P90X-2 (Day 47): PAP Lower review

Graduation proceedings are getting in full swing, so I've been a bit tardy of late getting these posts written.  Apologies!  

In any case, although Katie and I are enjoying Beach Week festivities with my classmates, we decided to stay strong and continue our P90X-2 workouts...even though it meant we'd be doing them while our friends sat at a few feet away from us playing games and having a good time.  Nobody decided to join in the fun with us this time (although one of them noted that watching us was like a window into the lives of the Bloodworths, and another actually decided to do pullups on his own off to the side...oh well).

Yesterday Katie and I did our PAP Lower workout, and this is the second time we've made a go at this one.  These PAP videos are so freaking hard.  What's PAP stand for you might ask?  Post Activation Potentiation.  What's that stand for you might ask?  Well, that's a little less clear, but apparently it incorporates some of the latest and greatest in exercise science that's typically reserved for training sports athletes.  This article might be a better resource!  

At a higher level, I'll say this.  PAP (both the Upper and Lower workouts) don't look like they'd be hard. In fact, while watching most P90X workouts ahead of time leaves me nervous for what's to come, I thought this PAP stuff would be easy in comparison.  Not the case!  PAP Lower consists of 2 "complexes", with each complex made of 4 rounds of 4 different moves.  No breaks or resting at all except for about a minute between the 2 complexes.  This is extremely different from your typical P90X workout, so beware!

The moves apparently have some method to their madness with the intention of greatly improving athletic performance.  Each round of moves goes in the following order in terms of type:

• Strength/Resistance
• Explosive Plyo
• Fast twitch
• Isometric

The idea is that doing heavy strength work first allows the body to be more fully utilized in the subsequent movements.  Again, VERY tough!

Overview

• Length - A little bit on the shorter side in terms of the actual workout.  The warmup and cooldown take up a good chunk of time.
• Structure
• As mentioned, the workout consists of 2 complexes with each one made up of 4 rounds of 4 moves.  
• The warmup and cool down in this is pretty different from what you've seen previously in P90X-2.  
• Background Exercisers
• Adam
• A former Marine Corps sniper and fellow redhead.  Nothing in particular stands out beyond that, but he works hard.
• Cedric
• An apparently all-around athlete and Beachbody employee.  He moves pretty dang quickly on the fast-twitch moves, and he also shows off some pretty slick break-dance moves during the warmup at Tony's behest.
• Collette
• The French-Italian girl from X2 Ab Ripper and V-Sculpt.  Still very attractive.  Still crazy hard worker.  She might move faster than anyone in the bunch on the fast-twitch stuff.  
• Complex 1 Moves
• Step Up Convict
• Basically, with weights in hand, you do a step up onto a box and then bring your non-stepping leg/knee up towards your torso.  Do 8 on each leg. 
• Skater Plyo
• Nothing new here if you've done P90X before.  Just do extremely explosive plyo skaters (lateral jumps essentially) for 6 reps.  Doesn't sound too hard the first time, but you won't feel that way the 2nd or 3rd time through.
• One Leg Line Up
• On one leg (for about 30 secs each leg), jump side to side and then front to back quickly.  
• Tony's Triangle
• This one is a killer isometric move that doesn't look like anything you've seen before  in P90X.  Lay on your side, and then take your "top" leg and lift it up, bringing it as far in front of you as possible before bringing it back down.  Do the same thing bringing your leg behind you.  Try to keep your foot on the leg that's moving pointed toward the ground.  Repeat for each leg.  
• Complex 2 Moves
• Squat Cross Reach
• Wow!  These are hard.  Squat down on one leg, while holding a dumbbell with the arm on that same side.  At the bottom of your squat, extend your weighted arm out and across while extending your free leg behind you.  8 reps on each leg (I typically only made it to 6 reps each time.... they moved too quickly for me on this).  
• Split Squat Jump
• These are essentially just plyo lunges.  Do 6 of them. 
• Monster Slalom Jumps
• Jump laterally side to side.  Go for speed and distance.  Collette rocks these!!
• Side Bridge Leg Lift
• Another iso move to suffer through.  Drawing on your yoga foundation, lay down on your side to do a side bridge while lifting your "top" leg straight up as high as you can.  Try to keep your toe pointed down.  This is another move that isn't too bad the first time, but you will be struggling towards the end! 

