Xers Check In SATURDAY 12/9

teddy16410

teddy16410

Cathlete
Happy Good Morning Xer's... Hope Saturday AM is wonderful for all!

2 days of rest and I feel GRAND! Ready to pick up where I left off..
Today is CardioX + Ab Ripper.

Tracy: Exciting news about your abs! must mean BF% is going down too? or do you thinks its bloat thats gone right now? Your assisted pull ups are very impressive! Its all hard to do... glad I dnt have a pull up bar as I still get DOMS w/ the band method. Corn Cobs on bar just do not look doable to me... I'm thinking hollywood magic??? lolol

Buffy: Hope Legs & Back was a goodie for ya! Bicep DOMS will be gone the day before you work themagain I bet!

Lea: Enjoy KENPO today & REALLY enjoy your kids-free weekend!!!

SANDRA: Hope you got some tips from Chin Up group.. You are so right about LAYERED DOMS! We love this part dont we???

LAURIE: Awesome wts you lift in S&A! I max out on Shoulders w. 10's, Biceps 12's, Triceps 8's... and thats a 2 # improvement from the last year of lifting! I guess I need a little work there huh??? I have 15's & 20's that are collecting dust but by end of Program I hope o be using them for at least a few reps!

Deb: Not good news on the knee! I am so sorry and do think you are smart taking those 3 days as some healing time. Keep in mind to modify that leg and do you take glucosamine? It maynot be that kind of pain but Gluc sure keeps me "lubricated" so I have very little knee tenderness these days.... I was thinking last year that I was going to have to give up high impact & step it had gotten so bad... years of running have just taken its toll. I still dont run anymore.

Jeanette: High 5 on the 50 mason twists! Thats a toughie at the end of ANY ab workout! Your recovery drink looks good to me... but I'm no expert so you may want to post your concoction on OPEN forum- some of these ladies really are all into it! Thansk for advise on various YOGA instructors- Bryan Kest keeps coming up so maybe thats where I need to look into. I asked Santa for some Kundalina Yoga tape that I kept reading about... lurking of course.... maybe I'll just go to www.santabringnowplease/bryankest/collagevideo.com:7

See ya all later! BRING IT!
 
Hi all,

Traci - Glad to hear that you are feeling better. I had to do that too, but it was worth it. I actually came back lifting more for deadlifts and squats.

Guess what???? I did a total of 3 UNASSISTED pull ups and 2 UNASSISTED chin ups last night when doing legs and back! I was so excited! It is so much fun to finally see some progress after years or being stagnate or making minimal progress. I think REST and really watching what I eat has made a huge difference.

Today is kenpoX. I think that I'll do KPC aerobics first, just as some extra cardio.

Happy Saturday to all.

Tracy
 
OMG!!!!!!!! I cannot imagine that much progress in such a short time Tracy!!!! You ROCK...how motivating for you and Inspirational for us!!! That has me all excited to go get my workout done !!! I am so happy for you.:7 :7 :7 :7 :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
 
Good morning GroupX! How are you all doing today? I never made it back to the computer yesterday, so I've got some catching up to do.

For those people wanting some beginners yoga, check out the YogaZone videos. Those are the ones I started off with, and I recommend them. There are a set of dvds that have 20 minute sessions on them, but there are also a few hour long videos that might be a good sub for YogaX.

Traci - doesn't it feel wonderful to regenerate the batteries? Not just physically, but mentally, too. I'm glad you're feeling recharged and remotivated. And soooooo happy to see the BF% heading down!!!! Yes, when I searched the chin up threads I found a few good tips and gave them a whirl yesterday. I also found a link to a message from Cathe about how many chin ups she can do - of course, she's superwoman :) Are you subbing CardioX for something else? I don't remember CardioX being part of the Classic rotation, although he says to sub it in when we want to.

X - I've had my P90X set for at least a month now, and like Traci, I'm still finding information in the manuals that seems to emerge as you go. Tony cracks me up. He is such a jock! He doesn't take himself too seriously, which I really like. I'm not sure if I'm going to still like him after 12 weeks of listening to the same thing repeatedly, but maybe by then I'll know the workouts so well that I can use the other sound options and sub my own music, etc.

