TA Meta and everything else - Fall / Winter 2021

[Buzzer]

body Beast back and bis... DONE!

Man, I don't know what is going on. I love to lift, and I don't know if it's cause or coincidence, however since I started lifting splits I can't sleep!!! Every night I have had this week that I have been doing splits I have slept really poorly. Last night I went to bed at 9:30 and woke up at 3. I can't fall back to sleep. I am totally annoyed because today is the day we leave for Great Wolf, and I want to be well rested for a long, active day!! sigh.

So I did back and bis, even though I thought I was too tired to! After all the lifting that involved my back the day before (cleaning in front of the garage), I still did it and did it well. I used mostly 12, 15 and 20's for my weights. I did do some rocking on some of the bicep work, however he takes about 35 minutes of the 50 minute workout for the back, and then quick does 3 different exercises for the biceps in the remaining time. One of those exercises is hammer bis where he lifts one. Then the other. Then both. That's one set.... and he does 15, 12 and 8 reps of this. It takes forever, is boring, and in my opinion doesn't match the rest of the workout. It's suddenly an endurance lift in the midst of all these building lifts. My biceps didn't feel it, but my back did!!

So luckily, since my legs are still so super sore that I have to bend down slowly to get my travel mug off the ground which makes me look like an old lady... DH had me move about 75 ish blocks for the garage that weight about 25 pounds each, from one place to another. I grunted and groaned the whole time. I didn't tell him about my super sore legs, or the fact that I worked my back hard earlier. So he probably thought I was just really lazy. I did it, but I made a lot of noise and moved slowly the whole time. At one point, I told him "Doing this again reminded me that I hate...." and then I pause to debate whether I was going to say "these blocks" or "moving these blocks" and he took the opportunity to jump in and say "work". My mouth fell open.... he swears he meant it by working building the garage, however that's not what came out. He, of course couldn't understand why I was upset. That kinda made me feel like telling him "then finish it yourself. I hate work and I'm done here." However I held my tongue. That's why I didn't tell him. Screw that noise. Let him think I moved slow because I hate work so much.

So I am sore, cranky, low on sleep, annoyed that I will have a busy and possibly late day and didn't sleep well... overall not feeling great this morning. I am still feeling my legs, which I had hoped I'd be over by now. I am debating taking the morning off or completing the rotation and getting shoulders done. chances are I will take a rest day and use my energy to go up steps to go down slides!

Ebianco: I'm glad I could point you to some new/old firms!!! I haven't done the pilates/yoga yet, but I have it downloaded. Maybe I'll take it with me and do it on this trip. I got super lean doing Callanetics about 10 or 11 years ago, but I felt like an old lady my joints hurt so bad. I remember getting out of the car and it was such a chore, that I decided being lean wasn't worth it and I had to stop. I have since gone back to barre and Callanetics hoping that by mixing in the workouts instead of doing them exclusively I could achieve the same results without the joint soreness, but nope. I think no matter what I do, I won't change the shape of my body anymore. I can change how strong and flexible I am, so I will work on that! I am not sure I can change my endurance. That doesn't seem to improve much anymore.

In the past, adding heavier weights to my leg workouts didn't bulk me. Of course, I never went super heavy... like power lifter heavy. I used to do Firms with 20 pounds for my legs, and 12's on the legs where you are on the floor. I have no idea if I could ever do that again, but I was definitely not bulky. Hopefully that helps! It may have been becuase it was Firm and there's so much cardio to counteract the bulk, so there's that. Who knows. I used to think I did! Then time and my body proved me wrong. HA!

Eventmom: hope you are having a good weekend and your toe feels OK! Who knew a stupid toe could affect you so much, you know it? So silly. Why did God make fingers and toes so breakable?

