Workout Update: Lift More: Day 27

Day 27 was the first of the two rest days, so, as I did last week, I did the two recovery routines from Lift 4: first the stretch routine, then the roll-and-recover routine.  I did notice a slight improvement in flexibility, even on the thing where you sit with your legs stretched out and reach for your toes. I have never been good at that stretch, even when I was a kid and much more flexible than I am now. I was able to bend my back down a little without using a yoga strap, which I have not been able to do probably since about 2008 or 2009. 

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 26

Day 26 marks the end of week 4 of Lift More, which is the halfway point of the program and the end of Phase 1. It was the shoulder workout, which this week follows the Lift/HIIT format. I was able to start with heavier weight for each exercise, but I had to drop-set the rotating front raises on both sets two and three of that exercise. The HIIT portion was not horrible, bench skiers, and Icky Shuffle pulses. Then, of course, you finish with core and a stretching cooldown. It appears that Phase 2 changes the format of the workouts, much like the last two weeks of Lift 4 did. It will be interesting to see how that goes.

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 25

Day 25 was the glutes and hamstrings workout, which was a lift-only workout. All of the exercises remained the same, and I was able to use the increased weights for each exercise. The burnout required the power loops and was the same leg-lift sequence from two weeks ago. The core portion was also the same as it was two weeks ago. The pace of the workout(s) gets easier to adjust to, but is always challenging. That is really the hardest part of the program, transitioning between exercises and not falling behind the cast.

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 24

Day 24 was the back-and-triceps lift/HIIT workout. It was another challenging one, but I am getting to the point where I am used to the overall pace of the workouts and know what to expect in each one. I was able to use the increased weight for the exercises and did not have to drop-set, aside from the skull crushers. The HIIT and core portions of the workout were brutal since you had to be in planks a lot. So, it is challenging but doable.

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 23

Day 23 was the quads and calves workout. This one was a Lift workout, with two blocks of quad sets and a burnout block. The only good thing about this workout is that both core exercises were performed lying down on the bench. Everything else was brutal. Of course, there was little to no rest time, the transition time was short, and because it works the lower body, you should be lifting heavy (and using increased weight from the first couple of weeks). The burnout block uses power loops for one of the exercises (side-walking squats), and then you do step-up lunges with a heel lift. So, yeah, it is not fun, but it works. You may or may not swear and/or flip off the TV, however.

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 22

Day 22 was chest and biceps, Lift/HIIT. It is another challenging workout, despite the superset format, because, as is the norm with the Lift More workouts, there is almost no rest between sets or blocks. I found myself falling behind on reps, even when drop-setting (and I had to drop-set several of the eight total weighted exercises).  Once you blast your chest, the HIIT portion has you doing that awful push-up mountain climber combination, too, so you will be tired by the end of it.

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 21

 On Day 21, I did the lower-body recovery routine from Lift More. This one combines lower-body stretching and foam rolling, and the foam rolling targets some of the same parts of the legs as the Lift 4 roll and recover routine, but swaps rolling the hamstrings for rolling the inner thighs. So, they are good to do back-to-back. Next week, I may do both routines on the same day, then combine the stretching routine from Lift 4 with the upper-body recovery workout from Lift More. 

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 20

Day 20 was a rest day, so I did the two recovery routines from Lift 4. I did the stretch routine first, then the roll-and-recover routine. Both felt good, but I did not notice a big change in my flexibility from last week. But I definitely had some knots in my legs that felt good to work out with the foam roller. 

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 19

Day 19 was the shoulders workout, which was a Lift format this week, meaning two blocks of quad sets followed by a burnout block. Then, of course, finishing with core and stretching. I did increase the weight initially for all exercises, but did drop-set some of them in the second and third sets. As with all the workouts, the minimal rest, which sometimes seems non-existent, makes this workout a challenge. Even the exercises that require using very light weights are hard by the third set.

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 18

Day 18 was the second leg day of the week, hamstrings and glutes LIFT/HIIT. I was able to increase the amount of weight for the weighted exercises and stick with it for each set. The HIIT was bench mountain climbers and pulsing (or jumping) step lunges. Of course, you end with core and stretching. The lifting portion was not horrible, but the lunges in the HIIT portion, even modifying them, were tough. It was a good Christmas workout, especially since I did not eat well today. 

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 17

Day 17 was the back and triceps workout for week 3, which was a circuit workout with a burnout at the end. The burnout was probably the easiest part of the workout, and it included three sets of 45 seconds of dips. I was able to increase the amount of weight for the weighted exercises, but I did have to drop set the single arm triceps extensions in the second and third sets. It was challenging, especially because of the limited amount of rest between sets and blocks, but good. 

