• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

Brad Gibala

  • Start Here
  • Popular
  • Recommends
  • About
  • Contact

Archives for February 2018

Fitbit Charge HR Review

February 28, 2018 - Updated March 20, 2018

Fitbit Charge HR ReviewIts been about a year since I bought a Fitbit Charge HR and that means its time for a review. This isn’t going to be your normal boring review where I say things such as “I like that its light” or “This feature is great but could be better.” None of that crap. Well – some of that crap.

What I wanted to do instead was share with you a couple of things that happened to me through the eyes of my Fitbit Charge HR. One that cost me over $20,000 and another that saved me $300.

And lets get something straight here. It’s not a Fitbit. It’s a FATBIT.

**Update: 2-28-18**

I wrote this review in Feb 2016 after a year of owning the Fitbit (bought in 2015). And my Charge HR has finally gone kaput. It cracked in half.

Cracked Fitbit Charge HR
Still works!

It was a pretty good run seeing how it lasted almost 3 years with me pretty much wearing the Charge HR everyday. To replace it I bought the Charge 2 and will write a review about it someday.

Everything below this is apart of my original review.**

This is probably the first gadget I’ve bought which I used longer than a couple of days. Wasn’t sure if I was going to like a Fitbit before I bought it as I’ve never been a big fan of watches or anything on my wrists for that matter. With that the first place to start is…

Why I bought a Fitbit Charge HR?

Because all the cool kids had one and were bragging about their steps. Since I don’t care what the cool kids are doing this could not be the reason. The actual reason is I hoped it would tell me / motivate me / impress upon me / inform me on how active/inactive I was.

The last two years have gone by very fast with the addition of two babies in our household. With them being a year and twenty days apart there really hasn’t been any time to get back into any sort of groove with fitness or scheduled activities. Those were all put aside. I knew without those same activities I had been doing for years like playing softball a couple of nights a week it didn’t motivate me to do other workouts for those activities. My hope was that the Fitbit would tell me where my new baseline was.

I decided to go with the Fitbit Charge HR because of two features: the heart rate monitor and the caller id. The Surge looked too big and the Flex didn’t tell time. If I was going to have something on my wrist it better tell time. Saw the Charge cost $130 and the Charge HR was $150. Figured the extra $20 was worth it.

My first impressions of the Fitbit Charge HR were that it was very light and simple to set up. The Fitbit didn’t feel like a watch and I kind of liked that. Took about 10 minutes from unboxing it to setting up an account on Fitbit.com. Did need to wait an hour for it to fully charge.

While it was charging I played around in my account settings putting things in like height, weight, goals, etc. Kept all of the goal settings like 10,000 steps a day as is. I’m not into playing around with settings on any electronic device (computer, camera, etc.) I buy because I believe the people who built the thing have probably tested it for months or years and know whats best. After all that it was time to wear it and see what the data told me.

The data tells me most of what I knew

I’m not all that active. Most days I’d barely hit 5000 steps. I guess that’s what happens when you work from home and sit on your ass most of the day. Making excuses here but it doesn’t help that I bought the Fitbit Charge HR in January and winters here in Michigan are miserable. I only go outside to take out the trash. Last winter I was playing racquetball with my brother and two friends once a week which provided some interesting data.

Was getting my heart rate in the “Fat Burning” zone an hour or so a day. That’s basically being a blob. Days I moved around I’d be in the 3+ hours of fat burning zone and noticed it. Energy was higher, attitude was better, and didn’t feel as stiff. Never hit the “Cardio Zone” unless I was working out. And the “Peak Zone” = LOL. I’m not in Peak Zone shape right now.

One neat feature of the Fitbit Charge HR and I’m guessing most Fitbits is it allows you to track data for a specific workout. Hold down the button for three seconds and it starts tracking everything you do until you hold down the button for another three seconds. When you’re done it lets you name the activity and is uploaded as a separate log in your Fitbit dashboard.

Here are a couple of my favorite activities from 2015 including the one that cost me $20,000.

Fitbit Charge HR Data

Distance is wrong for my bike ride. The Fitbit Charge HR does not have GPS capabilities so it’s guessing. I know I did 10 miles that day. Was surprised how many steps I took doing Body Beast Build Chest & Tris. Over a half a mile walking to the stand where my Bowflex Selecttech dumbbells are, changing the weight setting, and heading back to the bench.

Didn’t burn as many calories as I thought I would doing Insanity Max:30 Sweat Intervals. Lots of steps though. Not that much data to track doing P90X3 Yoga. The Fitbit Charge HR is not waterproof but it does allow you to add in workouts. This is why you see swimming. Interesting to see I burn 100 more calories swimming a mile versus doing Insanity Max:30 and covering the same amount of ground.

Had to throw in shoveling 2 inches of snow. You could say shoveling snow is a better workout than Insanity Max:30. Probably would have equaled the amount of calories burned if it would have been 3 inches of snow and took me another 13 minutes.