Summary

Very different than typical P90X moves, but extremely effective.  Seriously.  This workout made us feel potentially as sore as we've felt throughout the entire program.  The potential negative is that you're supposed to do these PAP workouts 4x a week.  Not sure how long we can handle that without going crazy, but we're planning to at least push through 2 weeks of it.  Will keep you posted!!

PAP Upper review forthcoming :)

P90X-2 (Day 41): Tony Horton's 1-on-1 4 Legs Review

Another somewhat overdue post/review!  For Sunday's workout, Katie and I swapped in Tony Horton's 1-on-1 4 Legs DVD, which comes as a bonus with the deluxe version of P90X-2.   This was in place of Base + Back, which if you've read my earlier review of it you know how brutal that one is!  Needless to say, I was happy to have a new workout to held break up the routine.

For one thing, "4 Legs" is ALL about legs, which tend to get neglected somewhat in Tony's programs .  Sure, you have Plyocide and Base + Back, but that's pretty much it!  Plus, even though I know many P90X fans love pullups, I was more than happy to not have those to worry about this time.  "4 Legs" is a legs-dedicated workout with a lot of additional twists to help keep it exciting.  Each move is done on only one leg and balance is incorporated throughout, in keeping with the P90X-2 balance/core focus.

The other main item to note is that this is the first workout I've ever done from Tony Horton's 1-on-1 subscription series.  Basically, these workouts put you right with Tony in his home gym along with Mason Bendewald who is the producer/camera guy.  The banter between Mason and Tony is actually pretty funny, and in some ways I preferred the laid-back, no-pomp-and-circumstance attitude of the production.  I definitely will consider adding more of these 1-on-1's to my lineup!

Overview

• Length - 53 minutes (felt pretty quick) 
• Structure
• Very seat-of-the-pants warmup (basically Tony arbitrarily hopping around, etc.) and cooldown, but not bad ones by any means.  
• The workout itself is only 10 moves (and you do each leg separately for each move), but you do them pretty slowly. 
• Advice
• Try not to blow past Tony in terms of your speed.  For some of these, I was perhaps going a bit too quickly, which might have reduced the burn.  That's not to say I didn't feel it on every single move, but you might as well really try to focus in on the balance aspect in this workout.  If you do finish a move before Tony, just add in a few extras like I did to compensate.
• Notable Moves (some of these names may not be right)
• Half Moon Side Lunges
• Start off standing straight, but then lunge off to the side.  From the bottom of your lunge, extend yourself up on leg being "lunged" on and go into a half moon yoga pose.  Then descend back into your lunge before finishing where you began, standing up straight.  You'll need some hip flexibility for a lot of these moves!
• Mason Pumpers
• Ooo these burn!  Very creative move though, and I definitely liked them.  Stand up straight balancing on one leg while clasping your hands around the knee of the free leg up towards your chest.  From there, descend down into a one-legged squat, keeping your "free" knee in towards your chest at an equal distance throughout the movement.  Then, from the bottom of the squat, explode up on the support leg so that you jump off the ground just a bit.  Repeat!
• Royal Dancer Kicks
• Another one where you'll need your hip flexibility and balance in full effect.  Start in a Royal Dancer yoga pose, then after releasing the pose bring your non-support leg/knee into your chest while standing up straight.  From there, extend that same leg out in front of you before heading back into Royal Dancer.  Repeat.  
• Single Leg Chair Pose
• Just like it sounds.  Do a chair pose on 1 leg with the non-support foot sitting on your support leg's knee/lower quad.  Ow!

Summary

Really liked this workout.  Good pace, good "feel" (meaning that Tony's trademark sense of humor, etc., are perhaps in even greater effect than normal, especially since he has Mason to play off of), good burn.  AND, it's all legs!

I will be keeping this in my go-to repertoire going forward for certain.

P90X-2 (Day 38): V-Sculpt Review

As today is actually Day 42 (a Mobility & Recovery Day), this post is obviously a few days tardy along with my pending review of Tony Horton's One-On-One 4 Legs workout.  Many apologies!

