The Chalean Extreme workout retails for $119.95.	The P90X workout retails for $119.95.
The basic kit (not the deluxe kit) comes included with the following: Burn Basics and Band Basics. This is an instructional DVD that guides you through the basics of how to lift the weight or use the bands. Burn Circuit. The Burn Circuit has three workouts. Circuit 1, 2 and 3. Typically you will perform each circuit once each week, for a total of 4 weeks, if you are following the program guide. Push Circuit. The Push Circuit also has three workouts. Circuit 1, 2,and 3. Again, performing each one, once a week, for a total of 4 weeks. Lean Circuit. Just like the first two circuits, three circuits, performing each one, once per week for 4 weeks. Burn Intervals. Burn Intervals is a weight/cardio workout, performed during each week of the program. Burn It Off. Also a cardio workout but with no weights. Shorter, and somewhat easier than the Burn Intervals. Performed each week during the program. Recharge. Recharge is a stretch/yoga routine, performed each week of the program. Performed each week during the program. Two Ab workouts. Extreme Abs and Ab Burner. Bodyfat calipers and guide to measure your badyfat throughout the program. A thigh toner band, used throughout the program for additional resistance during the circuits and the cardio routines. A Motivational audio CD and a “Healthy Eats” and Kitchen Makeover DVD. Also included with Chalean Extreme is a Fitness and Nutritional guidebook.	The basic kit (not including P90X+) comes included with the following: “How to Bring It” DVD. This DVD is a short instructional/introduction to the P90X workout. Explaining briefly the program, what is needed, and what to expect. Chest & Back. This DVD, depending on which rotation you follow, will depend on when you perform. In the most popular rotation the “Classic”. You workout with this DVD in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd week, and then again in the 9th and 11th week. Plyometrics. An extreme cardio routine, “jump training”. This workout is done every week, except on “recovery weeks”. Make no mistake, the recovery week, is not a time where you sit on the couch and eat potato chips. it’s a tough week in it’s own right, Just different than the typical weeks where you lift weights. Shoulders & Arms. This DVD goes right along with the Chest & Back, and used during the same weeks. Yoga X. This is a Yoga/Stretch DVD. This workout is done every week, and on the recovery weeks, it’s often done twice per week. Legs & Back. This DVD is used in every week of P90X, with the exception of the recovery weeks. Kenpo X. Kenpo X is a cardio kickboxing type routine. This cardio routine is used in every week of P90X. X-Stretch. A stretch routine which is performed every week in P90X. It’s not a requirement, and is done on your 7th day, if you choose to use it. Core Synergistics. A total body workout. Used with lighter weights, and is mixed with cardio moves as well. Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps. This workout is used in the Classic rotation on the 5th, 6th, and 7th week, and then again in the 10th and 12th week. Back & Biceps. This workout program is used in the same weeks as Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps. Ab Ripper X. This ab routine is brutal, and is used in every week of P90X, with the exception of the recovery weeks. It is usually performed on the same days as the resistance/weight workouts, or 3 times per week. Cardio X. This DVD is not used in the Classic rotation, however, it does have its place in the other rotations. It can also be a substitute for Plyometrics if you are not “ready” for Plyo yet. Also included with P90X is a Fitness and Nutritional guidebook.
Equipment needed for Chalean Extreme: Resistance bands or dumbbells. The program demonstrates the use of both, and you can get a great workout using either. It’s personal preference which you decide on. I personally enjoy both, and use the bands when traveling, and weights while at home. If you are looking for a alternative to dumbbells, and want an “all in one” dumbbell setup, you might consider PowerBlocks as an option.	Equipment needed for P90X: Resistance bands or dumbbells. The program demonstrates the use of both, and you can get a great workout using either. It’s personal preference which you decide on. I personally enjoy both, and use the bands when traveling, and weights while at home. If you are looking for a alternative to dumbbells, and want an “all in one” dumbbell setup, you might consider PowerBlocks as an option. A chin up bar, or a place to do pull ups. As an alternative, you can use the resistance bands to simulate pull ups. You only need a door attachment for this option.

Chalean Extreme vs P90X, Similarities:

• Both programs are led by two of the best fitness trainers at Beachbody, they both motivate and inspire you throughout the program.
• Both programs utilize Muscle Failure and Muscle Confusion. I have linked both of these terms to articles I have written, explaining what this is.
• Both programs offer variety in the program, by changing the workouts to prevent boredom, and again, to promote Muscle Confusion.
• Both programs have a detailed fitness guidebook. An invaluable tool throughout the program.
• Both programs utilize weights/resistance bands and cardio has the basis of each program.
• Each program provides a Nutritional guidebook, which includes recipes and nutritional information to assist you in your nutrition throughout the program. Each guidebook provides details on what to eat and when. Your diet, will change along with the program, for the best results. Let’s face it, your success in either program is going to be a direct result in both the exercise AND diet. Having a detailed guide, like both of these program is a definite benefit!

