ChaLEAN Extreme Burn Circuit 2
Burn Circuit 2 of Chalene Johnson’s ChaLEAN Extreme workout program burns through nine compoud strenght training exercises. Since this workout is in the “burn” phase of the program, Chalene asks you to use the heaviest weight you can to reach failure between 10 and 12 reps. If you can make it pass 12 repetitions in an exercise, you didn’t lift heavy enough. If you couldn’t make it to 10 reps, you lifted too heavy.
Burn Circuit 2 works the entire body with a concentrates on triceps, back, and biceps. You’ll also hit your legs pretty good with sumo and bowler squats, dead lifts and lunges worked in conjunction with the upper body moves. You naturally work core and abs with this type of a workout, too. And, just so we don’t miss anything….Chalene ends the routine with triple threat push ups.
Triple threat push ups are actually three different forms of push ups done in sequence and repeated until failure. The first push up is a tricep push up. The second one is a stand push up with the hands should width apart. The third and final push up in the sequence is a spider push up where the legs are spread wide.
Triple threat push ups work the triceps, shoulders, chest, abdominals and core muscles. If you do this routine enough, you’ll learn to love push ups. Don’t worry ladies. Chalene allows you to do them on your knees if you need to modify but asks you to keep good form and push through what you can.
I like using the Bowflex SelecTec dumbbells because they don’t take up as much room. They’re also easy to go from one weight another. I’ve found, however, that I like putting my ChaLEAN Extreme (CLX) dvd in my computer rather than watching it on my television set. This makes it easier for me to select pause when I needed to change weights.
I got my SelecTec weights used from someone selling them on Craigslist. I believe you should always buy the best you can afford. When it comes to weights and gym equipment in general, used equipment is perfectly functional and fine as long as it is a quality product in the first place.
I’ve used a generic set of selectable weights in the past. They’re not worth it. The Bowflex brand is definitely the way to go. I don’t make a penny on the new or used sale of any Bowflex products, so this is a from the heart testimonial.
ChaLEAN Extreme moves quickly from one exercise to the next. While I used a standard set of dumbbells when I was doing Tony Horton’s P90X Extreme Home Fitness program, I like being able to adjust quickly in CLX.
I just watched an infomercial for Shaun T’s Insanity program. It looks amazing if you’re looking for high intensity cardio interval training. Let me tell you how you can save 25% on ChaLEAN Extreme, P90X, and Insanity. All you have to do is
Happy Holidays! Get in the best shape of your life in 2010. Shop at the Beachbody store to get started now.
ChaLEAN Extreme Burn It Off!
At the completion of week 1 of ChaLEAN Extreme, you’ll be introduced to a cardio workout called Burn It Off! Although the workout is only about 30 minutes long, it is comparable to the Plyometrics workout in P90X. Yes! It’s intense and involves jumping. You’ll be breathing hard and your heart will be pumping. I was sweating more than I thought I would with a 30 minute cardio session.
Chalene Johnson shows us a different type of aerobic conditioning with moves far different from her Turbo Jam series. You won’t see one punch, cross, jab, wheel, or kick in this workout. It’s different from the Cardio X and Kenpo X moves that Tony Horton uses in P90X. What is similar is the use of high intensity interval training to get your heart rate up in a short time.
This fitness workout starts with a warm up followed by five back to back exercises approxiamately two minutes each. At the end of the five exercises, you get a one minute break to rest and hydrate. Then, you’ll be back on the floor for six more exercises and a cool down.
This was an intense workout for me. I tried to push myself because I want to get the most out of my workouts. Chalene has two women in her group who perform modified versions of each exercise to demonstrate how to decrease the intensity or impact of a particular move. She also talks to you throughout the video and reminds you to push yourself but only to your level.
The best part about this workout was getting to the end! I mean that in a good way. This was a challenging workout for me. I made it to the end, so I’m thrilled about that. I know that I’m burning fat. I know I’m boosting my metabolism. I know that I made it a little closer to my goals today. Keep pushing play! It works.
Core Ball Sandwich Sure to Flatten Abs!
I finished Tony Horton’s One on One Core Ball Sandwich feeling like I’d accomplished a great challenge yet missed the mark on athletic ability. My core muscles received a muscle twitching trembling workout, but I had to practice Tony’s mantra to “do your best and forget the rest.”
I struggled primarily with the pull ups. I’ve worked my way up to one chin up, and I’m quite proud of that. I don’t plan on ever being able to keep up with Tony on the pull ups. He’s a machine when it comes to pulling himself above that bar!
