STS New Years Challengers...Week of April 17th

sigh of relief

Well, thanks kikster and fit mommy for the "you're not going to leave too soon" encouragement. I just began to think it would be pretty funny for me to have my own little ck in and chall all by myself!

Yesterday, I was feeling really good doing Athletic Step. Since I had to do it in the afternoon, my husband was home and came out into the garage (where my workout station is) and began to work on my bike for the spring. He was observing me (I guess) doing the workout towards the end of the 3rd routine, just before you go into the miscellaneous bonus stuff at the end... I was doing all the lunges on the board and all the other stuff. He said, "that's crazy!" I thought it was hilarious. And that's not even Cathe's tough stuff! Usually I do my workouts when he is not around, so he doesn't really see what I do. I just said, "hurts so good"!:D

Today I did STS TB again, since I am on a roll, but did not do the bonus burn band work. Not a big band fan.

Gotta get in the shower and off to work!!
Blessings all.
 
Hi!

Today was Disc 38 for me. Tomorrow is Athletic Step and Weight and Plate Abs. That seems like a hard cardio rotation. AS really winds me.

Tralaiven - Once you joined our thread, you are now held prisoner. :) JK of course. Please stay with us.

Sherry - take your time getting back into the STS groove. You have a lot going on now. We'll wait for you.

Kikster - Actually, we grow field corn and not sweet corn. Sweet corn is probably what you grow if you have a garden or buy at the store. Field corn is used to make other food products, including dog food, or for making ethanol. DH used to haul for Cargill. The two main places he went with the corn was Del Monte's pet food plant and an ethanol plant. As my teenage DS would say, TMI. ;-)

Autumn - Awww! You have kittens. I bet they are so cute.

FitMommy - I'm planning on starting another STS rotation four weeks after I finish this one. I'm such a planner. :) Anyway, I'll keep checking in too.

Have a good day, everyone!

LaDonna
 
JonStephMom: do I understand correctly that you all are farmers? (ie: corn growing info) That is so interesting. Who'd have thunk a farmer's wife would be a Cathlete?! You are not your ordinary farmer or farmer's wife, I'd say!
 
Hello Ladies.

I did Athletic Step, plank work and the Extended STS Stretch this morning. :D

LaDonna:: Good job being almost done with STS! What will do for your month "off"? How many times have you done the program?

Tralaiven:: My DH really never gets to watch me w/o but he has done Cathe's PUB & some of Beach Body's P90X in the past so he has some upclose and personal experience with what I do every day. He knows how hard I work and will tell me how much he admires me for it and how much he loves the results as well. ;) The "crazy" comment hasn't come out but if he saw some of the cardio I do, he would probably agree with your DH! LOL
 
This morning I did Drill Max. Killer, but am improving. I don't take those hops on the next to the last drill (4th I think) quite as long as Cathe does, but I still do 'em. OY! lovin the sweat factor.

But I am done for the day with my workout and I love that feeling.

Fit mommy: Do you enjoy Athletic Step? I also have Step Moves, but I haven't broken it open yet to preview and do it.
 
Tralaiven:: I enjoy both Athletic Step and Step Moves. SM has more intricate choreography then AS but AS is a more intense w/o then SM....IMHO atleast. :) Good job with Drill Max today! I considered doing that work out y'day but my back was on FIYAH so bad that I just couldn't bear the thought of lifting a weight! Still hurts today but not nearly as bad. I can laugh/cough and breathe today with out dying. :p DH gave me a little back rub last night and he wasn't even going rough/hard with it but I really felt it. It felt like I had been beaten over the back with baseball bat and was covered in big bruises that he was massaging! It was crazy! :eek:
 
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Y'day I did Lauren Brooks The Grind plus the finisher & was a sweaty mess. Today Disc 20.

Which Cathe DVD or series would you recommend to someone wanting to try Cathe? A friend of mine is interested. She's been doing P90X and has done Insanity. She prefers weight training over cardio. I need to ask her about equipment. Anyway, what are your thoughts?

