PeakFit Challenge: Pure Strength 2

This is a 52 minute strength workout- the lower body portion did get my heart rate up though. Michelle leads in a spacious white & wood room with a group of background exercisers. You will need your PeakFit band and dumbbells for this workout. Some exercise modifications are offered.

This workout is structured exactly the same as the 1st strength w/o in the set and is a moderately heavy weight, moderately paced workout (similar to S90 in terms of poundage and pace IMO). The workout is broken up into 5 cycles. Each cycle focuses on one body area and finishes with a total body exercise. Each body area is hit 2ce. The cycles are: Back, Chest, Arms & Shoulders, and Legs. You repeat the same exercises on the opposite side of the body in the 2nd round.

Exercises include: kneeling band pec fly, kneeling chest scoop, a unique runners arm move, band bent row, dead bug band pulldown, pulsing lunges w/ a glute raise, pushup variations, squat variations, squat & windmill, front & lateral raise, band curl, and a curtsy-set down & pick up weights. There is no core section but a few of the exercises do hit the core.

I rate this high intermediate- but easily adaptable by adjusting your poundage. This is a very solid workout that is chest & back heavy. The lower body section is short but you can easily heavy up and hit the lower body hard. The bi's, tri's, and shoulders werent worked as much IMO. Michelle is a great lead, good cuing, and the sequencing of this workout (as with all in this set) are superb.

lindseylu8

The other reviewer did such a great job with her review of Pure Strength 2. I don’t think the pace of Pure Strength 2 is comparable to S90 because I can easily keep up with Michelle and the gang and S90’s pace is so frantic that I can’t keep up and have to hit pause. There is little to NO rest between exercises and I get my heart rate up and work up a good sweat with this workout. The pace keeps you moving. When you first do this workout, you may have to hit pause until you learn what is coming next.

That being said, Pure Strength 2 is another gem form the Peak 10 set. You need a set of light and heavy weights, the band, and I use a mat. I also use more than one set of weights and have a range of 8 pound to 15 pound weights.

You will do back then chest then repeat back and chest. You will do legs and arms then repeat legs and arms. My one gripe is that Michelle doesn’t change the lead side. For example, in arms, for both rounds she will lead with the right side. I always change lead sides. I guess I’m weird like that!

WU:
Using no weights make a high v with arms and curl in. Arms up and in then back to open shoulders. Squats pulling elbows back. Pulse squat elbows down to stand and circle the elbows. Take right leg behind and open right had to wall then do it on the left side. Pick up light weights for dead lift into a dead row. Squats. Right and left leg static lunges. Curtsy squats with bicep curl in center, same on other side, and then alternating curtsy squats with upright row. Shoulder extension behind body. Preview of arm move with bent elbows up (hard to explain). Shoulder raises. Bicep curl to shoulder press. Squat to bicep curl to shoulder press. Hold shoulder presses to end.

Back:
Use band for two armed back rows using varying tempos. Use band for wide pull using varying tempos. Sit on floor putting band around both feet for one arm row all on one side first then on the other side. Use the band to do the dead bug. I use my light weights as I don’t have the Peak10 band and my bands don’t work for this exercise. Full body finisher: Use one heavy weight for a swing straight up in the center than swing to the right and to the left (you could easily do KB swings here if you wanted to).

Chest:
Go to the floor for push ups taking one hand out and bringing it in. Slow count then up to tempo then stay on right side for four in a row then on left side for four in a row. Grab band for a kneeling chest fly. Plank with wide legs tapping right leg to left and left to right, keeping hips level and holding plank then into slow push ups (4). Back to the tap leg plank then slow push ups (2) and 4 push ups singles (4). Grab light weights for kneeling chest fly (8). Full body finisher: keep light weights, squatting down with strong back, weights touching floor if possible then come up with a side lean.

Repeat back round.

Repeat chest round.

Legs:
Use heavy weights for squats of varying tempo’s (slow, singles, pulses). Rear lunges slow then singes into a tick tock lunges slow then singles (thutt buster). Change legs and do the same thing. Curtsy lunges double pulse, come back to center and change legs. Michelle shows a variation where you can set the weights down and pick them up that works on strength and flexibility. Total body finisher: Squat into bicep curls then squat into curl and shoulder press.

Arms and Shoulders:
Triceps push up variations. Triceps kickbacks. An overall arm movement called runner arms that SLAY. One arm raises for shoulders. Side lateral lifts. Bicep curl variations with the band (I often use weights). Total body finisher/core move with the band (again, I often use weights).

Repeat legs.

Repeat arms and shoulders.

Nice cool down with brief stretching.

Instructor Comments:
Michelle is encouraging and sometimes drops her weights to point out what the others are doing. Some may find her a bit on the "hyper" side but I like her style of instructing. I'd love to take a live class with Michelle!

gigi