Surpeme 90 Day

This past summer I found this great workout system and I decided I was going to try it out. You know, follow the whole program, well, except for the diet part.

In my slightly excercise obsessed mind I figured it wouldn't be too tough. I could handle it. I've been working out consistenly for years now and this would be a piece of cake. I had heard good reviews of the system, but I didn't actually know any of the people who told me it was good. They could have been fairly new to exercise, so it would absolutely seem challenging them. Then again, they could be serious exercisers who are in perfect condition - I am still floor by those who tell me certain programs that kick my butt are waay too easy for them. Wow! is my only thought.

Anyway, I pick up this program and think, "Hey, it's only about 30 minutes long. I can do that before my run on Saturday." Sure. Not a problem, easy as pie, right? Not really.

The first progam in the system is titled Chest and Back. Do you know what that means? It means pushups. Now, I understand that pushups are super good for you and altering your appearance, but holy smokes, tough. I had to do them from my knees. And 30 minutes? Not really more like 40 (with warm-up and cool-down/stretch). But, I perservered. Day 1 - done. It felt good and I got my training run in before everyone else (read husband, not children) woke for the day.

Day 2 - Total Core. Ouch! This workout was tough. I, again, thought that it wouldn't be too hard. I'd done my fair share of Pilates, planks and crunches over the past few months. So again my slightly exercise obsessed mind thought that this probably wouldn't challenge me much. Wow, so wrong. For nearly 30 minutes I worked every bit of my midsection using a stability ball. I could feel my body working, but wasn't feeling real sore after. So, naturally, I thought I wouldn't be too sore the next day. Again, wrong. Definitely sore.

Day 3 - Rest Day. Gotta love those right? So, I just did my training run.

Day 4 - Tabata Inferno. If you haven't heard of Tabata Training or haven't tried it- it's basically a series of 2-4 exercises that you do in succession in a 20-10 format with a 1 minute rest between sets. Example: Squat Jumps to Mountain Climbers, progression is like this - Do Squat Jumps for 20 seconds, Rest for 10 seconds, then Mountain Climbers for 20 seconds, Rest for 10 seconds. Do that 8 times for a total of 4 minutes.  Rest 1 minute. Then you get another series of moves. If you have four exercises then the progession is twice through for a total of 4 minutes. Rest 1 minute. This workout is tough. It challenges and pushes. It makes you sweat. You want to give up and call it quits, but you don't because you know that soon enough you will get a rest. It's awesome. This is the longest workout in the series coming in at just about 50 minutes. It's an excellent way to challenge yourself and your aerobic capacity.

You get the picture. I am not going to go through each and every workout - there were 10 different programs on 10 discs. The main point here is that I did follow the 'Success Chart' and was able to shed 10 pounds from my frame (even without following the eating plan). I also felt stronger and more in control, which made me a bit more confident, which in turn encouraged me to try some other exercise programs and continue with my 1/2 marathon training.

The most amazing thing? I decided to try the program again. So, I started this program a couple of days ago and I think it's harder the second time around. I am definitely feeling muscles I haven't felt in a while. May have something to do with that confidence thing, using heavier weights and knowing that I kicked the programs butt once before.

Go Me!

Cathe Friedrich's Pure Strength series DVD

Cathe's Pure Strength

A few weeks ago I came across Cathe Friedrich's Pure Strength DVD. I got a bit excited and decided I would try it out.

Wow! What a workout. Now, I had done her MesoCycle 1 Endurance a few weeks before (meaning I did all 12 DVDs (3x per week for 4 weeks) and had finished the cycle a few weeks prior to finding Pure Strength.) I must admit that I really liked the Pure Strength series. I liked it better than MesoCycle 1. I haven't quite figured out why, but I did. So much so, that I continue to do the Pure Strength series.

The Pure Strength DVD consists of all three of the Pure Strength VHS workouts - Strong Legs & Abs, Chest, Shoulders & Triceps and Back, Biceps and Abs.

The format of the workout is very similar to MesoCycle 1. You do each of the workouts 1x per week. You use heavy weights to build strength and lighter weights to build muscle endurance. None of the workouts are very fast paced so you don't really raise your heart rate, but Lower Body does raise it a bit due to using those large muscle groups.

Strong Legs & Abs is a series of squats and lunges but she also incorporates the high step and lying floor work. My favorite is the high step step-ups. They really work the quadricep muscles and glutes. I also really like the floor work with the body bar. It's perfect for the those inner and outer thighs (and I'm all for anything that will help reduce the size of my saddlebags.) This workout lasts about 70 minutes because you end with an AB-soultely amazing ab routine right after doing a  series of bridge lifts with your feet on a low step.

