Warrior Dash Training Plan

New fitness training plan! Because in my heart of hearts I want to be a ninja like Jessie Graff. I mean, how can you beat a real-life superhero? You can’t. End of story. My son and I both love her and think she’s beyond everything. My husband thinks her physical prowess is amazing. Every time we see her doing something (it’s always a physical thing like scaling a wall or leaping around like gravity is meaningless), we’re motivated to do an impromptu workout right then and there. Why fight it? So we do some pull-ups (or assisted in my case) and push-ups. Not much. Just enough to get our arms warm and a sense of productivity to make us feel good.

With my bad joints, there’s no way I can throw myself into ninja training though. I’ll most likely never be able to do that. And that’s okay. That doesn’t mean I can’t aspire to be stronger though.

“Be Your Own Superhero”

I read that on signs and shirts people had at American Ninja Warrior lately. Jessie Graff fans. I love that idea. It makes me want to work harder at my goals.

So! I may not be ninja quality, but I’m currently satisfied with becoming a Warrior. I saw there was a Warrior Dash race here in Nebraska just outside of Omaha. July 15th. HA! That is NOT happening! However, I can start training now for 2018. With that in mind, I took a look at their training plan and am trying to incorporate it into my weekly plan.

I have to modify nearly everything but you have to start somewhere and this gives me something to work toward while I wait. My goal is to not modify anything by the time the Nebraska Warrior Dash race comes around in 2018. And, yes, it’ll take me that long to safely train because my shoulders, having been injured in the past, are my weakest point.

---

Here’s what I did today:

Cardio & Strength Circuit 1

Warm-Up: 30s each, 1-2x (I did 1x)

• Squat
• Jumping Jacks
• Squat to Reach
• High Knees (walked for low impact)
• Reverse Lunge Rotation (realize now I did wrong – only a reverse lunge with a twist)
• Butt Kickers (walked for low impact)

Obstacle 1 – Crawling 10r each, 90s

• Army Crawl (on my knees)
• Frog Squat Thrust (walked through instead of jumping)

Rest 30s // RUN! 90s

Obstacle 2 – Pushing 10r each, 90s

• Tricep Dips
• Med Ball Slam (no med balls available and I didn’t want to slam anything down, switched to Kettlebell Swing…which I realized afterwards was not a good substitute because it worked my legs rather than my arms. I’ll find a new substitute later.)

REST 30s // RUN! 90s

Obstacle 3 – Jumping 10r each, 90s

• Bench Lunge Step Ups
• Tuck Jumps (modified to squat with calf raise)

Rest 30s // RUN! 90s

Obstacle 4 – Pulling 10r each, 90s

• Pull-Ups (equipment not available, substituted with shoulder presses…a pull-down machine would’ve been better but I was in the wrong room and didn’t feel like running all over the building trying to find it again)
• Squat Thrust to High Pull

Rest 30s /// RUN! 90s

Obstacle 5 – Agility 10r each, 90s

• Jump Rope (did without a jump rope)
• Over the Bench

Rest 30s // RUN! 90s

Obstacle 6 – Balance 10r each, 90s

• Squat on Toes (used a bar for balance)
• Plank with Ankle Touch

Rest 30s // RUN! 90s

---

I desperately needed some stretching after this so I added in the Core & Flexibility Workout as well.

Core & Flexibility Workout

45s each, Rest 15s between each

• Squat Chop (I messed up and did a squat with a twist)
• One Leg Front Bridge (alternated between on my toes in plank and on my knees in modified plank)
• Twist (no tubing available, used a 10lb BodyPUMP weight)
• Dead Bug
• Glutes Stretch
• Side Bridge Crunch (on one knee)
• Alternating Superman
• Scorpion Stretch
• Lower Back Stretch
• Hamstrings Stretch
• Hip Flexors Stretch
• Quadriceps Stretch
• IT Band Stretch

Felt good up till the end with the IT Band Stretch. I remember that move from physical therapy. OUCH!! My legs desperately needed it though. I haven’t used the foam roller in forever! It made me feel professional. Feel free to laugh at me, I am.

That core workout wasn’t really big for core moves but wow! That stretching felt good. I’m definitely going to be incorporating that a lot more from now on.

If you’re interested in this training plan, click on the picture below:

Total Body Toning Class + Playlist

This last Friday I took the Total Body Toning class at my Y to see what it was like.

Class Description: Tone the entire body with use of hand weights, resistance bands, and stability balls.

It sounded similar to the Circuit Fusion class I always took and was eventually trained to do and it turned out it was similar. No cardio though. It was designed to tone the muscles in an anaerobic fashion as opposed to aerobic which is the kind that gets your heart rate up.

Translation: No cardio.

That part was disappointing because I love mixing cardio in with my workouts. It gives a better workout in less time. But sticking with pure strength training isn’t a bad thing and I know tons of people prefer to do that. The day after taking the class, my arms were so sore! I had completely forgotten the triceps section of the class so I wondered for awhile why my triceps were so sore. The move had been a bit awkward because I had never thought to do it before but boy did it work! Two days later and I’m still sore.

Anyway, I got to talking with the teacher after the class was done and I may be able to sub for her if the fitness director gives the thumbs up. Just in case I get the green light, I spent my weekend creating a 45-minute class from scratch. It’s not like my old Circuit Fusion classes though because my equipment of choice was always a mat (mainly for ab work) and dumbbells and I don’t think they have enough dumbbells available. I’ll have to check out the equipment in the room when I go next. They have those long bars that I can use and rubber bands but I’m not all that used to them anymore so it would take more thought to put together a workout with those.

