As a P90Xer, I have learned the benefit of both weight training and cardio.  I wouldn’t consider every dropping one completely.  But I do believe that in order to become a more fit individual, you definitely need to include some sore of weight training into your exercise routine.  There are many known benefits of weight training and I believe that it has gotten a bad stigma because of the bodybuilding world.  Women jumped on the cardio junkie bandwagon of the 1980s because they were afraid that if they lifted weights that they would get bulky and too muscular.  That isn’t the case.  There is a time and a place for weight training in your fitness schedule as well as your cardio sessions.

Which Burns More Calories?

I can’t accross and interesting study that compared to the two.  Here is what it said…

A strength training session in which you burn, say, 300 calories burns more calories than a cardio session where you burn 300 calories on the treadmill. Impossible? No it’s not. At least, if you take into account the raised calorie burning after training.

Yes, we’re talking about elevated post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC: the phenomenon whereby your body burns more oxygen, and therefore also more calories, after a training session. Sports scientists only started studying this effect in the nineties, but the results of their research indicate that, for people who want to control their weight, strength training is a good alternative to endurance and cardio training.

This is also known as the After Burn effect.  A idea where your body continues to burn calories much further beyond your workout.  As a matter of fact, this effect has been shown to be seen in HIIT versions of cardio  as well.  TurboFire is even based on this effect.  This makes logical sense though.  After you break down the muscle your body needs to repair.  This causes many things to happen with your body in order to do that, thus causing your body to take calories and use them to repair muscle.

How Does This Work?

In 2005 researchers at Shippensburg University in the US published the results of a human study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology. For this they had got eight women, average age 31, to undergo two training sessions. On one occasion the women did weight training [CT]. They did three sets of leg-presses, knee-extensions, leg-curls, biceps-curls, triceps-extensions and bench presses with 65 percent of the weight at which they could just manage one rep. Between each set the women rested for 30 seconds, and after each exercise for two minutes.

On the other occasion the women ran on a treadmill. The researchers increased the intensity slightly every three minutes until the women were running at 85 percent of their maximal heart rate [TM]. The women stopped running when they had burned as many calories as they had done during the strength training session.

During the first hour after each training session the researchers measured how much oxygen [and therefore calories] the women burned.  In the first hour after both training sessions the women’s oxygen expenditure was higher than before the training session. In the first half hour, oxygen expenditure was significantly higher after the CT training than after the TM training.

The respiratory exchange ration [RER], this is the ratio between inhaled and exhaled oxygen, is what is responsible.  The lower the RER, the more calories you burn from fat and the fewer from carbs. So the women derived most of the energy for their EPOC after the strength training session from fat.

The researchers suspect that strength training uses relatively large amounts of energy that does not come directly from combustion processes, and which are therefore not visible if you just measure oxygen use during a training session. Restoration of the unnoticed energy reserves only shows up, in terms of oxygen expenditure, after the training session.

Pretty interesting findings right?  This shows that strength training does have an added benefit, and why most extremely fit people train with weights.  Of course it depends on what your goals are and what look  you are going for.  I do believe that everyone, even endurance runners, could benefit from some sort of weight training.

A program like P90X takes this concept and adds muscle confusion to it so you can continue to make your muscle guess, so you can continue to get stronger and see greater results.  Weight training is an essential part of this.  The pace of P90X also makes this workout burn up to 600-800 calories.  It’s a fast paced workout that will give you all the benefits of weight training with the heart rats of cardio.  This is why it has worked for countless numbers of people, including me!

Should I Add Weight Training?

In my humble opinion, yes you should.  We all know that cardio burns calories and is great for shedding body fat.  But weight training does as well and that’s why you should definitely have BOTH in your routine!  There is a reason why P90X2 doesn’t have a true cardio workout.  P90X2 is the cutting edge of fitness and is going to blow people away.  They have taken this concept and created an amazing program.  But even Tony Horton does cardio as well.  On the flip side, Insanity’s Shaun T (Mr. Crazy Cardio himself) saw the benefits of weight training by adding in a Strength workout into Asylum.  TurboFire has a resistance workout for this reason too!  You have to include a resistance workout into your fitness program to see the greatest results for your efforts.  So, don’t just choose sides.  Have both Weight training and Cardio in your fitness schedule.  You will see great results from the added benefits of both!

Source: Eur J Appl Physiol. 2005 Aug;94(5-6):500-4.
Source: http://www.ergo-log.com/strengthtrainingvscardio.html

Do you agree with these findings?  Let me know Below!  Cardio or Weight Training?

The first time I went down there I was invited by a fellow P90Xer, Nick. Nick introduced me to Tony and the fellas down at the beach. I then provided to get the workout of my life. When I came home I slept for 3 hours. It’s an upper body killer. Since then, I have been a regular down at the beach workout. Driving 40 mins or so just to get a chance to do this workout. It’s a fun day to say the least.

