Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 49

Day 49 was corrective shoulders in 645 and the first Shred Week in Lift 4.

This week, the Lift 4 workout is Chest and Back. Until this point in the program, Chest has been paired with Triceps and Back has been paired with Biceps. This workout is a circuit workout, so we do 2 quad blocks. In the first block, you alternate chest, back, chest, and back. In the second block, you do two chest exercises followed by two back exercises.  Once you are done with the two quad blocks, you do a burnout round. In the burnout round you do three exercises, regular push-ups, back extensions, and wide push-ups. As has been the case in all the workouts, you get little to no rest between exercises and 30 seconds between sets. So, even though you are not doing any cardio during this workout, your heart rate will still get up there. Then, the workout finishes with the three sets of core. This time, you do weighted crunches followed by windshield wipers.

The Lift 4 workout was challenging. Even though you are doing the same moves, pairing chest exercises with back exercises is a shock to the system. I found that I could not lift as heavy as I could during the first 5 weeks when the larger muscles were paired with smaller muscles. Overall, however, it was a good workout.

Book Review: Star Wars: Tales from the Death Star

 

Tales from the Death Star is a collection of short stories in comic/graphic novel form. The main premise is that one of the kids living on the ocean moon Kef Bir in the Endor system where the remains of the second Death Star crashed is attempting to go out to the crash site to prove his bravery. A mysterious figure warns him against going by telling him stories of strange things that happened on the first and second Death Stars.

The hardcover version is short, coming in at just 96 pages, so it can easily be read in an hour or two, give or take. I will be the first to admit that graphic novels and comics (with a few exceptions) are not really my thing. I pre-ordered this before the cover art was available and from the initial description, I thought it would be a collection of short stories like what was released in the "From a Certain Point of View" novels. While the illustrations were great and I do like the fact that tales from both Death Stars were included, I do not think that the stories really added anything significant to what has already been put out there in the movies and books that have come before this one (unlike the Darth Vader comics, for example). So, unless you are really into collecting the comics, this is easily one you can skip and you will not miss anything.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 48

For Day 48 I did the two recovery routines from Lift 45.

Thankfully, there were fewer knots in my leg muscles today so the Roll and Recover routine was not as uncomfortable. And, I felt like I had a little more flexibility in the stretching routine. So, all in all, it went well. 

Book Review: State of the Union (Scot Harvath Series #3)

 

State of the Union, published in 2004, is the third in the long-running series of thriller novels by author Brad Thor set around the character of Scot Harvath. The plot of the book involves a threat from Russia, specifically, to detonate a series of suitcase nukes hidden in the United States unless President Rutledge announces a series of concessions during the State of the Union address. The events of the book are set in Germany, Russia, and the United States. Some of the characters from the two previous novels appear in this book, and a couple of new characters are introduced. We also get more character development and backstory for both Harvath and Gary Lawlor.

The hardcover version of the book is a moderate length, coming in at just over 330 pages. This book has a very similar tone and style to (and is a similar length as) the first two books, and has a good blend of action and drama with some humor mixed in. Thor balances the action with plot development well and as a result the book has a good pace. The chapters are kept relatively short so there are a lot of natural stopping points for those who take more time to read. If you are a fan of the first two books, or generally a fan of the genre, this is absolutely worth the time to read.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 47

For Day 47 I foam rolled in the morning, doing the lower body foam rolling routine from 645, and in the evening, doing the foam rolling routine from Lift 4. 

Each of the routines helped as I had a lot of knots in my various leg muscles. During the Lift  4 routine, my internet kept dropping so the stream would buffer. So, I just used that opportunity to foam roll longer, and really work out the remaining knots in my hamstrings and calves.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 46

For day 46, I just did Lift 4 Legs, which was the HIIT workout. I did not have enough time in the morning to do the foam rolling from 645 and by the time I had time to work out in the evening, I was not up for doing two. So, I will do the lower body foam rolling in the morning. 

