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You know how some people choose a word for the year instead of making New Years resolutions? Well my word apparently this year was inconsistency. With 2023 right around the corner, I’ve started reflecting on this year’s workouts and brainstorming what to do next year. While I regularly worked out 4-6x week this year, I was inconsistent with my programs and didn’t track any progress.
Peloton + #hardCORE On The Floor
Last December I had just left Beachbody for Peloton and was newly following the #hardCORE On The Floor unofficial Peloton calendar. When January 1st hit, I was motivated like everyone else to start the New Year off strong. I committed to the calendar daily, even doing the programmed outdoor walks in the cold Michigan weather… in snow!
While I’ve followed the calendar all year, some weeks have been more consistent than others. I struggled with repeating classes and taking classes from instructors who weren’t my jam. That being said, these occurrences resulted in my daily workouts being subpar. Unfortunately that’d spiral into an “all or nothing” mentality, resulting in inconsistency (something I’m working on).
80 Day Obsession
While #hardCORE was my main programming this year, around July I thought it’d be a good idea (for all the wrong reasons) to do 80 Day Obsession again. I had cancelled my Beachbody On Demand subscription though, so I ended up doing the workouts without the videos on my own using old tracker sheets. This was new for me, working out without follow-along videos. Surprisingly I got used to it and don’t mind it. I could workout at my own pace and listen to music instead of the video cast.
BFit
Shortly after embarking on 80 Day, fitness influencer Breanne Freeman (and ex-wife of a Beachbody trainer) launched her new BFit program that offered “custom workout and nutrition plans”. She was offering a discounted rate for new signups, so I decided to forego 80 Day and give it a try. Signing up even motivated me to purchase my adjustable bench and the Hyperbell EZ-Curl Bar, two new pieces of equipment I felt help take my workouts to the next level.
While I respect Breanne and BFit, I couldn’t justify the ongoing price on top of my monthly Peloton charges. While week one was exciting because it was brand new, I was disappointed when weeks 2-4 were the same exact moves as week one; not even the rep scheme changed. And from what I understood too, the programming was going to stay the same upon renewal, so I decided to cancel.
Side note: I’ve been told this style of programming is “normal lifting”, and while I get that, apparently I need more variety. 😅 I mean no disrespect to BFit, but it just wasn’t for me.
P.H.U.L.
After proving I could workout without follow-along videos, I discovered the PHUL program: Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower. It’s a 4-day split of upper power, lower power, upper hypertrophy, and lower hypertrophy. It was similar to BFit’s moves (which I did enjoy) and it’s free. For some unknown reason though, I stopped PHUL. 🤔 I think I switched back to #hardCORE. Like I said in the beginning, I was very inconsistent this year (there’s that word again!).
A Little Obsessed
Then, for a brief moment, I actually contemplated attempting 80 Day again. 🤦♀️ Instead I decided to go with 80 Day’s little sister program, A Little Obsessed. This time I ended up paying a friend a portion of her BOD subscription to use her account so I could workout to the videos.
After ALO, I contemplated 21 Day Fix but couldn’t bring myself to endure Autumn anymore. I did try a #mbf workout or two, but quickly realized Beachbody was no longer for me. Mentally this is a win. Like I said last year, I’ve come to realize I’ve outgrown Beachbody.
TUF It Out
In between programs I discovered personal trainer Tifanny Urrea promoting an upcoming paid accountability group for November featuring her original TUF It Out program. It felt like the perfect calling, so I hopped on board… and loved it! Her programming was diverse, effective, and engaging. She incorporated mobility, bilateral movements, unilateral, and even core without it feeling like you’re doing core.
She also offered weekly group Zoom calls, which I found beneficial to have an open discussion with other like-minded women.
When November ended, she was promoting a December group; however, I was going on vacation for 11 days, so I didn’t sign up since I’d miss a great chunk for my money.
Back to #hardCORE
Post-vacation I went back to #hardCORE. December’s calendar was going to be a highlight of previous classes, “the best of the best of the year” so to speak. This challenged me because like I previously said, I had a hard time repeating classes or working out to certain instructors, but I knew these classes were going to be fun. Participating in December’s calendar helped shift my mentality going forward. The creator of the calendar is talented and knows what she’s programming, so while I may not like every day’s stack, sometimes I just have to go with the flow and trust the process, you know?
Now what?
As for the New Year, I was waiting for details on a potential 12-week group, but so far nothing’s planned. With my recent re-engagement with #hardCORE though, I’d like to give the calendar my all. I’d also like to incorporate more mobility and cycling.
In conclusion, I jumped around a lot. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. I always came back to the #hardCORE calendar though to fill in the blanks. While my year seemed inconsistent, each program I jumped around to I generally did for an entire month: 80 Day Obsession phase 1, BFit one month, PHUL one month, TUF It Out one month. It’s only when I started dabbling with Beachbody again (apart from 80 Day) that I started not sticking with anything. Lesson learned, just stop with Beachbody. 😜
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