Canathalete

"I know you're tired - but jump higher!" Cathe Friedrich Dedicated to #CatheFriedrich #Fitness. It's a lifelong journey.

[canathalete]

Saturday, June 10, 2023

Well, she’s done it again! Cathe released STS2.0 a couple of weeks ago and it is exactly what my body wants! As with the first STS series, it’s a progressive muscle training system. Unlike the first STS series, it’s focused on slow and heavy lifting right from the start, and emphasizes recovery as much as work.

The first phase is total body resistance training. The second is two-day splits, and the third is one-body part per day. I’m finished the second week, and looooving the total body workouts! Not a push up or body weight exercise in sight. Just good strong lifting. Heart rate is high, muscles become fatigued, sweat runs everywhere.

The recovery workouts are really enjoyable, as well. I didn’t love some of the moves in Active Recovery - it’s very body weight movement focused. As I regain mobility and strength, those movements will likely feel better. It was a more intense workout than I was expecting, as well.

I’m feeling very positive, at the end of these first two weeks. I’m noticing my optimism has increased, and my creative energy is waxing again. This is what makes these activities so worth the investment of time and money, for me. I’m purchasing quality of life. And Cathe delivers.

[canathalete]

September 13, 2021

Almost a year since I last posted. What a year, amiright? A year when I’d have thought the circumstances were perfect to allow me to reach those fitness goals, but which seem to have done the exact opposite and gave me lessons in learning liberation. My body and my mind worked as one to shut down that track and shift me to another. So now here I am. Different. Not who I thought I’d be. But not minding it so much. I don’t enjoy the constant pain and stiffness in my lower back, knees, ankles, wrists, hands, and neck. I don’t enjoy moving slower with less agility. I do enjoy moving, though. I do enjoy feeling the energy start to move, the circulation begin to happen of blood with its precious oxygen cargo, dropping off the good stuff and transporting out the bad stuff. Sometimes it’s just the removal of the bad stuff that makes all the difference. Keep the tide shifting. I also love the little bubble I enter in my basement, away from the world. It’s time detached from real time. No matter how I feel, I need to spend time in this bubble every day.

[canathalete]

Well, starting over....again. This time, after a long break due to a back issue that was incredibly painful. I’m determined to make sure I don’t bring that on again. I need to be very disciplined about mobility and flexibility work, especially post-workout. I started Cathe’s LITE/ICE rotation today, with Rev’d Up Rumble, followed by foam rolling my glutes and quads, some bird dogs, some single legged glute lifts, and some stretching. Feels good. Time will tell if that overdid it.

[canathalete]

STS Disc 24 completed today! Meso 2 is done!!!

[canathalete]

Yup. I’m at it again. STS. Week 7 is in the bag, and I’m loving how it feels. These are workouts to look forward to.

[canathalete]

January 4, 2020

I’m catching up on the last two days: LITE Rev’d Up Rumble (my faaaaavouritr!) on Friday, and the new Step Boss PHA3 on Saturday (immediately followed up with 90 minutes of yin hot yoga). Both excellent workouts.

[canathalete]

January 2, 2020

Day 4 of the new Step Boss/LITE rotation, and I restrained my brain from the urge to add the Calorie Crush add-on. Consistency is key, and it’s very hard to be consistent if you come to dread workouts for their length and their intensity. These 40 minutes are all the structured exercise I actually need today. This is good enough. And I won’t be too tired or sore to do tomorrow’s workout.

[canathalete]

January 1, 2020

The start of a new year, and a new life! Relationship endings are brutally hard when the love hasn’t died first. But anyway, 2020 is going to be different than 2019, because I’m going to make it that way. And I get a fresh start with three new workouts from Cathe, which are each faaaaaantastic! This new step routine is tricky, tricky, tricky for the brain. The footwork is new, her use of the beat is varied, and the fun factor is high! It makes me break a light sweat, and my heartrate is about 70%, maybe. It’s quintessentially prefect steady state cardio that’s easy on the joints. It’s the addition to my collection that has been sorely needed. I’m doing the rotation with LITE, which is also another huge favourite, for me.

