STS Check In Disc 7....

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Carrie! So glad to hear you took full advantage of focus and organization this week. Also glad that you and DD are doing th med ball abs together

Good evening everyone! I finished Disc 7 and Med Ball Abs about an hour ago. I really liked the band work (incline hammer curls, bow and arrows). All of those push-ups were tough. I am still at a max of 10-12 on my toes. I modified where I could to knees or did them at a 30-45 degree angle on the steps.

I was much better organized for this workout and didn't have to pause the dvd at all. Before my workout, I wrote down what combination of weights, plate mates, and weighted gloves I would need to make the odd weights. It made the workout run much smoother. I have now done that with the next two workouts for this week.

I also did the med-ball workout (including partner with my 10 yo DD). That ab workout was a lot of fun. My DD wanted to do it again!

Carrie

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

I loved the incline bicep band curls. Those were terrific. And of course, the bow & arrow band pulls. Nice!

Ditto Sandra!

Woohoo! I'm so pleased to be able to say I've finished disc 7! When I saw that she'd put ALL the push ups into one workout, I figured we were in for a tough one! And it was tough! At the 2/3 mark I had started having to lower my weight amounts for many exercises, around the 10th rep. I guess that means I shouldn't increase my amounts to 70% next week, on those exercises, huh? Stay with the 65% until I can do all the reps?

The sequencing of the exercises in this workout really ups the prefatigue factor for the exercises at the end. I wasn't intimidated by the number of push ups (doing 3 rounds of P90X got me used to push ups!), but was surprised at how challenged I was by them. Excellent workout! I can't say I loved it....'cause it was hard! But I did benefit greatly from doing it.

I loved the incline bicep band curls. Those were terrific. And of course, the bow & arrow band pulls. Nice!

The medicine ball abs (non-partnered) were really neat. Not too bad at all for doing with a fatigued upper body.

I hope you're having a great workout right now Cathe!
Sandra

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Becky! Glad you felt it in biceps too.

I thought this one was really tough ! I think it was the bazillion pushups !!!!!!!!

I think my biceps felt it more this time !!

I'm LOVING all the bandwork !!!!

I did no equipment abs too because I didn't think I could HOLD any weights after that workout and then there were planks on the end !!!
I was doing Elmo planks !!!!!!!!!!!

Lovin' it !

Becky

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Way to go ASUDaizy, Laxlover, and Mary!

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Feel better soon Fitvix!

Ok, who ever said there were lots of pushups on disc 7 was right! I was like "what? More?!" I started out with them on my toes but half way through I had to drop to my knees for the rest of the workout. When Cathe said "ok, now 30 of them!" I just about puked. (ok, maybe not - but I was shaking!)

The elmo pushups that someone mentioned earlier weren't so bad - my wrists kind of hurt from doing them. They weren't anything new though - they are in some of Cathes other workouts I believe...

My head is stuff today so I didn't have the "full energy" that I usually have when working out. I did the best that I could though.

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

You got it Shadow. Keep shocking it!

Good morning, everyone !

I loved disc 7! Okay, not the pushups , but I really enjoyed the rest. It's wonderful to finally know what weights I need for which exercises so my entire effort is going into the workout with no distractions over anything else.

I'm still not getting a major case of DOMs but I can still feel that I was working it. Maybe that's the best result, huh ?

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Way to work Rose2boys,

You too Bev (btw, 6 inches of snow in S. Carolina )

Way to modify on those Elmo push ups Debbie. That's perfectly fine.

Good morning Cathe and everyone,

I did this workout yesterday. I could not do the Elmo push ups, so I put the ball against the couch and was able to do them that way. I was still shaking like Elmo. Haha!!

The only thing that I liked about the Push up Super sets was at the end, I was able to go to my workout card and tick a whole bunch off as completed. I did a few on my toes but did the majority of them on my knees.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!!!

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Sure Marnold!

Active recovery really doesn't have any hardcore do's/don'ts (other than don't continue to train hard with no time off). You can take a scenic walk in park (or visit long wood gardens if you live close), go can take your dog for an extended walk, you can take a gentle yoga class, you can visit an amuzement park and walk a lot and eat a little, go roller skating, ice skating, or go through some practice drills with your kids sports. Go hiking, do senic biking, or go to the YMCA for a leasurely swim. I hope these ideas are helpful.

