Day 27's optional stretching workout with Daniel capped off the challenging FB Fit R3 program, and a first FB program completed without any rescheduling. Feeling surprisingly good after yesterday's 1000 calorie workout and weeklong+ heatwave induced lack of sleep. :D
Overall, this program was interesting and definitely challenging. It did not feel as fun the first 2 weeks with longer, non-optional integrated HIIT on days 1 and 3 and the optional HIIT on day 5. The HIIT felt too close together to allow adequate recovery between sessions when done as legit HIIT (based on HR) rather than MIIT. In week 3 it began to feel easier and more fun as the week progressed, with slightly shorter HIIT and slightly more time for recovery along with more strength training (yes!). Week 4 was backwards in a good way compared to FB Complete in that the 1000 calorie workout was on the last day instead of day 1 or week 4, which allowed more time to gear up for it and/or dread it, lol?! ;) The final 1000 calorie workout was a doozy, but it definitely felt more doable than a month prior in week 4 of FB Complete. Other than the somewhat too closely scheduled integrated HIIT, the longer length of workouts overall was a challenge to fit into the schedule, especially with the 50+ minute workouts. And having just completed FB Complete prior to starting FB Fit R3, it was definitely a major adjustment not having multiple workout options to choose from each day, even though alternate workouts were offered a few days here and there.
If asked at the end of week 2 whether this was a program to be repeated, the answer would have been "no," especially with the feeling of too much HIIT/cardio and not enough strength training in those first 2 weeks. However, after completing weeks 3 and 4, the answer is "yes," even though it's still more HIIT/cardio heavy than desired, was a little too challening at the start, and there are some workouts which aren't very enjoyable (ahem, Daniel's crazy combo double sided moves kickboxing workout from day 3 of week 4, that's you! ;) ). In future, not-so-fun workouts can always be swapped out for more enjoyable ones of similar length and difficulty level to make the program work better individually as needed.
While the personal preference is for more strength training and less HIIT/cardio (or at least non-optional HIIT/cardio to be days 1/5 and optional on day 3 instead), it was worthwhile to see what's doable and change things up a bit.
Although it's definitely worth repeating in future, because of weeks 1 & 2 it didn't feel nearly as enjoyable overall as FB Blend, FB Complete, FB Low Impact R2, and FB Strong, all of which felt heavier on strength and lighter on HIIT. And that could be why the purchased FB Bodyweight is still "sitting on the shelf" untested (all that HIIT/cardio still feels a little too intimidating) and FB 30 R4 has yet to be completed despite several attempts, each of which fizzled out in week 4, lol! ;)
It would be interesting to repeat FB Fit R3 in a few months to see if the first 2 weeks feel as difficult and not-so-enjoyable as they did the first time through to know if it's inherently the design of the program itself (with a feeling of more HIIT/cardio in the beginning) or if it's the still sub-par level of fitness post-injury limiting things.
As for results pre- and post-program complete, while there was no change to weight or measurements at all, there is definitely a noticeable improvement in the number of reps, the amount of weight lifted, the length of recovery time from HIIT, and overall level of cardio fitness. So, it's a really good result overall. :D
Thanks Kelli, Daniel, & the FB Team for creating this challenging program! :)
FB Fit R3 - final day COMPLETE! + a review
Day 27's optional stretching workout with Daniel capped off the challenging FB Fit R3 program, and a first FB program completed without any rescheduling. Feeling surprisingly good after yesterday's 1000 calorie workout and weeklong+ heatwave induced lack of sleep. :D
Overall, this program was interesting and definitely challenging. It did not feel as fun the first 2 weeks with longer, non-optional integrated HIIT on days 1 and 3 and the optional HIIT on day 5. The HIIT felt too close together to allow adequate recovery between sessions when done as legit HIIT (based on HR) rather than MIIT. In week 3 it began to feel easier and more fun as the week progressed, with slightly shorter HIIT and slightly more time for recovery along with more strength training (yes!). Week 4 was backwards in a good way compared to FB Complete in that the 1000 calorie workout was on the last day instead of day 1 or week 4, which allowed more time to gear up for it and/or dread it, lol?! ;) The final 1000 calorie workout was a doozy, but it definitely felt more doable than a month prior in week 4 of FB Complete. Other than the somewhat too closely scheduled integrated HIIT, the longer length of workouts overall was a challenge to fit into the schedule, especially with the 50+ minute workouts. And having just completed FB Complete prior to starting FB Fit R3, it was definitely a major adjustment not having multiple workout options to choose from each day, even though alternate workouts were offered a few days here and there.
If asked at the end of week 2 whether this was a program to be repeated, the answer would have been "no," especially with the feeling of too much HIIT/cardio and not enough strength training in those first 2 weeks. However, after completing weeks 3 and 4, the answer is "yes," even though it's still more HIIT/cardio heavy than desired, was a little too challening at the start, and there are some workouts which aren't very enjoyable (ahem, Daniel's crazy combo double sided moves kickboxing workout from day 3 of week 4, that's you! ;) ). In future, not-so-fun workouts can always be swapped out for more enjoyable ones of similar length and difficulty level to make the program work better individually as needed.
While the personal preference is for more strength training and less HIIT/cardio (or at least non-optional HIIT/cardio to be days 1/5 and optional on day 3 instead), it was worthwhile to see what's doable and change things up a bit.
Although it's definitely worth repeating in future, because of weeks 1 & 2 it didn't feel nearly as enjoyable overall as FB Blend, FB Complete, FB Low Impact R2, and FB Strong, all of which felt heavier on strength and lighter on HIIT. And that could be why the purchased FB Bodyweight is still "sitting on the shelf" untested (all that HIIT/cardio still feels a little too intimidating) and FB 30 R4 has yet to be completed despite several attempts, each of which fizzled out in week 4, lol! ;)
It would be interesting to repeat FB Fit R3 in a few months to see if the first 2 weeks feel as difficult and not-so-enjoyable as they did the first time through to know if it's inherently the design of the program itself (with a feeling of more HIIT/cardio in the beginning) or if it's the still sub-par level of fitness post-injury limiting things.
As for results pre- and post-program complete, while there was no change to weight or measurements at all, there is definitely a noticeable improvement in the number of reps, the amount of weight lifted, the length of recovery time from HIIT, and overall level of cardio fitness. So, it's a really good result overall. :D
Thanks Kelli, Daniel, & the FB Team for creating this challenging program! :)
#ProgramComplete