Muscles Not Firm

[TG007]

(I thought I posted here but in fact it was in STS forum)

I've been working out with your videos for almost 10 years. I work hard, lift heavy, eat well. However, my muscles are not hard and not defined.

A friend who never works out has very firm arms.

I'll be 50 next year.

What are my problems? What have I done wrong?



Thank you,
TG

[Jane Royse]

I don't have the answer for you, but I saw a similar post awhile back that mentioned she was diagnosed as estrogen dominant, & that once she got her hormones in balance, she was able to build muscle. You might want to do a search of the threads regarding estrogen dominance.

[nkhansen1]

I hear ya! I've been athletic all my life, and a Cathlete since 2005. I eat incredibly well, I put all the hard work in, and I still look like mushy crap. I'm 35, but even in my 20s I never looked like what I should have with all my training. It's extremely frustrating. I cry about it often. My husband has been saying for years that I should see a doctor because with all the work I put in, I should look like a bombshell. There must be something wrong. However, all my bloodwork is normal from my yearly physicals. It's so tough to stay motivated when you don't see changes. My husband reminds me of all the good I do for my body with all this training even though I don't outwardly see any results. I've done STS three times, Insanity twice and P90X in addition to years of Cathe rotations and running. Nada!

[Stebby]

I think that people who are not natural mesomorphs are going to have a harder time building muscle. TG007 and nkhansen1, I bet you both look much better and more fit than you think you do, and worlds better than you would look if you didn't work out!

I don't look as fit as I would like, even though I work out like a fiend too. But then I compare myself to my family members who don't work out, who are similar to me genetically, and they are 50+ pounds overweight. I try to remember that and remind myself that I am doing my best with the hand I've been dealt. I am way ahead of where I would be if I didn't exercise. It took me a long time to get to the point where I can believe and appreciate that. (I will be 51 in a few days and have been working out since my teens - I would say the first 30 years of that I was focused on my appearance rather than the other benefits of healthy habits.)

Also, it counts for a lot to be healthy inside, regardless of what you look like outside! Your body can do things that most people would not be physically capable of.

Stebby

[nkhansen1]

So true, Stebby! No matter what my outside looks like, I'm in good shape with a strong heart and I can keep up with everything I have to and want to do.
If I have any motivation at all, it's that I cringe to think of what I would look like if I stopped training if THIS body is apparently the best I can achieve! Yikes!

[Cosmo Mom]

Wow - what a timely post! I'm turning 50 in a few weeks and workout hard..I eat pretty healthy, but I'm beating myself up about anything I should not be putting in my mouth, etc.

I, too, have been working out for years and try to figure out what works. I just did STS and while I usually don't actually lose too much weight on that series, I always feel stronger. This should build definition! My arms aren't too bad and my legs are always kind of skinny (as well as my butt). My problem is my mid-section is where I gain and I sit at a desk all day
Some times I workout after work (second time) to un-do the sitting damage. Help!!

I figure I really really need to eat clean to see results. At least I feel fit, just want to look more fit for all this work I put into it. Sweat Equity!!

[Brenda Orth]

I have never, ever posted on this forum before, even though I have been working out with Cathe for 15 years and have gone to this cite every day reading posts and using the work out manager.

I turned 50 last year and I have thought many of the same things you all are saying. I have worked out with Cathe almost every day, am on my second round of STS, but I am always disappointed in myself with the way I look. I am still approximately 17 pounds over weight and have not been able to budge from this weight. I eat fairly clean and am faithful at working out. I often think "what if I quit" and know that is not the answer. I am fighting genetics and some times it is a losing battle. I can't imagine what would happen if I did. I am diabetic and know for sure that Cathe helps me keep my blood sugar in (reasonably) good control. I am thankful for Cathe and her encouragement to "work, work" and be the best we can be.

[Cosmo Mom]

It sure is nice to hear others have the same problem. Definitely not the answer by not working out because when I don't, I don't feel good and I start putting on weight. I have about 5 lbs. to lose, but it never budges. I just keep losing/gaining the same two lbs. I probably workout 25 of the 30 days in a month! Of course, I hear my little elf on the shoulder saying "well, if you didn't drink that wine this weekend"...but sorry I can't give everything up

Last summer I did really good, about two lbs. away from my goal weight (which to me is HUGE!). Funny thing is when I look at my yearly Cathe calendars to see, okay what worked and what didn't - I didnt do anything extraordinary for workouts. It wasn't cuz I did alot of cardio, or alot of weights. So, when someone figures this out...without foregoing the wine...let me know!

