Push It

[TRSTACIE]

Good morning ladies! The weekend was a busy one with karate testing and etc. I was only able to get in half of STS legs on Saturday morning and my legs are still sore today! Wow...my last rotation had almost zero legs in it and now I think I will paying the price for that. Oh well, DOMS is a good pain so I am just going to roll with it. It did affect this morning's dog jog. I was shooting for 2.3 miles today but ran out of steam at 1.9m.

Natty
I wish your family would be more supportive of you. I can only imagine how irritated it must be to feel made fun of for something that you are very passionate about. The ironic thing is that exercise is so good for you and not something crazy (like snorkeling with sharks or something) I can't believe that they won't show you an ounce of support. It's good you do it anyway -- especially for your daughter. She is learning great habits from her mom. Since you have been doing it for awhile now, do you think the perception is getting any better? I hope it is and that one day they will come around.

Heartmax
You are so organized -- I am horrible about advance packing. Well, advance anything! It's good to hear your enjoyed your rest days...sometimes our bodies just need an extra break.

Toni
I hope you will drink a mai tai for me!

Have a great day everyone!

 

[mini-natty]

Good morning

Yesterday I brought Bella over to my aunts house to play in the kiddie pool/sprinkler. She had a great time .

My workout was Tabata Inferno . That one is brutal. Totally brutal. That 20 sec work for 10 sec rest just destroys me. I'm not going to lie, Cathe's newest scares me just a tad. Hiit, Tabata, Intense Intervals, always have a huge dread factor. What I do like, is you get a smokin' cardio workout in only 30min. Like I said before, you just gotta "go to your happy place" .

Stacie
1.9m is still excellent IMO. I doubt I could even jog half of that . The fact that you are getting out there and doing it is a feat in itself.
Regarding my family, I doubt they will ever "come around". Weight training is just not accepted as something women should do. Women belong on treadmills . The truth is, my family is not educated in the benefits of weight training. I constantly preach about it, but they are skeptical. Even on my DH side, his mom and sister's only believe in "dieting" and probably walking, if that. I've rarely met people who lift weights. I do remember one lady I worked with, man she was STRONG. She went to the gym every day and oh boy, did it show! She would always challenge men to arm wrestles, and they COULD NOT take her down. I'm talking about big men here, no skinny light-weights. She was incredible .

Have a wonderful day

 

[mini-natty]

O-M-G

I'm getting winding just looking at those clips! Did you see those [insert F swear word here] tuck jumps & plie jacks w/the blue firewalker?????!!!!!!!! OHHHH NOOOOO.

I did D20 (legs) yesterday. Yup, need the vest. How the heck can you hold 25lbs+ dumbbells in your hand comfortably?? A few times, my grip got so bad I almost dropped the weights. The worst part is I could have went heavier with 10 reps. I just did not feel a thing . I'm not working up to my 75% max with squats and lunges. No DOMS either today . I would prefer the vest using my barbell to be honest. Heartymax & Stacie, did any of you do that for M2??

Have a great day!

 

[TRSTACIE]

Good morning! Monday night was supposed to be disc 4 of STS but my son put a halt to that. I made up the workout last night. Good grief there were a lot of pushups! I did have an enlightened moment though. Do you remember how I have been trying to figure out why some days I can do like ten pushups and the next like five? I realized last night that I am holding my breathing while doing them. I was so focused on form and depth that I wasn't breathing. Once I forced myself to breathing during each one they were much easier! I still hate straddle pushups though!

I am taking a day off from my dog jog...last night the car broke down and I did a ton of walking! I need the rest. I am still waiting to hear the verdict on the car. From Googling the symptoms, I don't think it will be that bad. We'll see though. It might be time to get a new one. This one has 227,000 miles. It's had a good run.

Natty
I still haven't tried out the Tabata workout -- or any of them from 90 Day Supreme. I keep meaning to but I feel I am always playing catch up with my rotation. I think of you every time I see the box and think I should do them. In all honestly, I have been feeling pretty wiped out with the dog jogs and STS.

