Slim Series Slim Training Round 1 - DONE

I finished my first round of Slim Series Saturday, April 28. Since Slim Series is pretty intense (total body exercise with weights or resistance bands 6 days a week) Debbie only recommends doing the Slim Series in 4 week spurts. I know why: OVERTRAINING.

Overtraining is a little different than general muscles soreness. When you work out and you feel it the next day, that's normal--and it's good. In order to build muscle, your body actually tears the muscles you have, sends lactic acid and other scientific inner body stuff (remember, I'm an editor/grammar nerd, not a physical trainer) to repair and rebuild the muscles. When you overtrain, you don't leave sufficient time for your muscles to breakdown, rebuild, and recover. When you're high on the endorphins of a good workout, you may not even realize you're overtraining... I'm speaking from experience.

APPARENTLY, it isn't a good idea to do Slim in 6, P90X, then Slim Series back to back. The one week "recovery" in between each workout doesn't really cut the mustard. During my first two weeks of Slim Series, I was doing great. The scale was moving downward, I had great energy, and my legs and arms were getting serious definition. My waist was slimming down even more (which I'll be honest makes me want to do the Snoopy dance). Then I developed a twinge in my lower back. I included more stretches, made sure my muscles were sufficiently warm before starting a workout, but I didn't want to take a day off. I was getting good results! Ever since Gideon was born, I've needes to keep up with exercise (even if it's cardio for 30 minutes) to keep the scale from jumping up a pound or two. (Sadly, I'm not joking.)

Well, the "twinge" turned into severe lower back pain. I was also experiencing the other signs of overtraining: moodiness (I think Shaun's comment was that it seemed like my hormonal flux of my lady time carried over for the entire month--thanks, babe), lack of energy, and decreased results. So I had to put on the breaks. A friend of mine (who is not a doc) suggested I take a month off. I took 2 weeks off (I know I shouldn't put too much emphasis on the scale, but the weight was slowly creeping up with each day of non-activity other than walking or chasing Gideon).

THIS time, instead of doing the Slim Training system 6 days straight, I'm inserting cardio every other day to allow my muscles time to recuperate before tackling the next workout. P90X is designed to alternate strength training and cardio days with yoga and stretching to prevent overtraining, and you get a week of recovery after every 4 weeks. That's why you can go for 90 days and generally not experience overtraining or injury. I was able to go 2 weeks before hitting my wall, and I was stupid to keep pushing through the pain to complete a workout. (It's good to keep pushing if you're in the middle of a set of squats and your glutes and quads are burning; it's not good if you can't lie on your back without lower back pain.)

So there's the skinny on overtraining. Avoid it at all costs! I'll let you know at the end of the week how my updated schedule works. I do feel slight lower back pain (I'm on day 3 of the new schedule) but tomorrow is a less intense cardio day (I'm doing Kenpo X). I'm hoping I can keep working with these DVDs because I love them (aside from the back pain).

I won't lose heart, though. If Slim Series can't be my workout of choice, I've got more options down the pike. (Oh, did I mention I just ordered Insanity? I'm not going to attempt it until June, just in case I have another problem with my back. I must be crazy!)

:c) Keep pushing play.

Week 1 in the books... Now for week 2!

After one solid week of the Slim Series program (see my previous post if you want to figure out my schedule) I am absolutely certain that if you do this program and stick to a sensible diet, there is no way you're not going to see results! I weigh myself each morning, and just like with the Slim in 6, I drop 4-6 ounces each day. I had a minor setback on Saturday night, since I broke out the old chocolate fountain for my hubby's Freedom Party. (Today is his first day at a new job. Woo-hoo!) The scale bounced up a little, but hopefully it will go back down!

Favorite workout so far? Even though they are so freakin' long (78 minutes - yikes), I love the Shape It Up and Tear It Up workouts. They kick my booty in a really great way. I don't think a person could do as many squats, leg lifts, lunges, etc. (not to mention the upper body + ab routines) and not firm up all over. I'm going to check inches on Sunday to see how much I'm toning. I really feel it in the hard-to-reach places of my inner thighs (yowsa) and the little spot where your thumbs rest if you put your hands on your hips (with fingers in front).

