Cathe Fans Part 5

fitzfour

Hello my gorgeous fit friends!! :bigsmile:

It's been another long week, but it's almost over, which is good. :bigsmile: Mainly stuff with the foster dogs and getting them into good homes--I have found I get really stressed if I can't "fix" all their problems. We had a cocker spaniel here for several days that was terrified of my husband, kids and dogs. To the point where she wouldn't do anything besides hide in a corner and shake. I tried working with her, but she was just scared in our home. I got her to a new foster home, and she's doing great, and may be adopted! The volunteer work for my rescue group is consuming most of my time with trying to shuffle dogs around, leading a team of fosters and helping organize a fundraiser. It's like working 2 FT jobs, but yet I wouldn't give it up for the world. I know that both work life and doggy rescue life will calm down once we get through the fall. :bigsmile:

No workouts for me, but hoping to get things back in order and started up next week. The stress at home and work is affecting me, and my body needs those workouts to release all the tension!

Now...on to you ladies...

Tami--I'm so glad to hear the class was good, you were due for that! :bigsmile: Nice work on burning out those muscles, and using your workout to deal with the stress at work. I hope that things do end up working out like your boss says. But, very stressful time for you, I'm sure!

Michelle--You are kickin' butt with those classes, WOW! Great work! I'm glad you have been able to get in a good mix of family time and you time! :bigsmile:

Laurel--Sounds like you are hitting exhaustion this week too, with all the late nights and early mornings (and killer workouts!). Hopefully your body adjusts, and you get your energy back. Nice work on pushing through, even though you are tired!

Hi Laurie!

Time to get ready for work, although I have that voice in my head saying I should call in sick and sleep all day! :laugh:

Erika

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies! I am feeling much more energetic today. Amazing what good sleep will do for the body. So today I really pushed it to end the week. Today was upper body work, and I started with XTrain Chest, Back and Shoulders. And then I moved right into XTrain Bi's and Tri's! I have not done these two workouts back-to-back before. It came to about 90 minutes, and I felt pumped!! I love both of those workouts, so it made for a great upper body day. I topped it off the XTrain Core 2. For cardio, I did the cardio from Hard Strikes....then right into the cardio from Turbo Fire 60! Outrageously long workout session, but I was feeling it so went with it. And I have tomorrow to recover. :happy:

Michelle, I am sorry about the 'tireds'. Believe me, I was right there with you yesterday. :flowerforyou: It is good you have a friend to help you along a bit when the inspiration for going to the gym is lacking. I know you all serve as my 'push'! On days when I just want to sit around eating chips and watching bad TV, I think to myself 'how am I going to be able to post on MFP today if I do that?' :laugh: And it works! I so wish we had a Publix around. I love good focaccia bread, but usually just use flatbread instead because of calories! :blushing: I love your pizza ideas! I did add mushrooms (with garlic) and fresh Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses....so my pizza wasn't quite as bad as it sounded.

Tami, great minds think alike...again! I haven't done Cardio Leg Blast since we started STS, and it was good to do it again. Oddly, where I feel yesterday's workout today is in my calves! :huh: Those first few jumps in Hard Strikes today were tough! I think that was the cardio from Cardio Leg Blast speaking. I can't imagine it is easy to be patient at work right now and wait to hear how they are going to 'take care of you'. Unfortunately, as Michelle pointed out, these kinds of decisions are happening with greater frequency these days, and employees are really being left out on their own. I really hope your company can turn this into something that ends up being positive. The good thing is they seem to recognize that this is a huge hit and want to talk to all of you. I think that is a very good sign. I hope everything goes well on your ride tomorrow!! Have fun!!!

Erika, so good to see you!! I can't imagine how busy you have been lately! I really admire you. Your workouts will be there when your life settles down a bit. What you are doing for those pups is good for your mind and spirit, and that is every bit as important as a workout! :flowerforyou:

Enjoy the weekend!

Laurel

lvnascar

Morning Ladies,

Can't believe that I actually have time to sit down and chat! We have been super busy this whole month. DH and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary with friends and family at the beginning of the month. That was a great time. The girls are doing well working and going to school. Oh and dance class has started up for the youngest, but they changed her days. Way better not having to drive there on a Friday! I had done a 8 week rotation of Kelly Coffey Mayer workouts along with running. Now I'm working on a Peak Fit rotation, which will be another 8 weeks. I have cut out sugar from the diet, and have lost all the weight I had gained from the change in the hormones. I have also gained back all of my endurance, and more with the running. I am going to keep up with the running, because I think that has help me so much.

I purchased Cathe's XTrain workouts for $75 at collage, which I thought was a great deal. I have been wanting to purchase these workouts, and I couldn't pass up 9 DVD's for that price. I'm probably going to try a 90 day Undulating rotation after the Peak Fit rotation.

Work has been ok, just finished another our last Lean workout for the year. This one was probably the most productive, because they brought someone into our group that actually could help us understand what the guy from Japan was talking about. By the end of the week everyone was able to understand what he wanted us to think about. I had a feeling that is was some type of culture thing, and it help having someone to break it down.

