The first-ever scientific study of its kind was conducted recently on the popular PX90 weight loss and fitness program by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) with the help of the University of Wisconsin’s La Crosse program. The study was led by John Porcari, Ph.D. and Joel Woldy, M.S., who are both researchers with the University’s Exercise and Health Program and aimed to determine the true energy cost and exercise intensity of the PX90 program.

The concept of “muscle confusion” is at the heart of the PX90 program, which was created by trainer Tony Horton. In more scientific terms, this is known as “daily undulating periodization,” which is a fancy way of saying that you are changing up workouts so often that the body does not have time to adapt and become used to the exercise. Since this means the body is always operating at sub-optimal efficiency, it will burn more fat and build muscle more quickly. Although very popular among participants, until now PX90 had never been studied scientifically, leaving only anecdotal evidence regarding its effectiveness.

PX90 has sold more than 3 million copies by November of last year, with numbers undoubtedly reaching well beyond that as we approach 2012. Stars like Sheryl Crow, Billy Idol and Bruce Springsteen have backed the program, which bills itself as “The Ultimate 90-Day Home Fitness Bootcamp.”

For the study, researchers recruited 16 athletes, choosing healthy subjects between the ages of 19 and 26 who exercise regularly and had previous experience with either PX90 or a comparable circuit-style weight training and aerobic program. First, they established a baseline of fitness by performing tests to determine the maximum heart rate and VO2max for all subjects. Next, the participants were asked to complete up to three practice sessions of each of the PX90 workouts the study examined, which included Cardio X, Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Legs & Back and Plyometrics.

After the subjects had become familiar with the workouts, testing began. Participants were asked to participate to the best of their abilities through all phases of the testing process, while researchers monitored their heart rates, perceived exertion (RPE) and the predicted VO2 that was exerted during the session.

“The basis of muscle confusion is to keep the body from becoming too efficient at performing individual and sets of exercises,” said Alice Burron, MS Exercise Physiology, ACE National Spokesperson and ACE Personal Trainer. “This type of inefficiency burns more calories because the muscles haven’t yet adapted to the new workload. Overall, more calories are burned, and as a percentage, then, more calories are burned from fat. That is if a proper caloric intake is maintained in tandem with the workout.”

The study results are clear, with male subjects burning between 441 and 699 kcals per workout and female subjects burning between 302 and 544 kcals per workout. These results prove that PX90 is an effective weight loss and fitness tool that researchers believe “meets or exceeds established fitness industry standards for losing weight and improving cardiorespiratory fitness.”

Sources: American Council On Exercise, SELF Magazine

Do you find yourself avoiding exercise because it’s boring? Don’t worry you’re not alone, we all do it, but exercise doesn’t HAVE to be boring… there are plenty of fun things you can do that get you the exercise you need but more importantly enjoy doing it. Here are a few…

1. Play basketball

I find that if I try running on a treadmill I’m totally bored within three minutes and I just stare at the timer wanting it to be over. If I play basketball, football, soccer or whatever I can run for hours and hours and not really even care where the time goes.

Why? Because I’m distracted and instead of staring at the clock and wondering why it seems to be ticking so slowly I’m trying to shoot the ball or stop someone else from scoring on me. Don’t like team sports? Try hiking, swimming or jogging around a nice area. You’ll get lots of exercise with none of the boredom.

2. Chasing your kids around the yard / park

If your kids are like mine they do everything at 100 mph, so try bringing them to a safe park and letting them “loose”. By the time you chase them around, play games with them and get all of their energy out you will also get all of YOUR energy out too. Trust me you won’t be watching the clock wishing the time would go faster, you’ll be trying to keep up!

3. Mowing the lawn

Ok, I didn’t say all of these would be fun right? Mowing the lawn is a great source of exercise, and I’m not talking to all of you who have a riding mower and drink soda or beer while mowing. Get a nice push mower and get out there and push it around. My lawn seems to take forever to mow and it’s a much better work out than any treadmill could ever deliver for me.

4. Helping a friend move

Ever help a friend move to a new house or apartment? I can guarantee you will be way more exhausted than any weight lifting session or cardio workout. Moving boxes and furniture up stairs and in and out of a moving fan is really hard work so you’ll get tons of exercise and your friend will appreciate it.

5. Play with your dog

Playing catch with your dog doesn’t really sound like a good workout I admit but most dogs do anything but run after the ball or Frisbee and bring it back… they take it and run because they want you to chase them. Don’t want to play catch? Take them for a walk instead. I had a friend once say that if your dog is fat, then YOU don’t get enough exercise. Totally true!

The whole point of this post was to make you think. Exercise does NOT have to be boring… you can get exercise just about anywhere whether you live in the city or country, whether you’re a man or a woman…whatever. Exercise can be fun, but you have to use your imagination first!

