STS DEAL OF THE DAY!!!!!

Hi Ladies!

I just wanted to check in and say hello! I've been SO busy getting my ducks in row so I can leave for vacation. But I miss you all! I have it on my prep-list to check in before I go - so I WILL be back.

Hope everybody is doing well!!! Have a great day.
 
Good morning everyone :)

Yesterday's w/o was sort of a mix & match cardio. I like to change things up a bit :D. Ok bare with me, so I did the Solid Step and Step Tabata from TTM followed by the step only portion of BM2. Total time of 45min. I found the two flowed very well together, as BM2 is very athletic step in nature as opposed to more complex. I lowered my step for BM2 though, going from 8inch to 6inch. The reason I think I mix & match so much is the ease at which I can go from download to download, even from DVD to download. All my files are quickly accessible, and I just can't help myself :eek:.

Today will be D1, M1, of my endurance to hypertrophy experimentation (LOL, that's a long one). I think I'm going to have fun with this, and let's be honest here, exercise should be fun too right? I think doing stuff we love ensures we keep doing it and won't quit in the long run. For the push-ups, I plan on doing half, and the other half I will sub w/my barbell @80% 1RM. For no reason either than I don't really want to do 180 push-ups :D.

Dawn
Oh ya, vacation! Have a wonderful time!

Justina
Cannolli's should be a food group on it's own :p. My DH is not a fan of dessert (ya, he's a weirdo) but put a plate full of those suckers out and he'll eat the whole thing :eek:.
I heard the pizza in Brooklyn is outstanding. I don't blame you for eating all that tasty food.
I'm so glad you took the plunge and decided to bring the ball to work. You might be starting a trend there you know? I have a feeling your core will automatically get stronger.

Nancy
I hate to bring age #'s into this, but you honestly look like a 30yr old! You are so incredibly youthful and fit. I laugh when people think walking/hiking is not considered a "real" workout. I think it is probably the best one out there!

Ok, have a great day ladies!
 
Last night's workout WAS SO TOUGH for me! I really struggled with the bench presses in STS Disc 16 (M2 W2)! It surprised me so much because I was only lifting 75% of my 1RM and it seemed easier when I was lifting 90%!!! Then I realized that we only did 6 reps at 90% and 8 reps at 85%. Still, those backoff sets nearly did me in....and it's not even that much weight (well, not like Gina lifts :p)! So, I looked back realized that I am now lifting 10% more weight than I did the last time through M2 :eek:! Natasha, did you noticed this when you revisted M2 and M1? The add on of the Upper Body Trisets Back/Biceps/Core premix was interesting, too! I only did the biceps/core exercises and it was weird to do all those reps! I was adjusting the weights for the first few reps like crazy! I see a spreadsheet in my very near future :rolleyes:!
Tonight I'll be attempting Crossfire Extreme. I'm scared. I've never done that premix before so I'll have to pace myself...
Natasha, how is your "endurance to hypertrophy" experiment going? How did the substitution of bench press for half the push-ups go? I need to get back to doing push-ups; I seem to be doing all of them on my knees these days. Maybe I'll do that Cathe tip and wear my weighted vest while doing them on my knees to build up to the toe kind again! I used to be better at them! (BTW, thank you for kind words about my "youthfullness"! I feel great and I hope to keep this going as long as possible!)
Gina, are you there yet :D?
 
Hello gals :)

Yesterday was DAY 1 of M1 Endurance to Hypertrophy (D1). It was interesting to say the least. I forgot about all those fast equipment changes! My room looked like a hurricane hit, even at my best attempts to keep it tidy. TBH, I was getting a little bothered by switching from chest, to shoulder's, to bi's. I wish Cathe would have grouped them together like in M2, or at least do a few chest, then a few shoulder's, then a few bi's (she does this in Muscle Endurance-Intensity Series). I think that would work the muscle groups to exhaustion more efficiently and eliminate the scrambling like a lunatic to prepare equipment. But what the heck do I know? I trust she had a method to her madness. So anyway, I upped my weight #'s, and only did 10-12 reps instead of 16+. It worked out well for the majority of the exercises. I'm very sore today, especially throughout the back area...and I never even did back!

Nancy
Yes, I def feel stronger going into M1 again. Even if I were to be performing at 60%1RM again, I would still be lifting heavier than I did 3 months+ ago.
The push-ups were hard. Very hard. I lost the endurance for them...not sure if I had much to begin with anyway.
I'm scared to try all the Extreme premixes. I have no desire to torture myself with 70min of it I suppose. After 60min of extreme cardio, I get max-ed out :D. Good luck though! You can do it! Eat appropriately beforehand and make sure to drink loads of water during.
Ohhh, those back off sets are brutal! M2 is no joke! I also found it easier during the only week I did of M3, to perform @ 80% with 8 reps, than @ 75% with 10 reps. Those extra few really make a difference.