Racquetball. WOW! What a workout. Like I said earlier, I played racquetball just about every week last winter from December to April for an hour and a half. I’d get half of my daily step goal in during those 90 minutes. Over 700 calories burned!! Not sure why it didn’t record a distance. Didn’t record for the other times either.

Played a decent amount of golf this past summer. Rackham Golf Course is in my neighborhood and I usually go there. Sometimes I’d even ride my bike up there with clubs on my back. The data you’re seeing above is half right.

April 17th data is correct. Walked 6.37 miles that day carrying my clubs. Makes you think how many miles the pros and their caddies walk annually. Burned 1936 calories and took 13,687 steps. Was the first time in years where I walked 18 holes. Felt great at the end. Shot a 94.

April 24th data is incorrect. Rode a cart that day. My guess is because my wrist is at about the same height in the cart as me walking that the Fitbit cannot tell the difference between the two. Over half of those numbers are fake. There is a difference of over 500 calories burned between the two. It shows I took almost 300 more steps this day versus the 17th. How could I burn 1475 calories on the 24th with 300 more steps than the 1936 calories burned on the 17th. Shot a 94 that day too. Data shows me I suck walking or riding.

Onto the $20,000 data entry

Notice the Feb 20th entry that says “Workout”. I took 7,122 steps over a 16 hour time period and burned 2,434 calories. This workout started as me doing P90X2 Yoga X? It turned into something much different.

The week leading up to Feb 20th, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan was a cold one. Four of the previous 6 days had lows in the single digits with 4 days being negative degrees. Feb 19th was brutal. The high that day was 6.1 degrees but with windchill it felt like -10.2. It got down to -17.7 with windchill at one point that day.

Feb 20th carried over that intensely brutal cold weather. At 7:53 am it was -21.4 degrees and it felt like it. Andrea stayed home that day with our son. We went about our normal activities and I decided to do P90X2 Yoga X around 2pm where the temp outside was now -7.

I get through the warm up with Tony Horton and the crew and then I hear this pop sound come from the ceiling followed by a kkkssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhh. A pipe had burst.

We had known there was a possibility of one particular pipe bursting in our house. One selling point of our bungalow was it had an upstairs bathroom. These are hard to come by. When we bought the house we could see water damage on the basement rafters but did not know where the water came from.

The bathroom is not original to our 1952 home. I think the upstairs was an attic/storage area before it was finished into a bedroom and bathroom. When they did the bathroom they decided to run the pipes up from the bathroom on the main floor, into the shower, and then out into what is the attic, and then back through the wall hooking up into the sink.

Instead of running it straight up through the floor and through the cabinet floor (how it’s supposed to be done) the way it was done created an exposed pipe. I had wrapped the pipe with pipe tape, insulation, and blocked it from the rest of the attic. We even left the water dripping the previous 4 nights. When we woke up that morning the pipe had frozen. I guess -21.4 degrees is cold and stuff.

What happened next was I go from Mountain Pose to instant panic. I knew instantly what the sound was. Ran up the stairs, peeked into what we call the dungeon, and could see the water starting to puddle. From here I go into all out crazy mode.

Search for the valve to shut the water off upstairs. There is no valve. Run to downstairs bathroom to turn off upstairs valve. There is no valve. Run into basement and start turning off every valve on that side of the house. By this time water is pouring into the basement where the previous water damage on the rafters was. NO VALVES WORKED. THERE WAS NO SHUT OFF VALVE. BALLLLLLSSSS. Only option is to turn off the main valve to the house.

All of this happened in a 10 minute time period. There was no real damage and luckily we were home when it happened. Some of the water puddled up in the ceiling of my office and dripped through but most of it found its way down the wall between the office and the downstairs bathroom into the basement and into a drain.

What does all of this have to do with a Fitbit Charge HR?

Well – this is what it looked like through the eyes of data.

Fitbit Charge HR Pipe Bursting Data

My normal resting heart rate is 68. This shows four hours of data where I averaged 93. Its like I ran a marathon. Notice how I go from lets call it 80 during my Yoga warmup to 135 in what appears to be minutes. That’s me freaking out running up and down stairs followed by a steady decline but still at an elevated heart rate. I was alive and flat lining.

The remaining 3 hours of data involved me and my dad (who fortunately is a pipe fitter) running back and forth to Home Depot buying supplies and him showing me how to repair it with Shark Bites. Turned the water back on a couple of hours later and we’re good to go.

We got done with everything around 9 pm. In the log above this chart it says over a 16 hour period. I forgot to turn off (hold the button down for 3 seconds) the activity tracker until 6 am the next morning. The 7,122 steps and 2,434 calories burned happened in the 4 hours above.

Which leads into us spending $20,000

Winter turned into spring and then into summer and us welcoming another baby into the world. The only room available for a new baby to go into was my office where water leaked into. We did not want to renovate the bathroom in 2015 as we had remodeled our kitchen and put a new roof on in 2014. With this though we did not want to have to worry about another pipe bursting over our now sons room this winter.

To fix the problem we had to rip up the floor. To rip up the floor we had to remove the cabinet. To remove the cabinet we had to remove the closet. You see where I’m going with this. Might as well renovate the entire bathroom if half of it is going to be ripped up.

