Lurker's Invitation

So I had my pilates class this morning and then did the Kickboxing Shock Cardio. It was definitely at a different intensity level than the Hiit workouts, which is fine for me. I like variety for my workouts. So the drills were different than either 4DS Kickboxing (still my favorite of Cathe's KB so far) or Kick Max. I think I would say it is closer to the Kick Max of those two though. I really, really LOVED the core work though! New moves that I really liked...

I wanted to try and get a snowshoe in with the girls as well but alas there is to much stuff needing my attention at home...laundry needed to be folded and put away. I packed all the Christmas decorations up, except for the Christmas tree, the wreaths, and the advent which I will keep up until the weekend. I am currently lugging all those boxes upstairs, but I think I will wait for my husband to help me put them in the attic...so I sort of feel like Shoegal that I wish I could just workout all day, but this thing called life...:eek:

Shadowpup: your christmas sounded wonderful! Enjoy your new toys, jewelry and orchids! I can't believe how much weight you are lifting with your legs! Holy Cow!

Shoegal: I am happy that you finished all your decorating just in time!! Have fun with your new DVD's .. I previewed Atheltic Step while folding laundry and that looks like one tough workout! I think I will be drenched in sweat...it looks like an Imax gone wild!

Janey: enjoy your vacation. I hope it is nice and warm for you guys there. I have never been either. One day...Are you guys driving? Or are you going to take your step on the airplane?

Michelle: I somehow missed your Christmas post ...will have to go back and find it! Don't want to miss it!

Dr's appointment tomorrow...debating a day off to rest... my right hamstring is bothering me and don't want to push it into injury... but we will see...all these Shock Cardio's are calling my name!
 
Laura, Sounds like Shock Cadio will he a number one hit for everyone. Such versatility. I like that.

We still haven't taken down the tree, and it will wait until we get home. Not much to it anyway. But just don't want to right now.

Ah, the Christmas after effects. It will settle down soon, and things will be at a normal, but busy, pace.

Oh, you should go to Vegas just to experience it's wonders. The city is full of life and adventure.

We are driving, it's cost less and we don't know how much more it would cost to board the two kitties. Joey loves driving anyway.

Try to take a rest day tomorrow. K? Let us know how it goes.

See ya all soon,

Janie
 
Wait a minute - do you mean to tell me - that you guys take down your tree and all the decorations - now? This is Christmas week - the week between Christmas and New Years - those things need to stay up!!!! :eek: I'm in shock - the tree is down, Laura?!!!!?!?!? Well, I suppose everyone does something different. My mother and I would always take our stuff down on New Year's Day. It wouldn't take long - the logic was - once you go back to work - it just looks like clutter but that was back in the days when there wasn't as much decor as we have now. Now - I don't do that. I know some people who leave it up until the Superbowl - or until the middle of January, at least. Since there is so much and it takes me so long - well, I leave it up one more week past the New Year. Taking it down doesn't take as long as setting up. Thank God.

Yesterday I did Hiit 40/20 - and like Laura - I did that one because it was the first one on the dvd. I was also short on time and I thought how fabulous - I'll do this short but intense workout. LOVED it. Going anaerobic - that is where the money is - I just love it. I wondered how I would do with this since my workout record during the holidays has been soooo poor - and I have DOMS in my calves from Athlectic Step and I would have to say I did a fairly adequate job. Sometimes Cathe would start the interval and I would stand there watching - oh - am I supposed to be doing that too??!?! Then I'd join her half way through - sometimes I'd do the whole thing. I thought - well - it is something to work up too - just like the first time I did IMAX 3. I think these Hiit workouts will be my favorite.

Laura - So what was the intensity of the kickboxing Shock cardio??? I would suspect it isn't as difficult as Hiit -but is it of the intensity of 4DS or of KickMax? I was thinking that you thought the style of it was more like KickMax. How long is Shock Cardio Kickbox? I have to admit that I have no immediate plans to do the Kickboxing but now you've got me intrigued because you really liked the core work. I love doing abs. What is that saying . . . so many Cathe's so little time. Yes it is true.

