After two weeks of adhering to the recommended PiYo schedule (with the slight alteration of changing the off day from Friday to Sunday), I have a few things to report. To begin with, there has been no change in my actual weight on the scale. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. Keep in mind, muscle weighs more than fat, so if I am gaining muscle, there is a possibility that I am slimming down without losing "weight". I took pictures before I started this, but I forgot to take measurements. So, from this point forward, I will be taking measurements to go along with the progress pictures.
So far there is a lot to like about this program. Most of the workouts are low impact, and the exercises that do have some impact are easy to modify. For people with back or joint injuries, this is a big win. The workouts are also pretty short. All of the workouts are under an hour long. Most are under half an hour long, with the introduction (Align: The Fundamentals) and the advanced cardio (Drench) lasting the longest at approximately 45 minutes each. Despite being short and low impact, these workouts are intense, so you burn a lot of calories in a short time without a huge risk of injury.
On the flip side of the coin, there are a few things that I think could use improvements. Every workout targets your core, regardless of its title. If title implies that it targets another part of the body (i.e. Bun or Define: Upper Body)...surprise, you're still working on the core. Yes, the core is the "powerhouse" of the body, but it's not healthy to work the same muscles every day.
By now it seems to be commonly known in the fitness world that you shouldn't work the same muscles "back-to-back," but why is that? Working out--whether it's lifting weights, using resistance bands, or doing body weight exercises--strengthens muscles by first tearing them down. While exercising, you're creating tiny tears within the muscle tissue (this is why you feel sore after a workout). Those muscles then need a day to rest and rebuild themselves. When they do, they come back even stronger than before. With this in mind, abs are traditionally thought of as an exception to the "back-to-back" rule, only because there are so many different muscles in the abdomen. You can target a different set of those ab muscles every day. Unfortunately that's not what Charlene Johnson does in PiYo. She continues to hit the same muscles several days in a row ensuring that those muscles have no chance to heal. (I have modified some of her exercises to ensure that I target different sets of muscles and let the other ones rest, but that isn't always possible.)
Another issue I have is her transitions from one exercise to another. For an 18 year old in perfect health, the transitions might be doable, but for the rest of us...not so much. She switches from one complicated exercise to another then back again--all in a matter of 4 or 5 seconds. It went from a bit confusing to a lot frustrating. For someone whose knee could go out at any second, going from "runner's lunge" to "warrior 3" and back again isn't easy. I have to measure my movements so I don't end up in the hospital. (To illustrate this point, I went out with my husband about two years ago, started to slow dance with him, and landed on the floor when my knee went out.)
At this point, maybe we should take a look at the progress:
There doesn't seem to be a lot of change, but I do see less overhang in the small of my back. That is encouraging. At this 2 week mark, my measurements are:
Waist = 34" : 86cm
Hips = 45 1/2" : 115 1/2cm
Bust = 42" : 107cm
Under Bust = 36" : 91 1/2cm
Right + Left Thigh = 26 1/2" : 67 1/2cm
Right Bicep = 13 1/2" : 34 1/2cm
Left Bicep = 13" : 33cm
Now there is another layer of comparison to see my progress. I'll be back in another two weeks to see what happens...
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