Tag: beachbody

80 Day Obsession, Uncategorized

80 Day Obsession Diary – Day 7 – Roll and Release

sophiemunday

Finally, we reached both a rest day, and the end of week one. And not a moment too soon. I had a much needed lie in this morning, but woke up with my legs in absolute agony. I tend to suffer quite badly from DOMS, but this week, while there have been some aches and soreness, it’s been the perversely pleasant kind, that lets you know you’ve worked hard without causing any real trouble or discomfort. This, on the other hand, while definitely not the work exercise-induced ache I’ve ever had, was the sort that makes it very difficult to sit down, stand up, or bend down. There’s clearly something about Autumn’s leg workouts, as I had the exact same reaction after ALO’s leg day. Ouch!

I turned, half in gratitude and half in trepidation, to today’s semi-official workout, Roll and Release. I say semi-official, because it contributes to the 80 day count, and today’s the only day it officially appears. But the idea is to do it whenever you feel the need. Going forward, both skipping it on rest days and adding it in during the week seem to be acceptable, in a programme that’s otherwise very prescriptive.

After 6 solid days of fairly intense workouts, the last thing many people would want to do is load up yet another routine. But the emphasis here –  unlike some supposedly active recovery videos, which seem unnecessarily active – really is on recovery.

The format is simple. It’s 19 minutes long. A quick warmup – the same one as for the rest of the week, which caught me slightly by surprise. A few extended stretches at the end. And inbetween, forming the bulk of the session, lots and lots of foam rolling. I’ve you’ve ever tried foam rolling before, there’ll be nothing here that comes as a particular surprise, but it was well-structured, well-explained and very efficient and effective.

If you haven’t tried it before, I wholeheartedly recommend it. But a word of warning. Don’t expect something akin to a gentle stretching session or a relaxing massage. First, the need to support yourself on the roller puts a surprising demand on your arms and core, particularly if they are already tired. But secondly, and more importantly, rolling sore, tight muscles is at best intense and uncomfortable, at worst, genuinely painful. And on my quads in particular, it definitely fell into the second camp for me today. I was literally whimpering. And also sweating to a strange degree, which I once read is a notable side effect of foam rolling that shows you really need it and you’re doing it right. So that was good, I suppose.

As soon as roll and release was over, I sneakily went straight into Stretch and Release, which is nominally next Sunday’s “workout” but which is similarly designed to be done whenever you think it might be helpful. And I knew I had to deploy every weapon in my arsenal if my legs were going to be in any condition to do Total Body Core again on Monday. I’ll talk more about that one next week, in the proper time and place, but it’s basically straightforward and very welcome stretching, as opposed to the complex yoga that sometimes makes its way into rest day workouts.

Once they were both over, I had a long, long soak in a bath full of epsom salts, as per Autumn’s recommendation. Something about the combination worked. My legs are still achy, and I’d be amazed if they are 100% fine by tomorrow, but they feel a lot better. Time is at a premium for me, but I’m going to try to make time for one or both of the recovery workouts over the course of the week if I possibly can.

On the nutrition side, things went relatively well, though unlike yesterday, when the workout, my driving lesson, and dinner out gave some structure to the day, most of today involved lazing round the house, alternated with chores, which, combined with getting up late, left me unsure what to eat when. I didn’t eat anything I shouldn’t, but I didn’t have all my boxes either. Probably fine as I was consuming far fewer calories than on a normal day (where there’d be a workout, a walk to work, and some activity during the working day) but something to watch on future weekends. I did make an amazing and healthy omelette for breakfast though (spinach, peppers, chilli, black beans and a blue box of Parmesan) so I was happy with that.

And that’s week one over and done with. I’m really pleased with how well I’ve stuck to it and how much I’ve enjoyed it. No astonishing changes yet – I wouldn’t expect them after a week – but I’d say I’m already, at the margins, looking a little less bloated and a little more toned. I really, really hope I can keep this up.

***

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 5 – Legs

sophiemunday

So, it’s Friday, and it’s leg day.

