Bodybuilding/Sculpting check-in;-)

Today I did Tracy Effinger's Squeeze Stronger. Good barre workout. I really like mixing heavy weights for legs and barre in a week. It really hits the legs from all angles.

Jen, welcome back! Does your daughter live in Mississippi? What a small world if she does! I'm in Jackson. The heat has been brutal, especially this past weekend. We've been breaking records left and right.

Mary, I wish I had a heavy bag to take out my frustrations some days. Hit it a bit harder for me next time!

Pure Barre sent me an email today to let me know that are releasing 2 new barre workouts next week. I can't pass them up...the 2 I already have from them are the toughest barre workouts I own. I must have more like those! Haha!
 
Yesterday was a rest day for me and then today I tried Ript90's Leg Overhaul. This workout proved to be pretty disappointing. It just didn't feel like that great of a workout. I did get a 20 minute walk in after this workout on the treadmill, but overall I don't see myself returning to this particular DVD any time soon. I think next time I'll sub in a lower body workout from another trainer. There's nothing I hate worse than feeling like I wasted my workout. Oh well--tomorrow's a new day!

Jen-welcome back!! Enjoy your staycation!
Mary-so jealous of your heavy bag. One of these days I'm going to get one of those! Maybe Santa will bring me one this year. haha.
Jodi-thanks for the info on virtual running apps. Going to definitely check them out. They sound like a lot of fun!

Hello to everyone else I missed!
 
Today was deload week,day 2 deadligets glute bridges and ab roll outs. This is a short day and since it's deload week, lighter weights. I decided to max out on neutral grip chin ups since I have 2 days rest before doing them again. I hadn't done this in awhile and was able to get 16, which was 1 off my pr from about 3 years ago. However I was about 205# then and 175# now!! If I stuck that 30# on my back, it wouldn't have happened!!! All in all I was happy since I'm not getting any younger!!!
 
Hello friends,

Very nice discussions here since I logged in :)
Nathalie - Now when I read about Hiit suppressing appetite I figure it's true. My 1- hour cardio today (MMA Boxing + Hard Strikes) made me so hungry. Two days ago it was the Blasts from Imax 3. I was dying but didn't feel hungry afterwards. BTW this is my first time trying Imax 3 .I'm scared of it!
Mary - Congrats on your new heavy bag! I love boxing and hope to have one some day. May be my son will get it for me ? ;)
Jodi - I'm also looking for time to revisit my Ilaria's PowerStrike DVDs. I find it easier to fit in the BodyStrikes 1/2 for unweighted lower body workouts with cardio effect. But I love them all.
Jen - welcome back home! I'm sure you are hitting muscles strong during your days off.
Sar Bear / Tom - keep up the good job strength training. :)

The movie splitter / maker freeware is just like the desktop Workout Blender. It even adds a fade-away transition between segments. I made more great premixes from my Cathe downloads : Step Pump Jump - Hi Lo (20 min), Low Impact Circuit Step (42 mins), Drill Max cardio (28 min), Imax 3 blasts (18 min), Power Hour (separate body parts).
I also split Jari Love's Get Ripped, Ripped and Chiseled and Slim and Lean into body parts.
I've been skimping on these workouts due to their length. Not anymore :) I'll be combining the single muscle group tracks from 3-4 workouts to help my weightlifting ADHD.
On Monday, I did Imax 3 (blasts) and SPJ (hilo) Doubles was BodyStrikes 1.
Yesterday I did Afterburn and Lower Body Trisets. Then a bunch of deadlifts from my new premixes.
Today was boxing cardio and in the afternoon I plan to work my shoulders a lot ;)

Best regards to everyone,
 
Svetlana said:
Hello friends,

Very nice discussions here since I logged in :)
Nathalie - Now when I read about Hiit suppressing appetite I figure it's true. My 1- hour cardio today (MMA Boxing + Hard Strikes) made me so hungry. Two days ago it was the Blasts from Imax 3. I was dying but didn't feel hungry afterwards. BTW this is my first time trying Imax 3 .I'm scared of it!
Mary - Congrats on your new heavy bag! I love boxing and hope to have one some day. May be my son will get it for me ? ;)
Jodi - I'm also looking for time to revisit my Ilaria's PowerStrike DVDs. I find it easier to fit in the BodyStrikes 1/2 for unweighted lower body workouts with cardio effect. But I love them all.
Jen - welcome back home! I'm sure you are hitting muscles strong during your days off.
Sar Bear / Tom - keep up the good job strength training. :)