Chalean Extreme vs P90X: Summary

Some of the statements I made in my above review are my personal opinion. I have completed both P90X (several times) and Chalean Extreme (once). I completed Chalean Extreme after P90X. I believe that both programs are solid. Each one has it’s advantages and disadvantages, and it really comes down to personal preference. I would without a doubt say that you will be happy with either. Both are complete in every way from nutrition to exercise, to providing the exercise rotation etc.

Having said that, I personally feel that if you have completed P90X already, and like that level of intensity, then Chalean Extreme will be a step down. If you have not completed P90X, and want a solid program to stay fit and healthy, and don’t necessarily want the extra added intenisty of P90X, I think you will love Chalean Extreme. Taking it another step forwards, if you are wanting to do a round of P90X, then I think Chalean Extreme is the perfect program to get you ready.

When I did my complete round of Chalean Extreme, it was with the goal of staying or maintaining my current level of fitness that I had previously achieved with P90X. After 12 weeks, (with the exception of getting weaker in chin ups), I don’t believe I took a step backward by doing Chalean Extreme. Of course, I can’t do as many chin ups as I once could, but I will quickly get back to speed in no time.

If you have done a round of P90X and would like to maintain your results and not lose the results you have achieved, and are looking for a nice change, I think Chalean Extreme will work nicely for you.

I am basing my reviews on the base programs of each. You can easily modify and make a hybrid routine of either program. For example. I am used to working out 6 days a week from P90X. So when I noticed Chalean was only 5 days, I simply added in an extra cardio day. If I wanted more ab workouts than Chalean Extreme has in the base program, simply add them. These programs are completely customizable to best suit the individual. Likewise, if you want to try P90X, without doing an entry program first, you can. You may start and decide to do the entire program, or you may start and decide to do the best you can on each workout, that may or may not be the entire workout.

I do not regret doing Chalean at all! I had previously completed 8 rounds of P90X and was looking forward to changing up my routine. If I do another round of Chalean, I will likely throw in some chin ups, and be perfectly content.

In my final words about Chalean Extreme vs P90X, I’m going to go out on a limb. I like the intensity of P90X, it’s harder than Chalean (as a base program). I don’t believe someone with weight loss as their primary goal should do P90X as a starter program. However, I believe Chalean Extreme would be an excellent choice for weight loss and a starter program. I also think that Chalean Extreme is a great program for those of you that have completed a starter program. So depending on where you are at in your fitness level, would really determine which to choose, and then of course, your personal preference.

Chalean Extreme has some of the best cardio I have ever done. I love Burn Intervals, Get Lean Intervals and Fat Burn Challenge. Excellent. I thoroughly enjoy these cardio workouts! To get the Get Lean Intervals and Fat Burn Challenge, you will need to get the Deluxe version of Chalean Extreme, or get the regular Chalean and upgrade to the Deluxe DVD later. Either way, you want these extra cardio workouts!

People all over the world, are getting incredible results with both programs! Some are doing them as written in the guides, others are making hybrid routines to satisfy their personal preferences. Either way, I strongly encourage you to pick one of these programs, you can’t go wrong in getting started in a fitness program, and either one of these can take you to your fitness goals. Even Tony Horton (fitness instructor in P90X) will tell you, that variety is the spice of life. So do both, build a fitness library, change it up, spice it up, keep your fitness moving forwards and break through the plateaus of doing the same old cardio and weight routines. I sincerely hope that you have found this review beneficial, as I have spent 3 days working on it off and on, I wanted to be as complete as possible, to help you in your decision. If I missed something you feel is important in the “Similarities or Differences” feel free to send me an email. Good luck on your journey, and I’m here if you need some help along the way! robert@extremely-fit.com

Don’t for get to take a look at my ChaLEAN Extreme Reviews. You may also review my P90X Reviews as well.

Many women who want to get in shape think their best plan of attack is to spend hours on the treadmill. Sure, cardiovascular exercise like that burns fat. However, it’s far from the most effective weight loss method. In fact, only participating in cardio exercise fails to boost metabolism for the long term. It also leads to boredom and over time, your body stops getting challenged.

So, why don’t more women expand their fitness regimen? Well, it seems many females are afraid to include weight training in their routine. They fear lifting weights will cause them to “bulk up” and look masculine. As a result, they either avoid weights entirely, or use weights so light they can easily do twenty to fifty repetitions. The truth, though, is that resistance training with weights is the number one way to get in shape – no matter what gender you are.

What makes resistance training so important? Well, when you build muscle, you help your body burn fat even when it’s at rest. Muscle mass requires more energy than fat. Therefore, it eats up more calories even when you’re sleeping. Also, lean muscle mass is not inherently “bulky.” Gaining muscle will not automatically make you big. Instead, it will give your body a lean, toned physique, one you can be proud of and one you will want to show off.