Core Ball Sandwich is a series of ten exercises that are done in two rounds. In keeping with this trainer’s style, three exercises are done in super set style and then, the next set of three, followed by another set of three. Ok, so that adds up to nine…he throws in an extra ball exercise.
A set of pull ups starts each super set of three exercises. The pull ups are not standard pull ups like you’d see in a beginner’s course. Remember, One on One workouts were designed for P90X graduates who wanted to continue using extreme fitness training routines. These pull ups are for extreme workouts. If you’re like me and can’t do them, you just do what you can.
After a set of pull ups, you’ll move on to a set of balance ball exercises. These are challenging because you have to use tiny little muscle to stabilize your body. For example, one of the balance ball exercises requires you to do push ups with your hands on the ball and your feet on a bench. I modified here by placing my feet on the floor. Modifying exercises allows you to build up strength and endurance over time while preventing injuries from overexertion or improper form.
The final set of exercises is performed with a basketball. I didn’t have a basketball, so I used a four pound medicine ball. I really liked using a smaller ball in this workout. I thought the added weight worked well to intensify the V-up crunches. It was also easier for my hand to palm during the push up exercises than a basketball would have been for me.
Core Ball Sandwich is an extreme fitness workout that brings both challenge and variety to any Beachbody program. It takes advantage of interval training to get your heart rate up which means your metabolism is charged. When your metabolism is burning so is fat! This workout brought plenty of sweat and as I write this, my abs are still on fire.
Power 90 Sculpt! Circuit 1-2
The Sculpt! Circuit 1-2 workout of Tony Horton’s Power 90 program combines ample stretching with strength training. I found this workout to be a nice introduction to Tony’s training methods and working out in general. This routine is just under 29 minutes. You’ll need a resistance band or a set of dumbbells to get the best results from these exercises; however, you can do the exercises without the additional resistance of a band or weights.
Power 90 is set up on four phases that span a 90 day period. You progress through each phase whenever your body needs additional exertion. In other words, once a workout is getting easier, you have to move on to the next phase to keep your body burning fat and building muscle. Our bodies adapt to stress by improving our capability to handle the stress (i.e. building muscle to handle increased lifting requirements).
Sculpt! Circuit 1-2 is the strength training video for phases one and two. During this workout, you learn the moves and what your body is capable of doing. It’s important to take it easy the first time you do a new workout. It helps you set a base line for future workouts, lets you challenge yourself for your next workout, and perhaps most importantly, helps you learn proper form. Proper form means two things. You’ll minimize injuries. And, you’ll work the muscle(s) the exercise is designed to work.
Like all the Beachbody workouts, even though this routine focuses on strength training, you’re going to work up a little sweat. The workout is set up in three phases which consists of a group of six exercises. Each exercise has 8-12 reps and uses interval training to boost you’re metabolism and burn fat while toning your muscles from head to toe.
Again, I think Power 90 is good for beginners or those who need a lower intensity program due to fitness level or health. It’s good as a fill in workout on days when you want a less intense workout. When I’m feeling sick or under the weather just from being a woman, Power 90 will be a good workout to keep me moving. I think it’s important to keep moving even when you don’t feel like it. A lower intensity workout on days like these will at least keep you from stagnating and maybe even stopping your fitness routines becuase you missed a few days.
One on One: Cardio Intervals
I’m really hooked on Tony Horton and the P90X Extreme Training System. After going through this grueling 90 day program, I decided to take a break from building muscle and focus on losing a little weight. To accomplish this task, I turned to Debbie Siebers and her Slim in 6 workouts to burn fat.
I still have the P90X bug though, so when Beachbody offered the July DVD of Tony Horton’s One on One: Cardio Intervals for one penny, I had to get it! I figured that it was a cardio program so it would support my current fitness goal of dropping 15 pounds. I knew it would be good because it was Tony’s workout…read more
Ramping It Up: Slim in 6 vs. P90X
I attacked Debbie Siebers Slim in 6 Ramp It Up workout yesterday for the first time. It was longer than the first workout, Start It Up and built upon the basic moves demonstrated in the first workout. 
I was amazed at the muscle soreness I was feeling during the workout in my triceps, glutes, and abs. These are three areas most women want to tone up, myself included. Debbie Siebers does a good job going right to the trouble areas, but she hits all the muscle groups systematically with the goal of getting slim in 6 weeks.
