ChaLEAN Extreme Stats Push Circuits 1-3, Week 4

Finally getting around to posting this from my last week of the Push Phase. I’m not posting results this time because I really wasn’t 100% committed and kept stopping and starting with too many rest days and not eating what I should. Posting results wouldn’t do the program justice because I really wasn’t following it. Want to see results from something? Check out the first week of my extreme ChaLEAN Extreme/TurboFire hybrid. 

PUSH CIRCUIT 1

Standard Bicep Curl – 20lbs/8 reps (same weight as last time, more reps)

Standard Squat – 25lbs each hand/8 reps (same as last time, 25lbs is the heaviest weight we have)

Single-Arm Bent-Over Tricep Ext – 15lbs/8 reps (heavier, same reps)

V-Press Biceps – 17.5lbs/6 reps + 3 extreme (heavier, few reps)

Single-Leg Squat – 25lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same weight and reps)

Overhead Tricep Extension – 25lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (same weight and reps)

Hammer Biceps – 17.5lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (heavier weight, same reps)

Heel Squat – 25lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same weight and reps)

Push-Ups – 6 on knees + 3 extreme (same as last time)

PUSH CIRCUIT 2

Standard Overhead Press – 20lbs each hand/6 reps (same weight, fewer reps…shoulders were really sore)

Single-Leg Lunge – 25lbs each hand/8 reps (same weight and reps)

Standing Reverse Fly – 12.5lbs/6 reps (same weight, fewer reps…again, really sore)

Standing Arnold Press – 20lbs each hand/6 reps + 3 extreme (same weight, fewer reps)

Single-Leg Dead Lifts – 25lbs each hand/6 reps + 3 extreme (same weight, fewer reps)

Bent-Over Lat Raise – 15lbs/6 reps + 3 extreme (same weight and reps)

Frontal Shoulder Press – 17.5lbs each hand/6 reps + 3 extreme (same weight, fewer reps)

Single-Leg Tap Lunges – 17.5lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same weight and reps)

Lateral Delt Raise – 12.5lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (same weight and reps)

PUSH CIRCUIT 3

Sumo Squat – 25lbs each hand/8 reps (same weight and reps)

Single Arm Row – 25lbs/8 reps (same weight and reps)

Chest Fly – 20lbs each hand/8 reps (same weight and reps)

Bowler Lunge – 25lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same weight and reps)

Double-Arm Bent-Over Row – 25lbs each hand/ 8 reps + 3 extreme (same weight and reps)

Bench Press – 25lbs each hand/ 8 reps + 3 extreme (same weight and reps)

Single-Leg Sumo Squat – 25lbs each hand/ 8 reps + 3 extreme (same weight and reps)

Reverse-Grip Bent-Over Row – 20lbs each hand/ 8 reps + 3 extreme (same weight and reps)

Long-Arm Pullover – 25lbs/ 8 reps + 3 extreme (heavier weight, same reps)

PUSH PHASE DONE!! (Took long enough!) Now on to the Lean Phase…

I’m Back – And Back in Control

It’s been a while, too long, since my last post. After I finished the TurboFire 5-Day Inferno with great results I pretty much lost my mind and all self-control. This has happened before. It’s definitely hormonal. I suppose I could’ve posted during the past week, but you know what they say…”If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all.” That’s the approach I chose this time around. But after basically hitting rock bottom (I’m talking eating half a loaf of garlic bread followed by I don’t even want to say how much ice cream and washing it all down with 3 cans of root beer, not diet) I am back in control.

Not only am I back in control, but I have a new goal. It’s a big one. So big, in fact, that I’m not even going to share it lest you think I’m still completely insane and not really in control at all. It’s something I know I can do, though, because working from home part-time gives me the time I need to accomplish it. And it’s about gosh-darn time, too! I’ve been working out, but not as consistently as I should and I’ve been watching what I eat, but not as diligently as I should so I haven’t seen the results I could have if I’d been more on top of things. I will say that this is the first time in my life that I’ve lost weight and not gained it all back plus some, but I would like to keep shrinking, not just maintain where I am.