Great day everyone!
 
I HAD to come back and tell you guys an idea I came out with for micro loading! You know those 1lbs little sand bags you find in ankle/wrist weights? Well I'm pretty certain you can purchase magnets that will attach to cloth. If I can find the appropriate magnets, I am buying some and testing it out! How easy would it be to pop a sandbag onto a weight?! OMG if this works I'm gonna be totally psyched!

That's it, that's all :)
 
I HAD to come back and tell you guys an idea I came out with for micro loading! You know those 1lbs little sand bags you find in ankle/wrist weights? Well I'm pretty certain you can purchase magnets that will attach to cloth. If I can find the appropriate magnets, I am buying some and testing it out! How easy would it be to pop a sandbag onto a weight?! OMG if this works I'm gonna be totally psyched!

That's it, that's all :)

Now that is BRILLIANT!!!!:eek:
 
Drumroll Please....

I, for the first time EVER actually completing a Cathe rotation to the very end, am happy to announce that I AM DONE with my First Round of STS!!! :D :cool: :eek:

OH MY GOSH!!! I can't believe it. I finally got those last 2 discs done! Nancy has been (im)patiently waiting for me to do so ;)

Am I stronger? ABSOLUTELY! Did I accomplish the 5% increase? YOU BETCHA! Am I loving my new strength? R U KIDDIN ME.....HELL YES ;)

What a feeling of accomplishment. I am so proud of myself, proud of those who went before, and proud of those yet to come.

THANK YOU GUYS for your support, encouragement, and advice...couldn't have done it with out ya! The Honest To Goodness Truth!

My biggest gain? I'd have to say chest. Followed by biceps and triceps.

I'm glad I have my next rotation already planned out or I would really be feeling quite lost right now. I am happy to move on and see how STS has improved my performance in Cathe's other workouts. I may post my rotation like Nancy did to keep me accountable :)

Oh hey, I am not sure if everyone is getting XTRAIN or not, but I would love to do that rotation with you guys when we get it. I liked doing the same workouts with everyone and checking in on our progress and helping each other out. Just a thought...

Natasha you have the most interesting workouts that you put together. Ever consider being a trainer?! Thanks for your kind words about seeing a difference in me with STS. I feel it! And I'm going to use it to help me reach my goals in this next year.
Please tell us if your magnet idea works out! I would love those pace weights but these sound like they would work too...hmmm, interesting.

Nancy I loved your pics! You look incredible! And congrats on the wedding :D Can you believe your one year anniversary will be here soon?! You are my inspiration for your level of athletic abilities (CF EXTREME?!?!) at 50(?) AND for still believing in and finding love. At 41 and divorced, you make me believe it is possible for me too in both areas :eek:
Great job on the 10% increase in M2....unbelievablely awesome!

Dawn have a great vacation!! We will love to catch up with you when you get back. Getting ready for a trip is a workout in itself!

Justina M2 is when I really started to notice my strength changing. Work it hard and I promise that you will be lifting heavier! How'd the ball chair go at work? Any weird comments or looks from anyone? And who cares....right?! I want a FitDesk so I can excercise and work. I do so much sedentary work that I need to engage in more activity beyond my workouts if I ever want to reach my goals. It is a stationary bike with a desk over the handlebars so you can work on your computer, read, watch tv even. It's a splurge and I still want it after a month so I am considering it since I didn't win it in two giveaway contests :(

Ok guys. Im glad I could finally catch up with you all. It is a very busy week for me.

Talk to you soon!! Gina
 
Hi STS ladies!
Hope everyone is doing well. The stability ball is working well at work for me. I enjoy using it as a part time office chair. I feel more energizied when I use. As far as reactions, I had one positive reaction; someone asking me to give him feedback on how the ball works out. He wants to have a stand-up desk but we don't think the company is going to accommodate that. :) No negative remarks or reactions, but indifferent. I was hoping more people will ask about it and then I can tell them why we should all get up more or sit on a ball vs. a chair. I know it works great for me. :D

Nancy, you look awesome! Those are some arms. :) You must be so proud of your accomplishments. Great pictures! Thanks for sharing.

