Push It

[atompki1]

Today was D4(Chest, shoulders, biceps). This is def a step up from last week. Drop set pushups starting at 14??? She's killing me...LOL!! I find that I don't like the pushups on the ball. I'm not doing something right and I'm not getting good chest work. I think I'm just going to do them on the floor. I was able to do some of the straddle pushups today...even if it was only four I was trying to do bicep 21s with a 26# barbell, but I accidently put 31# on there. I did the 7 bottom half and the 7 top half before I realized my mistake. I was totally not going to make those 7 full range curls!! I change the weight quickly and finished. But this lets me know that I should probably got to 27# instead of 26#, which is cool.

Last night was Jasmine's cheerleading banquet. We were an hour late because I put the wrong time on my calander. BUT...I'm totally glad we were late. When I walked in I asked one of the dad's how long they had been there and he said...'it seems like we've been here forever already!!' That was just an hour in and it lasted like 3.5 hours Jazz was ready to go about about the 2 hour mark. It was fun to see all the girls dressed up though. They were really cute!!

And OMG the food It was sooooo good, but EVERYTHING was cooked in butter. You could just taste it. I lowered my portions, but I certainly had me some of that good food!!

Tasha
My heart rate goes up with heavy #s also. I'm totally excited for you with your BB program. I can't wait to see results. How is the repetition in terms of workouts with the program? I know with P90X he did the SAME leg, Yoga, and ploy routine for 12 weeks. Got totally boring. BB seems to have a little more variety?

HeartyMax
I really like the routines in STS abs. There are either 7 or 10. They range from 15-20 minutes and they are all very different. I like the HC, but subbing these in on days where my legs are tired or where my shoulders need extra rest is a really nice fit. And I'm totally not surprised your have sore abs today...hehe!!

TMJ
I think eating real food that is balanced is the way to go. And for me the most easily maintained lifestyle. I'm doing this now and its absolutely working. Scale has not moved(could care less about that part), but my body is being reshaped. Less leg and belly fat and I can see a little more definition in my arms. I'm going to try to go a little bit further and then I'm going to call it a wrap. At a certain point it just gets too hard to maintain for me.

Jennifer
Good luck with class!!

 

[heartymax]

Tasha--you are such a great mom! You always have fun things plan for Bella to keep her outside and moving around.

Toni-- trust me---drop sets are not welcomed with a smile over here either. They are no joke in Gym Styles either.

Today was a workout rest day. The joy of working out on Sunday is I can take a midweek day off which has been nice. I still had to do my planks. The first one was 2 minutes and I thought I was not going to make it. I took a short rest and then added on a 1 minute plank followed by 25 pushups on my toes.

 

[mini-natty]

Hi everyone

Yesterday was my rest day. I took a 1hr walk during the day, and then I did a 20min yoga/stretch routine by Jessica Smith in the evening before bed. How relaxing [ahhh]. It is done right by a pretty beach.

Toni
I'm also not a fan of push-ups on the ball. Did you try putting your calves on the ball, going further out? I find that if my hips/thighs are on the ball, I don't feel it as much. Also, you can try putting your feet on the high step (I'm doing this with BB).
Whenever I go to any type of buffet, I always have me some of this and that . I never deny myself tasty goodness . But ya, I do watch my portion intake just like you did.
The variety in BB is pretty good -- nothing like Cathe's, but I can't complain. There are 12 workouts...I think. There is only 1 cardio for the entire duration of the program. I would have liked at least 2 just to change it up a bit. However the cardio is so brutal, that the goal *I'm thinking* is to try and get better at it each week.

Heartmax
Thank you for the compliment . I try my best.
OMG planks & push-ups?! You are a rock star

Have a great day everyone

 

[atompki1]

Mornin'. I'm supposed to be working out right now. And I really tried, I PROMISE I did!!, but it just ain't happening today. My body is T.I.R.E.D!!! I think I'm still catching up on my sleep from my all nighter this past weekend. In addition, I ran out of my B complex vitamin and I haven't had it in almost a week. I can def feel a difference in my energy level. I did manage part of Ab circuits no equip abs and 1 combo from KickMax. That's all I got!!

