Push It January 2014

heartymax

heartymax

Cathlete
Hello Ladies. I decided to start a new thread since the other one is so long. Let's try to start a new one each month.

We initially started the check in to improve our push up count. I think each of us has made strength gains even though our check in has turned into much more with sharing of great fitness advice.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. I checked in on the old thread this morning. I will say again that I did HC volume 2 and AOLH. Great workout.
 
My fitness goals for the month of January are to complete the Xtrain 30 day rotation and do HC twice a week. My nutrition goal is to try a new healthy food.

I bought some quinoa. I have never cooked it or eatened it before. I saw a recipe for quinoa chicken chili on the forum that I want to try. I hope to try it next week.
 
Last edited:
Tasha---you shared a recipe with chicken thighs a few month ago. I never tried it. Do you remember? ? If so, can you post again.
 
HeartyMax, thanks for starting this month's check in!
This morning I did Cardio Leg Blast...took a rest day yesterday because my chest was FRIED from Burn Sets C, B, & S!!! I will be happy once I settle back in to my Cathe rotations!
My fitness goals this month are to return to my 6 days/week rotations with a minimum of 2 intense cardio days.
My nutrition goals are to cut back on nighttime foods (popcorn).
It is raining like crazy here today and there is a rumor that we might see a snowflake tomorrow morning :p! My family up in MI is getting hammered with snow...how 'bout everyone else?
 
Hello everyone :) Today was P90X3 MMX. LOVED IT!! It reminds me most of MMA Fusion because there are lots of spawls(burpee type move). The combos were fun and I really felt like my entire body was worked from head to toe. My back feels especially worked(upper and lower) because of all the spawls. I made sure to do them at a quick pace, but also made sure to keep good form with them so I really worked all parts of my body with the routine. Because of all the quick drops to the floor I wore my WAGS for the workout. I have a weak wrist and wearing the WAGS really gave me the confidence hit the floor quickly without worrying about hurting my wrist. I love when I can use my fitness gadgets. Esp the WAGS since they were somewhat expensive. I followed up my workout with Stretch Max(band segment). The P90X3 workouts are all 30 minutes so I'll be using my extra time to stretch.

My goal for this month(actually the next three months) is increased core strength. My rotations for the next three months will consist of HC, RF, and P90X3. All of those workouts really work the core without being an isolated core workout(well except for HC), so I'm hoping to have some increased core strength while getting more endurance at the same time.

HeartyMax
I've never been a fan of the check-ins that switch monthly. It makes me feel like I'm always in the wrong check-in :confused: I would probably feel better about it if I understood the benefits of a new check-in monthly since I'm unable to come up with any benefits on my own(again :confused:). Certainly not a big deal whether it's one long check-in or monthly, but was just wondering what others see as the benefits.

Nancy
Glad to see you are getting back into a good routine :) I've also been on a popcorn kick lately that I'm working on breaking. I made sure not to buy any popcorn on our last grocery store trip. The last bag was eaten last night :eek: Let the withdrawal begin!!
 
I looked at Cardio Leg Blast

It looks very hard jumping on a ten inch step. I thought Lower Body Blast was difficult, and you only jump on an eight inch step for that. I will eventually get it, though. I also need other upperbody workouts that have premixes that run from 30 to 40 minutes. Right now I either do a very short Muscle Max or High Reps, which really fries my upper body. Does anybody have any suggestions? I must be stupid, but what is HC?

Today was a rest day for me; I no longer work out 7 days a week.
 
Toni---I am not sure if I know what you mean about switching monthly. The overall focus of the check in remains the same but a new thread will start each month. Threads are done differently on the forum. Some change daily, weekly, monthly or go over forever. If it is going to cause confusion, we can just keep the long thread and delete this one. Each person may have different preferences. I apologize if others find it confusing.

HC is horizontal conditioning workouts. They are tough but good workouts. I am spoiled with my Cathe's so I don't care for the lack of premixes, chapters and poor quality of many other workouts. I just suck it on HC. The first time I did one, my entire body was sore for a few days. Toni was very committed to HC and got good results. Several people on the forum incorporate them into their routine. I only have 2 but Toni has several I believe.
 
