Cathe Fans Part 5

2BLean

Hi Ladies ~ Later check in today but I made it! No workout(s) today. Going to dinner tonight with DH. He will be gone this weekend and getting things ready tomorrow so thought we should go tonight.

Becky – Huge congrats on your strength gains in the past month! That is fantastic and I am sure you are thrilled as well. Great job. I bet you will reach your goal in no time w/ doing 20 dips every 200 yards. When I was a kid I grew up on swim team and absolutely loved it. We lived at the pool as kids. I don’t swim now; not enough time but when I do it for recreation I always enjoy being in the water again.
I’m with you on working legs; I love working them, even though it hurts sometimes! LOL Penny and Luna sound adorable and its so awesome she is a shelter dog. Love that ~ I need to see what a Kraken is! Thanks for the good wishes on my workouts; they have been feeling tough but great this week! A day off today actually feels kind of good to my body; battling with my mind but my body appreciates it.

Thelma: I am glad your hubby will be putting your tower together for you! It will be done just right I am sure. Great job on Back/Tri’s and that you got a nice burn it sounds like. Thanks for that link, I will check it out. Always love good ones to save for later. Lately Katy has been finding these workouts online somewhere …. She always has her phone in hand while she is writing things down. Yes, she asked us last night at Spinning if we were super sore. She said her body was fried and she was going to struggle through Spinning. I was amazingly pretty good last night but I was sore when I woke up that next day. I had done Legs and Plyo that morning as well so no wonder. But good by the afternoon. We all commented that Monday probably had more people sore than Tues. Those short workout days maybe you could add in the Muscle Meltdown workouts on Cathe’s ICE series that Laurie and I were talking about? Just a thought. Thank you for the well wishes on Emma. I hope we do too. Bernie too!

Laurie: Sounds like a fun evening with your family! I am sure you enjoyed it very much. No words is a good point on Tuesday’s workout! LOL I’m glad you have some time to figure out your new rotation and how you can work in those MM workouts. Once I started adding them in and knew the time frame it was perfect! Yes, Emma snores like a grown man. It’s hilarious. PAP machine is right. LOL I bet Rocket absolutely loved playing with that puppy. Bernie needs a playmate once and a while …. I know Emma doesn’t play with him enough. Maybe Doggy Daycare will be a good way to go for him.

Laurel: Love Bulk Legs!!! Way to go ….. not sure that RK + HS was lighter and shorter but great job! I bet it felt really good. I am glad your Fit Tower went right up. I also read the instructions. Can’t wait to hear how much you love it and the pull-ups on that vs. the band! Yay. You seriously read my mind posting that rotation. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I have had XT and/or RWH on the brain lately for an upcoming rotation. I do have this one somewhere printed out. I will take a look at it and might just go for it!

Have a great evening ladies – talk to you tomorrow! Tami

ThelmaSW

Hi Ladies, tonight I did STS Mesocycle 1, Disc 9 Legs. I didn't do the optional leg conditioning because I ran out of time. Another great workout! I still can't believe that I've been able to do STS ladies. 3 more STS workouts to go!

Laurie, sounds like you had a nice family evening! Great job with 22 Minute Hard Corps Cardio!
Last time I started STS I barely did Meso 1 Laurie. The fact that I'm almost done with the program is proof of how much I've improved, how much strength I've gained. So excited and proud! Next time I'll have to do the rack version of the program! I have P90X. I'm sure pretty soon you'll be doing the Elmo pushups like a pro!

Laurel, you and your killer workouts! WOW! Great job!!!!
I think I posted that rotation when I was looking at all the rotations on Cathe's website. It really is a good one.
Now that I'm so close to being done with STS I can't wait to be done! LOL.
So glad you like the tower and that your husband tested it!! Will it be easy to take apart? Funny about the packaging but I imagine that means it was well protected.
That Extreme rotation is insane!

Tami, I hope you had a wonderful dinner with your DH! Katy is a really good instructor thanks to the fact that she's always looking for new ideas. Funny about Katy being sore too. Thanks for the idea to use Muscle Meltdown on those short days!

Hi Beckie!

Good night ladies!!!
Thelma

smile_laughter

Good morning ladies - I hope you have had a restful night. Yesterday was a good day.....little sore today (which I like). I did Maximum Intensity Strength. I was thrilled that I was able to do most of the pushups (on my knees.....not ready for full pushups). Folks are work are noticing that I am losing weight and getting back into shape....it's a great feeling.

Thelma - great job on your tricep workout 2 days ago and on your leg workout yesterday. It is great that you are doing the STS workout and almost done with it. You may have mentioned in previous posts, so sorry if having to state again, but when you are done with STS, what do you want to do for your next rotation? Thanks for sharing the link to workout scheduler and for the fit tower. Let me know how you like the fit tower. I can see why you and Laurel are excited to get it put together. I just saw that I didn't answer your question about the timesaver video. The box is labeled "timesaver, body blast series". It has 5 different workouts with the 5th one focusing on legs, but it isn't necessarily called leg.

