ChaLEAN Extreme Burn Intervals
I’ve written about interval training in several articles on my website because all Beachbody fitness programs incorporate some form of interval training. Why? Because it’s effective at increasing your heart rate and metabolism and brings variety into your workout routine.
I was looking forward to the ChaLEAN Extreme Burn Intervals workout. I expected high intensity cardio intervals mixed with a lower intensity cardio interval to let me catch my breath and recover. Well, I was surprised…
Burn Intervals does use high intensity cardio intervals; however, the recovery interval is resistence training with a new twist. I’m used to doing either 6-8 repetitions with heavy weights or 10-12 with a slightly lighter (but still heavy) weight for resistence training. That’s the regimen for P90X and is the standard in most gyms.
Chalene’s Burn Circuit routines use a rep count of 10-12 with the heaviest weight you can use to get to failure in that range. The Burn Intervals takes you in the opposite direction. Chalene asks you to use a light weight. I used five pounders, and I’m glad I listened to her! My shoulders were screaming and my triceps were shaking because we did so many reps that we didn’t even count them.
By the time your muscles were really burning, it was time to go on to the next high intensity cardio interval. The cardio exercises are plyometric in nature and could easily fit into a P90X program. Both the P90X Extreme Home Fitness and ChaLEAN Extreme workouts put you in the mindset of training like an athlete.
One of the things I liked about Chalene’s program is only one round of each exercise is performed. Tony likes to do two rounds of each exercise, usually in a superset. I really like the variety, and I stay motivated to push a little harder because I know I’m only doing that exercise (no matter how difficult for the moment) one time. When it’s done, it’s done.
ChaLEAN is a positive trainer. Her attention to detail in form is very helpful. She is mindful of the need for proper nutrition and keeping your time, life, and emotional health in balance as well. I think most women will relate better to Chalene than Tony although both are champion trainers in my book.
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.
Shakeology The Workouts – The 30
It’s been at least an hour since I completed my workout tonight and my abs are still burning! What did I do? Shakeology The Workouts – The 30. Quite a name isn’t it? The 30 is quite simply the thirty minute workout vice the fifty minute workout designed to compliment Beachbody’s Shakeology. My abs aren’t burning because of the workout focusing on abs. They’re burning because I was introduced to a new ab exercise. It seems like every Beachbody workout has a slight twist when it comes to working out the abdominal muscles. Each trainer seems to have their own unique signature ab moves.
The workout was only thirty minutes long but took advantage of interval training to keep the heart rate up. Keeping the heart rate up means you’ll burn fat and rev your metabolism. The workout involved three rounds of exercises that combined both cardio moves and strength training exercises. All that’s needed for the strength training is one light set of dumbbells or a resistance band.
What did I like most about it? This workout will make an excellent fitness dvd to take on vacation. It’s designed to work your whole body from head to toe, including toning and cardio. It can be done in a small area such as a hotel room. I can use a resistance band that easily packs and the packaging for the dvds will pack nicely in a suit case.
I will probably also use the workout as a fill in workout to mix in a little variety when I need it. For example, when I do round two of P90X in September or October, I may use the Shakeology workouts to substitute for a Cardio X workout. I’d rate the intensisty as medium. You can certainly modify moves (demonstrated by one of the participants) to reduce the intensity if you’re new to exercising or need to modify for health reasons.
By the way, the trainer’s name is Tania Ante. You can also find her on Beachbody’s Hip Hop Abs, Insanity and Rockin’ Body fitness workout dvds. Tania does an excellent job of demonstrating proper form before each exercise.
If you’re not familiar with Shakeology, it’s a meal replacement shake that Beachbody likes to call it “the healthiest meal of the day.” It’s not just a protein shake or a regular meal replacement shake. It contains 70 healthy ingredients and even comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. Take some time to learn about the awesome health benefits of Shakeology. It’s really impressive, and I just can’t do it justice trying to write about it here.
I was impressed enough to make this my breakfast on work days. It’s nutritious and filling. I also liked the fact that in a 90 day study where test participants replaced one shake per day with Shakeology, ate a balanced diet and moderately worked out three times per week reduced their cholesterol an average of 30% and their bad cholesterol by an average of 38%. In a day and age where doctors prescribe medication before educating individuals on nutrition and exercise, I was excited to learn that Shakeology might help in the fight to control cholesterol levels.
