How It Went
Day 15: Full-Body Knockout Workout with Christa DiPaolo
The longest workout of the week (40 minutes) was actually super fun. I love how Christa's boxing workouts feel a bit dance-inspired at times. To me, boxing really can feel choreographed, and this workout had that rhythmic, choreographic style that I love. (What I didn't love? One-arm froggers. I was glad we ended shortly after those!)
There was a five-minute warmup and five-minute cooldown built into this workout, so it ended up being a 30-minute workout with 10 minutes of acclimating your body in either direction. Christa really emphasises recovery, which I've appreciated every single week. Quote of the week: "Ninjas need to take a break, too!"
Day 16: Arm and Ab Workout With Weights With Raneir Pollard
My arms! I always joke that I have the upper body strength of a baby bird, so I shake in my boots a little when I see the words "arm," "workout," and "weights," but my little wings are definitely stronger after this session with Raneir.
This half-hour workout started with Raneir saying I needed light and medium weights and "a great attitude," so I knew I had to put my game face on immediately. It turns out, I didn't need to be afraid at all. I definitely broke a sweat (and really used my abs), but it was at a great pace — including a five-minute warmup and cooldown — and I got through the whole thing without feeling like I was dying.
Day 17: Ab Workout With Jake Dupree
This 10-minute workout — yes, 10 minutes! — started off strong with the Pilates "hundreds," which is something I've become quite familiar with over the years, but somehow it's still just as challenging today as it was when I first became acquainted. In fact, a lot of this felt really Pilates inspired, and I loved it. I do a lot of these moves regularly with my Pilates trainer, but those classes are $30-$100! What a steal.
Day 18: Dance Cardio Workout With Amanda Kloots
Short, sweet, and just what the doctor ordered mid-week! Nothing like getting through Wednesday with a quick dance break. Twenty minutes with Amanda Kloots is truly like a double shot of espresso. She wastes no time, and gets into the energy-packed session within seconds. You're also sweating within seconds.
Day 19: Heavy-Weight Workout With Christa DiPaolo
I saw the words "heavy-weight" and gasped, but realised I skimmed right over the fact that this workout is just 15 minutes. I sighed a breath of relief. That said, the chest presses honestly killed me — I may have been cursing under my breath when it got to that part! Note: this workout has the five-minute warmup and cooldown videos from previous weeks to go with it. They're great.
Day 20: Full-Body Workout With Weights With Raneir Pollard
Getting my butt kicked for 35 minutes was a great way to end the week, because I was so ready for that rest day. We did some deadlifts yesterday with Christa, and we were back again today with more deadlifts, so my glutes were really feeling it.
It's really important in these exercises to have the right weight for your dumbbells; this means they should be heavy enough to actually make a difference and make the moves count, but not so heavy that you lose form. This is a tougher thing to gauge without a trainer, so if you're a beginner, err on the side of lighter until you're certain your form is solid (and your back doesn't hurt when you're doing deadlifts!).
Even though this workout was tough, I love laughing through these videos with Raneir; he is hilarious!
Day 21: Rest
I definitely should have rested on this day, but a friend of mine I hadn't seen in a while really wanted to go to barre. I went with her and was worried I'd be too tired or sore, but I actually felt great. Thanks, Full-Body Fusion!