Bonus Review -- Core Speed



 I apologize for the quality of the pic, I took it at 5:30 am, even the phone was half asleep ;)

So if you get your Focus T25 Workout DVD's trough a Beachbody Coach, you will get a Bonus Workout, called Core Speed. As may remember from previous post, I am currently struggling with Ab intervals, so Today I decided to give this one a try, instead of getting frustrated with a workout that I don't feel it's working me out.

Anyway, this one is set up "cross fit like", no don't run, what I mean is he gives u a set of moves, and you will repeat the same ones during the whole workout, there are "levels" but the same moves, just the speed and the length of time you are performing them changes. Most of the work is done in vertical position, which is a big plus for me, since I'm too big to be planking for long, except for the Burpees there is no floor work. Also the speed is amped up a little, compared to the speed in the Alpha series, so that was a good chance of pace. I just finished it and I am already feeling sore. Most moves are combo of upper and lower body, like punches and squats, jumps, speed knee etc. etc.

I really like it and  hope to incorporate it in my future workouts!

If you want to join me in my journey, need help, motivation or simply someone to keep you accountable, contact me, join me in my facebook page, Follow me on Twitter and Instagram (@salba3716)!


Thrilledmomof2

Focust T25 - Lower Focus

And Last but not Least! Drum Roll.... Lower Focus!

Again, appropriately named, this one is so baaad that is gooooooooood, will work that lower body like a mutha! You go thru a series of lunges, squats, lunges and squats , squalunges... you get the point. I really like this one, It gets  you pouring sweat from your head while working your legs!
I like the pace of the workout, and the speed of the changes in them, you never get bored of one move, but you are there long enough to feel the BURN.

This one is gonna have you begging for mercy and at the same time asking for more! Be sure to follow Shaun's instructions as to how to do a proper squat and lunge, in order to protect your knees. Like all the other workouts, there is the modifier in case you need her and it's also 25 minutes top to bottom. Overall this is my favorite of the series so far, at the time of this post I am going into week 5, the final week of the Alpha phase, so  in the next few weeks I will be reviewing the workouts in the second phase, Beta.

You can get this and other awesome workouts here, also you can contact me for questions, to my email, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (@salba3716)


Thrilledmomof2

Focus T25 Ab Intervals

Well, Here we are, the 4th workout of the series, I will be brutally honest about this workout. I HATE IT. It's hell, for me, It's a lot of plank work, floor work, that obviously work your core including the abs. I am extremely heavy and these exercises are extremely difficult for me. I know this just mean this is the area I should be paying more attention, but it is a chore for me, I am hoping that as I get lighter I will be able to do more, and more.

Obviously is a very good workout, it does as it promises, workouts out your ab muscles good! and also in intervals. You might love it, but I personally DO NOT.... YET ;)

If you have any questions, or want to contact me, you can shoot me an email, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (@salba3716)


Thrilledmomof2

Focus T25 - Total. Body. Circuit.

Ok! Here we are getting in to the nitty gritty of the program! If you paid close attention, you see that the tittle  has a period after every word of the tittle, that was for added Dramatic effect! This workout is NO JOKE, when they named it Total Body Circuit, or TBC for short, they were not kidding. This will work you top to bottom, there are sprints, push ups, plank holding, lunges, squats, tons of jumping of course, none stop for 25 minutes, That to me go by pretty slow! (think of 1 minute under water sort of effect)  It will work your whole body in a circuit fashion, meaning you move from body part to body part, and also your heart rate will be going up and down. Overall is one of my favorites, although I personally believe I have a lot of room for improvement, I like the challenge.

I am sure this will be one of your favorites, will give you a big bang for your 25 minutes bucks!

For questions, or to contact me, feel free to email, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!

Thrilledmomof2

Focus T25 - Speed 1.0 - The Review

Hello Again!

We are continuing with our series of reviews of the workouts included in the Focus T25 workout program. Next in our list is Speed 1.0, that is the second workout you encounter in the first week. This one is different from Cardio, It's mainly speed exercises and Stretch, so you get a good "rest" in between the speed drills. I liked this one quite a lot, well because I am in the shape of round :p and  stopping and stretching is a good thing in my books. Don't get me wrong, you will sweat your butt off, but it's a welcomed change of pace from some of the others that I will review later on.

This particular Workout comes in the same CD as Total Body Circuit, but it's the same length as all the others, again, no warm up, there is a cool down but it's extra after the 25 minutes, I assume it is recommended but optional. Notice I don't speak about the music, there is music and  several choices as to how you want to play it, but I don't think it's a mayor factor here, I prefer to hear Shaun T's instructions.