Last edited:
By 'switching' I meant starting a new thread each month. I don't think it's going to cause confusion. I can totally go with the flow :)
 
Toni---thanks Toni. It was definitely not my intention to confuse anyone or try to hijack or take over our discussion. On another note, I noticed the mixed opinions about P90x3. I hope you like it. I have only tried plyo legs from the previous series which i borrowed. I didn't find it as intense as Cathe nor cared much for the instructor. However, I do think I need to shake things up a bit this year. I feel that everyone has been doing other workout programs except me. Look forward to hearing more about it.
 
Hi everyone, happy new year!

Sorry I've been MIA, had to go out of town and then of course was stuck at the airport overnight. I sure was glad to get home Friday!

We got belted with snow this weekend; I think about 8 inches. I will be shoveling for my workout tomorrow!

I just wanted to say hi - glad everyone is still checking in and doing well:D Also, Red Pepper hummus is fantastic with hard boiled eggs:) No new year resolutions for me but I do want to eat more eggs and less meat and chicken. It's less expensive and adds some nutritious variety to my meals.

Tash, glad you are loving your new rack and had a fantastic NYE! You deserve it.

Nancy, great number on your pushups!

Toni, glad you're enjoying P90X3! I think your goals sound good and I'm glad you are going to add stretching after the 30-minute workouts. I haven't done the original P90X Stretch dvd but plan to give that a shot after warming my muscles with a foam roller. I assume the DVD is an hour and who the heck has time for that after a workout - that's the attractive part of the P90X3, the variety of workouts in only 30 minutes.

Heartymax, Caitlin, and Stacie, glad all is going well!

Keep up the great work! Sorry this is so short; I hope to check in more often during the week. Be well, my friends!

Enjoy your workouts!
 
Jennifer---shovel max burns 3x the calories than a step workout:).

This morning was Xtrain chest shoulders and back. I added on most of core 1. I don't feel comfortable using heavy weights on the ball so I used my bench most of the time. I am paying the price for slacking on keeping up woth my push ups. Struggled early and dropped to my knees. I feel like I focus on one thing....get there and have a hard time maintaining while trying to improve on something else. Not long ago I could push out 20 to 25 and now barely got 10 before needing a break....eek.

It is back to work for me today. Gotta run and get my healthy lunch packed.
 
Hello...this weather is oh so cold!! Going to get to -7 today and only to 6 tomorrow. Schools announced last night that they would be closed Monday and Tuesday of this week. Flights out of Cleveland have been grounded until Wed morning. Can't remember if I've ever said this, but DH travels for a living. He was slated to fly to Vermont and drive the rest of the way to Canada today. I'm so glad he can't go. I was really worried.

Today was CVX from P90X3. It's sort of like a full body metabolic workout. I used a 5# weight the entire time. I could have probably done a 6# med ball if I hadn't been so sore from the MMX workout. All those spawls really added up in my rear delt and upper back. And my glutes are sore also, which I can't understand for the life of me. MMX is pretty much a high intensity low impact kickbox workout. I guess maybe all the fast paced spawls caused me to engage my glutes while going down and coming back up so quickly :confused: Anywho...I loved the CVX workout. Very functional, which is right up my alley. I also did part of the extended stretch from STS. I was honestly too tired to stretch anything else :eek: Tomorrow is a scheduled rest day and I'm feeling like I need it!! My entire body is tired.

Jennifer
There is a stretch DVD in P90X3. It's a bit different. It's sort of like active stretches. Just slightly less work than a Yoga routine. I haven't done it yet...just previewed. Because it looks like a little bit of work I'm not going to do it tomorrow. I'm going to do something more like Yoga relax. But when my body get better acclaimated to these workouts I'm going to do the P90X3 stretch on my rest day.

HeartyMax
It's nice to try different workouts, but certainly not neccessary. You have been running, which to me is a different workout all on it's own. I say as long as you keep moving it's all good.

