Cathe Fans Part 5

Hi Ladies ~ Weekend was pretty good. As planned I took both the dogs to get their shots and annual check-up Saturday a.m. It was quite an adventure . . . and expen$ive. More than I had anticipated Between both dogs shots, Emma’s arthritis prescription and the “sample kit” they charge up front for it was just a lot. They clipped Emma’s nails and tried to do Bernie’s (he has never had it done) and he screamed like they were pulling limbs off of him. OMG I was a nervous wreck waiting for him. They finally brought him back in and said we aren’t going to put him through that. So only under sedation of some kind; which he also needs a small tooth pulled. So if we decide to do that he can have them clipped then. The vet suggested again I take Emma to that ultra sound check up just to make sure something else isn’t going on with her. He still wonders about her having Cushings and that it would be over active glands; which they haven’t seen on the tests he ran this summer. So DH and I are thinking we may just bit the bullet and do that to get rid of that “unknown” or deal with what may be going on. It’s scary to know what to do. She is behaving so good, just acts old and doesn’t want to go on many walks. The vet said her arthritis meds should be helping with that, hence there may be something else wrong. The “C” word was even uttered . . . which is my biggest fear. But her bloodwork did not indicate any of that. Anyway, after all that was over I got them both successfully loaded in my car and accidently the auto-hatchback came down on Bernie’s tail. The YELPING came on of course and I stopped it and it went back up. Needless to say, he rode in the back seat from there home. SHEESH what a morning.

I didn’t get in a workout that a.m. after I got home and met my girlfriend for lunch instead once I got myself calmed down and cleaned up from dog hair LOL Yesterday however I got in Chisel Total Body followed by ICE Blizzard Blast from Lower Body Blast; which was great ~ thank you Laurel for that suggestion of a good one! I did love it. Today is going to be BootCamp after work; I opted for a little extra sleep this a.m. after a very long day and Super Bowl yesterday. Will pick back up with the remainder of my H&C rotation tomorrow for Week #5. Cannot believe it is already Week #5.

Laurel: I was very happy for Denver to win and mostly for Payton Manning! No I didn’t make any outrageous bets based on your “prediction” LOL for your DH I am sure he was thrilled as well. I was thinking of you guys watching it. It really was a poor offensive game like you said but great defense. We had fun with our friends and there was a few more people there than we thought but all people we knew and it was perfect with two different TV’s set up. Awesome job with your combos you have going already into the new workout week! I bet the RWH workouts fit nicely with H&C.

Laurie: Awesome workouts on Saturday! Sounds like you got in a good mix, including today’s Cardio Quick Fix. I did take some time to write down the lengths of the BB workouts and start formulating a plan for included short cardio’s/ab work, etc. on shorter workout days. Of course will depend on how spent I feel as well. LOL

Thelma: Yes, I definitely get some foamy/airy smoothies sometimes. It is when I put in a few extra things and blend it on super power too long. Often it settles in my container and looks like a lot less than when it came out; so I have included a 2nd jar when I do that. Knowing it will condense down. Grea job with your BB Bulk Back + Slide n Glide then hitting your Shoulders and the TF add on, sounds perfect. We are both on Week #5 of our rotations! Congrats.

Happy Monday ladies ~ let's make it a great week!
Tami

Morning Ladies,

No workout for me last night, I fell asleep in my chair! I did have a headache, and was going to sit down for just a little while to watch a show on TV. I woke up at 10pm! Guess my body needed the rest, because I slept all through the night and didn't wake up until my alarm went off. So this morning I did Chisel Endurance, since that was the one I missed last night. Of course it was still a great workout. One of the things that I'm noticing about my legs are my calf muscles, they are really getting some definition to them. The last time I saw them like this was when I was doing Insanity. I love that other parts of my body are seeing more definition also, but I think I noticed or paid attention to it more today.

Laurel, Wow great workouts! You still amaze me with your endurance for these workouts. I'm going to be doing the Total Body Hammer workout tonight when I get home, and will see if I can get in something else. The way you felt about Elway and Kubiak was how we all felt when Favre and Starr were on the field together. Love those type of moments. I will wait patiently until the reviews come out on those Tempo workouts.

