Bodybuilding/Sculpting check-in;-)

Good Morning ladies,

It was Disc 5 for me this morning and my back and triceps will be talking to me soon. I am thinking of going for a three mile slow and steady run here in a bit. Sometimes I get an urge to go run without even thinking twice about it and that's when I seem to enjoy running. Unfortunately,it does not happen enough.

Have a wonderful day.

VERONIKA
 
Yesterday for me was Meso 1, disc 5, back and triceps. I felt strong and every rep was spot on with the struggle towards the end. Love days like that.

Jen, Great job on yesterday's disc 7, chest shoulders and biceps and for 4DS Kickbox cardio only. And for today's HIIT Pyramid + No Equipment Abs + Extended Stretch.
Love how we can create a rotation to fit us. Good luck on the weight loss and making wonderful cut muscles. I too am adding something to the STS rotation. Will be using Ultimate Yoga with Travis Eliot in between STS. I hope anyway. I'll start it like that, then see what needs to give or add. To me the rest days are just as important as workout days. You have been tearing up your body microscopically and the rest days are much needed for healing. Hope you reconsider on that one. One day of rest is not much. Just my two cents worth, you don't want to burn out or have an injury.
Congratulations for your commitment on your exercising and the way you are eating and losing 7 pounds . Yea! I believe the way you are eating is exceptional. Losing .5 to 1 pound a week is ideal. I've been eating Paleo and this has worked so well for me.

VERONIKA, Thank you for sharing your story. A half a marathon is so amazing to me. You have a wonderful large family. I come from a large family of 9 of us. Great job on Mon. To The Max, Tues. for Legs STS disc 6 and Wedn. for Afterburn.
I can't see myself doing all of the yoga series when doing STS. However I will use the days I don't do weight lifting and try to do the yoga in between STS. We'll see how it goes. I'm really excited about it.

Mary, Great job on doing Tonique yesterday. Also for doing today's Disc 5 Back and Triceps. I plan on using UY on the days I don't use STS. Hopefully it will workout for me. It may be too much. I'll let you know about Short and Sweet.

Veronika, Great job on Disc 5, back and triceps.

Take care ladies,

Janie
 
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Hello Ladies! Yesterday was Disk 7 Chest, Shoulders & Biceps and it seemed harder than ever! My shoulders and biceps were burning for most of the day afterward! But funny--no DOMS today. My doubles was 4DS Kickbox (cardio only) and I actually had a little soreness in my obliques from that this morning.

This morning was HIIT Pyramid + No Equipment Abs + Extended Stretch. Doubles today is Total Body Trisets Lower.

bzbnmom--I always have that problem when I lift heavy--tight neck. I know it is something I am doing when lifting and I try to focus on relaxing my neck but it seems to happen anyway.

When I plan my workout schedule it is different, depending on what my goals are at the time. Right now, doing STS pyramid style, my goal is fat loss and muscle "cutting"; so in addition to the STS workouts, I am trying to do an Ab Circuits 2x a week, HIIT level workout at least once a week (usually 2-3x), MWT 3x a week, a short cardio (usually kickboxing) once a week, a second lower body workout (in addition to STS Legs), and a total body strength workout. In addition I try to add stretching/yoga any time I can. A lot of these are combined. For example, one of my MWT workouts each week is also my total body strength workout and cardio--I do it on Saturdays. I like to do some form of cardio almost every day and MWT also doubles as cardio, even when it doesn’t triple as strength. I only count the one I do on Saturdays as strength/MWT/cardio; this month I am doing Atletica workouts to fill that slot. And just today 4 slots were filled--I did a HIIT workout, an Ab Circuits, Extended Stretch and after work I will do a lower body workout. So tho it seems like a lot, so many of them are combined that it isn’t as much as it seems.