Can someone please tell me why my oblique is sore after spinning I noticed that my hips were really used quite a bit, but I was not expecting this oblique soreness. Maybe it's from whatever core routine I did on Tuesday.

HeartyMax
25 toe pushups???? Nice job

Tasha
12 workouts doesn't seem bad. I'm still contemplating this one. But I want to see where STS gets me first. I don't really want a ton of muscle definition. While I think it looks great on women that want it, it's not really the look I'm after. For the most part when people look at me I want them to think...she works out!! To me that just means my body looks toned with as little cellulite as possible. BB might be more definition that I'd like. But we will see. I'm noticing that less fat on the arms really takes the look of my arms a long way. I'm able to see much more the the triceps development I have(which isn't much). I am also not sure I'm interested in eating as many calories that I would need to eat to gain more muscle. So much to consider

 

[toomuchjoy]

Hello!

Today was Cardio Leg Blast. Yikes! I was really sweating during it. I know that I won't be able to walk tomorrow. I tried to push myself with the weight selection too. I tend to underestimate what I can do.

I'm really working hard to do the rotation as written and not sub in favorites. If I have the workout, I'm doing it. Yesterday was Hard Strikes and I would usually think I'll do MMA Boxing - I like it better but I did HS. I'm super worried about Wed because it's 30:30 HiiT (or whatever). Eek! I'm going to try it and if its too high impact I will switch to AOLHI.

Thanks again for the advice on eats. I really want to get to a healthy place with food. Not eating packets. Not eating junk. Not bingeing. Just eating. I will always struggle but I really need to make peace with it all.

Toni: Sorry you're so tired. I think it's really good to listen to your body.

Natasha and Heartymax: I love your "rest" days.

Have a great day everyone!
TmJ

 

[Jenniferlove]

Hi!
I am baking cauliflower with chicken; it's all tossed with canola oil, some salt, pepper, and garlic. It's been baking for 30 minutes on 380 and isn't even close to being finished. I took off the foil and am hoping that helps it. Um, yeah, it's a new recipe.

Pilates went well but didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked; next week it will be better. It's certainly not a popular class - only 6 people compared to the 15-18 in Ripped! LOL!

Tomorrow is my glute workout C, the last one in the 4-week rotation. Then I move on to the next 4 weeks with different exercises. I haven't looked at them yet.

Today I did workout A followed by 40/20 Hiit. I am so ashamed (not really but kinda)... after 20 seconds into the last exercise (v-jumps onto the step) I just had to take a break. BIG mistake - there is no taking a break and going back into that torture so I just called it quits. On the other hand, I clearly was low on energy... Ripped, Pilates, and a Glute w/o all within 24 hours. So I'm okay with it but I will try to NEVER give up again. I'll pause it, reduce the risers, anything - but not quit ever again!

Stacie,
Is Tyler's cranky teach back in class? I hope she's feeling better and not giving Tyler a hard time.

TmJ,
You are absolutely right about making piece with your meals. I used to struggle with eating habits, too, so I can relate to what you're saying.

As for Drill Max, I think that can be subbed with any of the Circuit-style workouts. HiiT 30/30 is a good one, you may want to try the Pyramid one since I think it easier to modify for low impact purposes.

Heartymax,
I can't imagine why your abs were so sore WTG on hanging in there with those planks!

Toni,
Glad you were able to take a real rest day and nix the working gig today.
I am glad that Jasmine's cheerleading banquet worked out so well and that you enjoyed smaller portions of really good food.

Nice job on the biceps barbell!

Tash,
Quite a while ago you asked about the difference between the turbo tower and an actual pull-up bar. I meant to comment on that a while back and I have no idea what made me think of it after all this time. Did anyone else answer you? I'm curious to hear what someone else(s) thinks. I've only tried a handful of times on each device. It is SO MUCH harder on the TT. My guess is because - in my experience - on the TT you are at a dead hang (because it's too low to the ground). On the Pullup bar you *only* have to pull up your body but from a standing position which is much easier than from a dead hang with the legs crossed or extended.

Gonna get - time to enjoy a glass of wine on the patio before dinner while the weather is nice. I feel like some hugs, so HUGS!

