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| Caught Cheating! Shred Level 2 |
Full Name: Natalie Yco (also credited as Natalie T. Yeo)
30 Day Shred Introduction: Jillian Michaels isn’t big on introducing people in her videos, but we meet “My girl Natalie” as the one who will be performing the more difficult version of the exercises… most of the time. Once in a while, we catch her goofing off.
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| Natalie and Jillian Motivate Us |
Current: Natalie is part of the larger cast (about a dozen people) in Jillian Michaels Body Revolution. It’s not a three-person show anymore, but she is featured in many of the exercises, especially when punches are involved. She gets the nickname ” Muhammad Natalie” at one point, inspired by Muhammad Ali.
Natalie has had a varied career, besides appearing in many exercise DVDs and on Exercise TV. Her website promotes her exercise classes, personal training, and… pro wrestling with Women of Wrestling (WOWe.com), back in 2000-2001? Yes, you can see at least some of her exploits on YouTube. My opinion about pro wrestling in general is that if they can do those stunts without getting hurt, they deserve a lot of credit.
My Comments:
I was very excited when I found more information about Natalie online, after some searches every now and then. I mean, she was in one of the first workout DVDs I ever used, 30 Day Shred , and it wasn’t like the P90X videos I used after that, with a cast of many different people. In Shred level 1-3, we saw Jillian, Natalie, and Anita. Ah, memories… Natalie did the slacking off we wished we could do. OK, maybe I did once in a while. Those arm raises got difficult at the end!
What is your favorite Natalie “moment”? Have you seen her on Exercise TV or elsewhere? (leave comments below)
Official/Personal Websites:
Natalie Yco.com
Facebook (friend request required, no Follow button)
WOWe (as Roxy Powers) YouTube Search
Women of Wrestling (Wikipedia) (look for references to Roxy Powers)
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Related Posts
Body Revolution Cast Profiles
All Cast Profiles (includes P90X and P90X2)
Jillian Michaels Body Revolution
30 Day Shred or P90X?
These workouts are for Phase 3, weeks 9 and 10 of the program. We’re getting close to the end, or so it seems. In reality, I got to the midpoint of week 9, and thought for sure I must be on week 10 by now. Most days, I did the scheduled workout, plus one circuit of Cardio 3 (just to get the hang of it). That was plenty! Of course, I did Cardio 3 all the way through on the scheduled days, too.
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| Dive Bombers: Why are Hayley and Natalie so happy? |
Workout 9: Chest, Shoulders, Quads
The warm up is higher impact (kicks, mountain climbers, jumping jacks). The first exercise of the workout is a move I recognize from Tony Horton’s book Bring It! (the Push Up Jack, in which a push up is combined with spreading the legs at the bottom of the push up). That’s followed by Plank Flys (using one dumbbell), and Sumo Squats.
Circuit 2 starts with an exercise I learned in the first P90X workout: The Dive Bomber push up, which is basically a yoga Downward Dog transition into an Upward Dog. This is followed by a Downward Dog sequence, moving a raised leg into various uncomfortable (I mean, challenging) positions. Next is Burpees to a side plank position. End with plank-to-squat jumps.
Circuit 3 begins with a Single-Leg Squat to a Plank. For lots more of these, try P90X2 . Trust me! Anyway, after that take a rest (ha ha) in a yoga Chair pose, followed by a combination floor exercise: yoga Boat to Hollow Man. Use your “torture tube” resistance bands for Ab Raises with resistance. Finish the circuit with Plank Moguls, moving the feet from side to middle to side.
Circuit 4 brings back that Jillian Michaels classic, Squats with a V Raise, holding dumbbells. I’m a little better at it than when I did 30 Day Shred. Transition to a lateral arm raise with a “curtsy” (backward lunge). Next are a couple of floor exercises, in crab or plank position. The cardio is “Rock and Roll Squats,” what P90X folks call the Dreya Roll. And that’s it! No problem, right? Ugh…
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| Pigeon Squat with Bicep Curl |
Workout 10: Back, Biceps, Glutes, Hamstrings
The warm up starts with Rock Star Jumps, which seems a little sudden to me. After that, it’s a pretty standard warm up. Circuit 1: Reverse Plank with Leg Raise, then a couple of Plyometric exercises in sequence, some holding weights. (Jillian always increases difficulty by adding dumbbells to a leg exercise.)