You can order the Shakeology workouts alone or get them free when you sign up for an automatic monthly delivery of either Greenberry or Chocolate Shakeology. When you sign up for automatic monthly delivery, you’ll also get your shipping for the Shakeology free every month. It’s kind of a nice program because you get the free workouts, free shipping, and you won’t run out of your meal replacement shake.
Oh, a few stats on the shake…everyone wants to know about calories, fat, carbs, and protein so here’s the stats on the Chocolate Shakeology. 140 Calories. Only 1 gram of fat. 17 grams of carbohydrates. 17 grams of protein. When you read more about Shakeology, you’ll be able to open up the nutrition label on both the Greenberry and Chocolate if you want to review it before adding it to your fitness plan.
If you have a Beachbody program, keep pressing play. If you’re new to Beachbody, nutrition, working out, getting in shape, improving your fitness, or losing weight we’re here to help you meet your fitness goals.
Power 90 Ab Ripper 200
Ouch! Power 90’s Ab Ripper 200 is 200 ab ouchy reps! It uses the same ten abdominal exercises as Ab Ripper 100, but instead of ten reps for each exercise, you’re doing twenty. That makes a significant difference in the burn. It will take a while for me to master the Ab Ripper 200.
If I compare Ab Ripper 200 to the ab workouts in P90X, I’d have to say it feels more like the Yoga Belly 7 rather than the infamous Ab Ripper X. Ab Ripper X is still on top of the charts for the toughest ab routine I’ve ever done. I’m not sure how the new Rev Abs program will compare. I did the first Rev Abs workout when Beachbody sent it to me as a preview dvd.
I didn’t find that workout as extreme as Ab Ripper X, but I have to keep in mind that I was only doing the first routine of a 90 day program based on increasing your metabolism, buring fat, and focusing exercise movements on the core and abdominal muscles. I have a feeling that when Rev Abs is released that it will be a somewhat challenging ab program. (Get ready, it’s coming out this fall.)
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.
Turbo Jam: Ab Jam
When I first looked at this dvd, I thought twenty minutes was an incredibly long time to be working on my abs. I’ve got to tell you that the time just flew by. I’m not sure what it is about Turbo Jam or Chalene Johnson, but each workout is fun. Fun means you’ll keep doing it. Fun means you get through the workout before you realize you’re exercising…just kidding.
Keeping with the trademark of Beachbody workouts, Ab Jam uses cardio interval training to keep your heart pumping. You’re going to sweat, burn calories, melt fat, and pump up your metabolism.
The first half of the workout is standing. If you’re used to working your abs with crunches, a ball, or ab machines, you’ll be surprised at how many different ways you can work your abdominal muscles standing up.
You may not be comfortable doing standing ab exercises. Give it a chance and work through it. It’s probably just new to you. Some of the standing ab exercises are similar to those in Debbie Sieber’s Slim in 6. I also noticed some similarities with Tony Horton’s P90X Extreme Home Fitness System.
The second half of the workout moves to ab exercises on the floor. I learned some new moves. I was expecting something in between Slim in 6 and P90X’s Ab Ripper X or Yoga Belly 7. My favorite floor exercise in Ab Jam involves sitting on the floor with your hands on the floor behind you. Your knees are bent…feet off the floor. You then lean back and touch your knees to the left until they hit the floor. Then, your bring them to the right until they hit the floor, etc. This works the lower abs really good!
I’ve got a few more ab routines to review for you, so you’ll have plenty of information on how to get yourself a tight, flat set of abs. Still coming up: Turbo Jam Booty Sculpt & Abs, Tony Horton’s One on One Core Ball Sandwhich, and Brett Hoebel’s new 90 day ab solution Rev Abs.
Rev Abs isn’t available, yet. This Beachbody workout won’t be released until the fall; however, I have a preview dvd. It’s the first dvd in program. Getting free preview dvds of upcoming releases is one of the benefits of being a Beachbody Coach. Speaking of previews, I have an extra Tony Horton One on One Cardio Intervals dvd.
Here’s all you have to do to get it. Click here to sign up for a free Beachbody account. When you sign up for your free account, Beachbody will let me know that you signed up from this website. I will then send you an email to make arrangements to get the dvd to you. If you’re not the first to sign up, don’t worry. I will personally make sure you get a dvd for free just for visiting my site and signing up for your free account. (Of course I won’t be able to extend this offer forever. You must act by August 31st, 2009.)
