Results After 8 Wks of 9-Day-Week Rotation

S

Soosan

Cathlete
This past August I started a thread about trying to "fit it all in" when setting up a rotation, and how in order to include other types of exercise without spending hours a day working out, I was going to expand my "week" to 9 days. I said I would post the results when I finished the rotation.

This is basically what I did (sorry that I've posted this rotation a few times already but I've REALLY enjoyed it):

SUN: PUB + Yoga Stretch
MON: PLB + 10 min Pilates
TUE: Imax 1 or 2
WED: Power Yoga
THU: Pilates + KPC Cardio Conditioning Premix
FRI: ME + Yoga Stretch
SAT: Rest
SUN: Cardio (Step Works, Step Blast, Christi Taylor)
MON: Power Yoga

Here's what I've noticed:

- A significant increase in lower body strength and definition
- A slight increase in lower body endurance*
- A slight increase in upper body strength and endurance*
- An increase in cardio capacity
- An increase in flexibility (e.g., I can keep my chest on the floor for a longer time during a seated wide-angle forward bend)
- My teaser has markedly improved. (My birthday goal this year was to be able to do one - I reached this goal prior to this rotation but my form is MUCH better.)
- My butt is really facing north:) (all those leg presses in the Pyramids and ME)!
- Overall fat loss (good in my abs, bad everywhere else).
- Better ab definition (fat loss? Pilates?)
- Not sure about increased ab strength - I have good days and bad. Sometimes I do all of the pikes in PUB, sometimes not. My Pilates form has improved overall.
- The most significant benefit to me has been a HUGE increase in energy.

(*I'm an ecto/hard gainer, so these slight increases are better than usual for me.)

This is the first time I've really tried to vary intensity, mode and duration (instead of pushing harder and harder) and my body has really responded. My last day on this rotation is Wednesday. I'll take a rest day on Thursday and then I'll start the P90X classic rotation on Friday. I'm going to be a real geek and take pictures, measurements, test my fitness level, etc. Hopefully I won't burn out and will be able to maintain my energy level. (And how will I EVER be able to do a pull-up??? Not to mention all those push-ups!)
 
As I was looking for this post this morning, I realize I had inadvertantly put it in "Ask Cathe" rather than "Open Discussion." Sorry!
 
Nice going Sooooooooooooosan (13 O's, I remember)

The idea of expanding your week is novel. Your results were positive. Now tell me, I saw your yoga answer for "yoga add-ons", but what do you prefer for power yoga?

Was this rotation inspired by your trip to Germany and the extended time of pilates and yoga?

I like how you were able to fit in strength, cardio and flexability in your rotation. Thanks for sharing with the forum.

Judy
AKA likes2bfit
 
Yoohoo Soooosan!

Sooooosan, WOW, what a story -- I'm so inspired, girl! gif:7

Can I mention HOW inspiring? You brought me out of lurkdom! This is my first post in a LONG time -- I'm resurfacing after many weeks off, sad to confess, with only the most sporadic workouts and even very little online time. It's been a stressful few months. We've done a bunch of construction on our house which is exciting but overwhelming -- I've been the onsite supervisor every day and we lived here during construction. We did that once before when we renovated our upstairs and swore we'd move out when we renovated downstairs, but apparently renovation is like childbirth -- you don't REALLY remember it -- and we decided to stay here "since it was summer and wouldn't be too hard." Uh-huh. It's great, though, and just about finished (punch list phase). We're still moving furniture and our "stuff" back in to almost a whole floor of the house and when I say "we're still moving in", I mean mostly me, of course, since I'm Mom. ;-) Boxes galore in every room. I've had a couple of knock-you-to-your-knees sinus infections triggered by construction dust, and speaking of knees I've been battling a flare-up of crummy knees (no doubt from NOT working out). I'm got a long way to go to climb back to my former fit self and your rotation is such a wonderful format I may just have to modify it and use it!

Can I ask a couple of questions? First, what's a teaser and how did it improve? :) More important, what tapes or classes did you use for yoga and pilates?

