Morning Meltdown 100 Phase 4 Review

It feels like I would never make it here. This phase was hard AF. I mean that too. It started off okay, and I even thought, wow, this phase may be the best one yet, then Jericho did a number on my joints. Honestly, I can’t wait for this to be over.

I love working out and I love lifting weights. Point is I like exercising, and I want you to know that. Yet Morning Meltdown 100 has me dreading working out. The strength training is fine. I like them mostly. I felt like perhaps we don't give the triceps enough to do. It's the cardio and yoga based workouts that are grinding my knees and nerves. To the point I have yelled at Jericho a few times, and it wasn’t very nice. 

At the end of phase 4 the Fight Club workout had us on our knees for the last segment in some demented variation of a side plank, then turning while they dragged our poor knees with us along the floor. Half the time, I couldn't see the modifier. I preformed the move using a traditional modifier for the side plank and found I did not feel a thing. So if I wanted to feel it, I need to destroy my knees in the process. The modified moves should never add stress/pressure to the joints. Jericho had us preform these moves from the push-up position, putting pressure on the wrists. My right knee is killing me, and it wasn't till Fight Club. 

And I started feeling like I had to do another workout after Morning Meltdown 100. I am feeling like a broken record, but I cannot see the damn modifier till it's too late. And to those of you who may say something the BOD modifier, feature is not available to me or for Morning Meltdown 100. So I do what I think she will do, and it doesn't even make me break a sweat. So after LIT Cardio or Fight Club, I do another shorter workout because I am not getting a good workout. There SHOULD be no reason for it either, even if you follow the modifier. The modifications are weak. Too easy or hard on the joints. There are better heart pumping alternatives. Which I try to do, but it’s not enough. This workout is easy unless you are jumping throughout most of it. Honestly, if we were not moving our arms even the jumping would not make a huge difference other than making our calves, burn the next day. By moving the arms, your heart rate will go up. 

My takeaway is the strength training workouts, especially the lower body ones, are good. They are not perfect, but out of 10 stars, I would rate them a 7. They get the job done and keep things fresh. The arm workouts I feel are lacking. Jericho ignores certain muscle groups. I cannot recall the last triceps move we did. I think we overwork certain muscles. The thing is Jericho keeps changing the workout, which is a good thing and it helps me look past the fact we did not do any triceps extensions. Some moves will work the triceps while working other muscles, but mine are feeling flabby. 

I am overweight, or curvy if that sounds appealing to you, but my weight does not define me. Ultimately, I am a hard worker who ran a 5k recently in the pouring rain. I do not give up, and I am tough as heck, and I can go 36 hours without food. Since I practice intermittent fasting and eat low-carb most of the time (cheating is a sweet potato) so there is no reason I should not see any results. Yet here I am after measuring myself to tell you this workout is just keeping me in shape. If you can call it that. I am not transforming. 

People cannot spot reduce their bodies, so if you do a leg workout it can help slim and tone because you are building muscle which in more dense than fat. That means workouts like Morning Meltdown 100 are enhanced by a healthy, balanced diet. It’s not likely you will see results if you do not eat watch what you eat. 

Well, I kind of fibbed- I am transforming, but not that much. I lost a quarter of an inch from my waist, maybe more, I measured in the middle of the day. Half an inch from my hips, a quarter of an inch from my arms and half and an inch from my thighs. But this is a big but, I practice intermittent fasting. I have practiced alternate day fasting with a twist, which works well for me. 

Alternate Day Fasting is a variation of fasting. The protocol is that you eat up to 500 calories on a fasting day, then eat normally the next. Some people do not consider this true fasting because eating throughout the day defeats the health purposes of fasting, which is what I am after. I am insulin resistant and my body temperature is always low, indicating I have a slow metabolism so I have to work harder for results. 

My twist on the alternate day fasting is on the day when I eat 500 calories, I fast 17-21 hours. I then eat a healthy 500 calorie meal, then close my window. Then start my timer for 18-21 hours again and eat two meals in my widow. Because I am doing ADF four days a week, I lost 1.50 inches from my body. I store most of my fat in my abdominal, thighs, and hips. It’s possible the workout helped a little too by building more muscle, but it’s more likely the fasting. Fasting enables you to use stored fat for fuel. I had been waiting for a woosh to come and did two 36 hour fasts one January 20th and 27th. Combined with the ADF, I thank fasting for the recent loss of fat not Morning Meltdown 100.

Do not get me started on the Re-Vibe and Freestyle Flow workouts are for active rest days. They are stale and repetitive. Damn it, Jericho, stop relying on Downward Dog and Cobras so much. I do not understand why these workouts are always tedious. If you dislike yoga or like to keep it short and sweet, these will drive you crazy. I rather grind my knee than hold downward dog forever.

I am starting Phase Five after I edit this post. Pray for me, please. I have to survive this for 20 more days. If Barre Blend is not up by then on Beachbody, I am going back to doing an older Jeri Love workout, which anyone can do without hurting themselves. Check back in 3 weeks for an update.