Push It

[atompki1]

Hello all!! I haven't worked out in three day Completely out of the norm for me. My eating is off, which means I'm not really eating much and my energy level is down. I hadn't taken the time to plan out a grocery list so I didn't really have the right food in the house. I'm getting back on track this weekend. Went to the grocery store yesterday, so this week should be much better

Today was HC 101 that used gliders and a mat. Super challenging!! I followed that up with the first two combos of MMA Kickboxing. That's all I had today I feel like I got a really good core workout in and some amount of cardio, so it's all good. Tomorrow will be ME - core + floor work from XT Legs. At least that's the plan. There isn't much inner and outer thigh in ME, so I wanted to add some to the rotation.

Jennifer
Congrats on the new phone!! The are very time consuming in the beginning Have you found any good apps?? Apps can be addictive. I don't have too many on my phone, they can get to be too much at times, but I love the ones that keep me organized. I just recently got something called Wunderlist(free!!). It's a todo type app. The coolest thing is that it syncs between ALL my devices(iPad, iPhone, and both Macs). I'm a sucker for apps that have all my info in all places There are some awesome news apps out there too. So much to choose from!!

Tasha
There is so much on the fitness market for us to spend our money on that we certainly have to be choosy with what we get and make sure it's what we think is best for our needs at the time!! I'm personally really drawn to some of the cardio that's coming out in the new workouts. I'm also interested to see what Cathe has come up with for the leg workouts. But honestly, I have no earthy idea how I would fit a split leg workout into a rotation. I can't figure out the split UB half the time

HeartyMax
I so wish I had the money to remodel my exercise room. It's a good size, but I'm very limited with what I can do in there because there is some duct work down the center of the ceiling. I loose too much height to do anything that brings me on a step or calls for jumping, which are half my workouts If I had the money, I'd have an HVAC guy come in and move the duct work around. But that type of project is WAY low on the priority list!!

 

[Jenniferlove]

Happy Sunday!
As planned I did STS Shoulders and Triceps; I enjoyed it! I have a question - does anyone's DVD start funky-freezing towards the end of disc 13? I wiped it off and hope it's okay because it's the one Cathe signed; I'm not going to return/exchange it. It certainly was annoying but I can deal with it, at least it was at the very end (the last set).

After that I did the first tri-set of Legs and then moved on to hip thrusts and firewalkers (front/back).

Tomorrow definitely is going to be some sort of Cardio. Intensity sounds really good!

Tash,
Congrats on going lower and heavier with your squats! Doesn't it just feel great to completely extend all the muscles in the mid-lower half?
Your workouts are sounding great!

Thank you for the link (deadlifts) - I definitely will watch it!

LOL! So many features, so little time, - so true! How do you like Cathe's Workout Manager? Do you track your workouts with it? I wonder if I might want to use that on my phone even though I track them on my calendar.

Toni,
HC 101 uses gliders and a Mat? That sounds interesting! HC and Boxing does sound like a great combination; nice job!

Your app sounds great! I don't have a lot of stuff to sync but I do want my music on it; there's an app for iTunes called Double Twist but I haven't downloaded that yet... and I don't know why I would need an app for that instead of just loading iTunes on the phone so I will need to look into that. I downloaded AndroidLost a couple free games but definitely need the Starbucks app There are tons of Workout apps, too, from what I've seen lately. Do you use any of those? I might have to finally check out Cathe's Workout Manager.

Have a super great day!

 

[heartymax]

Jennifer--I don't recall any of my STS disc freezing. I had that problem with one of Xtrain and it had to be replaced.

I got in a run with DH in the evening yesterday. This morning was Xtrain Burn Sets Bi's and Tri's and core 1. This really burns the biceps. I usually sub for the tricep push ups.

Gotta run---DS11 has baseball camp this week so it's almost like getting ready for school so I guess this is good practice.