[canathalete]

November 16, 2019

Metabolic workouts have been the thing this week. I did ICE Metabolic Total Body the other day (Thursday, I think?), and now, SuperCuts. They get you sweaty, your heart pumps, and your entire skeletal muscular system gets out through its paces. These are great for circulation, and range of motion. Feels good. I’ve also been doing a 40 minute walk through my neighbourhood - through the trees and past the pond - two to three times a week. Outdoor walking is the balm.

[canathalete]

November 10, 2019

It’s been a week of advanced circuit workouts - I did her High Step Training Advanced a few days ago, and today, this one. These feel like my wheelhouse these days. This one is fun. The music really does it for me. I’m pleased I can still keep up!!

[canathalete]

November 7, 2019

Happily choosing a workout for the evening, and settling on Cathe’s Strong and Sweaty Total Body Giant Sets DVD. My body loved it. I’m finally moving in good directions. I’m not going to roll over and hibernate this winter. I’m prioritizing my mental health, and doing all the things that my mind needs me to do, which is sleeping, recovering, eating enough, moodment, and using a SAD light. So far, so great. “I know the love that I deserve” (Lukas Nelson, Find Yourself).

[canathalete]

November 2, 2019

Look! Look! Look what I did today!! It felt challenging, which is a way of saying “fun-hard.” Feeling quite chuffed now, and not at all sore. Yet.

[canathalete]

October 2, 2019

STS Disc 4 is done: chest, shoulders, biceps. Pumped. Sweaty. Tired. Great workout.

[canathalete]

September 29, 2019

It’s September, which means....STS! Every year I get the bug. Week One is done! I’m not as great with the push ups these days, but I did a decent job. I’m just using the same weights I used in April 2018, because they’re already written down on the workout cards! They seem quite accurate.

[canathalete]

02 September 2019

I’m not sure what possessed me to pull this one out today, but I’m glad I did! It was tough - yes!! But it wasn’t painful, and I’ve come to see that as the key to whether or not a workout appeals to me. I really enjoy how my body feels when I’m not traumatizing it every day, and giving it time to recover. Go figure!

My lower back is stiffening up, not surprisingly.

I’m proud of what I accomplished today.

[canathalete]

August 23, 2019

Today was a sad day. There have been a lot of those lately. Not enough sleep certainly plays into it - I’ve stayed up too late all week. Depression started to set in today; my mind was so stuck on the relationship loss, and the future that evaporated with it. I’m grieving. Which feels self-inflicted. I can list all the reasons why my life is better now, and I can appreciate that my mind is only making things up about the future; no one knows what’s actually going to happen, least of all, me. Today’s workout was needed, to cheer me up, and it helped. It made me feel more even-keeled, and brought me back to sea-level. I chose MMA Boxing today, and XTrain Burn Sets Triceps. I’ve been cycle commuting a lot more this summer, which is such a joy. My lower body got a bit of a rest with this one, which it needed. I like the core work with this one, too. In the above picture, my arms look huge! Yeah, Baby!

[canathalete]

July 15, 2019

Been a hell of a few months. Relationship disintegration and finally break up. I’m left feeling rejected, sad, lonely, and can not comprehend having an intimate relationship with anyone else at any point in the future. So, I’m scared and tremendously sad. Grieving for the relationship that died, and the future that will never be. Today I’m starting to take care of myself, to do the things I know that boost my resilience: exercise, avoiding foods that deplete my energy, adding foods that give me good energy, no alcohol AT ALL, meditation and thought-work, and 8 hours of sleep at night. And putting into practice those things that allow me to focus on my work and my priorities. So today I got up at 6:00, and started working by 6:30. That allowed me to take an hour break mid-morning, to do Cardio Party, with the Calorie Crush and 6-Pack Abs. I want to lose 10 pounds, and regain my conditioning, so that I feel energized again. This workout made me feel really good, in a calm, peaceful way. Those are endorphins at work, I guess!