P90X is a home workout system distributed by Beachbody Fitness. When you purchase the system you get 12 DVDs with workouts that focus on strength, cardiovascular exercise and flexibility. Each workout is led by trainer and creator, Tony Horton. Yoga is one component of the P90X program and while you may decide to skip this particular workout, you may be missing out on many potential benefits.
Benefits of Yoga
Yoga is considered a mind-body type of program and is often complementary to alternative medicine, according to MayoClinic.com. It brings together mental and physical discipline and can help your muscles and mind relax and reduce anxiety. Breathing, meditation and poses are all components of yoga. With yoga you can increase your fitness level, manage chronic conditions and even lose weight. As part of a complete fitness program, these benefits can be increased.
P90X Yoga
Because P90X is described as an extreme workout program, Horton insists that yoga is an essential component to his system. With this workout you can increase strength, flexibility, balance, coordination and breathing. Through this workout, you will challenge your body in a different manner than the strength workouts to enhance your physique, according to Horton. The workout itself is approximately 45 minutes and can be very challenging for people not familiar with yoga.
Modifications
If you choose to leave the yoga out of P90X you will not be following the program as it is written, so your results will be different. You will still see progress, but it may be at a different rate than if you followed the program exactly. In P90X, you do the yoga workout about once per week and it allows you to work on strength and flexibility. Both of these are integral parts of the components of fitness, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.
Considerations
Since flexibility is important, stretch at least two to three days per week for maintaining or improving range of motion. There is a stretching DVD as part of the P90X system, so do this workout if you decide to skip yoga. Another alternative is to find a yoga class that you can attend. You will receive instruction and guidance by a qualified instructor to make the workout more enjoyable. The instructor can also show you modifications if necessary.
References
- "ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2010
- Beachbody: The Workouts
- Mayo Clinic: Yoga: Tap into the many health benefits
- Beachbody: P90X
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