*Official* Work Out Thread

[RockRaines]

Did Plyocide today. Same theme as the core workout. More athletic moves, higher intensity. But less of them. A shorter workout.

 

Seems to have less of a focus on extreme conditioning but more of a focus on using muscles more explosively.

Is it closely resembling insanity in any way?

[Y2HH]

Why would anyone buy P90x2? What was wrong with P90X?

 

Seems like people are just falling for a typical refresh scam here...there was nothing wrong with P90X to the point that spending money on a "new version" is simply silly.

 

If all it is, is a short/faster version, just speed up and jump higher.

 

People waste so much money in this arena of life it's absurd to me. Ohh, a new protein drink came out, its 5X more expensive than this other one,but it's better because it's brand new and and shiny blue packaging. Oh well, not my money.

Edited December 20, 2011 by Y2HH

[iamshack]

Is it closely resembling insanity in any way?

I've not done insanity, so I don't know. From what I have seen in the commercials, my guess is some of the moves are more intense as in insanity, but there is not the same focus on kicking your ass in this as there was in Plyometrics or Insanity.

[iamshack]

Why would anyone buy P90x2? What was wrong with P90X?

 

Seems like people are just falling for a typical refresh scam here...there was nothing wrong with P90X to the point that spending money on a "new version" is simply silly.

 

If all it is, is a short/faster version, just speed up and jump higher.

 

People waste so much money in this arena of life it's absurd to me. Ohh, a new protein drink came out, its 5X more expensive than this other one,but it's better because it's brand new and and shiny blue packaging. Oh well, not my money.

Have you ever done P90X? Or any workout program, for that matter?

[Y2HH]

Have you ever done P90X? Or any workout program, for that matter?

 

Yes, I've done certain aspects of P90X for the last few years, and it's a great work out, I just don't see a new version improving on what should have taught basic moves by now. Prior to that, I was a gym rat for over 12 years, too.

 

5 years ago I weighed 146 lbs and was able to bench over 265 free weight (I'm only 5'7"). I'd work out over 1 hour a day 6 days a week at that time, going through all the motions throughout that time you could think of. I did all the gimmicks, proteins, vitamins, all the styles of workout, all the machines, free weights, lifestyles, etc. you could think of. I learned over that time what constituted a total gimmick and what actually worked.

 

Oh, and I took ephedrine for a few years when it was legal -- I can tell you with certainty it wasn't a gimmick, it worked...too well, hence why it was so damn dangerous. I didn't know how bad it was for me until years after I had already quit taking it, however.

 

I have about 15 years of experience in this realm now.

 

And over that time, precisely ZERO injuries.

Edited December 20, 2011 by Y2HH

[iamshack]

Yes, I've done certain aspects of P90X for the last few years, and it's a great work out, I just don't see a new version improving on what should have taught basic moves by now. Prior to that, I was a gym rat for over 12 years, too.

 

5 years ago I weighed 146 lbs and was able to bench over 265 free weight (I'm only 5'7"). I'd work out over 1 hour a day 6 days a week at that time, going through all the motions throughout that time you could think of. I did all the gimmicks, proteins, vitamins, all the styles of workout, all the machines, free weights, lifestyles, etc. you could think of. I learned over that time what constituted a total gimmick and what actually worked.

 

Oh, and I took ephedrine for a few years when it was legal -- I can tell you with certainty it wasn't a gimmick, it worked...too well, hence why it was so damn dangerous. I didn't know how bad it was for me until years after I had already quit taking it, however.

 

I have about 15 years of experience in this realm now.

 

And over that time, precisely ZERO injuries.

Ok...so when you were working out for 6 days a week for years and years, did you enjoy doing the same routines over and over again? Do you believe that science can improve the workouts we do so that we get more out of the time we spend and injure our bodies less?

 

It's been almost 8 years since P90X was released. I think it is perfectly reasonable to design a new program in that timeframe. The new program is A LOT different, from what I can tell thus far...it does not seem to be just a repackaging like P90X Plus was.

