In-Depth Review: The 30-Day Challenge, Part 2

Hello and welcome back to the Chicago Fitness Training blog! Last time, we began a workout review of 30-day Challenges by exploring the benefits and drawbacks of this type of exercise routine. We also did a quick review of the basics of form and technique that should be kept in mind during any challenge or exercise (If you missed it, click here). Today we will delve further into the challenge-type of workout by covering how to make it part of an existing program, and how to modify it, as well as what to do afterwards.

For those of you who want to add a challenge in to an existing program (hopefully to help get a friend jump-started on a program of their own), it is more about reducing other parts of what you are already doing. Always remember that there is too much of a good thing, and that includes exercise. Consider the action and the range of motion on your challenge: Any exercises that you already do that cover the same movement should be reduced if you are following your challenge to the letter. An alternative approach would be to skip the challenge on the day when your normal routine covers the same muscle groups. As long as you stay on track, you will be fine. Finally, make sure that you add more of the opposite muscle group exercises to maintain the overall balance of your body.

Any challenge can be modified in a number of ways. You may want to make it more difficult if you want to keep the challenge going for another thirty days. Adding weighted resistance or time is simple. With a little bit of equipment or ingenuity you can increase the difficulty by challenging your balance (pick up a limb on a blank, do your squats on a bosu ball, etc).

You may want to make it easier if you are working with a disability or coming off of an injury or long break. You can reduce the weight that needs to be supported by keeping more weight on a different part of your body. This can be done by elevating your upper body for core exercise; or by holding onto a railing so that the hands may help for the lower body.

Finally, you might want to modify it to complement your overall fitness goals. Sports enthusiasts should consider practicing weight shifts or twisting during their challenge. Those with cardiovascular goals or those with a focus on toning and slimming could break their challenge into sections and splice it in with five or ten minutes on an elliptical or rowing machine. Send Chicago Fitness Training an email if you are having difficulty coming up with a good variant for your particular needs.

You have made it all the way through the challenge. Congratulations! So now what? I am sure you can find another 30-day challenge to occupy a month, and another after that, and so on, ad nauseam. But when you come back to this challenge in a few months or a year, you will find that you have to build it back up; just like before. And, frankly, after you have done a few rounds of them, they can become kind of boring.

The two best things to take away from your successfully completed challenge are the knowledge and confidence that come from learning that 1) you have to consistently challenge yourself if you want to become better and 2) that you have the ability to change when you stick to your practice. (A very important note: This applies to more than just exercise!) If you keep that in mind, the post-thirty day challenge possibilities are endless. Functional movement training makes a lot of sense if you do not have any specific goals, but if there is a sport or activity that you have wanted to tackle; now is the time to start! Just keep going, your body's need to move will never go away, and the more consistent you are, the easier it becomes.