DVD programs like Insanity and P90X (1 Viewer)

[StandUpChuck]

These things really bug me, and I'm not exactly sure why. :thinking I am thinking that they are just too extreme. Do people really keep up with that kind of intensity when the 90 days are up? Is working your body that* hard good for your heart? Is it really all that wise to keep pushing your body when it's screaming for a brief rest?

I have this feeling that sooner than later, there's going to be a lawsuit because someone listened to the prerecorded trainer telling them to keep pushing, and they had ended up having a heart attack.

*I work hard, but I know when to back off a bit.

 

[bicycleman]

These things really bug me, and I'm not exactly sure why. :thinking I am thinking that they are just too extreme. Do people really keep up with that kind of intensity when the 90 days are up? Is working your body that* hard good for your heart? Is it really all that wise to keep pushing your body when it's screaming for a brief rest?

I have this feeling that sooner than later, there's going to be a lawsuit because someone listened to the prerecorded trainer telling them to keep pushing, and they had ended up having a heart attack.

*I work hard, but I know when to back off a bit.

Before I took up cycling, I was a distance runner, who competed in events. I wasn't the fastest runner, but I ran just for personal bests and every now and then placed in my age group. Well, I had this idea that in order to do well, you had to train hard. I was running 10 to 15 miles a day and pushing to the limit, except for Fridays and Wednesdays. On Friday, I didn't run, and on Wednesdays, I did intervals for speed, some times on the local high school track and other times on a long overpass hill for hill repeats. I was actually turning in some personal best times in training, but by the time race day came around on Saturday, I was running slower times. I soon realized that I was overtraining to the point I was too tired to race on Saturday when my times really counted. I have never viewed these videos in question, but it is possible to over-train. These people doing this type of training will soon get burned out very quickly, and probably quit training.

On the bicycle race team, the captain had us meet on Tuesday nights for an anything goes, drop your team mate informal race. We started out and rode easy for the first 15 miles, with sprints between mailboxes every now and then. After taking the first 15 mile loop, it was balls to the wall, and if you got dropped, too bad. I got dropped quite a few times, but got well conditioned, chasing down the pack. This kind of training, only occurred one day a week. Now, I went off on my own, found a quiet little traveled road, and did my own brand of speed intervals just like I did when I ran. The other days of the week, if I didn't race, I did long distance rides averaging 17 to 19 mph. I enjoyed this type of training because I wasn't knocking myself out, every day. Any type of intense training done day after day will eventually wear down the body and the mind.

 

[StandUpChuck]

I do believe the burnout factor is high with these programs.

I'm glad you've found a program and schedule that works for you.

 

[bicycleman]

I do believe the burnout factor is high with these programs.

I'm glad you've found a program and schedule that works for you.

Don't know what part of the country you reside, but where I live, we are experiencing heat in the triple digits. Though, I am fairly acclimated to training in the heat, I still drop my mileage and ride according to my limits. I carry a 70 liter Camelback and an extra water bottle with a thermos insert that stays pretty cool for at least an hour or so, if I load it up with ice to start. There have been a few heat-related fatalities by rather young riders, You don't have to be a hero. You're out there for yourself, not the world so you don't have to prove anything to anyone.

 

[StandUpChuck]

Don't know what part of the country you reside, but where I live, we are experiencing heat in the triple digits. Though, I am fairly acclimated to training in the heat, I still drop my mileage and ride according to my limits. I carry a 70 liter Camelback and an extra water bottle with a thermos insert that stays pretty cool for at least an hour or so, if I load it up with ice to start. There have been a few heat-related fatalities by rather young riders, You don't have to be a hero. You're out there for yourself, not the world so you don't have to prove anything to anyone.

I feel for you in this heat. :sigh: You're smart to cut back right now. We just went thru a gnarly heat wave in New England. I had to tailor my workouts for the beach.

Stay as cool as possible.

 

[Aunt Spiker]

Everyone should know their limits and use common sense. . . especially when it comes to heat endurance. You have to be use to it to handle it - and that acclamation doesn't happen over night. It took me 2 years of crap AC to get use to the heat - just in time for the AC to die. LOL

But I do 2 (or one if I'm lazy) session of Hiit training each week - just to vary my routine. I do best when I don't do the same thing over and over. But doing it so infrequently prevents it from being too much . . . I'm sure some people do it far more often and I don't see how that's possible to continue - and maintain your interest and focus - body form will suffer and, like you mentioned, injuries happen that way.

 

[rivrrat]

I did P90X for 90 days and when I finished it, I bought Insanity. I'm now going to do BOTH. I plan on doing Insanity for my evening workout and adding in P90X for a morning workout. I've not previously done morning workouts, so that'll be new for me. And, I'm only going to do the P90X weight lifting stuff - not the cardio, since Insanity will give me all the cardio I need and then some. :lol:

Both P90X and Insanity tell you time and again to STOP when you need to. Over and over and over you are told to rest when you need to rest. So, I think they got their butts covered there. Plus, they highly recommend that you use a heart monitor while doing the workouts and make sure you're not in the "danger zone".

