I don’t fully know why Les Mills workouts are so incredible but Combat has easily launched itself to the top of my favorite workout lists.  Today was combat 60, and this is easily my favorite cardio workout of all time.  It really is, very much, like being in an active sparring class.  You get the cardio and muscle workout that you won’t get from a traditional cardio workout.

This afternoon I need to do Turbo 54 in prep for my classes starting April 1st.  It is a turbo 55 EZ day so doing Round 54 is a solid trade.

I’ve been taking some meds for my foot ankle ‘Itus” and I don’t like how they make me feel.  The first day I took it at 3 in the afternoon so I ended up feeling drunk and a slight headache by 5pm.  Last night I took them at 9 pm before I went to bed.  I slept but during the time I tossed and turned I had that drunk loop feeling.  I think i’ll keep taking them at night as that is the least intrusive time for me but I am not a meds person at all.

I’m completely psyced about starting my 2nd round Rest in a week!  I’m trying to workout calorie intake and the workouts I can continue to do (it’s recommended that you don’t workout beyond walking, yoga or Tai Cheng….all of which I can do…joy).  I’m going to be teaching turbo-kick twice a week and teaching my Saturday P90X classes so that and Yoga maybe all i’m doing for the next 21 days but we shall see.  I talked to a few people who’ve done this and worked out and they told me the only adjustment I need to really make is to up my calorie intake.

That’s all for now. 

You still have time to join me:or take advantage of the March madness sales going on.  Big one!  Shakeology is going up in April but if you order now you will be grand-fathered in at the current price!  Think about it!

www.beachbodycoach.com/brucea

Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs

Whatever workout funk I was in is slowly starting to lift as todays workout felt better than it has in a week.  That doesn’t mean it was any easier, it just means I felt better doing sprint lunges.

December is here…tomorrow, and we have decided to do a solid month of eating much cleaner getting ready for the 1/2 marathon.  I’m doing a 7 day Shakeology challenge this month and already have several people doing it with me so i’ve decided to open it up again 

7 days of shakeology:
$25 get’s you 7 packs of shakeology (normally $5 each)
For one meal a day, replace it with Shakeology
Feel and see the difference in a week

Simple and easy, if you’re interested email me and i’ll get started right away.  No long term commitment, just 7 days of nutrition.  You’ve got nothing to lose.

It’s good enough for Tania, it will work for me :P

Anyway.  Workout done, shakeology about to be consumed.  Have a good one!

do me a favor and like my facebook fitness page

www.facebook.com/dsafitness

Shaun-T is back to being elmo again!  I get slap happy when I’m working out and i’m really tired and it’s early in the am.  This morning was that day and I couldn’t stop laughing in the beginning of Pure Cardio to save my life.

Every time Shaun T refers to himself in the 3rd person I would almost fall over laughing:

He says: “Shaun T needs to get some water.”

I hear: “Elmo thirsty”

He says: “Shaun T is working hard.”

I hear: “Falkor is wonderful!” (Never ending story reference)

Needless to say, this was not my most productive workout but I did something and got moving and burned some calories in the morning CONSISTENTLY.  Being consistent in your workouts is so direly important it can not be expressed enough.  Some people workout once or twice a week and call it maintaining.  What are you maintaining?

A consistent workout plan is at the very least 4 days a week, you can’t gain or really maintain results unless you are working out 4 days a week.  Be consistent, 20-30 minutes a day of walking or some activity and you’re on your way to a healthy life.

Thank goodness tomorrow is cardio recovery!!!

I’m having a 7 day Shakeology challenge starting December 1st.  You replace one meal a day with Shakeology and feel the difference a little dedicated nutrition can make!  If you’re interested, contact me and i’ll get you 7 days of Shakeology

#P90X

Last two days of my P90X round and I have been relatively quite the last two weeks. Noting is wrong, the last two weeks have just been rather uneventful.  I had an excellent workout session last week, this week has been kind of phoning it in.  In my defense, I had to go to the doctor for a sinus infection and got on antibiotics which for me, is slow poisonous torture.  The longer I’m on them, the weaker I get so the last 5 days of working out has not been exhausting.