Oh--and for a period of 8 weeks I am using my rest day to do one of Cathe's hour long step workouts. So no rest day! But I have a reason for that. I have Her Classics Vol 1, Cardio Hits and I still haven't done Rhythmic Step. I have shied away from these because I am afraid of her complex choreography--I hate wasting a good workout day not getting a good workout, which is what happens when I do her crazy complex step workouts--I spend most of the time behind my step staring at the tv in bewilderment. So I started using my rest day to try them out. After I finish, I'll go back to taking Sunday as my rest day again--and I'll know which of her step workouts to work into my rotations. Party Rockin’ Step 1 was the first one I did this with and it is going on the shelf to collect dust. Step Jam is a winner and Step Heat is too boring and easy. Step Max is this Sunday. So out of the 3 I’ve tried so far, I’ve only found 1 I will do again. (BTW—I knew I’d love Party Rockin’ Step 2—and I did, so I tried that one out on a regular workout day.)

But I know from experience that I can do all of the workouts I want but if I don't do the work in the kitchen I will never see the results I am looking for. I did the 5.5 month STS rotation this year and even tho I increased my strength and my arms got noticeably larger and more defined--the rest of my body showed nothing. It was covered with fat. So a five weeks ago I finally made the commitment I have been trying (unsuccessfully) to do for more than a year--clean my diet up for real. And I have been successful (finally!). I've dropped 7 pounds on the scale, but it is much more noticeable (to me) than 7 pounds ever was previously when I only cut calories but didn't change the quality of what I ate. I mentioned in another post that I still count calories, but I am also counting carbs now, too. My goal is to stay under 150 carbs a day and for those carbs to never be sugar, highly processed food or refined flour-type products. No potatoes or corn products, and very little wheat products. I eat grains (like barley, quinoa, etc), oatmeal, beans, veggies and fruit. And of course, nuts, dairy and protein. And I am eating MORE calories than I was before. Every week .5 to 1 pound creeps off. But I feel it. My clothes are looser and my body feels tighter. I haven't felt like this in years. I used to eat this way naturally before I met my husband. You'd think my healthy ways would rub off on him, but it went the other way--his horrible eating rubbed off on me and the scale started creeping up. I was 8 pounds heavier than I was just 2 years ago and more than 10 pounds heavier than when he met me! But I am fixing it now! I have several goals. My first was to lose the 8 pounds and I am almost there. My next is to lose a total of 15—so I am nearly half way to goal 2. My 3rd goal will be to maintain! To not let the carb creep and subsequent fat creep happen again!

Burning2--getting up early, for me, is the key. I used to exercise sporadically a long time ago, but then I discovered The Firm 10+ years ago and I started working out every day and never stopped. I get up at 4:30am and get it out of the way first thing. It's never something I have to fit into a schedule--it is done first thing. Even if I don't do doubles (and I don't always do them), I always do my morning workout. That's because I created a habit and the day just feels wrong if I miss a workout. Everyone's situation is different. When I started doing it daily I did not have small kids. Both of mine were school-age. I was not home schooling either. However, I was working full time, I was a single mom, I was going to college full time and I was a published writer under contract (and deadlines). Oh, and I also taught writing. And I still worked out every day. So it can be done on a full schedule. However, I didn't do doubles, btw--I just did my morning workouts. The doubles are something I started doing in the past few years. I have MUCH less going on now, btw. My youngest just started college this year and lives in the dorms--so empty nest. I finished my degree years ago, I no longer write or teach. And yet I still feel like I have too much going on? :confused: How is that possible? But I can find time for doubles now.

Anyway--I've gone on too long. I am on my lunch break and it is over now!

Tomorrow is Disk 8 Back & Triceps and Doubles is X10 Step!

Let's keep up the good work ladies!

Wow you are full on workouts everyday happy for you weight loss, I'm try to lose 5 pounds but is hard and I'm confiuse because, well maybe I'm wrong but like to lose fat is less carb if you want muscle you have to eat carbs and I want boths, do you have idea and help me. Thank you, well I'm STS disc 20.
 