Overall, this one is one of my favorites of the first phase, Shaun T doesn't  disappoint, yet manages to bring innovation  and creativity to the workout, without losing it's ShaunT- ness.

If you have any questions, you can always email me, also find me on my facebook page, twitter and instagram (@salba3716)!


Thrilledmomof2

Not as Fat as I think I am

So we are plugging along in the middle of month two.  As for lbs on the scale I haven't lost much.  Inches as of last month I'd only lost 1.5.  Being the crazy hybrid that it is and knowing from my first experience w/ p90x itself, most of my results will probably come month 3 or even right after on recovery week.  So I'm not fretting over it right now.  However in general, I'm learning that I really am not as fat as I feel like I am.

One of my friends has recently started selling Avon and she's sent me some catalogs and links to her website.  So I started flipping through one, and came across this outfit that I found really cute, so on a whim I ordered it.  It arrived yesterday so of course I tried it on.  It included a brown sweater, super cute brown boots, and..denim leggings.  A popular style nowadays but one I've always avoided and never thought much about cuz I'm too fat to pull off something cute like that.  I'm more of a bootcut jeans kinda girl, those skinny jeans and leggings are for the thin girls.  I pulled them out of the box and they looked SO tiny.  Still, I put them on.  They fit! And they were super comfortable.  However still nervous about seeing them in the mirror, I put on the boots and the sweater as well, then I walked over to the mirror.  The same mirror that 99% of the time tells me how fat I am.  This time around I felt like I actually looked GOOD.  WHAT????!!!!! 

This morning as I'm preparing to do my workout (yes, I am ashamed, I get behind and end up doing workouts on Saturday), I throw on a pair of my workout pants.  When they were on, I remembered how super tight they used to be not all that long ago for this particular pair. And I realized how loose and baggy they've become. 

Yes, my weight loss may be super slow.  The number on the scale may take weeks or even months to drop a noticeable amount. But the inches and clothing are showing the real truth.  It's happening.  All those styles that I used to think were cute but I could never pull off? Maybe it's time to start checking some of them out.  I don't have to shop at the plus size stores anymore.  Yes I have a long way to go but I've also come a long way. Although I still see that same fat girl in the mirror that I always have, that's really not who I am anymore.

I can do hard crazy workouts like our hybrid. I will do Asylum, I will do p90x2.   Though it may not happen all at once, I will get skinny.  I'm doing it now. Or, I will just Die Tryin'.  Have you seen those previews for p90x2????
~shortteacher83~

We're still here!!!!!!!!

Ok I realized it has been a while since I've written anything, but I've had a rough couple of days, first the earthquake, (that I didn't feel), then Hurricane Irene ( That we weathered just fine) and then some personal stuff going on... but I didn't start this post to give you excuses of why I haven't written, NO! I've written this post to tell u that we are in our week 6, yes alredy, I have kept up with the schedule, despite all the distractions!

So For month 2, I am seeing 2 new workouts, Back and Biceps and Chest Shoulders and Triceps. Back and biceps was a good workout and I expected to be worked out  good, and also I knew I would do that one successfully, because of the muscles it's aimed at. Now lets talk about the mother of all workouts, as far as I'm concerned, Chest Shoulders and Triceps, I mean there are other workouts that make u sweat and make u short of breath and those are great, but this thing is an animal, I was worked out, in and side ways, I was beaten down the first time I did it and yesterday it kicked my buckets again and I ABSOLUTELY love it! Can't wait for it to trash me again, arms shaking and all.

In other news, going  back to month one of the Insanity workouts has showed me how far I've come and since they are shorter, they go by pretty quickly, so that's a bonus. Turbo fire keeps being the engine that moves me foward, I love fire 60 and anything Chalene, so it's a pleasure to workout to Turbo Fire.

So we still here, we still plugging along and we ain't dead yet (nor skinny in my particular case hehehehe)

Thrilledmomof2

And so Phase one is coming to an end and...

Wait.. what???? Didn't we just started this "crazy hybrid" like 2 days ago? How come we are in week 4 alredy... I guess it's true what they say, times flies when u are having fun!

These past 3.5 weeks have been awesome and nothing but a pleasure, I've enjoyed a lot the p90x workouts that were all new to me, fell even more in love with Turbo Fire... and well, I'm still not crazy about Insanity, but it's gotta be done (it's a good workout, it's a good workout, IT'S A GOOD WORKOUT!!! quit your hatin' and do it!) That's what is like to be in my head on insanity days BTW.