The HIIT workout was tough (as usual). The "main" part of the workout was three sets of four exercises that you do for 60 seconds (single leg lunge jumps), 45 seconds (triple bear), 30 seconds (soccer runs), and 15 seconds (jump squats). After the third set, you do two burnout sets in which you do all four exercises for 30 seconds. Again, during the main three sets there is very little rest between exercises, and in the burnout sets there is no rest. Then, you finish with three sets of core which were side planks, 30 seconds on each side. I again was modifying during the workout left and right. Instead of doing triple bear, I was trying to hold the beast position (with my knees 2 inches off the floor) for as long as I could, dropping to my knees for a couple of seconds and holding again. The idea is that the next time I do the workout I will actually be able to do at least the actual modification of triple bear the entire time, if not the unmodified version.

DVD/TV Series Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Series

 

+++Fair warning, there are some spoilers ahead. Nothing that those who have seen the series don't already know, but just be aware.+++

I came on to the Buffy bandwagon later in the series run. The movie came out while I was in high school and I remember it being pretty bad, so I did not really have much interest when I heard that a TV show was being made. As a result I never watched one episode until the very end of the 4th season and then from the 5th season on. I just happened to watch that episode as a fluke because the WB happened to be the only channel I could get on my TV right after I moved and before I got Satellite TV hooked up. Needless to say, I am glad that I did.

Honestly, had I started watching at the very beginning I may not have stuck with the show. The first season (12 episodes) was really about the show getting a foothold, and establishing the characters. As a result, the stories did not always flow as well as they did in the later seasons. What the show did do well, even from the first episode on, was take the experiences that most of us had in high school and as teenagers in the 1980s or 1990s and present them as real monsters and demons. When you look back at it, the show tackled issues like living up to parents' expectations, peer pressure, abuse, rape, death, and sexuality (to name just a few) at a time when I was not politically correct to do so. The show, at its core, is really about growing up.

I personally think the show peaked with the 5th season. The perfect ending to the show would have been Buffy giving her life to save the world. While I did not hate season 6 and loved the musical episode in season 6, I just think that had it ended with season 5 the show would have probably never would have been accused of getting stale and holding on too long. In my opinion, season 3 was the best of the series. It had the best big bad(s) in the Mayor and Faith, the storyline behind Angel leaving the show, and really started giving substance to the supporting characters. I also very much liked season 4, which dealt with the core group going their own ways, and then having to come back together at the end. While that season saw the departure of Angel and Cordelia (aside from a couple cross-over episodes with the spin-off series, Angel) and the introduction of Riley and the Initiative, it was really about high school friends growing distant as they go to college. It also saw Anya (played awesomely by Emma Caufield) become a series regular. I know some people really hated the direction season 6 went and it did go much darker than many of the previous seasons, at least in terms of the main characters. The nerd trio was kind of lame, but I liked the direction they went in the last few episodes of that season and I do think the 7th season did a good job of wrapping up the story (especially after Firefly was canceled and Nathan Fillion came on).

Chances are anyone reading this by now is a fan of the show, or at least has seen enough of it to know what it is about. For anyone who is a total newcomer to the show, while I cannot say for certain whether you will like it or not, that is totally subjective and depends on your taste. I can tell you it was a funny, dramatic, well-written, and well-acted show. If you are a fan of Joss Whedon shows and movies in general and somehow have not seen much of the show (and I doubt that is possible) you will love it, especially from seasons 2-5. Of course, it has come out in recent years that the environment behind the scenes was very toxic, largely because of Whedon's behavior, which definitely sours some people's opinion of the show. I still think the show is enjoyable, but I definitely would not watch the bonus material that features him or listen to his commentary tracks anymore. Ultimately, in my opinion, the show was more than just Joss Whedon and I can support and enjoy the show even if Whedon may be a jackass. If your only experience was the movie, which was a lot more campy than the series, don't let that cloud your view of the series. Even if you are not totally into it in season 1, give it a chance. The series really takes off in seasons 2 and 3. If you were in high school at any point in the late 1980s or early to mid-1990s you will get all the references and jokes. Even if you were not, I think you will still find the show entertaining and far better than many of the shows that have been on the air since Buffy has been gone.

Book Review: Sisterhood of Dune (Dune #4)

 

Sisterhood of Dune is chronologically the 4th book in the Dune series of novels, and the first in the Schools of Dune trilogy. The book was published in 2012 and written by the duo of Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. 

