Am I doing the workouts wrong?

alexxazt

Hi!
So I know losing weight/getting lean is essentially the following:
Eat in a calorie deficit
Eat enough protein
Lift heavy weights

So...is a program like P90X3 not as effective as lifting heavy in muscle splits (i.e. Legs & Biceps; Chest & Triceps..etc)
Or does it really not matter as long as I am in a calorie deficit and have a moderately intense workout like P90X3?

rybo

Depends. Assuming you are newer to working out, you could see reasonable results and a desired leanness just from P90X3, many people do. But if you are wanting to keep the maximum amount of muscle, then a progressive lifting program might work a little better, assuming your eating is on point in both cases. However if you do go with the lifting program, stick with full body compound movements 3x a week as opposed to individual body part splits.

flippy1234

I have used weights my whole life. My body weight goes up and down depending on my lifestyle. I decided to switch things up and do a kickboxing workout. It was great at first. You burn a ton of calories but, I was losing my muscle. I actually was not as happy with my body after a while. I am back to weights and am much happier and see results much faster.
So, I agree with the above poster, progressive weight lifting may be your best bet.

TavistockToad

P90x3 is a pretty good workout, if you want to lose weight and retain muscle it'll do the job.

I found it really good for iincreasing flexibility and upper body strength

GauchoMark

So, lifting heavy is great if that is what you like and that is how you want to exercise. But, it's not the only way to get fit, especially if losing weight and getting lean are your goals.

In reality, you can get the same effect lifting lighter weight with higher reps as long as you aren't lifting TOO light. All of the "lift heavy" hype has its merit and does work, but it isn't the only game in town.

You keyed in on the main thing that matters - intensity. How you get that intensity doesn't matter. You can have the same intensity workout with heavy weight as you can with lighter weight. My personal opinion is that MOST people really shouldn't be lifting (what I would consider to be) "heavy" because they do it with horrible form and end up hurting themselves. What saves a lot of people is that they really aren't lifting "heavy" aka >80% of their 1RM, so when they decide to start lifting heavy, they just up their weight to a moderately heavy or even into the low range of heavy and they see results because they increased intensity.

Just something to think about, but I would recommend that you incorporate both strength and cardio work, on a regular basis, increasing both progressively. What you decide to do (lifting heavy, p90x, etc), should simply be something you like doing - otherwise you won't do it!