You'll love the P90X classic rotation and I look forward to hearing how you progress on those pull ups. And hey, how ya doing these days on push ups? Lots of "big girls"??

Great job and can't wait to hear more!

http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0903/sport/sport-smiley-003.gif Kathy S.
 
Thanks for your post Susan. It's food for thought as I've been trying to develop a routine that includes a weekly Power Yoga class & 2 advanced pilates mat classes while still getting the traditional wt work in.

Congratulations on teaser. I still have to modify on some days, but those days that it comes together are great. Ditto for the pikes (or elephant as we call it in pilates).

I'm also curious (someone else asked) about what you're using for Power Yoga. Can't find anything like my live class. The instructor is a plank, push up fiend.

Debra
 
RE: Yoohoo Soooosan!

Hi Judy and Kathy! Thanks so much for your kind words -- you both made my day!:)

Judy, not only are you fit, it's obvious you've got a mind like a steel trap because you remembered the 13 O's. So many people write it with 12.:p

To answer your questions:

1. Power yoga videos I reach for again and again are:

a. Eoin Finn: POWER YOGA as well as POWER YOGA FOR HAPPINESS
b. Bryan Kest: 1995 POWER YOGA Series - Vols. 1-3
c. Rodney Yee: TOTAL BODY POWER YOGA (I think it's his newest. It's a bit slower than the above practices but his form is impeccable and the slower pace fits the bill from time to time.)
d. David Swenson: SHORT FORMS
e. Baron Baptiste: SOUL OF STRENGTH

2. This rotation was kind of inspired by my Germany trip in that I had SO much energy there which made me realize I was overdoing it and I would probably be fitter if I listened to my body more and didn't push and push and push. However, I'd been trying to fit in more yoga and Pilates for a long time but never seemed to be able to do it without working out more hours than I really wanted to.

3. I also like the amount of weight/cardio work in this rotation. Sometimes I would do a short Christi Taylor hi/lo on a PUB day if I was in the mood. If I do this rotation again, I might add another (shorter) upper body workout to see if I can increase my UB strength more significantly. I really have a tough time doing so.

Kathy, I'm so glad I inspired you out of lurkdom! I always enjoy reading your posts and I hope you get the time to post more when everything settles down at your house. I've been through it too and, it's true, you forget how hellaciously agonizing it is. It's going to be GREAT when it's done, though, and you're at the home stretch. (Just keep telling yourself that...)

Now, for your questions:

1. A teaser is a bit like a V sit-up. The way to do it is to lie down with your arms straight behind your head, raise your legs straight up, then lower them to 45 degrees without raising your lower back off the floor. Without moving your legs, you then raise your upper body so that you're balancing on your butt and your body is in the shape of a V. I think it improved by including more Pilates into my rotation; in other words, by just keeping at it (kind of like toe push-ups - you've got to do them to improve!). Another thing I did (don't laugh) was to practice them in bed. The give of the mattress made the move easier and helped me improve my form. After I did a few in bed, I moved immediately to the floor and was able to do them much better for some reason (muscle memory?).

2. For yoga, I used the DVD's listed above with add-ons mentioned in my other posts. Here's one: http://69.0.137.118/dc/dcboard.php?...ic_id=98236&mesg_id=98236&listing_type=search.

3. I'm looking forward to P90X but will be astounded if I can do an unassisted pull-up after 90 days. (I'll give it longer, though. It's my birthday goal for next year so I'll have until December 2005.) I can't get myself to work hard on improving my toe push-ups; they're still pretty weenie-ish. I'll see how I improve with P90X. How are yours?

Thanks again for your responses, J and K!

:)
 
RE: Yoohoo Soooosan!

Hey Soosan, thanks a MILLION -- not only for your kind and supportive words, but for all the wonderful info in this post and in the thread that you linked (wherein you linked other threads... ;-)). I've been collecting a few yoga tapes this year and although I'm a novice I really enjoy it and think it's helped so much with my flexibility (which isn't naturally good like yours.)

