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?
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!
