Daily Check-in
Good morning! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I experienced Low Impact Circuit for the first time Saturday morning. Fun, fun, fun! The choreography is sweet and simple, but Cathe includes fun moves like shuffles and ponies to increase the fun factor. The first combination is my favorite. The barbell curls with the band wrapped around the barbell are super tough. Leave it to Cathe to find a way to make those even more challenging. She also finds more ways to do push-ups than anyone I know. The straddle push-ups and uneven push-ups are very effective. I made an interesting discovery during the positive and negative push-ups. I am able to start at the bottom of the move (on my toes) and push all the way up with ease, but I struggle and collapse when I reverse this and start at the top of the move (on my toes). Does anyone know why pushing up is easier than going down?
I love the band work in Low Impact Circuit as well as the functional fitness feel and compound moves. Cathe wraps up this fun workout with challenging ab and core work. My abs were shaking during the banana move. I would rate this as a solid intermediate workout, but it is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. It left me feeling worked out, not wiped out. I was drenched in sweat when I finished, and it was chilly in my living room when I started. I love all the workouts in this new series. These workouts masterfully blend the best of Cathe with a touch of the FIRM and the TLTs. It is like having all my favorite workouts together. The only thing I will likely miss eventually is more complex choreography, but the change of pace is delightful and refreshing. I will need to discipline myself when it is time to return to traditional weight training workouts because I am so in love with these new workouts and cannot imagine training any other way.
I did Butts and Guts for the second time yesterday morning. It was actually more challenging than the first time. I love the workout overall, but I am still not a fan of floor work. I actually like the inner and outer thigh work in this one, but I hate anything done in table position because being in that position is very uncomfortable for me. It dawned on me last night that I can modify by using my high step to support the weight of my upper body so I can relax and focus on executing the moves with good form. I experimented with several modifications last night and discovered that I actually like floor work if I use my stability ball for support! This may redeem floor work for me! I may also split this workout and do the floor work on a different day or venture into the premixes.
This is a gentle cardio day for me. I am planning to jog on my rebounder and preview one of the premixes.
Conni, I fast forwarded through the leg blast premix you recommended. Wow! Death by firewalkers, leg presses, and walking lunges! It looks great! What did you use for a warm-up? Is the Butts and Guts warm-up that is on the DVD sufficient for this? I may warm-up with a short cardio workout instead.
Susan, I want to try the Low Impact Circuit premix you suggested. I want to enjoy the full workouts again this week and venture into premixes next week.
Blessings,
Heather B.
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
YAY!
