Saundra

2010 is flying by. I have one more workout schedule for this month (Kelly Coffey Meyer's Circuit Burn) which I will do tomorrow. Then, I will be off to Denver for the weekend. I built November's rotation around Turbo Fire and Cathe newest four workouts. Now, I know I am going out on a limb to schedule the Cathe workouts in before I have them. In fact, I moved the workouts as close down towards the end of the month as I could. Hopefully this delay won't be long and I will get the workouts in as scheduled. I am also having to work around having family come in for the holidays. So the break down is: Sunday: Cathe Interval Training. It has been ages since I have done any of the IMAX workouts. Monday : New sculpting workouts. Every workout listed for Monday will be my first time doing that workout. I have had Kettlebell Boot Camp for quite sometime and I am just now getting it in, but that is mostly because I am not a huge Kettlebell fan. Tuesday : Turbo Fire Fire workouts. Thi...

In a quest to eat healthier, I have been trying to incorporate a salad into my diet 4 to 5 times a week. After experimenting as to when I was going to try to routinely do this, I came up with lunch as the best option. Right around the same time as I came up with this plan, I started a new job. The new job came with a community refrigerator. Actually my old job had a community refrigerator but only 6 people shared that. At my new job a whole floor. Any way, I would prepare my salad each day in one of those disposable Glad storage containers and I bought a whole bottle of the Zesty Italian Light salad dressing to go with it. I put the salad dressing in the refrigerator (along with everyone else who had done the same thing with their bottle of salad dressing and like most people I labeled it with my name and date). So the second maybe third day I went to go get my salad and the dressing and there was no dressing. I search the refrigerator, open bins and nothing. Someone had taken ...

I did a search of my blog posts and was shocked to find that I have not blogged about The FIRM's Aerobic Body Shaping workout. Aerobic Body Shaping is a 55 minute aerobic & weight training workout led by Allie Del Rio. It is one of 6 workouts that was made for use with The FIRM's TransFIRMer. Aerobic Body Shaping (ABS) does an excellent job of implementing the traditional FIRM style workout of the original (late 80s early 90s) aerobic weight training volumes. It was release in late 2005 early 2006. I can't believe it has been that long ago. ABS alternates sculpting segments with cardio segments. The cardio segments have basic choreography but the moves are fun - very easy to follow and pick up. The sculpting segments have a nice flow and include traditional weight work. The exercises are sequence so you can go heavy with your weight selection if you want too. Also, the FIRM signature moves are included in this workout (i.e. leg press and tall box climbs). ...

Get Ready, Step, Go!. This is one of the first workouts put out by Kelly Coffey-Meyer. I really like all of the creative names that Kelly came up with for her first group of workouts. Get Ready, Step, Go! is approximately a 50 minute pure (emphasizing pure) athletic step workout. This was my first time doing this workout and I found the combinations easy to pick up. There is nothing complicated about the choreography. The step portion of the workout is divided into two parts. The first part you are using the step in the vertical position. This is the major part of the workout and it's about 30 minutes in length. The second part, the step is in the horizontal position for the next 15 minutes of the workout. The last 5 minutes you are performing standing waist/core work followed by a brief stretch. Squats, lunges, jacks, plyos, skis, skates are all moves used throughout the workout. The music - started off blah with the warm up song and then picked up in tempo and energy a...

Well apparently they have a new version out of the bodybugg , but the version I have is the one shown in the picture. Oh the bodybugg..... Well I will start off telling you where I got it. I bought my bodybugg from QVC. The cost was $253.90. It came with the armband, the display and a 12 month subscription to the bodybugg website. After shipping and taxes my total came to $285.90. The bodybugg is a calorie management system. It tracks the calories you burn. You have to account for the calories you consume although the bodybugg software will tell you what it thinks you consume after you input your weight which can only be done weekly. So my targets are to burn 2800 calories. I get to consume 1900 calories. This will give me a 900 calorie deficit with a 1.75lb weight loss per week. Now what I like about the program is being told that I could actually eat 1900 a day if I was burning 2800 calories a day. In the past, when trying to loose weight, I typically got derailed because o...

Ilaria's Powerstrike 5 is approximately 48 minutes in length. It is a kickboxing karate style workout that follows the same pattern as Ilaria's other Powerstrike workouts. You work a series of punches and kicks. This is followed by a series of combinations that combines the kicks and the punches into a mini routine. There are three routines in this workout. What I like about this workout is that normally Ilaria (like most instructors) teach you the routine on one side and then repeats the routine on the other side. In this workout, Ilaria teaches a routine on one side but completely changes the sequence on the other side. However, you end up doing the same amount of kicks and punches on both sides. I think this approach really adds variety to a routine. Lots and lots and lots of reps. I was definitely fatiguing in the hip flexor area and the shoulder area. I have really grown to like the Powerstrike workouts a lot. I like the karate elements that are included. Ilaria...

