Push It January 2014

SUPER QUICK POST:
Yes, the Black Bean Brownie recipe on the forum is FANTASTIC! A friend of mine made a batch and we were in heaven! So moist!
I've been having a great weekend with lots of walking, hiking, and Cathe! Made green smoothies everyday for lunch: Kale, strawberries, banana, Stonyfield Farm plain Greek yogurt, and Vitacost unflavored coconut water!!!! YUM!!!!! No added sweetener needed!
It will be tough going back to work tomorrow ;)!
 
Quick post here....

No workouts to report. My family and I went on a vacation from Friday to late Monday night. I did do a ton of walking on it and a little bit of jogging since I was always rushing around. I was still exhausted yesterday so I chose sleep over working out. Tonight I will restart STS.

I have some exciting news!!! I didn't mention it before in case my current employer stumbled on it but I was offered a new job on Friday afternoon!!! Hopefully the 60+ weeks are now a permanent thing of the past. It's a contract job which is a little scary but I think the change will be good.
 
Happy Wednesday!
So I realized I was off a day on my posts... Friday I slept late; everything has shifted a day. Anyway, yesterday (Tuesday) was Flex Train.

This morning was GS Back followed by 100-rep double arm rows and PRS2.

Tomorrow will be Strong Curves glutes for sure and probably the weights portion of BM2 or UB Pyramid Down premix.

Stacie,
Congratulations on the new job offer! I sincerely hope that life just keeps getting better and better for you.
Sounds like a tiring but wonderful holiday weekend!
Enjoy STS when you hit it again.

Nancy,
Sounds like you also had a wonderful holiday weekend, and the green smoothies sound fantastic. Thanks for the tip about the black bean brownies! That makes me more confident about the cake I'll make for Craig. I also stumbled across a frozen yogurt fruit cup recipe and I know he likes his ice cream so I may try those as well.

Heartymax,
Running is hard, but so is Cathe. Have DH share a workout session with you and then accuse him of lolly-gagging during his runs :D

Have a super awesome day!
 
How excited is everyone about the new series RIPPED with HIIT????? :eek:
I can't wait! I love that I can count on Cathe to keep me up to date with exercise science and keep me feeling great! Each series is better than the last one!
Tonight I'll be doing Pyramid Bonus Combo. I am still really sore in my chest from Monday's PUB so this should be interesting tonight! I am stuck at about 16 seconds with the Crow pose, but my form and general integrity with the move are improving.

Jennifer, the cake sounds like it will be great! I'm sure your DH is going to love not only this tasty treat, but the fact that you care about his heath, too ;)! Way to go with the workouts! I love the way Flextrain compliments other workouts! It is a sneaky upper body killer, too!

Stacie, congrats on the big job change! 60 hours is too much! I hope that this is a great fit tor you and gives you a chance to have a life outside of work!

HeartyMax, my DH is also a runner. I wish I could get him to embrace CONSISTENT weight training, but he just doesn't seem that interested in it. I don't run at all anymore (unless chased :p), so I guess it balances out for us!

I hope everyone has a great finish to the week! 2 days to go until the weekend; 4 until the PRE$ALE!!! :D
 
Stacie---Congrats on the new job. Change is exciting and scary and I know you will do well. Lowering the stress level alone will make you happy.

Nancy---I am super excited about the new series. I didn't order the last one but I will definitely get this one. I love how Cathe keeps us motivated and energized with something new.

Jennifer---DH did Xtrain Bi's and Tri's with me last year and he complained about his biceps for a week. I actually reminded him of that as he teased me the other day. BTW--I don't even recall it being burnsets and he was acting like a wimp.

Tuesday was Meso 2 back and biceps. I was planning to run Wednesday afternoon but my overall body still needed to recover from the run on Monday. I feel better this morning and just finished Meso 2 Legs doing double sets instead of triceps. I added on a few other exercises and got a good stretch.
 
Good morning! COMPLETELY STOKED ABOUT THE RIPPED WITH HIIT!

Thursday was various glutes (thrusts, back extensions, inverted rows, low-cable rows, elevated back seg split lunges, hip rotations, floor work from B&G, single leg dead lifts, and front/back fire walkers.

Friday was Yoga Max. I am very glad I finally learned to appreciate Yoga; I know it has made a difference. What I like about Cathe's yoga is that she holds the poses but no for so long that I get bored.

Saturday was GS Back (again) and Shoulders; + circuit set of inverted rows and high-cable rows, plus 100-rep double arm rows... this time I felt stronger. For good measure I added 3x10 hip thrusts and then a Low Max premix of intervals 4-7. I might do that one again really soon but just do the Blasts premix; that's 23-minutes according to the menu.

Also on Saturday I received the P90X3 set that Tinelle said she'd loan me - I'm so excited. I'm not sure which ones I'll try today but since I'm up so early and I expect to be able to try 2 workouts; Pilates-X and then Yoga-X.