So I have a plan and it’s a good one. It’s simple math, really. Burn more than you consume. I have a BodyBugg that tells me what I’ve burned and I just need to keep track of what I’ve consumed, making sure I eat enough, often enough, to keep my body from going into starvation mode. So here’s Day 1 of my new 2 month goal.

7:45am – 1 cup hot green tea

8:00am – 8oz water with two Beachbody Slimming Formula tablets (green tea and other natural metabolism boosters with no stimulants/ephedra – that stuff is bad news)

8:30am – Chocolate Shakeology made with 8oz skim milk, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 scoop Shakeology fiber boost, a dash of vanilla extract and 4 ice cubes

10:00am – 16oz water and weeding for 45 minutes

12:00pm – Turkey wrap made with an 80 calorie low-carb tortilla, 3 slices turkey, 1 tsp brown mustard, and 2 c iceberg lettuce

2:00pm – Nap time since I only had 4 hours of sleep the night before

4:30pm – 8oz water and 2 more Slimming Formula tablets

4:45pm – Chocolate Shakeology made with 8oz water, 1 Tbs almond butter, 1 scoop Shakeology fiber boost, and 4 ice cubes

5:00pm – Workout time! TurboFire Fire55EZ, Fire30 and ChaLEAN Extreme Push Circuit 2 – yep, 2 hours of working out – drank 40oz water

7:15pm – 1 scoop or half a serving of P90X Results & Recovery Formula mixed into 10oz water

7:45pm – 6oz Yoplait Light Harvest Peach because I knew it would be a while before I would eat dinner and I didn’t want my blood sugar to drop too much

10:15pm – Raspberry Zinger tea sweetened with stevia (Celestial Seasonings has tea bags with the stevia right in them – brilliant!!) and the last two Slimming Formula tablets for the day

10:30pm – 2 c homemade minestrone soup or something close to it topped with 1 Tbs grated parmesan cheese and some cayenne for a kick – Here’s the recipe…

Makes about 14 c

1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 c celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

4 c zucchini, chopped (I quartered two lengthwise then cut into 1/2 chunks)

1 1/2 c Prego Heart Smart sauce

1 14.5oz can 33% lower sodium chicken broth (this could easily have been vegetable broth)

1 6oz can tomato paste

8 c water

1 15oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 15oz can white cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained

6 oz fresh or frozen spinach, chopped (I used fresh because that’s what I had)

3 oz whole wheat pasta shells, dry

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp parsley flakes

1 Tbs granulated garlic

2 tsp Kosher salt (or to taste)

1/4 tsp black pepper (or to taste)

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot on medium-low then cook the onion, celery and fresh garlic until they begin to soften.

2. Add the zucchini, basil and parsley (or any other herbs you like) and continue cooking until zucchini begins to soften.

3. Add the broth, Prego sauce, tomato paste, drained beans, granulated garlic and water and bring to a slow boil on medium-high heat.

4. Stir in the whole wheat pasta and spinach, cover and turn down the heat to medium checking the pasta for “doneness” every few minutes. (It took 10 minutes for mine to be ready.)

5. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy.

11:30pm – P90X Wildberry protein bar – sort of a dessert, but gave me the last 20g of protein I needed for the day

Total calories – 1465

Protein – 114g, Fat – 32g, Carbs 208g, Fiber 57g

ChaLEAN Extreme Stats – Push Circuit 3 Week 3

Wanted to go a heavier where I could (our heaviest weights are 25lbs) and I did! It feels great to know you’re making progress!

Sumo Squat – 25lbs each hand/8 reps (same as last week)

Single Arm Row – 25lbs/8 reps (same as last week)

Chest Fly – 20lbs each hand/8 reps (heavier, same reps)

Bowler Lunge – 25lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as last week)

Double-Arm Bent-Over Row – 25lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as last week)

Bench Press – 25lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as last week)

Single-Leg Sumo Squat – 25lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as last week)

Reverse-Grip Bent-Over Row – 20lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as last week – still find this one tough, but will go heavier next time)

Long-Arm Pullover – 22.5lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (heavier, same reps)

Just one more week until I start the Lean Phase!