Only thing that has not been so good, my Mom has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. But they have found it in the early stages, so her outcome it very good. I'm very thankful for that, and to know that it isn't genetic. Not that I will not get tested. Just for the sake of my girls, since those type of things can skip generations.

Laurel, Funny that you are doing those XTrain workouts when I had just purchased them. I am looking at the box that they came in right now. Sure looks like a great set, and I'm looking forward to doing a rotation. How much longer are you and Tami on your STS rotation?

Erika, Sounds like a very hectic time at home. Hope you are able to get back into the swing. I'm so happy that I have gotten back into the workouts, it was making me so depressed not being able to get through a workout. It is good that you can see when one of the dogs is unable to be in your home. It is hard to understand some of the trauma that some of these animals have had to go through.

Tami, We are at those cool evenings also. My morning walks with Cami and my runs sometimes need a hat and gloves. Just seems to soon for that type of thing. LOL on you both doing the XTrain workouts. I just started this Peak Fit rotation, and I'm committed, because I joined a online competition. Even submitted pics to them. Can't believe that I did that, but it really is great motivation to stay with my current eating plan and getting in the workouts.

Michelle, What a great way to make sure you get in a workout, having a gym buddy. That is one of the things that they suggest to do with running also, but I really do enjoy that time alone. May one day when I am motivated to actually do a half or full marathon, I will get with a group of people.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Laurie

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies! I hope you all enjoyed a good weekend. It was a beautiful weekend here, so I enjoyed as much time outside as I could! I also got a good workout in yesterday. I started with STS disk 7/Chest, Biceps and Shoulders. Still amazes me how many push-ups are in that workout, but I did them all. I followed it with Athletic Step which, while never being a favorite of mine, felt really fun yesterday.

Today was STS disk 9/Legs, followed by Cathe's Max Intensity Cardio and the stability ball abs from Butts and Guts. I really didn't feel like working out this morning when I got up, but I ended up with a good workout nonetheless!

Laurie!!!!!! So good to see you!!!!! :drinker: First off, Happy 25th Anniversary!! I am glad you enjoyed your celebration. But, that being said, I am sorry to hear about your Mom. How are they treating her? I am so happy to hear she has a positive prognosis. They can really do amazing things these days with breast cancer if caught early enough. My thoughts are with her and your entire family.

It really sounds like you have been getting some great workouts in. Congratulations on the weight loss and the increased endurance!! That must feel fantastic given what you were going through earlier this year. I think you will really enjoy the XTrain workouts. They are so versatile. Tami and I are on week 6 of STS, so we have quite a way to go (I think we end in February). But if you have any questions on the XTrain workouts when you get to them let us know. There are so many premixes and variations to the workouts that I know it really helped me that Tami was doing them at the same time because she pointed out some routines to me that I wasn't aware were even included. :blushing: And I love them!

Hope to see you again soon! :flowerforyou:

Tami, I hope your ride went well. I was watching the news coverage on the flooding in western Washington this morning and hoping that none of that mess found it into your region for Saturday.

Erika and Michelle, hope you are well!

Laurel

JessicaBR13

Hi Ladies,

Thank you all for the warm welcome to your group. :flowerforyou:

I have been doing the Gym Style Series for about two weeks now. I just finally got all of my equipment. Cathe has been kicking my butt and leaving me on the brink of tears at every workout. :laugh: I also recently purchased STS Shock Cardio:MMA Boxing. Have any of you ladies tried this dvd? I am excited to incorporate it in to my routine on cardio days.

It looks like you are all kicking butt. I am going to spend some time reading through this thread and getting to "know" you ladies a little better.

Jessica

bajangrl29

Ladies,

It is great to sign on and see every member onboard:flowerforyou: , I have missed our entire crew keeping us abreast of life and its many roller coaster rides. This weekend was parties or girlfriends over for the kids. My eldest has a group of friends that she actually talks about during the week so I have been coordinating weekend events so the parents can meet and the girls can hang out. This week we met another friend whose mom I actually go to Zumba class with so that was great. Monica is funny and she joined right in with our Nerf wars and dancing competitions on Wii & PS3. She kept repeating your "parents are so cool".:blushing: :bigsmile: That night we had a fun game of Badminton and ordered some Chines food. On Sunday we ate a family breakfast on the back patio and enjoyed the cool morning laughing and talking about our fun saturday at the party next door.(it was parents against the kids, then moms against dads).:laugh: Then it was off to landscape and lay my bales of straw mulch and replant and transfer petunias & mums. Three hours later and several achy muscles later the neighborhood kids came over to play and it was a full house until late that evening.:yawn: This morning I went back to bed and just relaxed until it was time to get started on phonecalls for appts, tech issues on the phone service and everything that I have put off in the last 2 weeks.:blushing: :laugh: Today's workout was Bar Method, perfect for a few sore muscles and a non-impact workout.


