Today we completed our first round of Hammer & Chisel. 8 weeks of 30-45 minute workouts 6 days per week. We spent many early mornings in our “gym” (aka our garage) yelling at Sagi and Autumn, complaining about the number of reps or the complex moves, and being too tired to realize what we were actually putting our bodies through.
Overall Impressions:
Jess: I absolutely loved this program. It definitely challenged me. I was able to go up weights on all exercises and was able to improve my ability to do the moves. I loved the fact that the majority of it focused on lifting, with some cardio mixed in. I felt with the set up of the program I was able to see more results than if I did 8 weeks of another program. I would highly recommend this program to anyone looking to gain muscle, get stronger, tone up, or lose weight.
Spence: I had fun doing all of the workouts for this program…..until my body reminded me that I was out of shape and Sagi/Autumn would proceed to remind me why it’s called a “work”out. I really did enjoy having a variety of workouts that kept it from becoming stagnant. I’m interested to see if doing it a second time will yield results of equal significance as the first round.
Favorite Move/Exercise:
Jess: Squats or deadlifts
Spence: Child’s Pose (cause warm ups are important)
Least Favorite Move/Exercise:
Jess: Pistol squats!!
Spence: One handed clean squat jerk (Seriously? How is that one move?)
Something accomplished that you couldn’t do previously:
Jess: Prior to Hammer & Chisel I probably could do 2 unassisted push ups. I maxed out at 20 push ups in a row during this program, which I was so excited for.
Spence: Get Jess up and moving before 6am without fearing for my life. I can also do twisting planks now.
Where you have noticed the most physical change:
Jess: My stomach. I still don’t have a six pack (one day, right?) but I lost almost 3 inches in my waist.
Spence: My waist. I didn’t want to lose pants sizes, but apparently I have no control over that (maybe the answer is more cookies and less carrots?).
Goal for the next round of Hammer & Chisel:
Jess: To be able to do an unassisted pull up & an unassisted dip on our dip bar.
Spence: To finish all of the workouts without telling the trainers that I hate them at some point.
Favorite Shakeology Recipe:
Jess: Cafe latte with cinnamon, water, and ice. It takes like a Cinnamon Dolce frappacino from Starbucks!
Spence: Chocolate with skim milk, PB2, and an entire banana
Food you are looking forward to eating now that the meal plan is over:
Jess: Ice cream!!
Spence: Apples………..apples dipped in peanut butter, apples dipped in chocolate, apple pie, etc
8 week results:
Top – January 11, 2016
Bottom – March 6, 2016
Spence’s Measurements:
Chest: – 3/4 inch
R. Arm: + 1/2 inch
L. Arm: + 1/2 inch
Waist: – 2 1/2 inches
Hips: – 3 inches
R. Thigh: – 1/2 inch
L. Thigh: – 1 1/2 inches
Total: 8.25 inches lost & 1 inch gained in arms
Jess’s Measurements:
Chest: -2 inches
R. Arm: – 3/8 inch
L. Arm: -3/4 inch
Waist: – 2 3/4 inches
Hips: -2 inches
R. Thigh: -1 inch
L Thigh: – 3/4 inch
Total: 9.625 inches lost
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