After years of trying to find a fitness program that worked for me, I finally found Turbulence Training through a fitness blog I stumbled on. I wanted structure but also flexibility, as well as exercises that were time efficient and really, truly challenging. It had become too easy to cruise through a magazine workout, get bored doing the elliptical, or just skip working out altogether (because if I didn't have at least an hour, what was the point? Etc.).
I was really fit in high school and college, thanks to rowing crew and running and gym addictions, but after college -- without structured sports or an on-campus gym to keep me going -- I gained about 20 pounds over the next 10 years. A few years ago I started played tennis, periodically used weight machines and the elliptical, and did exercise videos now and again, but I wasn't pushing myself like I used to and needed to. I wasn't being consistent, either. So I lost a little weight, but I still had more to lose -- and, equally importantly, more muscle to regain. I just wasn't strong anymore, and I was slooooow on the tennis court.
That's where I was when I started with the TT for Beginners. I was diligent about it, and I noticed strength gains and more tone everywhere within a few weeks.
Then I moved on to Intermediate TT, then to Buff Dudes/Hot Chicks, which is currently kicking my butt. Bodyweight intervals, wow - those brought me back to the jumpies and hill sprints and grueling crew workouts of my high-school days. And that's really what I was looking for: a scaled-down (in terms of time - who has 4 hours to work out, like we did in high school?), but still tough, program.
The payoff has been worth it. I've seen rapid progress in my fitness, from how much faster I can run during my interval training to how much easier the programs are for me by the end of four weeks. I look better in clothes for sure. My friends, coworkers, boyfriend and mom all noticed right away, and all are happy for me and openly supportive.
Luckily, I don't have any of those toxic undermining types in my life
(that's not a coincidence, either -- at 34, I learned a long time ago how to just walk away from those people. Life is too short for bad friends).
I will be using these workouts for the rest of my life. They're tough, they're fast, and they work, and I'm really excited about how far I've come in such a short period of time.
Thank you,
Susannah
Stats:
height: 5' 2.5"
beginning weight on 9/19/09: 124 pounds
ending weight on 12/6/09: 118 pounds
body fat (per Tanita scale - not sure of its accuracy): 27% / 22.5%
waist: 27.5" / 26"
hips: 36" / 33.5"
arms: 11.75" / 10.75"
thighs: 24" / 22"
chest: 35.5" / 33.5"
P.S. - Craig, I also took your advice on adding spinach to my smoothies. I doubted you - I mean, I really doubted you - but it's actually delicious! Who knew?
