W4D6, PiYo: Sweat + Tai Cheng Flow + Splits.

W4D6, PiYo: Sweat + Tai Cheng Flow + Splits.

Chalene must be focusing on legs and booty these past three days, because my legs and butt are really feeling it. Drench, Strong Legs, and Sweat in succession is a real killer. OH MY!!! Today, however, something in my right hip flexor felt like it was popping and sort of opening up. I was somewhat of a latent pain on the move that starts in a deep lunge then raise the knee of the back leg when you stand. I had to pull back a bit and not go down as far, but it didn't affect my sumo squats. I sweat like the dickens!!!

The flow was good. For the first time, I didn't over step and lose my balance doing the first flow. I was very happy for that. Also, the splits were still stable and opened up to my low mark.
‪#‎PiYo‬ beat me up this week so I am very glad to make it to my off day. I'm going to take advantage of this day and rest up. I can't believe I'm already half way done the program. I'm going to have to really bring it in the second half.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

W4D5, PiYo: Strong Legs + SPS: Functional Cardio 2 + Tai Cheng Flow + Splits.

W4D5, PiYo: Strong Legs + SPS: Functional Cardio 2 + Tai Cheng Flow + Splits.
True Confession: I was planning to workout in the morning, but when I woke up, my legs were aching from yesterdays workout so I wimped out, got an extra 90 minutes of sleep and did my workout in between my day session classes and night session classes. Yes, I wimped out! Drench Legs was really tasking and then the SPS weights had a legs progression as well so double whammy for my lower body yesterday. I expected to be very sore and I was. I checked Strong Legs last night and yep, Chalene uses the Power Slides so I was like, "Oh Shoot!" I probably doomed myself with that attitude, but the soreness was real.
When I started the workout, I was still sore, but there was no way around it this time. I had to go through it. Basically, today's routine was the entire Legs progression from Drench, Plus a few other moves. This is something that I don't want to do again. I did make it through most of the first progression again, but my weaker side (right) I couldn't go past the slow lunges without taking a break. Then, after that, I felt like I was on the verge of cramping up on my hamstrings so I took a quick stretch break between most of the moves and side transitions. Today was really tough, but I don't think I would have been that bad if I had not done Drench the previous day. Yeah, I know, I sound like a baby. In the end, I manned up and stuck it out till the end. I am SO glad it was only 20+ minutes and no longer!
When it rains, it pours! Today's SPS focused on lower body. I had to really push through to get it done. But the 10 sets were invigorating so I was re-energized as I got closer to the end. On the In-and-Out move, I was trying to focus on keeping my knees together as much as possible so I could get more on my core. THAT was tough. I usually have my knees a little open, so today was a lot tougher. Short but really intense cardio workout.
By this time, my legs were like rubber and shaking like a wet, scared chihuahua. But I had to push through and do the flow. I had to baby my right knee again. I tried to go as fast and smooth as possible with full range of motion. It was hard to control my speed so as not to rush. Combining speed and full range of motion is extremely difficult. The first two times, I lost balance and focus. This happened to me yesterday and the day before when I tried to speed up. It is almost like I need to calibrate my body with two junk flows to get my bearings. Once I get my bearings, I can jam! Subsequent flows were a thing of beauty. I am moving closer to being ready to video the flow. Still a little self-conscious about that though.
Splits were good. Hip right flexor needs to open up a lot more though. I'm trying to push it, but it is tight and painful, so I need to go slow and controlled. I didn't go down any further, but I'm getting used to the newest mark thus far, so I hope to go down a bit more in a couple days. But for now, things are going as well as can be expected.
Question about splits training: Is splits training something I should do EVERYDAY, or is it okay to take a rest day?
When all was said and done, I burned just under 600kcals today.

W4D4, PiYo: Drench + SPS: Weights 2 + Tai Cheng Flow + Splits.

W4D4, PiYo: Drench + SPS: Weights 2 + Tai Cheng Flow + Splits.

I couldn't really understand how low impact could "drench" me in sweat. I found out rather quickly how. There were about 5 progressions and my butt was dying on the first Leg progression. I almost made it through the second fast bowlers, but I couldn't take the pain in my butt so I had to tap out for a quick stretch but I got back into it quickly. There was a lot of lower body and leg work. The upper body and core came into play over half way through with the PiYo Push Ups. I was sweating up a storm, but didn't get any sprinkler action due to the low impact. This is the longest routine in PiYo so far, a good 48 minutes. I was a little nervous to do a longer routine, but the time went by fast. Awesome workout!