We bite the bullet and started renovating around Thanksgiving to have it done before winter set in. My dads old golf partner did the work. During the estimate process I told him I work from home and could be the “Bucket Bitch” on demo day (i.e, him smashing stuff, putting it in buckets, me walking it down stairs and throwing it into the dumpster) if it would save us some money. He agreed to $300. Did I ever get a workout that day.

Here is what the Fitbit Charge HR told me I did on Demo Day

Fitbit Charge HR Bathroom Demo Day

Worked 9-6 that day. Had 18k steps, 8.45 miles, 110 floors, and 6 hours in the fat burning zone. Would be interesting to see how much weight I carried in the buckets that day. This was the most steps, miles, and floors I had done in a day ever since owning a Fitbit. They just all happened to be on the same day.

Fitbit Skyscraper BadgeThe next day I received an email from Fitbit congratulating me on earning a Skyscraper Badge. Its given out to those who climb over 100 floors in a day. Basically I was a bad ass for a day.

I’ve earned a couple other badges but I like this one the most because it reminds me I spent $20,000 renovating a bathroom. It also tells me I saved $300 going up and down stairs with plastic Home Depot buckets full of 15 year old shower tiles.

Got to hand it to the people who do this kind of job every day. I felt ok the next day. Didn’t over do it taking stuff out to the dumpster. Kept a nice pace throughout the day.

The bathroom was finished in about a month and turned out very nice. Shouldn’t have to worry about pipes bursting again as the plumbers fixed the pipe issue.

Houston – We Have A Problem

Things were going well with my Fitbit Charge HR for about 9 months. It had become a part of me. Kind of like a like a cell phone in that I had to have it on me all the time and never would I leave the house without it.

Broken Fitbit Charge HRFor some reason Fitbit designed the Charge HR in two pieces. I don’t see why it needs to be two pieces. One day the small plastic piece popped off when I was detaching it from charging and it never was the same. The small piece continued to pop off just about every time I took it off from wearing and definitely when detaching from charging. The piece did pop back on but I became tired of dealing with it and would leave it off sometimes.

This really wasn’t a deal breaker for me. What did become a deal breaker was in early December my Fitbit started to not sync at all. I could tell it was tracking steps but nothing was syncing with my iPhone or iMac. I tried every troubleshooting tip and nothing was working. When I went to re-install the set up software on my iMac it did not recognize the Dongle which is a small Bluetooth device Fitbit gives you to plug into a USB port that syncs your Fitbit when you come within a certain distance of it. Recognized it before but not now. Story of my life.

Turns out a lot of people were having the same issues as I was around the same time. Appears Fitbit did a software update which automatically happens and it did more harm than good. I got the Fitbit to work for a day by turning off the caller id function. It back synced weeks worth of data but didn’t work again.

I knew my Fitbit Charge HR still had a month left on the manufacturers one year warranty. With it not syncing and the plastic piece falling off I figured it would be worth it to see if I could get a replacement. Told customer support I had bought the Fitbit Charge HR at Dicks Sporting Goods and still had the receipt.  Two days later they responded with this message.

Fitbit Customer Service

Apologize about the small text. It says they were sending me a new one. Good news. From there it was a quick turn around time as the emails I received from Fitbit shows.

Fitbit Customer Service Replies

The new Fitbit Charge HR was ordered and shipped on the same day. Was very happy. Have my new one now and its working fine. After all of that you can see I have been very pleased with it so far. It’s this thing that’s on my arm. Its kind of boring looking and I’m cool with that. I think I prefer it over a fancy watch.

The feature I liked the most

Was the Caller ID. Paired the Fitbit with my iPhone. When somebody called a name would scroll on the small screen if they were saved as a contact in your phone or a number if they were not. It vibrates too.

I liked the Caller ID for when I was driving as I could take a quick glance at my wrist instead of reaching for my phone. Came in handy playing racquetball. The court we played at didn’t have any glass boxes built into the courts wall where you could put your phones and keys so we had to keep them outside. With a 7 month at home and another one on the way it was imperative I be near a phone. This let me keep the phone outside the court and not worry about missing a call.

Just about every time I play golf I put my iPhone in my bag and turn it to vibrate. Phone calls mean important. Texts are not important. Caller ID let me be available without having to keep my phones volume on. Didn’t mess with my swing either. Most of the time I played golf I didn’t even notice I was wearing the Fitbit until I took it off and had a tan line on my wrist.

The feature I used the least

Was the calorie tracker. It’s a very cool feature if you’re into counting calories. Me – not so much. I did use it for about a month and logged in everything. It started to feel like work and I lost interest. Checking the Fitbit app on my iPhone every couple of hours to see if I’m over/in the zone/ or under calories is too much.

I can see how it would be helpful to people wanting to lose weight or on a strict meal plan for their workout routine. I’m neither. I’ll throw in the feature that lets you track how many glasses of water you drink in a day. Again – information overload. When I’m thirsty I’ll drink.