 

[mini-natty]

Hey there ladies

My w/o today was as follows:

1) 5x6R sumo deadlifts (75lbs baby )

50R floor glute bridges (no rest - 30lbs. I went lighter because my legs & glutes were already fatigued)

2) 5x6R chin-ups superset w/
5x6R barbell overhead press

3) 2X10R barbell curls
2x10R scull crushers
2x10R upright rows

Jennifer
Sorry to hear about the DVD skipping/freezing . I don't recall if mine did, but I can check it out just to see.
I don't use the WO Manager. In fact, I don't use any of the apps on my phones. The only thing I really do is text and take pics .

Hearty
WTG on those runs w/hubby!

Toni
I hope you enjoy new DVD's! Did you get Pedal Power? I understand about it being a challenge to fit in split weight-work. I'm really loving the total body w/o's with Nia's program .


Have a rockin' day

 

[TRSTACIE]

Quick post....surgery is tomorrow. I'm a little nervous. I hope you all are doing well!

 

[heartymax]

Stacie--sending prayers of healing your way.

My dust offer for today was Kick Max. I am determined to use some of these DVDs I haven't done in a very very very long time or ever . I knew I wouldn't have time to do the leg conditioning drills but I finished everything else.

Have a great day ladies!

 

[Jenniferlove]

Good morning, Stacie - still praying for you
I skipped so I could get to work super early.

Humm... I thought I posted that yesterday I did 3 Cathe DVDs but I don't see my post. I did the floor/ankle weights section in B&G + the stability ball bonus (with the ankle weights!), + the firewalker section of Turbo Barre, and then + Step part of Intensity. It was great!

I also don't see the stuff I posted about my phone. Double Twist didn't work so as of now I don't have any iTunes in my phone. Luckily I have some regular mp3s from when I copied CDs to my PC so I have a nice music selection. I also was able to get the S&G download on it.

I wonder what happened to my post - but if any of the above is a repeat I apologize!

I bought Nia's Complete Badass program! Looking forward to getting into that but it will probably have to wait until the weekend.

Tash,
Way to go on those Nia workouts! As for your deadlifts, you have increased your weight by what... 40% or so?! That is aimazing! Your workouts sound so effective and straight forward. I agree with you, too, that splitting upper body work makes it hard to budget time; that's one reason why I've always preferred to not split it up. However now I'm okay with splitting up C/S/T since my back/biceps get a good workout several times a week due to glute training. So here's what I figured -- the B's... butt/back/biceps go together

I figure I can incorporate Nia's program into my glute and STS training. I'm very excited about this because your workouts sound so effective and straight-forward.

I haven't had a chance to check out the Deadlift link but I will!

Heartymax,
Kick Max?! Nice Job! That is a great/hard interval workout! How did you like it - did it bring back good memories?!
Hope you are enjoying your runs with the DH

Have an awesome day!

 

[atompki1]

Hello. Yesterday was ME - core. I did not add any floor work. My legs were already shaky from all those squats with the 40# BB, 25# lunges, and step ups. And I think she did some more legs too. I was done!! And I'm feeling it slightly today. Not specifically in the form of DOMS, but my legs feel fatigued. I made a feeble attempt to do Rythmic step today, but my legs were too tired. I only got in 20 minutes of it. My middle section is also still a bit tired from my previous HC workout. HC followed by ME is turning out to be quite the combination!! I'm either going to do a rest day following that combination next week or a simple endurance ride with very little resistance on the wheel. I need a cardio workout that lets me rest my UB and LB. Does that exists If it does, I don't think it's a Cathe workout!!

I think I'm going to like the rotation with 2 TB workouts + 2 HC. However, I don't think it will allow me to do much cardio. And certainly not intense cardio. Which I think I'm ok with for 4 weeks. I'm going to follow this rotation up with XTrain for 90 days I believe. I think Cathe's new DVDs will fit in nicely to that rotation and also a small bit of spinning. I was honestly not thrill with some of the cardio in XT, so I am hoping the new DVDs will fill the gap there. I'm also thinking that I will follow XTrain up with another round of STS. I'm hoping to get through all three meso cycles this time We shall see how that goes!!

