Supreme 90 Cardio Challenge Review & Less Than 5 Weeks to Go!

Happy Sunday everyone!! I hope you have all ROCKED it out these last two weeks! I am trying to post as regularly as possible but realize I am doing what I used to do and that is to wait until I have something amazing to post. ;) Who needs amazing??? I can post anytime!!

My last post was a bit somber because it was sharing what happened with my co-worker and his untimely death. :( The office is doing better but it is still a bit surreal. His girlfriend isn't back at work and not sure when she will be....I don't know how I would deal with something like that.....it feels like a bad dream to me so can't imagine what it feels like to her.

I also got pulled into a HUGE project for Walmart and P&G this week and most of my week was dominated with preparations and the meetings themselves. I still managed to have a pretty good week of workouts (see below). It was challenging barbecue I was definitely exhausted but I working out always makes me feel so much better and such a good stress release.

I am TOTALLY digging the Supreme 90 series. It's pretty awesome and despite all the little "quirks" that make it less quality than a P90X, it's a great mix up in the routine. I did the Cardio Challenge DVD this weekend and although I was a little concerned over the pelvic pressure, the workout was great!! 30 seconds on/30 seconds off for 31 minutes. A lot of compound movements and plyos. There was also a bit of core work however I just did kettlebell swings when they were doing core work and that kept the heart rate up big time! It was very dynamic cardio utilizing weights, core and high intensity moves. But my philosophy with intervals is you can do anything for ____ seconds. :) And that's just what I did. It is one I will definitely do A LOT in future workouts plus I tacked on the spin bike for 20 minutes to really burn up any extra reserves.

Here is a snapshot from the leg workout I previewed today - plan on doing it this week sometime.

Below is my weekly recap for the last two weeks.


Week of March 14th:
Monday: OFF
Tuesday AM: Spin Intervals - 30 mins
Tuesday PM: Supreme 90 - Back & Biceps- 35 minutes
Wednesday: OFF
Thursday AM: Spin Intervals - 30 minutes (followed by 15 mins back/bi finish from Tuesday)
Thursday PM: Supreme 90 - Chest, Shoulders, Tri's - 35 minutes
Friday PM: Spin Intervals - 35 minutes
Saturday: Supreme 90 - Shoulders and Arms - 35 mins
Sunday Late AM: Cathe 4-Day Split Legs Only

Week of March 22nd:
Monday: Off
Tuesday AM: Spin intervals - 35 mins
Wednesday AM: Supreme 90 Chest, Shoulders, Tris - 35 mins
Thursday AM: Spin intervals - 35 mins
Friday PM: Supreme 90 Back Bi's - 45 mins
Saturday: Supreme 90 Cardio Challenge (loved it!) -40 mins followed by 20 mins Spin bike
Sunday: Supreme 90 Shoulders & Arms

On a happier note, I am 4 weeks and 4 days away from my due date with just 32 days left to go. We both can't wait to meet this little critter!

Have a great week all!!

What a Week......Remembering What Matters

If you follow me on facebook you will know that I rarely post sad or bad stuff....I really believe in being silly, fun and using facebook to light up others lives or express joy/love. I feel the same about blogging....but less so because I believe it is a great place to share struggles and challenges in a longer format/context. Well, this week was a challenging week for me personally and professionally.

On Monday I got a call from a good friend of ours that their 25 year old daughter had passed away unexpectedly. She was beautiful inside and out and her life ended too soon. I don't know all the details behind her death but I know she died in her sleep and her family is not surprisingly devastated. Jody and I were both taken aback by it and forced to think about how we would deal with something so tragic if it happened to us. I don't know how I would ever get past the pain.

Jody left Monday night for a week long ski trip (thrilled he could go - it was a last minute trip that came together for him with a good friend) and on Wednesday morning I got more bad news. A coworker of mine committed suicide on Tuesday night. It is a tragic story - he had lost his brother a few years ago in a tragic car accident and his mother passed away three months ago. He had been going through a very rough time and his depression had started to severely affected his relationship and his girlfriend broke up with him. It was apparently too much for him to take and he ended his life. He lived with his girlfriend and she also works at our office. Between the two of them, they touched many, many lives. He was absolutely hilarious and was a genuinely good person who worked hard and impressed our clients every step of the way. He will be missed.

As you can imagine, Wednesday was a whirlwind - not only were we all dealing with our own tragedy, I had to communicate the terrible news to our client whom he worked very closely with. It was a very difficult time with people streaming into my office crying and struggling over why someone would take his own life. Because we are such a close knit family, it affected all of us in some way. Thursday and Friday were spent talking and remembering him in the most positive ways possible and today we have a memorial for him. Working at a creative agency means that we will have many unique and creative ways of saying our goodbyes.

