P90X uses a very common term in the health industry called muscle confusion.
There are a lot of arguments on both side as to whether this actually works our not so I set out here to try and show both sides of the argument so you can get the best out of your P90X workouts or whatever specific routine you are trying at this time.
Let me start out by saying that I do not have a PhD in exercise science I haven't studied the breakdown of muscle tissue under a microscope I am just an average guy trying to be healthy.
So this is what I have found there are two camps when it comes to muscle confusion Camp 1: Muscle Confusion Rocks.
This camp believes that your workouts should be switched about every 4 weeks.
Their argument goes that as we train our muscles they can plateau.
Another way to state this is that they get bored and decided not to play by the rules.
The rules being I do 25 curls I stress my biceps and they get bigger and stronger.
When muscles get bored after the 25 curls we don't really see any results.
So we trick our muscles by doing a similar exercise but maybe with a machine instead of free weights or we change the way we grip the bar or something to change it up.
This gets are muscles confused enough to start growing.
So those in the muscle confusing camp would say that anytime you stop achieving the results you expect you should change up your work out.
Camp 2: Muscle Confusion Is a Myth This camp will tell you that muscles do not have brains thus they cannot be confused.
They will tell you that the way you get bigger stronger muscles is by stressing your muscles making small little tears then you let them heal and when they heal they are bigger and stronger.
I am sure the explanation would not get me an A on a college bio exam but I think you get the point.
Now there is something both camps agree muscles can become adaptive.
The muscle confusion states that when the muscle adapts to a certain workout routine than it should be shocked with something totally different.
The Myth camp would say that there is only two was to change a work out that can help overcome this adaptation.
The first one being increase the volume of the stress.
You must increase the volume load not the change the exercise.
The second and probably most important you have to change the amount of recovery time.
So in a nut shell stop trying to confuse your muscles just work them harder and give them plenty of rest.
So where do I stand, well I like to think that I am sitting in a canoe in the middle of the lake between the two camps.
The science behind the Myth camp makes since to me.
I don't think my muscles get confused or need to be confused.
I think that if you are in to bodybuilding and you want to get perfect ripped muscles.
That muscle confusion is not for you.
That being said I think that muscle confusion is for me.
I don't really care if my muscles are confused.
I don't really care if I become a huge specimen of humanity I need muscle confusion for another reason.
I don't want my brain to plateau.
I like switching things up.
I like going to different parts of the gym and as long as I can get a good workout a couple of days a week I am fine with that.
I just want to be health.
So there you have my take on things.
Now go make up your own mind
There are a lot of arguments on both side as to whether this actually works our not so I set out here to try and show both sides of the argument so you can get the best out of your P90X workouts or whatever specific routine you are trying at this time.
Let me start out by saying that I do not have a PhD in exercise science I haven't studied the breakdown of muscle tissue under a microscope I am just an average guy trying to be healthy.
So this is what I have found there are two camps when it comes to muscle confusion Camp 1: Muscle Confusion Rocks.
This camp believes that your workouts should be switched about every 4 weeks.
Their argument goes that as we train our muscles they can plateau.
Another way to state this is that they get bored and decided not to play by the rules.
The rules being I do 25 curls I stress my biceps and they get bigger and stronger.
When muscles get bored after the 25 curls we don't really see any results.
So we trick our muscles by doing a similar exercise but maybe with a machine instead of free weights or we change the way we grip the bar or something to change it up.
This gets are muscles confused enough to start growing.
So those in the muscle confusing camp would say that anytime you stop achieving the results you expect you should change up your work out.
Camp 2: Muscle Confusion Is a Myth This camp will tell you that muscles do not have brains thus they cannot be confused.
They will tell you that the way you get bigger stronger muscles is by stressing your muscles making small little tears then you let them heal and when they heal they are bigger and stronger.
I am sure the explanation would not get me an A on a college bio exam but I think you get the point.
Now there is something both camps agree muscles can become adaptive.
The muscle confusion states that when the muscle adapts to a certain workout routine than it should be shocked with something totally different.
The Myth camp would say that there is only two was to change a work out that can help overcome this adaptation.
The first one being increase the volume of the stress.
You must increase the volume load not the change the exercise.
The second and probably most important you have to change the amount of recovery time.
So in a nut shell stop trying to confuse your muscles just work them harder and give them plenty of rest.
So where do I stand, well I like to think that I am sitting in a canoe in the middle of the lake between the two camps.
The science behind the Myth camp makes since to me.
I don't think my muscles get confused or need to be confused.
I think that if you are in to bodybuilding and you want to get perfect ripped muscles.
That muscle confusion is not for you.
That being said I think that muscle confusion is for me.
I don't really care if my muscles are confused.
I don't really care if I become a huge specimen of humanity I need muscle confusion for another reason.
I don't want my brain to plateau.
I like switching things up.
I like going to different parts of the gym and as long as I can get a good workout a couple of days a week I am fine with that.
I just want to be health.
So there you have my take on things.
Now go make up your own mind