Jennifer
Glad you were able to get some music to your phone. I'm pretty sure there is no way to get iTunes on an Android phone. I think Apple would fall over and die if that happened...hehe!! You can download iTunes to your desktop/laptop and buy music on iTunes that way if you like. You can download the stuff you purchase from iTunes(on desktop) as .mp3 files and just copy them to your phone. There are other way to buy music online with an Andriod phone, but I don't know what they are I do, however, know some Android geeks that would be happy tell me how to do it if your interested

HeartyMax
Those 10 drills in KickMax are super tough!! Glad you got through them. That's one that I haven't done in a while either.

Stacie
Hope things go smoothly tomorrow!!

Tasha
Is Nia's program a DVD or just a list of exercises? I can't do lists of exercises. I have no discipline when it comes to that

 

[heartymax]

Toni--last week was my first time doing ME and I know I couldn't add any floor work at the end. I was fried after that workout. Then again, it was my first time so my body was screaming. I understand what you mean about the cardio in Xtrain. All Out Low Hiit is definitely low impact and Tabatacise gets the heart rate up really good though. It would be nice to have a good ole step work out with fun music. I didn't pre-order the set but I will get the step workout DVD later.

Jennifer---I guess your post is out in cyberspace somewhere because we didn't get it . What a great combination you put together. There is an app called download mp3 that you can download music for free. A coworker told me about it. Ask around, there is a way to get your music on there like Toni said. Maybe a tech geek can show you. Let me know if you need me to ask my computer geek at work. He should be in the office today. I only have a few songs which are new ones that I added from the play store but when add more when I have time to check out the app that i told you about and figure out how to transfer my Itunes (which were not many). My family shared an account so most of the songs were not things I listened too.

Just finished Lower Body Blast. OH my---that floor work with the band is awesome. Pardon me if I take a rest day tomorrow as I am not sure if my legs will be a little shaky.

By the way, that is me in the pink top in the Cathe's article about kick boxing.

 

[mini-natty]

Stacie
Thinking of you. Hoping your surgery went well and that you are recovering ok.

My w/o yesterday was a 5 mile walk (to a new park/back). I like vising parks in the neighborhood that we've never been to. The weather has been very comfortable as well.

My w/o today was:

1) 5x6R barbell lunges
*firewalker's on my 2min breaks *

3x20R barbell hip thrusts with a 50lbs bar.

2) 5x6R push-ups w/a 12lbs vest superset w/
5x6R inverted rows w/a 12lbs vest

3) 3X planks

*optional 10min finisher*
Intensity high impact hiit (10min exactly!)

Just a note about my 10min "beach work" and "finishers". Those are optional at the end of each w/o. Beach work is considered isolation exercises and finishers can be any cardio of choice (preferably hiit/tabata/KB swings/sprints).

Toni
All Nia's programs are PDF files. No DVD's, sorry .

Hearty
You looked awesome in that kickbox pic!

Jennifer
I'm SO happy you got the program! Now we can do a *happy dance* of joy . Which program are you going to do?! Just be warned, this will probably be unlike any other program you have done so far. There are no isolation exercises (you have to add your own in the 10min beach-work finisher's). Now that I've wrapped my head around this training, I absolutely adore it. So much so that I can't foresee myself going back to a "bodybuilding-type" rotation. I'm all about those strength gains, baby .
Make sure to check out the link! The Strength Camp youtube channel has helped me tremendously with form and just weight training in general. I'm in love with Elliott .

 

[atompki1]

Hello all!! Today was HC V2. Wasn't bad. Added rest as needed again today.

Tasha
What would be an example of an 'isolation move'. I guess I don't understand the difference between Nia's program and a 'bodybuilding-type' program

HeartyMax
I love LBB!! I usually do it on a Friday, so that I can rest the next day!! That works the legs really well.

Stacie
Hope everything went well today!!

 

[mini-natty]

Hello all!! Today was HC V2. Wasn't bad. Added rest as needed again today.

Tasha
What would be an example of an 'isolation move'. I guess I don't understand the difference between Nia's program and a 'bodybuilding-type' program

HeartyMax
I love LBB!! I usually do it on a Friday, so that I can rest the next day!! That works the legs really well.

Stacie
Hope everything went well today!!