Janie - Yes - I agee I've got to get out to Vegas one day. At one point my DH and I were asked whether we wanted to move out to Las Vegas for work -but that never materialized. We looked into it and there were plenty of fun outdoor type things to do there. I hope Vegas works it's wonders on you. How warm is it there this time of year? I envy you that you can just pick up and go. :)

Ok hope everyone is enjoying this week - doing something fun - relaxing - visiting. The New Year is coming upon us - my how time flies. :
 
Wow, I miss a few days and things really happen.

Janie: I'm so sorry about your little Molly. You and she were very lucky to have each other through her life. There is nothing harder than the decision Joey and you made. But you made it with love--no pup could as for anything more. God bless you all and your little Molly girl.

I kind of got sidetracked with my visit to my parents. I can't remember if I posted my exercise on Monday, so bear with me if I get repetitive. Sister and I did rhythmic step on Monday morning and started on our 1RMs in the afternoon. We got through the first 2 pages of the 1RM worksheet. Tuesday, we did pages 3 and 4. Drove home yesterday afternoon. Today, did pages 5 and 6. Only 2 more pages of 1RMs to do--I'm hoping my legs hold out. Thinking tomorrow I might try Shock Cardio Athletic Step and then give the 1 RMs a go until I can't go anymore.

Shoegal: Sounds like your Christmas turned out great. I have to admit I was tempted to start taking down decorations today, but will wait until New Year's day.

Laura: I hope you are feeling better. What did your doctor have to say? I think that Cathe recommends that folks start with HIIT 30/30 and then do HIIT 40/20. I'll be interested to hear from you if you think it makes a difference.

Shadowpup: The world seems to be more in balance when you say that you have ridden your horses. I wonder why. You seem to enjoy each one so much. I've been looking at weight racks and wondering if I should invest in one. What kind of racks have you gotten? But, I actually think my greatest need right now is a bookshelf for all my Cathe dvds. The container I've been using just isn't big enough.

I've also been enjoying the soap that Janie sent. Very nice, indeed.
~michelle
 
So went for my follow up and all my blood work looks great. Only two things off a little bit, one was my hemoglobin which tends to be higher for us mountain folks and the other was my sugar was slightly elevated ( which was a non-fasting test but I need to be careful as my dad developed type 2 diabetes.:() So a good reason to really clean up that diet once and for all!:rolleyes::eek::confused: I got some anti-biotics for my sinus infection. And unfortunaltely having a real rough time with them. I got extremely nausea just before my pilates class and have had very intense diarrhea ever since!:( UGH! Hate taking something to get better and have it make me feel worse, but I have to finish the dosage, 5 days, or it won't work. Hopefully my body adapts to it quickly. So I ended up taking a rest day as feel to nausea to exercise...

Janey: How long of a drive is that from WA to Vegas? My mom is thinking of driving from Whidbey to CO. Have a safe trip. Do the kitty's like the car?

Shoegal: Not to worry my beautiful Christmas tree is STILL UP!! I am enjoying in all light up right now. I just put away everything else. It was feeling a cluttered around here and I needed to create some more space. I was actually planning on taking my tree down after the New Year, the girls start school on Monday and it would be nice to be done by then. But it is such a beautiful tree and my mom is coming on Jan. 10th so I was thinking of leaving it up for her to see it. SC KB is nothing like the Hiit. I actually found the intensity on the low end, I only broke a light sweat. I think I can work it harder in the future by engaging more of the core and putting more effort into it. I agree those Hiits might be a favorite. I wanted to do Athletic Step today but oh well. If you don't want to do the KB you could just do the core section it was a good one I thought.

Michelle: Nice to hear from you again. I had meant to start with the 30/30 and on the back jacket of the DVD it is listed as the first one so I thought it would be the first one on the menu and I just mashed play without looking. I got a surprise on that first round I was like hey wait a minute I thought it was only supposed to be 30 seconds not 40!! LOL! good job on the 1RM I will start them next week....I thought about skipping my rest week and doing the 1RM but my body is telling me it really does need a full recovery week from lifting. Still doing those Shock Cardio though and they don't feel like much of a rest I have to tell you!
 