Gina, I LOVE, LOVE tri sets in M2. I had so much fun last night doing disc 14. You're right. I notice the same thing. I feel stronger for sure and my middle is getting smaller. Yippie! The FitDesk sounds interesting. You have to tell me how it works out when you get it. :) There is a study out there that says sitting too much is not the same as exercising too little. They do completely different things to the body. Working out regularly does not offset the damage you do to your body when you sit for a long period of time everyday.
I have been making an effort to move around more when I'm at work.

Natasha, that micro-loading is a great idea! I'll have to try it. I have wrist weights but I don't know if I can remove the bags. I'll have to check. that would be awesome if it works out! Yes, pizza is Brooklyn is fantastic. I cannot find a place in Atlanta that comes close. Well, maybe this one place by my job. The owner apparently moved from Brooklyn to Atlanta years ago. Still, not exactly the same but close. :D

Dawn, I thought you've been gone on vacation. :D Well, enjoy it and come back to visit soon!

Have a good night everyone!!

Justina
 
CONGRATULATIONS GINA!!!

I know how awesome you feel right now!;) And I agree, it is a good idea to have the next rotation locked and loaded! Please post it so that we can cheer you on (and get ideas!!)!

Also, thank you ladies for your kind compliments! I look at exercise as a way of life now. I want to stay active and be able to do physical things well into my early 100s!!! I am greatful to be able to do these tough Cathe workouts!

On that note: WOW, WAS CROSSFIRE EXTREME A BUTTKICKER!!!! I really felt wasted during the last segment, the Firewalker Band Tabata. It is a VERY long workout and I really had to force myself to focus and not get complacent! The hardest part for me was actually the bonus core segment! I was absolutely drained and drenched by the time that segment came around! The rotating plank work was tough on my hands, so I did them without weights. I'm going to try to keep my hands flat on the ground and just pick the weight up for the rotation (rather than rest my hands on the weights) next time. I love the oblique work where you do a bicycle manuver with one arm pinned down with a weight. I really feel those!

Tonight will be STS Disc17 Legs and Med Ball Abs from Ab Circuits. I am really looking forward to it (my chest and triceps are fried!)!

PS, about the wedding pictures: My DH and I were on a month long hiking vacation hitting most of the National Parks in the middle of the country and on a whim we decided to hike up Pikes Peak and get married at the summit! It was SO MUCH FUN!!!! Here's the link to my original post:
http://cathe.com/forum/f97/hiked-up-pikes-peak-got-married-285135/
It makes me smile to read it again!
I hope to be hiking again on our 1 year anniversary next month ;)!

Have a great Friday and enjoy the weekend!
 
Hello STS ladies :)

It's That Time Of The Month for me and I'm feeling very tired. I usually get bad insomnia as part of my pms :(. I've still be ok to do my workouts though. Thursday I did LBB :))love) and yesterday I went for a nice 4mile walk to our local Rec Center so Bella could play at Toddler Time Gymnastics. Today I am going to try and find those magnets! My DH says the magnets won't hold, but I'm out to prove him wrong! Wish me luck ;)

Nancy
I totally missed the post of you getting married last year :eek:. CONGRATS! Are the pics in your album? I think I missed those too :(. I also read the thread you started last year about your hiking vacation. How incredibly awesome! Awhile back, I told my DH that if we were not able to have children (I had tons of miscarriages) that I would accept that, and make sure I traveled the world (it's always been my dream). Now it's been put on hold, but I would still love to do that, little by little. Your hiking trip is on my bucket list :).
BTW, I would have to disagree with the reply you posted on OD (the wrinkled skin and aging one) about you not being much of a "looker". I think you are stunning! And your inside beauty matches, which is the most important thing.
I love your outlook on health/fitness/life. That post on OD was downright depressing until some forum gals stepped it up :).

Gina
CONGRATS ON THE COMPLETION OF THE TOUGHEST CATHE ROTATION YET!!
. You should feel so proud :D. And we are so happy for you :).
You know what, I think my biggest gain was chest too. Along with back. Must be where the pear-shaped gals have their strength ;) You know what, speaking of LB, I really think I needed to work my legs twice with STS. Mental note for next time. Are you still doing a LB rotation?
Yes, I'm getting Xtrain, and yes I will do a rotation with you :).

Justina
I'm glad to see your stability ball is going well. You are awesome for bringing it to work. Funny how everyone was indifferent :confused:. I would have been right up there asking questions and such. Oh well, their loss, not yours :).
Congrats on your middle getting smaller! You know push-ups are great for the core...and you did like a bazillion of them! I noticed that too after M1, my stomach was flatter :).
If my sandbag/weight thing works, you can always go out and buy a set of ankle weights where the bags come out. It would still be cheaper micro-loading that way than buying more weights. We'll see if my plan works...