So, how can someone start building muscle and burning fat quickly? It all comes down to keeping your body challenged. After weeks and months of the same activity, your muscles simply won’t respond to your fitness routine. To keep increasing your fitness, you need to incorporate variety. For example, the ChaLEAN Extreme program offers several different exercises and routine to keep your muscles guessing, also called muscle confusion. Programs like this also vary the weight and repetitions you use. This forces your body to constantly readjust and push itself further, which in turn continually improves your level of fitness.

Finally, even after reading all this, many women may still say no to muscle building exercises. Why? For the simple reason that they don’t want to go to the gym to lift weights. After all, that’s where all the guys go to weight train right? While the gym might have more equipment, practical fitness does not require all the extra gear. In fact, home routines can be just as effective as spending hours at the gym and a fortune on monthly membership fees. The best home workouts are those that are all-inclusive, easy to follow, and uses modern technology. The ChaLEAN Extreme program for instance, demonstrates several variations. You can use dumbbells, resistance bands, or an adjustable dumbbell (I use PowerBlocks). ChaLEAN Extreme also features simple, carefully illustrated DVDs as well as an instructional DVD and additional guidebooks (both a fitness and nutritional guide).

So, if you’re looking to completely makeover your body, get off the treadmill. Take a break from your endless hours of tedious cardio and grab some of those dumbbells. The more you challenge your body, the more muscle you will build, and the more muscle you build the faster you burn fat. It’s really that simple. Programs like ChaLEAN Extreme are the best way to get you started, and offers the variety to keep you going for months!

So, you’ve been working out for some time and are really starting to see results. Then, suddenly, you can’t seem to make any improvements to your fitness level. Your workouts seem easier and your body isn’t as sore the next day. Plus, your muscles simply aren’t growing. What is the cause of all this? The answer is simple: boredom.

Even though your mind may not be bored by your workout regimen, your muscles probably are. If you consistently do the same exercises week after week, you are bound to hit the dreaded workout plateau. To fix this, you need to keep your muscles interested in your workout. How can you do this?

Well, you can confuse your muscles by varying your workout routine, Muscle Confusion.

In addition to challenging your body and promoting bigger gains, muscle confusion can also protect against injury. If you consistently perform the same routine, you will always be working the same muscle fibers. By altering your moves, you can strengthen your muscles from new angles. This helps create a balance in strength that will protect you from sprains and other overuse injuries.

The big thing to remember when trying to confuse your muscles is that you want to keep working the same muscles just in a new, different way. For example, you may switch from a regular bench press to a chest press with dumbbells. You can do this with any muscles by simply switching between designated machines, cables, resistance bands, and free weights.

In addition to changing your moves, you can also change other variables in your workout. For example, you can add or remove a set and change the number or repetitions done. Similarly, you can change the weight you lift for a particular move. Alternating between a lower weight (10-12 per set) and a higher one (6-8 per set) on different days can really challenge your body.

Most experts recommend varying your routine at least every four weeks to keep muscles confused. Remember, there are hundreds of exercises out there. So, you should never feel trapped into your existing routine. If you are stuck trying to find some new moves, try surfing the web or asking a personal trainer. You can also swap routines with fellow fitness buffs. Even better, choose a workout program that is specifically designed to confuse your muscles week after week.

Choosing a program specifically designed for muscle confusion is my personal preference. Fitness trainers like Tony Horton with P90X and Chalene Johnson with ChaLEAN Extreme, are excellent choices. These programs vary your workouts to maximize the Muscle Confusion concept, which in turn maximizes your results!

As with any fitness program, practicing muscle confusion requires certain principles be adhered to. First, make sure you utilize proper form for maximum results with minimal injury risk. Also, be sure to give your muscles time to rest between workouts and fuel up with proper nutrition. Remember, just because your routine changes, doesn’t mean your healthy lifestyle should too.

For more information on Muscle Confusion, watch the P90X Muscle Confusion video.

If you want to reach your ultimate potential when it comes to fitness, then you first have to fail. This means pushing your muscles to the point where they cannot continue to properly perform an exercise. To achieve muscle failure, your last rep should reach the point where you could not execute another repetition without assistance. When done properly, this type of workout can maximize your strength and muscle gains.

Muscle failure has become the key component in the “high intensity training” weightlifting movement. Under the high intensity training (or HIT) model, short but intense workouts are prescribed for maximum gains in minimal time. Additionally, due to the effort exerted in an HIT workout that goes to muscle failure, someone participating in such a fitness regimen will require greater amounts of rest and recovery. During this recovery, muscles experience extensive growth as they try to heal after being pushed to failure. Remember, muscles grow larger and stronger by rebuilding the fibers that have been strained during exercise.

