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.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, February 2, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Detour from P90x
It has been a while since I posted anything. Life got a little crazy for me last summer, and I could not keep up with the blogging. Luckily, I had not developed a large following, so chances are noone missed me too much.
I did end up buying my townhouse, and did continue on P90x. I ended up having to modify the program somewhat because I had to deal with tendinitis in my knee. Therefore, I was able to pretty much maintain my level of fitness, but did not make the kind of gains I wanted to. Plus, I did not follow a great nutrition program as strictly, which did not help my cause.
A few weeks ago I decided to purchase the new Chalean Extreme program from Beachbody. While my knee issues were resolved, I was getting somewhat bored with the P90x workouts, and wanted to change things up. I am just about done with the third week, and I am loving it so far. I will do a more detailed review of the program in later posts, but for those who are, or have done P90x, it is a great alternative, and in spite of what you may think, is not just for women.
Like P90x, it is a circuit training program where you are going from one exercise to the other with very little rest in between the moves. The one issue I have with it, is there are a few points where you can tell it was edited to make the breaks shorter and they are already onto the next move before you can get your weights ready. The routines are shorter than the P90x routines where the shortest one in P90x is about 45min, most Chalean routines are anywhere from just over 30 min, to about 50 minutes on the days where you do a couple different workouts. I am sure the reason for this is because on the lifting days you are expected to go to failure on every exercise whereas P90x, wants you to struggle, but not fail when you get to 8-10 or 12-15 reps.
I will go in depth on the routines and my experience with them more in later posts. I will try to keep more up-to-date. I may not post every day, but will every couple days or so.
I did end up buying my townhouse, and did continue on P90x. I ended up having to modify the program somewhat because I had to deal with tendinitis in my knee. Therefore, I was able to pretty much maintain my level of fitness, but did not make the kind of gains I wanted to. Plus, I did not follow a great nutrition program as strictly, which did not help my cause.
A few weeks ago I decided to purchase the new Chalean Extreme program from Beachbody. While my knee issues were resolved, I was getting somewhat bored with the P90x workouts, and wanted to change things up. I am just about done with the third week, and I am loving it so far. I will do a more detailed review of the program in later posts, but for those who are, or have done P90x, it is a great alternative, and in spite of what you may think, is not just for women.
Like P90x, it is a circuit training program where you are going from one exercise to the other with very little rest in between the moves. The one issue I have with it, is there are a few points where you can tell it was edited to make the breaks shorter and they are already onto the next move before you can get your weights ready. The routines are shorter than the P90x routines where the shortest one in P90x is about 45min, most Chalean routines are anywhere from just over 30 min, to about 50 minutes on the days where you do a couple different workouts. I am sure the reason for this is because on the lifting days you are expected to go to failure on every exercise whereas P90x, wants you to struggle, but not fail when you get to 8-10 or 12-15 reps.
I will go in depth on the routines and my experience with them more in later posts. I will try to keep more up-to-date. I may not post every day, but will every couple days or so.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Ending Phase One
Today was the last day of phase one of the P90X lean program. It was an optional rest day, but I did the stretch routine as I have the entire time. My flexibility has gone downhill the past few years, so for me it is essential that I do as much work in that area as possible. I also thinks it helps improve my ability to get through yoga, because it incorporates some of the basic moves which serve as the foundation for the more advanced ones.
So far I have done the core synergistics, cardio, shoulders & arms, yoga, legs & back, kenpo and stretch workouts (and of course ab ripper). Although I have yet to get the full effect of the back workout since I am not doing pull ups yet. I like all the workouts, with yoga being my favorite non weight training routine. I like shoulders & arms and legs & back pretty much equally. I personally find ab ripper the most challenging workout. I can do more of it than initially, but I am still not able to get through it all without stopping. Luckily in the lean program I only do it twice a week. I am hoping by the time I do the classic version of the program I can do all reps for all the moves.
As I said in a previous post I am using the lean program as more of a maintenance phase until I move into my townhouse (in about a month) where I can go all out in all the workouts without worrying about the neighbors. Therefore, I am not following the nutrition plan 100%. I am following more of a "body for life" eating plan where I eat clean 6 days a week, and have a free day the 7th. Once I get into the classic program I will do my best to eat as clean as possible the entire 90 days.
So far I have done the core synergistics, cardio, shoulders & arms, yoga, legs & back, kenpo and stretch workouts (and of course ab ripper). Although I have yet to get the full effect of the back workout since I am not doing pull ups yet. I like all the workouts, with yoga being my favorite non weight training routine. I like shoulders & arms and legs & back pretty much equally. I personally find ab ripper the most challenging workout. I can do more of it than initially, but I am still not able to get through it all without stopping. Luckily in the lean program I only do it twice a week. I am hoping by the time I do the classic version of the program I can do all reps for all the moves.