The weights today were really tasking. The program itself is really good, but the way the videos are carried out is extremely shoddy. For example, on the video, Mike Chang says, "Do 3 sets..." but on the work sheet, it calls for only 2 sets. There are a lot of those little discrepancies. So I decided to do 3 sets of everything. It was very tough, but I got an excellent Pump and burn! Felt good.

The flow today was very good. I felt really fluid through most of it. I lost balance a few times because I was over extending. Once I realized the problem, I was able to rectify the situation and the following flows were very stable. Also, my right knee felt a bit gimpy and I had to baby it a bit by changing my stance a bit.

Splits were good. I mainly worked on stretching out the inner thigh and hamstrings. I was doing it while watching a recording of the SOTU so I wasn't focusing on the pain, but rather just dropped into it and sat.

After all was said and done, I burned over 1200kcals today. Huge burn!

W4D3, PiYo: Full Body Blast + Tai Cheng-Full Flow + Tennis.

W4D3, PiYo: Full Body Blast + Tai Cheng-Full Flow + Tennis.

Another full morning of activity. Started my day with Shakeology and then PiYo. What a MAJORLY INTENSE routine it was. I got further today through the first progression than I did the last time. I made it through the next to last move before I had to tap out for a break. I still contend that the Power Slides are a GREAT TOOL!!!! I am able to do most of the advanced moves along with the guy except for the sliding plank to pike move. I can't slide both hands back at the same time, I have to slide-walk my hands back. That guy must have incredible core strength, something that I hope to have one day. Got a great workout this morning.

Drove right to the my next venue for tennis. I arrived early so I stretched out and did my Tai Cheng. I did several warm up flows then I went for the big one. I did SIX continuous flows and I ended up 10 paces directly in front of my starting point. Looks like I'm where I am supposed to be. I could count my flow breaks on one hand during my 6 flow run. I'm very happy about my results so far.

Tennis today was on point. I don't know about the end result, final score 6-0, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0. I say I don't know about the result because my opponent said that he was a bit under the weather. But as for my play, I was striking the ball solidly and hitting the lines with accuracy. I was also very good with my footwork. I just went with the flow and I was very successful with my game. But throughout the whole match I was feeling PiYo on my core and legs. I worked it hard and am reaping the benefits of it in my performance today.

It's been a great week 4 so far, let's keep it going!

W4D2, PiYo: Hardcore on the Floor + SPS: Functional Cardio 1 + Tai Cheng-Full Flow + Splits.

W4D2, PiYo: Hardcore on the Floor + SPS: Functional Cardio 1 + Tai Cheng-Full Flow + Splits.

I was still feeling extremely tired from my work on Sunday, so I decided not to do a morning workout and worked out after work in the late afternoon. I was still BLAAH but I knew I had to work so I pressed PLAY!

According to the schedule, I could choose between Core and Hardcore, so I'm always up for a challenge so I went with the new routine. I won't say I regretted it, but from a pain and grueling point of view, yeah, I regretted it. I maxed out several times during the routine and my core was hard. Worked it from several different angles and felt like it really targeted the right places. I realized how much work I need to do on my core. I'm glad it wasn't any longer that is was. I really enjoyed the rocking back moves. They are fun and inject a playful atmosphere in the midst of the pain that creeps up on you.

I want do spread the weights from SPS out from now on, so instead of doing the scheduled weights today, I went with the the cardio. Final time for this routine of Phase 1 so I really wanted to bang this one out of the park. But the problem was that I lost count of my sets and I am sure I did the prescribed number, but when I wasn't sure, I did two extra to make sure I did the 10 sets. So actually I may have done 12 sets. I'll never know until I can time travel and check. Got a good sweat and pump today. Upped the number of push up jacks by 2 over the 10-12 sets. I challenged my son to a set and I crushed him! LOL! But it served as motivation for him to workout. He doesn't like losing to me... at anything!

Flow focus this week is... TRANSITIONS. By transitions, I mean I want to really iron out the movement from one step to the next so the flow actually flows and is not like a stop-and-go feel to it. Perpetual motion is the key work this week. Keep on moving and flow. Worked out well and made good transitions, but I lost my balance a few times which interrupted the flow, of course, so I need to keep working until every flow I do is automatically picture perfect and a pleasure to watch.

I am beginning to get comfortable with the pain of the splits. But, the Straddle to right move is the most painful of all and therefore needs the most work. So I am putting in more time with the right side because it is being the left side by a good 5-7 centimeters. For now, I'm satisfied with my progress. Got a lot of good advice and am very thankful for it. Hopefully that will speed things up, but I have to stay consistent and not shy away from the pain.

Good start to my workout week that officially started on Saturday night, but today is the first scheduled on time workout of Week 4.