In any case, last week was a bit of a circus as it was my last official week of business school classes and there was PLENTY going on to keep me distracted!  That said, I was happy to be able to incorporate another new workout into the P90X-2 mix with "V-Sculpt", which is one of the included bonus workouts that comes with the deluxe version of the program.  For me, being able to swap in a few non-scheduled workouts is key for helping me both stay off boredom as well as reinforce the ongoing muscle confusion. Those who read some of my reviews of the original P90X may remember that I purchased the P90X Plus+ supplementary workouts about halfway through to help spice things up, and so I was extremely appreciative to Beachbody for including a few extra workouts this time around:

• Chest + Shoulders + Tris 
• V-Sculpt
• Tony Horton's 1-On-1 "4 Legs"
• Tony Horton's 1-On-1 "Upper Body Balance" 

V-Sculpt is basically P90X-2's version of Back and Biceps, and it is an utter doozy with lots of new, often technical moves.  

Brief Aside

One of the things I've really appreciated about P90X-2 is that it hasn't felt quite as static as P90X did in terms of the distinctiveness of each Phase.  Part of the reason for this has to do with the fact that P90X really encompassed very similar workouts throughout the entire program, simply swapping in different sorts of moves, etc., to help keep it interesting.  For instance, in P90X Phase 1 you'd do Chest & Back, but in Phase 2 you'd do Chest, Shoulders & Triceps.  In P90X-2, the level of differentiation across Phases is much more pronounced (which I love!).  In Phase 1, for instance, you start off your week doing X2 Core, which is a total body, core-centric workout that's all about the stability and medicine balls.  Phase 2, however, gets back to the truly serious resistance work (including pullups) by switching over to Chest + Back + Balance.   As it happens, there is not a single pullup to do in Phase 1 of P90X-2.  In the original program, you do them throughout the entire 90 days!

Back to V-Sculplt

Anyway, V-Sculpt, as I mentioned is an absolute doozy.  I really liked this workout overall, it destroyed my upper body in a way no other P90X-2 workout has done other than Chest + Shoulders + Tris, and it provided much needed variety for the program's second Phase.  

That said, although I enjoyed it, it wasn't quite as appealing to me as Chest + Shoulders + Tris was.  There are 23 completely different moves in the workout, and the rapid pace of this one makes it somewhat difficult to get you and your equipment ready from exercise to exercise.  

Also, as I mentioned before, there are a few extremely technical, balance-heavy moves that are going to be tough to master.  In particular, the many "renegade" bicep moves where you balance in a plank position with one hand on a med ball and the other curling a dumbbell require your core to be engaged in way that few of the other P90X-2 workouts have needed.  Getting fried early on in this workout is more of an inevitability rather than a possibility, so use lots of caution when doing these moves and focus on quality vs quantity!