 

[heartymax]

TGIF The weather has been in the 60's and cloudy most of the week. Looking forward to some sunshine this weekend.

Jennifer---- I definitely can't talk about you in 40/20. I always tell everyone that my 40/20 workout is basically 30/30. I hope your new recipe turned out okay.

I did a 2minute plank and 1 minute plank followed by STS Meso 2 legs this morning. My plank was supposed to be 2 minutes and 15 seconds today but I just couldn't get that extra 15 seconds out. At the end of the 30 day challenge (which I started at day 10) I am supposed to be at a 3 minute plank. I don't see it happening but I will see how it goes. Anyway, I do try to do more than one set also even though I know my second set won't be as long.

DH has been getting in a few workouts this week. He told me the other night that he has to get it together because this guy saw my picture in DH office and said "your wife is hot". I nearly cracked up.

 

[mini-natty]

Yesterday's w/o was Bulk Chest. I really wanted to up my weight #'s for this w/o so I busted out my barbell for the presses . For the progressive set, Sagi does a pyramid up/down 15R, 12R, 8R, 8R, 12R, 15R. By the time I got up to the 8R, I could only lift 3R . I was totally spent. Thank goodness he gives you about a 1min break before going back down (starting at 8R again). For some reason, I feel like a champ when I work chest. Must be the feeling of pressing heavy #'s or something .

So was tempted to do something yesterday. I've really worked so hard to build up my heart stamina with hiit/tabata cardio -- I really don't want to lose that! So I wanted to see if it was still "up to par"...enter CF Triple Tabata premix. For the low impact Tabata, I subbed jump rope (with an actual rope!) while Cathe was doing the disc jacks -- definitely harder that way. Yup, I still got it . I think it's because I'm still doing the 1X hiit workout/week with BB. They say hiit/tabata is a good cardio of choice while you are building muscle, so hopefully I didn't screw anything up by doing CF .

TMJ
I think you can totally rock 30/30! Don't be afraid to take breaks and modify. Actually, I don't find that one as high impact as the others.
I understand about the eating. Although I have never been on any specific "diet", in my early 20's I remember cutting my calories drastically to try and lose weight. Although I ate small portions of all the food I loved, it was still a bit drastic, I think. I wish you lots of support {{{hugs}}}.

Jennifer
I just made baked cauliflower (no chicken) in the oven not too long ago and it was a huge hit with everyone! How did yours turn out?
I'm sure pilates will continue to get better. I can see you being such a good instructor . I would totally suck at pilates and yoga because I just don't see myself as being graceful, fluid, or flexible .
Thanks for the tip about the TT! I just KNEW it was harder! Gotta get myself a chin-up bar then .
The last box jump on 40/20 just takes the cake! I recall being so spent by the end that I stopped early too. Don't be so hard on yourself .

Heartymax
It must have made your DH feel real good when someone complimented you . And you must have felt darn good too .
3min plank sounds crazy hard! I wonder how long mine would hold up?

Toni
I think we should try to obtain the look WE want for ourselves, you are right about that. And yes, building muscle requires so much food! I really think I have a hard time because I just don't eat that much. It's hard for me, such a small gal, to go over 2,000 cal/day, eating very healthy foods.
I love where you're going hiking! I just died when I saw those pics .

Have good one ladies!

 

[TRSTACIE]

Good morning everyone! It's been an awful past couple of days. The car died again -- this time the head gasket. After much debating and talking to the mechanics, I decided to fix it but financial planning for a new car definitely needs to happen. I actually even had to call in sick yesterday to get the car into the shop because it was overheating so badly that it took my 3 hours to get it to the shop. I would drive for less than 5 minutes and then have to wait 10 for it to cool down before continuing on again. As for workouts, last night was the first 3 rounds of TBT. We will finish off the last three 3 tonight and hopefully get legs in as well.

Toni
I hear you about being exhausted...all nighters are no fun at all. Hopefully, you were able to catch up some sleep!

It sounds like the girls had to dress up for the banquet? I bet they all looked really cute. Some of these extracurricular events do take a VERY long time. The blue & gold ceremony for the cub scouts takes over 3 hours!!!! It's hard to keep little boys entertained for that long.

