Total Body Blast Chk In #8

Hi everyone.

I am excited about everyone's progress. I can certainly see changes in me. I started noticing more definition in my upper body last week and last night I asked my husband if he saw any. Do you know what he said. "You will never look like Cathe, so forget it" Gee thanks:( He doesn't even realize he hurt my feelings. Men, I will never understand them.

Today, I did Boot Camp. I love this one also. Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day, but who needs it. I think I will do Imax and see if all this intensity has helped me to where I can do Imax with ease. Ha Ha! Imax isn't near the fun of Imax2, but it is more of a challenge, though I would never call Imax 2 easy. It's just easier than Imax.

Looking forward to your results Wanda.

Have a good evening,
Christi
 
A big Hello to everyone,

My biceps are still sore from yesterday's combination. Boot Camp, Upper Body from CTX and Blast Mania. LOL So today I'd better stick with just cardio instead of my planned ME.

Christi, I really feel hurt about what your husband said to you. My DH used to tell me the same thing. "You'll never look like Cathe. She's young and you're a 50 year old woman."
Those words pierced right through me.
But you know what? Even though I had been working out for years, when Cathe announced she was making this Intense Series, things changed.

I went into 'training' mode. When Cathe told what she ate and how she got in shape, I put into practice the very same principals. As my DH saw how hard I was working and was seeing that stubborn fat come off my torso and hips, I could not ask for a more supportive friend than he is.
Just this morning, one of our workers was cooking breakfast at the farm's kitchen. He wanted my DH to give me some of the sausage and gravey. My DH says, "As hard as she works out to take that kind of food off, she won't eat it and I won't ask her to."
I already had the videos, but he bought me the DVD's, the player and new TV for our anniversary. He sees how this Series is helping me and he wanted to show his support.

Soooo in my long-winded way, Christi, you just keep on working out. One day you DH will notice your hard work. In the meantime, be assured that those of us here, knows what you are going through. We know that even if our family and friends aren't excited about our accomplishments, we here know, how hard each step forward was. We cheer you on. :D

I also agree with you about Imax and Imax 2. Imax is more of a challenge. It is more high impact and it has those terrible scissors. LOL

Happy workout day. :D
 
Wanda, You are such a great motivater!! Thanks

Also, do you think you could give me a sample of your rotation. Temember I only have the VHS so if you use the dvd combo names could you explain what they are. If it is not to much of a pain to do with the tapes I will still try it. I wish I had a DVD player. We do not even have one for our normal tv so I do not see getting one anytime soon for my workout tv:) this is what I show as the blast. I just want to make sure I understand what everyone is doing because I want to see all those great results too:)

Mon - boot camp
Tues : off
Wed :ME
Thurs: Imax2
Fri : Cardio and Weights
Sat:pLB first 5 intervals of Imax 2
Sun:pUB

Thanks so much! Amanda
 
Wanda, thank you so much for the many kind words. You really are a sweet person. My husband really is my rock. He didn't even realize he hurt me. I'm over it. Keep on trucking.

A neat thing happened. My step-mother who is in her upper 40's and one of the sweetest people I know has been working out since the day I met her. (20 years ago) She always did the firm tapes and never upped her weights. Don't get me wrong she always has been in good shape and is thin. When I discovered Cathe I was so excited and told her about it and so when Christmas came around my sister and I bought her a barbell with weights and 2 Cathe videos. She loved them. I purchased Boot Camp and Muscle Endurance off of YaYa site and she said she would pay me back. She can't wait to try them. She doesn't step, but loves Cathe's strength tapes. It's neat to have more people to talk to about it and know what we are going through.

I think I will pull out Imax and give it a try. I haven't done it in a while though this is supposed to be my rest day. There is no reason for it. I like to save rest days for when I can't work out. Plus we are headed to Colorodo for our annual ski trip March 15 and I won't be able to do Cathe for a week. Can I stand it?

Happy working out!
Christi
 
Hi Amanda,
Your list of videos for the Total Body Blast is right on the money. Those are the basis for this rotation.
Some of us just add extra cardio or weights some days. And this is NOT necessasary. I do it because of a medical condition. My legs feel better to keep moving.

But for example I will do Cardio and Weights and throw in extra cardio like, Intervals on the treadmill. Or I may do PUB in the morning and C& W in the afternoon.
I may get homesick for CTX so I might do Boot Camp and later do Upper Body CTX...you can do this on the videos by cueing up to the upper body work on the tapes.
Or I may do all the Cardio from CTX and do either PUB or PLB.