Catlin
No question is ever dumb :D As HeartyMax said, HC is a very intense core workout. The production is certainly nothing like Cathes. The audio is terrible especially in the Hardcore 101 DVDs. But they work really well. The other problem with the DVDs is that they can be hard to fit into a rotation. They us a lot of shoulder and you have to be careful not to overtrain with them. I think that's why I like them with the P90X3 workouts. They spread the work over the entire body and don't wipe out a single muscle group. With an extra day of rest each week they seem like they will fit well together. We shall see.
 
I just entered Cathe's January 2014 "Metabolic" Rotation into my calendar and will be kicking off with Afterburn and Weights & Plates tonight :eek:! I'll have to make a few substitutions, but I'm going to give this rotation a try mainly because I don't want to think about what I'm going to do each night :p!

Stayed up too late last night watching the season premier of Downton Abbey. I need some coffee right now ;)! Today is my first day back to work in 2 weeks, so I am very busy...which is good! But I am feeling a bit tired...I'm usually asleep by 10 pm and up around 6 am everyday...it's weird how just an hour can throw you off.

HeartyMax, do you ever do any of Cathe's monthly rotations? I think they offer some great variety and mix things up a bit. My very first Cathe rotation was her 90 day LIS/STS combo. I used it to get familiar with STS and then did the STS 3.5 month rotation after that. It totally sold me on having a rotation of some kind to follow. I hope that this month gives me the boost I need! Like you, I got curious about everyone trying out different styles and instructors (that's how I found Cathe!); but I think at this stage in my life I have to be very careful about warm-up/cool-down and I need to respect my aging body! If I can get up to 25 good quality push-ups by the end of March, I'll be happy :).

Toni, glad the new P90X is working for you! It is great when you can sort of groove into a routine, isn't it? I am so glad I had the guts to give Cathe a try, I stayed with The Firm and Tracie Long way to long! I just never considered myself fit enough for Cathe. After my recent attempt to mix it up with a different style for 2 months (Bret Contreras), I've decided that Cathe is the one for me! I have a friend who feels that way about P90X (claims he's BFF with Tony!); so it just goes to show that everyone is unique ;)!

Jennifer, I do not miss shoveling snow!!!!!:rolleyes: I admit that I miss cross country skiing, though!:D

Caitlin, do you have the Xtrain DVDs? Xtrain Burn Sets has premixes for each upper body part that are 15 minutes each. You might want to check that out ;).

Tasha, SQUAT SQUAT SQUAT :p;):D!!!!!
 
OMG, IT'S SO COLD!!!!!!
I couldn't believe it when I got outside this morning! 5 degrees??? In the south :confused:??? YIKES!!!:eek: One of my SIL takes the bus to work up in Detroit. It was -14 at her bus stop with wind chill of -35!!!! Tasha, I hope you're wearing long underwear ;)!!!!

So my first day into Cathe's Metabolic Rotation and I already skipped something :eek:! I was WIPED OUT after Afterburn and decided I had had enough...so no Weights & Plates Abs for me! I may tack them on to tonight's GS Legs. Maybe. Probably not! :D

I'll check back later to see if anyone is checking in today!;)
 
It was so freaking cold this morning. Several schools closed or delay with many decisions being made the day before. I sure thought we would be closed with all the talk and concerns about frost bite and kids walking to school or at bus stop. I was wrong---- we opened on time. I stayed up to midnight watching the BCS football championship game so I slept til 6. No workout today.

Nancy----I have done some of Cathe's rotation. I had been doing her workouts a while before I actually followed a rotation. My favorite is STS 3 month rotation but its hard for me to stay focused that long...but I love the results. I like the slow and heavy but haven't done it in a while.

Toni-- It felt good to take on running but it was hard on body. I hate the cold so I haven't run since my 5K...LOL. Maybe again this spring.
 
Hi ladies!

I'm kicking off the new year strong :eek:. My w/o yesterday was:

1) 5x6R deadliifts @ 120lbs.