As I said in a previous post I am using the lean program as more of a maintenance phase until I move into my townhouse (in about a month) where I can go all out in all the workouts without worrying about the neighbors. Therefore, I am not following the nutrition plan 100%. I am following more of a "body for life" eating plan where I eat clean 6 days a week, and have a free day the 7th. Once I get into the classic program I will do my best to eat as clean as possible the entire 90 days.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Kenpo X
I am nearing the end of week three on the P90X lean program. I did Kenpo today, stretch tomorrow, and then will be heading into the first recovery week. As someone who has been in martial arts for most of my life, in my case taekwondo, I just wanted to share a few thoughts on the Kenpo workout.
On one hand I am glad they included some form of martial arts into the overall program. On the other hand it is the hardest thing to pick up off a DVD without any kind of prior experience. I have helped teach taekwondo at a local community college for about 10 years and have seen a lot of people with no martial arts experience try to learn it from scratch. Needless to say people tend to run the gamut from having potential to be very good, to not being able to do the proverbial walk and chew gum at the same time thing.
Most of the moves in the Kenpo DVD are fairly basic. The first half of the workout focuses on punches, then the second half focuses on kicks and a few blocks. I think they were smart not trying to combine a lot of punching, kicking and blocking as connected movements. While the workout could have been more intense had they done so, those combinations are the hardest things to pick up for novices.
The only real critique I have of the workout is that the form of people in the video tend to get bad on some of the kicks. I think that has to do with the fact that they were doing the workout in regular shoes as opposed to bare feet or martial arts shoes. They also eliminated any pivoting from the kicks, which again may have lessened the intensity of the workout, but if it is done incorrectly can lead to serious injury.
On one hand I am glad they included some form of martial arts into the overall program. On the other hand it is the hardest thing to pick up off a DVD without any kind of prior experience. I have helped teach taekwondo at a local community college for about 10 years and have seen a lot of people with no martial arts experience try to learn it from scratch. Needless to say people tend to run the gamut from having potential to be very good, to not being able to do the proverbial walk and chew gum at the same time thing.
Most of the moves in the Kenpo DVD are fairly basic. The first half of the workout focuses on punches, then the second half focuses on kicks and a few blocks. I think they were smart not trying to combine a lot of punching, kicking and blocking as connected movements. While the workout could have been more intense had they done so, those combinations are the hardest things to pick up for novices.
The only real critique I have of the workout is that the form of people in the video tend to get bad on some of the kicks. I think that has to do with the fact that they were doing the workout in regular shoes as opposed to bare feet or martial arts shoes. They also eliminated any pivoting from the kicks, which again may have lessened the intensity of the workout, but if it is done incorrectly can lead to serious injury.
Friday, June 13, 2008
P90X workouts
I am nearing the end of the third week of the P90X lean program. That basically replaces the plyometrics DVD with the cardio workout (which combines elements of the Kenpo, Plyo and Core workouts), and takes away 1 of the upper body resistance workouts. The "classic" program, which I will do next round, has two upper body workouts and one leg workout per week, and keeps the full plyometrics workout in.
The main reason I am doing the lean program at this point is that I am living on a third floor apt so I cannot really do the full hour of plyo (which basically involves jumping around for the entire hour) and I did not want to start messing with the program the first time through. Also, I cannot put up a pull up bar because I cannot put any holes in the woodwork on my doors, so I am doing pull downs with resistance bands.
I am using the lean program to really maintain my current level of fitness until I can do the full classic program. I am buying a townhouse next month, and will then be able to do the regular program as round 2. That said, I am definitely making progress in terms of balance and flexibility which were my weak points before starting. While I am not making all of the strength gains that I am hoping to make once I start doing pull ups and adding the additional upper body workout, I am feeling it.
The first phase of the lean workout rotates Core, Cardio, Shoulders & Arms, Yoga, Legs and Back, Kenpo and Stretch as the optional seventh day. I really enjoy all the workouts. Core is definitely hard to start out with as the day 1 routine. In the classic program the first exposure to it is in the 4th week, where one has presumably become used to the style of the workouts, which may make it a little easier the first time out. On the other hand, I think I am making more progress with it than I would in the classic program because I do it once a week, plus get about 10 minutes worth of it in the Cardio workout.