Wow you are full on workouts everyday happy for you weight loss, I'm try to lose 5 pounds but is hard and I'm confiuse because, well maybe I'm wrong but like to lose fat is less carb if you want muscle you have to eat carbs and I want boths, do you have idea and help me. Thank you, well I'm STS disc 20.


It's both--if that makes sense. It kind of confused me previously, too. I do a lot of reading about fitness and nutrition and even though much of the nutrition stuff I read made sense, a lot of it is contradictory and I wasn't sure how to apply it properly. Then I read an amazing book that suddenly made everything I have been reading for years make perfect sense--and it also motivated me to finally apply it to my life. That book btw is "Why we get fat and what to do about it" by Gary Taubes. For me, it was a huge paradigm shift.

Bottom line is carbs are what makes us fat--but not every carb: sugar, processed and refined carbs. There are also different levels of eating "low carb"--Atkins level which is 20 or less carbs a day and up to 200 carbs a day(for very active people). Most Americans eat WELL over 200 sugary, refined, processed carbs every day. So any reduction will benefit you. However, if you are very active, it is not possible to eat Atkins level and sustain your workouts. Everyone is individual, so figuring out how many carbs you need to function properly is a process that takes time and trail and error. When I was testing this, I found that if I went below 90 carbs a day, I hit a wall during my workouts and had a hard time pushing though them. But when I eat between 100-150 carbs, I lose fat/weight and I have the energy to sustain Cathe-level workouts.

Just make sure you choose quality carbs.
 
Veronika--I used to LOVE The Firm--it was what got me into fitness. I was addicted to them, too. I have such good memories of them and they were so tough at first. In retrospect, they were awesome MWT workouts which is probably why when I started doing Firms daily I lost a ton of fat w/out dieting. I keep wanting to go back and see if they still challenge me and what I think of them now. They probably won't because that is the reason I stopped doing them and looking elsewhere--they became too easy for me. I did try on of the pink firms (a short little add on cardio workout) a few weeks ago and it seemed... so... scripted. I remember loving certain instructors and this was one of them and listening to her, well--it sounded like she had memorized a script before leading the workout. It was a bit disappointing and de-motivated me to do one of the longer ones I had planned to do. And it was too easy, too. But since it was a short little add on, I'm not sure it was representative.

And that's crazy--no cardio! but I have heard that, too. I used to read the blogs of some female body builders and the diet they did before a competition was insane! One of them was very honest and said she was so weak from the minuscule amount of carbs she ate that she couldn't even pick up her kids. It made me wonder how she got through a strength workout--even if she wasn't doing cardio! I know when I cut my carbs too low I hit a wall during my workouts. I had to find the right balance to lose fat and still have the power and energy to get through a workout. And of course I am not competing against anyone but myself, so I don't need to go crazy low! Are you planning to get back into competing? What stopped you? I've always found it interesting. I loved reading about Tosca Reno and she sometimes made me think I should try it but I know I never will. I just do it for me--because it makes me happy.

janiejoey--I guess it depends on your definition of what a "rest" day is. I usually take rest days where I don't workout at all (and just one a week). But there are also active rest days which are completely appropriate in which you do workouts that aren't near the power and intensity of your usual workouts--and that's how I look at these step workouts--as recovery workouts. And I do think it is important to rest muscle groups. I do upper body work on Mondays (STS) and Saturdays is total body MWT, so if all I am doing is step cardio on Sunday, my body is still getting active recovery. I have been working out for more than a decade. I do know when my body needs to rest. When I go on vacation, I don't workout at all. I also take recovery weeks where I do lower intensity workouts and lots of yoga. I don't do doubles when I feel I am overdoing it. And normally I take Sundays off--no workouts at all. I've been doing the step/active recovery workouts for 3 weeks now and my body doesn't feel run down. If it did I would stop. And when/if it does, I will.

bzbnmom--I feel that way, too! I have so many DVDs by other trainers (and all of Cathes!) and I always feel bad, like I am neglecting them. So many of them are awesome workouts, too! But any time I start incorporating them more than once a week, I start pining for my Cathe workouts again! It is so weird. I "rediscovered" Cathe in April of 2012 and I have been addicted ever since. I do try to incorporate other trainers though. The Atletica workouts are incredible MWT and I just discovered Paul Katami--WOW! I do these workouts and I am so sold and feel I need MORE of these workouts, yet there is something about Cathe's workouts that speak to me more than any other and I always drift back to hers.