Tracy - I'm seeing really good things with my abs, too, and it's only been a week. I'm attributing it to a lack of carbs to give me evening bloat, and the extensive use of the core in all of the workouts. Since my baby-gut has been my problem area, I'm really happy about this - I even *want* to do ARX (well, sort of...). :) OMG, you did 3 pull ups and 2 chin ups?????? Remind me, please, what part of the program are you at??? HIGH FIVE!!!!! Pass on some tips, please! What did you eat, drink, breathe, before you did them? How long did you sleep last night? How many times did you pee? Did you pray or meditate? Spit on your hands? WHAT?! I MUST KNOW!!!

Buffy - I'm still feeling a bit of DOMS in my biceps from 4 days ago! I look forward to doing SA again next week }(

Lea - I could have written your exact post yesterday! Except the part about the kids going to Grandma's - our two are going to the neighbour's tonight while we go to DH's Xmas party. The older one is going to sleepover. She's so excited that she got herself all packed last night before she went to bed. I also get up at 5am to workout, and I did LB yesterday, too. And I also found that ARX was really tough yesterday, due to the yoga on Thursday (and all the leg work, too). So there you go! Have a great child-free weekend!

Laurie - Awesome poundage with SA! Doesn't it surprise you how light the woman in that workout uses? Do you think that's really all she's lifted to get that kind of definition? I haven't started my Xmas shopping yet :eek: . I need to find someone to babysit the baby for a day this week so I can just go and do it all in a day. Hmmm. On my Xmas list is One Good Babysitter.

Fox2 - I'm sorry your knee is causing you such problems. I'm sending good healing vibes your way )))))))))))).

Jeanette - for the recovery drink you want something that has a 4:1 ratio of carbs:protein. So, for example, I'm drinking "Boost", which has 40gms of carbs and 10gms of protein in one cup. You also want it to be around 200 calories per serving. The simpler the carbs, the better. So, if those carbs come from straight sugar, that's actually exactly what you want. In the first hour after a workout our muscles are very receptive to soaking up sugar. The sugar is turned into glycogen, which is what the muscles use for energy (and keeps the brain working well too). Without enough glycogen stored in your liver and muscles you will feel tired, weak, and will not perform well. I think I would have liked the Leg & Back workout much better yesterday if I didn't have a b*&*@@ing headache while I was doing it. It wasn't as hard as I was expecting - Cathe's lower body workouts challenge me more. Next time I'll add heavier weights. Also, since it was my first time through I probably didn't "bring it" to the degree that I will when I'm more familiar with it. A few of the moves I was a bit confused about until we were almost done them. But like you and Lea, I found ARX extra tough! I had to modify in a few places that I hadn't had to before. Must be because YogaX and the Leg portion had prefatigued my core and hip flexors. So, something to work up to. Are you doing the mason twists with your feet off the floor?? On a good day I have to alternate between feet up and feet down. Yesterday I did them all with my feet on the floor. I don't know if I'm looking it, but I also feel leaner after just a week, too.

I worked on my pull/chin ups yesterday by doing something suggested by the chin-up check-in gang. I helped myself up, then slowly lowered myself for 5 counts. I was able to bang out sets of 5 doing this.

Today is KenpoX. Wonder what that will be like?
Cheers,
Sandra
 
Sandra: You are so observant! yes I am throwing in CardioX just because I want to start my Week 6 on Sunday... Cathes may be a bit too much intensity after being sick so I am doing CardioX as an "extra" since I dont want 3 rest days. Its got the Yoga,Plyo,Kenpo Mish Mosh in less than hour so thought it would be a good overall~

What did you do for your Xmas Party food game plan? Decisions decisions~~ Have a great time regardless

Running to check out YogaZone... thanks for tip~~ I figure since my holiday shopping is done I can go back to spending on self:7 ETA: Just ordered Intro to Yoga 60min w/ Alan Finger. Also ordered Bryan kest Yoga for Wt Loss (seemed closest to YogaX) Ordered thru collage as YOGAZONE no longer takes orders via internet & catalog. Thanks!!!! I'll be downward-doggy-ing it in no time!

hehehheeheheh~~ chin-up tips from Tracy

RE: poundage of P90X ladies~~~~ I think they must have lifted heavier at some point OR they have NO BF at all so their cuts are just really visible~~~ I know that for me just below the surface of my BF is the next Oxygen Magazine Cover Story:D