The movie splitter / maker freeware is just like the desktop Workout Blender. It even adds a fade-away transition between segments. I made more great premixes from my Cathe downloads : Step Pump Jump - Hi Lo (20 min), Low Impact Circuit Step (42 mins), Drill Max cardio (28 min), Imax 3 blasts (18 min), Power Hour (separate body parts).
I also split Jari Love's Get Ripped, Ripped and Chiseled and Slim and Lean into body parts.
I've been skimping on these workouts due to their length. Not anymore :) I'll be combining the single muscle group tracks from 3-4 workouts to help my weightlifting ADHD.
On Monday, I did Imax 3 (blasts) and SPJ (hilo) Doubles was BodyStrikes 1.
Yesterday I did Afterburn and Lower Body Trisets. Then a bunch of deadlifts from my new premixes.
Today was boxing cardio and in the afternoon I plan to work my shoulders a lot ;)

Best regards to everyone,
Click to expand...
Svetlana...it sounds like you've been biten by the "lifting bug"!! I'm pretty sure the same fate does NO T await me with the "cardio bug" haha!!
 
This morning I did PFLO Total Body Endurance + Core Endurance. Then my husband and I went to the wildlife reserve/mountains and hiked for a few hours. So I guess that was my doubles. A good day!

Jodi--yes, my daughter is stationed at Columbus AFB in MS and I can believe that was record breaking heat--it really was miserable. We've been to MS the past few years in August and even tho it was unpleasant then, this past weekend did seem way worse.
 
Today was RWH Low Impact HiiT, workouts 1 & 2. Worked up a great sweat! I thought about adding on one of the bonus abs, but my core and back are sooo sore from yesterday's workout. Funny, you would think a barre workout would wear out your legs, but I've got nothing there. :rolleyes:
 
Today I did Arm Annihilation (Ript90). After yesterday's so-so lower body workout, I was tempted to put Ript90 back on the shelf and to start digging into my new KB workouts. However, I feel like I really need to preview them first so I know what to expect and can better plan on how to add them into my current workout schedule. Was happy I stuck to Ript90 though. This morning's workout really fried my biceps. When we got to the portion of the workout where we have to do 10 sets of 5 chin-ups, I immediately noticed at how much stronger I felt doing them this week vs. the first time I did this workout two weeks ago! I was able to complete all five reps for all but one of the ten sets. I think the next time I do this workout, I am going to move my assist down a little so that I can keep working on increasing my strength. Would love it if one day I could crank out a couple of these unassisted!
 
Today was my first day doing Edge Extreme Booty 2 and OMG. I did Weighted Legs and it was brutal. The hardest lower body workout I have ever done. I was wasted by the end of it! I had planned to finish it off with some plyo/HIIT but there was no way that was happening by the time I was finished. I was struggling! It is amazing and I am both excited and scared to try the remaining 6 workouts. There are 3 more lower body workouts to tear me up! And here is what surprised me--the titles show you get 2 "leg" and 2 "glute" workouts (there are 7 workouts total). Well, the first workout I did was one of the Leg workouts--it hit my glutes harder than anything I've ever done--including the Butt Bible (which, BTW, is also an excellent lower body workout). Now I cannot even imagine how the "glute" workouts will destroy my bum! The structure of all of the workouts is supersets. You do 4 sets of every superset. Holy $#@&^ I was struggling by the end of that workout. But I love it! It is the good pain! The good struggle!

SarBear--that is awesome you are doing so well on the pull ups. I have not been working on pull ups at all like I planned, but I guess I will be during STS, so hopefully I will see some improvement then, too!

Svetlana--Jari Love's workouts are very long. When I used them frequently they were usually relegated to weekend workouts because of their length tho she does have some that clock in around an hour that I used to use during the week. I have been thinking about using Jari Love workouts for my Saturday workout during Meso #1 of STS since they fit right into that Endurance category. But I can't decide. That is the problem with owning too many workouts. Cathe has lots of High Rep workouts I love that fit in that category, too (Power Hour, High Reps, Muscle Endurance) and then there are my Les Mills Pump workouts. So I just don't know! I need to get this rotation ironed out tho because September is approaching!
 
