-pumping beat and incorporating Aerospace’s total fitness solution into an exciting and innovative routine, Aerospace’s DVD is easy to use at home, and keeps the body, mind and spirit engaged to provide one of the best all-purpose workouts on the market.

ElementBars lets users design their own custom energy bars by selecting organic and conventional ingredients and then naming their bar. Users who want proven taste and nutrition can customize a “popular bar” that has received the most positive reviews by other users of ElementBars.com.

Each energy bar is hand made, packaged, and then labeled with its custom bar name and nutritional information. Element Bars is committed to using unprocessed or minimally processed elements in each bar to retain the most nutritional value.

Tifosi Opticse has technologically advanced sunglasses for an affordable price Many of the models are designed specifically with women in mind. Ear pieces that are bendable make it easy to take on and off our sunglasses. Some models even have nose pieces that are built into the frame so they don’t catch in our hair. All of our sunglasses are made with ultra-tough Grilamid TR-90 frames and shatter-resistant polycarbonate lenses (always 100% UVA/UVB protection).

Top 10 Things That Get Me Moving

Crazy Legs — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:30:39 +0000

~Abby, Fitsmi

In general, I really like to exercise. Or, let me amend that: I really like having exercised. I like knowing there’s a diet coke with my name on it at the end of a long, sweaty bike ride. I like knowing I’ve done something good for myself.

This is not to say that I’m a pillar of exercise excellence. There are days—many, in fact—when I’d rather, oh, scrub my toilet than hit the gym. On those days, it takes everything in my power to get off my ass and actually moving. But nine times out of ten I actually succeed.

1. I want to get in shape! And exercise is the best way to do it.
2. I feel great–physically and psychically–after I’ve worked out.
3. Muscles are sexy.
4. There are REALLY hot guys at my gym.
5. I pay good money to belong to the gym; how can I just let it sit there, un-used?
6. My iPod likes to sweat, too.
7. I really dig the way my muscles feel—and look!—after I spin, kickbox, swim, or run on the treadmill.
8. I love food! And what’s the best way to eat and not gain weight? Yep, you guessed it.
9. I have awesome workout clothes and it seems un-American not to wear them.
10. Did I say there are really hot guys at my gym?

Visit Fitsmi

What are yours?

Review: Adidas Introduces a Minimalist Running Shoe Designed for the Gym

Sian — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:00:11 +0000

Adidas recently introduced a new minimal shoe called the Adipure Trainer. At first glance it may appear that they are jumping on the minimalist performance shoe bandwagon (yes, such a thing exists) but after taking a closer look, the Adipure Trainer is marketing their shoe for a whole other, and possibly wiser purpose.

The Adipure Trainer is just that, a trainer. It is the first barefoot training shoe designed specifically for the gym. Adidas does not call this a performance shoe, they are promoting it as a way to build strength and harness the body’s natural bio-mechanics. These are the elements that the other minimalist shoes promote as well. However, our feet need time to build up strength before we take them out of a stable shoe and take off for a run. This is why many people are getting hurt in minimal shoes, they are performing in them without proper preparation and their unadapted feet and body are suffering.

The Adipure is designed to take those gradual steps in training the body. The Adipure Trainer activates and strengthens muscles, builds balance and promotes dexterity. The shoes have independent toe separations and a quarter-inch profile. They are designed so that the foot can be close to the ground for optimal speed, balance, and agility during a conditioning workout. The shoe is supposed to mimic the foot and create a natural feeling that will still protect the skin and provide traction.

The shoe is promoted as a gym shoe. While other more traditional running shoes, cleats, or high-top shoes are promoted for performance.

“The Adipure Trainer is for athletes who want to maximize their workout in the gym to get better for game day,” said David Baxter, Adidas America vice president of sport performance.

With so much controversy surrounding the minimalist movement, Adidas was very wise in how they introduced their product. They yielded to the science of barefoot athleticism, yet took a very strong stance on our culture’s limitations, as we have been in stable shoes since infancy and our feet aren’t strong. Smart move.

Via: FitCeleb