Muscle failure has proven exceptionally successful for people known as “hard gainers.” Hard gainers are individuals who find it nearly impossible to increase their muscle mass due to their bodies’ natural inclination to be skinny. However, everyone can benefit from incorporating muscle failure exercises into their fitness routine. Why? Because muscle burns fat. (more on that later).

Two excellent programs for reaching muscle failure is the new ChaLEAN Extreme and the ever popular P90X! Each program emphasizes this process called muscle failure. In order to consistently reach this goal, though, you will need to keep track of the weights you use each workout session. Remember, as the sets get easier, you need to up the weights to keep challenging your body. The last 3 reps of each exercise should be hard. And the last rep should be the last rep you can perform with good form.

Much controversy exists around the training to failure issue. While many bodybuilders practice this method of training, others are not convinced of its merits. Those who do not support muscle failure fear it can be dangerous. This is true, but only if you do not practice proper safety and form. When working to muscle failure, you want to push your body to perform repetitions until no more can be sustained with proper form. Some people try to push even further, though, by continuing to move through repetitions using improper technique. This can lead to injury and even over training. When either of these results occurs, strength gains will obviously be less apparent.

Ultimately, working to muscle failure can help you challenge your body, push past a workout plateau, and reach a new fitness peak. This exercise principle encourages the growth of new muscle mass. As anyone interested in fitness knows, this increased mass means greater calorie burns each day. Subsequently, increased muscle mass is directly related to faster weight loss. So, if you want to gain muscle, lose weight, and reach your peak potential, remember to push your hardest at each workout. If you try hard, you can fail, and if you fail, you will grow.

Download your ChaLEAN Extreme Worksheets here.

If you’re working out with ChaLEAN Extreme, Chalene Johnson is constantly reminding you to track your progress.  Personally, I feel like there are two reasons to track your progress using the ChaLEAN Extreme Worksheets.

1. When I first started working out with P90X, I started writing down my weight and my reps for each exercise.  It’s encouraging to look back over time and see where you started, to see where you’ve improved.  For example, I started P90X only being able to perform 3 wide grip chin ups.  Today I can easily perform 15 wide grip chin ups, with good form.  To me that’s encouraging.  So that’s one important reason to track your progress with the ChaLEAN Extreme Worksheets.

2. To improve with each day, week, and month, you have to push yourself beyond your comfort zone.  Constantly strive to improve your number of reps, or amount of weight each time you do an exercise.  For example, let’s say on week 5, you start Push Circuit 1. If you do the Standard Biceps with 15 lbs, and are able to perform 7 reps, then the following week, your goal should be 8 reps. Once you hit 8 reps, raise your weight to 20 lbs.  You see what I mean?  How can you challenge and push yourself, if you don’t know what you’ve done the week before?  And now that I think about it, I personally have a third reason for using the ChaLEAN Extreme Worksheets.

3. Using the worksheets, whether it be with ChaLEAN Extreme or P90X, prevents me from “bailing out” too early.  Going back to the Push Circuit 1 example.  If I lift 15 lbs, and get 7 reps, then I KNOW I can do AT LEAST that amount.  So when I’m feeling “tired and run down” I can’t use that as an excuse.  I will ALWAYS lift what I did the week before at a MINIMUM, and ALWAYS strive to improve.

So there you have it, 3 reasons to use the ChaLEAN Extreme Worksheets. I have used that phrase throughout this blog post so that you can download your extra copies.  Just click a link.  Obviously, you can use the workbook that came with the program, but what about round 2?  And round 3?  Remember, we’re in this together, whether it’s ChaLEAN Extreme or P90X, or whatever program you’re on, just keep pushing play, set goals, try new programs, and stay fit!  Contact me anytime for help, encouragement, questions.

Welcome back for more ChaLEAN Extreme Reviews! Before I get started into today’s review of Push Circuit 3, I wanted to go off track just a little bit. If you want to skip my “side track”, scroll down to the bold title print “ChaLEAN Extreme Review: Push Circuit 3″ below.

I wanted to say that this week was especially rewarding for me. Last week I was forced to miss a week of workouts due to an ice storm. The storm knocked out our electricity for a week! So getting back into the workouts was a great feeling. But what was even more rewarding was the feedback and comments I have been receiving regarding the ChaLEAN Extreme Reviews. It’s encouraging to know that there are other people out there working hard, losing weight, and getting in shape. Most importantly, they are making a lifestyle change to improve their quality of life. I love the feedback, comments and testimonials. Keep them coming! It’s nice to know that while I write these reviews alone, others are getting something from them as well. Email me anytime, even if it’s just to say Hi!

ChaLEAN Extreme Reviews: Push Circuit 3.