Summary

• Length (53 minutes) 
• Not quite as ridiculously fast pacing as Chest + Shoulders + Tris, but for all practical purposes it's more challenging in terms of pace because there are no repeat moves and some of them have tricky setups (especially a moves that involve bands)
• Structure
• Typical P90X-2 warmup and cooldown
• The actual workout consists of 23 different moves, NO repeats.  I tended to favor no repeat workouts in P90X, but that was partly because the moves were a little to set up for.  23 moves in P90X-2 is a lot harder since there's more set up required and the moves are a lot more technical in terms of stability, etc.  Makes it a bit tough to keep up at times!
• Background Exercisers
• Cogan (sp?) 
• This guy is US Marine Corps.  "Was shot, and then got blown up in a truck."  And now he's here in the background P90X-2, showing off how to do the modification moves using the bands.  He doesn't talk overly much and seems pretty serious, but he definitely works hard.
• Collette
• A, well, extremely attractive young lady who apparently is an "Olympic Lifter," although I'm not quite certain what that is.  She certainly doesn't look like a body builder or anything!  In any case, she's actually also in the X2 Ab Ripper, and I have to say in both videos she does a great job going hard, demonstrating good form, and having a happy enough attitude to deal with Tony :)
• Sean
• I had actually seen this guy's Beachbody Coach website before (www.getrippedathome.com), and he seems like a solid guy.  One of Tony's beach workout bodies, he rocks at pullups and seems to have a great sense of humor to help play off of Tony.  
• Notable Moves
• Around the World Pullup
• Look a bit tougher than they are, but still quite tough to do well!  Basically, starting from the hanging/resting position on your pullup bar, pull yourself up towards one hand and then at the top circle over to your other hand before coming back down to the bottom again.  Repeat.  They're somewhat similar to P90X's corncob pullups, but I liked them better.
• I was able to manage 9, which  I'm hoping to bring up a bit going forward since it's the first exercise out of the gate!  The right shoulder's been giving me some trouble on these though.
• Med Ball Renegade Curl
• This move can also be seen somewhat as a proxy description for several of the other moves in V-Sculpt.  Basically, you start in a plank-esque position with feet extended behind you and one hand on a med ball while the other curls a dumbbell.  Your core has to be incredibly engaged to not keel over on these!  Plus, given the pose that you're in while doing the curls, you'd better lower your weight to something a bit more reasonable.
• Have never done anything like these before, so this was a humbling move.  Managed 8 reps on each side @ 25lbs.
• Roman Band Curl
• Another move that can be seen as a bit of a proxy for other moves in the workout.  Unlike most other P90X workouts, this move actually requires a band.  Basically, you sit down on top of a stability ball with your legs extended out wide in front of you.  Then wrap a resistance band around your feet and then curl the handles up and across your body towards your opposite shoulder.  These were fun, but the band moves in this workout will require a good bit of tweaking to make sure I'm using the right band color, etc.
• No idea how many I did (just went till time was up). Used a 20ish lb band I believe, but that doesn't really mean anything since it also depends on how taut the band is. 
• 21 Pull-up
• What on earth?  Do 7 "bottom-half" pullups where you go from the bottom of pullup position up halfway.  Then 7 more from the halfway position all the way to the top.  Then 7 final normal pullups with full range of motion.  I was only able to do 6, 6, and 2.  
• Entman's Chin-Up
• So, essentially do normal chin-ups, but with a weighted med ball held between your feet. 
• Did 6 reps with 6lb ball. 
• Stability Ball Lawnmower
• These are tough and a bit awkward.  You extend your feet out behind you and then lay down on a stability essentially, using one of your forearms to support you on it.  Then use the other arm to row a dumbbell.  Your balance and core will be tested here!  I almost went flying off my ball more than a few times.
• 7 reps @ 30 lbs.  Can typically do about 55lbs+ on normal lawnmowers, so these are much more precarious!
• Close Body Curl
• Very tough, but I really liked these. Killed the biceps!  With your hands down at either side, gripping dumbbells, "curl" the weights up towards your shoulders.  However, rather than the curl causing the weight to arc up towards your shoulder like in a typical curl, you instead keep the dumbbells tracking right along your torso so that your elbows extend out behind you.  I guess at the end of the move your weights are more up towards your armpits than your shoulders!
• Managed 8 reps at 20lbs, which ended up being tougher than I expected.

Overall Thoughts

Really liked it, but it was way too fast for me to keep up this first time through.  Lots of different moves with some complicated setups, especially when you're using adjustable dumbbells like my PowerBlocks.  I would advise watching this one through first before attempting!

Also, some notes on the diet.  Have been doing a good job for the most part keeping my calorie count up.  However, I still need to shift my macronutrient intake a bit more towards protein than what it has been.  We'll see how that goes over the next week!  One other thing to note though is that although I definitely can tell the increased calorie count has helped with the muscle growth, it's starting to pack on a slight bit of fat as well.  This is normal, but it stinks to deal with.  I'll just have to burn it off in Phase 3!

P90X-2 (X2 Chest + Shoulders + Tris): Day 36

It's been a while since I've done a new workout in P90X-2, but I finally have something to write about again!  X2 Chest Shoulders & Triceps--focusing on all the upper body "pushing muscles"--is basically the new and improved (and balance-centric) version of P90X's original Chest Shoulders & Triceps, which actually was one of my favorite workouts in the old program.

It, along with V-Sculpt (which I'll be doing probably tomorrow), is one of the "bonus workouts" that comes with the Deluxe version of P90X-2.  I consider it's somewhat unfortunate that it doesn't come with the base-level version because it's just a great workout!  Everyone should be able to experience it :)  It is a great way to add in additional muscle confusion during your time in Phase 2 since the workout can be swapped in for X2 Chest + Back + Balance.

