80 Day Obsession, Uncategorized

80 Day Obsession – Day 18 – Arms, Abs and Ass (AAA) – including AAA review, finally

sophiemunday

Today, I felt really exhausted all day. Not sure if yesterday’s morning workout caught up with me (I told you working out first thing destroys me!), if I’m coming down with something (please no!) or if it was just one of those days. Either way, I really had to push myself to press play. I quite possibly only managed it because it’s AAA day, which is a strong contender for my favourite of the six types of 80 Day Obsession Workouts.

I like it for several reasons. It focuses on the main body parts I want to work. It’s a nice mix of small, intense movements that really work an individual muscle and bigger movements that get the heart rate up. It’s a fun structure – two arm exercises, one ab exercise (mostly using the sliders), one booty exercise (using the bands). And repeat. So lots of variation on no time to get bored. It always leaves me feeling like I’ve got a good all-over workout as well as some really focused attention on the body parts that give it its name.

Like all the other strength-based workouts this week, today’s version involved repeating each exercise in a set three times back to back, before moving onto the next set of four.

Somehow, having done a short review and a move list for all the other Phase 1 workouts in the first week, I’ve kept missing AAA. So without further ado, here are the moves:

FIRST SET:

  • Upright row
  • Bent Over Fly
  • Frog Sliders (in plank position, pull legs in, bring them out in a circle, close, pull back in)
  • Glute bridge (does a day go by when there isn’t some variation on this?!)

SECOND SET:

  • push-up (the slow speed makes everyone’s favourite even more fun!)
  • skull crushers
  • weighted ab sit up
  • knee plank heel press

THIRD SET:

  • Bent over row
  • hammer curl
  • knee tucks (pulling knees in then straightening legs in plank on the sliders)
  • fire hydrant (brutal with sufficiently heavy bands)

***

If you don’t currently have access to BOD, you can get a year’s subscription, a month’s supply of Shakeology, and all the accessories you need for 80 Day Obsession for just £180  here

If you’re already a Beachbody on Demand customer, you can get everything you need for 80 Day Obsession (workout calendar, resistance bands, strength sliders, portion fix containers) with Shakeology here, with performance supplements here, or with both here. 

There are a variety of different combinations of BOD access, 80 Day Obsession accessories, Shakeology and performance supplements available. Do drop me a line if you’re not sure which is right for you or if you’d like more information about this programme or anything else.

 

80 Day Obsession, Uncategorized

80 Day Obsession Diary Day 17 – Booty in the morning!

sophiemunday

So today, I did the thing I’m proudest of in the programme so far: I got up early and completed my workout before work.

booty

Now, that might not sound like much to some people. I know loads of people who prefer to work out first thing and do it by default. But personally, it’s just not something I like to do. Partly because I’m not a morning person and the idea of dragging myself out of bed early takes more motivation than the actual workout. Partly because I’m scared of taking too long and being late for work. Partly because I actively enjoy working out in the evenings and find it relaxes me after a long day. But the main reason – and the reason it’s something I generally actively avoid rather than grudgingly do – is that exercise tends to leave me exhausted. I think people fall into two camps – those who are energised by exercise and those who are tired out by it, and I’m firmly in the latter. In the evening, that’s great. Workout, dinner, bath, and I feel nicely sleepy in time for bed. Feeling ready for a nap by 10am or struggling to concentrate at 2pm, in a demanding job is less great. As a result, it tends to be off the table for me.

But this is 80 Day Obsession, I’m trying to stick to it, and plans for Wednesday evening meant it was a morning workout or miss a day. So I took a deep breath, got everything prepared the night before, and went for the former.

It was basically fine. I got through the workout itself – Booty – with no problems and actually enjoyed doing it. Even though it was a 3 by 3 scheme again (10 reps of three exercises, repeated three times, before moving onto the next set of three), which I definitely find more challenging than either the straightforward two round or three round model.

I felt quite bouncy and cheerful for the first few hours of work. The tiredness did kick in in the afternoon and more so in the evening, but it wasn’t that bad in the scheme of things. I deliberately rejigged the week so it was Booty I had to do and not something involving heavy lifting or intense cardio, and I think that was the right call. I wouldn’t do an AM version of Legs or Cardio Core anytime soon. I wouldn’t rush to do a morning Booty session again either, but I feel like it’s now vaguely an option next time I need it.

