4DS - Shoulders, Core, Calves and what cardio did I do??????

Today I did Cathe's 4 Day Split Low Impact Step, Shoulder, Calves, and Core.  I like LIS but it's not a big calorie burner for me so I did the step portion from Body Max 2.  I love the step portion of that workout. I get a good calorie burn, it has fun combo's, and good music.   I followed that with the weight work.  Shoulders were feeling it this morning but I managed to stick with a good weight, it was just harder than normal, but hey.. you'll have those days.

Tomorrow I'll be doing all cardio.  Not sure which cardio workout I"m going to do. I have the night to sleep on it.  As long as I figure out by 3am. :-) 

Have you tried any new workouts?  I always like to get feedback from people on workouts that I've never done or heard of.  I'd love to hear from you about your workout experiences.

Keep on moving and keep on sweating!!

I got Cathe's new DVD's.... YEAH!!

I know it's been since September since I posted anything.  It was hard to stay on top of posting anything, feeling like no one was looking at my blog.  I decided to start it back up again.

Over the last few months, I have stayed on top of my workouts. I did STS for the 3rd time and still love it as much as the first time. 

Last week I got Cathe's new High Intensity Low Impact Series.  I haven't done any of the workouts yet. I have viewed one of them and it looks like it'll be a pretty good workout. 

This week I'm dong the 4 day split with my own twist.  Today I did Chest and Back and instead of doing the High Impact Step, I did HiiT 40/20 and then did the chest and back.  I have a love/hate relationship with 40/20.  I made it through the workout. 

For those of you who may have been following my blog, I'd love to hear from you and what you've been up to. What workouts you've been doing, have you been pushing yourself outside your comfort zone.

Keep on moving!!

Don't Worry I Haven't Been Slacking Off

It's been over a week since I posted anything.  I've been busy with my full time job and then taking care of stuff at home, which makes it difficult to post as often. 

Last week I finished my last week of STS Mesocycle 2 Hypertrophy.  I had a great week of workout.  I was making sure that I was pushing myself in my weight workouts.  I know I was pushing myself when I finish my workout and my muscles are totally spent and I feel it the next day or two after. 

I've been trying to do at least one or two high intensity workouts during the week. Usually my third cardio day I would do the elliptical and give my joints a break.  As happy as I was when I was done with Insanity, I still pull it out from time to time and do the warm-up portion to get a short quick calorie burn.  I've also pulled it out when I did one of Cathe's HiiT workouts which are 1/2 hr long, then I would pull out one of the Insanity workouts to finish the hour off.

This week is an my active recovery week. Yesterday I did Cardio Coach Press Play and got 10.5 miles in and a really good calorie burn.  Today I went with Amy Bento's Advanced Step Challenge 2. It's a fun step workout with good music and a good calorie burn. On that workout, to make it more difficult for me, I use an 8" step for the warm-up and the first 3 combo's and then I put my step back down to 6" and finish off the workout.  Tomorrow I think I'm going to do Cardio Fusion Max.  It's a premix on Cathe's Cardio Fusion DVD.   One thing I really like about Cardio Fusion is that she combines sections of 3 different workouts into one DVD. I love the variety.  It makes the time go by faster.

I have seen Supreme 90 in by Wal-mart and in the LTD catalog. Contemplating getting it but I haven't heard much about it. I'll have to do some checking online to see what the feedback is.   I anyone has any input on Supreme 90, I'd love to hear from you.

I hope you haven't been slacking off on your workouts.  What workouts have you been doing?  Have you been challenging yourself?   

Keep moving!!
Brenda

The workouts have been great!!

Would anyone like to hear how my workouts have been and what I've been doing?   If not, you're going to hear about them anyway. :-) 

Last Thursday I had legs and OMG... what a workout.  The leg exercises she did got the heart rate up there and worked my legs really good.  Talk about DOMS.  I had them for two days.

Friday, with my legs being quite sore, I decided to do Cathe's Kick, Punch, and Crunch.  Ran short on time so I wasn't able to do all the ab work.  Overall I had a great workout.  I know I have shared with you already how much I like this workout.

Saturday it was time for Chest, Shoulders, and triceps... another OMG..... I believe this week we were doing 70% of our 1 rep max.  I worked it hard and more DOMS.  My triceps were still a little sore today.

Sunday was my rest day.  More like an active recovery day. I did house work and then in the afternoon I was out in my garden. 

Monday I started with cardio.  I wanted to do something tough and intense.  I did one of the workouts I'm a little afraid of.  Cathe's HiiT 40/20.  Once I completed that, I did 3/4 of Insanity's Max Cardio Conditioning.  Wow, did I get an incredible cardio workout.  It was tough, but I did it.

Today I started week three of Mesocycle 2 and had back and biceps.   Amazing..... I love the feeling of having the power of lifting heavy weights.  You think, "I can't lift this" and then you surprise yourself and do it.  I have a feeling my back and biceps will be feeling it tomorrow.  I love good pain!

Tomorrow my plan is Cathe's Intensity.  Another cardio workout I love. Hopefully I'll stick to my plan once morning comes.  To see if I do or not... I guess you'll have to stay tuned.

Have you been working out with me.  What have you done.  Did you push yourself to a new level. 

Keep the sweat rolling!!

Update on the workouts

Hello any followers I might have.  Here is an update on my workouts.

Friday I had cardio and did Cardio Coach 7 - 10 miles on the elliptical. My legs didn't hurt as bad as I thought Friday morning from doing legs Thurs.  I definitely had DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) because they felt worse on Saturday then Friday. 

Saturday I had Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps.  I had a great workout.  Great strength but I new I was going to fell it the next day.  Oh boy was I right. I think my chest hurt the worst.  It was a good kind of pain.

Sunday was my rest day (from an actual workout that is). I did do yard work in the morning and in the afternoon we had a graduation party.

Monday I had cardio and went with the warm-up and cardio blast from Cathe's original Bootcamp and followed that with Cardio Core Circuit.  The workout felt a little hard but overall it felt good. There are times when I struggle with a workout it feels more worth while when it feels hard and I made it through. 

Tuesday I had back and biceps.  Had good strength. It's always on those days that I had good strength that  I feel it the next day.  Man did I.  I love the feeling of my muscles being worked.  When I got home from work, I wanted to give myself a little extra calorie burn so I did the warm-up from Insanity's Pure Cardio.  For a warm-up, it's a good calorie burn. 

This takes us to today, Weds... I had cardio today and went with Body Max 2 Cardio Blast. I love this workout.  I love the music, the step combos, its a good calorie burn.  I definitely feel like I had a good workout when I'm done. 

Tomorrow I have legs again so we'll see what exercises I have to look forward to.

How have your workouts been?  What have you been doing?  Have you tried anything new? 

I'd love to hear from you!

Keep moving and sweating!!
Brenda

Yeah, the end of the week is here!!

So on Tuesday I started back in with the weights and it felt awesome!!  Tuesday I did Mesocycle 2 Back and Biceps.  I wasn't sure if I should drop in weights since the last I did this or not but I went with what I had written down last and boy did I feel it.  Felt great while working out and oh yeh, the back and biceps were talking to me the next day. It was a good sore. 

Weds I had cardio and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do.... now for those that have been following my blog, don't fall over when I tell you this, but I did Insanity Max Cardio Conditioning followed with part of Cardio Abs.  I'm pulling out Shaun T more often then I expected.  It was tough but I made it through. Had to take some breaks during the exercises and then backed up the DVD so I could start the exercise from the beginning.  I may have taken some breaks but I didn't short myself on the workout.  I was a sweaty ole mess by the time I was done.

Today was Legs.  In Mesocycle 2 for legs we do three different leg exercises back to back with a 1 minute rest between each grouping.  We have three different groups and we repeat each group 3 times.  We'll see how my legs feel tomorrow morning.  I can feel it in my quads already so we'll see what tomorrow brings. 

Friday I have cardio, so depending how my legs feel tomorrow will determine what I do for a workout.  Was thinking of doing cardio coach 7 on the ellliptical.  Not sure. 

How have your workouts been this week?  What have you been doing?  Don't leave me out here all by myself.  It would be nice if someone would let me know that they are reading my blog. :-) 

If you read my blogs, I hope I help motivate you and inspire you to push yourself to the next level or try something different. 

Until next time, keep on moving and sweating!!

Catching Up!!

It's been a week since I shared my workouts.  Last week was my cardio recovery week from STS.  Monday I did Cardio Kicks, which I haven't done in a really long time.  Not a good calorie burner anymore (there was a day that I thought this was hard).  I still love the workout.  I love the drills in the 2nd half of the workout.   Tuesday I did Imax 2.. another good Interval workout and good music.  Weds I did the cardio blast from Body Max 2... good calorie burner and awesome music.  Definitely a fun factor in that one.  Thursday I did the Insanity warm-up followed with Cathe's MMA Fusion.  (MMA is Mixed Martial Arts).  That workout is not a big calorie burner but is good combo cardio/firming workout. I like the combo's in here along with the ab workout at the end.  Friday I did Cathe's Intensity, which I love that workout and like the music in that one too.  Saturday I ended the week doing Cardio Coach Press Play on the elliptical and did 10.5 miles.  Was sweating like crazy.  That was my cardio week.

This week I start STS Mesocycle 2 Hypertropy.  I started the week out with cardio though.  This morning I went with Cathe's HiiT 30/30.  This is the one where we do a 30 second interval blast and 30 sec recovery.  I followed that with Insanity's Pure Cardio.  I was a sweaty mess by the time I was done.  Felt tough but felt good! 

Tomorrow I will start back in with the weights and I believe I have back and biceps.  Can't wait to get back to the weights.

Who's been working out with me.  I know there are people that workout out all the time.  Share you workouts with me, I'd love to hear about them. 

Keep moving!!