My pushups, you ask? Well, they were coming along nicely before this, er, setback. I'm back to all on the knees right now. But, as you say, the end is in sight and the house is going to be so refreshed and nice. (Now, if I could just figure out how to PAY for all this!!! :)

When's your birthday? How long ya got to learn that pullup, kiddo?

http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0903/sport/sport-smiley-003.gif Kathy S. http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0903/spezial/spudniks/spudniklifter.gif
 
Hey Susan!! Congratulations on your results and on your commitment to this rotation, it's inspiring :). Teasers are tough but you stuck with them, you are obviously tenacious so my bet is that before Christmas you will be posting a marked improvement in push ups and the dreaded pull up. Two things that tweaked my curiosity about your rotation are the HUGE increase in your energy level and the increased northern exposure of your butt, I could use some more of both of those;-). It's fabulous that you've discovered what a gem StepWorks is and are enjoying it so much, I think it's one of Cathe's best step workouts!!! Thanks for sharing your story!!

Take Care
Laurie
 
Susan you're pulling me out of somewhat of a lull as well. Thanks for taking the time to be so detailed as to your results of this 9 day rotation. I believe I have overcome my back difficulties by adding the P90X yoga one day a week. I have not tried any other yoga, can you tell me which would be somewhat like the P90X but possibly shorter? Also, what would you call the P90X's yoga style, power yoga, basic yoga????????? I am not interested in any "mystical junk" just interested in the "back benefits". You must have an incredible core after that rotation.

I want a detailed report of your P90X progress.....please ;-) ;-) ;-) . Pullups were bears for me in the beginning, but they are getting better. There is such a cool feeling when you pull your weight up to that bar and back down. (down being quite a bit easier than up x( ). I'm in my second "rotation" of the P90X, I still can't get enough of it. My back has finally "popped out" - lots more muscle definition....but I feel like my tush has gone south. I am trying to find a way to get in some more lower body work. I am the kind that tends to concentrate on "one aspect" while letting another fall to the side and P90X has definitely been for my upper body!!! I just picked up a bun and thigh rocker and I hope this will give me some results, I don't quite have the hang of it yet.

Kathy...hope your home is back to normal soon...you've got to be getting a workout with all that lifting!!

Briee
 
Thanks so much for your supporting words, everyone! They really mean a lot!:)

Kathy, my birthday is in December so I have 15 months to do an unassisted pull-up. Since I can pull myself about a 100th of the way up right now, this is going to be one of my more daunting birthday goals. (But then again, I NEVER thought I'd be able to do a teaser.) Oh, and I forgot to mention which Pilates DVD's I use. My current favorites are Hilary Burnett's Intermediate Pilates and Ana Caban's Intermediate. I think they're both excellent. I started out with Pilates for Dummies which is also very good.

Debra and Laurie, teasers are tough. Don't get me wrong, though, my form is NOT perfect. It's GREATLY improved, but still inconsistent.

Briee, it's great to hear from you! Congratulations on your buff back. I still can't believe you (my fellow ecto) can even DO a pull-up! And didn't I read you can do at least 3? That impresses the heck out of me! If you have any tips on how to improve, I'd love to hear them. Kathryn posted how her butt became smaller and flatter when she was doing the classic rotation so she added in some leg presses and (I think?) some other lower body work. I plan to add leg presses to my rotation as well so as not to lose any northern bound momentum:p . I'll let you know how I do with the routine. My core is improving slowly and steadily but it's still a tough area for me to strengthen. I haven't done Yoga X yet but I previewed a bit of it. The biggest difference I noticed between Yoga X and the power yoga DVD's I listed is the lack of flow (vinyasa) between the poses. I think my DVD's would make good substitutes. I'm not sure what you mean by "mystical junk," but the ones I've listed don't have chanting, and the "woo woo" factor (as it's called at VF) is pretty low. Brian Kest recently released his 1995 series onto DVD and, although the chaptering is nonexistent, you get 3 workouts (each around 50-55 min) and it's only $13.26 at DeepDiscount DVD (free shipping too): http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/search.cfm. Just don't be intimidated by some of the EXTREMELY flexible participants.
 