Laurie - Nice job on getting your cardio workout it. I hope you enjoyed dinner with your family - those moments are worth not getting a workout in (unless the family is high in drama, but yours doesn't sound like that). My dogs hang around me feet, too, when I am in the kitchen. All I have to do is tap my foot and they come running to see what I dropped.

Laurel - Love your story on the guns in the bank.....that was too funny. Great job on getting your bulk legs and cardio workout in. I would much rather workout than clean house! I hope you and Thelma get a chance to use the fit tower this weekend.....let us know how it goes.

Tami - I hope you enjoyed dinner with DH. When Luna comes out of her crate, we are "letting the Kraken out" because she goes nuts.......her tail hits everything, knocks things down, etc. She's crazy, but so dang cute.

I hope everyone has a great day and weekend. Happy training.....
Becky

lvnascar

Morning Ladies,

After work I only had enough time for a short workout, so I opted for Cathe's Stretchmax Routine 1. Felt really good. Today is my off day, and I really feel like my body needs it.

Laurel, Wow on combining those two workouts! Great job on that combo, your body must have enough energy this week to handle it. Now why would anyone want to avoid the fun of housework. That looks like a good rotation with the STS/XT combo. I remember seeing that one on Cathe's forum. I really do like the 22 MHC workouts, just need to remember to include them in my rotations. I should probably include some of the H&C workouts into my last few months, so that I can get the core in better shape. What a great compliment about the "guns", love it.

Tami, Hope you enjoyed your day off, and having a date with your DH! We will be having out date night tonight, since it will be our 28th Anniversary tomorrow. We are busy tomorrow, so this will be our only chance to have the time. The thought of adding the MM onto the X2 workouts is really tempting, so will be spending my time tomorrow, while at the car show, plotting out what I will be doing with the X2 workouts. I think Bernie would probably enjoy the pals he could make at the daycare. I know Rocket is a much better dog for it. He loves all the ladies at the place also.

Thelma, Great job on the workout, and that you only have three workouts left! After X2 I will have to try the STS workouts that way, it sounds like you and Laurel really enjoyed it. I sure do hope that those push-ups will be doable. Someday's I pump out push-ups no problem, and others are just horrible. Guess that will depend on how cooked my chest muscles are.

Becky, Got to love those sore muscles, we always talk about how much we love them. Love that MIS workout, it is dated, but such a good workout. Oh my girls can add drama to the house, but the oldest doesn't live with us, so the girls get along so much better. I was surprised that the oldest asked the youngest to be her bridesmaid. It made me very happy to see that. We used to have two dogs, got Rocket when our older dog was getting older. It was a lot of work having both of them, but I'm glad that we did it.

Have a great weekend,
Laurie

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies! Today started with Bulk Arms, which I will never stop enjoying. Sagi moves so fast in it, but I don't seem to mind that so much in this workout. And the time flies. I followed it with Beast Abs. For cardio, I did something shorter, but no tamer--IMAX 3. After this week of long workouts......it felt kinda easy. And I never think that about IMAX 3!!

Tami, hope you enjoyed your date night. I completely understand why days off are tough mentally, but sometimes the body really needs it. You are welcome on that rotation. If you do it, I will be curious your impressions. Like I said, I will probably give it a try after X2, so all thoughts will be welcome.

Thelma, great job with the workout. You should be SO proud of yourself and what you have accomplished this year with your workouts. Between Body Beast, H&C and STS, you have done amazing!! I really am happy that doing STS in the order of Meso 2, 3 and 1 worked out for you. About the tower, it is easy to take apart into two flat pieces. It is really a matter of taking out two screws to do it. I forgot to mention that it doesn't fit through a doorway, so be mindful of that when your DH assembles it. Make sure it is in the room you want it in!

Becky, Maximim Intensity Strength was my first Cathe strength workout and is still one of my favorites. The bicep work in it still leaves me in a whimper at the end! Such good stuff.....even if it is very 1990's in style. I will let you know how it goes with the Fit Tower. I think the next time I do pull-ups will be Monday, and I definitely want to give it a try then.

Laurie, enjoy your day off from workouts. I bet the stretch workout felt good. One of the reasons I am so excited to do X2 right now is because it will force me to do my much-needed yoga. Of all the workouts, X2 Yoga is the one I am looking forward to most! Almost hit 'buy' on 22 MHC this morning.....but decided to wait until I get home from Denver. I think it is bound to happen though!

Enjoy the weekend!

Laurel

2BLean

Hi Ladies ~ DH and I had a nice dinner together and headed home in time to just relax and watch a little TV before bed. This a.m. I did Chisel Cardio + Abs and Spinning after work tonight!

Laurel: Another fantastic day ~ you truly killed it this week!! Date night was good, we don’t have very many left before he leaves for his Fall Fishing he does every year. Can you believe it is already that time? I am going to look over that rotation this weekend! Thank you again. I have a plan in place

Laurie: Sounds like the stretch was just what you needed. Happy 28 Years together! WOW, that is so amazing and wonderful. I hope you have a fun night out together.

Becky: Gotta love those sore muscles! Working them hard this week, that’s great! So great that people are taking notice and letting you know. Helps motivate you to keep going and simply feels good to see the progress as well. Congrats.