[Y2HH]

Ok...so when you were working out for 6 days a week for years and years, did you enjoy doing the same routines over and over again? Do you believe that science can improve the workouts we do so that we get more out of the time we spend and injure our bodies less?

 

It's been almost 8 years since P90X was released. I think it is perfectly reasonable to design a new program in that timeframe. The new program is A LOT different, from what I can tell thus far...it does not seem to be just a repackaging like P90X Plus was.

 

This is a loaded question to the extent that I'm not sure you understand how loaded it is. Depending on how long you've been doing this, and if you've actually learned anything over that time you will understand how loaded of a question this is. There is a difference between paying for lessons and learning something, and paying for lessons, such as P90X, and simply copying what you see. That said, I will attempt to answer this.

 

First, let me touch on a few necessary key points about working out in general.

 

1) What works for one person does not work for everyone, and you have to keep this in mind over time and adapt to understand what does work for you. This is one of the key "sciences" behind P90X, is that it involves so many moves/muscle confusion (which is a myth, btw), it's sure to touch on 10 or so things that work REALLY well for you, and those 10 things will render you, in specific, better results than all of the other moves involved, regardless of how many.

 

2) P90X already contains SO many moves (too many moves, to be frank), that adding even more at this point is totally unnecessary. However, there is nothing wrong with using or learning different moves and incorporating them into your workout in place of other moves that didn't work so well for you. If you took what I said in #1, and applied it to actual use, you'd need to learn/accept from what you've done over time from various routines and use what rendered the best results to your own custom workout. There are a LOT of moves in P90X that will not work for you as well as others, so don't just copy what you see, but learn from what you see. If you can figure out what moves aren't working, stop doing them, and do moves that DO work for you.

 

3) People love to talk about science and working out/exercising, and how "science" has improved. In reality, it hasn't changed much at all, if anything, it's regressed into gimmickry in many ways. People often toss the word "science" around when talking about this to make themselves sound smarter. In reality, people injure themselves working out because they're doing it wrong, not because what they're doing is bad (although sometimes it is). People get in a hurry, rush through something, grab a weight while off balance, etc...these types of mistakes are what injuries come from. Workouts from the 1960's are just as safe as workouts from 2011, so long as you execute them properly, and "age accept", something most people WANT to ignore. What adding the word "science" into workout discussions actually does is justify why people will allow themselves to spend more money on something you've already been sold them multiple times. With a little experience, they could have just done it on their own, but spending money in this arena seems to gratify people for some odd reason, like they do it for incentive so they'll actually work out.

 

Ok, now that we've got that out of the way, a few things about what I just said.

 

Muscle confusion is bulls***. Plain and simple. Any "science" behind it is not science, it's absolute new-age garbage that was created to sell stuff. The body does NOT work that way, and it never has. It's like a computer program, when you break it down all the way, it's still 0's and 1's. You overload a muscle, you eat properly to fuel recuperation, and the muscle grows/becomes denser/stronger. Period. That is simply the way the body works, and it does not need to be "tricked or confused" into doing so. Just like you don't need to find new ways to breath air into your lungs...they already know how, and they don't need to be tricked into doing it better.

 

Ok, the second point you made is a fair point, but this goes back to what I touched on a few times. Over the time you've been working out, have you learned anything of use that you can't adapt and change on your own and just work out yourself, without repaying for knowledge you already posses?

 

When I worked out, I did change my routine when I found better moves/methods that resulted in greater success for the goal I had in mind. I'd often try a new move, perhaps something I thought of on my own or saw someone else doing and incorporated it into my workout to see if I noticed any sort of real improvement, and if I did over time, I'd keep it, if not, it got left on the scrap heap of moves. This includes various diets, etc...I tried them all, and I'm not talking about dabbling, but total immersion. Like not eating beef for 4 months, etc.

