FXB - Week 9

We're starting Week 9--almost done with the 10-week program!  The Holiday session is a tough one since we're challenged with Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's.  Where people can easily put on 5-10 pounds during this time, we're trying to lose that last 5-10 pounds before our testing.  It definitely gives you motivation to get to class and work extra hard these last few weeks.

What would I like to lose?  Without giving away any crazy numbers, I'd love to get down to what my driver's license actually says.  Not too many years ago, I did "update" my DL weight to something that was more realistic.  Since the, I've had a 16.4% increase.  Because we are doing quite a bit of weight training and it will have only been 10 weeks, I don't think it's probably realistic to take off that weight that took me a couple years to put on.  I do hope with the extra three months we signed up for, that I'll be down to that weight by the first of April--and that it won't be an April Fool's joke!

Since Week 5, they've done a good job of mixing things up.  With only two weeks left, I'm curious (and a bit scared) to find out how they're going to continue adding new challenges...but I'm sure they'll find a way!

Christmas 2011 - Ahlberg Family

Christmas for the Ahlberg family was on Christmas Eve.  Jace and I left for our morning FXB class and all was quiet.  When we got home at 7:00, Drew and Trent were asleep (kind of) on the couches downstairs by the presents.  We got everyone else up and the present opening began!

Bailey showing her Pez collector's edition of the first Presidents of the United States.

Cody showing the new Lincoln Northeast letter jacket.  Just needs to get the letters now!

We decided it was time for Drew to graduate from the twin bed.  The bed was set up in the garage so unwrapping his present sent him on a scavenger hunt throughout the house.   The last clue sent him to the back of the garage.  He ran out to the garage and looked at the work bench for the next clue.  Clueless to the fact there was a bed sitting in the middle of the garage! He was pretty excited once he actually SAW the bed and realized it was for him.  A tale that will turn into a classic Christmas story to be told for years to come.

Trent's Christmas would not have been complete without several Transformers.  He struck a pose when he saw that his sister got him a Transformers sweatshirt!

At Grandma and Grandpa Ahlberg's house, one of the presents we made for Grandma and Grandpa was a table with pictures of the grandkids.  On one side of the table, Jace scripted in paint a Grandparents poem.  On the other side, the kids all signed their names.  The top is a collage of the grandkids over the years, pictures of Rod and Susie with the grandkids and a lot of fun memories.

The kids got a lot of fun things as well as some of those "classic" gifts--socks.  :)  They must've all been really great kids throughout 2011!  More Christmas to come with the Kussatz family in a few days!

FXB - Week 8

We got an email that after this morning's workout, there are only 17 more workouts left in our 10-week program.  We still haven't been on a scale and haven't taken any measurements.  The only thing we have to go on in how clothes fit and what other people say.  I'm starting to get really nervous to find out the results.  I know I'm going to wish my weight was at "this" number and I know it's not going to be.  But I'm pretty sure it's at least not as high as it was when we started.

Last week Jace said, "I would never have thought you could get such good strength training from resistance bands."  I think there are a lot of people who think that.  How effective can those little bands be?  To give a little more clarity:

There are four different types of bands: the usual long bands that have the handles on them, o-ring bands which are about 8" in diameter, figure-eight bands and then long bands that don't have any handles on them and can be inserted into a long, plastic bar. You can work out about any part of your body using these different bands and attachments.  Most mornings, we all have almost all of these different styles--at least the long bands, o-rings and figure-eight bands in many different colors. 

There are six different colors representing different levels of resistance:
Yellow, Green, Red, Blue, Purple, Black.  I tried to find what these colors represent but it was different depending on manufacturer so I couldn't figure it out.  All I can say is that the black bands are very thick and I can't stretch them at all.  I tried to take the purple figure-8 and pull it apart, but couldn't.  So as a person gets stronger, there are always more bands to challenge yourself .  A person's glutes are very strong so for some of the exercises, we double-up on bands to increase the resistance even more.  So if you ever think you'll "band out," you won't.  :)

Last update: Jace and I both signed up for three more months. 