Jessica- Welcome aboard! MMA boxing is a good upper body workout using great combos, my only complaint is the lack of good music. It is not a kickboxing routine so the lower body drills are really brief in this workout and you may feel as if it is not a complete workout. What a cute dog?:bigsmile:


Erika- What an absolute cute bundle of furriness in that pic.:laugh: I'm glad that your foster program has turned into your passion, what an amazing gift!:flowerforyou:

Laurie- I have missed your updates and it stinks that you are so busy! Happy Anniversary!:flowerforyou: We had ours on the Sept 17th but I had to cancel my suprise trip to the Winery due to swim meets, etc. My prayers are definitely with your mom as she handles the diagnosis and prepares for treatment:flowerforyou: . Absolutely great that she caught it in the early stages, was it detected via a mammogram or self-check?

Tami- How is your area being affected with the weather? Hopefully your region has been spared but what an awful mess for so many families.

Laurel- I woke up feeling the blahs too and actually had lots of cramping in my legs throughout the night.which led to a restless night:huh: I opted for an at home workout in lieu of my Muscle Mania & Zumba but I listened to my body and I probably need to up my water and get back on track this week for sure. Maybe the darker mornings are creating that desire to snuggle in versus working out.:laugh:

Have a great day,
Michelle

2BLean

Hi Ladies ~ It is so great to have everyone here, I agree!! :drinker: Yay Sorry I missed you all on Friday (again), with some new Realtors joining, new manager, etc. it has created some extra projects for me, which is good, just time consuming. So the weather was so crazy bad for high winds, rain and potential flooding :grumble: my two ladies cancelled & therefore I cancelled as well on the bike event. :sad: I had gone at lunch to pick up my packet and everything but man oh man was it windy. I had a bit of dread going but was willing to bite the bullet. As it got worse in the day and my friend called I agreed. No sense being in misery just for a t-shirt and free beer at Octoberfest! :laugh: So I will pay the fee to transfer my dues to next year.

So with that I did get in some great workouts and Michelle, I thought of you …. I cleaned out a bunch of stuff! :bigsmile: Felt so great. 3 HUGE bags to St. Vincents for donation. So for the workouts: XTrain Burn Sets All Upper + Abs premix, yesterday was STS Chest/Bi’s/Shoulders followed by HardStrikes in it’s entirety. This always feels good to me after a good upper body workout. Today was STS Legs and then tonight will be BootCamp. I’m actually looking forward to it! Since I know it’s not running camp anymore.

Erika: So great to hear from you and sounds like you continue to do amazing things with those pups.:flowerforyou: They are so lucky to have you on their side. The workouts will be there when time opens up for you. I can imagine between the 2 full time jobs, kids and hubby you aren’t exactly sitting down eating bon-bons and living a non active lifestyle.:laugh: Hope the family is good! Continue the great work and check in when you can. Thanks for the well wishes on my job situation. As I know more, I will let you guys know.

Laurel: We are SO on the same wavelength friend! :bigsmile: :laugh: Again we did it on the workouts. I think those XT workouts are so great with STS. Really loving adding those into the mix. Great thought on putting those back-to-back. I’ll have to make a note of that for future misc upper body day. I would say long workout! WAY TO GO :drinker: My arms were feeling those push-ups yesterday! Yowsa there are a lot. I remember the Elmo push-ups on the ball I used to be like :huh: and I think after X2 they seem just fine now, got the hang of it. Even in my short time with X2 :blushing: I had a long conversation with my mom Friday evening and she said just like Michelle, how frequent this is happening now to companies and more importantly their employees. It’s sad. Thank you for the good thoughts and sincerity ….. I really hope they turn it into something positive as well. In the meantime I am definitely opening myself up to my resume being updated (after 20 years) and new options “just in case”. I was a little bummed in the background of relieved when I found out I wasn’t doing the bike ride. I did wake up really early just to check and see if things had changed. But the wind and rain hitting the window made it pretty clear. So I climbed back into bed. Fingers crossed for next year and other events in the future. Jealous of your nice weather! That’s so great, I bet it felt amazing.

Laurie: Happy Anniversary! :drinker: That is so great. So nice to hear from you. I’ve seen your workout posts on MFP, I wondered if you were doing a Peak Fit rotation with your workouts Ive seen. That’s awesome and good on ya for stepping out of your comfort zone with the photos! I bet it makes you super committed to it. :bigsmile: We’re here cheering you on!!! Yay for purchasing the XT workouts! I think they are such great workouts, I truly think you will love them as well. I’m sorry to hear about your mom and her breast cancer and at the same time it is so great they detected it early. :flowerforyou: As Laurel mentioned, with early diagnosis they can really do amazing things for people these days. Please keep us posted.