Happy New Years Eve!

Hi all! I keep starting posts, and not finishing them! So let me at least get something short up :)

Michelle, that's funny - for me also, it feels right to be out riding the horses! Life is never as balanced as those times. Yesterday, got out again ... my steadiest, Atreides, took good care of me and had a blast going through the woods. It's slippery enough that the others are stuck with the pasture; the kid horse (Sierra) and I tried two days ago, but he was feeling too squirrelly and bouncy for the territory, so I cut it short and turned him loose. Sierra reminds me of those teenage boys who tear around with their skateboards jumping up and over everything, forgetting that they are breakable. This is *not* the attitude you want in your partner when you are trying to cross a snowy dam between a semi-frozen pond on one side and a snow-covered dropoff on the other :). But, he still had a good time, though he seemed to understand he was not getting the same time as the others and is a little unhappy about it. Picante has been out twice and is all puffed up with himself about it, but he's still not satisfied - kept trying to stick his head in the bridle *over the fence*, when I was tacking up Atreides. There's not room for two horses in there!!!

Oh, weight racks. I'll go hunt up the brands. Apex, I think? I went with a sturdy metal one rated to 300 pounds, three rows. It holds everything but the SelectTechs, and I put one of the kettlebells on it (the other one is in the tack room). My medicine ball rack came too, still waiting on the plate rack. The med ball rack holds five. I have six now!!! Had one, a 15 pounder, which is far too heavy for me. My Christmas presents are the other five, from four pounds to 12. I find that the 6 and 8 pounder are about right for most things so far. Both went together quite easily.

Sounds like you and sis are doing great with the 1RMS. What day are you starting STS? I'm going to pick up Meso 1 again too ... have a few 1RMS to retest, and am trying to get an active rest week in also. Let us know how you like Athletic Step! And - your take on that rotation you're finishing? Would you do it again ... did you like the results ... ?

Speaking of Athletic Step, Shoegal, I'm glad to hear you liked that one! Have you done Step Moves? Which one do you recommend for two left feet? BTW, we will leave our spiral staircase up for awhile. Usually I get motivated between January 2 and President's day to put things away... And you couldn't possibly put your tree and decorations and all away yet. It sounds far too gorgeous, and we have not yet seen pictures!

Laura, very glad to hear that the bloodwork is solid - that's a relief all around! Sorry about the antibiotics, though. Have the same difficulties myself; yogurt sometimes helps a bit. With all of your activities it must be hard to have stomach and other upsets, worse than for those of us who work in an office. And *yes* your mom needs to see that lovely tree :) Ditto my question to Michelle on Athletic step ... and very funny on the 40-20. Good job, toughing it out.

I have been tallying up my workouts for the year, from where I post them on SP. It's a pretty amazing total ... I do it month by month, and thought I'd put them all in one file as a kind of a check on the year's fitness accomplishments ... do any of you do that?
 
Last edited:
Well, I have finished my 1RMs--YEAH!!! It took 4 days, and you definitely brake a sweat. I don't know if I will get to Athletic Step today--the last 2 pages of the 1RM worksheets are mostly legs--and my thighs and glutes already feel like they are in a vice grip. I stretched and stretched before I started and that seemed to help, but I have to admit the last few leg exercises were a struggle. Sister did the Shock Cardio Boxing workout this morning. She really liked it.

The original plan was to start STS on January 1. But sister and I decided that we would start on Saturday which will make Fridays our rest day. So, official start date for STS is Jan 2nd. I'm planning to focus on a different shock cardio workout each week for my cardio days. No particular order in mind at the moment. After I take my shower and get some lunch, I am going to put together my Cathe Tower that DH gave me for Christmas and preview some of my Shock Cardio dvds. the VaTech game comes on at 7:30 ET--Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta.

Laura: sounds like you've just had the icky booties the past few months of 2009. Leave them in 2009--and have a healthier 2010. It majorly stinks when the medicine that ultimately is supposed to help you feel better just makes you feel worse. That's a nice idea to leave your Christmas tree up so that your mom can see it when she comes to visit. I bet she will like that.