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Today I did Ruthless Harcore Circuit. This was my first time trying this workout and it was definitely a good one (brutal, but good). I can definitely see myself returning to this workout again. :) I then watched the intro video for Skogg KB's. What a great instructional video for a newbie like me. It's about thirty minutes long, but he walks you step by step through how to properly perform six of the basic KB moves. After explaining each move he gives you time to practice. While I've done a few KB workouts in the past (such as KCM's slimsculpting) this was my first time really learning how to properly execute each move. I can't wait to try out some of the workouts now that I have a better understanding of proper form.
 
Hello,
Jen - you are right Jari's strength workouts are not Cathe tough, but still effective . I like that I have all equipment needed, moves are different and the music is usually good.
On the other hand, Jari's Revved To The Max is to me, advanced workout and tougher than my other metabolic favorites: Super Cuts, KCM's PowerSculpt & Paul Katami's Sculpt. I like Jari's BootCamp too.
And I agree with your blog's comment on Adam in RTTM ;)
Mary - keep up the good job!
SarBear - I'm glad you enjoy RIPT90. I tried 3 of the workouts and somehow do not look forward to trying the rest. It's me though and not the program.
Jodi - FlexTrain is precious! I feel my posture improved every time I do it.
Tslop - If you ever decide to try my (custom-tailored for you!) cardio recommendation, here it is: Michael Olajide's Aerobox feat. Kathy Smith. It is manly and empowering and fun and shatters stress! ;)

On Wednesday, I went for 4 Day Split Bi's & Tri's (instead of training shoulders). My biceps are still burning. I train my biceps less than large muscle groups because they hypertrophy too much. But this workout made me feel strong I don't regret the DOMS :)

Yesterday I tried another ICE series prototype: Blizzard Blast : Party Rocking Step 1 (25 min) and Cathe's Low Impact Step. My joints were happy and I could follow all choreography! This workout left me smiling the whole day.
Doubles was KCM's Cardio Blast - Plyometrics and the Chest segment from Gym Styles. Of course, my pecs joined my biceps in today's DOMS :)

Today was metabolic day: second half of Jari Love's Revved To The Max and Paul Katami's Sculpt. Sweat was dripping from my nose and chin! I totally believe Jari when she says we are burning same amount of calories as on a treadmill. I stretched with the segment from 10 Minute Solutions Pilates On The Ball.

Have a great day, everyone!
 
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Today I did Pure Strength - Back, Biceps and Abs. So now I've done both the upper body workouts of this series. I like them both, and I like that they are both shorter than Cathe's usual. But now the leg/ab workout is 68 minutes -- not sure that I'm ready to tackle that one just yet. With the RWH Legs and the 2 cardio workouts this week, my legs are feeling it. :)
 
Svetlana said:
Hello,
Jen - you are right Jari's strength workouts are not Cathe tough, but still effective . I like that I have all equipment needed, moves are different and the music is usually good.
On the other hand, Jari's Revved To The Max is to me, advanced workout and tougher than my other metabolic favorites: Super Cuts, KCM's PowerSculpt & Paul Katami's Sculpt. I like Jari's BootCamp too.
And I agree with your blog's comment on Adam in RTTM ;)
Mary - keep up the good job!
SarBear - I'm glad you enjoy RIPT90. I tried 3 of the workouts and somehow do not look forward to trying the rest. It's me though and not the program.
Jodi - FlexTrain is precious! I feel my posture improved every time I do it.
Tslop - If you ever decide to try my (custom-tailored for you!) cardio recommendation, here it is: Michael Olajide's Aerobox feat. Kathy Smith. It is manly and empowering and fun and shatters stress! ;)

On Wednesday, I went for 4 Day Split Bi's & Tri's (instead of training shoulders). My biceps are still burning. I train my biceps less than large muscle groups because they hypertrophy too much. But this workout made me feel strong I don't regret the DOMS :)

Yesterday I tried another ICE series prototype: Blizzard Blast : Party Rocking Step 1 (25 min) and Cathe's Low Impact Step. My joints were happy and I could follow all choreography! This workout left me smiling the whole day.
Doubles was KCM's Cardio Blast - Plyometrics and the Chest segment from Gym Styles. Of course, my pecs joined my biceps in today's DOMS :)

Today was metabolic day: second half of Jari Love's Revved To The Max and Paul Katami's Sculpt. Sweat was dripping from my nose and chin! I totally believe Jari when she says we are burning same amount of calories as on a treadmill. I stretched with the segment from 10 Minute Solutions Pilates On The Ball.