Jennifer
The old teacher is back and they are already kinda going at it. The school counselor came up with a checkin chart for Tyler that the teacher is supposed to up date once a hour. The sub was excellent about filling it out and Tyler always got the highest mark he could on it. However, the old teacher hasn't been filling it out. They had tried the same thing at the beginning of the year and again the teacher didn't follow through. I need to bring it up to the school psychologist.

Baked cauliflower sounds super yummy! I have a recipe for mashed cauliflower that I have been meaning to try.

How was the Pilates class? (That was my original question until I saw you already answered it!). Sorry to hear the class wasn't as smooth as you wanted. Sometimes we are our own worst critics though. I bet no one even noticed anything was off. Smaller classes are sometimes better --you'll get to really connect with the attendees. I bet with you running it now, the size will increase in a couple weeks as well!

By the way, I forgot to thank you for the Costco workout capris recommendation awhile back. I bought a pair since they are out again and they are very comfy and they stayed on. Thanks again!

HeartyMax
What a great compliment from the coworker! That was nice of DH to pass it on as well!

TMJ
I think you'll do great on the 30/30! Just take the breaks as you need them and do any modifications you feel you need. Definitely let us know how it went!

Natasha
Great job keeping up with the workouts! I still haven't gotten the pull up bar -- probably this weekend. I will let you know if I think it's harder than on the TT. Of course, I am pretty certain they will assisted at first. This girl that lives in my apartment building (on the second floor no less), does them over the balcony in a bikini for some reason. My neighbor's sons absolutely go wild when they see that. It always stress me out though because I get so freak out that she is going to loose her grip and go tumbling over the balcony. Their balcony overlooks this tiered rock wall so she could die if that happened. I have no idea why they (her boyfriend does them too -- just wearing WAY more clothing) installed the bar so close to the edge. To each their own though!

Have a great day everyone! And if I don't hear from you, have a wonderful Mother's Day!

 

[atompki1]

TGIF!! Today was D6. Cathe is killing me with the leg conditioning drills after the regular workout She added ankle weights today These endurance workouts are TOUGH for me. Each individual move is in the doable range(I feel like my weights are spot on), but the pace...lordy lordy!! Today I rested between almost every move. My heart rate was just to high for to do the next move with good form a lot

I'm going to buy a weighted best this weekend. Holding those 20# dumbbells for the squats is killing me. I don't see the ability to be able to go up and I can't lift more than 40# over my head. I'm going to look into a vest that lets me go up to 40#. That would give me an 80# squat, which would seem to be more than enough for home use. If I want to do more than that I've feel more comfortable in the gym on a smith machine. Not sure I would get that far with STS, but seems like it should be enough.

Tasha
I'm totally excited about the hiking trip. I took the trip to Lake Tahoe in 2009 and it was so beautiful. During the trip I just kept thinking to myself...am I really here?!?! I'm hoping for the same feeling this year again.

Stacie
Sorry to hear about the car troubles. How aggravating Yes, the girls did dress up for the banquet. Think little cute Easter type dresses. Well except for the high school girls. More along the lines of risqué prom dresses Every year I'm amazed at the older girls dresses cause their parents are standing right there next to them.

Jennifer
Baked cauliflower and chicken...please tell me more. This sounds really good. Does it have cheese or rice?

TMJ
Glad you are trying out some of the other workouts. I'm sure some of them will also become favorites!!

 

[heartymax]

Toni---I have the 20lb weighted vest and I enjoy using it for the heavy leg workouts. I have 30lbs. dumbells and they are not friendly on the arms when I need them for squats so the vest does come in handy. One day I forgot how heavy my barbell was loaded and I couldn't the barbell down off my shoulders. I had to find a chair to sit and it work to get it off.

Tasha---That pyramid workout sounds tough, especially with heavy weights.

Stacie---sorry about the car trouble. I can imagine how frustrating that must be. Hope it works out.

Did everyone notice the step is on sale. I just told DH the other day that I was interested in a new step. The edge of the top of my step is starting to come up. I heard the Cathe step is more cushion and easier on the hands for when you do push ups off the step and for pivoting moves. It is on sale for $79.97 until Monday so I have some decisions to make. I have always wanted to have more risers so I can almost buy a new step for the price of buying 4 new risers.