Thelma: Great job working those legs last night! You have done an amazing job through your STS rotation and you should be very proud of yourself. Way to WORK!

Have a great weekend ladies ~ Until Monday! Tami

ThelmaSW

Hi Ladies, I hope you all had a nice weekend. We had a nice weekend but really busy for me. I have been getting ready for our vacation. It's always such a mega project to get ready for vacation for me!

On Friday I did Rockout Knockout with boxing gloves the entire workout, on Saturday STS Meso 1, Disc 10, Chest, Shoulders, Biceps and on Sunday I had to have a rest day. I was exhausted! Disc 10 was great. Lots of pushups on the ball which I enjoyed very much now that I know how to do them. I am able to do more full pushups and that feels good. I also love the barbell curls with the resistance band! 2 more STS workouts to go!
DH put my Fit tower together and it is a beast. It takes a lot of space in my workout area so I had to take it apart at the base so I have it in two parts now. I CAN'T wait to do chin ups using the Fit Tower.

Beckie, awesome job with your workouts. That sore feeling is wonderful! How exciting that people at work are noticing that you're losing weight! Congrats!

I haven't decided just yet what rotation I'm going to do next but I was just going through my rotation file and found a 2 month Body Beast/Hammer & Chisel rotation. It's either that or I will do Body Beast again. Is that Timesaver, Body Blast Series a Cathe program?

Laurie, great job getting a short workout in! I really have enjoyed doing STS the way Laurel recommended. I'm sure you would love it too. My recommendation for the Elmo pushups would be to take your time and not worry about Cathe getting ahead of you on the screen.

Laurel, awesome workout combo on Friday! Thanks so much for the kudos on my accomplishments for this year!

Tami, so glad you and your DH had a nice dinner the other night! Thank you for the kudos on my workout achievements!!

Good night ladies!!!
Thelma

lvnascar

Morning Ladies,

We are in shutdown this week, so if I don't post it is because I am busy getting things done around here while there isn't anyone around. Saturday was another rest day for me, but on Sunday I did a 30 min. Run and H&C Chisel Balance. This morning I did about 20 min. on the elliptical, just for a change of pace.

Laurel, Imax 3 easy! Great job on the workouts, and having that endurance. I keep saying that I need more yoga in my life, so that is something I'm looking forward to also. Hopefully it will keep me motivated to continue after the rotation is finished. I think that 22MHC will be yours at some point, really solid add on's for you.

Tami, Great job on the workouts! It was nice to visit a H&C workout this weekend, might continue just to keep up the core strength before starting X2 in a couple of months. Will see how I feel. Thanks for the congrats on the 28 years, we did have a nice dinner at our favorite Mexican resturant.

Thelma, Great job on the workouts! Love that you have the added strength from doing the STS rotation in that format, will be doing it that way in the future. Yes the tower does take up some space, but it is so useful for a lot of workouts.

Have a great day!
Laurie

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies! Hope you all had a good weekend. We did. We were able to golf both days, though we did get chased off the course a little early on Saturday. But all that sunshine and fresh air felt good--despite the excessive humidity. We can really tell there are storms brewing out there in the ocean, that's for sure.

Since I am leaving on Friday, I decided not to take my usual Saturday off from workouts. So Saturday was Bulk Shoulders followed by Cathe's Cardio Core Circuit. Yesterday was Bulk Chest followed by the cardio and core sections from Cathe's Body Max 2. And today was Bulk Back followed by ICE Boot Camp with Blizzard Blast. I used my new Fit Tower for the pull-ups today and am SO happy to have a pull-up option again!! Definitely gets two thumbs up from me.

Tami, hope you had a good weekend. I can't believe this is the last week in August!! When did that happen? Are you going to go visit your DH this year for fishing? Hopefully the fishing has been better this summer than last year. I am really interested to see what your workout plan is going to look like. One thing I know for sure is it will be tough!

Thelma, great workouts! Glad you listened to your body, though, and took a day off. I am sure your body appreciated it. Yes, the Fit Tower does take up a bit of space. But I already love it. I can't to use it more.

Laurie, I forgot to wish you a Happy Anniversary on Friday! I'm sorry!! But I am glad you enjoyed a nice dinner out with your DH. Sounds like a nice blend of workouts yesterday and today. Kudos to you for keeping up with the running. Hopefully Rocket is still enjoying it too. Check in when you can this week!

Becky, hope you had a good weekend.

See you tomorrow.

Laurel

ThelmaSW

Hi Ladies, my body seriously needed a day off! Tonight I did STS Meso 1, Disc 12 Legs. What a great workout! My legs are feeling it. Tomorrow will be my last STS workout and I will get to use the Fit Tower!
Did you ladies see this new KCM workout? It looks good!
https://www.totalfitnessdvds.com/30-Minutes-To-Fitness-Live-Amped-Up-Cardio-Kelly-p/535.htm

Laurie, great workouts! I can't believe you're working during the company's shutdown week! Happy 28th anniversary!
I definitely have gained strength from this program and I am loving the pushups on the ball! One of these days I'll try the workouts that came with the tower.

