Take it from someone who knows, it takes effort to get healthy, let alone get healthy fast.

I have done a lot of things to get improve my health. I’ve taken aerobics classes, walked for miles on the treadmill, climbed multiple fifty-story buildings on the stair master, pedaled in spin class, lifted weights, used videos, mountain biked, rock climbed, surfed, skied, played water polo, been yelled at by Jillian, pushed by Bob, and encouraged by Denise, rolled with Stroller Strides and so much more. It’s been quite a ride over the last 20 years or so.

Some of the things I have tried have been fun. Some have been horrible. Some have taken a lot of time and money. Others have been easier to fit into my schedule and have been kinder to my wallet.

Whatever it is I have tried, I’ve given it my all. 

Over a decade ago I decided to get into a regular workout routine. I had been doing different things on and off for a long time, but I was ready to take it to the next level. For two years I worked out 3-5 times per week. I lost some weight and I got strong and had a really good habit going.

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Having already built working out into my daily routine made it easy for me to jump into a time-intensive program you have probably seen advertised on TV, P90X. My husband and I committed to doing the program and worked out together 6 days a week for 60-75 minutes each day.

At the time, we had two small children and they got used to mommy and daddy taking over the living room every morning to jump, squat, breathe hard and sweat like crazy.

Our circumstances allowed us to put the necessary time into the program and we completed 2 rounds of it over 6 months. I think I got TOO big doing it but I sure felt strong.

After completing our second round we were burned out. I went on to do some DVDs and tried some other things to keep in shape but it was challenging. My hubby took a job that required him to be out of town, so we could no longer do our workouts together. Trying to make up my own program just wasn’t working out for me.

Then a blogging friend made a suggestion. She mentioned that she was starting a new program with some other people and invited me to join. There were a couple of positives and a couple of negatives when I took a look at the program. One of the negatives was that I had no idea about this program. It was something very new and I was a bit skeptical. The positives were 1) It was free and 2) It took 16 minutes three times a week. WHAAAAAT?

I no longer had 60+ minutes to work out every morning. My kids were getting older and I had started homeschooling them. There was just too much to do. So this new program, if it could live up to the hype, seemed like a perfect fit. Plus, it’s free.

The Program

Max Capacity Training is a free high-intensity online training program that uses your own body weight to build muscle, burn fat, and rev up your cardiovascular system. There is a book and an app but I’ve never read the book. I just used the online app and the website. It’s pretty slick because it keeps track of everything for you, tells you how many to do, and has a built-in countdown clock. You seriously need nothing extra for this program. If you want to download an Excel spreadsheet you can but it’s not required.

The program uses a 3 day a week / 3-week cycle to build up stamina and push your body to the limit. If you don’t think that 16 minutes is enough time to break a sweat, trust me. It is!

Week one consists of four exercises per day for 50 seconds on, 10 seconds off, for four rounds.

Week two employs the Tabata method of muscle exhaustion by using the same exercises but in succession for 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off, 8 times. Whew!

Week three uses a formula to count your numbers from week one and week two and gives you a goal for each exercise that you are supposed to complete in 16 minutes or less.

Yeah, good luck with that.

The exercises get increasingly more difficult as each cycle passes and if you stick with it you will likely see results before you are halfway done. Bonus!

I would say that the program is geared towards guys so there are a lot of push-ups and upper body exercises that are challenging for women. However, there is plenty of room to modify the exercises and still see results.

This program is based solely on using your own bodyweight to exercise. Therefore, there are no requirements for special equipment. If you know a little bit about working out and have a good sense of your own body you may wish to add some weights or pull-ups to the mix, but that is up to you and not required to complete the program.

My Results

In all, I did this program for one year, four rounds. I did not get burned out or tired of it. It had plenty of variety and with each round, I set new goals. After my second round, I modified some of the exercises to include pull-ups and weights. (A throwback to my P90X days.)

After two rounds I lost 12 pounds and over the year I lost a bit more weight and most importantly to me, I built significant muscle but not bulky muscle. I really liked that about the program.

Overall, I can’t say enough good things about this program. The fact that it is free is reason enough to try it. The fact that it will get you results should be enough to push you right over the edge of indecision.

This program is not easy, but it is the best thing I have found for me as a busy mom who wants to get a really well-rounded, challenging workout in a short amount of time.  Week in and week out, I can honestly say, this is a great way to stay healthy while maintaining muscle tone.

If you want to do other things on your off days, I recommend it. I have done DVDs, you could run, or do something else aerobic, or you can use it as a rest day. I’ve done both and found positive results both ways.

Try the program and get healthy fast

Check out MaxCapacityTraining.com today and seriously think about starting this workout as a companion to what you are currently doing or as a way to get healthy this year. You can start tomorrow!

Please note, this is not for beginners. If you have not engaged in any form of exercise for a while, you’ll want to work up to this one. (And the regular caveat applies – it is always advised that you check with your physician before engaging in any form of exercise.)

I have a revised workout schedule that requires only bodyweight and a small ball or pillow. You can download this spreadsheet I created that’s more geared towards women. This does require a bit of knowledge however because it doesn’t come with instructions. If you have completed P90X you should be good to go and will recognize some of the revisions. If you need help with modifications I am happy to help with suggestions.

What you are doing to get healthy?

Photo by Gesina Kunkel on Unsplash

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