[ebianco]

Hi all,

I finished my workout week today with a Simone rebounding warm up (15 minutes) then this Heather Robertson HIIT workout (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzcH...X0vOQm&index=4) then I did a lot of Classical Stretch from Season 12 - I did most of Episode 15 'Shoulder Pain' and then some of Episode 30 'Quad Flexibility' for an overall 80 minute workout! THEN I went for a walk with the dogs for another 40 minutes! So I was very active today. I read on GD that Season 12 is temporarily for free (it's free through tomorrow if you want to check it out: https://www.essentricstv.com/classic...ging-backwards). Based on these two episodes I think I like Season 10 better (that's the one season I own) based on the music. Likewise with Heather, the HIIT workout was tough but I still like Caroline's music better, also I think Caroline's HIIT workouts feel a little more metabolic than mostly cardio. But I'm still enjoying Heather anyway. My legs are pretty sore from the last few days so all that stretching felt great! I'm interested to see if the "shoulder pain" standing work from CS will make my shoulder feel significantly better.

As for walking I am coming into the holiday/quiet period at work with lots of time off, and am hoping to walk regularly, almost daily if the weather allows. The dogs will love that!

Eventmom waves! I really hope your toe is feeling better?

Buzzer I would have been upset about the 'hating work' comment too from your DH I do truly hate doing house work when I am so tired from exercise. I think you are being way more patient than I would be about what seems like endless amount of work on your garage!! He should be happy that you are helping him!!

I can say one thing for the Caroline rotation, even though I am sore frequently, that I am sleeping really great. I rarely take a sleep aid and I even more rarely have to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, when that used to be a big problem. My legs have slightly gotten thicker (like up to 1/4") but I think that's because all of me has gotten a little thicker, over the past few months I am really trying to take this quiet holiday time where I should be the least amount of stressed, to work on my diet. I planned and happily indulged at Thanksgiving day, but have been really trying to clean up since then. Like you said, I don't think it' about changing the 'shape' of my body anymore, I have made peace with my stronger and weaker aspects of my physique. But it's more about just overall leanness or at least not gaining any more weight and being able to comfortably fit into all my clothes.

It is so funny I never even had heard about that Firm! I am not surprised it had Jennifer in it from Better Body and Buns. I had heard sometime along the line that they brought her in for her pilates experience, which was huge at the time. I think pilates would be made more fun for sure with classic Firm music going in the background!

[eventmom]

yesterday - action jacquelyn full body pilates
today - joyce bug+ lower body & back - did a bit of modifying to accomodate my toe

buzzer - I was able to find those workouts on youtube! but who knows how long they will be there. Our family left Sat am and I'm sort of playing catch up with dishes and getting things organized. Rode my horse and that's always good. Have fun on your trip!

ebianco - I have her two pilates and two by Ruel whatever his name is, plus the caribbean aerobics pilates. I keep thinking one day I'll do a full on pilates rotation, but so far no... Not to be a bummer on back stuff but until like the last couple of years no issues. now I HAVE to stretch everytime I ride a horse, and sometimes my low back is pretty painful. So I guess I'm a nag - we gave dh's niece a book that has back exercises because of family history and that she works from home and slouches too much. thanks for the reminder about CS - I hope I remember to use them tomorrow.

[Buzzer]

72 stairs at GWL, about 5 or 6 times... DONE!

So we are at GWL, and my sole exercise yesterday was doing those stairs and walking around! We met another friend here, so LB and she are running around together. Saved me a lot of steps and stairs! However they are leaving today (they might try to stay another night), so I may get a little more relief!

Mostly checking in to tell Ebianco that I appreciate her posting the CS season 12 workout link! I had to pack workouts quick, and couldn't find the yogas I wanted to bring, so I packed essentrics. Then I regretted not getting classical stretches since they are shorter. Then magically, you post the CS episodes! I downloaded them and will do them tomorrow! This morning the friends' kids are in our room (we ended up with a huge room! Free upgrade!) so I don't want to workout since my workout area is next to their room. They have this cabin room with three beds (and there's 3 of them), then theres a large, pretty long hallway where the bathroom and kitchen area is (and where I workout), then a door and the bedroom with a queen bed and a couch. It's pretty amazing! So the kids are all here in the cabin.

