Workout Routines For Toning
I thought I would do a little post on a couple workout routines for toning. So many times many people shy away from workouts with weights because they are afraid of bulking up, well that is not the case anymore. Just because you lift weights and build muscle does not mean you are going to bulk up, it is a myth! There are some great workout routines for toning out there, a couple off the top of my head are the P90x extreme home fitness routine and the Power 90 workout routine. Those two workout routines have been tested and tried and both have been very successful for toning muscles. But there is a new workout that I want to mention, which focuses on building lean muscle mass. It is called the Chalean Extreme workout routine, it’s motto is “Muscle Burns Fat” and if you want to burn that excess fat off then building muscle is the best and quickest way to do it.
Recently I have had the opportunity to try this Chalean Extreme workout. I am only at the beginning of the third week, so I am pretty new at it, but I have already noticed a difference in my body fat. Chalean Extreme is a 90 day workout program that can be extended to 120 days if you want to. In the 90 day session there are three different phases, the Burn, Push and Lean Phase. Each phase is 30 days long and comes with a complimentary food guide that outlines each phase. The reason Chalean Extreme is a great workout routine for toning is because it takes full advantage of dumbbell training. Dumbbells are some of the best weights you can use for muscle building, dumbbells not only use weight resistance but it also use stability resistance. Using dumbbells force all your little muscles to stabilize the weight as you lift it, that is the advantage dumbbells have over bars.
Another thing that makes Chalean Extreme a great workout routine for toning, is that it has you do full body workouts. You are never working out one body part at a time, if you are doing a bicep curl then you will also be doing a squat at the same time. If you are doing a tricep extension, then you will be doing a lunge at the same time. You will always be focusing on two major body sections at a time, whether it is upper and lower body or lower body and mid-section and so on. There are some great cardiovascular routines too.
It is important to know, that even though the Chalean Extreme routine has some great exercises, if you do not have heavy enough weights than you will be cheating yourself from achieving great results. So go out and get a nice set of dumbbells or resistance bands. Dumbbells do not take up much space, but are kind of expensive. So if you are looking for a cheaper alternative, than take a look at getting some resistance bands, they virtually take up no space and are very cost affective. Another great thing about resistance bands is that they create resistance through the band and not gravity like dumbbells. So if you are looking for a workout routine for toning, I highly suggest trying the Chalean extreme program.
Chalean Extreme Day 13
Today, I had to wake up earlier than normal to go to work. I helped tear up a deck because the wood is all rotten, so I was not able to stick to my normal schedule of doing the Chalean Extreme workout in the morning. I did however meet up with a friend at LA Fitness and did a back and bicep workout routine with him, which worked out great because that was the workout I was supposed to do with the Chalean Extreme workout. We always workout pretty hard at the gym, and we use all the same principles that Chalene Johnson believes in. We use dumbbells for the most part and we do not try to rush our exercises, slow is key.
We usually start off with pull ups but because I injured my bicep last time, we decided to warm up with a lighter bicep curl first. Then we went to the pull up bar, and with our hands facing forward we did as many pull ups as possible, 3 times. After that your biceps and upper back are pretty tired, so it makes it pretty tough to finish the rest of the exercises. We continued to switch off, focusing on biceps and then back and so on, we also did routines that involved working out both areas at the same time. After the back and biceps workout, we usually end it with some abdominal workouts. Doing some crunches and oblique exercises, afterward my abs are always sore, but a good sore not a painful one. I probably will not get to my workout tomorrow, but I will be doing the Burn circuit 3 workout on friday. So far this has been a great workout routine for toning.
3rd Week with ChaLean Extreme
So today marks the beginning of the third week for my Chalean Extreme workout, the first couple weeks took awhile because of my television being broken, but I am back up and running in full force. I started off this week with the Chalean extreme burn circuit 1 workout, I really enjoyed this workout, it is challenging and motivating. For the most part this workout focuses on your upper back and your chest, and of course it also works out the lower body at the same time, having you do squats and lunges with weights. But what I love most about this workout is that there are a couple exercises that workout your abdominal. In one workout, with heavy weights you squat down and back up and then crunch to the sides, you do that slowly 12 times, even with 25 pound weights you can feel the burn really well. In another workout called the Bench press and lower leg exercise, you lie on your back, placing the band around your ankles. Raise your legs straight up in the air and extend your weights above your chest. Then as you lower your weights to your chest you simultaneously lower your legs as far as you can go without touching the ground and back up as you lift the weights back up from your chest. You do this 12 times. This was a pretty difficult workout, especially if you do not have the strongest abs. I recommend that if you cannot to the 10 to 12 reps than maybe you should do the modified version with your knees bent. There are a couple more abdominal routines in this workout that are just awesome, just make sure to use the right weight or you might not get all you can achieve.