Many of you have been wondering what type of exercises we do at Tony’s Beach workout so I decided to take the camera with me and film some of the moves. I had to leave early this day so I didn’t get to film it all but the video below gives you a pretty good idea of what we do. It consists of 5 rounds of 4 exercises. The exercises rotate from Back to Triceps, to Shoulders, to Chest. Each move is as challenging as the next. We even throw in a mini AB Ripper into the mix as well.

Things do get a little competitive but it’s all in good fun. Some are just there to get some exercise so they modify what they can’t do, the others try for reps, and some are try for perfect form. I am kinda a rep myself, but lately I have been wanting to perfect my form as much as possible. Each of us have our strengths and weaknesses. As you will see from the video my weakness are the Hand Stand Push ups. Those things are a killer. I also currently struggle with Hand stands in general so I am constantly working on those. My favorite moves are mostly the pull up and dip stuff. I love muscle ups and the 3 Pole Climb as well.

Here is the video…I hope you enjoy it!

Looking to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle?  Sign up for ME as your Free Fitness Coach Today!

Please comment below and let me know what you think of Tony Horton’s Beach Workout.

What is Chest X 2.0?

Chest X 2.0 is a routine that I have formulated myself after researching different ways to build a stronger, more defined upper body. I started doing the first version of it after my 2nd round of P90X. It involves a more traditional approach, using the bench press, smith machine, incline bench and cable fly machine that can be found at any gym. I found that as I progressed with my fitness with P90X, I wanted to be able to do a routine that would be a great addition to my typical P90X schedule. I found that hitting my upper body with more of a traditional, heavy weight workout did the trick. This is a great addition to P90Xs push ups and even P90X2s stability push up moves. “It’s about the confusion baby”(Tony Horton).

This routine is for the more advanced.  I recommend it to those who have done their full 90 days of P90X.  It is focused primarily on the chest with some tricep and shoulder work as well.  It hit’s the chest in almost every angle and incorporates drop sets to help with hypertrophy.

This routine can also be modified if you have an adjustable bench and some dumbbells at home.

When do you do it? How does it fit into the schedule?

I do Chest X 2.0 instead of Kenpo in my P90X schedule. The reason is because I didn’t need more cardio in my routine anymore because I am at a low enough body fat % that I am happy with. I also run (2-3 miles) on my Yoga day. I found that adding 1 more resistance routine was a great way to gain some more mass and keep my strength increasing. I typically advise the people I coach to use the kenpo day as “Miscellaneous” day, if you will. That way you can do what ever you want so you can keep things fun, fresh and keep yourself motivated to try new things. For me this is typically Chest X 2.0 because it’s a routine that I enjoy doing.

How Can I Get Chest X 2.0?

1. You Must be an official member of my team, Get Ripped at Home Crew. To sign up for me as your official coach, all you need to do is click the link and fill out the short form. You will sign up for a free TeamBeachBody.com account with me, officially as your coach. CLICK HERE . This way I can keep track of your progress and help you with your results!
2. You need to be a member of my team’s Private Fitness Group on Facebook (HERE). I will only add you if I am your coach so please see step 1. OR if you order something through my site.
- If you have done so, email me asking for the routine. I will check and make sure you ordered product, so please don’t lie.
3. After you have done steps 1 and 2, email me through the contact me tab, and ask for a copy of Chest X 2.0.

What Will I Receive with Chest X 2.0?

Again, this is a routine that I came up with myself. This isn’t a workout dvd. I will send you a word document describing each exercise, how to do it, and what order to do it in. It will also describe how many reps and how many sets for each.

You will also get a workout sheet that you can write down your reps and weight for each exercise. It is very similar to the P90X workout sheets.

That’s pretty much it. If you have any questions please feel free to ask me by commenting on this post or contacting me through the “contact me” tab above. Keep Bringing it!

So what was it all about?

Well, this year they hosted it in Downtown LA, at the LA Live center.  LA Live is a entertainment center that combines Staples Center (Where the Lakers Play), The Nokia Center (where you have seen major award shows), Restaurants, Clubs, and Hotels.  Even though I live in the Greater Los Angeles/Orange County area I had never been there.  It was a great venue.

The event started off with a Bang.  Friday was all about some of the BIG things that Beachbody is developing this year.  New Programs, supplements, new opportunities, etc.  (See more below).  That afternoon we were able to go to a live workout with a Beachbody trainer.  Tony Horton, Shaun T, Chalene Johnson, Debbie Siebers, Brett Hoebel, and Leandro Carvalho were all there ready to take us through their tough workouts.  I went to Tony’s (of course)and my fiance went to Chalene’s.  Tony took the group though a P.A.P. workout from the upcoming P90X2.  I was able to do this workout during rehearsals for P90X2 and this one he took us through at summit was just as difficult.  Great fun.