 

I touched on what I called "age acceptance" earlier, and this is the one area where most people, myself included, have a hard time accepting. I'm 36 now, not 26...but it's hard to accept that. At 26, I cared about muscle size, how much I could lift, having the V shape, etc...today, I care about maintaining a healthy weight and improved quality of life more-so than I care about what my muscles look like to other people. Believe me, it took a few years to accept this one. So while I sound like I'm preaching here about what I've learned over time, the fact is, while I was doing it, I did so much wrong it's not even funny. Even now I'm still learning, but I also understand what works and what doesn't. I can spot gimmicks from a mile away, and believe me, it's because I've tried them all...thrice. There was a time I was tempted to use steroids, as they were readily available to me, and others I knew who used them saw gains I could only dream of in terms of size/strength. It can become a competition if you have a crew that you work out with...thankfully I never made a bad decision like that.

[Y2HH]

Oh, and don't get me wrong -- I'm not saying don't work out in any regard -- I was simply giving my opinion, and as you know, I'm quite opinionated.

 

I don't know much about a lot, but about working out and computers, I know quite a bit. Oh, and camping/fishing, too.

[iamshack]

Jesus.

 

I don't really give a s*** why or how it works, honestly...I just like that it works.

 

I was always relatively athletic, but I hated working out. I hated gyms. I hated weights. I hated running. I did, however, love to play sports, and so I was in relatively good shape most of my life and relatively close to a healthy weight.

 

Then I hit my 30's and started working jobs that required me to work at a desk all day. My friends got married and started families, and didn't have the time to play basketball or football or even golf anymore. I realized I was gaining unwanted weight for the first time in my life, and I started having to buy new clothes.

 

I moved to Vegas and we had a corporate discount at a gym franchise. I joined. I started hitting the eliptical for an hour a day, maybe 3-4 times a week. I lost probably 20 pounds, and looked better in clothes, but I still looked really blah. In this town, a major social event is going to the pool. I looked like a lazy thirtysomething white guy, and I wanted to improve.

 

One day on my way into work, I heard the commercial for P90X on espn radio, and thought, "you fat ass, you should give that a try." Then I walk into work that same morning, and my co-worker says he has a burned copy of P90X. So I say hey, can I borrow that?

 

I took it home and tried the first few workouts. I thought I was going to die. I was flopping around like a beached whale and couldn't finish them or do anywhere near as many reps as the people in the video. But I stuck with it, because I am very competitive. After a week I could tell I was already losing weight, because my clothes started fitting even better. I pulled out some shirts that I hadn't worn in 5 years and they fit great. At that point I was hooked. I also went and bought the program from Beachbody at that point, because I was so happy with the product I thought I owed it to them to pay them for it.

 

So I finished the program, and I was honestly very much addicted to it. It's a great feeling to get that kind of a workout in almost every day. It makes you feel better, eat healthier, have a more positive frame of mind, and that's not even getting into how good you start to look.

 

Well that was almost 2 years ago now, and while I still do P90X, I am a bit tired of the same people in the videos, the same routines, the same exercises, the same commentary, etc. I know the exercises so well I could certainly do them without even watching the videos, but I enjoy structure. I enjoy someone telling me "this is what needs to be done" and then doing it. So I ordered P90X2 when it came out, not so much because I think it's going to revolutionize my fitness, or even get me into better shape than P90X did. But because it is different. Different exercises. Different people. Different routines. And that is enough to get me working out consistently for the next few years. If that costs me a couple hundred bucks, so be it. It's worth it X 100. I'll be in better health, both mentally, physically, and even emotionally. I'll feel great, look great, eat well, drink less, etc, etc.

 

So yes, could I have just stuck with the original workout? Sure. But is it worth it to me to buy P90X2? Absolutely. It's one of the easiest purchases I'll ever make, honestly.

[Y2HH]

Jesus.

 

I don't really give a s*** why or how it works, honestly...I just like that it works.

 

I was always relatively athletic, but I hated working out. I hated gyms. I hated weights. I hated running. I did, however, love to play sports, and so I was in relatively good shape most of my life and relatively close to a healthy weight.

 

Then I hit my 30's and started working jobs that required me to work at a desk all day. My friends got married and started families, and didn't have the time to play basketball or football or even golf anymore. I realized I was gaining unwanted weight for the first time in my life, and I started having to buy new clothes.