This morning I did a 2 minute and 15 minute plank followed by 3 miles on the elliptical.

 

[atompki1]

I'm just popping in to report D6(legs) gave me some nice DOMS If this is what D6 does to me I don't even want to know what D9 will do

 

[Jenniferlove]

Happy Mother's Day to you all! I hope you get spoiled and pampered and everything else you want to enjoy your day

My mom and Craig's mom live out of state so we don't have plans; but, I'm subbing (pilates) tomorrow.

I just got a DVD that uses foam rollers; in case I haven't mentioned that before it really is my goal - to bring the challenge of foam rollers to class. Gotta keep it interesting!

I took a rest day yesterday - it was much needed. I thought about taking one today, too, but I decided to finish the 4-week rotation of Glutes. After that I re-fuled with some juice and hit Burnsets. Sure felt good!

Heartymax,
That is awesome - congrats on being the Hot wife! Glad to hear DH has done some more working out

Definitely go for the new step with new risers. Actually I recently purchased another High step and got 4 more risers which was extremely helpful when using the step as a bench.

You're doing great with those planks! For all the minutes you're holding the plank, you might want to try adding some movement - that is what's recommended in my Abs Revealed book. I'm not saying that, just telling you what the book says


Tash,
It is so awesome that you still rocked the CF triple Tabata! The HiiTs keep coming back on top. For a while there I was hearing more about steady-state cardio, but for us muscle-building chicks and for really wanting to shed fat in addition to building muscle then the Hiit is still *it*. Nice job! I am sure you didn't mess anything up. Bret says that HiiTs a couple tiems a week is fine - but I know his program is a lot different that Sagi's.

Speaking of (regarding HiiT), thanks for what you said, it's just that I know I have made it through all the last of the jumps in 40/20 so it's a little disappointing to not have been able to finish it. But, I'm over it

Glad your baked cauliflower was a hit! Mine, was, too, when it finally was done. It was such a nice change of pace, too! Tonight Craig is making dinner; soft tacos. Yum!

Stacie,
So sorry to hear about the car. It was really doing well for a while! Yep, sounds like it is time to start planning for another one. It might be worth it to keep the one you have as a back up - it might be worth more to do that than trade it in. Or maybe your nephew could borrow it!

I remember the Costco capris, and I'm so glad they are working out for you

I'm so glad Tyler is almost out of that woman's class. In fact, I hope she is able to retire soon.

Creamed cauliflower is awesome; I usually boil it, drain it, add some salt/pepper/butter and then use the hand mixer. It turns out so good! If you make it let me know how it turns out and if Tyler likes it! I'm guessing it's similar to the Mashed cauliflower you mentioned.

Nice job on TBT with your neighbor! I hope the 2nd part goes smoothly and you get to do legs, too.

Toni,
The baked cauliflower - all I did was cut the head into pieces, coated it evenly with canola oil, s&p, and garlic. Then I placed it on top of seasoned (with cumin) chicken breasts in a baking dish and covered with foil. I baked it on 380, and after 25 minutes I uncovered it and baked it for another 25 minutes. It was really good. I didn't add any rice or cheese but you certainly could!

Congrats on you successful D6! You'll be ready for D9 when it's time

TmJ,
YES - get the 12 pounders! Hope you are doing well!

Have a great night!

 

[mini-natty]

​

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO MY AWESOME LADIES!!!
Your kids (AND doggies, Jennifer) are very lucky to have such amazing mommies

On Friday Mark and I went out to lunch for Mother's Day. I WENT ALL OUT . We shared an appetizer w/baked goat cheese, roasted garlic, fig sauce, pita slices. I had this cinnamon Goldschlager Martini, but I think they skimped on the alcohol cuz' I didn't taste a damn thing . My main was an Asian salad w/flank steak and noodles. Mark and I shared dessert which was an apple crumble w/ice cream and caramel [oh heaven does exist]. All in all, it was a very tasty lunch . Since the restaurant we went to is in a mall, we walked around for about 1 1/2hrs afterwards so our food would go down. We were nice and full .