Jessica: So proud of you getting another Cathe workout into the mix! :bigsmile: :bigsmile: Plus adding to your home gym with the barbell and extra riser! You are on your way girl! Nice work. Pretty soon you will feel even stronger and it won’t “hurt so much” in the workouts! Keep at it. MMA Boxing is a good workout! Not one of my favorites on the “fun factor” but a good comprehensive workout of punching drills and some kicking drills as well; it's a good workout! Helps you get better form with both and if I remember correctly it has some good abwork too. Let us know what you think or if you have any questions. Glad to have you hear with us. As you said the other day, you are becoming a Cathe Fan in a short time! Love your sweet pup's photo ..... this is the one that isn't in the "dog house" from ruining your couch right?!? :frown:

Michelle: I agree, so glad to have a group of us here. I really did think of your idea on the boxes for my "getting rid of things" this weekend. I didn't have boxes, but I made piles and if I didn't even remember things that were shoved into a closet from last year, they were gone! Sounds like you had an amazingly busy family weekend! But it sounds so great (as always). :bigsmile: You do sound like one of the “cool moms” on the block forsure, I have no doubts about that! I bet your Barre Method workout today did feel good for those sore muscles. Hope you are loosened up and feeling better tomorrow. You’re right ~ drink that water! We have definitely been hit with the high winds and rain, but right in our area no flooding so that is good.

Phew …. That was a lot of typing, but fun chatting with you all! Until tomorrow . . . :bigsmile:

Tami

lvnascar

Evening Ladies,

Just finished up Peak Fit Cardio Strength, and was dripping with sweat. Wasn't feeling like working out, but I went downstairs anyway. Glad I did! Yesterday was a run and Peak Pure Cardio.

Tami, Sorry to hear that the bike event was cancelled due to rain. I'm committed to this rotation, but am looking forward to getting into the new XTrain also. Couldn't believe when I happened to see that set so cheap! It is probably reading all of the great things that you and Laurel have said about them. I also read about the great results some people got from them. Think I got my $ worth with all the premixes also.

Michelle, Sounds like a very good weekend! We where suppose to go away for our anniversary also, but the trip was cancelled. It would have been the Packer/Bengals game. Kind of glad that we where not able to go, since the Packers lost. DH and I have decided that we will go to the Daytona 500 in February. Cost a little more, but I think it will be a lot of fun. The tumor was detected by mammo, and I'm glad that she has been getting them on a consistent basis.

Jessica, Welcome to the Cathe family! She has some great workouts, and Gym Styles are really good and tough. That leg workout has to be one of the hardest with all of those low ends that she does in that one. I love MMA Boxing, and I do the workout as is or just do the boxing portion or just the cardio. I love boxing/kickboxing.

Laurel, Yes I did have a great weekend, it sure was nice here. I think that our ac actually turned on once. :laugh: I'm probably going to be doing those XTrain workouts while you both are still on your STS rotation. That will be nice. I was looking at the set again, and I think that they will be great to incorporate my running with them also. I usually like to get a run in the morning about every other day, and then get in the XTrain workouts after work. Have to have my rest day on Thursday's now, because youngest dd's dance class is at 6pm. It works out okay.

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers for my mother. She will be going in for surgery next week. The surgeon is probably going to take another lump from her other breast that they found last year. That one was not cancerous, but why take the chance.

Oh and I almost forgot to tell you all that DH has lost 20lbs. He has gone on this diet with me, and has been committed to it. I'm very proud of him, and he looks really good. Of course he will not exercise, but at least he is feeling better, and his feet and knees do not hurt him anymore.

Have a great evening!
Laurie

bajangrl29

Morning Ladies,

This morning was an early run to the groomer with Mr. C and then I pulled out an oldie from the Slim Series collection and followed that with my new 10 Min Butt Solution which arrived as I was finishing up my stretch.:bigsmile: It was quick but effective and I was actually sweating again after 20minutes.:blushing: :bigsmile: Today will be a busy day of gymnastics and then swim practice until 9pm, so I'm happy that I worked out early and can relax until it is time to hit the road.


Laurie- Wow...20lbs what plan are you guys doing? Awesome results even without the diet! It is true those abs can be made with diet only. Daytona 500 sounds like fun, I bought my hubby laps on Talledega for his birthday but we had to return home twice due to weather, so hopefully we will get to make that one up soon as we have a year to use it. I will keep your mom in my thoughts for a successful surgery & recovery.:flowerforyou:

Tami- Bummer about cancelling the event but the conditions were not conducive to a fun ride. Awesome on those bags of donations and I'm sure you feel great about getting those old things out to others who can use them.:bigsmile: Thanks for the 'cool mom' props as I try to be which can be embarrassing to my eldest on some days and awesome to my youngest all the time.:blushing: :laugh:


Laurel, Jessica, & Erika- Good morning, what great workouts did you do this morning?


I'm off to hydrate and get started on a green bean casserole and some grilled pork chops.

Michelle

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies!! So good to see so many posts!! Today was my cardio day, so I did Cathe's Cardio Fusion Mix and Match premix. It felt fantastic!! For my 'yoga-ish' follow-up, I did Kari Anderson's Reach. Good stuff!