Powerstrike 6 is approximately a 50 minute kickboxing karate infuse workout. The only thing that irritated me about this workout and most Ilaria workouts - are the camera angles. In the case of Powerstrike 6, there were camera angles that only showed the face and only showed the feet. Come on!!! Other than that - loved the workout. Yes there were push ups in the warm up but I have just come to expect that from Ilaria and I just get down and do them. Ilaria always does a good job of choosing music for her workouts. In PS6 the music match perfectly and every move occurs in time with the beat. So the workout really flows. Something else you just come to expect from an Ilaria workout is lots of repetition. I think I am building up my endurance because for the most part I was able to keep up with most of the reps and you are doing a lot of reps - upwards to about 32 per punch and per kick. So after the introduction (where Ilaria goes over the punches and the kicks), you start wi...

Cardio/Sculpt Fitness . How many workouts do I have with those words? Many, I tell you. Well this Cardio/Sculpt Fitness work is a 69 minute workout that alternates cardio sets with sculpting sets. Kelly has a unique pattern that she uses in her workouts. Well at least I haven't seen the pattern in other workouts but I have seen the pattern in several of Kelly's workouts. She does cardio, sculpting set, drill based cardio for 1 minute, and she repeats the sculpting set. So you are hitting the muscle groups twice. In this workouts, I love the cardio, I thought many of the sculpting exercises awkward, and the drills were okay. For the sculpting exercises, I just could not get my body to cooperate. I ended up substituting different moves or changing the rep count for the upper body exercises. The only muscle groups I did as Kelly presented were leg and chest exercises. Almost all of the sculpting exercises were compound in nature. The music for Cardio/Sculpt Fitness is gr...

Total Sculpt Plus Abs is a 55 minute cardio sculpt workout. Jen Carman leads the workouts and it is part of the BSS2 (Body Sculpting System 2) group of workouts. The workout alternates cardio sets and sculpting sets. The cardio is very basic and consist of four-limb, box step,and low impact aerobics. The sculpting sets are sequence so you can go heavy with the workout if you like. BSS2 is the system where The FIRM introduce the sculpting stick which is a three part stick that comes apart. When taken apart, the ends call twigs can be used for 4-limb movement. Put together, the sculpting stick weigh 8lbs. The first sculpting stick I had broke. The middle part literally snap into two. So I ordered a new one and right after that The FIRM came out with a new shorter sculpting stick. BSS2 also uses the fanny lifter. The workout is okay. In many ways it feels like a beginner sculpting class with cardio breaks thrown in between sculpting sets. While I like the BSS2 workouts as a whole, Total...

Step Blast is a 55 minute all step workout. It features 3 step combinations. At the end of the step combinations, there are blast for added intensity. In Cathe's more recent step workouts, she puts the blast after each step combination and I think I have gotten use to that. Saving all 3 blast until the end made them harder to me. The step combos are made up of traditional Cathe type choreography. The routines are easy to learn and I thought the breakdown to be slightly on the long side. After Cathe teaches the combination, she runs through the routine twice on each side for a total of 4 run through and then moves on to teach the next combination. The blast section consist of performing the three combination, followed by a blast, performing the three combinations again, followed by another blast, and the sequence is repeated one last time. The routines are fun and fit the music. The music has enough pop to keep the energy flowing which I needed on the "360s" and t...

Buena Vida Low Carb Whole Wheat Tortillas When I am really following what I am eating, these whole wheat tortillas tend to find themselves a constant staple in my diet. They are great very making your own wraps. 1 tortilla contains: 70 Calories 4 Fat Grams 0 Saturated Fat 7 Carbs 3 Fiber 0 Sugar 4 Protein. I usually pair one tortilla with ham or turkey deli slices and light mayo. 3 stars.

Powerstrike 4 is a 57 minute kickboxing workout that adds karate type elements to the kickboxing moves. Ilaria takes time to introduce you to her workout by going over what to expect and the type of moves (punches and kicks) you will be doing. This isn't really part of the workout and you can easily fast forward through it. I mention it because I think it is very informative and reminds you about form and instructs you on how to perform the elements she will be doing in the workout. The workout starts with a warm up that includes push ups. I actually did the push ups this time. She then moves into left-side drills - or you can call it practice if you want to - of the various punches and kicks. This section requires a lot of endurance because there are a lot of reps. I didn't count them but we are easily doing anywhere from 16 to 32 reps per punch/kick. After the warm up, Ilaria teaches routine one and routine two on the right side. Then we go back to drills on the right side ...

Well I bought a Fitbit . Mostly so I could compare it to the bodybugg which I also purchased. I will talk more about the bodybugg in a later blog post. But the Fitbit, I bought it on Tuesday from Best Buy. On Thursday, it died. The display would not come on. I thought it might have been due to a low battery - even though the battery is suppose to last 5 to 7 days. But no. Even after leaving it charged up to the base overnight - still no display. So I am going to talk about the day and 1/2, I did get to use it. The Fitbit is tiny. It is design so it can be clip to your pants, shirt, etc. really anything that you can get the clip portion around. It comes with a charging base/station, a clip holder that gives you room to clip to bigger items, a wristband that you can clip the Fitbit to and of course the Fitbit itself. One of the good and bad things about the Fitbit is that you don't realize you are wearing in. Once I had moved the Fitbit from my waist pant to my shirt an...

