Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 21

Day 21 was the final day of MBF, which was the dynamic recovery routine. Again, I did the 15-minute cardio routine from 645 as a warm-up for the MBF workout.  I cannot really say that my flexibility improved all that much during the three week period, but it did not regress either. Starting tomorrow, I am going to do another round of Lift 4, which I plan to do in the mornings, and then do the 645 cardio workout in the evening. But, in that one, I am going to try to do more challenging exercises (like plank jacks and mountain climbers) to keep improving my stamina. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 20

Day 20 was the final Power Ignite workout from MBF. I did not do the 645 cardio workout, however. The cross-climber plank-jack combo in the third block was especially brutal, even though we only had to do 12 reps.  The push-up block changed to do inchworms to 2 push-ups, but instead of doing 8 total, it was dropped to 6. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 19

Day 19 was the final resistance-focused workout (full body burn) in MBF and the 15-minute cardio routine from 645. The MBF workout was very challenging again, especially in the unbalanced blocks. That was especially the case since some of the exercises were done standing on one foot. In the 645 workout, I still swapped out the jump lunges since my knee was still a bit sore. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 18

Day 18 was the last core cardio workout from MBF and, of course, in the evening the 15-minute cardio routine from 645. In the MBF workout, I was able to do seven full rounds and most of an eighth round during the AMRAP portion. So, that increased from five rounds in the first week to 7.8 rounds in week three. So, my cardio/stamina has improved. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 17

Day 17 was the upper body burn workout in MBF and cardio from 645. The range of weight I used in this final workout was 8 lbs (for the kneeling lateral raises in the final block) to 17.5 lbs (for the first two sets of the presses in the first block). I had to drop that down to 15 lbs for sets three and four. It was another very tough workout, even using light weights. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 16

Day 16 was the Core Circuit workout, which again used the same jump rope moves we did in weeks 1 and 2. In the 4-minute AMRAP round, I was able to do five full rounds and just over half of a sixth round. So, in the three weeks, I was able to go from 3.5 rounds to 5.6 rounds during the AMRAP portion. And, in the evening I did the 15-minute cardio workout from 645.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 15

Day 15 was the start of the final week of MBF, which meant week three's "lower body burn" workout. The format of the workout is the same as the other resistance workouts--two blocks of two unbalanced exercises followed by a combination of the two exercises, doing two sets on each side, and two blocks of three sets of two balanced exercises. The weights I used ranged from 12 lbs to 20 lbs. In the fourth block, which has narrow squats followed by calf raises, I started at 20 lbs but ended up having to drop to 15 lbs to keep my form in the squats. In the evening, I did the 15-minute 645 cardio workout. I changed up some of the exercises to compensate for a sore left knee, but got it done.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 14

For day 14, I did the 15-minute 645 workout, immediately followed by the Dynamic Recovery routine from MBF.  The dynamic recovery routine was exactly the same as last week, but because the workout is in  "real-time" you don't have to watch the exact same workout from week 1 (which keeps the program from getting boring).

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 13

Day 13 was the Power Ignite workout in MBF and is the only workout I did today to give myself a bit of a rest. The format was the same as last week, with two shorter EMOM blocks (each 5 minutes long) followed by a third, longer (10-minute) block. The first block has you doing dumbell swing walks. Those are the same as last week's dumbell swings, but you step forward and backward between the swings. The second block is inchworm to push-ups, and the final block alternates dumbell sledgehammers and plank jacks. So, while the workout is short, you will definitely be tired by the end of it. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 12

 Day 12 was week 2's full body burn workout in MBF and, of course, the 15-minute 645 routine modified with exercises from T25 and Lift 4.

The MBF workout was another tough one. It followed the same format as the other lifting workouts, two blocks of unbalanced exercises and two blocks where you use both weights (or use your body weight) for the exercises. I again had to go very light with most of the exercises. You have to not only account for no rest between the sets, but you also have to account for the amount of weight you need for both exercises. Many times, the exercises are paired such that you need a lighter weight for one of the two exercises so you have to use the lighter weight for both because you flow from one exercise directly into the next.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 11

Day 11 was the core circuit workout in MBF and the 15-minute cardio workout in 645. I again did the MBF workout in the morning on an empty stomach and the 645 workout in the evening. 

