Hammer & Chisel: Round 1 Reveiw

8 Weeks of one of the newest programs on the market complete.  The program is basically 60 days start to finish. A mix of weigh lifting with some cardio.  There are definitely days where its a lot like weighted cardio as well. That depends on the track you decide to take. There is a lean program and a build program. My goal was to lean out. 

To give this some context around MY results I was working out with Body Beast before I started Hammer & Chisel. I started my BB program in September and began Hammer & Chisel the beginning of December.  The reason that I point that out is that I did gain weight with Body Beast.  I was building muscle before I even began Hammer & Chisel. 

So my before pictures are actually from September 2015. 

I know, I know I'm supposed to take my before pictures before every program but things happened and I didn't get it done!! I did have some measurements and body fat percentage since I really wanted to gauge how much I was building and losing.  As I have learned from going thru these programs, results are way more than the number on the scale.  Its how you look and feel.

My Mapped out Meal Plan

While I was doing both of these programs I was using the beach body Performance Line. I used Energize as my pre-workout to give me a boost, Recover post workout, Recharge on nights I was especially sore and to repair muscle overnight (which was a good amount of the time), Creatine daily to help with muscle building and Hydrate as needed (a supplement you put in your water during your workouts that includes electrolytes etc..).

The program's nutrition is based on a container system I am very familiar with from the 21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix Extreme and Max 30.  It truly is a solid program! Once you learn the program you can literally apply it to any workout program.

You choose your calorie range based on the results you want to achieve.  For me personally, after Body Beast I realized that I wanted to lean out.  So I opted for the lean program over the build program.  You calculate your range based on your activity level and then it calculates into how many of each container you can have per day.  For me this was the easy part since I was already familiar with other programs that use the same container system.

While I KNOW I built muscle, the heavy weight lifting is not my favorite thing.  I felt like Hammer and Chisel would be a nice combination of traditional lifting and combined lifting and cardio I have enjoyed with Autumn's programs.

The 60 Days was broken out into a calendar so I could check off and follow each workout every day as it was mapped out.  Each day brought a new challenge.  There was always a way to modify or make the program more difficult depending on how you felt that day.  I was also adamant about recording my daily progress and tracking the weights I used with the tracking sheets I could print on line.  That way I could challenge myself more and increase weights week to week. 

So here is where the rubber meets the road.  This was my road map for the last 8 weeks.  I pushed thru each and every day and it was not a cake walk.  Workouts were anywhere from 25-40 minutes long depending on the day.  If you added on abs one day another 10-12 minutes.  So totally doable and you can increase the challenge based on the weights you use etc..

The results that are out there are really impressive! I wanted to go all in and felt I could make some real changes. I am not a stranger to weights and even did some amateur body building at one point so this was right up my alley.  Fellow coaches also were getting great results.  So in the end here are my results. 

I gained 5.5lbs of muscle - which I am pretty sure went all to my arms!! I increased my bicept by 3/4 of an inch!! both my arms have been stuck at 11" FOREVER! So to see that growth was EPIC.

My strength has improved dramatically, I pushed with my weights. In retrospect I could have push harder for sure. 

STRAIGHT TALK

If I am going to be straight up honest with my results its as such.  I gained overall 9.2 lbs. 5.5 lbs of that was muscle.  I also increased overall 5"- that includes my bicep growth, legs and and 1" on my waist.  Listen, not many of the ladies, including myself would like to post that.  But that is the truth. 

Not what most people want to read or hear right!? But the bottom line is I did have some serious results.  Yes my clothes are fitting a bit tighter, I do want to "cut" down on the fluff layer as well. 

Was I PERFECT in my nutrition.  No, I can't say I was- I was doing this thru the Holidays so while I did get my workouts in, I did NOT do a perfect job so that could have contributed to the lack of fat loss as well. 

HOW CAN I IMPROVE ROUND 2? LESSONS LEANRED

Well THIS round I will be cutting out most of the Performance Line products.  For me- they added calories I clearly did not need.  I also will skip the Creatine- while it gave me a great pump, I think I held on to extra water that overall didn't make me feel great.  I'll keep my Energize- lord knows I'll need it to get my butt out of bed and get these workouts in!! 