My nutrition was entirely on point, apart from a sneaky glass of wine at the evening event, but honestly, I class sticking to one glass of wine at a work party as a success rather than a failure. The early morning workout meant I had to move all my meals around, which was a bit confusing, but ultimately worked well.

***

If you don’t currently have access to BOD, you can get a year’s subscription, a month’s supply of Shakeology, and all the accessories you need for 80 Day Obsession for just £180  here

If you’re already a Beachbody on Demand customer, you can get everything you need for 80 Day Obsession (workout calendar, resistance bands, strength sliders, portion fix containers) with Shakeology here, with performance supplements here, or with both here. 

There are a variety of different combinations of BOD access, 80 Day Obsession accessories, Shakeology and performance supplements available. Do drop me a line if you’re not sure which is right for you or if you’d like more information about this programme or anything else.

 

80 Day Obsession, Uncategorized

80 Day Obsession Diary – Day 16 and a controversial Cardio Core

sophiemunday

Cardio Core today. What’s that, I hear you say. Cardio Core on a Tuesday? Hear me out. Firstly, as I’ve said repeatedly over the last few weeks, intense cardio is probably the bit of fitness I struggle with the most, so this was definitely not me trying to cheat. And secondly, I did it because I’ve got an evening out planned tomorrow, and I thought I could just about do Booty either first thing in the morning or once I got back, whilst Cardio Core would kill me in either situation. More news on whether or not Booty actually happens coming tomorrow…

squat jacks2
The joy of Squat Jacks. And don’t ask about my (fake) tiger!

Even if it was the wrong day for it (perhaps especially because it was the wrong day for it and I could justifiably have gone with the easier Booty) I feel proud of myself for making it through today’s workout. Not sure why, but I was feeling a bit restless and grumpy, as well as super hungry. I stuck to the eating plan in that I ate all my containers and didn’t eat anything else, but the timed nutrition went fairly out of the window. I’d eaten everything but my post-workout meal by about 2.30. And then by the time I got home, I just wanted to crash out. But it really did deliver a salutary lesson in workouts being most important when you think you’re not really in the mood. Bits of it were fine, bits of it were a struggle, and pretty much all of it was sweaty, but I made it through, and though I still don’t feel quite myself, I felt much more cheerful afterwards. Special shout out to the complete lack of a break between the challenging round 4 and the dreaded round five with its cross jumps and standing mountain climbers (I literally shouted at the tv), the Kamikaze skaters that I still haven’t figured out quite how to do, and the confusing twisty challenge that are circle teasers.

Right, time to soak my muscles and then start getting ready for bed in the vain hope I manage to do my least favourite thing in the world: get up early and work out before work…

***

If you don’t currently have access to BOD, you can get a year’s subscription, a month’s supply of Shakeology, and all the accessories you need for 80 Day Obsession for just £180  here

If you’re already a Beachbody on Demand customer, you can get everything you need for 80 Day Obsession (workout calendar, resistance bands, strength sliders, portion fix containers) with Shakeology here, with performance supplements here, or with both here. 

There are a variety of different combinations of BOD access, 80 Day Obsession accessories, Shakeology and performance supplements available. Do drop me a line if you’re not sure which is right for you or if you’d like more information about this programme or anything else.

 

80 Day Obsession, Uncategorized

80 Day Obsession Diary – Day 15 (and a quick recap on the days I missed)

sophiemunday

The bad news is that towards the end of last week, I got terribly lax about keeping this blog updated. The good news is that I was at least mostly sticking to the 80 Day Obsession programme itself, which is probably the more important of the two challenges I set myself!

The missing days mostly went well, with one major exception. Thursday, there was an after-work party planned. After the work event last week where I couldn’t really relax between not drinking, not snacking, and plotting to get home early enough for my workout, I decided to cut myself some slack. So I missed AAA, had a few glasses of wine, and had a meal that wasn’t 100% box approved. Eeek! I felt a little guilty, but I also had a lovely evening. I want to stick to the programme pretty rigorously and avoid too many slips-ups, but 5 solid workouts and 6 days of healthy eating is more than most people manage in a week! I keep reminding myself that this isn’t a quick-fix, 21 or 30 day blast before a holiday or big event. One day going off-kilter isn’t going to have that much impact factored into 79 other days. The key is not making a habit of it. Friday, I did the missing AAA rather than legs, because I prefer the workout and I’m more interested in working those body parts.

