STS first time!

Just finished disc 12 of Meso 1 (legs)! Whoo hoo! I finished Meso 1! I'm so impressed that I've been able to stick with STS this far. I usually have a hard time sticking to rotations more than a few days! Normally, even if I try to plan a week's worth of work outs I wind up changing my mind after a few days and doing something else :rolleyes:! Now for my recovery week. I'm really jealous of you guys doing Meso 2. I can't wait! What did you guys do during your recovery week? Can you still do tough workouts, or should I go with more intermediate ones? I was thinking of trying to do some of my tougher circuit workouts (going light on the weights) and maybe one of my cardio focused kettlebell workouts. I definitely know that Burn and Build won't be on that list though!:eek:

I hear you guys on the diet portion of the equation. I learned a long time ago to keep my portions under control (except during ttotm...I just have a much tougher time keeping that in mind!). When I was in college I dated this guy and he was a big eater (not overweight, just a bigger guy). For some reason, I thought I could eat the same portions as him when we ate together...if we had a pizza I would eat the same number of slices as he did. Needless to say, that wound up being the heaviest year of my life! Suddenly it dawned on me that I was much smaller than he was and couldn't do that!! DUH!:eek: Now my biggest issue is that I love carbs too much. I always think I'd like to try a low carb diet just to see what it does for me but I'm weak. Plus I love my wine, and cheese.:D

Okay, time to get some housework started...I keep stalling...:p
 
Carolyn-I just wanted to add I love Oxygen magazine too! I got a subscription a few months ago and I'm addicted to it! :)
 
I just finished disk 9. Still not my favorite leg workout, but I'm liking it a bit better.

Carolyn, I found that stevia varies greatly between brands and how it is prepared. The leaves have a licorice taste, so if you have a less processed brand, it will have an aftertaste. The liquid extract is ok in hot drinks. To me, the best tasting is Truvia, which is stevia and erythritol (?sp). It's too bad that it ruined your coleslaw. :(
 
Today was Cardio Core Circuit, then tomorrow will be my rest day. :) I did STS disc 12 yesterday and I really challenged myself with the weights. I went with 12 lbs on the wall squats and with those lunges where she has you pick up the dumbells then set them down, I did 15 lbs at first, then had to go down to 10 lbs as my knees wiggled all over the place trying to finish the set! I am really feeling my glutes, hamstrings and calves today! I haven't been this sore with the backside since the first time I did Afterburn! Which reminds me, good luck with Afterburn Carolyn! You'll have to let us know what you think of it!

Have fun on your trip Betty! I know I really fall of the workout and diet wagon when I go on vacations. It used to be I would quit working out for months after an extended trip (I wasn't consistent at all for years!), but now I'm much better and get right back to it when I come back. That's interesting what you said about really feeling the inflammatory effects of sugar...I really notice that too when I am on vacation and just eat what I want. I really start to feel yucky and sluggish when I do that.

Jean- what kind of elliptical do you have? I've really been wanting to get one for those days when I just want a steady state cardio that I don't have to think too much to do. I have a treadmill which I sometimes use and zone out watching tv with, but I don't like it nearly as much as when I used to use the ellipticals at the gym. I've been coveting the Precor ellipticals that I found online when doing some research a while back, but they are wicked expensive.

Later girls! Colleen
 
I am going to start Meso 2 here in an hour or so--I haven't had breakfast yet. I'm just a bit worried since I don't have a bench or a turbo tower for my barbell for chest presses. My husband is working from home, so I might ask him to spot me for today.
 
Marie- I was excited for you too when I saw Cathe had posted on your thread! It's okay, we get to geek out together! That's why I love coming on here because every one is like that. She responded a few times to posts I made on her facebook fan page and I was all giddy like that and my husband was like..."okay, dork! LOL". :D Plus, how cool is it that she would post to recommend other instructors? She is just the best!
As far as combining the LIS I just keep the weights really light. Also, when I did Athletic Training I just did the leg cardio express premix and kept my weights below 10 lbs. After my fiasco with Burn and Build I'm not taking anymore chances with overtraining!:eek:

Carolyn-isn't Afterburn the bomb? I just love the dixie cup lunges! I am such a dork that lately I've been keeping a pair of dixie cups and a firewalker band in my desk at work. I'll do some lunges and firewalkers when I feel like I've been sitting too long. Of course, I close the door to my office but my staff has been known to bust me! They know I'm a nerd though.:p

Jean-it's funny how you were saying you wish you had started weight training when you were younger. I'm 39 but I am always wishing I had been doing this in my 20's. I was skinny fat for soooo many years!:( I am just really curious how I could have looked back then if I had lifted before I had my kids...could I have achieved a 6 pack? I try not to dwell on it though.

Anybody else getting antsy for Cathe's next preorder to go up? I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!
 
Just a quick check-in!

I had no energy today for disk 10. :( Had to lower some weights or drop some reps. I'll also be glad to be done with all of the pushups!
 