For my diet today, I had a whole wheat English muffin in the morning, with all natural peanut putter and lower sugar jelly. It was super good!! After the workout I had a banana and a protein drink to help my muscles recover from this morning and last night. Speaking of last night, my buddies and I had our first softball games. We did absolutely terrible the first game, I do not even want to talk about it. But the second game we were down by three in the last inning and we came back and won it!! So that was sweet! Personally though, they were probably some of the worst games I have ever played. I went 0-3 in the first game, and then 2-4 in the second game. My fielding was off too, I moved over to third base this year, so it is going to take me a little time to get used to that position.
ChaLean Extreme’s Day 12 Workout
The hike was incredible and rattlesnake ledge is only about a 2 mile hike. It is not the most difficult hike, but you still get a great workout. It overlooks North Bend in the wonderful state of Washington, when you get up to the top, there is a huge rock ledge that you can just chill and sit down on. The only problem is that it was super busy, there were tons of people on this hike. It is a pretty popular spot to go hiking but I have never been up there when it was so busy. When we got to the top there were about 20 people up there already, it is a pretty huge ledge so it was not that crowded but that is the most people I have ever seen. After the hike, we went and watched the UFC fights, they were pretty lame. Chuck Liddell Got knocked out, which I expected, and Anderson Silva won. Silva’s fight was not pretty, I thought it would be a little bit more exciting, but his opponent would not fight, he just tried to lay on the ground and grapple.
I am no longer going to workout on Mondays because I have Softball games. So my new Chalean Extreme workout schedule will be on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with Sunday and Monday being my rest days. I also got to get back on my Abs diet to, I have been slacking like crazy! Sometimes my biggest weakness is my eating habit, I have got to get control of it.
ChaLean Extreme Workout – Day 11
Oh my goodness!! My legs are so tired and sore from yesterday’s workout. That Chalean Extreme Burn Interval Routine really worked out my legs, I was feeling it last night and this morning. It is a good soreness, but I usually do not even feel that sore after hiking. I guess Chalean Extreme has been working so far. Today I did the Burn Circuit 3 workout, and it was pretty good, since my legs were already tired it was hard to get into some of those lunges, but after a awhile your legs stop feeling the pain. There was some great workouts in this routine but there were also some awkward ones too. This Chalean Extreme workout routine was only about 30 minutes long and that is including the warm ups before hand, so it is not to long. Like the other Burn Circuit workouts there are a lot of lunges and squats, I am just going to except that those are in every workout. But Chalene definitely works out the shoulders in this routine, with a couple lateral raises, 2 shoulder presses, and deltoid raises. There are no Bicep or Tricep curls in this workout at all. Your legs get a great workout in this routine because there are 6 types of squats, 3 types of lunges and 2 types of calf raises. I wish I had heavier weights for when I did the leg workouts, but 50 pounds does okay.
I really liked the Sumo Squat With Deltoid Raise, you can really feel the burn in your legs when you squat and feel the delt raise, especially doing it slowly. It is important on this workout that your form stays true, or else you can hurt yourself. The workout I really did not care for much for was the Lunge With Calf Raise exercise. It just felt awkward. I might change my mind on this workout the more I get familiar with it, but as of right now it is not my favorite.
I do have another problem with this workout, although it really is not that big of a deal. I feel like some of the people that participate in the workouts on the DVD, are not really giving it there all, it seems to me that they are acting more than they are working out. It really does not affect how I personally workout, but some of those people do not get deep in their squats or lunges, and it kind of annoys me. That’s it though.
I had a hard time sticking to my diet today, sometimes I just get in the mood to party and I just want to go eat whatever I want to. I did great for breakfast today, I had oatmeal and blueberries with a protein drink, but for lunch my friends and co-workers went out to The Rock, which is a pizza joint. They have things I can eat there, but I was craving pizza so badly!!! I did okay, I only had a little bit of pizza, like a sliver piece. But I almost gave in and went to the buffet. Hopefully I can continue to be strong. Tomorrow I get to do the Burn it off and Recharge workout, it will be nice to do some easy workouts. I think next week my body will adjust and I will be able to push myself even further. I really want to make the ChaLean Extreme workout as successful as possible, I really want to get rid of this excess fat that I have, especially before I go on my Enchantment hike again. I really do not care about having a 6 pack, but I really do want to get toned and stronger.