The feature that I could care less about

Was the sleep tracker. I wore it to bed a couple of times and the data didn’t really mean that much to me. Mainly because I knew when I woke up if I was rested or not. Going to bed earlier solves that problem for me. By bedtime I was ready to take the Fitbit Charge HR off. Thing needs some air.

2015 Year End Stats

2015 Fitbit Year End Stats

I really don’t know how to interpret this data. I’m going to drop the total steps to 2,300,000 and total miles to 1,000 due to the amount of times I rode in a cart while golfing.

I know I hit 10,000 steps a day on average once a week. I also didn’t wear my Fitbit Charge HR the whole month of December as it was broken. So those numbers might be accurate if I did. But man, does that mean the average American is half as active as me? That’s concerning considering I pretty much sat on my ass last year watching my oldest kid and taking care of another baby. I was sitting all the time.

Could also be the average American doesn’t keep their Fitbit on as long as I do throughout the day getting those additional 800 or so steps walking around the house. I put the Fitbit on within 10 minutes of getting up and don’t take it off until 7pm for the babies bath time.

In Summary

I really like the Fitbit Charge HR. I’ll probably continue to wear it as much as I do now for the foreseeable future. I know there are other devices out there like the iWatch that do everything the Fitbit does but I don’t think I’ll make the switch. The Fitbit looks and feels durable. The fancier things get the more cautious I am using them. Plus, my iPhone does everything else. Sometimes more is more and there are some things I don’t need more of.

I haven’t bought into the “I have to hit 10,000 steps a day. If I haven’t hit that goal by 9:52 pm then I’m heading out for a walk and not coming back until I do” mentality yet. Maybe I’ll get into that mindset when spring comes around and I can do things outside with my kids.

Right now, the Fitbit Charge HR is this thing on my wrist. Sometimes it tells me stuff. Sometimes it doesn’t. I’m cool with both.

Send me a friend request on Fitbit if you want to impress me with your stats and be underwhelmed by mine.

Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells Review

February 26, 2018 - Updated February 26, 2018

Once upon a time in 2008 I was fortunate enough to have a parent of mine ask me what I wanted for Christmas in which I replied the Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells.

At the time I was just starting my first round of P90X and needed a better set of dumbbells than the random ones we had laying around the house.

Mom had a little sticker shock when she saw how expensive they were. I don’t remember exactly how much they cost in 2008 but I believe with the stand it was around $400. Made a deal with Mom that I would buy the stand and she would get the dumbbells. Merry Christmas to Brad!

Here’s The Thing

I wrote my original review of my Bowflex SelectTech 552s in 2008 and its now 2018. Its time to update this post.

What you should know is I still have the dumbbells and they still remain a centerpiece of my home gym. It’s my humble opinion that the Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells could be the best set of dumbbells you could own.

What intrigued me to buy them in the first place is one of the reasons why they haven’t been sold on Craigslist or when we moved. They are so easy to use in your home and quick to clean up. No need to be spending time re-racking multiple dumbbells. And they save so much space.

How Do The Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells Work?

The Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells go from 2.5 pounds all the way up to 52.5 with a simple click. Just turn the dial on both ends of the dumbbell to your desired weight and off you go. It could not be easier.

Stand Or No Stand?

Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbell StandThe Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells are not cheap. They cost around $290. For another $100 you can get the stand too. You’ll be all in for about $395. And after ten years of ownership I will say the stand is worth it.

It would be so annoying moving the dumbbells around without it.

Yes, maybe you have your designated workout area and your workout equipment stays in one place all the time.

And maybe you’re hardcore and acknowledge that squatting down to switch weights gives you bonus exercise between reps.

I feel that the stand makes it easier to switch weights between sets, is much easier to move around the house, and is overall more appealing when in my house. It just looks better on the stand then laying on the ground.

Bowflex SelectTech Secrets Of The 4 Step Rep
Its an instructional DVD made in 2004 that came with my dumbbells. Its kind of funny.

The stand makes it so much easier to workout with let alone move them around in the basement. We’re talking about 100 pounds of weights here.

If you’re thinking you want this set up too then check out the Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells and Stand deal at Amazon. If you just want the dumbbells to start out with then you can always go back and buy the stand separately in the future.

For some sad reason it appears Bowflex stopped making the stands with wheels. Pretty dumb if you ask me. My stand has wheels which makes it incredibly easy to move when I have to vacuum.

Maybe Bowflex was able to save money building the stands without wheels and people don’t really move the stand unless they have to. I don’t know of course but man are the wheels nice.

Works Well With P90X & Body Beast

Bowflex Selecttech DumbbellsThe Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells are a must have for anybody who is doing P90X, Body Beast, other Beachbody workouts, or just looking for a way to get rid of a huge rack of dumbbells in their home gym.

Just try to keep up with Tony Horton during P90X Back and Biceps or Sagi Kalev doing any Body Beast workout with normal dumbbells. It’s not going to happen.

You will be hitting the pause button after every bicep curl or tricep extension trying to get ready for the next move. The Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells simplify that with a couple clicks.