Cathe's new workouts look very scary. Did you read the post in the forums about them where SNMVideos said that there are parts of them where Cathe is very quiet because her heart rate is spiked so much that she can't talk? That's when I really started to fear these workouts. If Cathe's heartrate is maxed out mine will be close to cardiac arrest during these. Holy moly!

I think I was doing less weight for the leg workouts in the Meso #2 than you are. I can't remember for sure since I didn't do a lot of the 1RM max tests for the leg workouts. I do know that I am having trouble holding onto the weights is Meso #1 already. I love my weighted vest and had it the entire time during STS. I do want to upgrade to a 20lb one but they are kinda pricey...especially since I only paid $10 or $20 for mine. I had a fun thought of duct taping the weights to my hands the other day.

Have a great day!

 

[mini-natty]

I just tried doing the plie jumps, air jacks & tuck jumps w/the blue firewalker for 20 sec. Ummm, holy [insert sweat word here]. No way, no way. I'll have to start out with pink and work my way up. That s**t is craaazzzyyy .

So I broke down and bought a Cathe Atlus weighted vest 12-20lbs from Wal-Mart.ca. Because I plan on doing Squat Rack, I needed one anyway. The vest is so versatile, and I see myself using it whenever I do a leg workout simply because I hate holding onto high #'s in dumbbells. Vest + barbell + Cathe leg workouts = . I can feel my legs burning already .

Stacie
Sorry to hear about all your car troubles. If you end up having to get a new/used one, seriously consider Honda. My entire family are big Honda fans, hardly any problems, and they are built to last. My aunts CRV went to Florida, Montreal like 5X, is 11 years old and still kickin' .
Interesting point about the breathing while doing push-ups. I have to make a note for next time.
The duct tapping weights thing was pretty funny . The things we think of to add more resistance to our workouts . I was considering using a knapsack as a weighted vest, throw a couple of my ankle weights in there . But then I thought, I already have back problems, do I want to be in a wheelchair by the time I'm 40?

Have a great day!

 

[Jenniferlove]

Hi Stacie and Tasha,

Hondas rock for sure -except I have heard that the 2012 Civic has some sort of issue, and Consumer Reports didn't give it the high ratings that it usually does. Anywho, Craig has 233,000 on his 1993 Civic and he STILL drives it everywhere. He did buy a newer one which just is more comfortable because the seats are newer and the a/c works so he takes that on road trips, but he still loves his '93; the a/c is out and the clutch went out once but what can one expect with a 19 year old car - much worse that that, for sure!
Now me, I absolutely love my Mazda3 iTouring sedan and the Mazda3s have been top rated by Consumer Reports for at least 6 years when I first got one. My new one is even better regarding gas mileage.

Stacie, whatever happens, I hope your car troubles are in the past very soon!

117 lbs or 70 lbs - those are incredible weights for rows! Wow, girl!

Tasha, I got an email of your posting and after I read it I immediately went to Cathe's website to check out the new video clip - I completely agree with your sentiments! Congrats on the new vest, too

My pushups are anywhere between 8 and 12 - but I think the last time I checked in my highest was 10 so I'm still improving. I think my shoulders and triceps are my weak links - the new video looks like it will help those muscle groups in particular.

By the way I mentioned a couple weeks ago doing the PUB but it was not; it was the Tri-Sets. Man, that just is awesomely engaging. I did High Reps on Sunday and it was not the kicker that it used to be for me - I think Tri-Sets really conditioned me very well. I am determined to get stronger!

I guess Heartymax and Toni are on vacation - jealous!

Take care and I hope to not be away so long next time. Have a great night!

 

[TRSTACIE]

Good afternoon! I got the car back...sigh...I don't want to talk about it. I am pretty certain I got taken for a ride. However, I need a car so I didn't have much of a choice!

Did you guys see the clip of the To The Max on Collage Video? It looks great and totally doable! CrossFire looks much scarier.