Ok--I better get going. But before I do. Yesterday was Disk 9 Legs and this morning was Crossfire + Core. Tomorrow is Atletica + X10 Hi/Lo and Sunday is Step Max. Then Monday Week 4 of STS starts.
 
Jen, Great job on doing Disc 9 legs yesterday and this morning Crossfire and core.

You are right, not everyone's body is the same, and I'm finding out, being an older person, those rest day's for me are pure heaven for my body. During a long rotation like STS and added workouts, I also do a week or two of active recovery, making sure my old bones rest completely for one day out of the week at least. I've also been working out for decades, every since "The Firm". And still workout to them sometimes. Nostalgia I guess. LOL

It's wonderful to see a person who knows her own body and making it work to her advantage. I congratulate you for that. So many people just don't have that ability. I can definitely learn from your good tips. As some of them are useful to me.

Janie
 
Yesterday was my rest day, and I DID rest! Janie, you are so right about taking regular rest days. I had more energy yesterday instead of feeling tired. And this morning's workout felt great.

Today I did Disc 6 - Legs. I had a really good workout, but I just cannot do the wall squats with dumb bells. It's just too hard for me to pick them up and get up, so I do them with no weight. Maybe I should try 5-lbs instead of 10's. :rolleyes:

Veronika, half marathon and figure competition - wow, that shows dedication! I can't run, so to me that is impressive! I saw Nathalie's post on glutes too. I have the Strong Curves book from the library right now. (We have sooo many shelves of homeschool books, before I buy any more I have to know that I really need it. ;))

Jen, I read the Gary Taubes book too and it makes so much sense. Over a year ago I started the GAPS diet. It was very high in animal fats, lots of protein and probiotics, and very little carbs. I lost weight effortlessly and got to my lowest weight in 10+ years! I felt great and at the time I was not exercising. However it was very hard to eat and cook that way. I was never hungry for the next meal and it was very unappetizing - too much meat and fat. But it worked, as Gary Taubes explains in his book.

BTW, which Atleticas do you have? Vols. 2 & 3 look pretty good. I have the first Bodystrikes, but I don't like it because of the repetitiveness. I may have tried Atletica 1 once from the library, and again repetitive maybe?. How do 2 & 3 compare?

Live, Love, Laugh, and Lift!
Mary
 
4DS on offer

Hello all my lovely ladies,

I am still on my rotation. Finding it hard to get all my planned double in but I have tweaked my plan dropping few cardio to ensure all my 3 weekly disks are played hard;):D

I am just quickly checking in to let you know about the daily deal. I thought it was too good for not to share. 4ds is on offer. This was my first cathe split program and I love it very much. Those who have not got, it's time to have it. For $ 29. It has *not* been offered lower than this:eek::eek:
4ds is part of Bodybuilding rotation.

Cathe Deal of the Day

I have just done ( 30 minutes ago ) high intensity step from 4DS and I am not off to do disk 9.

I will report to you later.

Kind regards,
 
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Hi ladies,
Nathalie, I think you will make a wonderful fitness instructor! You are a great motivator who is highly motivated and dedicated.
Mary

Hi Everyone,

To Mary: Thanks for your quote above. It is a great pleasure to motivate anyone.:):):)

To janiejoey: Again thanks for recipes and also for listing ingredients. I have not tried your recipe yet as I still have a batch of bread in the freezer. It will take me about two weeks to consume it. I am keeping my complex carbs minimal.