From there, Kate and I were able to go to the Diamond reception, which was a big party at a local club.  That was a blast.  I was able to see a lot of other coaches that I have become friends with throughout the years, watch Leandro dance his brazilian booty off (he is hilarious btw) and have a great time.  A late night turned into an early morning…

The Super Saturday workout was unbelievable.  Each Trainer got up on stage for 20 mins and lead over 2,000+ people in a over 90 min workout, outside at LA Live.  Local news crews were there to cover it.  I was even privileged to go up on stage with Tony Horton and be one of this demonstrators during the event.  What a thrill that was…Seeing all those people working out together in unison from the stage was an amazing thing to witness.  Check out the video below to see me with Tony at the Super Workout.

After that we went to more conferences.  We got to see Chalene Johnson do a motivational speech (which really got me inspired), got to listen to the creators of Shakeology talk about what they do to make it the best supplement on the market and got some training so I could be a better coach to all of you.  That night was a HUGE dinner reception and ceremony to recognize all those coaches who have done great things this year.  That was followed by a Huge party.  Great times.  I was able to speak with Steve Edwards, and Dr. Marcus Elliott (the P3 guy and P90X2 contributor) for a while.  Talk about two fascinating guys.  Their wealth of knowledge in health and fitness is unbelievable.

The next day we got to see the Sneak Preview of P90X2 (I will post more video this week).  That was the highlight for me because I was told that I was in the trailer.  If you haven’t see it yet then go read my P90X2 Coming this Fall post.  After that the even closed down and we went home…extremely tired but pumped up!

What was the Big News from the event?

1.  P90X2 announced:  I know I have already talked about this a ton of times but this was huge so I had to post it again.  What was first titled P90X:MC2 is now officially P90X2.  It will be able to be pre-ordered in August.  We were also told that if you want to get it by Christmas, you NEED to pre order it.  I’ll make sure that you are the first to know if you follow my blog or have me as your coach.  As you know I am in the Chest/Back + Balance and V-Scuplt videos so I have some inside knowledge ;).  This program will blow your mind.  It is muscle confusion taken to the next level.

2.  New Shakeology Flavor: Yep!  Tropical is the flavor.  I was able to try it several times throughout the summit and liked it more and more as the days went on.  If your looking for something fruity that blends VERY well with berries and fruit, you will love this flavor.  It is still being tested but will be available later this year.

3.  P90X iPhone App: I can’t mention a lot about this yet but I can say that we got to see a sneak preview of that the app looks like, how it is put together, the features it will have and when it will be released.  What I can say is that it looks UNBELIEVABLE.  I was SUPER excited to see it.  It looks like the more versatile fitness app that will be on the market.  It will definitely be a must have if you do P90X.  It is only for the iPhone for now.  You should be able to track many things and have it help you with every aspect of P90X.  More to follow when they allow us to talk more about it.  Look for it to be released toward the end of Summer.

4.  Free Coaching Sign Ups for Military: Beachbody wants to say “thank you” to the people who serve our country so they are allowing active military or their spouses to sign up to be coaches for FREE.  No sign up fee and no monthly dues.  How awesome is that?  If you are active military, sign up!  Get on this opportunity if yo have developed a passion for these products and programs.  Feel free to contact me for details.

5.  New Programs!:  There are a TON of new programs in development right now.  These are the ones due out in early 2012.  A Tai Chi program based on the martial art and developed by Dr. Mark Chang.  New TurboFire workouts and new RevAbs workouts are also coming in the near future.  There is also a 21 day Detox program being developed.

6.  New Team Beachbody Facelift: Beachbody is going to keep making teambeachbody.com a great place to go for your health/fitness needs.  Some of the recent changes are the Fit Club Finder, where you can go and find a local fit club in your area, the Beachbody Challenge, where you can submit your success story/transformation and win a cash prize of $100,000!  WOWY has also gotten an upgrade…go log your workouts and win prizes daily!  New Members gallery and well as new Workout Groups you can join.

7.  Next years’ Coach Summit will be in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM: If you’re not a coach yet and have been thinking about it, I would join just for this reason!  I, along with somewhere around 10,000 other coaches will be attending this event.  I have already signed up!  It will be a blast.

8.  Coaching in Canada/Mexico: If your outside the US and ready to be a coach then keep holding on because it’s coming!  No news as to exactly when yet but it is definitely going to happen.

There are more things that will be released that I can’t talk too much about yet, but once I’m given the OK, you will be the first to know! If you’re not a Team Beachbody member yet, make sure you sign up (it’s free), getting me as your coach! Click here to make me your coach.