I will also stick to my meal plan like CRAZY! Hey it's a bump in the road, but one I know I can overcome. 

I really do have faith in this program- I'm not giving up yet. The first round was practice- this round is going to be results - besides this is a JOURNEY, not a destination! I'm not stopping!! Round 2 I'm coming for you.  I'm going to have those Abs like Autumn again! I had them before, I'm going to have them again!! BOOYA!!

I'm going to start Round 2 right away!! I have Challenge Groups starting every month- if you are interested in starting your OWN journey, join me in the next one!! Fill out the form below and I'll be in touch!

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Peanutty Peanut Butter Squares

Clean eating can be delicious and on plan!

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray

1 1/2 C all natural smooth peanut butter

1/2 C cup raw honey (or pure maple syrup)

2 Tsp pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs at room temperature

1/2 Tsp baking soda, gluten-free 

Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly coat and 8 x 8 baking pan with spray. Set aside. Combine peanut butter, honey, extract, eggs, and baking soda in a large bowl, mix well. Evenly spread batter into prepared pan. Smooth top with a spatula. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes. 

Squares may be a little soft one coming out of the oven but they will continue to cook. Cool. Cut into squares. 

Serves 16

Prep time 10 Min (that's literally how long it took me to throw this together)

Cooking time 20-23 minutes. 

Container equivalents per serving= 1 💛 and 2 1/2 Tsp. 

For my plan I cut the servings in half so they equal 1/2 💛 and 1 1/4 Tsp. 

Enjoy!! Let me know how yours come out! 

Recipe found in "Fixate" by Autumn Calabrese 

Progress Not Perfection - It Takes TIME!

My story is no different than many of yours.  I wanted to make a change in my health and I set out to do just that.  The hardest lesson I have had to learn over the years is trying a program only to have it seeming stall out even backslide even though I felt as though I put EVERYTHING into it.

10 Month Results

My FIRST instinct... GIVE UP. Yes, its absolutely true.  So easy to want to throw in the towel because my results were not coming quickly enough or I didn't SEE a big enough change after just one week! I honestly laugh at that now that I know it takes well over a week to see real, substantial changes.  It takes LONGER than that to create a habit so I just needed to give these programs the time they needed to see results.  

Everyone sees a before and after and they want the after, they want to know the "secret" to achieving a transformation. But I have to tell you that there really is no secret! 

#1. Learning a different way to eat and workout that will fit into your life; and

#2. Being consistent. 

For me the "consistent" part was the hardest until I got involved in challenge groups a little over a year and a half ago.  The reason they worked for me is that it held me accountable to a group for my workouts and nutrition.  But it also provided a POSITIVE framework and support I was lacking before! We all, literally, struggle together. 

Have you ever tried something new and everyone you thought would be supportive isn't? It happens, sometimes not from their desire for you to fail but lack of understanding.  

This team mentality as well as my fitness and nutrition programs have kept me going because its MY blue print for success. What workout to do, what to eat, how to fit this into my life.  I learned it all in Challenge Groups. 

As a busy working mom with 2 school age kids, horses, dogs, you name it.  I have little time to drive to a gym to get a workout in.  I do however, have time to either push play on my DVD or stream my On Demand workout for 30 minutes a day.  I'm just not in a place where group exercise classes work out for me right now.  But I missed the SOCIAL aspect of my gym.  My Challenge Group provided that part too.  I made amazing friends in my group that are still my friends today!

There are days that I would likely skip my workout, or maybe I was out and forgot to pack my food so I might cheat. Having the messages from the group or even just that point of contact, reminded me of my goal. Even when I had a rough weekend that didn't go as planned, I was more likely to pick back up the next day because of my Challenge Group.

So if you take anything away from this post- real results take time but it is possible to get them.

If you are pressed for time and want to try a different program that may help you start, get on track or even back on track- apply below and I'd love to help you learn more about my upcoming groups.  

You can do this, its a process but it's one you can achieve.  No giving up.  You are worth it!

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