My alarm clock is far from welcome in my house. But I have to give it some credit, we have something in common. We are both consistent! Every morning at 5:30am the alarm clock goes off, and every morning at 5:30am, I get out of bed. This is the first step to being successful in your workout program. Get moving! Set a time, and be consistent. When that time comes, start moving! Next thing you know, you’re dressed and in your gym clothes, and the DVD is turning in the player, and before you know it, Chalene Johnson has you started with the “shoulder rolls”. Then some squats, followed by some triceps, hamstring stretches, and a few other “consistent” stretches of the ChaLEAN Extreme warm up. Right up through the warm up, it’s like every other Burn or Push Circuit, and it’s consistent. I like consistency. After the warm up though, we get into something different, and different is good too. Challenging the body with different exercises is going to force your muscles to adapt and grow. And we want to grow, more muscle, means we burn more fat. Burning more fat means we are burning more calories. And we all want to burn fat, burn calories, and get lean and fit!

Just like Push Circuit 1 and Push Circuit 2, we want to reach muscle failure between 6 and 8 reps. Meaning we want to keep good form, and want our last rep to be the absolute last rep you can do, while maintaining GOOD form. And remember, we are lifting SLOW.

Sumo Squat. Your stance here is double shoulder width apart. Taking a heavy set of weights, rest them on your quads. Now lower yourself slowly into a sumo squat, pause, then raise back up just as slow.

Single Arm Row. In a “runner type stance” with one leg in front of the other, hold your weight down to your side, and lift it slowly upwards, pause, and then lower the weight down. After you FAIL between 6 – 8 reps, switch sides. If you hit 8 reps, then you need to raise the weight next time.

Chest Fly. Lying on your back, carefully get the weights into position, like your are going to do a bench press. But instead of lifting the weight straight up, you are going to perform a chest fly. Try your absolute best to keep your elbows off the floor as you lower the weights. And when you reach the top of the rep, keep the weights about 4 inches apart.

Bowler’s Lunge. If you have been doing the ChaLEAN Extreme program, this position is nothing NEW. So in your bowler’s lunge, lower your body, with weights in each hand, as LOW as you can go with good form, then raise back up.

Extreme Set. Your extreme set for this move will be done twice. After each leg. This was hard work for me this morning. I was feeling ambitious with 45lb each.

Double Arm Bent Over Row. Just like the single arm row, but you are working both arms at the same time. If you lift and pause, and lower slow, you should really feel this working!

Extreme Set. And if you failed between 6 – 8 reps on the last move, this set will really be fun and interesting. Just imagine that you are burning fat and building muscle, it helps me, otherwise I might try to quit early.

Bench Press. Again you will be lying on your back, but instead of a chest fly, you will do the traditional bench press. I really exaggerated the slow movement, and my arms were shaking by rep number 8. I love these workouts!

Extreme Set. After I finished the bench press, and was taking my 10 second break, I really had to get my mind right to get these next 3 extreme reps. Wow.

Single Leg Sumo Squat. This is just like the first sumo squat, except you lean to one side slightly and raise up on your toes on one side. For example, you lean to the right side, in your sumo squat, then raise onto your left toes. You are trying to isolate one leg for the squat. (Personally, not my favorite move of the workout). You will do an Extreme Set after each leg.

Reverse Grip Bent Over Row. The same exercise as the double arm row, except you are turning your palms away from you. I dropped down in weight on this one, my arms and shoulders were felling pretty toasted at this point. Then you guessed it……..

Extreme Set. You know deep down you love the extreme sets.

Long Arm Pull Over. This last exercise was a favorite of mine for this workout. You are on your back again with a single weight. using both hands extend the weight straight up. Keeping your arms straight, lower the weight behind your head, but don’t touch the floor. Then bring it straight back up again.

Extreme Set. So now you are on the last move of your Push Circuit 3, and it’s Friday. Good things!

Another great workout! I’m proud of each of you for making it to week 5 or beyond. Even if you are not there yet, week 1 or 2. I’m proud of you for making the firs step to getting in shape. And finally, if you are contemplating ChaLEAN Extreme, what are you waiting for? Jump in with us, we’re in this together. Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog, and email me.

Have a great weekend and thanks again for reading my ChaLEAN Extreme Reviews!

After being on a short emergency break, I am back for another ChaLEAN Extreme Review! Last week we had a major ice storm move through the state of Arkansas. The ice brought down numerous trees, which brought down electricity. I can’t speak for the rest of the state, but in my town, over 90% of the electricity was out. There was one, possibly two gas stations open. Which made the wait for gasoline 2-3 hours long. And the lines for any kind of heat source was insane. I was lucky enough to get a generator on day two, which powered my refrigerator, a portable room heater, and the TV. (My kids need the TV to survive, lol.) No hot water, and even with a small room heater, we were forced to huddle together under blankets, and shut off the house except for one room to stay warm! But I’m back. I missed one full week (without power), but I’m not going to dwell on missing workouts and missing nutritious meals. And I have sucessfully received my crash course on winter survival training. So after one week out of the game, I’m just going to get right back in the middle of it, and push even harder this week.

So now here we go, ChaLEAN Extreme Review: Push Circuit 2.