Sorry for the sarcastic generalizations. "Mystical junk".... meaning out of body experiences, woo woo's (interesting description), yingalings, although visions of squirrels I'll accept. And I don't want to see a guy wearing a tiny bikini.....that's almost as gross as wearing a poncho. Maybe what I'm looking for is "athletic yoga" although without seeing it I can't say if that's what I'm really looking for (I'm looking for a confused smiley guy, but there is no option for one ;( ). I'll check out your suggestions - thanks so much.

As for pullups, I've said it before....do those negative pullups as slow as you can. Start with your chin above the bar and lower down as slow as is humanly possible. I still do this on my last rep and I really think it does more good than a "toe on the chair" assisted pullup. I even try to hang right at that "sticking point" for extended periods of time just to strengthen my arms. Kind of like static bicep curls. I just found another pullup bar that fits in the door way (pressurized) at farm and fleet and I'm installing it in the door way of our school room and instituting the "do pullups on the hour" routine. I used to do this with pushups - everytime the clock chimes (we have quite an elaborate clock - you CAN'T miss the chime) you do as many pushups as possible. Then you forget them until the next chime and do them again. I'm hoping this will "UP" my number of reps over time.

So tell me.....did your 8 weeks of 9 day a week rotation take 72 days or 56 :p :p :p .

Briee

One more thing....what part of your workout do you think REALLY helped your northern facing tush????
 
If you don't mind a male squirrel in a tiny bikini, Rocky recommends "Yoga for Rodents." It does have a bit of "woo woo" (e.g., "Let your tail be one with the oak tree of life" as well as some acorn metaphors), but overall it's pretty athletic. You might have to modify "tree pose," which, as you can imagine, is different than the tree pose found in most videos.

Thanks for the pull-up tips. When you started doing pull-ups, did you do the upward movement with assistance and then slowly do the negative unassisted?

Pull-ups on the hour, huh? You are quite the dedicated exercise machine! I don't think I'm up for that kind of challenge.

I think my NFT is the result of all the leg presses in the PLB and ME. Those two workouts are very leg press heavy! I also think glute raises might be a factor.
 
What about a tiny bikini AND a poncho? Sooooooooooooosan, (now that I know there are thirteen o's, I can safely call you by your proper name, (if that is you proper name?) Anyway, I must oooooooooooooh and aaaaaaaaaaaaah over your ability to touch your chest to the floor. First,I am impressed you have one, ecto that you are. (You DO have one? Lucky!) I don't. I fake it. You'd think the weight of my mighty rib cage would send me careening toward the floor, but nope. Wide angle seated forward bend makes me cry. You can see I am seated but whether or not I am forward bending is difficult to dicern. And forget the wide angle part too. It's possibly worse than Hanumanasana (say that fast 3 times) because yoga instructors like it better than the splits, I guess, so it comes up with dismaying frequency. I can do full Lotus and Ghomukasana until the cows come home. In fact, I don't consider Ghomukasana an asana, it's the way I sit, but when it comes to forward bending with my legs at a wide angle, it's ugly and I don't see how it can ever be available to me and when we do it in class I look at the yogins who can do it and I stare longingly. And I boo the instructor. Silently. I may have to resort to having my adductors snipped if that's the only way to do it. What do you think?

I've been sort of blue since I went to my podiatrist to have the callous which developed over the scar from my Plantar Fasciotomy removed. It would rub on my orthotics, which I can't live (walk, run, step) without and it'd get tender and make me limp which would kill my hips and knees. She said she's removed it with liquid nitrogen but when I went to have it done, she told me I had clogged sweat ducts and she bored them out with some little tool and used a razor thingy to remove the callous and she went deep. It's healing from the outside in and very slowly and forget walking, let alone running. I call her Dr. De Sade these days. The scary thing is the scar/callous that is developing looks to be thicker than the original. No way am I going back to Dr. Razor Happy for this one! So I wait and it looks like it could be months and strength training and yoga are the only types of workouts I can do and, boy, do I need some endorphins about right now. But enough of the pity party. It's good to see you! How the heck has life been treating you?
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