Have a wonderful weekend ladies!
 
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Happy Monday Ladies!
I know most of you are going to be starting up a new week of your rotation today; it's weird for me to start mine on Wednesdays, I know, but I have a lot more time on the weekends for a rotation workout and I kind of like having a day off (Tuesday) in the middle of the week!
Gina, is this a recovery week for you?
Natasha, are you still using the 4 week workout/1 week recovery method?
Dawn, are you still on vacation?

Yesterday was STS Disc18 Back & Bis, with TBT Shoulders & Tris added on. I think that this round of STS M2 is WAY HARDER for me than the first time! I totally fried my biceps before I even got to the concentration curls at the end and had to drop my weight WAY DOWN!!! I even had to assist the movement after just 7 reps on each set except the backoff set. I really had a hard time with the last reps of everything :eek:! It just seems like the reps will go on forever!!! Maybe the first time through I didn't push myself hard enough? Natasha are you experiencing this when you do an M2 workout? Tonight is Plyo Legs and then rest day tomorrow! I will really enjoy that Yoga! Then, on Wednesday I start a week of Gym Styles!!! I have missed Gym Styles, especially the Leg workout!

I hope everyone has their plan for the week laid out, and I wish you all an abundance of energy and all the uninterrupted time you can get!
 
Hey ladies!

Just a quickie post...

I had my 2 sis-in-laws over this weekend (yes, I like them :)) and so my w/o's suffered a bit. Saturday I had forgotten that I did not do STS back/tri's, so I just did a little 30min workout of my own thing; 1 arm rows, pull/chin-ups, barbell rows, lat pull w/the band, tricep kickbacks, push-ups & dips. It was great and I got some nice DOMS the next day. Yesterday after the girls left, I did Step Moves + Barre portion of LBB (15min). Today I did Crossfire Low Impact premix. I was a wonderful, sweaty mess :D.

Nancy
Hmmm, am I due for a recovery week? Good question. I'm not sure. I do like the 1 week rest, I can say that much ;)
As far as M2, I've only done the legs workout from it. Keep in mind, I'm not sticking with the 1RM 100%, I'm just going by what #'s I feel gives me a good challenge. My mind needs that break ;).


BBL! Have a good one ladies :cool:


**I'm back and will just edit this post**

Nancy
Gina is spot on. Didn't you say that you were lifting 10% heavier? Of course M2 will be harder this time around! I find biceps especially hard to increase weight #'s. The smaller muscle groups IMO always have a difficult time.

Gina
I hope your family reunion went well. Those are always fun, but then you see "certain" family member's and it's like "oh no, do I have to go over and kiss that person hello??".
How awesome of you to start running. I truly admire that. I always wanted to *try* but perhaps I'm too scared, not sure. I wish you the best of luck...not like you need it though. You'll do great!
Yes, STS gives back in so many ways. I'm so happy I own that program. Speaking of programs, I wonder how the Xtrain rotation will be? I know there will be premixes, and I'm super stoked about that! I honestly don't want to spend more than 50-60min for weight training or cardio. I learned by my 30min quickie weight work this w/e that you can still efficiently work muscles groups in a limited amount of time. My tri's and back were burning!

Justina & Dawn
Hope you both had a wonderful weekend.
 
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Hi Everyone!!!! Absolutley crazy busy week for me last week thus limited postings. I had a few doctor appts, a haircut, interviews, then my family reunion was this past w/e. I missed checking in, but Im back on track now.

Thanks guys for my STS congrats :D It does feel awesome!

Justina you are right! I have been coming across more articles that state sitting is a killer...literally. Even if you work out every day it doesn't matter if you do if you spend most of your day sitting....ughh! cuz that's me! So, I haven't bought the fitdesk yet, but I know I will end up getting it at least to give it a try. I think they even offer free return shipping (I need to double check that). Like you with your ball chair, we need to be more and more creative to get more activity in our day.

Natasha, yep I've started my lower body rotation today & Im so excited! And you got yourself an Xtrain rotation partner!!!!! I can't wait for that! Who else is in?!?!
You and your walking got me doing a few of Leslie's walking DVDs and I have to admit that I'm enjoying them! I may even replace some of my planned Hiit w/os in my rotation with them if I feel Im doin too much.