Tami, Now that experience with your dogs sounds an awful lot like my normal Thursday trek to the doggy daycare. I have the dogs groomed at doggy daycare, and they tell me that Cami is an angel. Rocket on the other hand sounds like he is getting murdered. He doesn't like getting his nails clipped either, but his grow so fast that he needs them done every month. Hopefully he will get used to the grooming as time goes on. I know that something health wise is going on with Cami also, but at her age we wonder if we would take extreme measures. We need to bring her in because she has a sore on her side, so I guess we will see what happens then. Great job getting through those workouts after all that drama with the pups! Writing down the length of the workouts is something that I have to do yet, but it will happen soon so that I can create some type of rotation.

Thelma, Great job on the workouts, sounds like you enjoyed them. Glad to hear that you tackled the hunger issue, I'm sure that makes for a better day when you are not hungry. Hope all goes well with your appointment. That is the same set that I have, so will have to check out my DVD's to see if that one is included on mine. I would love to try it, for those days that I want a workout, but nothing to complicated. I like that we are all at the halfway mark in our rotations.

Have a great day!
Laurie

Hi Ladies ~ Well last night's BootCamp was a different instructor again; one that I haven't had yet. She was really good and we did stations + some running and burpees. It was a minute each on the stations which included: Pull Ups, Ball Toss against the wall, KB swings, dips, rowing maching, jump ropes, resistance band on leg (aka: firewalkers!) lol It was good. This a.m. was H&C Hammer Power w/ Sagi of course and tonight will be Katy's Insane X for some cardio.

Laurel: Awesome job again today! WOWsa You are doing an amazing job (as always) with your workouts. Thank you for the well wishes on Emma. I am going to think the best and hope to be able to schedule that apt sooner than later so it can ease my mind. Yes, that BB was perfect and I am so glad you mentioned it; will definitely be one I go to as a quick cardio at the end of these H&C workouts forsure.

Laurie: Sounds like you did need some extra sleep. I am glad you were able to get it and now today you probably feel a lot better. Great job with Chisel Endurance; I have that scheduled for tomorrow and as always I am looking forward to it. That's funny how much you can relate to the 2 pups in the car, etc. When it is 2 BIG dogs it makes quite a difference in my little Venza hatchback car. I didn't put the seats down since it was such a quick trip to their office. Note to self in the future not to share the space, unless of course one of them looses some LBs between now and then. LOL

Thelma: Great job with the workout last night! Sounds like another great one for you. YAY. Nice to add a little more to your smoothie and I am sure it helped with filling you up. I experiment sometimes with adding more to mine as well. Sometimes a small scoop of oats too if you are wanting a little more filler or carbs. I'm glad the 1250 range is working for you. Thank you for the well wishes too on Emma. and yes, I nearly had tears in my eyes as well after the tail moment.

Hope you ladies have a great afternoon!
Tami

Morning Ladies,

After work I got in the Total Body Hammer workout, love that one and went up in weight on some of the exercises that I felt comfortable doing so. Since I have a busy evening tonight with it being Ash Wednesday, I got my workout done this morning. Chisel Agility was the workout, and of course it was perfect. I didn't get my walk with the dogs this morning, it was just way to cold out.

Laurel, Awesome workouts! Love how you are combining these two systems together.

Tami, Do you think that they are trying out different instructors for that boot camp class? Isn't this the 2nd week that you have had different instructors? Sounds like a good class. Just love Hammer Power, it is my favorite in the set. Of course I have many in this set that I really like. LOL the first time I got Cami's tail in the door I felt horrible, so really understand. Rocket doesn't seem to know that he can jump into the car, so I always have to lift him. Good thing he isn't as heavy as Cami. One thing I do have to do is take the sheet out that covers my backseat, it is loaded with dog hair.

Thelma, WTG on the workout, but sorry to hear that you had to go through a warm up during the exam. I'm still staying away from the scale until this rotation is finished, so we will see what happens at the end of this rotation. Right now I know that something is happening, since a lot of my pants are not tight anymore. I really love that part. I still have to check those discs, I keep forgetting to do that.