Circuit 2 starts with the resistance band: A Curtsy with a Cable Fly. Next are Wood Choppers, which we’ve done a few times before. Then, just as in Workout 9, we take a “rest” at this point… In a squat while holding a weight. The cardio move for this circuit looks like a kettle bell move to me: Dumbbell Swings (below the waist) with jumps forward and backward.
The first exercise in Circuit 3 gave me P90X2 flashbacks (again): Pigeon Squat with Bicep Curl. While standing and holding light weights, cross one leg over the other, then squat. Still not easy for me! Next is a Plyometric jump/squat, combined with an Upright Row. The floor exercise combines Supermans with a lateral fly using light weights. The cardio move is Rock Star Hops… with weights.
Circuit 4 shows Jillian’s new yoga influence, with exercises in a Half Moon position. The other exercises are pretty standard: Windmill (with weights), and a back exercise using a single weight in a lunge position. It’s not easy, but it seems easier at the end.
I’m out of time for this week, so I will cover Cardio 3 in a separate post.
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Bring It! by Tony Horton
P90X
P90X2
Related Posts
Jillian Michaels Body Revolution
Body Revolution Phase 3 Workouts
Jillian Michaels or P90X?
I talked about the Everyday Health YouTube channel (actually, a network of mini-shows) in a previous post about Daily Dose with Jillian Michaels. This time, I would like to describe what I see as sort of a guilty pleasure on this seemingly healthy channel: Fitness Guinea Pig.
The appeal, in summary: Celebrities, comedians, actors, and “everyday joes” struggle with home fitness products they have never used before. Sometimes it ends surprisingly well, and other times, it’s pretty much what you’d expect from a particular product. Each product is tested over the course of a week, in several video episodes. This is fun for me on several levels, because I already recognize some of the people and products, but I never expected to see them together on the same screen!
Here are a few examples:
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| Mark Malkoff and the Shake Weight |
Mark Malkoff is one of my favorite online personalities. He has a background in comedy writing, and has achieved some measure of fame for his own comedy projects, which include living at an Ikea store for a week, a 30 day Six-Pack Abs Challenge, and watching over 250 films in one month on Netflix Streaming. (By the way, he succeeded in 30 days by getting the six pack that has eluded me for years!) For the Fitness Guinea Pig channel, he has tested the “as seen on TV” Shake Weight, a battery-powered weight which is supposed to produce amazing results. In a separate test, Mark experiences the Master Cleanse, a liquid diet which claims to detoxify the body. Mark provides a good mix of information, humor, and bewilderment as he follows along with the instructions for each product.
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| Chris Broussard Squats with a Stability Ball |
Chris Broussard is (apparently) a sports analyst for ESPN. I had never heard of him before, because I’m not a sports fan; but when I saw his Fitness Guinea Pig project was P90X (as indicated by the video title), I was very excited! I mean, I’ve done several rounds of P90X myself, so I felt as if we would have something in common. Anyway, it turns out that Chris was actually doing week 1 of P90X2 , a program which was developed almost 10 years after P90X. (I completed my first 90 day “round” of P90X2 recently, too.) They are similar, but not the same. For example, the stability ball you see in the picture is present in many of the P90X2 workouts, but was not used at all in P90X. In the end, I think Chris gave it his best effort, except for the recommended nutrition plan. My only disappointment is that the Fitness Guinea Pig video title misrepresents the program he tested. Chris also tested The Perfect Pushup V2 .
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| Jenna Morasca Introduces Brazil Butt Lift |
Jenna Morasca‘s claim to fame was her participation in two seasons of the CBS reality show Survivor, and her ongoing gig as the host of the online Survivor Live internet talk show. She returned to CBS (briefly) as a contestant on The Amazing Race, with her boyfriend Ethan Zohn. Her current involvement in the Fitness Guinea Pig series might be related to a Survivor challenge in which she and a fellow contestant removed all their clothing to win a food-related prize. After the show aired, this led to a photo shoot in Playboy magazine. Jenna has been a Fitness Guinea Pig several times, testing “sexy” products such as Brazil Butt Lift (sold by Beachbody, the makers of P90X) , the S Factor (inspired by stripper dance moves), the Ab Circle Pro … and a juice fast. This week, Jenna’s back, testing a packaged brand of raw foods, shipped to her house. She does like to work out, and seems to have more fitness knowledge than some of the other participants.