It was surprisingly difficult actually because I’m not used to creating routines anymore, I have to keep it anaerobic, and it’s 15 minutes longer than what I used to do. The warm-up is from POP 6 and many of the moves are from Cassey Ho. I’m hoping parts of it will generate some interest in my POP Pilates class too.

I spent almost as much time making the playlist as I did working on the moves. Each song will have 3 moves repeated and will have a different focus. For example: Shakira’s Waka Waka will have Walnut Crushers, Golf Balls, and Back Behinds to work the upper body and That’s Not My Name by The Ting Tings will focus on the lower body with Lunge Pulses, Sideways Scissors, and Plow & Squat. That last move I’m really not sure about because we’ll have a kind of short, squishy mat but not really a mat and I don’t want it sliding out from under people when they do this so I’ll have to test it first. If it always slides, I’ll have to change it to regular squats or side lunges or something. I love the Plow & Squat though, it’s super fun. And what a workout if you have to completely stand up from that squat to move to the next round of Lunge Pulses!

[Insert Evil Laughter]

Here’s the playlist:

I’m hoping to have loose choreography so I won’t have to count, but I’m not sure if this would work or not. Not a big deal though. Each song would still tell me what to work next. I would just count to keep everything even instead of doing it strictly to the music. However, Waka Waka screams for choreography. I’ve already tested it and it was super easy to fall into the rhythm.

Honestly though, I miss dumbbells. I miss Kelly’s Circuit Fusion class. It’s not the same with me doing it because my routines are way different.

PIIT28 Finale. I survived!

Let’s get right down to it! Here are my reactions to the last week of PIIT28.

PIIT28 1.7: Core Crusher

Round 1:  Round 2:  Round 3:  Round 4:  

First day back after a break is always the hardest for me. I’m naturally a couch potato and my body is quite happy to sit around and do nothing so after a week of not exercising, my body wasn’t the happiest camper getting pushed again. But by the last round it was easier to get my butt moving.

PIIT28 1.8: Dancer’s Legs 

Round 1:  Round 2:    Round 3:  Round 4: 

I was actually impatient for my mom to wake up so I could start doing this workout. My exercise area is right above her room and she doesn’t sleep well at night (sometimes she doesn’t sleep at all in fact) so I have to wait till 10-11am before I can be decent about waking her up by jumping on her ceiling.

Once I got going though, I just about died. Lots and lots of hopping. Those Plank Jack Donkey Kicks…jeez. I was able to hop through the jacks the whole time but the donkey kicks… I made it through a little over half the 1st round before having to walk through those for the rest of the subsequent rounds.

PIIT28 1.9: Sleek & Sexy Back

Round 1:  Round 2:  Round 3:  Round 4: 

Can my arms be any more dead than they feel right now? Holy cow! My triceps were screaming the whole time! So were my thighs for that matter. WTH! So many hops. Hops of death. I had to use modifications for one of the moves because my legs were still dead from the day before.

PIIT28 1.10: Fat Burn Fest 

Round 1:  Round 2:  Round 3:  Round 4: 

OMG! Today was a killer on my triceps! After yesterday’s workout…jeez. And here I thought they were tired before. My arms just about died today! My triceps are getting so strong. Big smile here! The weather outside was curl up in a blanket and read a book while drinking coffee or cocoa so I really didn’t want to get my butt in gear. After I got started, though, I forgot myself and just did it. I was so happy afterwards despite being supremely tired. I NAILED those jumping lunges! WooHoo! Everything about this was a killer. Everything.

PIIT28 1.5: Cardio Camp

Round 1:  Round 2:  Round 3:  Round 4: 

Totally rocked out to the music today. Somehow this was easier than the rest of the week’s been. Maybe I’m finally getting used to this particular workout. My shoulders/arms were lovin’ the break and my legs weren’t threatening to go on strike. I’m getting stronger! Yay! I had so much fun today. Only 1 more workout for round 1!

PIIT28 1.11: Bubble Butt 

Round 1:  Round 2:  Round 3:  Round 4:

*Note* That face for round 2 was because my son was complaining about a DVD skipping so I had to suffer through his negative melodrama before I had enough and cleaned the disc off.

I wanted so much to work harder on this last day of round 1 of PIIT28, but I couldn’t. My knees have been hurting again. I had to ice them yesterday after a couple weeks of not needing to. Icing them again right now. While I was out grocery shopping this morning, my left knee kept feeling like it was going to pop out if I moved wrong. UGH!

But I did my workout and I kept it careful. Any sign of real pain and I would’ve stopped but I kept my movements down. This means, of course, that I had to modify two of the moves that required tons of jumping. One I kept jumping just not at the same intensity; the other I had to step through the movements. It sucked. But I still got a good butt workout and I still worked up a sweat.

I hate it when my knees threaten to go on strike.

AH! Finally! There were times I wondered if I was going to survive. But I made it and I’m stronger than ever! I feel like I could take on the world!!

What will I do now that this is over? Do it again of course!!! Yeah, I’m crazy, but I am seriously loving how I feel doing this program. And Cassey Ho’s added 2 extra videos to add in for round 2 PIIT28. Yeah, it’s not just me who’s crazy. Lots of people are.

I started to write all about what I’ll be in for with Round 2, but it turned out super long and I hate it when that happens. It’s boring and exhausting reading mega posts that are well over 1000 words. So I’ll just have more posts than usual this week.