How to Lose 10 Pounds In a Week

Losing 10 pounds in a week isn’t the easiest thing to do, in fact some people would say that you can’t do it at all, but I would disagree because I’ve done it. The typical person loses an average of 1 pound a week on a diet (or more like 5-10 pounds on a specialized diet like Medifast) but it is important to remember that that 1 pound a week is based on an AVERAGE so it’s totally possible to lose weight fast when you first start dieting.

So how do you lose 10 pounds fast exactly? Well I’m going to outline a few methods that I will call the “easy way” and the “hard way”. Why would I bother outlining the hard way when I know most people will just choose the easy way? Well to be quite frank the easy way costs money so I know not everyone is willing to spend money, so instead you have to bust your butt and hope for the best! Anyway enough build up… here goes!

The Easy Way To Lose 10 Pounds

There are a number of specialized diets out there that will help you lose weight extremely quickly. The one that seems to stand above all others is Medifast, a pre-packaged diet that has been shown to help people lose 10 pounds or more in a week’s time. Originally Medifast was only available through a prescription but now you can buy Medifast online just like you could most other fad diets.

For some people pre-packaged meals are a great thing because you don’t have to think about what you can and can’t eat throughout the week… you just eat what is given to you. You basically choose 5 of their pre-packaged meals and then mix in one meal of healthy regular food each day.

>>> More Information: Find out more about Medifast here

The Hard Way To Lose 10 Pounds

If you’re looking to lose 10 pounds without the help from any nutritional supplements you have your work cut out for you, but it’s not impossible either. The first thing you need to do is exercise and do lots of it. I would highly recommend either running or using a low impact machine like an elliptical machine that will help you burn calories faster than simply going on walks. I can’t recommend a specific amount of exercise because everyone is different but I don’t think I can go wrong by telling you to do as much as you can within reason. Don’t jog til you drop and have a heart attack but you should know what the line is between working hard and overdoing it. If you don’t, get a personal trainer or ask your doctor before doing anything.

The next thing you need to do is fix your diet. Most of you probably assume that I’m going to tell you to starve yourself and quite frankly that is the worst thing you can do. When you don’t eat much your body goes in to starvation mode and packs on everything you eat as fat for storage later… it’s a survival mechanism. What you need to do is eat lean healthy foods, in good sized portions. Don’t stuff yourself, don’t eat high sodium junk food and don’t guzzle down beer and soda because that defeats the purpose. Lots of veggies, lean meats and plenty of water will help.

The one issue with the “hard way” is that everyone responds different. Some people will lose a bunch of weight the first week and the next couple we may only lose a pound, some of us don’t lose anything at first but then the number on the scale drops big time two weeks later… everyone is different so you need to know how your body will respond. If you’re in a hurry to lose weight in a week then first of all shame on you for putting it off for so long, but know it can be done… good luck!

How To Buy A Good Treadmill

We have had a lot of readers ask us lately how to buy a good treadmill. Buying a good treadmill can be a difficult task especially if you are not exactly sure what you are looking for. If you have not considered exactly what it is you want in a treadmill you could end up with the wrong kind. I bought mine from SmoothFitness.com who offers up to 45% off treadmills with a lifetime warranty

Before going out and buying a treadmill on impulse there are a few things you should consider. First, think about how often you expect to use a treadmill. Also consider your weight and height as some treadmills are bigger and stronger than others and are designed for heavy duty use. So if you are going to use one quite heavily then this is the type you should buy.

Many people buy treadmills from a catalog or magazine. These treadmills are great but are usually quite expensive. The best way to buy a good cheap treadmill is to go to a store that specializes in exercise equipment. This gives you the opportunity to try out several treadmills to better decide which one feels the nicest and suits your needs. The staff that works at fitness stores or sports departments are usually knowledgeable about the equipment and can guide you to the one that will be best for you. Treadmills can be quite expensive so it is something you want to be sure you are going to use for a long time. Do some research on treadmills before going out shopping for one. This way you are informed as to what to look for.

There are many different types of treadmills that are on the market today. Each one works differently according to what it is intended for. Always check out the motor on any treadmill. Motors on some treadmills have 1.5 continuous duty horsepower that can wear out easily if it is used heavily. Look for a treadmill that has adjustable speeds and a ramp that is easily adjustable. These are the types of treadmills that are great if you plan to give them a heavy duty workout.

Do some research on the Internet on how to buy a good treadmill. There is a wide variety out there, each one built for a different need. There are treadmills for long distance runners that have accessories to judge their speed and distance. Some treadmills are built for lightweight use such as daily jogging or brisk walking. Treadmills can be very plain only offering an adjustable ramp while others have all the accessories possible such as digital readouts and screens that show a background as you are running.

When you are ready to buy a good treadmill, make sure you find the best one for you, not just the cheapest treadmill you can buy. Sports equipment dealers likeSmooth Fitness have a great selection and offer great deals like 45% off with a lifetime warranty which is such a fantastic deal it’s really hard to pass up. If you’ve done your homework you can be sure that you’ll definitely find the right treadmill for you.

How To Buy A Good Treadmill