ChaLEAN Extreme Burn Circuit Review

I’ve recently finished the first month of ChaLEAN Extreme, which is the Burn Phase, and have started the second phase, the Push Phase – actually, I’m starting my second week, I’m a little behind in my review. :)

Can I just tell you how much I LOVE ChaLEAN Extreme? Seriously! This program is SO up my alley. Besides the fact that I’m a huge fan of Chalene Johnson, and have the utmost respect for her and all she does, it feels like this program was built specifically for ME! Now, I know that it wasn’t, but it’s great to find another soul-mate workout that compliments my OTHER soul-mate workout, Turbo Kick/Jam/Fire!

Let me first give you a little insight to the Burn Phase – ChaLEAN Extreme is all about lifting heavier weights, fewer/slower reps, and building lean muscle mass. The Burn Phase combines multiple muscle groups in 1 rep. For example, instead of just doing a single leg lunge, you do the lunge then go right into a reverse fly = 2 muscle groups in 1 rep. The goal with the Burn Phase is to reach failure between 10-12 reps. So you’re probably saying, “Ok, so I’m SUPPOSED to fail?” Yep! You need to choose a resistance (either hand weights or resistance bands) that is heavy enough that you fail between 10-12 reps. In the Burn Phase you’ll be jump-starting your metabolism and start to break down fat reserves, yay!

I really enjoyed the Burn Phase – when I teach strength training group fitness classes, this is the style that I teach (shhh, in fact, I borrowed a few exercises from ChaLEAN Extreme for my LIFT class, they LOVED it!). So, after starting back to working out after having my son in October, my body accepted, and responded really well, to ChaLEAN Extreme! Unfortunately, I completely forgot to take my before measurements and body fat percentage before starting the program. I did take pictures (gasp!) – and fought the urge to delete them when I saw them, lol!

The first week I went pretty easy on myself and I quickly realized that I could push myself harder than I had been – I didn’t lose as much muscle as I had originally thought (yay for working out during pregnancy!). I increased my weights and reps every week, did more push up’s (my nemesis) on my toes and started to see muscle definition again! There were definitely days that were tougher than others. That was probably a combination of starting a new fitness program, having a 3-4 month old baby and having a case of the “Sickies” run through our house. Yes, I did get sick during the first month. I got a terrible head-cold, and the “rule of thumb” for working out while sick is: if the cold is above your shoulders you can work out, if the cold is below the shoulders take some time off. Well, I got a TERRIBLE head cold and sinus infection. The pressure in my head was just too much to handle, especially during squats, so I took a week off. But, once I was able to work out without feeling like my head was going to explode, I jumped right back into where I left off.

The ONLY thing I didn’t like during the month was that I didn’t see a reportable difference in the number showing on the scale. And, again, I slacked on taking my measurements and body fat percentage. So, although I’m pretty sure it’s because I was building lean muscle, there’s no way for me to say for sure. Darn! I can report that my clothes are fitting looser, I’m back into my pre-pregnancy clothes (yay!) and I have an increased level of energy, which is extremely helpful with my 4 month old and his nighttime feedings. And, if we’re being honest here, I probably have room for improvement when it comes to what I’m eating. Although I strive for clean eating, there are those times where it’s just easier to eat out than to cook a meal – I’m a busy mom, what can I say?

So, to wrap it up, I’d say that the first month was a success! There are things that I’m definitely more aware of, things that I’ll be working on both physically and mentally, but I think I’ve got a great foundation established to be successful for the remaining 2 months, which is the goal of the Burn Phase!