STS Pyramid Challenge - January

JulesMT

JulesMT

Cathlete
Just starting a new thread for January. :)
kikster said:
This is also an invitational opportunity for any ladies that were considering joining. For anyone who is unsure on what the STS pyramid is about, feel free to check out the thread here. Basically we are doing the STS program in the following order: Meso 1,2,3,2,1. This will allow us to take advantage of the wonderful STS program, while using it with the traditional "bulk/cut" mentality in mind. The ladies in the check-in are all over the place as to where we all are in the program, so no matter what stage of the game you are in (whether just starting or a couple months in), all are welcome. Some ladies are already about to begin their way back down the pyramid, and some (like me) are just getting started. Either way, the check-in will help us to see how others make the program work for them (everyone does some things differently), to stay accountable, best of all, stay focused....

;)
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I am so excited to work on my goal for the month: 600 calories burned 6x/week! :eek: Of course I will listen to my body and take breaks if I need them. I don't wear a heart rate moniter so I am just going by what Workout Manager tells me for calories.

I got off to a bit of a slow start yesterday -- I did M3W1 Squat Rack Legs for 366 cal. I wanted to do cardio, but dh had a friend over to watch football and the kiddos were all over the guys, so I cut my workout short to save them-heh. I am going to make up for it today though. So far I have completed C&B and after I do some laundry I will finish up with 10/10/10 cardio plus segment 1 from Core Max. Time: 115 min. Total calories: 677. I might play a little XBox Kinect with the kids later too. :p
 
Thanks for the welcome in the older thread Jules :)


I did the first Squat rack dvd on saturday and boy am i feeling DOMS today!! I love and dread that feeling...but mostly love b/c i know those muscles FELT it :)

Yesterday i did M3W2 C&B and it was tough. I love lifting heavy and i had to keep grabbing heavier weights than what my 1RM said. I feel stronger and stronger each week!

Looking forward to getting to know you strong ladies :)

-Heather
 
Hey girls! Thanks for getting us started for a new month, Jules!

Welcome Heather!

I'm also in M3W3, yesterday was disc 31 & it was a good day for me. I was getting a little frustrated because I kept upping my weights on each set, and still wasn't failing by the 6th rep (yea I get a little crazy about my weights being right on point :eek: ). My bench ended up @110 & my row @ 125# before I was out of time and moving on to the next push/pull set. It's been bugging me so much that I'm contemplating possibly doing the same disc again next time, to see if I can get those weights right (and not still be hitting 7-8 reps on most exercises), idk. Just rambling, I guess :confused:

Anyway, today is some kinda cardio. Probably elliptical, since I need to do something, but really don't have energy today (had a "visitor" this AM and she's taking me through the ringer w/headache and cramps, so far) :(

Have a good day, ladies!


Oh yea...
I think we've "lost" Tracy and Steph, lol (as in, they've finished the pyramid ;) ). I know that Steph was really stoked about her results, though and will be starting back STS in Feb.
 
Wow Kiki - you are super woman! I always love hearing what weights you lifting- you are very inspiring. :)

Sorry to hear about your "visitor." :( I suffer from extreme PMS so I know how frustrating it can be when you are just hitting your stride only to be derailed. My PMS is so bad (major mood swings, anger and depression) that I sometimes take a small dose of generic Prozac for a few days to get through it. Now that I am older (41) my period arrives sooner too - every 24 days with heavy bleeding and cramping. I finally got fed up with the roller coaster in October and started back on bcp (lo-ovral) and am doing the "extended cycle" method, so I will only get my period 4x/year. It has been heavenly! Other than a tiny bit of breakthrough bleeding, which is common in the first couple of months, it has been smooth sailing. I am due to get my "period" in two weeks, but it should only last a couple of days. My nurse practitioner told me she has some patients who choose not to take the spacer pills at all - so no period all year - :eek: but I would feel odd doing that. I might drop to just 2 or 3 periods a year though.

Enough rambling- just throwing that info out there in case it can help someone!

Today I plan to do Hardcore Extreme Hi-Lo Intervals, the core work from Muscle Max, and Stretch Max section 3 (with the band). Total Time: 100 minutes Calories: 662

I strained my right shoulder and arm a bit yesterday doing C&B so I am trying to be careful. I remember doing this the last time I was in Meso 3 as well - probably because I don't have a tower and have to hoist the barbell into my lap. I can't tell if it is a muscle strain or just a pinched nerve- kinda feels like the latter. Hopefully it will be better in a day or two so I can continue to lift heavy.