To veronika: As cathe always say we are in this together. We truly are on this together as far as this forum is concern. Do not let the weight gain put you down. Turn it into something positive by doing something about it.From my experience working out early in the morning has helped me tremendously. It has actually helped to consistently keeping healthy and active for nearly seven years. Before I was on a yo yo (on and off) active style life. Now aiming to keep healthy and fit is a lifestyle.

Well done on starting an early morning workout. Hang in there. In the beginning it's hard but trust me you will get used to it. Veronika I reckon you will get back very quickly on the saddle. You just need to think of for example what made you decide to compete bikini;););)

To Jen How far do you want the scale to decrease? Do not focus too much on the number. Be careful not to loose your rear lol. You might have hubby complaining ;):D:D You know what men can be like:eek::eek:

As far as my rotation is concerned, I have managed to do a 4ds step segment and disc 9. so far I am not running late for STS but I have not managed to get all I planned this week:mad::mad:

I will manage my time religiously next week to ensure I get everything in. I am going to have drop doubles. I am just doing few doubles as a one off. It is not a long term routing as I know we do not really get productive result working out more than an hour! Yesterday I did To the max and 100 hip thrust.

I have theory exam next and have to squeeze practical rehearsal for my practical exam in two weeks. Time will fly and I can not wait to get these exams out the way!

Although I have not been checking-in more often, I have read all your post and I am so glad we are all here together.

I agree about what has been said about Nutrition. When I did STS last year, I lost about 10 pound. I did plan everything including my meals. I have been busy last few days and cooked some nutritious meal and freezed them. I will cook more tomorrow for my week. From my experience, when I plan my week and track everything I eat and enjoy my challenging rotation, I always gain result. For me to succeed, I need to improve my planning in the kitchen.

Another fact I have learnt about myself is I tend to make poor food choice when I am bored in my food planning. To avoid that, I have to cook and/or prepare more variety of food. I have cooked a container of fish soup, yoghurt and bread. I have also cooked pizza from coconut flour. I will making chicken soup tomorrow and some pasta. When i cook a batch and portion in advance. Everything run really smoothly and the scale usually budge. I want to upper my protein consumption keeping complex carb minimal and Low gi.

I wish all a very good week end.

Report to you soon;)
 
Just to add.

I will not raise a new thread each month.
I would rather keep this one and let roll on. It's easier for searches just in case anyone need to refer to previous post;)
 
So good to see your post Nathalie! Sounds like your still doing great in spite of being swamped! When I see Cathe post deals like that I almost wish I didn't already own everything! Ha! But I already own it all. I am looking forward to the 4DS month in the bodybuilding rotation.

I have actually been considering dropping doubles for a while after meso 1. Not because I am getting burned out or anything but the workouts are starting to suck up too much of my time every day. But I get like that. I want to read more, so I spend the hour I have after work b4 my husband gets home relaxing and reading, then I start missing my doubles and feeling like I need to be moving more. So I start doing doubles again, then I start feeling rushed all day and like I never get any reading done. It's a cycle!

In addition, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer on Thursday, so my schedule will probably be changing to help her. I will still always do my morning workouts, but I may not have time for doubles for a while anyway. However, I can finish out my planned rotation for meso 1 (which ends next week anyway!).

Nathalie, I'd like to get to 125 pounds. I have been trying to get back down to that weight forever tho. For now I will just be comfortable to be back at the weight I have maintained for years--about 132-133. I got up to 140 and that, for me, was the breaking point. I haven't seen 140 on the scale in more than a decade and I knew I needed to get serious about fixing things. I don't know if I will get to 125 (and I probably won't because of that attitude) but I do feel confident now that I will be back down to 132--maybe even 130. And I do know I should focus more on how my clothes fit--but I might be the oddity, because for me, the numbers on the scale almost always correlate with how my clothes fit.

bzbnmom--yes, there is a lot of repetition in Atletica workouts and they don't have the Cathe-fun-factor. However they are all tough and advanced--and different from anything else out there. I have all 4 of them. I also review workouts as I do them on a blog, so if you are interested in reading a review of the Atleticas here's a link to my reviews of them:
Atletica | 2 Lazy 4 the Gym
I will say that I prefer Cathe workouts over Ilaria's workouts--but I feel like that about every other trainer out there. There are other awesome trainers with awesome, advanced workouts that I love--but I always prefer Cathe workouts. Not sure why.

janiejoey--as long as we are all doing what works for our individual bodies then we are all doing the right thing!

