My newest fitness journey began this week and the program of choice for me....ChaLEAN Extreme.It's another 90 Day in home DVD based fitness program and it runs in 3 phases much like P90X did - Burn, Push and Lean.
What drew me to this was the philosophy behind it... “Muscle Burns Fat.” You want to build “lean muscle” so you can burn away that excess fat. Chalene understands that the quickest way to burn fat is to build muscle, and lean muscle (you're not going to bulk up and look like the Hulk doing this).
Now some people laughed and thought I would be bored with this after 2 Rounds of P90X (you know who you are) and after my first workout, Burn Circuit 1, I agreed.
However, after sitting back and thinking about what I had just done during the workout I realized I needed to up my game to a new level. I needed heavier weight for this program because it is a different animal than P90X was. So the next day I headed to the sporting goods and picked up some heavier weights.
During my next workout on the program, Burn Circuit 2 I REALLY felt the difference. The new weights were just what I needed to get myself to failure by 10-12 reps and I really enjoyed the slower pace to the lifting.
Today's workout with Burn Interval and I must say I really enjoyed it despite the nasty things I called Chalene while doing it. When I first popped the DVD in and saw we would be using 5lbs weights I thought this would be easy peasy but man was I wrong. Five pounds might not sound like a lot but when you are doing a bazillion bicep curls you feel it and beg for that last rep to hurry up and arrive! I really enjoyed the cardio kickboxing moves as well.
My biggest complaint with the workouts so far is the warm-up is too short. All you do is throw a few punches, a few leg stretches and you jump in. I prefer a longer warm up - especially in the morning so I do my own based off what I did with P90X and then start my Burn workout for the day.
Other than that I don't have any other complaints so far. I love that they are full body workouts so I work my arms, legs, abs, thighs, butt....you name it - everything is sore the next day and that makes me happy!
I look forward to seeing what kind of results I can achieve with ChaLEAN!
Now for a shameless plug:
If you would like more information on this workout program or if you would like to order it please contact me or visit me on my facebook fan page.
I also love that they are full body workouts so I work my arms, legs, abs, thighs, butt....you name it - everything is sore the next day and that makes me happy!
Hey girl!
ReplyDeleteI didn't doubt you doing this program, but I was skeptical of the lifting/working style for me personally. Heavier weights, eh? Hmmmm. Now you've got me thinking!
Great post!
Thanks Tab! After the first workout I was disappointed and I started second guessing my choice. Then I started thinking and I realized I was still in a P90X mindset of trying not to burn out in Round 1.
ReplyDeleteWith ChaLEAN there is only 1 Round of each move so you can push to total failure. You don't have to reserve anything for a second round so upping the weight and pushing hard is the only way to go.
I really feel the workouts I have done so far and I am happy that I changed things up and I'm sticking with it.
You're my guinea pig, I'm looking forward to following your CE journey and seeing how you like it . I think I would like to try it sometime too!
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome!! I'm so glad you're doing this! I never paid much mind to ChaLEAN X or Chalene Johnson in general =P but, this sounds legit! Let me know how your results are throughout.
ReplyDeleteWith all the insanity and talk i've very much forgotten how big a factor muscle is. When I was building with P90X i felt like (and did) i lost more and accomplished more than with insanity. I love insanity but constant cardio just isn't where it's at. The afterburn for weight training is like 48hrs or something whereas with cardio it's only 24 I think max. =/ I think i'll get back to the momma land of workouts (p90x) and let insanity take the back seat.
Thank you for writing this. I actually honestly think this is what i needed to get my groove back. Your support and opinion is probably the most valuable to me! And my favorite! =D
I feel pumped up and ready to get back on track for certain!!!! =D Again, you're THEE Best! =D
You always know how to make me blush Sarah! Shucks!
ReplyDeleteHonestly I love ChaLEAN Extreme and agree with you 100% that I feel and see a difference much faster with resistance training than just pure cardio.
I have only been doing ChaLEAN for a week a half and I already see the changes taking shape and THAT is what keeps me going.
So happy to hear that you getting back into the P90X game and I look forward to following your journey again. You are my ninja master and first true inspiration! :)
I highly recommend it Shandal! I have been enjoying seeing your post on Turbofire as well and look forward to seeing what kind of results you achieve using it.
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