Trying Out a 26 Day Hourglass Workout Program (Update #2 – Days 8 to 14)

Getting into shape is a goal that I’ve had for awhile. It seems like every time a new year roles around, some sort of workout goal is one of my resolutions, but then I always end up forgetting, and my goals never get reached.

This year, things are different. This year I have determination, motivation, commitment, and perhaps most importantly: an actual workout schedule to follow.

Currently I am trying out Chloe Ting’s 26 day hourglass program, which is a workout program that targets the abs and glutes. If you want to learn more about how I discovered Chloe Ting’s workout programs, check out the first update post!

If you’re already up to speed on how the first week went for me, then here’s how week 2 went:

Week 2:

Starting Measurements

My change in measurements surprised me! My hip dips look less prominent, so I was expecting some growth in my measurements, but I actually saw a decrease of just 1/4 inch on almost all my measurements, except for my high hip which had a large decrease.

I suppose that this decrease on my high hip measurement is what caused my hips to look more round in shape.

In any case, my WHR (waist-to-hip ratio) has remained the same, and in my first update on the challenge I mentioned that I wanted my WHR to either remain the same or decrease, so I’m happy with this.

My Experience

Day 8 of the 26 day hourglass program:

Workout journal:

Day 9 of the 26 day hourglass program:

Workout journal:
I ended up using today as an unscheduled rest day. I pushed myself just a bit too far with the workout from day 8, and my legs were feeling a bit tense all day, so I didn’t want to push myself too hard again, especially with such a large workout coming up for day 10.

Day 10 of the 26 day hourglass program:

Workout journal:
Oof today was difficult. Even though I wasn’t feeling sore at all, my body became tired really quickly, so I was only able to do 20 minutes out of the 50 minute workout. Tomorrow is another rest day though, so I’m sure I’ll be feeling great after that!
Despite not working out yesterday, I feel like I’m starting to notice more hip and glute growth! I’m looking forward to seeing what my measurements are at the start of the next week. 🙂 Ab definition hasn’t progressed too much, but that’s okay. I really enjoy ab exercises, so I’m going to continue doing lots after this program ends.

Day 11 of the 26 day hourglass program:

Day 12 of the 26 day hourglass program:

Workout journal:
Almost halfway there! My thighs are bulking up quite a bit, and my hips are also getting nice and filled out, but I don’t think my booty is growing much lol. That’s okay, because I’m getting a lot stronger, regardless of if I’m seeing visual changes!
Side plank variations are still killer though.

Day 13 of the 26 day hourglass program:

Workout journal:
Woah, I’m halfway there! I’m really enjoying the ab exercises (well, almost all the ab exercises) and I’ve improved at the side plank variations so much since starting this program. At the beginning I had to skip them, but now I can do all of them! Admittedly I tend to drop once or twice, but I’m able to get right back up and continue.
Perseverance is really what gets me through these challenging exercises. However, I like the challenge! I like the challenge so much that I’m going to be getting some resistance bands to add to some of the leg workouts (I don’t know if they’ll arrive before I finish this program though).

Day 14 of the 26 day hourglass program:

Workout journal:
I forgot that today was an active rest day until around mid-afternoon (I workout in the evenings when I have the most energy), so I was pretty confused as to why I was so hungry this morning. At a lot of food though, and my body is feeling great, so I’m looking forward to the next workout!

Some tips and tricks that I’ve picked up:

• Staying hydrated is super important (duh). But I have a lot of trouble remembering to drink water, so I’ve marked times on a clear water bottle so that I can keep track of how much water I’ve had and when to drink.
• Don’t overdo the cardio. To warm up before exercising, I like to do some dancing (trying to learn various choreographies). However I’ve learned not to go all out while dancing, which has actually made it easier for me to pick up the moves.

So that’s how the second week went! I’m still enjoying this exercise program, and I also found it super interesting how my measurements changed. I’ll be retaking the measurements at the start of each new week, and of course after I finish the program as well.

Here’s the link to Chloe Ting’s 26 day hourglass program if anyone wants to join me in trying it out.

I’ll be posting a new update on my progress every Friday until I finish the challenge, so be sure to subscribe to my blog if you want to see my updates.