Good work everyone on staying on our STS schedules--even when life gets crazy.
 
Jen, so sorry to hear about your mother. I think it's wise you consider decreasing workout frequency to support her. I support you on your idea of reading as well. I think life is about keeping a balance. There are so many thing we enjoy doing:):):cool: Sometimes I think I wish one day lasted 48 hours instead of 24;):D. That being said after an hour, without a break, we do not really get much from the workout. It's going to take time to change the habit of doing doubles but you can work through it.

As to the number on the scale, Just aim to get to the point you feel comfortable. Try not to be too hard on yourself though. I know it's more about how you feel about yourself. when I mention sometime about losing more 10 pound, I do get comment like " I am pushing the weight loss too far" The fact is I look leaner than then the number on the scale.

Hope everything goes well for your mother.

Have a great week end;)
 
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Be careful not to loose your rear lol. You might have hubby complaining ;):D:D You know what men can be like:eek::eek:

Nathalie, this had me laughing out loud! In my case, DH is always concerned about "the girls". He keeps encouraging ice cream, my weakness! I have a ways to go before I need that ice cream. ;) I really like how you've planned food and how you're cooking ahead of time. And the pizza - in the past we always made almond meal crust pizza but lately it's been the occasional frozen grocery kind:(, time to start making it clean again:). Thanks for the inspiration!

Jen, I'm sorry to hear about your mom. Jen and Nathalie, it's amazing to me that you can even do doubles, but when you have other things to do, the STS program is probably enough even without the cardio. I get a cardio effect doing them so far.:p I was reading Strong Curves today. Did you know that Bret Contreras leaves cardio as an option? He says that two to three 20-30 minute sessions is all we need, "don't go overboard".:confused: Cathe's cardio is exhilarating, why would we not want to do them?:D Jen, I look forward to checking out your blog, thank you!

Hmmm, why do we always prefer Cathe? I've thought about that. I think it's the cumulative effect of the 1-5 star rating of such categories as Cathe's upbeat personality, professionalism, technique, form, set, production, cast, physique, workout clothing (I like how they're coordinated), music, variety within and between workouts, premix options/bonuses, the fun-factor!, challenging. Cathe and her crew are all beautiful to look at (except some of the guys are goofy IMO). Yes, there are other excellent instructors with comparable types of workouts, but I don't think they can top her overall. Or maybe I'm just biased.:eek::D:D

ETA: This morning I did Intensity and Ab Circuits: Yoga. Intensity - my first time doing it - I thought it was really hard, but I felt a little weak from not eating enough yesterday I think. The Yoga Abs could have been longer. Tomorrow I'll do FlexTrain plus maybe a Tonique Mat segment.

Mary
 
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4 ways to reduce catabolism

Hi Everyone,

To Mary, How are "the girls doing":D:D:) Just joking;)

Yesterday workout was Cross fire, main program, Today cardio leg blast.

I would like to share this article with you as it is relevant to what we want to achieve. Building more muscle;):):):).

I love this article. Thanks to cathe again for sharing such valuable information. Cathe has really explained key bullet point in such simple way.

Hope you find this helpful at least as much as I do;)

Cathe Friedrich - 4 Ways to Reduce the Muscles Catabolic Effects of Cardiovascular Exercise
Cathe Friedrich - 4 Hormones That Impact Your Ability to Build Muscle

Looking at the ladies in Muscles catabolism reduction, one word came through my head Hyperthrophy.
She has nice hypertrophy in her muscle. It looks great ;-)


Just in case: Catabolism in this context means muscle breakdown/Losing muscles:mad:

Ladies watch out all those extreme premixes! Too much of it could be throwing the hard work out of the window;) I am sure none of us want this.