This novel is set approximately 80 years after the victory over the machines at the Battle of Corrin. Some of the characters from the Butlerian era such as Vorian, Raquella, and Gilbertus do carry over into this book. There are two major themes in the book. The schools run by Raquella, and Gilbertus, and the hatred of Vorian by the heirs of Abulurd Harkonnen. Raquella formed the Bene Gesserit School (or the Sisterhood) and Gilbertus formed a school for people (known as Mentats) to learn to think like the machines did. The anti-machine Butlerian movement is still around and trying to destroy all remnants of technology, while underground groups are trying to bring machines back.

The hardcover version of the book is just under 500 pages long. The authors do a good job of moving in and out of the various storylines and intersecting them at key points. The authors do give signs as to where some of the storylines will go in the subsequent novels but do not telegraph the exact direction for any of the main arcs. It is absolutely worth the time to read.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 45

Day 45 was upper body foam rolling from 645 and shoulders in Lift 4.

The shoulders workout was a circuit workout with three blocks of lifting and HIIT followed by three sets of core. In each of the lifting blocks, you do two shoulder exercises followed by a 30-second HIIT exercise, back-to-back, for three sets. There are no exercises between exercises and 30 seconds between sets. So, you barely get a chance to catch your breath before you are back to lifting. This workout was tough, but not as tough as the chest and tricpes or back and biceps workouts from earlier in the week. I do think that the upper body foam rolling in the morning helped loosen up my lats and traps, which definitely helped this workout. The HIIT moves were not as bad in this workout (no Triple Bear or Mountain Climbers) as they could have been, but were still a challenge. 

DVD/TV Series Review: Angel Seasons 1-5

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from throughout the series+++

This is the Buffy spinoff series, Angel, which initially starred Buffy alumni David Boreanez and Charisma Carpenter, and later Alexis Denisof and James Marsters. Late actor Glenn Quinn also starred as one of the leads during the first season.

I stumbled on to Buffy and Angel rather late in the "Buffyverse's" run. I started watching the shows in what was the 5th Season of Buffy and the 2nd season of Angel (actually I first saw the season 4 finale of Buffy and season 1 finale of Angel the week before the season 5 and season 2 premiers, respectively, and then watched each show until they ended). Obviously, I have seen every episode since both shows were put out on DVD, but I remember becoming an instant fan of both shows, especially Angel, even without all the backstories. The overall theme of Angel was always the fight against evil, and how it never ends. The storylines on Angel tended to be more mature than those on Buffy, especially as compared to the first three seasons of Buffy. I really liked the show fleshed out Angel's backstory and his transition from Angelus to the good guy he would ultimately become.

Another storyline I loved from Angel was the redemption of Faith that started in season 1 and carried over to season 4. The whole story was well written and well acted and was probably not something that could have ever been done effectively on Buffy. The show also did well at making all the characters evolve, especially Cordelia and Wesley. The last season seems to be one that many fans either liked or hated. I loved the last season. The whole story of trying to fight evil from inside the belly of the beast was done well. And it had some of the best episodes of the series, including Hellbound, Smile Time, A Hole in The World, and Shells. I do think that the show did the character of Cordelia dirty and that Cordelia (and Charisma Carpenter) deserved a better ending than either of them got.

The ending to the series was rushed, mainly because the network canceled the show pretty much at the last minute. They actually had to go back and re-shoot some of the scenes for the last show after they knew it was going to be a series finale rather than the season finale. While not quite a Sopranos fade abrupt black screen, the series is not wrapped up in a nice tidy bow. It cuts off at the start of an epic battle, the conclusion to which we never know (unless you get the season 6 comic books).

This set is just a packaging of all of the individual season DVDs with all of the original extras. There has been another complete series set released, but this just has the original book-type cases. Chances are if you are reading this you already know at least a little bit about the series. While liking or disliking a TV show involves a large amount of subjectivity, what I can tell you is that if you have seen some of the shows and liked those, the series, on the whole, is consistently good with not many bad or "clunker" episodes among the 110 episodes. For some, the series may be a bit tainted by the allegations against Joss Whedon and how he treated the actresses (including Carpenter), but I see it as the series is larger than him, and choose not to let his jackassery ruin my enjoyment of the show.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 44

For day 44 I did the corrective ankles routine in 645 and the two recovery routines in Lift 4.

