#WorkoutWednesday Review- Natacha Oceane’s 20 Min Full Body, Home, No Equipment, No Noise Workout!

Sweat rating(different from workout rating): 9/10

One of my favorite workouts by one of my favorite trainers!

My Thoughts:

Natacha is an incredible trainer, focusing on functional movements that get you fit and strong just as much as they get you sweating!

I did warm up prior to the workout, but as she says in the video’s description, you can treat the first move as the warm up move if you are short on time. I personally warmed up because that allowed me to utilize the first move best + go hard right from the get-go, but personal preference!

By the second move, my heart rate was up!

I really loved how the moves varied ( this is a no repeat workout) so I would never get bored and felt that each move had it’s purpose. In addition, I did feel that a lot of the moves were primarily engaging my legs, so that is a wish.

However, the moves that did focus on the core and upper body were solid. Also most moves would engage at least two muscle groups, so that is a plus.

Natacha does include tips for the upcoming move during the breaks, which by the way, I never felt were long enough- an indication of a good, hard workout. But I would have loved to hear some spoken instruction throughout, but that’s just the style of her videos so no complaints there.

Overall, a solid workout by, in my opinion, one of the best trainers in the “fitness influencer” game.

What are some moves that you can expect?

Opposite knee + toe touches, kneel to squat, lying hyperextensions, back and forth bear crawls, russian bicycle twists, single leg hip lifts, invisible ball slams and spider plank extensions.

A wish: The reverse plank marches were especially challenging, so a modification would have been appreciated:)

Overall rating: 9.5/10

Difficulty level: Intermediate-Advanced (this is a tough one, but beginners are welcome to try + take breaks if needed for sure)

Music? Loved it. The tunes were catchy + distracted me from the moves.

Instructor? Natacha is one of the best, no doubt. Many rave about her and it’s easy to see why- her form is top-notch and her moves are effective and functional. She structures her workouts effortlessly and they work! She is also one of the sweetest people ever and her energy just bounces off the screen.

Favorite move? So hard to pick just one, so I’ll do top 3.

I loved the assisted asymetrical push-ups, solid move for the upper body!

Pike to kick sit was a huge cardio move for me, so challenging but fun!

I loved the Russian bicycle twists, they were a great way to end the workout + awesome for core engagement!

Would do again? Yes! Super good for a quick sweat sesh!

Let me know down in the comments if you tried this workout too and what you thought of it! Also do tell me which workouts you’ve been loving and want me to review + any suggestions for trainers I should try workouts by!

“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!”

1 Chronicles 16:11 ESV

#WorkoutWednesday Whitney Simmons 20 Min No Jumping Workout Review!

Sweat rating(different from workout rating): 8/10

On today’s #WorkoutWednesday, I am reviewing Whitney Simmons’ 20 Min Apartment Friendly Full Body workout!

My Thoughts:

I liked the format of the workout- the circuit repeated twice ensured that I was able to perfect the moves while not making me feel like I was bored or it was too repetitive. I also liked how Whitney put the moves on the screen and a demo during the breaks so I could mentally prepare myself for the exercises I was going to perform.

This is definitely more of a strength than a cardio workout, however it did make me sweat!

I liked that although some of the moves were more slow-paced, such as the lunge reaches or the superman pull down, you could feel your muscles working + activated!

Overall, a good choice to improve strength + toning, but I would pair a cardio workout with this one!

P.S. I’m aware that Whitney does specialize in strength focused workouts, so maybe that’s why this one felt very strength-heavy.

What are some moves that you can expect?

Crab reaches, walking pushups, tricep dips with leg lift, around the world high plank crunches and frog squats.

A wish: I didn’t really get the purpose of one of the moves, the alternating single leg DL, as it ended up making my calf muscle a bit sore while not really working my legs that much.

Another wish: The frog squats hurt my knees, so it would have been great to have some spoken instruction.

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Difficulty level: Intermediate (I feel that this is a workout that hits the sweet spot between beginner and advanced).

Music? Good, it was catchy + a good distraction from the intensity of the moves.

Instructor? I love Whitney’s energy + personality + how she keeps it real with the workouts. I also liked that it was easy to follow her movements + form.

Favorite move? Bear crawl was my favorite because it was one of the cardio moves in the WO and I really loved how challenging it was. I thought the lunge reaches did wonders for my legs too.

Would do again? Yes! If you want to up the intensity, pare this with a cardio session like going on the elliptical or brisk walking prior.

Let me know down in the comments if you tried this workout too and what you thought of it! Also do tell me which workouts you’ve been loving and want me to review + any suggestions for trainers I should try workouts by!

“For we live by faith, not by sight.”

2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV

#WorkoutWednesday Review- Heather Robertson’s Low Impact Cardio + Abs!

A fan of this one!

Starting a new series on my blog- I’ll be formally posting fitness reviews on #WorkoutWednesday so you can always expect to see a workout review every Wednesday!

I will still occasionally do more fitness reviews/related content from time to time, but with this series y’all can always expect at least one fitness related post a week:)

Now on to the workout!

My Thoughts:

I have done many of Heather’s workouts before, so I am quite used to her training style and am a fan so I might be slightly biased. However, a sweat sesh is still a sweat sesh and this one made me SWEAT!

This workout is no-jumping, no-equipment, no-repeats, and like all of Heather’s workouts, no-talking! I’m fine with both no-talking and talking workout routines, however I must admit that it does make it harder to know if you are executing the move correctly without the instructor’s guidance.

I really liked the no-repeats exercises as I felt that I was able to hone in on a particular move for a time, and give it all I got in that set timeframe.

The flow of the workout is stellar, it warms you up until you are sweating by the end, and then she includes a cool-down for the benefit of your muscles.

The title of the video holds true, it is very cardio and not much strengthening and there is a focus on the abs although there could have been more core-focused exercises. However, in just over 20 minutes, it gets the job done.

*If you are a no-jumping veteran like me, I would suggest adding some weights as although this gets you sweaty, it doesn’t have super high intensity at times.

What are some moves you can expect?

Knee drive and twist, inchworm and push-ups, plank and reach, boxer crunch, bear crawl and t-push-ups.

Overall rating: 8/10

Difficulty level: Beginner/Intermediate (moves were beginner-friendly, definitely one of Heather’s easier workouts for me).

Music? Good, kept in pace with each move and slowed down with the cool-down. She has taste for sure!

Instructor? I’m a huge fan of Heather’s and how she plans/executes her workouts. You can tell they are well-structured.

Favorite move? Really enjoyed the lat pull and kick-felt that one all over.

Crab dance was particularly good too. A tip I learned from another trainer, Charlee Atkins, is to have your hands out at “10 am and 2pm” in order to properly balance.

Would do again? Yes! However, I would recommend pairing this workout with at least one other video as by itself, I worked up quite a sweat but felt I could go for more.

Let me know down in the comments if you tried this workout and what you thought of it! Also do tell me which workouts you’ve been loving and want me to review:)

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13