LIKE my fitness page on face book.  I’m still building it but it’s going to be here that I track specific goals and numbers and blah blah…give me a like, the more I get the faster I will finish putting it together (encouragement is always good) 

Overall I’m happy with my 3rd graduating session of P90X.  I need to do measurements on Saturday night but I already know I got smaller.  I’m wearing dress slacks that I haven’t fit in 6 years, I”m wearing T-shirts that I haven’t worn in since ‘99 (Why I still have them I don’t know but don’t judge me!).

I had specific goals doing P90X this time and they were based of me becoming certified and wanting to run through the program again with fresh eyes.  I did that

I put into practice the tools I learned, examined the activities and what was happening to my body during the workouts and paid more attention to how training felt when I hadn’t eaten properly.  I should’ve known this but i’m still shocked how different a workout goes when I don’t eat well the night before vs a good dinner.

I also did this training while training for the Chicago Marathon, which everyone told me I was nuts for doing since P90X breaks you down so much physically…but I pulled it off (I won’t do both again but at least now I know i CAN do it…lol).

I have one more workout, tomorrow, which should be Kenpo-X but since i’m actually teaching P90X this Saturday  it will be something different, but that last workout will be close out this 90+ days.  Now comes a new set of goals and a new 120 days of training.

I have specific goals for Insanity this time around.  Since running the marathon, I haven’t wanted to go out and run much, especially in the cold but I still want to doing 5k’s, 10k’s and 1/2 marathons…ok and another marathon.  I’ve done reading on how some people completely trained for a marathon by only doing insanity.  I’ve already built up my legs to handle the pounding of a 26.2 I just don’t want to run in the cold so i’m thinking this is going to be GREAT to keep me in shape to do the Disney on Jan 6th 

I’m approaching Insanity this time with a fresh view as well.  My cardio is currently through the roof, I know this because I did an insanity workout this morning and it wasn’t to bad, this means I get to focus more on the moves and form and worry less about dying for lack of oxygen :)  I also want to do something different with my diet and eating for the rest of the year.

I have already kind of started with the last few days being a modified Shakeology cleanse:

The difference being, when I want to eat, I do it but i’m eating clean…almost vegan level (it easier to do this when the wife and kid aren’t home telling me they don’t want what i’m cooking).  I’m calling this my nutrient packing phase as everything going into me is awesome and i’m feeling the results.

During the next 60 days I want to eat much cleaner and push a plant based diet as far as I can take it without having to claim to be vegan (Thanksgiving, all bets are off).  This is going to be interested.  

So that’s the plan…I’m doing the Insanity fit test on Sunday and Monday it’s balls to the wall sweat!  I’m going to be saying good-bye to Tony Horton for a bit (other than teaching P90X classes) and will be doing P90X2 starting in March.  There’s the plan, I have goals.  Honestly, I have planned out my entire next year of workouts including a summer of turbo-fire (I’m still teaching turbo-kick).

So there you have it.  If you stuck with me during this you are now a P90X graduate…as of tomorrow.  Who’s coming with me to Insanity next week?

Join my team for free and get all the motivation and support you could ever hope for from team beach body!

www.beachbodycoach.com/brucea

And like my facebook page!!!

#asylum #tbb411

Welcome back to the Asylum!  I haven’t done my scheduled workout since last Wed night because I few out to Vegas for the BeachBody Coaches summit!  This was an amazing experience.

That is Turbo-kick queen Chalene on stage in the parking lot of the Tropicana leading a 4500+ turbo kick session!!!

So I wasn’t skipping my workouts, I was working out with Shaun T, Tony Horton, Chalene, the Lesmills Combat team (New Zealand accents are just as sexy as brittish).  It was probably one of the best 4 days I’ve spend in fitness clothes ever.