I may also do Imax instead of Imax 2 to see if I'm getting stronger.
I'll write out a list of what I've done this past month later on this afternoon.
But you will do just GREAT by using your videos. All the DVD's basically does, is put all the cardio's together, the weight work, you can mix and match. Yet, you still have the complete program on your videos.
Don't get me wrong, I love the DVD's. I'm just not one to encourage people to spend money these days. :D

Catch you later
 
Hi All,
I'm finishing out the day by doing 30 min of Interval treadmill. I was able to do a few more scissors in the dreadful #8 of Imax. 5 more and I'll be able to get through that whole thing without modifying. :D
Those scissors make my quads feel like they are flamin'. Those are really tough for me. Imax 2 helped me with interval 10 and those airborne jumps and tucks. But scissors...that is something else.

Amanda, if you would like the lists of the premix combos, the bonus combos etc for the Intense series DVD's here is a link
www.cathe.com/2002_DVDs.htm It also explains what is on the Terminator DVD.
I thought this might be easier for you than me typing it all out. ;-)

I may throw in some ab work this evening, but for the most part I am calling it a day.
See ya tomorrow.
 
Hi everyone!

I'm planning on doing Boot Camp today. I usually work out in the early AM, but we were iced in today. Yes, some of you up north would probably get a good laugh. Here in Central Texas we are not used to cold, icy weather. Just Sunday, it was sunny and high of 70 degrees. Yesterday a cold front came in and now the temperature is 26 degrees. The roads are icy and the city is practically shut down. People in this part of the state don't know how to drive on ice or snow. So..yeah! I have the day off from work. Some people who have moved here from north joke by saying "Throw a few ice cubes from your freezer on the road and the city will shut down....":D I'm just happy to have a paid day off!

Anyways, I've just been lounging around trying to get the energy and courage to do Bootcamp....Hopefully I'll get around to it soon....

Have a great day!
 
Well, I did Imax today for the first time in a long time. It didn't seem as hard as I remembered. Good sign:p I did all of it with no modifications on a 6"step. I don't have the courage to up my step height yet. It was still tough, just not as tough. I agree, I think all the airborn jacks in the new series helped with interval 10.

Tomorrow is supposed to be Muscle Endurance, but I think I will pull out Power Hour for the fun of it. I will do Muscle Endurance core work though. Who knows, if church is cancelled because of all the snow and ice, I might even throw in cardio and weights cardio and a few imax2 blast sections. My favorite section is the 2nd interval blast. I just love that song. It gets me going.

Have a great evening,
Christi <><
 
Hi Everyone,
I'm sitting here getting reved up to go do ME.
Hey Christi, who'd a thought we would stare longingly at Power Hour right? All those nice low ends..LOL
I'm thinking of inserting it in next week. A big high five on doing Imax without modifying. :D

You girls have a great day. Be careful outdoors. Hasn't this winter been something else?
Laura I saw pix on TV of Dallas. WOW! Snow and ice is unusual for you isn't it?
I have a friend who fell on her sidewalk and broke her wrist. The sidewalk looked clear but it had ice on it.

Catch you all later
 
Hi ladies!

Well, I worked up the nerve to do Boot Camp yesterday and guess what? It felt somewhat easy. Okay, maybe not easy, but easier than usual. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact the I usually do my workout in the morning and yesterday it was an evening workout for me. Hmm....

This morning I did IMAX2 and had the opposite effect compared to yesterday. During about interval 5, I felt like I was getting dizzy. This has never happened on any of the Intensity videos so far... My feet felt hot (if my feet are hot, my whole body gets hot) so I briefly stopped the video for about 2 minutes, sat in front of the fan, drank water, and took off my socks and shoes. I did the remainder of the video without shoes and after a few minutes of starting up again, I was back into it.

The ice here is slowly melting. We had to come in to work today, although we did get to come in a few hours late... It's still scary driving out on the roads. I don't know how some of you all deal with this on a regular basis! I've seen several people slip and fall down. Fortunately, none that I've seen were hurt, but I have heard EMS was getting numerous calls Monday and Tuesday from people who had fallen! I'm ready for the 60 degree weather again! I think Friday we're supposed to be back up to 65! That's Texas for ya!
 