In any case, X2 Chest Shoulders & Triceps can best be summarized as an incredibly fast-paced, and killer upper body annihilation.  Seriously.  My chest especially was fried after all the crazy pushup variations involved.

Overview

• Length - 47 minutes...this may very well be the shortest workout in the entire P90X portfolio outside of the Ab Ripper dvds.  VERY fast paced.
• Background Exercisers
• Bobby Stevenson - Love this guy.  So genial, although the workout moves so quickly in this one that he doesn't get quite as much to say as normal.  He shows off the "hotel-style" version of the moves using the bands.  Btw, apparently his casting company cast 10 of last year's Super Bowl commercials.  
• Alfonso - Seriously strong dude who's also on the X2 Ab Ripper video.  Don't remember him being too talkative, but he's definitely in shape.
• Christina - A very, well, smiley mother of 5.  Don't remember her saying much either, but she's constantly showing off her pearly whites.  
• Structure
• 2 rounds of 11 moves.  Apparently this workout was based off of Tony Horton's UpperBodyX One on On video, but a few of the crazier moves didn't make it into the final product 

• Notable Moves
• Strip Press 
• Pretty standard but HARD if you go too heavy.  Basically this is just 3 sets of 8 shoulder presses--during which you have one foot positioned on a chair in front of you--with very short breaks in between each set.  The "strip" part just means you can decrease your weight a bit (by increments of 5lbs, 10lbs, etc.).  
• 3-Ball Extravaganza
• Wow.  This sucker's tough.  Get in a plank position with each of your hands balanced on medicine balls and your feet both balanced on the same medicine ball.  From there, do a pushup and then bring your right knee to your right elbow while keeping your left leg as your only means of support on the medicine ball behind you.  Repeat on the other side.  
• Callahan Press
• I can't remember if this move was in the original P90X, but I don't think so.  Basically, you do a regular shoulder press (again, one foot on a chair in front of you).  However, when your bring your weights back down to where your upper arms are perpendicular to the ground, you then bring your weights around to meet each other in front of your face before moving them back to the starting position to complete the rep.  Repeat.  
• 3-Ball Dip
• Not sure what to think about these compared to traditional chair dips, but they're certainly not easy.  Basically, envision chair dips from the original P90X, but the chair with your feet on it has been replaced by a single med ball and the chair with your hands on it has been replaced by 2 med balls...one for each hand.  Then dip away.  
• How'd I do?
• Chattarocker Pushups - 14 out of the gate, but that left me a bit too toasted for the strip press to follow. Dropped down to 10 the second round
• Strip Press - The first round definitely went too heavy.  Eeeked out my first set using 40s, but the second set using 35s got the better of me as I could only do 5 reps.  Finished it off with 25s.  The second round I started off only with 30lbs which ended up being the right move.
• Tricep Extension on Stability Ball - these are also featured in X2 Shoulder & Arms.  I can normally do 25lbers on this move fairly easily, but my arms were so fried from the presses that I couldn't quite hit my goal reps during either round.
• 3-Ball Extravaganza - So tough.  Only got 7-8 clean ones during each round.
• Callahan Press - Rocked 20lbs both times.  The normal shoulder press isn't bad, but once you try to bring those weights in front of your face that weight can get pretty heavy pretty quickly!
• Iron Man Kickback - Even though I loved this workout overall, I have to say that this particular move looks better on paper than in execution.  For me, the weights hit into the stability ball when I try to bring them in towards my armpit.   Makes for a very awkward move, and I think going forward I'll probably just settle for regular tricep kickbacks while in a lunch.
• Pushup Side Arm Balance - 12 the first round, and 8 the second.  Feeling fried at this point both times!
• X2 Circle Fly - These actually weren't that bad using 5lbs.  They tell you to go extremely light in the dvd, but I think I might be able to eek out a few more lbs next time.
• 3-Ball Dip - For normal chair dips I can typically do around 30+.  For these, only managed 20-23 for the two rounds.  The problem is that once you get up to around 20 your arms are not only toast but also you're trying to precariously balance atop all the med balls!

Summary

Loved this workout!  P90X-2 is still my favorite program to date!