Shaun- T leading the Asylum/Insanity…ASYLUM 2 workout.  That’s right Asylum 2 is coming soon!

And of course, the King of all things fitness closed it down

This was my 2nd workout with him in 2 days.  Talk about tired and sore and the heat!!!  But it was all worth it.  i got to preview Turbo-kick round 51…which was in the mail waiting for me when i got home!  I got to meet my turbo kick sweethart Alee.

Got to taste Vegan Chocolate Shakology!!!  Excellent taste and purely vegan, like tropical shakeology.  I got to connect with other coaches and talk about our fitness journey and how we are helping others and making a little money in the process.  Beachbody is an amazing company and I can’t wait to do this again next year.

Nothing is more inspiring than working out with a room full of people who have all gone through or are working through the same programs, weight problems and successes and sweating and smiling and being instantly connected and know the person next to you will have a word of support if you are getting weak.

My first Tony workout on Thursday (I got in early because i’m P90X certified… number 244..i’m not bragging…i’m really not as I met number 64 and number 6) but all the P90X certified people got to go in first and if there was room left everyone else could come in….there was room left, it’s the freaking MGM!

Anway…

I worked out next to a guy and his wife who had lost 240lbs, the guy was still huge but his wife looked amazing.  Monica!  The super woman warrior godess from here, was also there.  I worked out about 20 feet from her!

This entire experience has pushed me even closer to my goal of opening my own fitness studio.  I want people to see the benefits of consistent workout and using Shakeology and other products from beach body that WORK. 

If you’ve ever been interested in trying P90X, Turbo-fire, or Brazilian Butt lift and Shakeology, message me.  I have a special going right now were you can try it for FREE!!!  (15.00 shipping) but you can try to workout and Shakeology for 30 days free.  See the results, feel the healthy and if you don’t like it, send it back, not harm no foul.  Beachbody has really changed my life and I’d love to share that with you!

Asylum this morning was speed and agility - how that for changing gears :).  I’m a little stiff but I’m able to move and after seeing this live, there is no way i’m not doing it.  I’m also teaching turbo tonight!  I’m excited to get back to this and I may start teaching at a few other places soon.  I have fallen off my running schedule but I think I’ll survive with everything else I’ve been doing.

Keep pushing play and never give up on your health!  If you need help, message me and I will help you.  I’ll get you plugged into my support group and I will keep you motivated to drop 10-15-100 or even 3 lbs.  Everyone has a struggle and a way they want to look.  Don’t let lack of support keep you from your!

www.beachbodycoach.com/brucea

#asylum #marathontraining #turbo-kick

Today is one of those days where a triple workout is not as bad as it sounds.  I got up semi-early and did my 3 miler while the day was still “cool”  The deer park forest preserve is always the best place for this as far as i’m concerned. It’s a 3 mile loop, what more can you ask?

I ran in shoes today instead of my vibrams and I think i’m slowly adjusting, although tomorrow i think i’m switching back to Vibrams for my 4 miles.  I learned how to “run from my core” today.  I know it sounds weird but I’m learning new things about my body every day and running from the core is kind of hard.  its slows me down and it hurts a bit on the left side (the side where I tore my oblique) but I think this is a skill i need to learn that will make it better in the long run.

My motoactv gps doesn’t like me much right now.  I wore it during the warrior dash and it got caked in mud and a little wet.  This was fine until Sunday morning when i rinsed it off and completely killed it :(.  Being a technology guy, I know that electronics CAN actually get wet, you just need to totally dry them before they will work again.  I stuck it in the air conditioner vent all day Sunday and it powered up nicely in Monday but it’s still kind of acting funny.  I think it will eventually make a recovery but for now I’m sad.

Asylum relief is perfect after a nice run!  30 minutes of stretching and relaxing the joints.  it’s almost not worth considering a workout….almost.  Creepy Shaun-T elmo comes out during this routine as he expresses and interest in coming to my house and pushing down on my back to..”make my body feel good.”  He says this phrase several times in the workout and it never gets less creepy…even in elmo voice.