W3D7/W4D1,Tai Cheng-Full Flow + PiYo: Strength Intervals + SPS: Weights 1 + Splits.

W3D7/W4D1,Tai Cheng-Full Flow + PiYo: Strength Intervals + SPS: Weights 1 + Splits.

This is another odd day, sort of. Normally Saturday is an off day for me, but since I have to work on Sunday, which is usually the Day 1 of my workout week, and that work will go late and I would potentially be unable to workout. So that is why I'm doing my day 1 workout for week 4 on day 7 of week 3, then taking Sunday off.  However, I may do a small supplemental workout if I feel up to it and if it is not too late.

Today was a beautiful day. I spent over 3 hours outside with my daughter just playing, talking, Ripstiking, etc. So I had the idea to do the Tai Cheng Flow. I did it several times and then I had the idea to do consecutive flows. So I did a series of 4 flows in a row. Very interesting vibe from that. Felt very peaceful and fluid. I probably did over 30 flows. Not in a row, but between activities with my daughter.

After sunset, I started my regular workout.  I didn't make it all the way through Strength Intervals the first time last week, but I made it all the way through this time.  However, at every Child's Pose I literally collapsed down.  That is a short but extremely tough routine. My quads were already burning in the WARM UP!!!  When that happened, I knew it was going to be a good workout. The LEGS section is up first, and it kills! I barely made it through the other two progressions. I got stronger with the other programs so I enjoyed the sets of push ups, but the slow push ups were giving me a good pump and burn.

I was really fighting with myself as to whether or not I should go all out with SPS. Whether I should just go with a cardio routine or the scheduled weights routine.  As noted, I ended up going with the weights.  I also thought I would go a little lighter, but no, I went full on and pushed myself to failure and I had to lower the weights for the third set on the shoulders and lats circuit.  I also had to break up the final set of bicep curls to 8-4.  Got an extremely good pump, burn and sweat.

The splits were actually pretty good today.  I tried to stretch out a lot and it paid off. I went further down again today, just by like half a centimeter, but I could feel it pulling down.  I think I'm getting used to the pain. But the left hip is still extremely tight so moving from straddle splits to front left splits is impossible without coming out first.  Hopefully that will fix itself as I stretch and train.

It was a good day and a very beneficial workout.  But I still miss my off day. Tomorrow is here. But with work, won't feel like a true off day. :-(

W3D6, PiYo: Full Body Blast + Tai Cheng-Full Flow + Splits.

W3D6, PiYo: Full Body Blast + Tai Cheng-Full Flow + Splits.

Let me say that I am a bit surprised that I don't recall anything in this group about this particular routine. THIS ROUTING WAS AMAZING!!! I had been wondering when the Power Slides were going to come into play and they came out in an incredible way. For me, those Power Slides are probably the most simple and yet revolutionary fitness tool I have. Who knew that they were so amazing! Before today, I had only slid around on them a bit and my daughter played with them a bit. Long story short, I was totally dying using them. I only made it through about half the moves without needing a break. The first lunge series... OUCH!!! I was just barely keeping up with the four count, but when the two count came, NO WAY! I needed a break before going into it. I also needed a break before the 4-count bowlers and the 2-count bowlers on both sides. The plank to tuck was another KILLER move. My core has never been so tasked in any workout thus far. The intensity necessary both in and out is incredible. Definitely a LOVE/HATE relationship with these things. Also, with the simple oblique move she did, I felt like my obliques have never been so worked over... EVER! And that is even more than the side pikes in Ab Ripper X. It felt like a total oblique workout. And I was spent after that small number of reps. INCREDIBLE!!! The Slides are my new favorite fitness tool... among all my other favorites.

This is the final day for Form Focus on the Flow. Staying focused through out the whole entire flow, I 100% nailed the flow on both sides. Zero detectable mistakes. There were a few adjustments I had to make because of my limited space, but I felt perfect! And it felt GOOD! I'm sure that Dr. Cheng would find several flaws, but until I can do it in front of him or another Tai Chi Master, I'm satisfied and at peace. Now, I was so happy that I tried to pick up the speed and really move. The first time through I lost my balance a few times, but kept it together. The second time, I focused on balance. I believe balance will be on line for next weeks flow focus.
Okay, Today, I really nailed my splits. I went down further than any other time thus far. I got down a whole inch further than yesterday. I've almost draws even with my marks. Once I draw even with my feet marks, that means I will have opened up by 3.5 inches since December, when Tai Cheng started working on splits in Neural Reboot 4. If I can keep that pace, I should be to full splits by the middle of September! Encouraging results today! I asked yesterday if I should hold or push on the splits. I think my body just answered that question. PUSH!!!

