Burn phase complete

Today I officially finished the Burn Phase of Chalean Extreme, doing the Burn it off and Recharge workouts. These workouts, of all of them are why I would personally recommend that someone relatively new to working out start with Chalean, then transition to P90x. One of the biggest gripes about P90x is that the workouts are too long (especially Yoga-X). Burn it off is like a "lite" version of Plyometrics. Not that it is less intense because the moves you are doing, if you go all out, are as intense as anything in Plyo-X. However, the workout is only 28 minutes long. A lot of people find Plyo-X difficult to get all the way through at first, and this will definitely get you ready for that workout much more than Cardio-X does. The Recharge workout is a 20 minute stretching routine that incorporates some yoga, but is not as long or as intense as Yoga-X. Again a better place to start for beginners.

I also did my measurements today, and compared them against Day 1. My weight actually stayed the same for the most part. I started at 184.4 and got to 183. However, a perfect example of why one should not live and die by the scale alone, my bodyfat went from approximately 22.1% to 20.7%. My waist went from 42" to 40.8", and my hips from 42" to 41". I also lost 1.5 inches in my chest going from 44.5" to 43".

Overall I am making good progress. From what I have read, in the test group for Chalean Extreme many people made the most progress in the Push phase, which is up next. Instead of failing at 10-12 reps for each exercise, you fail between 6 and 8 reps. The goal of course to put on as much muscle as possible. Tomorrow is my rest day, so I will be doing X-Stretch, then Push Circuit 1 on Tuesday.

Burn Phase done...almost

Today I did my last Burn Circuit workout for this round of Chalean Extreme. I still have the Burn it Off and Recharge routines tomorrow, then the first 30 days on CE is officially done. I decided to get the Bowflex Selecttech 552 weights when I started the workouts, and personally I love them. There are several adjustable dumbbell options out there, all with their pros and cons. The main con with the Bowflex weights is that you have to be extremely careful with them, because if you drop them at all, the locking mechanism that holds the weight plates on the handle can break. But from my experience however, if you are careful with them, they seem to hold up well. I did make sure to send in my warranty registration however, because I have heard stories about issues with the older model (I have the 2009 model).

I like the fact that until you get to 25 pounds you can adjust the weight in 2.5 pound increments. Then it goes from 25-50 in 5 lbs increments, then to 52.5. And for most people doing the CE or P90x workout, that will likely be plenty for nearly all the exercises. Plus I figure if I need more than that, I can get a couple 55 and 60 pound dumbbells in the future.

Throughout the Burn Phase I was able to increase the amount of weight I used on many of the exercises. Here is the Breakdown.

Burn 1 Start End

Sumo Squat with Hip Lift. 20lb 20lb
Lunge w/ posterior fly 7.5lb 10lb
Push Up w/ leg lift 11 12 (all on toes)
Dead lift w/ posterior fly 10lb 12.5lb
Lunge w/core rotation 17.5lb 20lb
Bench Press w/ leg lower 17.5lb 17.5lb
Squat w/ Side bend 17.5 lb 30lb
Forward lunge w/ post fly 10lb 10lb
Chest fly w/ Hip Lift 15lb 17.5lb

Burn 2

Sumo Squat w/ Bicep Curl 17.5lb 20lb
Lunge w/ tricep extension 10lb 12.5
Dead Lift Row 20lb 30lb
Sumo Squat w/ overhead
tricep extension 25lb 25lb
Dead lift w/ double row 25lb 25lb
Bowler's Lunge w/ row 20lb 20lb
Bicep Curl w/ abductor
balance 12.5lb 17.5lb
Forward lunge w/ double
row 20lb 25lb
Triple Threat Push Up 10 12 (6 on toes 6 on knees)

Burn 3

Sumo Squat w/ overhead
press 12.5lb 15lb
Lunge w/ calf raise 20lb 22.5lb
Squat w/ lateral raise 7.5lb 12.5lb
Lunge w/ frontal press 12.5lb 15lb
Squat w/ calf raise 20lb 30lb
Sumo Squat w/ Delt Raise 7.5lb 12.5lb
Squat w/ double overhead
press 15lb 15lb
Lunge w/ lateral raise 10lb 12.5lb
Sumo Squat w/ calf raise 20lb 30lb

While many of those weights are lighter than what you see a lot of people doing in the gym, when you do the reps as slowly as the program calls for...especially when you do not have anyone to spot you, you do not need massive amounts of weight to make progress. Had the Burn Circuit continued another week, I would have been able to increase the amount of weight on nearly every exercise. I can tell I made huge strength gains even just between the third and fourth weeks. I am excited for what the Push phase will bring.

Chalean Extreme End of Week 3

I finished the third week of Chalean extreme. I have one more week in the Burn phase, which is the first of the three phases. Today was officially my second rest day, although I have been doing the stretching routine from P90x, just to work on flexibility. My Schedule has been (and will be going forward) like this:

Tuesday: Burn/Push/Lean Circuit 1
Wednesday: Rest Day 1 (Alternating Yoga or Pilates in the morning and taekwondo class in the evening)
Thursday: Burn/Push/Lean Circuit 2
Friday: Burn Intervals and Burn Abs
Saturday: Burn/Push/Lean Circuit 3
Sunday: Burn it off and Recharge
Monday: Rest Day 2 (Usually doing X-Stretch from P90x)

Aside from the differences from P90x I mentioned in the earlier post, as you can see Chalean Extreme has two built in rest days. It sounds like those who have done P90x previously are working in extra cardio on one of the days, then taking the second one as an actual rest day. I am using taekwondo as my extra cardio for the week on Wednesday evenings.

Another difference I see from P90x is that I think Chalean Extreme is a little easier for beginners to start off on. There are more modified moves in the cardio programs to take the impact out, and the cardio programs are shorter than both plyometrics and kenpo-x. While some of the moves in Plyometrics are modified, it is still very hard to get through the entire hour, and is nearly impossible for a beginner. P90x does allow for swapping out Plyo with the Cardio-x DVD which is pretty low impact and less intense however. Either way you go, you are going to be getting a hell of a workout.