Nancy I loved your pics and your wedding story. That is just really neat! Last week felt like a recovery week for me as I didn't have time for much exercise. I did do my run/walks 3x and I finished those 2 STS discs (but in the same day...I know...Im an animal ;)) & I had like 3 complete rest days. So, I actually feel strong and ready to go so I started my rotation today :)
You have to remember how much heavier you are lifting in M2 this time around. Didn't you say you jumped like 10%? And M2 has many more reps than M3 which makes a huge difference too. So, don't feel too bad...you are actually kickin some serious butt if you are going to failure :cool:

Speaking of my rotation. I am following a run/walk training program for a 10k (6.2 miles) which I plan to run on October 21st. I will be doing a long run, a speed run, and an easy run every week.
Today I decided to drive the 20mins to the park for my long run (2 miles for now) and I am so happy I did! It was a beautiful morning and thankfully cooler too. It went by so much faster than running on the treadmill. I did cyles of a 5 minute jog then a 1 minute walk.
Right now Im definitely slow, but Im moving. I've wanted to be a runner in the past, but don't necessarily like running. Maybe cuz it was always so hard for me. And Im doing this so I can finally quiet the voice in my head that keeps prompting me to run this race!
I do have to say that I notice how much stronger my legs, butt and even abs are which is helping me to run better. STS is paying me back in more ways than one!!

Ok, let me go get my leg w/o in: Push/Pull Lower Body Blast premix before I get any hungrier and then I'll post my rotation either tonight or tmrw.

It is sooo good to be back with you ladies. Sounds like we are all doing great with our workouts!!

Gina
 
Hello fit ladies!
I'm back. wow, I feel like I haven't been here in a while. So I just found out that I may have to work late two days next week. It means I might not be able to squeeze in my STS workout. I'm bummed about that. I've been doing really well with sticking to a schedule. Since I will miss one STS day and one cardio, do I just come right back into the STS DVD on a off day? I have all calendar set for August and into September. This working late business is going to mess me up. :D Not to mention I'm going to miss time with my kids.
Guess I have to do what I have to do.

Gina, hope your interviews are going well. I'm keeping you in my positive thoughts. I have been on many interviews in my career and it can be nerve-wrecking. I'm sure you will do a great job and get hired very soon!

I'm in for XTrain as well! :) It will be more fun to do it with you ladies.

I think I hurt my wrist somehow. I started feeling the soreness/pain on Sunday. I'm still training because I don't know how serious it is. It had happened to me before when I did P90X. Maybe it's the way I lift. Not sure.

Natasha, the stabilty ball works great. I don't mind chaning my shoes every 30 minutes or so from heel to flats when I sit on the ball. LOL I use the ball proudly. :D It's interesting that only one person was interested in what I was doing. I sit with these people in the same area and everyone just sit and they seem to be okay with it. Anyway, I'm doing something about this "problem" I have. :D I'm not a runner at all. I don't ever run because when I do it hurts my knees. I had a trademill years ago but it started to collect dust when I got bored with it. Now my dog walk on it. :) I forgot to tell you about the Ryka shoes I bought. they work fine with STS but not so well with Turbo Fire. I'm not sure why. They are very comfortable and had great lateral support. I stick to my Aasics Gel for high intensity Hiit workouts.

okay. Gotta run. Have to do disc 17 Legs now. I'm enjoying M2 so far. It's a lot of fun!

Good night ladies!

Justina
 
I did Low Impact Circuit today. Let me just say, weight lifting endurance style is such a different beast than strength and it kicked my butt! For some reason, I just felt weak in strength today, but I matched her weights & usually I cannot :cool:

Last night I did 2 sets of the Lower Body exercises from Push Pull. Also matching her weights. the first set was a breeze. I cannot believe how light 40# feels for squats now...in the past I struggled with it!!! Anyhow, the second set was what I needed to feel the burn and burn I did especially with the lunges and the outer thigh lifts on the ball (why oh why are those a killer?!)

These workouts were tough for me. I must have gotten a lil too over confident or something with finishing STS, cuz I think I was surprised how tough they were for me. So, I ate a lil humble pie and proceeded to knock em out. Cathe I think will forever to be able to push me no matter what strength gains I achieve!!

Justina Im sooo happy to hear that you will be joining us with Xtrain!! It seems like it is so far away, but it will be here before we know it ;)

I have a bum wrist. I know whenever Im on it like for planks, pushups and so forth I aggravate it. There are cusioned supports I read that can help, but I forget the name? (I need to find that post on here again about them) Also, are you making sure when you use the barbell that your wrists are staying straight? Especially with bicep curls and even triceps, the wrists sometimes have a tendency to bend but you want them in alignment with your arm. Something worth observing. Icing always helps me with pain after a workout.

Thanks for the positive thoughts on my job search I know it will help :)
Life happens. Just do your best and work STS when you have the time. I had a 4 day period that got me off track as well.