No SPS today, but I am going to workout tomorrow because of my Sunday Schedule. I have to work on Sunday and its going to be a long tough day. But I'm so happy for today's successes and pain! Hello Weekend!!! I'M HERE!!!

W3D5, PiYo: Sweat + SPS: Functional Cardio 2 + Splits + Tai Cheng-Full Flow.

W3D5, PiYo: Sweat + SPS: Functional Cardio 2 + Splits + Tai Cheng-Full Flow.

Today was a weird day. I woke up later than planned so I only had time for half my workout in the morning. I did the second half in the afternoon between classes. That is something I really don't like to do but will do when the circumstances requires it.

In the morning, I was stiff and it took me a good amount of time to wake up my brain and body. I did SWEAT! My upper body was still a bit sore from previous days so I had a bit of a hard time keeping up with Chalene's warm up pace. Once I got warmed up, I was nailing it. I was doing really good, but once I got to the PiYo Push Up section, my arms and shoulders were barking. I pushed through without taking any extra child poses, but was very thankful when they came.

I started my afternoon workout as soon as I got home. I only had about two hours to get everything done.

Today's SPS was the shorter functional cardio so I was able to finish it in about 20 minutes. But I sweat just as much as the morning. 10 rounds of supersetted high knees, in and outs, and reverse crunches. All pretty normal moves, but I discovered I was doing reverse crunches wrongly. I wasn't pointing my toes and tapping them on the flor. I also wasn't keeping contact between my calves and hamstrings. Using that form made reverse crunches so much more effective. I'm learning a lot of small details from SPS.

I accidentally did splits first again. I took time to stretch out before dropping down into the splits. Long story short, I held the splits for the longest time this far. I also got the lowest thus far. But getting out of the splits also took longer than it has taken this far. I should probably hold this distance for a while until I get used to it, Or should I keep pushing every time? Making slow progress.

The flow was good today. I am trying to balance my stances so each step is the same distance and width. I was very happy with today's flow because there were no big brain farts. A couple missed pointed toes, but I am aware of my mistakes and am ready to keep improving.
A bit unorthodox, but got a good sweat and burn today.

W3D4, PiYo: Strength Intervals + SPS: Weights 2 + Splits + Tai Cheng-Full Flow.

W3D4, PiYo: Strength Intervals  + SPS: Weights 2 + Splits + Tai Cheng-Full Flow.

Regular Wednesday. Did my workout as soon as I got home.

To be honest, when I saw how long the routine was, I was a little doubtful as to how good a "strength" workout it would be.  Boy, was I wrong! The progressions are short, but they seem a lot longer than they are because you're holding position or adding on to a circuit non-stop.  I couldn't even make it to the end without coming out of position during the last progression.  It was really tough and humbling.  This is one of the shortest routines yet, but I burned many more kcals than the other routines of the same length.  Got an awesome burn.

Somehow I paused my heart rate monitor and didn't notice it until about half way through my SPS weights 2 routine. I was not happy.  If I forget to activate my HRM at the beginning of a workout, I would start the workout again, but the moves were really tough so I just reactivated it in the middle. I estimate I lost record of about 150-200kcals when referencing previous workouts.  But I got a really good burn on the moves today. I am happy that I still have the strength to do pull ups, at least a set of 12. Getting a really good total body burn with these weights routines.

I tried splits training first today, before the flow.  Probably won't do that order again. I think I lost a little balance and I didn't feel totally centered, perhaps do to the strain on my thighs.  I felt a little off during the flow.  But I did get lower today than in the past.  But I'm going to have to do the splits on a more slippery place because my mat is starting to prevent me from inching out.

Over all a good session today. Got right up to failure a lot of times. Pushed myself to the limit and tried to keep form. Trying to stay safe.

W3,D3, PiYo: Define- Upper Body + Tai Cheng-Full Flow + Tennis.

W3,D3, PiYo: Define- Upper Body + Tai Cheng-Full Flow + Tennis.

Busy day from the get go! Woke up to Shakeology and PiYo! Great way to get the blood moving for the day. Went right to my tennis match.

I got to the gym a bit early so I stretched out and so I did my Flow right in the middle of the gym with all the guide lines to help. I must say, I like doing the flow without shoes. Got through a good 10 flows.

Tennis reaped the benefits of the lite morning exercise. I was SO ON! I was getting power on my down-the-line backhand, snap on my top-spin sharp angle cross court forehand. It was a great all around match. The problem is, well, not really a problem rather more of a challenge. When my game is on, my partners game is turns on as well. And even though the score doesn't show it, it was a close game. When the score is not close, We are able to play 5+ sets, but today, we played just 3+ sets. A lot of the games went to multiple deuces. I had to fight my way back from Love-30 and 15-40 down several times. But in the end, I got most of the key points to roll my way. Final score, 6-0, 6-1, 6-1, 3-0. But the great thing is that I burned over 1000kcals over the course of this match.