FXB - Week 7

Only four more weeks to go!  I do have to say that this program does a good job of introducing new exercises.  With any program, if you do the same thing every class, it gets really boring, your body gets used to it and you may not see many changes.  FXB, while the new exercises are usually killer, I think they do shock the body and keep you challenged.

One of the things we had to do today is these "rowboat situps."  I Googled this, but couldn't find any pictures; this is the closest I could find.  Basically, you extended your legs and arms like you're rowing a boat, but you're balancing on your butt.  It's killer!  This is about 30 minutes into the class after we've done numerous other killer workout things.

The other thing we had to do, very similar to the rowboat sit ups, was the v-sit.  This again was balancing yourself in the v-shape.  Working the core.  Dang...you'd think after six weeks of working my core it would be a bit stronger than it seemed to be today! 

Overall, I think Jace and I are doing a good job.  Our coach sent out an email this weekend that said the first 5-6 weeks, you're body is adjusting.  Gaining muscle, taking in the "new" nutrition and getting used to all the new exercise.  In other words, the pants may not be fitting a whole lot looser.  However, "they" say that the last couple weeks, the body is adjusting to the abuse...er...exercise and you should start seeing the change in body.  I do have to admit that I'm able to wear jeans that didn't fit and am feeling some change.  I'm hoping to see a whole lot more coming in the next couple of weeks.  It'll be tough since, of course, this is the time of the season where everyone starts bringing in goodies and all sorts of yummy foods.  We'll do our best!  Our final weight-in is January 7.  I kind of wish we had a little more time after Christmas to work a few extra pounds off, but we'll just have to be diligent over the holidays.

FXB - Halfway Done! And Starting Week 6

Saturday was the official mid-point of the FXB 10-week program.  We recognized that mid-point by doing 5-week testing on sit and reach (flexibility), sit ups, push ups and running the mile.  The forecast for the last several days had been snow-snow-snow on Saturday and everyone said they would not cancel the run (which is outside).  By the time Jace and I headed to the gym, it was a light, pelting freezing rain.  It was relatively warm--right about 32 degrees--and it wasn't windy at all.

We both improved on our push ups and sit ups.  The sit ups are full sit ups, not just the crunches.  I don't remember how much we both improved but I bet it was close to a 50% improvement.  I think I did 24 or 25 push ups before the class started and did 43 full push ups on Saturday.  I was juuusssstttt about there on 44 but couldn't push myself all the way up.

My knees have finally started giving me some pretty good pain this past week.  We did lunges off of the bag and that was just too much for them.  We also went to the resistance band class Saturday morning which focuses on lower body.  When we started the run, my legs were feeling wobbly and I wondered if I'd be able to run the entire way.  I managed to get my breathing down and the slight hill leveled off and I was able to keep going.  I improved my time by not quite a minute! I was pleased with that.

 Week 6 started this morning.  We were "advised" Week 6 starts a new level of challenges.  Holy cow!  Tammie is the owner of Farrell's Bodyshaping.  She's usually at the other location so when people saw her with the microphone on, we heard fervent whispers, "Tammie is teaching class...uh oh...looks who's teaching..."  I'll share a couple of the killers:

Partner Sit-Ups with Medicine Ball
Full sit ups where you pass the medicine ball back and forth.  I think Jace and I may have been spitting all over each other as we were huffing and puffing to actually sit up and exchange the ball every time.  The worst was when she said, "Only 40 more seconds left!" and we were both spent! (Picture is of random people, by the way!)

Plank Push-Ups
You start in a plank (on your toes and elbows--holding your body level) and then push up to a fully-extended push-up and then lower back down to plank position.  I had never even heard/seen this exercise before and it's awful!  Of course this is after "burning out" the arms on the punching bags so there's very little left in your arms.  Needless to say I was NOT able to do these very well.  I have a hard time I'll be able to do these after 10 weeks!





So there you have it!  After thinking I was making progress and being able to manage the first five weeks, they start us on a whole new level of pain!  Yee haw!