ChaLean Extreme: Day 3 – Burn and Abs
First off, I need to tell you how the hike went! This is a continuation from my last post so hopefully you are reading everything I write about, if you are not I am going to hunt you down and make you read it…not really. It was a great hike though, although I was completely unprepared for the weather conditions. I do not like hiking in long warm ups, I like wearing shorts and I could not find my hiking boots so I just wore some old running shoes. Both of those decisions were a mistake. It was muddy and then when we got to the top there was about a foot of snow. I was dressed for a summer hike!! So…I do not know what I was thinking, but it will make a good story to tell, so I am happy. Hiking is a great workout and it is just great to get outside and experience nature and fresh air. The Gym can feel so unpleasant sometimes, so it was a nice change of scenery.
Okay, back to Chalean Extreme. Today Ben and I did the third day of the the ChaLean extreme workout. It is called Burn Intervals and Ab Burner. Combined, the workouts equal up to around 55 minutes, definitely the longest workout so far out of the three we have done. Our friend Derek even came and joined us. Three of us were packed in a small living room trying not to get in each others way. Besides that, I sweated like crazy in this workout, you just keep on going and going, there are no breaks. So for 45 minutes you are doing dumbbell routines, crazy plyometric routines and lounges through the whole thing. It was a wonderful and fun workout. Apparently you are not supposed to use heavy weights during this workout, for example, the guy in the back of the DVD was using 7 lbs. I was not so lucky, I had to use 15 lbs. the whole time, while Ben used the 10 lbs. and Derek got the 5 lbs, and my body is still sore from my Gym workout two days before. It was fun though, we joked around the whole time and pushed each other to get a better workout. After we got done with the burn Intervals, it was time to do the Ab Burner. Ten and a half minutes of crunches and side crunches and other weird crunches. It was great!! Actually, if I am being honest, abs are my least favorite thing to workout. But the Ab burner workout was very good. I was able to do this one better than the P90x ab workout, because it did not put so much pressure on my tail bone.
Also, Remember to check out Ben’s Chalean Extreme review.
ChaLean Extreme: Day 2 – Burn Circuit 2
Today was the second day of my Chalean Extreme body workout, if you remember anything about my first post on how day #1 went…throw it all out the window. I found heavier weights and ChaLean Extreme Day #2 was way more difficult. I pretty much used 25 lbs. the whole time, I know that does not sound like a lot, but you have got to understand something, I also go workout at the gym with my friends, so the night before my friend and I did chest, triceps and abs. Since my muscles were already fatigued it made the workout hard to get through. It felt really great though to get back into a tough routine. I am more excited now about ChaLean Extreme because I no know that it is actually going to be a challenge for me, like how the P90x workout was. Some of the exercises are still taking a little time to get used to and I will probably be going through that awkwardness for the first week, but after that it should be smooth sailing. I also do not really like the warm up section, I feel like we are being rushed through the whole thing, but what do I know…I have never made a successful workout video. My buddy Ben did pretty good today, although later on I found out that he almost threw up, but he hid it well. You can also read up on his ChaLean Extreme Blog to see his progress and his opinion of the whole workout. Personally, I really enjoyed this workout.
So later on today, Ben, Jeff and I have decided that we are going to skip the gym and get outside to do a hike. We are hiking up a place called Poo Poo Point (I know…what a terrible name). It is about 2 miles up and two miles back down, so all together it is around 4 miles. It will be a lot of fun, hopefully it is clear when we get to the top so we can see over Issaquah and Bellevue. The spot is famous around Washington for hang gliding and para sailing. This is the beginning step for getting back into hiking shape for The Enchantments 09′!! Check out my Enchantment 08′ pictures, they are sweet.
ChaLean Extreme: Day 1 – Only 119 days left
So today was the big day!! It was the first day of my new 120 day workout called Chalean Extreme. It is one of the newest home workout DVD systems on the market that is promising great results. I recently just finished the P90x Workout which was a 90 day workout, and that absolutely kicked my butt, so if Chalean Extreme is like P90x in any way I will be happy with it. I am doing this workout with my friend Ben, so it should be pretty fun, he hasn’t worked out in like 10 years, but if you read Ben’s blog he will say like 6 months, don’t believe the lies!!!.
Before I tell you about my workout today, let me tell you how ChaLean Extreme works. There are four phases, the Burn Phase, Push Phase, Lean Phase and Lean For Life Phase. Each phase is 30 days long and there are 2 rest days a week. The ChaLean Fitness Guide tells us to have our rest days on Tuesdays and Sundays, buuuutttt we are going to have our rest days on Saturdays and Sundays, because Ben and I won’t meet on the weekends. The First phase, which we started today is the Burn Phase. In this phase we are supposed to push our muscles to failure in 10 – 12 reps with each exercise. We both will probably do the Intermediate range which are weights any where between 20 – 30 pounds, if that is too easy than we will bump up the weight. Chalean Extreme’s philosophy is all about muscle burning fat. I still have some fat to burn so lets get it gone.