I absolutely needed the foam rolling in both routines since I had a lot of knots in my legs. I can tell that the corrective ankles routine is helping my overall ankle support as I can more easily keep my heels on the ground when bending my knee toward the wall. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 43

Day 43 was the corrective hips routine from 645 and Back and Biceps in Lift 4.

The Back and Biceps workout was a 50/50 workout, so there were three blocks of lifting, consisting of one back exercise and one biceps exercise for three sets. Then, there is the HIIT portion in which you do three sets of three exercises for 60, 45, and 30 seconds. Then, we finish with three sets of two core-focused exercises. The lifting portion went okay, but I had no energy during HIIT, and honestly, I half-assed it for pretty much all of the HIIT part of the workout.  I am not exactly sure why, but I think it is because I have not slept great the past couple of nights. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 42

Day 43 was the start of week 6 in Lift 4, which meant chest and triceps and I did corrective shoulders from 645.

The shoulder routine helped me today and was not as hard as I thought it would be, mainly because my shoulder was not as sore from the COVID booster as I expected.

The chest and triceps workout was a circuit workout, so again two quad blocks in which you alternate four exercises (chest, triceps, chest, and triceps), for three sets, and then you do a burnout round in which you do three sets alternating 30 seconds of wide push-ups and 30 seconds of triceps push-ups. Finally, you do three sets of core, alternating between 30 seconds of side crunches and 30 seconds of weighted flutter kicks. 

This was another rough workout. I was able to maintain the heavier weight for the first set in each block, but then I had to drop the amount of weight down for almost every exercise in the second and third sets in each block. This is a program that will definitely humble you when it comes to how much weight you can use because there is so little time between the exercises (basically none) and the sets (just 30 seconds, which is enough time to get yourself in position to do the first exercise again) that your muscles get very tired. This is not like P90x where you get at least 30 seconds between exercises and at least one minute between blocks, plus the amount of time that Tony chats. So, even if you can do 30 or 40 lbs on a bench press, by the third set when you have done 80 reps of chest and triceps exercises with no rest, you may have to back way off on the amount of weight you use in the last set.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 41

For Day 41 I again did the two recovery workouts from Lift 4. I made sure to get them done in the morning since I got my COVID booster yesterday morning, and if history repeats itself, I will feel like shit tonight and will be fine tomorrow after I sleep it off. Thankfully, my shoulder doesn't hurt as badly as I was expecting it to, so I was able to do the foam rolling without a problem. I noticed in the stretch routine that I got my knee closer to the floor in the supine twists than I had been able to the last few times I did the workout. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 40

For day 40 I did the two recovery workouts/routines from Lift 4.

The foam rolling went well, although I did not feel like I had too many knots, even in my legs, which was a bit surprising after yesterday's leg workout. The stretch routine also went pretty well. Since I hate doing inchworms I replace those with another hamstring stretch that I can actually get a bit deeper into, basically going from the hip flexor stretches into the hamstring stretches that are like the half splits. 

Book Review: Star Wars: The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life

 

Tales of Light and Life is a book set during the two (so far) High Republic eras of Star Wars. The book published in 2023, is a collection of short stories from multiple authors who have written the High Republic era novels, that occur between or after the major events during Phase 1 (the middle) and Phase 2 (the beginning) of the High Republic. Some of the stories involve new, non-Jedi, non-Nihil, or non-Path members who were present during the events in the books, and other stories involve the main characters from the books. 

The hardcover version of the book is a little over 300 pages but reads very quickly, especially for those who have read the other High Republic novels. To me, the best stories are the last few that detail events that occurred after the events of the novel, The Fallen Star. Those stories will likely serve as the setup for the Phase 3 novels that detail the end of the High Republic era. The other stories in the book really felt like filler that did not add a lot to what was in the existing books. Ultimately, I think this is a book that most die-hard fans would read one time, but it is not a must-read and you will not miss a lot if you don't read this one. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 39

 Day 39 was lower body foam rolling from 645 and Week 5 Legs in Lift 4.

