"Ripped" in October

Bditbobcat

I didn't get up and do Ripped this morning because i still totally feel like my hamstrings are too "ripped", in that they feel like someone hit me with a metal baseball bat. And a new perk this morning my glutes are killing me too. Haha! So I am going to hold off until this evening or maybe even use today as my rest day. I know enough about my body to know that it won't be good to push myself too far so early in the program. Have a wonderful day ladies!

taralee2001

Done with day 3. I am still sore, but starting to feel better. I can't believe that I only have 3 more days at this level. It feels like it's going fast.

MochaBlues

Good Mornting :laugh: Afternoon/ Day Fellow Rippers!!

Today is a GOOD Day, why? because today we are 1/2 through week ONE...how awesome is that??? And if you're only doing 5 days, you're more than 1/2 way through week ONE!! :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

Okay, so I didn't get my post in yesterday, but as you can tell, Week 1, DAY 3 is down for the history books! So, what has happened??...

Well glad to report that I was able to amp up my weights to 5lbs from day ONE, however after completing today's workout, I felt that I should increase the weight on the strength portion of circuit 2, as 5 lbs seems a bit too light and not challenging at all. So for day Four I will at least attempt circuit 2, with 8lb weights. Now, I'm not foolish enough to believe that at this point, I could incorporate them in circuit three:noway: :grumble: Heck, after today's workout (circuit 3) my arms were killin me.:sad: :ohwell: But I need that burn.

IMPROVEMENTS....(outside of increased weights) I was able to do complete most of the skaters with Bashira (sp)?aka Bee, which was cool for me. I was able to complete the first set of push ups without modifying, second set, was with Sheila. Overall, I felt pretty good about the workout-definitely something WE CAN DO!

Otherwise, I'm still struggling with the balance on the vertical leaps, the one- arm side planks where Jillian says, don't let your hip TOUCH the ground- Um, she must not know how big my hips are-good gawd those are hard for me, needless to say, my hips KISSED the ground each and every time:laugh: :laugh: ...I want to see how her infamous 400lb clients do that one:glasses: :indifferent: ...let me be quiet, before she puts on in her NEXT DVD:laugh:

Oh and Ebbykins- WOW!!, if you are doing everything at an even MORE advanced level- I want to be just like YOU when I grow up!

One day, I'd like to be able to do those ONE-ARM standing Side Planks like Bashira does....

Aright RIPPERS!! As you were...have a Great DAY!!

cmDaffy

MochaBlues, you wimp! Why are you such a pessimist!!! LMAO!!!

My shoulders are sca-reaming.....

To be honest, I don't think it's so much "Ripped"... I have my own lift sessions on Tuesday and Thursday and yesterday I increased weights on most of my lifts and I'm feeling it. I really pushed shoulders and chest yesterday.

"I have a Napoleon complex. but that's ok, I'm in treatment for it" Ahhh, Jillian, you are a witty girl aren't you?

I brought out the 25# plate for the swings. I didn't feel like I was going ANYTHING throwing around an 8# dumbbell. I HATE "goodmornings" Despite having my core tight AND great form, my lower back always hurts a few hours after.

I somehow managed to run 3 miles after "Ripped". Oddly enough, at the last half mile, I got a burst of energy (which is pretty darn amazing at 5:30AM). I think because I knew I was just about done!

ROCK ON!!!

smurfette75

OK. so I'm a day behind, just did day 1 last night. I have to catch a plane tonight to get to a funeral tomorrow...but guess what I'm going to try my hardest to get it in before I head out for the plane...lol. Not sure what tomorrow will look like.

lunamare

Someone smack me, please? I was all set to getup and work out this morning and I turned the alarm off instead of hitting snooze. :explode: I barely made it to work on time and had to completely skip my workout. Not happy at all.

cutie2superhottie

I was suopposed to be doing Ripped in October but bought the wrong DVD I m doing 30DS Good luck to all of you.