The core circuit workout used the same jump rope exercises as last week in the cardio portion but did switch up the exercises in the core portion. The "main" core/cardio exercise was plank jacks, which you do two sets of in each core block. Then, the last four minutes is the AMRAP block in which you do the same four exercises as in the week 1, day 4 workout. This week, I was able to get through seven rounds, two more than I did last week. The 645 workout went well once I was warmed up (so rounds two and three) and did not have to modify any of the moves after the first round.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 10

Day 10 was the Upper Body Burn workout in MBF and, of course, the 15-minute cardio in 645. I again did the MBF workout in the morning on an empty stomach and the 645 workout in the evening after eating everything I had for the day. 

The MBF workout follows the same format as the other resistance-based workouts. Again, some of the exercises are repeats from week 1, and others are new. I definitely needed to use much lighter weights than I thought I would be able to use during the workout because the lack of even a pause between the exercises in each block (especially when you are doing volume training) is hard as hell.  That said, I definitely have more endurance than I did ten days ago, which helps immensely. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 9

Day 9 was the core circuit workout again in MBF and the 15-minute cardio routine from 645.

Core circuit was very similar to the week-1 version of the workout. In fact, the exercises that used the weighted jump rope were exactly the same. The core exercises were, however, switched up. The AMRAP four-minute block was also the same as week 1 (with the idea of keeping track of how you progress). This week I got through five rounds of the four exercises, which is 1.5 more than I did the first week. 

I definitely feel that my cardio fitness is improving. Adding the 645 cardio has helped a lot, as I can do moves that do not combine cardio and strength and just aim to do them faster.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 8

 Day 8 was the start of week 2 of MBF, so it was again lower-body burn. I did the MBF workout in the morning and then the 645 15-minute cardio workout in the evening.

The format of the workout is the same as the other resistance workouts, four blocks of exercises, two of which are unbalanced (so you hold one weight and do the exercises on each side separately), and two blocks of "regular" resistance exercises in which the weight is distributed evenly. Some of the exercises from last week are repeated, and some are slight variations of those in last week's workout. Each block is separated by a minute of cardio using the weighted jump rope, and there is no rest between the sets in each block. 

The workout was a bit easier than last week since I had a better idea of what weight to use for the exercises. The vast majority of people doing MBF will likely have to use much lower weight than they use in other programs because you are doing volume training (as many reps as you can do in 30-45 seconds as opposed to 10 or 15 reps that other programs have you do) and there is no rest between exercises or sets. Even with using lower weight, it is still very challenging.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 7

Day 7 is dynamic recovery in MBF and 15-minute cardio from 645. I changed the order, however, doing the MBF workout in the morning and the cardio in the evening.

The MBF workout is very similar to Dynamix from P90X3. It is not an intense workout as all the movements are fairly slow and are designed to stretch and provide mobility, not to get your heart rate up. Megan works through a lot of shoulder range-of-motion exercises, which  I definitely liked. Then she finishes off with some yoga movements (cat-cow and child's pose into cobra into downward dog). Next week I may pair it with the foam rolling routine from 645 or Lift 4.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 6

 Day 6 included cardio from 645 and the Power Ignite workout from MBF.

Power ignite has 3 EMOM blocks in which you get 40 seconds to do a certain number of reps (or as many reps as you can do) for an exercise. Blocks 1 and 2 have 5 EMOM rounds and have you doing one exercise. In block 1, you do 25 dumbell swings (or however many you can do in 40 seconds); in block 2, you do 8 walkouts to pushups (or however many you can do). The third block has 10 EMOM rounds that alternate between dumbell sledgehammers and mountain climbers. In the first EMOM round, you do 20 sledgehammers. In the second EMOM round, you do 40 mountain climbers. Then, you keep alternating between the two.