Natty
I had the laugh at the backpack comment...that's pretty funny. I know why you were thinking that though. Fitness stuff gets sooooo expensive! Enjoy your vest -- I am sure you will love it.

I have been a Subaru lover for a long time due to their handling capabilities in the snow. My car had been a pretty good car until the last 6 or 7 months. It is getting old though (it's a 2000 model and I bought it in the end of 1999). I have been wanting to get a small SUV for some time now though. Maybe it's time and the Honda CRV is rated pretty good. I was just looking at them!

Jennifer
I was so glad to hear from you! That's awesome that your husband has such a great car! I haven't tried Total Body Trisets yet but everyone seems to love it. The only complaint I have heard is regarding the music.

Well, it's back to the grind. Have a fanstastic day today everyone!

 

[mini-natty]

OMG the To The Max clip has me super stoked . I see all my favorite high impact/hiit moves with the step . I'm test driving that sucker out asap!

Today's workout was Intensity (step premix 30min. No hiits). My spare room where I exercise has no a/c . It went up to 114F here today with the humidity . Thankfully the rest of my home is cooled nicely.

Jennifer
It's so nice to have your check-in again. Did I mention you were super sweet? .
I am glad to see you're feeling better and able to keep up with your workouts . Tri-sets is no joke, very tough indeed. I love that it's joint friendly too, especially on the knee's I find.
Funny you mentioned push-ups, I have not done them since M1 (3 weeks ago). I'm getting stronger no doubt, but with push-ups once you stop doing them, you lose your power. I tried doing them the other day just to see where I was at . I barely knocked 15 down. So congrats, you're doing great!
Hope to hear from you again soon .
Stacie
Ugghh, that just irks me! I'm sorry to hear you got taken advantage of. Very common, not just amongst women either.
Yup, I think To The Max looks...ummm...less scarier?
Go relax, have a glass of wine, perhaps a cookie (lol ) and call it a night.

Have a good night ladies

 

[heartymax]

Natty- you are so right. I lose strength too when I stop doing pushups. You got enough practice in Meso 1 though. I have not seen the new workout clips. I didn't pre/order.

Jennifer- I don't leave until Sunday. I am sleeping a little later in the mornings since the boys are out of school and I don't always have time to squeeze in the morning post.

I took a day off to do some laundry and a few other things to get ready for my trip. I can't remember if I checked in earlier this week. I have done after burn, High Reps, Body Max 2 premix this week.

Hi Stacie! Enjoy your new car.

 

[heartymax]

Oh yeah----I did Muscle Max one day this week too. I guess the excitement of vacation has me distracted.

 

[TRSTACIE]

Good morning everyone! Last night I had to choose between cardio and weights due to time constraints and I surprised myself by choosing cardio! Last night my dog jog hit 2.25 miles which of course my little Nike+Ipod congratulated me on. That means I am going to have to figure out how to get STS legs in...I might break it down into two workouts and do half tonight and have Monday night. I feel like I am always playing catched up with my workouts. At least I am doing something though most nights!

Natty
I feel your pain too about the pushups -- it was super hard to do them with STS which is kinda funny since people say STS helps your push up count. I think the muscles get worked so hard that you really have plan ahead when you do them while doing STS.

HeartyMax
It's always so nice to hear from you. Glad to hear you are keeping up with the workouts -- the summer has been crazy for me too with my son being out of school. Enjoy your vacation!

Have a fantastic day everyone!

 

[atompki1]

I'm Back.....

Hello all, back from vacation!! We got back yesterday and we had a great time!! There was lots of rain, but that did not stop us from enjoying ourselves The food was excellent and I eat whatever I wanted. I was really surprise to see that I only gained 2 lbs last week.

I jumped right back into the workouts today with Low Max. My first STS workout is tomorrow...looking forward to that. I can definately tell I needed a rest week(no workouts last week at all). Low Max was extremely doable and I had full energy at the end of the workout. I even was able to do STS abs(no equip) with no problem(well except a few of the plank moves..lol). Totally looking forward to STS beginning tomorrow. I'm doing a weird schedule because of my vacations this summer. I'm going to do Meso 1 for seven weeks, then take a rest week(NYC baby!!). Then I'll decide if I want to do M2 for 4 or 8 weeks. I'm thinking 8 weeks as I really want to build my strength up in my upper body. We shall see.