Hi Everyone,
Well it was ME this morning. I used 15#'s for the leg presses, upped the barbell to 35# from 30# except on those terrible biceps.. I used 20# for them. I got through them but it was tough. The core work was much easier today. I haven't been doing those side raises with the ball as I was working on building strength with the leg placements. Next time I'm going to start out with a 1.5# ball and work my way up to the 8#'s.
This afternoon I did Cardio Kicks. I will finish the day with one or two sessions of ab work.

Laura, do you supposed your dizzyness could be due to doing Boot Camp and Imax 2 so close together....or being a little tired or perhaps not enough fuel for your body or coming down with a virus?
However, I have had times that I got so overheated, I was beet red and very very hot. I had to use the fan as well.
I hope you aren't getting a virus though.

Three more weeks until Spring. I just hope it knows it is supposed to be Spring. :D Enough of this winter already!!!!

See you girls tomorrow. It will be Imax 2 and PUB for me. I hope! This stupid weather is very hard on my head. Grrr
 
Hi girlies! WAnted to let you know I am taking a break from this rotation. I have finally hit a plateau. I think I have been over training to some degree, particularly with the wt training with this series. So I am going to go back to more cardio (I have had reduced cardio since October) and only 1-2 body parts a week. I think I am going to work in 1 interval day and 1 total body blast day per week!

I also have been bulking up a bit on my legs. I don't think I have been getting enough cardio. I really noticed it at the club in the mirror the other night when I was doing step. I definitely have more musclular legs. Hoewever, the fat is just still not gone. I hadn't been to the club in 2 weeks and finally weighed myself the other night. I hopped on thinking I would have lost wt and I actually gained 2 lbs!!!!!! uggghhhhhh!!!! I hate scales! I have been eating somewhat healty and exercising with the Intensity series like crazy. So... I think I need to increase cardio and eat good once and for all!

The good thing is I finally have some muscle mass in my legs that I think I can really use for this next rotation. I did CTX All Step and part of 10-10-10 today. It was so much fun and a blast. It was funny because it seemed like sooooo much more cardio than what I have been doing with the intensity series. I think maybe it is just different with the intervals versus true all out cardio with no breaks!

Anyway, I wanted to say thanks so much for your support! I did lose weight early on with this rotation. I just think my body needs a change and addtl. cardio! I'll pop in every now and then to see how you are doing!

KEep on Intensisizing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Hi everyone :)

I didn't get a chance to check in yesterday, but I did Imax2 and today I did PLB. I survived both. Yeah! I kind of switched the order of the rotation since I had so much muscle soreness last week. I'm hoping I will be able to walk tomorrow. Last week PLB made my legs so sore!! I am also going to incorporate some of the CTX cardios. I just love those and really miss them. I get pretty stressed out during the week so I need something to relieve it.

So far my results have been very good on this rotation. I took measurements this morning and will take them again in another 2 weeks to see if I have made any progress. I lost 1 lb., too. I only need to lose about 5 at the most since I'm at my ideal weight - just a little more insulation in some areas than I'd like. lol! I can tell my abs are starting to slim down so I am very excited about that.

Tomorrow I really want to do an hour of cardio - maybe Powermax. I just love that workout! :eek:

See you all tomorrow!
 
Hello everyone. Yesterday I did Power Hour and Muscle Endurance abs & cool down. Then I did Cardio & Weights Cardio Premix along with the first 2 intervals of Imax2.

I woke up yesterday and weighed as I do every Wednesday morning and I have lost 2 more pounds! I have lost a total of 14 pounds. I never thought I could do it, but with Weight Watchers, the Intesity Series, and God, I did it. I only have 2 more pounds to go and I will be in maintenace heaven:7

I had forgotten how brutle Power Hour was. I looked back and I hadn't done that one since Nov. 2002. The leg/buttocks portion is killer}( The only place I am sore is my triceps though.

Today will be Imax 2 (FUN FUN FUN) That is all I am going to do as I have to clean my house top to bottom for company tonight. (If they can get here because of this awful never ending ice and snow!!!!) I am going nuts. My kids have been out of school every day this week. I love them and all, but when they are together cooped up in the house they fight constantly. (WOE IS ME:) ) Pitiful isn't it.

Laura - I have felt that way before for no reason I could think of. Some days I feel I can do many workouts and some days I do good to get through one. Take care of yourself though. Listen to your body. Maybe a rest day is in order. I know that I always have more energy and do better in the evening than exercising in the morning.