Last Week's Workouts

To catch up on last weeks workouts. Last week was my last week of STS Mesocycle 1 Muscle Endurance.  I already updated you with Monday's workout.  Tuesday was cardio and I went with the Insanity warm-up from Pure Cardio and then I followed that with Cathe's Athletic Step. I really like Athletic Step but it's not a full hour and I don't feel like my heart rate gets up there until we're into the 3rd combo so I thought I'd jump start it with an Insanity warm-up.  That made a world of a difference. 

Weds was back and triceps.  What a workout it was.  Worked the muscles really good.  Felt awesome!!

Thursday was cardio.  I went with the Insanity Pure Cardio warm-up.... gosh for someone that got really sick of the Insanity warm-ups, here I am doing it two times in the same week. :-)  After I did the warm-up, I put in Cathe's Cardio Core Circuit. Had a great workout.  It felt tough, mainly because I was really stuffed up.  I got through it and had a pretty good calorie burn.

Friday was legs.  I don't know what it was but this workout felt tough. I pushed through and new I was going to be feeling it on Saturday and that I did. Man did I feel it in my glutes and quads. I don't know if doing a more intense cardio the day before had an impact on Friday's workout or not. I'm sure it probably did to some point.  I did it!! 

Then there was Saturday..... legs were definitely feeling it.   I had a sinus headache and didn't feel like jumping around too much so I decided to do the elliptical and did Cardio Coach Press Play.  I got 10.5 miles in.  It was a little tough on the legs but not as bad as I thought.  It was a good way to end the week.

Sunday was my rest day and rest it really wasn't.  I didn't do a normal workout but I did workout the majority of the day.  I was out in my vegetable garden from 9:30 am until 3:15pm and it was really hot outside too.  I made sure I kept the water flowing.  By the end of the day, I was physically wiped out. 

This week is supposed to be my active recovery week.  Not really sure exactly what that means.  I do take the week off from lifting.  I didn't want to do a really intense cardio since it is supposed to active recovery week, so I did a workout that I haven't done in a really super long time, which is Cathe's Cardio Kicks.  I love this workout, especially the drills in the second half.  I did change up certain moves to make them a little more difficult to get my heart rate up there more.  I love the punching drills at the end.  Not sure what tomorrow is going to bring.  We'll see how I feel in the morning.  I've been waking up lately very congested. 

How was your last weeks workouts?  I'd love to hear about it.

Keep on moving and sweating!!
Brenda

Catching up on the workouts!

To catch up on my workouts since my last post, Thursday I had cardio and I put together a combination I wasn't sure about.  My cardio workout started with Cathe's HiiT Pyramid. I haven't done that one in a long time.  Then of course, I had to add onto that since it's only approx. 30 min. long.  You will never guess what I did next.... Insanity's Pure Cardio after the warm-up.  Then I followed that with some of the floor work from Cardio Abs, followed by Cathe's medicine ball abs (I skipped the last exercise). Over all it was a real good workout.  I was a sweaty mess by the time I was done.

Friday was Mesocycle 1 Legs.  Worked my legs she did.  I was sore for a couple of days after that.  It was all good pain.  :-) 

Saturday I decided to go with Cathe's Cardio Fusion.  I really enjoy this workout because she does the warm-up from Body Max2, the finished combo from BM2, a segment from Low Impact Circuit (which I didn't do it low impact), then the blasts from BM2, and then the cardio drills from Drill Max.  I'm down in my basement at 3:30am doing my thing, having a pretty good workout and here some rumbling outside (thunderstorms had rolled in), and about 3/4 of the way into my workout, I'm jumping around and boom, the power goes out.  We don't lose power often so I thought it was going to come back on right away... not so much..... darn it was dark down in that basement.  I managed to feel my way up the stairs to find the flashlight and what did I do.. I went back downstairs and finished my workout on my own.  I knew what I had to do yet so I went ahead and did it. My dear husband thought I was insane.  I had an awesome workout, a great calorie burn and sweat my butt off and it felt great!! 

Sunday was my day of rest and that I did. Granted it didn't help any that we were out very late Saturday night and I was very tired.  I don't do well when I stray from my sleeping routine that much.  I'm back on track today.

This morning I started my last week of Mesocycle 1 Muscle Endurance.  Today was chest, shoulders, and biceps.  I had a really good workout.  Love working the biceps.  She had a lot of push-ups in this one.  I never knew there were so many different ways to do push-ups until I did STS Meso #1. 

Tomorrow is cardio.  Not 100% sure what I'll do.  Was thinking of doing an Insanity warm up and then follow that with Cathe's Athletic Step.  That one is a fun step routine.  We'll see what I feel like doing tomorrow morning.  Not sure about the Insanity warm up though. :-) 

I see that I have a few followers but I often wonder if anyone really is following my blog.   I hope so and I hope somewhere along the lines that I might inspire someone to start working out or step outside of the box and push themselves a little harder then what they normally do.  If you are following my blog, I'd love to hear from you and what your workouts have been.

It's never to late to start working out and doing something  is better then doing nothing.  Doing nothing you will continue to get the same result.  Doing something is a step in the right direction to a better you.

Keep on moving!!
Brenda

Loving lifting weights!!

This week I have continued doing STS Mesocycle 1 (Muscle endurance).  Monday I had chest, shoulders, and biceps.  Had a pretty good workout.  I'm really loving getting back to lifting weights. 

Tuesday I had cardio and decided to go with Cathe's Kick, Punch, and Crunch.  I love the drills she does towards the middle and I love the kicking and punching combo's in the 2nd half.  It's funny though, doing Insanity obviously has improved me on the cardio side.  I did KPC and it didn't seem as hard as the last time I did it.  That's a pretty good feeling.

Today was weights again.  I had back and triceps.  Again, had  a pretty good workout.  Lower back has been a little sensitive so I was being careful with the barbell rows. 

Tomorrow I have cardio again.  I have an idea what I might do but we'll see how I feel in the morning and make sure I'm up for it.

Hope you've been surviving this heat and humidity.  I love warm weather but this is too much with that high humidity.

I hope this hot weather didn't stop you from working out.  Hopefully you worked out in the morning before it got too hot.

Keep moving!!
Brenda

Workouts so far this week have been....

This week started off with STS Meso #1 Chest, shoulders, and biceps.  Had a real good workout.   I do feel like I lost some strength in my shoulders and biceps while doing Insanity.  I'm still doing pretty good with the weights though.  Haven't dropped down in weight too much when lifting. 

Tuesday was one of my favorite cardio workouts, Cathe's Intensity.  Love it, love it, love it.  I like the combination of step, HiiT (hi & low impact).  Did pretty good since I haven't done that one in a couple of months. 

Weds was Meso #1 - back and triceps.   The bent over rows have been a challenge.  It doesn't help though that my lower back has been a little sensitive.  I'm trying to be careful.  Another weight workout that felt great.  

Today I had cardio and wasn't sure what I wanted to do but since I had a nasty headache when I woke up and my head felt all congested, I decided to do cardio coach 7.  Again, haven't done the elliptical since I started Insanity.  Felt nice to get a real good cardio without the impact.   Had a little hard time breathing since I my nose was stuffed up.  

Today my head felt all stuffy.  Had a sinus headache all day, eyes itch, was sneezing, runny nose.  I'm going to bed early tonight so if I'm working on something, hopefully I can head it off. I know there has been enough people that I work with that have been sick.  I don't want to get whatever it is.

Tomorrow I have Legs again from Meso #1.  Last Friday it took me at least two days to recover.   We'll see how tomorrow goes.

Who's been working out with me?   What workouts have you been doing?  I'd love to hear from you.

Keep moving & sweating!!
Brenda

Friday and Saturday's workouts

Friday I had STS Mesocycyle 1 Legs.  I was hoping that this workout would have firewalkers in them so I could use my new firewalker bands and it did.  Weird that a person would be happy about using firewalker bands.  For those of you that don't know what firewalkers bands are, you can click on the Cathe link on my blog, which will take you to her website.  If you don't feel like going to her website, the firewalker band is basically a resistance band without the ends.  It's about as wide as the resistance band but it's a lot short.  You step your feet through it and what you do is you step out as far as you can and take another 3 steps or so and then repeat the same number of side steps going back the other way.  It works the outer thighs like you wouldn't believe and you can also feel it in the upper gluteus muscle.  Cathe's firewalker bands come in three strengths (light, medium, heavy just like a normal resistance band).  I had a feeling my legs were going to be feeling this workout.  The day wasn't even over with and I could feel it in my quads. 

Saturday morning I get up to do my cardio and I try getting out of bed and OMG!!!  My quads were so sore along with my glutes (the butt musle).  I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for cardio.  Was thinking about the elliptical but the way my legs felt that wasn't going to happen.  I went with Amy Bento's CIA Hi-Lo Knockout.  If you're a fan of aerobics, this is a fun one.  She has great music in her and fun moves.  I haven't done this one in a real long time.

Yesterday afternoon my hubby and I had a couples massage in the afternoon.  It was awesome.  It was my birthday present (which is first on Tuesday).  Today was my day off of working out and my body needed it.  My legs were still a little sore from Friday and my back was sore from my massage.  The gal I had really worked on the knots in my back. 

How were your last couple of days?  What workouts did you do? Did you challenge yourself?  Did you push yourself outside your comfort zone? 

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!!
Brenda

Mesocycle 1 Back and Triceps and Cario Core Circuit

Weds I had weights and had Back and triceps from STS Mesocycle 1.  Had a great workout.  The back and tri's were feeling it today.  There definitely is a different soreness with lifting weights as compared to with Insanity.  It's a good soreness though.

Today I had cardio and I decided to go with Cathe's Cardio Core Circuit.  With it being 51 minutes long, I added a little something to the beginning of it to make it a full hour.  You will never guess what I did first before CCC..... an Insanity warm-up and stretch from Pure Cardio.  Once I finished that then I obviously skipped the warm up in CCC because if you're familiar with Insanity, you're plenty warm after that warm-up.  Had a real good workout with CCC.  I love the blasts and then doing some ab work in between.

Tomorrow I have legs from Meso #1, which has a little cardio factor in since it is endurance based.  Hoping it's one of the workouts where she does firewalkers.  I bought the firewalker bands and I'd love to try them.  :-)  How silly to get excited over such a thing. 

