Cardio X-tremely BAD workout

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pixie9

Cathlete
Sorry, but my sister and I just completed this workout (P90X Cardio X) and it was truely the WORST workout I have ever seen!!! People, are you with me???
Ok, WHY on EARTH would you need a 15+ minute warmup for ANY workout?? And WHY do we start out jogging in place and then go to static stretching(a BIG NO NO by the way) and then to light yoga?? I know it was designed for the weight trainer in mind, but it was just so poorly constructed!!

Barely any form instruction, and the exercises...oh the exercises. It started out ok(after the thousand minute warm up), with some KB combos but.. WACKY JACKS???? WTF?? Actually the WK's got our HR up the most because of all the laughter. Or the squat run/boogie down thing?? I understand the kicking stuff but they were WAY WAY too slow and too much hip flexor stuff (straight leg kicks over the stool and the frantic 'steam boats')?? Because I teach exercise classes, I know what it takes to design a workout and this seemed like a 5-10 minute prep workout. I won't go into how much he reminded me of Michael Scott from the Office, but the workout was poorly constructed and quite frankly boring and downright silly. I was actually waiting for the 'silly walk' exercise to pop up somewhere.

Oh, the cool down. WHAT was up with that?? Why do we get up (from some previous exercise on the ground) with a low HR and then cool down by jogging in place and getting our HR up again?? Am I missing something? I feel like we could have gotten a better workout just marching IN PLACE!!! I mean no offense to anyone. I can go along with the concept of the whole thing, I just wish this workout was better. I'm a little afraid of trying another cardio from him. Ok, rant over...let the flames begin!!!}( }(

Carolyn
 
Carolyn.... LOL No flames at all! Just to each his own... I am in P90x phase 3 in 3 days and have total respect for the program as a whole. I may not understand all of it but my body completely understands & responds to all of it.... I may not be in love with the cardio (BTW CardioX is the easiest of them per manual) but my body isnt losing muscle and my BF% is down over 6% so who am I to complain? :7
 
Well, I just love P90X, but I can not say I ever did CardioX. I did the classic rotation and my understanding CardioX is a compilation DVD(may be wrong here) but was meant as an easier alternative to PlyoX if needed. I think it's also maybe used in the lean rotation?? Anyway, I don't think I would like this one either.


Catherine

http://bestsmileys.com/exercising/1.gif
 
Catherine,

It was my understanding too that Cardio X is a substitute for plyo. Plyo X kicks butt BIG TIME and not many people could begin with it.

P90X has changed the way I'll use cardio forever. Before the X, I would give so much time and energy to aerobic training, and then supplement with weight training.
Now, I'm giving ALL I have to weight training and supplementing with cardio.
 
>Catherine,
>
>It was my understanding too that Cardio X is a substitute for
>plyo. Plyo X kicks butt BIG TIME and not many people could
>begin with it.
>
>P90X has changed the way I'll use cardio forever. Before the
>X, I would give so much time and energy to aerobic training,
>and then supplement with weight training.
>Now, I'm giving ALL I have to weight training and
>supplementing with cardio.



You are right -- it also has one other use. When doing the Classic or Doubles rotation it can be used as a 2nd workout when seeking a little more cardio to add on to P90X. You would use it on the same day a strength.

The P90X book states that "when training for strength gains, it's important to keep cardiovascular work under control or you could actually experience strength loss. In this workout, you'll keep your heart rate well below its anaerobic threshold. This routine can be performed in addition to your standard P90X workload, or as a substitute if your body needs a break."

I can't give my opinion as I haven't tried it yet. I will be trying it in a couple weeks when I start Phase 2 of P90X and will be doing Doubles.

Monica
 
It's b/c your body will stop burning fat & start burning muscle.

I have this workout but based on reviews from this forum haven't even unwrapped it.

Kenpo X is definitely my favorite of the P90X workouts (bearing in mind I don't have them all--I pick & choose what works best for my own routine & don't follow any of their rotations). Kenpo X is so much fun & about as close to a real karate class as you can get without actually spending the money & attending one (except you don't have a senseii correcting your form).

Plyo X is pretty good too.

