Answer: Interval Training / Sprinting

Interval Training is a type of physical training that involves burst of high intensity activity followed by low intensity activity. An example of this type of training could be running on a treadmill at a slow pace for three minutes and then increasing your pace for one minute…followed by decreasing it for another three minutes, then increasing it again for one minute. Another example would be sprinting. You could sprint 50 yards, jog or walk back to your starting point and sprint another 50 yards.

Interval training is considered one of the most effective methods of reducing fat. This type of training not only burns more calories than low intensity training but it also can be done in a shorter amount of time. It also stimulates your metabolism well after the workout is complete. Running has always been considered a great exercise to help shed unwanted fat. One drawback with running is your metabolism only speeds up during and maybe a short period after your run is complete. Interval Training / Sprinting on the other hand will boost your metabolism for hours and hours after your workout is complete, turning your body into a fat burning machine throughout the day!

The below plan is just one example of interval training, you should be able to use this technique with any fitness activity. (more…)

Seeing that P90X is marketed as a “get ripped in 90 days” program, it should be no surprise that there is a decent amount of cardio involved. To start, I eliminated a cardio workout and replaced it with an additional resistance training routine. I believe tweaking this program a bit will make P90X MASS just as effective with building muscle as the classic P90X version is with getting you ripped!

If you haven’t already read “P90X MASS – Building Muscle with P90X (Part 1)”, click here to do so…

I will assume you read P90X MASS part 1 and understand the basic components of building muscle mass with P90X. I wanted to create a P90X MASS (Part 2) document to dive deeper into the actual workout routines. It would have been very easy to customize a P90X MASS program if everybody had access to free weights and/or a gym. I realize most people doing P90X do not have this type of equipment and/or gym access so I wanted to customize a routine that requires the same equipment as the standard P90X version…one additional accessory that could be used is a weighted exercise vest.

P90X MASS will be working some muscle groups twice a week so it’s very important to consume some sort of post workout recovery drink immediately following each workout. I take the P90X Recovery Drink and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for one, click here for more info…

Day 1 – Heavy Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps (6-8 Reps)  / Ab Ripper X
This workout is considered a heavy day so focus on 6-8 reps. Conduct all push-ups with a 3-4 count. Lower your body slowly (count to 3-4) and raise it back up with a 2-3 count. A weighted vest could be worn throughout this whole workout, it will add heavier resistance to both the chest and tricep exercises. If you find yourself doing a lot more than 8 reps on some of the tricep and chest exercises that do not require weights, slow down the motion a bit by increasing the count.

Day 2 – Heavy Back & Bi’s (6-8 Reps) 
This workout is considered a heavy day so focus on 6-8 reps and the weighted exercise vest is optional on the pull-ups. Make sure you use a weight heavy enough that you fail on reps 6-8. If you use a weight that you can only muscle up 4 reps, take a break and do 2-3 more.

Day 3 – Your Choice (Yoga-X, Kenpo-X, Jogging, Biking, Etc…) / Ab Ripper X
I think it’s very important to incorporate your favorite fitness activity into this program. Whether it’s walking, jogging, swimming, and/or biking, do what you prefer. The goal is to have you look forward to this day. Treat this day as a cardio and/or rest day, do not lift weights. If you are happy with your body fat percentage, consider doing yoga-x or even taking the day off. Too much cardio hinders muscle growth, especially if you do not have much fat on your body.

Day 4 – Heavy Legs (6-8 Reps)
This workout is considered a heavy day so focus on 6-8 reps and wear a weighted vest if you have one. Follow the “Legs & Back” video and just cut out the back exercises. Use dumbbells for added weight during the leg exercises Tony gives the option on. Using this much weight will require longer breaks in between sets so cutting out the back exercises is a must.

Day 5 – Light Shoulders & Arms (12-15 Reps) / Ab Ripper X
This workout is considered a light day so focus on 12-18 reps. The goal is to shock the body by doing the complete opposite of the heavy days. Make sure you use a weight that you can at least do 12 reps with.

Day 6 – Plyometrics
Weighted exercise vest is optional.

Day 7 – Rest Day or X-Stretch (more…)

Let’s face it, anyone that has participated in the P90X exercise program knows that it was designed to help you build lean muscle and shed unwanted pounds and fat. Some of the P90X before and after pictures you see on the internet are simply amazing, they just confirm that this program is no joke and one can easily achieve their fitness goals by following it.

P90X is so effective in getting you ripped that it’s very difficult to build muscle mass when following the program to a tee. It’s great for those that want to drastically tone up but how about those that are happy with their body fat percentage and want to gain muscle? Below are just some of the key components that are absolutely required when your goal is to build muscle mass via P90X… (more…)

I am pretty sure I am going to focus on building muscle mass during my next round of P90X (March 1^st, 2010). Without a doubt, I am going to do another round…just waiting to see how my day 90 pics look prior to setting my new goal. In a perfect P90X world, I will drop another 5-10 pounds of fat in the next 31 days. If I can accomplish that, there would be no question about doing another round of P90X but with a focus on building muscle. If my body fat stays the same (which I don’t anticipate), I would have to determine if I want to do another round of classic P90X to shed that extra fat or continue on to a customized P90X MASS routine. I weigh about 202lbs right now so my goal is to drop down to 190-195lbs (by losing fat, not muscle) by the end of 90 days. I would then like to add another 5-10lbs of muscle to bring me back up to 200 or so pounds. It’s a lot easier to accomplish this by focusing on losing fat first, then shifting your focus on gaining muscle mass. Knowing it would be very difficult to gain 5-10lbs of muscle  following the P90X program to a tee again, I have been researching and working on a customized P90X plan that focuses on building muscle.

For those that are confused by this, stay tuned for my version of P90X MASS as I will explain the key components of building muscle mass with P90X…