Silverkittycat

Day 3 done, some modification. I can do running man correctly now but I hate it. So I don't do it. I drink water instead. I don't like doing good mornings while holding a little dumbbell either, so I just do it without. It puts my arms and shoulders in an odd position to hold it there at the back of my neck. I like Shred levels 2 and 3 so much more than this one, I'm glad it's only another couple of days. I don't care for the cool down stretches so I spend most of my time doing yoga poses, at least 30 seconds in down dog and half pigeon plus a spinal twist of some sort and most importantly, a reverse plank. Like this -







I might take a day off and just do yoga tomorrow, I'm not sure.....I guess I'll wait and see how I feel. I really tightened up quite a bit during the 30DS and I'm not keen on losing flexibility.
Oh well, I sound cranky instead of motivational so... I'll shut up now.

Ebbykins

Good Mornting :laugh: Afternoon/ Day Fellow Rippers!!

Today is a GOOD Day, why? because today we are 1/2 through week ONE...how awesome is that??? And if you're only doing 5 days, you're more than 1/2 way through week ONE!! :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

Okay, so I didn't get my post in yesterday, but as you can tell, Week 1, DAY 3 is down for the history books! So, what has happened??...

Well glad to report that I was able to amp up my weights to 5lbs from day ONE, however after completing today's workout, I felt that I should increase the weight on the strength portion of circuit 2, as 5 lbs seems a bit too light and not challenging at all. So for day Four I will at least attempt circuit 2, with 8lb weights. Now, I'm not foolish enough to believe that at this point, I could incorporate them in circuit three:noway: :grumble: Heck, after today's workout (circuit 3) my arms were killin me.:sad: :ohwell: But I need that burn.

IMPROVEMENTS....(outside of increased weights) I was able to do complete most of the skaters with Bashira (sp)?aka Bee, which was cool for me. I was able to complete the first set of push ups without modifying, second set, was with Sheila. Overall, I felt pretty good about the workout-definitely something WE CAN DO!

Otherwise, I'm still struggling with the balance on the vertical leaps, the one- arm side planks where Jillian says, don't let your hip TOUCH the ground- Um, she must not know how big my hips are-good gawd those are hard for me, needless to say, my hips KISSED the ground each and every time:laugh: :laugh: ...I want to see how her infamous 400lb clients do that one:glasses: :indifferent: ...let me be quiet, before she puts on in her NEXT DVD:laugh:

Oh and Ebbykins- WOW!!, if you are doing everything at an even MORE advanced level- I want to be just like YOU when I grow up!

One day, I'd like to be able to do those ONE-ARM standing Side Planks like Bashira does....

Aright RIPPERS!! As you were...have a Great DAY!!

Girl you are doing awesome! I've been working out a long time and even still when I do JM rotations (with a heavier weight) she kicks my butt! I'm a die hard workout DVD junkie, I have some pretty crazy ones in my collection, it's fun to go back to the ones I first started with and challenge myself. One day you will too. No doubt. I enjoyed todays workout but I'm feeling kinda pent up, might have to let dinner digest and go running in the rain tonight.

cmDaffy

If you ladies don't mind me joining

I am on Day 17 of 30 day shred
Completed Week 2 Day 6
Week 1 Day 8

I have taken measurements, they are on my blog, have 17 pounds to goal and so excited! Renewed energy

Below is my link to my workouts completed

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ao6sqzC7jALTdEo4MUUxUFROX2xQNkRCeEhSNjFLdFE&hl=en_US#gid=0

Of course we don't mind! The more the merrier!

cmDaffy

Day 3 done, some modification. I can do running man correctly now but I hate it. So I don't do it. I drink water instead. I don't like doing good mornings while holding a little dumbbell either, so I just do it without. It puts my arms and shoulders in an odd position to hold it there at the back of my neck. I like Shred levels 2 and 3 so much more than this one, I'm glad it's only another couple of days. I don't care for the cool down stretches so I spend most of my time doing yoga poses, at least 30 seconds in down dog and half pigeon plus a spinal twist of some sort and most importantly, a reverse plank. Like this -


I might take a day off and just do yoga tomorrow, I'm not sure.....I guess I'll wait and see how I feel. I really tightened up quite a bit during the 30DS and I'm not keen on losing flexibility.
Oh well, I sound cranky instead of motivational so... I'll shut up now.

