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POPSUGAR Fitness 4-Week Full-Body Fusion: Week 4 Review

I Did All 4 Weeks of POPSUGAR's Full-Body Fusion Program — Here's How It Went

Four weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to try the POPSUGAR Fitness 4-Week Full-Body Fusion program, available exclusively on Glow by POPSUGAR. I had some goals in mind to kick off 2020, but no idea what to expect. Now, at the end of the program, I'm excited to share my "results" with you, including a detailed breakdown of how each workout went this past week. (Spoiler: pretty freakin' amazing.)

These final seven workouts were a fantastic mix of cardio, toning, yoga, kickboxing, Pilates, and "arm dancing" — all of which kept the grand finale interesting and fresh. This also helped me overcome a bit of a hurdle I had been facing with motivation in my at-home workout routine. Let's get into it.

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Dominique Michelle Astorino

Week 4 Overview

Equipment Needed For Week 4

  • Yoga mat or soft surface
  • A set of light free weights
  • A set of medium free weights
  • A resistance band
  • Sneakers

Where I'm Working Out

My living room and my mom's house. I spent a day up at my mom's, which gave me the chance to see how this program works while you're travelling (not that driving 45 minutes to my parents' is "travelling," but you get it). This week I used my Apple TV and my iPad to stream my Glow videos.

My Personal Goals

Four weeks ago I set out to start my training for the runDisney Princess 10K (I run at the end of February!), to improve my stamina, and to start having more energy and getting up earlier each day.

I am quite happy to say that my 7:30 a.m.-wakeup slump is back to a 6 a.m. energetic start! I feel renewed, more productive, and focussed. My energy is improving throughout the day, too. Overall, this is a huge deal for me, and I feel like something that has an impact on all areas of my life. As for stamina and feeling ready for the race? I think I'm on the right track, but probably need to repeat the four weeks to feel totally prepped.

During my review of the second week of the program, I had brought up some obstacles with my motivation. It's hard to get myself to work out with great form and effort when I'm at home and no one is coaching or watching me. How did I overcome this? It turns out — for me, at least — that consistency helps. Getting up every day and just getting after it boosted my confidence, mood, and desire to keep at it day after day.

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Dominique Michelle Astorino

How It Went

Day 22: Cardio & Sculpting Workout With Jake Dupree

First up: the longest workout of the week, a 40-minute session with Jake Dupree. When I started this program at the beginning of January, I was like, Oh, Jake is so sunshine-y and sweet, but I can confirm now that he is totally trying to torture us all.

Fortunately, Jake still brings his fun personality, even as he tears your abs to shreds. Ultimately, I loved this balance of stamina-building cardio and muscle-building strength moves. There were several exercises that helped with my lower abs (transverse abdominis), which I desperately need to make my darn hip flexors stop overworking! Another component I really loved was the cooldown; I definitely needed pigeon pose after this workout. The yoga-style end to the intensive cardio routine was perfect.

Day 23: Quick Knockout Workout with Christa DiPaolo

I did this workout at my mom's house using my iPad as my screen, so it was the first (and only!) time I did a workout away from my Apple TV. Fortunately, the app is even easier to use on a mobile device.

Resistance band exercises are among my favourite (big, big fan of the booty bands), so when I saw resistance bands in the thumbnail image, I got really excited. This 13-minute workout kept it short and sweet, and felt like a fusion between a shadow boxing class and Best Butt Ever from Equinox (a class I used to take weekly!).

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Dominique Michelle Astorino

Day 24: Strength Training With Weights With Raneir Pollard

Raneir always starts off with a five-minute warmup, but instant energy; he seriously electrifies my living room. I don't know how this is possible through a screen, but he has such a powerfully positive presence!

The workout itself kicked off with deadlifts, so even though the program calls for medium weights, he recommends slightly heavier weights if you feel like that is a safe choice for your fitness level and your form (I did this with 5-lb. weights and then again with 15-lb. weights). And the cool part about Raneir's training is that he will always emphasise good form; he especially does so in this video.