Anyone have any good workouts to share with me.  What have you done the last couple of days.  Did you go outside your comfort zone. 

Time for me to hit the sack. 
Sleep tight!

Until next time... keep on moving!!

Started Cathe's STS 12 week rotation!!

After 60 days of Insanity, Monday I started Cathe's STS (Shock Training System).  Yesterday I started with Mesocycle 1, Disc 1 which was chest, shoulders, and biceps.   It felt wonderful to lift weights again. I wasn't sure how I was going to do with not lifting for quite a while but I did better then I expected.  Biceps felt a little weaker and so did the shoulders. I didn't have to lower my weights too much so that was good.  This morning I could definitely feel it. It is a good muscle soreness.  After doing Disc 1, I also did Cathe's STS Abs with the medicine ball.  I love that workout.  It's a nice short 9 minutes but you get a real good ab workout in that short amount of time. My abs feel it, especially my obliques. 

This morning I had cardio and I went with Amy Bento's Advanced Step Challenge 2.  I really wanted to get back into step because I enjoy it.  I like that workout too.  Had a good workout.  Felt great to do something fun again. :-) 

Don't get me wrong, I'm really glad I did Insanity and stuck it out the 60 days.  I proved to myself that I could do it.  It's a hard workout.  Especially when you get into the second 60 days. Now I just need to get myself the Insanity t-shirt.

Have you done any workouts to really challenge yourself.  If so, I'd love to hear what it was.  If not, seriously think about it. I'm not saying do Insanity because not everyone is ready for something like that or even would enjoy Insanity.  Get outside of your comfort zone and try something different.  I dare you!! :-)

Keep on moving!!

I FINISHED INSANITY!!!!

July 2nd was my last day of Insanity.  YEAH!!!  I can't believe I stuck with it the entire 60 days.  I'm very proud of myself.  I had a neighbor friend who did challenge me to see if I stick to it and I did.  She said that a lot of people that she knew stopped Insanity once they got into the 2nd week of the second 30 days.  Not me... I stuck it out and did it!!  I don't know that I'll do Insanity again straight through like that but I will definitely incorporate the workouts in whatever rotation I'm doing.  This last week I was definitely getting the dread factor.  The repetitiveness was getting to me and it was lacking the fun factor.  When doing Cathe's workouts, I have fun with those. I'm very much looking forward to getting back to workout out to Cathe.  I like Shaun T, I think he's a great instructor but Cathe is still #1 for me. :-) 

I was thinking about starting Cathe's STS (Shock Training System) again.  It's a 12 week rotation. I'll toss in cardio on the other 3 days.  Unless I like her July rotation when she comes out with it.  Her June rotation looked pretty good too. I have today to decide.  

After not lifting weights for 60 days, I'm very much looking forward to getting back into it.  Can't wait.

Now I want to get myself an Insanity t-shirt since I finally completed it.

I know I haven't been blogging for a while because the workouts were the same thing over and over with Insanity.  I figured it would get a little boring talking about the same thing over and over.  I figured I'd wait until I was done before I blogged again. 

What have you're workouts been these past few weeks!!  I'd love to hear from you!! 

Keep on moving and sweating!!

Week 2 of the Second 30 Days of Insanity

For anyone that may be following my blog, I thought I'd give you an update on my journey of the second 30 Days of Insanity.  I'm 1/2 way in to week two of the 2nd 30 days of Insanity.  So far, I'm liking it.  I like the longer workouts most definitely.  I would have to say, I think my favorite one this go around is Max Interval Circuit and Max Interval Plyo is probably my least favorite.  Monday I have Max Cardio Conditioning and I did part of Cardio Abs, Tues I had Max Interval Circuit and today I had Max Interval Plyo. I really feel the plyo workout in my glutes.  Tomorrow I believe I have Max Recovery.  I do have to say I feel like the endurance in my shoulders has gotten a little better. It still burns like you wouldn't believe but I feel like I'm doing better then I was.  It blows my mind how fast some of these people can move.  Some of the guys, their feet move so fast, I feel like if would try to go that fast I'd probably trip over my own feet.  The fitness level of some of these people in the DVD blows my mind.  I do the best that I can and by the time I'm done, I definitely feel like I got an awesome workout. 

A neighbor friend that has done Insanity said that she heard most people stop doing Insanity (or at least take a break) after the second week of second 30 days.  She has challenged me to see if I will stick it out the entire 30 days.  I'm almost half way there and I'm really going to try to stick it out until the end.

So how have your workouts been. What have you been doing?  I hope you've been pushing yourself so you continue to improve. Let me know how you've been doing, I'd love to hear from you.

Keep on moving and sweatin!!

Day 4 of Round Two of Insanity

Well, I'm in day 4 of the second 30 days of Insanity and my body is feeling it.  Weds I had Max Cardio Conditioning.  This was non-stop kick butt cardio.  No breaks in this one.  Well, of course I took them where I needed to. Wow!!! Thankfully today I had Max Recovery.  Max Recovery may be a recovery from the cardio portion of it but definitely not a recovery from working our legs, pecks, shoulders, and abs. I don't feel like I have good endurance in my legs and he does exercise where we are in a plie squat for a long period of time.  Ouch.... I couldn't stay down the entire time.  My quads were burning really bad.  I gave them a break and went back at it the best I could.  This workout was 47 min. long.. hmmm and that gave me a remaining 13 minutes to do something.   Me, being the cardio junkie that I am, did the cardio blast from Cathe's original bootcamp followed by the stretch.  It was a short cardio blast but it still felt good.

Tomorrow I believe I have Max Interval Circuit.  The one that I had on Monday but was only able to do half of it.  We'll see how bad that one kicks my a$$. :-) 

Anyone out there... I haven't heard from anyone lately.  How are the workouts coming along.  I hope I'm not the only one that's killing myself.  Tell my about your workouts.. I love to hear about them.

Keep on moving and sweating!!

Day 2 of the Second 30 Days of Insanity

Today was Max Interval Plyo.  One way to sum it up...... WOW!!!  I do like it though that these workouts are around an hour.  The warm up in this round is different and I like it better except it has switch kicks in it and I really don't like those.  I don't like them though because I have a hard time with them.  It goes back to the lack of strength in the lower abs and hip flexors.  I know he says to lift from the bottom but lets face it, the hip flexors definitely come into play.  The workouts go by pretty fast.  So far I'm liking them.  I'm actually anxious to do Max Interval Circuit in it's entirety. I'm sure I'll be sweating like crazy by the time the warm up is complete. In Max Interval Plyo, he does some different exercises.  Man does he work the shoulders and chest.  Holy moly!!!

Tomorrow will be another adventure I'm sure. If your interested in hearing how it went... follow me in my journey of Insanity. 

Keep on sweating (which is not hard in 90+ degree weather) and keep on moving!!

The start of the next 30 Days of Insanity

Last week was my recovery week and I didn't do the recovery workout everyday like I was supposed to.  I did do it on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  Monday as you know I did Muscle Endurance, Weds. I did High Step Training Advanced and Friday I did High Reps.  Felt great to lift weights again.

Today was the start of my next 30 days of Insanity.  I never had a chance to preview the DVD's so I didn't know what to expect.  Today I had to do the fit test again.  Like last time, I did the same on some and improved on some, which I didn't think was too bad since the last three days I have not slept good.  The sleep has been lacking.  What I didn't know was the workout I had which was Max Interval Circuit was 59 min. long. I only have an hour in the morning to workout and the fit test is 24 min. so I did 33 min of the workout and then had to skip forward to the stretch.  When I was fast forwarding through it though.... WOW... it looked tough.  I'm up for the challenge. I do like the fact that it was an hour long.  I'm not sure if all the Max workouts are an hour long or not. I'll find out tomorrow if this workout will be an hour long or not.  I'm anxious to see what tomorrow will bring. 

I haven't blogged much lately. With summer here, things are really busy so it's not so easy to get on the computer every night.  Now it is time for me to get ready for bed.   3am comes around way too quick and lets hope that tonight I sleep a little better then I have the last three days.

Here's to a good nights sleep!!

Recovery Week of Insanity

On Saturday I finished my first 30 days of Insanity.  Yeah!!!!!  Today I started the recovery week, which on day one was not so much a recovery.  If you've been following my blog, you will know that I've really been missing my weight lifting.  Today I actually did Cathe's Muscle Endurance.  It felt awesome to lift weights after 30 days.  Tomorrow I will do the recovery workout.  I haven't previewed it at all so I'm not sure how long it is or what we do. Chances are if the workout is only 30-40 minutes long, I'll be doing some type of cardio as well. 

Today I had twice the workout.  I spent 6 1/2 hrs planting my vegetable garden in 80+ degree weather.  I was pooped by the time I was done plus my skin was cooked... Yep, I'm a little red.. okay more then a little red.  That garden was going in today one way or another.  Rain is in the forecast tomorrow and it needed to get into the ground. 

Who's been working out and what have you been doing?  Spring is here, summer is around the corner and come on, I know you want to look good in those shorts, tank tops, swim suit.  Come one... get up and move and start the sweat rolling.

I have a busy week going on so I won't be posting blogs daily.  Probably more towards the end of the week and I will update you on what I all did.

Keep moving & keep sweating!!

Week 4 of Insanity

I'm in my 4th week of Insanity and then next week I have a recovery week.  Not sure how I'm going to do with that.  Not having a real good workout during the week... not so sure about that. I know the recovery is important but it's a mental thing for me.  I was never good at taking time off.  I do my one rest day during the week and that's about it. 

I'm looking forward to the next 30 days of Insanity.  I haven't previewed the DVD's yet to somewhat prepare myself but I have a week to scan through them. 

So far my experience with Insanity has been positive. I haven't noticed anything on the weight loss side of things but I have noticed an improvement in stamina and endurance, especially in the upper body.  I like Shaun T, I think he's good instructor and motivator. Do I think he's better then Cathe... nope. It's nice to try something different and see how and if my body changes. 

