Since creating my Chalean Extreme Challenge 2012 group, several people have asked me my thoughts on ChaLean Extreme. I realized I should do daily posts to document my thoughts on the program. Of course this idea came to me AFTER day 1, so I’m starting with Day 2. Such is the nature of my muse. 🙂 So here we go with my Chalean Extreme review!

 Chalean Extreme Challenge: Burn Circuit 2

Today’s workout was Burn Circuit 2. It’s a resistance workout that kicked my butt! Well more like kicked my hamstrings… There were a lot of dead lifts and they are VERY effective. I feel it already, which is usually the case when I do a terrific workout. I was ready to quit at exercise 4 of 9 which is another good sign. lol The entire workout is 38 minutes long and actually flies by, but the whole out of breath wanting to pass out thing can make it feel longer. 😉 Now, before I terrify someone, I will say, you can modify to make things easier. But, the goal is to reach failure (the point at which your muscles literally can’t do another rep) at 10-12 reps, so there’s only so much modifying you can do. KWIM?

The reality is that you are doing this to get fitter and easy doesn’t get you a better body!

All the lunging and squatting ensures that you FEEL it and burn a ton of calories. The bowler’s lunge with a single arm row used muscles in my hips and thighs I think I forgot were there! I had to take a recovery minute (or 3) between legs. It was amazingly intense. I amped up the effectiveness by keeping my form pristine. I’m keenly aware of form because I have bad knees. My last go round I wasn’t diligent and ended up quitting the program in favor of being able to continue walking.

The difficulty of Burn Circuit 2 was also a bit of a wake up call to me. I have to face the fact that I am not at the fitness level I was the first time I did this program. It’s not the first time I’ve had to acknowledge this reality, but it added to the sting I was already feeling. Burn Circuit 1 used the thigh toning band in ab work, but in BC2 we used it for outer thigh work. My core was already exhausted and then I had to work it to keep my balance while doing bicep curls on one leg. O_O That little combo created my final desire to give up the ghost!

Overall I’m satisfied with both my effort and intensity level this morning. There’s tons of room for growth (lol). I enjoy the pace and Chalene’s personality in this program. She’s encouraging but less “cheerleader-ish” than she is in Turbo Jam. 😉 I hope I touched on all the things you may want to know about this particular workout. If you have any other questions, leave a comment and I’ll be happy to answer them.

Wishing you all the best!

Ana María