Running vs Insanity vs P90X

Question

I am 25yo 170cm x 57kg and I like run
I started running 3 years ago, because I wanted to lose weight, so after few months I get rid of 25kg~, after that I continued running more seriously, and I improved and improved...

Actually I run about 250km/month and my 10Km personal best in 39:30..

I workout about 5day/week plus, sometimes on saturday or sunday I practice some low intensity trekking or MTB...
In the summer I "run" some trail/skytrail...
I have a nice form, but nothing "extreme", I'm lightweight I can feel the ABS under my skin but I cannot see it...

Lately I feel like I'm annoying to run so I skipped few workouts, and loosen my general form so I would like to try Insanity or P90X workout, for the reasons above and also for a challenge against myself

My main goal is to improve myself without losing much "running form", and if it's possible improve it, and get a better muscle definition!

Between the two (Insanity - P90X), I'm more like towards the first one, mainly because it's more cardio/fitness related and I do not need tools...

here's the questions, assuming my form and my routine

1. Do you prefer Insanity or P90X?
2. Do you suggest to continue running instead of Insanity?
3. Switching from running to Insanity/P90X workout could give a benefits or rather than that worsen my "running" form? (speaking of endurance/speed/etc)

Let's assume I switch to Insanity, I can run/MTB/Trekking as well as doing the daily workout? (not every day, and not stressful exercises)

UPDATE

I like the weight I am (last time I checked (september) I had 5.5% body fat), I would like to get a better body definition and, as I said, improve my endurance/speed etc

Said so, acutally I did not have a particular diet, although I did it in in the past.

My regular routine is: eat 5 times a day, breakfast/morning meal/lunch/afternoon meal/dinner, drink about 1lt water in the morning, 1lt water in the afternoon and 1/2lt tea/water in the evening

I live in italy, I have a well rounded diet, I eat everything and especially a lot of vegetables...
I don't mind to write the entire diet but I do not want to be lengthy...

I think that the main problem, for me, to completly follow a program like Insanity or P90X is to strictly abide the diet, I live with other people and it could be difficult to manage a particular diet routine, sometimes they just cook something and having a different meal isn't a possibility...

Answer 1

I am a runner and have completed P90X and P90X2. I would strongly suggest P90X2 to meet your personal goals of improving your physical appearance and your running form.

While P90X is designed for general fitness, P90X2 is more focused on athletic performance. There are a few key aspects of P90X that make it a better fit for you:

1. Core strengthening - There are many exercises designed to help you develop a stronger and more stable core. These go beyond the normal "ab exercises", developing your lower back muscles and obliques. This will give you a stronger look and also make your running form more efficient, because the less your body twists with each step, the more forward propulsion you will have.
2. Explosive power - P90X2 uses a training technique that's designed to increase how much speed and force your muscles can generate. This will directly translate to running faster at any given effort.
3. Proper warmup and recovery - The latest sports research shows that warmup and stretching techniques like those taught in P90X and Insanity can actually lead to more injuries and reduced performance. P90X2 teaches foam rolling and other warmup and recovery techniques that the latest science has shown to be safer and more effective.

Both programs will help you gain strength, endurance, and muscle definition, but for the reasons above, I would go with P90X2. Insanity is far too focused on high intensity cardio workouts to help you gain muscle. It tends to show the best results with people who need to lose weight.

Keep in mind that running too much or too quickly will reduce the amount of muscle you're able to build. However, you don't need to stop completely. When I did P90X2, I was intentional about running fewer miles and fewer days each week, and running at a slower pace. I satisfied my goals of looking more muscular and gaining strength and stability. This directly translated to improved running performance once I finished the program and returned to my regular mileage.

Answer 2

At your size (height/weight), if you want a six pack (or more accurately, if you want to see your six pack), then you'll need to gain some muscle. There's plenty of info on this site for doing so, so I won't reinvent the wheel there. 5.5% bf is fantastic, however you have very little muscle which is why you're not seeing any muscle definition.

When talking about 'gaining weight', it's important to differentiate some things. First, I'm not talking about turning into Arnold Schwarzenegger or Lou Ferrigno, though you could. Even gaining a modest 5-10 lbs of muscle will improve definition dramatically if done correctly.

Now that we've established that gaining muscle is a must, and exactly how to gain muscle can be found here, we can cover how to maintain your cardio endurance. I don't know what 'running form' is exactly, however if you're referring to your running style then you won't have to worry too much about that.

Gaining 5-10lbs of anything will be felt when running. Just try putting on a weight vest and doing your same routine.

You can prepare for this beforehand, by actually using a weight vest or something similar while you run, or switch to something a little more intense such as stairs or HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) cardio such as sprints. Sprinting is my personal favorite as it doesn't melt the muscle off of you like marathons do.

You also will want to cut your low intensity cardio down while you gain weight, that will work against your weight gain process. So, no 5k+ runs, mini-marathons, etc. Hiking and mountain biking might be okay since they work more muscle during the workouts, but I would limit that also for safekeeping.

Answer 3

There is no shortcuts in gaining muscle, so does with gaining abs. Generally you can add about 5-10 lbs pure muscle a year.

As we all know getting abs include two factors - low body fat (you have it man) and abs exercise. Find 2 or 3 abs routines and do then in circle for a while. There are two laws- your body adapt to your workout so you have to change it frequently, you have to be patient and regular on your routines.

Get a pair of dumbbells about 20-30 lbs and start doing some workouts at home. I like doing some skipping rope too.