He wants to make your body feel good.

Tonight is Turbo class.  Last week was an excellent class and i expect it to get even better today.  The routine for Round 50 is working now and my only problem is by the finale, i’m kind of tired for all the other workouts i’ve done during the day.  I don’t have extreme stamina yet…but i’m working on it.  That’s what this is really about, the journey to Shaun T’s body.  (that sounds kind of creepy as well).

Anyway, I’m enjoying a Chocolate, Banana, Coco-Nut milk Shakeology!  Don’t believe me?  Here have a look!

Yes, that is a raptor and yes, it wants my shakeology

all in the mixer

Yes that is a lion in the distance and it also wants my shakeology.

my house is a zoo sometimes…no lion, this is my Chocolate, CoCo-nut milk, banana shakeololgy!

Mmmm, You know you wanna try it!

www.shakeology.com/brucea

Have a great day!  Beach Body summit is in 2 days!

#insanity

The biggest thing I love about the insanity workouts is that even when the engine doesn’t feel like it wants to get moving, if you just push a little and go through the paces, by the end of the workout you’re fully engaged in it.  Today was a double whammy as I had to do cardio abs as well.

Nutrition is becoming more and more important as my fitness progresses and I am so thankful that I learned about Shakeology last year.  There are other products out there that are similar and a little cheaper but you get what you pay for and I have had no negative results with Shakeology.  The entire beachbody family of products has been amazing for me on my journey.  The workouts inspire and deliver on promises if you put the work in.  The nutrition products are top notch and the support system is great.  I can’t wait to go to Beachbody Coaches Summit in Vegas this June.  I think the experience of meeting all the trainers will be a blast.

I learned so much in the P90X certification program that I better understand the muscle and cardio systems that are working when I get tired or feel like I hit a wall and it’s made it easier to train through them.  Now I need to buckle down and finish my NASM certification and then I think i’m going to open a gym.  I love fitness much better than technology, it’s more fulfilling.

If you are having problem losing weight, email me and we can talk.  I’ve been 380lbs and lost 80 of it in a year.  I’m only getting fitter and healthier and I know what you’re going through.  The frustration of not seeing the results you hope to see right away.  The change is happening, sometimes it just takes a bit longer.

don’t give up and keep pushing play!

#Insanity

I’ve become obsessed with the motoact app and now i’m down in 38th place after hitting a high of 32 yesterday.  I blame cardio recovery since I only burned about 240 calories doing this routine.  I think I”m going to have to do Turbo tonight!

Now that I’ve gotten over the silly notion that cardio recovery would be light cardio, I like this workout (even if it doesn’t burn all the calories I would like).  It gives my legs and core a deep workout that is needed to get stronger and leaner and better able to do other activities.  I can feel weak spots in my lower right back/upper glute that I never noticed before but now have a chance to correct.

Last year everything was about keeping my left oblique from becoming re-injured, This year i’m all about developing and strengthening my entire body.  Beachbody just came out with a new program called Ultimate body reset.

what is the ultimate body reset?

The Beachbody Ultimate Reset is a complete, three-phase, 21-day program that 

provides everything you need to: 

• Phase 1: Reclaim your body’s natural balance.

• Phase 2: Release the harmful materials you may be storing within you.

• Phase 3: Restore your system to its maximum health.

I’ve head good things about it and plan on doing it myself after I finish Insanity at the end of May.  As I learn more details I’ll be sure to share them but I figure a body reset would be good for me right before I begin official marathon training at the end of June.!

Keep pushing play!  Tomorrow is PURE CARDIO.

#Insanity

What exactly is Cardio-power and resistance?   A series of exercises where the individual runs and jump in place repeatedly simulating activities such as jumping over logs, jumping like a jack in the box, jumping with your arms up in 4 quadrants.  Throw in some moving push ups and mountain climbers for good measure.  I think this routine should have just been called Plyometrics and Push ups.