Have a great day!
Laurie

Hi Ladies ~ Last night's class was another "Katy Killer" workout and of course she paired up with me and a guy in the class. So no extra rests ever when that happens . . . LOL it was stations of hurdles/burpees, gorilla crawl/long jump, box jumps, KB swings, heavy wall balls/ball slams, jump rope and squats - oh, but 30 push-ups in between each minute w/ a 15 second rest in between stations! OH MY. We went through the whole circuit 3 times, with all the push-ups in between on all 3. This a.m. was Chisel Balance and I loved it as always. I would love to get deeper on the pistol squats at the end - those are so tough at the end of that workout. Good Stuff though! Something to improve on each time. Tonight I will go to Spinning after work.

Laurel: Once again, for being in a "funk" you wouldn't know from the lineup of workouts you ended up doing! Great job and I am sure you felt amazing at the end. RSK is truly one of my new favorites as well; find myself missing it already. LOL You know, I think Jessica has just been missing class due to kids activities or what not. The girl that filled in on Monday was very rushed and unexpected when she came in to do our class; however even-so she knocked it out of the park just by winging it. If they are experimenting with new instructors though that would be great! I like her, just not her class and lack of creativity or desire to make it better/harder/change it up. 3 weeks already?!?! Seems like last week you just finished BB. LOL I am the same with H&C right now, 5.5 weeks into it and already need to start thinking about BB coming up.

Laurie: Great job with Total Body Hammer and going up in weights on some of the exercises! I attempted to go slightly heavier on the last move this a.m. with those Pistol Squats, it was tough but I did it; just didn't get quite as deep on the squat itself. Again, something to push myself each time. Smaller pants is awesome! ~ that deserves a congrats and obviously the food/workout system is working for you! As I mentioned to Laurel above, I hope it is that they are looking into a new Boot Camp instructor but I am not sure.

Thelma: That is pretty comical about your Mammogram apt yesterday! I am so glad everything came back A-OK! Always good to hear good results on tests. Great job with Bulk Legs yesterday, sounds like a tough one. Kudos to you as well for finding a quick 5 min workout to do on your lunch break. That's awesome.
Yes as you can see from above, Katy's class did not disappoint. There were several brand new people in the class too. That PB powder is good stuff. I include that in mine as well sometimes!

Have a great afternoon ladies ~ until tomorrow!
Tami

Morning Ladies,

So no workout last night, but this morning started off with Jillian's FastFix Kickbox Workout #2. These are great 20 min. workouts, wish she would do another DVD like this.

Laurel, Sorry to hear about the funk, but dang you sure got in some great workouts! I'm right there with you on the love for Rock'm Sock'm! I have a dh just like that, he really loves his sweets. I sneak a few of those dark chocolate m&m's every once in a while. My dh has actually been exercising a little. I did comment to him this morning, that I have not seen him use the elliptical in the last few days. I hope that he can start getting into a habit of just getting it done even if it is only for 15-20 min. I hope to get to that point with the scale, just really want to get to my goal weight at some point.

Tami, Glad to hear that you had a good killer workout from Katy. I'm still a wimp with those pistol squats, don't know if I will be able to increase weights just yet. My balance isn't perfect on those, and I have to set my foot down every once in a while. Figure that when I get to the point of being able to do them all without having to tap my foot, then I probably should increase the weight. That one really does require a lot of balance. I'm hoping that you do get a new instructor for that class, it sounds like the other lady has a lot on her plate.

Thelma, Great job on those workouts, and going up in weight for those first few exercises. Showing progress is always good. I'm with you on having to cinch the belt, I was just happy that I had to put a belt on for one pair of pants. That is the worst part about losing inches on the body, that dreaded saggy butt. Of course you don't want to buy new pants until you are to the point that you feel it is absolutely necessary. I love that too!

