Body For Life Challenge

A

abideinme

Member
Cathe,
I am new to your video's but you you are truly inspirational and highly motivational! I am looking for the best work out to do for the "Body for Life Challenge". They recommend 3- 20 minute intense cardios a week alternating a 45 minute upper body and lower body the other 3 days. Ex. Monday: 45minutes upper body strength training; Tuesday: 20 min. high intensity cardio session. Wednesday: 45 min. lower body strength training. Thursday: 20 Min. high-intensity cardio. Friday 45 minute upper body strength training. Saturday; 20 minute high intensity cardio session. They offer no excercise vidoes to follow.
Perhaps you could get with them a design one for them!
In the mean time, could you recommend a video or two that would best help me follow this routine?? Thanks!
 
Hi, Abideinme,

I'm not Cathe (obviously), but I am also doing a modified BFL Challenge. I am using Cathe's IMAX dvds for 20 minutes of cardio, and then on strength days, I'm using Cathe's Pyramid Upper and Pyramid Lower Body. They are PERFECT for the BFL program.

Good luck!

Chrissy
 
Hi chrissy,
Thanks so much for the info. Do you find 20 min. of the IMAX is intense enough for the 20 min of intense cardio they are looking for? What part of it are you doing?
Since the body BFL is suggesting 45 min. of strength training 3x's per week, twice being upper body and one being lower body, I am assuming you only do half of the upper body one day and the other half the other day?? If I remember correctly, the Prymid Upper body was over and hour long. How are you breaking that up?
WHen did you start the BFL challenge and how's it going? I have not yet started yet. Trying to get motivated to start today as I must do something ASAP as I have been spiriling out of control!
Thanks again!

Holly
 
Holly,

I am considering doing the Body for Life Challenge as well, and I was planning on using Cathe's Pyramid workouts. I was going to do them in their entirety though, even though they are a bit longer than 45 min. I was going to do the abs part of PUB with PLB or after cardio to break that up though. I will probably vary my cardio.
Good luck!

-Thea
 
Thea,
Let me know how you do! Wouldn't it be awesome if Cathe came up with a DvD for specifically for this! Body for Life needs her! They have no videos available- and the videos really help me!
Holly (abidinme)
 
Hi, Holly,

For IMAX, I am doing the first 5 cycles (it's a little longer than 20 minutes - probably about 30 min., but 10 minutes more doesn't bother me . . .). Sometimes, I will do the warm-up and the last 5 cycles. I just ordered LoMax and IMAX 3, so I'll have those to work in the same way . . .

For Pyramid UB and LB, I do them completely also. They are only 10-15 minutes longer than the 45 minutes, plus it makes me feel complete. I'm also rotating the weeks, so week 1, I'll do UB, LB, UB and then the next week I'll do LB, UB, LB. That way I feel even!

Let me know if you'd like to start a support group on Cathe for this - that would be fun.

I say I'm doing a modified BFL because I'm adding WEight watchers to it for the portion control. I tried it without and I just eat like CRAZY!

Chrissy
:9
 
Hi, Holly,

We could do a daily and/or weekly post on the Open Forum. See if anyone wants to join? Then we'd have to be accountable! People could post their strengths/weaknesses for the day and what Cathe tape they exercised to! :eek:)


Chrissy
:p
 
Just a suggestion, but you could do PUB and PLB with the pyramid up only option on the dvd. I recall that Body for Life did a pyramid up method (increasing the weight each set). I could be wrong, I haven't done BFL in 4 years. I think this comes out to less than 45 min, but it would be very close to what the book suggests and works all of the muscle groups (as opposed to splitting the workout). Just remember to increase the weight a bit more than usual since you are not doing as many sets.

I think any interval workout for 20 would be ideal as well, since that is what I remember doing in BFL (an interval running workout).

Thanks,
Diane
 
Hi everyone! I just wanted to do a quick post here - hope you don't mind! One of my favorites for cardio when I am doing BFL is Blast Mania from Imax2. It is a little longer than the 20 minutes, but other than that it is a perfect fit. As women, generally speaking, a little extra cardio won't hurt anything (except the fat, of course ;-) )!! I have to agree with everyone else about PUB and PLB - they are perfect for BFL! Some other suggestions to mix it up are Body Max upper body portion and CTX upper body. Also, you could pretty much do any of the leg workouts for the leg day. I'm not too sure which videos you have, but 1/2 of LowMax or any of the Imax's are great, too! For me personally, I noticed better results when I followed them in their entirety but definitely try them as outlined in BFL first and then switch it around to see what works best for you! Good luck!
 
Chrissy,
if you would like to get this going, I think that would be great. Unfortuntely I know my plate is too full to commit to one more thing. I have not even started eating right and excercising regularly yet! Having a horrible time getting away from the sweets.
I am also a very busy. I am a wife and mother of 4 girls, which I am currenlty homeschooling until there school starts. They normally go to a little school with our church, but we had to postpone our starting date due to an accident my twin sister and her girls got into a few weeks ago. SInce she is the head teacher we had to put things off.

