2014 Official Chaz Fitness Challenge

Man I wish I liked lifting. Just doing 20 minutes of heavy weights is torture to me. So boring and repetitive. I'd rather spend an hour on the elliptical with my music...

RD, you can do it! Just do what you enjoy. Diet is the big part though and you seem to have that covered. Just eat plenty of protein, fat and veggies to keep you full (I don't believe in cutting food groups though).

Finally tried PiYo today... everybody told me it was hard and strength training based and I would love it. I... didn't. It wasn't really that hard either which was... kind of disappointing. The biggest challenge I had was my wrists started to hurt from a lot of downward dogs... and also, while we were stretching and doing that whole ten minutes of just relaxing and doing nothing stuff, I could hear BodyPump in the room behind me and OH MY GOD did I wish I were in that room instead. Just so badly wanted to be in there doing the shoulder track instead of sitting there in pigeon pose for 45 seconds.

Supposedly everybody was super sore from this release last week so we'll see how I feel tomorrow, maybe I will take it back and be sore and be like WOW GREAT WORKOUT OW. But I don't think it's for me. I didn't super enjoy it and really wished I were working out with weights instead...

Oh well... sometimes you try things and love them, sometimes you try something and it just doesn't click. I'm bummed because I love the instructor, just not a fan of the format I don't think.

I wish my gym had PiYo classes, I'd probably give it a shot. I did the Beachbody program and liked it, it helped my core and my triceps the most though, weirdly. I've never tried yoga though, I'm guessing it's worse, lol.

Bodyattack is the one I want to try but it's at a horrible time, sadly. I'll have to try combat though... they have a convenient class on Fridays... Has anyone done it?

Yeah, this morning I can tell my core had a decent workout yesterday, but that's about it. I know you don't have to feel like you just got your ass kicked to have gotten a good workout, and I don't have to be sore the next day either - but for me personally, when I'm strength training, I really enjoy that "****. I might have just been in a fight for my life." feeling as I drag myself out of the gym, hahaha.

I didn't exactly dislike it, it's just not the kind of workout I prefer. I also think an hour of yoga is just a bit long for me and I might prefer thirty minute rounds instead. I always encourage people to try stuff though, because until you try it you'll never know if you like it!

My gym doesn't offer Attack but I have done Combat! I love it. It's kind of like tai bo if you've ever done any of that, or TurboKick. Lots of punching and kicking, and it's great because there are different levels to it. You can stay at level one, or the moves can build and become tougher and more physical, so depending on how you're feeling you can dial it up and make it more intense or stay at level one and still get a really great workout. It is mainly cardio but there is an element to it that gives you some strength training. I would do it more often but it conflicts with another class I like just a little more right now, so I haven't done it in a while. But you should definitely try it if you get the chance, I think it's super fun. You will feel a little uncoordinated at first until you get the moves down, but so long as you keep moving, it's still great, haha!

Back on the 10 minute trainer here. Today started week three. Cardio and then I also did the "Lower Body" workout. I think my legs are still attached, but I can't be certain.

45 minute time cap - 5 rounds

22 KB swings
22 box jumps (20 inch)
400m run
22 burpees
22 wall balls (14lbs)

Total: 110 of everything& 2K run.
..I was 12 wall balls from finishing in 45 minutes. I did it in 45:58! So close yet so far.

I think we're doing to try and get our new workout room floor installed before Christmas. I would be so happy. The room is a great size and has everything I need, but I can't do any cardio in that room and I currently slip all over the bog-coloured shag carpet. Pushups and related exercises are annoying as heck unless it's all on the yoga mat.

Does anyone else have a workout room with specific flooring? I doubt it, but worth an ask. I think we're just going to do interlocking rubber mats.

I don't, but if I were going to do one, I would probably go for those interlocking foam mats too. It's an economical decision and the results are good. I don't think there's really any other better choice unless you invest a lot on the more expensive commercial gym floors, and that's just kinda crazy.

Exactly. The floor underneath the carpet is in good shape, so sticking interlocking foam over top is simple.

Beachbody had a great sale on Les Mills Combat with gloves so I snatched it for $30. I'm pretty excited to try it out, although I will probably not follow the program (just can't stick to Beachbody programs) but just do a workout here and there... plus it should be pretty useful when we're snowed in this Winter.

I need to get my free trainer appointment at the gym and ask for a good weight lifting routine with just dumbbells and body weight exercises. I'm still pretty much doing the exercises of Chalean Extreme for strength (using dumbbells) and I'm just SO BORED. I wish there was a way to make weight lifting exciting for me, but I put it right there with chores like doing dishes, that's how much I hate it. Except dishes can be done in 10 minutes and this needs 15-20 minutes if I don't want to half ass it (which I frankly seem to do half the time). Ugh. Last time he gave me some kind of circuit to do at the gym but frankly, I don't want to have to do it there when I have the equipment at home (or even worse, chasing equipment or having to wait to be able to do it).

I'm still alternating HIITs on the elliptical (I can do 30 minutes on a good day... it's KILLING me, in a good way I guess, but I really go all out during the high intensity phases) one day and some kind of cardio (3.5 fast walk, some stationary bike, or more elliptical) and weights the next day. Yesterday was my cardio/weights day and I felt like running though so I ran about 2 miles, then stopped to hopefully prevent soreness today... NOPE. I guess I just need to run more often so it doesn't happen every time. I'll have to find some time to do combat on those days too (just can't do anything on HIITs days, it's just too exhausting). And I should really do a PiYo workout here and there.

Still wish I could make away with strength altogether. But I guess it's what it takes.

Have you tried listening to some really great music while you lift? The difference between an "okay got it done" session and a "I LOVE THIS" session for me is the soundtrack. Same with my runs actually. I can go out and go for a run without any music, but I don't really enjoy it and love it and just let go the way I do if I've got music with me. If I forget my headphones at the gym, it's the same thing... the gym has music playing and I like some of their music, but it's not always the kind of stuff I want to lift heavy things to.

You could also try a high rep/low weight routine. There have been plenty of studies done, including by the US army, that show there is no difference between a high rep/low weight and low rep/high weight lifting routine. The biggest factor is simply if you push your muscles to fatigue. I don't really know what all you have tried to make it fun so I'm not sure what to really suggest!

Haha no I lift as heavy as I can so it's done faster :lol-sign: The problem I guess with music is I can't focus on it while I count reps anyway.

Well, I totally bombed this year. On to 2015!

the news thread is now "stuck"