I doubt that I'll be blogging every day with Insanity being repetitive. That is the one thing I don't like about Insanity is doing the same workouts over and over for 30 days.  I've almost made it the first 30 days so I'm going to try to make it for the final 30 days. 

If you're interested in continue to hear about my Insanity journey....... stay tuned.

How have your workouts been... what workouts have you been doing?  I'd love to hear from you.

Until next time.. keep moving and keep sweating.

Week 3 of Insanity

Hi my dear followers!

My 2nd week of Insanity ended on Saturday with Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs. I actually like this workout the best out of all them that we do in the first 30 days. The one exercise I have a love-hate relationship with are switch kicks.  For some reason this kick my butt and I have a hard time with them.  I do the best that I and give it my all. I think I have such a hard time with these because of the lack of strength in my hip flexors and lower ab. 

Monday was the start of week 3.  The week started with the Fit Test to see how I improved. I had a hard time getting myself going Monday morning which made things harder then what I had hoped.   First test was switch kicks.... you can imagine how thrilled I was. I disappointed myself right out of the gate and I did 3 less then last time. On everything else though I improved whether it was 2 reps or 10.  I don't know that I improved any by 10 though.  :-)  Then I finished my workout putting 5 miles on the elliptical.

Today was Plyometric Cardio Circuit.  The second group of exercises in this workout kill my shoulders. They burn so bad.  As always I do the best that I can, quickly rest, and go back at it.  After doing Cardio Circuit I put in Cathe's High Step Training Advanced and did the 5 cardio blasts and repeated the 1st blast and then I did the stretch from HSTA. I always enjoy tossing a little Cathe in there. I do miss her workouts. I really want to stick to this for the 60 days though.

Tomorrow I have Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs.  I hope that I have a good workout tomorrow morning. I really do like Cardio Abs.  It is a tough ab workout without doing one single crunch or sit-up. 

Hey....who's out there sweating their butt off with me?  I'd love to hear from you.

Keep moving and sweating!!

One more day ends week 2

As I have mentioned in my last blog, Insanity is repeating over the next couple of weeks.  I haven't been blogging every day because you've heard it all already.  :-)  A quick recap of the last few days.  Weds I had did Cathe's Body Max 2 Step portion only followed by Cardio Recovery, Thurs was Plyometric Cardio Circuit and 2.6 miles on the elliptical, and today was Cardio Power & Resistance and Cathe's 4DS Kickbox.   Tomorrow I have Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs again.

I feel like I've gotten a little better but it's still tough.  The coming Monday I re-take the fit test and I'll be really curious how I do compared to the first time.

How have your workouts been?  I haven't heard from anyone in a while. I hope you've been having great workouts.  I'd love to hear from you!

Keep moving and keep the sweat rolling!!

Day 2 of Week Two of Insanity

Well, now we are just repeating the workouts for the first 30 days. Even though Sunday was my rest day, it wasn't all rest.  I rototilled my vegetable garden which took me approx 2 1/2 hrs. Then I did the mother's day thing with my family and had a great time.  After that I worked on cleaning up my flower bed for 1 1/2 hrs. 

Monday I had Cardio Power and Resistance and I followed that with Cathe's 4DS Kickbox portion and stretch.

Today was Pure Cardio and then I followed that with Cardio Abs.  He does an ab workout in there that is really hard (at least I think it is).  It really works the lower abs.  I've noticed I had to be careful because when I do those I can feel it after a while in my lower back. I can't do that many but I try to do what I can.

Tomorrow I believe I have Plyometric Cardio Circuit. We'll see how that goes this time. The 2nd round of exercises where we are in plank position and doing push-ups, and mountain climbers burns my shoulders so bad.  I often wonder if some day I'll be able to make it through it without giving my shoulders a rest. 

How have your workouts been?  Have you been pushing yourself?  I hope so.  Do it... I know you can!!

Keep moving and keep the sweat rolling!!

Week One of Insanity is Complete

I have completed week one of Insanity.   

Friday was Pure Cardio.... OMG!!!  This has the same intense warm-up as all the others followed by a good stretch and then we go into non-stop high intensity cardio, no breaks.  Well, you take a break if you need to but not timed breaks. I was dripping with sweat.  The workout lasted approx 40 minutes and that 40 minutes went very fast.  After I was done with that I decided to push myself a little further and I put in Cardio Abs which lasted about 20 min. I liked this one.  The cardio portion had really good exercises that worked the abs plus some floor exercises that really worked them.    I was definitely feeling my abs after that workout.  

Today was Plyometric Cardio Circuit again.  I followed that with doing 2.6 miles on the elliptical to get my hour workout in.  This one killed me the second time just like it did the first time I did it.   Those planks, push-ups, and other the other exercises we did in the plank position really burns my arms and shoulders.  I wonder if I'll ever be able to make it all the way through without resting.  

Tomorrow is my rest day. Rest day from working out that is.  I'll be doing yard work tomorrow so not sure how much of a rest day it'll be. 

How have your workouts been the last couple of days?  I hope you pushed yourself and had a great workout!! 

For all you mothers out there.. Have a Wonderful Mother's Day!!

Keep moving!!

Day 4 of Insanity

Well, just a couple more days and I made it through 1 week of Insanity.  Today was Cardio Recovery.  I didn't preview the DVD so I didn't know what to expect.  I started it and about 5 min into it realized it was more stretching and toning.  Since I'm a cardio junkie, I quickly changed gears and put in Cathe's Intensity and did the warm-up and step portion only which was about 36 min. and then I put Cardio Recovery in and finished that. In cardio recovery, Shaun T did some interesting toning exercises that I've never done before.  It was neat learning and doing something new and different.

I always enjoy doing new workouts. It's a good way to shock the body by doing something different.  I do have to say though. I'm 4 days into this and even though there has been toning in these workouts, I do miss not lifting weights.   I don't know... we'll see how long I last without lifting weights.  I would like to do the 60 days of Insanity to see what (if any) results or improvements I see from doing this. I will say there are parts of my body that I'm not used to being sore like they are.   Hip flexors is a big one and shoulders and today I could feel it in the upper back.  We'll see.

Tomorrow I have Pure Cardio... I was warned about this one... that the people are lying on the floor. Yeah, can't wait.  Like always, I'll push myself as hard as I can and do the best that I can and rest when I can't go anymore.   What have I gotten myself into.

You know I was thinking the other morning wondering how someone like Cathe Friedrich, Jillian Michaels, and Bob Harper would do at Shaun T's Insanity.  Wouldn't that be interesting to see. :-) 

Yeah, tomorrow is Friday.  I know I had off on Monday but darn did it feel like a long week. 

How was your workout today? What did you do? I love to hear from you. 

Keep on moving!!

Day 3 of Insanity and yes it is insane!

I have made it through day 3 of Insanity.  Today was Cardio Power and Resistance. This workout lasted just under 40 min.  My hip flexors were pretty sore today, which made some of the exercises a tougher then normal.  Today we had moving push-ups, V push-ups, tricep push-ups and I can't forget mountain climbers. Shoulders and arms still sore from Monday's yard work and then yesterdays' workout made it a harder today.  Again, I did the best that I could and rested when I couldn't anymore.  Once I was done with Insanity, I put in Cathe's 4 Day Split and did the cardio only from Kickboxing and then the stretch.

I was a complete sweaty mess by the time I was done.  Despite how hard Insanity was it felt good to push myself to a level I wasn't sure was possible.  I'm liking Shaun T. He's pretty motivating.

We're 1/2 way through the week.  How have your workouts been?  Have you been pushing yourself to a level you didn't think was possible?   Don't be afraid to.. just try it and see, if it's too much you can always take a rest or slow down.

Keep moving and keep sweating!!

Day 2 of Insanity

Well, I made it through Day 2 of Insanity.  Today I had Plyometric Cardio Circuit.  I was warned that the warm up is not a typical warm... hello, you got that one right.  I never had my heart rate up that high during a warm up. In Insanity we do longer blasts (3 min) and have a 30 sec rest in between.  The workout lasts about 40 minutes.  What didn't help me any was yesterday my husband and I did 8 hours of yard work for a friend and my body was so sore Monday night.  My upper body was very sore from all the raking and shoveling, so I wasn't sure how today was going to go. I did the best I could.   I think it would have totally kicked my butt if I wasn't pooped and sore from the day before.  The first few rounds I did better but when he went into the plank position and we had to use our upper body strength,  then it became very challenging.  Between the plank positions and push-ups.... I had to take breaks, I started sacrificing my form so it was time to take a quick rest.  For those of you that know me well, you know I like to get my hour in so, of course, I jumped on the elliptical and did 2.6 miles and then I finished with the stretch from Insanity.  We'll see how I feel tomorrow. My hip flexors were getting sore already but I'm not sure if it was still from yesterday or from the workout this morning.

How did you do today?  What did you do for a workout?  Did your workout kick your butt?   I hope so. :-)
Tell me all about it.

Keep on moving!!

How my week ended and how it started

For those of you who are following me, sorry I haven't been on since Thursday.  Things have been a little hectic.  

So on Friday I hard Cathe's Cardio Fusion.  For those of you unfamiliar with this workout, Cathe to cardio sections from three different DVD's and combined them into one awesome workout.  We do the warm-up from Body Max 2, Combined step portion from Body Max 2, step portion from Low Impact Circuit, the blasts from BM2, and the blasts from Drill Max.  I was running short on time so I ended up cutting the 2nd last drill short and skipped the last one completely.  The workout runs 65-70 min.  I was at 60 min so it was still a great workout. 

Saturday was STS Total Body.  I had a great workout.  Good strength.  This workout ended the rotation I was doing.  Sunday was my rest day.  Not that I had much rest and I did yard work in the morning with that strong wind, which makes you feel like you're working twice as hard.

