OK, so when day 4 rolled around, there's absolutely no way I could have anticipated how much my legs and butt were going to hurt. As a trainer, I have gotten pretty used to the fact that my body is going to hurt almost all of the time, however this was a whole new type of burn. Although you do have an upper body day, it's hardly enough to feel like you've recovered once you get though Pilates Extreme, and then you wake up to Lower Fix Extreme on Day 4. In my head, I had convinced myself that Day 4 was going to be a combination of lower body moves, all slow and controlled, with no jumping. If this is also your wish, throw it right out the window!
Autumn takes this opportunity to give you almost all lower body movements with weight, and each exercise is 1 full minute, 30 seconds with your feet grounded, 30 seconds with plyometric jumping. So when you wake up on day 4 thinking, "I might be able to walk normal after this workout", please reconsider what you'll actually feel like. Plyometric jumping, which utilizes different muscle groups and fibers than grounded leg work, is on Day 1, but you'll see it again here. What also makes this a real leg burner, is the 1-minute exercises. Anyone who's done jumping for 30-seconds will tell you that their butt is on fire, so add weighted stationary squats followed directly by squat jumps, and you're probably going to be reaching for the grandma bar in the ladies room every time you try to pee.
My favorite butt-burning move of the day was definitely the Lat Band Step! With all the squats, lundges, and jumps I've done before, I'm not sure my side-butt (as my client Whitney likes to refer to it) has ever been burning more. As this is one of the last moves in the routine, I'm not sure if it's just the combination of all the slaughtering that makes this feel fantastic, or just that it's an awesome move, but it'll definitely tighten and tone your butt and thighs!
There's also very little that's exciting and new to tell you about in regards to food and recipes, because once you really focus on this C2C Meal Plan, you're really eating the same things almost all the time. If you're someone who needs a variety of choices, and can't eat the same thing all of the time, then I would suggest you choose the less rigid Extreme Eating Plan, as you'll have far more proteins, veggies, fruits, and carbs to choose from. For myself, my focus is on changing my body as quickly as possible, with the best results as possible, even if that means throwing food in a blender and drinking it, (I joke, but I've also considered it throughout the week.) I'm also getting used to this whole drinking Coconut Oil thing. Although they allow you to intake the oil through cooking, Autumn typically melts hers and drinks it. So, as I wanted to stick as closely as possible to her nutritional plan, I have been doing the same. It used to be tequila in a shot glass, and now I find myself in front of my microwave waiting to take Coconut Oil shooters. Ahhh, how life changes. The taste and texture don't bother me at all, but it's certainly something to become accustomed to!
When I woke up on Day 4, my then current weight was 145.7 lbs. compared to my starting weight of 148.4 lbs. The previous 2 days, however, I had weighed myself in the afternoon after drinking and eating, which really isn't a good idea when you want to trend something with numbers. For that reason I started making sure I always weigh myself first thing in the morning with no clothes on. I want to see the numbers based on weighing myself at the same time every day. Even still, this is the lightest weight I have been since I was probably 12 or 13 years old. I felt accomplished and happy, and it was a great motivator to stay focused on my nutrition, even if I could barely walk up and down the stairs!
It's also important to mention, as I am someone who truly believes that weight alone is not enough to track our successes in our fitness journey, that my Body Fat % had decreased from 29.1% to 28.5% and my Muscle Mass had increase from 30.8% to 31.1%! These are the number that matter most to me. I could care less if I ever get into the 130's, but I would love to be 18% Body Fat. Weight is a number, Body Fat and Muscle Mass determine how your body looks. Always remember that when you're tracking your weight loss journey!
DAY 5: CARDIO FIX EXTREME
Oh Autumn...up until now I really liked this lady. She reminds me a lot of one of my best girlfriends Tanya, so every time I workout I smirk at some of her mannerisms and facial expressions because it makes me think of one of my besties. Today, however, I swore at my TV around a dozen times, and had some seriously negative thoughts about the reality of this whole thing. I'm not sure if it was the carb depletion, or that my legs just haven't had a day to recover, but this woman is just NON-STOP jumping!!! I'm all about lower-body work, and cardiovascular work, but why-oh-why am I always f**king jumping around??? This day was the day that made me realize that this workout routine, if you're someone who pushes until you feel like you're going to collapse, is absolutely no joke, and not for the feint of heart. Mentally, you must be fully prepared to break through that voice that says I can't, and learn to modify when your body won't let you. I push, and I push REALLY hard...and this day was a real mental challenge. That being said, I did it, I finished it, and I also have been walking funny since. I'm not trying to discourage anyone, but I want to be a realist. If you saw the infomercial for this product, and you've never worked out before, the chances that you will succeed are slim. This takes some real mental and physical toughness. If you've never completed a program before, this absolutely is not where you want to start!
All that hate talk aside, that's not to say that I didn't find the workout rewarding, and didn't have a favorite move. I love Weighted Skaters, as they work every muscle group, force rotation in the abdominals, and also work your butt.
As I was still on the Countdown to
Competition Meal Plan, my food varied very little. Protein and green
veggies, coconut oil, and one carb. I don't think it's necessary to
tell you what I ate every day, but just to address that being this
tight on my diet has certainly effected my energy levels on days that
I train, or work behind the bar because I just don't have the energy
sources that my body is used to. However, it is almost like I can
feel my body burning fat, so I suppose it's working regardless. That
being said, I will touch upon trying to eat 8 times a day. For the
first few C2C days I was trying to eat a protein at every “meal”,
quickly finding that it was near impossible to fit all the proteins
into one day. Don't ask me why I didn't double up on my lunches or
dinners, but for whatever reason it didn't occur to me until around
this day. If you find yourself attacking the C2C Meal Plan while
doing 21-Day Fix Extreme, take this into consideration. Eat two red
containers for lunch and/or for dinner, depending on what your
caloric intake is supposed to be, and what time you finish your last
meal.
This morning I also saw a weight loss going from my previous 145.7 lbs. to 145.3 lbs., which is certainly something. To have continued weight loss over every day is amazing. Some days the loss is bigger than others, but even if I lost .4 lbs. every day, I'd have lost almost 10 lbs. overall with the program in 21-days. That's just awesome weight math! I also saw a decrease in Body Fat % from 28.5% to 28.3%, and an increased Muscle Mass from 31.1% to 31.2%. Although these seem like very small changes, you have to realize that they are HUGE in terms of one-day losses and gains!
Remember, if you want to try ANY Beachbody program, including this 21-Day Fix Extreme, you can order it through me right HERE! For ordering through me you will also receive an additional FREE DVD, Don't miss out!
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