Toni
Here is a link to the BBA program: Beautiful Badass with GetDPD » Nia Shanks

info about isolation (aka beach work): Beach Work & Finishers - How to End Your Workout » Nia Shanks

Here is roughly what I'm doing:
Women's Beginner Strength Training Guide to Lift Like a Girl

Best Dang Workout Program Design to Build a Better Body & Be More Awesome » Nia Shanks

LOL, I know it's a lot of content but I posted the links just in case you wanted to know more about the program . IMO, excellent sources of info. All in all, Nia advocates training for mostly strength gains (low reps, high weight).

 

[TRSTACIE]

I'm alive! Surgery went ok. I was released from the hospital today. I'm pretty sore and swollen. Sorry for not keeping on the personals...I'll try to catch up soon.

 

[Jenniferlove]

Hi fit fabs,

Craig and I had dinner tonight at Red Lobster. I tried flounder for the first time; not as good as cod or tilapia IMO but it was okay. The biscuits are awesome as we all know; and I cut myself off at 2... same with my wine When we got home we took the dogs for a walk; it was a nice finisher to a very busy day.

Tuesday I took a rest day; Wednesday I did glutes - (warmup - clams), hip thrust, deep squats, back extensions, & cable rotations; I did 4x20-25 of each instead of my regular 3 sets. "workouts never get easier - you just get stronger" and that is the truth!

This morning was Afterburn and not just a premix for a change. It felt great!

My forearms are super sore; the 4 sets instead of 3 really got to me! My thighs and bum are a little sore. Having said that I feel a Kickbox workout coming on; I'll try the other Kelly Coffee Meyer workout wearing wrist weights.

I'm planning a rest day for Sunday and will finally be able to check out Nia's program

As for the phone, thank you for all your tips! I've not had a lot of time to mess around any more with it or the music (there are some good utube vids out there which is nice) yet but that's okay for now. I set a voice command to unlock my phone but it never wants to recognize my voice! What's up with that! When I manually unlock it the microphone icon turns on and asks me what I want to know (it's a trivia type thing). It's crazy!

Stacie - So glad you are okay! Keep getting better! Hugs Thank you for checking in and letting us know you are okay; we've all been thinking about you!

Heartymax,
I saw you instantly on the cover of the newsletter; very cool! You really are a cover girl

Of course you are pardoned after LBB

Toni,
Your rotation sounds great! 2 TB and 2 HC, you probably will end up getting your cardio during those workouts; I know how much I huff and puff lifting heavy weights and working hard!

I think that if you were really driven to a particular goal you definitely could do a workout from a PDF; it just has to be of enough interest. I tried the Butt Bible 2 which is a PDF and couldn't get into it. I didn't have a great source of music at the time, either, so that had to be part of it. But also, I think the difference with Strong Curves and why I'm enjoying that book program is because the presentation is nice; also, the variety of exercises and the structure of the program is wonderful. And let me just say that with all the glute work I've been doing my biceps and back are getting an awesome workout without me even trying to work them -- bonus!

Tash,
Your workouts sound great, and congrats on increasing your weight on the hip thrust! You are totally rockin' that vest, too I am really looking forward to talking about the program with you. I really appreciate all the links you post; thank you! I forgot to go back to the deadlift one but I will make a note to do it this weekend.

How did you like the park? 5 miles is great! Glad you're enjoying nice weather. I've been enjoying some cooler temps (80s) rather than the high 90s. I used to LOVE the heat; now I'm like "where's the a/c?!"

Okay, I'm pooped and have an early day tomorrow. Toodles!

 

[heartymax]

Friday was Super Cuts minus the fast paced sit ups/pushups at the end. I did a few push ups instead. I got in a morning run with DH today.

Stacie--hope you feel better.

Jennifer- I purchased the Red Lobster cheddar biscuit mix from Sams Club OMG---they are doggone good!!! I cooked some Sunday and my family loved them. They are just like the restaurant biscuits. I haven't been to Red Lobster in years so those biscuits brought back memories.

 

[heartymax]

Jennifer--I also asked the tech guy at work if he knew how to transfer the ituned music to android and he said he is trying to figure it out. I only have a few songs and they are new ones that I didnt have on my IPhone and I used google play store. I would prefer not to buy music that I already have so hopefully I will find out how to transfer the songs.