Great way to start a day. I wish it could have been that awesome all day, but it had to end. Mine ended with 5 hours of meetings. Glad I started off the day with a BANG!!!

W3,D2, PiYo: Core + SPS: Cardio 1 + Tai Cheng-Full Flow + Splits.

W3,D2, PiYo: Core + SPS: Cardio 1 + Tai Cheng-Full Flow + Splits.

Two days in a row of relaxation and laziness.  Since today was a national holiday and the kids had their own activities, another day at home.  Got my workout in a little earlier than yesterday, though.

Core is a really grueling routine. It seems quite different than other core routines because it brings me to the breaking point but not past it, and it maintains a level and intensity that keeps me just before that breaking point for an extended period of time.  I am able to do all the moves and all the reps with heavy breathing and grimacing, but no breaks.  At the end, and for about an hour afterward, my core feels really tight. Another first feeling for me.

I'm mixing it up with SPS a bit. Usually, I have two weights days an off day, then two cardio days. But this week, I'm doing one weights then one cardio.  So today, I did Functional Cardio 1 today.  I tried to raise the intensity today by pushing as hard as I could would one of the moves.  I mean just go all out for the whole time, which is only 20 seconds. Today's move of choice was the Push Up Jacks.  The last time, I was pacing myself and ended up with 14 in 20 seconds.  Today, I was bouncing between 15 and 16, hitting 17 twice in the 10 rounds.  I tried to keep pace with the other four moves.  Next week, I'll add a move and go from there.  Great workout with a burn and sweat to boot!

The theme this week is FORM! So I tried to concentrate on form today.  Foot positioning, arm position, hand and finger position. Kept reminding myself to... TUCK THE HIPS! Pry out the knees. All the regular stuff that I may have gotten a bit sloppy with in the past few weeks.  Yes, I had gotten a bit sloppy.  But I'm remembering the form better now.

At the end, I worked on my splits, and really took my time with it.  I haven't really paid all that much attention to the time in the past, but today, I kept track and my splits training took close to 20 minutes.  I thought it took less than 10 because in the Neural Reboot, we do splits for only about 6 minutes, if that.  So I was happy.

Wk3D1: PiYo- Buns+ SPS- Weights 1 + Tai Cheng-Full Flow + Splits Training. Rumble Rolling.

Wk3D1: PiYo- Buns+ SPS- Weights 1 + Tai Cheng-Full Flow + Splits Training.  Rumble Rolling.

Today was a very relaxing/lazy day. The kids had their own things and since I am a bit under the weather, I just relaxed pretty much all morning and into the afternoon. I finally got motivated in late afternoon.

Again, in order to accommodate my schedule this coming week, I am moving around some routines to fit with days when I have less time to workout.  Today, I went with Buns, a new routine for me in the PiYo cannon.  It was a tough workout, but a little backwards for me for some reason. When Chalene said, "You booty should be burning!" my legs were burning, and when she said, "Your legs should be burning!" my glutes were burning. Not sure what I was doing to make it like that, but I was able to reach a good level of pain.  By the end of the routine, YES! my legs and butt were very ready for a break.

SPS day one weights, I accidentally did an extra set on the circuits that called for 2 sets so I just went 3 sets on everything.  That extended my workout by about 15 minutes. That is an eternity for me with weight training.  But I got an INCREDIBLE burn and pump. Third set was killer, I had to break it up into two sets with minimal rest.  What a boost!

I decided to concentrate on form this week, so I'm not going for speed. I really am going to perfect the flow and get to the point where it is second nature, automatic.  I am going to get this down.  I also extended my splits training by several minutes.

The big thing today was my RUMBLE ROLLING!!! I really rolled out my inner thigh to help with my splits. I moved to all over my body, looking for hot spots.  I foam rolled for close to an hour. I was like jelly afterwards. Plus, it was after a hot bath so it felt GOOD!!!  Now THAT is an awesome way to start my week!  Hope you have a great start to your week as well.

Wk2D6: PiYo- Core+ Tai Cheng-Full Flow + Splits Training.

Wk2D6: PiYo- Core+ Tai Cheng-Full Flow + Splits Training.

Did an morning workout today. If I didn't, I wouldn't have been able to fit it in today.