My w/o Fri was Bulk Legs and yesterday's was Bulk Arms. I can't believe I have already made it to week 5 without veering from the rotation! I'm def proud of me .

Stacie
I'm SO sorry to hear about the car . Cars are such a necessity, but a damn right pain in the rear sometimes .
OMG about the woman doing pull-ups on the balcony . Sorry, but she is a dumb-a** for doing that if there is even the slightest chance of her falling .
Sorry to hear about Tyler and the return-of-the-teacher-from-HELL. Thankfully there is only 2 months left.

Toni
I love all those leg conditioning drills in M1! They are brilliant AND a nice touch to the w/o's . Yes, D9 will kill you -- in a good way of course .
I have a 20lbs weighted vest and although I would have liked a 40lbs, it's such a pain to take on and off (quite heavy actually). I would recommend, if possible, for you to try on the vest at the store to see if it's a good fit. With mine, I bought it on-line, but regret it . Although it is the one Cathe uses, I just find it a bit awkward for my stature.

Heartymax
Did you get the step? What a great deal!

Jennifer
Glad to hear the cauliflower bake turned out to be a hit .
I still have not bought a foam roller . It sounds like it would really take out all the kinks in those tight/sore spots. I know I would love that .
How do you like working out with a written manual as opposed to a workout vid? The reason why I am asking is because Nia Shank's program is like that. I already bought it, so I might start it after my BB rotation.

TMJ
How is the book?

 

[TRSTACIE]

Happy Mother's Day everyone (and yes doggies DO count!)!!! I hope you are all having a great day!

Friday night was the first dog jog of the season! We had to a friend's house for dinner and lost track of time. We got back late but since I had to walk the dog anyway I decided to run part of it. It was super nice. What is it about running that just feels so good?

No workout last night because it was another late night. My mom, sister, and I had a girl's day out for Mother's Day. We had breakfast together and then went gambling. It was such a nice time! My sister even came back $140 richer!

Today my neighbor and I went out to breakfast and then did some shopping it was fun! I even got a cute new bathing suit. None of her kids had any plans to visit her (even though two of them live less than 5 miles away ) so at least we were able to go out for some mom's dad fun.


Toni
I completely agree with you about clothing for girls being pretty revealing! We went to JC Penny's today and a lot of the stuff for the teenagers was extremely revealing and didn't leave much to the imagination at all. I couldn't believe how short the shorts and skirts were as well. It's crazy how little clothes girls wear nowadays.

HeartyMax
That must have been really scary when the barbell incident happened. Thank goodness you were able to get out of it!

I did notice the sale price of the step! Will the coupons work on it as well? I didn't realize that hers was more cushioned which is good too know because push ups off my step are almost painful! I hear you about the want for more risers. I was actually thinking about getting another high step for the risers and then I would give the topper to my neighbor.

Jennifer
Great minds totally think alike! Keeping the car as a backup was definitely something I was thinking about it! The only problem is that I don't know where I would keep it since I have just a single garage and I would want to put the new car in there. I think it's a great idea though!

To be honest, I think the teacher should retire as well. She just seems very grouchy and impatient. The sub was just amazing...I was soooo sad to see her leave. I'm sure all the kids really miss her now.

Natasha
I have to say that I agree with your assessment of the pullups hanging off a balcony. It really doesn't seem like the smartest idea in the world. I have no clue why they didn't just get an over the door bar. It's really mind boggling what people do -- especially in this complex!

Great job keep up with BB!!!! Only one more week until my neighbor and I let our Inner Beasts Out! Lol!

Have a super, duper, and fantastic day today! You all desire it!

 

[Jenniferlove]

Warning you now, some grumbling going on over here. Sorry! But I hope you all had a GREAT day!

I'll agree that dogs do count - especially when they fight and get in trouble! Everyone is sore and bit up but they are okay. First incident was yesterday, not sure exactly what happened except that Dawn and Aurora got into it and Aurora's snout got bitten. It looked worse than it was because her snout is snow white and blood is deep red. Craig was there to break it up or I'm sure it would have been worse. Her nose is okay but I had to clean it and put on Neosporin.