Have a great day, everyone!
Click to expand...
Svetlana..I looked at that, and it looked interesting. I have a speed bag down in my workout room and I thought I would do some speed bag workout. I haven't used it in a long time and when I hit the the thing the bag fell off!!!...(there's your sign) PS..let the guns grow!!
 
This morning was EBE2 Weighted Upper Body + PFWL Plyo Cardio + PFLW/PFLO Yoga. A great workout! I was impressed with EBE2's upper body workout. It was only 34 minutes long and she crammed a challenging and comprehensive upper body workout into a short amount of time. Not as good as a Cathe workout--however Cathe's workouts are either longer and/or split upper body muscle groups into more than one workout--so the fact that this did a great job tackling the entire upper body in only 34 minutes is impressive. I liked PFLW Plyo Cardio, too. Definitely not the most challenging cardio I've ever done nor was there very much plyometrics, but it was enjoyable and did the job. I liked the yoga stretch, too.

Jodi--I love Flextrain, too. I don't know why I don't do it more often.

Svetlana--what do you mean by "ICE series pro-type"?
 
Hi everyone,

Hope you are having a good weekend.

Svetlana: I need some information about this video blender/maker. It is time I start venturing into these stuff.
I will send my e-mail address if you do not mind so you can send me links. I need the one which are compatible
with cathe's download please. As to Imax3--- try 5 intervals, full interval and blasts. I too was scared of it LOL
I was ready to take on the challenge when I first attempted it though. I was determined to fully complete the
main program at the first attempt. In fact I did not think about premixes. Anyway I suggest you try 5 intervals.
you will be fine. Take time to learn if you can. Once you have learned it it is really fun.

Mary: I think I will add a heavy bag at some point. I have been thinking about it for a long time now.
Due to room constraint i can not have one at the moment. I am envious---It is a fun way to challenge arms.
I bet you will try all cathe's heavy bag now. Have you tried Rockout knockout yet?

Tom: How are doing with Deadlift? Hope you have improved and are now happy with your form.

Jen: EBE2 we have discussed about it and well I am going to order this pack. At the same time I am wondering
what cathe has "in store" for us. There is a Glute workout coming in ICE Series. I hope hip thrust will be included.
I have been doing pyramid lower body. In fact i did it twice this week and discovered a variation of plie which hit
my glute better. While doing plie instead of holding teh barbell on my shoulder, I held it in front, just in front travelling
toward ankle an toes keeping forms. This hit my inner and glute in a brutal way. It is pure exhaustion. I do not know
why I never tried it. It was a pleasant discovery:):)

Jodi:I wish you a prompt recovery from DOMS---i think tomorrow I am the one who will need yoga relax. Today was
Leg day.

SarBear: I understand you perfectly---Ript90's Leg Overhaul. Sorry to hear you did not enjoy it. Plus I am with you when
you get the horrible feeling of time wasted working out a program not challenging enough. I dislike the feeling of
time wastage too. At least you have other workout from the system you are looking forward to revisit, I suppose.

My last 3 days workout:

  • Thursday:RwH plyo 2
  • Friday:pedal max extreme 71 minutes
  • Today: 4ds low impact step followed by Pyramid up and down Lower body. This was tough. sure I will feel it
tomorrow

That is all I have to share today:):)

Have a good weekend buddies,
 
This morning I did EBE2 Weighted Glutes + PFLW Core A & B + Total Body Stretch #1.

Nathalie--for the plie variation are you talking about holding the barbell down in front of you like you would hold it for a deadlift? Cathe holds dumbbells that way in some of her workouts and so do both Pauline and Ingrid in Butt Bible & EBE2. But not a barbell. Sounds interesting--but also like it might be awkward because a barbell is so much longer than dumbbells. And I do think you feel it more when you hold the dumbbells in front of you between your legs rather than having a barbell on your shoulders or (as Cathe sometimes does) holding it at your chest.
 
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