ChaLeaners Go Heavy or Go Home!

fitzfour

Happy Monday Everyone! Sorry, I haven't been on here in a few days! I was sick with a stomach bug and then had a super busy weekend! But, I still kept up with CE. Only 2 weeks left and I'm on to Lean for Life! I am seeing changes, but not exactly as much as I had hoped for in the Lean Circuit. I have lost 3 pounds total since the start, and have been eating totally clean and making sure my calorie count is in line. I've been switching up my cardio routines to keep it fresh...we'll see, maybe the last 2 weeks are going to be where I see changes!

I have a question for you all...for those of you that have the BowFlex Selecttech weights, would you say they are worth it over regular dumbbells? I have dumbbells that work well for me right now, but would love the 2.5 increments for some of the inbetweens. I have someone willing to sell them to me fore $275, but I have to convince the hubby that I can sell our current dumbbells to make it worth it!

Erika

purple120

Fitz - I love my select tech and dont regret buying them, but I only had ten pounds weights before hand. I would have spent way more money if I purchased 15#, 20#, 25#, and 30# weights separately. Walmart has a nice weight set in which you could go up 5# up to 25#, but it doesn't have the 2.5# increments which is very nice. The reason I didnt get these is because with the select tech its faster to switch between weight and I didn't want to pause the DVD so I could change weight. Whatever you decide to do, I know you'll put them to good use. :happy:

alf1163

Purple, you changed your avatar! I forgot to say that you are very pretty. Is that your new pup? Cute!! I am going back to work tomorrow and see if my coworker is willing to switch her P90X program with my CX. I could be starting as early as next week. I could also wait for you if necessary. Another MFPer from my 40+ group is starting in a week or so. I am really looking forward to the challenge. I wonder if I should do the diet, is that only for people who want to lose? I only need to lose3lbs or so, "put on" about 5 while on vacation but I think it was mostly water gain from eating out so much.

Fitz, if I were you I would not pass that chance to buy them for $275, what a deal!!! I missed my chance to get a set for $300 back in May. This guy was selling them on craigslist because he injured his shoulder plus got a job in Japan and it was going to cost him a lot of $ to ship them. My husband did not want me to get them before our trip to Vegas so when I came back of course they were sold...

I ran this morning. Doing ChaLean tomorrow.

Take care,
Annette

EricaU

Hey everyone! I am a chalene extremer too! I had 2 false starts but am starting again officially next Monday. I am hoping third times a charm. I really love the program but moved and didn't find the time to workout, unfortunetly for me! We are moved and mostly settled, so I'd like to give it another try! Excited to see that other people who use MFP are doing CX!

hiddensecant

Hey everyone, I just started CE today. And so far, it's awesome! I think I'm liking it better than P90X though I'm taking on Plyometrics on Tuesdays (can't let that one go until I catch up to Dom :laugh:).

purple120

Well life happened yesterday and threw me a curve. No biggie instead of today being my rest day I took it yesterday. My godson and his wife came over as soon as I got home, he helped my husband put up a TV stand. So I cooked diner and they didn't leave until 8:30pm. Well then my sister and her daughter came to visit (they live in Dallas and are staying with my mom now), and they didn't leave until 11:00pm. Just had enough time to get ready for work the following day. :ohwell: Enjoyed everyone's company, moving on now.

So tonight I'm doing Lean 1 and turbo jam. By the way my daughter started swimming at school so no more turbo jam partner, she's worn out by the time she gets home.

I hope everyone has a great workout.:flowerforyou:

purple120

Sorry my bad manners showing. Welcome to the new ladies glad to have you on board. Let's have some fun.:flowerforyou:

fitzfour

Well, I ended up passing on the Bowflex weights, only because I already had up to 40 pound dumbells, with the exception of the in between sizes. Couldn't justify it for having both dumbbells and Bowflex. My hubby loves his dumbbells and wasn't liking the size of the Bowflex for what he does, so I decided against it. I guess this will make me push harder having to go up by 5 pound increments instead of 2.5. We'll see!

nursegirl79

I'm saving money to go to Camp Turbo Kick next year!! My coach went this past weekend and had a blast. What a motivation. I hope to be a size 8 by then. I'm a 14 now!!