Also, on the diet front, things are looking good.  Now that I recently calculated out what my calorie intake should be and how many I've actually been eating lately, I've been able to appropriately up my calories and I can tell a substantial difference even in just the past week.  My muscles seem to be repairing more quickly and so far I've already gained around 3lbs, from which I can tell seems to all be muscle.  Let's hope it stays that way!

Just imported all my old P90X and Chalean Extreme reviews!

Hi all,

In case you hadn't already noticed, there are a lot of "new" posts that I've thrown up on the blog in the past day or so.  By "new" I actually mean that these posts are all my original P90X, Chalean Extreme, and 10 Minute Trainer reviews back from 2009.  They were all originally written as Facebook notes, and so it has taken a little while to work up the motivation to manually export them to Blogger.  But, at least for those interested, you can now have access to all my old reviews, etc., in case you have any questions as to whether one of these workout programs might be a good fit for you.

Hope you enjoy!

Russ

CHALEAN EXTREME Month 3: "Lean Circuit 3"

(Originally posted June 30, 2009)

I did this last night for the first time. Let me just say that this might just be the hardest/best workout in the entire ChaLean Extreme program. Maybe I was just pushing myself more than normal, but my butt was whooped by the end! Chest and Shoulders? They'll probably be sore for a week :) 

Anyway, now that I've done each of the Lean Circuit workouts, I can definitely say that I'm enjoying this Phase a lot! Really, I think the only Phase I DIDN'T enjoy was during month one (BURN PHASE); so if you decide to give ChaLean Extreme a try, definitely push through the second month no matter what...it gets better! 

This workout is approximately 39 minutes long, with the usual 4 minute warm up, including a warm up set with weights. By now, this beginning part should be second nature! 

1) Squat with Cross-Body Chop - 
Using only one weight, and holding the same weight with both arms straight out in front of one of your shoulders. Keep your feet together, and lower down into a squat, and move the weight down over to your opposite hip. Keeping the arms straight the whole time, you will then lift the weight back across the body once more, and back up to the opposite side around shoulder height. As you move the weight upwards, you raise out of the squat. As you lift the weight up and back, you should feel your obliques. You switch sides after 6 reps. This is one tough exercise. You really have to stabilize the core to keep from hurting yourself here :) 

Extreme Set: This set is just a good old fashioned squat. You will need both weights, and while you’re getting your second weight, go ahead and throw some more weight on. When you come out of the squat (feet shoulder width apart), lean back and put all of your weight on your heels. 


2) Reverse Lunge and Arnold Press- 
This exercise is a monster! Again with a single weight. Hold the weight with your palm facing you (kind of in a bicep curl position), elbow bent, and the weight about shoulder high. You will step back with your opposite foot as the hand holding the weight. As you step back, you begin to press the weight over your head, twisting the weight as you press so that your palm now faces in front of you. As the weight reaches its maximum height, you should be in a reverse lunge. Now step forward as you slowly lower the weight to the starting position. 12 reps each side. 

Extreme Set: Perform the same exact exerise but don’t step backwards. You have to dig deep doing the extreme set. They’re hard, especially if you are failing at 10-12 reps on the exercise before the extreme. The slower you raise and lower the weight, the stronger you become. 


3) Chest Fly with Hip Lift - 
Did I say the last exercise was a monster. Because what I meant to say was that this one was a monster. Maybe I should just say that they ALL are. So lying on your back, raise both weights to the up position, arms straight. Now raise your hips. As you lower the weight, you will lower your hips. At the bottom, neither the weights or your hips should touch or rest on the ground. If you do these chest moves right, you can really build some size here! At least if you're a guy :) Thank you, testosterone. 

Extreme Set: Same thing as above, except no hips are involved. Slow movements. Your chest should be about to implode at this point. 


4) Kneeling Overhead Press and Center Crunch - 
This exercise involves two weights. I would recommend a towel or a pad to rest your knees on. Get down on your knees with back sitting straight up (don’t sit back on your feet), and hold two weights (one in each hand) about shoulder high. Elbows will be bent. You’ll bend down a bit to make an abdominal crunch, then raise up, and shoulder press the weight straight up. Repeat. 