Today’s workout was kind of a test workout for us both, we really have no idea what we were getting into, so we kind of took it easy. But we really did not have a choice because the only weights I had were 15 and 10 pounds, so we really could not get the full affect of the workout. I used the 15′s and Ben used the 10′s, we definitely felt like wusses because Chalean was doing some of the same weight we were. So if we do not get heavier weights we will probably start using resistance bands. The workout was only around 35 minutes long, so length wise it was not to bad. The exercises were very different than anything I have ever done, so it was a little awkward at first making sure that we were doing the workouts properly. In my opinion, the workout was pretty easy, but…we needed heavier weights!! I am sure with heavier weights it would have been a great workout. So I can not really make a good evaluation of the workouts until we get heavier weights. Tomorrow we are going to do the Burn Circuit 2 disc, we will see how it goes.
Starting ChaLean Extreme!!
So Monday is the BIG DAY, my friend and I are starting the Chalean Extreme workout program and we hope it is everything it says it is. I just recently finished the P90x workout and loved it, but the workouts were almost all an hour long, some longer, which is fine. But I am glad to hear that most of the workouts for Chalean Extreme are only around a half an hour. I do not know how well you can workout in a half an hour but we will see. I will be blogging every day about the progress I am making, so hopefully it helps anyone who is reading these lame blog posts. I hope I do not bore you. I am excited and a little nervous about starting this workout. I love working out, but another 90 day commitment freaks me out a little bit, so wish me luck! I feel like if I can stick this out, I can really get in the shape that I want to be in. P90x did great, but I still have a long ways to go. I also will be going to to the gym regularly, so I can get more cardio in, I have to keep on running, no matter how much I want to not run, I have to continue to press on.
And the Pinky and the Brain picture really has nothing to do with anything, I just like that TV show…I wish it was still on.
P90x Push up stands
Today I am going to write about the use of push up stands. My first week in the P90x workout routine I did not use the push up stands, after that week I decided to go for it and get the P90x Push up stands and I am really glad I did. Did I do fewer push ups? Yes. But that is because there is a deeper motion when you are using the stands. Not only was I getting a better workout with the push ups stands but I was also saving my wrists. I do not know about you but when I start doing push ups, after awhile my wrists start to ache. With the Push up stands I did not have any more problems with my wrists hurting. There are two types of push up stands that P90x offers, there is the regular push ups stands or you can get the Powerstands push up bars. Ultimately they will both get the job done, but the Powerstands are a lot more heavy duty and will definantley last longer. In my opinion if you want to get the best results out of your P90x workout, then you need to get some push ups stands. oh yeah, the Powerstands also are more expensive than the regular push up stands, so if you cannot afford the nice pair the regular ones work just fine.
P90x tools
I thought it might be a good idea to write about some of the P90x equipment and accessories you can get to help you along with your P90x workouts. So today I am going to focus on the P90x Resistance bands. I loved these resistance bands, they really do give you a great workout, providing resistance through the whole rotation. There are many different types of P90x resistance bands, ranging from 10 lbs. to 50 lbs. of resistance. You can buy a few of them separately, but for the most part they come in a package deal. There are three types of packages: The P90x Super Kit, which is advanced, the P90x Standard Kit, which is great for women, and the Complete Kit, which has 10 bands. Both the standard and the super kits come with three bands. I mostly used the P90x Super kit. Another great thing about the resistance bands, is that if you buy the upgrade kit, you can actually perform pull ups with them, if you do not have a chin up bar. So they are very versatile, resistance bands are easy to travel with and do not take up any space like dumbbells do. So if you are wondering if the p90x resistance bands are a good buy? They are.
P90x is worth it!!
I have been done with the P90x workout routine for about a month now, so it is probably about time I write about my overall experiences with the program. First of all, the reason I did P90x, was because some of my girlfriends thought I would not be able to complete it, so we made a little friendly bet. If I did not finish the P90x program then I had to shave my legs for a month, I know it might not sound like a big deal, but I really did not want to be shaving my legs!! If I completed the program then the girls have to take me out for a nice steak dinner. I guess I could have made them “not” shave their legs for a month… but really… who wants to see that?! Besides, I really like steak and girls with shaved legs!! I pretty much saw it as a win win situation, because not completing the workout was not an option. So I get in great shape by doing the P90x workout and I get a nice steak dinner for free at the end of it… sounds pretty sweet to me. But I have to admit it was not as easy as I thought it was going to be, it was only three months right? The hardest part about doing this workout is making sure you hit play on the remote every day. There are days when you really do not want to workout, you just want to take a break and be lazy, but fortunately that is not an option. I actually suggest to anyone who is thinking about doing this workout, that you make a bet with someone. It needs to be something you really do not want to do, like losing money are some weird activity like shaving your legs, because I am not sure if I would have finished the P90x routine if i did not have that bet in the back of my mind. If you are already a self motivated person then you are probably good to go, but if you are like me and you “hate” losing bets, then make one. Anyways, I won the bet!!