This is a really good workout for me. I doesn't cause pain that makes me double over and groan and cry like P90X's Ab Ripper X after the Mason Twist, but it brings me to the brink and then backs off. Not only once, but all through out the routine. I'm not sure if it is more advantageous if I am pushed over the edge or if I am leaned over the edge then pulled back, but we'll see what the results are after the program is finished. Either way, The workout this morning was great!

After work, I had just enough time to get in about 10 rounds of the Flow, 5 on each side. Today, I went for speed and perfection. I totally nailed it on the last 4 Flows. Also, no major blocks or brain farts that stopped me in the middle of the flow.

As for splits training, it seems like my hip flexor is a bit tender since last night and I wasn't hardly able to get down. So instead of doing the normal stretch, I did the sitting style and trying to lean down as close to the floor as possible. Also the butterfly stretch to work on my inner thighs.
Great way to end the week. No SPS today.

Happy Weekend!

Wk2D5: PiYo- Define: Upper Body + SPS- Functional Cardio 2 + Tai Cheng-Full Flow + Splits Training.

Wk2D5: PiYo- Define: Upper Body + SPS- Functional Cardio 2 + Tai Cheng-Full Flow + Splits Training.

FINALLY, a regular day. I got home and was able to start my workout right away. 

Since today's routine is comparatively short, I try to really push range of motion. Had my shoulders really stretch out. It is really getting to be a good workout for me. I got a good moist sweat on.

The functional cardio was a bit shorter today, only three moves.  But really focused on lower abs.  The moves were High Knees, In and Outs, and Reverse Crunches. 20 seconds supersetted of the three moves, and 10 Rounds. Abs were barking after this one.

For the flow I focused on speed today, So I tried to go as fast as I could staying in control.  I really tried to get the flow into my body and let my body move without thinking, just using physical memory.  I got blocked a few times, but worked it out.

Splits training was more stretching my inner thighs. Pain and pain was up.

It was a good workout today!

Wk2D4: Splits Training + PiYo- Sweat + SPS- Functional Cardio 1 + Tai Cheng-Full Flow.

Wk2D4: Splits Training + PiYo- Sweat + SPS- Functional Cardio 1 + Tai Cheng-Full Flow.

Busy work day, plus, it feels like I may have caught a bug from somewhere. I wanted to do my workout right away when I got home, but was unable to because of a visitor who stayed longer than anticipated. 

While waiting, I decided to to do my splits training, so, while watching "Star Trek: The Next Generation" I stretched out and then just lowered into my splits.  Location was different so I didn't have my mark, but the floor was a lot slipperier than my usual floor so I was able to push lower, I think, than usual. Still hurt like the dickens. But since I was preoccupied with watching one of the best shows ever, I was focused on it instead of the pain.  Held the splits for a lot longer as well. I might do that from now on.

Finally, after the visitor left, I got ready and was just about to start when my son decided that he wanted to do his workout. (I finally got him to start working out after a poor showing at his most recent tennis tournament.) He did his first workout yesterday and seemed excited to workout today. I didn't want to extinguish his fire so I let him do his workout first.  I'm with him and help him with form. He is just starting out, so he is doing the "You Are Your Own Gym" body weight program.

FINALLY, I was able to start my workout. I started to do Define: Upper Body, then thought about my schedule and stopped that routine and switched to Sweat because of time constraints with tomorrow's schedule.  My quads were really barking at the squats progression. I am very pleased that I was able to do with no problems all the push ups in the stretch and strength section. The PiYo Push Up section was a challenge, but I think I totally nailed today's routine! I sweat a TON!!!

 I jumped right into the SPS routine today. Cycling through now and I'm getting used to the system. Today was the 10 sets of 5-move Superset circuit.  The five moves were 1. Body Weight Squats with arms raised, 2. Push-Up Jacks, 3. Prone Cobras, 4. Jumping Jacks, 5. Mountain Climbers. Each move is 20 seconds each with no rest between. 60 second break between each of the 10 sets.  Quick transitions and pushing hard was my focus today. In 20 seconds, I was able to keep pace the whole time, and burned it out on the last round. Got a great burn and sweat on.

I did my regular stretching and then did the flow. I started off fine, but for some reason, about 10 minutes in I just started drawing blanks and I couldn't remember the moves, I was forgetting hand form, and foot placements. I was leaving out whole sections. I was like, "WHAT IS UP???" So I stopped, took a deep breath and slowed down really trying to focus on breath and fluidity. Then next 6 flows were awesome. Great feeling to end on perfection... from my point of view.  Probably not perfect, but until someone tells me otherwise, I go with perfect!

Keep on pushing play!!!

Week 2, Day 3, PiYo:-Define: Lower Body + Tai Cheng-Full Flow + Splits Training.