I was sore today and didn’t feel much like getting up and doing this.  I haven’t felt like NOT doing a workout this badly in a long time.  In my mind, that means it’s working me hard so I need to do it.  

I have added some equipment this time around.  I now wear my Motoactv HRM and track my performance.  The results aren’t 100% accurate because it thinks i’m doing aerobics and calculates my calorie burn based on that but it’s nice to see some kind of graph:

I’ve also decided that my Rumble Roller is not just for P90X2.  I used it last night for about 30 minutes while doing some reading for my NASM certification and it was  heavenly!  I especially worked around my knees and glutes which Insanity seems to target in the initial days of the workout.  I’ve decided that Insanity is going to replace my weekly running activity as its harder.  I’ll do long slow runs on the weekends but I’m going to try this to see what happens.  I read an article about a guy who trained for a marathon only doing Insanity and he got a PR.  I’m NOT going to do that but for the next 2 months i’m not doing any weekly running.  I’ll start my official Chicago Marathon training around the middle of June.

Ok, time to eat, shower and study before work.  I got a new job which is great.  I’ve read that you don’t quit your job, you quit your boss and that was definitively the case with my old job.  Things are so much more relaxed now…ahhh.

Keep pushing play and make sure you eat some veggies today!  I’m going to drink a shakeology

#P90X2 #marathontraining

This morning I did P.A.P upper body.  This last month of P90X2 is rotating P.A.P upper and lower body with a day of Yoga X2 tossed in for good measure.  I like PAP upper body, not so much lower body.  Medicine ball planks really freakin hurt after about 30 seconds.  Like all his workouts, if this get’s to intense (It won’t…i’m slighly disappointed)…

The P.A.P. routine is one that builds on itself so the first week you may not have any soreness but the 2nd week you will be a little sore, 3rd week will be worse and on and on.  The stronger you get the better and more you can do, much like everything in P90X2.  

I got my turbo-kick round 49 in the mail today.  When you are a TK instructor, you can order new rounds and new music and this keeps the class fresh.  (I say this like i’ve been doing it forever but the reality is I’ve only been instructing about 6 weeks).  So the first thing I like to do is rip the music to the round onto my MOTOACTV and use it to run.  The music is at about 160bpm which is perfect for running and keeping a pace.

So running— This is the first time I’ve run since my disastrous 1/2 marathon on March 17th.  I never feel like running after a 1/2 marathon race but I had the added bonus of still feeling butt hurt finishing last and still getting over the flu/cold/sinus infection/allergies of the century.  I went out to the forest preserve to run and my level of genius is continuing to grow.  I’m running a run I don’t really want to do in a forest preserve where everything is blooming and killing my allergies.  Its windy and it’s back to 44 degrees outside.  I didn’t get to enjoy a single day running when it was warm :(.  Even worse, I’m not impressed with the music for Round 49!  I’ll probably like it better when I put do it with actual turbo-kick but for running this round’s music kind of sucks.

So how did I do?  3.4 miles in 38 minutes so I haven’t gotten any slower, I just felt like a ton of bricks moving in the wind.  I needed this run to get back into the habit.  I have a marathon coming up later this year, a warrior dash and i’m sure a few 1/2 marathons.  I can’t get caught up in one crappy run.

So with P90X2 rapidly coming to an end I’m getting ready to start a 60 days Insanity challenge starting on April 9th.  What’s the Insanity challenge?

I’m doing insanity which is a 60 days program.  If you order the challenge pack you get Insanity and 30 days of Shakeology and 30 days of club membership on the Beachbody site to help you form a diet plan. On top of all that, you also get coach fee’s waived if you decide you want to become a beach body coach and get paid to workout and get fit!  

go to my site and join the beach body challenge, you’re entered to win up to 100,000 dollars just for doing what you would be doing anyway.  Just follow the link —->  Take the Beach Body Challenge

So 2 more weeks of P90X2 and then I’m moving on to Insanity.  I’d love for you to join me!