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Old 02-20-12, 01:37 PM  
Lorelai
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Missouri
Slim in 6, Slim Series?

Or Slim Series... I'm not totally sure the difference, except Slim in 6 seems to be a newer release.

Here's me: somewhat sporadic exerciser trying really hard to be consistent. I've been pretty good the past seven weeks, exercising on average four days per week, which, while not ideal for weight loss, is better than the nothing that was happening before. I feel stronger, but the weight is staying stubbornly in place and my clothes aren't feeling any more comfortable. At the beginning, I was walking with Leslie only, but once my cardio capacity improved, I began to get bored. Seeing no real outward improvement caused my wandering eye to land on Ellen, who is my favorite. her workouts! And so I've been alternating through those. I've also been trying hard to keep a handle on my dietary choices (I have a sweet tooth and a bread addiction; currently, I'm working on the latter), eating less/no bread products and more green veggies. And that's all I will say about that!

Anyway, even though I love working out with Ellen, I've been feeling discouraged. I'm feeling minor improvements, but not as much as I'd like to be feeling, and darn it, I want to see some improvements too! I have a good 40 pounds to lose, maybe more to be at optimal weight.

Long story not so short, I'm looking for something that will help me see some real results, enough to motivate me to continue, anyway. You know what I mean? I've been lurking in a lot of threads lately that have praised Slim Series and Slim in 6 to the moon and back, so I investigated a bit, and the high rep, low weight style looks like something I naturally gravitate towards anyway. Buying the series new is expensive for me, but I thought trading might be possible. Would it also be possible to alternate, say, the Slim in 6 workouts, with Lesie and Ellen, if I start getting bored? And what about barefoot... I really prefer to work out barefoot!

Thanks in advance! I know that was kind of a long post to slog through...
__________________
Laura

"Practice makes progress." Jessica Smith

"There's always an option before we quit." Jessica Smith

"You don't have to be a ballerina to feel like one." Ellen Barrett
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Old 02-20-12, 01:49 PM  
Kesal
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Upstate NY
Slim in 6 is the more "beginner" option: 3 workouts of increasing intensity. There was an original Sin6 maybe 8 or 10 years ago, and then a newer remake a couple of years ago, so if you trade, make sure you know which you're getting (not that there's anything wrong with the old one).

Slim Series was released a few years after the original Slim in 6 It's a set of six workouts that are similar in feel, but longer and more intense.

I've had both, and gotten rid of both. Debbie Siebers seems like a great instructor, but the workout style is not for me. They are pretty tough workouts, and although other people report getting great results, they make me much more hungry and I have a hard time not oversnacking when I use them. I don't know about doing them barefoot... they use resistance bands, and obviously that would be painful. Perhaps you could sub dumbbells, but if you're going to do that, you might just look at other high rep workouts.
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Old 02-20-12, 02:43 PM  
EnglishIvy
 
Join Date: May 2011
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kesal View Post
I've had both, and gotten rid of both. Debbie Siebers seems like a great instructor, but the workout style is not for me. They are pretty tough workouts, and although other people report getting great results, they make me much more hungry and I have a hard time not oversnacking when I use them.
These workouts do have a dread factor for a lot of folks and that can make it very tough to be consistent with them. I got rid of them because they were just so boring and other weight programs worked much better for me. It varies individually, but these workouts also stimulated my appetite.

My best results ever came from STS but I've been doing Cathe's Pure Strength program and am still getting great results. I think lifting heavy weights (without the focus on fast lifting/cardio/high reps) really leans me out and keeps my appetite in check. You may have to experiment to see what works best for you. There's no reason why you couldn't experiment with alternating Sin6 with Ellen and walking. A lot of folks had results doing Sin6 every other day. Either way, I think since you haven't had the results you wanted with walking/Ellen, adding weights is a great idea. As an added benefit, weight lifting can help reduce insulin resistance (a side effect of eating too much sugar/simple carbs) and make it easier for you to lose weight. If you eventually decide to wean yourself away from the sugar as well, you would probably be very surprised at how fast the results would come. If your sugar intake is too high, you'll exhaust yourself trying to out exercise it. Just something to think about for the future. And good for you for adding more veges/cutting back on bread.

