In November 2011, The American Council on Exercise (ACE) published the results of a P90X home exercise program STUDY. P90x is a 90-day, bootcamp-style program that uses interval-training style workouts. The study established that the series has the edge on most fitness programs and excels in the improvement of cardiorespiratory fitness. Cardiorespiratory fitness refers to the function of the circulatory and respiratory systems to supply oxygen to skeletal muscles during sustained exercise. Regular exercise improves the system by enlarging the heart muscle which supplies more blood to working muscles. Cardiorespiratory fitness is also referred to as aerobic fitness.
Trainer Tony Horton, the creator of P90X, made a name for himself as a Hollywood trainer for actors such as Sean Connery, Sheryl Crowe and Ewan McGregor. The core value of the P90X program is muscle confusion. The idea is to change daily workouts so the body does not have time to adapt; this means the body burns more fat and builds more muscle faster than the average workout.
For this exclusive study, the American Council on Exercise enlisted a research team from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. Led by John Porcari, Ph.D., and Joel Woldt, M.S., the researchers from the University’s Exercise and Health Program recruited 16 healthy subjects, ages 19 to 26, all of whom exercised regularly and had experience either with P90X or similar circuit-style weight-training and aerobic workouts.
Program Highlight
"Plyometrics" workout proved to be the biggest calorie burner, while the "Chest, Shoulders & Triceps" routine burned the fewest number of calories.
The study concluded that P90X does work; however, users should include a healthy diet. Unless a person loses the fat on top of muscle - the new, lean muscle will not be visible.
“There’s no doubt that if people want to get into shape, the best way to do it is with high-intensity, interval-training like you’re seeing here with P90X,” says Dr. Porcari. “The muscle confusion—that’s one of the biggest draws because you don’t get bored, you’re doing a lot of different workouts in a different sequence and your body never gets a chance to plateau.
Porcari’s fellow researcher, Joel Woldt, M.S., agrees. “If you do P90X, at least the four workouts I’ve tested, and if you do it to the best of your ability,” he says, “there’s no way you’re not going to get results.”
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