This is a tough workout. It goes by very fast, and you get more rest in this workout than you get in the others. But your heart rate is constantly up, and you get just enough time to catch your breath and take a sip of water before you start the next EMOM round. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 5

Day 5 was the Full Body Burn workout in MBF and, of course, the modified 15-minute cardio workout from 645. 

The 645 workout was awesome. It was the best I have done with any of the moves. Aside from the jump lunges in the first set, during which I stepped because I was using them as a warmup, I was able to do all the exercises in each round for the full 30 seconds without modifying.

The MBF workout followed the same format as the Monday and Wednesday workouts. So, you have four blocks. Each block is separated by a cardio recovery with the weighted jump rope. In blocks 1 and 3, you are doing unbalanced exercises. That means three exercises holding a weight in your right hand, the same three holding the weight in your left hand, then back to the right hand, and back to the left—all with no rest between the exercises. In blocks 2 and 4, you do two exercises that require holding weight in both hands. You do both exercises back-to-back with no rest for three sets. As the name implies, this is a full-body workout that incorporates squats, deadlifts, biceps curls, lateral raises, etc. Basically, you work all of your major muscles except the triceps. It was good, but tough.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 4

Day 4 was another core circuit day in MBF and the 15-minute cardio workout from 645. So, today was heavy on Cardio, which was kind of nice because the cardio work is getting a bit easier. The MBF workout was similar to Tuesday's workout in that you alternate cardio blocks and core blocks. And, each of the core blocks had two sets of Mountain Climbers, so you end up doing cardio the entire time. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 3

 Day 3 was upper-body burn in MBF and the 15-minute cardio routine from 645. 

In the 645 routine, I am absolutely getting better at the pulse squats and the jump lunges (the two exercises from the actual workout that I do; the others get swapped out for Lift 4 cardio exercises). The MBF workout is tough (yet again). It follows a very similar format to the lower-body burn workout. There are four blocks. In two of the four, you do two rounds of two exercises and a combo of the two exercises. You use unbalanced weight, meaning you do the exercise on the right side, holding the weight in your right hand, and then you switch to the left side. And, there are no breaks between the exercises, so even when you are doing chest flies and presses, you need to use a lot lighter weight than you would use in a program like P90x or Lift 4 because you never put the weight down once you start. The other two blocks consist of two exercises that you do back-to-back for three rounds, again without stopping. You do all the exercises for 30 seconds (so reps will vary as you get tired), and the only rest in the program are between blocks when Megan shows the next moves (after you have done about 30 seconds with the ropeless jump rope).  So, not only do you work your muscles, but your heart rate will be elevated throughout a lot of the workout because you almost never stop moving.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/MBF Day 2

Day 2 was core and cardio in MBF, and the 15-minute cardio (modified again with a few different moves) from 645.

The MBF workout is interesting. You do three blocks of cardio (each block including two exercises) separated by four blocks of core work (each block including 2-3 exercises). Each exercise in the cardio blocks is done for three rounds, again with no rest between the moves. Each exercise in the core blocks is performed for two rounds, with no rest between the moves. And, there is no rest between the blocks (aside from the time it takes Megan to show the moves in the next block), so you essentially do three rounds of your two cardio moves, immediately transition to the core block, do two rounds of those moves, immediately transition to the second cardio block, etc.

At the end of all that, you do have a four-minute AMRAP block. AMRAP stands for "as many rounds as possible." In those four minutes, you do four reps of three of the cardio exercises and then 20 jump rope reps, which counts as one round. You rest a few seconds to catch your breath and then do another round. The goal, as it sounds, is to do as many rounds as you can in that four minutes.

The workout is good and goes by very quickly, but it is hard. Having zero rest time between exercises and very little rest between the blocks is tough. Throughout the workout, the various cast members (who all vary in their fitness level and ages) take unscheduled pauses here and there. Even if you are in fairly good shape it will be a challenging workout.