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 :)

My Review of Chalean Extreme

As shortteacher said, this week we decided to share out thoughts on some of the beachbody programs we have done already, It's now turn for  Chalean Extreme. This was my first program and I decided to do that one because it was mainly strength training and not too much cardio. The program is 90 days and it's structured in 3 phases, Burn, Push and Lean.

The First 4 weeks you start with Burn, this is 3 circuits, and you do each one of them once a week, the other 2 days of the schedule is completed with 2 cardio routines, and ab workout and a stretch/yoga class. The burn circuits are about 35 minutes long and you do upper an lower body work at the same time. The second month is the Push phase, also 4 weeks, in this phase Chalene switches gears and makes you lift VERY HEAVY, also you don't work upper and lower body at the same time, it's rather a body part at a time, the cardio, and yoga it's the same through out the whole program, however on week 6, Chalene introduces a more advance ab routine about 5 mins longer than the previous one and trust me those 5 more minutes feel like 5 minutes.... under water!!!!!!!
 The final 4 weeks it's the  LEAN circuit, here your go back to the combination workouts ( upper and lower body) and relatively ligther weights, but the workouts are longer and all of them will require core use, this month also you will see the most results. The last month workouts are brutal! But so much fun.

I lost around 9 inches off my waist,  5 inches off each thigh, it was wonderful. It's a very good program and it''s good for every fitness level, the workouts are not too long and your are only required to workout 5 days a week, I loved it so much that I hybrid it with Turbo fire!
Chalene Johnson is a VERY good instructor, explains the set up, the exercise and also educates you on what part of the body is going to work, what is supposed to feel like, all of that while motivating your without sounding corny or fake.
This workout got me hooked on working out, not only did I lose lbs and inches but I created the habit of working out and that was worth all the money, all the sweat and all my time. I only have positive things to say about Chalean Extreme, if you are looking to start a workout program, to get in shape, to tone your body, and your are a busy person, maybe have little kids (like I do) Chalean Exteme is the PERFECT option!

Thrilledmomof2

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