Laurel, glad you got some good golfing in this weekend! I heard about the tropical storms heading your way!
Great job with those workouts! Awesome combos too! So glad you liked the tower! I just realized that I don't know how to lower the padded bar on the tower. I noticed some clip like things but I wasn't able to move them. I'll have to ask DH how to do that.
My body really appreciated the day off. I was functioning on fumes on Sunday. I'm looking forward to using the tower tomorrow. Are you going to get a barbell now?

Hi Tami and Becky!

Good night ladies!!!
Thelma

smile_laughter

Hi ladies.......I hope to respond to everyone tomorrow. I did another "Cathe throwback" yesterday by doing her Body Max workout. So....you can tell I need to update my videos. ☺ I don't have a stepper any more, so I put my treadmill on an incline of 8 and speed of 3.5 during the step routine. Today, I got a 40 minute swim in followed by some squats.

Sorry for short post...... Happy training....
Becky

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies! Today's workout started with Bulk Legs. I really felt I could take it up another notch today with the weights, but I held back because the last thing I need when climbing on to a plane for four hours is massive leg DOMS! And based on how many days I was sore after I upped my weights last time with that workout, I decided not to take a chance on Friday. So I stayed the same weight, but it felt great. For cardio, I did Cathe's Intensity with the Boot Camp section included. Flew by today.

Thelma, glad the day off felt good. Great job with the leg workout. I just love those Meso 1 leg workouts. I was surprised how easy it is to move the bar on the Fit Tower. In the video I watched that Cathe had done about it, she mentioned that it is easier to move the bar on this one than the original Fit Tower. It is easily something that can be moved in a workout, and I like that. I got a barbell a few months ago, and it works perfectly with the Tower. So happy to have that option too! Of course, this means I have outgrown my workout room and spilled over into my husband's space. He was (jokingly) complaining about that last night! Oh well. Yes, we might have a Tropical Storm near us on Thursday. It will most likely miss us here, but I am slightly concerned about my flight out on Friday morning. We'll see. But, boy, have things turned wet again! But that is much needed after our hot, dry summer.

Becky, I love that Body Max workout. Absolutely fries my upper body. What a good idea for subbing cardio in for the step portion. I did that workout for several months way back when without a step because I had suffered a pretty bad back injury and couldn't handle step for a couple of years. I think the treadmill work was probably much more challenging!

Tami and Laurie, hope you are well.

See you tomorrow.

Laurel

2BLean

Hi Ladies ~ Monday’s are usually my days I don’t take a lunch break other than something quick at my desk. So missed you all …. Sorry about that! I knew you were all killing it over the weekend though.
My workouts were: Sat, Max Hammer Strength + Chisel Cardio, Sun was CrossFire XT and yesterday was Katy’s BootCamp after work. It was similar to last week, but timed exercises instead of posted on the board. Lots of upper & lower body with cardio thrown in ….. Burpees always of course! LOL Today will be her Insane X class after work; I hit the snooze AGAIN this a.m. I think it’s a sign of ready for some different workouts as well.

Thelma: Sounds like a nice but busy weekend you had preparing for your trip! How fun. Great job with Rockout Knockout and the gloves on the whole workout for some added intensity. Great job with STS as well and your obvious strength gains on those push-ups. Legs last night I’m sure felt amazing as it always does with Cathe. So tonight is your last STS workout! WOO-HOO, Congratulations!!!! Sounds like you are going to be doing a combo BB/H&C next, that sounds perfect. Thanks for the link on Kelley’s new workout …. I did see that (briefly) and wondered about the filming; it looked dark. But if I hear good things, I might take another look at it.

Laurie: Sounds like you had a nice dinner out for your 28 year celebration! Nice job with the variety of workouts you did over the weekend! What is shutdown at your work mean? Probably nice to be there getting things done. Especially after being gone and finally catching up, you don’t want that again. Throwing in some H&C before X2 will be good for the core forsure. Check in when you can.

Becky: Great job with the Body Max workout. Those older ones are still goodies and nice job doing a cardio that works for you!

Laurel: How fun with golfing on both days! Outstanding job (as always) on the workouts! I am glad you are happy with your FitTower purchase as well. Makes a lot of difference I think with pull-ups/chin-ups. I cannot believe the summer is coming to a close either. Where in the world does time go?!?! DH drove the trailer early Sunday a.m. and set it up and then drove back the same day. I am really glad I didn’t go because that is a lot of driving in one day and I would have felt exhausted. LOL Sitting in a car makes me tired. He is hoping the fishing will be a good run this year as well; the fall Salmon run on the Columbia River is where he makes his money for the year basically, plus the few trips he runs in the summer (June/July), but since that wasn’t good he had to cxl some paid trips. So here’s hoping. Yes, I will make my annual weekend with him on October 1st! Looking forward to it. He schedules me the weekend of his Birthday (Oct 2) every year, unless I get bumped by a paying customer. LOL Then he reschedules me.