I was obviously looking forward to the former, because who doesn’t love Fridays? But at the same time, I was worried about keeping my nutrition under control, because generally, the weekend means treats. ]

And inevitably, I was nervous about the latter, because Autumn’s leg workouts are always challenging. 21 Day Fix Legs was tricky, 21 Day Extreme Legs is probably one of the most exhausting workouts I can think of, and when I did A Little Obsessed’s legs workout, I could barely walk for several days.

On the nutrition side of things, everything went smoothly. My husband, who must not have been paying attention, suggested pizza for dinner, but I swiftly rejected that idea and made a chicken and vegetable curry (with a yellow box of rice on the side) from scratch. Otherwise, my diet was mostly as it’s been all week. I totally ran out of food yesterday, and had to do an emergency chicken, vegetables and fruit stop on the way into work.

There was the thorny issue of wine. Clearly, if you’re following the programme to the letter, it’s an absolute no no. And I’ve been so dedicated all week. But at the same time I promised myself I was allowed a 250ml glass on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays (I promise this is not me backsliding – check the Day Zero blog!). The weird thing was, I thought I’d be desperate for a drink, but I really wasn’t. As a result, I was massively in two minds about whether to have one or not, but decided to. I want to simultaneously give this programme my all, and fit it into my life in a way that’s sustainable for 80 days, and hand on heart, I can’t imagine a world in which I don’t have a single glass of wine for three months. Brownies, muffins, ice cream, yes, just about. Wine, no. And I stuck to my 250ml ration. Purists might freak out, but a victory for moderation.

And that brings me to the workout, which was basically everything I’d hoped and feared. Definitely the most challenging workout of the week, even though I’d deliberately gone relatively light on weights (10 pounds on each side throughout – Autumn alternated between 12s and 15s). It was a little less relentless than the ALO equivalent, as the longer running time, despite meaning more reps overall, allowed for slightly longer breaks between moves. But I really had to force myself through the second half.

The format is 9 moves of 15 reps each (some are done on both side), then the whole thing is repeated. There are no bands or sliders involved for once, just weights. The focus is very much on squats and lunges, though there are some interesting variations. One involving lunging on a diagonal angle really threw me. The main exceptions were “single leg good mornings” which I prefer to think of as “Warrior 3: Special Forces Edition” and some hip hinges. Nothing wildly innovative here, but a good, solid, challenging leg workout, that really blasted my lower body and kept my heart rate high throughout.

  • reverse lunges
  • squats
  • curtsey lunges (which you’re never allowed to stand up straight in – ouch!)
  • sumo squats
  • diagonal lunges – forward
  • diagonal lunges – backwards
  • one-legged good mornings
  • high hinges
  • buddha squats (basically kneeling down with one leg, keeping the knee next to the opposite ankle – very strange)

***

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 4 – AAA

sophiemunday

Another day successfully completed, and this one really feels like I did it against all the odds. The week so far – but particularly today – has taught me two semi-contradictory things. Firstly, that when you really prioritise your fitness and nutrition, you can make it work in any situation. But secondly, that you can’t necessarily do that and just continue with your life as normal.

Every six weeks or so, my work organises an evening quiz. It’s always fun. People bring in lots of snacks and homemade cakes, and everyone provides their own wine and beer. Two problems with that today – firstly, any booze or the slightest nibble of most of the food provided was going to torpedo the nutrition plan.

quiz cakes.JPG
I don’t think any of that would fit in a portion fix container!

And secondly, by the time it was over, it would basically be too late to do today’s workout. The answer to the first issue was obviously just going to be one of willpower. The answer to the second was trickier. I decided I was going to have to work out in the morning, but I’m really not a morning person. And I’m really not a morning exercise person. Exercise isn’t a chore for me any more, it’s a treat – at least in the evening, when it helps take away the stresses of the day. So it always seems a shame to force myself through something that would be torture first thing and a pleasure 12 hours later. Worse, when I have tried it, I’ve tended to find that it leaves me feeling tired and unfocussed all day, which I just can’t afford in my job.

