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I'm feeling pretty damn good! |
The main benefit I can see from joining an online or gym fitness
program, is having different routines every day that are designed to help you
lose weight or build muscle. The fitness instructors design the workouts to
maximize results, time and alternate the muscle groups you work. However, this
benefit isn’t great enough to convince me to part with my hard-earned money to
get access to the fitness plan. Luckily there is a solution. Many Youtube
fitness profiles have short challenges that demonstrate the benefits of joining
their program. I’ve done a 21-day challenge with Popsugarfitness and two
separate 5 day challenges with Fitness Blender. Today, I’ll be giving you a
review of one of these challenges and the results I got.
Youtube Profile: Fitness Blender
Video’s: Fitness Blender 5 Day Challenge to Get Strong and Lean
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn8Elmw16ZU
Day 1: Oh my
God this was by far the hardest day for me! I’ve done many of the longer
Fitness Blender workouts before, but they never cease to amaze me with how much
hard work they can fit into such a short period of time. All 5 days start off
with a light warm up, and finish with a cool down stretch. This routine began
with 15 minutes of HIIT (high intensity interval training, and they mean it
when they say high intensity). It was so hard, I wanted to be done with my work
out after just the first 15 minutes! But, I wasn’t, because after that came the
strength training portion that focused on lower body. To be prepared, try and
have various amounts of weights on hand. When you start off with a move, you
can start with the heaviest weight, and as you do more reps, drop down to
lighter and lighter weights.
Favorite Move:
Y’all know I love me some squats. So, my favorite move was the ten second drop
squat. To do this, hold your weights and slowly, ever so slowly, lower yourself
down into a full squat (over ten seconds just to get to the bottom of the
squat). Then, take another ten seconds to get back up to standing. Sounds easy,
but it isn’t.
Hardest Move:
By far the hardest move for me was the single leg dead lift. It could be
because it was the first move of the strength training portion and my mind
wasn’t ready to lift yet. But, I think it is because I wanted to lift a high
weight to really work my hamstrings, but I couldn’t lift the heavy weight and
balance totally on one foot. Instead, I choose to have my not lifting leg
resting just barely on the ground, so I could stay with the heavy weight.
Day 2: I was
so sore after Day 1! Which is why it was great that Fitness Blender took this
into consideration and did an easier upper body strength and cardio routine.
Overall, I found Day 2 the easiest, despite my tired muscles. The cardio was
only 1 move per round, and that meant I could really focus on burning myself
out during those moves. I enjoyed that it was entirely upper body focused as
well, it meant my sore muscles didn’t get any worse. But don’t be fooled,
because after all the weighted moves, there is a cardio & upper body
burnout round that will leave you exhausted in a heap on the floor. I didn’t
know how challenging the burnout would be, so I didn’t save enough energy from
the earlier section of the routine to give my all to this part.
Favorite Move:
The side pullover. I’ve probably done hundreds of different exercise routines,
and this was the first time I have come across this move. Laying on your right
side, with your left arm holding a weight you lower your arm over your head,
then pull it back to a vertical position. I liked this move because I got to
lie down (
lazy I know) and because it took effort to hold the form correctly.
If I got sloppy, I could feel my shoulder blade want to pop out awkwardly. The
side pullover is still new to me, so I had to use the lightest weights I owned
to complete it.
Hardest Move:
The traditional overhead press. I used a heavier weight for this, because they
recommend using a weight that is heavy enough to almost make you can drop it by
the last few reps. This move isn’t hard mentally, but by using a heavy weight I
was really grunting to push the dumbbells over my head.
Day 3: This is
the second hardest day! The video is called a Brutal HIIT Cardio and Abs
workout for a reason. It really will use up all your energy just to complete. I
was tired after only the first round of HIIT, and the video just kept going. I
honestly thought it would never end. The last part of the routine is a Pilates
burnout, which will just destroy whatever energy you have left if you
concentrate on each move. IF you don’t focus, then the moves get sloppy and
don’t use your muscles enough to tire you out.
Favorite Move:
I loved all the abs moves because I like to work that part of my body a lot.
