Everyone around me is participating in some sort of challenging fitness endeavor. My BIL, Niel, is running the Chicago marathon in October. My sister, other BIL Adarsh, Vishnu, and few friends are participating in the Tough Mudder in August. Me? Nada. Until now that is!
Enter Kayla Istines’ BBG workout…
Ok, fine. There’s no real end game for me. BUT, I am challenging myself in a new way. Why? Because everyone around me is. Not the most compelling reason, but there’s nothing like seeing the people around you push themselves a bit to make you want to do the same.
Vishnu, for example, recently joined a gym in our neighborhood and is taking all of these really cool classes like HIIT, spin, boxing, etc. The plan was for me to join as well, but I ultimately decided not to right now because the timing of the classes doesn’t really work with my work + Kaiden schedule. Yet another reason for me to start BBG.
What is BBG?
BBG stands for Bikini Body Guide (I literally printed out a PDF guide with all the workouts mapped out). In my own words, it’s a 12 week fitness program focused on high intensity workouts. Each week you complete three 28 minute (ideally) HIIT workouts. For example, I just completed week one, and here’s what the workouts looked like.
Monday – Legs + Cardio (lunges, squats, burpees, etc.)
Wednesday – Arms + Abs (pushups, reverse pushups, bicycles, etc.)
Friday – Total Body (burpees, lunges, squat + press, etc.)
In addition to the above, I did a 40 minute run/walk workout on Saturday to round things out, and I also consider my walks to and from work as solid activity (I walk fast!).
I found week one to be pretty challenging, as evident by my super sore muscles. Every time I sneezed, some muscle/muscles screamed…usually my abs.
Why BBG?
I chose BBG instead of another program because it perfectly fits my workout criteria – 30 minutes ish, can do it at home, minimal equipment, and is (very) challenging.
Diet?
I’m not following the prescribed diet (I don’t believe in the word diet!), but I am maintaining a few simple rules – LOTS of water through out the day and no snacking after dinner (kitchen closes as soon as we finish cleaning up). Other than that, I’m going to try to make the best choices I can, eat lots of fruits and veggies, etc.
Goals?
My overall goal is to tone and tighten up a bit. I’m happy with my weight at the moment, but my tummy area could use some work as could my overall strength and endurance.
Any cons?
The only con I can think of after week one is injury. A big one I know. Because the workouts are timed + high rep, it’s easy to focus on that versus form. Knowing this, I constantly tried to ensure my form was on point, and if it’s not, I’d modify the move. My motto = slow and steady vs. injured and unable to exercise at all.
I don’t plan on sharing a weekly recap (as I did with T25 and my half marathon training) because, for example, weeks 1+3 and 2+4 are the same. So instead, I’ll share my thoughts after weeks 4, 8, and 12.
Feel free to share any questions or thoughts in the comments!