Shadowpup: You and Laura both have alternate ways of getting exercise. I know that riding horses is really great for your legs. It's no wonder you can lift such heavy weight for legs. I think I'm going to have to start keeping a little notebook for your exercise equipment recommendations. I'm wondering if you still use your GoWearFit?

Janie: hope you have made it safely to Las Vegas and that you and Joey are having a good time. Rest, relax, enjoy.

Hi Shoegal! Did you do another Shock Cardio today?

Happy New Year to everyone--looking forward to starting STS and SC in the New Year!
~michelle
 
Hope everyone has a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Do something special - I'm big on that.

Went to my sister's house and we exchanged our Christmas gifts. Long story on how that evolved that I'll spare you. Got 4 new pairs of shoes!! I'm sorry people but the shoes really do excite me. I got one pair of pumps that had a giraffe print that were too cute - I put those babies on the second I got them. I would say getting new shoes is on the same level for me as getting a new exercise video (and Christmas decorations:eek:). Both (ok - all three) are way too exciting. Anyway, I digress - my whole purpose in telling you I went over to my sisters was to inform everyone that I did not workout. :eek: I also did not drive the hour home last night - and stayed over her house. There really wasn't an opportunity.

Michelle - you zoomed through those 1RMs. I'm actually jealous. Good for you though. You are right on track. I won't be ready to start - I believe I will need to retest the 1RM I've already tested - things have definitely changed. I'll get there.

Shadowpup - again - just love the horse stories - and you take such good care of them. I have done Step Moves - it is the first one I did. I enjoyed that as well. Again - short - wish there was more of it - but sometimes brevity is a good thing - and it will make me come back to it repeatedly. You're right my Christmas decor stays up - I can't bear to part ways with it just yet - PLUS I got more stuff last night from my gift exchange. I definitely need to place those items tonight.

Laura - made a mistake - okay - you still have the tree up. I've calmed down. Yes - definitely keep that up until your Mom gets there. What plans do have for New Year's Eve??? I would think you would be going to a party of sorts - or will it be spent quietly at home? All of my usual New Year's Eve plans have been derailed, unfortuately. DH and I - and my other sister and her family, & my sister-in-laws would go have mexican and then go bowling. Absolutely everyone canceled this year. Rex and I are trying to come up with a new plan of action - I would like to do something - you know, to make it special. He suggested going for a paddle in the canoe. (on the snow covered lake??? - he said parts are unfrozen - but gee - no - not on board with that.)

Janie - hope you are enjoying Vegas!!!

Happy New Year!! Enjoy the evening.
 
Happy New Year !!!



Hi all, I hope you had a terrific New Year's Eve! We were social this time; had a few other couples over for an informal dinner/snacks during the earlier half of the evening, and hadn't really planned to stay up til midnight, but ended up doing so anyway. It was fun, although I did eat far more rich food than usual and can really feel it today. It was my own fault: I made frosting for an extremely rich carrot cake. Well - the carrot cake itself was healthy enough, with carrots, zucchini, pecans, currents, and applesauce rather than butter. It was the *frosting* that put us all into toxic shock: cream cheese, butter, confectioner's sugar, pecan shavings, and a few raisins. My goodness!

Michelle, LOL on my fitness purchases ... there sure have been plenty, this past year, haven't there! I'm still using my GWF, and actually this week is a good test of the usefulness. I know from calorie logging that between dinner out and dinner at our place, and too many holiday goodies, I was over my normal calorie intake by upwards of 2000 calories this week, gulp. To balance that I've been moving around more during the day, in addition to the usual workouts. The GWF won't let me cheat and overestimate my burn rate from that motion, which would be easy to do. But I've legitimately made up all but 300 of those calories as of today, mainly through chosing house chores that involve motion rather than sitting (for instance, the weather was kind enough to send us snow last night and I insisted on shovelling it all myself! )The GWF definitely rates up there with the TRX and SelectTech dumbbells as a useful addition. Also BTW, very glad to have your sis' review of Boxing, as I'm still torn as to which cardio workout(s) to do today. That 300 extra calories is on my mind ... it needs to be HIIT-style, I think. Maybe Insanity and something else?