 

I moved to Vegas and we had a corporate discount at a gym franchise. I joined. I started hitting the eliptical for an hour a day, maybe 3-4 times a week. I lost probably 20 pounds, and looked better in clothes, but I still looked really blah. In this town, a major social event is going to the pool. I looked like a lazy thirtysomething white guy, and I wanted to improve.

 

One day on my way into work, I heard the commercial for P90X on espn radio, and thought, "you fat ass, you should give that a try." Then I walk into work that same morning, and my co-worker says he has a burned copy of P90X. So I say hey, can I borrow that?

 

I took it home and tried the first few workouts. I thought I was going to die. I was flopping around like a beached whale and couldn't finish them or do anywhere near as many reps as the people in the video. But I stuck with it, because I am very competitive. After a week I could tell I was already losing weight, because my clothes started fitting even better. I pulled out some shirts that I hadn't worn in 5 years and they fit great. At that point I was hooked. I also went and bought the program from Beachbody at that point, because I was so happy with the product I thought I owed it to them to pay them for it.

 

So I finished the program, and I was honestly very much addicted to it. It's a great feeling to get that kind of a workout in almost every day. It makes you feel better, eat healthier, have a more positive frame of mind, and that's not even getting into how good you start to look.

 

Well that was almost 2 years ago now, and while I still do P90X, I am a bit tired of the same people in the videos, the same routines, the same exercises, the same commentary, etc. I know the exercises so well I could certainly do them without even watching the videos, but I enjoy structure. I enjoy someone telling me "this is what needs to be done" and then doing it. So I ordered P90X2 when it came out, not so much because I think it's going to revolutionize my fitness, or even get me into better shape than P90X did. But because it is different. Different exercises. Different people. Different routines. And that is enough to get me working out consistently for the next few years. If that costs me a couple hundred bucks, so be it. It's worth it X 100. I'll be in better health, both mentally, physically, and even emotionally. I'll feel great, look great, eat well, drink less, etc, etc.

 

So yes, could I have just stuck with the original workout? Sure. But is it worth it to me to buy P90X2? Absolutely. It's one of the easiest purchases I'll ever make, honestly.

 

Where you don't care why something works, I care very much to know and understand why. I'm pretty passionate about this, as you can tell. And if this is what it takes to motivate you, then all the power to you. Enjoy your workouts...

[RockRaines]

I completely disagree that workouts and health in general hasnt come a long way in the last 10 years. In fact there is not much in that post that I can agree with. In my 12+ years of training athletically and personally alot has been learned about how the human body reacts to conditioning and strength training. P90x was revolutionary in that it brought basic functional fitness to the home workout crowd with the cost of roughly 2 months of a gym membership. The second version is for those people that have already gotten in shape and can recite each dvd word for word. Most people go to the gym and run on the hamster wheel or push a little weight around over and over isolating single muscles. That is simply a very old and archaic way to work out y if you want optimum results and a well rounded healthy body.

[Y2HH]

I completely disagree that workouts and health in general hasnt come a long way in the last 10 years. In fact there is not much in that post that I can agree with. In my 12+ years of training athletically and personally alot has been learned about how the human body reacts to conditioning and strength training. P90x was revolutionary in that it brought basic functional fitness to the home workout crowd with the cost of roughly 2 months of a gym membership. The second version is for those people that have already gotten in shape and can recite each dvd word for word. Most people go to the gym and run on the hamster wheel or push a little weight around over and over isolating single muscles. That is simply a very old and archaic way to work out y if you want optimum results and a well rounded healthy body.

 

First, I knew the RR "I know everything post" was coming, and it'd be a simple short paragraph as to why, in an attempt to refute a very detailed/opinion based post.

 

Second, I never said anything about health. You confuse health and fitness like most people do, and they're not the same in any regard. They're related, but not the same.

