I finished another workout program! Sure Thing is an 8-week workout program that you can stream on BODi* (formerly Beachbody on Demand). There are five workouts a week that involve strength training, endurance, cardio, and mobility. The weeks alternate between Endurance weeks and Power weeks, with every 4th week being a Functional Recovery week.
Equipment that is needed are dumbbells, strength slides, and a towel or mat for floor exercises.
Here is what the program schedule looked like:
Endurance weeks use lighter weights and higher rep ranges. There was also a lot of cardio conditioning. Power weeks focused more on heavier lifting with one explosive cardio day. The Functional Recovery weeks consisted of strength circuit workouts using a hybrid approach of both lifting and added mobility work.
Overall, I liked the program, especially the Power weeks. I felt that my strength improved, especially my arms and shoulders. I liked the variety in the workouts, and the Functional Recovery weeks were something that I'd never done in a workout program before, so it was nice to have more rest days during those weeks. Although, who are we kidding? I didn't really rest. I would usually do some sort of low-impact workout like walking or dancing.
Megan is a great trainer and is encouraging and knowledgeable. The cast was pretty quiet; I missed the banter that you often see between a trainer and the cast (Joel and the LIIFT4 cast, I'm looking at you!)
I cringed when I saw that the program included strength slides. I've done other programs that use those damn slides and I hate them. However, I was unable to use them during this program because I just don't have the right surface in my workout space. I tried everything, but I just couldn't find the right surface and I was worried I would injure myself because it was too difficult to keep my form. So when it was time to do a move with the slides, I'd just do the moves without them. It was fine, although I'm sure the moves didn't have the same effectiveness. I'm okay with it.
There were some really challenging moves, especially on the Bodyweight Burnout days, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I modified a lot. My shoulders and knees aren't always happy with me if I try to do too much, so I just do the best I can.
There were "fit checks" at the beginning, middle and end of the program, which I didn't do. Looking back, I wish I had done them just to know what level of progress I made over the 8 weeks.
I didn't like the program enough that I would repeat it again. However, I'd possibly consider doing it as a hybrid with something else.
Usually with a program, I take before and after pictures and measurements, but I didn't do that this time. With everything going on with David's health issues, I just wanted to focus on following a program and doing my best without stressing about results. As I said earlier, I felt improvement in my strength and endurance, but I'm not really sure if I lost any inches (which probably means I didn't.)
I also didn't track my weights with this program. The workouts went at a fast pace and there wasn't a lot of rest time in between sets. I could have paused the workouts and wrote things down, but I think that would have just slowed the pace of the workouts too much. I can tell you, though, that I was using heavier weights in the last part of the program, so there was progress!
I'll rest this weekend and then on Monday I'll start another program. My plan is to repeat 10 Rounds, which is a 6-week program that combines shadow boxing and strength training. I've done the program several times now and it's one of my favorites! Shadow boxing is a great stress reliever, which is just what I need in my life right now!
I'd also like to mention that over the last couple of months, I've been trying to increase my step count throughout the day. Since I started working from home, I found that I was sitting during a majority of my day. I then invested in a standing desk and although that helped with the sitting issue, I still wasn't getting a lot of movement in during the day, other than my morning workouts. Iowa weather isn't always ideal for walking outside and so I discovered the Walk at Home workouts, along with Get Fit with Rick on YouTube. These workouts are indoor, low-impact "walking" workouts and get in a lot of steps. Doing these short 10-15 minute workouts 2-3 times a day has helped me average about 8,000 steps a day! Plus, it's a great, healthy way to take a break from work, something that I often have a hard time doing.
There you go, folks, that's how I've been staying fit over the last couple of months. I'm excited about the next six weeks! Now that David is starting to heal and is feeling better, I'd like to get back into meal planning and prepping to make sure I get in enough protein and other healthy nutrients to properly fuel my body and help me continue to build muscle. I also hope to blog more about what I'm eating.
Have a great weekend!