BTW, how is your Tower? Great gift! I saw a few posts mentioning that it looked wobbly but performed really well anyway - apparently that's part of the design.

All, I have to admit that I could not stand it anymore, and yesterday I jumped the gun on getting STS started again. Meso 1 week 1 workout 1, all done! It was every bit as intense as I remembered: it's been awhile since I've done that many fast reps!!! And, pushups again! This workout reminded me I've been slacking on those; in one set I had to go down to my knees after 25, rather than getting all the way to 30. I managed all of the others on toes ... the depth of the push could use improvement towards the end ... It was fun, though, and I'm looking forward to our Lurker round of STS :)


Hi to Laura, Janie, and Shoegal!
 
Last edited:
Break day today. Well, sister called this morning all upset because she discovered that even though we did all our 1RMs for the exercises listed on the worksheet, there are still more. Okay--fine. No big deal. Kind of threw her for a loop. We're not missing alot and I decided to just look at the exercise and give it my best guess based on what I've been doing for the exercise with Cathe's other workouts. No big deal. Sister was in a pretty good whirl over it and I told her that if this was her biggest problem this year, then she was skating. Then she calmed down. Silly sister.

Shadowpup: I think you asked about the rotation from last month that I did. Well, I've got to tell you, by the end of the month, I was wearing out big time. All that cardio really got to me. If I did it again I would change it a bit--add another weight day each week. But, by the same token, it helped keep my weight down during December.

Shoegal: nice to have a shoe report from you even though it was a shoe gift report. I think it was perfectly reasonable for you to decline a canoe trip last night--Brrrrrr. And, it is supposed to get colder. Ick.

So, because today was a relatively "warm" day, I took down my outside decorations and packed them up. Replaced all the burned out light bulbs and put the outside lights, garland, and bows away. Also took down most of my inside decorations, packed them up, and stored them for next year. The tree is still up. I may or may not start tackling that tomorrow. We'll see. And because it just needed to be done-again-I vacuumed the downstairs. Then I plopped my butt on the couch in front of the tv and fell asleep. Ripken took a nap too.

Shortly it will be time for Ripken's walkabout and then watching more bowl games.

STS disc 1 tomorrow.
~michelle
 
Hope everyone had a nice New Year's Eve! I did go to a party (how did you guess Shoegal? Should I change my name to party girl?:eek:LOL!!) But it was actually a very quite, mellow gathering of families. We all get along really well, the kids, the spouses and that can be a hard thing to find sometimes. So mellow and nice! We stayed to watch the Apple Drop in NY on TV and then we headed home. We were home by 11:30. I took a hot bath and went to bed...

Today I did MMA Boxing and I, like Michelle's sister, really, really liked it! Lots of fun and it really go into my core in a way that was very satisfying indeed! Broke a decent sweat, not to much, but definitely more than the KB. I liked the boxing more than the KB for sure! Yesterday was a mellow day with a gentle snow shoe with the girls as the X-country skied up the road. Still burnt around 450 cals. though which is good. I am enjoying my rest week as I feel like my body really needed it and I am not getting much sleep with this Blue Moon. So intense it is like day time at night the moon is so bright!

Shadowpup: Where do you live again? It seems cold there and snowy like my place. I don't think you are in the mountains though...I wonder what the GWF would tell me about my extra calorie consumption! I shutter to think. My goal was to maintain my weight through the holidays which I have managed to do but now I need to really clean up my diet! I joined the clean eating forums and I am already getting lots of good tips from there. I tried Spark People but I could never figure out their forum style. I do use it for articles though. I track my workouts on Cathe's workout Manager. I wonder if there is a way to see a total of my workouts for the year. I will look into that.

Shoegal: You know I love the sound for those shoes! How sexy! I need serious help with my shoes. I love shoes but don't really buy them! Where I live only practical shoes seems to do as it is so rustic and snowy for so much of the year. You are getting me back in touch with my shoe desires which I don't think my husband will appreciate! I actually wore heals for the first time in awhile the other night and they really did make me feel sexy! What did you do last night? Hope you figured out something fun that didn't involve cold night adventures!

