Rotation Transition from Beginner to Intermediate

Linda,

Thanks for the update! Congratulations on 4 pounds - WOW! :D

I was glad to see the scale moving down as well - not so much; but, after 4 weeks of no movement - some movement was just great! :eek: "My Fitness Pal" has sure helped me in food journaling!

Biking is something I want to incorporate as soon as the weather cooperates. It has been pretty rainy here in Atlanta. Cathe's Week 2 of Intermediate (probably my week 4, 5, or 6 ;)) has biking/cycling - so, it may be just perfect to go for a ride.

Like your rotation of cardio, stretching, "phy," and weights. The circuit idea at the end of the week looks good as well. You and I are doing similar days - that is great! Please let me know how well Pyramid went. Are you doing the entire program? I am doing the premixes for this week and will decide what to do next week. My concern is that I really like cardio 5-6 days a week right now - so, full pyramid and cardio might be tough.

I did not get a chance to try Low Impact Circuit yesterday - took the day off. Had one of those "monthly" yuck days and my body protested. It turned out to be the right decision because I was strong today.

Will try Low Max tomorrow - let you know!

If you get a chance - message me about the "phy" stuff :D

Blessings,
Donna
 
Linda...congrats on the 4 lbs!! I also lost 4 lbs in January....3 lbs in the first 2 weeks, but only 1 lb total for the last 2 weeks. Donna, good job on your workouts!!

I'm kicking my rotations up a notch in February. January was my "get back into shape" month as I hadnt worked out since October and put on about 6 lbs. I'm still about 15 lbs from goal. I have to keep telling myself to stay consistent and be patient thru any plateaus and continually reassess! Easier said than done of course.

This month I'm alternating the Gym Style premixes for upper body and the next week doing the upper body workouts from Barry's Bootcamp original series. For cardio I'm going to do Cathe's new HiiT 30/30 once a week, and for other cardios reach for a workout that I usually dread b/c it's harder. We'll see how it goes! March I plan on doing STS Meso 2.
 
Stacy,

Thanks for the encouragement.

Reassessing and striving through plateaus is tough as you said. I spent all of October, November, and 1/2 of December with not a nudge on the scales. And, I was working harder than I had ever worked before! But, the beauty was in the the inch loss and the increase in strength. Now - the weight is starting to come off.

I expect several more plateaus to come. One thing I am finding out about my journey is that the weight gain was due to me being "detached" from my body and this health journey is a chance for me to get to know my body again. Plateaus are a way for me to figure out what my body is trying to tell me. Pretty heavy :p

Your guidance has been very valuable. I would have been in trouble if I had immediately jumped on Pyramid Upper/Lower without the premixes - thanks!

Could you tell me about HiiT (sp?)? What cardio do you do?

Blessings,
Donna
 
That's terrific! High 5's all-around!

I've got at least another 10 lbs to go, probably lose a little more, I'm sure I haven't been this active for a long time. My weight too, Stacy, goes up and down, I looked at the graph over the last few months and it looks like a bucket rolling down a hill, I gotta roll with it! I never lost that much in one month, it averages about 1/2 lb. a week.

Donna, glad you like LowMax, I'll be putting that back into my rotation, in a few weeks, I definitely got the calorie burn with that one, I haven't tried the LIC premix yet. Eating right helped me get back on track after the holidays.

I'll stick with the pyramids for two weeks, then go back to more cardio.:)

Have a Great Day
Linda
 
Weight loss is journey that's for sure. Donna....I know exactly what you mean about being in tune with one's own body. If I'm ravenous or especially tired I often ask "why", looking for the "deeper" answer besides the obvious I need more sleep etc.

As far as HiiT goes (High Intensity Interval Training), it's one of Cathe's newest STS cardio workouts. The 30/30 workout is basically 30 seconds of intense cardio followed by 30 seconds of catching your breath lol. She does 16 30/30 cycles...doesnt seem like much but I was sweating buckets! She has two more similar workouts on the disc I hope to aspire to.

Linda, thanks for mentioning Low Max. I'm going to have to pull that one off and dust it off. Other cardio I do is following the Couch25K running program on my treadmill (can be found online). I dont follow it to the letter. I use it as my base though and increase as they do when I feel I'm ready. I have knee issues so try to take it slower and listen to my body. So far I've been doing week 5 and zero knee pain!

Today is my "Free Friday" where I relax a bit on my diet. I need one day to keep me honest the other 6 days! Have a good weekend everyone!
 
Stacy (& Linda),

Couch25K - that is just what I was looking for - Stacy! Cathe states in each of her weeks during Intermediate and Beginner to walk/run. I did NOT have any idea how to structure that - this will be a great help.

HiiT sounds really fun! Not ready for it though! I am just getting used to the intervals of Low Impact Step and am being challenged with the intervals of LowMax - can't imagine how Low Impact Circuit will feel tomorrow.

LOVED Kick, Punch, Crunch today - did the whole 68 minutes this morning. It was funny to watch my body protest though. It kept saying "Hey - where is the step - I am used to that - hey why are you punching your arms - hey I don't like those front/back kicks!" I just kept pushing through. It was hard. But, achievable.

