The Case Against P90x

Several friends have asked me why I don't just do P90x if I'm on this perfectly time-allocated three month project. Before I start, don't get me wrong about this program. I'm not saying it doesn't work. The fact of the matter is I know many people that have tried it and gotten great results from just a few weeks. But there's a few reasons why I don't personally jump on the deceivingly convenient P90x bandwagon.

1. Too focused on the exercises instead of the diet.

Diet is 80% of the equation. I dislike how P90x focuses the majority of the attention on their workouts and videos. All you get with their program is a little handbook on diet while there's this massive collection of exercise DVDs.

2. Sold as a quick and easy patch for people who are out of shape. Except it's...

3. Not that quick and easy.

I have yet to meet someone who has actually gone through the entire program. I know people that have gotten great results maybe halfway or even 75% of the way, but never someone who has gone through it all. I personally couldn't get through more than a week of it, mostly because I hated being cooped up at home in front of a TV to work out, but I digress. Exercise and diet regimens should be easy to follow and stick to and be adaptable to an overall lifestyle.

4. I've posted this quote previously, but I'll post it again: "As to methods, there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

A main reason for why I started this blog, aside from keeping track of my workouts and diet, was to discover, present and share knowledge about fitness and fat loss. I believe the crux behind healthy fat loss is composed of just a few fundamental principles. If you understand and implement these principles, you can create a program suitable to your own liking instead of following a rigid one you might not stick to. Ultimately, it's important to understand why you're doing certain exercises and eating certain things as well as how your body responds to these stimuli. When you follow a cookie cutter program, you may miss out on a lot of this knowledge.

With that said, we are almost to the end of week 3! A brief synopsis of my workouts to this date:

Tuesday I played a few hours of badminton. I decided I needed to up my carb intake for the day due to the intensity and length of exercise. I noticed that my calorie deficit has been too high the past two weeks and I'm looking for a method or at least a basic archetype for determining more exactly a ballpark calorie range per day depending on my level of physical activity. The point is to not trigger the hormones that slow metabolism (i.e.: when you're starving and your body starts to conserve fat)

Wednesday: Back and shoulders with some compound exercises. Overall, maintaining progress. I'll save the progress pics when more drastic changes are apparent. Taking pictures of myself every week feels pointless and narcissistic.