Woohooo!!:laugh: :happy:

hiddensecant

... So I am looking for an alternative, maybe P90X or Insanity to do now and then do another round of CX for variety. What do you guys think? I definitely dont want to lose my strength. Have a great day! :flowerforyou:

P90X is great. I just finished my first round about a month ago. There's one workout that's 90 minutes (Yoga X) but I just split it into 2 different workouts. For the most part it's about an hour.

I've been eyeing Insanity, but I'm pretty sure I'm not fit enough to handle it yet. You wont lose strength doing that one if that's concerning you. Max Interval Training can only increase those gains.

I did a month of Turbo Jam between P90X and CE. It was my reward for finishing P90X and I'll probably do another month after this round of CE. If time permits, I'll go back to P90X and keep going until my BF% starts to dip into the ideal ranges. Boredome is also a concern of mine but this seems to mix things up enough.

MIMI74

I HAVE BEEN DYING TO FIND OUT ABOUT THIS PROGRAM! I AM CURIOUS HOW EXTREME IS IT AND WHAT KIND OF RESULTS PEOPLE ARE GETTING, ALSO HOW LONG ARE THE WORKOUTS?:bigsmile: I'M SO EXCITED! THERE'S SOMETHING NEW ON HERE EVERYDAY(I'M A NEWBIE) THX AND GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

MaryinBflo

I love the Select Tech weights they just make it so much easier. I am still paying for them though!
I love the Lean circuit! Unfortunately today I had to do burn intervals. Lookign foreward to Lean 3 tomorrow!

alf1163

Hello! On my 4th wk of lean for life, push 1 today. I only had enough time for it and nothing else. And guess what? I am so excited!! My coworker brought in her P90X program for me to use!!!! She is starting CX, my program, next week. So, starting P90X next week. I cannot wait!!!!! I am going to try to follow the diet recommendations. Should I? I really dont want to lose more weight but get leaner and stronger of course.

I want to welcome the new ChaLeaners!!! I do love the program. It made me stronger, lost inches, got leaner. It is very simple but it delivers good results. The workouts are not long at all, the longest is burn intervals and that is 45 minutes. Most workouts are less than that, about 35mins or so.

Take care! :flowerforyou:

purple120

Hey, ALF, if you do follow the plan you will get leaner, but it's very restrictive. I don't know if you'll lose any weight, because all that will depend on how much muscle you gain. I dont have my book with me but if your intake is about 1800 calories for example you count your protiens as six portions. You then refer to your list to see what is acceptable protien. This of course depends on what your goals are (losing weight, building muscle, getting lean) on which phase you will be in. Your caloric intake depends on your weight, activity level and so forth.

You seem pretty lean to me, so you might just want to up your protien if you want to build muscle. I'm excited for you. Keep us posted with your progress.

purple120

I did Lean 2 this morning, afterwards running around taking my daughter to school and getting ready for work I forgot to drink my protien. . I'll have a protien bar in a little bit:happy: I'm doing turbo jam tonite by myself (daughter will be at swim practice :sad: )

I hope everyone has a great workout :flowerforyou:

fitzfour

Did Lean #2 this morning (Purple, I think we're on the same schedule!), and upped my weights. Even though I'm fighting a nasty cold, I had an amazing amount of energy/strength this morning! I love the shoulder work! Also, managed to get in the 20 minute TJ workout, that felt great! Hoping to get some Yoga in this evening.

Have a great day everyone!

jessmomof3

I love the Select Tech weights they just make it so much easier. I am still paying for them though!
I love the Lean circuit! Unfortunately today I had to do burn intervals. Lookign foreward to Lean 3 tomorrow!

I love love love the Select Techs!! They were my tax refund *treat*. :laugh: My dh uses them for P90X and I loved them for ChaLean!

Great job, ChaLeaners!! I'm on to Insanity now but I'm sure I will be doing another round of ChaLean over the winter! Maybe a a CLX/ P90X/ Insanity hybrid. :laugh:

alf1163

Hey Jess!! Looking good!!!

I did burn it off and ab burner this morning. Tomorrow lean and that will be it. I am planning on starting P90X on Sunday!!

Take care! :flowerforyou:

duffyzmom

Today I finished my 30 days on the Burn Circuit - although I think I will do another week of it. I have a 10 mile race coming up on the 22nd and I just don't want to move onto Push right before the run.