Do you know the benefits of getting your free Beachbody account? They’re amazing…
1. Access to the WOWY (workout with you) online supergym. Here, you’ll be able to schedule workouts and track your progress. You’ll also be able to connect with other people in the supergym with you and be eligible to win cash and prizes of up to $1000 per day.
2. You can compete for the $25,000 grand prize in the Million Dollar Body Game.
3. Your own personal coach (me) to help guide you to the support, tools, and motivation you need to reach your goals.
4. Workout buddies to help keep you motivated.
5. Access to the Beachbody message boards and cool down chat room.
6. Weekly Beachbody newsletters where you’ll learn about nutrition, exercise, and more.
Go ahead, sign up here! You’ve got nothing to lose except all those extra pounds.
Turbo Jam: Cardio Party
Where did that 45 minutes go? Once again, Chalene kept my mind off working out and just having fun. I’m sitting here dripping in sweat after completing my first Cardio Party workout in the Turbo Jam program. I’m not a dancer, so trying to move like some of the gals wasn’t pretty. The important thing is to keep moving. Afterall, you are in your living room not under a spinning ball on the dance floor!
I noticed that in this routine, the Wheel reminded me of the low side crunches in Slim in 6. The difference here is the Wheel is a much wider and flowing exercise. It stretches the whole body while working the oblique abdominal muscles.
The kicking and punching in Cardio Party remind me of Tony Horton’s P90X Kenpo X workout. I was already familiar with the basic moves from P90X, so I was really comfortable with them. If you haven’t done kicks or punches, you’ll probably have a similar experience as I did when I first did the Kenpo X DVD. I was elated. Somehow, it was empowering and didn’t feel at all like exercising. Kicking, punching, and blocking help me focus my mind and relieve stress.
I think this workout is absolutely an ab ripping routine. Well, I’m beginning to think that all the Turbo Jam routines work the abs. Hmmm. Maybe that’s why Chalene has hard abs. Come to the party. Are you ready to lose weight, boost your metabolism, burn fat, increase your energy…and have fun doing it?
Turbo Jam: Turbo Sculpt
Do you know what I really love about Beachbody workouts? Each one is different. Variety is the spice of life and what some of us need to stay motivated to keep exercising regularly. I also like the seemingly endless supply of abdominal exercises. I learn new ab moves everytime I try a new workout. Chalene Johnson’s Turbo Sculpt routine exceeded my expectations.
The Turbo Sculpt workout is about 40 minutes long and focuses both on strength training and keeping your heart rate up. I was amazed that I could work up a sweat and get my shoulders burning with only two five pound weights. Chalene tells you that you don’t have to use hand weights, but you can increase the effectiveness and intensity of the workout if you increase the amount of weight you’re using over time.
A lot of the ab work is done standing up with Chalene’s signature moves. She does have a small section at the end of the workout for floor work that focuses on abs, but it is minimal. This is where I picked up a new ab move that works the obliques very effectively. You’re laying on your side and basically doing oblique side crunches like the ones Debbie Siebers does standing up in Slim in 6.
If you are new to strength training with weights, listen to Chalene’s instruction. For example, she does an excellent job talking about keeping the weight of your body on the heels of your feet while in a squat position and how to properly pull back your arms to work your posterior shoulder muscles.
Turbo Sculpt uses light weight with high repetitions which results in toned lean muscles. This is the look that many women seek. You’re not going to bulk up your muscle mass doing this routine, but you will burn fat and rev up your matabolism.
This is definitely a fun workout. I’d recommend it for anyone who new to fitness or who needs to lose weight. I think it would be fun to do this one with my sisters or a friend. You almost forget you’re working out. That seems to be the theme for Turbo Jam – have fun and forget you’re that you’re actually doing something good for yourself by working out.
Insanity Released. I’m Not Ready – Are You?
It’s really awesome that Beachbody has so many workout programs, each designed with particular fitness goals and fitness levels in mind. I wrote about this in an early article when I told you that after doing Tony Horton’s P90X Extreme Training System for 90 days that I started Debbie Sieber’s Slim in 6 program and fully expected to blow it away. Although I gained strenth and built muscle mass during P90X, I wasn’t quite ready for the continuous cardio training of my current program. My fitness goals changed, so I changed up my workouts to reach those goals.
Well, Shaun T’s much awaited high intensity max interval cardio program called Insanity was finally released by Beachbody. I’m not quite ready to take on the challenge of this cardio explosion…read more