GOOD NEWS - went to the doctor today for a follow-up visit. In September 2009, I went in for what I thought was the flu - was told I had pneumonia and was at "stroke level" :eek: with blood pressure. Anyway - today was the follow-up for getting refills for the blood pressure medicine.

By their scales - I had lost 7 pounds! And, the numbers showed that I did NOT need medicine anymore. I am off blood pressure medicine. YEA! YEA! YEA! I had lost 24 inches as well.

They wanted to know what I was doing. I showed them my "workout" and measurement sheets - told them about Cathe and cooking good/healthy food. They were impressed.

Not bragging for myself - bragging that the simple formula for hard work and good food REALLY works.

Now - that's the results of just the Beginner Program - can't wait to see what happens after Intermediate.

Hope that brings a smile to your faces!

Blessings,
Donna
 
Hey.....you've earned the right to brag!!!!!!! That's such awesome news!! It's great to be off your meds. It's amazing how much bad eating/extra weight can do so much damage. Good nutrition is hands down THE best "medication" out there!

Good luck with the Couch25K program. I love it. I usually only do 2 workouts a week instead of 3. By week 5 the workout gets harder each workout day that week, but I've been sticking with day 1's workout of that week for awhile. I'll progress to the second workout of that week when I feel up to it. Taking it slow has really been great on my knees!

Now, time to shovel snow!!
 
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Stacy,

Thank you very much. I am very relieved and proud that I "stuck through" Beginner Rotation.

I will be slowing down "Couch" as well. I am not in a hurry!

Enjoy the snow - are you getting hit pretty hard? Not sure where you live; but, I know that Washington, Pennsylvania, etc. are getting the snow.

What a great way to burn some calories...

Donna
 
I'm gonna look at that couch25k, that's why I started some of my plyometrics, to get my knees used to more impact of jogging, thanks for info Stacy.

Donna, so great your off the meds! that's the real reason behind all of this, to get fit and stay that way! I wish my boyfriend could understand that, he seems to think he's always had high blood pressure & always will, my other friend that has high cholesterol thinks it's not as bad because her good cholesterol is high too, sorry I just don't get that arguement, I don't care who your doctor is. It all comes from the same place, it's the food, friends!;)

already working on March's rotation subbing the newer w/os for the beginner rotation schedule like this ( only one week on each, vs 3 of beg rot.)

beg = intermediate

BS =LIC (cardio premix)
Lower = PLB (up only when combined w/ step or other pyramid)
upper = PUB (up only when combined w/step or other pyramid)
BF =LIC (all)
Abs = Coremax or for me (CCKB a crunchless ab day)
TBstretch = stretchmax (am/pm stretch)
40 min walk = (1 hour indoor TM walk/ or walk video)
LIS = LowMax (step combo premix)
TBsculpt = Push/Pull or Supersets

It looks doable for me on paper, and I need a better foundation for interval work, I haven't done LIC cardio premix so I hope it's a good match there, I'll have two weeks of cardio heavier, weights lighter before I start it, just the opposite of what I'm doing right now. I thought the beginner rotation worked so well for me too, I thought I could just take it up a notch this way.

My boyfriend said "you like to know where you're going & why, don't you?" and I was like, yea, I do.":rolleyes:

this is snow blower weather! we've got loads!
Linda
 
Linda,

I really like your "Beginner = Intermediate" correlation. That helps alot. You have a great set of programs to develop your rotation. I will tell you that LIC cardio only may NOT give you enough cardio time - I am not sure because I did not time it; but, it seemed to go quickly for me. I wonder if there is a good "cardio only" program that is about 40 minutes that could take the place of Basic Step? Stacy? Ideas? I will check my stash of DVDs!

I updated Week 3 just a bit. Week 4 will start the transition from Cathe's Week 1 to Week 2.

Also - CAN I JUST SAY THAT I LOVE LOW IMPACT CIRCUIT! It was great fun this morning. Not to mention that a shower was quite mandatory after the workout :eek:

Have a great weekend -

Blessings,
Donna
 
For 40-ish minute Intermediate cardio options....check out Cathe's Step Jam. It's an older step workout but has easy choreography and is a good length. It's on Cathe's Classics dvd with 2 other cardio workouts. Her older Cardio Hits dvd has 3 good step routines, Step Works is my favorite. Another non-Cathe step workout that is longer but very doable is Gin Miller's Simply Step Classic Moves. And non-step is Ilaria's Powerstrike 5. It's kickboxing taught by a martial arts trained instructor. (Gin's and Ilaria's can be found on collagevideo.com)
 
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Donna, Stacy

thanks for asking/answering about the cardio, most of the programs for March I recorded from fit TV, Step Jam too, what can I say? :eek: I saw on your rotation Donna lot of Ab work, good for you, that's a tough for me (years ago, many years ago someone told me you could do abs everyday, I guess that's probably still true)

I probably won't be checking in quite as much, I've been spending a little too much time online and there's some other goals for this year I have yet to start. I'll probably come back from time to time to see how you all are doing, keep it up!