I also love Yoga. I think it is the workout that people tend to dislike the most because of how long it is. It is an hour and a half long and is definitely hard as an introduction to Yoga. I had the benefit of taking classes at a studio a few years ago, so I was familiar with many of the moves before jumping into the workout. I have seen "reviews" around the Internet where people (mainly men) mock the inclusion of Yoga in the program because it is "not a real workout" or "for women". Anyone who has ever done Yoga, either the P90X version or elsewhere, knows the idiocy of those statements. When you are holding yourself in some of those stances/poses for 30 seconds to a minute I guarantee you will be shaking as much as in any weight training workout.
The main reason I am doing the lean program at this point is that I am living on a third floor apt so I cannot really do the full hour of plyo (which basically involves jumping around for the entire hour) and I did not want to start messing with the program the first time through. Also, I cannot put up a pull up bar because I cannot put any holes in the woodwork on my doors, so I am doing pull downs with resistance bands.
I am using the lean program to really maintain my current level of fitness until I can do the full classic program. I am buying a townhouse next month, and will then be able to do the regular program as round 2. That said, I am definitely making progress in terms of balance and flexibility which were my weak points before starting. While I am not making all of the strength gains that I am hoping to make once I start doing pull ups and adding the additional upper body workout, I am feeling it.
The first phase of the lean workout rotates Core, Cardio, Shoulders & Arms, Yoga, Legs and Back, Kenpo and Stretch as the optional seventh day. I really enjoy all the workouts. Core is definitely hard to start out with as the day 1 routine. In the classic program the first exposure to it is in the 4th week, where one has presumably become used to the style of the workouts, which may make it a little easier the first time out. On the other hand, I think I am making more progress with it than I would in the classic program because I do it once a week, plus get about 10 minutes worth of it in the Cardio workout.
I also love Yoga. I think it is the workout that people tend to dislike the most because of how long it is. It is an hour and a half long and is definitely hard as an introduction to Yoga. I had the benefit of taking classes at a studio a few years ago, so I was familiar with many of the moves before jumping into the workout. I have seen "reviews" around the Internet where people (mainly men) mock the inclusion of Yoga in the program because it is "not a real workout" or "for women". Anyone who has ever done Yoga, either the P90X version or elsewhere, knows the idiocy of those statements. When you are holding yourself in some of those stances/poses for 30 seconds to a minute I guarantee you will be shaking as much as in any weight training workout.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
P90 X Intro
Welcome to my P90x blog! This is where I will share my thoughts on the program, and whatever else crosses my mind. First a little bit about how I got here. A few summers ago I broke my ankle (in May) and was stuck on the couch for nearly the entire summer, and did not get cleared to exercise until late August. Because of that I got very out of shape and was as heavy as I have ever been. I worked out off and on the next year on my own and did not really make a lot of progress, and decided to start working with a trainer. During that time I dropped about 40 pounds, and made very good progress. I have been able to keep that weight off for a couple years, but wanted to find something to get myself to the next level. That is why I have decided to try the P90x program.
Like nearly everyone I had seen the infomercial many times, but like many I tend to be skeptical of things hawked on late night TV. So I did some research on the Internet to find reviews of the program and found mainly positive reviews, and decided to purchase the program.
I will say right out of the gate, this program is not for everyone. If you are a person who casually works out when you have the time, are a "weekend warrior" or tend to start working out and slack off after a few weeks, this will be a complete waste of your time and money. Also, if you are not in decent shape to start with I would not suggest jumping into this. If you think you have the dedication to keep yourself on track working out at home, there are other programs that you can use to get started and work your way up to P90x. Otherwise, I would suggest joining a local gym and working with a trainer for a while (trust me you will learn a lot about how to exercise properly and a lot about how your body responds to exercise which will help you down the road). I personally think the best time to start P90x is when you get to the point where you would hate the thought of skipping a workout. Obviously life gets in the way, and you will likely miss a day sometime during the 90 days, but the closer you can get to completing the program on schedule the better.
Like nearly everyone I had seen the infomercial many times, but like many I tend to be skeptical of things hawked on late night TV. So I did some research on the Internet to find reviews of the program and found mainly positive reviews, and decided to purchase the program.
I will say right out of the gate, this program is not for everyone. If you are a person who casually works out when you have the time, are a "weekend warrior" or tend to start working out and slack off after a few weeks, this will be a complete waste of your time and money. Also, if you are not in decent shape to start with I would not suggest jumping into this. If you think you have the dedication to keep yourself on track working out at home, there are other programs that you can use to get started and work your way up to P90x. Otherwise, I would suggest joining a local gym and working with a trainer for a while (trust me you will learn a lot about how to exercise properly and a lot about how your body responds to exercise which will help you down the road). I personally think the best time to start P90x is when you get to the point where you would hate the thought of skipping a workout. Obviously life gets in the way, and you will likely miss a day sometime during the 90 days, but the closer you can get to completing the program on schedule the better.
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