Summary

Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells

After a decade of owning the Bowflex SelectTech 552s I can say I am glad I asked for them for Christmas:). What great investment they have been.

They are a little dusty from being in the basement but it hasn’t affected how they perform. I use them all the time and don’t see a reason to get a new set.

From time to time I think about buying the Bowflex SelectTech 1090s as there are a couple of exercises where 52.5 pounds are not enough. Moves like “Lawnmowers or Chest Press” in particular.

In those situations I’ll do more reps or add some push ups. Reason being is the 1090s cost $600+ for a pair. Bowflex has an option where you can buy just one 1090 for around $250 but I can’t justify it. Maybe if somebody is giving away a set on Craigslist for dirt cheap will I get them but in the mean time I’ll keep going with the 552s.

My home gym still revolves around these dumbbells. I am going on almost ten years of owning them and have had zero problems with them. Looking back, these dumbbells were a great investment.

P90X Pull Up Bar Review

February 23, 2018 - Updated December 9, 2018

One of the very first things I bought from Beachbody in 2008 was the P90X Pull Up Bar. Here it is 2018 and I still have it. And I am still using it. Its one of the few pieces of equipment I frequently use in my home gym.

Not once have I ever thought about selling in garage sales we’ve had or putting it on Craigslist. It is too valuable of a piece of workout equipment to give away too.

Unsurprisingly I bought the P90X Pull Up Bar to do P90X with back in the day. After doing many rounds of P90X, Body Beast, The Asylum, a handful of other Beachbody workouts, and for when I just feel like doing some pull ups, the P90X Pull Up Bar has shown its durability.

Rarely has a month gone by when I don’t use it at least once and when I’m going full tilt with a program you know its included. Pull ups and chin ups are too valuable of an exercise to not do.

Features

P90X Pull Up BarThe P90X Pull Up Bar is made from heavy gauge steel. Beachbody claims it will hold up to 300 pounds of weight at one time. I am not 300 pounds so I cannot confirm this statement. What I can say is after doing thousands of pull ups and chin ups over the past decade the steel has not bent at all.

Doing all of the different pull ups and chin ups over the years has been easy to do with the patented 10 grip handle design. Wide grip, close grip, reverse grip, staggered grip, and others are easy to do.

It does come with rubber handles to protect the molding from getting damaged but I recommend putting a rag or thin towel between them and the molding as it may leave marks on the paint.

The P90X Pull Up Bar is quick and easy to assemble. You do not need to nail the P90X Pull Up Bar into the wall either as it stays in place. It takes just seconds to remove when not in use.

Be sure to measure a couple of doors first as the P90X Pull Up Bar fits doorways up to 32 inches wide. I’ve lived in bungalows the past decade and for some funny reason I have one doorway where I can put it. Mostly it’s because I don’t want to mark up the moldings on a door frame that’s visible.

Our last house was the bathroom. And now its my sons closet. Always something with bungalows.

You’re in luck. I made a YouTube video showing off the many uses of the P90X Pull Up Bar and me trying not to make a fool of myself doing pull ups and chin ups.

Accessories

P90X Chin Up MaxIf you want to crank out more pull ups or chin ups than attach the P90X Chin Up Max to the pull up bar. One caveat about the chin up max is over time the bands might break and Beachbody does not sell replacements.

After five years of owning it this happened to me.

I recommend keeping all three bands on when using the chin up max and going for more reps instead of taking a band off. All or nothing with that piece of equipment.

It can help a lot doing other Beachbody workouts like Body Beast, The Asylum, and more. Sometimes you need a boost to get those extra reps.

Alternative

If the P90X Pull Up Bar will not fit in your doorway or you do not have the money then I would recommend you buy the resistance band upgrade kit.

It wraps around your door hinge and you loop a resistance band through it.

Going this route will save you some money and help you build up strength. This is a great alternative for people who know that there is no way they will be doing pull ups anytime soon.

Summary

At $60 the P90X Pull Up Bar is not cheap. And I think that’s a good thing. Why would you want a cheap pull up bar.

I’m going on a decade of ownership and it’s just as good as it was when I bought it new. Its worth the money.

Yes, you could probably find a cheaper pull up bar on Amazon or some place else but I think you’d be better off spending the extra money on something that’s going to last.

ChaLean Extreme Workout Review: I Approve This Workout

February 23, 2018 - Updated February 23, 2018

Back in 2009 I was blasting through rounds of P90X and Insanity. One day a package from Beachbody shows up at our house with ChaLean Extreme in it. Andrea ordered it.

She had been watching me do P90X and Insanity and was not into the whole extreme hour-long workouts. From time to time she would jump in and do a workout with me but those were not her thing.

Andrea did the smart thing after ordering ChaLean Extreme. She went to her friend’s house after work and did all 90 days with her. It worked out great for both of them as her friend had been doing Chalene Johnson workouts for a couple of years (Turbo Jam) so the two of them had fun. At the end of 90 days I could tell she toned up and put on some muscle.