Heartymax,
Now that you mention it I do remember you mentioned before about DH doing weights with you and complaining about it (being a whimp - that's funny :) )

You got that 1st run of the season out of the way so you should be good to go :)

Nancy
16 seconds! That's a huge deal! You will make it to 20 on your next try - I just have a feeling about that;)

I'm not familiar with the the Pyramid Bonus combo; maybe I'll need to look into that. I had planned to throw in a Pyramid Down premix at some point but I never ended up doing it.

Gotta run - I want to get going with my workouts and take the dogs for a walk. Might even make it to the early service today! Have a super-duper day!
 
Nancy---PUB down only premix is my favorite. I have never done the bonus segment so I am not sure about it either. Tell us about it. :D

DH and DS16 were in Pittsburg this weekend for his summer baseball league. DS12 and stayed here since he had 3 games this weekend. They won 2 of the 3 so it was nice. They won both by 1 point and the one they lost it was by 1 point so they were good games. I am happy the boys are now winning some games as their team has several new players and they are learning to play together where as most travel teams have been together for years. This is one of the things that I talked about in the very long post that I lost one day and didn't have time to retype. I remember when they won their first game weeks ago it was so exciting for the boys as they were having a hard time closing out their games. They will usually play 4 good innings and then make too many errors on inning 5 resulting in a loss. Most of the teams have been their caliber and a few way better than them so it's been a journey.

I took 2 person leave days off from work just for me. I don't have anything planned. I just wanted some time off. I got up and did a 2 mile run this morning. It was a short run but I just don't think my body can handle 3 miles right now. I felt too sore for a week after the run last week. I really enjoyed the fresh air outside. I probably should consider a walk some mornings too. It was so nice out at 5:30.

Jennifer---I tried to get in a good stretch after my run this morning so I hope my groin and hip flexor isn't too sore this week. I also know my overall body has to adjust back to running.
 
Hello June!!!! :D
Yesterday was supposed to be my rest day, but I had to take an unscheduled rest day on Saturday because the Pyramid Combo KICKED MY BUTT on Friday! Pyramid Combo is upper and lower body combined pyramiding UP only. It doesn't have the abs or leg floorwork. I used my 20# vest and lifted a very light barbell because my upper body was feeling tender :eek:. IT WAS TOUGH!!! I highly recommend this one if you want a total body workout!
Yesterday I did Flextrain. I haven't set up my June rotation yet, but I think this week will be Gym Styles, Cardio Leg Blast, and one of the X10 premixes. I'd like to go hiking this Sunday if the weather allows it! This weekend was STELLAR! Perfect temps and low humidity. Made me feel like I was back in MI instead of NC.
I preordered the Ripped series yesterday and am thinking of ways to get prepared for the challenge. I think I'll stick with undulating rotations and focus on not overeating. I also want to attempt the Party Rockin Step DVDs. I had a little bit of foot pain after doing LIS LIC, but I still want to get back to step...I was sweating like crazy and it was FUN!

HeartyMax, enjoy those personal days! I know what a luxury it must be for you! You give so much to your family and work...it's wise to indulge yourself every now and then!

Jennifer, I like Cathe's yoga DVDs too! I am not real flexible, but I try my best and enjoy the focus on breathing and relaxing. I need to do them more often. I used to do her extended stretch after every STS workout felt wonderful! It makes all the difference for me to stretch and foam-roll after working out! I don't think it's a good idea tho cheat yourself after working so hard ;)!

Stacie, have you started your new job yet? How is the STS going? Are you going to get the new series?

Well, time to get my Monday going here! Have a great workout today!
 
My enjoyed my time off. Did a little cleaning and let the windows up to get some fresh air in the house. Listened to some music and just enjoyed being off.
Monday was a 2 mile run. Tuesday was Meso 2 chest, shoulders and triceps and today was a 3 mile run. The run was easier than last week.
 
Hi Cathletes,
Hope all is well!

My dad's okay but I spent Thursday-Tuesday at the hospital (and of course a little bit of being at the office for work). He had GI bleeding from his lower small intestines. After all the testing the doctors still don't know what's up. Since the bleeding stopped and his blood work came back stable they let him go home but he's on a *no roughage* diet. He's taking it seriously which makes me happy :) He says he feels fine other than being a little tired so he is making sure he gets more rest. You may remember that he moved himself (no help from movers) from Montana back to Missouri and had to make 3 separate trips. Anyway, we had his dog while he was at the hospital and luckily his neighbor watched over his cat.

I did P90X3 Pilates and Yoga last Sunday; different for sure. Not thinking the Yoga is of any benefit since the poses aren't held long enough for any flexibility gains, it's more like a power yoga that just go though the moves. Not that it's not challenging but it's not what I prefer out of Yoga (now that I'm finally doing it regularly).