What do you think about all this News?  Did you go the Summit?  Do you want to go Next Year?

Recovery

-Ryan C.

One of the most overlooked and in fact the most important concept relating to muscle building and fitness is recovery. I decided to write about this topic as each day I hear more and more about people skipping Yoga and rest days in exchange for an additional cardio blast.  Sure this may seem beneficial at the time; however it can actually be a step backwards away from your fitness goals of achieving that lean, mean and strong body you’ve always wanted.  Our muscles grow in response to our accomplishments in the gym; however, this does not mean they grow in the gym.

When you work out, you are signaling to your body to begin to start muscle building. But the actual growth of your muscles takes place when you are finished with your workout, while you’re eating, resting, and going about your day. Super intense workouts such as P90x place a large amount of stress on your body and without proper recovery and nutrients your body will be physically unable to build muscle working so hard to build.

It’s as simple as this: when it comes to building new lean muscle, recovery is EVERYTHING. In fact, the real gains are made while you’re lying on the couch, messing around on facebook, or eating a nice healthy P90x friendly lunch or dinner.  Overtraining is one of the biggest issues P90xer’s typically experience, myself included. Just remember, more isn’t always better!

Along with rest comes the other crucial component of recovery, nutrition. It is absolutely crucial that you feed your body with the proper nutrients needed to facilitate growth and recovery. Nutrition is probably the most overlooked aspect of the P90x program and this is the area where most people fail miserably. They press play and train their asses off, pay little or no attention to when and what they eat, and then cannot understand why they aren’t getting the results they are looking for.

You must realize that training and nutrition go hand in hand. In fact, I believe that nutrition is much more important to not only ensuring proper recovery, but also achieving those KILLER results you’re busting your ass to achieve. When you train, you train to trigger muscle growth. However, the only way to achieve muscle growth is to ensure proper recovery from your workouts by eating the right foods at the right times.  During a super intense workout like chest and back, you place the body under extreme amounts of stress, and in order to ensure growth and repair of the muscle fibers, you must fully recover between your workouts.  This means providing your body with adequate amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and water, and all at the proper times. Do not compromise your results by ignoring the importance of proper nutrition and rest. In fact, try training without eating properly and see just how far you get. You may actually get negative results, as you’ll create a deeper and deeper nutrient deficiency within your body.

Don’t be afraid to lounge around on the couch instead of throwing in doubles, it will actually help you achieve your goals and help reduce the chances of overtraining and getting injured. You have to remember that this program may be designed for 90 days, however, your body is going to be around a lot longer than that so take care of it! Do yourself a favor, rest up and EAT!

Have questions?  Feel Free to Comment Below Or Contact Me!

Steve Edwards sums it up nicely with this tip.  He is a nutritionist and has been involved in the development of P90X and other Beachbody products and is a well of health/fitness knowledge.  Here is what he had to say regarding working out while being sick:

“There are no hard and true rules on this but, basically, if your working out is prolonging your illness than you’re better off not doing it.

It’s said that low-level exercise during a cold is fine. I would agree to a point but the variables are huge. You need to learn what your body can handle and is capable of. Exercise can also weaken an already weakened immune system and cause you to get sicker.

As for me, some colds I exercise right through and others I completely stop. It sort of depends on what it is. Here is a protocol that works for me (usually, sometimes I screw up and make things worse).

In the initial stages when I feel like I’m coming down with something I back WAY off. When others around me are sick I try and keep a close eye on my body and how it’s reacting. Often, when you are fighting something your adrenaline goes up and you can use this to fight off an infection or get a great workout. Sometimes I don’t notice the signals, get the best workout I’ve had in ages, then wake up the next day sick. If I can read the signals and I back way off, including getting extra rest and proper nutrition (pass on drinking with buddies, etc), add extra zinc and vitamin c, I can often miss the cold entirely. Then my few days backing off allow me to get back to normal without really missing anything (as a day or two of easy training almost never hurts you).

If I blow it and get sick, then I really baby myself in the initial stages. This is when you really need your immune system. Sometimes I’ll go easy but if I feel rundown at all, I just skip my workout in favor of extra sleep or downtime.

After the initial session with the illness, when I’m certain it’s not getting worse, I’ll start exercising again. Not hard, but something. This is enough not to lose much fitness for some time.

Near the end, I usually feel a point where it’s time to hammer the cold into submission. Often, a really hard workout will wipe away the final remnants of the illness. But occasionally, I get this wrong, in which case I may relapse a bit. But I usually get it right.

Another thing that’s a gauge is your morning resting heart rate. Over the course of an exercise program, this should remain constant of go down. If it goes up more than a few beats per minute than something is going on. You are over training or getting sick, and in either case you need to back off until it drops back down.

Sorry it’s not a definitive answer but I don’t think there is one. Hope this helps.”