Jody normally being out of town for a week would mean a lot of free time for me at night and lots of workouts, etc. I spent most of my nights squeezing in a quick workout and then working because I wasn't getting much done during the day with a lot of people needing to talk. But I did get in some workouts and overall my energy level is ok. I am not sleeping well at night just trying to get comfortable and the baby is obviously getting bigger making moving around not as easy. I am loving the Supreme 90 workouts - despite the crappy music, bad cueing it is a fast paced, fun workout that is more the speed I enjoy.

I will hop on and do a full recap Sunday or Monday but wanted to leave you with this parting thought:

Be grateful. For all that you have and the people in your life. Be thankful every day that you are able to do all the things you can do. That you have food, water, electricity, loved ones and the gift of life. While the tragedies I experienced this week were sad, the people of Japan are dealing with much more significant challenges. They are dealing with it all with grace, respect for each other and humility. Our lives can change in an instant and I want my daughter to always know I love her and will be here for her no matter what she is going through. I won't be a perfect parent but I will do everything I can do let her know she is loved.

Love you guys.
Jess

Are we there yet??? Two Week Recap and Supreme 90 Chest, Shoulders & Tris Review

Hey y'all! Hope you have had a FABU week!

It's been super busy for me and little Frankie got sick toward end of week (again). We have a consult a week from tomorrow to get tubes and by all accounts I think it will be a life changer for us. She is constantly sicky with a runny nose and has had about 8 ear infections. Ugh. Because I am already sleeping poorly with the large apparatus on the front of my stomach, if she is up at night, it is a killer for me because I just don't have the energy to workout. Anyhoo, everyone says tubes are amazing so I would rather get them in now than wait till baby #2. ;)

Below is a summary of workouts over the last two weeks. I have decided to alternate Supreme 90 with P90X speed rounds for my upper body. That means I will work upper three times a week and perhaps even a fourth if I sneak in a total body workout.

Week of February 28th:
Monday PM:
Supreme 90 Shoulders & Arms - 45 min circuit
Tuesday AM:
Spin Intervals - 30 mins
Wednesday:
OFF
Thursday AM:
Spin Intervals - 30 mins
Thursday PM:
Supreme 90 Back/Bi's - 45 min circuit
Friday AM:
Spin Intervals - 30 mins
Saturday:
OFF
Sunday:
Supreme 90 Chest, Shoulders, Tris followed by 35 mins spin intervals
Summary: 4 cardio workouts; 3 strength training


Week of March 7th:
Monday PM:
P90X Back Bi's Speed Round
Tuesday AM:
Spin Intervals - 30 mins
Wednesday:
Off (slept about three hours on Tuesday night and just couldn't muster the energy)
Thursday AM:
Spin Intervals - 30 minutes
Thursday PM:
P90X speed round of Chest, Shoulders and Tris
Friday:
OFF (up Thursday night with baby most the night :))
Saturday:
Spin Intervals AM
Sunday:
Cathe 4-Day Split Upper Body + Boot Camp Workout (90 minutes weights/cardio)
Summary: 4 cardio; 3 strength training 

If you are a Cathe fan, I would recommend you get her 4 Day Split DVD set. While I am not a fan of step (not coordinated enough :)),  there are a TON of premix's on these two DVD's that rock. Here is a link to the DVD with all the premixes. I did the Boot Camp/Upper Body today and loved it!

As for the Supreme 90 Chest, Shoulders, Tri's review.....here's a couple addition thoughts in addition to the review on Supreme 90 I gave before.

• There is such little cueing that when you do an alternating exercise, he doesn't indicate whether 2=1 rep or 1=1 rep. For example on P90X, there are some exercises you do that 2=1 and some where 1=1 even on a unilateral exercise. 
• I do like that Tony shares the weight he is using - I usually do 1/2 of what he does which works well for me. You really have no indication on here what is being used. 
• That said, I love the speed and pace of the workouts. I think it is a great mix/alternative to P90X. I have yet to do any of the cardio workouts because of my pelvic issues ;) but I did purchase a female jock strap that seemed to help during Boot Camp today. Hee hee. 

And I am totally over being pregnant. I keep asking myself, Are we there yet???? We are only 6.5 weeks away from baby #2 and I am having TONS of anxiety but am also so excited to have my body back and have it back permanently. Now, I have to keep reminding myself I really have about 7-8 months since I will be breastfeeding (plan to) for about 6 months BUT at least having my bladder back and not feeling so cumbersome will be nice. :)

Keep rocking it out kids and remember, if I can get off my bohunkus and do this at 7.5 months, so can you! :)

XXOO
Jess

Sassy Saturday Video Review: Supreme 90 Shoulders & Arms and Back & Bi's

Hey chicas (and chicos for those boys stumbling upon this blog)!! Hope everyone had a great week!

Had my two week doc appointment on Tuesday and I am definitely having some pelvic floor issues (let's just leave it at that eh :)) which means I have to take it a little bit easy and not do a lot of high impact exercise but I can still do the bike and all my upper body workouts just fine. Plus I have a few low impact DVD's that still get my heart going crazy - in particular some awesome kettlebell workouts. Love those.