Natasha I had a great time at the reunion and you nailed it, lol, yes, there are some that I had to force the kiss with ;) but I survived!! We played some Bocce which gets competitive with the Italian guys are you know! Having to measure the distance of some of the balls to the pauline to make sure it was accurate!!

I soooo understand how you feel about running cuz I DO TOO!! Why is there a fear for us? We do some intense advanced workouts, but yet, when it comes to running there is a fear? I've tried to start in the past, then quit. but I think I pushed it too hard/too fast. I am taking a different approach this time with these walk breaks and it seems to be working. Im actually starting to not dread my sessions so far! Altho, I am still working with my doubts and fears as I have not yet been able to register for the races. Go figure. I am positive that you would be able to run if you wanted too esp with your aerobic capacity and leg strength!!

Alright you guys my stomach is doing a mean grumble and I need to eat!! Will BBL to post my rotation.

Have a great day!
Gina
 
My Rotation

I started this rotation yesterday. I am trying a freestyle type training for my legs by working em 5 days a week. 1 full lower body w/o (60 mins), 2 circuits, and 2 short lower body premixes (30mins). I have got to shock my lower body!! I'll go heavy on the full LB, but will keep weights lighter for the other ones....maybe.

For cardio, in addition to the 2 circuits, I am doing my run/walk 10K program 3x/wk which consists of a long run, easy run, and a speed interval run. I was planning on doing one short Hiit premix from TTM and CF, but I am reconsidering since I am hitting the lower body so much with weights and running & I may just need an easier day of cardio so I just may do a Leslie Sansone walk video instead. That is sitting better with me when I think about it more. I am trying to listen to my body. I may add in a full upper body w/o too if I feel the circuits don't hit it good and/or have the energy!

I plan on changing the DVDs I do on a weekly basis to keep the muscle confusion going kinda like STS. A new DVD for every w/o! I believe that will keep me interested and motivated cuz I like not knowing how Cathe is goin to abuse me for the day ;)

Funny, but like Nancy, I planned this rotation for 5 weeks! I'll take a recovery week after this, then do a 4 week rotation which puts my next
recovery week right before the 10k for me which is perfect! Maybe I will only need one more 4 wk rotation at that point before Xtrain comes out!!

So, here it goes. Feel free to critique, offer suggestions or advice. I'm not opposed to it! My run/walk cardio is marked as R/W. I'll put my Hiit w/os in as I had already made the rotation with them in there, but when the day comes I may switch it to easier cardio as stated above. Maybe I'll end up alternating every other week then. I plan on doing abs 3x/wk which 2 days will be included in the circuits. Im putting in an average of 90mins a day. I split it up with cardio in the am and the weights either in the afternoon or night.

Mon: Push Pull Lower Body 2 sets (39"); R/W 2 mile long run
Tues: Low Impact Circuit (73")
Wed: Butts & Guts Overall Legs (65"); R/W 27 min speed intervals
Thur: Push Pull Upper Body 2 sets (50"); TTM #10 Triple Tabata (27"); B&G Abs
Fri: Pyramid #2 Lower Body Down Only (39"); R/W 27 min easy run
Sat: Cardio & Weights (60")

Mon: Muscle Endurance Lower Body (39"); R/W 3 mile long run
Tues: Circuit Max (65")
Wed: Lower Body Blast (59"); R/W 30 min speed intervals
Thur: CTX All Upper Body (56"); CF #5 Pylo & Floorwork Tabata (23"); Coremax #2 Abs
Fri: STS TB #2 Legs (22") & Muscle Max #3 Lower Body (23"); R/W 30 min easy run
Sat: High Step Challenge (68")

Mon: TB Trisets Lower Body (38"); R/W 4 mile long run
Tues: 4DS #12 Higher Intensity Circuit (69")
Wed: Pure Strength Legs & Abs (65"); R/W 32 min speed intervals
Thur: TB Trisets Upper Body (56"); TTM #13 30/20 Hiit (26"); Ab Circuits #1 Yoga Abs
Fri: Turbo Barre #1 Lower Body Express (52"); R/W 32 min easy run
Sat: Bootcamp (60")

Mon: Gym Style Legs #1 Timesaver (32"); R/W 4 mile long run
Tues: High Step Training (61")
Wed: Leaner Legs (49"); R/W 35 min speed intervals
Thur: Gym Style Chest & Tri #1 (32") & GS Back, Shldrs, Bi #1 (36"); CF #6 Triple Tabata (28"); Ab Circuits #2 Pilates Abs
Fri: Pyramid Lower Body #1 Up only (40"); R/W 35 min easy run
Sat: DrillMax (72")