Have a great day everyone! :D
 
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Yesterday I ended up doing 30 min on the elliptical and then YR for headache prevention. The headache is still threatening in the background now, so I'm undecided if I'll do my planned STS wo today or not. I'll give it another hour or so and see how I feel, I guess...

Jules - To be honest, you are really tempting me w/the idea of getting back on BC. The only reason I got off (14 yrs ago :eek: ) was because we wanted to get preg. Well, a decade and a half later, :confused: it's a no-go on the preggo, lol. So I honestly have nothing to lose (except the HORRIBLE periods, mine are like you described yours :mad: , its ridiculous).....

Anyway, hope your shoulder heals up quickly. It's smart to take it easy for a minute, though. I can't imagine doing M3 w/o a bench press apparatus, so I tip my hat to you (and worry about you at the same time, lol). Be careful, over there, lady ;)
 
Howdy Ladies! Just did Plyo Legs and am taking a break before I finish up with MMA Fusion. Time: 110 minutes Calories: 653. My shoulder feels 90% better today but I am being mindful.

Kiki, great job on getting in some elliptical work yesterday! I'm not a migrane sufferer, but I can imagine all you want to do is rest in a quiet, dark room. I have to say that so far the bcp are making a huge difference for me- I was really starting to feel like TTOTM was ruining my quality of life and my horrible mood swings were affecting my family. I did have a bit of nausea for the first month plus gained about 5 lbs (not sure if that was the bcp or just my eating :D) but it is so worth it! The nurse told me there may be an increased risk of breast cancer in women my age on hormones, however, so she recommended yearly mammograms. (I had one last month and all is good.)

I hope you are feeling better and get your STS workout in today.

Heather: How's it going? What are you doing for your cardio days?
 
Hi Girls,

I'm still on board! Went to the coast for the New Year and have been trying to get settled back into the routine this week. I started M1 Monday...can't believe I'll be done w/ the pyramid in 3 1/2 weeks!!

Glad to hear about your killer w/o's Jules and KiKi...y'all are great motivators. Hubs jumped on board and is doing STS w/ me. He's always devoted his exercise time to cardio instead of weights and doesn't like working out inside so I hope he'll keep going w/ M2 & 3 when I finish the pyramid. But if I don't do it w/ him I doubt he will.

Heather, welcome :D

Gonna finish up my w/o's for the week tomorrow....having surgery Friday so I'll be checking in again next week.

Tracy
 
Hey ladies!

Sorry havent checked in a few days. My youngest started preschool again and i've been running around trying to get back into a routine since we had so many weeks off for christmas.

So i did Plyo legs on wed. OMG so hard for me! Those 30 second breaks go soooo fast! So happy to have it done!
Yesterday i did S, B &T...felt strong and kept increasing weight.

Jules can't believe you are doing cardio after Plyo...superwoman!! On my cardio days it varies. I usually do TurboFire or jog. Today i'm going to do one of my hubby's Insanity videos.

kikster-wow you lift some pretty heavy weight! Almost twice as much as me. What an inspiration! I love STS because its definitely individulized and there is ALWAYS room to improve :)
 
Workout is done and I'm a happy camper! I did Terminator Gauntlet (kept my weights light) plus Bootcamp core. I came in at 2 calories under goal, so I added a minute of skipping. Time: 83 minutes Calories: 602.

Tracy: So glad to hear you are still with us! You get to work out with your dh? Fun! Show him how it's done! :D I hope your surgery goes well tomorrow and you have a quick recovery.

Heather: Great job on Plyo Legs - can't beat cardio plus legs together... done in 50 minutes! Normally I wouldn't tack on cardio to Plyo Legs, but I am trying to blast off the holiday pounds with a little extra cardio this month. ;) I love Turbofire - so much fun! I also have Insanity; Shaun T pushes me to work my hardest. DH got me Asylum last summer, but I am saving it until this spring.

Kiki: I hope you are feeling better today and are back in the game!
 
Just finished Pure Cardio from Insanity...omg. Killer! First time doing any of those workouts. I feel so out of shape!! haha

Rest day (and date night with hubby!!) tomorrow :)
 
Ugh im so frustrated! I started back to working out this summer after a long break from having my daughter. I've been counting calories using Myfitnesspal for almost 4 months and i have lost only a total of 2 lbs!

