Kinda OT: P90x and other workout systems

[Matus]

Check the less positive customer reviews on amazon to see most of my thoughts on that book

First of all, there aren't that many negative reviews (for a book on Amazon) and all of them are commented on. Secondly, it really works, but it's really, really, REALLY, hard to do. I was only able to maintain it for a few months, and I wasn't even doing it 100% accurately. But it's worth reading to understand what is really happening with your body and how weight training helps (and is necessary) with fitness.

Don't get me wrong, I really meant "less positive" in a very literal way. Like, it sure works but I don't like the way it's presented. Its credibility/marketing is heavily based on science, and this science is presented in a poor way (if you're used to reading this kind of stuff).
Truth is, any kind of exercise, done progressively and on a regular basis, will work in some way or other. If you're going for pure bodybuilding, just go for it, but drumming relies a lot on agility and endurance. Flexibility and cardio work are key factors there, and there's just no way you're properly covering muscle training, endurance and stretching with 12 minutes per week. That book creates some kind of perspective in which there's only one "traditional" way of training opposite to wha they say and that's not true at all. You can go aerobic or you can do intervals, or uphills or whatever. And that's just for running. Same for weightlifting; gaining muscle mass and strengthening/gaining endurance require different approaches. And, as I said, you need agility.

[Paul Marangoni]

Okay, now that I realize that you haven't even read that book, I can see why you would say that.

[Avi_drums]

[langmick]

[Matus]

Okay, now that I realize that you haven't even read that book, I can see why you would say that.

Actually, I read the whole preview and saw where they're going. They're relying on stuff that's commn knowledge on sports and training but backing up the whole thing with scientific data that are, in my opinion, totally irrelevant at this point ad some of it is misleading. No need to talk genetics, you know. We all know about how muscles compensate by growing once you're past a certain strength threshold and how important rest days are when training. Again, all that stuff is common knowledge, they're not reinventing high intensity training at all, that's how you get built. Working out hard one day and resting the rest of the week works because that's exactly what I do, only that I work on different muscle groups each day and focus on much more stuff than gaining muscle mass.
Now, if there's a point in that book where they address how to first develop stamina and not volume on those muscles and second improve your overall endurance (cardio) and agility, then it's great, but it just doesn't seem like it.

[Paul Marangoni]

Yes, it's much more than a book about working out. I found it fascinating, and I've been working out since I was about ten years old, so I thought I knew quite a bit, but it really made me think. Some of it is quite controversial, but it's solid. Even if you never intend to follow the advice on the exercises, it's worth the read.

[langmick]

You can follow the path John Little has taken back to Mike Mentzer, to Arthur Jones, the inventor of the Nautilus machine. I keep the whole argument over everything at arm's length, it does no one any good.

However, I started to use Mentzer's concepts and noticed almost immediate improvements in strength and well-being and it was nice not having to kill myself in the gym for long periods.

I am getting away from lifting heavy now that I'm older, it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But I can still keep, and gain, strength with very minimal sets. The ones I do are pretty brutal, and I do long supersets of many exercises.

Matt Brzycki, of Princeton, also has a great book on the subject.

http://staff.washington.edu/griffin/brzycki.html

http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Approach-Strength-Training/dp/1570280185/ref=la_B001JS00FM_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383242290&sr=1-4

[cjbdrm]

Whichever program you decide on, stick to it. I think that's the real secret. Any diet and exercise program you stick to for 90 days will give you results.

I recently got back into working out regularly- I'm doing my own thing based on my experience. I work out at home so I don't have the excuse that I couldn't get to the gym. Using your body weight, some dumbells, and a pull-up bar will get you far. I will say that being leaner increases my speed around the drums and adding bulk tends to slow me down

[Matus]

Whichever program you decide on, stick to it. I think that's the real secret. Any diet and exercise program you stick to for 90 days will give you results.

I recently got back into working out regularly- I'm doing my own thing based on my experience. I work out at home so I don't have the excuse that I couldn't get to the gym. Using your body weight, some dumbells, and a pull-up bar will get you far. I will say that being leaner increases my speed around the drums and adding bulk tends to slow me down

That's the key. If it's not hurting you, you'll get positive results. It's a matter of what you're looking for and wether you enjoy one way of doing things or another.
I'll try to give it a full read, Paul. It's always good to have more perspectives to improve. I actually use lots of sport training concepts to design routines and practice schedules on the drums. It just happens to work for some stuff.

[Odd-Arne Oseberg]

Does it work for you on a motivational leve`? Then that's all that's needed for any program in any area.

Fine tuning it is something you do over time as you grow and learn what works and feels best for you.

Same applies to practicing drums.