Back in 2012, I got Chalean Extreme aka CLX.
The reason I got it was because I loved Chalene’s other Beachbody program Turbofire. I wanted to get lean, but I only had bands. Let me tell you this program is totally doable with bands, but I HATED IT. The bands totally sucked with this program. I only lasted a few weeks and gave up cause the bands were driving me insane.
So I decided I would put it back on the shelf and save up for adjustable weights.
I got my adjustable weights in October(ish) last year. They have been a fantastic investment. Did I start Chalean Extreme then? No. Why? Because I was in the middle of P90X (tolerable with bands, but still sucky), and then I had planned on moving on to Insanity the Asylum (which you can read about here or here), which I was using as my preparation for my Tough Mudder Event (want to read about that, you can do so here).
So I decided I would just have to wait until Tough Mudder was over before starting it again.
It wasn’t until February rolled around that I dusted Chalene off and pressed play. Now I’m doing a CLX / Run Hybrid. It’s a hybrid that I wrote. Essentially, I’m using CLX as strength training for 3 days, and then 3 days of running. So when I’m scheduled to do a ‘cardio’ day I run instead. Works for me.
Burn, Push & Lean are the three different circuits featured in the program.
Today marks my last day on the Push Circuit. Wow is all I can say. I pushed myself, and I was lifting heavy. Up to 18kg | 39.6lbs in some sets. Let me tell you having the adjustable weights really was a fantastic investment.
Did I surprise myself? Yes, I was surprised at how heavy I could lift. Yes, I pushed myself, and no joke by the end of today’s workout I could feel my muscles shaking. So even though cardio wise I didn’t get a workout, my muscles feel exhausted in a good way.
So I’m up to the last phase, which is the “lean” circuit. This will be interesting because it will be incorporating upper and lower body exercises at the same time. But I’m excited. I’ve really enjoyed CLX, and I still plan on lifting heavy.