Inside the Mind of Suz

I’ve been contemplating this for a while and decided — within the past hour — that I’m ready for another round of ChaLEAN Extreme.

If you’re relatively new to my blog, then you probably don’t know that I did my first round from February through May of this year with great results! I also documented every step right here. At the end of every week of the 90-day program, I wrote a post about my experiences, how I was feeling, and any changes in my appearance/fitness.

My one minor gripe about ChaLEAN Extreme was that it really bulked up my thighs. Yes, it was muscle, but my jeans were very tight and I did not enjoy that! I messaged Chalene on Twitter (follow her, she’s great!) to get some tips on how to minimize the bulking up of my thighs and she suggested more cardio and decreasing the weight load I use on lower body exercises. Sounds like a good idea! After I finished, I noted that I didn’t think the program, in its most basic rotation calendar, gave me enough cardio work. I went directly into Couch to 5k training and felt extremely out of shape. I will be sure to work more cardio (Turbo Jam!) in this time around!

What I love most about ChaLEAN Extreme is that I have my workout schedule set for the next 3-4 months and it’ll force me to keep working out through the holidays! I know exactly what I’ll be doing and can plan for it every day. So, here I go…again! “Time to get extreme, baby!”

‘Tis the time of the year where I start to refocus on my workouts and get back into a fitness routine. I’m a little more loose and casual in the summer, but that’s mostly because I concentrate on running and training for a 5k. I’m still in the couch to 5k mindset right now, but after I run that race, in a few weeks, I’ll begin to look ahead and try to figure out what to do for the remainder of the fall.

I’m thinking I want to get a plan together that I can continue through to February, when the entire family goes to Hawaii. So, this ought to take some planning.

Back, at the end of spring, I said I’d probably repeat ChaLEAN Extream or do P90x this fall. I’m not so sure that’s the plan anymore. If I do either of those programs, I’ll need to modify them slightly. And let me explain why. (more…)

Last year I did Cool Running’s Couch to 5k running plan for the first time. I went right through without any struggles. I didn’t need to do any of the weeks twice in a row before being able to move on, and while doing runs I never felt like I was going to die.

This year is a different story. I couldn’t figure out why, until I started dissecting my workout routine from both years.

In 2008, I was doing a lot of Turbo Jam cardio coupled with The Firm’s combo workouts. At the time, I was more into cardio than I was strength training. When it came time to start running, I was really ready and picked it right up!

This year, I started c25k running right after completing 4 months of ChaLEAN Extreme. The first couple of weeks was great, but after the runs extended to 2+ minutes, I found myself struggling and I couldn’t understand why.

I thought about the kind of training I was doing in ChaLEAN Extreme, and the focus was not on cardio. The slogan of the program is “Muscle Burns Fat”, so that’s what you concentrate on. There are calorie blasting workouts like the Burn/Lean Intervals DVDs, as well as Burn It Off and Fat Burn Challenge. However, those intense cardio spurts for those tapes are 1 minute max. That explains why everything was great for the 1st two weeks where you run for 60 and 90 seconds before recovering with a walk. No wonder that was so easy! (more…)

When I started doing ChaLEAN Extreme in the beginning of February, I was coming off a couple of months of 30 Day Shred, Firm Cardio, and Cathe Muscle Max. It was a big mash-up. I didn’t really have much of a rotation. I just made sure I did strength training twice a week. At that point I wasn’t doing a lot of Turbo Jam. On days I wasn’t in the mood to workout, I’d force myself to do the 20 minute workout. That was about it!

So, I went through the entire ChaLEAN Extreme program without thinking about how many cast members showed up in that system as well as Turbo Jam. I mean, obviously Jenelle was there. But that’s all I really noticed…until tonight!

I did the Turbo Jam Cardio Party Remix workout and saw familiar faces! I saw Laylee and Toni in there and was like “HEY! I KNOW THEM!” Then I looked at the covers of other Turbo Jam workouts and spotted Donna. Chalene said in some ChaLEAN Extreme workouts that she didn’t “cast” the program. She said she simply used her real friends who actually did the program as intended.

After seeing Laylee and Toni (sorry if I’m mispelling their names!) in Turbo Jam, which was obviously the “before” CE, and seeing them “after” made me realize what a good program ChaLEAN Extreme is. Both women looked great before, but I feel they look so much better after ChaLEAN Extreme. Especially Toni, who ended up having quadruplets. I think the muscle tone agrees with both of their frames. And bangs look fab on Laylee!