Click on the above picture to buy the PIIT28 program

When Life Interrupts

I got back a few days ago from visiting family in SoCal. It was fun. Because everything’s so darn expensive over there now, my conscience could only handle going to one place (my parents were treating us and I didn’t want them going bankrupt going to a bunch of theme parks).

My son loves ocean life and, from what I’ve been told, this is the last year Seaworld is going to have the orcas so we went there. My son had a blast. I, on the other hand, pushed my mother in her wheelchair (with my son frequently on her lap, lazy butt that he can be) up and down hills all day. At about 230-240 lbs, she’s not light. Neither is my son at 45 lbs. My muscles were working that day.

We were there for about 8 1/2 hours but I only pushed her for perhaps 5-6 of those hours. There was the sit down for lunch and shows and a time when my son and I went on some rides.

By the time we got back to the hotel room, it was about 9pm and I was exhausted! My feet/legs hurt sooooo much! Also, I felt super disgusting from having been drenched in salt water during the One Ocean show with the orcas.

That’s when it happened. My first flub this month. I missed my PIIT28 workout. It was awful. I felt supremely guilty despite having gotten an excellent workout pushing my mom/son all through the park.

I had been so good up till then. Despite being in SoCal for several days by that point and having family stuff every one of those days, I had gotten my workouts in. But that day was just too much. Instead I did it the next day. Yay for me! We were supposed to go back to Colorado the day after that but our flight was canceled due to a major blizzard in Colorado. So instead we did more family stuff in a haphazard sort of way so I again wasn’t able to get my workout in. So FRUSTRATING!!!!

Due to family stuff, I haven’t worked out since Tuesday and it’s left me feeling guilty, frustrated, and depressed with a mondo heaping of FAILURE staring at me from on the side.

To be completely honest, I seriously debated lying to everyone because I thought I wouldn’t get the free PIIT28 shirt. Shallow, yes, I know. I had worked so hard the whole month and then to have my efforts ruined at the end…I chose not to lie though because, well, I’m not cut out to be a liar. I hate lying. Really hate it. I would’ve felt like a total fake as well as a failure then.

Click on the above picture to get the PIIT28 program

As if in reward for my good moral decision, Cassey Ho sent out an e-mail later that day saying everyone who finished the program would receive the free shirt upon completion no matter when they started. They just had to complete the full program.

YES!!!

I was so relieved. Which is a good thing because I’ve ended up missing this entire last week. My husband doesn’t live with us right now (job stuff) so when he can visit, we drop pretty much everything to have as much family time as possible. Usually I can get my workout in when he’s here because he takes a nap, but this time the blizzard left a ton of snow that was perfect for snowmen, snowballs, and sledding so we’ve done as much of that as we could instead.

Since my workout space is tinier than usual due to the hubby’s luggage, I’m going to rest today (Sunday’s a rest day anyway). Everything in me revolts at the idea of getting yet another day behind everyone but I’m going to ignore this feeling. I’m going to practice the POP 4 choreography instead and start the final week of PIIT28 on Monday. That way I’ll stay in tune with when I’ve been exercising. And I’ll have my workout space back.

OMG! I practiced the POP 4 choreography with my hands on the plane ride home! The lady next to me probably thought I was nuts. Makes me laugh. I got a solid 2 hours of practice in though and I really got into the zone so I stopped caring after the first couple songs. Yay for not caring what other people think!

Okay, since I did do some PIIT28 workouts while on vacation, here’s how they went.

3/18/16 PIIT28 1.4: Lean Body

Round 1:   Round 2:  Round 3:  Round 4: 

For the first time ever I wore my Blogilates booty shorts in public. There was a fitness center at the hotel so I bucked up, took my mat in it’s cute new Blogilates bag that I got for Christmas, and entered the room…only to find it was tiny and 3 people were already in it. The person closest to me…was a man! I could have died right there. I wanted to be brave and wear my booty shorts because I feel strong and powerful in them. I did not want to wear them for the first time in public in front of a guy. After the 1st round I was too tired to pay attention to him…much. It was also pretty weird to exercise in front of a wall of mirrors so I was more focused on myself and the muscles popping out on my thighs whenever I jumped.

3/19/16 PIIT28 1.5: Cardio Camp

Round 1:  Round 2:  Round 3:  Round 4: 

Out at the pool today! Be-a-u-ti-ful!

3/22/16 PIIT28 1.6: Booty Lift

Round 1:  Round 2:  Round 3:  Round 4: 

Ouch! My knees were not having this one. Had to modify the jumping lunges back down to walking lunges. And tuck jumps. Ugh. Just ugh. So happy to be done with this one. I did the cool down then practiced the POP 4 cool down twice. My body was so happy.

We must take what life gives us and make the best of it. I may be behind in the PIIT28 program now but I WILL finish it this week! Life should be going back to normal with spring break out of the way so there shouldn’t be anymore interruptions.

PIIT28 Week 3-4

I thought I just about died by the end of those last 2 weeks…Oh wait…I did!

Those last 2 weeks were murderous. But whenever I thought I was nearing the end of what I could manage, the rest day came. The morning of Daylight Savings I slept like a log till 10am. It felt sooooo good! Each time when Monday hit I was good to go again. My body didn’t particularly want to but I pushed it and got it done. Each day after that was a bit easier…until Friday and Saturday which were killers again. Especially Saturday. I learned my lesson that day – eat properly or be weak and lethargic and maybe throw up.

