P90X and ER – Why You Should Read the Manual First
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Did you see this news recently about a guy named Matt Lombardi got checked into the ER after doing one day of P90X? According to an article on Yahoo! News, Matt was a “businessman” who says just one day of P90X had “sent them into the emergency room with near kidney failure.” Feel free to read the whole article here, but I’ll quickly summarize the main points.
Matt wanted to use P90X to lose around 20 pounds. He began the program with the day one, Chest and Back. He tells that he “lost count of how many of each [push up and pull up] I did – but it was a lot. Eventually my muscles just shut down.” He only completed half of the first work out and moved on today 2, PlyoX, but again found himself in pain and stopped with half a workout.
After trip to the bathroom, some very dark-colored urine, and an online search, Matt believed he was experiencing rhabdbomyolysis. Per The National Institute of Health, that is the extreme breakdown of muscle fibers, to the point at which they actually get released into the bloodstream.
He claims that he knew about all of the warnings given by Beachbody and P90X. He writes, “if I had specifically known about rhabdbomyolysis, I don’t think I would’ve ever taken the plunge.”
He did get checked into a hospital for treatment.
(Summarized and quoted from Yahoo! News – “Man says one day of P90 X send them into the emergency room” by Eric Pfeiffer.)
Wow, what an interesting story I must say. Who would’ve thought that doing P90X Chest Back and part of Plyo X could do that to a person. I remember I nearly puked and pass out on my second day of P90X doing Plyo X, but rhabdbomyolysis? I had never heard of this term nor the symtoms described by anyone since I started the Beachbody workout. I guess we didn’t really “BRING IT” to that level LOL.
Before You Start, Read the Fitness Guide!
In any Beachbody workout programs, come with a fitness guide and with cautions like: Don’t cross the threshold. Stay in control. Maintain proper form. Warm-up. Listen to your body. It’s important to READ THEM before you start the program. Even if you didn’t read the guide and you’re already half way into the program, you should take a look.
Programs like P90X and Insanity also include Fit Test — it’s a an assessment of how well our body can handle the full workout by “sampling” the key moves from the programs. If we fail to hit the minimum suggested reps and/or time for most of the moves in the Fit Test, we are not to proceed with the full workout until we improve enough physically. One way is to keep doing the Fit Test on a daily basis until you meet or exceed the required numbers.
Listen to Your Body!
In the P90X fitness guide, there’s a section called “listen to your body”. It’s so true and it’s applicable to any program that we do: “No one knows it better than you do. If something feels wrong, it probably is. Learn to stop at any discomfort. Then assess the situation and decide whether it’s physical problem or you’re just having an off day. This isn’t a race. If you stay healthy, results will come plenty fast. If you push too hard, you can get hurt, and Bam! You’re on the sideline. The goal is to complete this program. Don’t try to peak on day two.”
It’s Okay to Modify
If you have seen the Beachbody workout videos, especially those of P90X, Insanity and Focus T25, the folks in there are not models but people who have done and graduated the programs. For the most part, they do all the reps and keep going through the whole routine. Now, since you haven’t completed the program or your fitness level isn’t there yet, it’s okay to modify the moves that you have hard time doing. The key is to do each of the moves in good form to minimize the risk of injuries. Normally, in those programs, there are some folks who show you the modified moves. Remember you’re in this for the whole program so don’t hurt yourself and disrupt the schedule.
Check with Your Physician
Last but not least, when in doubt, you might want to check with your physician.
We have had thousands of members attempted, completed the programs and got great results. Like I said, I’ve never heard of such injury and I believe that all of us have read the manual and followed the instructions. If you haven’t read the manual, perhaps it’s time for you to do so 🙂
Cheers,
Coach Al