Moves I L-O-V-E to H-A-T-E (because they really make you feel the burn)

W Press: Stand with legs together, knees slightly bent. With 3-5 lb dumbbells, hold your weights at your shoulders, elbows in towards the sides of your body. Keep your abs in tight. Press up and out, like you're making the W in the YMCA song. Do like a zillion reps (or 24... even though it feels like a zillion). My guess is you'll feel it after 10.

Holy Quadriceps, Batman: (She doesn't name her moves, but this is what I would name it.) Lay on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Keep your knees together. Flex your right foot and lift the lower part of your leg into the air, making sure you keep your knees side by side. Do 16. Then, do 16 pulses lowering your leg halfway. THEN, point your toes and repeat the sequence. (By this time, you'll be wishing that you didn't have anything below your kneecap to lift, but trust. It's worth it. FYI: this move also strengthens the tendons and ligaments that surround and support your knee. You would think this move would really bother your knees, but it doesn't.) Just when you think you're done, point your toe and lower it slowly three times, then raise it up quickly. Oh yeah, it hurts. And oh yeah, you'll have to switch and do the other side.

Inner Thigh Iron Maiden: Hold onto a sturdy chair with your left hand for support as you do these moves with your right leg (you'll switch in a minute). Keep your left leg slightly bent and your abs in tight. Flex your right foot and place it just beside your left big toe. Keep your right knee pointed towards the side wall as you lift your leg to a 90 degree angle, then lower it. Just when you think 16 reps is enough to have the inner thighs of a deity, lift and hold your leg at the 90 degree angle, THEN extend your leg. Cry a little, then repeat it 16 more times.

It hurts so good, and later on, when your adorable toddler drops his paci (for the millionth time) just so he can say "uh-oh" with all seriousness, and you get to drop down into a plie to pick it up, you WILL notice the million OTHER muscles you never realized you had worked so vehemently. For a moment, you will hate Debbie. Then, when you realize it's only been a week and your legs are looking pretty toned, you'll grin and hop up with a spring in your step.

Keep pushing play, y'all.

Trial and Error

Hey, everybody! Sooo I guess Slim Series workouts are so all-inclusive that trying to make a P90X + Slim Series hybrid is just plain foolishness (as my glutes and delts will attest). So I'm going to simply be doing the Slim Series Slim Training workouts. Since I really love/hate/but can see awesome results with the Slim in 6 pack and Slim N' Limber workouts, I'm going to incorporate those, too.

Here's the NEW schedule:
Sunday: Shape It Up (120 minutes - ouch! It's a good thing I wake up early on Sundays!)
Monday: Firm It Up (60 minutes - ouch. My booty. is. on. fire.)
Tuesday: Mix It Up (60 minutes)
Wednesday: Tone It Up (60 minutes)
Thursday: Cool It Off (60 minutes)
Friday: Tear It Up (120 minutes - I actually tried this last week after chest and back thinking it was cardio-- you have to admit, Tear It Up does sound cardio-ish-- I was hurting after the first arms and back series. I am dreading Friday, but I think it will be okay to do this knowing I've got two days of stretching on either side of it.)
Saturday: I'm going to alternate between P90X Stretch and P90X Yoga because they really help me feel nice and bendy after a long week of working out.

Since I'm not doing P90X anymore, I'm definitely not going to be eating 1800 calories. I'm cutting back to between 1500-1600, and I'm using www.myfitnesspal.com to track what I eat. It's also giving me a nice little badge to keep track of my weight-loss, too.

After watching me do more squats than I've ever done in one workout in my life (Firm It Up), Shaun agrees this Slim Series is going to be just what I need to get the results I need. I've only done 3 workouts so far but there is no possible way I can't tone up even more than I already have doing these strength training moves interspersed with cardio. I can't wait to see results!

The New P90X + Slim Series Hybrid

Hey, everybody! I'm on the 3rd week of the Lean program, but I'm not really satisfied with it. For one thing, I really enjoy 3 days of strength training instead of 2 days + Core Syn. Don't get me wrong, Core Syn is tough! But I really like the balance of having 3 days strength, 2 days cardio, yoga and stretch. I do feel, however, that for me to really tone down I need to incorporate more cardio. The cardio days of the Lean program just don't do it for me. I don't have the time or desire to do P90X doubles, so I'm going to do a hybrid of P90X and Slim Series (the advanced version of the Slim in 6). Since Slim Series incorporates a good deal of cardio while you're also doing the toning, I think it will help me burn fat better. While I was doing Slim in 6 the first time around, I was losing a pound a day and I lost 2" in my stomach within the first 2 weeks. I think the additional cardio burn (while not doing Plyo 3x a week) will be just what I need.