This week has been much easier with pushing myself to get it done.

That’s kinda what I’m doing. I do my best to get my workout in before lunch. But I still need time to actually wake up so I aim between 9-11am. It’s working so far. But was my prediction on this week correct? Did I perform the moves better and push myself further? There’s no way I can say the workouts were easier because workouts should never be easy. If you find your muscles aren’t burning, pick up the pace. Make it harder for yourself or you’ll never get better.

3/15/16 PIIT28 1.1: Abdomination

Round 1:  Round 2:  Round 3:  Round 4: 

Yeah, I believe those emojis say it all. I was able to perform the moves a lot better this time so I pushed myself harder. If you remember from that 1st week (PIIT28 – 1st Week of March) I had to be on my knees for the dreaded Plank Jacks. They’re no longer dreaded and I’m no longer on my knees. I hopped those suckers out the entire time! WOO!

3/16/16 PIIT28 1.2: Perfect Legs

Round 1:  Round 2:  Round 3:  Round 4: 

The Frogger Hops murdered my legs the last time. I walked them the 1st 2 rounds  and though I tried to hop at the end, really, they were pathetic hops that didn’t even get my legs halfway up the mat. This time, however, I was able to hop it out the entire time and usually got my feet all the way up to my hands. The times when I didn’t, I was going at least halfway up the mat. YAY! More progress!

3/17/16 PIIT28 1.3: Ultimate Upper Body

Round 1:  Round 2:  Round 3:  Round 4: 

I wasn’t look forward to this workout because it so royally kicked my butt last time. I used to be proud of my arm strength but they’ve become pretty wimpy. By round 2, though I was tired, I was surprised because it wasn’t as hard as I remembered it. I knew the worst was yet to come though. Round 3 I was pretty tired but my arms felt great. I thought if I still felt that good, I’d go for push-ups on my toes for round 4.

I managed 3 or 4 full push-ups. They were seriously shallow but I did them! WOO! I powered through that workout and pushed and pushed and pushed. By the end I wanted to shout out my victory…so I did.

Then I took my selfie for today’s PIITstagram challenge.

I’m so proud of my arm muscles! That’s PIIT baby. PIIT28.

By the way, I owned those nasty Piked Hops too. Totally owned them.

All right. I’m out for a little while. I’ll still be doing the workouts, just not able to post about them until sometime late next week. I wanted to get these 3 out there because I’m having fun with the emojis and I’m super proud of today’s workout.

What do you think of the emojis giving a shortened version of my workout reactions?

Till next week! Keep working hard and changing your life!

Click on the above picture to buy the PIIT28 program

PIIT28 Halfway

2-Week Progress:

The PIIT28 program lasts 28 days (not including the rest day you get at the end of every week) but in the PIITstagram challenge there’s a 2-week progress pic. I didn’t want to but I think I’m becoming immune to the embarrassment of putting up half-naked photos of myself (sports bra and booty shorts) for the world to see. You couldn’t have paid me to do it however many years ago. Now I just grimaced and did it.

I studied those two front shots of me for a long time looking for changes. I even took pictures of my sides and back and studied those as well. Nothing…that I could see in shots with me just standing there. So I flexed my leg and took a picture of that. BAM! That’s where all my progress is. I have a lot of extra skin and I have a lot of fat. There’s not much I can do that doesn’t require time and patience, especially if I’m not eating very well.

That leg picture shows my outward change – I’ve gained muscle. I am so much stronger than I was at the start of this month. The last new PIIT28 workout showed me that. I’ll get into that in a bit. I’m happier than I was, I’m more energetic (except for last Saturday with that cardio workout that turned me into a zombie for the rest of the day), I’m physically and mentally stronger, I’m more confident. And I feel so supported by the rest of the PIIT28 community along with the POP Pilates community. It’s given me the extra motivation I need to keep going. Continuing with this program has me feeling like I’m part of a community. It’s nice.

I was still curious though. Had I not lost any inches? I mean, gaining muscle is awesome, but I would like my skin to be tighter and my body therefore smaller. I know strength training and cardio tightens skin so I was still hoping perhaps I had lost, like, 1/4″ or something somewhere.

My hopes were not in vain! While my bust and arms stayed the same (my arms were probably due to the increased muscle and my constant underarm fat friend), everywhere else had lost about 1/2″. Waist and hips lost 1/2″ while my thighs had each lost about 1/4 – 1/2″. YAY!!! WOOO!!!!

Imagine the change I could be undergoing if I was eating correctly…

Yesterday had me doing the last new PIIT28 workout – 1.11: Bubble Butt. This doesn’t mean the challenge is done. But starting today I start the whole thing over with 1.1: Abdomination. In the next post I’ll write about how I feel/do the 2nd time around. My expectations are that, because I’m stronger and have more endurance, I’ll be able to do the exercises better and longer. I’ll be able to power through the workouts better than I did the first time around. I’m already seeing signs that this is true as I repeat moves in different workouts and can perform them better/longer.

3/14/16 PIIT28 1.11: Bubble Butt

I almost threw up at the end. A certain evil move placed at the end of each round kicked my butt every time so that, by the end, it took every ounce of my willpower not to give up. It also took quite a bit of willpower not to stagger to the toilet and throw up.

Insanity (the program from Shaun T, not the mental condition) has done that to me before too. I’ve been so dead on my feet that I’ve wanted to throw up. I don’t actually like that feeling hence the reason why I never bought into that program. But usually I don’t feel like that with PIIT28 so I’m willing to overlook that day.