Funny about your workout room spilling into your DH’s space now. DH and I were just laughing last night when we watched the Ninja Warrior show; one guy had his entire living room made into a training course and his wife/kids were totally fine with it. DH said, I could see you doing that while I am gone fishing! LOL
Fingers crossed the weather/tropical storm holds off enough to not effect your flight on Friday a.m. I’ll be thinking good thoughts for you forsure!

Sidebar and thoughts from you all : I received an e-mail from our gym today and they are doing another Fall Biggest Loser contest but also a local supplement/nutrition store is doing a Body Transformation Challenge that starts September 12th and ends November 19th.
You get FREE meal plan, body fat % tested, weight, bone density, etc. tested on their InBody machine. I am mostly interested but scared to do that part but a new food plan designed by someone other than “me” would be nice to try. Get me out of a plateau I feel like I have been in for some time now. You don’t have to be on a team or anything, totally on your own. They are doing it in conjunction with the Biggest Loser competition to provide incentive to those peeps as well as discounts on their products of course too. I don’t want to try and win or anything, just take advantage of a FREE opportunity and incentives to work harder through accountability with checking in every 2 weeks. As I type this to you ladies I think ….. really? This isn’t you at all, but maybe it would be good for me! Maybe I’m asking for a push, I don’t know. LOL Just thought I would share it with you all since it came across today and I can’t stop thinking about it.

Back to work …. Hope you ladies have a great afternoon/evening! Talk to you tomorrow and I can report in on Katy’s workout tonight. YIKES.

Tami

ThelmaSW

Hi Ladies, I DID IT!!!! I DID IT!!!! I finished my last STS workout with STS Meso 1 Disc 11 Back and Triceps. I used the FitTower for the pull/Chin Ups and that brought the workout to a different level. I had my legs extended and was actually able to lift myself up. So cool! My lats and my triceps are pretty fried.
You should've seen the smile on my face when I did that last rep. I felt silly smiling but I just couldn't wipe that smile off my face for a long time! LOL
I was just playing with the hybrid workout scheduler tool and have come up with two potential rotations. One is a BB/H&C hybrid and the other one is an 8 week advanced Body Beast which basically has me doing the Bulk workouts for 8 weeks and it also includes abs and the Lucky Seven workout. I literally copied the rotation from the screen and pasted it onto an Excel worksheet. This way I can manipulate it any way I want. and since the workouts are short I will have to add sprinkle some Cathe cardio throughout.
My plan is to go through the Advanced Bulk rotation for 8 weeks. Then I will switch to the BB/H&C hybrid for the time that my aunts here because those are fairly short workouts. I have this rotation set for 12 weeks. This doesn't mean I will do it for 12 weeks but since I won't have time to think about what to do after my aunts leave I want will do it for probably 8 weeks. I feel so much better that I have some kind of a plan. The Bulk rotation isn't final yet because I'll have to spend some time inserting Cathe's premixes. What a relief!!!

Becky, great job continuing with your workouts and for finding a way to do the step cardio using the treadmill!

Laurel, awesome combo today! I was laughing when I read the part about not upping your weights due to not wanting leg DOMS right on time for your flight. Great thinking!
As much as I have complained about the STS workouts being so long I have totally enjoyed them. Thanks so much for your advice to start withe Meso 2! I figured out how to adjust the bar! Definitely easy. Given the special dance floor I have if I didn't place myself in the right spot the tower would start moving so I had to find the right balance. I totally have outgrown my workout space. The only reason why I don't spill into the next room is because there is a wall there! I may have to see if I can rearrange things but it's not so easy. It's a tight squeeze but I don't mind taking the thing apart and leaning it against the wall in two pieces.
So glad you got a barbell! Having the FitTower is the reason why I want to do Body Beast next. This way I'll be able to use the tower for any of those barbell exercises on the bench.
I hope the storm misses FL and it doesn't interfere with your flight.

Tami, fabulous job with those workouts even when you're so busy with work! By the workout calorie count you entered on Monday I knew it was a killer Katy class.
Thanks for the congrats and kudos on my workouts!
I'm not sure how I feel about the KCM new workout. I don't like the fact that the camera was so far away from her. The part they show you on the clip is just cardio but now sure what else she does that I may need a closer shot of.
I totally agree with you about the the FitTower making a big difference with pull/chin ups. Definitely brings them to a new level. Now I feel that what I was doing with the resistance tubing was more like using a rubber band! LOL
About the BL challenge - If you get free info go for it. There is always something to learn. You probably won't win the challenge because you're already physically fit and probably don't have a single ounce of fat in your body. So I don't think you have to worry about winning! LOL

Hi Laurie! Don't work to hard! LOL

Good night ladies!!!
Thelma

smile_laughter

Good morning ladies - I hope everyone is doing great. I did not get a workout in yesterday due to meetings, kids homework and dog training class. Long day. But, today I should be able to get some weight training in following by swimming. I think I have time to get 60-90 minutes in. I am SO looking forward to it.