So glad you were able to help Jeanette out on her Recovery Drink... I was freaking out all the time about the P90X sugar content But now I GET IT!!!! Thanks for the VERY INFORMATIONAL post! I think you are quite the smarty woman ;-)

Congrats on pull/chins... You are impressing me too! Someday when I have a real workout room I will hang a bar... DH just not thrilled with it being in the bedroom doorway, dont blame him... the boudoir looks like a gym as is! I really hope santa brings me the door gym tho... if not I'll know how truly fed up he is with the whole thing!

Enjoy KENPO- my fav as becaise its all drills you can really BRING IT! Fantastic upper body workout (just in case you needed an extra one this week!)

Enjoy the day!
 
Hey Traci! I sent you an email. Have fun with CardioX. I'm disappointed it's not in the Classic rotation, but possibly one of these days I'll want to sub it in. Is it mild enough to do on a Sunday/rest day?

Re Xmas party tonight: I checked out their website and they described their menus as a soup/salad appetizer, choice of 4 entrees, and dessert. So, I've just planned for my dinner to be 2 proteins, one carb (which is actually a generous serving of carbs, IMO), one Fat, one Condiment, and one Vegetable. I figure if I don't eat the dessert, I can make the rest of the meal fit within those parameters. If there's a fish option I'll order that - I rarely cook fish at home, so it will feel like a treat. And when I'm feeling tempted to eat the dessert, I'll think, think, think very hard about Tony and Bring It, and how much I want to see results from this program. I do not want to be wasting my time. I'll also be thinking of you guys, and how I want to be able to report back tomorrow that I stuck to my plan.

I have two hour-long yogazones with Alan Finger. One is for flexibility, the other is for toning, if I remember correctly. He's a good instructor, IMO. He takes his time explaining the poses, and doesn't rush you through. I'm glad you're giving him a go! I've never tried Brian Kest, so can't comment.

re Tracy's chin ups - I gotta know her secret LOL!!!

re P90X women and poundage - I agree. I think they're going a bit light in the videos to possibly keep from intimidating women starting the program (and possibly lifting weights for the first time), and also to keep their form excellent. I think Cathe and the gang lift lighter than they're capable of, too, so their form stays good.

Yes, the beauty of intense exercise is that the post-hour is the only time in your diet when you're going to be encouraged to ingest sugar! If you ever watch athletes on tv, you'll see them sucking back the sucrose all the time. The preferred drink of Tour de France cyclists, during the race, is Coca-cola! Check out the sports nutrition book by Nancy Clark. She explains it all very well.

I'm using a Power Gym for my chin/pull ups. It fits in your door frame temporarily. You take it down when you're done. I bought it at Walmart for $30 (I think?). And it can also be used as push up handles. I'm sure you're working very hard with the bands already, and will see good progress. I'm thinking of getting the bands, to use in addition. I find by the last set or so of the pull-ups, my arms are quite tired, and I probably don't get much from what I'm doing.

I'll let you know how I like KenPoX!
Cheers,
Sandra
 
Traci - the email came back to me; it was sent to your aol account. Have you changed your address? I sent it again as a PM, so please check your Cathe PMs.

Sandra
 
Sandra-
Yes I got it! The PM comes to my current account and the emails go to old account... weird huh? I should probably contact SNM about that.. no telling how may wonderful emails I'm missing from Catheland!!
 
Hi guys. Just dropping in quickly to say that Kenpo was KILLER today. I added two pound wrist weights (couldn't find weighted gloves yest) and wow what a difference.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Lea
 
*HIJACKER ALERT*

Tracy I must know the same thing oh please. How far along are you in P90X that you were able to do these unassisted pull ups and chin ups? I'm sooooooooooooo envious!!!! These things haunt me at night. I want to go down to my basement in the middle of the night and just practice. :) I wonder if I'll ever be able to do 'em. I'm finishing week one and am on the Hardcores check-in.

Thanks so much!

Suz

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." - Anatole France

http://www.picturetrail.com/dogs2birds
 
Hi Lea- LOLOLOL isnt Kenpo FUN w/ the wts??? I have TJ gloves and LOVE them - never could find ones that fit just right before.. I have small hands & they are great... 1# each which I like for "safety" but also so I can really put power behind moves.