Michelle: 4 days for the 1RM that is good to know I think I had planned for 3 days next week. How long did each session take you? I will start next Monday and see how it goes. I think I will do them at the gym as they have heavier weights than I do. I will have to print out the sheets and take them with me. I should start reading through the STS forum threads on 1RMS to get an better idea of what I am in for. Have fun with Meso Cycle 1 tomorrow. I am starting on the 12th!

Shout out to Janie!

Hey I was wondering if we should change our name now that we surely aren't Lurkers anymore and no one else seems to be joining in our group? Or should we send out another invite for lurkers for the New Year?
 
Laura--sister and I spent about 2 hours each day doing our 1 RMs. It takes time because we watched each exercise on the computer, did our 1RM, and then logged the results on the 1RM website. After all that, sister discovered that the 1RM spreadsheet doesn't list all the exercises for whichyou need to do 1RMs. UGH. I've spent a few hours today double checking the results for discs 1, 2, and 3. Not all the exercises are on the PDF worksheet--so those had to be added. And for some reason some of the 1RMs that we did, did not save properly so I had to reenter those. Many of the exercises don't require weights and it's not always clear on the worksheet. So, I would say allow time to review the worksheets for each disc and revise, correct, or complete as needed.

I also don't like the way the PDF worksheets print out, so I'm spending time converting them to excel spreadsheets formatted as I like, which means going from PDF to WORD to EXCEL. I did discs 1-3 today and will try to finish up the rest of the meso 1 discs the next couple of days. Otherwise, doing 1RMs has been a seamless experience--LOL!

I'm fine with whatever name we want to name our check-in group. Lurker's is fine or we can change.

~michelle
 
Day 1 of STS. Okay--this is going to be challenging. Disc 1 is chest, shoulders, and biceps. All those push-ups are hard. I started out on toes, but about halfway through I'm all knee push-ups. Had to do some weight modifications particularly for my right arm because my elbow was not always happy. Those reverse dumbbell curls really were the worse--had to just stop on the right side. My favorite part: the extended stretch. That was really nice. My body sure needed that.

~michelle
 
Great job, Michelle! The movements are definitely more challenging when they are done so rapidly, aren't they? I'd forgotten not only the pushups, but also that reverse curl. It's a great move, but seems much harder to me than the regular style. Supposedly it is especially good at developing forearm endurance, too. Today I have disk 2 on the list, Back and Triceps. Uh oh, pullups ...

Laura, sounds like you had a great celebration for New Year's, too. It's a good time to be with friends. Thanks for the review on Boxing! I'm thinking - maybe ought to do it along with STS today ... ? Could use the extra calorie burn for another few days ... Your gentle burn with skiing was as intense as most high end workouts, btw :) Enjoy your active rest. You certainly deserve it. I live up in the northern part of Idaho, on a hilly property that goes from about 2500 feet to a little over 3000 feet, which puts us right on the snowline. Some years, we get almost no snow. This year seems light, and we're getting quite a bit of freeze/thaw. On SP, I tend to stick with just one or two forums, mainly the Cathe Friedrich one. We have a daily check in there, with half a dozen regulars. Most of us list our workouts in order by month. To add mine up, I went back to the last posting each month and counted! Then, decided to post them all in one place, here, if you're interested. http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=2672420


Shoegal, I missed your posting on your shoes! Definitely need to go back and find that. I could use some tutoring in how to choose good ones ...

Oops, breakfast! more later. Hi to Janie, are you coming home soon?
 
Shoegal, I can't imagine how I missed all of this post!

Shoegal said:
Went to my sister's house and we exchanged our Christmas gifts. Long story on how that evolved that I'll spare you. Got 4 new pairs of shoes!! I'm sorry people but the shoes really do excite me. I got one pair of pumps that had a giraffe print that were too cute - I put those babies on the second I got them. I would say getting new shoes is on the same level for me as getting a new exercise video (and Christmas decorations:eek:).
...