Mon: High Reps #2 Lower Body (34"); R/W 5 mile long run
Tues: Body Max 2 #1 Cardio & Weights (70")
Wed: Legs & Glutes (51"); R/W 35 min speed intervals
Thur: Pyramid Upper Body (56"); CF #7 Fitness Blast & Floorwork Tabata (27"); Ab Circuits #6 Medicine Ball Abs
Fri: 4DS Kickbox #3 Lower Body Weights (31"); R/W 35 min easy run
Sat: Athletic Training (56")

Phew! that was a lot to type! And wow, it sure does look like a lot! But like I said Im trying to shock my body to help me release those last stubborn 20# or 2 dress sizes whichever comes first is fine by me! I have been in a very long plateau!! Thankfully, this past week I have settled into a healthier eating pattern listening more to my hunger/satiety cues and it has been going good!

Gina
 
HOLY COW GINA!!!!!That is one brutal rotation! In fact, I think you should call it "The Brute":p! You are definitely going to shock your body: lower body weights and then running on top of it? Oh, and those Tabata drills with running and weights and and and and!!!!!!!! I really want you to see this through! We will cheer you on all the way over the finish line for your 10K!!!! Glad to see you're going to incorporate Gym Styles and Pyramid. You have a wonderful Cathe library; no way will you ever get bored!
Natasha, are you using a chin up bar, or the Turbo Tower? I am still using the door bands for my chin up/pull ups; but I think it's time to try them on the Tower! I'm going to start with the Australian style (lying down under the bar :D). A long time ago I used to do them on a Nautilus machine with a weight belt attached to 20# :eek:!!!! That was over 30 years ago when I weighed nothing below the waist! I would love to be able to do 10 chin up/pull ups now! Between those and push-ups I have a lot of work to look forward to! Another move that eludes me are those levitation holds that Cathe does in her yoga workouts! GOOD GRIEF :confused:!!! I do them with my hands on my yoga blocks for a few seconds and then cave. And NO WAY can I put my legs out straight! Can you do those?

Last night's Plyo Legs was a sweatfest :p! And I loved it! Tonight will be Yoga Relax and Yoga Abs (here's hoping a can eek out one more second on the levitation hold!)!

Have a great evening everyone!
 
Hello everyone :)

Would it be bad to say that I wanted to lose "5 vanity pounds" for an upcoming wedding & baby shower :D? I don't know if my body weight will budge though, and I'm not going through any drastic measures to lose that weight. I would also like to see a little more definition in my legs, so perhaps that 5lbs will come off the bottom instead of my chest, which are probably as small as you can get :eek:.

I have decided to forgo split workouts for now, as I want to hit my LB and UB twice each/week, while getting the best bang for my buck in a least amount of time. I also feel as though I should do a strict rotation of the same weight workouts each week for 1 month.

Here is my exercise plan for the next month:
1 Upper body (PUB)
1 Lower body (plyo legs or LBB)
1 Total Body (Muscle Max)
2X Cardio (1 of those days will be hiit/tabata/intervals)
1 day of Yoga (I'm bringing it back)
**not in any particular order, just a guide**

What do you guys think? That's 5 days of workouts + 1 Yoga.

Gina
Ditto what Nancy said! Holy Smokes Batman! That is some rotation you have planned! You know I'm not a negative nelly, and of course I will cheer you on and support you, but *TBH* I don't think you need to do 6X/week, 90min workout sessions to lose 20lbs. Calorie restriction is the most important equation. My aunt just turned 51yrs old, recently lost 45lbs, and all she did was walk and maintain a 1200cal diet (no cheating). BUT you know your body and it's limitations the best. If that's how you want to play it, go for it!!
Do you have Leslie's 4 Big Miles? I saw it at Walmart the other day and was contemplating getting it :). You know what would have made those workouts even better? A beautiful nature/beach scenery.
I ate the same humble pie with PUB yesterday :eek:.

Justina
I'm sorry about the working til' late thing. I used to have to work some nights until 12am at my old job, and 8pm the next day. It was brutal! I did not have my daughter then, but I sometimes went days without seeing my DH. I can't imagine how that is with children in the mix, but I'm sure I'll find out once I get back into the workforce. I sympathize with you :(.
Yes, I would start STS back up on your off day.
How is your wrist? I'm just trying to think how you could have hurt it. How are your bicep curls? Cathe always says to keep the wrist straight at the top, but I know for me it can get pretty hard to do so. My DH has to wear wrist guards at the gym to make sure his wrists are straight while holding heavy weights. Does this make sense?