Jessica, I am so glad you are enjoying Cathe! You definitely picked some of her tougher workouts with the Gym Styles, so kudos for sticking with them. They will get easier, but they will never be 'easy', which is why they are so good. I have done MMA Boxing a bit. As others have pointed out, it is an upper body boxing workout, so no kicks! There are three drills, and these drills are separated by higher impact non-boxing cardio drills. I find the cardio in this workout to be a bit light, but that was Cathe's intent when she developed these workouts. She developed them as a cardio complement to her STS series, and she didn't want overly long and/or overly intense cardio as that might detract from the strength training. So, with that in mind, I think you picked a perfect workout to do as you are working through Gym Styles. In addition, the core/ab section in MMA Boxing is terrific! Hope you like it!

Tami, I am SO sorry to hear you had to cancel your ride! But given the weather conditions, you, no doubt, made the right decisions. Those types of events are meant to be enjoyed more than endured. Sounds like you got some great workouts done, regardless. And the added bonus of taking care of some household chores! I love the feeling of clearing things out!! I am scheduled to get my new Cathe workouts tomorrow! :drinker: I am really excited to see them. I have the LIS Trisets scheduled for Thursday and Friday, and I am going to try to stick with that and not be tempted by the new leg workouts! But I have a feeling I will be trying at least one...if not more...of the cardio workouts on those days! :bigsmile:

Michelle, sounds like you had a perfect weekend!! Sounds like so much fun!! It seems you found a terrific neighborhood when you moved there. I definitely think some (or most) of my 'blahs' are due to the cooler weather and darker mornings. My bed just doesn't want to let go! :laugh: Once I am up, I am fine. But getting up.......:noway: .

Laurie, I really like your idea of incorporating running with XTrain, and I think it should work. One of the nice things about the series is the workouts, in their original state, are all under an hour. You can make them longer with premixes, but, as is, they are very manageable. Except for Tabatacise, the cardio isn't really that intense either, so I don't think you will be over-doing it with running. The upper body work is really Cathe at her best. The legs workout is surprisingly light, but I have found it effective in conjunction with other workouts, so, again, it may be perfect with your running. Congrats to your DH on losing 20 pounds! That's fantastic!

Erika, hope you are well!

Laurel

2BLean

Hi Ladies! BootCamp last night was ALL Shoulders & Chest work! :noway: I felt like my shoulders had really been worked after yesterday! We did a few little cardio blasts but not much. I’m glad I have strong shoulders or I would have been dying! Today’s cardio is only a single workout ….. Insanity after work. I had a hard time getting up this a.m. :yawn: It was a cold morning and hasn't warmed up that much today. Brrrrrr are Fall weather is defnitely here.

Laurie: Great job with PF Cardio Strength! I am thinking that one is one of her DVDs that I have and it sneaks up on ya forsure with the weights and cardio, non-stop! Good stuff. You definitely bought the XT dvd’s at a great deal! :bigsmile: :drinker: That is so awesome. I know you will love them and like Laurel mentioned and I have too, the premixes are so good! Really make for some good workouts or extended workouts! Congrats to your hubby for the 20 LBS down! That is so great and just that he is eating healthy and feeling better is the best! Maybe exercise will come into the picture later on. Either way, he is being healthier which is fantastic!

Michelle: Great job getting in your workout this a.m. so you can have your schedule cleared for running the girls to their activities, etc. I’m sure the workouts give you extra energy to keep going! :bigsmile: Thanks for the kudos on the bags! When I delivered them yesterday during my lunch hour the guys were so happy I had already divided everything up for them; again I thought of your tips!

Laurel: Great job with the cardio today and nice stretch afterward! Sounds like it was definitely an amazing combo today. That is a perfect way of putting it on the bike event. “Enjoyed” not “endured” because I think enduring it would have been the case. :laugh: I am super excited to get the new workouts! I’m not sure when mine are arriving?? I know all the pre-orders have been shipped so they must be on their way! I already have them penciled in later in the month, at least the lower body workout for now on our “misc” day! :bigsmile: Funny you mention Tri-Sets this week . . . I have those down as well. :laugh: The lower body I have mixed with something else since it is shorter in time and then I have the upper body by itself but because I am off that day I will add-on something that a.m. Very funny that we are so in sync on these misc days! This Sat/Sun is my annual fishing weekend with DH so I will leave Friday afternoon. Sounding like a broken record but I am hoping for a break in the rain for Sat & Sun. He has mostly had wind but not a lot of rain, so we will see.

Hi Jessica & Erika!:flowerforyou:

Talk to you ladies tomorrow . . . Tami

fitzfour

Hi Ladies!