My weight today is at 144 lbs, which is 4 lbs higher than I like. The funny thing is, it looks pretty good!! It's the muscle I'm sure. I'd still like to loose 4 lbs in the next 7 weeks. No serious dieting. Just STS and sensible eating. Slow and steady and no crazy calorie cutting.

I apologize for not going back and reading everything, but I have much laundry to do to get things back in order before work tomorrow. Hope everyone had a fab week

 

[mini-natty]

Hi everyone

I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend

Saturday's w/o was D19 (chest, shoulder's & tri's). Thank god for my weighted gloves! Those puppies really come in handy w/the 5% increase and DWL. You'd never think 1/2lbs or 1lbs could make a difference, but when you are fatigued, oh boy watch out! I'm happy to report bench pressing 50lbs . I tend to err on the extra side of caution with barbell bench presses though, afraid I won't be able to squeeze in that last rep, and then I'm screwed .

I feel very good and confident these days. I can see my hard work is starting to pay-off. If I could only clean up my diet even more, I'd know my body fat % would decrease, but I just don't have that much dedication. I would have to think twice about consuming a nice glass of wine tonight .

Today I bite the bullet and did 40/20 . I'm happy to report that workout DID NOT destroy me . I kept up pretty well with Cathe, using all the same step heights as hers too . I don't think I will ever do those butt kicks as fast as she does though . And the lateral jump over the step-topper just blows my mind . Super-human freak of nature!

Stacie
Your dog jogs sound like they are going so well! Kuddos to you for keeping up with them
How is your son doing BTW? I hope all is well.
Heartymax
I've cut my workouts from 6 days to 5 days and feel super great. Sometimes your body just needs the extra time to rejuvenate.
Did I mention I'm jealous of your vaca?
Toni
Welcome back!!! I'm glad you had a great time .
2lbs gained on a cruise is fantastic considering the average weight gain is something like 10lbs .
Congrats on starting STS too! I think you are gonna love it. With all the weight training you've been doing, I would say you are super prepared...maybe not for those 150 push-ups in D1 though .


Have a great evening folks!

 

[Jenniferlove]

Hello and Happy Sunday!
Yesterday we had a BBQ and everyone had a great time. We totally lucked out with the weather - the temperatures were in the low 90s and today it's about 100!

Over the last couple weeks I've focused less on cardio and more on strength in upper and lower body in addition to a circuit workout and a cardio workout.

This past week I've done High Reps, Low Impact Challenge, Turbo Barre, Intensity, Afterburn Express (32 mins, 1 rep of everything), and StepJumpPump which is a total blast of fun

Natty, wow - congrats on 2 things. First, that 40/20 didn't wipe you out too badly! That says a lot about your strength and endurance! I'm with ya' on the butt-kicks... Honestly I don't even try to go over the step; I just do them in place and try to keep up. Second - woo hoo! 50lb press! Smart to be careful - safe and effective and I'd say you are pressing very effective weights! LOL!
And I'm glad that your confidence is up and "you're lookin' so tough" (Kick Max).
Very true, use it or lose it regarding pushups - but it doesn't sound like you are suffering any weakness at all; seems odd, though, doesn't it?! Just not fair

Stacie, I agree with you completely - consistency is the important thing; sure, intensity and frequency, but definitely consistency! Glad you have a plan to finish Legs

Toni, welcome back! Sounds like your trip was great rain or shine. What a good feeling, too, to be back to full energy with your workouts.

I'm going to get back to reading my book - The Girl Who Played with Fire; it's the second book in the Dragon Tattoo trilogy. I might even finish the bottle of wine I started yesterday (Moscato).
Take care and enjoy the evening!

