P90X

P90X is 90-day total body fitness program designed to take people from fit to super-fit. The program takes 12 intense individual workouts and combines them in such a way as to create muscle confusion.

The concept of muscle confusion, or more precisely muscle adaptation (a.k.a. muscle memory), has been well know for decades. Muscle confusion is created by varying the movements after a period of time has passed so that just when the muscles are getting used to the exercise you switch it up. While this very simple concept is one of the major selling points for the P90X program, it isn't why I think this the best program I've seen out on the market.

P90X is packed with a lot of great material (12 DVDs), tons of variation on exercises, and includes some hidden gems like plyometric movements, negative repetitions, sectional training (working opposite muscle groups), tremendous range of motion and flexibility. As far as home exercise programs go, P90X makes all other programs look amatuer. The production value of the program alone is worth it, and you have several options at your fingertips in the event you don't like the music or don't want to here the instructions and commentary.

When Beach Body set out to create a series of videos to improve upon Tony Horton's Power 90 program in a way to tap into the extreme fitness market, I don't think they fully realized just how good this program was going to be. To their credit, while they could have cut corners on the production, they didn't. The result is simply beautiful - both in terms of quality and effectiveness.

Tony Horton and the Beach Body team set out to produce a masterpiece of workout systems. They assembled their usual test groups, along with the "ringers" you'll find in nearly every fitness video. Just about everyone involved on the project participated, even the CEO and President of the company. The results were simply incredible. Everyone showed remarkable improvement in their physical appearance. The best results were from those who religiously followed the eating program. We're not just talking about cheesy before and after pictures you see on TV which show modest weight loss. We're talking about folks going from normal to super-cut with eight packs (not just six packs).

Another key point about the program is that it is very flexible. P90X comes with three program options: P90X Lean, P90X Classic, and P90X Doubles. It is expected and strongly encouraged that participants create their own variations based on their own individual fitness needs. In the Fall of 2007 the P90X Master Series will come out to introduce more variations and some advanced workouts that improve upon those in the original series.

The other key thing about P90X is the community of folks behind the product. This is where Beach Body separates themselves from the competition. The Million Dollar Body Community provides the support and motivation necessary to keep you on track to meet your long term goal of changing your lifestyle. There are no quick fixes to a healthy lifestyle, and the folks within the community can really make a difference. Add to that Beach Body has created a work out tool that makes planning your activities easier - even rewarding people each day with anywhere from $300-$1000 or a DVD Camcorder, iPod or other gadgets. How cool is that?

The price of the program is pretty steep compared to most others, but no other program offers you even one half of what P90X delivers. It is simply the best and worth every penny.

Goals

It's been an extremely long time since I set this blog up, so it's time to knock off the dust and get typing.

I suppose the first thing to do is to set up some goals - things I want to accomplish over the next year.

Goal 1: Improve physical conditioning to reach a weight of 160 lbs with 10-14 percent body fat. I will use P90X to accomplish this goal. P90X is an intense 90-day workout program that can be done with minimal equipment for a little over an hour each day. The program is based on good old-fashioned hard work: eating clean and exercising with intensity. With a current weight of 218 lbs and around 34% body fat, I will attempt to lose at least 58 lbs of body fat. Actual body fat may be greater since I also intend to build muscle during the same period of time. I will workout in the morning for 6 days a week. With maximum fat loss of 3-4 lbs per week and the average rate of 1-2 lbs per week, this goal is reasonable.

Goal 2: Write my first novel. I've been throwing this around for at least ten years now with several story ideas, research, initial outlines, etc. I need to take my best idea and go with it. As a goal, I will write during lunch hour every day at a minimum. Even at a page or two per day, this is sufficient time to write a complete novel. Now getting published is another story.

Goal 3: Develop the Cook Book. This goal relates to the two previous goals. The idea here is to develop a resouce for a healthy lifestyle while working on writing skills. I can't get into the details here since this is public domain, but it will be really, really cool once it's finished. I'll work this on my free time. A lot will be based on notes I take and a lot of experimentation.

Goal 4: Spend quality time with the family. My daughters are at the age where my involvement makes the most amount of difference. Now is the time to step it up and give them what they need to make the most out of their lives.

Goal 5: Help other people. A lot of folks don't have a lot going for them or they just need a push in the right direction. Of all of the goals this may either be the hardest or easiest to accomplish.

Next year is my 40th birthday, so I'd like to have a sense that I've accomplished something during my first 40 years. It seems like I've been doing a lot of planning and preparation for things to happen latter on in life. I suppose now is the time to kick it into gear and finish something.

Launch of Ravenglass

I have named this blog Ravenglass after my ancestral home because the other really cool titles were already taken. The purpose of this blog is to record commentaries on a variety of interests, and to practice writing. Updates will come when I have the inspiration and time to write.