Extreme Set: This exercise is standing, you’ll do 3 regular shoulder presses, straight up over your head. 


5) Push-Up Side Planks - 
This exercise is rather simple. You’ll perform a regular push up, then you’ll turn to one side, and raise your hand straight up towards the ceiling. So in this position, you’ll be sideways. then you’ll repeat with another push up and a side plank on the opposite side. Important point to remember. This is an excellent core exercise. In the push up, keep your back straight, don’t raise your hips too high, or allow them to sag towards the ground. Same goes for the side plank position. If you start to fail, go to your knees before you continue with poor form. After doing all the preceding shoulder and chest work, these are gonna be hard! 

Extreme Set: 3 egular push ups. 


6) Dead Lift Frontal Press - 
This exercise requires excellent form. If your form is not as it should be, lower your weight! Your back must be straight at all times, which isn't always easy for me. If done correctly, this exercise is great for your hamstrings, lower back, and shoulders. Hold a weight in each hand, elbows bent, and the weight around shoulder height. Lower your upper body, back straight, weights in tight to the body. Go as low as you can go with exceptional form. Then raise back up, keep your back straight. In the regular standing position, press the weights up over your head. 

Extreme Set: Same thing as before, but no dead lift. 


7) Traveling Push-Ups - 
As the name states, you will perform a regular push up, then you’ll “travel” left or right. You do this by bringing your hands together, than back out again. You’ll do the same thing with your feet. It’s hard to explain, but you’ll see. 

Extreme Set: Tricep push ups. 


8. Chest Fly - Abduction - 
By this point your shoulders and chest should be worked to near exhaustion. But there's still more to go! For this move, you are lying on your back again, with a weight in each hand, and they are both in the raised position (extended upwards). At the same time, your legs are also straight up, with the thigh toner band around your ankles. You put tension on the band by flexing your legs outward. As you lower your hands, you lower your feet (maintaining tension on the band). The lower you can go on your legs, the harder the move becomes. It’s important to keep your lower back on the ground at all times. 

Extreme Set: Chest fly only. You should be dying here! Just don't drop the weights on your face :) 


9) Army Crawl - For the last exercise, you will be in the plank position. Chalene has you in the plank position, resting on your elbows and forearms, but alternatively, you could be in a regular plank. So from the plank, you will bring one knee upwards towards your elbow, then back out straight again. Then you’ll switch legs. If you pause at the top of the movement, and contract your abs, you’ll really feel this exercise in your core. Overall though, I found it a bit of a breather after all that hard shoulder/chest work! 

Extreme Set: From plank, you’ll lift one leg straight up, working your lower back. Lower and repeat two more times. Then switch legs. 


By now, you should be ready for the cool down. The cool down lasts a little more than 3 minutes, and of course take more time if you need to. 

I really really enjoy the Lean Circuit of ChaLEAN Extreme. It really is a killer! 

CHALEAN EXTREME Month 3: "Lean Circuit 2"

(Originally posted June 30, 2009)

Ok, I actually did this workout a few days ago, so I apologize for the delay. Anyway, I have to say that I'm really enjoying the LEAN PHASE of Chalean Extreme so far! I even think I might end up enjoying this a bit more than the PUSH PHASE. Lots of fun moves, and a strong emphasis on core work...which I definitely need since I haven't been doing my ab workouts lately.

Anyway, the whole workout lasts just under 40 minutes, which is still a bit longer than the workouts from the previous 2 Phases. A 4 minute warmup gets you ready (and yes, it's the same lame,dance-ish warm-up that you do before every ChaLean workout; I pretty much have the thing memorized at this point), and then you jump right into the exercises. Remember, you're trying to fail right at 12 reps using heavy weight!

1) Sumo Squat w/ Anterior Delt Lift -
This is a great exercise. You can really get a deep squat, and use a fairly heavy weight. Using only one dumbbell, and both hands, extend the weight out in front of your chest and then lower the dumbbell straight down. As you lower into the squat, you lower the weight as well. As you raise out of the squat, raise the weight. Don’t allow yourself to use gravity to take the weight down, or drop the weight too quickly. Control the movement as you slowly lower the weight.