Hitting all the muscle groups everyday is a major change for me. Tony Horton’s P90X Extreme Training System is based on classic weight training principles…lift the maximum amount of weight that you can for 8-10 reps to gain muscle size or a weight you can lift for 10-12 reps if you’re wanting to tone without increased muscle size. Whether you choose to work in the shorter or longer rep range, you’re trying to use a heavy enough weight to challenge you during the last couple of reps. P90X works through two to three muscle groups during a typical workout and allows for rest days before working that muscle group again…read more
Plyometrics Jump Training Not For Everyone
I talked about interval training in an earlier post and Shaun T’s upcoming Insanity program that incorporates MAX interval training. Well, I thought about interval training a lot today as I worked my way through the P90X Extreme Home Fitness Plyometrics DVD.
I remember being overwhelmed the first time I pressed play on plyometrics day. It was day number two. I was feeling my workout from the previous day (Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X). I hoped I had what it would take to do the whole 90 day program. Tony Horton started talking about something called “plyometrics” or “jump training.” He went on to say that plyometrics was designed to increase speed, strength, and sports performance. Ok, I thought. I can handle that.
I didn’t make it through my first plyo workout. I wondered if I had made a mistake. I decided to take Tony’s advice and keep pressing play, give it my best and…forget the rest. Then, he’d really push me harder by saying you can do anything for thirty seconds. Believe it or not, that was enough to keep me going. I’m much better at plyometrics these days, but there are a couple of moves that are still very difficult for me, and I can always count on a workout that maintains a high heart rate.
The plyometrics session is just over 58 minutes. It’s no joke! It works in a series of four exercises that repeat themselves followed by a short (30 second) active break. The first three exercises are usually 30 seconds long and the fourth one is 60 seconds with a higher intensity. Once you work through one series of exercises two times, a new series is introduced which kicks up the volume a little. Sweat pours off every square inch of your body.
Plyometrics follows the philosophy of all Beachbody workouts. It uses real people in the DVD, not perfect models. There’s always someone in the video you can watch as a mentor. Some participants are extreme and can jump high and wide. Other participants are more like me and typical family members – giving it their best and forgeting the rest.
The hardest two exercises in plyometrics for me are the Jump Knee Tuck and Rock Star Hop. The Jump Knee Tuck requires you to jump vertically, pulling your knees in towards your chest. It sounds easy, but the execution if far from easy!
The Rock Star Hop is a variation of the Jump Knee Tuck. You don’t bring your knees to your chest in the jump move. Instead, you kick your feet to your butt like a “rock star” strumming down on an electric guitar. I’ve got to say that the Rock Star Hop is more entertaining whether you’re doing it or watching someone else do it.
Plyometrics jump training may not be for everyone, but if you want to get some high intensity cardio interval training, you’ve got to add plyometrics to your routine. If you have any questions about plyometrics or any of the P90X Extreme Home Fitness DVDs, don’t hesitate to ask. My best advice for plyometrics? Don’t give up before the miracle and keep pressing play. You’re going to grow to love this extreme workout.
Interval Training for Serious Fitness Results
You know what I love about the Beachbody workouts? They’re centered around “interval” training. I first learned about interval training in high school when our softball team would practice. Our workouts were interlaced with high intensity and low intensity cardio and strength training. Sometimes, I thought my coach was trying to eliminate the weak members. I wasn’t going to be weak! I didn’t understand at that time that she actually understood the performance progress you can make in a short period of time with this type of training.
The Air Force must’ve know this secret as well. Often times, we’d jog in a single file. The person at the end of the line would have to run to the front of the line until he/she caught up and overtook the leader. Then, that person would fall in line and bring it back to a jog as the new leader. The new person at the back of the line would begin running to the front and so the exercise progressed until a sufficient amount of real estate had been transversed. Sure did get your heart rate up!
Now, I find myself thinking about interval training again. The P90X Extreme Home Fitness program uses 13 DVDs to whip your body into shape. Each video incorporates a variety of exercises that moves you through high intensity, max rep exercises and then, to a lower intensity set. You move from one body part to another without much rest in between. Most exercises are 30 seconds in duration…and as Tony Horton says “you can do anything for 30 seconds”!
Beachbody will soon release a high intensity conditioning program that uses what they refer to as MAX Interval Training. The name of this program is INSANITY, and it is the product of professional trainer Shaun T who is well-known for his Hip Hop Abs and Rockin Body workouts. I’ve seen the previews for this program!! This is an advanced program that I predict will make some NFL players wonder if they can make it through. What am I talking about? It’s the insanity of the whole thing that will motivate NFL players and other serious fitness fanatics to both start and complete the program. As for me, well…I’m not ready for Insanity, yet.
Shaun T has just entered the ranks of the elite, the extreme, the drop and give me twenty, drill sergeant, challenge my body fitness training. Tony Horton and Chalene Johnson have a new partner in extreme fitness.