Those pictures of the workout areas made me totally jealous, especially the one with all the mirrors and the colored floor pads. I wish! I workout in my basement. Half of the room is filled with boxes of stuff that we don't have room for in the house. The other half is for my workout stuff. Let's just say when I do a workout that needs lots of space I have to modify a lot! I definitely was not gonna post my little workout area up there. Maybe one day I'll have one I love!
 
Jean- you've got me thinking about ellipticals again! I went through a period last year where I was obsessed with getting one and did all this research online about different models. I ended up not getting it due to the fact that what I wanted was so expensive...now I think I found another one I would like (the Sole E25) but it would still be about $900.:( Gah! My husband gives me so much crap that I don't use the treadmill I have nearly enough so he laughs when I say I want an elliptical...

I don't even want to check out those pics of other people's work out areas because I know it will make me jealous! I so want to have a room that is nice and big and just for working out. As it is, I do it in my bedroom and have all my stuff crammed in there. Hubby keeps talking about turning the downstairs into a workout room but the kids have all their play stuff there so I know it will be me picking up toys and all their crap before I try to work out! Plus the lighting down there stinks and we just have this small tv...so we'd need to get a bigger television too. Ah, dreams! :rolleyes:

Today was Cathe's MMA Boxing. Lurve it! :) I so want to start Meso 2 though!
 
Just finished a great workout. I wanted to do legs so I skipped to disc 17. Will do 16 tomorrow. I also did the bonus step circuit challenge from LIC. I really like that. Then I did turbo barre abs and stretch. Lots of variety! DH and I are going out for sushi tonight with friends. Yum, but I always eat too much! Its sooooo addicting!
 
Quick check in:

Yesterday: Disc 13 and Step Moves

Today: Crazy soreness and 50 minutes of Tonique Sculpt Dynamics. Not sure how I feel about this one...

I need to shower. BBL

Cheers.
Jen
 
Carolyn- this is so funny, every time I read your posts I hear it in my head in the voice of my girlfriend I told you about in Portsmouth. I suppose it's because you live near there and something about the way you write reminds me of her and makes me miss her! :D
 
gratefuldog said:
So, today is legs...right now Cathe is frozen on my tv screen. I have hit pause. She is entering into the last triset and I can do no more!:mad: My inner thighs and groin are so tight it kills! I even tried putting the weights down and decided to give it a whirl without them. OUCH! So I have spent the last 15 mins stretching. Not helping!!:confused: I think doing AB the other day whooped my inner thighs!
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Definitely hitting pause and stretching if needed is a good thing! Do you have a foam roller? I find that really helps when I feel like I over did it. I love me some lower body DOMS but a pulled muscle is not fun! Did you guys see me geek out over Cathe's lower body work outs in the Open Discussion forum? Oh man, I was giddy today when I previewed Trisets lower body. I have had the LIS series since October and I haven't done that one yet...WTH was I thinking?? I had initially just previewed the upper body portion and didn't really like the guitar music in it. I just put the disc back without looking at the lower body work out thinking I'd eventually get to it. Then I kept hearing what a great workout the lower body split was and now I can not wait to do it! I wanted to do it today so badly but I had already worked out (kettlebell/cardio) and showered for the day. Plus I'm not sure if I should do that one during my recovery week...

Okay, time to get to work!
 
I was thinking the same thing Jean and I love working the lower body! I'm getting nervous for Meso 2 legs! :eek:
Also my husband may have found a used elliptical for me! Yes, the same man who laughed like a maniac when I said I wanted one.:rolleyes: He knew the ones I was looking into were in the $2000-$3000 range and he said he "wouldn't be able to sleep at night" if I actually ended up spending that kind of money on it! Actually, I probably wouldn't have been able to either so it was pretty much a pipe dream.:eek: Then he was talking to this woman on one of his service calls (he's a plumber). She is recently divorced and moving and wants to sell her elliptical! She told him she bought it when she got separated to tick off her ex and hardly ever used it. It's a Nautilus NE 2000 and originally cost about $2400. She is willing to sell it for $450-$500! The only problem is the machine is discontinued so parts may be hard to find it something happens to it...

As far as my workout today...I was going to attempt Cathe's Body Fusion step workout but felt pretty lazy today.:eek: Oh well. It's recovery week right? Hee. Maybe I'll try to squeeze some yoga in tonight. We'll have to see.
Have a great day everybody!
 
Hello all,

I'm almost at the end of my 3rd week of the 3-month STS/LIS rotation: this is the first time I've ever done STS. I have not been doing the one rep maximums, however I'm very good at determining what weight I use and I'm usually spot on, although I do occasionally adjust my weights while doing the program (ex: last night doing Disc 27, I increased my weights from 38 lbs to 40 lbs while doing the bicep barbell curls and realized it was the perfect weight when I reached failure at the 8th rep).