Have a great day!
Laurie

Hi Ladies, Rock'm Sock'm for me tonight. I picked one of those mishmosh premixes that has abs throughout the workout. I loved it but had to cut it short because it was 7:30 and I'd yet to have dinner. I'm going to have to do that premix again. We are getting hit with some dangerous arctic air. I heard that we could break cold temp records not seen since 1934!!! YIKES! I wish I had just jumped on my spinning bike last night instead of doing biceps again because I am 1 oz from my goal weight! LOL

Laurie, great job this morning! LOL I love the "dreaded saggy butt" comment! Too funny. I felt like a little kid with a fully loaded diaper! LOL. Thankfully I can go shopping in my own closet for smaller pants. A co-worker who is on maternity leave came to the office with her new baby and right away noticed that I'd lost weight. The beautiful part about this phase of my journey is that it's been effortless. It's not like I cut back on calories but have added more. It's about the type of workout I've been doing and I'm loving BB. I'm no longer horrified about Sagi's physique but I have to admit when I see Autumn on the H&C infomercials I get horrified at how skinny she is.

Laurel, another amazing combo! WTG!!! I didn't know there was a plyo workout on the H&C program. Does it have a lot of burpees? Yeah those concentration curls and kickbacks are hard and fast! I can't keep up with him so I have to keep rewinding so I can start the following set with them. I know what you mean about that long wait in that forward flexion. I sometimes start before them too and they still leave me behind in the dust when they go really fast but I do as he says "finish the set".

Hi Tami!

Good night ladies!
Thelma

Hi Ladies! I finished the week with a tough workout. I started with ISO Strength Chisel, and I was feeling it. I probably should have done a Cathe warm-up before to loosen up my body because I was much better towards the end of the workout. But early on.....my body wanted nothing to do with it! But I pushed through and, because I felt good when I ended it, went right into Body Beast Tempo Back and Bi's. Loved it!! On a shallow note, Sagi was just darned funny in this one. He had me smiling throughout. I love that! But as far as the workout goes, it is another winner. Three exercises for back, two for biceps, all very basic and all that leave your arms quivering. Like with the other workout, he does core between exercises. On this one he used the pull-up bar or door band for two of them. I opted just to do them on the floor without resistance and it worked well. Are these workouts good? Yes!! Are they with the money? That is hard to say. But I will say this......I am anxious to incorporate them into my next rotation and I am really happy I got them. One of the things Sagi says throughout is these workouts are to train you on controlling the weight, and I like that idea......and it appeals to me more than 'it is all about time under tension'. So I am curious if regular use will impact how I feel through the rest of the program. Anyhow, for cardio today, I did RWH Plyo HiiT One Doubled.

Thelma, sounds like a fun premix. I will have to look into that one. I heard about the artic air coming across the northern part of the country. Looks horrible!! And here I have been complaining about being cold all week because we have been in the 50s and 60s. I should slap myself! I can't even begin to express how happy I am to hear about your positive results from Body Beast and how much you are enjoying it. I bought the program last year for my DH for Valentine's Day (it is what he asked for) and I was thanking him last night for having me buy him a program that has had such a positive impact on my fitness level. He laughed! But I am so happy you are enjoying the same benefits. About the Hammer Plyo workout, I don't think there are any burpees in it if I am not mistaken

Laurie, great workouts. Can't wait to try Chisel Cardio again because that is such a unique workout. Yep, Autumn was pushing me throughout the early part of the workout today.....and it worked. Especially on the push-ups. Believe me, I needed it! Let me know if you have any questions on the Tempo workouts. Today's workout was 48 minutes long, so they are both in the 'longer' category for Body Beast, on par with others in the Build section though.

Tami, hope you are well.

Enjoy the weekend......and stay warm!!

Laurel

Hi Ladies ~ Lets see now that I am "re-capping" from my yesterday post. So Wednesday night Spin was another great class, full and a good workout. yesterday a.m. was ISO Speed Hammer followed by Hammer Abs, it was a good combo and short & sweet. I had to be to work a little earlier so the shorter combo worked out well. Today's workout is Spinning after work and hitting a double combo in the a.m. with H&C! Already looking forward to it.

