I expected Chalene Johnson, also know as Chalene the Machine at my house, to be a little more challenging in her ab routine. Maybe…just maybe, my abdominal muscles are getting stronger in my quest for flatter abs. I have not tried any of her more advanced ab workouts, yet.

Prior to Beachbody, I tried just about every ab exerciser, machine and piece of equipment I could find in the gym. I have found that the variety of ab exercises in Beachbody workouts simply amazes me and I don’t need to go to the gym or buy any extra home gym stuff.

I think I would probabaly compare Ab Burner to either Ab Ripper 100 or Ab Ripper 200 in Power 90. It is not in the same burn level as the P90X Ab Ripper X. This a beginner level ab routine that lasts just over ten minutes. The next time I do abs, I think I will switch to Extreme Abs or I’ve Got Abs. Maybe I will alternate these two workouts with Extreme Core. I think Chalene has some challenging moves coming up in these workouts. I guess I should be happy that it is time for me to move on to a harder ab program.

Recharge was a short (less than 21 minutes) stretching and yoga combination. How could you not love that? This workout gave a lot of attention to stretching your back and hamstrings. I really enjoyed the stretch. It reminded me somewhat of P90X X Stretch. You know, that day when it just feels so good to work out? (I am not referencing the 92 minute P90X Yoga X. Now, that’s torture! A true love/hate relationship.)

The next time I do a stretching routine with ChaLean Extreme, I may try the Dynamic Flow Yoga. I can see myself staying with this one for a while though. It felt so good to have a nice slow full body stretch. The short duration of the workout also allowed me to fit in abs tonight.

The Recharge workout could be done by any fitness level, including beginner. Chalene does a great job demonstrating how to modify different moves and positions to make the stretch either more challenging or less intensive to fit your current capabilities. I enjoyed the stretch. I think you will, too!

Post from: Beachbody Workouts

ChaLean Extreme Ab Burner & Recharge

I think the secret is in keeping the muscle groups working at different angles without too much time spent in a single exercise. Sounds a little like Tony Horton’s muscle confusion principle in P90X, huh? Well, when I pressed play for my first workout, I wondered how I would possibly make it through almost 38 minutes of sculpting my backside. The time actually seemed to pass quickly.

This fitness program is divided into three sections. The first section is a series of standing band exercises. The second segment moves to a series of floor movements using a band. (By the way, a band comes with the program.) The final section uses ankle weights with floor exercises.

You do not have to use a band or ankle weights to get an effective workout. I used the band for the first two sessions, but I did not have ankle weights for the last session…didn’t miss them either! I feel like I got a nice booty workout without a billion lunges and squats.

Although the workout has three sections, you can do them separately or all together. The menu allows you to select which of the three sessions you would like to play. Or, you can select the option for playing them sequentially, including the warm up and cool down.

I know my leg muscles are firmer than they were before I started working out with Beachbody videos. Sometime after I am “high and tight” from exercising with Brazil Butt Lift, I will pull out my Slim in 6 program to see how the floor routine feels. When I did Slim in 6, I could not do all the reps for leg work on the floor. That was the most challenging part of Slim in 6 for me.

If you have finished P90X, and you are thinking about designing your own hybrid program, this is a great addition for working your butt. Add it to your P90X Leg routine. Then, your glutes will hurt as much as your quads! Why do we love Beachbody workouts? Because they work…as long as you work! Keep pressing play. Get fit. Stay fit.

Post from: Beachbody Workouts

Brazil Butt Lift High and Tight

I had really thought about doing some Brazil Butt Lift tonight but I guess I had forgotten how much the Burn Circuit 3 works your legs and butt. My lower body was wiped by the time I completed the ChaLean Extreme session. I was feeling pretty good though, so I turned to my 10 Minute Trainer series. This was one of Tony Horton’s programs in the years prior to P90X.

The basic 10 Minute Trainer series includes five workouts: Total Body, Lower Body, Abs, Cardio, and Yoga Flex. I knew Lower Body and Total Body were out! These ten minute workouts are good to have in your video collection for a many reasons. Here are some of my reasons:

1. You can use the 10 minute workouts individually if you are short on time. This is me in the morning before work! I like to do a little something to wake up, but I do not like doing a full workout in the morning.

2. You can use the workouts together to form a stand alone program to reach your fitness goals. In other words, you can do more than one workout in a day. Do them together or break them up throughout the day.