2) 5x6R chin-ups superset w/
5x6R barbell overhead presses @ 50lbs

3) used my squat rack and did BAND HIP THRUSTS :eek:. 3x25R!
OMG the burn, the burn!

Hearty
Bitterly cold here too. Bella's school been closed for 2 days now. I'm not good at conversion, but it's like -40c here with the wind chill :eek:.
Great w/o's to to start off the new year!
I will find the chicken recipe and post it later on in the day :).

Toni
WTG on starting off the new year with some new w/o's! It seems as though you are liking P90X3. I saw a thread over in OD and a lot of people were unhappy. I look forward to hearing more about them :).

Nancy
Starting off the new year strong as heck yourself :eek:. I'm not really surprised though because you are one
dedicated chica all year :).
Yes I will be squatting my butt off soon :p.
Long underwear? :eek: LOL. You know I don't wear underwear ;).

Jennifer
Shoveling IS indeed a w/o :eek:. When we had the house a few years back, we got killed with snow, and I used to shovel when Mark was at work. It works the entire body like no other! Just be sure to protect your back!
Sorry about being stuck at the airport overnight :(. I hope you caught up on your sleep.
BTW, I will post a pic of that roller thingy I got by the end of the day.


BBL! Have a great day ladies! STAY WARM.
 
I think I just had a mental break down. I did core only of HC followed by Super Cuts. WTH was I thinking. My core was screaming at the end. I can't even keep up with that last fast paced combo on a good day so I figured I would just watch Cathe and the crew do the sit ups and push ups.

After all these years of exercising, I still struggle with proper breathing, tightening the core without holding my breath.

Have a great day and I will check in later to see what's up with everyone.
 
Tasha---I see we were posting at the same time. Is there another word to describe you because you are beyond BEAST and WARRIOR!!! 120 pounds...wow! !
 
Hello to Hearty Max and all you wonderful people

I never do my abs per se as I have a bad back, and I don't do any kind of curls. I can do planks and I can also do sideways planks. Today I did HIIT Pyramid, and I admit I had to modify a bit, and I did my lower body. I did not feel like doing anything really long. I think tomorrow is kickboxing or step. I ended up with two Cathe Calendars so I put one in my bedroom and one in my living room. I am disappointed with the stickers as they are from 2007. Why doesn't Cathe make stickers for the later workouts? Basically, kickboxing does my abs, and I am lucky I am on the mesomorphic side.
 
Happy Hump Day!!

Today was HC V2. The rotation I'm doing has a lot of shoulder work. Even though I took a rest day yesterday, my shoulders are still somewhat tired. I had to rest because of that a little sooner than I normally would have. The good news is that even though my shoulders tired a little early today, I felt generally stronger in the workout. I think my nutrition changes are helping. I've been eating less empty calories and processed foods. I also started taking a multi-vitamin and I'm def feeling stronger and like I have more energy in my workouts. I was going to do my endurance spin workout tomorrow because it's a bit easier on the legs, but I think I can get away with doing Pedal Power because my legs don't feel like they need a rest day. Additionally, the TB Rush Fit workout I'm going to do Friday isn't overly taxing on the legs so I think it's going to work. We shall see.

HeartyMax
HC and SuperCuts??? That's impressive!! Especially if all you skipped was the last set of pushup/situps. SuperCuts has a lot of core work in it.

Tasha
I am loving P90X3!! The total body workouts really work the core well because almost all exercises are compound moves. When I bought it I had no intentions of doing a full 90 rotation of it, but I may actually do later this year. The 30 minute workouts are awesome and I'm loving the extra time I have to stretch afterwards. I think it's making a difference.

Nancy
I cannot imagine doing weights and plates after Afterburn. There is actually a lot of leg work in weights and plates once you put those ankle weights on and my legs are usually fried after Afterburn!! That entire January rotation looks like a BEAST though!! You are brave for trying it. Let us know how it goes :)

Catlin
HC has a lot of plank work. Actually it's mostly plank work. If you ever wanted to work your core without crunches, it might be something for you. I also feel like kickboxing is a good core workout. The three MMA workouts that Cathe has are really good for the core.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top