Sorry, this post will be short! I'm still keeping busy with the fostering/rescue group leader role and trying to cope with my grandpa having his last hours/days here on Earth. Today I got to have my mom hold the phone to his ear so he could hear me and my boys tell him we loved him. He's not able to talk, and slowly all other body functions are shutting down. It's really hard on my mom watching her dad die. :sad:

I was going to workout, but got distracted by this pile of cuteness on my lap right now (see new profile pic). He's our new foster, Sylvester and I'm trying my hardest to convince hubby we should adopt him. This is our 3rd Shih Tzu rescue, and I LOVE this breed. Hopefully by this weekend he'll be convinced! :bigsmile:

Great work on the workouts...you ladies are inspiring! :bigsmile: Laurie--Good to hear from you! I'm praying for your mom, and for you as well. I'm glad it was caught early, and she can beat the crap out of that cancer! Tami--Bummer on the ride! :grumble: I hope work is still ok. I'm sure the workouts are serving as good stress relief right now! Michelle--Busy girl, but sounds like you're having so much fun! :bigsmile: Laurel--Still killin' those workouts, yeah! :happy: Hi Jessica--Welcome! :happy:

Time for bed...long days at work now due to our Obamacare Health Exchange opening in MN today. Calls non stop! :grumble:

Erika

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies! Today marked the end of the Meso 1 Week 3 workouts with disk 8/Back and Triceps. I felt really strong today on this workout, so I followed it with Weights and Plates abs, and even that felt good! So, for cardio, I did Hardcore Extreme workout 2, which is a combo of Low Max, IMAX 3 and Kick Max. The transition at the 50 minute mark from the 10th interval of IMAX 3 into those high impact cardio drills from Kick Max always gets me!!! But, as you all know, I love that. :blushing:

Erika, what a cute puppy! I hope you win the argument with your DH about him. I am so sorry to hear about your grandfather. I am sure he loved hearing from you and your boys. :flowerforyou:

Tami, we certainly are on the same wavelength with workouts right now. No surprise I suppose! :laugh: I can't imagine how tired your shoulders must have been after that Bootcamp class, especially since you had done some heavy lifting over the weekend. :noway: Sounds like your bed is refusing to let go too! I got up a little easier today, but I think that is only because it is warmer. We will be enjoying what will most likely be our last 80 degree day for awhile today. They are predicting some snow on Friday. :noway: That will be a shock!! I really hope you get some good weather for the weekend!

I will probably not be able to sign in tomorrow as I have a full day planned, but I will see you all on Friday!

Laurel

2BLean

Hi Ladies ~ Insanity was good last night. Mostly plyo/legs! She had me lead the warm-up ….. yikes! Nice that she has the trust in me but the class was a lot bigger than last time due to a lot of new people so they were all watching my every move:noway: :laugh: Luckily she subbed in some other peeps after the warm-up so I didn’t have to be center stage the entire class. This a.m. was STS #8 Back/Tri’s …. I did feel strong in this workout today so I went heavier. Tonight will be Spinning after work for some cardio!

Erika: Sylvester is absolutely darling!!! :happy: I hope so much that you win DH over for a “yes” on a new member to the family. A couple that I work with just brought a Shih Tzu puppy home a few weeks ago …. “Duke” and he is the size of a peanut. So cute and such a big name for a little guy. They also love Shih Tzu’s. I cannot imagine what you are going through at your regular full time job with Obamacare. :huh: Good grief lady, hang in there! I think it will be a long year for you guys in the insurance world. So sorry to hear about your Grandpa, that’s so hard :flowerforyou:

Laurel: Yes, love that statement … my bed was definitely refusing to let me go yesterday! :noway: Today I won despite the cool morning. I think we are already getting snow in the mtns nearby from what the news was saying. Fabulous job again today! Way to end this week of STS :drinker: As I told you in week #1, I have been going heavier throughout this Meso 1. I will be interested to see where I’m at when we get to Meso #3. Might have to get a barbell one of these days! :laugh: Chin-ups/pull-ups are still not a very “strong” point for me though no matter how strong I’m feeling. …… Did your new DVD’s arrive?:bigsmile:

Laurel & Michelle: How is the Government shut down affecting your hubbies? Hopefully this is very temporary.

Hi Michelle, Jessica & Laurie! Hope you are all having a great day!!!! :flowerforyou:

Until tomorrow ~ Tami

lvnascar

Evening Ladies,

Well it appears that I am by myself this evening. Youngest has homecoming activities and DH is having dinner with his parents. Yesterday all I did was the Weider X-Factor Yoga workout, which is more stretching than yoga, but I really like it. This morning I went out for a short 1 mile run, just to see how fast I could go. Think I might do that short 1 miler everyday, maybe sometimes slow and/or fast. I just finished up Peak 10 More Cardio Strength.

Tami, WTG on those workouts, and doing the warm-up. Don't know if I could do that. The shutdown doesn't have any effect on my DH, since he is considered a state employee. The PF workout that I did is probably the one that you have. She made the same workout separate from this set, but still the same. I think that you have the More Cardio Strength also, that one I'm still iffy on. I like it, but some of the moves are a bit strange.

Laurel, Good job on that Hardcore Extreme! Thanks for letting me know about the Xtrain/running. I'm kind of glad to know the leg workouts are not as intense, they will probably compliment the running well then. Usually doing a heavy leg workout and running, just make my legs really really sore. :laugh:

Erika, So sorry to hear about you Grandfather, you are in my thoughts and prayers. Try to take care with all the work stuff, that can't be a lot of fun. Cute pups!