3. You can use a specific ten minute workout to supplement another workout which is what I did tonight.

4. If you are not feeling well physically or just can not seem to get yourself motivated, you can use a ten minute workout to brighten your attitude and promote well-being.

The girl in the Cardio workout uses a band fastened to a door to give her resistence in her running, jumping, and lunging moves. That looks like something interesting to try some time in the future, but I was a able to get a good cardio workout just using my own body’s resistence.

If you are not familiar with the 10 Minute Trainer series, it makes a good starter program for those new to fitness. I say this because each routine has a “trainer” track where Tony Horton talks a lot about form and how each exercise should be performed.

When you are not a novice any longer, keep the 10 Minute Trainer in your library. I think you will be surprised at how effective these workouts can be even though they are only ten minutes in length. Hey, we are talking about Tony Horton afterall. He would not dare let you out of the gym with a little sweat equity!

Post from: Beachbody Workouts

10 Minute Trainer Cardio

I had forgotten how the post exercise burn of my posterior deltoids (back shoulder muscles) and the deep tissue burn in my butt from lunges and squats felt. It is a good uncomfortable feeling though. I know I had a good workout and was able to break down the muscle tissue to force growth.

Why is muscle growth important? Well, for starters, I am in my mid-forties. As we age, we lose muscle mass. This causes the amount of calories we naturally burn (metabolic burn) during the course of the day to support bodily functions, to decrease.

When our bodies burn less calories, we have to burn more calories through cardio activity or eat less. If not, we suffer from excess calories and weight gain…FAT!

Weight training helps you reverse that trend. When you increase muscle tissue (notice I did not say bulk up), you increase the number of calories needed to get through the day without doing anything extra. Wow!

Cardio is still important because that is the type of exercise that supports heart health and ensures your body can adequately carry the oxygen and nutrients throughout your body. Increasing muscle tissue means I do not have to work out several extra hours each week to create a caloric deficit to lose weight. I like that idea!

It also means that I can eat to fuel my body rather than starve it with a DIE-t. Hey, I admit it…I like to eat. So, what I have found that is important for my body is ensuring I have a solid strength training program.

Strength training has another cool benefit while I am on the subject. It helps you gain and maintain flexibility. Just ask any person suffering from Fibromyalgia or Arthritis how it feels to bend over to tie their shoes and you will get a quick understanding of why flexibility is important.

Tomorrow morning, I plan on doing the Bum Bum workout from Brazil Butt Lift. That is a good cardio workout to start my day. Tomorrow evening, I will unwind with Burn Circuit 2. Find a system that works for you. Then, press play. This one thing I know – it works if you work it, and it won’t if you don’t.

Post from: Beachbody Workouts

Back to CLX Burn Ciruit 1

I am not too coordinated when it comes to any dance moves, so this workout was a struggle for me as far as staying focused. I could get the moves when we went through the learning segments, but I stumbled a lot with me two left feet when we put moves together into a combination in the form of dance.

I kept telling myself to just keep doing my best. I knew I was getting something out of it by the fact that my body was moving. I struggled with Turbo Jamthe first few times I did those workouts, too. For some, dance comes easy. For people like me, it’s a good thing the DVD player is in my living room and I am the only one around to watch me shake my booty!

I really believe that I got a much better (more intense) cardio workout from the Bum Bum workout. I have high hopes that the more I do the Cardio Axe, the more I will like it and feel like I am getting a good cardio workout from it.

I think back to my first car. It was so cool to have my own car. The only problem I had to overcome is I did not know how to drive it because it had a manual transmission. It was parked on the street for the first two months I owned it. Finally, I decided that I would learn how to drive a manual transmission. That was 25 years ago! Do you know what I drive now? A manual transmission!

This is my point…sometimes, I am slow to change. I have to do things a few times to find a comfort level. I am not comfortable with dance. I feel like I work against the music rather than with it. I also know that if I practice, I will get better.

Oh, let me add an interesting tid bit about this Beachbody workout program. You can set it up in either the English or Spanish language. You can also choose to use subtitles if you want to read what is being said. I thought those were interesting options and wanted to share them with you.

Who knows, maybe when I get the moves down in English, I will mix it up with Spanish. By then, I will have Leandro’s moves and instructions fine tuned. I might as well learn a few Spanish words in the morning while getting my butt high and tight!

