ChaLean Extreme Burn Circuit 2 Review
Burn Circuit 2 from ChaLean Extreme primarily works the biceps, triceps, back, and hamstrings. All the leg muscles, including the butt actually get a good workout, too. That’s because the trainer, Chalene Johnson, uses compound exercises to maximuze results in a short amount of time.
Burn Cirucuit 2 has nine compound exercises that incorporate both the upper and lower body at the same time. This Beachbody workout is about 35 minutes in length, including the warm up and cool down.
Of all the Burn Circuit workouts, Burn Circuit 2 is the hardest for me. I often right notes in the margin of my exercise tracker like “hard” or “form”. I have trouble with any type of dead lift, and two of the nine exercises are dead lifts!
The two dead lift exercises in the ChaLean Extreme Burn Circuit 2 dvd are the Dead Lift Row and the Dead Lift with Double Row. In these two exercises, you should feel both your hamstrings and back working.
I have to use a mirror and check my form with every single repitition because I have the tendency to round my back, and my instinct is to use my back to lift myself back up from a bent over position. What this does for me is twofold. First, my hamstrings don’t get the intended worout. Second, my lower back gets overworked. I have to focus on keeping my back flat and shoulders up. When it’s time to come back up, I have to mentally focus on contracted my hamstrings and butt muscles to return to an upright position.
The last time I did Burn Circuit 2, my margin notes for the Dead Lift Row read “FORM. Keep in hamstrings, not lower back.” My notes for the Dead Lift with Double Row simply states “VERY HARD”. I will keep working on these two exercises.
The other exercises in this routine are not as rough on me. Well, if the truth be known, I did find the Sumo Squat with Bicep Curl to be somewhat difficult. The difficulty on this one had nothing to do with form. I think I picked up a weight that was too heavy. I will adjust down a little the next time I do this workout.
What I have learned with Beachbody workouts is to do your best and forget the rest. I record the weight I used and the number of reps I did. I make notes so I can get better each time I work out. I am competing against my personal best and no one else. I know I will get stronger and improve my performance each time I do Burn Circuit 2. I love ChaLean Extreme and recommend it to any woman looking for a strength training program.
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ChaLean Extreme Burn Circuit 1 Review
ChaLean Extreme is one of the best workouts for women. In Burn Circuit 1, Chalene Johnson focues on rear delts, chest, and legs to build muscle and burn fat. I chose the ChaLean Extreme Beachbody workouts for the Beachbody Challenge.
I registered for the challenge this week. It is a body tranformation contest that could net you a cool $100,000 if you are a grand prize winner. There are also daily, monthly and quarterly prizes. I will get a t-shirt just for signing up to get fit and submitting my results. And, every time I log a real time workout in the online Supergym called WOWY (Work Out With You), I’m entered into a daily sweepstakes with a daily cash prize of $500.
I decided that I would take on the challenge, and the program I chose to use for my transformation is Chalene Johnson’s ChaLean Extreme because I believe it is one of the best workouts for women. I recorded my weight and measurements, took new pictures, and completed my first workout of this round of ChaLean Extreme. I have to admit that I am not happy with my current fitness level.
I am heavier than I should be and I do not like the shape of my legs and butt. This is where I need to focus for this challenge. I need to make some positive changes for myself. One thing I am doing a little different with this program is I am using the Meal Planner from my Club membership to guide my eating. I like the fact that I can make adjustments to the planner. I do not have to follow it exactly, but it keeps me focused on calorie counts.
I completed the Burn Circuit 1 workout last night. I got a good burn in my rear deltoids and glutes. I pushed hard and feel like I “earned” my Recovery Drink. I’m glad I had a Recovery Drink because otherwise, I might not have been able to walk today!
Burn Circuit 1 is composed of nine compound exercises that work the rear deltoids, chest and leg muscles. You can use bands, dumbbell weights, or selectec weights. If you use bands or dumbbells, you may need to pause your dvd player every once in a while to give yourself enough time to change bands or weights. There is nothing wrong with this. It is one of the nice things about a home fitness program. You can pause the class anytime you need to a little more time.
The mantra of the ChaLean Extreme program is to lift heavy and slow with the goal of reaching failure. That’s right. Failure is a good thing. The program has three phases: burn, push, and lean. The Burn Phase is the first phase. In this phase, you want to reach failure between 10-12 repititions of an exercise. Chalene teaches you to make adjustments based on how many reps you can do with the weight you decided to use. If you cannot get to 10 reps, the weight you selected is too heavy. If you can get to 12 reps and maybe even get one more, you selected a weigh that is too light.
Recording the weight you used and the number of reps you did for each exercise helps you have a reference for your next workout. The next time you do the Burn Circuit 1 routine, you look at what you did the last time and make adjustments. This discipline helps you build muscle…and muscle, burns fat
The ChaLean Extreme program has three phases that consist of four weeks each. The weight, reps, and exercises change as you progress from one phase to another. “Breakdown” sets (three slow reps) introduced in Phase I and increase in frequency in the other two phases. What stays the same is the number of days per week you workout (five)and the approximate length of each workout (35 minutes).