So.... today was the day I started Insanity.  I was so concerned about starting Insanity I dreamt about doing the Fit Test today.  I was afraid I was going to do horrible.  Well, I surprised myself.  If you're not familiar with Insanity by Shawn T the fit test consists of 8 or10 exercises that you do for a minute (I think it was a minute) and your count how many you did so you have something to compare the next time you do the fit test to see how you improved.   I was shocked when my numbers weren't far from the two people that were in the DVD and that wasn't the first time they done the fit test either.  That made me happy.  The fit test only lasted 20-25 min with warm up and cool down.  I wanted to get my hour in so I jumped on the elliptical and did 5 miles in 28 min.  Then I stretched again so I could loosen up my legs.  I feel like doing Cathe's high intensity workouts has helped prepare me for Insanity.  At  least I hope so anyway. :-)

If you're interested in following me on my Insanity journey... stay tuned and I will let you know how it is going. 

What were your workouts over the weekend. 

Jane - keep up the great work.  I'm glad I was able to help you get back into working out.  Keep it going!!

Have a great night and keep on sweating!!

Cathe is giving my legs a workout this week!

Today on the rotation was Cathe's 4 Day Split Kickbox, Legs, and abs. I was concerned how I was going to do with doing Plyo Legs, Imax 2, and High Reps this week.  I surprised myself, I did real good.  My legs might be sore again tomorrow but doing legs today didn't kill me.  I love her kickbox workout on this DVD.  It's nice getting a good short cardio workout and then doing some weight work.  Then again, when doing legs you usually get some cardio too, at least I do anyway.   Cathe's 4 Day Split is a good one to have in your DVD collection. 

I've seen so many changes in my body since I started Cathe.  Not so much in losing weight but more so in toning up and gaining strength.  I think back to when I first started doing Cathe and then I look at where I am today, it's a pretty good difference, for the better that is. If you are looking for someone to workout with at home, I highly recommend Cathe.  She's an excellent instructor and very motivating. 

Hello, hello, hello... anyone out there.  I'm waiting to hear from someone out there.  Don't let me down, I want to hear about your workouts. 

Get up and keep moving!!

Half Way through the Week

For those of you that have been following my workouts, Tuesday my legs and glutes were very sore from doing Plyo Legs on Monday.  I had a feeling they were going to be because they usually are if I haven't done Plyo legs in a while.  With sore legs I did Cathe's Imax 2, which is an interval workout. We do 10 rounds and each round consists of a step routine that is repeated 6 times, a blast, and recovery.  I did better then I expected considering how my legs felt.  I really like Imax 2. The music in that workout helps keep you going.

Today, Wednesday, was a total body workout, which was Cathe's High Reps. My legs were still feeling it from Plyo legs on Monday and then Imax 2 yesterday.  The leg work in High Reps was tough but I did it.  I love the leg work in here with the sliding discs. 

Hey... is anyone out there?????  Who's been working out with me?  You're not leaving me out there all by myself are you?   I don't necessarily expect you to do the same workouts that I do.  I just want you to do something, be active, and share it with me. 

Keep on moving!!

Plyo Legs started my week

Hi,

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and didn't eat too much.  If you did, it's not the end of the world. Hopefully you got yourself back on track today.  

I'm on my last week in this rotation.  Today I had STS Plyo Legs from Mesocycle 3 and I could pick which ever one I wanted to do so I went with Disc 29.  If you're not familiar with Plyo Legs we do a weighted exercise (example:  squats, static lunge, etc) with a brief rest in between and then a plyometric move.  This workout last 50 min.  I'm feeling it already in my legs and glutes.   I have a feeling I'll be a little sore tomorrow.   I've been having some issues with my left leg so I was careful while working out to make sure I didn't make matters worse.

How was your Easter and how have your workouts been?   Is anyone out there??? I haven't heard from anyone in a while.   Join me in working out and let me know how you're doing.  I'd love to hear from you.

Keep moving and keep sweating!!

The remainder of the week was......

Sorry I haven't been on for a few days.  It's been a busy week.  So this is how the rest of my week went.

Thursday I did Amy Bento's Hi/Lo Dome Challenge.  Cardio portion only.  This is Hi/Lo Cardio floor workout.  She has some fun combo's in here and after each combo she puts in a little blast to help get the heart rate up there more.  That was a pretty good day. 

Friday I had Cathe's Cardio & Weights. This is a circuit workout. We do the warm-up, cardio section, followed with compound exercises that work the legs and an upper body part and then we work the upper body portion harder.  Then we repeat that I believe it was 4 or 5 times.  It's a fun workout.  I found this one to be a little gentler on the legs, which was a nice break.

This morning I was supposed to do Rhythmic Step by Cathe but I never learned this one so I did Cardio Coach Press Play on the elliptical and go in 10.8 miles in 60 min. Each time I keep trying to push myself harder to see if I can go a little farther in that hour.

The last few days have been pretty good workouts.  I haven't heard from anyone in a while. How have the workouts been going.   Please don't tell me you've been slacking off. :-) 

I know Easter is tomorrow so try not to over indulge and I'll do the same.

Hope you have a great weekend with great workouts!!

Happy Easter!

Tuesday and Wednesday's Workouts were......

Hi there!!

Tuesday was cardio day.  I had Cathe's HiiT 40/20.  This workout kills my legs. This is the workout where we do a 40 second blast and 20 seconds rest and we get two 1 minute breaks, which go really fast. I did make it through the workout and it did seem to go better then the last time I did it.  The one blast I always seem to struggle with is the butt kicks over the step.  We have a step with 4 risers on each side and we have our hands on the step and kick out legs over from one side to the other kicking our butt. Hence why they are called butt kicks. :-)  My shoulders always do me in and I can't get all the way through without stopping. I keep trying to do the best that I can. If you've been following my blog, you probably know that 40/20 only last 1/2 hr. so of course I had to add something to it. I added the step portion only from Intensity afterwards.  I had a really good cardio workout.

Today was SJP (Step, Jump, and Pump).  This is a 70 min circuit workout.  We start out with the warm-up and then a short step workout and then we go into hi/lo cardio and then a weight section and we do that a total of 4 times.  We end with ab work and a good stretch. This is a pretty fun workout, one I haven't done in a while. 

How was your workout yesterday, today????  I hope you're not letting me down and letting this cruddy weather in Wisconsin get you down.  Try to stay positive and keep moving!!

Love to hear from you!!

Week 3 of Rotation

To catch you up on how my week ended.  Friday I had Cathe's Drill Max.  This is a circuit workout.  We start off with a nice warm-up and then 6 circuits.  Each circuit starts out with a cardio drill and then we go into legs and then an upper body.  Each exercise she makes sure there is still a little cardio factor.  She does some different exercises in here and some of which are sports oriented.  Love the football drills at the end where we do the fast runs like they do in football training.  Instead of running through tires we straddle the step and do a fast jog down the length of the step and then go back around one side of the step with both feet and then straddle run again and then go back around the other side of the step. I'm probably not doing the best job explaining it but it's pretty fun. 

Friday afternoon my husband and I left for Door County for a couple of days with some friends.  Saturday ended up being my off day.  We had a nice time and it was nice to get away but I was happy to be back home with my cats (that's another story) and to be physically doing things.  I'm not used to lounging around so much in a day.  The eating was the greatest either.  Especially when you can't really workout.  The weather was really crappy so we couldn't even go for a walk outside.   Sunday afternoon I got my workout in and man did it feel great.  I did Cardio Coach Press Play and did 10.7 miles.  It felt wonderful.  Then I followed that with Cathe's Ab Circuits - Medicine Ball abs.  I love this ab workout.  You use a medicine ball for all the exercises and she works your abs at every angle.  Love the way the extra weight feels when doing the exercises.  I finished it off with a stretch from one of her cardio workouts.

Today was the start of week 3 of this rotation.  I had Cathe's High Step Training Advanced.  This workout is an advance circuit workout. We do 5 circuits.  Each circuit starts with a cardio blast on the high step.  The cardio is short but it gets your heart rate going.  Then we follow that with leg presses.   We do lots and lots of leg presses in this workout.  In this circuit workout she keeps the cardio going after the cardio blast with the leg work.  Each circuit also has upper body work. The one exercise in this workout that I love to hate is hover squats.  We hover over the high step with small pulses to the count of 15.  I think we do this 4 times.  I know that this exercise always kills my quads and by the time it's over with, I'm lucky I can get myself in an upright position.  It burns the legs good.  Overall this is an excellent circuit workout. 

How were your workouts over the weekend?   How about today?  Please don't tell me that the cold weather got you down and you did nothing.  Hopefully you got up and got a good sweat in.

Keep moving!

BC with Leaner Legs

Yeah tomorrow is Friday!!  It's been another week.

Today on the rotation was Leaner Legs with Ab Circuits Stability Ball.  I changed it slightly, I did the warm-up from the original Bootcamp and the cardio only and then I did Leaner Legs from Cathe's CTX series and instead of doing Ab Circuits I just did the abs from Leaner Legs with the stretch.  Gosh, I haven't done Leaner Legs in a really long time.  I forgot how good of a leg workout it is.  This is a good leg endurance workout.   We do squats, leg presses, elevated lunges, static lunges, plie squats, stiff legged deadlifts, calf raises.  We don't do just one set we do a couple of sets and then repeat it. Yeah, I'm thinking my legs and glutes will be feeling that one tomorrow. 

I have to make this quick so I hope you had a great workout today.   I haven't heard from anyone all week.  I'd love to hear how your week went.

Keep moving and keep sweating!!

Wednesday was a Challenge

Hi!!

Today was High Step Challenge, of course by no other then Cathe Friedrich.  This is a circuit workout.  One that I have not done in a really long time. Each circuit starts with a cardio and then goes into legs and cardio and then some upper body. We end with a core work and a stretch. The cardio in the circuits is a combination of step and floor work.  Legs felt a little fatigued this morning.  I feel like my body is fighting something so I'm not sure if that's why it's been feeling a little tough.  Granted I only got about 5 hours of sleep last night and I'm sure that didn' help any.

Is anyone out there??? I haven't heard from any body this week.  That's okay, I understand it's hard to always get online. With spring here and summer around the corner it will become harder and harder for me to get online because I usually have so much going on with yard work.  I enjoy the yard work. Keeps me active.