I haven't been tracking my progress very well, cause frankly I want to lose weight but I workout for the pleasure of it, so I REALLY don't care if I lose weight or inches too much, but I must say my pants are fitting a lil loser and my belly seems to have gone a lil down so it's good, I also feel that I'm stronger and it looks to me that my shoulders and arms a little bit more toned.

I'm extremely excited and scared at the same time for the next phase since I get to do Fire 60 which I absolutley LOVE but there is also doubles of Insanity and P90X and 3 days of Insanity, u all know how I fell about that "Wonderful workout", It's a mental game and I will probably get thru it... wish me luck... As u can see I haven't died yet!

Thrilledmomof2

Turbo Fire Makes Me Feel Like I'm On Fire......On Fiyah!

TurboFire is my absolute FAVORITE of the Beachbody workouts.  If I was to recommend just one workout, this would be it.  What is so great and wonderful about TurboFire you ask?  Well Thrilledmomof2 was hoping I'd keep this entry short but I could go on and on about the greatness of TF.
First off, it's a Chalene Johnson program.  As I've previously mentioned, she is my favorite of the trainers.  She's so motivating throughout all of these workouts, I really seem to connect well with her. 2nd of all, another big one for me, Variety! TF is filled with so many options.  It has a 5 day inferno plan (which I believe I lost 4 lbs on or so? I just know it worked) that you can choose to do before starting the actual program. It also has a 9 week prep for those that may feel they aren't quite ready to start the actual program.  Then the basic program is 12 weeks.  However one has the option (which I STRONGLY recommend) of buying advanced turbofire workouts.  This can add 8 more weeks on, making your program 20.  Also the advanced package comes with a hybrid calendar of TurboFire and Chalean Extreme for another 20 week program.  Thrilledmomof2 and I did the inferno plan, followed by 40 weeks of TF and TF/CE.  40 weeks later we were still wanting more Fire!!!!
Music was absolutely AMAZING. Songs were catchy, always stuck in my head and I love to randomly belt them out even now :) Chalene did a wonderful job.  Moves were fun, it's basically cardio kickboxing in rhythm to the music. Workouts were different lengths ranging from 15, 20, 25, 30, 45, 55, 60 minutes, all seemed to fly by.  The program is as intense as you make it.  HIIT training is a big part of the program where you go really hard for about a minute, then a minute rest, then go again really hard, then rest.  You just keep pushing as hard as you can (which some days were easier than others).  Another awesome thing is Alee, who shows you how to modify in every workout.  If you can't jump, or whatever, follow Alee.  Just do your very best no matter what level you are. Along w/ the cardio, there are sculpting, toning, stretch, and ab workouts.  A nice 10 minute stretch program or a 40 min one.  The 40 min one is half yoga, half stretch. Her sculpting and toning workouts are no joke. Done w/ a band that looks sweet and innocent but I will promise you that is not the case.  40 weeks I lost 15 lbs (which is fantastic for me) and 31.5 inches. We were sad to finish this program, we were excited to press play every day on this one.
As I said before, I could go on and on about this program but to cut thrilledmomof2 a little slack I'll end with this.  I LOVE Turbofire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Enoug' Said :)

We Made It!!!!!!!

....through week 1 that is.   We rested on Friday cuz Thrilled was sore and I was busy, so today was Max Interval Sports.  I am still groaning on Insanity days even though this workout is my fav of the program.  Usually I'd workout in the morning but I put it off till this afternoon.  Made it through and then felt pretty successful for getting through our first week.  The beginning of the week didnt seem so bad, the middle towards the end I think we both realized how tough this is actually going to be.  And it's only going to get more challenging! 

In other news, we have been working out together for one year!!! It's exciting to have a workout buddy that supports and motivates and challenges you.  We've made it through one year and we're not slowing down anytime soon :)  Here's to another fun workout year my friend!!!!

~ShortTeacher83~

Back and Legs r a shakin'

As we get older in life we go learning our likes and dislikes  as well as our strengths and weaknesses... I had told "Shortteacher" That so far I didn't find the P90X's workouts so difficult but that Back and Legs might kick my butt... Boy was I right! The soreness kicked in mid workout, which is a pretty good preview of what to expect come tomorrow... I'm thinking I'm going to have fun tomorrow while doing Insanity heheehhe...