Shhh, don't tell anyone, I don't do the cool down! The minute this gets over, I'm out the door to my next workout. I stretch AFTER the second workout... Makes me think I need to at least SEE :noway: what these stretches are!

ROCK ON!!!

Silverkittycat

cmDaffy - here's why I like the upward plank pose (Purvottanasana) -

Frequent Chaturangas can leave your students imbalanced. Here's how to use Purvottanasana to as an effective counterpose.
By Roger Cole

There are two types of yoga students: those who don't do Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose) enough, and those who do it too much.

Ok, perhaps this is a bit of an exaggeration. Still, it makes an important point.

The stereotype of a "not enough" student is a middle-aged woman who has never worked seriously on her upper body strength. She either practices a "soft" style of yoga that does not demand Chaturanga, or a more challenging style that allows her to choose her own asana sequences, so she conveniently skips Chaturanga.

The stereotype of a "too much" student is a young, muscular woman or man who loves a tough workout. She (or he) practices a “hard” style of yoga based on Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations), so she inserts Chaturanga Dandasana, and certain other standard poses, between every asana in her sequence. She practices a long sequence, and therefore ends up doing a lot of Chaturangas every day. Also, the dynamic transitions in a linked, flowing sequence to and from the characteristic "push-up" position of Chaturanga demand additional upper body strength and apply it through a greater range of motion than the static pose does.

So, is there anything wrong with that? In general, there isn't. However, sometimes, when you get so much of a good thing, you need to counterbalance it with another good thing. Enter Purvottanasana (Upward Plank Pose): The Anti-Chaturanga Dandasana.

Let's look at these two poses from an anatomist's point of view to see why they complement one another so well. First of all, Chaturanga Dandasana strengthens a lot of muscles. Chief among them are the main chest muscles (pectoralis major and minor) and the main muscle that joins the front of the shoulder to the upper arm (anterior deltoid). It also strengthens several muscles that flex the trunk or hips (including rectus abdominis, obliquus abdominis, iliopsoas, and rectus femoris). All of these muscles are on the front of the body. Making them strong is an excellent thing to do, but unless your student balances that strength with flexibility, and with similar strength on the back of her body, this strength can cause some problems.

Strong, tight pectoral muscles, if not adequately opposed, pull the shoulder blades (scapulae), collarbones (clavicles), and upper arm bones (humeri) forward and inward, creating hunched shoulders and a closed chest. They limit arm movement and chest opening in Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand) and backbends. Strong, tight anterior deltoid muscles pull the humeri forward and up in their sockets. If not adequately opposed, this can contribute to painful and damaging impingement of the top ends of the humeri against the upper-outer shoulder blades (the acromion processes of the scapulae). Anterior deltoid tightness also severely limits arm placement in Shoulderstand. Strong, tight abdominal and hip flexor muscles, if not adequately opposed, encourage slumped chests in standing postures and make it almost impossible to do a fully open backbend.

No single posture is the antidote to an overdose of Chaturanga Dandasana, but if you had to pick just one, Purvottanasana would probably be your best choice. Why? First, it stretches most of the muscles that Chaturanga strengthens. Second, it strengthens opposing muscles (antagonists). Purvottanasana stretches pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, the anterior deltoids, rectus abdominis, obliquus abdominis, iliopsoas, and, to some extent, rectus femoris. It strengthens the rhomboid muscles (which draw the shoulder blades toward the spine, antagonizing the pectorals), the posterior deltoid muscles (which pull the arms backward, antagonizing the anterior deltoids), the erector spinae (which backbend the spine, antagonizing the abdominal muscles), and the gluteus maximus and hamstring muscles (which extend the hips, antagonizing the iliopsoas and rectus femoris). In short, while Chaturanga primarily strengthens the front of the body, Purvottanasana stretches the front of the body and strengthens the back of the body. This makes the two poses wonderfully complementary.