The days she would not workout with her friend she would workout at home. And from time to time I would jump in and do workouts with her. Occasionally I would do ChaLean Extreme workouts when she wasn’t around. I’ll admit it.

And that’s where this review picks up. I started writing this in 2009 and saw an unfinished post in 2018 needing to be finished. A little late but thats okay. But let’s get to know more about ChaLean Extreme first.

What Is It

The ChaLean Extreme workout is a 90 day at home workout program. What makes ChaLean Extreme work is it incorporates cardio, nutrition, and most importantly resistance training. It is proven that resistance training is the key to burning fat. So make sure you have a good set of adjustable dumbbells or resistance bands as you will need them.

ChaLean Extreme teaches people that cardio is not the key to dropping weight as your body will plateau. Weight training is what the body needs to burn the calories. ChaLean Extreme is made for men and women but women especially like it as they can relate to the trainer, Chalene Johnson.

Don’t be fooled by this thinking that this is a “girly workout.” ChaLean Extreme will challenge anybody who tries it. People who do this workout like it a lot because most of the workouts are less than 45 minutes making it very easy to work into anyone’s daily schedule.

Phase 1 – Burn Phase – You will be lifting weights to start breaking down your extra fat.
Phase 2 – Push Phase –  Lifting heavier weights than normal to build muscle to burn ever more fat
Phase 3 – Lean Phase – Burn away any last remaining bits of fat.

ChaLean Extreme Lean Circuit 3
Are you ok over there Donna?

During each phase you will be doing “Extreme Cardio” and “Core Power” to tighten up those abs.

What You Get

Chalean Extreme Workout
That’s a lot of fat to burn!

With each ChaLean Extreme kit you get the following items.

Muscle Burns Fat Guidebook
Body Fat % Tester
Thigh Toner Band
Fat Burning Food Guide
Chalene’s Extreme Motivational Audio CD
Kitchen Makeover DVD
Resistance Band

Cost

If you absolutely want to buy ChaLean Extreme in DVD format in 2018 then you are in luck.

Chalean Extreme Workout

ChaLean Extreme

15 Extreme Workouts
Cardio & Resistance Training
Popular With Women. $89.85

Chalean Extreme Deluxe DVDChaLean Extreme Deluxe

22 Intense Cardio & Resistance Training Workouts.
Weighted Gloves. 3 Resistance Bands. Stability Ball
Save more than $55 with this package deal for $179.70

Chalean Extreme Deluxe UpgradeChaLean Extreme Deluxe Upgrade

7 New Workouts.
2 Resistance Bands. Weighted Gloves. Stability Ball
$89.85

Stream

With it being 2018 you probably do not buy dvds anymore. And for good reason. So what I recommend you do is get a Beachbody On Demand membership.

You will be able to view ChaLean Extreme wherever you want whenever you want. There is a 14 day free trial to get started and is $40 every quarter up to $99 a year. Cancel whenever you want.

Included with Beachbody On Demand are the workout guides and calendars. This is what you want.

Summary

I’ve never done an entire round of ChaLean Extreme. It’s not to say I wouldn’t. From doing a number of workouts with Andrea to doing a few on my own I can say this is a very good workout. I never felt bored doing these workouts which is important.

I’d say its the best workout made by Chalene Johnson.

It has just enough of everything to keep it well-balanced but challenging at the same time because of all the resistance training. Is the exercise not tough enough? Add more weights. It’s really that simple.

With the workouts being around 45 minutes it feels like it’s just the right amount of time needed to feel the burn without going into exhaustion.

Just because it says “Extreme” in the name does not mean its extreme. Those labels go to P90X, Insanity, and The Asylum. If you do those types of workouts you might not like ChaLean Extreme.

And that’s ok because what ChaLean Extreme really is…is a great workout.

When people ask me what workout they should start with if they have not worked out in awhile or know they don’t want to power through an extreme workout I recommend ChaLean Extreme or Power 90. Both are a great starting point for fitness.

All you have to decide is if you want Tony Horton’s jokes or Chalene’s perky personality.

10 Minute Trainer Workout Review: More Of A Warm Up Workout

February 23, 2018 - Updated February 23, 2018

A long time ago in 2009 I had finished many rounds of P90X and my first round of Insanity. To say I was feeling a bit beaten up from those extreme workouts would be an understatement. So when I heard Tony Horton made the 10 Minute Trainer I figured I would give it a try.

The thing about 2009 was I was 29 years old. In 2018 I am now 37. A lot has changed since then in regards to my fitness. One thing I did not have a problem with back then was recovering from a workout. I had the ability to push through the soreness and finish workouts. Energy was everywhere. Not so much now with me being a Dad to two kids.

What does all of this have to do with the 10 Minute Trainer?

Not much.

What you should know is I started writing a review for the 10 Minute Trainer in 2009 and stopped only to find it in my admin area nine years later. After a couple of minutes of looking at what I had originally written I decided to re-write what I had written and give you an updated review of the 10 Minute Trainer.