Kind Regards,
 
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Thanks for sharing Nathalie. I actually read those in Cathe's newsletter. The one that makes me scratch my head is the first one listed that appeared in this weeks newsletter: 4 Ways to Reduce the Muscles Catabolic Effects of Cardiovascular Exercise. Not because I don't agree with it--I do and it actually is the same information that I have been reading and following for years. What makes me scratch my head is why Cathe doesn't apply it to her workouts when she creates cardio + strength ones. For instance 4DS, CXT and the premixes on Xtrain (+ Body Max workouts). She does the cardio before the strength training. I never understood that since prior to Cathe I always did short cardio after strength. I don't really do that anymore since when I do Cathe workouts I generally do them as they are laid out.

Yesterday was Disk 10 Chest, Shoulders & Biceps and this morning I did Tabatacise premix 5 (1-5 + Core #1). Tomorrow is Disk 11 Back and Triceps. As you can see, no doubles this week. Too much going on. However I do have the next 5 days off of work so on Thursday I am doing Disk 12 Legs + an Ab Circuits + Extended Stretch. Friday is Paul Katami's 4x4 Bootcamp and Saturday is TTM Extreme. Then ahhhh--recovery week. And I do plan to take it down a notch for my recovery week. No doubles.

Do you ladies do any strength on recovery weeks? I can never decide. I plan to do mostly cardio but also Supercuts and Flex Train. I never do any heavy lifting on recovery weeks, but I hate not lifting weight at all.
 
Thanks for sharing Nathalie. I actually read those in Cathe's newsletter. The one that makes me scratch my head is the first one listed that appeared in this weeks newsletter: 4 Ways to Reduce the Muscles Catabolic Effects of Cardiovascular Exercise. Not because I don't agree with it--I do and it actually is the same information that I have been reading and following for years. What makes me scratch my head is why Cathe doesn't apply it to her workouts when she creates cardio + strength ones. For instance 4DS, CXT and the premixes on Xtrain (+ Body Max workouts). She does the cardio before the strength training. I never understood that since prior to Cathe I always did short cardio after strength. I don't really do that anymore since when I do Cathe workouts I generally do them as they are laid out.

Yesterday was Disk 10 Chest, Shoulders & Biceps and this morning I did Tabatacise premix 5 (1-5 + Core #1). Tomorrow is Disk 11 Back and Triceps. As you can see, no doubles this week. Too much going on. However I do have the next 5 days off of work so on Thursday I am doing Disk 12 Legs + an Ab Circuits + Extended Stretch. Friday is Paul Katami's 4x4 Bootcamp and Saturday is TTM Extreme. Then ahhhh--recovery week. And I do plan to take it down a notch for my recovery week. No doubles.

Do you ladies do any strength on recovery weeks? I can never decide. I plan to do mostly cardio but also Supercuts and Flex Train. I never do any heavy lifting on recovery weeks, but I hate not lifting weight at all.

Hmm jen, I never thought about Cathe's DVD'S chapters till you mention it. This is a good question to ask cathe when she is online for feedback chat. Another question has just come up in my head. what is the purpose of marking and working out extreme premixes (over 60 minutes). It is proven that working out more than 60 minutes result in production of cortisol which is not good for us.

For me, I am sure most us do the same, we just pop the DVD to the player and get on with the fun work without thinking about this important fact;-)
I knew about how extra cardio could interfere against muscle hypertrophy/building.

As to the recovery day, OMG---I can not believe it's next week. I did not plan it. That being said it's going to be easy cause I need to explore the latest series. Long steady pace step workout are on the menu. I am going to give my muscle a complete rest from strength training. I will have plenty time to work them through meso 2 and 3. There is going to be some swelling during hypertrophy and strength phase. It's actually during the recovery the magic happen;):p. So no resistance during recovery time, no metabolic either.