There are some notable exceptions to this pattern, though. One is that both Chaturanga Dandasana and Purvottanasana strengthen the triceps muscles (the elbow-straightening muscles on the back and outside of the upper arms). Another is that both poses bend the wrists backward and put weight on them. In spite of these exceptions, Purvottanasana is an excellent pose to teach your students to balance a practice that’s heavy on the Chaturanga.

Here, in compressed form, are instructions you can give your student to bring her into the classical version of Purvottanasana. "Sit in Dandasana (Staff Pose) with your hands alongside your hips and your fingers pointing forward. Bend your knees until the soles of your feet touch the floor. While exhaling, press your feet and hands down to lift your hips as high as possible off the floor. Then straighten your legs one by one and lift your hips still higher, pressing the soles of your feet toward the floor. Lift your chest as high as possible, then drop your head back, keeping the back of your neck as long as possible." This version of the pose will go a long way toward counterbalancing Chaturanga Dandasana. If your student's practice is based on Surya Namaskar, she might benefit from working it into her Sun Salutation sequence so she does it just as often and holds it just as long as Chaturanga.

If your student is willing to use props in her practice, you can teach her how to use them to modify Purvottanasana to enhance its specific effects. Here, we'll focus on one way she can do the pose on a chair to ease the pressure on her wrists, increase the stretch of her chest and front shoulders, and more effectively strengthen the muscles that oppose Chaturanga. The actions of the asana are divided into two parts, actually two separate poses. The first is a "Chair Dip" (see illustration). The second is the full pose (see illustration ).

To teach these versions of the pose to your students, first help her set up her props. You can give the following introductory instructions: "Lay down a sticky mat with its end against a wall. Place a stable chair on the mat with its back to the wall. Stand in front of the chair with your back toward the seat. Bend your knees and place your hands on the seat with your fingers pointing out to the sides, draping over the edges."

Turning her hands out this way helps your student rotate her upper arms outward, increasing the stretch on her pectoralis major muscles. Draping her fingers eases pressure on her wrists. Once you've established this basic alignment, ask her to place her heels about two to three feet away from the chair. The exact distance you want is the one that will position her shoulders directly above her wrists in the final pose; you will help her adjust this later. Now take her into the Chair Dip: "Lift your chest as much as you can while you inhale, then, while exhaling, bend your knees to lower your hips as close to the floor as possible without losing any of the lift of your chest. Keep your elbows pointing straight back as you do this. Finish by inhaling again, lifting your chest even more." (See illustration). This dipping preparation for Purvottanasana will stretch your student's pectoral muscles and anterior deltoids more than standard Purvottanasana does.

Now, without interrupting the flow of your student's movements, teach the full pose: "On your next exhalation, move to full Purvottanasana on the chair. Do the following'movements in order in one smooth, continuous sequence on a single, long out-breath. Push firmly down through your feet and hands; straighten your knees; engage your hamstrings, buttocks and back muscles to lift your hips and belly as high as possible; activate the backs of your shoulders, upper arms and upper spinal muscles to lift your chest as high as you can; and, finally, drop your head back, keeping the back of your neck long. On your next inhalation, intensify the pose by pressing your feet and hands down even more firmly and lifting your hips and chest still higher." (See illustration.) At this point, check to make sure that your student's shoulders are directly above her wrists; if not, help her change her foot position to correct this.

Next, repeat the sequence of dipping and lifting: "Keeping your chest lifted, and without moving your feet, smoothly lower yourself all the way back to the dip position on the next exhalation. Once there, inhale and lift your chest even more. As you exhale again, move smoothly back to the full Purvottanasana position. When you get there, inhale once, then return to the dip on the next exhalation." Ask your student to repeat the cycle three to ten times. At the end of the last cycle, have her hold Purvottanasana for thirty seconds to one minute, breathing naturally. Then tell her how to come out of the pose: "Step your feet one by one toward the chair, lower your hips, and stand up."

Teaching your student to move repeatedly from the Chair Dip to Chair Purvottanasana and back is an excellent way to counterbalance her Chaturanga Dandasana practice, especially if in her practice she jumps repeatedly into or out of the pose, or moves into and out of it from poses like Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) or Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog). One dynamic technique offsets the other.