But I’m doing 80 Day Obsession, and I’ve swore to stick to it. So I set my clock to get up earlier than usual, reasoning that I’d try a morning workout once. If it worked, I could do it again later in the programme as a contingency option where necessary. If it really left me feeling awful, I wouldn’t force myself again.

And then, once I got up, I suddenly remembered I had an early morning meeting and there wasn’t going to be time to work out. It’s credit to how addicted I’ve already got to this programme that I felt infuriated rather than secretly relieved.

Skipping forward to 6.30 when the quiz started. The good part is that I was very well behaved. No wine. None of the hundreds of amazing baked goods. Just an attempt at a pre-workout meal, though I didn’t have quite the right things. The bad part is that it was a little depressing how less fun the even was without sugar and booze. I was hoping to have been able to say just the opposite. Hopefully, this was just due to it being in a work context or it being week one and my body and mind being a little thrown, combined with my frustration at the thought of missing a workout already.

Anyway, I left halfway through, partly because I wasn’t 100% feeling it, partly because I reasoned that would just about give me time to do AAA after all. My husband was stunned that I was a)back so early and yet b)planning to work out so late. I started the workout at 8.30. Quite a bit later than I’d normally attempt, particularly for something 50 minutes long. By the time I ate at 9.30, I was starving and a little dizzy (my meal timings were all off and I hadn’t eaten in hours by then, and my pre-workout meal had been a bit patchy anyway) but I felt extremely proud of my determination. And was I’d had some tasty homemade fajitas, I felt a lot better physically.

As a consequence of the quiz and the late workout, it’s getting late, and I’m ready for bed, so I’ll leave the detailed review of this one till next week. My review of the equivalent workout in ALO  gives a fair sense. This was longer overall, with two arm exercises (but still just one ab and one ass exercise) per round, but otherwise broadly similar in concept, difficulty level and effectiveness.

And one day during this programme, I promise I’ll attempt the early morning workout approach again!

***

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

80 Day Obsession Diary – Day 2 (including Booty 1 review)

sophiemunday

Phew, that’s Day 2 done. And once again, I stuck to the food plan and did the proper workout. So far so good.

My working hours can be long, and worse, unpredictable, which I always knew was going to be one of the biggest challenges of this programme for me. Today, I finished a little after seven and got home about twenty to eight, by which point it was starting to feel a bit late to launch into an hour-long workout. Doing nothing was completely off the table, but I did toy with the idea of trading today’s out for one of the slightly shorter ones due later in the week. In the end though, I pushed through, and I’m so glad I did.

 

day 2 v3
Not the most flattering picture of me ever taken, but I promised this would be an honest diary (and in my defence, this was the final rep of the final set, so I was dying)

FOOD

Foodwise, I stuck almost exactly to yesterday’s meals. The timed nutrition aspect is complicated, there’s no denying it. So while I’m going to have to mix things up a bit so I don’t get bored, there’s something to be said with sticking with a plan once you’ve found one that works. The differences were dinner – where I had my chicken, rice noodles, coconut oil and mixed vegetables (plus tons of free spices) in stir fry format – and my afternoon snack, where I had houmous as my “healthy fat” which made a much better companion for my chopped peppers than yesterday’s pecans. The eating a proper meal (my pre-workout meal) before leaving work still feels weird and once again resulted in some confused comments from my team. But it’s amazing how much more energetic it left me feeling for my last hour of work, my walk home, and on into the workout.

WORKOUT

Today’s workout was called Booty, and it was really heavily focused on the one body part, in stark contrast to yesterday’s total body approach. It combined being relatively gentle (in the sense that I was never gasping for breath, dripping sweat or trembling under heavy weights) with being really quite intense (in the sense of burning out my glutes and quads).

There were no weights or sliders involved, but every single exercise involved the bands and really made the most of them.

The workout started on the floor, and remained there for some time – firstly, a round on your back, involving different variations on bridges, then a round on all fours based around leg lifts, then a particularly torturous round lying on your side. 3 moves of 15 reps each in each of those 3 sets.

After that, it was up to standing, for one round featuring small, focused moves, then a final round based around the more traditional squats, lunges and side squats (but with bands still, and with the muscles under constant tension).