Don't feel too discouraged about your results with Ellen/Leslie. Give yourself some wiggle room to experiment. You've definitely been establishing good habits (exercising more consistently) and you're no doubt stronger and in better shape. That will help you tackle the next step with more confidence and less risk of injury. And adding weights may give you the results you are looking for so let yourself focus on that excitement. I can say without a doubt that as far as exercise goes, weights were the deciding factor in leaning me out. Good luck and let us know how it goes
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Old 02-20-12, 02:48 PM  
cherimac
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Georgia
I love Slim Series and like Slim in 6. Slim in 6 doesn't use weights for most of the workout. It's more lower body focused and has a cardio element to it. You then use bands or weights for about 8 minutes and finish with some lower body floor work, pushups, abs, and a yoga type stretch. Each workout gets progressively more intense (similar moves with higher BPM to the music, making it more cardio).

Slim Series is a high rep/low weight set of workouts. They are tough and a total Slim Training rotation has a dread factor for me. There are 5 weight workouts that are an 60-78 minutes each (5) and an hour long stretch. A friend recently helped me break these down and it helped me a lot.

Firm it Up~lower body, unweighted(standing and floor); abs

Shape it Up~total body; hits the legs, chest/tris/standing abs well (floor and standing work)

Mix it Up~total body; hits chest and tris well; standing and floor work

Tone it Up~total body, uses lightest weights; hits shoulders and legs well; standing and floor work

Tear it Up~total body, hits the back of the body well(lots of deadlifts and back work, etc); no floor work except a few minutes of abs; has some cardio work in there too.

Shape and Tear are 78 minutes and the others are roughly an hour each.
Hope that helps somewhat. I like both sets and have gotten good results from them.
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Old 02-20-12, 03:00 PM  
edensmom
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Pacific NW
I'm one that was raving .
English Ivy gave some good advice. I have no dread when it comes to SS but as far as doing Slim in 6 that might be different if I were to follow the recommended rotation (doing the same workout everyday before advancing to the next one). Alternating with Leslie/Ellen would be a great idea.
I use only dumbbells for these workouts. I tend to dislike using bands, so I don't use them.
These workouts are polarizing! I love them because for me THEY WORK. Lots of people loathe them. So YMMV.
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Old 02-20-12, 04:59 PM  
Lorelai
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Missouri
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kesal View Post
Slim in 6 is the more "beginner" option: 3 workouts of increasing intensity. There was an original Sin6 maybe 8 or 10 years ago, and then a newer remake a couple of years ago, so if you trade, make sure you know which you're getting (not that there's anything wrong with the old one).

Perhaps you could sub dumbbells, but if you're going to do that, you might just look at other high rep workouts.
Thanks for letting me know there was an older release of Slim in 6... I'll be sure to make note of that if I add any of these workouts to my wish list. Out of curiosity, what other high rep, low weight workouts might you recommend?

Quote:
Originally Posted by EnglishIvy View Post
These workouts do have a dread factor for a lot of folks and that can make it very tough to be consistent with them. I got rid of them because they were just so boring and other weight programs worked much better for me. It varies individually, but these workouts also stimulated my appetite.

My best results ever came from STS but I've been doing Cathe's Pure Strength program and am still getting great results. I think lifting heavy weights (without the focus on fast lifting/cardio/high reps) really leans me out and keeps my appetite in check. You may have to experiment to see what works best for you. There's no reason why you couldn't experiment with alternating Sin6 with Ellen and walking. A lot of folks had results doing Sin6 every other day. Either way, I think since you haven't had the results you wanted with walking/Ellen, adding weights is a great idea. As an added benefit, weight lifting can help reduce insulin resistance (a side effect of eating too much sugar/simple carbs) and make it easier for you to lose weight. If you eventually decide to wean yourself away from the sugar as well, you would probably be very surprised at how fast the results would come. If your sugar intake is too high, you'll exhaust yourself trying to out exercise it. Just something to think about for the future. And good for you for adding more veges/cutting back on bread.

Don't feel too discouraged about your results with Ellen/Leslie. Give yourself some wiggle room to experiment. You've definitely been establishing good habits (exercising more consistently) and you're no doubt stronger and in better shape. That will help you tackle the next step with more confidence and less risk of injury. And adding weights may give you the results you are looking for so let yourself focus on that excitement. I can say without a doubt that as far as exercise goes, weights were the deciding factor in leaning me out. Good luck and let us know how it goes
I've been contemplating adding more weights, less cardio, because I think building muscle will help me burn more calories in general. I don't have the space or desire to do heavy weights... light weights are my friend! I was never very good at heavy lifting, and really don't prefer it. I will definitely do more of Ellen's weighted workouts... I just wish I clicked better with Skinny Sculpt. It's a good workout, but IMO, not nearly as good as Slim Sculpt. Maybe it's time for me to open up Self Bikini Ready Fast and add that to my rotation, and also to remember that I own Crunch Burn and Firm Pilates.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cherimac View Post
I love Slim Series and like Slim in 6. Slim in 6 doesn't use weights for most of the workout. It's more lower body focused and has a cardio element to it. You then use bands or weights for about 8 minutes and finish with some lower body floor work, pushups, abs, and a yoga type stretch. Each workout gets progressively more intense (similar moves with higher BPM to the music, making it more cardio).

