Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 90

Day 90 was cardio in 645, which was the last day of the program. It was another emotional workout, starting off with Amoila bringing his dad on set, and it also got a bit silly at times. It was much harder than any of the other cardio workouts, with more intense (and faster) moves. Even though you got a 15-second transition between moves, it did not help all that much.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 89

Day 89 was lower body flexibility again in XB and was Total Body Tempo in 645. This was the last lifting/resistance workout of 645, and the last day for half of the cast members, so it got a bit emotional and silly on set. The workout was definitely hard and was again very fast-paced. I was definitely gassed toward the end of it, but I made it through.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 88

Day 88 was lower back in XB stretch and Upper Body Strength in 645.

The 645 workout again had a shorter warmup, which lasted about 9 minutes, and then the three blocks. The first block has three exercises that you do for four sets. The second block is an EMOM block, and the third block has there exercises that you do for three sets. Then, after you finish the third set, you do a set of all 7 exercises, back to back, without stopping. However, in the last set, you just do ten reps of each exercise instead of twenty. So, it is a very fast-paced and challenging workout. 

I decided for the next program I am going to go back to Lift 4 for the main workout, but I am going to do the 645 corrective and foam rolling routines for my morning flexibility workout. Those each run anywhere from 11 to 23 minutes, and are focused on correcting imbalances in various body parts like the shoulders, hips, and ankles. Then I will probably go back to 645 with the goal of working my way up to Six Weeks of The Work, which is Amoila's original program in which all of the workouts are like the performance week workouts in 645.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 87

Day 87 was lower body flexibility again in XB and mobility and stability in 645.

I was able to get a little bit deeper into the hamstring stretch on each leg in the XB routine. Although, I am still nowhere near being able to do a split (or even a half-split) at this point.

The 645 routine was very good. Almost every move in the routine was a different variation of something that we had done before, either in the regular workouts or in the other mobility and stability workouts. I actually found myself breaking a little bit of a sweat during the routine, so I know that I was working more than in the prior weeks. And, some of the moves that had been very challenging for me earlier in the program were a bit easier.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 86

Day 86 was the lower back routine in XB and the performance week version of total body power in 645. 

The total body power workout was very challenging. It had a couple of new moves, including some plyometric moves that we had not done in the program before. As was the case yesterday, the warmup was much shorter because we were doing 20 reps of each move. Again, some of the exercises were split into 10 reps on each side. There were no biceps or triceps-focused exercises in the workout, but because we are doing swings and snatches, you are using your biceps and triceps a lot throughout the workout.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 85

Day 85 was lower body flexibility in XB, and the start of week 13 in 645, which is the performance week version of lower body strength.

The structure of the workout is the same, with an EMOM block and then two blocks of three exercises you do for three sets. But, the warm-up is very short, under 10 minutes, and then you jump right into the workout without any idle chit-chat or much coaching. You move from exercise to exercise very quickly, but you do get 1 minute of rest between sets except before the last set in the last round (which drops down to 45 seconds because of time). Amoila does the entire workout with the group this time. All of the exercises are done for 20 reps (although some get split with 10 on one side and 10 on the other). My instinct was to go down in weight, but there were a couple of exercises for which I ended up increasing the weight after the first set because I was stronger than I thought I would be. And, I found that I needed to modify fewer moves than I had even last week. So, it was a hard workout, but very rewarding.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 84

Day 84 was the last rest day in 645 and in XB I did the Restore routine.

It had been a while since I did Restore, and I could definitely tell I did not have the same amount of mobility as the last time I did the routine. This is weird because I have been working on my lower back and hamstrings every other day (although just the short 6-minute routines).

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 83

Day 83 was cardio in 645, and it was HARD. It was the most intense version of the cardio workouts in the program so far. It used the bands a lot, it had some plyometrics and some core. And, it moved fast. There were very few transition breaks and idle chit-chat as there had been in the prior cardio workouts. You pretty much go from move to move immediately. You do three "regular" rounds where each move goes for a minute, and then a fourth round in which you do each move for 30 seconds. I am someone who does not sweat a lot during cardio workouts but I was sweating a lot more than usual.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 82

Day 82 was lower back in XB and Total Body Tempo in 645. 

