Endurance vs Heavy Weights

Terri1222

Cathlete
Cathe:
Really would like your advice here.

I am 5'2", about 110 lbs on a GOOD day! (I'm one of those rare few that fights to keep my weight UP)

Anyway, I've been working out for about 20 years now (I'm 41) and I've always done heavy weights so I can get a bit of "bulk". I've noticed that when I just switched to all endurance work, I lose some of that bulk but I tend to get a bit more definition and it's definitely made me alot stronger!

While I'm not looking to become a bodybuilder or anything, I was wondering how I can keep both....bulk AND definition. My first thought was to do heavy lifting at the gym one day a week and then do endurance training, working those same muscle groups, at home with your tapes another day that same week (not to ignore all the other days of the week where I do kickboxing, step aerobics, etc). This way I figured I'd be working each body part twice a week, but in two different ways....heavy and endurance.

HOWEVER, my husband insists that I should do like a MONTH of heavy weight workouts and then do the next month of all endurance training workouts. ????

Help! What do you think????

(FYI, I LOVE the new tapes....each and every one is spectacular!!!)

Thanks so much for all your help!
 
Hi Cathe!

I have been wondering the same thing as Terri. I'm also 5'2", 105 lbs, 36 yrs old. Don't want to lose weight but sure don't want to gain! I've been doing your tapes for about a year now (MIS, PS and 8 pk) and love the definition and "bulk" they've given me. Currently I have been doing the CTX 6 pk doing 2 body parts per day, working each part twice per week but the second time I work a particular body part I use the PS tape. For example: Monday I'll do Kickbox/biceps and CTX back and on Thurs I'll do a CTX cardio of choice and PS BBA. Is it better to stick with a 6 wk rotation of only CTX and then alternate with another 6 wk rotation of only PS with hour long cardio tapes on alternating days and some power yoga thrown in for good measure? I work out 6 days per week. I'm just trying to avoid plateauing. My endurance and strength have definitely improved since my 4 wk rotation of CTX. Thanks for your advice and help!

The new tapes are so cool :-cool I work out in the evenings after work and they are such great stress-busters and so much fun! You're the best!
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Oct-02-00 AT 07:22PM (Est)[/font][p]Great Question Terri.... I had also seen pretty much the same results as you have in the past while using heavy weights for a long duration... I feel-- I appear bulky and while doing lighter weights for long duration-- I lose some bulk but retain some definition... unfortunately during the summer-- I slacked off on my weight training (lost both definition and bulk) and was looking to try something different...

I've been alternating heavier weight weeks(PS Series) with lighter weeks....mostly BodyMax and MIS... for the last 4 weeks and seeing strength gains with some definition returning .... I'm curious about mixing heavy weight training sessions in the same week with lighter training sessions... hitting bodyparts twice in one week... once light and then heavy later in the week. I'm actually planning to mix CTX (still waiting for my DVDS) with some heavy days(primarily MIS and perhaps PS Series)... in the same week and see what develops..... hope Cathe Replies.

Lydia L
 
I was just looking at an old issue of Shape the other day. In the January 2000 issue they have an article on something called Zone training (not to be confused with the Zone diet, LOL!).

The article has you do about 8 or 9 exercises for various body parts. You work out three times a week. On the first day you do 12 to 15 repetitions with light weights, on the second day you do 8 to 10 repetitions with medium weights, and on the third day you do 4 to 6 reps with heavy weights. You do this for eight weeks, and then you pick out 8 or 9 different exercises and do the same thing.

The only exception is ab work where you do 15 to 20 reps each time you work out. Check out that issue of the magazine if you want to learn more.
 
Hmmmmm, the Zone thing sounds interesting, thanks for the info Jane. I'll be starting a new rotation this Sunday :-jumpy so I'd really like Cathe's opinion on this entire thread! :) Thanks!
 
Hi Terri! Bravo on your 20 year workout commitment(and going strong). Glad you are enjoying the tapes too.

First thing that I will remind you of (since I know that you already know this)is that you have to work within your own genetic potential. Since you mention that it is a "struggle" for you to keep your weight up, then you most likely have the body type that is more reluctant to put on size. Not to say that you can't but rather that it will require great focus and efforts on your part.

There is no way to know exactly what will make your body get that perfect blend of size and definition unless you experiment. However, when trying to see what your body responds most favorably to,you need to do one thing at a time and see where to go from there. If you mix heavy and lighter workouts and don't get the exact results you wanted, it would be hard to determine which way to go bcause there are too many variables to consider.

So, I agree with your husband as far as doing one thing for a while and then trying something else. It may very well be that you respond to a combination of both heavy and light weight training but first lets take it a step at a time.

Ok, where to begin. Everybodys body reponds differently to exercise but at least we can start with a "generally speaking" approach.

Generally speaking, when you are trying to gain size and definition, you need to do the following:

1) Lift Slow and Heavy: One to two body parts per day seems to work best when lifting heavy since you have more time and energy to give 100 percent to each body part. After a five minute warm up, do about four to five different exercises per body part at 3 to 4 sets per exercise. Also do 6 to 8 reps per set. If you are lifting quite heavy but not as heavy as you possibly can, then do 10 reps per exercise.

2) Get adequate sleep and also give adequate recovery time to your muscles.

3) Slightly increase your protein intake to help your mucle tissue repair.

4) Slightly increase your calorie intake to fuel your workouts and allow you to gain muscle mass.

5) Eat a clean and healthy diet to keep your muscles clearly defined.

6) Drink abundant amounts of water

After three months of this you will be able to give a fair assessment and decide whether you want to stay with this or incorporate some lighter weight training too. But you really can't make that decision until you see how your body responds to this approach first.

Good Luck!
 
Hi Lorrie! If you are currently doing something and it is working positively for you, stick with it until your progress slows down. It takes the body some time to acclimate itself to a new routine, therefore, allowing you to stick with a rotation for a while before you begin to plateau. The only time you need to worry about if something else would be better to do is if your current routine isn't producing positive results. Keep up the good work;-)!
 
Thanks so much for the advice Cathe, I really appreciate it. When I first started doing the CTX tapes and I told my husband that you had an 8 1/2 month old baby,he couldn't belive it -(incredulous voice) :-wow "SHE just had a baby?!!? She JUST had a baby?!!?" :-wow He was in awe of how quickly you were able to get back into shape. And the other night, sweetie that he is, while I was doing those challenging crazy 8s he looked from the tv to me and said "Honey, your arms look just like Cathe's" Now, I certainly don't see this, but that was sure the exact right thing to say to give me an extra energy boost! Those crazy 8s are one of my biggest challenges. Anyway, thanks to you I feel great and the best part of my day is when I'm working out! :)
 
Cathe:
Thanks so much for your advice on this!

Everything you said made alot of sense to me and I am definitely going to give it a try!

Can't wait to meet you on the trip in October!
 

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