This strength training class felt like a safer version of Barry's Bootcamp, particularly for those who aren't certain about their form yet, in large part because he emphasises form over pace and reps. Don't forget those Barry's classes are advanced, so if taking one is a goal of yours, this workout with Raneir is pretty incredible to start working up to that (and it's great even if you already are advanced!).

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Dominique Michelle Astorino

Day 25: Yoga Session With Koya Webb

This amazing yoga session is the most energized flow I've experienced with Koya this past month. The program started with restorative meditation and yoga, moved to a recovery-centric 30 minutes during week two, and then skipped yoga the third week (something I desperately missed). This final session was somewhat more challenging. When I say challenging, I don't mean this is an advanced class, just that it's more of a workout this week than a recovery sesh from weeks past. Think: gentle Vinyasa status, with beginner, intermediate, and advanced options.

The cool part was I got to compare how I felt the fourth week compared to the first . . . a little stronger, a little more flexible, a little lighter in energy. I wish that my local yoga studios had 30-minute classes like this (and also had Koya teaching them).

Day 26: No-Plank Ab Workout With Jake Dupree

No planks, no problem. I don't know if anything rivals Jake's 10-Minute Ab Workout from week three (I loved how that it was so quick and effective), but this one is up there. I seriously am obsessed with Pilates, so these familiar mat moves felt really comfortable for me. Mentally, anyway. Physically, my abs were on fire. Doing the Hundreds with weights was a new challenge that felt distinctly Jake Dupree, IMO (just like his "trainer counting" — you'll get it when you hear it). Spinal roll-ups, teaser-style moves, and single leg stretches all harken back to the core-centric, ab-tastic Pilates studio classes I love, and I was able to do them right here in my living room.

Day 27: Below-the-Belt Workout With Christa DiPaolo

At this point I'm starting to feel like I can go to an actual boxing gym and not feel like a dummy. (For reference, the founding trainer at one boxing gym told me it looked like I was doing the "stanky leg" during a boxing class, so I haven't had the best flow with boxing moves.) Thanks to these super positive and energizing workouts — which, like I've said before, feel like dances sometimes — my confidence has increased. I'll definitely be coming back to Christa's workouts in the next few weeks.

Day 28: Arm Dancing Workout With Amanda Kloots

This felt like the arms section at SoulCycle (and low key made me miss Soul . . . I haven't been in ages), but extended! Amanda kept this short-and-sweet workout just the right amount of challenging after a week that had a lot of upper body work, and I definitely feel a little stronger.

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Dominique Michelle Astorino

End-of-Program Thoughts

Wow. Okay, SO! At the end of the four weeks, here are some overall thoughts:

  1. These workouts were super energizing. You've probably heard me say the word "energizing" a lot at this point, but given that one of my goals at the start of 2020 was to have more energy and get up earlier, this program was the perfect anecdote. The positivity, humour, and inspiration from the trainers was exactly what I needed.
  2. Being able to watch the workouts on my Apple TV was a huge plus. Having that larger screen made the experience all the more elevated, and edged my living room workout a little closer to the in-studio experience.
  3. I missed my music. Good music is one of my big motivators when I work out, and that was honestly the one thing the program was missing for me. I'm gonna try it again playing some music in the background and see how that goes!
  4. The structure and pace were on point. Full-Body Fusion is a super well-paced, well-structured program; I loved how it incorporated amazing instructors from several areas of fitness, and provided a premier studio-like experience in my living room. To me, given that studio classes are $30-$40 and my gym membership was $145 a month, that makes this program an exceptional value.
  5. The program is great for all fitness levels. Every single workout was modifiable for beginners and those who were more advanced, making the program super versatile.
  6. Recovery was emphasised. One of the best parts of the program was the emphasis on recovery, both in how it was structured, and the overt messageing from the instructors.

Overall, I am super impressed with this program, and thrilled I had the opportunity to start my 2020 in such a fun, healthy way. My energy levels improved, I became a little stronger, I got used to working out at home, and I feel more prepped for my upcoming race. I'll absolutely be coming back to this specific program for the rest of the year!

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Dominique Michelle Astorino

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