 

[TRSTACIE]

Good morning everyone! It's has been so hot here it's not even funny. Thank goodness Colorado doesn't get very humid or we would be dying. It was too hot to even take the dog to the dog park.

On Saturday I did Back & Triceps with my longest dog jog yet -- 2.5 miles! Of my Nike+Ipod congratulationed me...I love that thing! It's up there with my love for my step and turbo tower. This week I am shooting for 3 mile dog jogs.

Saturday night we went to a concert in the park with my neighbor and her son. It was a lot of fun. She is really nice and her son is a total goofball. He is 25 and he was really making us laugh. He gave me a compliment on my "guns" which was nice of him since he is in such good shape that he models for body building magazines.

Toni
Welcome back from your vacation! I bet it felt good to just relax for a change! Congratulations on starting STS too. The pushups in Meso #1 are killer. I am week three which I think has the most pushups (this is the closest face I could find to scared! )

Natty
Way to go on the bench presses! I can't believe you did 40/20 Hiit too with no problem. The Tabata workout are going to be a breeze for you while the rest of us are dying!

Thanks for asking about my son. He has been a little sick this summer. I think all the forest fires going on are playing havoc with his asthma. It's not bad bad -- he just has had cold symptoms almost all summer long. His reading is going well and he is making progress in everything. He moved up a level in Kumon and karate. In a couple of weeks he will move up in his swimming lessons too. How is Bella doing?

Jennifer
Your bbq sounds like so much fun! I've been wanting to read the Dragon Tatoo books for awhile now. They are ALWAYS checked out from the library though. I know there is a movie out but I always prefer to read the books first.

Have a great day everyone!

 

[atompki1]

Today was disc 1 of STS. Holy pushup!! Is she freaking kidding me??? I really think I need to do at least 5 pushups as a warmup. Every workout that Cathe does that starts with pushups I just feel like I'm not warm yet. Today I could hear my elbows cracking and popping on the first eight...LOL!! Other than that it wasn't too bad. All of my shoulder weights seem to be too high. I think I will lower them all by 1#. I can't get through the entire set for some of them and I want to be able to get through all of it. The bicep 21s with the 30# barbell was tough!! I had to rest a couple reps, but I don't want to lower that esp since I will be repeating W1 next week.

This is really going to be interesting increasing my weight every two weeks(and I can't imagine going up every week ). One thing I like is that I only have to live through one set for each exercise. That helps me to power through them as best as I can.

My abs are a bit sore from yesterday!! I really like the slow pace of STS Abs. I don't seem to have the endurance in my abs to keep up with the fast paced abs sets at times.

Natty - So glad to hear about your increased confidence and the results you are seeing!! Hoping to see the same in myself towards the end of STS.

Jennifer - Nice to hear about the BBQ!! I'm so looking forward to the 4th when I can have some BBQ of my own!!

 

[mini-natty]

Hello everyone

Yesterday Bella and I went to the mall for the unveiling of the new Disney Store. Wow! I really can feel the magic . I think I was more excited than she was . I've always been a sucker for Disney .

Yesterday's w/o was Rhythmic Step. Super fun .

Today will be my last legs disc of M2 ...with my new vest . Wish me luck! I'm hoping to really fry my legs & butt with the 5% increase .

Jennifer
You're doing wonderful with your workouts . I like the variety; you have a little bit of everything in there .
I've been wanting to read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series. I've seen the movie, and it was ok, but I love the whole idea. Very interesting.
What kind of wine is that? I'm loving Cono Sur lately (Chile) .
Stacie
2.5m jogs? C'mon really? I walk that sometimes, and I know how far that is. You jogging it is super impressive! Love it!
Congrats on the compliment...from a 25yr old male in good shape even! You must have felt great .
I doubt the Tabata will be a breeze, but thanks for the vote of confidence .
I'm sorry to hear about your son and his allergies . I'm glad to hear though that his reading is progressing along with Kumon and karate. I was in Tae Kwon Do for a few years in grade 3. It really builds confidence, discipline and self-esteem.
Toni
Congrats on getting through D1!! You'll do great, just hang in there. Strive for progress not perfection, I say .
Regarding the 5% increase, I have found that sometimes you can get there, but sometimes you just can't. Especially with your "weak muscles" which for me is triceps. My form suffers and so I always have to take it down a few. Just something to keep in mind.


