Hello out there!
It's been hectic and insanely busy as usual, but I'm here with *hopefully* more regular blog posts!
I know that I was going to review Body Beast, but I got kinda burnt out on that program and decided to switch up my workout routine a bit! I'm still planning on reviewing Body Beast in the future, so no worries there! I just needed to change up my workouts and I think ChaLean Extreme will be a GREAT program to fill you in on!
I've only JUST started this program, so I'll be posting these reviews as I go!!
For anyone new to this program or Beachbody workouts in general, let me give you a quick run down of this one!
*I'd say this is a weight-lifting (or resistance training) program for women (although there is a guy in the group in the dvds)! By using weights or resistance bands, your goal is to increase your lean muscle mass which will help you burn fat QUICKER and the HEALTHY way so you can get that lean, well-toned physique!
*When you add lean muscle, you're also boosting your METABOLISM, so you'll burn fat while you're working out and also when you're not - who doesn't want that?! :)
*It's a 3 phase program:
-Phase 1, Burn Phase: Start lifting weights to jump-start your metabolism
-Phase 2, Push Phase: Progress to heavy weights to add muscle and scorch fat
-Phase 3, Lean Phase: Mix up your routine with new and dynamic moves to really burn calories!
*Each phase also includes cardio and ab/core workouts, so make sure you get a full-body burn!
*Workouts are right around 30 mins each, so that's a HUGE plus to me! I don't have a ton of time to spend in a gym or even working out at home, so to be able to get a GREAT workout in a short time frame is excellent!
So far, I've done Day 1 which is the Burn Circuit 1 workout.
I thought the exercises were pretty good and varied - the workouts aren't as segmented as a traditional resistance/weight program would be. For example, the Body Beast program's daily workouts are specifically grouped by which area you're working, like Legs, Back/Biceps, Chest/Triceps, etc.
So I definitely liked that Burn Circuit 1 worked lots of different muscle groups at the same time - work smarter, not harder haha :)
*Also, these exercises are designed for you to use the heaviest weight/strongest resistance that you SAFELY can complete each move with (using good form). You should choose a weight that is heavy enough that by 10-12 reps, your muscles are failing and you cannot perform another rep. On the flip side of that, if you're reaching failure at the halfway point or before 10-12 reps, you should back down your weight and go for something lighter - remember, we NEVER want to sacrifice form for any reason, that's how we get injured!
It's also VERY helpful to write down the weights you used for different exercises - this helps you remember for the next time if you need more/less weight, instead of trying to remember it. Chalene reminds you to do this also, and she is really great at letting you know what weight SHE is using, so you can use that as a jumping off point for yourself.
There are 9 exercises to this 35-ish minute workout:
Sumo Squat with Hip Lift - I LOVE Sumo squats, and I kind of wish this one had just stopped there. The way you're supposed to squiggle your feet back into a neutral position in order to do the hip lift was REALLY awkward. Maybe this one should just be a regular squat with a hip lift, so no footwork would be necessary? It was effective, and so was the hip lift (like an oblique crunch), but the transition between the 2 moves was a little off to me.
Lunge with Posterior Fly - This is basically a lunge with an opposite arm raise out to the side. These can be tough if you aren't used to working your arm/back muscles, so start with a lighter weight than what you think you can handle. For quick reference, a fly is similar to a row, but opens "out" more than it goes "back" - picture for reference below. Just imagine doing this with one arm while lunging with the opposite leg - gets you a good burn!!
Push Up with Leg Lift - I am a TOTAL wimp for pushups, something I am working on, so I did the modified version of this exercise, with my knees down and no leg raise. I'll get to the big girl pushups one day haha!
Dead Lift with Posterior Fly - Dead lifts are great for your butt and hamstrings, and adding another posterior fly to this exercise again works your back and arms - a great all-around exercise! Again, be careful of having your weights too heavy.
Lunge with Twist - I loved this one - you lunge out and make kind of a figure 8 shape while holding a weight at your midsection, it really works your core more than you think it would while your legs are on FIRE holding in a lunge!
Bench Press with Leg Lower - I had to modify this one a little too. For this exercise, you do a typical bench press while lying on your back and raising/lowering your legs back and forth between about 90 degrees to 45 degrees. I am admittedly weak in my core but I was worried I would focus too much on the leg part and not on the bench press, so I just held my legs up at a 90 degree angle, I'll hopefully progress to the leg raises once I'm a bit more comfortable with these moves.
Squat with Side Bend - This is a regular squat (not sumo) while holding weights on your shoulders and a crunch to the side at the end. A lot like the first exercise, but a lot easier to manage, with no awkward footwork! I liked this move :)
Forward Lunge with Posterior Fly - Another set of lunges, this time you lift both arms at the same time, instead of one at a time. My legs were like jelly by this point haha!
Chest Fly with Hip Lift (or Glute Bridge) - I loved this one too! It's kind of the reverse of the posterior flys from before, the difference is that instead of leaning forward, this time you're lying on your back, slowly lowering the weights out to the sides of you from a center position WHILE lifting your butt off the ground with each raise back up to center. Somehow I felt this one in my arms a LOT more than the other posterior flys, could be that this was the last exercise and my arms were tired, or that gravity made this move tougher!
So that's it! Let me also say there is a warm-up and a cool-down to this (and I assume each) workout, which always helps me! I know there is some controversy out there as to whether these are really necessary or beneficial to your fitness, but I enjoy them!
Let me also say that the book that comes with the workout program, I believe it's called Muscle Burns Fat, is GREAT. Of course it has lots of info that is really beneficial to someone new to fitness and Beachbody programs in general that a more experienced person might not need, but it's always good info to have! It also contains the workout calendar, a detailed breakdown of the exercises with blanks for you to fill in weights used, and detailed descriptions of the moves with pictures too!
So far I really like this program! I know I'm only 1 workout in to it, but I really see it as a program I can stick with and that I WANT to stick with. My biggest struggle is getting bored with a workout plan and sort of losing steam a few weeks into it, and I really want to make it to 90 days with this one so I can have some AMAZING results!
Stay tuned for Burn Circuit 2 soon!
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