Cathe,

Although DH and I are a little farther along then those on this thread (we just finished Mesocycle 1 yesterday), we would like to ask a question. We really appreciated your rotation for this cycle which included the cardio. Today is our rest day and the rest of this week is our activity recovery week. I know it sounds childish, but we feel a little lost without your input regarding what we should be doing during the active recovery. We realize we are not supposed to do any weights, but with the sheer volume of my Cathe collection (I have all of them) we have no idea what to do each day. Would you please advise us? We have had the best time with STS and your suggested cardio. Any help you could give us would be wonderful. THANKS!

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Check you out Heather! What a clever and creative idea. I'm glad you didn't give in and pushed through (of course if you truly know you can do it). You are doing great on the longer rotation, modifying wherever and whenever needed. I liked the same things you liked and yes, the green band is a new animal. I too had Gin's wrist band too. Her inspiration is what got me through those push ups

Keep working hard and let me know how you are doing!

Cathe:

This is the last week I can check-in with you since you will be leaving me behind next week. I started sleeping more with STS and felt good for the first few weeks. I hit a wall last week and have been battling intense fatigue and needing a nap every day. I was tempted to enjoy a spontaneous rest week, but I put my game face on so I can faithfully finish this rotation. I remember the challenge of my first 5K and keep reminding myself how great it felt to cross the finish line! I am halfway through the first mesocycle of the 5-month rotation, and I am determined to keep pressing on for 4 more weeks until the first recovery week. I can do this! Yes, I can!

I prayed for strength and energy and experienced STS Disc 7 for the first time this morning. I love it! This is my favorite chest, shoulders, and biceps workout so far. The Elmo push-ups are fun and effective (on my knees)! I am glad you included the bow and arrow with the band in this workout, and I love the incline band hammer curls. I opened my Fitness by Cathe bands and gave them a whirl this morning. Oh my word! The kiwi green band is tough! I had to get creative with my weights because I needed 14-pound weights for several exercises. My 12-pounds weights are coated with rounded ends, and my PlateMates will not safely stick to them. I looked at the cOurage wristband I am wearing for Gin and the stack of soft weights from my Ironwear adjustable ankle weights and discovered a great (and free) way to safely add one-half pound increments to my weights without investing in more equipment:

I am looking forward to your update after you experience STS Disc 7. Have fun! If you have any extra energy to share, please send a bunch to me! I decided to enjoy the extended stretch after every STS workout and sacrifice one of my cardio workouts every week so I can bless my body with an extra rest day. I am praying that this will give me more energy. If you have any other suggestions, please share! Have fun playing in the snow! Hugs!

Blessings,
Heather B.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

GOOOOOO ROBIN!

I've actually increased my weight in 2 exercises. Shocking! I didn't think that was ever possible (I really must be getting stronger!). I can't say enough for this this program....I love it!

I'm one day ahead, so I'll be doing Imax today.

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

This post and all of those smileys are great! Thanks for the spirited and smiley feedback

Hi Cathe & all!

ITA w/ Heather! This is my favorite sequencing of Meso 1 thus far! I have enjoyed every DVD but for some reason this one really made me say YES! I can do it!

I stayed with my 1RM or higher for every move for the first time since starting STS (that was 5 weeks ago! - I'm doing 2 weeks of Meso 1 workouts)... I felt strong & motivated and tacked on LIC Cardio after a 45 minute rest break!

I finally remembered to start all exercises on my opposite side this week - that felt good! My left side was beginning to think it had alot less ZIP than my right!

Truly STS is a gem. There is nothing at all I dont love about it- Its a masterpiece in every sense of the word. My body is starting to take shape again after 3 mo
nths of not responding well to much.

Looking forward to doing this disc the second time around!

Cathe!

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

That's fine Erin. Make it work for you

I fell a week behind due to "life" happening, but will be jumping back in with Disc 7 tomorrow. As always, I look forward to the BURN!

 

[carolmcf]

a week ahead

Disc 7 and 10 were similar for me, because although we were supposed to increase the weight, I was unable to finish reps in Disc 7, so kept the same wts for Disc 10.
I am actually on Disc 10 as of today and I am very excited that I have not missed any Cardio or STS segments in the sequence yet. I have never done this much strength training and still have to do push ups on my knees. I also have troubel with using much weight on the overhead press. The form pointers have helped a lot, and many times I will end up doing less weight than planned because I did not have the form right to begin with. The learning curve is going. I just love the music on this series, which is always such a plus for me!
Thanks again, this is a great experience!