Ultimately, yoga is about balance. It's good to be strong, but balanced strength is better than unbalanced strength, and strength coupled with flexibility is better than rigid, restrictive strength. Chaturanga Dandasana is one of the key strengthening asanas. It's a great pose, and it's even better when complemented by Purvottanasana, The Anti-Chaturanga Dandasana.

Roger Cole, Ph.D. is an Iyengar-certified yoga teacher (www.yogadelmar.com), and Stanford-trained scientist. He specializes in human anatomy and in the physiology of relaxation, sleep, and biological rhythms.

and how to do it - http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2474

Chaturanga is our yoga "plank", many beginners do regular planks until they have the strength to hold the full pose. Since we do so many plank moves in the JM workouts I like to do the upward (Purvottanasana) to balance it out.

Gogretchen1

I did the SAME thing Monday. haha. The worst way to start the day-for sure! But hey that just means you needed the sleep. There's still plenty of time to get ripped

pakks

Did Day 4 of level 1. Today thighs are getting better

MochaBlues

:grumble: :grumble: Greetings Rippers!!:smooched:

So MochaBlues got to thinking....:noway: :laugh: since we're all getting this in together, we might as well make it a little interesting when we're checkin in . So I thought I'd introduce.....QUESTION OF THE DAY!! (well at least 3x /week)

So TODAY's QUESTION (in addition to your check-in) : Name your favorite or least favorite Jillian Michaels saying/quote from Week 1?


Okay, so I'll go first - DAY 4, Week 1- has went down!!:happy: :bigsmile:
I did get the 8lb weights in on circuit 1 AND circuit 2, but true to my word, it was a NO-Go for circuit 3 (I'm not crazy):glasses: :indifferent:

Okay, for the week, my least favorite Jillian quote is ...."DON'T PHONE THIS IN!".... Okay Rippers! Your turn...what say you???

schmenly

Just started it last night. It was a pretty good workout, I really need to get some weights though, I used cans of coconut milk...just not the same... Good luck!!

cmDaffy

Silverkittycat, WOW!! thanks for all the info! Do you teach yoga? I've never taken a class before, just watched a video, but I was given a gift certificate for "hot" yoga. Have you tried that? I have a meeting with them before I start. I can't wear my pump into the hot room, so I need to figure out how to manage my medical supply bag w/o interrupting class.

cmDaffy

Day 4 done... I'm feeling slightly sleep deprived from how early I get up to get all this done! I DID impress some guy at the gym by my ability to do walking planks this morning. (I'm SUCH a little badass!)

Least Favorite saying? That's easy. "I have a bit of a Napoleon complex, but that's ok, I'm in therapy." (GREAT idea on the weekly question, Mocha!!!)

I still need to download the diet plan. I'm actually following the WW points plus system and that seems to work for me as long as I remember to focus on getting more protein in my diet!

ROCK ON!!!

taralee2001

Did day 4 this morning. Still sore. I'm hoping the soreness will start to diminish, this is about the point when I stopped being so sore with the 30DS. Tomorrow I am going to have to get up early to work out if I want to avoid doing it at night after my kids are in bed. Wish me luck, I am not a morning person.

And I find the part where she's joking about talking into her chest to be the most annoying. Makes me roll my eyes every time.

charc16

I don't have a favorite JM quote because I mute her on my computer and turn up my own music! I usually just listen the first day of each new workout for tips and stuff and then turn her off. I love the workouts, but I can't stand listening to her!

I think I am going to use tomorrow and Saturday as my rest days this week. I usually only take one but I am SO SORE this week from a combo of JM, kickboxing and my Group Power class. I swear I have done about 500 squats/lunges this week! I am going on a 4-5 hour hike on Saturday that will be very unpleasent if I am still this sore, so I am going to take a little break. But I'll be back at it on Sunday and ready to start Week 2 on Monday!

Also, I was wondering how you guys are doing weigh-ins? I was thinking about maybe just waiting to do it until I finish the whole DVD, but I don't think I can wait that long.

Hope you all have a great day. Almost Friday - YAY!