 

[Josie]

These things really bug me, and I'm not exactly sure why. :thinking I am thinking that they are just too extreme. Do people really keep up with that kind of intensity when the 90 days are up? Is working your body that* hard good for your heart? Is it really all that wise to keep pushing your body when it's screaming for a brief rest?

I have this feeling that sooner than later, there's going to be a lawsuit because someone listened to the prerecorded trainer telling them to keep pushing, and they had ended up having a heart attack.

*I work hard, but I know when to back off a bit.

I've always wondered that with The Biggest Loser.

 

[bicycleman]

I did P90X for 90 days and when I finished it, I bought Insanity. I'm now going to do BOTH. I plan on doing Insanity for my evening workout and adding in P90X for a morning workout. I've not previously done morning workouts, so that'll be new for me. And, I'm only going to do the P90X weight lifting stuff - not the cardio, since Insanity will give me all the cardio I need and then some. :lol:

Both P90X and Insanity tell you time and again to STOP when you need to. Over and over and over you are told to rest when you need to rest. So, I think they got their butts covered there. Plus, they highly recommend that you use a heart monitor while doing the workouts and make sure you're not in the "danger zone".

I used to ride with a heart monitor. For years I never used one, then other riders kept telling me I should use one because even though I might feel tired, my heart rate probably wasn't at its max, and I could ride even harder, and the heart monitor would tell me when I wasn't riding hard enough. They were all wrong. I managed to get my heart rate up to 194 beats per minute for its max, and that was when I was sprinting to stay up with the faster riders. I would soon be dropped because at that rate I was at my max and had nothing left. I discovered that there is a direct relationship with the amount of fatigue I am experiencing and the high bpm (beats per minute) on the heart monitor. If I was really tired, the monitor said I was tired at 175 to 185 bpm. I never wanted to get it up to 194 because that was the limit, and you didn't want to run your heart up to the limit. I finally stopped using the monitor when the transmitter (the part that attaches to your chest) battery finally died.

 

[bicycleman]

I feel for you in this heat. :sigh: You're smart to cut back right now. We just went thru a gnarly heat wave in New England. I had to tailor my workouts for the beach.

Stay as cool as possible.

I've done some pretty extensive trail hiking up in Baster State Park around Milliknockett, Maine. I have done quite a few of the trails up there and done more hiking in the White Mountains of New Hamshire. I honeymooned up there as well as Quebec and New Brunswick. I told my bride to be that she had to train for the honeymoon so she ran a mile a day for 3 months just to get ready for our honeymoon.:lol:

 

[Goof Noodle]

What bugs me about DVD programs is that I can't understand why anyone would want to be in front of a TV while working out.

 

[bicycleman]

What bugs me about DVD programs is that I can't understand why anyone would want to be in front of a TV while working out.

Yeah, you get to sweat on the living room carpet and earn the wrath of your wife. What a drag.

 

[rivrrat]

What bugs me about DVD programs is that I can't understand why anyone would want to be in front of a TV while working out.

Why not? :?

 

[Arcana XV]

Why not? :?

Exactly. I'd rather sweat in the privacy of my own exercise room, than to go to some gym and have to be around other smelly people. :lol:

I've been exercising at home in front of a TV for years and I'm in way better shape than I was when I used to drag my reluctant ass to the gym.

 

[rivrrat]

Exactly. I'd rather sweat in the privacy of my own exercise room, than to go to some gym and have to be around other smelly people. :lol:

I've been exercising at home in front of a TV for years and I'm in way better shape than I was when I used to drag my reluctant ass to the gym.

Yup. In my home I can pause the DVD, run to the bathroom, get some water, take a breather, etc. I can also crank the AC to subzero temps. LOL And, I can put on whatever music I want and crank it as loud as I want. AND, when I'm done and the sweat is just dripping off of me, I can walk upstairs (or crawl, as it is occasionally) and step into my OWN shower and cool off.

 

[Kushinator]

I do believe the burnout factor is high with these programs.

I'm glad you've found a program and schedule that works for you.

Overtraining is very common in programs designed to lose weight. If you are getting proper nutrition and sleep (an excess of 6,000 kcals/day), you are far less likely to burn out with a 40 hr a week fitness schedule. That being said, the major culprit with overtraining is the objective.

 

[rivrrat]

I used to ride with a heart monitor. For years I never used one, then other riders kept telling me I should use one because even though I might feel tired, my heart rate probably wasn't at its max, and I could ride even harder, and the heart monitor would tell me when I wasn't riding hard enough. They were all wrong. I managed to get my heart rate up to 194 beats per minute for its max, and that was when I was sprinting to stay up with the faster riders. I would soon be dropped because at that rate I was at my max and had nothing left. I discovered that there is a direct relationship with the amount of fatigue I am experiencing and the high bpm (beats per minute) on the heart monitor. If I was really tired, the monitor said I was tired at 175 to 185 bpm. I never wanted to get it up to 194 because that was the limit, and you didn't want to run your heart up to the limit. I finally stopped using the monitor when the transmitter (the part that attaches to your chest) battery finally died.

I check my heart rate, but only to see if I'm in "the zone". I maintain between 160 - 170 bpm, and for me that's my "zone". It would be easier with a heart monitor though, because then I wouldn't have to stop and check it.