Week 2, Day 3, PiYo:-Define: Lower Body + Tai Cheng-Full Flow + Splits Training.

Nailed it with the time thing!  I was planning to wake up early and do my workout before tennis, but I woke up 45 minutes later than intended and hand some time only for my PiYo. Since I was in a time crunch, I didn't change our of my pajamas and went right into my workout after getting the essentials done. I didn't think I would sweat that much, but bit mistake. I sweat a lot! I really tried to push the moves and go to the limit of my range of motion. Had a great workout.

Went right to tennis. The gym was C-C-Cold! A lot colder than outside. It was a real up down day. Won 2, lost 2, won 2, lost 1, won 1 for the first set 6-3, Took the second set 6-1, but then was up and down again. But the final score was 6-3, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2. Just too inconsistent to close any of the sets out at LOVE.  Work in progress.

Right after tennis, I had the whole gym to myself so I did the full flow and was able to use the lines on the floor to guy my steps.  I felt much more stable with the lines knowing exactly where my feet are supposed to go.  The flow was really good!

Stretching out is a bit painful, of course. It is very clear that one side is much more flexible than the other. It is relatively easy to go from center splits to left splits, but center splits to right splits is much more difficult.  

Great workout. Burned over 1100kcals today!

Week 2, Day 2, PiYo: Strength- Core + SPS-Full Body Strength 2+Tai Cheng- Splits Training + Full Flow.

Week 2, Day 2, PiYo: Strength- Core + SPS-Full Body Strength 2+Tai Cheng- Splits Training + Full Flow.

Normal day today. First one in a long time.  Got home from work and was able to relax a bit before starting my workout.  Tomorrow is not going to be a normal day so I had to look at the schedule and do a little adjusting just in case.

Today, Define: Lower Body was scheduled, but I didn't want to do a new workout on a day where I was in a pinch for time, so I did Core today for the first time and I am glad I did.  A lot of new core moves that I had never seen before, but were killers. I forget the name of the one at the beginning where Chalene has us hinging at the core was new and really worked me out. Then the combos of all these interesting moves is a refreshing change from the regular core stuff. That close to last move is the toughest of the bunch, I'm on my knee on the side and I move my leg back, they forward, then kick out and back. Chalene said I should be able to see my foot behind me, but I couldn't see my foot for the first few reps. When I finally got to the point where I could see my foot, my core was burning, along with my glute!  Great core workout!

SPS was another tough weights routine. Again, full body. Got a great burn on my biceps and Triceps. Shoulders and traps burned out, Legs and core again. Plus some final hard cardio to kill me at the end.  My traps were rather sore today, and I discovered why, those weighted shoulder shrugs are brutal!  Nailed them today.  Short workout, only about 45 minutes, but the supersetting idea is really interesting, and it helps everything go quicker. So glad for a day off from SPS tomorrow!

I really pushed it on the splits and leg stretching. The flow is also coming along.  Tried a different approach today with the flow. Tried a minimalist approach moving with only about 40% range of motion but with full intensity.  Very interesting. I was able to focus on weight distribution and balance.  With the wider stances, I don't usually focus on those things.

My body is ready for sleep tonight, for sure!

Week 2, Day 1, Tai Cheng- Full Flow + PiYo: Strength- Sweat + SPS-Full Body Strength +Tai Cheng- Splits Training.

Week 2, Day 1, Tai Cheng- Full Flow + PiYo: Strength- Sweat + SPS-Full Body Strength +Tai Cheng- Splits Training.

Another busy day with kids! Watching a tennis tournament in the morning, and RipStiking in the afternoon. So we were outside for about two hours total RipStiking and Scooting around. My daughter was trying to teach me. I must say it is a lot more difficult than it looks, but I was trying. That in itself was a good workout. Then my daughter started waving her hands around in slow motion and she said she was doing Tai Cheng and that gave me the idea to do the flow outside! So for about 30 minutes, I was doing the flow at different positions and at different speeds. ZERO HINDRANCES!  It was great! I was actually able to extend my stances and not bump into anything. I felt so free!!!

I went in and had Shakeology for "Linner" and started my regular workout.

Today's PiYo was up to its name. I was a nice fast routine that, by the end of it, was again, totally killing my quads!  I also really felt stronger with the push ups and I think I'm becoming more stable with the moves. I still lost my balance on the Warrior 3 position a few times, but it is getting better.  I was sweating a lot by the end of it and my legs were BURNING!!!

SPS went back to the beginning of the 4 routine circuit in Phase 1-Build muscle.  But this time, I upped my weights by between 1.25kgs and 5kgs.  It was a real struggle on the final set, final few reps. I got a really great burn all over my body.

