1st day Chalean Extreme..a little disappointed

lu164ever

Today i tried Chalean extreme DVD 1, workout 1. I was super excited to try this out because I think it would be a good fit for me. Not looking to lose weight, I'm currently at 5'8" and 125 lbs, overall lean except a small amount of belly fat I'd like to get rid of after three kiddos! I've been working out hard with Jillian DVD's awhile so I'm fairly fit, but it's hard for me to gain muscle because I have a very slender, non-athletic build. I want more muscle, and want to lose the little belly fat I have. Anyway...the Chalean DVD was not my favorite. It seemed like she did all these tiny, varying movements throughout each exercise that were hard to follow and made it difficult to hold the form. Honestly I felt like I had no clue if I was doing it right the whole time! I did watch the dvd explaining all the techniques before hand, but there were so many I think I felt more confused after. I'd obviously like to try it out a few more times but is the whole series like this? This is an expensive dvd set and I might just want to return it in a couple weeks before the 30 days are up. I was SOO excited to try it out so maybe I just built my expectations up too high and I should probably give it more of a chance? Did anyone else feel this way?

alpine1994

I completed CLX last year. What do you mean by tiny, varying movements? This was Burn 1 right?

I really enjoyed the program. I also had done a bunch of Jillian DVDs before it and was just looking to maintain my weight and get stronger, which is exactly what I did. Sometimes I got a little bored, especially during the Push phase since you're doing super slow sets with low reps, but overall I really enjoyed it. Maybe give it a little more time and see how it goes? If you still don't like it or aren't getting anything out of it you could probably get a few bucks for it on Craigslist.

AmyZ46

Did you do the Learn and burn cd? I did that one for about a week before I started on any of the other dvd's . I didn't just watch it I followed slowly - because it's slow lol . But I found it helped a lot .

bcattoes

She does combine upper and lower body moves sometimes that require a bit of concetration to keep good form. I didn't watch the instructional DVD, but still didn't find it too difficult. But I was familiar with her style from completing Turbo Fire.

I'd suggest giving a few of the other workouts a try and if you still don't like it, return it. Not every workout is a good fit.

lu164ever

Well I watched the dvd where she went over all the moves, but I guess I didn't actually "work out" to them so that's a great idea. It just seemed like every move had a lot of extra things to follow with your whole body, like "big lunge forward, now come halfway up, now turn wrists out and lift weights halfway up, shoulders in, slowly lower weights, lift back all the way up, lunge back." LOL. I know it's not a big deal and obviously I'm in the minority here but I felt stressed that i wasn't doing it right and wondered if my results will be affected. Will definitely keep at it, though. I'm used to swinging around 5 lb's with Jillian so this is definitely a whole different way to exercise!

No_Finish_Line

You have two distinct goals there:
1) gain muscle
2) lose fat

You can't really do both at once. You CAN get stronger, but you can not add mass while also removing mass. Unfortuneately it simply can't work that way. But if what you really mean but 'gain muslce' is to get stronger and LOOK firmer/more muscluar, then this program will definetly support that. Whats really going on is that you are stimulating your muslces so that you will not lose as much as you otherwise would as you eat at a defecit. (or you could eat at a suprlus and then potentially gain muscle (and fat) but if that is truly the goal then you should be doing body beast or some compound lifting program).

If you are having difficulty keeping propper form for the perscribed number of reps, then you really need to use a lower weight.

I'd definetly recommend sticking with it for the entire program. if there is a bit of a learning curve, GOOD, then you've learned something lol

CallMeCupcakeDammit

I completed it, but I had borrowed it from a friend, so I can't even go back to see what you're talking about. I don't remember small movements. Learn and Burn is from Turbo Jam, not ChaLean Extreme, so you're not confused by one of the previous posters. Unless there's a different set out there I don't know about. If you need more help with form, you can look up moves on YouTube, or even bodybuilding.com. I was already lifting for a year when I used it, so I was familiar with all of the exercises. I would stick it out.

lu164ever

Thanks, everyone's replies have helped a lot and been encouraging to keep at it.

workout_junkee

I am on day 2 and have not found them difficult. I have actually done JMBR and found the first couple days of CLX moves much easier to follow. I still can not figure out Jillian's dive bombers, LOL. Give it time and go back to the instructional video if it will help. You will not get the results you want with 5lb weights. It is time to lift heavier :-). Good luck!

LessthanKris

I am in my first week for the Burn phase (which is ChaLEAN Extreme btw). I just finished JMBR and I am finding it to be an adjustment. With Burn 1, I went too light on the weights and did not sweat much and did not feel too challenged. I did not realize how strong I had gotten in JMBR. I have done Burn 2 and 3 and those times I went down a few pounds from what she was using and it was a much different experience. I was sweating a lot more and it got very hard as I reached my eleventh or twelfth rep. I did watch the intro but I think she gives some good tips during the workouts too so give it another shot. Go heavier than you might think you can do.

I get a little nervous about the results to since I am still worried about weight loss. I just want that loss to be mostly fat now and I am trying to train myself to not worry about the number on the scale. I have heard so many positive reviews that I am just hoping I see those changes many others have seen.