Laurel: Amazing combinations of workouts you are doing and thank you for your wonderful reviews on the Tempo Workouts already!!!!! Sounds like they are definitely good add-ons to the BB program!?!? From what I can read through your reviews. So just under an hour on both, no abwork with this one right? Love the Dbld Plyo HiiT you did today as well. Funny you thanked your DH from a year ago for this wonderful gift and we can all thank you too since we all now have the program! (I saw that in advance knowing I am also going to love it and the benefits of it) Yesterday I had mentioned a thank you to you for bringing up the pistol squats as well and that they aren't super easy to go deep squats on. I am definitely improving each time but I don't know if it will ever be "picture perfect" that's forsure. LOL

Laurie: Great job getting in your Hammer Conditioning and Chisel Cardio between last night and this a.m.! Great work. I was mentioning in my post yesterday that those pistol squats are definitely something to have as a goal to improve on forsure! They are such a great move for balance and strength!

Thelma: So awesome one your strength and results you are having with BB! Great news that you can go shopping for smaller pants (again) I think you did that last year as well right? Awesome work with Rock'm Sock'm, sounds like a fun pre-mix. BRRRRRRRR on your record colds you guys are having. Hope you stay warm this weekend.

Have a great weekend ladies! I have Monday off for President's Day so a 3-day weekend

Tami

Hi Ladies, I hope you had a great weekend. We had a nice quiet weekend. We've had pretty cold temps. I woke up at 12:45am on Sunday and the windchill factor was -34. I forget what the temp was but OMG! So cold!
On Friday I did XT CBS w/u, BB Bulk Back, X10 double low impact, XT CBS w/u, BB Bulk Shoulders, ICE Chiseled Lower Body Blast, Blizzard Blast premix and today spinning. On Saturday I wanted to do some leg work and ran out of time so I went for the Leg blizzard blast is awesome! I was able to go up on weights for my back and shoulders. It's taken my upper body a little longer to recover as a result of the heavier weights.
Ladies, the mishmosh Rock'm Sock'm premix I did last week is this one:
Scrambled #3 Mixes abs from Icy Core 1 throughout the main workout. - 58:59

Laurie, great job with your H&C workouts! You'll have to try the premix I listed above. It really is good. It wasn't warm here last week either. I didn't leave the house today but tomorrow morning I'll have to brave the cold! I have smaller sizes in my closet from last time I lost weight and bought smaller pants that were small then and kept them because I was too lazy to return them. I'm glad I kept them! LOL
The only reason why my co-worker noticed my weight loss is because she's been out since the beginning of the year. I'm sure your daughter looks great. I just would like for Autumn to have a little more meat on her or at the very least have more clothes on! I think that is more my issue. I'd like to see her with more clothes on. I was watching a few clips from H&C workouts and there she was with her breasts almost hanging out of her bra. Don't care for that. I suppose I would eventually not notice those things just like it happened with Sagi.

Laurel, what a killer combo on Friday lady! WTG!!! I was reading about BB's Tempo workouts and that you can use them in place of another BB workout during the rotation. Does Sagi have other workouts? I read great reviews about the DVD and may just have to get it for the last couple of weeks of the rotation.
Funny how 50 degrees feel so cold once your body has gotten used to warmer temps! LOL
I am really enjoying this BB program. I am enjoying the progress with the weights. I don't think I'll be able to go much higher on weights going forward. I will start week 6 tomorrow. You should ask your DH what other workout programs he's like you to buy him this year! LOL. So glad to see that there are no burperes on Hammer Plyo!

Tami, you've been on FI-YA with those workouts! Fabulous work!! I did go shopping in my closet last year and I am able to do it again for brand new pants I couldn't get into last time! I stayed warm this weekend. I don't want to leave the house tomorrow morning though! BRRRR! Enjoy your long weekend! I have to go to work.

Good night ladies!
Thelma

Hi Ladies! We had a nice weekend here. Drove into Orlando on Saturday to go to Trader Joe's so I could stock up on healthy, affordable peanut butter. There are a few negatives where we live, and one is the absolute absence of healthy grocery stores. It is actually FAR cheaper to drive for an hour to Trader Joe's than get anything here. Anyhow, on Sunday, DH and I spent the day golfing, which was a nice way to spend Valentine's Day.

