Hammer and Chisel - Day 1: Chisel Balance

The first workout in The Master's Hammer and Chisel Program is Chisel Balance.  This workout runs 44 mins and concentrates on Yep! You guessed it.... Balance!  Here is a breakdown of the workout and the exercises:

To note, all moves are 15 reps. You do each move TWICE, then move to the next one!


  • One Leg Squat Sit – This one is HARD and REALLY burns!! I used a 10 lb weight and you basically stand on one leg and drop to the seated position on the bench, and then stand up again...all on that one leg. Controlling the DOWN is important and what makes this tough.  *I do not have a bench and used a kitchen chair.  Autumn states that you can tap your foot down if needed and I definitely had to take advantage of this tip!

  • 2. One Leg Bridge Pullover – A combination lat / core move. You are on your back with your shoulders & feet on the ground, and in a bridge position (legs up). You do a pullover with the weights from back to front.

  • One Leg Squat Deadlift – You hold a weight in your left hand and balance on your right foot. Move your left foot backwards and reach for the floor with a squat. Booty BURNER!
  • Up – Down – Plank on the bench down to elbows on the floor over and over again. This one really starts to BURN THE CORE! *I just did this maneuver on the floor.
  • Split Squat Jump - Hands down the hardest move (for me) of the workout! You put one foot on the bench and the other in front of you. Leaning forward, you plyo jump UP and pull that forward knee into your chest. It kind of looks like a horse bucking up, lol. I REALLY struggled to complete 15 reps. No weights.

  • Renegade Row Leg Lift – This is a basic one-arm row move where your hands are on the bench. and you lift your opposite leg at the same time. This gives you more delightful booty burning! *Again, I just did this maneuver on the floor.

  • One Arm Press Bridge – This is a bench press, but only 1 arm at a time. At the same time as you press, the opposite knee comes up. Try to keep your body flat. I did this on a ball and it’s VERY  hard to balance. About half-way through, she finally says that you can place your other hand on the floor for balance... I would recommend doing this from the get-go if you are using a ball!

  • Balance Row Pistol Squat – Another one leg squat move. This one, you start by bending down like you did for squat deadlift and do a row with 1 foot behind you, then rise and move your leg forward (pistol position) and do a squat. Talk about BURN!!!! 

Chisel Balance Review:

Some tough moves!! The balance and core, as Autumn describes, is critical for getting chiseled. Every move in the workout except for Up – Down does its reps focused on just ONE side. My legs and sides were on FIRE a few hours after I finished this workout – a good indicator I was using muscles I haven’t touched in a while.
The hardest move, by far, was the Split Squat Jump.

Day #2 tomorrow... See you there!  Hammer and Chisel - Day 2

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