 

Workouts, in their base form, have NOT changed much. You're simply performing different moves, or moves you've never seen (but that doesn't mean they didn't previously exist). Bottom line is you're still just performing the same basic function whether you want to admit that or not...and that's expending energy for a specific means. P90X was not revolutionary, it's simply the version of this kind of home workout that became mainstream popular so you credit it as such. It's just another in a long line of these types of workouts that have been happening in small gyms across America for decades. All Horton did was take the idea and put it on video...which was a brilliant move for him, but it wasn't like he came up with it.

 

Also, stop repeating the bolded nonsense above, because going to a gym and working on isolation/single muscles is NOT archaic nor old, nor is it the ONLY kind of workout you can do in a gym. There are MANY compound movements you can use, which is what P90X sold you on inventing. I have some news for you, P90X didn't invent the compound movement/method. Just because "most people" go to a gym and work out incorrectly doesn't mean everyone does.

 

Simply put, what you said in bold is complete and utter nonsense.

 

Again, stop saying "healthy body", because what you actually mean is "fit body", learn the difference between the two. And again, optimum results for you won't = optimum results for someone else.

 

There's not much in my post you don't agree with? What, you don't agree with figuring out what diet/exercise works best for your specific body? If that's the case, then it's because you learned nothing in your 12 years of working out...what you did learn, was simply how to copy someone else. Enjoy.

Edited December 20, 2011 by Y2HH

[RockRaines]

Deleting my posts, not even worth stating my opinion when you are going to act like a know it all dickhead. Good luck with your fitness routine.

[Y2HH]

Deleting my posts, not even worth stating my opinion when you are going to act like a know it all dickhead. Good luck with your fitness routine.

 

Already saw your post and actually liked it. You should have left it.

 

Edit: And you of all people calling someone else a "know it all" is post of the century. "Hey pot, my name is Kettle, did you know you're black?!" LOL

Edited December 21, 2011 by Y2HH

[RockRaines]

Already saw your post and actually liked it. You should have left it.

 

Edit: And you of all people calling someone else a "know it all" is post of the century. "Hey pot, my name is Kettle, did you know you're black?!" LOL

Oh in a thread where I have been sharing my experiences with people over the course of almost a year and you have contributed almost nothing? Yes, I am a know it all about my routine and what I have experienced, and I've shared my stories with people on this board and hopefully they've found it somewhat useful as I have found their information useful. Funny how nobody put anyone's perspective completely down until you opened the thread a month ago.

[iamshack]

First, I knew the RR "I know everything post" was coming, and it'd be a simple short paragraph as to why, in an attempt to refute a very detailed/opinion based post.

 

Second, I never said anything about health. You confuse health and fitness like most people do, and they're not the same in any regard. They're related, but not the same.

 

Workouts, in their base form, have NOT changed much. You're simply performing different moves, or moves you've never seen (but that doesn't mean they didn't previously exist). Bottom line is you're still just performing the same basic function whether you want to admit that or not...and that's expending energy for a specific means. P90X was not revolutionary, it's simply the version of this kind of home workout that became mainstream popular so you credit it as such. It's just another in a long line of these types of workouts that have been happening in small gyms across America for decades. All Horton did was take the idea and put it on video...which was a brilliant move for him, but it wasn't like he came up with it.

 

Also, stop repeating the bolded nonsense above, because going to a gym and working on isolation/single muscles is NOT archaic nor old, nor is it the ONLY kind of workout you can do in a gym. There are MANY compound movements you can use, which is what P90X sold you on inventing. I have some news for you, P90X didn't invent the compound movement/method. Just because "most people" go to a gym and work out incorrectly doesn't mean everyone does.

 

Simply put, what you said in bold is complete and utter nonsense.

 

Again, stop saying "healthy body", because what you actually mean is "fit body", learn the difference between the two. And again, optimum results for you won't = optimum results for someone else.

 

There's not much in my post you don't agree with? What, you don't agree with figuring out what diet/exercise works best for your specific body? If that's the case, then it's because you learned nothing in your 12 years of working out...what you did learn, was simply how to copy someone else. Enjoy.

