“Go Heavy or Go Home!”

That’s the motto of Chalene Johnson during Month 2, the Push Phase, of the amazing ChaLEAN Extreme® program – that I just completed yesterday! I can’t believe I’m 2 months into this program, I swear it feels like I just started! One month left to go, and I think I’m going to be really sad when it’s over. (Hey, it’s a good thing I bought the Deluxe DVDs when I did so I can continue on after the 90 day period!)

The Push Phase is quite different from the from month of the program, but scheduled similarly to the Burn Phase.

A typical week of the Push Phase looks like this:

• Day 1 – Push Circuit 1
• Day 2 – Rest
• Day 3 – Push Circuit 2
• Day 4 – Burn Intervals & Ab Burner/Extreme Abs
• Day 5 – Push Circuit 3
• Day 6 – Burn It Off! & Recharge
• Day 7 – Rest

Which, as you can see – is basically the same format as the Burn Phase, but with a switch to the Push DVDs. It’s a great schedule, with sufficient time for your body to recuperate after such hard work!

I found I really needed the rest days this month, as I upgraded my weights throughout the month and really pushed my muscles – and they needed time to rest before putting them to work all over again! So, the two rest days this month were like a blessing from above.

Here’s what the workouts looked like:

Push Circuit 1 (approx 34 min) – Along with the schedule itself being similar in this month, the format of the circuit workouts is very similar as well. The goal in this circuit is to fail at 6-8 reps, in contrast to the 10-12 reps from the Burn Phase. This workout focuses on arms and shoulders primarily, but like all CX workouts, there is plenty of leg action as well. Hellooooo squats!

Push Circuit 2 (approx 35 min) – More high weight, low rep training focusing on lats, delts, shoulders and legs. It’s really a lot of the same idea in this program – just different exercises to do in each Circuit!

Burn Intervals (approx 50 min) – Same program as reviewed in the Burn Phase, click here to read!

Ab Burner (approx 10 min) - Same program as reviewed in the Burn Phase, click here to read!

Extreme Abs (approx 17 min) – Another short and quick Ab routine, but much more intense than Ab Burner in my opinion. I kept my heart rate up with this program and really felt the burn in my abs!

Push Circuit 3 (approx 33 min) – Another workout similar to Circuits 1 & 2 – focusing on arms and legs.

Burn It Off! (approx 35 min) - Same program as reviewed in the Burn Phase, click here to read!

Recharge (approx 20 min) - Same program as reviewed in the Burn Phase, click here to read!

Overall 

I was really impressed to see how much progress I’d made in my strengh this month. When I first started this program, I was using 5 lb weights, and managed to squeak my way up to 12.5 lbs by the end of the first month. This month, I pushed way beyond that and had to upgrade to using my boyfriend’s 15 lb and 20 lb weights, and by the end of the month, I was using them consistently throughout all Push Circuit exercises – talk about a change in strength in only two months!

Again, like any other program you are doing – it’s all about what you feel comfortable with, and you should only be lifting what’s within your capability. But this wonderful thing about this program is that it really makes you push yourself and realize you are far stronger than what you think your capabilities are! As Chalene says, you don’t know what you can do until you try! So it’s worth making the effort to push yourself and see how far you can go – you just might be surprised! I surely know I was!

Once again the printable workout sheets (available here from Teach Beachbody) are a great way to keep your workouts tracked, so you can know if you want to increase your weight or reps the next week.

Results

I wasn’t surprised to see that I did not lose any weight this month – actually it stayed exactly the same as last month. However, that’s only because I know I put on a ton of muscle in the Push Phase! My measurements also changed significantly – I lost almost 5″ from my body (mainly in my hips and legs). So, knowing that I shrunk my body, increased my strength and muscle size, and didn’t change the number on the scale – I’m thrilled! I know my body has gotten a lot more strong and lean this month.

Conclusion

I’m loving this program. Seriously, I never thought I’d be someone who was addicted to strength training, but that day has truly come. I’ve been recommending the program to anyone that will listen – it’s amazing how empowered I feel after pushing myself so hard. I’m excited to see what the final Lean Phase will bring, and what it will do for my body! Thank you, Chalene!

Message me if you’d like any more information on the ChaLEAN Extreme® program, or if you’d like to give it a go for yourself! I am here to help and coach you along your way!

More on ChaLEAN Extreme: Product Website

Buy ChaLEAN Extreme: BB Store

My Beachbody Homepage: FitAficionada