Sherry ~ How is your DD? As everyone has said, STS will wait.

LaDonna ~ The kittens are adorable. They are starting to explore and are a riot when they play. I'm afraid my kids are getting attached. :( Hopefully, they'll be weaned soon and I can place them. Great job almost completing STS!!!! What have your results been?

tralaiven ~ I often groan when "bonus" anything is in a Cathe workout... her idea of bonus and my idea are differenc. ;) When is STS arriving? Isn't it funny how tracking a package can become so much fun?

KiKi ~ I think Wendy has converted us on the ab workouts. :p

Wendy ~ Yes, the weather has been insane. So many tornadoes!! Apparently, the last round of storms brought storm chasers to STL and surrounding areas. More severe weather is expected tomorrow evening. :eek:
 
Autumn:: OMG tell your friend to get STS for sure! :D If she doesn't want to spend that much out of the gate on an instructor she's never used before then I would say either the Gym Styles or 4 Day Split for a less expensive investment. HTH!
 
Fit mommy: You worked out crazy hard,girl! Wonderful DH though. I had to laugh because I was trying to figure out what the letters FIYAH stood for...
Final Intense Yelling Advanced Hurting.... then I realized.... O you mean fiiiiyah!!!! I'm a geek.
Concerning Step Moves, the intricate footwork is probably why I haven't broken it out yet, but I will one of these days.

Since this is my cardio day, I just used light weights in Drill Max, except on the
plie squats...I love those and want to extra work on inner thigh nightmare area!

Autumn: If your friend likes weight work, and doesn't want the big investment of STS, I would recommend STS Total Body or High Reps, or even Muscle Max (Gym styles - as Fit mommy advised).

I am supposed to get my STS (and other DVDS) tomorrow!!! I was checking UPS to see if maybe they would be early today, but they were only in Vernon, CA, so tomorrow it is!! VERY EXCITED!!!

blessings to you all
Tracy
 
Kinda late check-in for me, so let me get caught up ;). Last night we went on a family bike ride, so I was able to sneak in yet ANOTHER little extra cardio in addition to the Intensity premix from earlier (hey, I need all the help I can get to get ready for these vacations comin up, so I guess I can thank DH for helping me to really kick my butt into high gear! :eek:) Ever since he started working out again, he's becoming more active in general (the weather change is probably encouraging him, too, he LOVES the outdoors) and it's giving me the double whammy. Plus just the general more activity, I guess, that comes w/warmer weather (gardening, bike riding, etc). Whatever it is, I'll take it, cuz that scale is NOT movin anymore :mad: .

Anyway, today was disc 33 and ABS :eek: from CTX. (yeah Wendy, you heard right, ya girl did some core work! :p That's twice in one week! And it wasn't even a recovery week, lol ). Hubby will be home from work soon, and I think today is his weights day...uh oh :confused:

LaDonna: Ah, so that's what you do with it. I wonder if some of the locals around here do the same. I've always wondered what they do w/all that corn. I do know that it's a hot seller around here! (as shown by the ZILLION rows I see planted each year :cool: ) That's cool that you have your next STS rotation planned out. I kinda do too. I think I'll do the same as I did last year, take a break over spring and summer, do a rotation in the fall (Aug/Sep) and then break til the new year (Jan/Feb). Gives me enough time to try a couple of other rotations or any new weight lifting DVDs that I may have bought during STS, (make sure I'm not missin out on nuthin, ya know :p ) and then back to the real deal ;)

Wendy: Yeah that MMA Boxing did it to me too! I didn't even do the heavy bag, did you? That is such a good workout. Glad your back is feeling a little better today. I wish I could get DH to massage mine, but now that he's working out, too, he's too busy w/his own DOMS :p

Tralaiven I have yet to do Athletic Step, I really should. I didn't even buy Step Moves, I SO stink @ step, I just knew I wasn't ready for the choreography (guess it's not much of a workout when you're just staring at the screen like "what the?!" :confused: )

Autumn: Yes, when it comes to abs, Wendy has spoken!!! ;) Did ya see, that she cracked the ol' whip on me again yesterday? LOL I had get to down to business this morning. As for your friend, I agree w/ 4DS, STS, GS, and MM. I also really despise cardio (almost as much as abs - so between DH and Wendy, I'm in being tortured over here!! :p) but I love weights, so from that perspective, I'd also suggest Slow & Heavy. It was that, MM and GS that sold me on Cathe. And then I found STS.....LOVE :eek::eek::)
 
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May I Join Your Check-in Group?