 

[mini-natty]

Hope everyone is having a nice w/e

Yesterday was my rest day, but you know I don't actually "rest" and do nothing . We spent a good 3hrs walking to a nearby trail, at the park, and then we went to Menchies afterwards .

My w/o on Friday was:

1) 5x6R squats

2) 80R floor glute bridges

3) 5x6R tricep push-ups superset w/
5x6R barbell underhand rows

*beach work*
a) 3x10R barbell curls
b) 3x10R scull crusher's
c) 3x10R upright rows

Stacie
Glad to hear the surgery went well. I hope you are not too sore and recover quickly. Don't worry about personals, just please keep us updated on your recovery .

Toni
I never answered your Q about the difference between bodybuilding vs a "strength" training program. With bodybuilding programs like Body Beast, STS (mostly Hypertrophy based programs) the volume is very high (lots of sets, lots of reps), the frequency is higher, there are more "split" days, rest intervals are shorter, isolation exercises like chest fly's, tricep kickbacks, curls, are always present and make up a good portion of the program. With Nia's program, and even a very popular program right now called 5x5 (I looked into that too ), the exercises are all compound, the volume is lower, rest intervals are longer because you are working with heavier #'s and need longer to recoup, set and reps are lower. And then there's this video that goes into more detail: Bodybuilding vs Strength Training (for looking good) - YouTube. I love Elliott. I could listen to him talk all day . HTH .

Jennifer
Last time I went to Red Lobster, I was preggo . I'm glad you and Craig had a great time .
It's true about getting stronger! I did all those tricep push-ups on my toes and was very proud of me .
Have you decided which program you are interested in? I started off with the Beginner one and added the "finisher's" and glute bridges/hip thrusts to it. I figured that I'm not an absolute beginner, but I have not really trained with the big lifts consistently. Just trying to master my form is hard enough .

Have a great day ladies!

 

[Jenniferlove]

Happy Sunday!

Apparently there is a program to remove the DMR from iTunes music which allows iTunes music to be moved to the phone; DMR is a permissions thing. I didn't buy it but the program is called Aimersoft Media Converter. It looked simple enough (and started out free) but then in order to be able to see my phone in the Devices I needed to upgrade the program which of course was $$ so I decided to skip it; I have my iPod and my iDock and an auxiliary cord for my car so I'm good to go in that regard.

I have my RT collage in place! I bought a 22x28 poster frame from Michaels (and adhesive tape), cropped and chopped and corner-rounded a bunch of pictures, organized them, chopped some more so they'd fit, and now I just have to apply the adhesive; that is for another day. Whew! Someone mentioned she had Walgreens make hers with a purple background which was a great idea (purple was the color scheme for this past RT). However, when I went to Walgreens I realized right away that I was going to need a much larger size than they offered. So I did it the old fashioned way. I can't even see the background even if it was purple!

Friday I did KCM Kickboxing w/o #1. It would have been a good workout if I could have gotten the choreography down. By the time I caught on to the move she was moving on to the next one. That is one way I can compare KCM to Cathe... Cathe takes more time to break down new moves. Anyway, no real workout for me *Tash* I thought of you because I thought you would really have fun with it and catch on quickly. I did like it, it will just take some time.

Saturday was a *rest* day (instead of Sunday), but it was a busy day of weeding for almost 2 hours and then running all kinds of errands. Our squash plant officially bit the dust (or dirt I should say) so I pulled it out. I can't believe how incredibly fast the weeds took over the garden! Hence the phrase, Grows Like a Weed.

This morning was M2 Chest/Triceps and I worked glutes; I also added some rear delt work (4x10).

Monday will be shoulders and Cardio Leg Blast.

Tash,
It's about 4pm now and I *finally* got a chance to sit with my PC so I will get to check out Nia's program!

Very true about your rest days, they definitely are not actual rest days. Even if you didn't walk being a mom still means you don't get rest days!

Very nice job on your program! Triceps pushups on your toes is awesome! You were slacking if you didn't wear your vest Totally kidding!