Let me know how your workout was, I'd love to hear from you. 

Keep moving!!

HiiT 30/30 and BM2 Step

Happy Tuesday!!

Today was HiiT (High Intensity Interval Training) 30/30.  We do a warm-up, 30 second blast, and 30 seconds of rest. It's a 1/2 hr workout.  If you've been following my blog you know by now that I like to get at least an hour workout in.  After I did 30/30, I followed that with Body Max 2 Step Only.  I was concerned how the workout was going to go because I went to bed with a bad sinus headache and woke up with one.  I started the warm up and was doing a repeater and I could feel the pound in my head each time my foot hit the floor. Thankfully it got better as time went on. 

How did your workout go today?   What... please tell me I didn't hear you say that you didn't work out.   Okay.. that means in tomorrows workout you need to do at least 100 jumping jacks after your normal workout. If you're feeling really ambitious do 200 jumping jacks.  :-)
I'd love to hear from you!!

Happy workout!!

Started the Week with Viper

Happy Monday!!

As I mentioned yesterday, I was supposed to have Circuit Max today but I don't have this workout so I substituted with another circuit.  I decided to go with Cathe's Viper.  This workout is from her Terminator DVD where she compiles different workouts together into one.  The Viper was cardio from Cardio & Weights, Cardio from Imax 2 and 2 or 3 exercises from Muscle Endurance.  Love, love this workout!!  I was running short on time so at the end I skipped the last cardio from Cardio & Weights and skipped the push-ups in the last segment of weights and I cut the static lunges short. I still had a great workout. It's been a super long time since I've done this workout. On that DVD she also has Gauntlet and Imax Extreme.  All the workouts on this DVD are awesome!!

How did your Monday start off?  Did you start it off with a really good workout?  I hope you did.  If you didn't, there is always tomorrow.  Tomorrow push yourself just a little further whether it's going a little longer on the cardio or adding just a little more weight if you're lifting or use the same weight and do more reps. Come on.. you can do it!!

Keep on moving and keep that sweat rolling!!

End of the week

Sorry I haven't posted for a few days.  Wanted to quick let you know how my week ended. 

Friday I had Cardio Core Circuit.  Before I did that I did the warm-up and cardio only from the original Bootcamp and then I did CCC.  I had a pretty good workout.  Worked the abs pretty good this week too.

Saturday I was supposed to do Step Blast but I wanted something joint friendly so I did Cardio Coach Press Play on the elliptical and did 10.6 miles.  Had an awesome workout!! 

Tomorrow is the start of a new week in the rotation.  I was supposed to do Circuit Max, which I don't have so I have to figure out what other circuit workout to do.  I probably won't decide until tomorrow morning.  I have an idea but I'm undecided between two.  I won't tell you until tomorrow. :-) 

Rose, if you're out there... you've been doing awesome on the workouts!!  I'm so glad that I motivated you.  That was one reason for doing this blog.  If I can reach out somehow and motivate a few people, it makes this more worth it.

Hope you all had a great weekend!!

Had some Kick, Punch, and Crunch this morning!!

My Thursday started off with Cathe's Kick, Punch, and Crunch.  Thought it was going to be a rough workout because my head was really stuffed.  Once I got going I was good and ended up having a really good workout.  I gave my all in kicks and punches.  I love the punches especially the hooks and upper cuts.

Rose, if you're out there. You have been having some awesome workouts.  Glad you are loving STS Meso 2.  Just wait until you get to Meso 3.  I'm not sure which cycle I like the most.  I love Plyo legs in Meso 3.  Keep up the great work!!

Jane - I'm happy to see that you are in week two and sticking with the rotation.  Keep it up.. you can and will do it!!  As for Insanity.... I'll probably finish the rotation I'm on first before I start Insanity. 

Yeah... tomorrow is FRIDAY!!  It's been a long week. 

What was your workout today?  Did you push it to the limit and beyond?  No.... come on.. I know you can push it just a little further even if it's for only part of the workout.  Each time you push yourself a little harder, you will improve a little more each time. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful Friday!!

Tuesday Cardio and Wednesday Circuit

Hi,

So Tuesday I had cardio.  On the rotation was Cathe's HiiT Double Wave Pyramid.  This workout is only 1/2hr long so I always like to do at least an hour (including warm up & cool down) so after I did HiiT I put Body Max 2 and did the step portion only.  I had a great workout.  If your not familiar with Double Wave Pyramid, she starts with a 20 sec blast and each blast gets a little longer and then we top it off with 40 sec and then go back down the pyramid and repeat it all over again. I was a sweaty mess.

Wednesday was a circuit day and I had Circuit Blast.  I had just done Circuit Blast the end of last week but that's okay.  I did the same thing where I did the warm up and cardio only from Bootcamp followed by Circuit Blast (skipping the warm up because after Bootcamp cardio, I was plenty warm). 

We're half way through the week. How have your workouts been going? Have you been pushing it?  Tell me that you have and that you've been giving it your all. 

Would love to hear from you!!

Two more days left and the weekend is here!!

Sleep well!!

Happy Monday.... started with some Low Impact

After a very short nights sleep due to nasty thunderstorms that kept me up the majority of the night, I got up at my normal 3am and started Cathe's April rotation.  Today started with Low Impact Circuit.  I haven't done this workout in a really long time.  Forgot how much I loved it.   If you're not familiar with this workout, we start out with a warm-up and then do a cardio portion, followed with legs and cardio, followed with upper body we repeat that 4 times (I'm pretty sure it was 4).  Then the workout ends with a nice tough but short ab work and then a wonderful stretch.  The workout felt a little tough for me this morning, but I think the lack of sleep had something to do with that.  Need to get to bed on-time tonight to get a better nights sleep. 

If you're a Cathe fan... we received some awesome news from her today..... she is coming out with a Low Impact Series.  We will be able to preorder in May.  I can't wait!!!!  She has warned us to be prepared to be a sweaty mess.  LOVE IT!!  I love the high intensity plyo moves but to have something low impact that's still tough will be a nice break on the joints.  This was a great news to receive on a Monday.

Jane... if you're out there.. way to go on sticking with the rotation I gave you.  One week down and you're off to a good start with week two.   Keep up the good work!!  I previewed a couple of the Insanity DVD's yesterday... OMG... what did I get myself into.  I think it's going to be tough but I'm looking forward to the challenge. We'll see if I survive. 

What was your Monday workout like?  Were you a sweaty mess by the time you were done... I hope so... sweat is a sign of hard work. :-)

I must get myself ready for bed... 3am comes around way too soon.

Sleep well!

My Week Ended With.......

Friday I did a circuit workout.  I started with the warm up and cardio only from the original Bootcamp and then I followed that with Circuit Blast. That was the first time I've done that workout.  I should have read what the workout consisted of because I wanted to do a full body circuit workout where this was cardio, legs, and core.  In this workout you do end up working other upper body muscles from all the various exercises we do.  It was a real good workout and I enjoyed it. 

Saturday I did cardio.  I wasn't sure which workout I wanted to do.  I had a few in mind. I decided to do one I haven't done in a long time. I did Amy Bento's CIA 2805 Hi/Lo Knockout.  I love this workout.  It is a ton of fun and absolutely love the music in this workout.  If you want to change things up and have a fun hi/lo cardio workout, I highly recommend this one.

Monday, I'm going to start a new 4 week rotation from Cathe.  I'm looking forward to it.

What have your workouts been the last couple of days?  Did you push yourself? 

Today is my rest day... good day to have a rest day because the weather is cruddy.  Rain and windy.  Yuck!!  Good day to stay inside.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!!

Yeah... Tomorrow is Friday!!!

Yeah, tomorrow is Friday. So happy the weekend is near.

Well, this morning was cardio and I did the warm-up and Cardio Only premix from the original Bootcamp and followed that with Cardio Core Circuit (I skipped the warm up in CCC).  So yesterday my legs were still a little sore from STS Total Body on Monday and then yesterday High Reps.....needless to say my legs and glutes were still sore today.  The blasts in Cardio Core Circuit were a little tough on the legs but I made it through. It was a tough workout today but it felt great.  I pushed myself and did it!!   I love this workout! I love the cardio blasts and if you think you're going to get a break with the core work, you are mistaken.

So, how did you do today... did you kick some butt??!?!??!?!

Just remember just because the weekend is coming doesn't mean you can slack off. If anything, you should have more time to work harder and longer.  Come on.. I dare you!!! :-)

Until next time!

Wednesday was the day for High Reps

Happy Wednesday!!  We're half way through the week. Yeah.. couple more days and the weekend is here!!

I started my Wednesday out with High Reps. I was concerned how I was going to do because my legs and glutes were still sore from STS Total Body. I had a pretty workout.  The leg work was a little difficult, especially the squats. I pushed them out and did the best I could.  The other thing I had a tough time with was the push ups.  I started out strong and then we did chest flys and I went heavier then what Cathe suggested and then we had another round of push-ups and I had to break down and go to my knees.  Yeah, I'll be feeling this tomorrow.  I love this workout though.  My list of Cathe favs keeps growing. :-)

How was your workout?  Did you push yourself to go longer or harder?  Come on, you know you can do it!!

Keep the sweat rolling!

Intensity Tuesday!!

Hi my followers!

Today I woke up at 2am ready and raring to go... but if I would have gotten up at 2am to workout I think my dear husband would have crowned me.  I stayed in bed for another hour and got up at my normal 3am. Got myself situated and headed down to my basement to get my workout in. 

I happily put in Cathe's Intensity.  I just so love this workout.  My legs and butt were sore from STS Total Body on Monday but I gave it my all and did pretty good. At least it seemed like it anyway. :-)  As much as I love this workout, I'm still not a fan of air jacks.  I love to hate them.  They are hard for me but man do they get my heart rate up there.  Those and jump tucks. 

I want to thank those of you that are leaving comments.  I love hearing from you and what your workouts are and how they are going.  Keep it up, please!!

What did you do today for your workout?  Did you push yourself?   Come on, you know you can do it!!