Slim Series is a high rep/low weight set of workouts. They are tough and a total Slim Training rotation has a dread factor for me. There are 5 weight workouts that are an 60-78 minutes each (5) and an hour long stretch. A friend recently helped me break these down and it helped me a lot.

Firm it Up~lower body, unweighted(standing and floor); abs

Shape it Up~total body; hits the legs, chest/tris/standing abs well (floor and standing work)

Mix it Up~total body; hits chest and tris well; standing and floor work

Tone it Up~total body, uses lightest weights; hits shoulders and legs well; standing and floor work

Tear it Up~total body, hits the back of the body well(lots of deadlifts and back work, etc); no floor work except a few minutes of abs; has some cardio work in there too.

Shape and Tear are 78 minutes and the others are roughly an hour each.
Hope that helps somewhat. I like both sets and have gotten good results from them.
Thank you so much for breaking that down for me! So this is Slim Series you're describing, not Slim in 6, right? This may be helpful if I decide to try acquiring just a few workouts in the set to help round out what I already have and like (mostly Ellen, some Leslie). Which are your favorites and why?

Quote:
Originally Posted by edensmom View Post
I'm one that was raving .
English Ivy gave some good advice. I have no dread when it comes to SS but as far as doing Slim in 6 that might be different if I were to follow the recommended rotation (doing the same workout everyday before advancing to the next one). Alternating with Leslie/Ellen would be a great idea.
I use only dumbbells for these workouts. I tend to dislike using bands, so I don't use them.
These workouts are polarizing! I love them because for me THEY WORK. Lots of people loathe them. So YMMV.
Well, I certainly want something that works! I figure if I end up not loving them, at least I can do something I do love a few times per week, right? Have you found that using dumbells is an easy modification? I think I'd prefer them as well. I'm just not coordinated enough to use bands, and I'd rather not have to buy any more equipment. I don't really have the space anyway. As far as alternating with Ellen and Leslie, which workouts do you think I should focus on finding (rather than trying to build a whole set)?
__________________
Laura

"Practice makes progress." Jessica Smith

"There's always an option before we quit." Jessica Smith

"You don't have to be a ballerina to feel like one." Ellen Barrett
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Old 02-20-12, 06:08 PM  
edensmom
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Pacific NW
Laura, I have no problem whatsoever using dumbbells.
If I were you, I'd probably start off using Slim in 6 and work on increasing my fitness level. This is 3 workouts. Maybe start off using Start it Up (first workout) 2 or 3 times a week and Leslie/Ellen 2 or 3 times a week. When that becomes too easy, move on to Ramp it Up, and so on.
Later on if you want to do a Slim Series rotation, you don't need every one of the workouts. My favorites are Shape, Tone, and Firm, because I love the floorwork and like working my lower body a lot. Cheri gave a good breakdown, but other than Firm being all lower body, the workouts are not that radically different from one another. So I don't think it matters too much which ones you get, maybe whichever you can get in trade, that way you can see if you like them. And if you have Sin6, Burn it Up is pretty good so you could mix that in with a couple of the SS workouts. Put a Leslie in every other day and you have your rotation!
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Old 02-20-12, 06:33 PM  
cherimac
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Georgia
My favorite SS workouts are Mix, Shape, and Tone.
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Old 02-20-12, 07:33 PM  
EnglishIvy
 
Join Date: May 2011
If light weights/high reps are your thing, you might also consider Jari Love. If you can't trade for Slim in 6, Jari's stuff is much cheaper so you could try it without much risk. Her stuff is a lot less boring than Sin6 (IMHO) and you would only need 3,5 and 8lb weights. I like her Ripped and Chiseled (great if you don't have a barbell). Just another option...
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Old 02-20-12, 08:08 PM  
edensmom
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Pacific NW
I think some of Debbie's magic comes from how she works the lower body. I like Jari's workouts and they are definitely high rep, but they don't work as well for my lower half as SS. For me the floorwork makes a big difference. Of course YMMV. Another choice for hi rep/low weight is Jessica Smith 10 Lbs Down Total Body Tune Up, or her Better Body Blast. Dove Rose's workouts have a lot of reps and floorwork too. Or there is Karen Voight's Great Weighted Workout. The Toniques fit this category as well. HTH.
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