Hi ladies!

Would you mind if I joined your check-in group? My DH bought STS for me back in January as a really early birthday gift (my birthday is in May) and I’m finally starting the program tomorrow! I’m soooo excited!!! I think all the push-ups I’ve heard about in Meso 1 has scared me a bit, which is why it has taken me so long to actually start STS, but I’ve decided to put aside my fears and get to work. :)

Just to give you a little background info about me…I’m 26 years-old (27 next month) – which I know is fairly young. I’ve been married to my DH for almost 4years and we live in the grand ole’ state of Kentucky. Our “children” currently consist of our 2 “furry babies” (cats) – Lucy and Lizzy. I’m a practicing attorney – which I have been for about 2 years - and I currently work for a state appellate judge, which basically means I’m dirt poor but I absolutely love my job!

I first found Cathe a few years ago on Fittv. I recorded KPC and Imax 2, tried about 15 minutes of Imax 2, thought “this woman is CRAZY” and deleted both workouts. Right after this I went to law school and my weight shot up. Even though I was active through law school and most of my life, I never pushed myself out of my comfort zone – which explaines why my weight was still going up. Last summer I finally decided enough was enough. I again recorded KPC and Imax 2 of Fittv, along with Step Blast, and this time I put a little more effort into the workouts. I have to admit it took me a few months to be able to fully complete these three workouts but after I did I was officially a Cathe addict. Since then I’ve been building my Cathe collection, cleaning up my eating habits and working on my fitness capacity. I’ve still got a long way to go and I’m hoping STS will help me in that regard. I know eventually I’m going to have to try other instructors but right now I’m in Cathe heaven!

I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone!!

Katie
 
welcome!!!

Hi ricklyk1: You are very welcome. As a matter of fact, I am glad you are starting because I am supposed to get my STS set delivered for my birthday tomorrow. I am planning on starting it on Monday, so we can go the distance together.

Thanks for sharing so much about you. A bit about me: I started doing Cathe back in 2004 when I was getting back in shape after having my 4th (yes FOURTH) child. Anyway, the first one I got was High Step Training and I loved it, from then on I got as many as I could. Then life happened and I took some time off... long story short, I started back again 6 months ago. At that time, I looked at all my Cathe dvds and said, "I will never be that crazy fit again" but, thank goodness, after working on it I am back!

So,I am excited about starting on Monday, and thrilled that I now have someone who will be starting this trail with me.

My eating is NOT clean, which is why I cannot drop my last 10 pounds. I love to eat...but I know I need to work on it. We'll see...

Anyway,,,welcome, welcome, welcome. From what I understand we are gonna love it.

What is your fav Cathe dvd right now? I think for me right now it is Athletic Step and High Reps.

Look fwd to getting to know you..

Blessings
 
Welcome Katie!

Yes, you and tralaiven are gonna love STS. We're all at different stages of the game here, but we're all here to keep each other accountable regardless of which Disc you're on! I'm in Meso 3 right now (next week is my last week :eek: ) and I'm SO pleased w/the increase in strength, muscle and just overall body composition changes. My first time around, I just did the program w/o much changes to my eating (I already ate pretty clean, w/weekend cheats), and I maintained my weight, and saw some pretty good results in time for some fun in the sun (beaches, pools, new swim suits! ;) ) w/DH for our anniversary trip. He was VERY pleased w/the "investment" in STS :D This time around I chose to start in winter (new year- what better time than after all the end of the year indulgences?), to watch my eating even closer (more-so in these last 2 Meso's), to join the check-in (accountability is the best motivator), and add in cardio and some ab work (you can thank Wendy, our local Ab Nazi :cool: for that, lol) and I am even happier w/my progress so far. I was actually able to lose a few (holiday :eek:) lbs this time around.

