This is the exact thing I'm going through. I don't have any hard spots on my hands yet, but I'm afraid if I continue without gloves I will develop callouses (sp?)

Not having any luck finding pink gloves over my way so I might have to head over to MI or buy them online.

I'm so jealous you have tricpes. lol That area one of the spots where my body fat is just hanging out and don't want to leave (haha). I have seen improvements, but not as fast as I hoped. You are doing so great! :D

Yep, all done! I finished last Sunday. Final results 4.2 lbs lost and 20 inches. You have no idea how many times I remeasured to make sure that was all right; I must have a lot of muscle hiding underneath all that fat or something! lol I carry the most fat in my midsection and I lost 5 inches from my waist alone. Oh and I have visible hamstrings now! :carrot:

This may be a TMI thing, but have you (or anyone else reading!) noticed weird changes with your chest as you improve your fitness? When I lie on my side, my boobs (they're natural) don't squish together anymore unless I purposely concave my chest. This is a new one for me.

Tomorrow's the big day! My weights are still on track for delivery tomorrow, so when I get off work, I'll have my first date with Chalene. I can't wait to feel that lifting burn again!

First day completed!! I LOVE the Selectttech weights..well, I loved them once I hauled that 105 lb box in. Guess the Fed Ex guy didn't want to carry them up to the door either! lol He left them by the garage so I unpacked them in the garage and carried them one at a time upstairs.

Well...my arms are on fire and quite shaky. I was trying to cook after I got done and I dropped the jar of marinara sauce on the floor! I had 15 lbs on the lower body work and I think I'm going to have to up that. My upper is hurting so good, my lower body isn't feeling anything. I'm definitely glad I invested in the weights because I wasn't under 12 lbs on anything, so I will be needing those heavier weights!

Chalene is different. Not saying that in a bad way, either! I'm so used to Shaun T barking at me; she's way more mellow!

Off to soak my sore muscles! :D

NICE!!!! Congrats!!!!! Just wait until you get further into CLX. You've lost a lot of fat and now muscle is going to start showing. :)

My boobs has lifted. Big time. No need for a boob lift over here. lol I so was not expecting that, but it's a nice surprise consider I'm only one month in lifting heavy.

I was wondering how your first day went. I'm so glad you decided to go for the SelectTechs! It may take a couple of times to figure out the best weight so it's good you discovered you need to go heavier with the lower body. I know that shaky feeling you are talking about. I remember trying to cut an onion...that's very bad. lol

Yes she is different. I love her clothing style. In one of the Push Circuits she is actually wearing boots! I have never seen that before. lol

Keep us updated with your progress! :wl:

Oh I wanted to mention to try to monitor your protein intake or at least drink a protein shake afterwards, it should help with recovery and soreness.

I do find that I can relate to her a bit better because she is a woman, if that makes sense at all. I LOVE Shaun T but he is so bulky and muscular vs. Chalene who looks more like what I want my body to look like...toned and fit. Boots? I can't wait to see that!

I will admit the calorie burn is way less than Insanity so that was a shocker but I'm going to stick with it and see what happens. I feel weird taking a rest day mid week...not used to that!

AWESOME!!!! I'm so glad you had a great first day!! Your muscles will be popping out soon! :D

I have found that the heavier I lift, I get WAY more burn and I sweat almost as much as (sometimes more than) I do when I do Insanity. I'm actually burnt out from Insanity after completing 16 weeks of it, so I'm forfeiting the last 2 weeks and just doing Chalean and my running at the gym for now.

I LOOOOVE Push Circuit! I had that shaky feeling you ladies were speaking about today. I could hardly turn the steering wheel in my car lol!

When I was researching I read a lot of people adding in more cardio. I don't follow the calendar and I only have one rest day.

I find I sweat a lot, but my upper body strength was not great and I'm giving it all I got!

I was wondering how you were coming along. I love Push Circuit too and considering repeating it after this month. My fav move of the entire set is in the 3rd circuit where you lay down and lift the heavy weight behind your head slowly. It worked my core, triceps, back and shoulders and I felt it for daysssss. lol

Day 1
 

It arrived and I spent the morning with the program.

Let me first say, BB has marketing down. Leaving an empty spot for the Fat-Burn Challenge DVD with a To Order website is genius. Kind of makes me feel like there is a missing piece of a puzzle...something unfinished. I'll end up ordering it before too long.