The ChaLean Extreme Way
Today was my tenth day of doing the Chalean Extreme workout routine, and so far this is the most blood pumping workout there is so far. The Disc is called Burn Intervals, it is about 45 minutes long, so it is the longest workout I have done yet. It really does push your heart rate up. You pretty much switch from doing a cadio exercise to a light weight exercise, but even though you are doing light weight, you do tons of reps. The key with this workout is to get your heart rate up with the cardio exercises and then build muscles endurance with the weight lifting. I know it sounds kind of easy but after awhile your legs get tired from all the squats, lunges and plyometrics, and then your arms and shoulders get tired because you are doing about 30 plus reps every time you pick up the weights.
This workout is definitely different from the burn circuit workouts, with the burn circuit workouts, you focus more on heavier weights and slow reps, but with the Burn Interval workout, you do more lighter weight but faster reps. There are some slow lifting in this workout, but most the time you are going at a steady pace. Again, like all of the Burn Circuit discs, you will be doing a full body workout with Burn Intervals. You will focus on the legs, abs, and upper body.
You would think that after doing a 45 minute workout, you would be done after it was finished, but not on these day. After the Burn Interval workout, you will do the Ab burner routine. It is about 8 more minutes of ab workouts. I have done a lot of ab workouts. I have done ab routines at the gym, and I have also done the ab workout of P90x. The P90x ab workout is definitely the hardest I have ever done, but I found it to be to difficult and painful for my tailbone. So it was hard to complete it. That is why I like this Chalean Extreme routine, I get a great workout with my abs but I do not experience the pain in my tailbone when I do these exercises, so I can focus purely on my abs.
My diet – Last night my friend from out of town came to visit, so a group of us went out to dinner. But I think I did pretty well. We had Thai food, but I had a lean Steak with cabbage and grilled vegetables, the only thing I did bad on was having Crab Rangoons. This morning I had Unflavored Oatmeal and blueberries, I plan on having a protein drink in a few minutes, and then lunch. So far it has been a good morning.
Finally! Day 9 of ChaLean Extreme
I lost my Wingman
So I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is, I started the Chalean Extreme Workout again! The bad new is, I lost my wingman!! It’s like Maverick losing Goose in Top Gun!! Ben is no longer going to be able to do the workout with me, although I was disappointed when he told me, I understand why he will not be able to go on. He’s got his second child on the way and he feels that he is going to pull some late nights with a new born baby and that doing the workouts in the morning will just be to much for him. So that leaves me to do the rest of the Chalean extreme program alone. I am bummed, because I had to do P90x all by myself, and it is way more fun when you have someone working out with you. So I guess I will have to soldier on.
Today, I did the Chalean Extreme Burn Circuit 2 workout. After the warm ups (which I am still not to crazy about), I did 9 workouts, but two of the exercises you have to workout both sides of your body separately so it is like you are doing 11 workouts. The workout is about 35 minutes long, so you want to make sure you give it your all, because 35 minutes is not that much time. The great part about these workouts is that you are always working out more than one part of your body at a time, so you are getting a full body workout with each move. The first move is called a sumo squat with bicep curl, like every other exercise, you will do 12 reps. Stand with your feet pointing outward in a wide stance, as you squat down, hold the weights in between your legs and as you stand up perform a bicep curl. I used 25 pounds because it is the heaviest I have, but you are supposed to use weight that makes you really struggle by the 10th to 12th rep. My favorite workouts are the “get extreme” workouts, with these workout you only do 3 reps, but very very slowly. Slow is the key here, if you do not perform the exercise slowly, you will not maximize your workout. I would say the toughest workouts on the Burn circuit 2 disc, are the tricep workouts, my triceps are pretty lame though, so that is probably why I struggle with these workouts the most. Overall it was a great workout, my arms feel good, and my legs were wobbling a little bit, I do feel like I need to somehow find some heavier weights.
I have also continued on with my Abs Diet, yesterday I went to the Seattle Mariners Home Opener, where we beat the LA Angels of Anaheim in 10 innings, it was a pretty sweet game and it was KEN GRIFFEY JR’s First game back at home in a Mariners Uniform. But I ate pizza, garlic fries and carmel popcorn, so it was not exactly an Abs Diet day. This morning I had oatmeal, then for lunch I had some chicken, I also enjoyed a protein drink to help me build that lean muscle mass. Tomorrow I will be doing the ChaLean Extreme Burn Intervals and Ab Burner discs.