The only problem I realized last night was that while I could use 12 lbs for the overhead tricep extensions, I found I did not reach failure by the 8th rep. When I tried 15 lbs, I reached failure around the 5th/6th rep, which means it's too heavy. Therefore, I think I need to get the micro load gloves.

Question: those of you who have the micro load gloves, what do you think of them? I've seen some mixed reviews on these gloves, with some people saying it's difficult to adjust them (getting the mini-weights into the zipper sleeve). Those of you who do have them, should I get the 4-lb ones or the 2-lb ones? I'm thinking the 4-lb ones (2 in each hand) because while I could not handle the 15 lbs for tricep extensions, I am sure that 13 lbs would still be too light (I'm thinking 14 lbs would have been perfect for that move).
 
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gratefuldog said:
Sherry, I have the 2lb ones. I am an idiot and thought that meant 2lbs each hand. I wish they were the heavier ones. Mine have an open palm and wish they were the covered ones. I won't complain because I got them super cheap!! Are you seeing results from doing STS? If so, when did you start seeing them?!

Betty and Jean, one of my sisters lives locally, the other lives in Georgia. Her husband is a pilot so we get to see her atleast 4 times a year if not more. I can't wait! She is 8 yrs older than me, but we have sooooo much in common. I wish she and I could do STS together! I love my other sister dearly (2yrs older than me) but we are so different.:(

Jean, I feel like I can't properly do those tricep pushups. It doesn't feel natural to me to have my hands go close together without having my elbows flare out. Not happy that pushups come back into the picture!

Betty, I say hop right into STS! One can always find a reason why it isn't a good time to start. I thought I was crazy starting right before xmas. But now I am so glad I did! It was Rachel who picked that date. Where the hell is she??? I hope she is alright. Kinda freaky.
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How do you like the gloves? Are they easy to adjust? I have read some reviews that say they are difficult to adjust. That being said, I went ahead and ordered the 4 lb gloves from Amazon (I had a gift certificate so they only cost me $11 including shipping!).

I started the STS/LIS 3-month rotation approximately 2.5 weeks ago. I don't see any inch loss yet but I have lost 3 lbs, and it's very difficult for me to lose weight.

I am planning on skipping the active recovery weeks so I can finish the rotation before the Chicago road trip - not sure if it's a good idea to do that but I don't want my rotation interrupted by the trip and I would like to have a one-week rest period before the trip.
 
marazoe said:
Sherry - I have the 2 pound gloves and I like them. I would love to buy the 4 pounders but I have read too many reviews saying the weights are hard to put in. The gloves are really nice for adding that little extra weight. I say go for it.

Jean
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I've also read those reviews, too re: the difficulty of adjusting the 4-lb gloves as opposed to the 2-lb gloves. However, I want the 4 lb ones because I don't think 1 lb in each hand will be enough for me. For instance, last night I was doing the overhead tricep extensions, thinking the 12 lbs was a bit easy (I felt I could do at least 2-3 more reps, which means the weight is obviously too light). When I tried increasing to 15, I failed at 5/6. That makes me think that while 13 lbs would still be too light, 14 lbs would have been perfect.
 
Today was an oldie but a goodie! Kathy Smith Power Step. Man, I love that workout. This is the one I did constantly in college...I mean like 3-4 times a week! I can't wait for Sunday! Disc 13 here I come!:p

Unfortunately I had to have a filling replaced today. Ugh. Every time they redo one of my fillings I have to go back and have them file it down more since my bite gets all messed up. It's so irritating right now that I find I'm holding my jaw weird and it's getting tensed up. The good thing is pretty soon I'll have all white fillings in my back molars instead of the silver. I had a lot of cavities as a kid!:eek:

We are going to look at the elliptical tomorrow to see if I like it! Yipee!

Have a great night girls!
 
Congratulations Jean! I bet Carolyn is right about the muscle versus fat on the 5 pounds. Especially doing STS. That was something I really noticed when I started working out. I was going down in pant size but the scale didn't reflect that as drastically. It took awhile to realize I was just replacing the fat with muscle...and since the muscle is denser you look smaller and "tighter" than when you had more fat (which takes up more space in your pants!). Definitely awesome! :)

We just got back from the lady with elliptical and we are getting it for $450! I'm so excited!:D

Have a great night ladies!
 
gratefuldog said:
Sherry, Mine are real easy to adjust. But I think you will like having the heavier ones! I don't know why I thought you were almost done STS! I must have read your other post wrong! I wish there was a way to see the posts while you are responding. I think the only way to do it, is to respond to a particular person. oh well!
Welcome to the group!
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Thanks! My next STS workout is not until two weeks from now (next week the weight work is all from LIS, followed by the active recovery week). I'm really tempted to skip the active recovery week(s) because I want to finish the rotation before the Chicago RT. However, I fear if I don't take the recovery weeks that I'll compromise my results.
 
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