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Way to go:

Tracy
Gayle
Kathryn and DH

Hi all,

I did disc 7 yesterday. After reading the posts, I feel like I was doing a different disc because I thought 7 was darn hard! The two sets of 1.5 pushups into the 30 regular pushups was just plain mean and I love pushups.


Overall it was a great workout, and I'm looking forward to disc 8. Back is by far my favorite body part to work.

Tracy

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Tracy! Ironically using the ball for wall squats usually is recommended to protect the back and provide better support. However, perhaps some of the one leg and/or occasional deeper positions are too much too soon for your back. I would stick to plain old wall squats and do isolation holds with your hips HIGHER than your knees. Do three sets total (one set hold 30 seconds, one set hold 45 seconds, one set hold 60 seconds). This should build up your lower back endurance to be able to progress. If your back still bothers you don't do any one leg stuff just keep filling in this exercise in its place. If this basic exercise still bothers your back, than just do regular no ball squats as a substitute. Good luck and keep me informed.

Hi cathe!! I will be doing disc 7 later today. I am doing the 6 month rotation. I am loving STS! I am starting to look forward to the pushups.. At first I was saying some not nice stuff to the TV... My goal is to do all of them from my toes!!
I have a question about the ball wall squats..my lower back hurts when I do them, am I doing something wrong?(sorry I missed the Disc 6 check in )
Thanks
Tracy

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Rhonda! If you think something is truly off in a way that has you quite concerned definitely mention this to your doctor.

As long as you are not feeling pain associated with this weakness, then I would see if a longer rest period between exercises will give you better strength. I know its not overly convenient to pause your remote after every exercise but give it a try just at least once and see if resting another 20 seconds beyond what we do helps. Good Luck!

I did CSB this morning and just so frustrated. Not sure what is happening as I did my 1RM and the first week of MESO 1 with no problems in lifting weight. Now last week and this week for CSB I have to go much lower for the bicep and shoulder work because my left side just will not lift.

For bicep work I can lift what is suggested for my right arm but my left says no way and will not lift at all so I go down in poundage for both arms. I was only use 8 lbs if I was luck for biceps.

Shoulders are another story. I had to go down to 3 lbs and even then my left should just will not get it up there. For the bow and arrow move my left shoulder just gives out and I cannot keep my arm out there for the full rep count. I did place my left hand on a pole for support so I could finish pulling with my right arm.

I am just so frustrated because CSB are the only workouts I am having this problem with. I do see my doctor in a couple of weeks for my regular doc appointment so I may mention this to her. I am wondering if I have some sort of medical problem going on. In all my years of working out, lifting light or heavy, I have never had this happen before.

So I am wondering if I did something to myself and I just don't know about it.

Rhonda (who is sitting here sad because I know I can lift heavier but the left side was saying no).

 

[FrancesL]

Disk 7

Hi Cathe and all,

Despite the large snowfall here in Cambridge, I did not have to shovel. I did have to walk my dog and a few of his doggie friends. I decided to be adventurous and go out onto the golf course next to the pond where I walk. Walking in the new snow turned out to be way more work than I remember. I had to take a nap before I started Disk 7. Insult to injury, I had to make coffee after the nap. So much for a good night's sleep tonight. Although I really enjoyed the workout, I now know that I have a LONG say to go before I can master pushups. I love the concept of the Elmo pushups My lower back complained to me a little after the workout, but that may have been the snow walk. I am now the proud owner of the Cathe band and YES I felt the difference right away. Cheers,
Frances

 

[petramom]

Cathe - Why did you go with pushups in Meso 1 and bench presses in Mesos 2 and 3? Was it for variety, or do you think pushups are better than presses for the pecs in terms of endurance goals?

 

[MThede]

Good Workout

Finished disk 7 yesterday. I even got my husband to join me! Yea!: It was his first Cathe workout. I believe he was rather shocked at the intensity of it all. We did fine until the Elmo pushups on the ball. I stayed w/regular p-ups and he did the ball.(he has never used a stability ball) Needless to say we were both laughing so hard that the pushups were impossible to do. So glad he joined in though! My upper body is feeling so strong! I am lifting more than I thought possible as well. STS has definately pushed me to work harder than ever, and I am loving it!

 

[morningstar]

I don't remember ever having DOMS hit DURING THE WORKOUT before! Must be something about 183 PUSH UPS! I did 'em all on my toes, although I took a couple of breaks at one point, and just did regular push ups for the Elmos. I just was determined to do them all, no matter what.