To end my day, I did training for splits.  Held the positions a log longer this time around and I got really far down, a bit more than usual.  Also, my butterfly stretch was a lot lower than I've ever done it.

Great way to start a new week!  Blasting through my workout!

The Tennis Boys!

Week 1, Day 6, PiYo: Strength-Define: Upper Body + SPS-Cardio and Core +Tai Cheng- Splits Training & Full Flow.

Week 1, Day 6, PiYo: Strength-Define: Upper Body + SPS-Cardio and Core +Tai Cheng- Splits Training & Full Flow.

There was supposed to be Tennis today also, but the rain put a stop to that But in exchange, I was able to be a bit lazy and just play some games while my kids studies. Got to my workout in the early afternoon so I've got all evening to play with my kids.

Today's PiYo routine, being a bit shorter, I really pushed harder trying to really flex and move with focused control. Got a good sweat on, Upper Body got a good burn as well, but not that big a calorie burn.

Today, was again functional day with SPS. Only three moves today. 1. High Knees 2. In and Outs 3. Reverse Crunches. I thought I could blast through it, but it was a lot more tasking than I had anticipated. Also, I didn't take the 90-120 second break, I took about half that. It is good training for the "I want to give up..." attitude. Three killer moves, every time I thought to extend my break, I would just say, "NO" and push it. Not much, but every small victory over my desires that hurt me is a victory in the long run.

Went down a lot further on my splits today, about a half an inch to an inch lower. The reason, I did the butterfly stretch before hand, or at least that is what I'm attributing today's success to. Before, I would just do the regular NR4 moves, but today, I switched it up and added the butterfly stretch. Made a huge difference. Less pain at my mark. There is a lot of resistance in my left hip flexor so that helped a lot.

The flow was great. I'm now trying to emulate Dr. Cheng. The flow is setting in my physical memory so I'm starting to advance. Very happy about that.

The only somewhat of a bummer thing is that the TBB site is down, possibly hacked and I couldn't log my workouts. Hopefully the issue is resolved quickly without any loss of private information.

Great way to end my first week of this new journey! Have a great weekend everyone!

The Rumble Roller!!!

This is what I got for myself. I was scared of using it at first, but after using it, I LOVE IT!!!

Week 1, Day 5, PiYo: Strength-Define: Lower Body + SPS-Cardio and strength +Tai Cheng- Splits Training & Full Flow.

Week 1, Day 5, PiYo: Strength-Define: Lower Body + SPS-Cardio and strength +Tai Cheng- Splits Training & Full Flow.

Happy New Year, Everyone!
BUSY BUSY DAY! Hit the floor running and didn't get home until close to 7pm.  I was changed and ready to go by 7:15pm.

I'm sort of glad these routines are short. I pushed for a wider range of motion on everything today, and several times I felt a cramp coming on in my glute or some other area.  One thing about this routine, It seems that in the Down Dog series, I thought something was odd the first time I did it, but tonight confirms it, She cuts the left side short. When she does the Right side, Chalene goes through the series of moves TWICE, but when she does it on the left side, she only does the series of moves once.  And it is a pretty long series.  So I just rewound the DVD to the beginning of the left side and did it again. If there is one thing that irks me, it is imbalance in a workout routine.  Billy Blanks in Taebo often is unbalanced... TOO often. That is one reason why I don't like his routines as much.  This usually doesn't happen in Beachbody programs, but this is one case where it is a pretty big miss. Or is my DVD defective?  Did anyone else notice that?  But because I pushed it, my legs and lower body got a great workout!

SPS (Six Pack Shortcuts)- Today was what he calls Functional Day so I did a series of 5 moves in supersets for 10 cycles.  The five moves were 1. Body Weight Squats 2. Push Up Jacks 3. Upper Body Prone Raises 4. Jumping Jacks 5. Mountain Climbers. The series was 20 seconds for each move non-stop, then after the 5th move, 90 seconds of rest for a total of 10 cycles.  It was easy the first few times around, but by round 7, I was slowing down and would have to really push to keep it up for the full time. Great workout.

Then I did most of the Neural Reboot, but not enough to post it as having been done. And I did the splits training.  I'm really trying to open up my hips, because they seem extremely restricted. It's going to take a lot of time to get those splits.  The full flow was another successful go around.  Getting more consistent.

In the afternoon, we went shopping and I got a little something for myself. I'll post a pic of what I got, but I used it and at first it was extremely uncomfortable, but then I quickly got the hang of it and LOVED IT!!! I didn't know what I was missing until today. I'm SO glad I made that purchase! I highly recommend one for everyone!!!

Happy New Year, and let's blast 2015!!!