Hey SUZ: I lurk on your board every day..... so come on in! Tracy is a wonder woman isnt she?
 
Good morning,
Today's workout was KenpoX, which I was surprised was pretty easy cardio wise. Does anyone notice how much Tony huffs & puffs? Guess I will have to get some weighted gloves or put on some wrist weights. The time went pretty quickly for this one. Funny how heart rates are all different. Think he said he was at 164 at one point. I didn't wear my HRM because it doesn't work in front of the TV, but I would guess I was around 120 some. 164 is the highest I've ever seen on myself on my bike doing a Cardio Coach workout and believe me, I'm dying at that point.

My DH's company party was really fun last night. I didn't have any drinks and it was buffet style so I had the tri-tip and lots of veggies. Not even any pie (pretty proud of myself). We danced a bunch and had a blast.

Traci, I've found Bryan Kest Power Yoga series to be the most challenging set I own. I will be revisiting them. I have them on video which makes it a little more difficult to use, but I think he's great. Glad you are feeling so rejuvenated today. Amazing what some rest will do and getting rid of a bug.

Tracy, Woohoo!!! on the pullups!!!! It's got to feel awesome. I haven't even tried any yet, guess I'm okay with the Bowflex lat pulldowns, plus I don't have a pullup bar yet so I haven't even attempted any. I remember in grade school having to do the President's Physical Fitness test and no girl I knew of could even do one (including me). I agree about the rest and watching the eating making a big difference. The only thing I'm a leeetle bit concerned about is losing my cardio capacity on the bike that I've built up. But guess that's why I'm doing P90X in the winter, before the real riding starts. I can just catch up later. If I feel well enough, next week I'll add in a Cardio Coach for more cardio.

Sandy, it's great to feel leaner, isn't it? I think it's the less carb thing too. Boy, my stomach sure wanted those carbs in the first couple of days. I was sooooooo hungry. Thanks for the info on the recovery drink. What I'll need to do is up the carbs to get 4:1 on the protein. 1 scoop of the protein powder has like 24 g of protein. I could half that and then add some fruit and such. I am doing the mason twists with my legs lifted off of the floor the whole time. My hip flexors were soooo much better yesterday. I noticed it on the In & Outs on AbX (think it's the first exercise). The one where you lay on your side and lift your straight legs was a toughie for me. Have you done KenpoX yet? IMO much easier than any of the Cathe kickboxing workouts. I'll have to look into that power gym thingie that you can put up or take down easily. Not sure our Walmart has it.

Lea, sounds like I will for sure be adding wrist weights next workout to KenpoX. Glad it was a good one for you.

Hi Suz! Hope your headaches are gone. I know you'll be doing pullups soon. You are strong, strong, strong! I'm still doing my puny 50# bowflex lat pulldowns (but I will bump up to 60# next time).

Got to run,

Jeanette
 
Afternoon Check In for me-

I finished CardioX and Ab Ripper... Wore my KB gloves for CardioX to give myself an extra challenge...YEP it worked. Burned 369 cal in 45 minutes... now thats more like it! I had put Ab Ripper on shelf for 2 weeks while I tried to strengthen abs w/ concentrated Cathe... must have worked because I got thru 90% without modifications..HOORAY! I did 60 mason twists but did at my own pace...was about 45 seconds behind Tony. My Obliques are screaming!! I also noticed like most of you that my hip flexors are not as sensitive (well until the second half that is).
I really am psyched about my increased over strength & flexibility moving into halfway mark tomorrow. Better start dusting off the hercules weights in the closet;-)

Suz: Thanks...you are a sweetie BTW I loved your post about your "babies" and holiday pics! We are dog people too... 3 over a hundred pounds! Those are our kids this lifetime...

Jeanette: I highly recommend weighted gloves for Kenpo... doubled my calorie burn... I use the ultimate "no-no" 1# ankle wts too since theres no jumping around but don't tell anyone. shhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Hopefully I'll have my new collage video stash by late next week! Cant believe the ultimate yoga poo-poo-er just bought 2 yoga DVDs.... what is this world coming to?

Have a lovely afternoon all!
 