Extreme Set - One thing about the Lean Circuit, opposed to the other circuits. You get right into the Extreme Sets after the very first exercise! This particular set is just a sumo squat with the weights on your shoulders. Your legs are strong, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself and add some weight.


2) Double-Arm Row & Single-Leg Lift with Band -
This exercise takes some balance and works your core. Using your thigh toner band around your ankles, you will lift your weight into a double arm row, while lifting your leg to the back (my toner band wouldn't stay around my ankles, so this was actually somewhat of an awkward exercise). Keep your leg straight. The higher you can lift your leg, the easier the row gets, and the harder your leg works.

Extreme Set - Double-Arm Row with no leg lifts.


3) Single Hamstring Curls, with Lateral Raise -
Again using the thigh toner band, you will not do a leg lift as you did earlier, but a hamstring curl (a little bit awkward like the previous exercise). It’s easier if you will wrap the band around your heal, instead of your ankle while performing the curls. On your lateral raise, be sure to lead with your elbows as you raise the weight, and you should be able to look over and see that your arm is out in front of your body, don’t let your arms drift backwards.

Extreme Set - Only the Lateral Raise, no hamstring curls.


4) Runner’s Lunge with Double-Arm Row -
This is a great exercise to add a little weight. You get into a runner’s lunge, lean into the lunge, keeping your back flat, and perform the double arm row. My legs were really on fire. Switch legs at 6 reps.

Extreme Set - Just the double arm row. Pause and hold at the top of the exercise, and focus on squeezing your shoulders together.


5) Lateral Raise with Adbuction with Bands -
Grab two weights, and your thigh toning band. You will perform the lateral raise with your arms, and raise your leg to the side at the same time. As you raise the leg, you raise the weights. As you lower the weights, you lower your leg. It's difficult to do the leg movement, but it's a good exercise. Again, you’re switching legs after 6 reps.

Extreme Set - Lateral arm raise with no legs. Keep your abs in tight, and pull you shoulders back.


6) Plank with Single-Arm Row -
So in the Lean Circuit 1, I thought the plank with one arm tricep was tough! Well here we are in Lean Circuit 2, and we are back in the plank position (basically a push-up position). This time we are doing a single arm, straight up row... one arm is holding you in your pushup/plank position, while the other arm is doing the row. Focus on keeping your hips flat, don’t allow them to roll upwards to the strong side. Great great exercise!! This was the only one that I wasn't able to do 12 of... it's very tough!

Extreme Set - Regular push ups on the extreme set. Keep your butt down. Back straight. Pause at the bottom. SLOW


7) Reverse Lunge - Lateral Raise -
With two weights, you’ll rest one on your leg, and work one side at a time. Rest your weight on your left leg, and step back with your right leg, and as you step back, raise your right arm out towards the front/side of your body, with your elbow slightly bent. You want the weight and your elbow to be at the same height at the top of the exercise. You want to switch at 6 reps.

Extreme Set - After a 10 second break, you start to get extreme! Standing straight, feet shoulder width apart, you will lead with your elbow as you perform the lateral raise. You must go slow to get the maximum benefit!


8) Posterior Deltoid Raise with Leg Lift -
This one exercise is a little different. You will get down on all fours....like you are about to get into a push up position with your knees down. Now you will raise one leg, straight back. This leaves one knee on the floor. Which ever leg this is, you will use the same arm for the exercise. So if you lift your left leg back, then you will use your right arm. Lifting your arm out to the side, leading with your elbow, pushing your pinkie on your hand, out to the top of the movement. You’ll get it once you see it.

Extreme Set - For the extreme set, you do the same movement with your arms, but you do this with both arms at the same time. You also do the exercise on your feet, leaning forward with a flat back, and keeping your tailbone up.


9) Squat with Double-Arm Anterior Delt Lift -
For this exercise, you will stand with your legs shoulder width apart, and perform a squat. As you squat, you will have a weight in each hand, something lighter, since you are working your shoulders, lift your arms upwards. Arms will stay straight, lead with the thumbs. THis is similiar to the very first exercise except you are using two weights instead of a single weight.

Extreme Set - Squats. Load up your weights. YOu only have to do 3 reps, and your legs can lift more than you think they can. So go heavy. Stay back on your heels for the squat.


You have a 4 minute cool down, and you are done.