Thanks for info Stacy on those dvd, I've read quite a few reviews from CV and their catalog, impressive, like Cathe's collection, you can do just about anything.:)

Good Luck, and keep at it!
Linda
 
It's funny how this post has taken on a life of its own, lol! I understand about trying not to be online as often, certainly is addicting! I did Butts & Guts in its entirety omitting only 2 standing portions b/c I wanted to protect my knees. I will certainly be feeling this workout tomorrow or even later tonight! My goal is to do one thorough leg workout per week. I had alot of knee isses in the past and slowly shied away from doing leg work and as a result my legs have gotten weaker and I think in some ways caused more injury potential. The treadmill program is actually really helping to the point that I'm now even considering a full leg workout! I think not doing step as often as helped over the years too.

Check back when you can Linda and Donna hope you keep checking in too!
 
Hey!

Linda - you check in whenever you can - I plan on posting weekly rotations as I go through Intermediate. If you can check in once a week to give me some advice - I would appreciate it.

This thread has taken on a life of its own - and, I know that we all have a life to live. You both have been so helpful and I thank you so very much.

Stacy - keep checking in as well. Butts and Gutts sounds intimidating. I know I will need to go in that direction (lower body focus) in time. My goal is to lose about 20 pounds and start lower body work - that way I won't "blow out" my knees as well.

I sure felt KPC on Saturday - there is a muscle deep in the "behind" that decided to "wake up" and say "hello!" Don't think I have ever felt that before :eek:

My day off today - start back up tomorrow.

Blessings,
Donna
 
Thanks for the post "Wisp" - it's nice to see that the posts are helping others. I have been amazed at how much I have learned from Stacy and Linda. Can't imagine if others "chime in." The people on these forums are very supportive and helpful.

Just finished Body Fusion, Abs, and Yoga. So, my day is complete. Really enjoying this rotation - challenging - but, not overwhelming.

Stacy - I will be looking at your cardio options for Week 4 and for Week 2 of Cathe's intermediate. She calls for 2 days of either run/bike. The weather here is miserable - so, a cardio DVD may be a good option.

If anyone can look over Cathe's Week 2 Intermediate and give me some ideas on how this rotation works - I would appreciate it.

Blessings,
Donna
 
Hi Donna good job on the workout! I decided to take a rest day. I can barely sit down after that Butts & Guts workout yesterday! I looked over Cathe's Week 2 Intermediate rotation but not sure what your exact questions are but let me know and I'll be happy to chime in!
 
Hey Stacy - you caught me on the computer. They are calling for "SNOW" in Atlanta on Friday - had to check and see if they were bluffing.

Good to see you took the day off! I feel for your "backside" - I really do understand. I found that on Friday night (after really pushing it with KPC in the morning) - that standing was the best I could do...sitting on a cushy couch was out of the question. ;)

About Intermediate - just wanted you to look and see if you have any insights on the new DVDs being asked for. Off the bat:

1. Is Cross Train Kickbox like KPC?
2. What is replacing Pyramid Upper and Lower in this series of DVDs (i.e., strength training)?
3. Looks like 2 "circuit" days (Cardio and Weights + Body Fusion) - but not alot of step (just walk and bike) - as I said prior - I think I will probably add a step program in there for cardio.

Still have to preview the DVDs - so, I will see.

Thanks for continuing to check in - your conversations are important. No rush...

Donna
 
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Hi Donna! We got 10 inches of snow on Friday, another 6-8 inches expected tonight. I'm running out of areas to throw it when I shovel! Shoveling is good exercise though! Let me see what I can answer as far as the Intermediate rotation....

1. CTX Kickbox is about a 25-30 minute general kickboxing workout. It's fairly similar in style to KPC but I feel KPC is more thorough and of course, longer.

2. For strength training in week 2...Push Pull is a total body strength workout. I've never done Body Fusion so cant comment on that one, but Cardio & Weights has a decent amount of strength training in it.

3. For cardio....again cant comment on Body Fusion, but C&W is definitely an intermediate workout for cardio. Plus you'll be doing cardio on Tuesday and Sat. You could sub in one of the cardios I mentioned on Tuesday.

What Cathe and non-Cathe dvd workouts do you?? I might be able to help you choose which to use or suggest another purchase....I'm happy to help you spend money, hehe.
 
Stacy,

Thanks for the reply - BTW, Body Fusion is a beginner circuit workout. It has a warm-up, Cardio 1, Squat/Lunge with weights, Cardio 2, Lunge off step/bicep and leg lifts with weights, Cardio 3, Arm/Chest work with weights, stretch. It is a "mini-version" of Low Impact Circuit. I really like it - just the right amount of cardio/strength to start the week off.

You can click on my profile to see what Cathe DVDs I have. I have been getting them for the last 2 years when on sale as well as been given many from people who have passed them on to me. Other DVDs include: Turbo Jam (not the newest Chalean thing); Gillian (sp?) Shred, Frontside, Backside; Power90; Some Kathy Smith; Leslie Sansone; some The Firm stuff; T-Tapp...

I think that is it...love to hear your thoughts. Take your time.

Got elliptical, Pyramid Lower, Abs, and Stretches early in the morning...

Blessings,
Donna
 
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