The workout was approximately 35 minutes in length. You have the traditional 5 minute warm up, as always. I have started doing a couple minute warm up before the ChaLEAN Extreme warm up. Since I work out early in the morning, I’m in need of a good stretch to get ready. So after my personal warm up, and the 5 minute ChaLEAN Extreme warm up, we jump right into the first exercise. Remember, Chalene Johnson wants you to reach muscle failure between 6 and 8 reps, so lift heavy, but be safe. Make certain you write down your weight and your reps. I force myself to lift more weight or more reps at every workout. If I hit 8 reps, I add weight. If I don’t hit 8 reps, I try the same weight the following week and try for 8. You have to make yourself lift more weight to get the results you want. I still struggle, I still shake, I still work hard. This will never change. But your body will change, you will get in better shape, lose more weight, but you have to work hard.

Standard Overhead Press. Good ‘ol fashioned overhead press. Lift slow and lower slow.

Single Leg Lunge. This move is great. By removing one leg, and using if for balance only, you really challenge the single leg.

Standing Reverse Fly. Working the shoulders, use caution here and don’t hurt yourself by trying to lift too heavy, but lift heavy enough to get the job done. You’ll know. You want to work hard, but work out smart!

Standing Arnold Press. I like this move. It’s similar to the overhead press, but you are bringing your arms down in front of your face, with your palms facing you. As you press upwards, you twist the weight, palms facing away. There is a similar move in P90X, except you lower your arms down even lower. Great exercise.

Extreme set, Standing Arnold Press. On each extreme set you are going as slow as you can, lifting and lowering slowly. If you reach failure and can’t finish that’s ok, this exercise is designed to challenge you.

Single Leg Dead Lift. This exercise you will have to see to fully understand. It’s similar to a dead lift, with the exception of raising one leg backwards as you lower yourself into the dead lift.

Extreme set, Dead Lift. For the extreme set, 3 reps, you perform a dead lift but you keep both feet on the floor.

Bent Over Lateral Raise. Back to the shoulders. This is followed by the Extreme Set, Lateral Raise.

Frontal Shoulder Press. This exercise is just like the overhead press, except you have your palms facing your head on each side. So your thumbs are facing towards the back. This is followed by the Extreme Set, Frontal Shoulder Press.

Single Leg Tap Lunges. This was an interesting move. You step back into a reverse lunge. Then without raising all the way back up, you step forward to your front foot, but only use the leg for balance, as you make the front leg press back up again. After you finish 6-8 reps on the first leg, you go straight into the Extreme Set. Except you only do the lunge. Then you repeat the other leg.

Lateral Delt Raise. By this time, my arms and shoulders are getting fatigued. I dropped my weight down to finish up this last set. And the Extreme Set that followed was extremely difficult! But once you’re finished with this extreme set, you’re finished!

The cool down is only about a minute and a half, which is not sufficient for me, I usually stretch for a few more minutes after the DVD is over.

You should be seeing some good results now, 5 weeks into the program. I would be happy to hear from you! Send me your ChaLEAN Extreme Reviews by sending me an email here.

I have some more ways for you to stay connected. You can still subscribe to my blog, by clicking here. But I know have a new feature! Check the right side of my blog for ways to connect with me on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter!

I have to admit that I have been patiently waiting for the 2nd month and the Push Circuit of ChaLEAN Extreme. When my copy was delievered by UPS, I poured through the guides, and read everything I could read. The setup for the Push Circuit was right up my alley. Chalene Johnson, the trainer on ChaLEAN Extreme, asks you to lift even heavier weight this circuit. You should be failing between 6 and 8 reps. On the burn circuit, you were failing at 10-12 reps. Since you are dropping reps, you should be raising the weight appropriately. Remember, you want to fail, with GOOD form. Once you start to lose form, you’re done.

ChaLEAN Extreme Push Circuit 1 is approximately 33 minutes. You have the standard 4-5 minute warm up as always, and then at the end you have about a 2 minute cool down. So if you are like me, you may do the quick math, and say, that’s not a very long workout! I was even thinking, maybe I will add some more sets in once the regular workout is over. I finished the workout this morning, and additional sets was the LAST thing on my mind. For beginners through advanced, I think this is a great workout! Now I may add something later, but I wanted to see how I felt after the regular workout first. So now, on to the workout itself:

Standard Bicep Curl. This isn’t the standard bicep curl you see in the gym. No swinging, you’re not arching your back to lift the weight, no rocking, and all that other stuff typical of gym rats. But I should say that cautiously, I know some gym rats (I use to be one) where control and form was rock solid. But in this set, you are lifting slow and steady. Isolating your biceps to do ALL the work.

Standard Squat. Again, focus on form, keep your chest up, and your head up. Lower yourself slow and controlled, keeping your knees over your ankles, and then raise yourself slow.

