Week 3 of my Les Mills Combat/Pump Hybrid is in the bag!  And wow, if I thought I was settling in after the last two weeks, week 3 shook things up, to say the least.  Whew!

So to start with, I am FINALLY getting over the plague that hit me last week.  I am still tired as all get out, but I am feeling more and more like me with every day. 

Given the schedule for this week, that's a very very good thing!  The schedule called for two new workouts, both from the Combat program.  And those two new workouts are DOOZYS (doozies, doozyes......what's the plural of doozy?)!  Here I was, under the impression that Combat was a cardio only workout.....hahahahahahahaha......  let's just say Combat 60 and HIIT Power taught me a thing or two about that.

So, speaking of the schedule, the workouts on that schedule included Pump & Burn, Combat 60, Combat 30, and HIIT Power.  I subbed in Pilates Fix (yep, I CHOSE to do Pilates...what's wrong with me?) for Hard Core Abs.

Pump & Burn (33 minutes) - Still my favorite 30 minute weight workout outside of P90X3.  I just love this one!  Just over 30 minutes, but it hits every single one of the major muscle groups.

Since I've done this one pretty consistently over the last three weeks, I decided to try upping my weights.  I used a total of 36 pounds on the bar for the squat track, 30 pounds on the chest track, 30 pounds on the dead lifts and clean & presses, and 15 pounds for the ab track.  Whew!  I'm pretty sure my buns are going to be feeling that tomorrow!

But it's soooo delicious...

Combat 60 - Extreme Cardio Fighter (54 minutes) -  So this was a new one for me.  Two words:  HOLY KICKS!! 

Kicks, some punches, more kicks, and even more kicks!  Oh, and a nice little "finisher" sequence at the end....but I will get to that...  Let's go back to those endless kicks, shall we?  Side kicks and roundhouse kicks broken into sections - slow motion sections that made my outer thighs BURN.  And they were all on repeat...  Then there were the jump kicks, back kicks....kicks, kicks, kicks!

I was TIRED after this one, but remember how I said there was a neat little finisher sequence?  After you've just spent all of your energy throwing punches and kicks, THAT's when the trainers decide to throw one more fastball at you:  a nice little toning section.  Crunches, circle crunches, push-ups, circle push-ups....  Did I mention this was AFTER the cardio?  As exhausted as I was when this workout was through, I really really enjoyed it.  So far, I'd rank this one just behind Combat 30 in my favorite Combat workout.

I have to introduce the second new workout with THIS picture as it was my true reaction to HIIT Power:

Combat HIIT Power ( 32 minutes) - Yep, that was exactly how I felt about HIIT Power.  To be completely honest, it took me two tries to get through it.  I was NOT up for it before work....so I came home, downed some e&e, and hit it again - and made it through the whole thing.  Remember how I said I was under the mistaken impression that Combat was cardio only?  This workout was the one that taught me otherwise.

First off, this workout requires weights.  One thing I learned the first time around was that weight selection matters.  This is not the weight you would typically press, row, or squat with.  Trust me, if you do this one, you want a lighter weight.

Secondly, there are some plyometrics here - and then burpees, lots and lots of burpees.  Then bodyweight work and finally plank work.  And this 30 minute workout left me extremely sore for a few days.

Can I show you one more thing?