Keep pushing and keep moving!

Until next time!!

Happy Monday

Hi!!
I put my rotation together for the week.  Today was Cathe's STS Total Body. If you've never done this workout before, I highly recommend that you do.  This is an excellent overall Total  Body workout.  The tri-sets really work the muscles good. One thing that I would find very beneficial is if you write down what weights you used for each exercise.  It would be good for a few reasons.  One you know where you started and will easily be able to see your improvements as time progresses; second it will make your workout smoother knowing what weights to use.

Did you get your workout in today? If not.... what are you waiting for... come on and get moving. 

If you're feeling things are tough, don't give up.  You can do it!!   I know everyone has there days when they really don't feel like working out but tell yourself you can do it.  Once you get started and get moving it'll get better and before you know it the workout will be done and you'll feel so much better that you did workout.

Keep moving!!

Finished the week off with.......

On Friday I changed things up a bit and instead of doing the High Impact Step from the 4DS, I did Cathe's HiiT Pyramid workout and followed that with all combos and cool down from HIS and then went into the Chest and Back workout from the 4DS.  Had a great workout. I pushed it a little harder on the weights and I felt it on Saturday. 

Saturday for my last workout day of the week I did Cardio Coach Press Play on the elliptical and got in 10.6 miles.  I absolutely love that workout.  Granted I push harder then what he tells us to but it's all good.
:-)

I have today to figure out what my rotation is going to be for next week.  I'll figure it out. 

Friday night I did start previewing Insanity.  OMG!!  Not sure when I'm going to start that rotation.  Should be interesting.  Looking forward to it though.

What have your workouts been the last few days.  Just because the weekend is here, I hope your not slacking off.   Come on, get up and get moving!  Spring is coming and I know you want to look good in those shorts and spring dresses.

Keep moving and enjoy the rest of your Sunday!!

4DS Bootcamp, Biceps, & Triceps and Kickbox Extreme

So my workout yesterday was Cathe's 4 Day Split Bootcamp, biceps, and triceps.  Love this workout. I really love Bootcamp. The Bootcamp is the cardio and we do drills with short rests in between. The drills are fun. They are short but they get your hear rate up there.  Then we follow with an awesome bicep and tricep workout.  The arms were tired by the time I was done. 

Today I had all cardio and I decided to change things up a bit and did Amy Bento's Kickbox Extreme.  In this workout she does 5 kickboxing combos with intervals after each combo.  It's a fun workout with a good combination of punches, kicks, jumps.  Love it!!! Cathe's still my fav but I do really like some of Amy's workouts too.

Guess what... I got it... finally... I got INSANITY!!!  It arrived yesterday.  I need to watch the one DVD and the first workout of it is the fit test.  That should be interesting.   Can't wait to preview the DVD's and get started.  You will get to share the experience with me. YEAH!!!!

Who worked out today?  What did you do?   Please share it with me. :-)

Yeah tomorrow is Friday!! 

Have a great night!!

4 Day Split Kickbox, Legs, and Abs

Today I did 4 Day Split Kickbox, Legs, and abs. We had a little over a 1/2 hr of kickboxing, which I love and then a great leg workout. I went heavier then I usually do on some exercises.  My glutes were already feeling it today. The leg workout in this DVD is a great overall workout.  This is the one she does the low plane lunges in that I love to hate so much. :-)  Those get me in the glutes really good. Then we finish off with a good ab workout and a well deserved stretch.

Is anyone out there.... what was your workout today?  I had one comment yesterday which was great to see.

Get up off that couch and get moving!!

Didn't work out today... don't beat yourself up over it, tomorrow is another day.  Don't let me down... get that workout in.

Keep moving!!

HiiT 30/30 with 4DS Shoulders, Calves, and Core

This week I decided to do Cathe's 4 Day Split but with a little change in the cardio on two of the days. 

This morning I did HiiT (High Intensity Interval Training) 30/30 (30 second blast with 30 seconds rest) followed with shoulders, calves, and core from 4 Day Split.  The original cardio that is with this workout is Low Impact Step.  The LIS is fun but I wanted more of a calorie burn for the 1/2 hr of cardio.  Had a great cardio workout and the shoulder work in 4DS is really good. She's works them really hard in that last 1/2 hr.  She doesn't do one exercise then rest and then another.  We do pyramid, isolation, supersets, double trouble, and finish off with a good burn with the band work.  For those of you that never heard of double trouble, we do two different shoulder exercises back to back (basically a superset) and then repeat a second time (double trouble). 

You'll have to wait and see what the rest of the week brings.

How was your workout today?  What did you do?  Don't leave me hanging, I'd love to hear from you.

Come on.. get off that couch and get moving!!!

The End of Another Week

I need to catch up on the last few days.  Thursday I did Cardio Coach 7 and got in 10 miles on the elliptical.  Legs were a little sore from Pyramid Lower Body but still did pretty good.

Friday I did Pyramid Upper Body.  Same concept as Lower Body.  With the upper body we did two exercises for each area (i.e., chest we did a chest fly followed with a chest press).  The only rest we got in between set was to pick up the next weight. I hadn't done this workout in a long time and I forgot to print out the weights I used last time I did the workout so I went with what I thought. By the time I got done with this workout, my upper body was completely spent.  My muscles were completely exhausted.  I new I was going to be feeling it on Saturday.  Saturday morning one of my cats decided to crawl on top of my chest bright and early in the morning and ouch!!! Every muscle in my upper body was sore but a good sore. 

Saturday I finished my week with Amy Bento's Advanced Step Challenge 2.  As much as I love Cathe, I do like to change it up from time to time.  I like Amy Bento too.  ASC2 is a great cardio workout and it's fun. I did one of her premixes that last 71 min.  In ASC2 we did combo 1 and then combo 2, then combo 1 & 2 together.  Then we move onto comb 3 (which is very athletic) and then combo 4, then we do combo 3 & 4 together.  Then on this premix we mix in the Power Up blasts after combo 4.  Then we do combo 5 and finally finish by putting all the combos together.  Talk about getting the heart rate going.  It took me a few times to get this workout down (the choreography is more complex) but once I did, it is very fun.

Today is my rest day.  I need to figure out what I'm going to do for workouts next week. 

What did you do for workouts the last few days?   I hope you weren't slacking off.  Don't disappoint me. :-)

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!!

Bootcamp Cardio and Pyramid Lower Body

Hello Followers,

Today I did the original Bootcamp cardio only, which for those of you that aren't familiar with Cathe's workouts is a short cardio blast.  In the original Bootcamp she does a warm up and then 1 minute of cardio, weights, and then abs and repeats that 8 times.  The cardio premix is the warm up with the 8 cardio blasts.  Don't think those 8 minutes are easy.  The blasts are tough, some aren't as tough as others but you don't have much of a rest in between blasts unless you pause the DVD.  I followed that with Pyramid Lower Body.  The workout is 51 min and consists of warm up and then a weight section.  You start with a lighter weight and do 12 reps, increase the weight and do 10 reps, increase the weight more and do 8 reps and then go back down the pyramid using the weight you used for 10 reps and then the weight you used for 12 reps.  We do 5 different lower body exercises and then we do calf raises. Then we go to floor work to do work the glutes and hamstrings more.  If you work hard and push yourself your legs will be spent.  My legs were spent especially after doing the Bootcamp cardio first.

What was your workout today?  You haven't workout out.. what are you waiting for..... get moving!! 

Exercise is a great stress reliever and just over all makes you feel better. 

Don't leave me out here all by myself... come on... workout with me!!  You don't have to do the same workouts as me but do some type of exercise and share it with me.   You want to, I know you do.

Keep moving!!

End of One Rotation and the Start of a New Week

Sorry followers it's been a few days. Last week I finished the rotation and on Friday I did Body Max 2 the first hour (excluded the upper body) part.  I love the step workout in Body Max 2.   Cathe has great music in this workout and the step routine is tough and very fun.  Saturday I finished the week off with Cardio Coach 7 - 10 miles on the elliptical.   End of a great week of workouts.

Over the weekend I didn't make the time to pick out a different rotation to do so this week I put my own workout week together.  Monday I started with Muscle Endurance which is a total body workout.  You want a muscle endurance workout, you will get one with this workout, hence the name she picked. Your legs get a really great workout with all the leg presses throughout the workout.  My hip flexors felt it today. 

This morning I wanted a tough cardio and I did Cathe's Intensity workout.  As I have said in previous blogs, this is one of my favorites.  I love the mix of step, bootcamp, HiiT, Low Impact Blasts.  The great music helps.  My legs were fatigued from yesterdays workout and I only got 5 hours of sleep so Intensity felt a tough this morning but I hung in there and did my best.  If you haven't tried this workout, you really should.  You'll love it!!

What's on my schedule for tomorrow.......hmmmm....... I guess you'll have to wait and see. :-)

What were your workouts that last few days?  Haven't started working out yet... what are you waiting for... come on get moving!!!  Sweat with me... I dare you!!

Keep moving!!

Meso 1 - Back and Triceps

Hello Followers!!

My Thursday workout was Back and Triceps from Cathe's STS Mesocycle 1.  I had a really good workout.  We went back and forth between exercises for the back and triceps and then she'll toss in there a superset going from one back exercise to another with very little rest in between exercises.  Then she toss in a drop set. My triceps and back were feeling it after I was done.  It was in STS that I finally started doing chin ups and pull ups.  Those are hard and I don't even do the hard version of them.  Having purchased Cathe's push/pull tower was a wonderful investment.  Not only are you able to use that for the bench press but it can also be used for chin ups and pull ups, along with using the bar for stretching.

Did you workout today? What did your workout consist of? 

No matter what kind of exercise you do or how long you do it... at least you're doing something!!  If you're not used to working out, start out with something and then gradually build on that. Don't be afraid to push yourself but also listen to your body.  If you are one of those people that think of "no pain, no gain".. be careful with that... their is good pain and bad pain.  Learn the difference. 

Have a great night and sleep well!

Power Max

Hi Followers!