I also like the fact that Chalene Johnson’s program does not have any pull ups and even though there are push ups, they are not monster sets and variations like you find in P90X. For these reasons, I often recommend ChaLean Extreme for women because I honestly think it is one of the best workouts for women. (Guess what? It’s a little less expensive than P90X, too…another reason why we women like it.)
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Save $30 on ChaLean Extreme – Ends 1/31/2011
Crazy! If you haven’t started your new years resolution to get in the best shape of your life, it might be time to think again. One of my favorite programs from creator Chalene Johnson is on sale for a limited time.
The ChaLean Extreme program is on sale for $30 off whether you buy it as a customer, club member or coach. That means you can get the whole program for $89.95 (regular price $119.95). This offer is only good through January 31st, just two short weeks.
If you are a club member, you will save $30 plus still get your ten percent club discount. As a coach, you will save $30 plus still get your 25% coach discount. As a coach, you can pick up ChaLean Extreme for the rock bottom price of $67.39 until January 31, 2011.
Have you thought about becoming a Beachbody Coach? If you act before deadline of this sale, you can sign up as a coach and get the ChaLean Extreme program for less than the regular retail price. Your coach sign up ($40) and the coach price for ChaLean Extreme add up to about $107….about $13 less than the regular price of this awesome Beachbody work at home dvd exercise program.
What will you do with your savings? Why not take a look at the clearance section of our Team Beachbody store? For a limited time, the P90X Recovery Formula is on sale as well as all flavors of the P90X Protein Bars. The bars are a steal at $11.59 for coaches and $15.45 retail clearance for a box of 12 bars that normally retail for $23.95.
The P90X Recovery Formula normally retails for $49.95. The retail clearance price is $28.55 and as a coach, that price drops down to $21.41. But hurry, these clearance prices won’t last long!
90 Days of Rev Abs with Brett Hoebell
I’m still working on my Turbo Fire, ChaLean Extreme hybrid so what I am about to write surprises even me. My best friend is new to Beachbody and wants to do Brett Hoebell’s Rev Abs but has challenged me to do the workout with her for accountability. She lifts weights, does cardio and yoga but does not quite have the abdominal definition that she would like. Is Rev Abs the right product to get those cut abs everyone wants? Well, we’re about to put it to the test.
I have accepted the challenge and will be sure to write about our progress reports. I plan on continuing to mix in Turbo Fire and ChaLean Extreme. I have watched some of the video footage for Rev Abs. I am familiar with some of the martial arts type of moves Brett uses. They are similar to some of the martial arts exercises in Tony Horton’s P90X and Chalene Johnson’s Turbo Fire. That is right up my alley!
When the program arrives, I will review the workout schedule and get a better idea of how I can mix my two favorite programs without over exercising. When you get a new Beachbody work at home fitness exercise program, it is important to review the whole program before starting your first workout.
Rev Abs is a 90 day ab solutiona that has nine workouts on seven dvds. One of the techniques Brett uses is Capoeira. I was first introduced to Capoeira in Turbo Jam with Chalene Johnson. From what I hear, Brett specializes in the development of sizzling six pack abs by attacking them from six angles and teaching you how to engage your abs when you are doing other exercises such as squats.
With workouts such as Mercy Abs and Merciless Abs, I think I might be looking forward to some P90X Ab Ripper X. Oh, my. Like many people, working the abs is not my favorite thing. If I miss a workout during the week, it is probably an abdominal session. Maybe that is why so many people do not have the flat, sliced abs they want.
Can ordinary people get abs worth bragging about? Can we get abs worthy of a digital camera? We are about to begin a Rev Abs journey sure to answer these questions.
By the way, if you have not heard of Brett Hoebell (hoe – bell), watch The Biggest Loser this season. He is one of the new trainers. I think I will tune in to get to know him a little bit better as a trainer. In the meantime, I have some Turbo Fire to do today. Stay tuned for more updates on Rev Abs.
Roundhouse versus Side Push Kick in Turbo Workouts
aIs there a difference between the roundhouse and side push kicks in the kickboxing workouts trainer Chalene Johnson does in Turbo Jam, ChaLean Extreme, and Turbo Fire? Yes!
In the front push kick, your foot is flexed and your leg is pushing out in front of you as if you are pushing open a door. As you execute the kick, your belly is actually turned to a forty five degree angle. Your hips rotate while the kick is straight to the front.
According to Chalene, the biggest mistake people make with the front push kick is not rotating their hips. The abs and back are engaged with each kick when the kick is done with good form.
The side push kick is similar, but done to the side. You can imagine you are pushing someone away. The foot is still flexed, so if you made contact it would be with the bottom of your foot.
The roundhouse on the other hand, brings the foot around so the top of the foot slaps the object if contact is made. With the roundhouse, the toes are pointaed. With the push kick, the foot is flexed.
These tips come straight from Chalene Johnson in her Trainer Tips available only to Beachbody Club members. Traner Tips are usually videos. In this one, you can see Chalene performing these kicks and talking about the differences. The Beachbody Club membership allows exclusive access to Trainer Tips, nutrition planning and other cool benefits including a ten percent discount on all Beachbody products.
If you want to get a flavor of club membership, try out a free Beachbody account. You will not have full access to the members only areas but you can still use the online supergym to schedule your workouts and track your goals and progress.
taking advantage of every opportunity to reach your fitness goals.