DH and I - and my other sister and her family, & my sister-in-laws would go have mexican and then go bowling. Absolutely everyone canceled this year. Rex and I are trying to come up with a new plan of action - I would like to do something - you know, to make it special. He suggested going for a paddle in the canoe. (on the snow covered lake??? - he said parts are unfrozen - but gee - no - not on board with that.)
Click to expand...

You leave me with so many questions! How does your sister manage to get you shoes that fit??? And that you like??? That's pretty neat. Shoes sound fun when you talk about them.

And, did you put up the new decorations?

And ... you didn't go canoeing, did you? Canoeing in a frozen pond sounds like something that would be "special" in that kind of way that sounds entertaing in advance, and that you talk about years later with glee, but is pretty cold/scary/uncomfortable in the middle! But your DH has definitely been bitten with the boating bug, so it's not surprising that he would want to do something involved with water.

And now I'm caught up with the postings; time to go do today's STS. Have been putting it off for an hour, probably because I don't want to know how much my pullups have slipped :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: It has been months! :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
 
posting while watching Harry Potter, The Chamber of Secrets with the kidos...

I did Stretch Max #1 today felt good and wanted more but decided to do Athletic Step.. HOLY COW!:eek: Has anyone else done that one yet???? :p:pI found it harder than hiit 40/20 which Cathe had listed as the hardest! OMG! :eek: Is all I can say!! It was like 47 minutes of an Imax Blast!:eek::eek::eek: I was a sweaty, panting mess. I think that P90X series is way to light on intense Cardio and I am feeling the results of not doing intense Cathe Cardio for 3 1/2 months! Especially a step routine.... it has been way to long...Probably won't be so bad for Michelle and Shoegal who have been doing all those step routines.....:eek:

Michelle: I was going to ask you were you found the descriptions for the exercises. I was thinking about starting tomorrow. So if I am reading you right you are suggesting going to the workout Manager 1RM page and pulling up each disc at a time? Yikes!!:(;):rolleyes:That will take a loooonnnngggg time! Oh well better to do it right the first time, huh? Were did you find the tutorials on each exercise? I found them once but when looking early I did NOT see them right off the bat. I am jealous you already started! Sounds tough!

Shadowpup: Cool!! I am going to check out your link in a bit. I am enjoying the eat clean forums although still not 100% familiar with the site. I am serious about losing the weight now after my Dr appointment and for me the missing link is the diet. I guess I am one of those unfortunate body types that allows for no errors and I have to be super-duper strict or I don't get results. I already eat mostly healthy but I guess I need to go for 100% for awhile.... Your place might be some what similar to mine if the equation of the further North you go is equal to a certain amount of altitude gain....
 
Last edited:
Good morning, all!

Did everyone see that Cathe posted the STS/Shock Cardio rotation? I don't think I'll follow it as written - too many neat cardio dvds right now - but it's interesting to look at, and probably worth mulling over why she organized the particular kinds of cardio the way she did ...

Laura, thanks for the post on Athletic Step! Shoegal and maybe Michelle also have done that one ... it seems to be getting rave reviews. And you leave me with a dilemma. Tomorrow is STS legs, so I thought I'd avoid plyo-style workouts and maybe do MMA Boxing for the first time, or Amy's in the ring, or my new Aerobox. And now I want to do Athletic Step too!!!! Someone - Shoegal? - said she'd just work out all day long if she could, and I kind of feel like that, with all these new options. And I kind of need to; my pants feel slightly snug, which likely means I'm packing an extra pound or two that isn't new muscle!!!

How did you and the girls like Chamber? I enjoyed the books, haven't seen all the movies yet... I think I saw that one, though.

Re sparkpeople ... and very nice to see you on our Cathe forum check-in thread there! My choice for entering food has been FitDay, because it has so much analysis built in :eek::eek::eek:, and the data is on my desktop. And now I have almost three year's worth of trends to look at. But SP ramped up their nutrition tracker too, so they may be every bit as good or even better .... This time, with STS, I'm watching my protein more carefully. Last year I was ravenous through all of Meso 1, and I suspect I wasn't getting enough protein throughout the day. I'm deliberately going to go over the RDA this time, since I am sure that the RDA had not met Cathe when they put the guidelines together!!!