Nancy
I LOVE pull-ups on my tower. I do most of them with my legs straight out, sometimes I have to go bent-knee. I can do only 2 with my feet off the ground. My goal is to knock them out Linda Hamilton style (T2).
That levitation hold is crazy!! My butt is too big to be lifted off the ground :eek:. I would have to buy yoga blocks like you have.

Whew! Long post! Sorry :eek:. Have a good one!
 
Thanks guys for kinda confirming that I was crazy!! I'm 3 days in and my two runs went good. Butts & Guts...whew! That was the first time I did all of the exercises together and it was a butt killer :eek: Remember I said that I may not do the Hiit and instead do a walking DVD. I will see how I feel tmrw, but Im thinking maybe my legs would benefit from not hitting it so hard every day.

That's awesome Natasha about your aunt. Ive been trying to get my mother to lose weight for years, but she has given up even though I tell her stories like yours. I def need cardio 5-6 days for wt loss & I wanna weight train so that's how it ended up like that. I have the time right now especially with not having children! And before when I got down, when I lost these 20#, I was doing Cathe cardio, an hour of pilates and trail walking a few miles just about 6 days a week. My fat is very stubborn! I believe my weight is hard to take off b/c I have been overweight most of my life since I was 10 and was over 200 back & forth for many years. If I were to stop working out, I would easily balloon up 20-40# Im not really sure where my body would level off at and I really never want to find out!

Oh, and I can't calorie restict too low anymore...it is sooo hard for me & I end up binging like crazy!! I do watch my portions and I am very calorie conscious though. Like I said, I'll take a smaller clothing size than what the scale tells me. I took my measurements today and compared them to 2 years ago. 3 of the 5 are the exact same and the other 2 are just slightly off BUT I am 8# heavier!! The difference is I did tons of cardio during that time and now (that I can with my shoulder) I am doing weight training. Very cool! Eventually, I do hope to just put in an hour a day and alternate between cardio and weights, but it may just have to wait until after the weight comes off.

Sorry that was such a long explanation!! I do promise to listen to my body and adjust as I go so as not to be in an overtraining mode! If it is sounds like I end up there from what I post, please straighten me out and call me on it!!!

I have to say it again about STS, it has really increased my ability to get through Cathe's other weight workouts. In the past, they were just too hard & I would end up quitting, but STS gave me a solid physical and mental base to complete them now. Trust me, I still struggle with them, but that's only b/c Im working it hard! Gotta love it!!

Nancy I can't believe you are still doing Pylo Legs!! Lol. You must love being tortured :p And definitely use the Tower for the chin/pull ups!! You will notice a big difference than when using the bands. I'm pretty much still at the knees bent at 90 degrees unlike Natasha who has some pretty awesome upper body strength going on!! And levitation holds....I swear those people got some Linda Blair in them cuz you have to be possessed to be able to levitate!! :rolleyes:

Funny you asked about Leslie's 4 Big Miles Natasha cuz I did that one last week. I rented it from the library. It wasn't too bad. I just don't like when she turns over the lead to one of other people which she does for a few mins in this one...it drives me crazy! If I don't do Hiit tmrw, that's the w/o I was going to do. I've been looking at some of her more recent 5 mile DVDs. Have you done any of those? I forget which one you got. Do you like it?

Justina I hope you are surviving your long work days. I used to do 12 hours shifts being away from home 14 hours. I'm pulling for ya...

Ok guys, man Ive been typing this for quite some time now!! Time to unwind. Have a great Thursday everyone :)

Gina
 
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Oh Gym Styles Legs, I missed you! What an @ss kicker!!! I over-estimated the weights to use by A LOT!!!! I based it on using 80% of my 1RM, which was way too much on the squats and lunges. So, I made my little notes and adjusted things for next time. The floor work was really tough for me! I looked back at my calendar for last year when I was doing Gym Styles and can't believe how much easier it was! I was doing GS Legs 2X a week (!) but not such heavy weight. I think I got cocky or something after STS ;)! Anyway, lesson learned: PACE MYSELF; don't give it all out right off the bat! Gina, I'll be doing Butts & Guts on Saturday and I'll be thinking of you! I have only done the Guts part of that DVD (it was my cheapie DVD with my Crossfire/TTM order). I'm going to preview it before I dive in...

Tonight will be Gym Styles Chest & Triceps. I'll be cautious on the weights!!! I can't wait to do those push-ups :rolleyes:!

Natasha & Gina, I'll take your advice a start using the Tower for my pull up/chin ups! I'll give it a try tonight for fun!

Okay, have to get back to work! BFN....
 

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