Last month all my YouTube subscription box seemed to be filled with was the Chloe Ting 2 week shred challenge, so after watching a few of the videos I sat and thought to myself why don't I give this a go for myself? I wanted to lose weight and I was getting bored of my basic home workout so I dived straight in. This was 14 days of hard work and honestly I enjoyed it for the most part however, some bits were a struggle.
The first day I was definitely up for the challenge and it was only 2 videos to complete. The first video was the Do this everyday to lose weight video, you could tell this was day 1 as I certainly struggled with this, there were exercises I had never done before so it was a challenge. One thing I did love about this video though is the percentage markers as they definitely help motivate you and push you to go further. The second video of the day was the 2 weeks ab workout challenge, again this was a struggle and I had to sit out of a few exercises however it definitely set a bench marker for me so I could hopefully see progress. My takes from day one was that this challenge is definitely going to be different from the Joe Wicks workouts I had been doing and that I was definitely capable of more than I thought. It did highlight the fact that I need to invest in a proper Yoga mat though.
On day 2 I woke up aching from the previous day but I forced myself out of bed to do the day's workout although it might not have been the best idea. I started with the Do this everyday video but struggled to get through it, I pushed myself but not too much as my knee was playing up so I knew I needed to reign it in a bit. I had to rest for a few of the exercises as my knee just wouldn't let me complete them. When it came to the 2 week ab challenge video I just physically do it thanks to my knee and my hip strangely playing up so although I started to do this video I couldn't finish it. There was also an optional video called 11 line abs however, I didn't do this as there were more videos to do and I didn't want to do any long lasting damage to my knee. When I woke up the next day my knee was still bad though so I used this day as my rest day just to prevent any lasting damage.
I then got back on track with the videos the following day and it was a four video day which I wasn't really looking forward to if I am being honest. I kicked off the day with the Do this everyday video which even after a day off I struggled with thanks to still aching a little bit. Even though I struggled with this video I did do more than the second day. The next video of the day was the 2 week abs challenge where I certainly did a lot more than day 2 but it was a struggle mainly due to the lack of exercise mat. Next up was the lower body burn video which I hadn't done yet and surprisingly I quite enjoyed this video. I struggled with some exercises due to the niggle still being in my knee but this may have very easily been my favourite video to do, I just wish this was the everyday video. The final video of the day was the 11 line ab video which I had previously skipped. I think it is safe to say I just don't enjoy ab exercises but again that might be down to the lack of a quality mat so nothing felt comfortable. I did manage to power through as much as possible though and surprised myself by giving all the exercises a go and not giving up straight away when things got hard. I did enjoy this day quite a bit.
The following day was a three video day, with one new video in it, I woke up feeling a lot better on this day so I had high hopes for doing these videos. First up just like everyday we had the do this everyday video and I managed to get through a lot more of the exercises than previously, although I certainly decided on this day that I didn't like burpees. Although this video was still tough to get through I felt it was a bit easier than previous days. I even saw an improvement when doing the 2 week ab workout as I got more done than previous days and I actually started enjoying doing the bicycle crunches. Next up we have the new video which is tight core & arms, I lost all my upper body strength when I broke my collar bone years ago so I really struggled with this one.
Up next was another three video day which I think I preferred doing as it didn't seem to drag on and it seemed like that was the most manageable for my knee. On this day I definitely saw an improvement when doing the do this everyday video, I seemed to get through a lot more of the exercises for a longer amount of time and I actually enjoyed it although I still wasn't enjoying the burpees. I also saw an improvement doing the abs in 2 week video as I pushed myself through the burn and got further than before. The day's videos were finished off with the lower body burn video which is definitely my favourite as it isn't everyday and adds a variety of exercises to my routine. One thing I did notice after doing this days video was my heart rate wasn't going as high as it was in previous days which is definitely a sign of improvement.
I ended up taking a few days off after this day as my knee just wasn't up to it, so when I returned I carried on from the day I left it at which was a 4 video day. Even though it was my first day back after a few days off I pushed through and kept going and I felt so much better for it. Then it was time for the abs in 2 week video and again I pushed through it and did a lot more than on previous days, I think this is the first time I had started noticing a change. The third video was the tight core and arm video which I think could be my least favourite video but I struggled through it and got more done than previous, the struggle definitely came from my weak arms though. Finally we had the 11 line ab video which again I struggled with put I pushed through, I think I struggle with this one as I just aren't used to it as it isn't on the list very often.
The following day was a three video days and it included my favourite video. I kicked the day off with the Do this everyday video and I got through it however, I still hated the burpees. I really do think this video also helped strengthen my knee. When it came to the 2 week ab video it was struggle, my abs were really burning but I really pushed and completed the video. Then it was onto my favourite video the lower body burn where I managed to get through the full video with minimal struggle. Even though I had a few extra rest days I still took day 9 as a rest day just so my body could have a breather.
I kicked it all back off with day ten's videos which consisted of four videos. The do this everyday video went exactly the same as it had in previous days and again those burpees killed me off but I got through the video in the end. Then it was straight into the 2 weeks abs video where I did a lot better than the previous days, I even managed a full 30 second plank for a change. Then it was into my favourite video again, the lower body burn where I powered through every exercise but my legs were definitely aching by this time. Finally we had the tight core & arms video which I was still struggling with but I did it, I did all the exercises even though my whole body was aching. I did have to rest quite a bit between the videos thanks to my knee but I still managed to complete them all.
The following day my body was definitely aching but I was lucky enough to only have to do two videos which were the do this everyday and 2 week abs videos. Even though I was aching I got through these videos and did a lot better than previous days and I discovered my love for bicycle crunches.
Day twelve was straight back in with four videos, I decided to give these videos a go with my own music on in the background and it actually made the videos go quicker in my head and really enjoyed doing these videos thanks to having my own music to help motivate me. I did make the mistake of doing these videos on the hottest day of the year so far and it was a struggle due to the heat. The videos I completed on day twelve were the do this everyday, 2 weeks abs, lower body burn and 11 line abs videos. It was certainly a struggle due to the heat but I wasn't going to give up when I was doing so well.
On day thirteen it was definitely a struggle as it was still very warm but luckily there were only three videos to complete on this day. Again I put my own music on in the background and it was another fantastic workout. I did the do this everyday video which felt a lot easier for me and I was actually starting to enjoy the video. Next up was the 2 week abs video where I still loved doing the bicycle crunches and actually started enjoying doing spider-man planks too. Finally we had the lower body burn video where my legs definitely felt the burn and I managed to get through all the video with doing the full amount of time for each exercise.
For the final day we had another four video day where I managed to complete all the times for all the exercises with less of a struggle than before. There was the 2 week ab video where I made it through all the exercises but my abs were definitely burning. Then we had the lower body burn video where I pushed as hard as I could but unfortunately had to stop some exercises short of their time due to my knee starting to hurt a bit too much. Finally we had the tight core and arms video which definitely solidified it's place as my least favourite video but I pushed through with video and although I struggled with the video I did it.
Throughout the 2 weeks I definitely noticed some improvements in my fitness levels however in terms of my body I didn't notice much change but then again it might be due to me having extra rest days. I honestly thought I was going to end up giving up before the 2 weeks were up but surprised myself by pushing through and completing the full 2 weeks. I think I am going to go back to this challenge in a few month when my knee is a bit stronger and I am a bit fitter to see if I can actually see a change if I stick to the plan as I am meant to do. Have you given this challenge a go? If so how did you get on with it? If you haven't but you are tempted to give it a go click here and let me know how you get on.
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