The Pilates was also challenging; non-traditional moves for sure, and the traditional moves had added challenges. I liked it.

Friday I did Eccentric Upper but I had to do it 2 times in a row in order to really feel *worked out.* 2 days later (today) I feel a little bit of DOMS in my lats. It was a well-balanced workout with unique moves and it had lots of pullups/chinups and pushups between triceps and biceps. I liked it but I didn't feel it as much as I do Gym Styles, Slow and Heavy, or Burnsets so I probably won't do that one again.

During the week I also did Strong Curves Glutes with the stability ball and floor work of Great Glutes, I also did Burnsets, 40/20 HiiT, Intensity with 3 risers, and Yoga Relax.

Today I was a little short on time but I did GS Back and Shoulders + 3 alternating sets of barbell hip thrusts and goblet squats.

I heard that the Supersets premix (double upper or super super sets or something like that) is really good and about an hour; I will give that one a try next week. That's a DVD I feel I've outgrown but I've never tried that premix.

Also, the Double Upper premix from Body Max 2 is good if you're looking for something different.

Tomorrow will be a rest day - I have to drive over 4 hours to Indiana for a work caucus. Luckily it's only for one night. I have to leave around 6am to get to Indy by 11 -- which is actually noon Indy time.

We have some squash growing out of their flowers; very glad for that. And we have a green tomato already!

Nancy,
Thanks for the tip about Pyramid Combo!

Glad your weekend was so awesome and the humidity was so low. I love low-humidity!

I haven't done the extended stretch from STS; I have M2 so I should at least try the stretch. I do think the Yoga has made a big difference for me and making time for the extended stretch would be a bonus for sure. I can tell you for sure that Yoga Max has helped my flexibility! I've improved a little bit on my balance.

I plan to order Pi-Yo from Beachbody when it comes out towards the end of June... still stoked about Cathe's Ripped with HiiT!

Heartymax,
Good deal that the next run felt better!

Glad to hear your days off were nice; you sure deserve them that's for sure. You are such a busy mom! I'm so impressed that you still make time for your workouts.

Glad baseball is going so well!

Stacie
'Sup? Anything new with anything?

Have a great evening/week; I best get... gotta get packed so I'm ready to hit the road at 6am.
 
Stopping in for a quick check in.

Nancy---Thank you so much for describing the bonus workout in the Pyramids. I did it today and it was great. I just always assumed it was about a 15 minute add on of some sort. Now this makes me wonder what else am I missing.
 
Sultry Southern Summertime has hit! Whew! It is humid! I really appreciate air conditioning these days!
This week I'm trying to pull off an intense upper body rotation:

Mon: XT Burn Sets: Chest, Back, Shoulders
Tues: XT Bis & Tris, Core#1
Wed: XT Legs
Thur: XT Chest, Back, Shoulders
Fri: XT Burn Sets Bis & Tris, Core#2
Sat: XT Cardio Leg Blast

I realized that there is very limited cardio...might try to add on an X10 segment or a Tabata interval tonight in place of the "on the knees" floor work.
I have a weird mini-water balloon on my kneecap (I posted about it on the Discussion Forum last week), and it is difficult to do anything on my knees...so it's been toe push-ups for me and no pizza presses ;) ! Dr. Google said I might have prepatellar bursitis. It does not hurt, though, and I can't imagine what I did to bring this on other than I knelt on the hard tile floor to pick something up that rolled under my desk the day I noticed my weird knee. My range of motion is fine and as I said, there is no pain. It's just squishy. It seems to be getting smaller, and another poster said she had the same thing and it went away on its own. So I'm hopeful :).
 
I really miss Natasha :(.
Is anyone still in contact with her? I just wonder if she is still kickin' butt with Nia?
 
Happy Sunday!

I'm still hammering away at my back; also doing something every day or 6 days a week. All is well so that's fine; nothing really new going on.

Yesterday (Saturday) was Burnsets and today was Body Max 2 minus upper body. In fact, during BM2 instead of the squats and lunges I did my usual lateral band walks and front/back band walks.

I haven't tried any more of P90X3 but I may try eccentric legs tomorrow in addition to Upper Body again (but non-X3).

As for premixes I've heard the Supersets Double Upper premix (or some sort of title like that). I may give that one a shot; I'll let you know when I do and what that's like. It's 60-minutes or so.

We have LOTS of yellow flowers on our squash plants and even have a couple flowers that have bloomed into small squash; I'm really excited because I love squash :) We also have some small green tomatoes.

My trip to Indianapolis was pretty uneventful except that the drive home was delayed by an hour and a half highway shut down because of a pretty bad accident obviously.

Nancy,
How is you knee balloon?