This time around, my DH is so impressed that he has started working out again. (He's actually the one who got me started lifting weights about 9 years ago, but took over the family construction business a few years back and felt that since he "labored" so much during the day, it was too much to come home and workout. Which has been fine for his cardio factor, but he has lost some crucial muscle mass) He wants to "work up to" STS, since he's been outta the game for so long. So it is just such a great overall investment.

SO...to sum up my rambling, lol. YOU'RE GONNA LOVE IT!!!! :eek::eek::cool::D;)
 
As for my check-in....last nite ended in another very s.l.o.w. jog on the elliptical while Hubby worked out. I was pretty spent from the arm workout earlier that AM, but he kept calling me down there :rolleyes: asking how to do certain exercises and such, until I just stayed down there...I'd say mission accomplished for him ;). It's so funny, how he's like that. But I figure, until he gets more established in his routine, I'll just keep hanging out w/him (and eventually wean him off of me being in there, lol). I used to plan my workouts around him, since he gets like this when he goes through his bouts of "I'm gonna start working out again, workout with me!" But then when his phase ends (w/o telling me) I get jilted and end up trying to squeeze in workouts on nights that he's decided he has other things to do, when I could've just done it earlier in the day. :mad: So I'm not doing that this time around. I need to put a comfy chair down there and get some reading/knitting done while he works :p (guess that wouldn't be very nice/motivating of me, huh? :confused: )

Oh well, I don't think he has a workout planned for today, so for me it will be legs and a nice extended stretch :D. May not do too much over the weekend, some gardening, hopefully another stretch is in my future, maybe some foam rollin....

Have a good weekend, ladies!
 
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Hey Ladies!

This morning's work out was BBC Chest and Abs Cardio, Ab Circuits Med Ball Abs with an 8# ball and STS Ext. Stretch. Good stuff. :)

This morning was also my first official weigh in after a week on WW and I lost 3#!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't be happier! I can see it in the mirror and feel it in my clothes and it's awesome! :D

Tracy:: I was afraid of both Athletic Step and Step Moves so much so that I gave my pre-ordered ones away as a B'day gift to a fellow Cathlete (along with MMA: Fusion cause I didn't care for it). I never even UNWRAPPED the step work outs before giving them away! :eek: A few months later I was convinced that they weren't that bad (by the gal I gave mine to) and that I could do it so I re-ordered both of them. Started with Athletic Step first and then moved on to Step Moves. Once you learn SM, it's a lot of fun. There is only one move I haven't been able to pick up on but I've perfected "faking it" so it's all good! :p I think you should give them a shot...do AS first. It's not bad at all and a great sweat! :D

Kiki:: I don't own a heavy bag (no room for it) so no, I didn't do that section of MMA: Boxing. I've done it once or twice w/o the bag and it's eh. If we ever move into a bigger house I'd like to get a bag though. I think it would be fun then! That's great news about your DH working out and becoming more active!:)

Katie:: The Ab Nazi :cool: welcomes you to our check in! Heheh. Don't let 'em scare you. I'm not that bad! ;) I just find that atleast for me, working abs most days of the week is the best way for me to get results in that area even if I only have time for a plank. Something is better then nothing. :) So you are an attorney? That's awesome. I give you MAJOR props just for gettin' thru all of that schooling! :eek: I worked for a real estate attorney for a short time a couple years ago. My best friend has been a paralegal for him for the past 20 yrs and they brought me in as a receptionist. I ended up getting an offer that I couldn't refuse ($$$$) about 6 months in though so I left to come to where I am now at a bank doing collections. Yup-not a glorious job but someone's gotta do it and it's what I did for about the 8 years previous to the birth of my son and 5 years later, here I am, back in it. I wanted to get out of the field but it sucked me right back in. :rolleyes: LOL So anyway, welcome and enjoy the journey. It becomes a way of life. I've been into fitness for about 8 solid years now and I can't imagine life w/o it. :)
 