The Shape of Things to Come . OK. I recently - August I think, acquired this workout. The Shape of Things to Come is a 50 minute cardio sculpting workout. It is basically divided into two segments. Segment one alternates standing sculpting with cardio burst. Segment two alternates chest work with abdominal work. In each each of the segments you are doing two sets of everything with about 8 to 14 reps in each set. The workout moves at a brisk pace with minimum rest between exercises. Kelly uses an 8 inch step (I did too) and two sets of dumbbells. The pattern for the workout: back, cardio burst, back cardio burst shoulders, cardio burst, shoulders, cardio burst biceps , cardio burst, biceps, cardio burst triceps, cardio burst, triceps, cardio burst Leg superset - squats and courtesy dips chest, abs, chest, abs. There is a warm up and a cool down/stretch. The cool down/stretch segment is very brief. The cardio burst are simple get your heart rate up type segments. Kelly calls them ...

Tuesday, I did Cathe's Rhythmic Step . I reviewed this workout on July 2, 2009 and I don't really have anything new to add. I used a 4 inch step height and still got a good calorie burn. This morning, Wednesday, I did The FIRM's Cardo Sculpt . I reviewed this workout on September 14, 2009. I have nothing really new to add to this either except that lately I have been tracking calories burned during a workout and while I felt like I got a good workout, my calories burned for this workout was only 266 calories for a 55 minute workout. I was kind of disappointed in that.

Powerstrike 3 Millennium is approximately 56 minutes in length and features Ilaria Montagnani and Patricia Moreno as leads. Now I have workouts by both Ilaria and Patricia and I like them very much as exercise instructors. They are both very informative and precise instructors. They teach. Here in this workout, they are both very good except when they try to spar with each other. They turn and face each other to execute the moves and that just throws off the rhythm of the moves. Other than that I thought they were both excellent; and I like this workout very much. I love the music. It has lots of energy. Their style of kickboxing is about execution and through proper execution you get a good workout. My calorie burn for this workout was high; in fact it was higher than the circuit workout I did yesterday. There is lots of repetition - so expect that. Now what I didn't like about the workout - and really this is the majority of workouts with Ilaria and that is she puts push ups in ...

High Step Challenge is a 68 minute circuit workout that uses the High Club Step, various weighted dumbbells, a band, and barbell. The circuit pattern is not consistent but essentially consist of cardio, 2 lower body sets, and 2 upper body sets. Sometimes Cathe would alternate the lower body and upper body segments and sometimes she does them back to back. There are five circuits total. What stood out most to me in this workout is the pace. The workout moves and there is not much time for rest. Seriously, I barely had enough time to get a drink of water. The time between sets is taken up with getting prep for the next exercise. There is only minimum recovery after the cardio sets. Speaking of the the cardio sets, they feature a mixture of different types of cardio: High impact, step, and kickboxing. Also there is lots of band work in the upper and lower body segments. After the last circuit, there is an intense ab workout followed by a stretch. I don't do this workout...

With the exception of having to forgo my runs due to knee issues, I made all of my scheduled workouts for September. Overall I really enjoyed the 5 week rotation I put together for last month. Amy's cardio was a blast to do and the 3 days split workouts were excellent for the rest factor that type of rotation gives. Now for October 2010. The workouts for October were chosen so that I can maximize calories burn. The workouts are a combination of cardio and cardio + weight style workouts. I have purchase a bodybugg which I plan to start using on Sunday, to help me keep track of calories consumed or burned. The bodybugg is a personal calorie management system that I am hoping will tell me where I am going astray in my quest to loose weight. I bought the bodybugg from QVC so I get 30 days to try it out and determine if it is for me. October 2010 rotation breakdown : Sunday is Cathe Circuit - Low Impact Circuit and Drill Max are two of my favorite Cathe circuit workouts. I ad...

Lots of images for you. Out of all the 3 day split series I have, Cathe's Gym Style series is my favorite. The workouts in the Gym Style series are Gym Style Chest & Triceps , Gym Style Legs , and Gym Style Back, Shoulder & Biceps . The two upper body workouts clock in at 48 and 50 minutes respectively and the Leg workout is approximately 64 minutes. Also these three workouts, as you can see, come as their own DVD. All three workouts featured traditional exercises with bonus burns thrown in at the end of the last set. The things that stood out to me: In Chest & Triceps, the workout starts off with drop set push ups counting down from 16 and subtracting two reps as you move down the pyramid . That was tough for me as push ups are not my favorite. In Back, Shoulder, & Biceps, their is an exercise called "Modified Back Extensions" that appear. It is similar to "super mans" but you are doing them off the step. I thought this a unique twist...