Brazil Butt Lift - Week 1 Complete!

I noticed I was getting a lot of questions about the new Brazil Butt Lift workout I just started. So I figured a special post about it would help you to better understand the workout... in case you were looking for a new routine! As the Beachbody website states:

"Shape, lift, and firm your behind with Leandro Carvalho's Brazil Butt Lift Workout. The world's top supermodels work out with Leandro, the "Brazilian Butt Master," and you can too with his in-home DVD fitness program."

Photo Credit

Leandro has worked with world renowned supermodels. So yes, I absolutely trust him to get me into shape. When I received my package via FedEx (I was SUPER excited), I noticed it came with a tape measure with instructions to measure myself before I started so I can measure after four weeks to see the inches I've lost --- and I can't wait! I read through the booklet about the workout and the first thing that really made me smile: The Pencil Test. Basically, when you start, it is assumed that your butt is not "lifted" so you should be able to essentially hold a pencil between your butt and glutes. But by the end of four weeks, your butt should be lifted so unable to hold a pencil. I was able to hold with the left cheek but not the right... Guess only my right cheek is in shape. :) There's also a resistance band to help with additional toning for one of the workouts (it's not suggested you start using it until after the first week so I haven't used it yet --- I got a great workout with it though). 

There are a few different calendars that are suggested to follow, depending on the shape of your butt. The options: Lift & Shape (the flat solution for flat butts); Slim & Shape (the pear solution for those pear shaped); Slim & Lift (the too big solution for the butt that is too big); and if you don't fit into any of these categories specifically, there's the Combination (the classic solution). I am following the Combination calendar since I want to tone my butt and thighs and waist. Hoping it will help with cellulite too. :)

Week 1 Schedule 

Monday: Bum Bum and Tummy Tuck --- about 50 minutes total (30 cardio and 20 of pure abs --- ouch!!)

Tuesday: Cardio Axe and High & Tight (no equipment) --- about 70 minutes total (30 cardio and 40 toning... Serious toning)

Wednesday: Scupt (with weights) --- about 50 minutes of serious toning all over 

Thursday: Cardio Axe and High & Tight (no equipment)

Friday: Bum Bum and Tummy Tuck

Saturday: Cardio Axe and High & Tight (no equipment)
Sunday: Rest (though I will work in some sort of workout anyway)

The calendar each week moves the workouts around so it's not the same routine every week which will help keep me from getting bored too quickly.

Let me preface my thoughts so far by saying that I have been working out nearly every single day since January 1. I'm not as sore as I expected to be given how intense the Beachbody workouts are known to be (after all, they sell Insanity and P90X). If I started this workout in January, I have no doubt I would have trouble walking after most of these workouts, laughing after Tummy Tuck, and lifting my 25lb daughter after Sculpt. Brazil Butt Lift definitely means business. Don't get me wrong, I feel the burn. One second, I will say to myself, "this isn't so bad", and then less than a minute later, I feel like I have been pushed well beyond my limits, but not to the point that I can't go about my day. So yes, I think this is a fantastic workout!

If you are worried about learning the moves, there's a 15 minute basics workout you can go through to learn the basics in advance, and this will help you get a feel for the workouts ahead of you. I found that the moves helped me prepare for some of the more challenging moves in the Bum Bum workout but that was about it. I also received a bonus DVD called "Leandro's Secret Weapon Workout" --- the case states that it's a "precision 20-minute toning routine" that "takes aim at your trouble zones and helps you transform them". I will let you know how this is when I give it a try as I haven't worked that into my routine just yet.

Overall, I am loving this workout so far. It's not primarily cardio based like some of the other workouts so I'm not burning as many calories as I would hope to be, but I have no doubt I am going to see results by the end of my first four weeks on this program. 

If you have questions about the workout, I would be more than happy to answer what I can for you! I will keep everyone up to date on how everything is going as time progresses.