The problem here is that no one in this thread made the statements that you came in here to refute. You were just trying to make a point by trolling in this thread because you accused me of doing it in the technology thread. Point taken.

 

That being said, I am sure some of what you are saying is correct. It's not as if Tony Horton created these maneuvers, nor did he invent this type of training. What he did do, as you mentioned, it put together this kind of training in a package that the home workout crowd would purchase, and then actually do. I know of no home workout routine that has been as effective or motivating in this country as P90X. It is the #1 selling home workout of all time in this country.

 

Now don't get me wrong, this correlates with an explosion in gym memberships and exercise programs, whether it be spin classes or programs you watch at home. And with this explosion came a lot of people that had no clue what they were doing. So when Rock mentions people at the gym working out incorrectly, he's mentioning all these people (like me) who have never been gym rats, but want to get in better shape but have no idea how to do so.

 

It is absolutely a phenomenal thing for people to be doing P90X or P90X2 or other circuit training programs. I do know there have been hundreds or even thousands of home workouts before that were far more gimmicky than P90X. If anything, P90X was the anti-gimmick. They didn't sell results without extreme effort. X is in the damn name for Christ's sakes. And honestly, if you do put in the effort, you will be in better shape than about 95% of Americans.

 

I am sure there are other programs out there that could do the same, whether they came out of gyms, or were created by personal trainers that work in Hollywood or in professional athletics (what does it say about the program when you've got professional athletes doing THIS workout instead of the workouts prescribed by his/her coaches?), or even came out of military training. But none were packaged in a way that the American public was willing to pay to try them on this scale. And in doing that, Horton is a genius.

 

All I am saying is I love the product.

 

 

[Y2HH]

Oh in a thread where I have been sharing my experiences with people over the course of almost a year and you have contributed almost nothing? Yes, I am a know it all about my routine and what I have experienced, and I've shared my stories with people on this board and hopefully they've found it somewhat useful as I have found their information useful. Funny how nobody put anyone's perspective completely down until you opened the thread a month ago.

 

On a personal note, I like you and like reading your posts on here, but being more active in a specific post doesn't mean you're the president of said post, nor the most knowledgeable. For the record, I have posted here previously, but I do not like giving workout advice to people I've 1) never seen/met, and 2) know nothing about their current state of health or fitness. It's bad practice. From what I see here, you are a P90X super fan, and there is nothing wrong with that, but P90X is not the end all of workouts...it's simply another workout in a long line of workouts. When it comes to P90X, I think some of it was/is absolutely fantastic...and there are other parts I find gimmicky and stupid, because they are gimmicky and stupid.

 

As for putting people down, that's not what I'm doing at all. Like you, I was sharing personal experience and trying to get people to recognize that when it comes to something like physical fitness, there is no one size fits all, no matter how badly we want it to be. In everything I've EVER learned doing this, you have to learn what works best for YOU, NOT what someone else says is best for you, and that applies to P90X, too.

[RockRaines]

Would you two shut up so I can eat my cheeseburgers in peace?

Go for a run fatass.

[Y2HH]

The problem here is that no one in this thread made the statements that you came in here to refute. You were just trying to make a point by trolling in this thread because you accused me of doing it in the technology thread. Point taken.

 

That being said, I am sure some of what you are saying is correct. It's not as if Tony Horton created these maneuvers, nor did he invent this type of training. What he did do, as you mentioned, it put together this kind of training in a package that the home workout crowd would purchase, and then actually do. I know of no home workout routine that has been as effective or motivating in this country as P90X. It is the #1 selling home workout of all time in this country.

 

Now don't get me wrong, this correlates with an explosion in gym memberships and exercise programs, whether it be spin classes or programs you watch at home. And with this explosion came a lot of people that had no clue what they were doing. So when Rock mentions people at the gym working out incorrectly, he's mentioning all these people (like me) who have never been gym rats, but want to get in better shape but have no idea how to do so.