The Legs workout was a 50/50 workout so you do three blocks of leg exercises, each block containing two exercises that you do back-to-back for three sets without any rest between the exercises, and you get 30 seconds between sets. Then, you do three sets of HIIT exercises (fast feet burpees, jump sumos, and triple bear) that you do for 60 seconds, 45 seconds, and 30 seconds, respectively. Then you finish out with three sets of core, alternating between a weighted crunch/leg lift combo and floor-to-ceiling leg lifts.

The leg workout was hard. I was pretty gassed when I got to the HIIT, so much so I was taking unscheduled breaks left and right. I think that the lower body foam rolling in the morning did help the leg workout in the evening as my legs were definitely not as tight as normal.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 38

Day 38 was upper body foam rolling from 645 and the week 5 shoulders workout in Lift 4.

The shoulders workout was a tough interval workout. So, again, we did three blocks of two weighted shoulder exercises and then a 30-second HIIT exercise, back-to-back, without any rest in between the exercises and minimal rest between the sets.  I was able to increase the amount of weight I was using for each exercise in each block for the first set, but in the second and third sets I had to drop the amount of weight I was using down (as most of the cast members were doing). For the shoulder flys in the third block, in the third set, I had to drop the weight entirely for the last few reps. The workout finishes with three sets of two core exercises (weighted drivers and prayer crunches). Ultimately, it was a short workout, but very tough. 

The upper body foam rolling in the morning was okay. I feel that I get more benefit from the lower body foam rolling than I do the upper body foam rolling. I do have knots in my lats and pecs, but not nearly as many as I have in my legs on any given day. But, I still do the upper body routine because I do think it is helpful.

Book Review: To Infinity and Beyond

 

To Infinity and Beyond is (as of its 2023 publication and this writing) the newest book written by the popular astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. The book was co-authored by Lindsey Nyx Walker. The book discusses the history of human exploration, both of the Earth and the Cosmos. In it, Tyson distills the various scientific concepts, which range from Newton's Law of Gravitation and Keppler's Laws of planetary motion to what would be required to actually travel to another solar system and the physics behind the concept of time travel (which Tyson does throw a bit of cold water onto since it is far more complicated than just picking a day and year to travel to), into their basic components. 

The hardcover version of the book has 300 pages of substantive text, and then a few pages of other reading material and an index. It is divided into different topics in which Tyson discusses discoveries made on Earth, the exploration of our solar system, and what exploration of other solar systems would entail (especially what it would take to send a ship with people to even the closest solar system).  The only thing that I did not like about the book is that throughout the text there are pages with side topics inserted that break up the main text. So, you either have to read the side-topic material and stop reading the main text, or you have to jump a couple of pages ahead, finish the main text, and then go back to read the side-topic pages. If that happened only once or twice in the book it would not be a big deal, but it happens a lot and gets a bit irritating after a while. That is what knocks the book down a star for me. Otherwise, the substance of the book is great.

The book has a similar tone and feel to the other books that Tyson has authored, especially in the past few years. Tyson, like Carl Sagan before him, has a gift for explaining the science behind various topics in such a way that you can understand the concepts without ever taking a math or physics class, yet not come off as talking down to anyone. The book has a lot of great information in it and wonderful pictures (both real astrophotography and illustrations). It is absolutely worth the time to read.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 37

For day 37 I did corrective ankles and the two recovery routines from Lift 4.

This was an interesting day because the corrective ankles routine from 645, which I did in the morning, has some foam rolling of the calves and quads, as does the Lift 4 foam rolling routine. I thought that I would not have any knots (at least in my calves and quads) in the evening when I did the Lift 4 foam rolling. I did not really have any in my quads, but I did have knots in both calves. Thankfully, they were pretty easy to get rid of since I had done the foam rolling in the morning.

As for corrective ankles, I do think that this routine is still actively helping me. I sprained my ankles when I was younger and when we do the leans toward the walls in the routine and Amoila talks about keeping your heel on the ground, I absolutely struggle with that.  So, unlike the corrective hips routine, this one absolutely still helps me. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 36

Day 36 was corrective hips from 645 and Back and Biceps from Lift 4. 