Lets talk about the progress that I made. I started off weighing 199 and in the first couple weeks I actually gained a few pounds, so I went up to 202. I wish I would have checked my body fat percentage in the beginning, I started around the second month I did not really stick to the P90x nutrition guide, I was allowed to make up my own diet, so I put myself on a high protein diet, and later on I started adding other foods and drinks to my diet to help my body recover more quickly. I tried pushing myself more every week, if I struggled with certain exercises on the discs then I made it my goal to be able to do those exercises better and in more quantity. I pretty much stayed at the same weight through the second month, the new exercises in the second month were a great change, and really helped my arms and chest begin to show some great definition. All the pull ups and push up and resistance band exercises really push you to the limits. But it really was not until the third month is when I really started to see change. By this time I started eating more food, drinking more protein shakes and vitamin drinks. I also started taking the P90x Multivitamin pills for extra energy. I began going back to the gym to get more cardiovascular workouts in. For a awhile it was pretty nuts, because I was doing P90x in the morning, then running and stair climbing a few miles in the evening, and then I would go back to the gym later on and play racquetball. So some days I was doing up to three workouts, most the time though I was doing at least two a day. I really started to see results, and I had energy to do it all, it was pretty nuts. When I started to add more cardio exercises to complement the P90x routine I went from weighing 202 to 196. As of today I weigh 193, the last time I was at this weight is when I had my knee injury, and a year ago I weighed 245. So all together now I have lost 52 pounds…pretty sweet huh? I still have some more weight to lose, so I want to see if I can get down to around 180.
I loved the P90x routine, I am glad it is over, but it really made a difference in my life. I wish I would have done more cardio from the beginning of the workout, and I wish I would have been more disciplined in my eating. It was hard to stick to a diet when you have three Thanksgiving dinners and left overs, 3 Christmas parties, New Years, and 3 birthdays in one week, one of them being your own. So I probably could have seen even more results than I did, but I am happy with myself, I feel like I am in the best shape of my life. The P90x workout really helped me with my trip to Honduras, because we laid about 50 yards worth of concrete that we mixed ourselves with shovels, so it was pretty tough, plus we had to remove all the ground before we laid down the concrete. The sidewalks were about 8 feet wide and we had to dig down 7 to 8 inches then shovel sand and lay that down on the ground to even it out, then mix and pour concrete. I really do believe if I did not do the P90x workout, it would have been way tougher for me to do. So next my buddy and I are going to do the Chalean Extreme workout routine, which is another 90 Days!! We will see how it goes, he is a pretty motivated person, so he will help push me and motivate me. I will also be blogging about that.
I’M BACK FROM HONDURAS!!
In the next few days I will be talking about the trip and how it went, and how I git sick and lost 10 more pounds!! Take that P90x !! But I am extremely grateful for doing the P90x workout routine the whole 90 days before I went to honduras, I am not sure if I would have been in shape enough to do what I had to do. When My friend gets back from Georgia we are going to start the Chalean Extreme Program. I will gave pictures and really cool stuff for my honduras trip.
P90x: Make Up Days #2 and 3
Ahhh Someday
So with each day I am getting closer to finally being done with this P90x workout, I keep on wanting to do two workouts in one day, but i just cannot get myself to do it right now. Tuesday I finished another P90x stretch routine, and it went very well. At that time I had three more workouts to do, two more stretching and one more P90x core synergistic workout. Wednesday I went to the gym with one of my friends and we did almost an hour and a half of upper body workouts. It is weird going back to free weights after you have been doing resistance bands and push ups for awhile. The workout was great and very challenging and I stick suck with any tricep exercise. It was a lot of fun though getting back to the gym and lifting some heavy weight. Today I did another stretch routine, I have not decided if I am going to do two workouts tomorrow and be done with it, or do one tomorrow and one on Saturday, I guess we will see how I am feeling. My back is just now starting to feel better after my lower body workout I did on Monday night. I did not injure my back, but it did fell like I gave it a good workout. Alright so I only have 2 more workouts to finish in my P90x fitness routine.
P90x: Extra Day #1
This pic has nothing to do with anything, I just thought it was funny. THE THIGH MASTER!
Today was the first day of my make up P90x workouts, I had 5 workouts that I missed, 4 of them are stretching workouts, and you are probably wondering what is the big deal about making up the stretch exercises. Well, the terms of the bet that I made specifically say that I have to finish every workout, no matter what it is. But today I got one of the stretching workouts out of the way, so now I only have 3 P90x stretch workouts left, and one P90x Core Synergistic workout. I did a good job in my stretching workout today, and hopefully by the time I get done with the rest of the three stretching exercises this week I will BE THE MOST FLEXIBLE PERSON IN THE WORLD!! I also went to the gym tonight, I only went once last week, pretty much because last week was crazy with birthday parties! Seriously I went to 6 parties for birthdays last week, 3 of them were mine own! So I thought regardless of what happens today I need to go to the gym and run. I went out to dinner with my sisters and their husbands and then spent a couple hours with my nieces, then I watched 24, which got over at 10, didn’t get back to my house until 10:30 pm, but La fitness is open till 12 am, so I had to go. I ran a little bit over 3 miles and then did some lower back exercises. It was a pretty hard to run though because I still had dinner in me and popcorn, but I made it through.