Have a great evening!
Laurie

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies! I know I said I wasn't going to be here today...but I am! :drinker: My meetings this morning were shorter than I anticipated, which made me very happy. But I was also up before dawn to do my workouts. :yawn: I started with LIS Lower Body Tri-sets. It felt good. This is one that always gives me DOMS, so I am curious if I will be saying the same thing tomorrow. I followed it with After Burn Bonus Burn premix, which made for a great combo.

Laurie, I really like the sound of varying the speed of your runs. What a great way of building endurance while not making yourself push all out on every run and making it less-than-enjoyable. I would probably like that Weider X-Factor Yoga too! Anymore, when I get a chance to reach for a yoga-ish workout, I am reaching for those that stretch me more than strengthen me.

Tami, my DH isn't TOO impacted by the shutdown. I mean, at least he is getting paid. But, unfortunately, everything going on around him is a mess! He spent a better part of yesterday trying to figure out how to get the football team to Maryland to play the Navy on Saturday, which is just crazy as, in my opinion, so many more important programs here at the Academy are suffering from the shutdown. But the Dept of Defense said that the football game will go on (with donated funds for getting our team there) as the Navy stood to lose $24 million :noway: if the game was canceled. But many operations here are halted. No fun. But speaking of fun, congrats on leading the class through the warm-up! Like Laurie, I don't know if I could do that. Like you, I am going pretty heavy in Meso 1 as well. I think I will have enough weight to challenge me in Meso 3, but, believe me, I have thought about a barbell more than once recently. I keep telling myself to wait until we are settled, and, so far, I have taken my own advice!

And, yes, I did get my new workouts yesterday! :drinker: So when I got home from my meetings early today, I couldn't decide what to do. I thought about sitting in the sun with a book, which sounded good. I thought about cleaning, which didn't sound good. :laugh: And, eventually, I decided to try a new workout.....just for kicks. I pulled out Party Rockin' Step 2, which is the less complex step workout. I was surprised because I had very little trouble picking up the choreography! :drinker: Many of the moves she has done before, so, of course, that helped. But she taught the new steps well, which made me happy. I would say I got about 90% of the workout done on a first try, which is great for step! It isn't too intense (think Athletic Step), lasted 52 minutes, involved varying impact levels, used covers of current pop songs as music, and flew by. One of the reason I think it was easy to learn is it is broken down into 6 segments so she isn't asking you to remember huge chunks of choreography at one time. At the end, you do all of the segments as a finished product, but even then she separated them with some basic steps so the mind (and body) could catch-up. There are several premixes, some shorter (35 minutes or so) and some combining this workout with Party Rockin' Step 1 for longer workouts (the longest being 73 minutes). I liked this workout. It is a little lighter than I normally go, but I like that I feel I can do the steps! I haven't previewed any others yet, but hope to do the kickboxing workout tomorrow with Upper Body Tri-sets.

Okay....that's a lot of talking! :blushing: See you all tomorrow!

Laurel

bajangrl29

Evening Ladies,

A busy day yesterday with a meeting and the dreaded dental appt, in which I was told that my root canal was fractured and the molar could not be saved so surgery is booked for next month for the extraction and Bone graft.:sad: I did attend my KB class which has transitioned into a F.I.T class but the old instructor is still there for another week so she created a KB mix with bootcamp type drills combined with KB. Overall it included tons of push-ups and I was definitely sore from the band work and oblique standing moves so it was pretty tough. Then it was on to Zumba where my energy was definitely not there & even the regulars commented on my energy.:blushing: Today it was Jari Love Get Rippped 1000 and then this afternoon I attended Zumba class and then played Badminton with hubby afterwards. :bigsmile:

Erika- He is adorable and maybe hubby will fall for that handsome face too.:laugh: I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather and my prayers are with your family in these final days.:flowerforyou:

Tami- My hubby is not affected but the majority of his staff & research doctors will be eventually. It seems they were given a 2 week window and then it becomes effective, however with this town being so small many of the contractors here are affected.

Laurie- Way to go on the running! I'm trying t get back on the treadmill for HIIT but with everything else I'm not sure if it will be more effective in trimming down the thighs or just wearing me out.:frown: A friend at the gym has begged me to join her dreaded spin classes so I will see next week for sure if the bike is just not for me.:blushing:

Laurel- Wow for a football game...really!:grumble: Oh I can't wait to hear about those other workouts especially the KB dvd. I watched those previews today and tried to order from Amazon for Prime shipping but it was out of stock.:grumble: The music sounds really great on that dvd.:bigsmile:

Ok off to eat dinner and to enjoy the quiet of the house as the little one went to swim practice with her sister.