Here’s The Thing

The main reason why I did not finish my review was because I did not finish the program. I found 10 Minute Trainer to be boring and a bit cumbersome.

What do I mean?

I had just finished P90X and Insanity. Neither of which are boring.

All of the 10 Minute Trainer workouts I tried had one thing in common which I did not like. They were all 10 minutes.

10 Minute Trainer Total Body Workout
Maybe 10 Minutes of working out isn’t perfect Tony.

I was already in very good shape from doing the extreme workouts that when the 10 Minutes were over I was barely warmed up. I’m not knocking the workouts. They are very good warm up type workouts if you want to do something else.

I just could not see myself progressing through 30 or 60 days of the 10 Minute Trainer.

Here’s The Other Thing

When I bought the 10 Minute Trainer DVDs in 2009 you had to wait for the advertisements from Beachbody to finish before the next workout would start.

All of the workouts were on one DVD which was great but it wouldn’t just move onto the next workout. It would kick you back to the main menu forcing you to select another workout which completely ruins the pace.

I remember being annoyed waiting for another workout to come on as one workout was not enough. A 10 minute workout typically took 15 minutes between loading up the dvd, selecting the workout, and waiting for the ads from Beachbody to play.

Before I go into more of what I don’t like about the 10 Minute Trainer lets take a minute to know more about it.

What Is It?

10 Minute Trainer Workout

10 Minute Trainer was developed by Tony Horton for people on the go. This includes anybody from a stay at home mom to CEO’s of major corporations.

The issue is always the same. Nobody has time to workout.

Everybody knows how important their health is but its easy to make up excuses or life just gets in the way. What makes the 10 Minute Trainer workout so successful is it eliminates the excuses. Anybody can find 10 minutes in their day to workout.

Tony Horton introduces the concept of “Super Stacking” with 10 Minute Trainer. How it works is you mix in cardio with resistance training together at the same time. This shortens up the workout into an action packed 10 minutes.

No time between sets to work on different muscle groups. All you need is a resistance band and 10 minutes to get the results you want from these workouts.

  • Total Body
  • Cardio
  • Lower Body
  • Yoga Flex
  • Abs
  • Core Cardio
  • Upper Body
  • Total Body 2

You get a resistance band, customized workout calendar, Rapid Results Guidebook, and Tony Hortons 10 Minute Meal Plans with each 10 Minute Trainer package.

Deluxe

What I do like are the 10 Minute Trainer Deluxe workouts Tony made. Such classics named:

  • One on One Lower
  • Plyo Intervals
  • One on One Upper
  • Cardio Intervals
  • Chest & Back
  • Friday Night Arms

A little known program are the Tony Horton One on One workouts. Basically its Tony’s camera guy and him at Tony’s house making up workouts. And some of these are tough.

Tony does not let us down with his Lower, Upper, and the Chest & Back workout in the deluxe workouts. The format is different as its not in the studio but who cares, the workouts are good.

You might actually want a break after these workouts.

Cost

If you absolutely want to buy the 10 Minute Trainer in DVD form in 2018 then you’re still in luck.

10 Minute Trainer

10 Minute Trainer – $79.90

3 Ten Minute Workouts
Cardio & Resistance Training
Popular For Busy People. $79.90

 

10 Minute Trainer Deluxe10 Minute Trainer Deluxe

8 Ten Minute Workouts.
3 Resistance Bands
Popular for people with no time. $159.80

 

10 Minute Trainer Upgrade10 Minute Trainer Upgrade Pack

9 New Quick Workouts.
2 Additional Resistance Bands.
Add them into your busy schedule. $79.90

Stream

What I would recommend over buying the 10 Minute Trainer DVDs is a Beachbody On Demand membership.

With the BOD membership you will be able to access the 10 Minute Trainer and every other Beachbody workout ever made whenever you want. Subscription prices start at $40 a quarter up to $99 a year. There is a 14 day free trial available to kick the tires.

Summary

Its been nine years since I bought the 10 Minute Trainer and not once have I thought about doing them again. I’m pretty sure I gave the dvds to my parents in 2012 and they never touched them either.

And even now with 10 Minute Trainer available on Beachbody On Demand I still haven’t done it. I would rather do something like the Primal Blueprint workouts (pushups, pull-ups, squats, planks) in 15 minutes instead of having to stack multiple 10 Minute Trainer workouts.

Or even something like T25 or Power 90. You’ll get similar workouts in 25 to 45 minutes without having to stop and wait for the next workout to load up. There is just something about having to stop and start that I do not like.

Saying all that you cannot deny that Tony Horton knows how to put together a workout. Maybe spend the time learning one or two of the workouts by memory and do them on your own time without having to load the dvd or Beachbody On Demand.

Grab a resistance band and do a round or two while watching TV or at your desk while making sales calls like how I used to do.

Who knows. Maybe when I’m a little older or if I get really out of shape I’ll give 10 Minute Trainer a try. Until then, I pass.

Power 90 Workout Review: Surprisingly Good

February 22, 2018 - Updated February 22, 2018

Once upon a time Power 90 was the go to workout. And then P90X came around which pushed Power 90 back into oblivion basically erasing it off the face of the Earth. I was one of those people who did P90X first and later heard about Power 90.