Heartymax,
You must have recovered from LBB fairly quickly since Supercuts and a Run were your next workouts. One rest day preceding those workouts is awesome!

I didn't know the RL cheddar biscuits mix was available! I'll have to search Costco and see if they have it. I won't get in the habit of making them but my dad is coming to town and it will be nice to have something different on the table

Toni,
I hope all is well!

Stacie,
I hope your recovery is going well!

Okay, I best get - have an awesome evening!

 

[mini-natty]

Hello everyone

Today Bella has a play-date with her 5yr old cousin. The little guy is such a champ -- he was diagnosed with Leukemia at 2yrs old and is going strong! He is just finishing up the last of his chemo treatments. We are very fortunate because we have a well renowned hospital in Toronto called Sick Kids. Children from all over the world with life threatening diseases are sent to that hospital for treatment. I thank my lucky stars every day Bella is healthy & happy.

My w/o yesterday was supposed to be a total body, but my upper body was just too sore and I had to pass. I did a LB w/o instead:

1) 5x10R goblet squats superset w/
1min KB swings

2) 3x10R, 1x20R stab ball back extensions superset w/
firewalker's

3) 3x10R split lunges superset w/
1min jump rope (with an actual rope)

3) 4x12R RDL

Jennifer
Please take a pic of the collage when you are done! I would love to see it.
Which KCM kickbox w/o do you have? I know she has a few. Bummer that she does not break down the moves like Cathe . Sorry your w/o sucked .
LOL, NO I did NOT wear the vest with those tri's push-ups . Hopefully soon I will be able to . Ya, I'm a total slacker .
How are you planning on incorporating Nia's program with STS and Brett's?

Have a great day

 

[Jenniferlove]

Good Morning!
I woke up with an awful headache; I didn't sleep well last night so I slept an hour later than I planned to. I always feel better after coffee and a workout so I pushed through and did Cardio Leg Blast but I had to skip shoulders because of my time limit. I will have to do shoulders tomorrow -- but I might do it in the format of a handstand pushup variety; possibly HS with shoulder conditioning drills.

Tash,
Your Lower body workout looks awesome! Nice job moving forward with LB to give your UP a much needed rest

30-Minutes to Fitness "Kickboxing" is the one I did; it has 2 workouts on it. The descritpion reads that it has "two energetic and effective workouts on one DVD. There are no complicated routines to learn, just unique and powerful combinations that are brought to you in drill-based formats that ensure results!" Well, I would hate to see what they consider complicated! It probably is just me, though. I know that I'm not very good at non-basic things But I know that if the combos repeated a few more times that would have really helped a LOT. But being a 30 minute program I guess she was pressed for time and wanted more content rather than a longer duration of less content.

I read through Nia's program and watched all the videos - they are great videos! I love how she shows the progressions, especially when she broke down the pushups and moved on to 1-arm pushups and progressions. I would not have put it together myself to go back to square one when starting a 1-arm pushup but it makes total sense! I plan to go with the GET STRONG program and do it once or twice a week; do STS C/S/T once a week and continue to train my glutes 4xweek; I also love Afterburn and HiiTs and of course lots of other workout DVDs and want to continue to enjoy those (that is fun for me!). I think that Cathe's, Bret's, and Nia's programs are all different from each other's and that they will work very well together. Nia's and Bret's programs may overlap a little bit so that could cut back on a specific glute day (which is awesome). What I have to do first is print the workout and really study it and figure out my rotation.

So, that is my plan and I'll have to see how it goes and where I need to make some changes - I definitely will keep you posted. I am glad you found another goodie and shared it with us! I am excited, especially since Nia's program is very functional with the weight exercises! We'll have to share w/o move experiences WooHoo

Ha! I was already thinking about taking a picture of the collage so I could share it with you all! I was all proud to show it to Craig and he looked at it for ONE second and made suggestions - good ones, I might add (how does he DO it?!). I took his advice and moved some things around but the moving around of pictures after I already had them in place and cropped to fit a particular way did create some white space between pictures; having said that the purple backgound would look very nice so I need to get some purple poster board from Target.

Gotta get to work; have a fantastic day!