As for the workout it self, I was pleseantly surprised to find out that most of it is with body weight, I have plenty of it, so it was pretty challenging. I've never really done any leg work besides the traditional lunges and squats (Chalean Extreme) and  plyometrics ( Turbo Fire and Insanity), so some moves I've done before and some where completly new. I have a good room for improvement over this workout ( which means I sucked at it) but overall I liked it, might not be able to walk tomorrow but nevertheless I liked it. Ab ripper x still really hard for me, so for the time being my main goal is to hit 15 reps in each workout, I'll keep moving that goal up until I reach those 25 pesky reps!

Tomorrow is Insanity Max Sports Interval, which was my favorite Insanity workout when I was doing the program, but  let's see how that goes tomorrow, as is very difficult to jump around with sore legs, butt and core.  I'm still alive, but IDK if I'm getting skinnier hehehe!

Thrilledmomof2

Thank Goodness for Yoga/Stretching

Shoulders & Arms was a great workout yesterday.  I knew I'd be feeling it today.  Luckily it's just a bit of tightness in the shoulders, nothing I can't tolerate.  Considering my calves had been sore since day 1, I was really looking forward to Stretch 40 today.  Just as I remembered, it was a great relaxing workout.  Now I don't have much patience when it comes to Yoga, and I have next to no balance, but stretch 40 I've really learned to love.  Probably cuz only 20 min of it is yoga, in which we do the mountain pose a few times, my favorite! The last 20 minutes are my absolute favorite part, including the final body relaxation at the very end. I really did feel pretty rejuvenated when I finished :) The soreness in my calves is mainly gone and I don't feel very sore today.  What I do feel is HUNGRY!!!!!  I feel like I can't feed myself enough.  Luckily it's all pretty clean foods in the house now, but still.  Hopefully this hunger issue passes cuz I don't do well w/ it :)
Looking forward to Legs & Back tomorrow.  I remember that being one of my favorite p90x routines last summer, so I'm hoping I feel the same this time around.  Friday is Sports training from Insanity and then we'll have made it through week 1!!!  I think this month will be very doable.  Here's hoping!
~ShortTeacher83

New Day, New Workout

Today is day 3 of our schedule and was again a new workout for me, P90X's Shoulders and Arms. I really liked this one, and like chest and Back, I felt I was working, but I felt good and was able to complete the workout with no problems. I use bands for my resistance training and although in my opinion Tony Horton doesn't do the best job of explaining the set up and the movement of the exercise BEFORE they start the clock, I am a Chalean Extreme grad and by the name of the exercise I was able to accurately pick the appropriate band, THANK YOU Chalene, that really helped me not pause a lot. I bet tomorrow I will be pretty sore, as I can feel my arms, shoulders burning as I  type. Finally I burned 394 calories during that workout which is A LOT if your are doing an strength trainning workout, for me.

Tomorrow we get a little break, with stretch 40, which despite it's name the first 20 minutes is pretty much a yoga class, but it feels really good afterwards!
So Far so good, I know I haven't said much about HIIT 20, but It's not new to me, but for the record I loved it, when I was doing Turbo fire I wasn't a big fan of the HIIT workouts, but I think that, strangely, my affair with  Insanity, solidified my Turbo marriage lol!

On thursday I'll let u know on my thoughts about Legs and Back as I tackle that one for the first time... Here is to getting skinny...

Thrilledmomof2

The Fun has Begun

I just finished day 2, good ol' Insanity. After just finishing a full round of Insanity, this workout wasn't so bad, just hot.  I workout in my garage so it gets pretty hot and stuffy in there even w/ the fan.  Yesterday was Chest & Back from p90x.  I have a slight advantage over Thrilledmomof2 because I did this program last summer.  I could definitely see the difference a year makes.  Not that I'm very good at them, but I saw a ton of improvement in my push-ups. Chest & Back consists mainly of different types of push-ups and pull-ups.  I use the bands for the pull-ups. Later that evening was HIIT 15, which even at only 15 minutes, is a pretty intense workout.  Definitely wore me out yesterday. I thought I'd feel pretty sore today but it's really not too bad.  Except for when I got to any of Shaun T's plank work today. 

I can tell this is going to be a pretty good workout, with all the variety in it.  My biggest focus these 90 days is nutrition.  Eating as clean as I can, every 3 hrs, and eating enough.  Nutrition has always been my hardest thing over the years, though I've made several changes.  My problem used to be eating too much, now it's not enough!  I really don't struggle with doing a workout every day though, it's usually my favorite part of the day (especially if it's one of Chalene's!).  I'm looking forward to finishing up this week and seeing how it's gone and seeing what the soreness/hunger/tired levels are all like.  Here's to getting skinny!!! (or maybe dying.....)