LuvCardio - We will miss you, but you know best for your own body. Good luck and keep us posted.

tsut - Congratulations on the weight loss. I know what a thrill that can be to see results from all the hard work.

Hope everyone has a glorious day.
Christi <><
 
Hi Everyone,
Today I do Imax 2. I really love this workout yet, like you girls, I would miss all the other workouts if this was the only one I did.
That's why I've been throwing in my other favs Rythmic Step, CTX, Cardio Kicks, Step Fit, Powermax, Step Works....:D

However, just by doing those workouts in the past, it wasn't enough to shock my system to burn the extra fat I have in the mid section.
I'm thinking it is the high intensity of Boot Camp, doing Imax 2 and Imax more often. ????
ME and Cardio and Weights, PUB and PLB all have their counter parts with Power Hour, Circuit Max and the weight tapes, which I was doing. Perhaps not often enough. (?)
I haven't got it figured out the whys yet, but this Series has helped in buiding endurance, I hope I don't lose it when doing something else.
I love stepping and so I would reach for a step tape first and put the Power Hour, Circuit Max and Imax type tapes on the back burner.
I'm hoping this Series has given me the confidence to reach for the harder tapes, and not the easier ones first.

The core work on this Series is a keeper, yet the ab work on the other workouts are challenging too. I found this out by going back to say, the CTX ab work after shelving them for a couple of weeks. We have so much variety to choose from and to mix and match now. We just have to put the tapes in the VCR or play the DVD and actually do the exercises to see results. LOL


Tsut, barring age difference, you could be my twin. I don't need to lose weight either. I can just pinch more than I think is acceptable in the ab region. LOL It is coming off though. Patience, patience and hard work.

LuvCardio, is was fun getting to know you a little better via this rotation. Like you, I need to do a certain amount of cardio or I feel too heavy. Perhaps we will meet up again on another rotation. :D At least I'll see ya around town (on this board).
 
Hi all!

I did ME today and I have to admit, I really enjoyed this one this morning. ME is usually one that I dread and do it only because I feel it's good for me (like eating vegetables) but I feel strong afterwards. Well, today, I just loved it. I had a better attitude throughout the whole workout. I may even be able to increase my weights next time around! Anyway, I'm ready for my day off tomorrow, but I am expecting videos I ordered (all Cathe, of course) to come in tomorrow, so that may change! I went a bit overboard, I think. I ordered CTX series plus 5 others!:eek: I can't wait!

LuvCardio- Sorry to hear you're leaving us! Good luck with the next rotation! As Wanda said, see ya around....

Tsut and Christi - congrats on the weight loss! I am so jealous! You are both so close to your ideal weight! I have 9-10 to be at my ideal. It's been a struggle to get where I am now, so 9-10 feels so close, yet so far away!

Wanda - I'm not sure what the dizziness was all about - but since you mentioned it I have been feeling like I'm coming down with something.. (Again!?!) I hope I don't have a virus, but if I do I am going to fight it all the way. I was glad to see that some of your favorite videos were the ones that I ordered. I know if they are your faves, they are probably good ones. But then again, I can't really go wrong with Cathe, right?

Have a good day, everyone!
 
Hi all! I did Powermax and the abs from LL. I really missed my cardio. I am slowly building my endurance back. I made through Powermax and didn’t run out of gas until about 50 minutes of the workout. Yeah! My legs are not too sore – thank goodness. I did PLB yesterday so I was scared I would wake up this a.m. unable to move. Unlike last time, I felt great this morning. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow. I usually get that delayed-onset muscle soreness. I pray that I don’t. :) I wanted to add that the ab work was not that bad. Must be all that ball work from the intensity series. Yeah! There is hope for my core!!

Thanks Laura! I tell ya those last 10 lbs are stubborn, aren’t they? I know this check-in will keep me on track. You are doing great!! I can’t wait to reach my goal. I know these last few lbs. are going to hang on to my thighs and abs for dear life. Lol

Hi Wanda! Can I ask how old you are? I am 33 and I am determined to get rid of this fat. I have been working on the same roll for several years. I am hoping this time I will do it. It makes me mad that I have never reached my goal yet. I miss my flat abs from my highschool days. Lol. The joy of being able to eat pizza and cheesecake and remain in shape. Those days are gone. :( I really want it this time and have stayed consistent on my diet and workouts. My diet has always been the hardest. Exercise is easy for me because I love to do it. I’ve been counting calories and that’s what works for me. Geez-I think I probably told you more than you wanted to know. Lol

Thanks Christi! Way to go on the weight loss. Doesn’t it feel great? When I started this rotation I could tell I was getting smaller, but the scale said I gained 3 lbs. I was so upset. Scales are evil!! Luckily, it was just water weight.