Unfortunately, Beachbody doesn't have a P90X Slim Series hybrid workout page, so I modified the P90X/Insanity pages. (I know that Insanity:Slim Series::Whiskey:Peppermint Schnapps, but I think Slim Series and P90X would be somewhat compatible.) Here's the rundown of what my workouts will be like:

Week 1-3
Day 1 (Sunday) Chest & Back + Slim 6 pack
Day 2 Tear It Up (78 minutes of kickboxing/cardio)
Day 3 Shoulders & Arms + ARX
Day 4 Yoga
Day 5 Legs & Back + Slim 6-pack
Day 6 Shape It Up (58 minutes of cardio with light resistance training)
Day 7 I'm going to alternate between Cool It Off (Slim Series stretch) & X Stretch

Week 5-7
Day 1 (Sunday) Back & Bicep ARX
Day 2 Plyo (yuck)
Day 3 Chest, Shoulders, Triceps + Slim in 6 pack
Day 4 Yoga
Day 5 Legs & Back + ARX
Day 6 Tear It Up (78 minutes of kickboxing/cardio)
Day 7 Alternate between Cool It Off (Slim Series stretch) & X Stretch

Of course, alternate weeks 9-12.
Recovery weeks 4, 8, 13
Day 1 Core Syn
Day 2 Mix It Up (almost like a recovery cardio)
Day 3 Yoga X
Day 4 Firm It Up (standing & mat lower body work)
Day 5 Core Syn
Day 6 Kenpo
Day 7 X Stretch

I'm going to follow an 1800 calorie clean eating (Michi's ladder) diet instead of relying solely on the P90X diet. I'm going to start this new hybrid program on the 18th, so I'll let you know how I'm doing weekly. Until then, keep pushing play!

A lightbulb went off!

Sunday was day 15 of my second round of P90X. I've been very discouraged lately, since the scale has crept up (even despite my stringent eating plan) and stayed stagnant at 188 lbs. Not exactly a great motivator! I've been waffling about whether I should go back to Slim in 6 or whether I should knuckle-down and keep going with P90X, even though I feel like I'm getting nowhere.

Today, I typed in a simple google search "which is better: p90x or slim in 6?" A bunch of newsfeeds from Beachbody came up, but I knew what they would say: "P90X of course, oh, and maybe you should order Shakeology and P90X2!" (Don't get me wrong. I like their products, but they are soooooo commercialized!) Half-hidden in the realms of google search listings about P90X, I found a blog for a lady who did a P90X/Slim Series hybrid. (Get Fit with Barbie.) I checked it out. She looked freakin' amazing. Then she posted something that truly rocked my socks off:

If you have been following my progress, then you know it's taken me a good two years of working out religiously and experimenting with clean eating to get this far.

Two years?! You mean, she didn't just do P90X and then voila, abs of steel? Good gravy boats!  Finally someone broke it down for me: The changes I want to see in my body and in my mind are not going to happen overnight. Does anything good ever really happen overnight? (Except for that Brady Bunch episode where Marcia's nose magically healed overnight right in time for modeling gig.) Instead of beating myself up if the scale doesn't plummet on the daily, I should just keep at it, keep working hard. Eventually I will get where I want to be.

The Bible says, "And let us not grow weary doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9). You don't sow wheat and then the next morning, a pre-sliced loaf of bread is waiting for you at the breakfast table. It takes time. Hard work. Rainy seasons. Dry seasons. Sometimes you have to deal with bugs and varmints attacking the crop. It just is what it is: a process.

So I'm going to keep going. Instead of just following the P90X system on its own, though, I'm going to vary it up and do a hybrid of sorts. To be honest, I don't even know where I'm going to begin. But I'm not going to just look 90 days ahead of me, I'm going to look ahead to October (a year to the day I first began Slim in 6). My goal by that time is to meet my weight loss goals, eat better, feel better, sleep better (oh my word, I can't remember the last time I slept really, really well), and see where it takes me.

Until then, I'll keep pushing play!