Question for the group: I have always wondered if Cathe's leg workouts are ok on the knees. The way she keeps going (it's almost like we do 50-60 squats non stop but at different rates....slow going down, then slow going up, etc). I've been concerned that this may be bad for the knees and cartilage. I fear that we are wearing down the cartilage and I don't want to get bone on bone in my years to come. So, do you all have any knowledge or thoughts on this? All I know is that my legs become so much stronger with her workouts as compared to a traditional squat routine (do 3 sets of 12-16 reps).

Also - I just asked Laurel a question about her workout equipment, and I really should ask the group (I typed the question for her and thought....wait....ask everyone). What at home equipment do you have for your workouts? What are some "must haves" (I have barbells and treadmill) that I should look into?

Thelma - Congrats on finishing your STS workout!!! WOOOHOOOO! And, that is fantastic that you are already using your fit tower. It sounds like you have gotten so much stronger. This is a wonderful accomplishment....don't stop smiling! When I am able to do a yoga pose that I have never done before, I start doing a mini celebration in the middle of class, but I try to keep it to myself so I don't interrupt others. It's hard to not stop smiling. I love how dedicated you are to your workout by using Excel to stay organized. Phew.....that is amazing. I am excited to learn more about your new rotation as you start to do it.

Tami - Great job on all your workout this past weekend, including burpees (yuk.....love hate relationship with those). The body transformation challenge sounds great. Anything to help keep you motivated (and it's free) is a plus! I hope you do it.....it might be the extra push you want. Is your gym a chain or independently owned? It sounds like a great (and well organized) place.

Laurel - Too funny about not lifting more with your legs due to going on a plane. That was probably a good idea, but I am sure you still had a great workout from it. What equipment do you have (I should ask the entire group this)? It sounds like you have almost a full gym in your house. I have barbells and a treadmill. Is there anything that you think I should absolutely add to my equipment, or do you think this is ok?

Laurie - great job on your weekend workouts. As the others said, happy 28th.

Have a great day.....
Becky

lvnascar

Morning Ladies,

Let me see if I can remember what I have done for workouts. Yesterday I did HiiT 40/20 and after work was ICE Chisel Upper Body. This morning was 30MTF Cardio Pump Boxing & Lower Body Premix. The facility is back up and running, and I didn't get done everything that I was hoping to.

Laurel, Of course you are doing an awesome job with all the workouts. Good choice to not give yourself DOMS when you have to endure a flight. That wouldn't be fun to sit for so long, and then try to stand. I think that Rocket is enjoying the running, he stayed by my side a lot more this last run vs. the previous times. I really enjoying having the company, and he gets in some good exercise.

Tami, Great job on the workouts! I'm sure that you will enjoy a change from your last rotation. I say go for the challenge. I would love to try something like that, because it sounds like you have support along the way. That to me is super important, and you will probably learn some really valuable information. Our shutdown is the whole plant without power for the weekend, and then they do a preventative maintenance on boilers, compressors, and lots of other equipment. This year we didn't have a whole week like we have in the past. We did have a lot of water around here, some of it had to do with the fact that we received 2 inches of rain in a matter of minutes. Had a 4ft water column shooting up from our storm drain yesterday. I love working in facilities, it is never dull.

Thelma, Congratulations on finishing STS! Your next rotation sounds like it would be a good one to try out. I really enjoyed the Bulk rotation when I did it. I love that you are inserting your Cathe warm ups again. I was going to order that KCM workout, but the darkness was not appealing. Even though I have some Les Mills workouts that are a lot like that. From what I have heard, the workouts are really fun. She just posted on FB yesterday that she is going to be filming some new workouts (looked like boxing, with gloves). She usually films just before Cathe does. I'm guessing that Greg Twombly has something to do with that, since he directs both of their workouts.

Becky, Hope you are able to get a workout in today! Life always seems to get in the way. I am 53, and I think that Cathe's or really most instructors leg workouts have helped my knees. I have one knee that bothers me if I have not worked in squats, lunges or something similar. Cathe's newer workouts, don't seem to have all the low ends or other types of variations that she likes to include. I can understand why you would be concerned though. My mother has had both knees replaced, so it really makes me think about mine. As far as equipment, I have numerous dumbbells, a barbell, cathe's tower, bench and of course stability ball and step. I would say the most used piece of equipment is the stability ball. Many instructors use it in their workouts.

Have a great day!
Laurie

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies. Today's workout started with Bulk Arms. For cardio, I did Cathe's Drill Max Ultra Cardio premix.

Tami, great workouts over the weekend, as always. I am happy to hear you are going to be able to meet up with your DH again this year. Hopefully you catch another huge fish! The challenge sounds fantastic. I so completely understand what you are saying about a 'plateau'. I think you are an incredibly healthy eater and motivated in your fitness, so I would imagine your plateau is more of a mental one than physical. I know, personally, I get into such a routine that I don't even try simple things--like a new recipe--to shake things up. Talk about a plateau! So to tell a story.....when my DH was complaining about his weight this summer, what I said to him was that he needed a 'reset'. He opted for Nutrisystems.....and it is working wonders. But, oddly, his hitting 'reset' has provided me a small nudge towards hitting my own 'reset' button.....and it feels great to be actively thinking about my nutrition again without just going through the same routine. So if you think you need a bit of a 'reset', I think this sounds like an amazing opportunity.

