New Ways to Get Fit
By Johnathan Wood, 2011 Graduate, Binghamton University
We can all agree that workout trends come and go, but here we review six new full-body workouts. Warning: Some of our picks are not for the faint of heart (see Parkour), while others look to test your endurance without the gimmicks (see P90X and—surprise!—a workout aptly named Insanity).
Whether you want less body fat or a chance to launch yourself down flights of stairs, our picks can help.
Before you try any of these workouts, check out the physical activity guidelines for adults recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CLICK HERE.
P90X
With more than 3 million copies sold, this 90-day exercise and dietary program created by Tony Horton has built a strong following. Through 12 DVDs, each lasting 60-90 minutes, the program covers strength training, cardio, and even yoga. The P90X cycle lasts 13 weeks, with exercising required six days per week. Sessions vary in length from 60 to 90 minutes. If you’ve ever seen their commercials, it looks like you can grate cheese off those abs when you finish the program.
The Standard P90X system includes a fat-burning three-phase nutrition plan, a guide to track your exercise goals and progress, as well as online support. Much of the program is based around the concept of “muscle confusion,” which, in this case, means changing up your routine every 30 days to work out different muscle groups and avoid tedium.
Tim Strack, a 21-year-old student at Binghamton University in New York, is one of the 200,000 members of an online exercise support group called Team Beach Body. During the first week he was unable to complete the 60-minute chest workout, until he found advice and encouragement from others like himself on the Team Beach Body’s Message Board.
“I saw very positive results with strength gains, flexibility improvements, and an increase in cardiovascular endurance,” says Adam Knight, an assistant professor of kinesiology at Mississippi State University. Anyone considering the program, Knight warns, should consult his or her physician prior to engaging in any intense workout regime. Note that in order to complete all of the 12 gut-blasting workouts you’ll need to buy a set of dumbbells, a pull-up bar, and yoga blocks.
Boot camp
This high-intensity routine models itself off of a military boot camp. It includes variations of push-ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks. Lianne Foley, a junior majoring in nutrition at SUNY Plattsburgh in New York and an aerobics instructor certified by the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, says that an effective boot camp routine is great for building cardiovascular endurance.
Foley begins each of her 45-minute classes with a warm-up of jumping rope (or skipping rope) and jumping jacks. “The hardest part about boot camp is failing to finish and having the strength to come back,” says Foley. “Most people who quit the first time never come back.”
Parkour
What would possess perfectly sane people to launch themselves off rooftops of abandoned buildings or jump down two flights of concrete steps? Part core strength, part courage, Parkour was developed in Paris two decades ago. Derived from the French term for obstacle course, Parkour, or “free running,” is growing on numerous college campuses across the country.
Alex Smith, a junior at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, tried Parkour before it became a club sport at his school. The 23-year-old sport medicine major enjoys how the sport allows him to move freely through a city-like landscape with speed and efficiency by jumping, climbing, and even vaulting his body through the air. Participants look like they are in an action movie starring Jackie Chan.
“Parkour is a great cardiovascular and strength conditioning workout that works muscles you wouldn’t normally work out in a weight room,” he says. “After the first day I couldn’t walk for a few days. My quadriceps were that sore.”
Part of the Virginia Tech Parkour group’s core philosophy, according to Smith, is progression—you can’t be performing the stunt-like motions right away. “Parkour is about developing an awareness of one’s surroundings,” he says. “Anyone trying it for the first time needs to be realistic: First off is safety. Everyone should be aware of any loose bricks or shaky rails. A lot of people come hoping to attempt something they saw in a movie or on YouTube, but it’s something we discourage among beginners.”
Piloxing
This exercise is a cross between the striking movements and footwork of boxing and the stretching and flexibility of Pilates. Developed by celebrity trainer Viveca Jensen, this fitness regimen is taught at gyms or can be self-learned at home via DVDs. At-home training can cost the price of the DVD, but participants may want to buy the optional one-pound weighted gloves, which can cost approximately $25.
Its core philosophy is about empowering women; combining upper cuts and jabs with ballet for balance and stability.
TRX Suspension Training
TRX is a portable set of harnesses, weighing less than two pounds, that uses your body weight for a full-body workout. You can perform up to 300 possible movements, and TRX can be set up just about anywhere. Think the total typical gym workout but with more range of motion.
Developed by U.S. Marines, TRX is taking off fast. According to the American Council on Exercise, your repetition range for TRX for strength development should be between 6-12 repetitions and 12-20 for those shooting for heavy muscle endurance.
Insanity Workout
This DVD-based exercise program of 10 total body workouts (each lasting about 45 minutes) requires no additional equipment. Like piloxing and P90X, each workout is guided by a highly enthusiastic instructor and demands, as the name suggests, quick bursts of high-kicking, ab-crunching energy.
After trying P90X for two months, Rebecca Corona, a 31-year-old student earning her master’s in social work at The University of Texas at San Antonio, completed 63 days of the Insanity workout.
“The difference between Insanity and P90X is that Insanity is pure cardio,” she says. “Insanity gives you very little rest in between sets.”
Corona was able to lose 55 pounds with the Insanity workout and P90X. Her advice to Insanity first-timers is simple enough: “Make the pause button your best friend.”
JOHNATHAN WOOD IS A 2011 GRADUATE OF BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY IN NEW YORK.
Find Out More
Click for ideas about starting a new fitness routine from HealthFinder.gov.
Click for more "new" fitness ideas in "Alternative Fitness" from Student Health 101.
Click for more fitness ideas you can put into use in "Deskside Fitness Guide" from Student Health 101.
To find out the top 10 mistakes gym-goers are making, based on an American Council on Exercise survey of 3,500 certified fitness professionals, CLICK HERE.
