- Abs are Made in The Kitchen, Not the Gym
Chloe's 2-Week Shred Challenge primarily focused on ab work because it doesn't require any equipment and people are attracted to the idea of having a strong, defined core. However, it wasn't until after the two weeks and not seeing any results did I decide to actually do research on how to have toned abs. In my research, I learned that you could spend hours every day doing ab workouts and you still might not see results unless your diet is in check. Simply put, the only way for your abs to show is to eat less calories than your body burns each day. While doing ab-work might grow your actual abdominal muscles, eating in a caloric deficit is the only way to burn off the layer of fat on top of those muscles.
2. Two Weeks is an Unrealistic Time Frame
While many people like the sound of a quick and easy two-week fix, it isn't realistic to expect a full body transformation in 14 days. Progress takes time. If you want to achieve a "toned" look, you have to build muscle, which isn't an easy thing to do. At most, a woman can expect to gain 10 lbs of muscle per year with consistent, heavy, deliberate weightlifting. Chloe's workouts don't include any weights, making it impossible to progressively overload the volume that you're lifting. This makes her workouts sub-optimal for building muscle and getting "toned.
3. Find Exercises That YOU Enjoy!
Whenever I would scroll through social media and see videos of people doing Chloe's workouts, it was almost never positive. People complained that the workouts were boring, repetitive, and unsustainable for a long period of time. One of my favorite phrases is that the best exercise is exercise you ENJOY, because that's the exercise that you'll actually do. If you don't like repetitive, HIIT style workouts, don't do Chloe's workouts. If you don't like running, don't run. Just because you have this notion in your head about what a "good workout" is, doesn't mean that's the workout you have to do. If you like dance-style workouts, do that. If you like going on long walks, do that. If you enjoy it and will consistently do it, it's a good and worthwhile workout. After all, working out increases the "happy hormones" in your body, so not only are you improving your physical health, you're improving your mental health, which is equally if not MORE important. Doing a workout that you don't enjoy doesn't have the same mood boosting effect.
At the end of the day, if you want to actually achieve results, having your diet in check and getting on a good weightlifting program are the most essential things to do. Chloe's workouts may be good for beginners or if you're in a pinch and don't have access to equipment, but if you're looking for long-term, sustainable results, in my amature fitness enthusiast opinion, I would not recommend her workouts. Instead, if you're looking for a fitness influencer to follow, I would recommend ones that give out high quality fitness information such as Madfit (equipment-free workouts), SyattFitness (nutrition info), and Sarah's Day (programmed fitness). Now get sweating!!