From the few times I've chatted with Tash via FB you bet she was still hammering away with Nia. It's been awhile so I don't recall her deadlift numbers specifically but they were might impressive! She's walking a lot (still).

Hope all is well and that everyone had a great weekend!
 
I just ate the most juicy sweet peach! Dripping down my chin and all over my hands! I love summer! My garden is growing great, too! Hoping to eat my first bell pepper of the season by next week!
My workouts have been going really well, too! On Sunday I did Yoga Relax and realized how stiff I've been feeling. I really need to open my hips up more! I found a crazy website called twofitmoms and those ladies are amazingly flexible and strong! This week is a mishmash of Pyramids, Tabatacise, Afterburn, and Flextrain. Jennifer, I will have to check out Supercuts Double Upper! I like the sound of it! I got inspired by Cathe's newsletter this week and feel like hitting it hard! My squishy knee is much smaller (virtually gone!). I accidentally knelt on it during Yoga Relax, but it didn't seem to matter.
I have to cut this short as work is calling but I wanted to at least check-in and post something! Hope everyone has a great workout today!
 
Nancy, those are the best peaches - the ones that you have to stand over the sink to eat:D

Congrats on your bell pepper! We have such bad luck with those; they look like small, deflated baseballs so we don't bother anymore. Do you have a secret tip about growing those?

It wasn't SuperCuts double upper premix, it is a SuperSets premix. I'll add that to my schedule for tomorrow and give you an update. I feel I've outgrown SuperSets/Push-Pull however I bet the double upper premix will be good :)

WTG on Yoga Relax, and I'm glad it didn't bother your knee... and that your knee balloon has gotten so much smaller!

Gotta run - Have an awesome day!
 
Nancy---being a southern country girl, I really miss all the fresh veggies. I love going home to GA and getting a good meal of veggies from my mom's garden. Summer means my favorite fruits too. A juicy peach sounds delicious.

Jennifer--I see you are kicking butt as usual with your workouts.

I can't remember how many workouts I got in last week---I think 3. I did a homemade mixture of squats, dips and a few other exercises this morning.

Tomorrow is the last day of school for students. I am happy as I can only imagine how the students feel just thinking how exhausted my boys are. I work until the end of the month but it's nice once kids and teachers leave.

Gotta run and sit in the humid hot weather for baseball.
 
Today was Burnsets for biceps and triceps and abs from HC volume 2.

Jennifer--are you going on the FL road trip. I remember you saying that you were thinking about signing up.

Boys got out of school yesterday. I work 11 months so I have to go through the end of the month.
 
Hello everyone....I'm back!!! Only going to be three workouts this week to report. Monday was FlexTrain, Tuesday was RF Abdominal Strength, and tomorrow will be legs. I'm thinking Legs and Glutes. I was on vacation in NYC last week, so no workouts. I like to start back slow after a vacation week. My body seems to need that. Next week will be a bit of a mess too. I have to work Saturday night, so a Sunday workout may be a no go depending on how much sleep I get. And I have to work again Wed night at midnight :mad: So it may be a three day workout week next week also, but I might be able to do four. We shall see.

I see everyone is doing awesome on their workouts!! After next week, I will have to figure out a July roataion for myself. It will likely involve HC. My core feels like it needs some work!!

Looking foward to catching up with everyone soon!!
 
HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SUMMER! :cool:
My kitty never lets me sleep in past 6:30 am so I was able to greet the Solstice at 6:31 am this morning! Had a nice breakfast, watered my outdoor plants, and went on a 90 minute walk before the sizzling temps kick in!

Had a bit of a set back with a vicious UTI this week (started on Monday, blood and pain :() , but I tried the raw apple cider vinegar cure and IT WORKED!!!!! No antibiotics to make me sick! I'm going to start each morning with a tablespoon of Braggs's Organic Raw Apple Cider vinegar in a glass of water for the rest of my life! It worked beautifully for clearing up my issues: I took 1T in a glass of water 3X per day for 3 days, then twice per day. I have test strips that helped confirm the diminishing bacteria. Everyday it got better. I want to test one more time before I reduce down to the 1X per day routine.

I had a Pyramid week and used my 20# vest along with a light barbell. I found that I could really work my legs hard because I wasn't straining to lift a heavy barbell over my head a bazillion times! Today will be Flextrain...my glutes and hammies feel pretty sore and tight, so I'll have to focus on stretching and really loosening up before I attempt it! I've been keeping up with my "crowing" but I only hold the pose for about 10 seconds. I try to do this 3X in a row. Sometimes I just am too wiped out after a workout to give it a go, so I don't do it everyday.

Well, I'm going to eat some lunch and read for a bit before my workout. We're planning on another walk around 9:00 pm tonight to celebrate the Summer Solstice...

Glad Toni is back!!!!! :D
Shouting out to Jennifer and HeartyMax!
Go EMBRACE the day!!!!!
 

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