Hi! Chatterbox Sandra back here again :)

KenpoX is completed for the first time, and I agree with Jeanette - easy. Or, should I say - no Cathe workout! Cathe's cardios are effective, no doubt, and I'm very happy that I can say KenpoX wasn't overly challenging. I sweated bunches, which is a good thing, and I feel good. I'm sure my heartrate was way below its zone during that blocking segment. I was using as much strength, speed and control as I could, but it didn't seem to matter. Sometimes I think the intensity of Cathe's cardios isn't really necessary for good cardiovascular health; just something to brag about :) I think you can have good cv health by doing lower intensity stuff. KenpoX reminded me alot of the drills at the end of Cardio Kicks, which I love.

Oh, another thought about the KenpoX intensity: It's a lot of upper body work, and for us women we don't have as much muscle, proportionately, in the upper body as men generally do. Hence, we have a much harder time doing pull/chin ups. But, in order to burn calories at a high rate, we need to use large muscle groups. For women, that usually means a heavy emphasis on lower body. I'm thinking that Tony and the boys may actually be getting a better/harder cardiovascular workout because they have proportionately larger muscles in their upper body. All of these thoughts are leading up to me concluding that maybe for us women to get a better CV workout with KenpoX, we DO need to add some weighted gloves. Crap. Where do I find those??

Jeanette, like you I'm having a hard time accepting the limited and lighter cardio that is in P90X. When we finished those vertical punches (love those!) and he went into the last cardio break, I was revved up and ready to get into some serious plyo work. I really wanted to throw on the KickMax BootCamp Challenge. I'm reminding myself that at the end of this rotation I can go back to my Cathe's and will be all set for the new challenge of increasing my cardio capacity again. When you're already in good condition, it really doesn't take that long to see CV improvements. And it's good to have a goal. With Cathe I was able to do all of her workouts, cardio and weights, without modifications, so I was working without a goal. It's hard to stay motivated and interested when you don't have a challenge. I find those oblique V-ups in ARX absolutely brutal - and I have great obliques (IMO). If I support myself up on my elbow, I can do them all at their speed. If I bring my shoulder to the floor with every rep, as they do, I either need to do them much slower, or I can't do them at all. If I ever do all those Mason Twists with my feet off the floor, you'll hear me hollering all the way from the Great White North!

My goal today is to turn our main floor playroom into my office/playroom. I need to clear out a bunch of toys and figure out where I'm going to put my table and chair. This is going to take some effort. Wish me luck. (And it's a great way to procrastinate from actually working).

Have a good day,
Sandra
 
Heeeeey! Great idea! Slow down the Mason Twists! I'll try that next time for sure! It's not like I don't have 3 times a week for the next 11 weeks to figure those things out LOL!

Your progress in all of this really motivates me, Traci. Thanks for Bringing It ahead of the rest of us!

Cheers,
Sandra
 
SANDRA: "All of these thoughts are leading up to me concluding that maybe for us women to get a better CV workout with KenpoX, we DO need to add some weighted gloves. Crap. Where do I find those??"

You're killing me girl! I laugh so hard and outloud that I scare my pups who are trying to sleep in my office w/ me! Thats so funny because its EXACTLY how I feel everytime a book is mentioned, a magazine, a new gadget, & on & on.... Is that a personality defect? Hmmmmmmmmmm

I think what you said about male upper bodies makes a heck of a lot of sense. I never thought about it before but gosh it sure sounds accurate!

For me in ARX: Anything with the name banana in it is GRUELING... I dont find myself amused AT ALL w/ any version of them! Today I had them in Cardio X AND ARX.....x(

Your home project sounds like a workout in & of itself!
 
Good Afternoon!!

Traci - I loved legs and back. This is my all time fav. lower body workout. I really feel it in my glutes which is where I need to feel it. Funny, it doesn't seem overly hard when I'm doing it but I sure feel it later.

Sandra - I agree with you on KenpoX. Easy. Same with CardioX. I sub Cathe's cardio or cardio coach when I really want to burn cals.

Today I substituted KP&C for KenpoX and added on Cardio Coach#4. I was pretty beat afterward. I earned 8 AP's and I'm using every one of them plus some tonite for sushi and wine. Yippee!!