I was super proud of myself during the workout though. 1) For actually getting through the workout and giving it my all; and 2) For being able to power through the Elevated Leg Circles without stopping and without going down to the floor which I had to do the last time I did that move in another PIIT28 workout.

Make mini circles with that extended leg. Don’t drop it!

*NOTE* I’ve taken out the gifs of Cassey actually doing the exercises because they came from the PIIT28 package and I don’t want to accidentally infringe on copywrite laws. The picture here now is a screenshot from one of her free POP Pilates Youtube videos.

Before I had to move down onto my elbow and rest my body on the floor while circling that top leg. This time I was able to stay just like Cassey is in the gif! Yay! Proof that, although my body doesn’t really look different, it is different. I have more muscle!

I’m not going to lie. This program is HARD. It’s not for people who give up when they get tired. But, you never really know. A lot of challenges I try, I give up before I finish because I lose interest or because it’s too hard or a combination of both. I don’t know why I’m sticking with this. It’s hard. SO hard. But I’m loving it! I’m loving the changes I’m feeling and I’m loving the progress I’m making. I’m loving the feeling of accomplishment and camaraderie I feel when I do a workout and then gush/moan about a certain move on the community board.

This program works for me. It won’t be like that for everyone, but it works for me and I’m super happy I got it. I actually didn’t have the money for it when I bought it. My birthday was coming up so I asked people who were getting me a gift to please give me a small amount of money instead so I could pay for it. It was actually cheaper than they would’ve paid for a present so, although they thought I was nuts, they were cool with it.

Best birthday present EVER!

Click on the above picture to buy the PIIT28 program

And in case you want to go for the gold to get even better results, here’s a link to the 28-Day Reset meal plan.

Click the above picture to sign up and get The 28 Day Reset

March PIIT28 Continued (2nd Half of 2nd Week)

I did the first couple days of the 2nd week of PIIT28 before because it was my birthday and I didn’t want to put up all 6 PIIT days at once. As you saw in the first week, that makes a long post. So here we’re looking at 3/10 – 3/12.

3/10/16 PIIT28 1.9: Sleek & Sexy Back

This…killed my triceps. OMG were they screaming. But they survived and I survived and it was all good. I’m just glad I was spared a million kinds of push-ups this time around.

Fav move time! Ever since Cassey first introduced the Pushing Grasshopper, I’ve loved it. You’re working your triceps and butt/lower back with this move. It actually killed this time because there was so much triceps work this time around.

Pushing Grasshopper – Start in the 1st position, then do a half cobra (tricep push-up), after you lower lift your legs

I remember I had to work super hard to get my triceps strong before but after having let myself go, they’re all weak again. Working them again feels harder than before but that’s most likely because I let the muscles atrophy and I’m not used to the burn anymore. And good grief is Cassey making my triceps burn.

3/11/16 PIIT28 1.10: Fat Burn Fest

Total body workout today! Man are my triceps sore from yesterday. They just want to fall off and never return. They’re not thrilled after today’s workout either, but the don’t hurt. It’s the good burn, not the bad. I had to modify the first move in the first round to allow my knees time to warm up, but by the next cardio move I was good to go.

Once more my favorite move is the one that totally killed me. I’m putting it up as my fav move this time instead of perhaps one of the easier strengthening moves because I’ve made such progress on it.

Burpee – Jump up, place hands on the mat, jump legs back into plank, do a push-up, jump feet back towards hands, jump up

Cassey’s advanced form of the burpee has a push-up in it which I never wanted to do because it made my arms so tired (but I did it anyway…once or twice in a session). This time I added that push-up every single time and I was able to actually jump out and then jump back in close to my hands. A complete burpee!! YAY!!!

My burpees were slow and the push-ups were modified on my knees but I still did the whole thing and boy did my heart rate soar. I have a hazy dream that I’ll be able to do this kind of burpee unmodified someday. Looks like I’m one step closer!

3/12/16 PIIT28 1.5: Cardio Camp

No, I didn’t make a mistake. I thought there was a typo at first on the calendar but then I realized that there’s pure cardio every 6th day. Shudder. That’s the day when this program is most like a HIIT workout. Bam bam bam. Cardio cardio cardio.

I’ve already discussed this workout and given a move so I won’t go into it again.

Has anyone else noticed that you’re sweating buckets with these workouts? I sweated a bit in 1.1 Abdomination but it wasn’t too bad. However, by day 3 I was sweating more and more. Since last week’s 1.5 Cardio Camp, I’ve been drenched in sweat every single time. I also started to think it was getting easier. It’s not. It felt like Cassey gave me a “break” for 1 or 2 days before wailing on me with the cardio moves again.

The moves by themselves can give a good workout and some of them seem super easy at first. But when you combine them with all the other cardio moves, even separated as they are in this program, you’re really feeling even the simple hopping moves. It’s horrible! Awesome but horrible. Awesomely horrible.

It’s comments like that that make my family think I’m crazy.

Tomorrow’s a rest day (thank goodness!) and then Monday will be the last new PIIT28 workout. After that we repeat the 1st 2 weeks.

Click on the above picture to buy the PIIT28 program

*NOTE* I’ve taken out the gifs of Cassey actually doing the exercises because they came from the PIIT28 package and I don’t want to accidentally infringe on copywrite laws. The pictures here now are screenshots from some of her free POP Pilates/PIIT Youtube videos.