Honestly, I should have been tipped off with how Chalene constantly joked about how much Laylee liked the kickboxing moves in ChaLEAN Extreme. But I wasn’t!

I know that generally I’m pretty slow with observations, this post only furthers that notion.

I’ve been struggling with how to fit in some of my c25k running sessions with my ongoing committment to ChaLEAN Extreme. I don’t want to overdo things, so it’s been a trial and error process.

I think I’ve finally figured out what I’m going to do. I changed the order I do my CE workouts. Instead of doing cardio (Burn It Off! or Fat Burn Challenge) on Saturday, I’m moving that workout to Tuesday. So, weather permitting, I’ll plan to run that day instead of those DVDs. Mon/Wed/Fri strength workouts will remain the same.

Now, I have toyed with what to do on Thursday. I really enjoy the Burn or Get Lean Intervals workout, and don’t want to double-up the cardio on that day by adding a run in addition to ChaLEAN’s tapes. So, for right now, I’m going to leave that day as is. It’s the most intense cardio burning workout I do right now.

So, Saturday – the day that used to be a ChaLEAN cardio day, is now a designated running day. And when I’m done, I’ll do the Recharge DVD to wind down for the weekend. Sunday is my new, and only, day off now. I almost feel like running isn’t that hard on my body, so I don’t mind having one less day off. Of course, judging on how I feel, I may take another rest day here or there, but for now, this is my plan! (more…)

I finished my initial round of ChaLEAN Extreme over the weekend. It was actually pretty anti-climatic seeing as how Saturday was my final workout and it ended up being the first one I ever missed in 3 months! lol

I went to the Ohio State Spring Football Game, which involved getting up really early (something I do not do…ever!). By the time I finally got home, and finished watching the first 2 rounds of the NFL Draft, I was in no mood to take part in a Fat Burn Challenge. And my version of “Recharging” simply included a long session in bed. (more…)

Week 11 of my ChaLEAN Extreme challenge is in the books! I can’t believe I only officially have one week left! When I started the first week I thought, “wow, it’s going to be a long 3 months!” But the thing is, it hasn’t! Having a set schedule of workouts with the variety that ChaLEAN Extreme brings has been refreshing. And my time doing the program has flown by!

I’m not sure this update will be a lengthy one. Just a short progress report because I know what I’m going to get with these workouts now, and it’s easy to see where I’ve improved, what still needs work, as well as the visible results (which are always encouraging!). Oh who am I kidding? These are always long! Read on for more! (more…)

I know I am extremely late with this post, but you know what they say, “better late than never!” Also, this update won’t be anywhere near as long as last week’s. The first week in a new phase is always longer becaues of the first impressions. This post is more about any progress I may have made since then.

I finished Week 10 of ChaLEAN Extreme and continue to feel challenged. I really like that. I feel like when workouts stop being a challenge/struggle, I don’t get as much out of them. That’s not going to be an issue this month as the Lean Phase is still kicking my butt! And, as a result, I am noticing some more changes in my body. I’ve got to say I’m very pleased! (more…)

One week down in the Lean Phase of ChaLEAN Extreme and I can definitely feel the burn, in a good way!

In my immediate Twitter update, I likened Lean Circuit #1 to the compound exercises in Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred. And having completed the first week of this phase, I must say the entire set is like that. Having a 140 character limit doesn’t really allow me to elaborate, so I will do so in this post.

I realized that, in order to keep perfect form, I had to go a little bit lighter than the Push phase because we are no longer to isolated strength moves. Chalene is challenging us with compound exercises. I also had an ephiphany with regards to the dreaded tricep push-ups. Lots going on with the Lean Phase!

Stay tuned! This is going to be a loooonnng update, folks! (more…)

I completed the ChaLEAN Extreme Push Phase on Saturday and it ended with a big bang!

I think I took “Push” extremely literally this week and proved to myself exactly how strong I’ve gotten since I’ve been doing this workout program. I not only purchased (and used) 25 lb dumbbells, but, for an additional challenge, I busted out my brother’s 35 lb dumbbells and completed an exercise with those! Of course it was a simple lower body exercise in the standard squat, but it still felt great.

That’s not the only time I “pushed” myself this week, either! (more…)