Thelma, congratulations!!! So fantastic to finish STS! Believe me, I completely understand your reaction to finishing it. I will never forget the first time I finished my STS rotation. I have told the story so often, but STS completely transformed my life....literally. I lost the weight, changed my eating, got smart on fitness and nutrition, etc all during that first six month STS rotation. I remember sitting on my step bench after the last rep and just thinking 'I did it'. So smile away!! So very happy for you! Your next rotation sounds great!

Becky, hope you get your workout in today. I have quite a bit of equipment, to be honest. Barbell, dumbbells (from 1 to 40lbs), a step bench, stability ball, medicine ball, bands of all different varieties, wrist weights, ankle weights, gliding discs, MMA weighted gloves (for kickboxing), mats, and the Fit Tower. Until recently, all of my workout equipment needed to be easy to move and fit into a standard bedroom. Since DH was in the military, we moved every year or two, so we needed to keep everything flexible and moveable.....and able to fit in some unknown room anywhere in the world! The barbell and Tower are my first 'larger' purchases in the fitness area. For me, dumbbells at a variety of weight and my step bench (which doubles as my weight bench) are my must-haves. After that, I think I would have to echo Laurie with the stability ball and also say my bands. Your question about the knees is interesting. I am trying to remember, but you have had knee surgery, right? So your situation with cartilage and such may be different than mine because of that. For me, I have been doing Cathe's leg workouts for 19 years (and her high impact stuff) and have had very few knee problems. Like Laurie, I tend to think the work strengthen the knees. But......if you have a different condition with your knees, you may have a different result. The only reason I mention that is because my sister had a significant ACL injury and, unfortunately, her situation resulted in a few months passing between the injury and her surgery which did permanent damage to her knee cartilage. So I will say I don't think Cathe's workouts are bad for the knees (she has had two knee surgeries herself due to injuries), but I do think some knees will handle it better than others.

Laurie, great workouts! Happy to hear Rocket is adjusting nicely to the running. Yikes on the rain! We had a storm like that yesterday, but we are used to it (and need it). Still have my fingers crossed about this tropical storm. We are in a 'state of emergency' right now, but, of course, that is just a precaution.

See you tomorrow.

Laurel

2BLean

Hi Ladies ~ Last night’s class was called “1000 Reps” … Luckily not all at once. But it was a series of 25 of each move she put on the board. Mtn Climbers, Jumping Jacks, Burpees, Push-Ups, V-Ups, Side Lunges (each side) Squat Jumps, Tricep dips, + a couple more I can’t remember. At any rate you do the sequence of “25’s” 4 times which add up to a 1000 reps. YIKES! Only had a few more things to finish when she called time. This a.m. was 21DFX Upper + Abs and tonight will be Spinning.

New info on the BL Challenge: I talked to a lady who does all the same classes I do and she had done a few of the Biggest Loser challenges as well. She said she didn’t do the challenge part but that same store offers that at a very low fee of like $5-10 if I want to just go in there and get body tested. So I may do that instead and see what a meal plan would be VS entering the whole challenge. I will keep you guys posted.

Thelma: Hip-Hip-Hooray!!!! Huge congrats on finishing up STS, that is so awesome. Very nice that you were able to finish it up using your new tower as well and I am glad you felt the difference; it really is something from just “pulling on the bands” to the tower. Your next rotation sounds like it will be a perfect compliment out of STS to an Advanced Bulk BB. Fantastic job getting that game plan together. Thank you as well for the kudos on my workouts. Thank you so much for the encouragement and super nice compliment on the “zero body fat” …. I wish. But thank you so much Thelma. I will let you guys know what I decide. Either way, I think I will take advantage of their services. Contest or not.

Becky: Sounds like a busy time in your life and good job getting in workouts when you can fit it in. I hope you were able to get in a swim today! In answer to your questions: I think Cathe’s workouts (eventhough intense at times) are amazing for strength training; she always gives form pointers and discusses proper form for leg work; which I appreciate. I think the intensity of some of the workouts as far as the jumping, etc. is ok with proper form. For me, I have done so many things over the years that are probably harder on my knees through volleyball and softball . . . if there is damage it may be due more towards that. Hoping to keep them injury and pain free for as long as I can. I also understand your concerns as well and suggest at any time you are doing leg work, start light to make sure you get your form down and go from there. Hopefully that helps! Equipment that I have: SelectTech Dumbbells, Fit Tower, Step Bench with 4 risers + the slanted risers. I use my step bench as a weight bench. I also have slide discs, weighted gloves for KickBoxing workouts. I have been able to do all the workouts including several rounds of STS with my hand weights and eventhough it would be nice to have a barbell I don’t feel I’m missing out. So a must on my list are me SelectTech’s and Bench. The gym I go to is independently owned; there are 2 of them in our area. The one that is walking distance from my house doesn’t offer the same classes so it works nice to hit the one near my work after I get off in the evening. I’ll keep you ladies posted on the body challenge … may just go in and visit with them and see the cost now that I know it is offered independently.