~ShortTeacher83~

And........... We're Off!!!

Ok So, we started today our schedule. I must say I've never done P90X, so this is going to be an interesting first week as I discover the strength workouts from P90X. So today in schedule was HIIT 15, Chest and Back and Ab Ripper.  Chest and Back is a good workout, I didn't find it excruciating, maybe I'm doing something wrong, but also I've been working out for over a year, also I modified the pull ups with a band, so I'm pretty sure that takes the difficulty level down a couple of notches! Now Ab Ripper, the moves weren't impossible, but the repetitions... I made it to around 15-18 in most exercises, There where a few of them that kind of bothered my lower back, so I went easy on those until I figure out what am I doing wrong, or what can I do to get comfortable. Overall I burned around 385 calories with the P90X workouts, so it's a good deal, plus around 150 ish or so with HIIT 15 which I absolutely LOVE, It's a short but very intense workout that has you pouring sweat from beginning to end and plus the music is very motivating!!!

Anyway, so far so good, I'll update in the level of soreness tomorrow and fill you in how my Insanity workout went, this one I know what to expect., and to be honest, I'm certainly not looking foward to it, but it's gotta be done!



Thrilledmomof2

Here is our crazy schedule!!!

Week 1 HIIT 15 Chest & Back Ab Ripper X	Max Cardio Conditioning	HIIT 20 Shoulders & Arms Ab Ripper X	Stretch 40	Legs & Back Ab Ripper X	Max Interval Sports	Off
Week 2 HIIT 20 Chest & Back Ab Ripper X	Max Interval Circuit	HIIT 25 Shoulders & Arms Ab Ripper X	Cardio Recovery	Legs & Back Ab Ripper X	Max  Interval Plyo	Off
Week 3 HIIT 25 Chest & Back Ab Ripper X	Max Cardio Conditioning	HIIT 30 Shoulders & Arms Ab Ripper X	Yoga X	Legs & Back Ab Ripper X	Max Interval Sports	Off
Week 4 Cardio Recovery	Core20 Stretch 40	Fire 45 EZ	Core Cardio Balance	Yoga X	Core 20 Stretch 40	Off
Week 5 Plyometric Cardio Circuit Chest, Shoulders & Triceps Ab Ripper X	Fire 60 ( YAY!!)	Pure Cardio Back & Biceps Ab Ripper X	Stretch 40	Cardio Power & Resistance Legs & Back Ab Ripper X	Fire 55 ez	Off
Week 6 Plyometric Cardio Circuit Chest, Shoulders & Triceps Ab Ripper X	Fire 60 ( YAY!!)	Pure Cardio Back & Biceps Ab Ripper X	Cardio Recovery	Cardio Power & Resistance Legs & Back Ab Ripper X	Fire 45	Off
Week 7 Plyometric Cardio Circuit Chest, Shoulders & Triceps Ab Ripper X	Fire 60 ( YAY!!)	Pure Cardio Back & Biceps Ab Ripper X	Yoga X	Cardio Power & Resistance Legs & Back Ab Ripper X	Fire 55 ez	Off
Week 8 Cardio Recovery	Core20 Stretch 40	Fire 45 EZ	Core Cardio and Balance	Yoga X	Core 20 Stretch 40	Off
Week 9 HIIT 20 Chest & Back Ab Ripper X	Max Cardio Conditioning	HIIT 15 Shoulders & Arms Ab Ripper X	Fire 30 Stretch 40	HIIT 25 Legs & Back Ab Ripper X	Max Interval Plyo	Off
Week 10 HIIT 25 Chest, Shoulders & Triceps Ab Ripper X	Max Interval Circuit	HIIT 30 Back & Biceps Ab Ripper X	Fire 45 Cardio Recovery	HIIT 25 Legs & Back Ab Ripper X	Max Interval Sports	Off
Week 11 HIIT 30 Chest & Back Ab Ripper X	Max Cardio Conditioning	HIIT 30 Shoulders & Arms Ab Ripper X	Fire 30 Yoga X	HIIT 30 Legs & Back Ab Ripper X	Max Interval Circuit	Off
Week 12 HIIT 25 Chest, Shoulders & Triceps Ab Ripper X	Max Interval Plyo	HIIT 20 Back & Biceps Ab Ripper X	Fire 45 Max  Recovery	HIIT 30 Legs & Back Ab Ripper X	Max  Interval Sports	Off
Week 13 Cardio Recovery	Core20 Stretch 40	Fire 45 EZ	Core Cardio and Balance	Yoga X	Core 20 Stretch 40	Off