Curious as to how much weight to use

Tallchick

Cathlete
If anyone can answer this, please. I am a true pear, where my hips are much bigger than my chest and I am small waisted (even at my lowest weight of 130 lbs, my hips were noticeably bigger than my chest). I am using heavy weights with Cathe's workouts and I don't have a tendency to get bulky anywhere, just toned. But should I be using lighter weights with higher reps? Thank you for any assistance. And regarding Cathe's lower body workouts, are some to be used with lighter weights than others? It seems she varies her amounts of weights with each workout. Thank you.
 
You will have to do some trial and error experimentation to find out what works best for you.

Some pears bulk in the lower body with heavier weights. If you truly don't, then you are not limited. You can try doing Slow & Heavy legs. You can mix it in with GS legs also. See what kind of results you get after a month at each and see if that's where you want to go.

Often, pears should train their two body halves differently. Use endurance workouts for the lower body (lighter weight, higher reps, Leaner Legs is perfect for this) to maximize fat burning and heavy weights for the upper body (less reps, heavier weight to maximize building muscle mass and strength, S&H and GS are excellent for this). This helps you to balance out the top with the bottom, by increasing the size of the upper body somewhat, it draws attention away from the heavier bottom half and the imbalance of a smaller top and larger bottom.

Hope this helps,

Clare
 
Oh, Clare, I was hoping I would hear from you. You are so wonderful!!! Thank you. One more question: Is one supposed to do Leaner Legs with lighter weights? I swear, I am so worn out between the exercises using heavy weights. I guess I really like heavier weights because I am the "nothing in moderation type". Thank you again..
 
The thing with leaner Legs is that the max weight cathe uses is a 35 pound barbell. She uses 8 and 10 pound dumbells for other exercises. That is light ("ish" depending upon your perspective!). The thing to do is to gauge how to complete the entire workout so that by the end your legs are wobbling through that last exercise, shaking with the effort. But you don't want to experience this right at the beginning, this would be reaching fatigue or even failure too early. So, you may want to start out with a 25 pound barbell and 8 pound dumbells, see how this makes you feel throughout and by the end. Then graduate up to the 35 pound barbell. I know when I start back after a break from exercise, I usually choose LL to get my legs cracking again and I use the 30 pound barbell. It produces a solid workout, believe me. So.....

Also, I believe GS legs would suit you because the only exercise that uses a heavier weight is the 3 sets of squats with which Cathe starts out the workout. So, you could just use a 30 pound barbell for these. The rest of the workout uses 8 and 5 pound dumbells. I go higher, but the point is that you don't have to. In this workout Cathe uses a high degree of pulses to fatigue the muscles, and the floor work in the second half is stability ball and the dynaband, endurance work at its best. So, I think GS legs would be excellent for you. I know I love it and there's no muscle of the lower body left unworked with this one.

Good luck Tall Chick. How tall are you by the way?

Clare
 
I do have GS legs and it is my favorite. I especially love the work with the ball, it has me the most frustrated (in a good way, that is) and I love the burning feeling in my hamstrings with the roll outs (when one is has ones back lying on the ball--great!). I am six feet tall. I have a friend who's 5'9" husband began calling me "tallchick" and it stuck.
 

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