ChaLean Extreme is back in business!!
My new bat!!
So I can finally start up the ChaLean Extreme workout again, I got my replacement bulb for my television and now I am in business. Ben and I decided to just start up where we left off, and we are going to start up again on Monday. Even though it has been annoying that we have not been able to do the ChaLean extreme workouts, it has been kind of nice, because it has allowed for my arm to heal up a little bit. Hopefully by Monday it will feel back to its old self, and hopefully I do not injury myself dirt biking tomorrow, it is a risk I am willing to take. I did not go to the gym the last couple days, but I have been sticking to my diet. I really did not do that well during the weekend, but I have gotten back on track since then. I will not be able to make it to the gym today, but hopefully tomorrow, and then I would like to do sprints again on Saturday before softball practice. Speaking of Softball practice, I received my bat in the mail too. It is sweeet!! It’s a Worth Mutant HD 120, I cannot wait to break it in and pound the ball.
Workouts, but not with ChaLean Extreme
So I did workouts over the weekend and on Monday but none of them were with Chalean Extreme. I am STILL waiting for my television to be fixed, but it is all good. I had Softball practice on Saturday and Sunday, but since I usually do not get a good workout at practice, I decided to go early and workout. On Saturday I did something that I have not done since I played football…I ran lines. For people who do not know what that is, it is when you start from one endzone and run to the 20 yard line and run back and then to the 40 yard line and run back and so on until you do the full 100 yard dash. It gets super tiring, because you are sprinting the whole time. I also ran a couple laps around the track before that to get warmed up. After running lines, I rested for a little bit, and then ran the hundred yard dash as fast as I could twice. It really was a great workout, all together it was only about 20 minutes, but it was nice to get back outside and do some sprinting.
I also worked out on Monday with Jeff, and we did another upper body workout focusing on the chest and triceps. I had to make sure that I was careful that I did not hurt my arm worse, so I took it pretty easy. For the chest we did Dumbbell presses, a upper body press, and a cable press. For the triceps, we did triceps extensions on the cables, s dips, and something else…I can’t remember what it’s called. After that we then focused on are stomachs and then did some push ups on a stability ball. I even ran for about a mile before Jeff got there, so overall it was a great workout.
Now I will explain the picture, Sunday I rode a motorbike for the first time, it was called a pit bike. The experience was fun, although I let the clutch out to fast the first time I tried and almost dragged my face across the earth. Tuesday, was my second time ever riding a pit bike, and my friends spent all day build a jump that they were going off on. When I got there they asked me if I wanted to try the jump, and I was like YEAH sounds like fun. Well, I got on the bike and let out the clutch, so far everything was smooth. I was riding around getting used to the feel, I lined up to the jump and was going to just take a test run to get the feel of it. But half way I just decided to go for it. No one ever told me that you have to stand up a little bit when you go off the jump. So when I went off the jump I was sitting down, which caused my front tire to head downwards straight into the ground, I hit the very top of my front tire and almost completely flipped over the handlebars, but I pulled it off. I was about as close as you can get to flipping without flipping. It was exciting, and they got it on video. It is pretty hilarious.
I Pulled My Bicep
So I’m praying it is not to bad, but I hurt my right bicep yesterday at the gym. Hopefully by the time I get my bulb replacment in the mail, my right bicep will be feeling better, so I can continue my Chalean Extreme workout. A few post ago I wrote about how I did around 70 push-ups, and some pull-ups, after my last set of push ups, my biceps kind of tightened up a little bit. I really did not think to much of it, but I rested the next two days and did not do any arm workouts. Yesterday, I was meeting up with my friend Jeff to work out back and biceps, and we always start off the workout by doing as many pull ups as possible. Well I jumped up to the bar and did only one pull up and my right bicep just felt like it tore, but I thought maybe it just needs to be worked a little bit, so I did one more pull up and it hurt even worse. So I am not exactly sure what I did, but I know when something is not right. I do not think I injured my bicep, but I did hurt it. I did not finish the back and biceps workout, instead I went and ran for and stair climbed for 20 minutes, then we focused on our abs.
I am a little nervous, because I have never had my arm hurt like this before, but I am icing it and putting heat on it to see if I can nurse it back to health. Tomorrow, I have Softball practice and that will be a nice litte test to see if it feels better, or if I can even play.
