Extra sweat, bigger payoff: P90X, CrossFit take your workouts way beyond ordinary PT - Off Duty, Military Health and Fitness - Air Force Times

Extra sweat, bigger payoff: P90X, CrossFit take your workouts way beyond ordinary PT

If true physical fitness is your goal — or if simply passing your PT test is no longer enough — you may be looking outside your military training for a fitness boost.

“Military fitness programs tend to be lacking and geared to the weakest link, unless units break workouts down according to individual ability,” says Capt. Candi Roberts, an Army physical therapist at Fort Eustis, Va. “A lot of people seem to be seeking additional training programs.”

A number of service members are turning to commercially available fitness programs to stay ahead of the PT curve. The best one for you depends on your goals, desired time commitment, gear availability and workout style. Get sweating and see what works. These programs aren’t easy, but the payoffs are worth the effort.

P90X

Created by celebrity personal trainer Tony Horton for Beachbody Fitness and launched in 2005, P90X comprises 12 video workouts used in varying combinations. The base program lasts for 90 days and includes the workouts, online support and a nutrition plan.

P90X is founded on a technique dubbed “Muscle Confusion,” which claims to “accelerate your results by constantly introducing new moves and routines so your body never plateaus.” The suggested routine is six days on and one day off per week, with the 60- to 90-minute workouts alternating between cardio and muscle-focus days. Promotional materials claim to help you transform from “regular to ripped” in 90 days.

P90X mixes up strength training, punching, kicking, yoga, cardio and targeted exercises for every main muscle group.

“The P90X focus on push-ups, pull-ups and dumbbell training translated into the strength I needed to pull myself over walls and other obstacles downrange,” said Army Lt. Col. Paul Cravey, a Beachbody coach and member of the Afghan Border Police Combat Advisor Team at Forward Operating Base Walton in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Cravey says he has completed the 90-day program more than four times and that the plyometric and leg-endurance workouts have helped him better endure long days in full body armor.

Navy Chief Operations Specialist Tim Moore, assigned to a provincial reconstruction team out of Combat Outpost Adder in southern Iraq, started attending an optional, drop-in group at the COP and now leads it.

“I’m in the best shape I’ve been in for over 20 years,” he says. “Every time I am done with a workout, I can’t wait to get back in the gym the next day.”

Moore says most members of the group are aiming for overall physical fitness, but two soldiers are attending with the goal of overcoming difficulties with their PT test.

The trainer’s take: “The P90X programming is clear, and there is emphasis on good form,” Roberts says. “But there is also a focus on rapidly building muscle, which doesn’t always equate to overall physical fitness.”

Who it’s best for: Those who have the discipline to follow a home workout and nutrition program. High-energy music and varied routines keep the workouts interesting.

CrossFit

Former gymnastics coach and celebrity personal trainer Greg Glassman introduced CrossFit to the fitness world when he opened his first gym in Santa Cruz, Calif., in 1995.

Not unlike the principle behind P90X, CrossFit “delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general and inclusive,” according to its website.

Glassman created the program after realizing that weightlifters and endurance athletes were missing out on key functional fitness components. So he combined heavy lifting with sprints, enabling athletes to develop strength and endurance.

“CrossFit trains for the unknown and the unknowable,” says Nick Massie, a certified CrossFit trainer and partner at the Roaring Fork CrossFit gym in Basalt, Colo. “We stress good technique, but even if form isn’t perfect, athletes will be better off with CrossFit than without it.”

CrossFit can be done at home or at any of 1,700 affiliate gyms worldwide. Gym workouts last 45 to 60 minutes and are built around a “Workout of the Day” — a warm-up, a pre-workout, the workout itself and a post-workout.

There are infinite exercise combinations for the Workout of the Day, including running, jumping rope, gymnastics, rowing, Olympic lifting and power lifting, with dozens of standard benchmark workouts — including 29 “hero” workouts honoring fallen service members — to judge fitness gains as you progress.

“The biggest difference between CrossFit and any other fitness belief is that CrossFit workouts are competitive events,” says Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Brian Thurmond, a special amphibious reconnaissance corpsman and CrossFit coach at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Athletes are expected to push for the maximum number of reps in a set time — or to complete an entire workout for time — enabling them to track their abilities.

An important aspect of the CrossFit philosophy is that it’s meant to complement your favorite sports, not replace them; participants should pursue other sports in addition to their CrossFit training. That said, CrossFit has become a sport unto itself, complete with regional and national tournaments.

The trainer’s take: “CrossFit has a good cardio component and encourages challenging yourself, against yourself, based upon your ability and overall fitness,” Roberts says. Those interested in CrossFit should pay attention to proper form in the exercises.

“A successful CrossFit workout should be about how many reps you complete with good form, not just hammering out a couple more reps for a higher score on the board.”

Who it’s best for: Multisport athletes who want to increase their general fitness and single-sport athletes, such as runners, who are looking for improved overall strength.

Allison Pattillo is a Military Times fitness writer.