What is Muscle Confusion? Does it Work?

If you don't know the guy in the picture to the left, you've probably heard of his home workout program, P90X, and the theory behind it - muscle confusion. But do you know what muscle confusion is? And why it's supposed to work?

I've noticed recently that there's a bit of a debate online about whether or not this whole theory of muscle confusion is real or not. I'd say that's totally understandable given the fact that there's not a lot (or any) scientific evidence to back up this theory.

First, what is it? Well, the theory behind muscle confusion is that when you choose to do a traditional type workout, you get into a routine where you do the same things over and over again. And eventually you stop noticing changes in your body. Muscle confusion changes your routine so that your muscles are constantly wondering what's coming next and they continue to change.

As I mentioned before, there's not really a whole lot of evidence behind this theory, unless you count the thousands of people who put amazing transformation videos on YouTube and the fact that the creator of the program, pictured in this post, is 50 something and has a bloody amazing body, but there is another plateau theory that is sort of proven. That'd be that awful plateau that you hit when you're in the process of dieting and losing weight. If you've ever tried to lose weight, you know exactly what I'm talking about. For no good reason, one day you just stop losing pounds. For most people, a change in diet or exercise will break the plateau and get the weight falling off again. Muscle confusion is just the same thing for muscle building or toning.

Personally, I think there is some truth behind it, but I've recently come across another blogger who is sort of putting the theory to the test by doing his own muscle confusion challenge. Instead of doing the traditional P90X workout, he's mixing it up with two other workout programs to create his own challenge. He'll be doing it for 90 days and will be posting daily updates as well as weekly pictures of his physical progress. The week one changes are pretty amazing when you consider it's only been seven days. You can follow along at the muscle confusion challenge, if you're interested.

Some of My Favorite Best Home Workout Programs

I've been doing different home workout programs for about three years now and I've tried all kinds of stuff. For the past three years, I've done pretty much only workouts that are put out by Beachbody. Why? They've worked for me, they are fun, and I get real results as long as I'm willing to put in real work.

To date, I've done P90X, Turbo Fire, Brazil Butt Lift, and 10-Minute Trainer. I'm currently doing Brazil Butt Lift and plan to move to Insanity when I'm done with my current workout.

Check out this video about my best home workouts and see what you think is best for you!



Now that you've seen some of my favorite workouts, why not figure out what your Best Home Workout is, or get some work out tips to help you succeed.

Choosing the Best Home Workout for You!

Choosing the best home workout program can be tricky business. It's not easy to dig through all the available programs in order to find the one that will work best for you individual needs. And, make no mistake, choosing a home fitness program is a very individual decision. What's right for your best friend or your next door neighbor may not be the best program for you. So how do you choose? Follow these easy tips to find the best home workout program for you!

The most important thing to know is that pretty much any home workout program WILL work as long as you actually do it! On the flip side, no fitness program will work if you don't do it! Make sense? The bottom line is that you have to put the DVD in and hit the play button if you want to see results. That's just the way it works. There are no right or wrong programs, just right and wrong programs for you!

Start by considering what it is that you enjoy doing. If you're the kind of person that loves being out in a dance club on a Friday night, then look for a program that incorporates a lot of dance moves. If boxing is more your thing, check out something that allows to to use those types of moves instead. You won't do a workout program that you don't enjoy and you won't enjoy it if it doesn't fit your personality.

Next, look for a home workout program that provides a comprehensive workout. What I mean by this is a workout program that will provide both cardio and resistance training and one that incorporates exercises for your whole body. These will typically be programs that include multiple DVDs and are a little bit more expensive than buying a single DVD, but they will keep your attention longer and give you a better workout over time. Plus, it's usually cheaper to buy a whole program at one time vs. picking up single DVDs over and over.

Figure out how much time you have to workout every day and how many days you are able to commit to your workout every week and then choose a program that matches what you are able to do. If you only have 30 minutes a day, try to stay away from programs that will require 60 or 90 minutes of your time. Keep in mind though that you have to workout to see results.

Choosing the best home workout for you shouldn't be difficult. Now that you know how to choose the best program for you, why not investigate some of the best home workouts available today? Or get some workout tips to help keep you on the right path!