Birthday + Continued PIIT28

It’s my birthday and I’ll sweat if I want to, sweat if I want to, sweat if I want to. You would sweat too if you love to eat food!

And I do. So much. My birthday was Tuesday, March 8. I meant to post that day but it didn’t happen because I never got around to it. My son was super disappointed that my birthday wasn’t exciting with lots of presents and cake so he wrapped more of his toys to give to me. I didn’t want cake though so I went out and got chocolate muffins, stuck an old question mark candle in mine, and pretended it was a cake. Finally he was satisfied.

3/7/16 PIIT28 1.6: Booty Lift

Sunday (3/6) was a rest day (thank goodness!) so I continue with Monday’s workout. It was a butt day. Although it was hard, it went by surprisingly fast. The first round always goes by quickly because I’m doing the moves for the first time but then the 2nd round went by just as quickly. I was happily surprised. But then the 4th round finished and I was all, “What? I’m done? COOL!”

The workout was easier than usual too but that, I know, was all me. There were jumping lunges but I don’t trust my fitness level with that yet so I walk it instead of jump it so, although I got a good amount of cardio, it wasn’t as much as I would’ve gotten had I not modified that move.

This time I’m going to give a shout out to my fav moves instead of the hardest ones. So my fav move in this workout was, oddly enough, the Wall Squat.

Wall Squat – squat against a wall (sorry I couldn’t find a pic of Cassey herself doing it)

I was able to go a lot lower than I used to be able to do. Yay! So excited! Although this was supposed to be a “cardio” move, it allowed me to catch my breath. I still felt the thigh burn and my legs started shaking on that last round. I could have gone lower but I was already at a 90 degree angle and you shouldn’t go past that because you could hurt your knees.

3/8/16 PIIT28 1.7: Core Crusher

Did this workout crush my core? Yes, yes, it did. Was I able to give the whole thing more than I did last week? Yes, yes, I did. YAY! I totally crushed this workout! It killed me but I did it! I can all ready feel the difference in my strength and endurance. So psyched!

My fav move from this workout was the Side Lunge Hops.

Side Lunge Hop – hop to one side to lunge to the side then hop to the other side and lunge to that side

They’re so fun and it gets the wind going a bit to dry my sweat. This move was also done in the first workout – 1.1 Abdomination. I was so winded doing this move that day and I got so tired. This time the move was invigorating and I was able to power through it the whole time without getting so winded. I’d huff and puff but it wasn’t exhausting like it was that first day. Signs of progress! Woo!

3/9/16 PIIT28 1.8: Dancer’s Legs

Oh…My…I don’t think I even had breath or energy to think of cusses this time. Actually, I haven’t cussed at all since PIIT28 started which is weird for me because whenever I really feel the burn and get super tired, I tend to at least mentally cuss out the instructor whoever they may be. I mean it in the nicest way of course. But I’ve been having so much fun doing PIIT28 and focusing on really pushing myself that I haven’t even thought insults.

Today was super hard, but I won’t mention the worst, most evil move this time. I’ll give my favorite. Oh goodness. My favorite. I think I died halfway through the workout so it’s hard to decide what killed me the least or at least which one I enjoyed doing while I died.

Okay, so I lied. I guess I did mention the most evil, diabolical move. But I didn’t mention it because it killed me more than anything else. I mentioned it because I could actually DO the plank jacks!

Plank Jack Donkey Kick – Start in plank, jump out then back in, then jump your feet toward your butt to kick it

I somehow managed to do the entire move the first round. I was so super dead by the 2nd round that I modified it by walking through the whole thing. Then the 3rd round I alternated between walking the whole thing out and jumping through the jacks while walking through the donkey kicks. By the 4th round I was able to do the plank jacks again but had to walk through the donkey kick.

That donkey kick part MURDERED my thighs till I could barely kick at all in the first round. But I’m super proud of myself for having done the plank jacks over half the time. Yay! Now I can die in peace.

I’ll continue with the rest of this week’s workouts later. Only 3 more new ones! After that we go back to 1.1. I’m already seeing signs on my body of progress! More muscle definition. More muscle period. I can feel it and see it and I’m not even halfway done!

Click on the above picture to buy the PIIT28 program

*NOTE* I’ve taken out the gifs of Cassey actually doing the exercises because they came from the PIIT28 package and I don’t want to accidentally infringe on copywrite laws. The pictures here now are screenshots from some of her free POP Pilates/PIIT Youtube videos.

PIIT28 – 1st Week of March

Now that PIIT28 is out and being done, I wanted to give my impression of the actual workouts and see how the program stacks up to similar kinds.

3/1/16 PIIT 1.1: Abdomination

I was so happy and excited to join in on Cassey’s live video! I had never watched a live video before. Not when it was live anyway. Her hair got so messy! Such a little thing and yet it made me super happy because it was a real sign that she’s just like everybody else. She always looks perfect in her Youtube videos and in her DVDs so to see her not looking perfect was great. I like seeing my instructors sweat and get tired and look imperfect. By the end of the class, they looked like me!

While the PIIT28 videos in the Portal only guide you through one round of the day’s workout, Cassey led us through the entire thing in the live video. By the way, that video is available on Facebook now so you can still work out with Cassey and the other instructors even if you missed it live. It’s entitled “Starting piit28 1.1: ABDOMINATION like now! Join in!!!” and is under the All Videos section. Sorry, I couldn’t figure out how to link directly to the video, but it’s easy to find.