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 16

Day 16 was the first of two leg days for the week. This was the quads and calves workout. It is the LIFT/HIIT format, so you do four blocks of lifting (two blocks of calves and two blocks of quads). Of course, there is almost no rest between sets or blocks, so by the time you get to the HIIT block, you are already exhausted. HIIT is kind of brutal (even if the Lift part hadn't been as challenging), and then you finish with core (no joy there either) and stretching to cool down. I increased the weight I used for each exercise in weeks 1 and 2. It was a good workout, but it was definitely harder than any of the Lift 4 leg days.

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 15

Day 15 was the beginning of week 3, so it was the chest and biceps workout. This one goes back to the circuit format in which you do two blocks of quad sets, and then a burnout block, alternating between push-ups using the bench and variations of bicep curls. I increased the amount of weight that I used in weeks 1 and 2, but I did have to drop-set some of the exercises, as did all three of the people in the video, including Joel. Of course, it ends with core and stretching. It is a good workout. There is still not a lot of rest once you get going, but you do get used to the pace. I did have to pause the video after the first block to get weights set up for block 2, because of the minimal amount of time between the two blocks, which is really my only criticism of the program up to this point.

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 14

On day 14, I did the lower-body recovery routine from Lift More. I absolutely had some knots in my legs, so the foam rolling helped a lot. I also found that I had more flexibility and mobility this week than I did last week. So, my flexibility is getting better.

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 13

Day 13 was a rest day for Lift More, so I did the stretching routine from Lift 4. I was not able to get to it until later in the day, so I did not do either of the longer Lift More recovery routines.  

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 12

Day 12 was the end of week 2. It was shoulders again, but this time it used the Lift/HIIT format. There are four blocks of lifting, alternating two exercises and then three rounds of HIIT alternating two exercises. Most of the weighted exercises are the same as last week, but you do swap out one of the exercises to do trap openers (the shoulder flys from Lift 4). And, of course, you finish with cardio and stretching. This is another challenging one. You get a bit more rest than in yesterday's workout, but that is not saying much since there was almost no rest in that one. So there is little to no rest in this one. But, it is a good way to end the week.

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 11

Day 11 was the hamstrings and glutes workout. You do all the same exercises as in week 1, but the order of the exercises differs, and it follows the quad-set circuit format. Then there is a burnout block using power loops at the end (and of course the core and stretching cooldown to finish).  This is a very challenging workout, both because you do four exercises back-to-back and because there is no rest throughout the workout, and even the transitions between exercises (if you can call them that) are extremely short. Basically, there is no rest except for a short one between the two blocks of weighted exercises. Both core exercises are performed lying on the bench, so that is kind of a break, but that is it. 

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 10

Day 10 was the Back and Triceps workout, and is a Lift/HIIT combination. It includes a couple of new exercises not in the first week's version of the workout, but most are the same. It is set up with four blocks, each with three sets of 12 reps per exercise. Blocks one and three are the back blocks, and blocks two and four are the triceps blocks. The HIIT portion is tough, as you do plank and jumping-jack variations, then you get more planks in the core component.  So, it is not easy, but it feels good to get through it.

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 9

Day 9 was the week 2 version of Quads and Calves. This one is a circuit workout, doing two blocks of quad sets and then a burnout round consisting of three sets of two exercises. This workout includes bench step-ups. The ceiling in my basement is too low to step onto my bench, but I do have one of those aerobic step platforms that I placed on a one-inch-thick mat, and that got the job done. In each block, you do two quad exercises followed by two calf exercises. In the burnout block, you need the resistance loops (the fabric kind used in the 645 program, for those who have done it). If you have the rubber resistance bands, you could use those as well. And, of course, you finish with core and stretching.

The workout was good. I was able to use the same weight for the quad exercises that I used last week, and bumped up the amount of weight I used for the calf exercises by  5 lbs. Doing quad sets is more difficult than supersets, but in this one, not having the HIIT portion is nice.

Workout Update: Lift More: Day 8

Day 8 was the start of week 2, so it is chest and triceps again. However, the format is different (this is a Lift-HIIT workout) and the exercise switch up a bit. Some of the exercises are carried over from week 1, but others are swapped out. Even though you are doing super-sets with two moves in each block, they are difficult and you will almost certainly have to drop set in the second and third sets of blocks 2 and/or 3. Both cast members (and Joel) dropped weight in the later sets. The HIIT portion is hard, but not impossible, and then you finish with core and stretching.