Size vs. Efficiency

Having just completed my first block of P90x, I feel a lot stronger than before. With only three running workouts in nearly a month, I’ve seen my running speed increase across distances I normally would run during cross country season, which is a major testament to the fact that the fastest way to get faster is to increase muscle intensity, not the amount of time your muscles are being worked. In regards to running, this means that during a typical running workout your muscles are being taxed only so much in specific areas since some muscles are torn down faster through running that others. However, through weight training and specific, targeted exercises, muscle strength can be increased much more efficiently.

In regards to P90x, the program is all about muscle efficiency. Efficiency can be measured as the amount of work a muscle can do based on its size. From the first three weeks of P90x, my muscles have only grown slightly larger and their growth is quite unnoticeable to most. This is because P90x focuses on efficiency and not size. However, common sense tells you that a large muscle has a greater capacity for work (although this doesn’t mean a smaller muscle can do an equal amount of work or even more because of efficiency). Because of this, I have decided to revise the remaining phases of my P90x plan to target muscle size, since that is what I seem to lack the most.

Exercise and Diet Changes

Not only is the schedule going to change, but my method of working out will change as well. The changes I will be making are outlined below:

  • Heavier weights. This means doing less reps per set, but the intensity should still be there. However, heavier weights will force my body to adapt more quickly than using less weights and slowly moving up over time.
  • Pushing till failure. Instead of setting a rep goal, I will simply perform reps until I physically can’t complete one. However, I do have a transparent rep goal of 6-8 per set.
  • High intensity cardio. This means that my running workouts, which are low-intensity, long term exercises, are going to have to go. Instead, I’ll just stick with P90x plyometrics, which are high intensity and mainly target carbs and fat (low-intensity workouts target carbs, fat, and muscle).
  • Much more muscle confusion. Basically I’ll be taking the P90x workouts and really mixing them up.

In regards to diet changes, here is what I plan to do:

  • According to Jordan Yuam, the fitness trainer who directed Taylor Lautner’s workout plan, calorie intake should follow this formula: Goal Weight x (Workout Hours/Week + 9.5) = Daily Calorie Intake. For me, this translates into: 150 x (3 + 9.5) = 1875 Calories.
  • Also according to Yuam, protein intake should match your goal weight. For me, this means I need to consume 150 grams of protein per day.

There are other considerations such as carb intake and fat intake, but since I eat mostly pasta, I’m not worried about the carb intake. For fat intake, I’m fine having a little extra fat on my body, so I’m not going to worry about that either.

The Workout Schedule

Block 2 (Weeks 5 – 7)

  • Day 1: Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps
  • Day 2: Plyometrics
  • Day 3: Legs & Back
  • Day 4: X Stretch; Ab Ripper X
  • Day 5: Back & Biceps
  • Day 6: Yoga X
  • Day 7: Ab Ripper X
  • Day 8: Back & Biceps
  • Day 9: Kenpo X
  • Day 10: Legs & Back
  • Day 11: X Stretch; Ab Ripper X
  • Day 12: Yoga X
  • Day 13: Shoulders & Arms
  • Day 14: Ab Ripper X
  • Day 15: Chest & Back
  • Day 16: Plyometrics
  • Day 17: X Stretch; Ab Ripper X
  • Day 18: Legs & Back
  • Day 19: Yoga X
  • Day 20: Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps
  • Day 21: Off

Recovery Week (Week 8 )

  • Day 1: X Stretch
  • Day 2: Yoga X
  • Day 3: Core Synergistics
  • Day 4: Kenpo X
  • Day 5: Yoga X
  • Day 6: X Stretch
  • Day 7: Off

Block 3 (Weeks 9 – 11)

  • Day 1: Chest & Back
  • Day 2: Plyometrics
  • Day 3: Shoulders & Arms
  • Day 4: X Stretch; Ab Ripper X
  • Day 5: Legs & Back
  • Day 6: Yoga X
  • Day 7: Ab Ripper X
  • Day 8: Back & Biceps
  • Day 9: Plyometrics
  • Day 10: Legs & Back
  • Day 11: X Stretch; Ab Ripper X
  • Day 12: Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps
  • Day 13: Yoga X
  • Day 14: Ab Ripper X
  • Day 15: Chest & Back
  • Day 16: Kenpo X
  • Day 17: Legs & Back
  • Day 18: X Stretch; Ab Ripper X
  • Day 19: Shoulders & Arms
  • Day 20: Yoga X
  • Day 21: Ab Ripper X

Block 4 (Weeks 12 – 14)

  • Day 1: Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps
  • Day 2: Plyometrics
  • Day 3: Legs & Back
  • Day 4: X Stretch; Ab Ripper X
  • Day 5: Back & Biceps
  • Day 6: Yoga X
  • Day 7: Ab Ripper X
  • Day 8: Chest & Back
  • Day 9: Ab Ripper X
  • Day 10: Shoulders & Arms
  • Day 11: Plyometrics
  • Day 12: Legs & Back
  • Day 13: Yoga X
  • Day 14: Ab Ripper X
  • Day 15: Back & Biceps
  • Day 16: Plyometrics
  • Day 17: Shoulders & Arms
  • Day 18: X Stretch; Ab Ripper X
  • Day 19: Legs & Back
  • Day 20: Yoga X
  • Day 21: Ab Ripper X

I’ll probably make modifications to this as I go along, but so far this is the plan for the rest of my P90x schedule.