See you all tomorrow!
 
As the Irish say "Top of the Mornin' to you"

I'm getting ready to do PUB this morning. Hope I don't hit my hip again with a DB. Have you ever did that for fun? (speaking with satire) lol No major damage, it is just a little sore.

Laura, I think you are really really going to love your new videos. CTX is so versatile. You can do it as is, or you can put 3 cardios (with one warm up and cool down) and have about an hour of cardio. You can put all the upper body segments together for a full upper body workout. Leaner legs stands on its own. You can cue up the abs and have an ab workout on days that your workout doesn't include abs or just to have extra ab work. Great for practicing planks. :D

Glad you were brave with ME. Hope you are still getting better. This winter has been terrible with viruses. You get one, get better, then the stupid thing comes back. !!!

Tsut, hope you survived without getting DOMS. I've had alot of that in my day. If one part is sore, I would work around it and work another part. If I was really sore plus tired, I would back off a day or two. That way I was sure I didn't get injured.
I've had injuries in my day too. Older wiser now. In my day...ha ha you asked my age. I'll be 53 come August. People say I don't look 53, more like 90. HA HA. Seriously, people don't believe I'm my age.

Christi, again, congratulations on your weight loss. On you Weight Watchers are you in their program, as in going to meetings or just following the food program? I think they have an excellent program, and is very balanced.
The catch phrase is "we just have to do it" ;-)

Catch you all later. I must get my exercise done before furnace man comes. The door of the furnace just about blew off last night with the heat came on. That is a scarey thing!
 
Hi Everyone,
As promised, being it is March 1, I shall post my results of doing the Total Body Blast for 8 weeks.

Cosmetically, I lost 1/2 inch all across the board, except for my lower hips, which was 1 inch.
I was amazed at losing in the hips and thighs due to all the leg presses and lunges with this Series. I figured I would bulk up. Instead I gained muscle mass and lost fat. I added extra cardio, like walking/jog on treadmill or combining a cardio tape when using the weight tapes. My body is used to that kind of workout and I can handle that. :D

When I first saw Jai's pictures for this Series, I envied her torso. Four weeks into the program, I began to see that this was a goal that was within reach for me. I set my sights, my focus onto this end result and worked hard for it. The Core work in this Series is awesome. What seemed impossible to do at the beginning became doable with patience and practice.

My strength and stamina improved that I was able to up my weights. For example, first starting the program, I used 25# barbell for the lower body. I was able to increase that to 40#'s, by the 8th week.
Boot Camp is a keeper, to build up stamina. I plan to incorporate this class into my routine every week for awhile yet.

I lost 7 pounds. While that isn't a drastic amount, I don't wish to lose anymore. I didn't do anything extreme as far as dieting. I didn't eliminate any food groups. I only followed Cathe's suggesstions in her Behind the Scenes, which was to cut back on starches. I cut back on red meat consumption and ate more chicken and fish. I only had whole wheat bread instead of white bread. I cut back on processed foods and ate more fruits and vegetables. I upped my protein, and thanks to Francine, I learned more about when to take it.
That brings me to what I will be doing next.
The Total Body Blast, did blast my weight down and the stubborn fat off my torso that I had been fighting for a long while.
But I feel I must now move on to concentrate on strength and endurance as opposed to cardio.
This is a hard decision for me because I love cardio, and I've gotten attached to this rotation and getting to know you girls better.

I shall do weights for 2-3 weeks adding in the S&H Series and then perhaps move on to endurance.

A song once went: "We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when. But I know we'll meet again, some sunny day."
The Byrds circa 1967
 
Hi Wanda :) Thanks for posting your results. You are very inspiring. I am going to stick with the rotation for 8 weeks to see if I get similar results. I plan on upping the cardio a bit as well since I just love doing cardio. I need it for stress relief. And you're right - Boot Camp is definitely a keeper no matter what rotation you are doing. It's very intense!!!

Again, thanks for sharing. You have inspired me to stick with this.

:)
 

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