This morning I had Power Max, which is one of Cathe's older step workouts.  She called it Power Max for a reason.  I remember when I first started doing step to Cathe.  I only used the 6" step.  As time went on, I started using the 8" step and found out how much of a difference that makes in the workout.  For me it made it harder which was a good thing.  I also need to careful because I noticed that if I do a lot of step on the 8" my knees and lower back start bothering me. I always do a variety of cardio so I'm not always doing step.  There are some workouts where I'll start with the 8" step and then go down to a 6" step about 1/2 way through.  She's got some of my old favorite songs in this workout. 

I know not all people were as excited about this as I was but Cathe Friedrich was inducted in the National Fitness Hall of Fame this past Saturday at Arnold's Festival.  I was/am so thrilled for her. She truly deserved it.

So, did you get your workout in today?  What did you do?  Did you get a good calorie burn?  Looking forward to hearing from you!!

Keep moving and sweatin!!

Plyo Legs and Chest, Shoulders, and Biceps

Hi my dear followers,

Monday my week started off with Plyo Legs from Meso #3.  I always love plyo legs.  Doing a weighted exercise followed by a plyometric move is an awesome leg workout and good cardio workout as well.  Did my legs and glutes feel it today... oh yes they did.  Moving from sitting to standing and walking was a little slow at first.  I had those one leg elevated lunges.  I love to hate those. :-)  They really get you where you want it to. 

Today my workout was Chest, Shoulders, and Biceps from Meso #1. I had a pretty good workout but this one felt a little harder then usual especially on shoulders and a little on the chest.  In Mesocycle 1 Cathe does so many variations of push-ups to work the chest muscles.  I was never big on doing push-ups until I started Cathe.  Once I built up the strength and got better at them, I love them.  They always seem to get my heart rate up there but when I push through them, I feel so strong and accomplished.  I always love working my biceps.  In Mesocycle #1 Cathe always tosses in those drop sets by starting out with a heavy weight doing 15 reps, lower the weight a little and do 12 reps, lower the weight a little again and finish off with 10 reps.  We only have 10 secs in between each set.  If you've never done drop sets before and don't know how they feel and really work the muscles, give it a try, I dare you. :-) 

What was your workout the last few days?  Did you have a good workouts?  Did you burn some calories with me?  I'd love to hear from you.

Keep moving!!

Meso 2 Chest, Shoulders, & Tri; 4DS Kickbox, and Cardio Coach Press Play

Hi All,

Sorry I haven't posted in the last few days.  On Thursday I had STS Meso 2 Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps.  I had a great workout.  Love mesocycle 2 where we burn out each muscle group before going onto the next.  If you're not familiar with this workout we have 4 different exercises for each body part we were working on and we started with one exercise and start with 12 reps, 10 reps, then 8 reps and some to failure.  We have the 1 min rest in between each set and then we go onto the next exercise.  We do all the chest exercises first, then shoulders, and last triceps. The muscles are definitely spent by the time you're done. I felt it the next day. 

Friday I had Cathe's 4 Day Split Kickboxing in its entirety which was approx 1/2 hr of cardio and then approx 1/2 hr of various leg exercises, abs, and a stretch. I know when I work the legs I usually get a little cardio action going. In this workout she does those low plane lunges.  Those really get my legs shaking. Always glad when those are done with.  I had fun with that workout and it felt great.

My last workout of the week ended with Cardio Coach Press Play on the elliptical.  Got in 10.5 miles in an hour.  I was supposed to do 4DS Bootcamp (cardio only) by my left knee and hip where bothering me so I thought doing the elliptical would be a easier on it and less impact.  Thankfully it feels better today so I must have made the right decision.

Today is my rest day and next week is the last week of this rotation.  Then I'll need to decide what rotation to do next.  Any suggestions?  Not sure if I'll do another one of Cathe's or maybe make up my own.

How was the rest of your week?  What did you do for workouts?  I'd love to hear from you.

Come on and move with me and lets burn some calories. :-)

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!!

Legs, Kickboxing, and Imax 3

On the rotation for Tuesday was Legs from Mesocycle 1.  Haven't done that in a while.  My legs were spent by the end of the workout.   Elevated lunges off the step.  I have a love hate relationship with those.  Probably my favorite out of that workout is the firewalkers. We take a band and tie it around our ankles and take four steps to one side and then go back and take four steps the other way. Wow do those get you on the outer thighs.  We start out doing exercises without weights and don't be fooled, they burn. Then we go to leg exercises using weights. Anything from squats to wall squats, front lunges, lateral steps off the side of the step.  Then you have the option of doing some additional toning exercises at the end.  Again, just because there is no weight doesn't mean your not going to get as good of a workout.  At the end of the day I wanted to get a little extra cardio so I decided to do CTX Kickboxing, which is a 1/2 hr long of kickboxing moves (punches, kicks, and arm drills).  Love the arm drills!! 

Then this brings us to Weds.  Needless to say my legs were sore from Tues workout.  What was on the agenda for today... Cathe's Imax 3.  It kicked my butt today.  In Imax 3 we have the warm up, then we do 10 drills that start with a small step routine that is repeated 6 times and then we go into the blast.  There are some of the blasts in here that I'm not fond of (of course I don't like them because of how hard they are). I did the best that I could and made it through the workout.  It felt like a tough workout because my legs were sore but aside of that I didn't do too bad.

After a long day at work, the day is coming to an end and it's time for me to hit the hay and get some much needed sleep.   3am comes around way too soon!!

You're all gonna make me ask again.... did you work out today??? What did you do?   Is anyone out there??? I'd love to hear from you.  Share your workouts with me no matter how small or insane they may be. 

Sleep tight!!

Mesocycle 2 Back and Biceps

I started this week off with STS (Shock Training System) Mesocycle 2 Back and Biceps.  I had a great workout. Muscles were definitely spent by the time I got done with this workout.  When I did STS the second time and had the push/pull tower was the first time I tackled doing chin ups and pull ups. They are hard and I'm not even doing them the hard way. It was great to add them into my workout routine.  In this workout, we started out with the back exercises.  We would do one exercise start out with 12 reps, then 10 reps, 8 reps, and then to failure.  You have a minute rest between each set. The to failure ones really push the muscles to work harder.  After the warm up sets, I had three different back exercises and then I went to biceps and we had three different exercises and again did the 12, 10, 8, and TF in reps before going to the next exercise.  I love working my biceps. 

Yesterday I made the decision to buy Insanity. I bought it on ebay and I was bummed because today I got an email that listing was removed on the item I bought.  I don't know what happened.  I paid for it through paypal. It gave me steps I need to take if I had already paid for it.  I was so looking forward to getting it. I've heard pretty good things about Insanity.  I'll have to see how things play out. 

What did you do for your workout today?  Did you do strength training, cardio... I'd love to hear from you.

Keep moving!!

Chest and Back, HiiT 40/20, 4DS Kickbox and Bootcamp Cardio

Thursday I did Mesocycle 3 Chest and Back. I had an excellent workout.  I was either having a good morning or I actually gained strength but I was able to bump up my weight a little on the chest presses.  In the chest and back workout we an exercise for the chest and then the back and repeat those same exercises 4 times.  We do a total of 4 groups of exercises with the adequate amount of rest in between for strength training.  At the end of the day I wanted to get a little extra calorie burn so I decided to do HiiT (High Intensity Interval Training) 40/20. You do an interval that last 40 seconds and then rest for 20 seconds. Throughout the workout at three different times we get a minute rest.  This is one tough workout.  My legs were still sore from plyo legs the other day and then I did this.  I did better then I expected but boy where my legs screaming.  The HiiT workouts are excellent for a quick hard cardio workout. 40/20 last 29 min.  Man do you work hard in those 29 min. 

Today I did another one of my favorites.  Cathe's 4 Day Split Kickboxing and Bootcamp Cardio.  We have the warm up and then do about 1/2 hr of kickboxing and the other 1/2 hr was bootcamp, doing intervals. The workout lasts 53 min so I added on 200 jacks and 50 high jogs for a little extra cardio. My legs were spent after doing 40/20 last night and then bootcamp this morning. I always try to keep pushing myself.   I love the pain because to me it's a good pain.  Really it's not pain it's a nice soreness, DOMS as they would call it (delayed onset muscle soreness). 

What was your workout today???  I'd love to hear from you. Let me help motivate you and hearing from you will help motivate me.

Keep sweating!!

Mesocycle 3 Disc 35 Plyo Legs

Today I had Plyo Legs.. WOW what a workout.  I love plyo legs.  You get an excellent leg workout along with a good cardio workout.  We do one weighted exercise and then a plyometric exercise.  On this disc, we do one-legged burpees.  OMG... man those are hard.  Those along with doing 1/2 turns for 30 seconds to one side and then after while she comes back and has us doing them the other direction.  Man those burn by legs. It's one of those exercises you love to hate.

Oh and by the way, I am sore from my shoulder, bicep, and tricep workout yesterday.  I feel it more in my biceps & triceps. To me that soreness is a good soreness.

What was your workout today?  Didn't get it in yet... you still have some time to get to it!!

Keep moving!

Mesocycle 3 Disc 30 Shoulders, Biceps, and Triceps

Today was going for strength. That is the one thing I love about Mesocycle 3, it's heavy weights low reps. In this workout we do an exercise for shoulders, biceps, and triceps and repeat this group of exercises 4 times.  We do three groups of exercises.  Cathe makes sure that we get the appropriate amount of rest in between each exercise.  The one thing I found out with Mesocycle 3 was how much I could really lift. I under estimated myself on a lot of the exercises of how much I could lift. I never thought I'd see myself lifting a 25lb dumbbell doing a concentration curl. I love feeling that struggle and then finding out that I did it. All the improvements I have seen over the past few years, I have to thank Cathe for that.  Yes, it was me having the drive and dedication but I made an excellent choice when I decided to start working out with Cathe's workouts. 

Are you ready to give it a try?  You want my opinion on any of her workouts, I'd be more then happy to share them.

Work those muscles!!