- Mary Oliver
 
What about the tiny bikini AND poncho....is this what you've been wearing to the beach this summer Bobbi???? (inquiring minds want to know). HEY GIRL...major (((hugs))) to you and all that you're going through. And if I wasn't ROFLOL at your post I'd be feeling even MORE sorry for you:7 :7 :7 . What a time you've had with this foot thing. Your doctor sounds evil (okay most doctors sound evil to me) but this one sounds exceptionally evil - ouch!! When I delivered my second baby the doctor asked about an episiotomy and I told him I'd give him one if he gave me one....maybe you should take this approach with Dr. Sadistic - just a thought. I wonder if one can get endorphins via IV??? This is your time to develop that upper body big time. Are you alright doing lower body strength (after the foot has healed of course)??? I currently have skipped a lot of cardio to really throw myself into the P90X - I'm only doing it like 2 times per week. I hope to add some more intervals in, but I'm still trying to build muscle. I know you like to run, but for some reason you are being steered in another direction at this point. Try to hang in there and we will be here cheering you on. Hey...now you can really go all out on pullups }( }( }( ...you'll have us all whipped.

So do you two speak Yoga fluently? I am impressed to death that you can even spell those words up there (that's assuming you HAVE actually spelled them correctly). Now I know why Susan has so many ooooooooooooo's in her name - it's probably only been since you began yoga correct? And Bobbi I don't know about having the abductors snipped....seems kind of unnatural if you ask me (although I'm sure Dr S would be glad to assist - please don't ask her about this okay?).

I do believe I have more fun chatting with you two :) :) :) I'm not thrilled with squirrels in bikinis either Susan, but Buckingham had an "interesting" look on his face when he heard this - I think he ran to get his credit card.

Brieeeaaaaahhhhnnnnaaadaahhhnnaa (kind of has a nice ring to it eh?)
 
Bobbi!

I am sooooooooooooo sorry to hear your are still having problems. (Susan, I borrowed your 13 "o"s!) Boy, it sure has been a long haul for you. Ouch, your procedure sounds awful painful. I hope & pray that you are on your way back. Good for you for keeping up the strength & Yoga. BIG, BIG hugs 2 U~{{{Bobbi}}}
Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif[/img] If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
Bobbi, Rocky says the bikini/poncho look is real in for furry-tailed rodents this fall. Females wear a bikini top; males, of course, go bare-chested. He cautions, however, that the poncho must be one of those shorter kinds, preferably falling no lower than the belly button. (You probably didn't know Rocky had one -- pierced, no less.) And thank you for getting the 13 O's correct in my name. You really wouldn't believe how many people misspell it.

Funny how bodies are so different. My hip flexors are very flexible but full lotus kills my ankles and Ghomukasana (I had to look that up in my yoga book) is also difficult for me.

I'm so sorry about your foot! I would think that removing a callous with a razor WOULD cause it to come back thicker. What a mess! I hope at least that you're milking your immobility and that your family is waiting on you hand and foot. }( Maybe you should take Briee's advice and REALLY focus on upper body strength. If you do, though, I'll be the only ecto left:-( .

Briee, yes, Bobbi and I are fluent in yoga (aka Sanskrit) as well as in 67 other ancient languages. And you're very astute at surmising that this is the reason for all those 0's. Rocky is, of course, fluent in all the major (and a few minor) mammalian tongues. I think Brieeeeahhhhhhannnnnnnahhhhhaaaaa does have a nice ring to it. When you get more into yoga, maybe you can change it to "Brieeasana." What do you think?

I enjoy our conversations too!:) Sorry, Cathe, that we've digressed into all this silliness in the Ask Cathe forum.
 