I'm not sure I'm all that thrilled with the results after the first 30 days but quite honesty my food hasn't been the greatest. I would argue that my biggest complaint is that I am noticing some bulking up in my triceps and upper back. I tend to be built that way anyway so it could be just the way things will be for me. I do like the definition I am getting in my quads. As a runner I tend to have strong hamstrings and skinny quads but I'm seeing a nice cut in the front of my legs now.

fitzfour

Today I finished my 30 days on the Burn Circuit - although I think I will do another week of it. I have a 10 mile race coming up on the 22nd and I just don't want to move onto Push right before the run.

I'm not sure I'm all that thrilled with the results after the first 30 days but quite honesty my food hasn't been the greatest. I would argue that my biggest complaint is that I am noticing some bulking up in my triceps and upper back. I tend to be built that way anyway so it could be just the way things will be for me. I do like the definition I am getting in my quads. As a runner I tend to have strong hamstrings and skinny quads but I'm seeing a nice cut in the front of my legs now.

I'm right there with ya! I tend to bulk up more than the average person...nothing huge, but more than I would like. I'm in the Lean Circuit now and I have noticed that my arms look "big" to me when I'm not flexing, but once I flex I can see it's all muscle. My legs definitely have bulked up, but at least with those, I can see the "cut" so I know it's just good solid muscle!

purple120

Today I finished my 30 days on the Burn Circuit - although I think I will do another week of it. I have a 10 mile race coming up on the 22nd and I just don't want to move onto Push right before the run.

I'm not sure I'm all that thrilled with the results after the first 30 days but quite honesty my food hasn't been the greatest. I would argue that my biggest complaint is that I am noticing some bulking up in my triceps and upper back. I tend to be built that way anyway so it could be just the way things will be for me. I do like the definition I am getting in my quads. As a runner I tend to have strong hamstrings and skinny quads but I'm seeing a nice cut in the front of my legs now.

I'm right there with ya! I tend to bulk up more than the average person...nothing huge, but more than I would like. I'm in the Lean Circuit now and I have noticed that my arms look "big" to me when I'm not flexing, but once I flex I can see it's all muscle. My legs definitely have bulked up, but at least with those, I can see the "cut" so I know it's just good solid muscle!

I'm with you both, I think I look like a football player. Although, I've always been top heavy, and build muscle easily. My arms are pretty big for a girl, but they do have more muscle than fat. One of our friends asked my husband (not me, we women are so competitive) what I was doing because my arms were very strong. Way to bring me up when I was thinking maybe I dont like to lift weights.

hiddensecant

Burn Circuit 2 is done and I really love these! I'm considering a P90X/CE hybrid after this round :laugh:.

alf1163

Lean 3 today, finished 4 wks of lean for life. :drinker: This program has delivered really good results for me. It is time to move on. I will be starting P90X on Sunday. :drinker:

ghanie, I know you did it. Did you follow the diet? Which program? Did you do P90X Classic? Purple, you did it as well, correct? I am excited but nervous at the same time. :noway:

Have a great day!! :flowerforyou:

duffyzmom

Glad to hear I'm not alone - although I prefer to think that I'm built more like a broad shouldered swimmer than a football player Bring on the GunShow!:laugh:

fitzfour

Lean 3 today, finished 4 wks of lean for life. :drinker: This program has delivered really good results for me. It is time to move on. I will be starting P90X on Sunday. :drinker:

ghanie, I know you did it. Did you follow the diet? Which program? Did you do P90X Classic? Purple, you did it as well, correct? I am excited but nervous at the same time. :noway:

Have a great day!! :flowerforyou:

I'd be curious to hear from those that have done both CE and P90X, and which one you think delivered the best results? I'm finishing up the Lean Circuit with CE right now, and thinking I need a break from CE, but not sure if I should purchase P90X or if I should just work with the other DVD's I have. I just don't want to end up getting bored if P90X is similar (workout wise...I realize the trainer is different), but just longer.

jessmomof3

I'd be curious to hear from those that have done both CE and P90X, and which one you think delivered the best results? I'm finishing up the Lean Circuit with CE right now, and thinking I need a break from CE, but not sure if I should purchase P90X or if I should just work with the other DVD's I have. I just don't want to end up getting bored if P90X is similar (workout wise...I realize the trainer is different), but just longer.