The Healthy Eats & Kitchen Makeover DVD was an unexpected surprise. It's the first workout plan that addresses healthy eating for the entire family. I'll be sharing it with my daughter and her young family.

Burn Basics was awesome. I'll be revisiting the DVD frequently to make sure I have technique down.

Band Basics went a little fast for me. Considering that I received only the light weight band with the program and the Band Basics section noted that three came with the program, it's my guess that BB would rather its users buy the weight system rather than use the bands. There's no instruction on how to best fit the purple leg band.

Now for the workout-I loved Burn Circuit One. I need to increase the weight and will do so tomorrow. The music was awesome. Cinematography could use a little help. As a newbie, I was trying to focus on form, the camera person gave me head shots or off angles, so I couldn't see what I needed to see to know if I got it right. A small graphic on the bottom of the screen showing the movement would be most helpful.

I am inspired by Debbie (?) the woman on the left of the screen who's 60. Chalean is so right when she said that fit bodies look younger.

I am very excited to have started this program and look forward to working it.

TTFN

OMG that one was soooooo tough but I LOVED it! My muscles were shaking like a leaf and I was breathing like I was giving birth! LOL! I've never done that particular exercise before...it was pretty unique. :D

Nice review BrownEyedVeggie. Yes that woman looks amazing. I would have never guessed she was 60. Are you working with adjustable weights? If not how many pounds are you using?

LOL Angie!

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I sweat in a 35 minute workout. I guess that's unpleasant for some, but not us buff gals...right? :cool:

I'm all about keeping it real so I'll readily admit that I burned out badly towards the end of Insanity as well. It was really hard to keep pushing play in the last two weeks. The only thing that kept me going was getting that t-shirt! lol It's a great program but pretty hardcore.

Chalene won my heart today when she said "This is you time. If you have your husband or kids bugging you, tell them if they want to talk they have to put on a pair of sneakers and work out too." :D (Paraphrased)

I think I'm going to use that Tuesday rest day and do some cardio. I just don't feel "right" about it. I know they say when you're going through the programs for the first time to do it as directed, but I don't think it'll hurt me too much to add a bit in carefully. :)

YES, THIS!!! :D I need to see the whole body shot in proper form! I know there's a "basics" video for reference but who remembers all of that in the middle of a workout? I try to focus more on Chalene since she's using the same weights I am but she never stays still! lol

Agreed! Plus I always say listen to your own body. You just completed Insanity so I'm sure adding an extra day for cardio wouldn't hurt!

Hi Angie,

I went to Sports Authority today and put a set of adjustable weights (25lb set) on order. Until they come in, I have a dinky pair of 5lbs hand weights. Chalean talked about flexing to add extra resistance. I did and got a pretty good sweat going. :)

That's awesome!! I think you will be happy with the adustable weights. It's like having a whole rack set in one. It's great!

And it's soooo true that when you flex the muscle, you can make lighter weights feel heavier! I've never done that before and it makes the workout so much more intense! Great job! :D

And for the ladies that want to add cardio while doing Chalean...I was doing Chalean Extreme while doing Insanity 6 times a week AND going to the gym to work on my running 3 times a week. Although I dropped the Insanity from being burnt out, I'm still running 3 times a week and also doing ab workouts 3 times a week. It can be done! :D

I did the Burn Intervals today. I had some trouble with footwork again, which is making me really scared to try Turbo Fire when I'm done. I got that for $53 at the Black Friday sale through Beachbody and was pretty excited until I realized that it's going to be a lot of footwork too! :( I am so not a coordinated person, which is why I really liked Insanity. It didn't have a lot of complex moves, just the basics that I already knew. I have a new challenge to overcome!

The Ab Burner was awesome! I felt that one much more than I did Cardio Abs or even Insane Abs. When I'm done with CLX and TF, I think I'm going to create a custom workout from those two and Insanity. So much time to go...that will be my summer workout by the time I complete the 180 days in CLX and TF!

You won't regret it! I absolutely love my set and I wish I would have ordered them sooner. They do make the workouts much easier! That extra flexing does do the trick though. I did that today a few times when I should have used a heavier weight vs. stopping and changing the dial. :)


You are CRAZY lady! lol I don't think I could have done both Insanity and CLX at the same time on that schedule. Either I was ready to collapse from Insanity or I have the "DTs" from doing CLX.

Ab Burner is really great and I need to get back to it. That's amazing you felt it more compared to Cardio Abs and Insane Abs. I do my own ab workouts to target my obliques and lower abs. I'm looking at my schedule and Extreme Abs starts next week so I'm going to go back and forth between the two.