Laurie: Great job getting in some workouts during your busy time at work! Definitely sounds like an interesting place to work forsure! Keeps you all on your toes forsure. LOL Thank you for the encouragement on the BL Challenge. I agree on the opportunity to learn more is always good and something I am truly interested in PLUS a bonus for my body any time I can improve on things. I think either way I am going to try and shake things up a bit.

Laurel: Another amazing combo! YIKES on the Drill Max Ultra Cardio …. Such a great one! Thank you as well for the kudos on my workouts. I have my fingers crossed for another successful BIG Fish this year as well. DH always hopes I catch a big one. We will see if the “Fish Gods” are with me in October. LOL You are my very wise fitness pal . . . I love how you put that with your DH and even yourself; despite knowing what’s good and making good choices sometimes a “reset” is necessary to get out of a plateau. That’s kind of how I am feeling. So thank you for that! Might come at a perfect time too with a new rotation and DH being gone.

Have a great evening ladies ~ until tomorrow! Tami

ThelmaSW

Hi Ladies, I felt very tired today and didn't have the strength to jump around so rode my spinning bike.Thank you ladies so much on the congrats on my finishing STS. What a huge accomplishment for me. WOW! So looking forward to working out with Sagi again!

Becky, I hope you were able to get your workout in today. You are one busy lady!
I have no cartilage left in my knees. Have been like this for over 10 years and I do Cathe's workouts. Too much jumping is hard on my knees so you I go low impact when my knees start talking to me. When my knees hurt port workout I know that it is because my muscles are tight and I didn't stretch and massage thoroughly. My IT bands get tight if I don't massage them properly. I have hard balls that I use to roll over them to give myself a deep massage. I do my IT bands front and back of thighs. So keeping my knees happy involves stretching and massaging after every workout.

Rotations are great because you know what you're going to do every day so you have to start with a plan. BTW, I also have a LOT of equipment at home. I have a treadmill, spinning bike, dumbbells, step with risers, a bench, barbell with different weight weights, now the FitTower, gliding discs, 12oz boxing gloves, resistance bands and tubing. I recently bought a set of Bowflex dumbbell set which is working out nicely now that I can lift heavier.

Laurie, great job for getting your workouts in!
I remember the BB Bulk phase was really awesome so I can't wait to start a BULK rotation! I have to have proper warm up and we know Body Beast doesn't offer that and Cathe is awesome at that. You know the other thing about KCM's "live" workout is that I found the audience too distracting. Too bad! I had no idea Cathe and Kelly use the same director for their DVD's! I guess I don't pay attention to the credits at the end! LOL. Send the rain my way please!!!!

Laurel, awesome combo today Laurel! For me Body Beast transformed my life because that was the first strength training program I've finished. I couldn't believe how much strength I gained. I also learned proper form which is awesome. He helped me with shoulders too! I also was sitting on that bench saying I did it! My body needs a lot of work. I can see that my arms look much better but no definition yet unless I flex my biceps. One of these days I'll have a pair of guns too Laurel! LOL. My legs need work. Maybe next year I'll try that Meso 3 rack set.
Sorry you guys are in state of emergency! I hope the storm misses the US! Have a safe trip!

Tami, amazing job with those killer workouts at the gym!!! You rock lady!
It was really great to be able to finish the STS rotation using the FitTower. What a difference. The tower now gives me an incentive to do STS again in the future.
with the way you workout Tami, I just can't see you having any body fat! Me on the other hand..... I'm about to gain some body fat next week week while on vacation! LOL

Good night ladies!!!
Thelma

lvnascar

Morning Ladies,

After work I did ICE Lower Body Blast MishMosh Scrambled #3. I did a Thelma, and did the premix that included the ab work during the workout. Really enjoyed the ab work that way, so will be trying that out again in the future. This morning was 30MTF Lean Body Circuits Boxing & Upper Body Premix.

Laurel, Great job on those workouts, and I'm truly impressed again with your endurance. Doing the Drill Max Ultra Cardio premix will probably never happen by this girl. I'm glad that you loved it. I'm hoping that the storm doesn't land, I'm thinking that they are not fun to go through. I'm hoping that after this holiday weekend, my DH will hit that reset button. We will see.

Tami, It truly sounds like Katy is out to kill all of you! Great job on you other workouts also. I hope you catch a nice salmon also, I sure would love to put something like that in my freezer. I just found a new recipe from Clean Eating mag that I want to try. It was actually from 2011, but sounded really good. Nice that you got further information on the stores offer, that just might be a great option. You of course will keep us informed, sounds like a great opportunity to hit that "reset" like Laurel said.

Thelma, I hear you on the jumping around, great option to get some spinning in. Nice that you where able to use the tower on your last workout, It is probably one of the best purchases for doing workouts like STS. I have used it for other workouts like Pure Strength. The one flaw with the BB workouts is the warm up, otherwise they are some of the best strength workouts. I was okay with the audience part of the workout, it reminded me of Turbo Fire. I will probably end up with that 30MTF workout at some point in the future. The workout that I did this morning of Kelly's was filmed at Cathe's studio.

Becky, Hope your day is going well.

Have a great day!
Laurie