Like yesterday, the whole thing was then repeated, but my endurance seemed a bit better today, and the hour went very fast. I’ll see whether or not it aches tomorrow, but the glutes and associated muscles clearly got a lot of work, and though rarely directly targeted, I suspect there was quite a bit of sneaky core work going on. On the whole, most other muscles (bar the legs at the end) didn’t see much action, but I quite enjoyed being so ruthlessly focused. My heart-rate was slightly raised throughout – round about the level I’d expect from a gentle but persistent walk. I didn’t feel like I was burning tons of calories, but actually, over the course of an hour of non-stop movement, I bet the calorie burn actually subtlety added up.

Overall, very different from yesterday and perhaps not the best if you’re looking to push yourself to your limits, set your heart pounding and burn hundreds and hundreds of calories, but a really innovative, enjoyable and brilliantly targeted workout, that made a nice contrast to yesterday’s exertion and variety.

 

On your back:

·         Glute bridge

·         Bridge to clam

·         First position bridge (ie. With heels touching and toes turned out)
On hands and knees:

·         Straight leg lift

·         Toe taps across and side

·         Circles
On your side:

·         Toe taps front and back

·         Clams

·         Press backs (ouch!)
Standing:

·         Hinges

·         Leg press side

·         Bend over press back
Standing and moving:

·         Squat side to side

·         Duck walk (ie. Walking lunges back and forth – lethal)

·         Side lunges

***

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

80 Day Obsession Diary – Day One (including Total Body Core 1 Review and moves list)

sophiemunday

So, that’s day one successfully over and done with. The first instalment of Total Body Core successfully completed. The correct number and combination of boxes consumed in more or less the right order.

I’m intending these posts to be partly a review of/guide to individual workouts, partly a record of what I ate, and partly a genuine diary where I can reflect on how the day went from a fitness perspective. Today’s is longer than I expect most of them will be, as on Day One, there’s a lot to say. I hope that me being honest about both my successes and my failures and everything in between will help keep me motivated, but also be inspiring but reassuring to people reading this. That said, if you’re just hear for the workout review, you can scroll down. I’ll be copying them all over onto a separate page at some point too.

Clearly, I started today with the benefit of all the excitement and enthusiasm of starting a new programme, which I’m not going to have in my favour for the entire 80 Days. On the other hand, it was horrid weather, a hectic day at work, and (sorry for oversharing) my time of the month, all of which would normally conspire to make me have some treats during the working day and collapse in a heap once I got home, so I was pretty proud of myself for managing to stick rigidly to the plan.

FOOD

I’ve done portion fix lots of times before, but the timed nutrition aspect was new to me and made everything a little confusing, though I’m sure I’ll get used to it with practice and refine my meal choices. I’ve got to admit, I didn’t 100% stick to the structure. I wasn’t far off, but lunch and the pre-workout meal should have been the other way round, and one of the greens from the latter should really have gone with the afternoon snack. But I thought I’d get a bit faint if I didn’t have any carbs till after 5, and I didn’t feel like tomatoes, pecans, and blueberries all together as a snack. I want to stick to the design as accurately as I can, but I’m going to have to play around to find the meal combos that work for me.

I was sceptical about whether it would make a difference, but despite the fact I was eating the exact same number of each type of box, something about the design of the different meals made me feel like I was eating an extraordinarily large amount of food. I struggled to get through my final meal of the day – post-workout meal, aka dinner – when I’m usually like a ravenous beast after exercise. It was the pre-workout meal I found most bizarre though. I had a chicken salad, and my entire team asked me why I was having lunch so late or why I was having a second lunch. It worked well though. I’m normally starving by the time I get home from work, but I was fine today, and I’m sure it helped me power through my workout.

breakfast meal option 1 8.30 am red, purple, spoon shakeology, almond milk, tangerines
lunch meal option 3 12PM green, red, yellow, orange, spoon pepper, chicken, olives, oil, rice)
snack meal option 2 2.3PM  purple, blue tomato, berries, pecans
pre-workout pre-workout meal 5.30pm green, green, red, spinach, tuna, rice, tomato
workout 7.30pm-8.30pm
dinner post workout 8.30pm green, red, yellow, spoon oil to cook, chicken, kale, rice and red beans mix

