I am finishing up my second round of P90x and I couldn't be happier with where I am in my fitness journey. With that being said, I still have a long way to go (and learn). I went into this journey with an open mind, and I continue to research new concepts and schools of thought about nutrition and exercise. In fact, I am currently reading Brad Pilon's Eat Stop Eat (www.eatstopeat.com). Essentially, it explains (in great detail), the benefits of working intermittent fasting into your nutrition plan . In the past, I would have brushed this off and not given it a second thought. I mean, how can fasting benefit your workout regiment and meal plan? Wouldn't you go into starvation mode without eating every three hours? Wouldn't your body eat away your muscles because you chose to fast for a short period of time? Anyway, I am halfway through the book and it really has a compelling argument for breaking up your eating periods with a fast (Brad recommends 24 hours a couple of times a week). Also, his view on macros are somewhat different, especially protein consumption, and the timing of meals in relation to your workouts. Let's just say he is big into debunking many myths the food and supplement companies want you to believe so you will keep buying their product.
I have also been looking into putting on some more muscle while burning fat, and found my training regiment may not be as efficient I thought to accomplish this. For me personally, heavy resistant training 3X a week may be optimal to continue building upon the base I created through the P90x program. In any event, my curiosity peaked when I found Martin Berkhan's www.leangains.com. This was the website that referred me to Brad's book. In about three weeks, I will be switching up my approach. I think it's time to move to a new style of training and eating. I will continue to document my progress as I take this new approach. Who knows, I may not like it and move on to P90X 2 or another Beachbody program. Right now, my goal is to build lean muscle. Brad and Martin's approach seems to have done wonders for a number of people in an unconventional but scientifically compelling way. I'll keep you posted.
