ChaLEAN Extreme, Month 2 (PUSH Phase) in Review

(Check out the Month 1 (BURN Phase) Review)


Heya n3rds!

Before I get into this review, I do want to disclose that I had a bit of a personal hiccup, which set me way off course. I was nearly through month 2, and, long story short, it was a good three weeks before I bothered to start exercising again, and most of that time was re-acclimating myself to the program and exercise in general. It sounds ridiculous to say that... It was only three weeks, but, man, I was really off my game. It took me some "slow" weeks with treadmill to supplement, but I finally managed to eke out Month 2. Oh yeah, and finish that Month 1 blog entry. If only I had finished building that Flux Capacitor a few weeks sooner!

So what was Month 2 like? Well, the format was the same: three days of Weight Training, one of Cardio + Abs, and one of Cardio + Yoga. The weight training segments were a little different though: I was pleased to learn that the number of reps per set was reduced from twelve to eight. Sounds easy, right? Okay, well, Chalene DID encourage us to use heavier weights since we'd have fewer reps. That's fair, right? .........Right?

So after you blow your guns a few times trying to fail by the time you reach eight reps, Chalene starts pulling out these "EXTREME" bonus reps. Three more, extra slow, extra painful reps on your already spent limbs. Hence the name "ChaLEAN Extreme," I suppose. Chalene, you are a cunning devil.

As it was now the "PUSH Phase," I made a concerted effort to increase the weight I lifted each week. Again, since I was using resistance bands, the tracking wasn't 100% precise, but I used the estimated "weight" of a 2x stretch for the record-keeping in my guide-book. As much as Chalene annoyingly reminds you, it really is important to use the guide-book. You'll be doing so many different lifts each month, you won't remember what weight you used last time, and, thus, won't be able to challenge yourself to better in subsequent weeks. Remember what we covered in Month 1: Additional muscle is most effective at burning fat if you find some way to fatigue those new guns, so you really do need to increase your weight over time.

Since I did fall off the wagon for a few weeks, my progress from the end of Month 1 to the end of Month 2 was not as pronounced as I hoped it would be. Nevertheless, I did substantially increase the amount I lifted in each of the routines by the end of the month. And boy am I glad I got the resistance bands that I did... There are some lifts where I need three bands to keep it challenging. Sorry, Beachbody, I love you guys, but you just can't do that with your bands.

In the spirit of keeping things challenging, I've been modifying the "curriculum" a bit. I was feeling a little under-challenged by "Ab Burners" so I started doing "Extreme Abs" a couple weeks early. And I've also made a habit out of exchanging the pseudo-yoga portion with another abs workout. I just feel better after doing abs than I do after doing the "yoga." It's probably not the most balanced thing to do, especially since my flexibility is pretty awful... but I can focus more on flexibility some other day. As for now, I care more about abs.

Alright, what else can I say about Month 2 of ChaLEAN Extreme? Oh yeah...

Chalene, your boots in PUSH Circuit 3 are an abomination. I'm no fashion guru, but you look like an 90s professional wrestler...

That is all.


(Check out the Month 3 (LEAN Phase) Review)

-Clive