In the 645 workout, every move was done for two reps, but each block had one very hard move. In the first block, it was split lunges with a 4 count down, two count hold, and one count up timing. In the second block, it was a lateral sumo squat, and in the third block, it was the "ape" sequence in which you are in a low squat and alternate between leaning forward with your arms in front of you and opening your arms wide and going up on your toes.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 81

For Day 81 I did lower body flexibility in XB and Upper Body Strength in 645.

The 645 workout was tough, even being a de-load week. And there were a couple of new variations on the moves that Amoila threw in there that made them a bit more challenging. Overall, however, it was a good workout even if it was a bit harder to get through.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 80

Day 80 was flexibility day again. I did the lower back routine in XB and mobility and stability in 645.

The 645 routine actually added a couple of new moves, one of which I was very surprised I could do as well as I did. One of them was a stretch I could do when I was a lot younger and in martial arts, but have not been able to do it for a long time. I am also getting a bit better at the kick-through variations.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 79

For Day 79 I got back on track, doing the lower body flexibility routine in XB and the de-load week version of total body power. Both of them went well, especially since I ended up getting a lot of sleep the night before. I definitely feel that I am getting stronger and I attribute that to the fact that during the 645 workouts, Amoila really focuses on working the stabilizer and non-show/glamour muscles. I really feel that my right shoulder, which bugged me all the way through Lift 4 and Job 1 is having far fewer issues during this program, which is very nice.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 78

Day 78 was a bit of a shit show. My mom had to go into the ER at about 3AM, and needless to say, I did not get much sleep at all. I did not do an XB routine at all, but I did manage to get the 645 workout in, which was the week 12 lower body strength workout. This is another de-load week, so other than during the EMOM blocks, we are doing just two sets of each exercise, but still lifting as heavy as we can. It was a tough workout, especially on very little sleep, but I did feel better by the time I was finished with it, which helped me rest a bit better in the evening.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 77

For Day 77 I did the Realign routine in XB. This one works all of my tight muscles and I do think that I have a little (very little) bit more mobility than I did the first couple of times I did the workout (because of the fact that all these muscles get worked a lot in 645).

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 76

Day 76 was Cardio in 645. It again ramped up the intensity of the workout a bit. This workout added bands into the last few moves of the circuit, not just in the warm-up.  We again just had time for three rounds of the circuit so there was no fourth round, but honestly, I think I would have been too gassed to do another round had they done a bonus round. It was tough, but good.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 75

 Day 75 was lower back in XB and Total Body Tempo in 645.

The 645 workout was a repeat of the week 9 exercises. Some of them were a bit easier, even with using heavier weights, and some were just as difficult as they were in week 9. I can definitely tell that my right shoulder is getting stronger and does not feel as impinged as it did when I was doing Lift-4 and Job-1. It does not have the full range of motion back yet, but it is getting there.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 74

For Day 74 I did the lower body flexibility workout in XB and Upper Body Strength workout.

In the XB routine, I got deeper into the stretches on each side. The 645 workout did the same exercises as in Week 9's version of the workout, but decreased the amount of reps and increased the weight (which I was able to do on most of the exercises). Overall, the workout was tough but doable.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 73

Day 73 was flexibility day again. I did lower back in XB and the Week 11 mobility and stability workout in 645.

The 645 routine actually had a lot of lower back work in it, so I actually got a very nice lower back "workout" today. All of the moves in the 645 routine are those we have done before or slight variations of what we have done before, so there are no surprises. There are a few pretty hilarious moments between the cast members in the workout that make holding the positions a bit difficult because of laughing.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 72

Day 72 was lower body flexibility in XB and total body power in 645.

The XB routine went well. I could again feel that I could get a little bit deeper into the stretches on each side. I am still a long way from doing a split, however. 

The 645 workout was another sweat-fest (despite being a resistance workout). It was fast-paced and the last block, when I was already pretty tired, had two pogos jumping into two squats. Needless to say, I was dead tired by the end of the workout.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 71

 Day 71 was lower back in XB and lower body strength in 645.

This was the intensification week in 645, so we increase the weight, decrease the number of reps (to 10), and for the time-based exercises (there were not any in this workout) the amount of time you do the moves goes up to 1 full minute.  The workout was tough, but I can tell that I have gotten stronger over the course of the 10 weeks, as I am better able to do moves like front-load lunges without falling all over the place and getting deeper into the lunges so the exercises are getting a little bit easier. 

As far as the XB routine went, it was fine. Nothing really new to report about that one.