p90x

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Between infomercial-style ads for Pajama Pants and Ab Rollers, perhaps you've seen advertisements for P90X DVDs.  Or maybe you have a friend who suddenly looked a bit more taut and toned, who casually referenced the muscle confusion-based fitness craze.

The point is P90X is undeniably a major exercise movement.  But does it work?  A recent study by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) says yes. And here's why.

First, it's obvious why ACE bothered to do this study. The organization loves to investigate the latest greatest fitness trends and, according to them, over three million copies of P90X were sold as of November 2010. And that was a year ago. Who even knows where that number is at now?

Everyone from famously buff Sheryl Crow to Bruce Springsteen has trained with creator Tony Horton, which lends him credibility upfront (especially if you're a Bruce fan from Jersey!).  The concept behind this type of "muscle confusion" is that the body burns more fat and builds more muscle if you mix up your exercises so regularly that it never gets comfortable with any single one.  For one thing, you're dodging that dreaded plateau.

"The basis of muscle confusion is to keep the body from becoming too efficient at performing individual and sets of exercises," explains Alice Burron, MS (Exercise Physiology), American Council on Exercise National Spokesperson and ACE Personal Trainer. "This type of inefficiency burns more calories because the muscles haven't yet adapted to the new workload. Overall more calories are burned, and as a percentage, then, more calories are burned from fat. That is, if a proper caloric intake is maintained in tandem with the workout."

Find out just why P90X is so effective after the break.

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

Chances are you've already seen Tony Horton. Built like Brad Pitt but with a sense of humor like Will Ferrell waving a cowbell, he's hard to miss whether he's on late-night TV (pick a channel, any channel) pimping his 10-Minute Trainer workouts or on QVC selling out his wildly popular P90X workout program. When he enthuses, "Just give me 90 days and I'll get you huge results," it sounds a little too good to be true, but having done two cycles myself, I can tell you this is one workout that lives up to the hype. And since Tony, as he asked me to call him in our interview, is coming out with P90X 2 in December 2011, now is the perfect time to try P90X! 

Here's why:

1. No more plateaus. The core idea behind the P90X workout is what Tony calls "muscle confusion." By doing a different type of workout every day you'll keep your muscles guessing, which means you'll keep them working hard.

2. Entertainment. Tony and his crew crack jokes and do all kinds of hilarious moves (my favorite is The Rockstar) to keep your mind off the pain. And the dude is funny.

3. Well-rounded workouts. Drawing from weight lifting, interval training, yoga, plyometrics, and martial arts, among other things, you'll work your body from every angle thereby increasing your power, strength, balance, and athletic ability.

See more reasons to try P90X after the break!

FitSugar reader debnicole shared this fitness DVD review for the eighth challenge of our Get Fit For 2011 giveaway, and you should too!

I incorporate various workout DVDs in my exercise regimen. Lately it's been mainly the P90X series. My husband and I started two months ago on P90X and are halfway through. It's definitely an investment to buy the set; but I definitely feel like the money was well spent. It's a 12-disc collection with a variety of workouts.

What I love about the collection:

• You never repeat the same workout two days in a row.
• Variety is key! There is cardio, strength, abs, yoga, and stretch workouts.
  
• It's pretty fast-paced . . . there isn't much (if any) resting between sets.
• You don't have to have a gym membership — the kit came with resistance bands. Even if you don't own free weights, the bands work great.
• The trainers encourage you to work at your own pace.
• My favorite workouts are: core synergistics, back and biceps, shoulders/triceps/chest.

Find out what she didn't like about P90X when you read more

FitSugar reader debnicole shared her fitness goals for the sixth challenge of our Get Fit For 2011 giveaway.

I missed out on writing about my health and fitness goals for 2011 . . . so without further ado.

My #1 goal is to train for and complete a half marathon. I've started the training part — but signing up for one will definitely "seal the deal" for me — which I've yet to do. I think for me, my biggest hurdle will be overcoming the negativity in my mind on my ability to complete it and be proud. The training plans that I've found have helped me at least feel like I can accomplish this; but race day, I just know, will definitely be a mind over matter thing.

I do have a 2nd goal and that's just to "tone up." I focused more energy on running in 2010, so this year I'd like to focus equally on strength training. My husband decided he wanted to do P90X again (he did it back in 2008) . . . so I thought that was PERFECT timing. I could run when I got home in the evenings and then afterward (since he gets home after I do), we can do the P90X workouts together. So far so good — we're in Phase 2 of the program! Accountability is such an important aspect . . . this definitely provides it! Plus it's allowed him to re-evaluate his eating habits, which in turn has "cleaned up" our grocery list. I've always been pretty health conscious when it comes to food — but now I feel like I'm definitely buckling down more. Making sure servings of fruits AND veggies are hit each day, limiting the amount of whole grains, and cleaning up, if not eliminating the amount of processed foods.

I'm hoping 2011 will provide the courage and results I'm looking for!

It's catch up week since we are midway through in our Get Fit For 2011 challenge. If you missed any of the first five challenges, here's your chance to enter to win a Nike gift card and a chance to win our grand prize — a four-day fitness boot camp in LA!

• Get the skinny on P90X and learn the pros and cons of the workout — Shape
• 8 tips to get more out of your cardio sweat sessions — Diet Blog
• Take a 10-minute sculpting break with this Pilates workout — Vital Juice
• Snooki vs. Kardashian sisters: battle of the worst celeb health role models — Fit Celeb
• Drink up! Hydration is the key to a good run — DailySpark
• Eat your way to a better 5K — Fit Bottomed Girls

Dreya Weber may not be a household name, but in the circles she runs with, she's a big deal. Renowned aerialist, former Olympian, and the choreographer behind Pink's jaw-dropping aerial routine at this year's Grammys, she's also toured with Madonna, Britney Spears, Rihanna, and Christina Aguilera. But hey, if aerial arts aren't your thing, Dreya is just as known for appearing in the P90X DVD fitness series — she even has an exercise move named after her, the Dreya Roll!

Dreya is currently playing Cleopatra at Teatro ZinZanni in San Francisco, a dinner cabaret show that combines live music, improv, and circus arts. On a recent Friday, I was invited to see the show for myself; I didn't know what to expect, but the whole production blew me away. Quite literally between a costume change, I had a few minutes to ask Dreya what she does to stay in such amazing shape. As an aside, these pictures are a far cry from how amazing she looks in person; Dreya is clearly one fit woman who takes great care of herself!

Find out what Dreya does to stay in shape, and see pics from the show when you read more