Before starting STS i was on hypertrophy X-train. I did the optional upper body/strength rotation. Burnset did cook my arms big time!I truly feel my body need a break.

Hope to hear from other cathletes about this,

Kind Regards,
 
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Hello Ladies,
Sorry I was gone for a couple of days and just getting on here. I have the week off from work and I am playing catch up with cleaning the house, reading and actually cooking real meals for my family.

I have been doing my workouts and on Monday I took my necessary rest day. I have been sore all week from my workouts and it never let up. So I was very happy for my rest. I felt so much better when I did STS disc 7-chest, bi's and shoulders. I hate all those push ups and about five reps into doing them I go down on my knees. So disappointing and I always
think about how is everyone doing all these on their toes. I want to know the secret. I can do push ups but not all of those.

Jen, I never mentioned that I did not do cardio during training for bikini /figure because I had come off from training and running a marathon and got quite small. Still had lots of muscle but I needed to bulk up.

I am loving all your info on the way you eat your carbs and all the info you give, Jen. I definitely eat way too many carbs.

I am also very sorry to hear about your mom and the cancer. I take it you live close by if you are going to be helping her, am I right. I don't live by my mom but my sisters do and I am forever grateful that they are there especially now that my Mom and Dad are well into their 80's. I hope we can support you even if it is only through this thread.

Nathalie, so glad to have you pop in when you do. I'm always wondering, "When is she going to post?" And then I go missing when you do! lol

This is really comical but I did disc 7 today because I cold not remember if I was repeating disc4,5 and 6. I believe Mary and I were doing the same kind of metabolic workouts on an 8 day rotation with STS. But I lost track and honestly I think I am going to get very bored repeating my discs. For some reason STS workouts drag on for me like no other workouts of Cathe's. And I can honestly say, I only workout to Cathe,100% and have all of her workouts. Well, that's not true, I don't have Cathe's beginners workouts. Now ,I do have Insanity, turbo fire, and some others but I can not for the life of me remember what they are or where they are for that matter.

JEN, THE REASON I never competed was I ran out of money to pay the trainer and my body was not ready at that time to compete. I needed another three months ,I think. But at that point school got hectic and in my mind I had wanted to be already done. I am great at being a quick start with high follow through but only for short terms. If I go too long doing the same thing the easier it is for me to quit. Training and dieting for those type of competitions is not for the faint at heart,for sure. Maybe for my 50th, when my children are out of grammar school will I try it again. But, I would like to know if any of you have just gotten cut and lean just working out to Cathe workouts because that is what I would like to do and figure out how to diet for that. Any suggestions?

Sorry, I am being so long winded. This is what happens when I don't get on my laptop in two days.

Veronika
 
Jen and Nathalie, I read those articles today and thought the same as you Jen. I tend to put in my Cathe workouts and do them as is. Now, every once in a while when I get a bee in my bonnet do I do my running after lifting weights because I know I won't do the weights otherwise.

As far as recovery week Jen, I tend to do Cathe's fun step workouts and lots of yoga. I would like to get a spin bike for my house because I would like to do those workouts here and not have to go to the gym. Maybe for Christmas?

Veronika
 
Got my CrossFire workout in today. I really like that workout and it seems to have an X10 feel to it. Anyway, I am very encouraged and even more determined to stick to my plan of action. Today, after working out and going into the kitchen to check on dishes I was baking for tomorrow, my daughter commented on my muscles on my arms and shoulders. I got real excited that it has only been a month since doing this rotation and already my body is changing again. So, thanks ladies for being here for me and keeping me accountable. I am very thankful.

Veronika
 
Forgot to say that tomorrow I am doing a 10k Turkey trot and will have to get up early to get my leg workout, Disc 8 in. I hope to get that run done in less than 45 minutes:)

VERONIKA
 

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