Chest, Shoulders and Triceps works the chest with a series of pushups, chest flys and chest presses then moves onto the shoulders with moves like the Arnold press and side lateral raises. You finish the workout fatiguing the triceps with moves like tricep dips and cross-body kickbacks. Super tough and you're finished in 40 minutes. No ab work in this program, but they need a day off after the tough sequence in Strong Legs & Abs.

Back, Biceps & Abs uses very heavy weights and you start with working the back muscles. I especially like the T-bar and bent over rows. Then she moves you through a very tough sequence of bicep building moves. Not only do you do regular bicep curls with a heavy barbell, you also do seated concentration curls and negative curls. After completely fatiguing your biceps you are in for a real treat with the super intense abdominal exercises.

I have come to realize why I like the Pure Strength series of workouts better (so far) than the MesoCycle (particularly vol 1) workouts. First Pure Strength has a shorter time duration. Second, I really like the ab routines. Third, I have really enjoyed the sequencing of the exercises. And, fourth, you don't need nearly as much room or equipment and get just as good if not (in my opinion) better workout (and a whole lot easier on the wallet.)

Cathe Friedrich STS Meso Cycle 1

When STS was first released (about a year ago) I was very leary of giving it a try. I was big into short, easy workouts at the time and didn't really want to push myself too hard. I was doing some running at the time and figured I didn't have the time to give this program a try. I mean there are 12 DVDs in each cycle. That's a.lot.

However, the idea to do these Cycles haunted me. I contemplated giving them a try, but then I'd get a new workout and push the thought to the side. Well, over the summer months, I tried a couple of different things and I was feeling pretty strong and assured. I completed a 10K and a 1/2 marathon. I even continued doing some running while on vacation in Northern Minnesota (as in almost everyday I was there not including the swimming, canoeing and hikes.)

We got back from vacation and I thought why not give this STS MesoCycle 1 a try. I've been doing some weight work, how hard can this be? I'll do this whole Cycle just like they recommend.

Like I said, 12 DVDs in total in the Cycle, but not as daunting as I initially thought. The program is broken down like this: Week 1: Monday Chest, Shoulder, Biceps; Wednesday: Back and Triceps; Friday: Legs. Weeks 2-4 have the same set up. Each week the program alters just a little bit. You either do a few more reps of an exercise or the exercise itself changes. Each of the programs (DVDs) are set up basically the same way. You do about 3 sets of each exercise varying the number of reps in each set. Some are straight 8s, some are 16s and some are 24s. Then she'll even alter the counts by the second set; drop sets, pyramid, etc.
These workouts also require a few pieces of equipment. Not only do you need  a variety of dumbbells, you also need resistance bands and tubing (unless of course you have a chin-up/pull-up bar), a stability ball,a chair and a barbell.

I'm not going to go over all the different moves in these workouts. Let's just say she covers each and every body part (except specifically abs) and pushes each muscle group to exhaustion. Each workout takes about an hour. However, Legs is a bit different in that the base program is about 40 minutes then you have the option of continuing on in Barre-type moves - very intense.

I do not have a chin-up/pull-up bar so I used a resistance tube strung over the door to the room (a similar option is shown in the workout.) I also did not have a chair available, so I used my stability ball.

I liked this workout. I thought I was able to increase my muscle endurance, which of course, was the goal. I think I could have used heavier weights for some of the moves, but overall I was pretty impressed with how fatigued my muscles became. I liked how the workouts were only slightly different each week - very similar with subtle changes. And, I really liked how quickly the time passed in each program. I was never staring at the clock hoping I was almost done.

SparkPeople Quiz: Are You Obsessed with Exercise?

I recently took this quiz SparkPeople Quiz: Are You Obsessed with Exercise?

I was a little bit disappointed with the result because I ended up doing exactly how I thought I would. The end result told me that I have a 'healthy obsession' with exercise, which I already figured since I exercise almost everyday and sometimes more than once per day (always depending on what I classify as exercise).

Have you ever taken a quiz (in a magazine, online, in a book) only to find out that you already knew how you'd end up? It's a bit crazy, isn't it? In the quizes you've taken have you ever been frustrated by the leading answers they give as options to choose from?

I find it so annoying that in every quiz I've ever taken in this type of format leads you to the 'correct' answer. I sometimes find that I am not completely (at least don't feel as though I am) honest with the answers.