Saturday was my day off working out, but yesterday marked the start of week 4 in H&C. I started with the warm up from
X10, then did Chisel Balance. All our talk of the pistol squats last week really had me focusing on them and, wow, I feel it is my glutes today! Such a good workout. I followed it with Cardio Core Circuit. Today was Max Hammer Strength into Burn Sets Bi's and Tri's, which was a great combo. For cardio, I did To The Max Extreme, which always kicks my backside!

Tami, sorry to hear about the lost post. So frustrating! The Body Beast Tempo DVD does come with the same ab routine that is included with the regular set (Beast Abs), so there is not a new ab routine or anything like that. But with the core work he does between the exercises, I am not sure whether anything else is necessary.

Thelma, yikes on the cold! That is miserable. I saw where you were going to break cold records up there, and that is never fun. You sure got in some good workouts this weekend, though. Isn't that ICE Chiseled Lower Body Blizzard Blast fantastic? I love that one! I don't think Sagi has any other workouts available except for one short 20 minute total body workout associated with Body Beast. It is called Body Beast Lucky 7. I couldn't possibly justify the cost of $22 for that one, short workout, so I don't have it. But it is out there. I laughed when you said I should ask my DH what new workout programs he is interested in! He has certainly gotten me in better shape because P90X is his, Body Beast is his, Tapout XT is his, T25 is his........

Laurie, sounds like a good workout on Saturday. Good news in finding somebody to help you with your house. Believe me, I feel your pain with Chisel Balance. Even when I was stretching today at the end of To The Max I was feeling it from yesterday. That workout is definitely a keeper for beyond the H&C rotation. Really works things differently and in such a good amount of time.

jaz, I think STS remains one of the best strength training programs on the market. As Laurie mentioned, the workouts can get long (some are over an hour), and it requires a lot of equipment. But, in my opinion, it is the only strength training program out there to cover endurance, muscle building and strength. Most programs (like P90X or Body Beast) only cover two of those. I would recommend doing the one rep max test Cathe recommends to get the most out of the program. I have done more rotations of STS than I can remember right now.......everywhere from six month rotations, to undulating rotations to twice a week rotations (I don't recommend that one!), and each has been effective for me. Please ask if you have any specific questions. Just for background, I have done P90X and X2, Insanity, Asylum, Body Beast, now am doing H&C and own virtually every Cathe DVD she has released . I do think Cathe has better individual strength training workouts (like her XTrain strength training workouts, and Laurie mentioned Burn Sets from that), but if you are looking for a complete program, I think STS is fantastic.

See you tomorrow.

Laurel

Morning Ladies,

After work I did Max Hammer Strength, sure did torture my legs doing the Balance workout and this one in the same day! This morning I decided to do a lighter workout, so I pulled out Body Revolution workout 1, and that did loosen up those legs. One of my goals for this year is that I would finish more rotations that I start, and now that I'm starting my 7th week of H&C today, I really do think that I'm going to accomplish my first rotation for the year! Maybe I shouldn't count my chickens..... I love these workouts, so I know I will be onto Body Beast on the 1st of March.

Laurel, Great job on the workouts, it looks like we had the same ones again. It really amazes me how the Max Hammer and the Balance workouts get those legs so good, and I'm only doing 8 reps with weights! I hear you on the feeling those legs, really did have that feeling this morning when I got out of bed. Squatting down to put the harnesses on the dogs was fun! I don't blame you for going that far to get the needed food. We are lucky in this area to have a few places that do have those options. Trader Joe's is a little to far for me, but we do have a store that is like Whole Foods. Yesterday I looked at my Body Beast set, and the Lucky 7 workout was included. Probably given out because I ordered from a coach, I think they do things like that periodically. They really don't list it as an option on the rotation, as far as I could tell.

Thelma, Nice workouts! That tabatacise workout always gets me. Great job on taking note of the weight change, love to see strength gains. I don't know if they have the set without the containers, I think that you would have to contact a coach or Beachbody to see if they offer the set that way. You will have to test the amount of weight you use when using your bench, I think that will help you since you are not able to go high without hitting your head. Yep I found the workout, and enjoyed it. It worked really well for an add on to the H&C workout.

Tami, Hope you have a great day!

