Posted in: Workouts / Workout Programs

FB Blend - review

Program Complete!

I was very excited to do this one when it came out, and it did not disappoint.

There is HIIT. There is strength training. There is pilates. There is kickboxing. Even kettlebells make an appearance. And it's all lots of fun.

There were brand new 2019 workouts. And some great slightly older ones. And even three or so voice-over workouts. So even workout age was a blend!

I can't really focus on results this time because I'm not doing the PFT or trying to change anything else. Cardio fitness & endurance seem about the same, which is great. And core strength seems to have improved, yay. Let's move on.

The structure of the program is similar to Sweat in that every day has a main workout and an optional extra credit. In Blend, the main workout is generally around 40-45 minutes, and the extra credit 10-15 minutes.

Sometimes the extra credit feels like extra rounds of the main workout. Sometimes it is similar in some ways and different in others. And sometimes it is completely different.

In the first two weeks, the body focus structure is Lower, Upper, Core, Upper, Lower. In week 3, it's a bit different: Total Body, Recovery, Total Body, Recovery, Total Body. And week 4 is a mixture: Lower, Upper, Core, Recovery, Total Body. Weeks 1-3 have an optional recovery day 6, which is purely stretching in this program. I enjoyed the standard structure of weeks 1 and 2, and then enjoyed the variety in weeks 3 and 4!

I felt like there was a perfect balance of strength and cardio, HIIT and recovery, dumbbells and pilates.

A couple of months ago, Kristina reviewed Sweat and shared the breakdown of the main and extra credit workout types. (Strength training, cardio or both.) I couldn't resist comparing Blend. I won't share the figures, but they're roughly the same - only one different for most of the combinations. The only big difference is that Sweat has 4 days with the main workout cardio and extra credit strength training - and Blend has 0. And Blend has 4 days where the extra credit is stretching.

So my favourite things about the program:

- Extra credit stretching!! I'm a big fan. What a great idea. It's nice to say "You can always do extra stretching," but scheduling it in a program shows how important you find it.

- The variety. There was a great blend of everything! It really kept things interesting, as well as making it a really well-rounded program.

- One day had an alternative main workout. A great way to make the program work for every individual.

And the absolute best thing about Blend...

In weeks 1 and 2, there was a roughly even split (the perfect blend!) of Daniel and Kelli. Most days were one workout with Daniel and the other with Kelli, with a few all-Kelli and all-Daniel days mixed in. (Sadly, this dropped off in week 3... But then Daniel was back by the middle of week 4.)

In short: what a wonderful program! I recommend it to everyone!