I've done both!! I love P90X for the upper body training and CE for the lower body. I think you could do a great hybrid with both sets of workouts! I also love Ab Ripper X from P90X... I still do that at least twice a week. Very effective 15 min ab workout!

P90X is totally different from CE. The weight training is different and you are also doing pullups along w/ lots of pushups.

Let me know if you have any more questions!

Jess

fitzfour

I'd be curious to hear from those that have done both CE and P90X, and which one you think delivered the best results? I'm finishing up the Lean Circuit with CE right now, and thinking I need a break from CE, but not sure if I should purchase P90X or if I should just work with the other DVD's I have. I just don't want to end up getting bored if P90X is similar (workout wise...I realize the trainer is different), but just longer.

I've done both!! I love P90X for the upper body training and CE for the lower body. I think you could do a great hybrid with both sets of workouts! I also love Ab Ripper X from P90X... I still do that at least twice a week. Very effective 15 min ab workout!

P90X is totally different from CE. The weight training is different and you are also doing pullups along w/ lots of pushups.

Let me know if you have any more questions!

Jess

Did you see better results with one or the other? I'm assuming probably with P90X, especially considering the workouts are longer. I've never seen a Tony Horton DVD, so I don't know what I think of him as a trainer. I like Chalene's motivational style, but I'm ready for a different trainer and some different styles of exercises. Would you say P90X has a lot of the same moves as CE, or are they entirely different?

purple120

Fitz - P90X is very instense, and if you need a break from Calean you'll defintely need a break from P90X. There's some movements that I still cant do, like the pull up that uses a towel with one hand (forget what that one is called). To be honest I can't tell which one gives you more results because eventually in both programs you workout every muscle group. I do love P90X because you're working out one muscle at a time, this helps me concentrate more on the muscle being worked. I love Chalean because her programs are shorter. I enjoyed both programs the same, and I am doing a hybird P90X/Chalean/Turbo Jam/Running program after I finish Chalean. I'm very impressed with beachbody programs and would definitely recommend the ones that I've tried.(and I'm not a coach:laugh: ) If you can borrow one from someone try it out first see how you like it. Maybe after that you can purchase it. There's one thing that I just dont get is why arent there more men doing Chalean, besides the fact that they are all doing P90X.

Duffy - Good one, I'm using that one from now on, its a lot more me.

Alf - I did the P90X Classic. Your excitement is contagious, cant wait to do my hybird.

Tonight is burn intervals along with ab workout. Chalean's ab workout is so much easier than P90X, but when I built up to the 25 reps on 90X that was such a great feeling of accomplishment.

I hope everyone has a great workout.:flowerforyou:

hiddensecant

ghanie, I know you did it. Did you follow the diet? Which program? Did you do P90X Classic? Purple, you did it as well, correct? I am excited but nervous at the same time. :noway:

Yes, I followed the diet. I'm actually following the diet for P90X right now; it's kinda easier for me to keep track of calories and micronutrients than the meal options of CE.

I did doubles, though I recommend classic. I only did doubles because I wasn't working at the time and was really sedentary otherwise.

As for the workouts, they are completely different. CE has more synergy and likes to work out as many muscle groups at a time; she also encourages you to follow the group. P90X works out only a few muscle groups at a time and alternates through a series over the weeks and months; he also encourages you to go at your own pace and the people in it kinda try to out-do each other. So you have really different dynamics. And while I have fun with both, I can't stick with either year-round .. I'm kinda ADD when it comes to workout programs :laugh:.

And I plan to continue the 4-week breaks between the heavy strength training programs. It's kind of a reset time where I work out a little less and take it easy before the next round of torture.

fitzfour

One more question for you Purple and Ghanie...what does a typical week look like with P90X? For example, with CE, I do M-W-F Circuit 1, 2 or 3, but the rest of the week I do my own cardio, not typically Chalean's Burn it Off or Burn Intervals. Does P90X work the same, where you could substitute in your own Cardio in place of let's say Plyo? I like to have the option to substitute if I want versus having to follow the program to a "T" to see the results.

Thanks ladies!