Have a good one!
Laurie

Hi Ladies ~ Nice 3 day weekend! I didn’t do a whole lot yesterday other than a couple quick errands, finished up a little laundry and scheduled an oil change on my car. Was nice though, I waited and just read my book that I started when I went to L.A. Almost done with it. I don’t really get to read very much unless on vacation. Since evenings are usually workouts/dinner and a little time with DH. Workouts were fabulous over the weekend. Saturday Chisel Endurance + Total Body Hammer, that was a nice combo and was feeling it Sunday a.m., but back at it on Sunday with Hammer Chisel & Agility followed by RWHiiT Plyo HiiT, then off to Volleyball League. We won all 6 games and our tourney will be next Sunday. Yesterday I enjoyed a combo of H&C Hammer Conditioning followed by ICE Bootcamp Circuit (Pre-Mix #6) with Blizzard Blast, Muscle Meltdown Bi’s and Core; getting that extra Bicep work was great! This a.m. was Chisel Cardio and tonight I will head to Insane X after work.

Laurel: Sounds like you had a really nice weekend and a fun trip to Trader Joes! We don’t have one here in my town but Spokane has a very tiny one that I still haven’t been too. The friends I know that make the 45 min drive to go to that one have found a lot of things are sold out since it is such a small store. Have you ever looked on Amazon for that TJ Peanut Butter? I think they do sell some TJ items forsure. Just a thought. Very fun that you and DH went golfing as well. The combo you did yesterday sounds INTENSE ~ way to go! Today was another fabulous “sandwich” combo as well. Nicely done. Chisel Cardio was one of mine as well today. Such a fun workout! I think I am going to start BB and see before I order TEMPO. I was so close to ordering it over the weekend after your reviews and knowing I will be starting BB in March sometime. What to do?!? I also have the Lucky 7 DVD in my packet, so between Laurie and I we can let you know; this one is definitely less $$ to find on its own than TEMPO.

Laurie: Great job getting in your workouts on Saturday and making up your Chisel Balance yesterday! Always a great one in my book and yes, again gotta love those pistol squats. That is great news on the increased definition and your love for the program reinforced! BB will be right around the corner for you . . . WooHoo and great job finishing up this rotation (almost). Truly a testimony for how fun it is and beneficial too. I could see myself definitely doing another H&C rotation this year, soon after BB with a mix of XT maybe! Have you decided on TEMPO yet? I keep thinking I “need” it and may just wait until I have been in the BB program for a while. It’s very tempting though from Laurel’s reviews. LOL

Thelma: BRRRRRRRR on those temps you are having. OMG, I would have stayed indoors all weekend I think. Just stay cozy and warm inside. My mom, being in LA has had 88-90 degree days over the weekend! WOW, amazing from one side of the country to the other. Great job with all your fabulous workouts and strength gains continuing! On the containers question, yes I did, along with the shake holder for Shakeology; which I definitely don’t need another one of those. Both are still in the wrapper; although if I decide to try the meal plan I will use them. I have some containers almost identical however that I could use. I am pretty sure you can buy the program without them. Congrats on the new jeans and I bet they felt fabulous to be wearing!! Are you still using the LEGION Whey Powder and liking it? I thought of it because I just re-ordered more for myself over the weekend! 

Hope you ladies are all having a great day! I will talk to you tomorrow ~ Tami

Thanks. I'm also thinking about RWH or XTrain as they are shorter. What's the difference between the two?

Hi Ladies! I enjoyed another good workout today. I started with ISO Speed Hammer and enjoyed it much more this time than the first time I tried it. But since it is so short, I added on LIHI Legs because I enjoy that one so much. After a bit of a break, for cardio I did Cross Fire Extreme.

Tami, sounds like a nice weekend with some killer workouts! Congratulations on the volleyball. Hard to believe another season is coming to a close. I have been paying attention to those temps in LA. Crazy this time of year, but I hope your Mom is enjoying it. Thanks for the idea of ordering peanut butter online. I hadn't thought of that.....and I have no idea why since I get my coffee from Amazon. Anyhow, I will look into that because TJ PB is literally 1/3-1/4 of the price of anything I can find around here which is why traveling a couple hundred miles to stock up is actually worth it. But free shipping is better! I think you are fine holding off on the Tempo workouts until after you have tried Body Beast. They don't add anything particularly new......just different. So it isn't as if you aren't getting as good a workout without them in my view. Just.......different......with them.

