Review of Beachbody Hammer & Chisel Day 8: Chisel Cardio

Day 8: Chisel Cardio

I was really starting to like this program after the last couple of days. The last two workouts were fun for me. They were more my style, but then we had to go and mix cardio and weights. I'm just not a fan of mixing cardio and weights. This was very similar to a 21 Day Fix workout. We did each move for 60 seconds with a short break between. There were eight moves and we did them all twice. The only difference between this and a regular 21 Day Fix workout was that this one we did all of the moves once and then repeated them all. In 21 Day Fix, they get broken up into groups of 2-5 exercises.

The Exercises 

Over The Top

This one was supposed to be done on the bench. We were supposed to go up and over the bench, so one foot is on the bench. You hop the other foot up onto the bench as you hop the first foot down to the floor. You then go back the other way. I did this one on my step. The modifier who doesn't have a bench, does the same hopping type motion, but adds some squats. This wasn't too bad on the step. If  really need to get more risers for my step so I can work my way up to the bench height. 

Pull Up

I did these on the floor again with the door attachment under the last hinge. I like doing this better than doing them up high and holding a lunge position. It lets me focus on my lats without worrying about being in an unstable position. 

Dumbbell Swing

These were just like kettlebell swings, but she used a dumbbell. I used my 15 pound kettlebell. Doing Kettlebell swings for 60 seconds is pretty challenging. I didn't hurt as much as she said I should though which makes me think I need to up the weights. I'm not sure though. 

Figure 8

We sat on the floor in one of those C positions. We had one weight that was held in both hands up by the chest. We then circled the weight around to form a figure 8. It was similar to rowing a boat, but we were supposed to go up high in front to really work on that figure 8. This was hard to do for me. Maybe I should have picked a lighter weight for my first time doing it. I got through it though so I guess it was a good weight. 

Burpee

I'm not a fan of burpees as you well know if you've ever read anything about me doing a burpee. For those of you who don't know what a burpee is, I'll explain it. So you're standing up. You squat down and put your hands on the floor. You jump your feet back to a push up position. Some burpees then have you do a push up, but these didn't. Then you jump your feet back to your hands and you stand up. Then you jump. These are the move that always reminds me that I need to find a better bra. That's a big reason for me not liking them. They are just awkwardly uncomfortable and they make me feel very fat. 

Sword Pull

We did these in 21 Day Fix Extreme, but I don't remember which workout it was in. You stand there with one weight in your hand. You do a lateral lunge to the opposite side as the weight. You lower the weight down in front of the lunging shin. Then you come out of the lunge and bring the lunging foot back to the other foot as you arc the weight in front of you so it goes out and up and over so it's now straight out to the other side and slightly above your shoulder. These are growing on me. The first few times I did them, I didn't like them. They made my lower back a little sore, but I must have been doing something wrong, because that didn't happen with these. 

Forearm Plank Kick

I suck at the plank. I was digging the plank for awhile, but then I found out I wasn't doing it right. I was doing more of a Pike. Now I just suck at the plank and any variation of it. I can barely hold the plank. In this we held an elbow plank and then we alternated kicking a leg out to the side. The modifier just tapped one foot out at a time. I didn't know that's what the modifier was doing at first because I couldn't see her, but that's how I modified on my own. I have to come up with ways to modify on my own since I can't always do what the modifier does and there isn't always a modifier. I did as many as I could on my toes, but then I dropped to my knees. 

Side Step Up Kick

We stepped up onto the bench and did a kick. We did the same side for 1 minute and then moved to the other side. I did these on my step again. I really need that extra riser set! I felt these, but I should have felt them more and could have if I had that extra riser. My step came with two sets of risers, but one set is angled which is great for step aerobics type stuff. It works the muscles differently. It also lets you do other things with the step. However, it means my flat step is pretty low and I don't think using the angled part would be safe for these workouts.

This was probably my least favorite of the workouts so far.I thought that Chisel Balance would stay my least favorite throughout, but I actually want to give that one another try. I've come up with a different way to modify the Pistol Squats so I'm curious to see how that works out for me.

The Worksheet

I can't seem to remember to count the reps during these things. I'm okay with that too. Going faster doesn't necessarily mean I've improved, so I don't think counting the number of reps is really an indication of anything.

Polar M400 Screen Shots

I'm still having issues with weirdo readings on the heart rate monitor. Oh well. One of these days I'll figure out how to place that thing so it doesn't do weird things. Maybe I should start duct taping it to me. Or maybe medical tap would be a better idea.

Want to Learn More? Watch the video!

Here's a video so you can learn more about the workouts. Be sure to buy from a Team Beachbody Coach so you can get the free workout! If you don't have a coach, you can sign up with me as your coach.