kopmom,

First off, congrats on your success so far!

I've been using Chalean Extreme for a couple months now and i have to say i really love the program. I can't really tell you how the bands will work with the program from my own experience, but a number of people on the dvd do use the bands. I've had success with the weights tho, even tho my diet isn't really what it should be..... late night snacking really kills me. I can tell you tho that i have seen considerable toning and development.

The reps used in the program vary from month to month. During the first month Chalean asks that you use enough weight to fail by 12 reps. During the 2nd month, you're to reach failure by 6 - 8 reps using heavier weights than the first month. I can't really tell you about month 3 since i havent gotten that far through the program yet. I'm currently on week 3 of my 2nd month

Chalean will tell you what weights she uses as a point of reference for each exercise. You're also provided with worksheets to be able to track your progress and to better determine what weights you should be using.

Well thats about it from me. Hope you enjoy the program as much as i have. Feel free to friend me here on mfp.

Hi Kopmom, looks like the others answered most of your questions. I'll try to respond to the one about how to know how many lbs to use. That will really depend on you. Chalene does tell you how much she is using and then there is a beginner in the video who also sometimes tell you how much she is using. I'm usually somewhere between the two of them but I base it on how I feel. I use a spreadsheet that one of my pals sent me to track how much I lift in each exercise and how many reps I completed and I also make notes about how I feel and if I should go lighter or heavier next time.

As the others said, in month one she wants you to be able to get to at least 10 reps so if you can't get to 10 then you were lifting too heavy. If you get to 12 and feel like you could do a couple more then you were lifting too light. After the first week you'll be able to figure it out. I'm on my third week of month one and I have been lifting between 8 - 16.5lbs depending on the workout. I can lift heavier doing the lower body exercises but for things like posterier flys I have been doing 8-10 because my upper body is not as strong.

As far as other tips, I would say before starting make sure to take time to watch the training videos especially the band basics if you plan to use bands instead of dumbells. I prefer the free weights over the bands but that's just a personal preference. I would think you could still get good results from the bands. Also, make sure you are eating enough. I have found that since starting I am a lot more hungry and eat a little more. Also, don't be afraid to lift heavy. Just after my first week I found that I could lift a little heavier and do more reps so don't doubt yourself.

So far I really like the program.

Good luck!

I started with 3, 5, 8 & 10 lbs, and it was enough for me for a while. Later I got 12 & 15's. I have strong legs for my size and really wished I had 20 lbs for the squats in the Push phase, but I finally bought them for the Lean phase. For the arms I usually stayed in the 8 -10 lb range.

It completely depends on you. She really walks you through how heavy you should lift. "If you finish 12 reps and could do 3 more, you need to lift heavier. If you could barely finish the 10th rep, go lighter next time."