She also included the warm-up that we do before every workout and the Total Body Flexy cooldown/stretch that we are instructed to do after the Abdomination workout.

The first round was good but hard. After the 2nd round, I was huffing and puffing and was totally needing a break. Strangely enough, Cassey wasn’t kidding when she said it was all downhill from there. I was able to work harder in the 3rd round and was seriously huffing and puffing by the end and trying to slow my racing heart. The amazing thing was during the 4th round though. I was able to push myself harder than ever! How that happened, I don’t know. Usually I’m about ready to die long before then and can barely move. This time I got a rush of adrenaline and managed to work harder than ever. It was great!

I was riding an endorphin high for hours after. Of course, when the high wore off I totally crashed but I was still happy. Super sleepy, but totally happy.

The move I had to modify the most was the Plank Jack. I’ve always been awful at this move. My entire body gets super tired super quick, especially my abs and shoulders. It’s an awesome move because it’s super effective by seriously working your entire body. This move means serious business.

Plank Jacks – Jump your feet out and then back in

3/2/16 PIIT 1.2: Perfect Legs

OMG! So awesome. If my reaction to these workouts keeps up, I’ll know that Cassey has hit on that wonderful sweet spot that triggers the endorphin release. I should be dying by the end of the workout but by that last round I’m full of energy and just want to give it my all! Don’t get me wrong. I’m huffing and puffing and there are times I want to fall over. There are times I have to take mini breaks and moves I have to modify.

The Frogger Hops were the worst but, whereas I didn’t even want to try to manage them in the beginning (I walked them out the first 2 rounds), I was able to do so in the 3rd and 4th rounds. Not the entire time perhaps, but in 5-15 second spurts.

Frogger Hops – Jump your feet from plank towards your hands then back to plank

3/3/16 PIIT28 1.3: Ultimate Upper Body

Today was an upper body day. I’d like to say something whose initials are B and S but I try not to cuss in this blog. Yeah, the upper body was the focus. Did we only work upper body though? Does Pilates ever only work on one part of the body? Nope. Uh uh. I don’t think so. But the focus was on the arms for the strength training segments. And boy do my arms hurt!

Out of the workouts so far, I found this to be the most difficult. This is my first “negative’ review. It was full of push-ups. I’m all right with push-ups to a certain extent but I don’t like them. Why? Because they’re HARD!

The hardest move was the end move. The Piked Hops.

[Haven’t found suitable pictures for this move. Check back later.]

I’m seeing a pattern here for the moves I find most difficult. Are you? Whole body floor cardio moves. Seriously THE MOST difficult moves I can do are these types of moves. Serious moves, serious results. There are two modifications for this move: 1) bend your knees when you hop, 2) walk it out instead of hop.

Really, this workout was seriously good but also seriously hard. I hated it but I’m sure my arms will be all, “Look at us! We’re so strong! Booyah!” later on so this is a love/hate relationship. Again I had to pretend to be an instructor to push myself through the workout. This tactic really helps for me seeing as how I want to be an instructor.

3/4/16 PIIT28 1.4: Lean Body

I like total body workouts, but I never thought I’d think it was easy. In comparison with yesterday’s arm workout, however, this was easy! I pushed myself through all the moves and powered through it! This time I listened to music so I was able to concentrate on the music instead of having to pretend to be an instructor to get through it.

The Jumping Lunges were too much for me. I didn’t even attempt them because I have a pain in my tush (ha ha). Last spring/summer I pushed myself too hard doing jumping lunges and pulled a muscle in my butt. Laugh all you want but it HURT! And it kept me out of business for too long while it healed. I recognized the warning pain this time and stuck with regular Alternating Lunges rather than jumping ones.

Jumping Lunges – Jump to switch sides

3/5/16 PIIT28 1.5: Cardio Camp

It hasn’t even been a week and I already feel stronger! I could get through the moves a lot better now though I was still mopping the sweat from my face. There was only one move I had to tweak and that was because I had no indoor exercise shoes.

Let me explain…We don’t wear shoes in the house. My running shoes are super dirty from walking around in muddy and dusty areas (dirt roads all over the area we live). My indoor running shoes are with my husband because I forgot to ask him to bring them down to me. My workout area is in my bedroom.

It’s not a good idea to do cardio moves barefoot but I’m very careful (famous last words before she breaks her ankle) so I haven’t had a problem so far. In today’s PIIT28 workout, however, there’s a move called Clap Unders required too much oomph to have a careful landing. Too much for my ability level anyway. My left arch wasn’t having it so I modified the move and walked it out instead of jumped.

[Haven’t found suitable pictures for this move. Check back later.]

It’s just as well that I walked that one instead of jumping – the rest of the workout more than made up for it. And I was able to continue to work harder on the other moves. All’s well that ends well. Next time my husband visits though, I want my indoor exercise shoes.

Tomorrow is a rest day so I’m signing off on this first week today. What a week! My body is sore and feeling absolutely GREAT! I am LOVING this program! I’ll continue next week with more PIIT28 days to let you know how I continue to feel and think about the program etc.

Click on the above picture to buy the PIIT28 program

*NOTE* I’ve taken out the gifs of Cassey actually doing the exercises because they came from the PIIT28 package and I don’t want to accidentally infringe on copywrite laws. The pictures here now are screenshots from some of her free POP Pilates/PIIT Youtube videos.

