What Is Hammer & Chisel?

There are a few things you should know about me:

1. I’ve helped ring the closing bell at NASDAQ
2. I believe the Green Arrow will beat the Flash in a fight every time
3. I have a Lego Tardis in my office and I love it more than washi tape
4. I won’t ever recommend anything to you that I haven’t tried myself…

…unlike the extremely incorrect article Women’s Health published last week about the 21 Day Fix (gee – they looked at the book and made a lot of assumptions without actually testing it – shocking). Ok so those first three have nothing to do with Hammer & Chisel, or fitness, but they’re fun, right?

And when it comes to fitness, for me, it has to be fun. Mentally I can convince myself that I can do anything for 21 days but when I decided to try Hammer & Chisel, I knew I was in for something new. Hammer & Chisel is a 60 day fitness program designed by celebrity trainers Autumn Calabrese and Sagi Kalev to help you bulk up (hammer) or get cut (chiseled) through a combination of weight lifting workouts, cardio, and a nutrition program that utilizes the 21 Day Fix portion control containers (but with all new categories if you want to build a lot of muscle). Someone joked on Facebook that you need to quit your full time job to have time to eat all the food on the program, and depending on which category you’re in, it does feel that way.

My plan, for example, has me eating 3 green containers (1 cup each) of vegetables in a day. My husband? 7. It’s not unusual for us to go to BJs (our version of Costco) and buy bulk fruit and vegetables for our family of 3 for a week. We just eat differently now that we used to, and if we’re going to measure the success of a program, I’d say that’s a huge one!

The Workouts

Hi, my name is Crystal and I love lifting weights. One of my absolute favorite parts of these workouts were the heavy lifting days. Maybe that’s because the cardio workouts nearly killed me, but by tracking my reps and my weights for every workout I had proof that I was getting stronger.

In fact, for every single workout (which ranged from 30-45 minutes) over 60 days I increased reps and weight by a considerable amount from the first time I did it to the last. Including one workout where I ended up lifting a total of 100 pounds MORE by the end of the program than the first time I did it. WHAT?!

You will get stronger doing these workouts. Whether or not you’ll see the crazy, bulked up, chiseled results that you’ll see shared by Beachbody? Well, that’s up to you, your DNA, where you’re starting from, and your goals. Everyone will be different, but if you stick with it for 60 days you will be able to lift heavier and go harder.

The Nutrition Plan

Since I’ve been doing 21 Day Fix since last March, the nutrition plan for Hammer & Chisel was simple for me – keep doing what I’ve been doing! The program uses the portion control containers, which I love, and the only challenge we had was trying to make sure my meal plans included enough food for my husband! This isn’t an elimination diet – it’s about learning how to eat appropriate portions of the right kinds of whole foods for the healthiest version of yourself possible. Chocolate (in moderation) and coffee (black) are still allowed 😉

I actually think I should have bumped up to the next level in the plan – I currently eat at the lowest container count, but have hit a plateau lately when it comes to my weight. Because I was doing Hammer & Chisel and also occasionally doing an hour of Zumba or PiYo, I think my body may be storing calories instead of burning them. Something to think about, anyway!

The Results

I want to be able to show you crazy impressive results. I want to be able to show you 6 pack abs and say “yes! this mama of a 4 year old can do it and so can you!” But you know what? I can’t. It didn’t happen for me. And even though my photos will never grace the social media pages of Beachbody, I’m 100% in love with my results anyway.

• I’m incredibly strong
• I haven’t lost weight but I’ve tightened and toned
• Mentally I’m stronger than I’ve ever been
• I haven’t dropped any clothing sizes – and actually my pants are tighter because my quads are bigger and my shirts are tighter because mama got some biceps!

These are my real life results, and at the end of the day I love Hammer & Chisel because “strong” is my goal – not skinny. I learned that I can do more than I ever imagined. I learned that the thing I think is impossible is possible when I believe in myself and trust God to be my strength. I learned that faith and fitness can bring my family together in a way that is far more important to me than a number on a scale.

My husband plans to rest this week and then jump back into the “Hammer” track. We’ve purchased Body Beast and I’m already planning to get Tony Horton’s “22 Minute Hard Corps” when it comes out in March. Oreos have been replaced by Shakeology and we have chosen to invest in our health now so we can pour into the lives of those God brings to our family.

If you have questions about Hammer & Chisel that I didn’t answer, or if you’re looking for some accountability as you start your own faith & fitness journey, or if you’d like information about my upcoming “Love Yourself & Love Others” challenge group, I would love to hear from you! My comments don’t always send me a notification so you can fill out this easy peasy contact form.

[contact-form to=’crystalstine.me@gmail.com’ subject=’Coaching Inquiry’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Website’ type=’url’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]