Today Dawn and Whisper were running and barking at passers-by and he snapped at her (we didn't have him in his muzzle); turns out he didn't actually bite her but she bit his lip and made him bleed! Craziness! Now Dawn is limping. Geesh! Kids!

So...I ended up subbing Pilates this morning and am happy to say that I nailed the class this time Luckily Pilates isn't a sweat-fest so I only needed to change clothes and grab a snack bar and hit the road for church. My friend canceled lunch after church - she said it'd be too crowded because of it being Mother's day. Sigh. I think if she really wanted to meet then she would have.

It was a beautiful day so Craig and I walked the dogs. THEN I ended up spending 2 HOURS on the phone with Travelocity and Delta. I won't bore you with the details but I had to completely cancel my flight and re-book on a new carrier. Talk about Frustration! AND, now because it's so late into the booking season, the only flight available was FIRST CLASS! Plus now my mom and I won't be able to catch connecting flights together because my layover is in Denver (wish I could meet up with you, Stacie) instead of Minneapolis.

Ya' know, I am ever-so thankful that I have this gym job now. I really am going to need that money to pay off the balance of a 1st class ticket. Well, at least I'll get to experience how the other half lives Oh, and wouldn't you know it, the expense came up just after I spent $200 on a iPod speaker docking station (Bose).

Dinner tonight turned out really well tonight - threw some cooked chicken breast in the food processor to shred it, dumped it into a pan on the stove and mixed in black refried beans, chopped onions, peppers, seasonings until it was heated and the chicken was finished cooking; then I layered it between whole wheat soft tortillas in a 9x13 baking dish; then baked on 400 for 20 minutes. Oh yeah, I did add 2% shredded mild cheddar between the layers. It turned out really good! And it's nutritious!

No workout other than Pilates today. I have GOT to do some cardio tomorrow, and I start the next 4-week Glute rotation. Tomorrow after work I am meeting one of my friends at the gym; she needs some extra motivation to get some of her strength back so we'll do some upper body tomorrow. I'm taking the XTRAIN book with me

Tash,
It is nice working out to a book. His book is put together so well. I still have Pauline Nordin's Butt bible 2 (PDF format) but wasn't into it. Now, however, since Bret's book, I really do like it. I like his exercises, and I love being able to listen to my workout music which will be so much better once I get the iPod speaker doc. In fact, I may even go ahead and try doing Pauline's again just for variety later on down the road.

Let me know how it goes with Nia shank's workout! I don't know who she is but I think she has something to do with that Strong Girls video/post based on what someone wrote. Is that right?

Your Mother's day lunch sound awesome! goat cheese and fig sauce - YUM!
The martini sounds like it would have been really good

Stacie,
Sounds like you had a fantastic weekend! Lots of fun! So glad, too, because you deserve it. And so does your neighbor. Sorry her kids didn't come to see her Congrats to your sister! Did she say what she plans to do with her winnings? What games did you all play?

Glad you got to enjoy a bit of a run with the dog - I bet he loved it, too!

Could you keep the old car parked on the street?

Alright, I'm gonna read for a while and hit the sack.
Take care you fit and fab mothers!

 

[heartymax]

Jennifer---I hate the frustration of some customer service depts. I think your book is right about the movement which is what I get when doing HC. The regular planks are helping me get stronger which makes HC a little easier (if that is such a thing).

Stacie---It sounds like you and the neighbor have a pretty good relationship. I am sure she is very thankful for that. Sad that her kids didn't make time for her on Mother's Day.

Mother's Day was low key. We went to church and had dinner afterwards. We usually don't go out to dinner because it is so crowded on mother's day. DH had planned to cook a nice meal at home but we decided to go somewhere that we knew would not be crowded which was Chili's. It was a last minute thought after church and it was not crowded and we enjoyed our meal. I had shrimp tacos which were really good.

I did get in my Sunday workout yesterday so I doubled up today. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical followed by Meso 2 Chest, Shoulders and Triceps. I did some planks during the chest fly moves.

I gotta run. I have to have my son at school an hour early to leave for a field trip.

 

[mini-natty]

Hope everyone had a good day yesterday .