ChaLEAN Extreme Stats – Push Circuit 2 Week 3

Actually did this one yesterday and Burn Intervals/Ab Burner today. Wow, I started counting the squats and lunges today for the 3000 in May challenge and stopped counting at 100 which is my goal for each day, but I have no doubt that I actually did at least 200, though. Love it!

Standard Overhead Press – 20lbs each hand/7 reps (same as last time)

Single-Leg Lunge – 25lbs each hand/8 reps (same as last time – 25lbs weights are the heaviest we have)

Standard Reverse Fly – 12.5lbs/8 reps (same as last time – pretty sure I’m ready for 15lbs next week)

Standing Arnold Press – 20lbs each hand/7 reps + 3 extreme (heavier, fewer reps)

Single-Leg Dead Lifts – 25lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as last time)

Bent-Over Lat Raise – 15lbs/6 reps + 3 extreme (same as last time, better form)

Frontal Shoulder Press – 17.5lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as last time – going heavier next time)

Single-Leg Tap Lunges – 17.5lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as last time – I was FEELIN’ it with all those extra squats and lunges I’ve been doing!)

Lateral Delt Raise – 12.5lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as last time, better form)

Looking forward to Push Circuit 3 tomorrow! Love the chest work on the floor! The Long-Arm Pullover is still my favorite. 🙂

ChaLEAN Extreme Stats – Push Circuit 1 Week 3

Got off track a bit (see the reason here), but I wasn’t going to start the Push Phase over again or I’d never make it to the Lean Phase. I’m also participating in a challenge posted by another Beachbody coach on facebook where we’re doing 3000 squats/lunges in the month of May. Going to be lookin’ good by June 1st. 😉

Standard Bicep Curl – 20lbs/7 reps (same as last time)

Standard Squat – 25lbs each hand/8 reps (same as last time – these are the heaviest weights we have)

Single Arm Bent-Over Tricep Extension – 12.5lbs/8 reps (lighter than last time, more reps – I wanted good form)

V-Press Biceps – 15lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as last time, with better form)

Single-Leg Squat – 25lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as last time)

Overhead Tricep Extension – 25lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as last time)

Hammer Curls – 15lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (lighter weight, more reps)

Heel Squat – 25lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as last time)

Push-ups – 6 on knees + 3 extreme (fewer reps, better form/lower chest)

If you’re wondering how many squats are in this workout including those in the warm-up, it’s 66 if you do all 8 reps for each move. Just saying. 🙂

ChaLEAN Extreme Push Circuit 3 – Week 2

This is the first workout in this second round of the Push Phase that I’ve done for the first time. Does that even make sense? I took a break while I was doing the Shakeology 3-day Cleanse, but didn’t want to start over again so I’m just picking up where I left off…this time and the last time. Did that just get even more confusing? Ha! It felt so good to get back to lifting weights again and my favorite is still the Long-Arm Pullover.

Sumo Squat – 25lbs each hand/8 reps (same as the first time)

Single-Arm Row – 25lbs/8 reps (same as the first time)

Chest Fly – 17.5lbs each hand/8 reps (same as the first time)

Bowler Lunge – 25lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as the first time)

Double-Arm Bent-Over Row – 25lbs/7 reps + 3 extreme (same weight, more reps)

Bench Press – 25lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as the first time)

Single-Leg Sumo Squat – 25lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (heavier, same reps)

Reverse-Grip Bent Over Row – 20lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (same weight, more reps)

Long-Arm Pullover – 20lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as the first time)

I was concerned about doing some of the back exercises because my lower back was feeling a bit tweaky, but I found that keeping my back straight and engaging my core really helped and my back feels fine now.

ChaLEAN Extreme Stats – Push Circuit 2 Week 2b

After two rest days I knew I had to get back into the rhythm of the schedule or I’d end up having to start over again so I made the time. The longer I do this the more I realize that taking care of yourself when you “get a chance” doesn’t work because there’s always something else that needs to be done. If being healthy is a priority you have to treat working out as an appointment that can’t be missed.