I hope you will take the opportunity to watch these and other Fitness Guinea Pig miniseries. Do you have a favorite online show that combines fitness and humor? I’ll be caught up with these episodes in no time, so I will need something new to watch!
Links
My HomeFitnessGeek YouTube channel featuring playlists of my favorites!
Fitness Guinea Pig Main Page (Only 166 subscribers? Come on, people!)
Fitness Guinea Pig Season 1
Related Posts
My P90X2 Day 1
P90X and P90X2 Cast Member Profiles
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| Dale demonstrates the Half Angel |
Full Name: Dale Bramall
P90X2 Introduction: He started at 280 lbs when he purchased Power 90, lost 75 lbs, gained some back, bought P90X, and never turned back. Tony says Dale reminds him of the Tip of the Day for X2 Core: Time, Patience, and Practice.
Current: Dale is a Team Beachbody coach who won a runner-up prize of $50,000 in a Team Beachbody Challenge for P90X. He has overcome a lot of physical and personal challenges to achieve success in his fitness and coaching career.
My Comments:
I don’t mean to be rude, but this guy is insane! A quick look at his Facebook page reveals his recent fitness adventures: Running (training and races), early morning workout, possible triathlon training soon, switching from running to biking his way to work, looking forward to the release of Beachbody’s new program Body Beast…
What I like about Dale is his honesty. His Facebook page includes this recent entry: “Note to self…. 1 microgreen salad does not negate a week of POOR nutrition …” The profile page on his Team Beachbody coaching site talks about his ups and downs over the past six years, too. It hasn’t been all successes, but he has rolled with the punches and come back to the good habits of exercise (6-7 days per week!) and healthy eating… most of the time.
Official/Personal Websites:
Team Beachbody Personal Biography
Team Beachbody Coach Page
Facebook Page
2008 Million Dollar Body Game Winner (includes his biographical essay – a must read!)
Related Posts
All Cast Profiles
P90X2 Cast Profiles
My X2 Core Workouts
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| Traci makes the Think Drill look fun |
Full Name: Traci Morrow
P90X2 Introduction: She’s a Team Beachbody coach, and according to Tony Horton, “Has 4,072 children” [actually, six], “and lives in a house the size of Kansas.” This has not been verified. She also laughs at all of Tony’s jokes, which can be seen during the Plyocide workout. (December 2013 update: Traci is back for P90X3, in several workouts! I didn’t realize until recently that she’s been a cast member since Power 90 Master Series.)
Current: She isn’t just a Team Beachbody coach. Just like Mark Briggs, who also appears in Plyocide, Traci is one of the Founding Coaches from back when Beachbody established the program in 2006. You can see a list of her accomplishments since then on her website’s About page.
My Comments:
Traci Morrow, as seen in Plyocide, seems like a very nice person. Some of the folks in P90X and P90X2 put on more of a “game face,” but Traci smiles her way through the whole workout. I’ve done the Plyocide workout many times now, and it’s not easy to put in your best effort for the entire 60 minutes, let alone keep a smile on your face! Since I’ve taken the time to read and watch some of her online material, I can say that it wasn’t just an act for the DVD.
Traci’s fitness story, posted on the Team Beachbody website, tells of her struggle to lose the last 15 pounds gained over the course of having four children in five years. Power 90 with Tony Horton made the difference for her, in 2003. Since then, she says she has done every Beachbody program ever created. Wow! There’s a loyal customer and coach!
Official/Personal Websites:
Unlike some of the P90X or P90X2 cast (especially Collette), Traci isn’t hard to find online. First of all, Tony gives us her first and last name! Anyway, here is a list of places you can find out more about Traci, and how to contact her. She does a nice job on her Facebook “About” page of providing a biography, as well as a list of her sites.
Facebook
TraciMorrow.com
Twitter @tracimorrow
shakeforyourself.com (link to her TeamBeachbody coaching page)
YouTube channel
Related Posts
All Cast Profiles
P90X2 Cast Profile: Mark Briggs, Plyocide
P90X2 Cast Profiles
My Plyocide Workouts
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