ChaLEAN Extreme is a workout program that promises to teach you the proper form, and then take you to the next level in fitness. It is another production from the crew at Beachbody, and is aimed at women wanting to put on some lean muscle, and burn off unwanted fat. But how well does this work, and is it something that you can throw yourself into?
Overview
You might be thinking “Oh great, not another fitness program for women…” but there are a few things that separate this from the rest of the pack. First, they are focusing heavily on weight training, which is usually something women tend to avoid. If you go to most gyms across the world, you will see a distinct separation between the different sections. It’s typically women on the treadmills, exercise bikes, and stair climbers, and the men over in the weights lifting and grunting and sticking their chests out.
But it’s not as if women can’t build muscle as well, and it does provide great health benefits and should not be overlooked just because of a gender bias in society.
The Claim
ChaLEAN Extreme claims that host Chalene Johnson, will guide you through a series of workouts designed to use both cardio, as well as resistance training to give you the lean and fit look that you want. It says it will supercharge your metabolism, and that after 90 days you’ll be burning through more calories in your sleep than you would with traditional diet and exercise. They say when you’re done that you can burn up to 60% of your body fat, and they say they do it through a process called lean phasing. This gradually moves the focus from cardio to weight lifting so your body builds more lean muscle, and hence burns more calories 24/7.
About Beachbody
Beachbody produces a lot of different fitness programs, most of which are delivered via DVD and usually include a few accessories like weight bands or special props to help you get more out of your workouts. They’ve had several successful programs, such as P90X, and the follow up to the P90X2, as well as Insanity, and Asylum. They are known for their high production value, you’ll definitely get good looking video, with on-screen prompts that help you stay focused, and give you a good idea of what’s coming next and how much longer you have in the workout.
The Cost
ChaLEAN Extreme is 3 payments of $30 plus $20 shipping, so your first payment is $50 and your next two are $30 for a grand total of $110.
The Commitment
This is definitely something that can get you fit, but you have to be the one that gets the ball rolling. With a workout program like this the hardest part is the start. If you can just commit to starting, and seeing it through for the first two weeks, the results you get will carry you through the next two, and then you’ll have momentum on your side, even more results to look at, and the situation has tipped in your favor. The key is not to think about all of the hard work that is ahead of you, or that you’ll have to do this indefinitely to see any results, just get your mind around doing it for 2 weeks, and then evaluating how it’s going from there. Overcoming inertia is the hardest part.
Evaluation
Actual users of ChaLEAN Extreme have submitted videos showing their progress. They aren’t even affiliated with the company and don’t seem to have a hidden agenda. They are just excited about their results. That’s really a positive way to go about this, look at it as an experiment, and take your own before videos and pictures, and then take weekly updates. You don’t have to upload them of course, just keep them for your own records. The mind is funny in how it doesn’t really notice gradual change, so after 2 or 3 weeks you might be startled to see how far you’ve come.
Forgoing resistance training altogether is a bad idea, and might be why you’ve struggled so hard to lose weight previously. If you’ve just been doing cardio for fitness, it’s basically the cardio versus your food intake. That’s when people get into the bad habit of eating something like a donut and then saying they will have to spend an extra hour on the treadmill to work it off. However, if you build lean muscle it works to boost your metabolism so that you are burning more calories around the clock, even while you’re sitting and watching TV or sleeping. This gets you out of the this for that mentality and into the idea of upping your calorie burning as a whole.
Final ChaLEAN Extreme Review
ChaLEAN Extreme is getting our nod of approval. The way they ease you into harder workouts using the different phases is a good idea, and won’t burn you out in the beginning. By starting with proper form you will get better results later because you will be doing the exercises properly. The videos are very clear, and you can see the models and how they are doing it. It’s also comes with the resistance bands, a nutrition guide, and a body fat checker so you can take objective readings that will show you your true progress as you go along. Don’t rely entirely on the mirror, focus on how you feel and how your body fat percentage is dropping.
Our Recommendation
We typically recommend Beachbody products, because they deliver well crafted and well executed workout programs. The caliber of training you receive is akin to having a personal trainer right next to you, and we believe that this justifies the price, and can give you the motivation you need to stick with it long enough to see results. If you just go it alone, or try to follow a fitness program out of a book, or by using YouTube videos, you don’t get that personal feel, and you don’t have a structured system in place.
Official Website: ChaLEAN Extreme
I heard some great things about beachbody but I never tried it myself. Actually, I haven’t exercised in years and people are starting notice I think lol. I always wanted to have muscular body like Chalene Johnson, I was never that girl that wants to look bone skinny or just girlish. I want to have that powerful Amazon woman kind of look lol. This looks like a good match for me because I really hate those girlish workout dvds.