Post from: Beachbody Workouts

Brazil Butt Lift Cardio Axe

Let me start off by explaining that “bum bum” is pronounced “boom boom” and is Brazilian slang for butt. The Bum Bum workout is Leandro’s signature workout that he has used to help supermodels get in shape.

When I was reading the materials for this program, I must have skipped over the part about the Bum Bum workout being an “intense cardio and lower body sculpting” routine. I was expecting the butt sculpting exercises that were on the cards. I wasn’t expecting the cardio portion. I was out of breath from beginning to end during this 35 minute introduction to Brazil Butt Lift!

It felt pretty good. I could feel my muscles working deep; however, it wasn’t the intense sculpting pain I usually get when I work the backside. When I did the Slim in 6 program, the butt exercises on the floor were killer! Leandro keeps you in a move long enough to feel it but then, moves you into a different exercise to change the stress on the muscle group.

This is a 30 day program with five workouts (not including the Booty Basics which demonstrates how to do the exercises.) There are three customized programs designed to give you maximum results depending on your “booty blueprint” and goals. (Learn more about what comes with Brazil Butt Lift.) I look forward to using this program and writing about my experiences.

I will be returning to my ChaLean Extreme program and will probably work both programs together. As you might have read in past posts, I had an injury that slowed me down for a while. Staying fit sometimes means listening to your body and always modifying whenever and however needed. I stay motivated by mixing up my Beachbody workouts. I share what I learn to help others and…it gives me one more reason to keep pressing play!

Post from: Beachbody Workouts

Brazil Butt Lift Bum Bum Workout

My injury made me think about Toby Keith’s country song As Good As I Once Was. Here are some of the lyrics:

I ain’t as good as I once was
That’s just the cold hard truth….

May not be good as I once was
But I’m as good once as I ever was

As we age (yes, I am in my forties) or we are not as fit as we could be or have illness or injuries to work around, our minds still go back to our youth when we played on swings and were invinceable. It is hard for me to have an injury because my mind still wants to work out. I have to remind myself daily that a modified routine is currently in my best interest. A daily regimen of stretching…

May not be good as I once was
But I’m as good once as I ever was

Even with taking a time out, I think about Beachbody workouts. They have helped me change my mind set. Changing your mental habits helps you change your physical habits.

The wonderful thing about working out and getting fit is you will improve your health and fitness. The lyrics of Toby Keith’s song do not have to hold true throughout your life. You might have to modify your workouts. (My mother has fibromyalgia and has to workout in a pool. She would never be able to do any sort of athletic training like I do with P90X or ChaLean Extreme.) But, by doing the level and type of exercising that you can do, your mind and body will grow stronger.

You can lose weight, melt fat, increase muscle, and boost your metabolism. You can in fact, change the words of the lyrics just as you can change your mindset and physical condition.

I ain’t as tired as I once was
That’s just the cold hard truth….

May not be as young now as I once was
But I’m healthier now as I ever was

Here are some more ideas. Find one that hits home and write it down. Look at that phrase everyday before your workout and after. I hope it brings you some motivation to keep pressing play.

I ain’t as heavy as I once was
That’s just the cold hard truth….

May not be as young now as I once was
But I’m leaner now as I ever was

==================================

I ain’t as fat as I once was
That’s just the cold hard truth….

May not be as young now as I once was
But I’m toner now as I ever was

==================================

I ain’t as uncommited as I once was
That’s just the cold hard truth….

May not be as young now as I once was
But I’m more commited now as I ever was

==================================

Keep pressing play!

Post from: Beachbody Workouts

As Good As I Once Was

Plyometrics Mat The plyometrics routine can be done without a mat and on any surface. Plyometrics means “jump training.” Therefore, it can put pressure on your joints if you do not have a mat. I know this from my own experience, so I do recommend getting some kind of mat or modifying the exercises to low impact. What worked for me was the four squares of waffle connecting gym matting that you can get at sporting good stores for about $25.00.

Yoga Mat I’ve done Yoga X with a yoga mat and without a yoga mat. I like using a mat because it helps give me traction, especially in the downward dog position.

Yoga Block I highly recommend getting a yoga block to help you get through Yoga X. You could use something like a block of wood, but it’s nice to have the slight cushion of the yoga block while still getting the support your body needs to maintain a pose.