 

It is absolutely a phenomenal thing for people to be doing P90X or P90X2 or other circuit training programs. I do know there have been hundreds or even thousands of home workouts before that were far more gimmicky than P90X. If anything, P90X was the anti-gimmick. They didn't sell results without extreme effort. X is in the damn name for Christ's sakes. And honestly, if you do put in the effort, you will be in better shape than about 95% of Americans.

 

I am sure there are other programs out there that could do the same, whether they came out of gyms, or were created by personal trainers that work in Hollywood or in professional athletics (what does it say about the program when you've got professional athletes doing THIS workout instead of the workouts prescribed by his/her coaches?), or even came out of military training. But none were packaged in a way that the American public was willing to pay to try them on this scale. And in doing that, Horton is a genius.

 

All I am saying is I love the product.

 

Damnit, he's on to me.

[Y2HH]

And while I do work out/have for a LONG time, and I've extensive experience in this realm, I do admit parts of my post were specifically designed to troll. That said, I do actually care very much about working out and physical fitness.

[ptatc]

There is a good point hidden in the previous "discussion". There is a big difference between fitness and health.

 

Physical fitness is what most of us focus on. The best measure of physical fitness is VO2 max. However, that can only be done in a clinic. The easiest way for a most of us to determine fitness is by your heart rate. To determine if you are wroking hard enough you should work out at 70-90% of your heart rate max. Determining your max heart rate you should use the Karvonen formula (many people use 220-your age but it isn't specific enough IMO). the formula is Target Heart Rate = ((max HR − resting HR) × %Intensity) + resting HR. This takes into account your indivdualized resting heart rate which will decrease as you become more fit.

 

Another thing to remember is that your heart rate should decrease at least 40 bpm after a 2 minute cool down. If it doesn't you are working out too hard.

[Y2HH]

There is a good point hidden in the previous "discussion". There is a big difference between fitness and health.

 

Physical fitness is what most of us focus on. The best measure of physical fitness is VO2 max. However, that can only be done in a clinic. The easiest way for a most of us to determine fitness is by your heart rate. To determine if you are wroking hard enough you should work out at 70-90% of your heart rate max. Determining your max heart rate you should use the Karvonen formula (many people use 220-your age but it isn't specific enough IMO). the formula is Target Heart Rate = ((max HR − resting HR) × %Intensity) + resting HR. This takes into account your indivdualized resting heart rate which will decrease as you become more fit.

 

Another thing to remember is that your heart rate should decrease at least 40 bpm after a 2 minute cool down. If it doesn't you are working out too hard.

 

I think this is something gyms and the fitness industry purposefully blurred the lines between. It is common that people interchange fitness and health, I hear it all the time. And like I said, while they're related, they're NOT the same thing.

 

I know some people that are insanely physically fit...but their health, not so much.

[iamshack]

I think this is something gyms and the fitness industry purposefully blurred the lines between. It is common that people interchange fitness and health, I hear it all the time. And like I said, while they're related, they're NOT the same thing.

 

I know some people that are insanely physically fit...but their health, not so much.

Indeed. There are some fat people who can run the s*** out of thin people...that is all you need to see in order to know the distinction.

 

I find that getting fit has inspired me to improve my overall health. Working this hard encourages you to eat better. I also find that my body naturally craves more healthy foods when I work out this often. When I don't, I start craving crap again. I'm also someone that has smoked on and off since I was 17 or so. It's very difficult to do some of the more intense cardio workouts as a smoker, so it's forced me to choose: smoke or workout. I've chosen workout.

 

 

[RockRaines]

Indeed. There are some fat people who can run the s*** out of thin people...that is all you need to see in order to know the distinction.

 

I find that getting fit has inspired me to improve my overall health. Working this hard encourages you to eat better. I also find that my body naturally craves more healthy foods when I work out this often. When I don't, I start craving crap again. I'm also someone that has smoked on and off since I was 17 or so. It's very difficult to do some of the more intense cardio workouts as a smoker, so it's forced me to choose: smoke or workout. I've chosen workout.

Which is why being injured blows.

[iamshack]

Which is why being injured blows.

Indeed it does, my friend...what's the diagnosis?