Anyway, it’s a new week, and today, I was mercifully back to following the programme to the letter. I feel like my body is starting to get more used to the meals and my mind is getting more used to shopping for and prepping them.

boxes

Today’s workout was the third instalment of Total Body Core. Once again, the rep pattern was different. This time, you did ten reps of three exercises, then repeated those exercises for two more sets of ten. I definitely found this the most challenging of the patterns we’ve followed so far as it burns out specific muscle groups by pushing them repeatedly over a short period of time, rather than giving them space to recover while you work something else. Either way though, I love the way the same basic workout is made different every time. It’s so unique to this programme and so powerful in stopping my body getting complacent or me getting bored.

It seems to be a bit of a Monday theme that I have to hide in the hallway with fixed weights while my husband does Body Beast with the selectable ones in the room we usually use for working out. I found it particularly frustrating today, because whereas the last two weeks, he’s done by the time I’m half way through and I can up my weights for the second and/or third round, today, back and chest were over by the time I got in there. On back especially, I felt like I cheated myself by only using 5 pound weights, when I know I can do 15. I also went a bit low (7.5) on biceps, but that was my own fault.

Still, I felt reassuringly tired by the end of it, and that’s another one in the bag. And then I revitalised myself with a tasty homemade stirfry, where I was very good about not going crazy with the rice.

stirfry***

If you don’t currently have access to BOD, you can get a year’s subscription, a month’s supply of Shakeology, and all the accessories you need for 80 Day Obsession for just £180  here

If you’re already a Beachbody on Demand customer, you can get everything you need for 80 Day Obsession (workout calendar, resistance bands, strength sliders, portion fix containers) with Shakeology here, with performance supplements here, or with both here. 

There are a variety of different combinations of BOD access, 80 Day Obsession accessories, Shakeology and performance supplements available. Do drop me a line if you’re not sure which is right for you or if you’d like more information about this programme or anything else.

80 Day Obsession, Uncategorized

80 Day Obsession Diary – Days 9 and 10

sophiemunday

Somehow – mostly due to finishing work late but still getting my workout done – I got timed out on yesterday’s entry, so I’m going for the double today.

There’s actually not tons to say. On both days, I’ve managed to get the relevant workouts in – Booty yesterday, Cardio Core today – and stick pretty neatly to the nutrition plan. I honestly didn’t think I’d make it through the first ten days without missing a workout or having any real food cheats, but somehow, I’ve managed it. There are still seventy days to go, obviously, but it’s a good strong start.

Booty changed this week in the same way that Total Body Core did on Monday – three rounds of ten reps instead of two rounds of fifteen. And proportionately heavier bands were used throughout. At the end of the first round, the thought that I was only a third of the way through horrified me, but from then on, it went smoothly. It’s interesting how much gentler Booty is than all the other workouts, in terms of not really getting your heartrate up or exhausting you, but it does do a great job of hitting the specific muscles its targeting.

Cardio Core was exactly the same as last week in its reps and structure, but the breaks between rounds were slightly shorter. I make no secret of the fact I struggle with intense cardio and generally enjoy it the least of all the types of exercise. Despite the fact I’d surprised myself with how much I enjoyed this specific workout last week, it took a lot of self-motivating to get me to start. For the first four rounds, I found it surprisingly easy (well okay, easy is perhaps too strong a word…) then it all crept up on my in round 5 and 6 and I was suddenly drenched in sweat. It went very fast though and was actually quite fun. I still really like the combination of cardio intervals with quick, slider-based ab blasts.

Now tomorrow, I’ve got an earlyish meeting and then an evening event, so I have a horrible feeling I might break my perfect streak, but we’ll see…

***

If you don’t currently have access to BOD, you can get a year’s subscription, a month’s supply of Shakeology, and all the accessories you need for 80 Day Obsession for just £180  here

 

If you’re already a Beachbody on Demand customer, you can get everything you need for 80 Day Obsession (workout calendar, resistance bands, strength sliders, portion fix containers) with Shakeology here, with performance supplements here, or with both here. 

There are a variety of different combinations of BOD access, 80 Day Obsession accessories, Shakeology and performance supplements available. Do drop me a line if you’re not sure which is right for you or if you’d like more information about this programme or anything else.