Beachbody sent me Power 90 as an added bonus to a package deal available for anybody who was a Beachbody Coach. I tried Power 90 a couple of times and wrote this review in 2009. Its 2018 and its time for an update.

Here is the thing though. I never did an entire round of Power 90. Reason being is I was conditioned to the time and effort involved with P90X. To do a round of Power 90 after doing P90X would be taking a step back with my fitness.

This does not mean Power 90 is a bad program. After sampling many of the workouts I’d say its one of the better programs Beachbody released. Reason being is the workouts are good and straight to the point. There is no messing around.

I do not have any before and after photos to share. Only my thoughts about the Power 90 workouts I did. Before we get into that you need to know…

What Is It?

The Power 90 Workout was developed by Beachbody and trainer Tony Horton in the early 2000s. This workout is what led up to the creation of P90X. Since P90X was built from a lot of the principles of Power 90 you will find the two very similar. Except for the fact that Tony Horton was wearing some very short shorts through the entire program.

Power 90 Sweat 1 - 2
Nice quads Tony!

There are two differences between Power 90 and P90X. The first one is time. The average length of a P90X workout is 1 hour long while Power 90 is 40 minutes.

The other is Power 90 is better for people who are not in decent shape already. This makes a big difference because P90X is for people who have built up some level of fitness and are looking for the next thing.

If you consider yourself out of shape then going the Power 90 workout route might be better than P90X.

Power 90 Before P90X
You will want to do Power 90 and then P90X. Trust me.

If you can get by the graphics, gray carpeting, and short shorts you will really like Power 90.

What You Need

To do Power 90 you need either resistance bands or dumbbells. To make the workout more comfortable you may want an exercise mat and Beachbody supplements.

The Power 90 Workouts

Sculpt Circuit Phase 1-2 – Simple moves to tone up your body.
Sweat Cardio Phase 1-2 – Burns fat and sheds inches off your waist.
Sculpt Circuit Phase 3-4 – Next level of toning up muscles.
Sweat Cardio Phase 3-4 – More intense level of fat burning moves.
Phase 1-2 workouts have Ab Ripper 100 at the end and Phase 3-4 come with Ab Ripper 200.

I really enjoyed the Sculpt Phase 3-4 and Ab Ripper 200. Both are no-nonsense workouts that will get you “feeling the burn.” From time to time I will do Ab Ripper 200 and my abs are burning the next day. It’s not as hard as Ab Ripper X, it’s just different.

What Comes With The Power 90 Workout?

Power 90 WorkoutPower 90 Workout Guide and calendar to keep you on track.
Fat Burning Express – Get your metabolism going in 35 minutes.
Fat Burner Meal Plan – Shed pounds while still eating the foods you like.
6 Day Fat Burning Express Plan – Lose weight fast.
Measurement Card and Tape Measure – Keep track of your progress.
Free Resistance Band

Power 90 Workout

Power 90 Workout

90 day fat burning and toning workout.
Build your core, thighs, and upper body

 

 

Power 90: The Master Series

Advanced Power 90 workouts.
Targeted workouts to get you ripped in less time.

What could be better than Power 90 workouts? Yes, more Power 90 workouts. That’s what the Master Series is all about. Whats funny about these workouts is Beachbody created the Master Series after P90X was released.

My guess is they saw people enjoy getting their butts kicked for an hour and tried to get a little more out of the Power 90 brand.

Power 90 With P90X Poster
Pay no attention to the P90X poster behind me.

The Power 90 Master Series Workouts

Core Cardio – Get your core reved up with an intense cardio sculpting workout.
Plyo Legs – Tony Horton’s intense lower body jumping workout.
Sculpt Phase 5-6 – Tough body sculpting workout.
Sweat Phase 5-6 – A big calorie burning workout.
Cardio Intervals – Burn lots of fat with challenging cardio moves.
UML – Burn up those upper, middle, and lower muscles.

I have tried all of the Master Series workouts once and I liked them. They are not as good as P90X but good enough to occasionally do.

Stream

So its 2018. You probably have no interest in buying the Power 90 DVDs. And that’s a good thing because Beachbody no longer sells them.

The only way to access Power 90 or the Master Series is with a Beachbody On Demand membership.

You can view Power 90 and any other Beachbody workout with the BOD membership for $40 every quarter or $99 a year.

Summary

I have never done a round of Power 90. And rarely do I grab a Power 90 workout to mix into a hybrid program. But its the first workout I recommend to someone who is really out of shape or if they say P90X is to tough for them.

It’s just a really good program from top to bottom. It was such a good program that Beachbody did a remake of it in 2014 and appropriately called it P90.

P90 is basically the same program as Power 90 but with a better production value. Tony Horton is  a decade older in P90 but he’s still kicking butt and wearing longer shorts.

 

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to Next Page »

Copyright © 2023 · Genesis Framework · Archives · Search · Log in

 

Loading Comments...