I already did a 5 mile Leslie walk today. Bella is so cute, she joined along . Tonight's w/o will be BB cardio + abs.

Super excited about the nice DOMS I got from Bulk Arms! I really pushed myself with bi's & tri's -- I know they need it! I feel like they are slowly but surely getting stronger, and I can see more muscle definition too .

Heartymax
Your Mother's Day sounded lovely . The simple things are always the best.

Jennifer
Fell free to vent anytime you want . Your day yesterday with the doggies sounded so stressful! I wonder what happened that they felt a need to be so aggressive with each other. Is this common with multiple dogs sharing the household?
Travel plans are always a time of stress I find -- especially when plan tickets are involved . I'm sorry things didn't go as smoothly as you would have liked them to.
Your meal sounded absolutely DELISH . I am def going to try that recipe!
Glad your Pilates class went better . Are the people who attend of all ages?

Stacie
Glad you had such a nice time on your gals day's out .
I have been doing some indoor jogging with Leslie & Jessica Smith. It's more like a walk/jog, but it still counts right? I was pleasantly surprised at how tough the jogging intervals are! Good for to get back into it.
Hope you and your neighbor enjoy BB as much as I do . The cardio w/o is damn-right BRUTAL -- sometimes tougher than 40/20. I really have to go to my "happy place" while doing it. I think you will both enjoy the weight-work tremendously. I'm getting definition that I never got with STS, which surprises me.

 

[atompki1]

It's Monday again What happened to the weekend?

Today was D8(back/triceps). I felt strong in the workout today. Probably cause the weights didn't increase this week I was able to get in 12 pull ups, which is an improvement for me. I hate tricep kickbacks with the band, but today they didn't seem nearly as bad. I'm hoping that means I'm getting stronger and holding the band in that awkward position is getting easier.

Yesterday was HC 101 Sept. She just about killed my quads with the one legged burpees. I think because my legs were still tired from the previous leg workout(two days ago!!). The good news is that my core was not my limitation in that workout. It was my quads for holding the planks that were more on one leg than two. If I had fresh legs I think I could have done almost all the reps

Tasha
I simply do not understand your love of DOMS I hate 'em even though I know they are necessary.

HeartyMax
I love Chili's. The cheese and bacon fries.....yummmmi!!

Jennifer
Your dogs were testy!! Are they usually like that or was that an off day for them?

Stacie
Glad you had a good time on Mother's Day. Sounds really nice.

 

[Jenniferlove]

Yesterday morning I did the new Glute workout; the exercises are much different and one of them will take me some time to get used to.
Since I only did 2 cardios last week I made myself do 40/20. I did all off the wide jumps at the end! I will admit, however, that I did go more slowly on a couple of the other exercises... obviously the butt kicks over the step but also the jumps over the step. I went hard (of course) and was still panting and almost gasping, but it helped for the end to just slow down.

Last night I met my friend (Brenda) at the gym and we worked Upper Body together. We had so much fun and helped push each other. She did a great job and lifted heavier than me on biceps! I think we're going to make it our new Monday thing

Toni,
Nice job on the pullups! That is fantastic! So glad you're getting stronger -- hard work pays off!

The dogs were having an off day, for sure, but having 3 of them created the "pack dynamic" and does create some challenges (I guess especially since they are not siblings). We started watching The Dog Whisperer When we went from 2 dogs to 3 (not on purpose) we noticed a LOT of changes in Whisper; and females, well, we all know what they can be like

Tash,
Glad you're enjoying some good DOMS! You are totally rockin' the inner Beast in you! Has Mark made any comments or noticed your definition?

I think it's awesome that Bella wants to do your workouts with you; she is just a doll!

The people who take pilates are all ages - and some of the women have been really heavy; I show the modifiers but the fact is that Pilates is just hard if the muscles are not used to moving; it's all in the powerhouse... abs, glutes, lower back, and hips. I never understood why I couldn't get rid of the saddle bags, actually, since I taught it for so long. However I really am *finally* shaping up. I needed the Butt Bible and the Glute workouts to really kick them into shape!

TmJ,
How did you feel after Burnsets? Are you going to get the 12-pounders?

Have an awesome day!