Selectec Dumbbells I absolutely love the Bowflex Selectec dumbbells, but I didn’t get them until after I completed the P90X program. They don’t take up as much room as a standard set of dumbbells. I got them, so I could keep them in my living room where I usually do my Beachbody workouts.

Dumbbells Nope, you don’t need dumbbells for P90X either. You will need something to create resistance though, so if you do not have dumbbells, you’ll want to ensure you have a couple of good resistance bands. The Beachbody bands are nice. I have a full set of them.

Chin Up Bar You will need some type of bar to do pull ups because you will do a lot of them in P90X. I bought an Iron Gym doorway style chin up bar which worked great for me and installs easily. I initially used the bar on my power rack, but I got tired of moving my gym around everytime I needed to do pull ups.

Heart Rate Monitor In my opinion, you dont’ need a heart rate monitor any more than you need a pedometer to go for a walk. If you learn how to time and count your heart beat, you can be your own heart rate monitor. Over time, you will learn what your body feels like and how your breathing feels when you are working in an aerobic zone.

Towel and Water Bottle These two items were present for every P90X workout I did. You are going to sweat. You will appreciate being able to towel off and hydrate frequently.

Push Up Stands Push up stands are not required for P90X either. I started without them and felt strain on my wrists because I wasn’t used to doing so many push ups. So, I went to my local sporting goods store and bought a pair. Push up stands do take pressure off your wrists. They also let you do deeper into each push up which allows you to put more work on each muscle group.

I am sure there are those who have opinions different from mine on what equipment is needed for P90X. Use whatever works works for you and modify as needed.

Post from: Beachbody Workouts

Do I Really Need Special Equipment for P90X?

Most of the exercises are isometric which means the muscle being worked is engaged throughout the whole movement. You should expect some muscle shaking and a little sweat! Just in case you are curious or would like to print off a exercise guide for this video, I listed the exercises below. Remember that isometric exercises require intense concentration to maintain control and good form.

• Side Hop Squat
• Iso Bike
• Iso Back Kicks
• Iso Torso Twists
• Leap Frog Squats
• Iso Crunch Frog
• Eight Card Pickup
• The Monster
• Warrior Run
• Super Scissors

Tony Horton’s One on One monthly workouts are designed to keep variety in your workout routines and keep P90X graduates pushing play. Tony’s crazy style will keep you motivated. If you haven’t worked out with Tony in any of his other programs, this is a good way to see what he is all about. You can order just one dvd or have UPS deliver a new one to your door every month. Are you up to the challenge?

Post from: Beachbody Workouts

Tony Horton’s One on One: Butt and Belly

Push Circuit 1 focuses on biceps, triceps, glutes, and hamstrings. Unlike the Burn phase, Push concentrates on one muscle group at a time rather than stepping through a compound exercise which engages the lower and upper body at the same time.

An example of this is the standard bicep curl. Bicep curls were also used in the Burn phase but they were joined with a variation of squat to work on the lower body at the same time. If you think this makes the Push phase easier, think again! My triceps and biceps were shaking and burning by the end of this routine.

Chalene continues with the breakdown reps we came to know in the Burn phase. This time, however, she adds more of them to the routine. Muscle fibers twitch, your mind gets really focused, and you accomplish more than you thought possible. Cool.

Tony Horton uses the 6-8 rep range in P90X. There are at least three key differences between the two training styles though. In P90X, Tony uses a superset series. He moves through a series of three muscles groups (biceps, triceps, shoulders), takes a short break and repeats the set. The reps are done in good form but at a faster rate.

Chalene puts your focus on one muscle group (i.e. biceps). The reps are super slow which keeps your muscle engaged and working for a longer period of time. Then, when your muscle seems exhausted, you take about a ten second break and somehow find the engery to do a breakdown set of three ultra slow reps.

I think both methods bring results. One of the things I love about Beachbody workouts is the variety of training techniques. It is important to have variety in your routines.

I have read over and over about getting bored after doing a certain workout program week after week. That makes sense. As much as I love pizza, if that is all I ate meal after meal…day after day…I wouldn’t like pizza so much anymore.

I recommend starting with a Beachbody workout that sparks an interest for you and will help you stay committed. Then, add in something like Tony Horton’s One on One or 10 Minute Trainer workouts which will add variety and keep pushing play. Please feel free to contact me if you need help choosing your first program or a supplemental program.

Keep pressing play!

Post from: Beachbody Workouts

ChaLEAN Extreme Push Circuit 1