Single Arm Bent-over Tricep Extension. Be careful on this one. You don’t want to get too much weight and lose your form. If you are lifting this weight slowly, and contracting at the top, you don’t need a lot of weight to make this work!

V-Pres Bicep Curl. This one was tough for me. I’m still working through some soreness in my shoulder/bicep area. You are lifting into a standard bicep curl, but you stop halfway. You then angle your arms outwards, an then press upwards. You lower back down, then turn to the front and lower again. You might have to see this one to see how it actually works, but it’s a tough exercise, and you can tell it works!

Extreme Biceps. It’s now time for the first of MANY extreme sets. You get a little spoiled in the Burn Circuit, where you do 2-3 extreme sets. If you are lifting heavy at the regular set and “failing” between 6 and 8, when it’s time to do the extreme sets, you should be very close to muscle failure. Meaning you can’t lift anymore.

Single Leg Squat. This is another challenging exercise. By isolating one leg at a time, you can really make your leg work. I had to really focus in to complete this set.

Extreme Single Leg Squat (each side). The regular set was bad enough! Next we had to do an extreme set of the same thing. I barely made it through the regular set! As Tony Horton says in P90X, “You gotta get your mind right.” I’m curious to see how my legs feel after this workout. I judge my workouts on how I feel immediately after, and how I feel two days later when the soreness starts to set in.

Overhead Tricep Extension. On this exercise, a good rule of thumb is to take the total weight of your single arm tricep kickbacks, and then reduce the weight slightly. This was the perfect amount of weight for me. Excellent set!

Extreme Triceps. Again, another extreme set.

Hammer Biceps. Very similar to the standard bicep, except your thumbs are pointing upwards. Chalene cautions us during this DVD, to think about your grip, don’t squeeze the weight so hard that you fatigue to quickly. Focus on the biceps.

Extreme Hammer Biceps. Another breakdown extreme set. I love these extreme sets, you have to imagine the muscle growth you are promoting when you breakdown these muscles, forcing them to get stronger. I love it!

Heel Squat. Just like your standard squat, with the exception of focusing in on your heels. You want to take all the weight off your toes and put them back in your heels. Because of this, you want to lighten your weights down from the standard squat.

Extreme Heel Squat. Need I say more than I already have. Time to get Extreme Baby, as Chalene would say.

Standard Push-Up. Your goal is a total of 12 slow and controlled push ups. When you can no longer stay on your toes, drop to your knees. If you can’t maintain good form before 12, stop. But keep working on your goal of 12. Then after a short 10 second break, you do an extreme set of push ups, and then you are DONE.

When I finished my workout, my arms were fatigued! I have a routine in the mornings. I get up first thing, and workout. After my workout, and cool down, I mix up my recovery drink, and head to the office to work through emails. This morning, I was so tired, and my arms so tired, that I had to take breaks from my email. lol. If you work hard during this 30 minutes, and you lift heavy, fail between 6-8, you can not help but to get a GREAT workout.

Thanks for reading my ChaLEAN Extreme Reviews. I hope you will come back again and again, for more articles and reviews, and please subscribe if you like. I’m very approachable, so please feel free to contact me by email or comments. Have a great day!

Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight and get into shape knows how much of a struggle it can be. First, it seems that not one action will do the job. It takes a combination of the right foods, exercise regimen, and emotional strength to truly succeed in achieving your best body. Thankfully, though, there are some products out there designed to make it easier for you to live a healthy life. One of the best is the ChaLEAN Extreme diet system. By following this program, you are guaranteed to look and feel better fast. Plus, you won’t need to spend a fortune on prepackaged meals or intoxicate your body with dangerous diet pills.

When you receive the ChaLEAN Extremesystem, you get an all-inclusive program packed into the Fat Burning Food Guide. This book contains more than 100 pages of recipes and meal plans that are simple enough for even the most amateur chefs to follow. It also explains, in clear terms, the ChaLEAN Extreme three-phase program. You begin with the “burn phase.” Then progress to the “push phase,” and, finally, you finish with the “lean phase.”

During the “burn phase, the ChaLEAN Extreme program aims to rev your metabolism and burn those first pounds off fast. It works by significantly restricting your fat and carbohydrate intake. With the focus on fresh produce and protein, you will be fueling your body for muscle growth, which increases your daily calorie burn and helps you shed pounds quickly. This phase also emphasizes lower calorie meals to help you achieve the calorie deficit needed for weight loss.

In the “push phase,” you get to add some more variety and calories to your meals. There is also an increase in protein to support the new muscles you are building. After this, you can move on to the “lean phase.” Here, your meals become even higher in calories as you have bolstered your metabolism and are burning more each day. However, after going through the first two phases, you will be used to eating less and are unlikely to overeat even when provided with more food.

