STS DEAL OF THE DAY!!!!!

[daybreak]

Pam, I bought the Cardio Supersets as well - I did it once - and I like it a lot! Though certain moves with the disk make my back feel funky - not all of them, but some. I'll just have to be aware - and replace those moves with something else.

So, I did Basic Step today! Well, I started it anyway. Even though I rewound it a ton, I felt pretty good about it and thought I was AT LEAST halfway done and Cathe then says "you're all warmed up, we're going to move into the combinations…" All righty then! So yeah, I pretty much took 45 minutes to do the 7 minute warmup. LOL! But that's just ME - don't anybody else get discouraged if you want to buy it! This will be a fun challenge for me - I'm looking forward to it. I can only imagine it's good exercise for the brain as well, right?

Funny about your making up your own moves. But hey, as long as your heart rate is still up and you're having fun - then it's all good.

I also did an AB Circuit after STS yesterday - I did STS in the morning and the Yoga based abs in the evening.

Brandie, how do you like the squat rack routine? Is it a complete separate cycle or is it (optionally) incorporated at all into any of the other mesocyles?

[Pam_90]

Brandi--I love your idea of adapting STS to other exercises! The progressive increase in weights is like having a trainer push you ever day to do more, but in small enough increases that you don't get hurt and hopefully not so sore and tired that don't want to do anything for the rest of the day and the nx ;=))

Did you do the 1RM testing before starting STS the 2nd time?

Dawn--How did you like your Step workout today? I do a lot of hiking and I find step workouts really increase my strength for climbing the hills.

P.S. Your email only showed up after I posted this. Internet has been acting strange today. I think it is important to change any workout so it works for you, esp if it is causing pain. I won't do any sliding on disks. I had an ACL replaced in my knee a few years ago. Side wards movement is largest cause of injury to an ACL (was mine) and I am not going to take the risk of re-injury, so I adapt the exercises.

[Nanbo]

Dawn & Pam,
I don't know if you'll see this, but I hope your first week of STS is going well and you're getting used to those quick equipment changes! Last night would have been Disc 2 for you guys....how do you feel today?

[daybreak]

Nancy, thanks for checking in! So, I wasn't sore at all after Disk 1 but today my back is talking to me for sure! My intention was to do HiiT today but I changed that to a walk on the TM and Yoga Relax! LOL.

I think what got me was the pull downs with the tubing. I don't do that exercise much and although it feels quite easy to do - apparently it's really working the whole back!

I am loving this though! The idea of having 34 more DIFFERENT DVD's coming up - is just really cool. It's so opposite of the dread-factor - I get so excited to do it!

Pam, how's it going for you?

[Pam_90]

Hi Nancy--Thanks also for checking in with us. I am enjoying doing these workout. They hurt so good! I think I have said this before, but I have never pushed it much with upper body workouts, so this is great. I was tired after Disk 2 yesterday and was not sorry that it was raining outside so I could not work hauling rocks up the mountain side ;=)) Today I did one of the shorter premixes in Cardio Supersets.

Dawn-I agree with you about being excited about the upcoming disks! I wake up in the morning, thinking, Oh Boy, I get a new workout today!

I found the hints Cathe gives about technique helpful also.

[Pam_90]

Dawn-Did you get your rack? Mine came yesterday and I just put it together today. Seems well designed. A couple of the features I didn't realize until I watch their youtube, available through their website. I am looking forward to using it tomorrow for legs.

Hope your back is feeling better.

[daybreak]

Yes Pam, I bet you were happy to see that rain!

My back is feeling so much better already. I wonder if it wasn't half just stiffness from sleeping. I think I may hit the HiiT workout this evening after all.

For those of you who typically trained your upper body more than twice a week before STS - did you find that you missed it? It feels odd to me to go 4 days without training upper body.

[daybreak]

Pam, yes I did get the squat stands. I had NO idea what some of those pieces were either until I watched the video! I have to work on getting the perfect height to use it as both a bench rack and squat rack so I don't have to keep adjusting it. Trying to adjust those at the same time was tricky - I'll have to recruit somebody to help me.

Can't wait for the day when I really NEED this thing! Yay.

[atompki1]

Popping in on you guys! Which squat rack did you get? I just ordered the Valo BD-9. It should be arriving some time next week. I'm jealous I can't start yet. Glad to here you are having such a good time with it!!

[Pam_90]

Hi atompki & Nancy--Glad you keep popping in to viist! I got the Valor BD-3. Like Dawn, it took me a little time to figure out how all the pieces went together. The 2nd one I put together in just a few minutes.

In some of the reviews I read, people mentioned using this rack for chin-ups and pull-ups. I don't have regular doors here (all pocket & sliding glass doors) so no place to put a chin-up bar over a door, so I am going to try doing it with this rack. Did a few pull-ups and chin-ups today and as long as I keep my body directly below the rack, it worked fine. Cathe showed a modification of putting feet staight out and on the floor, when I tried that, it was scary, as the rack almost went over.

Dawn are you doing Disk 3, legs tomorrow? I plan to, than I think Saturday needs to be a rest day.