In any case, I have yet to amaze myself with some sort of revelation into my psyche or personality. However, the quiz is fun and only takes a couple of minutes. Give it a try. Maybe you'll surprise yourself. :-)

Split Sessions

This week I tried Kelly Coffey-Meyer's Split Sessions workout DVD again. I still love it. I did it four times this week. This workout is broken into two workouts (each about 30 minutes). You can see a preview here.

The first workout is upper body. It is really good. You move fairly quickly through the moves so it also raises your heart rate a bit. She has you work everything in a push/pull format - meaning you work the back then the front or the front then the back. You will use a step bench in an incline poisition. You will also use two to three sets of dumbbells - one heavy (I used 15 lbs) and one medium (I used 12 lbs) and one lighter (I  used 10 lbs (this was for shoulder work)). I find this workout efficient and fun.

The second workout is for the lower body. In this workout you only use one set of dumbbells and a resistance band tied in a loop. The resistance band work is hard. You can feel every muscle in your outter hips and thighs. You can even feel the glutes and inner thighs as you move through each set. The great thing about a resistance band that you tie yourself? You can adjust the resistance by how small the loop is. It's great. After the resistance band segement you move into weighted leg work. She has you do many squats and lunges and some are performed with weights. Again a very time efficient, effective workout. The moves are sequenced well and you will move quickly through the series, so your heart rate will raise a bit.

In both programs she has you do each set twice and she alters the repititon (rep) count on almost each exercise.

Oxygen Women's Fitness | Training | Tone Your Triceps

I am always looking for effective, yet concise, exercises to tone my upper body - especially those troublesome triceps. I don't have a gym membership so anything I can do at home is a plus.

I know that push-ups are one of the absolute best exercises to tone the entire body, but one can only do so many before she get bored/tired of the exercise (even with all the variations). And who wants to do endless tricep dips?

So, when I was perusing the new Oxygen Magazine website, I was excited to see the following article...

Oxygen Women's Fitness Training Tone Your Triceps

Everything looked completely do-able at home. I would make some minor variations to the exercises since I don't really have the same equipment. I do however have a step bench that I routinely use as a weight bench, so I would use that for the close grip push-up (maybe even do those flat on the floor).

I also do not have a cable machine, but I do have resistance bands and a convenient adpater (a loop) that I place at the top of a door jamb and close the door. This would simulate the same moves. I would probably have to choke up on the bands to get enough resistance, but it would get the job done.

The third exercise is a seated overhead dumbbell extension. This is a move I use frequently. I will sometimes double up the weights in my hand to give me more resistance (since I have only so many dumbbells and only so much room to store them). I have even been known to use a 'stretchy-band' to give resistance.

I can't believe it

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted anything on this blog!

So much for my writing and reviewing of exercise videos (and I have done quite a few).

I was so excited when I began this venture and now I am having a hard time reconciling the difference between my excitement when I began and my utter disinterest over the last few months. So many things have happened, so many things I could have shared.

Oh, well. I guess it's time to get back on the ol' horse and give this a try again.

I have been doing some contemplating on whether or not this should be a separate blog, but as of right now, it still is. That may or may not change as I become more involved with my own life (blogging, that is).

Pilates

I am sure many of you have given Pilates a try. I am still unsure if I like it.

I have many Pilates exercise videos. I have given them all a try. But, I don't seem to be able to get my head into the program.

Every time I attempt to do the workout, I get down on myself. Things like this run through my mind: I'm quite sure that I haven't performed the move correctly. I don't look like the girl on the TV. Where am I supposed to be feeling this?

Even though, I don't quite enjoy the whole mind-breath-movement thing, I keep trying different Pilates workouts.

I tried it again this morning. I pulled out my 10 Minute Solution Quick Sculpt Pilates with Ball workout because it was only 10 minutes and that's really all the time I had. Quick Pilates Sculpt uses a small inflatable ball to help mimick a Pilates Reformer the instructor tell us.

I started with the Total Body Sculpt. Thinking I only had 10 minutes I wanted the most bang for my buck. My ball was a bit deflated so I had to inflate the ball in order to do the workout. I inflated the ball so it was firmer than it had been even before it became deflated and I feel the work more than I had previously.

It was encouraging. I decided that I had another 10 minutes to spare on a workout so I moved to the Standing Pilates section. I enjoyed this segment too. Today, it really challenged my balance.

20 minutes of workouts using the Pilates techinque and I felt like I did a good workout.