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Thank you all for the warm welcome!!! This is going to be such a great journey! :D

Tracy: YAY, I’m so glad we are starting STS at the same time! I was supposed to start on Sunday but I’ve got a crazy weekend planned so I decided to start today instead. I won’t be doing disc 2 until Tuesday so we’ll be right on track! I love the fact that we both got STS as birthday presents. Only Cathletes would understand our excitement at getting a workout program– haha! Wow you have four children? That’s great!! I have two little nephews that I adore but man 1 day with them and I’m exhausted. I admire moms so much. My eating is only semi-clean. I just started cleaning up my eating in January of this year and I’ve still got a loooong way to go on that front. For some reason, sticking to an exercise routine has been much easier for me than eating clean. I just LOVE food! My favorite Cathe DVD…what a tough question! PUB is my favorite strength DVD and it’s a tie between KPC and Imax 2 as my favorite cardio workouts. I’m very partial to KPC and Imax 2 because they started me on this journey. Tough but fun stuff!

Kiki: Your STS success is so inspiring! I love the fact that you’ve done the program twice – it’s a testament to how fantastic STS must be. Early congrats on finishing the program for the second time! That’s awesome!!!! Which Meso is your favorite? I’ve still got about 10 pounds to lose but if I maintain my weight and gain muscle I’ll be happy! Your DH's subtle hints (i.e. asking questions) to get you to hang out with him while he works out cracks me up! It’s great that he is working out again though!! I’ve been thinking about getting a foam roller – do you have any recommendations on which brand/size?

Wendy: Oooohhhh I’m really glad you’re an abs nazi! I NEED an abs nazi in my life. :p Great job on your workout this morning and CONGRATS on the 3 pound weight loss!!!!! That’s very exciting. Yup, I’m an attorney. Law school was hell and I’m so glad it’s over. Okay, maybe it wasn’t that bad but still…I love the law but I don’t always love practicing law (if that makes sense). Luckily for me I’ve been working for the judge for about 6 months now and i'm much happier. I’m hoping exercising and eating right becomes a way of life for me too! The fact that you’ve stuck with it for 8 solid years gives me hope!

Okay, time to start STS! I’ll be back to report how it went!
 
Hi! Yes, I'm here.

Off work today. Will get a chance to get in some cardio - think I can do a run before it rains if I hurry.

DD has been back at school this week for the most part (not all day every day) and even cutting back on the pain meds. I'm taking that as a sign that she really is healing, but still being cautious. The stress of it all has been wearing me out.

Still on the fence about Meso 3. I feel like I've lost a lot of the strength I was building since I haven't done weights for several weeks now. Doesn't ened to be decided today.

Tracy & Katie - Welcome! We're all in different phases. I finished the first two Meso's, but having trouble getting going on Meso 3. Really loved Meso 2, and appreciated the DOMS (most days)!

LaDonna - another STS rotation after this one? Awesome! You must be loving your results.

Autumn- That's great that you found the kittens, and getting them homes. How about recommending some of Cathe's athletic drill circuits to your friend - like DrillMax? I also like the 4DS because the cardio workouts are great (she might really like Bootcamp) and the weights are heavy.

Kiki - Laughing as I read about your DH working out "again". Similar story here. Sometimes he gets all "we need to it together", but that just doesn't always work in reality, especially cardio, where he's sometimes on the other hand and we nearly kick/punch each other.

Wendy - Hear it on the being sucked back in to a field you were trying to leave, 'cept for me it's automotive. Well, I am in Detroit . . .

I think that catches me up . . . BBL. Enjoy your day.
__________________
 
Sherry: Thank you for the welcome!! I'm so sorry to hear about your DD. I'm sending happy and healing thoughts your way. In regards to Meso 3, i'd follow Cathe's advice and "listen to your body." If you don't think you are ready for it after the unexpected break, how about repeating the last 2 weeks of Meso 2 to get your muscles ready for Meso 3?

