Monday, August 15, 2016

21 Day Fix Extreme Bonus Workout Review: The Fix Challenge

I love that when you order through a coach, you get an extra bonus workout!  The one that came with the Fix, Plyo Fix, turned out to be my favorite of the entire workout.  Although this one isn't my favorite of Extreme, I do like it an awful lot.  This one requires no weights and is set up totally different from any of the other Fix or Fix Extreme workouts.  Ready for the challenge?  Here we go!

Today's Workout:  The Fix Challenge

Autumn's Inspirational Quote of the Day:  "Only look back to see how far you've come"
This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:  "Don't look back--you aren't going that way"

Equipment:  mat (optional)

Total Workout Time:  28:54  (no weights AND less then 30 minutes?!  Easy, breezy...wait, we're doing what?!)

Set up: let me see if I can explain this in a way that makes any kind of sense.  You start out by doing 1 move, repeated 4 times, then you repeat that move 4 times and add on the second move for 4 reps.  Then you combine the first move, the second move, and add on a third move, repeating each move for 4 reps.  You keep building the moves until ultimately you have 13 moves, which you then repeat 2 times.  You end up doing something like 60 surrenders when it's all said and done.  When Autumn says it's a challenge, she means it!

Exercises:
Warm-up (about 1 and a half minutes):  jog, step back right and left, roll shoulders back, roll shoulders front, side lunge right and left, front lunge with a twist right and left, alternating kick and touch your toe.

Okay, so here I'm just going to tell you the moves.  But remember:  you do the move, add on the next move, then repeat the set of moves, so you're not just going through each move, you're constantly building and repeating.

Surrenders:  oh, goody, they're back.  You hated them before, you'll hate them now:  start with your right leg, go down onto your knee, left knee, stand up on right leg, left leg.  Do 2 on right leg, 2 on left leg.
Inchworm:  standing position, walk down to your toes, walk out into plank, walk back and stand up, 4 times THEN do 4 surrenders and 4 inchworms and then add on the next move.  See how this is working?
Down and Ups:  in plank position, go down onto your right forearm, left forearm, back up to plank on right, then left.  Do 2 with right arm, 2 on left arm.  Take it from the top.
Hip Drops:  in plank position, go back down to forearms and drop right hip to the floor, then left, for a total of 4 reps.  Start with Surrenders again.
Side-Arm Balance:  push back onto hands in plank, turn to right side, stack hips, and reach arm to the ceiling, switch to the other side, for a total of 4 reps.  Back to the top.
         
Push-ups:  regular push up for 4 reps.  Start back at Surrenders.
Knee Tuck:  in plank position, bring right knee to left elbow, then left knee to right elbow, for a total of 4 reps.  Back to the top.
    
Leg Lift:  in plank position, lift right leg, then left, for a total of 4 reps.  Start over from Surrenders.
Burpee:  from plank position at leg lift, jump into squat, jump up into a burpee, back down to squat and down to the floor and back into plank, for a total of 4 reps.  Repeat circuit from Surrenders.
Jump Lunge:  from burpee, jump right left forward, then left, then repeat for a total of 4 reps.  Start over from Surrenders.
Narrow Wide Squat:  start with feet together and bend into squat, legs out into wide squat, repeat for a total of 4 reps.  Take it from the top.
Curtsy Lunge:  step back and cross over with right leg, then left, for a total of 4 reps.  Start with surrenders.
Skaters:  cross back leg behind and tap the ground with your opposite arm for a total of 4 reps.
Okay, now you've done all the moves!  Repeat all moves two more times from the beginning.

Cooldown:  just over 1 and a half minutes.

Personal Opinions and Difficulty:  I have to be honest.  Before I tried this workout for the first time, I really thought it was going to be a joke.  I mean, I don't know WHY I was thinking that, since Autumn kicks my butt every day, but it just seemed like it was going to be simple.  I was wrong.  This is a serious workout and definitely stands up to the others in the program.  I typically do this in place of Cardio Fix Extreme.
Difficulty: 5/5  Uh-uh, you won't be moving much after this one.  Those surrenders, ugh!!  The moves themselves aren't that hard, but boy, oh, boy, you will be feeling them!
Enjoyment:  4/5  I like this workout, but doing the moves over and over can be kind of repetitive.  By the end I'm thinking that we've done enough inchworms, push-ups, burpees, etc.  I do like all the moves though and think that this workout is a nice change from the usual Autumn workout structure.
Overall:  5/5  This workout has a lot of variety and is perfect for those days when you want a workout but don't feel like using the weights.  I think this workout is a great addition to the regular rotation and when it is subbed for Plyo, I still feel like I'm getting a full-body workout (minus the jumping).  This workout and the other included in the Ultimate set are worth it, in my opinion.

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