[Stacy]

Not sure if this is "the answer" but thought I'd share. My sibling and I have the same build, sortof a meso-endo and couldve written the same post. I do have muscle but with too much fat. I eat fairly clean as well, workout hard. But, my sib joined a CrossFit gym, revamped the diet and looks SO incredibly lean and defined in just 6 months time! So when reassessing things, I realized the "fairly" clean diet wasnt working and I wasnt pushing myself as hard as I thought with my workouts. Doing workout dvds was part of the trouble I'm afraid but not b/c they're bad. I just realized that I needed to up the ante. Instead of always rotating thru workouts I had to pick out just a few and make sure that each time I did that workout I had to change something whether it was going up in weights, or pushing myself longer during a cardio drill. I did away somewhat with the I have to do so many strength workouts a week, so many cardio to, I need to make each workout feel hard and winded. Cutting out alot of starches, and fruits were helpful too. I did just that and dropped 4 lbs fairly quickly which was good seeing as I only have about 15 to lose. I have slacked off b/c I had a work project to do, but I'm getting back into things and starting to see progress again. I'm not joining a Crossfit gym but I have found some Crossfit workouts I can do at home and I've started tacking on some of the beginner ones onto my regular workouts. Just some things to consider. I wanted to blame hormones and genetics (and I'm not saying that that isnt the case for some) but for me it really came down to realizing I needed to push myself harder out of my workout dvd comfort zone.

[nkhansen1]

Originally Posted by Stacy

Not sure if this is "the answer" but thought I'd share. My sibling and I have the same build, sortof a meso-endo and couldve written the same post. I do have muscle but with too much fat. I eat fairly clean as well, workout hard. But, my sib joined a CrossFit gym, revamped the diet and looks SO incredibly lean and defined in just 6 months time! So when reassessing things, I realized the "fairly" clean diet wasnt working and I wasnt pushing myself as hard as I thought with my workouts. Doing workout dvds was part of the trouble I'm afraid but not b/c they're bad. I just realized that I needed to up the ante. Instead of always rotating thru workouts I had to pick out just a few and make sure that each time I did that workout I had to change something whether it was going up in weights, or pushing myself longer during a cardio drill. I did away somewhat with the I have to do so many strength workouts a week, so many cardio to, I need to make each workout feel hard and winded. Cutting out alot of starches, and fruits were helpful too. I did just that and dropped 4 lbs fairly quickly which was good seeing as I only have about 15 to lose. I have slacked off b/c I had a work project to do, but I'm getting back into things and starting to see progress again. I'm not joining a Crossfit gym but I have found some Crossfit workouts I can do at home and I've started tacking on some of the beginner ones onto my regular workouts. Just some things to consider. I wanted to blame hormones and genetics (and I'm not saying that that isnt the case for some) but for me it really came down to realizing I needed to push myself harder out of my workout dvd comfort zone.

Nope, these aren't my problems! I wish they were! My diet is really quite impeccable, and I push myself to nausea with every workout. I thought maybe a change would help me which is why I joined a gym and hired the trainer, thinking that SOMEHOW in some way I was not pushing myself hard enough with Cathe at home. I knew I was eating right, and the RD that came with the trainer analyzed my diet and agreed that diet was not my issue (I eat about 1400 calories a day, and keep track of portions). I worked with that trainer for a year, and I didn't lose a pound nor an inch. My workouts were not nearly as hard as what I was used to with Cathe, but they were more varied with cross fit and kickboxing thrown into the mix of normal cardio drills and weight training. My trainer was very frustrated with my weekly weigh-ins and measurements because nothing ever changed. Um, welcome to my life! Hello! He said I was lying in my food journal, or at least not writing down full portions or the whole truth. I, of course, was entirely truthful. It was very validating to me that nothing I was doing was wrong...I just can't get the body I want. And I don't want a body type that isn't possible! I'm not looking to be a model or aspiring to a body type that I don't own. I just want better than THIS, and I should have it with all that I put in. It sucks that I don't. That said, I am grateful for a healthy body, and I can't complain about that!