To keep your body healthy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests 150 minutes of moderately intense aerobic exercise each week, along with at least two days of strength training. One way to meet both of these recommendations is through the P90X workout system. Although P90X focuses more on strength training exercises, it does approach aerobic exercise. However, if you like to run, are training for an event, like a marathon, or you want to increase your calorie burn for the week, you can easily add running to your P90X routine.
P90X Basics
P90X consists of 12 DVDs led by fitness celebrity Tony Horton. The system is an extreme workout which focuses on concepts like muscle confusion to help you burn off fat and tone your muscles. Each DVD ranges from 60 to 90 minutes and focuses on a different aspect of training. These range from strength training exercises targeting specific areas of the body, to jumping exercises in the form of plyometrics, to even stretching and relaxation exercises like yoga. The system also comes with a nutrition plan with different phases depending on your overall workout goals.
Aerobic DVDs
P90X features interval-style cardio exercise through DVDs like "Cardio X" as well as through other titles like "Plyometrics" and "Kenpo X." While these DVDs help meet the CDC recommended amounts of exercise, the majority of the P90X system focuses more on strength training, with seven of the 12 DVDs featuring strength training exercises, such as "Chest and Back," "Shoulders and Arms" or "Ab Ripper X," and another two focused more specifically on stretching, like "Yoga X" and "X Stretch." You may want to include a more intense aerobic element on the days where P90X is centered on strength training or stretching. This is where running can find a place in your workout week.
Benefits of Running
By adding running into your weekly exercise routine alongside P90X, you significantly increase the amount of cardio-specific exercise in your program. Running increases the amount of energy being used by your body, which activates the energy creation process. This process accelerates your heart rate and burns calories. The increased heart rate improves the strength of your heart, allowing it to pump blood more efficiently through your cardiovascular system. The increased efficiency results in a drop in your blood pressure, even while at rest. The lower blood pressure decreases your risks for heart disease. The increased calorie burning helps you better create a calorie deficit, which helps burn fat.
Caution
Before taking part in running or P90X, it's important to understand that both involve intense activity. Talk to your doctor first to ensure you are fit enough to take part in either activity. P90X also features a fitness test in the booklet that comes with your DVDs. This can test your fitness level to ensure you are ready for the P90X system. If your fitness level does not match the guidelines, consider building your strength and aerobic endurance through less intense programs and exercises before taking part in the program. Even if you are at the right fitness level for both P90X and running, pay attention to your body. Over-training can result in potentially serious injuries, so reduce your intensity level or decrease the amount of exercise you are performing each week if you start to feel severe pain, dizziness or nausea while working out.
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