I hear so many great things and TF, but I am so clumsy so I tend to stay away from dancey workouts. It's always good to challenge yourself though!

I'm also going to form a custom workout when I'm done with my favorite moves from each phase. By that time I am hoping to be maintaining.

Hey you have to start from somewhere. lol Definitely by flexing and not gripping too tightly helps the weights feel heavier. Hopefully your adjustables will come in soon though.

I did Push Circuit 2 today. My shoulders and delts are on fire (in a good way).

My instructor from my strength-training class told me everytime she sees me (once per week) it looks l've shrinked a little more compared to the week before!

Also I noticed today after my shower that I'm starting to form an outline of my upper abdominals....almost like a baby 4-pack. lol

I too usually shy away from the dancey workouts. I tried Zumba when it was offered at work last year and surprisingly, I did pretty good with it and enjoyed it as well! I have Turbo Jam collecting dust in a box. I bought it at a yard sale for $20 because I have a few friends who swear by it, did it for three days, and quit because I couldn't get the moves down. I may try it again someday but right now I'm really into the more "extreme" workouts. Never thought I'd see those words put on a screen by my fingers! :dancer:

Since Insanity gave me such good results with the high intensity cardio, I have decided that I WILL master TF or break a bone trying! LOL

Oh nice, that's a great price! I love your determination too! I was thinking the same thing when you mentioned "extreme". It's so crazy I'm doing anything 'extreme' that's workout related anyway. lol


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I think my body is adapting to my fitness routine because today is the second time I've been lifting the heaviest since I started (up to 25 lbs) and I noticed I'm not as sore or tired afterwards. I do fatigue, I find the moves are challenging and I "feel it" the next day or two, but not much the day of. Weird.

Still have two more weeks of the Push Phase left. I have started doing planks and push-ups throughout the day however, so maybe I'm just getting stronger.

I went through the Lean Circuit last night and wow it looks intense. I start in two weeks and I have mixed feelings about it. I know I have made big strides in my physical fitness since I've started. Oh the other hand I was thinking, 'wow could I really get through some of those moves?' I think it's a mental thing because I think back to when I was heavier and couldn't do much. I'm committing to sticking it out and doing whatever I can accomplish though! :workout:

How is everyone else doing?

Yes, it is mental!!! I have found with myself that most of my issues with this journey are more mental than anything else. Your body is capable of great things no matter your fitness level if you can get your mind to cooperate! :)

I can't get my head around wearing smaller clothes although they fit, so I still gravitate to the larger sizes and wear them because I'm afraid I look fat if I wear something more fitted or even something that just fits right. I get that little voice too that says "It's too hard, you can't do that because you're so fat, out of shape, etc..." I try so hard to squash it, but it rears its ugly head more often than not.

Sorry for the delay Strutter. I so can relate to your story about sizes. I went to a Guess? store with my bf over the weekend. I actually sat in the shoe department to wait for him. It wasn't until he asked me why aren't you looking at the clothes it hit me that oh I can actually shop here now! Crazy.

I'm kind of getting bored with CXL to be honest. I was suppose to do Push Circuit 1 yesterday, but I ended up going to my strength-training class. I'm in a bind because I need instructional videos where people are actually doing all of the moves, not just doing one move and say do 10 -12 reps. There are not many strength training video prograns out there either, so I think I'm going to have to try and stick this out.

By the way I won't be back on here until after the holidays so for those of you that are still on the program I wish you all the best this season!

Oh no, not you too?? I am getting VERY bored with CLX and I still have this week to finish to get through the BURN phase....8 weeks to go!! I have lost weight though (my scale hasn't moved significantly in months!) so I'm trying to use that as motivation and well, it's not working very well.

Have you looked at Les Mills Pump? I see that gets good reviews. The price is a bit much, but you get the bar you need with it. It's the flip of CLX, more reps with less weight. I was going between the two and decided on CLX but now I'm wondering if I made a boo-boo. :(

Happy holidays to everyone!

Awww! I'm sorry to hear that you think you made the wrong choice. Have you lost any inches at all?

Thanks for the recommendation. I do take a strength-training class and it focuses on more reps with less weight. It's great, but lifting heavy with less rep definately works for my body (I just made my goal!)

I signed up for a weightlifting class for the winter. I took a trial class and it was great working with different types of equipment. I love lifting heavy, but I think I need to be in a class so I'm going to give this a try.