Once you finish the ChaLEAN Extreme phases, don’t worry about a weight gaining relapse. The program includes a special maintenance guide to help you keep a steady weight. Plus, the recipes included with ChaLEAN Extreme are varied enough to keep you eating great for months and years to come. Recipes include everything from a healthy cheeseburger to chicken parmesan. What more could you want in a program? Get started today and give your body the nutrients you deserve.

Perhaps the most innovative part of the ChaLEAN Extreme system is that it is specifically designed to work with your exercise program. This means that, unlike other diets, you will never skimp on fitness because you are hungry or under-nourished.

The ChaLEAN Extreme basic program comes with two great cardio workouts, Burn Intervals and Burn It Off. Both of these workouts are great, I’m especially fond of Burn Intervals. But being a firm believer in cardio, and always wanting to keep things interesting, I decided to invest in the ChaLEAN Extreme Deluxe DVD. I know this can be confusing, which ChaLEAN program do I need?  If you are looking to buy a ChaLEAN program, and have yet to buy, take a look at this article I wrote about choosing the best ChaLEAN Extreme program. This will explain what comes with each package, and which one is right for you!  Personally, I started with the basic program, and then upgraded to the ChaLEAN Extreme Deluxe DVD.

So, let me say, if you don’t have the Deluxe DVD, get one. If you want variety, and if you want a cardio workout that is quick and effective, you need this one, it’s a must have. I take cardio seriously, and I had my doubts that I would get a good workout in 30 minutes, but you will be surprised. The dvd actually has three workouts. Two cardio routines and one ab routine. After doing the Fat Burn Challenge, I am equally excited to try the other two and will review them also.  (Stay tuned or subscribe to the blog)

Here are the details. The program is 32 minutes and 30 seconds.  During this time, I burned 436 calories, with an average heart rate of 151, with my highest heart rate hitting 179!  You start off the program with the traditional ChaLEAN Extreme warm up for just under 5 minutes.  For some strange reason this morning, I came into this workout with explosive energy.  I was determined to work hard, and burn some calories.  I didn’t want to be disappointed at the end of 30 minutes, thinking I didn’t work hard enough.  At the end of 30 minutes, there was no question, I got something accomplished!  So the warm up was done, and you move straight into the first of 12 moves.  Some of the exercises below have names that are fairly self explanatory, and I will move quickly past those.

1.  Jump rope drills, 2 minutes.

2.  Jumping Jack Drills, 3 minutes.

3.  Plyo Lunges, 2 minutes 25 seconds. This consists of stepping into deep lunges, the deeper the better. I always strive to get my lead leg into a 90 degree angle to the floor. Nice and deep, and the deeper, the harder it is!

30 second break. Move around, but don’t sit. Get a drink of water, and catch your breath.

4. HIT, 1 minute 12 seconds. This was hard, and FUN. Can you have FUN in a cardio workout? You bet. Think football practice. You get in a squat stance, and start running in place. Chalene calls out left, right, and HIT. You either move in the direction she calls, or on the HIT, you drop to the ground in a push up stance, jump up, and keep running. This one will get the blood moving, as if it wasn’t already!

5. Plyo sculpting, with or without the toner band, 3 minutes. This move has you side stepping side to side, and Chalene alternates with a standing thigh toning exercise. So you lunge side to side, then stop and raise one leg to the side working the thighs.  Then back to lunges etc.

6. Modified Burpee, 1 minute. This move has you in a wide stance, you drop to a push up and then stand back up. You do 16 total burpees.

30 second break. Don’t sit!

7. Moving Prisoner Lunges, 2 minutes. You step forward to a lunge, then step to the right (3 o’clock) for a second lunge. Then back to the front for another lunge, and continue. This move is modified by moving your hands from your hips during the lunges, to behind your head, and then straight up in the air. Then you’ll switch sides and do the opposite leg.

8. Crosses and Zig Zags, 2 minutes. This is true Turbo Jam style. Cross punches, mixed in with zig zags (for the obliques), and some knee lifts. Great stuff!

9. Squats/Sumo, 1 minute 24 seconds. You alternate from a sumo squat to a regular squat. Jumping in and out.

10. Giant Leaps, 2 minutes 30 seconds. Leaping from side to side.

11. Squats, 1 minute 30 seconds. Think football again. You go from a regular squat to a 3 point football stance, back to the squat, continue to football stance etc.

12. Lateral Lunges, 1 minute 30 seconds. From a wide sumo squat, you will lunge to one side, then reach up to the sky, then repeat, then switch legs.

You made it to the cool down which is 3 minutes.

I can not say enough, how much I love this workout. It will be a favorite for quite some time! If you are short on time, and need a quick cardio workout that will do the job of a longer 45 minute to 1 hour workout, get this one and get going! Remember you will need the Deluxe DVD.

Thank you again for reading my ChaLEAN Extreme Reviews. Please subscribe if you haven’t already, and I invite you to post your own comments as well. We’re in this together, eating right, getting in shape, staying in shape. Stay positive, stay strong. See you in the next review.