Tomorrow, it'll just be my kid I can bug so I will do the workout! Thank you for posting!! I'm so excited! Today we will be at Santa's workshop again, so I will get lots of steps and hill climbs. Plus I will have to ride the rides with LB since DH gets motion sick, so I will get lots of calories burnt from spinning and trying not to barf!!

[eventmom]

yesterday - a cs from the season they opened up. i thought it would be more stretch. no time to do more
today- jacquelyn umoff cardio barre mix

my toe is getting better. might try some easy walking soon. I feel like I need more stretch that I got yesterday so that may be tomorrow.

buzzer - that's a lot of stairs! hope you are having fun.

hi ebianco!

[ebianco]

Hi everyone,

I started my workout week (an upper/lower/upper week) this week with EPIC 3 Back, Core, and Biceps (this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46cY...index=8&t=178s) which was a toughie! This one makes me question my thought that the earlier days are easier as this was only day 6 of EPIC 3. Who knows. The first 20+ minutes were spent on back and I used a 35# or 25# kettlebell for all the rows, rows, and more rows. My back is sore now but not in a bad way! Then some plank and dead bugs for core, then finally biceps. Definitely a good workout.

Edited for Thursday: Lower body today! I did 15 minutes from Tonique Express Sculpt #2 as a warm up then EPIC Heat Flaming Legs leg workout (this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R39b...JFgH7W&index=8). So the EPIC Heat series is supposed to be somewhat shorter workouts and the workout time was only 33 minutes so I guess it was! There were super sets with 30/30/30 seconds on of work than 30 second rest before the next superset. It went by pretty fast! I feel like this was a little easier than the EPIC 3 workouts, more rest time between sets it seems? Then a stretch for a total 55 minute workout.

Eventmom I am glad your toe is feeling a little better!

Yes, I like Classical Stretch (I dappled with the Season 12 they just had open) but I wish there was more STRETCH less toning. In fact, I usually just do my own stretches when Miranda does the toning work. I like the dynamic active stretches just fine, just not the actual toning work.

I've also thought about a full pilates (or maybe yoga) rotation, and then I'm like nah I don't think so LOL. The closest I think I've ever gotten in that kind of genre is barre, pilates, and yoga with energetic workouts like Dream Body and Tonique mixed in.

Buzzer Haha I'm so glad the link to Classical Stretch was timely and helpful while you were/are on vacay!! Awesome that you got a free upgraded room! Wow it sounds like a sweet suite! It sounds like a lot of fun. Congratulations on your step workout!

[Buzzer]

Stairs, stairs and more stairs... DONE!
Hills, big hills... DONE!
Yoga X... Mostly DONE!

We got back last night, so this morning I did Yoga X. I slept SO well all trip, then last night I slept like crap again. All vacation? 7-8 hours. Last night? 4 1/2. ugh. I woke up early, went through some stuff and got a full bag for goodwill and a full bag for trash. So some progress.

Yoga X was kinda hard today! I decided to do it since I haven't done a formal workout for 5 days. I worked hard though! Not much of a 'breaking in' workout. I did skip the long sections (frog and that one where he balances on his hands), yoga belly 7, and the hamstring stretches. I feel like this workout gets your hamstrings a ton, so I felt OK skipping the extra stretches! Overall about an hour of yoga.

LB had her friends for day 1 and the evening of day 2. Day 2 we went to Santa's Workshop, and rode all the rides again. I did good on the spinning rides! I focused on something in the car we were in and tried not to focus on the spinning. I got kinda nauseous once, but that's becuase we went on the "tilt a hurl" twice in a row. I got cocky I suppose!

we got back to the lodge and LB ran with her friends. They left that evening, and the next day we spent at the lodge. They have a deal where you can pay a pretty low price and get all you can do bowling, putt putt, ropes course and climbing wall, so we got that. LB and I played lots of putt putt and bowling! We swam for a few hours, and went down all the slides. It was a blast! We went down the slides at night... it was pitch black. Such a strange experience. I loved it, but love doing the slides in the light much better!! The slides go outside the building and back in, so I'm sure it also gets cold in the winter when it really is cold!