Have a rockin' day folks!

 

[TRSTACIE]

Good afternoon everyone! I choose to not work out last night because I was feeling pretty headachy and very tired. Today I feel ready to tackle a dog jog and STS legs. The damn car is in the shop again (at least this time it was planned) to almost everything it needs finally finished. I was told about a month ago that the left rear wheel bearing was going bad. This past week the noise has greatly increased and I was nervous that it was to the point of failure. All I should have left now is that emissions sensor and hopefully the car will be good for awhile. Keep your fingers crossed everyone!

Toni
I too find that on occassion my 1RM tests were too high. I think it's a lot hard to lift those weights when you are in the middle of an intense program like STS. I know I vary up or down around 5% depending on how strong I feel that day. You never know...next week you might be able to do those shoulder exercises just fine.

Natty
Aww...thanks for the compliment. My neighbor's son was a little drunk too so who know what he might have said sober...lol!

BTW, I like the Disney store a lot too but I have had some bad experiences with the quality of some of the clothing. They do have really cute things though - especially the stuffed animals.

Have a wonderful day and I hope you are all staying cooler than I am!

 

[atompki1]

Hello, today was Ready, Set, Step, Go! by Kelly Coffey-Meyer. Love that one. It's very intense step routine. I've got my eye on another DVD of hers that combines step and kickbox..whoot whoot!! I totally have NO money right now though after vacation, so that will def have to wait!!

Oh, I also did STS Abs with Med ball. I did the partner moves without a partner as well as I could. My abs are still sore from Sunday!! We will see how they feel tomorrow

Tomorrow is STS M1 W1 D2!! Back and Tris!! My tris are pretty weak, so I'm interested to see how this will go. I need to preveiw the DVD so I can set up my 'stations' in my exercise room. I read where someone on the board had done this. I did it Monday and it worked our really well. I think I may need to use a band for chin ups. I have a weak wrist and the last time I tried to do chin ups it didn't really work. I could only do pull ups with my wrists facing away from me. We will see how tomorrow goes.

I am STARVING this week....LOL!! I'm not really counting calories right now, but my guess is I'm around 2000 or so. But I'm totally hungry. My stomach is growling, so I know it's not boredom or anything like that...LOL!! I've been eating healthy snacks when I get that hungry. I really need to research different foods that seems to fill me up. Right now what I'm eating just doesn't seem to last me at all. A work in progress....

Natty - They just closed the Disney store in our mall...boo!!!

Stacie - Jog plus STS legs???? Holy leg workout!! I think mine would fall off. It's great you can do that. I'd like my legs to build up that type of stamina!!

 

[mini-natty]

Toni
I have some snack idea's that might keep your hunger at bay...

-make a big batch of quinoa (stays in the fridge for 5-6 days). Add it to greek yogurt and fruit of choice .

-do you like protein powder? Add it to cooked steel cut oatmeal. Add 1 tbls of any nut butter and 1/2 banana. VERY tasty . Watch the portion/calorie content of this...it can get quite high.

-I make Bob Harper's protein pancakes. The recipe makes a pretty big batch so you can store in the fridge and pull out/heat very quickly. Let me know if you want the recipe.

-Dr.Oz's protein cookies are very tasty and filling. Here is the link:
Dr. Oz's Protein Cookies | The Dr. Oz Show

-Any whole wheat waffle (I like Nature's Path). In a separate bowl, mix ff ricotta, greek yogurt and stevia (this tastes kinda like whipped cream). Add to the top of 1 waffle w/some strawberries. A personal fav

Personally, I need my snacks to be filling, so to do this I include carbs, protein, fruit & some fats.

HTH!

Be back tomorrow to write responses! Have a good night ladies