But Cardio X will remain in the wrapper until I find some sucker to take it off my hands. }(
 
LOL! Unfortunately, yes. Especially for women. I read a really interesting article a few years back that said past studies regarding weight loss had been primarily based on men, & when they more recently started studying women it turned out women burned fat much less efficiently. Those conducting the study claimed it was b/c of evolution--due to natural disasters like famines, etc., women's bodies evolved to maintain enough fat to sustain a fetus for 9 mos.

So, the study concluded that after approximately 60 minutes (obviously every individual is different) women's bodies stop burning fat & start burning muscle.

Sucks huh? ;(
 
>women burned fat much less efficiently

No kidding, I'm a testament to that! That does suck.:( My husband barely has to do anything to lose weight and it takes much effort for me to lose anything. Thanks for the response.

Amy
 
I am in Phase 2 of P90X as well. I used Cardiox to substitute for some cardio when I hurt my knee. I love KenpoX and PlyoX . PlyoX is very high impact and really torks my knee, so I did use Cardio x once. I didn't really like it that much but the rest of the P90x program is really intense weight lifting if that is what you are looking for.
 
>What is P90X Cardio X? I keep hearing about it but have no
>idea what it is.


It is part of a complete workout system called P90X by Beachbody. The workout system consist of 12 workouts that you combine over a 12 week period. You can combine these workouts for 3 different rotations- classic, lean, & doubles.
 
I might have used Cardio X once; I don't remember. But I don't see the usefulness of doing 10 minutes of yoga before a cardio workout. (Though it didn't bother me in Kenpo X).

I think cardio is Tony's weak spot. I agree that doing too much cardio impedes muscle growth, but the cardio that one does SHOULD make sense and be sequenced logically.

I like the 'cardio'(though more plyo than cardio, IMO) workouts in the P90 Masters series (except "Core Cardio," which has too much up-and-down from going from standing cardio to floor core work). I'd turn to one of those before doing Cardio X (Heck, I'd probably do almost anything before doing Cardio X!) And no yoga 'warm-ups' in them, either.
 
Kathryn,

I purchased P90masters plyo legs off ebay(still waiting for it to arrive). I was considering sweat 5-6. Is it worth adding to my collection? I want to create another P90X type rotation using Cathe's strength training, plyo legs, yoga and cardio.
 
" And WHY do we start out jogging in place and then go
to static stretching(a BIG NO NO by the way) and then to light
yoga??" Carolyn

Carolyn,
Where did you hear this about static stretching? I'd like to hear more about it. Thanks!

A friend in fitness,
Shirl
 
"And WHY do we start out jogging in place and then go to static stretching(a BIG NO NO by the way)..."

So, when Cathe does this in all her workouts, it's wrong? She always starts her warm-up with very light movement or a light step routine and then does static stretching.
 
If you watch or do Cathe's new cardio stuff, you'll notice that she doesn't do a lot of static stretching in the warmup. She does light movements but doesn't really hold positions (with the exception of B&G, which obviously isn't cardio). There's been some research recently (I think within the last couple of years), that implies or maybe even states(don't remember which, sorry) that static stretching before working out may impede performance. I don't think it's BAD for you per see, but I don't think it helps either. Of course stretching after a workout is much more important and Cathe always does that.
I'm guessing the idea behind it is that stretching doesn't really "warm up" your muscles like movement does, but we always stretch on warm muscles. So it makes sense to me at least. I also think that warmup movements should mimic the movements you are going to do while working out. It prepares the body for the workout and I don't think that stretching does that.

In the CardioX warmup, I noticed that he stretched us even more in the warmup than in the cooldown.
 
Here are some peer reviewed studies supporting this idea. I can't attach files on this forum but I have the full text if anyone wants me to email them to you:



Kubo K, Kanehisa H, Fukunaga T. Effects of transient muscle contractions and stretching on the tendon structures in vivo. Acta Physiologica Scandinavica, 175(2):157-164. 2002.

Schilling, B.K., and M.H. Stone. Stretching: Acute Effects on Strength and Power Performance. Strength and Conditioning Journal. 22(1):44-47. 2000.

Thacker, S.B., J. Gilchrist, D. Stroup, and C.D. Kimsey. The impact of stretching on sports injury risk: a systematic review of the literature. Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, 36(3):371-378. 2004.
 
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