Pound

Welcome to Try-Athlete, the blog where I try all the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have. Last week a friend asked me if I had ever tried the workout "Pound," I hadn't so I was instantly intrigued.

What is Pound? Well she explained it to me, you use drumsticks and drum to the beat of the music. You are in different positions for each song, sometimes in a standing squat and drumming the ground in front of you and to the side as well. Pound is a full-body workout working abs, arms, legs and butt. Some songs you are in a seated position pounding the ground to the sides of you and working your core. 

I googled "the Pound workout" and watched a couple videos and I had to try it. I love any workout that involves rhythm and music and sweat dripping down your face. I found a class at a gym in Santa Monica, and since I go to Los Angeles every week for a on-camera hosting class, I decided to sign up for my very first Pound class. 

The Good:

This class was really fun! It was completely different from any workout I had ever done. Using drumsticks or as they are called in class "ripstix" was truly an art form. I could feel my muscles working and using muscles differently than they were used too. The music totally pumps you up, it's loud and the beat is easy to follow. The music kept me going even when I was really tired. 

The Bad:

Since it was my first time trying this workout some of the moves I would mess-up on. I got off the beat a bit sometimes when it was a new move. I was right in the front row too so I wanted to make sure I was doing everything correctly for others watching. I could feel my leg muscles cramping up halfway through the workout, we didn't stretch at all before the workout. Next time I would stretch out before the class so my muscles don't cramp up. 

The Unexpected: 

I've been doing the Asylum workout for the last four weeks and feel really strong so you can imagine how surprised I was when I was sore right after this class. My legs and lower back were so sore I could barely move let alone drive home after class. I thought I was in great shape so it was exciting to see I can step it up another notch. 

Recommendations:  

I would recommend this workout to anyone who wants to have fun while they workout. It's a tough workout but you're having fun while doing it so your mind doesn't dwell on the pain. Pound does take coordination and rhythm, but with practice I think anyone would be able to stay on the beat and follow the instructor. I'm already signed up for another Pound class I liked it so much, so until next time stay fit.

Focus T25

Welcome to Try-Athlete the blog where I try all the latest fitness and diet trends so you don't have to. This week I tried the newest workout from BeachBody called "Focus T25," the workouts are taught by Shaun T the same guy that brings you Insanity and Asylum.
I had received an email from BeachBody notifying me that Focus T25 was out and I could order it. I was intrigued immediately so I watched the commercial for it and it was on. The commercial claims all the workouts are 25 minutes long hence the name T25 and it boasts that you can get just as good results with these twenty five minute workouts as an hour workout. The slogan is "It's about time," so we ordered it and it arrived Monday.
It was time to see if this workout would give the same results Insanity or Asylum gives in only 25 minutes. The first workout was "Cardio" it was pretty easy and I got through it without breaking a sweat. It was a good workout but nothing like Insanity which I am used to. We built on the exercises so instead of just doing switch kicks we started with a low kick and added on from there.
Tuesday I did "Speed 1.0" it was a bit harder than Cardio but still not as tough as I'm used to. We built on exercises again and had to do them faster and faster. It involved a lot of jumping and cross jumps too. This workout made me sweat but only a little.
Wednesday was "Total Body Circuit" and let me tell you, up to this point I had underestimated this new workout. Total Body Circuit kicked my ass...and in only 25 minutes and I dripping with sweat. Sweat was pouring down my face, I even got some in my eyes. Everything was covered in sweat! This was what I had been waiting for, a hard core workout in only 25 minutes. We worked core, legs, arms...everything. We did push-ups and squats and lots of jumps too it was tough to get through this workout. I was stoked at the end of this workout because I knew T25 was going to give me the results it promised.
Thursday was "Ab Intervals" which focused on all ab work. This workout left me sweaty and sore. My abs and my lats were hurting, which was exciting for me because that meant I had worked them hard. We did plank holds and added jumping and piking to them. Each exercise got harder and harder till I was almost unable to do them because I was so tired from the previous exercise.
Friday was double time, I had to do 2 of the workouts so a total of 50 minutes. I started with "Lower Focus" which is all about the lower body and had a lot of lunges and squats and was a pretty good workout. Then when I was finished with that I had to do "Cardio" which I had started with Monday. Doing it by itself is one thing but doing another workout before it is another. I am excited to see what week 2 is gonna be like. After my double workout I can't wait to see how each week gets harder.
Overall, I think I got a great workout this week. At the beginning of the week I wasn't sure but by the end of the week my faith was restored and I know I'm going to get results from Focus T25. So untill next week stay fit!