As for my workout - Meso 1, Disc 1 DONE! I really enjoyed the workout! I was able to do more of the pushups on my toes than I originally thought I could. For some reason though I just can't seem to get the hang of bootcamp and straddle pushups. :mad: I'm actually a little disappointed in myself because, even though I did my 1RM, I wasn't using heavy enough weights for at least 6-7 of the exercises. :confused: I'm going to see if I can fix that for next week. I also added on 4DS LIS - abs + the step only premix so i'm feeling great. I don't usually have this much time during the week to workout but i'm working from home today. :cool:

On that note, I'm off to finish up some work and get ready for Keeneland tomorrow. Have a great weekend everyone!!
 
Today it was High Reps for me. I love the Disc Menu music that it has. I was groovin' with it a little bit before I started my workout, havin' fun by myself in the garage. If anyone was looking in through the window they would think I was nuts, dancing around.
However, I was feeling a bit tired from my Drill Max mania yesterday. Feeling the pain still today. But HR is done. I am beginning to negotiate with those side - sliders that I so Love :mad:. I just do 'em half way and figure I will gradually add inches to the slide. They are not very reasonable in their negotiation tactics :(.

Anyway. (trumpet please) I got my STS from the UPS man after my workout. I couldn't believe it. Usually I get it in the late afternoon. so I opened it and I must say that I am intimidated. How in the world am I going to get the 1 RM for each thing. Goodness gracious. I am still starting on Monday, though and will figure it out as I go, but work on it tomorrow too. I am really wishing that I got Ab Circuits too now.. I wish they would just include it with the set.

kikster: I think it is great that your DH wants you there with him. I think it means he likes you! I also think it would be fine if you just sat down there with him some nite when you are tired. You could still give encouragement from the sidelines. "You look hawt":p I am sure he wouldn't mind comments like that.

ricklyk1: good goin' on finishing disk 1! :)

fit mommy: congrats on the 3 pounds...woohoo.! Good for you!!!!! I am really thinking about cutting out all the sugar of my diet. I know that would do it because I eat pretty clean except for that. It's similar to what I was talking to my girlfriend the other day...I would be the perfect weight if it wasn't for this 10 pounds of fat I'ma carryin' around. ridiculous.;)
 
ricklyk1 said:
Sherry: Thank you for the welcome!! I'm so sorry to hear about your DD. I'm sending happy and healing thoughts your way. In regards to Meso 3, i'd follow Cathe's advice and "listen to your body." If you don't think you are ready for it after the unexpected break, how about repeating the last 2 weeks of Meso 2 to get your muscles ready for Meso 3?

As for my workout - Meso 1, Disc 1 DONE! I really enjoyed the workout! I was able to do more of the pushups on my toes than I originally thought I could. For some reason though I just can't seem to get the hang of bootcamp and straddle pushups. :mad: I'm actually a little disappointed in myself because, even though I did my 1RM, I wasn't using heavy enough weights for at least 6-7 of the exercises. :confused: I'm going to see if I can fix that for next week.
Click to expand...

Don't be too mad at yourself, Katie. My 1st time through the program, I was at the computer after EVERY workout re-plugging my #'s for the 1st week or so. On each exercise, if halfway through, it seemed too light, I would either switch right away, or go to failure. Then I'd be sure to write it down. Then I'd go back to the workout manager and punch in however many I did with whatever weight I used, it would automatically adjust it for the next workouts, it took me a few times of doing that before I got it under control. But I don't know if it can be avoided, some of the reps may be done at a higher rep speed than you tested w/for the 1RM, plus something done when you're fatigued could feel alot different than when you're just doin a test run. Some weights I had figured too high, and some way too low. PLUS, I found that I was getting stronger as the program progressed, so some things I was ready to increase the weight on way before the workout card said to do so. On those, I just went as heavy as I could, and entered it after... Hope any of that made sense, lol. I'm typing from my phone so there's bound to be some typos/nonsense....
 
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