Standard Overhead Press – 20lbs each hand/7 reps (same as first time, heavier and fewer reps than last week)

Single Leg Lunge – 25lbs each hand/8 reps (heavier than first time and last week, same reps)

Standing Reverse Fly – 12.5lbs each hand/8 reps (same weight as first time and last week, more reps)

Standing Arnold Press – 17.5lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as first time, heavier than last week)

Single-Leg Dead Lifts – 25lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (heavier than first time and last week, same reps)

Bent-Over Lat Raise – 15lbs/6 reps + 3 extreme (same weight as first time and last week, fewer reps)

Frontal Shoulder Press – 17.5lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as first time, heavier than last week)

Single-Leg Tap Lunges – 17.5lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as first time, heavier than last week)

Lateral Delt Raise – 12.5lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as first time, heavier than last week)

ChaLEAN Extreme Stats – Push Circuit 1 Week 2b

One of my friends on facebook once described the Push Phase as the “throw up and pass out” phase. I didn’t understand why she called it that until today. I really pushed myself and I could definitely see how it could be interpreted that way…especially if you forget to breathe. All I can say is know your limits. I discovered mine today and it was great. When I got done my muscles were spent and I could barely type or hold my glass of recovery drink, but I knew I had accomplished something and it felt fantastic.

Standard Bicep Curl – 20 lbs/7 reps (same as the first time I did Week 2, more than last week)

Standard Squat – 25lbs each hand/8 reps (same)

Single-Arm Bent-Over Tricep Extension – 15lbs/7 reps (one fewer than last time, but with better form)

V-Press Biceps – 15lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (more reps than first time and last week)

Single-Leg Squat – 25lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (heavier than first time and last week)

Overhead Tricep Extension – 25lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as first time, heavier than last week)

Hammer Biceps – 20lbs/6 reps + 3 extreme (same as first time, heavier than last week)

Heel Squats – 25lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same as first time, heavier than last week, more reps)

Push-Ups – 8 on knees + 3 extreme (same as first time, more than last week)

ChaLEAN Extreme Stats – Push Circuit 3 Week 1b

If you’re like me, sometimes the more you think about doing something you know will be challenging the harder it is to start. Today, as soon as it crossed my mind that I needed to do Push 3 I popped it in the DVD player, changed into my workout clothes and logged into the WOWY SuperGym. Easy…not the workout, but getting it done. In one of the P90X workouts, Tony Horton says, “Get out of your head about it. Just show up.” Exactly. Basically his version of Nike’s simple but profound slogan, Just Do It. Here’s what I “just did” this second time around for Week 1.

Sumo Squat – 25lbs each hand/8 reps (same)

Single Arm Row – 25lbs/8 reps (same)

Chest Fly – 17.5lbs each hand/8 reps (same)

Bowler Lunge – 25lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same)

Double-Arm Bent-Over Row – 25lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same weights/more reps)

Bench Press – 25lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same)

Single-Leg Sumo Squat – 20lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same)

Reverse-Grip Bent-Over Row – 20lbs each hand/8 reps + 3 extreme (same weight/more reps)

Long-Arm Pullover – 20lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (same) still one of my favorites!

ChaLEAN Extreme Stats – Push Circuit 2 Week 1b

This is Week 1b because I waited so long to get back on track with my workouts (about 2 weeks), I decided it would be best to start the Push Phase over again.  Push Circuit 1b went well considering how long it had been. Here are the stats for Push Circuit 2.

Standard Overhead Press – 15lbs/8 reps (same as the first time around)

Single-Leg Squat – 15lbs/8 reps (same)

Standing Reverse Fly – 12.5lbs/6 reps (same)

Standing Arnold Press – 15lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (same)

Single-Leg Dead Lifts – 20lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (same)

Bent-Over Lat Raise – 15lbs/6 reps + 3 extreme (fewer reps)

Frontal Shoulder Press – 15lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (same)

Single-Leg Tap Lunges – 15lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (same)

Lateral Delt Raise – 10lbs/8 reps + 3 extreme (same)