WORKOUT INTRO

The first problem with today’s workouts (apart from the fact that stomach cramps were not making me overly enthusiastic about something with “core” in the title) is that my husband also does home workouts. As we both work full time, there’s really not time for us to work out consecutively. And as we have limited space  and only one set of adjustable weights, it’s not very practical for us to work out at the same time, so we alternate days. Monday is generally considered to be one of his workout nights, and Body Beast Bulk Chest was up on the TV before I had chance to argue my (entirely unjustified) case.

Not to be defeated on Day One, I slunk off to what I jokingly like to call Studio Two. Actually, it’s my very narrow hallway. Do a jumping jack, and your hands and feet will hit the walls. I took with me a set of five pound weights, which are the only things I have apart from the amazing adjustable ones. Autumn suggested using a set of eights and a set of tens, and while she didn’t explicitly say to find somewhere that actually allows you to move, it seemed heavily implied. So I wasn’t off to the best of starts.

studio 2
Truly the world’s greatest workout space

In the end, while the lack of space was a bit of a pain, the enforced light weights were a blessing in disguise. It’s a long time since I’ve gone as light as 5 pounds for anything much, but it’s also a long time since I’ve worked out solidly for 60 minutes – I’ve got used to intense 30 minute blasts. I could definitely have gone heavier on certain exercises, but if I’d have gone heavier consistently, I think I’d have burnt out before the end. There were more band-based exercises than weight-based ones anyway, so it didn’t hugely matter.

WORKOUT REVIEW

The format was 5 rounds, each focused on a different body part, though with a strong core focus throughout, 3 exercises each round, 15 reps per exercise (some repeated on both sides), performed straight through then repeated.

There was quite a bit of variation. Some exercises, such as tricep kickbacks, were completely standard. There were some interesting compound exercises, such as a squat with a shoulder press and a twist, that neatly worked two body parts plus the core. And there were some nice little add-ons to make some moves a little harder or keep the core engaged, like one where you had to bend and straighten your knee (with a band round your thighs) while doing bicep curls. Finally, there were some really challenging floor moves, with a more straightforward core-focus, that hugely challenged both my abs and my balance. This side plank with knee pull (with the extra fun of a band) was a particular favourite).

side plank
Body Beast was over and I’d snuck back into the main room in case you’re wondering what happened to the hallway!

I felt like I was getting a good all over workout and an excellent core blast, while also keeping my heart rate elevated. But, although some individual exercises were killers, for the first half, I didn’t feel quite as challenged as I was expecting. The pace seemed slightly gentler than the similar workout in A Little Obsessed. But then, at the thirty minute mark – ie. where I’d be finished if I were doing ALO or 21 Day Fix or something – the whole thing started again. And it was quite amazing how much harder most of the exercises felt second time around. About ten minutes from the end, I was starting to feel like my endurance was close to its limits, though I pushed through. That said, the hour went much faster than I was anticipating. While it was a challenge, I have a sneaky suspicion that Autumn went easy on us for day one.

Squat rotating shoulder press
Lateral bear crawl
Spider loops
Bent over row
One hand renegade row twist with loop
Boat pose lat pull
Push up leg lift with loop
Chest fly with leg lift
Side V loop kicks
Staggered stance bicep curl (this is the thing I tried to describe that involves bending and straightening the knee)
C-curve crunch with weights at 90 degrees
Side plank knee pull (see wobbly picture!)
Tricep kickbacks
Single-arm loop extension
Tricep push ups (exactly what you want at the end of a long workout, obviously!)

And as I’ve made him look like the bad guy for exiling me to the hallway Studio Two, I should conclude by pointing out that my husband’s workout finished twenty minutes before mine, and he used the intervening time to cook me my healthy post-workout dinner, so I can’t complain too much!.

I’m now looking forward to tomorrow and “Booty”.

If you’re interested in doing 80 Day Obsession, comment below or contact me here.   And if you’re already up and running, let me know how your day one compared, below.

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.