February – Week 4

Almost done! And this is supposed to be the short month! Oh wow. How I’m going to survive March, I don’t know. One day at a time I suppose, like with any month. But let’s finish Feb before we start thinking about March.

Actually, if I’m going to be honest, I’m thinking about April right now…

#MoreLoveLessFear – Day 4

2/21/16 Booty Time:

• Fun Indoor Cardio – 6 min
• Swimsuit Slimdown: 8 Min Bikini Butt Workout – 8 min
• Lower Abs & Booty Blast – 10 min
• The Ultimate Butt, Back, & Arms Challenge – 3:18 min
• 5 Best Butt Exercises to Sculpt a Cute Booty – 9 min

#YogalatesLove – Day 22

2/22/16 Strong Arms:

• POP Pilates: Back Attack – 8 min
• 6 Min to Sexy Arms – 6 min
• POP Pilates: Backless Dress Workout – 10:30 min
• Jogging/Walking – 30:48 min 2.3 mi

OMG. My arms want to fall off. Can I get some new ones please? My shoulders are SO sore! I felt so good right after lunch today and the weather was nice so I went out for a run instead of doing the 100 Burpee video scheduled for today. EW! I hate that video. I’ll do burpees when I have to. They’re awesome for getting results. They’re definitely not my favorite thing in the world of fitness though. But 100??? Yeah, no, not right now. I’ll run thanks.

I got to listen to a zombie app while doing so too. I paid more attention to keeping a lookout for rattlesnakes. Yeah, so not a fan and it’s like every area around here is rattlesnake country. I even saw one on that trail! It rattled it’s tail at me and I totally freaked and sprinted away. Nothing like imminent poison danger to give you a fresh spurt of energy.

My stamina/endurance/strength isn’t what it used to be so instead of trying to run the whole way or sprinting at times, I gave myself songs to run and walk to on the way out (ie: jog all through this song without stopping) and then on the way back I’d pick out a landmark and tell myself, “Run to that tree,” or “Walk to that sign.” I increased my speed doing this and was completely pooped by the end.

Good news though – no rattlesnake sightings! Woo!

#YogalatesLove – Day 23

2/23/16 Cardio Core:

Missed. I had intended to work out but it just never happened. Errands got in the way. I had a number of them. Skipping the core day seems to be a common occurrence though. Not a good occurrence. But I can’t admit that my core isn’t getting a workout because Cassey works, like, the whole body pretty much every day. Still, if I did my core work when I was supposed to, my core would be much stronger. I need to stop slacking on core days.

#MoreLoveLessFear – Day 7

2/24/16 Luscious Legs:

• “Hot Summer” POP Cardio – 12 min (breakdown of moves included)
• 5 Minute Long Legs – 5 min
• Killer Legs Challenge – 3:30 min
• Legs on Fire – 11 min
• Quick Leg & Butt Sculptor – 3:20 min

Woo! I totally rocked it today! I always plan for 3 videos each day but this day I just felt so good. After each workout I thought, “I can do another.” And then I only had Legs on Fire (saved it for last) and I thought, “Oh why not.” I’m glad I did because it worked my inner thighs while the other videos hadn’t concentrated on that area. Very awesome day!

#MoreLoveLessFear – Day 8

2/25/16 HIIT Me Up!:

• Fat Burning Ladder for Toned Thighs and Sculpted Abs – 6:40 min
• Pumped Up Cardio Warm Up – 6 min
• HIIT My Abs HARD!!! – 5:20 min
• Jogging/Walking – 24:24 min 1.67 mi

I love that Fat Burning Ladder video. It’s so awesome! Because I skipped that Cardio Core day before, I tried to focus on really working my abs today. My core isn’t sore but boy did I get tired! I did my fav 3 HIIT videos from today’s schedule and then decided that, since I was feeling so energetic, I’d go for a run instead of doing the last 2 HIIT videos. I really didn’t want to do them anyway. Best to end when I’m still having fun and continue with something similar that’s also fun.

Followed the zombie app again. If there really had been zombies following me, I would’ve wanted to kill them! There were only 2 major hills but both times I started up, I’d get a zombie warning.

As soon as I reached a massive hill, I had to run up it as fast as I could?? REALLY??!! And the second hill was at the end so I was already really tired and the back of my left knee was stiff and achy. That hill has been my nemesis ever since my family moved there when I was in high school. And I had to sprint up it…at the end of my run. Evil. Pure evil.

I ended up quitting halfway and walked to the top (zombie somehow evaded). When I got there I almost threw up. It was awful. But I breathed through it and successfully held in my guts. Then had a good stretch and did my yoga/pilates poses for the 2 IG challenges.

Oddly enough I did enjoy myself…

#YogalatesLove – Day 26

2/26/16 Rest + Relax:

OMG. Ew. Last night my knees swelled up like watery melons. Totally NOT awesome. This just goes to show that you can love a workout even if it proves to be bad for you later. You know that quote, “‘I regret that workout,’ said no one. Ever.” I’ve always wondered about it. Is it true that no one’s ever said that? Well, if it was true or not, it’s no longer true now. I REGRET THAT WORKOUT. It’s been like walking on stilts today. My knees have very little strength right now and they’re still a bit swollen and very stiff.

#YogalatesLove – Day 27

2/27/16 Total Body Torture:

So today was a lot better but both knees still got stiff again. Not swollen I don’t think, just stiff. Walking weakened them, sitting stiffened them. It was a no win situation. So I did my best to rest with my legs up and ice them again today. Icing feels soooo good!