Thelma, great workout! I couldn't find H&C without the containers either and, like Tami, mine are still wrapped and in the cupboard. That was the last thing I needed. I completely understand what you are saying about not getting the same results with Cathe as with BB, because I had the same issue until I did STS. STS is the first full program I ever did, and my results were out the roof. That is why I try to do at least a couple of designed strength training programs each year (STS, P90X, BB, etc). Those are the programs I use to push myself through a barrier, and then Cathe's rotations are great for refining, maintaining, etc. That just happens to be what works best for me. Regarding STS, maybe you could start with a different Mesocycle than 1. I know that sounds weird, but Meso1 moves fast, uses the ball a lot, etc. And that could be behind the injuries. Meso 2 and 3 mirror more of BB (roughly, though) with fewer reps, longer breaks, more isolated focus on muscle groups, etc. But doing a rotation in the order of Meso 2, 3, 1 would mean starting with muscle building, followed by strength, followed by endurance (chisel!) and would actually probably be great for definition. Just a thought. Hmmmmm.....I have myself thinking I may try that with my next rotation!!

Laurie, sounds like a good workout. I love those Chisel Abs! I completely agree with how you described going from heavy to not so heavy programs. I know after I have been lifting heavy, my body starts craving those crazy high rep workouts Cathe does. And I think there is a reason for that.

jaz, are you talking about the strength training workouts in those programs only or the entire program? As far as the strength training workouts, there are five in the XT program (one of which is leg/cardio). The upper body workouts vary between 40-55 minutes. Two workouts (Chest, Back and Shoulders-Disc 1 and Biceps and Triceps-Disc 2) are more high rep (roughly 16 reps per set) and you alternate body part (one set chest, one set back, one set shoulder, one set chest.....). Then there is the Burn Sets workout, which you can split into two upper body workouts (same split as the other workouts), and these are lower reps (10 per set) and you focus on each body part separately. I love these upper body workouts and think they are some of Cathe's best. Her Legs workout in this series.......not so much. It uses very light weights, involves a lot of floor work, etc. It is about 50 minutes long. STS far exceeds this in terms of lower body work. The fifth strength DVD is Cardio Leg Blast which alternates heavy leg work with cardio drills. This is a really good one.

There is less variety with RWH pure strength training work, though she has some with cardio options. Her strength training work is on three DVDs, all titled Lift It Hit It. There is Chest, Shoulders and Triceps (about 40 minutes), Back, Shoulders and Biceps (about 50 minutes) and Legs. The latter workout alternates weights with cardio, and is fantastic. The upper body are weights only, each set is 12 reps, the body parts are isolated, and each exercise is ended with a 'finisher' which is a high rep exercise focused on the same body part. These workouts are tough because Cathe moves quickly through these workouts and those 'finishers' are sometimes brutal. I don't quite like these workouts as much as XT only because she moves a little more slowly through the XT workouts, which appeals to me. But the difference in how much I like them is really minuscule because I think the Lift It Hit It workouts are truly great. She also has a Circuit Upper Body and Circuit Lower Body workout in this program (both about 45 minutes). The lower body workout is probably slightly more effective for strength gains than the upper body, but they are both good workouts. But, again, neither is really focused at building muscle.

Another plus about both programs......premixes!! Cathe killed it with her premixes in the XTrain series, so there are add-one, bonuses (like 100 rep exercises), abs, etc. RWH isn't too far behind in options. So since STS didn't have premixes, these are more versatile programs. I don't think you can go wrong with any of these three (STS, RWH, or XT), depending on what you are trying to do. If you read what I wrote to Thelma above, for me, nothing quite works quite as well as a systemic program like STS in transforming my fitness level. But if you are not looking for a system but some great strength training workouts to add to your fitness program, XT and RWH are excellent. Let us know if you have any more questions!

Until tomorrow.

Laurel