I will give you a weekly review on Sunday or Monday but wanted to start doing some video reviews for you. I am a self admitted workout video addict so why not pass on some of my finds to you!! My hubby is the opposite and likes to do his own stuff. One day he asked me about why I liked them so much and after thinking about it, it occurred to me that I love them because I enjoy having someone else tell me what to do. My job is fairly stressful and I spend my days directing teams and people to deliver for our clients. Having someone plan out and tell me what to do in my workout is very relaxing for me.

Anyhoozle, a couple months ago I caught an infomercial for a program called Supreme 90. I was a little shocked and appalled they would so blatantly hijack the P90X system with their references to 90 days, muscle confusion and shocking the body. I knew there was no way at $19.95 they could put together a program that would be anywhere close to P90X.

Fast forward two months and I see it at Bed Bath and Beyond of all places (JUST where you would expect to find workout videos right?? :)) and picked it up for $19.95 (yes, you heard me correctly. Since I am 32 weeks or 8 months pregnant, I will not be doing the full 90 days program but I think I would really like to do it as a full program post baby. The cardio workouts seem harder and more insanity style which is what I prefer. I have done both Shoulders & Arms and Back & Bi's  and plan to do Chest, Shoulders, Tri's tomorrow and put into a regular part of my pregnancy rotation. It was immediately clear to me these are nothing like P90X. Here's some highlights of why:

Things that might matter if you are a hardcore P90Xer looking for something to mix it up):

1. It's circuit style weight lifting - no rests or breaks. 
2. Workouts are around 40 minutes start to finish.
   
3. There are no countdown timers for either exercises or the full workout. I really like that feature for P90X and most workout DVD's - it's mental for me but because these are fast paced and fairly short, it's ok.
4. You can't fast forward by chapter - meaning, if you hit fast chapter forward or reverse you go to the end or beginning. 
5. Ab/core work is done at the beginning of both of these and much of the exercises incorporate the core.
6. The warm up and cool down was the same on both DVD's. Pretty basic. 
7. I was sweating like crazy when I was done. I do P90X circuit style as well and fast forward through all the breaks so the 59 minute shoulders/arms workout is done in about 30 minutes.

Things that might matter to some but are just details in the grand scheme of things: 

1. I honestly felt like I got a better "pump" but that might be because I have been doing P90X for so long and because of the new exercises. 
2. There isn't a lot of cueing or true weight lifting pointers.
3. The menu is very basic. Very. 
4. People in the videos are super ripped. Way more ripped that P90X.
5. The instructor doesn't do the workouts - just hosts.  
6. The set is very basic - nothing like a P90X set.

So far my assessment/recommendation is this:  for $19.95 - why NOT add it to your workout rotation?? Especially if you have been doing P90X for awhile and want something different. It is totally worth the price although if you want or think you are getting a P90X quality workout, prepare yourself you will not.

You can pick up the set at Bed, Bath & Beyond, Academy Sports or online at https://www.supreme90day.com/

Enjoy and have a great weekend!!
Jess

Hump Day Happiness!

Hey y'all!!

Have some updates....and hopefully will get more into the swing of things with blogging. I am feeling totally back to normal and we haven't had any bad weather so I've had a normal schedule. Frankie had another ear infection weekend before last (we're going in for a consult for tubes in two weeks) but she is feeling 10x better and life is grand as a result.

I am eight weeks away from baby #2. Have gained about 20lbs total so far and anticipate staying at the 25lbs total gain mark. Without sharing too much TMI (or in this case it would be WTMI), I am having some issues with my lower girl parts that are going to slow me down a bit. Basically, I strained some things (not working out - just doing things we all do every day) and I probably won't be jumping around as much as I have been. Let's just leave it at that. :)

Anyhoo, below is a recap of my workouts last week (not bad) - and I track my workouts on the right hand side of my blog so I can keep you updated. 

Week of February 21st:
Monday AM:
Cathe Maximum Intensity Strength - 60 Mins
Spin Bike (steady state) - 30
Tuesday AM:
TurboFire HIIT 25 + 2 rounds (total of 30 minutes)
Wednesday PM:
P90X Chest, Shoulders, Tris
Thursday AM:
HIIT on the Bike - 30 mins
Friday AM:
P90X Back & Bi's
Saturday Noon:
Cathe HIIT - 30 mins
Sunday:
OFF

I gotta tell you guys, I can't WAIT to get my body back. I don't relate to women that love to be pregnant. I am happy for them but it's definitely not something I want to do again. Two is plenty. :) I just keep telling myself eight more weeks, eight more weeks, eight more weeks. I can do anything for eight weeks!

Gonna start doing workout video reviews for you guys. I have a TON of them and my girl Kelly O does them pretty regularly and it is a great way to share with you videos/programs I like that you might like too. :)

Will kick that into action this weekend!!
Love you guys!
Jess