The back and biceps workout was another circuit workout which meant you did two blocks of four exercises, alternating back and biceps exercises for three sets. After the second block, there was a burnout round in which you alternate between back extensions for 30 seconds and full bicep curls for 30 seconds, for three sets. Then, you finish with three sets of core exercises. This was definitely a hard workout. I had to drop some of the weight I was using down for several of the exercises on the third (and sometimes the second) sets. 

The corrective hips routine went fine. I am using it now more to keep imbalances from coming back than I am correcting an imbalance I currently have. Plus, it gives me another day of foam rolling my legs which always helps.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 35

Day 35 started Week 5 in Lift 4 and the corrective shoulders routine from 645, which means Week 5's Chest and Triceps workout.

The Chest and Triceps routine was a 50/50 routine so there were three blocks of resistance exercises followed by three blocks of cardio. In the resistance blocks you do one chest exercise followed by one triceps exercise, again trying to increase the weight you used the past two weeks. In the cardio blocks, you again do three exercises (single-leg plyo jumps, dual mountain climbers, and high-knee sprints) for 60 seconds, 45 seconds, and 30 seconds respectively. The dual mountain climbers has two regular mountain climbers followed by two twisted mountain climbers. Then, you finish off with three sets of core, alternating between weighted crunches and windshield wipers.

The lifting portion of the workout went very well. I was able to increase the amount of weight I was using for each exercise and maintain that weight for all three sets in all three blocks. Cardio and core were harder today and I had to modify all the moves, but I got through them. 

Book Review: Path of the Assassin (Scot Harvath Series #2)

 

Path of the Assassin is the second book in the long-running series of novels by Brad Thor set around the character, Scot Harvath. This novel, which was published in 2003, is mostly a reset of the story but does tie into the first book, The Lions of Lucerne, at the beginning. The events of this book are set about a year after those of the prior novel. Harvath is up for a promotion within the Secret Service, but he is also tracking down the remaining conspirators who were involved in the kidnapping of the President from the first novel. During a mission, one of his targets is taken out by a mysterious assassin who has ties to terrorist attacks throughout the Middle East. From there, the storyline involves a cat-and-mouse game between Harvath and the assassin.

The hardcover version of the book is a little under 400 pages. It reads very similar to novels that are in the same genre such as the Red Sparrow novels and the Mitch Rapp novels. It has a very good blend of action and suspense and Thor does set the fictional events of the book within the real world as much as possible (e.g., referencing the 9/11 attacks and the very real unrest in the Middle East and the pissing contests between different US agencies). It is a very good follow-up to the first book and even surpasses the first book in terms of quality. If you liked the first book or are just a fan of the spy novel or international action thriller genres, this is absolutely worth the time to read. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 34

For Day 34 I did upper and lower body foam rolling from 645. 

Normally, I would have done upper body foam rolling yesterday, but because of my schedule I could not do the morning foam rolling, so I just doubled up on them today. Doing the two routines back-to-back amounts to 30 minutes of foam rolling, which, if you have time in your day to do it, would be awesome to do every day, along with a regular workout. But, since many of us are pressed for time as it is, it may not be realistic to do both of these routines each day and do a normal workout that may last 30-60 minutes. But, when I get to the point where I retire, I will probably do these routines every morning and then work out because one thing that has struck me caring for an aging parent who did not work out when she was younger and more able-bodied, I want to be as strong as I can be for as long as I can be.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 33

Day 33 was week 4 Legs in Lift 4. This was a HIIT workout, so no resistance exercises. The format followed the week 2 HIIT workout format. You do 4 exercises (Soccer Runs, Triple Bear, Sumo Hops, and Lunge Jumps) for 60, 45, 30, and 15 seconds respectively for three sets. Then you do two burnout sets doing the same four exercises for 30 seconds each, and then you finish with three sets of core. This workout kind of sucked for me. First, I could not do the corrective workout from 645 in the morning because I had a medical appointment in the morning. Then, I foolishly ate too much in the afternoon so I was very sluggish during the workout. But, I did what I could and will get back to it on Monday.