Michelle

JessicaBR13

Happy Friday Ladies!:drinker:

I have been MIA this week. My body must have been begging for a rest. I tried to do Gym Style Back, Bi's and Shoulders and only lasted 15 minutes. I had hardly any strength. Going on vacation for a few days and will not be doing any Cathe workouts. Too much equipment to take.:laugh: Planning to do a lot hiking and walking though. I hope to be back strong next week and will need to up my game to keep up with you ladies! You are all rockstars! Thank you all for your input on the STS MMA, I should be getting it next Tues. can't wait!

Michelle- Oh no, that dental procedure sounds so awful! I hope it is not too painful. :flowerforyou: You are killing it with your workouts. Badminton is so fun!

Laurel- Up at dawn to do your workout? That is dedication! That new workout sounds good, but I have no rhythm.:blushing: Glad you enjoyed it.

Laurie- That yoga sounds fantastic. Even if it was more stretching than yoga. I bet your body thanked you for that!

Tami- You are such a hard worker! Your workouts always sound killer. I hope to be half as atheltic as you are one day! :flowerforyou:

Erika- Awwww..... your fosters are so darn cute!! I am so sorry for you and your family. I hope his last hours/days are peaceful.

Keep up the great work ladies! I will catch up next week.

Jessica

StiringWendel

Hi Ladies! Today was quite a blend of workouts. I started with Cathe's Upper Body Tri-sets, which was perfect for this morning. I think I picked right this week when I chose those Tri-sets workouts. But then I wanted to try some of the new workouts. Since I was up early again (this time because of a very unusual thunderstorm at 4:30am), I decided to do two of the new workouts.

I started with Rockout Knockout, which is the new kickboxing workout. This, for me, was the best full length kickboxing workout Cathe has done since KPC. It is 55 minutes long. It starts with high impact work, similar in some ways to the first part of KPC, but using moves from Cardio Kicks, 4DS Kickboxing, Hard Strikes, etc. It only lasted about 12 minutes, but it got my heart rate up, was fun and easy to learn. The second section is about the same length, but she (and I) used weighted gloves. There is little kicking in this section. It is mostly boxing drills and high impact cardio. I love good, strong boxing drills and these were fantastically fun. I was thinking through this section that this would be a good workout to do when I am angry! My heart rate stayed up pretty good during this section. The third section is more like the second half of KPC in punching/kicking combos. It is a little longer, and just easy to do (mentally) as there is very little learning curve. It wasn't very intense cardio-wise, but I probably could have been more challenged if I had kept my wrist weights on. All in all, I loved the energy of this workout!!

I then did Flex Train which is the total body, metabolic training workout. Suffice it to say I was a tad tired by the time I got to this one! This is a very different workout from anything Cathe has really done. It is a 'strength' workout, but also is cardio in that your heart rate is up through most of it. I thought it would be like XTrain Super Cuts, but it isn't at all. It is broken down by body parts, much like High Reps or Power Hour, but there is no (and I mean NO) break in this workout. The first section is Shoulders and Legs, and all leg work is performed as part of a compound exercise with shoulders (like squats into overhead press). There are a couple of leg-only sections but she uses no weights (just disks or the fire walker band). The minute shoulders is done, she is picking up a weight for back. This makes this a surprisingly tough workout. I went one step lower than Cathe with many weights since I had already worked out my upper body, and I was challenged. I am not so sure I will be able to match Cathe's weights on all exercises when I do it again. This is very much an endurance workout. I think it is a great new workout from Cathe....like I said, it is very different from anything else she has done.

Michelle, I am so sorry to hear about the tooth! That sounds painful!! You really got some good workouts in, though! :noway: Great job! Let me know if you have any questions on the kickboxing workout. The music is a blend of covers ranging from disco :huh: to classic rock to more current pop. I don't remember much of it except it helped move the workout along.

Jessica, enjoy your trip!! Your body will probably really appreciate the break from Gym Styles. You may even find yourself stronger when you get back simply from giving your body a break. Let us know how you like MMA Boxing!!

Laurie, Erika and Tami, hope you are well!! Tami, I hope you stay warm and dry this weekend!

Laurel

bajangrl29

Quick Check In,


I did Bootcamp this morning and she used a routine we did 3 weeks ago with Suicide drills, burpees, mountian climbers, dragon crawls, spiderman push-ups and then we split into teams and decreased the time to 30 sec drills of all exercisess again while the other team cheered for us.:bigsmile: We repeated the races and then circuits again... Afterwards I went to Yoga and we really worked some moves and increased our heartrates versus our usual restorative yoga moves. My upper body is still feeling those drills from wednesday and now my legs are feeling today's routines.:bigsmile: OK I'm off to take the eldest to a drs appt and then come back and prepare for her Friday night Pizza date with some school mates., this should be fun!


Jessica- welcome back and breaks are always great, coming back is the hardest part.


Laurel- the review sounds great although I was hoping for some more leg work. I have been watching Patrick Goudeau new KB workout so I will watch previews again and order this weekend but I'm leaning towards Rockout Knockout.:bigsmile:


Have a great weekend everyone, I'm off to the school.

Michelle