Have a great day.

Buffy
 
Hi all,

Today was kenpoX and I did the warmup and cardio of KPC. I too felt that the first few times that I did kenpoX I wasn't getting that much calorie burn, but it is good for sculpting. Anyway, today with the little extra cardio before as a warm up I was able to work the punches much more effectively and really focus on engaging my abs. By the end, I struggled to maintain my balance on the knuckles things...I think the workout is what you make it and if you focus on stopping the punch before you get to the very end of the extension you get a pretty good workout plus engage through the hips and legs.

Traci- glad to hear you are getting into the yoga. I enjoy yoga, but the 90 minutes is a little much. I was thinking about putting a stick note over the clock :)I just force myself to do it because I think it really helps with upper body strenght, not to mention flexibility. Congratuatlions on the boby fat. I'd love to see what my body fat is, or maybe not. I've eaten a low fat diet for years, but who knows.

Jeanette and Sandra - I'm a little concerned about the impact on my cardio capacity too. I've all but stopped running because of time and it really irritates my hamstring. With trying to lift heavier for squats etc. I just can't get in enough recovery. I did BM2 cardio blast last Sunday and was fine, so I think we'll be OK. I'm going to do some cario again tomorrow to see how I feel.

Suz - I have been lurking on the hardcore thread for months.....I always enjoy reading all of the posts. I was sorry to hear Laura lost her job. I wanted to add a post, but didn't want to interrupt the thread.

For all who like me aspired to do just one pull up....I just finished week 5. I have a pull up bar in my garage and I use a ladder to assist. The first 2 weeks I assisted using both feet, then I started using a one leg assist (12 reps). With the ladder sort of out in front. Now with the 1 leg assist I'm trying to alternate legs and take both feet off every time. I'm not sure what has helped the most. I still think that yoga plays a huge part because of the way it works the muscles. Four weeks ago I could barely hang from the bar. I have done p90X exactly as produced and only added extra lower weight work and cario. I try not ever to get on auto pilot while I'm working out. I do 12-15 reps for the weight exercises and I'm not lifting especially heavy. I have tried to increase my squat and deadlift and I'm not sure if that has helped too with back and overall body strength. I try regularly to squat 3 sets of 15 with 90lbs and deadlift 3 sets of 15 with 80lbs. I hope to increase each by 10 lbs in three weeks. I do my own routine 2x week, and then I add squats and deadlifts before legs and back. I am a wierd eater and can't do the little protein/carb mixture like Traci and others do so well. I tend to eat all of one thing at a time. Because of my job, I usually eat in the car so it has to be quick. During the day I get all my protien and carbs, then mostly veggies for dinner. It seems to be working for me. As soon as I get hungry I eat, usually 3-5 times before dinner at about 8, depending on what I did the day before. I regularly make a recovery drink, similar to what Jeanette is making. I just turned 47. If I can make this kind of progress you all can too. I would have never thought that I would have been able to make such gains in such a short time.

Tracy
 
Traci - 3 dogs over 100 pounds? Oh my gosh! Yup, ours are our children too. No furless children for us. Wasn't meant to be I guess. :)

Funny you're all talking about the HR issue with Kenpo X. I have a really high HR normally and today when Tony said his HR was 160 mine was 127! This is just crazy for me!!! Mine should have been 190 easily if his was 160. Hehehe.

Tracy - you would never be an interruption to the Hardcores. You can pop in any time. I'm sure Lora would love to hear your support. I like the idea of using a ladder for the assists. I've been using a chair, but it's slippery. I was looking to order a band, but I don't know which one to order or what size. I'm afraid I'll get the wrong one and waste money. Maybe I'll try the ladder because that will work for all different levels of assistance needed. You're so smart! So you're adding in extra leg work? Hmmm...I might do this too. I wasn't going to, but I think I'm missing my Smith squat machine. But we'll see. I'm trying to do the doubles, but only got in one this week since I had that stupid migraine most of the week. But I didn't skip a workout! So not sure I could add in extra leg work if I'm doing doubles too. But we'll see. I'm pretty pumped over this whole program.

Jeanette - aren't you too sweet to call me strong. I wish! :)

Suz

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." - Anatole France

http://www.picturetrail.com/dogs2birds
 
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