I really dont know what im doing wrong. Do you guys count calories or just eat a sensible diet?? I've got 20 lbs i want to lose and have been working at it for awhile with out much movement. :(
 
Have you "friended" all of the Cathletes on there (MFP )?. Makes for a much more motivating journey, & you can see what's working for others. Here's a link w/everybody's username on there (though there are many more as well, who haven't added their names yet, but you'll see them when you add the other ladies, including myself) http://cathe.com/forum/f107/any-myfitnesspal-users-284847/

Look forward to "seeing" ya! :)
 
Good Morning! I've got a fun workout day planned: Disc 30 SBT and "Friday Night Dance Party" for my cardio. :D Every Friday night our family has a little dance party to celebrate the end of the work week. The kids really look forward to it and we usually break out the Paper Jamz guitar and rock. Now that we have the XBox it is even more fun! Time: 2 hours (including 1 hour of dancing) Calories: 615.

Heather: Great job on Pure Cardio - Insanity is always a huge challenge for me! I am also trying to lose a few pounds and just started doing what has worked for me in the past: 3-4 days of low calories (around 1600 cal/day) then 1 day high (approx 2500 cal). Repeat. I'm also boosting my cardio, but once I reach my goal weight I will decrease to maintain. When possible, I am going to try to do my cardio first thing in the a.m. on a fasted stomach to maximize fat burning. I am eating most of my carbs like oatmeal, potatoes, rice, and fruit for breakfast and lunch and tapering them throughout the day so that I just have lean protein and veggies at dinner (no food after 7 p.m.). I eat small frequent mini meals that always include protein. So far it is working - the scale is moving nicely this week!

I bet you will get some great advice at MFP. I should really join there as well! :D
 
kikster- LOVE your username on MFP :) Just sent you a friend request!

Jules-if you decide to use MFP my username is ReneeClaireR so add me! Yeah i'm actually looking forward to doing Pure Cardio again. I was laughing (inside because i didnt have breath to do it for real) by the end of the workout all the guys had their shirts off! So funny!

I'm eating 1650 cals everyday. Maybe i should throw in a high cal day once a week? That sounds fun! :)
 
I did M3W2 of squat rack legs. Wow that is a tough workout. I wish i had more than just a weighted vest because i KNOW i can go heavier but my upper body strength can not lift that bar over my head. Wishing for a home gym one day :)
 
HRob1015 said:
I did M3W2 of squat rack legs. Wow that is a tough workout. I wish i had more than just a weighted vest because i KNOW i can go heavier but my upper body strength can not lift that bar over my head. Wishing for a home gym one day :)
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I did this one today too and I agree -- super tough stuff! For my cardio I did Turbo Fire:Fire 30. Time 92 minutes Calories: 651. Now I'm watching the football playoffs. :p
 
Hey girls! No workouts for me this weekend..Thurs I did Squat Rack Legs, Fri was SBT (can't remember what discs those were-week 3,though, lol). Yesterday was day of rest, I did absolutely nothing, lol. Today, I did Yogilates, so I guess "technically" I did workout, lol. I just tend to not give those type of workouts credit for being "real" lol

I agree with you Heather, it's really hard to go heavy on the squat rack legs, w/I the squat rack, or vest. I can't imagine hoisting the weight that I squat up and over my head :eek: ! I'd be so scared to throw out my rotator cuff or something :eek:

In supposed to be starting M3W4 tomorrow, but I'm thinking of repeating the last couple of upper body workouts once or twice before heading into wk 4 & down the pyramid. I find that my upper body really responds well to M3, and I'm sad to see it end, LOL. I was contemplating redoing the whole Meso, but I think I'll jut repeat the two middle weeks. 6 weeks is usually the most I want to spend in any one phase, but four just seems too short this time. Due to my back issues, I'll still finish up the last of SRL this week, as planned and not be repeating any of the M3 leg work. I'll have to finagle with the workout manager a bit to see how to make it work, without shifting my end date too much..

Hope you ladies are having a good weekend! :)
 
Hi Gals! This week is M3W3 for me; sounds like we are all in the same boat! Today I did disc 31 C&B. My shoulder/arm are feeling better this week, but I still was careful as I had to rehab a rotater cuff injury many years ago and *never* want to do that again! I lifted 80lb bb for bench press and rows; 35 lb dbs for chest flys; 40 for 1 arm row: and 108 for deadlifts. I finished up my workout with Insane Abs and Stretch Max section 3. Time: 116 minutes Calories: 613.

Kiki, if Meso 3 is working for you then I say stick with it as long as you keep seeing results! If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? I swear I have a love/hate relationship with all of the Mesos, but Meso 2 is probably the biggest challenge for me and Meso 1 is the easiest (except for all the pushups ;)).
 
Good Morning! My workout is done and I am exhausted! I did Intensity (plus the bootcamp), CoreMax section 3, and stretching from GSLegs 2X. Intensity just slays me - more than any other Cathe cardio including the IMaxes and Hiits. Time:105 minutes Calories: 602 (feels like a lot more! :eek:)
 
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