we also went to a mining museum on day 4, DH had to be back for a meeting at 1, so we just spent the morning. We panned for gold, and took a tour that lasted 90 minutes! This older man led the tour, he had a hip replacement and walked the whole time through the tour with a cane. I kept thinking "I will not sit down if this man is doing this!!" He was amazing. The tour and museum was amazing too! We are going to try to make it back to see it all again, we missed a lot!

Yesterday LB and I did lots of bowling and putt putt, and all the activities we could do. She ended up meeting some new friends and doing wand with them until about 6:30, and we left. We were in time to get the doggies last night, and they were over the moon to see us! Eugene especially, Otis was excited but not nearly as excited as Eugene. I think it was becuase Otis is a puppy still and drives Eugene crazy, and Eugene was locked in a run with him for 5 days!!

So I got in some informal exercise, mostly stairs at GWL to get up to the slides, and jumping around in the pool. LB and I did races and moved a lot, so I am counting it. Also at Santa's workshop there are tons of really steep hills, so lots of hill exercise too!! Overall, it was a great trip. I would say one of our best!

Ebianco: I did a bit of CS while we were gone, but half heartedly so I am not counting it. Still grateful you posted though! that was a set I was considering buying!

I have thought about doing like a few weeks of yoga exclusively, but my wrists can't take it. I do need to add in some CS or yoga to my rotation. I agree on Miranda's toning... it's like she does enough to get your muscles going, but not enough to shape them into anything! It's like walking to the mailbox. It might do something, but it'll take years to see the "results"...

Eventmom: I'm glad your toe is a bit better. These darn toes this check in!! It's the curse!

[ebianco]

Hi everyone! It was tough getting started today because my upper and lower body are both pretty sore. However, I knew my specific body parts I was working today (chest/triceps/shoudler) would be fresh so I kept on. Today I did a Caroline Tempo workout, another series not part of the EPIC system, focused on chest, triceps, and back (this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNCD...aCqjdn&index=8) and it was pretty good! I think in general I still like the EPIC III workouts the most, because of the music and general toughness, but I will say the tempo variations in this one (focusing on very slow essentric motion) definitely made my muscles burn out. Then I did 16 minutes of this 20 minute of a Caroline core workout, from a kind of "Advent Calendar" (she's not calling it that but her followers are, because she's putting out a 20 minute workout each day in December through the 24th) (this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WIa...Cqjdn&index=47) then stretch for a 64 minute workout, THEN I took the dogs for a walk for another 40 minutes or so. So definitely an active day today, especially great from a slow start!

Tomorrow will be a total body Cathe, net up is High Step Challenge but I'll probably need to modify a lot!

Eventmom waves!

Buzzer It's funny about Classical Stretch because I'm always excited when there's deals and seasons on sale, but I always hold back because I don't feel like I really get enough use out of my one season (season 10) to warrant getting more. I know Miranda is all about strength+stretch but I think I'd REALLY like and use them more if they were strictly more stretch, especially a combination of dynamic stretch and deeper stretching. So I end up just making it my own combination when I do them.

Good job staying active with stairs and yoga X while you're on vacay! That all you can do bowling, putt putt, ropes and climbing seems like a kids paradise! I'm not surprised the dogs were ecstatic to be picked up!

I still have until the third week or so in January before my current strength rotation ends, but I'm already thinking about what I want to do next. I know I want to keep some Caroline and Cathe, but that I don't want to keep these stretched out splits (like back/biceps one day and chest/triceps the next); I think I'll just do one Caroline total arm day and one total leg day, which frees up a day if I were to otherwise keep my current rotation. I keep thinking of Dream Body as something I really want to get back to soon...and kettlebells. I'm not sure how that will all look yet but I have another 7 weeks to think about it!