Hi, Sooooooooooooosan, Brieeeaaaaahhhhnnnnaaaaaahhhnnaa and Debbbbbbbbbbbbbie or is t Deeeeeeeeeeeeebie? I was in such a snit yesterday! I know I am not going back to my petite, smiling podiatrist for this particular problem anytime soon! Or ever! Although, I'm sure if I mentioned the adductor thing she'd say, "I can fix that" as she whipped out her razor. The first time whe sliced off the callous was bad enough but the second time, aye, aye, ayeeeeeeeeeeeee! It was numbed and I met my neice for yoga as usual and didn't take a peek under the wrap until later in the evening and I am glad or I'd have fainted into Savansana! LOL! She removed the original callous, an area a bit larger than a dime, and went a few millimeters deep and I've was able to gross out all of my children and infuriate my husband who, relating this back to himself, says I am far too passive with everyone but him, buying from telemarketers and letting my doctor slice and dice me while always saying no to him????????????? She called me in for a culture, fearing a bacterial infection because I, of the high pain thresold, was in agony, and she not only cultured it, she sliced off the thickening edges a third time! I just about went through the back of the chair. Suffice to say, I am not going back for a fourth mutilation but I'm at a loss as to how to fix the cure. The wound is getting smaller but the edges are callousing with alarming thickness and I'm back where I started. I am going to let the wound heal completely and then deal with the callous but the how of it is the thing. Are there any holitic callous removing docs out there? The sad thing is the weather is gorgeous, perfect running weather and I see runners out there enjoying it and I want to run them down with my car AND STEAL THEIR FEET! Woe is me!

Regarding the bikini/poncho look, I opted for the poncho only and I am now banned from most of the beaches near my mother's home in Michigan. I may have gone too far with the handstand, Adho Mukha Vrsasana, with just the poncho and since I found it under a tree, near a pile of acorns of all things, well, it was too small to begin with. Not only was my face, red, so was eveything else!

The instructors insist on using Sanskrit in class so, because it's emabarrassing to peek around the class to see what asana everyone goes into, I've been trying to pick up as much as I can. Amazingly, a very fluent Yogin squirrel showed up at one of the classes and he's been tutoring me. There is nothing cuter than a squirrel in a unitard! His Sankrit is so perfect, I think he may have travelled to India to study with the a guru as I don't beleive squirrels are indigenous to that part of the world?

I appreciate all the well wishes and I am feeling much better today, reading all these posts. Heck, I was sidelined by PF for nine months and I will get this figured out and live to run another day. I need these suckers in good working order by the time the Hardcore gets here and I can't wait for the announcement that filming is going to begin.

So, what do you think? Booooooooooooobbie or Booooooooooooobless? You'd think with no cardio, I'd pack on a few LB's but I've lost 4 pounds and the second one fits. If this keeps up, I'll be a Pirate's dream as I have a sunken chest! LOL!




Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

- Mary Oliver
 
I'm sorry Susan I think I forgot to answer you. But the good news is I remembered :7 . When I started doing pullups I used a chair WAY out in front of me so just my toe would touch and then I would lower as slow as possible. We just got that bar installed in the school room door way and this has been the GREATEST addition. There is a pullup war going on in our household now. My nine year old is challenging me all through the day. I am not doing them every hour, just too much, but several times a day we are competing. FUN FUN FUN. My 14 year old son can't do as many as I can and is no longer too interested in trying (I think he's sore and he won't admit it), but my 11 year old daughter is outstanding. We're all getting a workout and having fun at the same time :7 :7 :7 . When I do them within my P90X workout, I do the first few unassisted and then put my toe on the chair for the remainder (I always go to 12, don't know why, it just seems like a nice number). The last one I lower as slow as possible.

Bobbi, what a painful, PAINFUL experience.....but I think it was poor judgement to wear a poncho to ANY public place and next time WEAR SUNCREEN girl. :7 :7 :7 :7 :7 :7 .

That foot doctor %##%$C@#$%^&* yikes. Your dh may be a little bit right....JUST SAY NO. Isn't there a way to laser treat your feet, the razor seems a little outdated. Hope you heal quickly, but of course this gives you another reason to say NO to your dh :eek: :eek: :eek: (ie sorry dear I have a footache ;( ;( ;( ).

Briee
 
Thanks, Briee! You sound like a great mother who has a lot of fun with her kids.

Bobbi, I'm glad you've been posting a lot lately. I love reading your posts. You've always got something nice to say about someone and I appreciate your knowledge when it comes to nutrition (as well as many other subjects). Now stay off of that foot and start defying your upper body ecto-ness!
 
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