Having rescheduled the last non-optional workout of the Mass Challenge to today, it felt great to click the "Complete" button for the day! :) Tomorrow's optional stretching routine w/ Kayla is a favorite, so it's definitely on the to do list for tomorrow before marking the Challenge complete.
Today's final scheduled non-optional workout w/ Tasha was one which was recently done, and she has a newer version of the same format which hadn't yet been tried. So....as usual when faced w/ soooo many exciting new workouts, the new one was swapped in for the older one, and voila, another nicely challenging Tasha workout is complete and added to the favorites list! :)
Both are the same format, the same length, and the same difficulty level, but for some reason this one felt even more enjoyable than the scheduled one. It was an interestingly good challenge w/ creative exercises, and is definitely going on the favorites list!
You know it's a ridiculously tough finisher when 60 seconds of full push-ups releases felt "easy" relative to the preceding crazy plank variations which burned the shoulders and core simulatenously. Then, just when you're feeling like toast and ready to quit, it's time to pick yourself up and do it all over again, lol! ;) One that note, it felt encouraging when even our fearless leader, Tasha, was feeling the burn of the finisher too! :D
It would be really cool to have BE format finishers so as not to feel that dread of having to face climbing the mountain of impossibility all over again, haha! A Part 3 from Tasha in BE format would be really cool! :)
Overall, the Mass Challenge was a good balance of intense strength training and burnouts w/ moderate cardio and some Pilates. It felt more doable than the Booty/Flex combo (which actually triggered muscle loss, not gain), and highly effective at targeting the muscles well w/o overtraining. With appropriately challenging weights, it is in the Goldilocks zone - not too hard, so as to be detrimental, and not too easy, so as to be ineffective at building muscle mass. For those who prefer toning over mass-building, using slightly lighter weights turns the Mass Challenge into a great toning challenge.
Of all the 1-2 Week Plus Challenges completed so far (Abs, Booty, Bored Easily, Busy People, Flex, Fundamentals, Short & Sweet, Simply Stretch, Reach, You vs. You), this one is the suprising favorite.
Along those lines, it would be really cool to see a Pilates/Strength Training Challege with an equal blend of both strength and Pilates.
Next on the schedule is the Burn Challenge, w/ mods as needed - starting either next week or the following week, depending on the work schedule.
Hope your weekend is going well, and happy Blending everyone! :)
Mass Challenge - COMPLETE! :)
Having rescheduled the last non-optional workout of the Mass Challenge to today, it felt great to click the "Complete" button for the day! :) Tomorrow's optional stretching routine w/ Kayla is a favorite, so it's definitely on the to do list for tomorrow before marking the Challenge complete.
Today's final scheduled non-optional workout w/ Tasha was one which was recently done, and she has a newer version of the same format which hadn't yet been tried. So....as usual when faced w/ soooo many exciting new workouts, the new one was swapped in for the older one, and voila, another nicely challenging Tasha workout is complete and added to the favorites list! :)
This was the workout chosen instead of the scheduled one: https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos/circuit-style-upper-body-strength-with-cardio-bursts-part-2
Both are the same format, the same length, and the same difficulty level, but for some reason this one felt even more enjoyable than the scheduled one. It was an interestingly good challenge w/ creative exercises, and is definitely going on the favorites list!
You know it's a ridiculously tough finisher when 60 seconds of full push-ups releases felt "easy" relative to the preceding crazy plank variations which burned the shoulders and core simulatenously. Then, just when you're feeling like toast and ready to quit, it's time to pick yourself up and do it all over again, lol! ;) One that note, it felt encouraging when even our fearless leader, Tasha, was feeling the burn of the finisher too! :D
It would be really cool to have BE format finishers so as not to feel that dread of having to face climbing the mountain of impossibility all over again, haha! A Part 3 from Tasha in BE format would be really cool! :)
Overall, the Mass Challenge was a good balance of intense strength training and burnouts w/ moderate cardio and some Pilates. It felt more doable than the Booty/Flex combo (which actually triggered muscle loss, not gain), and highly effective at targeting the muscles well w/o overtraining. With appropriately challenging weights, it is in the Goldilocks zone - not too hard, so as to be detrimental, and not too easy, so as to be ineffective at building muscle mass. For those who prefer toning over mass-building, using slightly lighter weights turns the Mass Challenge into a great toning challenge.
Of all the 1-2 Week Plus Challenges completed so far (Abs, Booty, Bored Easily, Busy People, Flex, Fundamentals, Short & Sweet, Simply Stretch, Reach, You vs. You), this one is the suprising favorite.
Along those lines, it would be really cool to see a Pilates/Strength Training Challege with an equal blend of both strength and Pilates.
Next on the schedule is the Burn Challenge, w/ mods as needed - starting either next week or the following week, depending on the work schedule.
Hope your weekend is going well, and happy Blending everyone! :)