Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Crossfit, Insanity, and P90X

In the article, “Don’t Be Fooled by Crossfit, Insanity, orP90x”, Dr. Justin Lin encourages people to not use these programs. This is because the intensity can cause injury later on. He states that these workouts are beneficial and yield great results. However, they are extreme right away. Dr. Lin says, “Don’t be fooled by these insane and inane programs. They may only work for a short time but the price you pay later may be high. I’m going to leave these workouts for the athletes who are already training in this explosive manner and the military personnel.”  While injury may result from these workout problems, there are a few reasons that this does not mean you should quit them altogether.

First, injuries are seen in many types of programs. For example, injuries using exercise equipment have increased 45% between 2007 and 2010. The most common injury was reported being the treadmill. There are injuries in every form of exercise.

Second, the presence of injuries does not mean that everyone should quit that form of exercise altogether. For example, there are many injuries from running. So should running  be banned? While there are cases where people do need to quit, it is not a black or white issue. For example, my dad was born with a smaller and hand and foot. This means that his form of exercise must be modified. Running for him causes injury. But does that mean that every person should quit running? No!

Instead, one must be careful in how they exercise. Insanity and P90x are very clear that every person should go at their own pace. The programs are not pushing for every person to be at the same level and the same extremity. On one hand, injury is the person’s own fault. In fact, they could push it too hard even on a treadmill. On the other hand, I understand these are very extreme programs. There is the possibility of injury. In that case, take it at your own pace and take breaks. If the person does not know how to do that, it may be time to quit. However, that is not the program’s fault. I have done both Insanity and P90x, and both are clear that the first week will be tough; they are both clear that expectations should not be to do the work outs perfectly the first few weeks.

This is where the structure of the programs are beneficial. The workouts include a few successive weeks of the same videos, then a recovery week. The last half includes another set of more difficult workouts that are repeated until the end. The whole structure is set around the idea of improvement. Exercisers are not expected to do every workout at the beginning. However, they will improve by the end and see results.

The workouts are also well rounded. In general, it is important to complete exercise and activity in four different categories: endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. First, endurance keep your heart, lungs, and circulatory system healthy. This is also called aerobic activity. Second, strength makes your muscles stronger. This is anaerobic training. It can also get your heart rate up. This is also called anaeurobic activity. Both anaerobic and aerobic are extremely important. Third, balance strengthens your core and helps prevent falls. Lastly, flexibility helps your muscles recover from your workouts. It also helps your body stay limber and healthy. All of these areas are important in exercise, and are seen in these programs. For example, P90x includes weight training and pushups and pullups, which are strength. It also includes cardio which is endurance. Yoga is strength, flexibility, and balance. In addition, it has the option for a day of stretching and a mandatory day for rest.

These programs are very well rounded and effective. Instead of quitting due to fear of injury, take it easy at the beginning and work your way up… Just like every other form of exercise!

I saw results and I know you can, too.


Note: I do realize some people physically cannot complete these extreme forms of exercise. The programs are clear that one must talk to there doctors first. I agree! I am merely pointing out that the range of people that have the ability to do this is larger than athletes already in great shape.


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