The best one was the double leg pull scissor kick. To do this, you lay on your
back and scissor your legs. Sounds simple, but as you pull one leg towards your
chest, you grab it and stretch it towards you twice. It is kind of like a leg
pulse, that really burned out my lower abs. I loved it.
Hardest Move: Um…if
I am being totally honest, all the HIIT moves were hard for me. I think it was
because this was Day 3, I was still worn out from Day 1&2. If I had to pick
a move that I just really struggled with, it would probably be the back bows.
Back bow moves are either hit or miss for me. Some day’s I can do them really
well, other day’s I am completely useless at them.
Day 4: I think
this was supposed to be a bit of an easier day after Day 3, but it wasn’t. Day
4 was another upper body strength training cardio routine. But instead of 1
cardio move per group, it was two moves, done twice through. I both loved and
hated it. I was panting the entire time, despite having arm moves as a mini
rest between the cardio. There is also a yoga burnout after the cardio/strength
portion. However, unlike the other burnout rounds, this one was more calm and
relaxing. I didn’t feel like Fitness Blender was trying to demolish my muscles
at the end.
Favorite Move:
When it comes to upper body moves, I love anything to do with triceps.
Unfortunately, I’m struggling between dumbbell weight levels right now, so I
either have to do 3 reps with super heavy weights then drop to really light
weights, or use the light weights but not burn my triceps out. My favorite
tricep move was the lying down triceps pullover. Not only because it was lying
down (and I love to lay during a workout) but because I stretch my arms
overhead with a weight and I can feel a stretch in my tricep as I lower the
weight to the ground. The stretch tells me I am working the muscle.
Hardest Move: If
you are a frequent reader of my fitness reviews, you know that I loathe lunges.
They are hard on my knees, and I always struggle to balance my weight between
both legs. So, I really disliked the 3-2-1 lunge. You start off in the top of a
lunge postion, then drop in three levels down to a full lunge. It doesn’t stop
there, you then (
to do the hardest version) have to jump and switch legs to the
other side to repeat. It was the jump between lunges that I found most
difficult. Jumping from the bottom of a full lunge is no easy feat.
Day 5: I
started this day thinking, YAY!!!! I am almost done. However, just because it
is the last day doesn’t mean Fitness Blender went easy on me. Far from it. They
decided to throw in one last round of HIIT, and most of the moves were
extremely challenging. Then, we went on to do a strength training round that
focused on the butt and thighs, yet again!! My legs started off sore after Day
1 and will end sore after Day 5. That being said, it is very satisfying to
complete the full 5 days. There isn’t a burnout round on Day 5, so I devoted
all my energy into the HIIT and strength potions.
Favorite Move:
I enjoy a good dead lift. It is the move that I can feel my hamstrings and butt
working the most, which is why I like to do it. This routine had 4 (
that is
right, 4!) variations on the deadlift. There was; single leg, toes pointed in,
toes pointed out, and finally a traditional dead lift just to really finish the
hamstrings off. I loved every rep of it!
Hardest Move:
Surprise, surprise, the hardest move for me was a lunge. This time it was a
reverse lunge (holding weights) and doing a knee as you pull up from the lunge.
Lifting the knee wasn’t hard, but pushing myself up, using mostly one leg sure
was. I felt my quads shaking as I finished the last round of these lunges.
Overall, I loved this 5-day routine. In fact, I enjoyed
doing it so much that I did it in a two-week period! Everyday provided me with
something different and there was almost always a move I hadn’t done before. I
also liked that because there were two trainers, they demonstrated an easy and hard
version of each move. That meant on the days I was super tired, I could
downgrade in difficulty but still get a workout. I swear I could feel a
physical difference in how my clothes fit after I did the first round of this
5-day challenge. My leggings were looser, and my boots were looser on my
calves. In round two, I could feel that for the cardio/HIIT portions, I had
more endurance. Cardio has always been a problem area for me,
because I hate feeling out of breath. But, with Fitness Blender I have really
made improvements! If you have the time to devote roughly an hour a day to
working out, and you are looking for a challenge, try this routine! Was it better than just picking random
free routines off Youtube, did you hate that there was so much structure? Let
me know!!