But with what you were doing, it seems like it would have been a waste of money.

 

[bicycleman]

Exactly. I'd rather sweat in the privacy of my own exercise room, than to go to some gym and have to be around other smelly people. :lol:

I've been exercising at home in front of a TV for years and I'm in way better shape than I was when I used to drag my reluctant ass to the gym.

But it's all about camaraderie and sharing the pain.

 

[bicycleman]

I check my heart rate, but only to see if I'm in "the zone". I maintain between 160 - 170 bpm, and for me that's my "zone". It would be easier with a heart monitor though, because then I wouldn't have to stop and check it.

But with what you were doing, it seems like it would have been a waste of money.

Well, it was a learning process only to discover that my body tells me when I'm tired, not some electronic device. The only advantage was that I obtained an education on how the devices work, being a gadget freak like I am.

 

[rivrrat]

But it's all about camaraderie and sharing the pain.

I don't want to share my pain. I want it all for myself.

 

[bicycleman]

Overtraining is very common in programs designed to lose weight. If you are getting proper nutrition and sleep (an excess of 6,000 kcals/day), you are far less likely to burn out with a 40 hr a week fitness schedule. That being said, the major culprit with overtraining is the objective.

There's validity in your statement, but that's provided you carbo load every night. I carbo loaded the night before a race or any long distance event. If it's like the Assault on Mt. Mitchell, one of the 10 most grueling bicycle rides in the United States, then you carbo load every night, but even then you get burned out. Now, if you're in your 20's, you can continue to do these grueling routines.

 

[rivrrat]

There's validity in your statement, but that's provided you carbol oad every night. I carbol oaded the night before a race or any long distance event. If it's like the Assault on Mt. Mitchell, one of the 10 most grueling bicycle rides in the United States, then you carbo load every night, but even then you get burned out. Now, if you're in your 20's, you can continue to do these grueling routines.

A friend of mine just did that ride. Mt. Mitchell

 

[bicycleman]

A friend of mine just did that ride. Mt. Mitchell

I last did it in 2004, but every time I'd do it, it would be raining. I got sick of it. The next year, I couldn't do it so I got dropped from the database. To get back on, I would have to do the 75 mile ride up to Marion. I hate to drive all the way up there just to do 75 miles. Then again, they moved the ride to Monday, which cramped my style. One year after Hurricane Isabel hit Va. and devastated the Blue Ridge Parkway, they moved the ride and increased the mileage to 110, so they thought, but when the riders came in, some said they had ridden 125 to 130 miles, depending on the calibration of their speed computers. That was the year I couldn't do it, and I'm glad after the horror stories told. It's a hard enough ride as it is, without making it harder by increasing the mileage. Another tough one is the Bridge to Bridge, a climb up North Carolina's Grandfather Mountain. The last climb is steeper than Mt. Mitchell. It's stand all the way up.

 

[StandUpChuck]

I've done some pretty extensive trail hiking up in Baster State Park around Milliknockett, Maine. I have done quite a few of the trails up there and done more hiking in the White Mountains of New Hamshire. I honeymooned up there as well as Quebec and New Brunswick. I told my bride to be that she had to train for the honeymoon so she ran a mile a day for 3 months just to get ready for our honeymoon.:lol:

The misspellings are endearing. Did you like Baxter? I suspect you've hit the AT before.

What bugs me about DVD programs is that I can't understand why anyone would want to be in front of a TV while working out.

As long as people are taking care of themselves, to each his own. I work out at home for several reasons.

1) I have a child, and I'm not schlepping him to a gym day care 5-6 times a week.
2) I can workout whenever I feel like it.
3) I can be super comfortable in a jog bra and my husband's boxer shorts, and no one will look at me.
4) I am not wasting time driving to a gym and back.
5) I don't need to look at sweaty, naked people in a locker room.
6) I'm not picking up a foot or toenail fungus in the shower.
7) When I want to try something different, it doesn't matter how goofy I look while I'm learning.
8) No gym fees.
9) I have a beautiful view from the room in which I work out.
10) We have an unfinished room over the garage that my husband wanted to finish into a family room. We already have enough of those, so at some point, he's going to have that finished into a work out room for me. I cannot wait.

 

[bicycleman]

I know that's Baxter State Park, but for some reason, I couldn't type. Sorry about that. I have done portions of the AT, quite a bit of it in Maine, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire but not all of it, together. I used to be a member of a hiking club, but I quit hiking for marathon running, and then switched to marathon cycling.

When I retire, I might just go back into trail hiking. I will have more time since my job interrupts my training schedule with the travel I must do. I never take a bike when I travel for my job because any riding would have to be done early in the morning on unfamiliar, dark roads. Therefore, I switch to running around the hotel complex or if it's a high-rise, I do stair repeats at full throttle. I also carry my cable set for upper body strength, do lots of pushups and situps. The hotel fitness centers aren't much, just stair climbers, a treadmill and those crummy recumbent stationary bikes. I'd rather run than waste my time on a recumbent bike. I feel lucky if the hotel has a Lifecycle, but oh, is that ever boring sitting on a stationary bike.