I'm very thankful for CLX for helping me tone up, get leaner and for getting me stronger, but I need variety. I will pop in a circuit from time to time, but I can't do 3x a week anymore.

Yay for making your goal!!! I did lose 4 inches and 4 lbs in the burn phase. I'm on the first week of the push phase now and still as unenthusiastic as I was before. I'm going to try hard to stick with it but I think I'm going to have to add something in to break the monotony. I am thinking about throwing an Insanity workout in on my cardio days.

Yay!! Thank you!!!!

4 inches and 4 lbs is fantastic!!! Sorry to hear you're still unenthusiastic, but I completely understand.

I actually threw on a circuit from the Burn Phase yesterday. I feel great today. I never started the Lean Phase. My weightlifting class starts next week and I am so happy. Beside Insanity what other workout are you doing?

Hey ya'll, I wanted to get your opinion. I got Chalean Extreme for Christmas and some weights. I also have Insanity on the way. Should be getting it next week or the next.

Anyway, I am a size 18 now. I want to get to a 14 in a couple months. I am not sure if I want to bulk up....Which should I do first? Chalene Extreme or Insanity??I just wanted to ask you all because you have firsthand experience that I can trust...not some testimonial off their website. It's hard to make the "right" decision just need a point in the right direction. Thanks for any help!!

Hello fellow Chalean Extreme'ers lol. I haven't been around this thread in a while. I stopped Chalean for a while but I'm picking her back up to start all over again on Monday, January 21st. I did notice great things happening to my body when I was doing it so I want to complete it this time.

Ann - my own personal experience was that I started with Insanity....but that's only because I hadn't discovered Chalean extreme at the time. Insanity did really help me to condition my muscles and build up my endurance tremendously. In my opinion, it worked out in the order that it should have for me (Insanity, then Chalean Extreme) because Insanity helped my overall conditioning (cardiovascular endurance, muscles, etc). I lost a ton of weight doing Insanity (among some other things), and when I started to do Chalean Extreme, I noticed my body starting to REALLY conture and shape itself nicely. At one point, I was doing them both at the same time....but I wouldn't suggest that because it's a lot LOL! At this point, I'm going to be focusing more on Chalean Extreme....but that's after an 80lb weight loss. Insanity helped me to get to this point. I hope some of this helps you!

you won't bulk unless you eat at a caloric surplus and as a woman you'll need supplements
also, more muscle = burn more calories when you're not exercising
overall, my shape is better when i lift instead of just cardio (meaning i lose more inches when lifting, i lose more pounds with cardio)
you can always do a hybrid

RoyalAthena - I'm so happy you got some weights and CXL for Christmas! You will not regret using it. Using heavy weights at a slower pace literally changed and reshaped my body. I've never used Insanity (I have lower back/sciatica issues and avoid strenuous workouts), but I've heard so many good things about people alternating between CXL and Insanity.

angieand2girls - *Looking at your siggy* Wow you are doing great! Way to go! Glad to hear you are restarting!

SunnySide99 - Thank you! I can't wait to start it up again! I also can't believe how easily and quickly it was to lose weight this time around. I've definitely adapted some lifetime habits and protocols that will help me to maintain my weight once I get where I want to be. :)

I picked up Les Mills Pump and tried it yesterday. Totally different type of workout and I really enjoyed it. Awesome music too! :) I really hate not finishing what I start so I will at least see CLX through to the Lean Phase (next week) and I'm probably going to start Pump at that point.

I also started Turbo Fire Monday and am doing a hybrid with CLX right now. It does help to shake things up a bit. I don't feel quite as bored! lol

Yikes, I sound like Beachbody junkie! Better that than a cheescake junkie, right? lol

I will totally echo Angie on this one. I did Insanity first and then moved on to CLX. I had some amazing fat/inch loss with Insanity (20 inches) but I somehow felt like I was missing something with the technical strength training...that's where CLX came in. I felt like I was toning up what I burned off with Insanity, if that makes sense. Muscle does burn fat and you want it, but I wanted more of my fat gone first! lol

RoyalAthena - How's things going?

No problem. Keep it up. :)

Good for you! Let us know how it goes (both the Lean Phase and with Les Mills Pump!)

I started my weightlifting class this week and it's really great. I've decided that I'm going to restart CXL, but I'm only doing it on Fridays so I should be completed with it by Halloween. haha!