On the 1RMS ... the only caution I have is that for me, my strength increased very rapidly at first, as I had not been doing that style of lifting. The 1RMS were a good starting point and assessment for strength, and I am very glad I did them (and that I redid the four-five stars this time). This is probably going to become part of a 'personal fitness checkup' for years to come. However, I found that I was having to adjust up/down on my weights through the first meso. That may mean that printing too many weeks in advance will backfire on you. I agree with Michelle's Sis that it was annoying to have invested all that time in 1RMS and still have workout sheets show up with weights missing!!! At the time, there was some explanation - I think it is that certain workouts don't fit the true 1RM formula, and that's why they weren't included. You can still use the 1RM to guess at a starting weight.

Hi to Janie, Michelle, and Shoegal ... and IronLady, wherever you are :)
 
Last edited:
Doing 1RMs--yes, Laura, this takes a while. On workout manager, you go to the One Rep Max site. For each exercise, you can watch a demo on the computer screen. Sister and I watched each one and then did our 1RMs. It took a while. Of course, we didn't speed through doing these like a Cathe workout either but you still get a workout, trust me on that. And now that I'm doing STS, I'm going back and doing some adjusting because Cathe moves right along on the exercises and you don't get much of a break (30 seconds between each exercise). Today I am sore mostly in my core which is probably from all the pushups on disc 1. But I'm going to give Athletic Step a go. Didn't look to bad, but you are probably right that your break from doing intensive cardio has put you back a little. You'll get back "in step" in now time, I am sure.

Time to get ready to exercise--more later.
~michelle
 
Shoegal, Las Vegas is working it's wonders on me. So many things to do here isn't enough time to cry. Enjoy your wonderful shoes.

Michelle, Glad you are enjoing the soap. Yeah! Finished the 1RM's. Good going.

Joey and I are exercising at the gym and bike riding/walking/jogging so far. Will do more later as we get acclimated to Vegas.

I got upset too when I found out that I wasn't done with 1RM's. It does take you by surprise. But, it all works out in the end.

Laura, It takes about 22 or so hours of driving to get to Vegas. The kitties hated the trip but have no other way to do it. Poor things. They are doing great now.

I'm so glad there isn't anything seriously wrong with you. Wooh! There are meds to counteract the nausea from antibiotics.

Deborah, Enjoy the STS series. We will get on it when we are back home. I'm going to have to ge one of those GWF, to keep track of things.

Will be staying here until the 20th I think. We are having such a wonderful time.

So glad to see everyone hiped up about exercising. We are too. In a couple of days I will do many of the Shock Cardio and go to the gym for weight training. It's a great gym that Dan has in his community. Lots of places to walk/jog, visit.

Will talk again later,

Janie
 
Last edited:
Quick post before I watch the Redskins lose their last football game this season. How's that for positive thinking?

On a brighter note: I did Athletic Step today. Boy, it looks easy but it sure does pack a punch. I highly recommend it. When I previewed it, I thought that it looked pretty doable. Well, here's the shock: it really packs a punch. Ripken declared it a triple licking good workout, which means the sweat was flying. I'll be doing Athletic Step this week for my cardio days. I figure 3 times in one week ought to allow me to feel comfortable with the routine. Next week I'm in New Orleans for part of the week, so I'll be packing Travel Fit. Also put my tower together today. THAT was easy. Took no time at all and I have a perfect spot for it in my bedroom that is out of the way so DH won't grumble too much. So glad DH got it for me for Christmas, because I need it tomorrow for disc 2.

Janie: sounds like you and Joey are having a good time. Just the ticket for your blues. It's great that you guys keep right on exercising. It's nice that you are able to take all your pets with you too. Do you have to give your cats tranquilizers to travel that far in a car?

Okay--time to go warm up the big screen for the football game. Think I'll have a nice hot cup of tea too.
~michelle
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top