I also am Music Minister/Worship Leader at our church along with secretary and clerk. Not too mention many other things.
Trying to do a balancing act!
If you decide to do it, let me know and I will be sure to get on to read and post when I can! It sounds like it would be helpful!I need help and encouragement with breaking the addiction to sugar!
I have done the low carb diets which work for me, but I need to do something I can do for life which is balanced in all food groups and without food rules. The food rules seem to cause more bondage!

Blessings!
Holly
 
Thank you all for your suggestions. The only video I have right now is the is the "time Saver" from Body Blast Series. This has 5 different work outs with Chapter menu option- so for now was going to try and skip around until I have worked each muscle I need to for that day and I have many options for the cardio ont hat as well. But I would really like to get the PUB/BLB.
I have done step aerobics before, but have found her steps tend to have alot more moves and take longer to learn. I also have flat feet and cannot do too much jumping. I am trying to remeebr what the IMAX has on it for cardio.
I really like the Kick Punch and Crunch. I am able to follow it better and not too much foot pain. Does the IMAX have alot of step?

Thanks again for sharing!

Holly
 
Holly (and Chrissy,you said you were too busy right now, but i didn't want to leave you out.)
I would love to do this BFL thing with you!! I am checking the book out from the Library tomorrow to read it. However for the past weeks I've already been doing the excercising and eating. I have been counting cals, eating 5-6 meals a day and doing cardio three times a week (except I usually do 60 mins.),and weights 3 times a week, (except it's been a total body workout). I would like to have someone to bounce ideas off of, and maybe even someone to keep me accountable. I "fell off this weekend" with my eating. I ate a half pan of brownies, in one day, and that was just the start!! But I am usually very disciplined (except sometimes food just has this hod on me!!!) so I am really good at getting right back on track on Monday!
I am at the point of my life where I want to have the body I've NEVER had, and not sure if it's possible to have. I know I will have to do things differently than I've ever done to get the results I want. I've seen before and after pics, and I want that too!
ANyway, I'm blabbing, but let me know!
 
Hi Everyone!

I'm new to Cathe's DVD's, but bought the pyramid set specifically for the BFL challenge. I know some people who did this program exactly how it is laid out and had amazing results (granted, alot of that is eating). As far as the program is concerned, this is the closest video I've found that can be used with the program. I'm already in pretty good shape, but would like to add a little more definition and toning up.

I'm all for getting in on a challenge if there are enough of us interested. Keep me posted and I look forward to this!
 
"Since the body BFL is suggesting 45 min. of strength training 3x's per week, twice being upper body and one being lower body, I am assuming you only do half of the upper body one day and the other half the other day?? If I remember correctly, the Prymid Upper body was over and hour long. How are you breaking that up?"

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the idea with the strength training is this:

Mon Upper
Wed Lower
Fri Upper

Mon Lower
Wed Upper
Fri Lower

So, over 2 weeks you do upper and lower 3 times each.

Re making the workouts shorter, there are pre-mixes that do this. Or you could just go for it and do 1 hour. With the cardio sessions being so short, your total workout time isn't excessive.
 
Another option for variety and shorter workouts is to split a total body workout into lower and upper. You could do this with Maximum Intensity Strength or Muscle Max for example. These are really thorough weights workouts so I think splitting them is still effective.
 
I'm interested in doing this also and would really like to be accountable to others who are doing the same workout. It would challenge me and I would like to have some camraderie.

Veronika
Rise and Shine!
 
Hi Everyone ~ :)

I would love to join in with you all!

Since getting back from the RT I have been in a real funk. Prior to that, I was on & off of BFL. I think the farthest I got was W5, but saw some great results!

This would be great to start a check-in, it would help to keep me in line :) My eating has been horrible, I just can't stay away from the sweets. I promised myself I would start this week, and crashed big time on Monday w/ doughnuts... :(

When doing BFL I always used the Pyramid LB & UB. I would alternate between HIIT w/ the treadmill or Cathe's DVD's (LowMax, Imax's, etc). I did just order Barry's Bootcamp, so I will probably do a rotation w/ that for 4-5 weeks, but follow the BFL eating.

Let me know, This would be great to keep each other in line!!! :)
Take Care!

"Today is a Gift, Have Fun"

~Jennifer~

www.picturetrail.com/fitness-momx2
 
Pyramid upper body is over 45 minutes long, but keep in mind that some of that is abs. In the BFL program, abs are worked on lower body day. Although it is a bit longer regardless, it is by only a few minutes and I don't think that a few more minutes will ruin the program. Also, I believe you could just do the pyramid up premix if you want to keep it shorter.

The program looks like this:
Mon-Upper
Tues-HIIT
Wed-lower
Thurs-HIIT
Fri-Upper
Sat-HIIT
Sun-rest

Mon-lower
Tues-HIIT
Wed-upper
Thurs-HIIT
Fri-lower
Sat-HIIT
Sun-rest

That cycle is completed 6 times for a full 12 weeks. I have the book and have done a lot of research as to videos that go along with it. Although the pyramids aren't a PERFECT match, they are pretty close. The closest I've been able to find without doing it on my own, no video.

If you have any questions, let me know.
 
Hey guys.....in case anybody's interested, I posted on the Check In forum (and copied it over at Open Discussion) that I started a check in today. I'm starting today and would LOVE company on this journey. It's about 12 weeks till Christmas and I'd love to see where this program can take me again!

Gayle
 
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