[Buzzer]

Cathe upper body Trisets... DONE!

This was tough, but fun!! She takes NO breaks. Seriously! You have time to get your weights and get into position, then that's it. She's off to the races. I matched her weights on all but the second set of biceps (she went for 20's, I went for 15's) and on the last bicep work, she went for 15's and I went for 12's, but wish I would have gone for 15's. Otherwise I hung with Cathe.

I sweat a bunch and worked hard! It was great! A good way to get back into it. I am setting aside super splits right now (like body beast) and I think I will do some upper and lower splits for a bit. I did love this cathe workout, and I felt like the olden days when I used to lift. It was tough and I felt like jumping from excitement at the end. Lots of energy instead of feeling drained and just done!

I went through and pulled out a bunch of my split workouts today too, and set them front and center to start doing them. I love my Firms and will go back to them in this rotation, however I am enjoying splits and playing with them. This will also get me doing some of my KCM's I have that are splits! Probably do splits until the end of the year.

I also found my JNL fusion, P90X and P90X2 (which I think I had to modify so much I ended up not liking it), Metrex 180 (which I seem to remember was good?), Supreme 90. Stuff I may go to in the new year! So many workouts to do!

I also need to look up the rotation for Cathe's ICE workouts. I bought the set then never did it! I probably should do that.

So overall a good workout today, and although I once again did not feel like working out, it ended up being a really good and fun workout. I am glad I did it.

Today I have kitchen duty (again!) for westernaires. I hope I get a good job again! It's one of the last nice days in the 10 day, so we will be happy to be outside today. DH has some more Christmas lights he wants to hang so we will do that today.

Ebianco: You said your rotation is done the third week in January and you are already thinking of what to do next, and my heart went "It's already almost over???" That was quick! However, now that I think of it, that's still a month and a half away, so not so quick! HA! Time is flying though. I can't believe our GWL trip is already over!
I also am excited for classical stretch sales, however the amount I do them has not been worth the money I have put into them. I have two seasons of CS (now 3 with the downloads I just did) and have only done a handful of workouts from each. I like them for "I wanna stretch and not take a lot of time" workouts, and have thought about adding them onto my strength workouts for a stretch. However, she will randomly put in a "strength" move and it annoys me. She should just stick to Classical STRETCH. Just my opinion for what it's worth!

Hi Eventmom! I have been thinking of you since my nephews and niece are in finals weeks. I hope you are making it through without more injuries and not too many annoyances so you can focus on getting through this tough time!

[ebianco]

Hi all!

Today I was sooo sore but I still did Cathe High Step Challenge, but I went really easy on the cardio, and used lighter weights for the strength. Actually doing it that way (really taking it easy) made it not so bad! I'm glad to be done though for today! I wonder if I'll have the stamina to finish my workout week with HIIT tomorrow but if not I'll go for a long walk. It was definitely tough this week. Some weeks I seem to feel more or less sore, and this is definitely a more sore week. I think the upper body (odd number weeks) seem to hit me harder.

Eventmom waves! I hope your toe is improved!

Buzzer That sounds like a great Cathe workout! It is wonderful at the end of a workout to feel energized and not drained!

I used to love JNL fusion and Supreme 90! I never got into the P90Xs although I have P90X3, never picked up Metrex 180 don't know much about that one! I am always excited thinking of all the workouts I have that are just waiting to be added to a rotation!

Haha yeah I am only finishing week 5 of my 12 week rotation, so it is very preliminary to be thinking about "what's next" LOL I am definitely feeling how strenuous the heavy lifting is but at the same time I am really loving these Caroline workouts especially, and will be keeping them in my rotation in some capacity. I've cleaned up my eating so am seeing more visible results, although I know that's more from diet than exercise, although DH tells me I feel firmer from the muscles!

I totally agree with you that I want a stretch out to Classical STRETCH and I just do my own stretches while she adds in strength moves. If I wanted a barre or an ab workout, I would have put that in the player instead!