Noticeable Results??

[SarahLA]

Hi Cathe,

I desperately wanted to get your opinion on a rotation for fat loss while keeping muscle!! I need to lose 10 lbs. and am confused as to which type of rotation I should be doing. I was thinking about mixing MIS Upper Body with PS Legs 2x/week (since I love both of those!). Would results come faster with just focusing on one way at a time by doing strictly MIS 3x/week or doing PS series 1x/week with added cardio? I really need to lean down my thighs/butt/lower body. I was thinking of doing the following:

Mon: AM - 30 min. Cardio / PM - MIS Upper Body
Tues: AM - 30 min. Cardio / PM - PS Legs/Abs
Wed: AM - 30 min. Cardio / PM - 60 min. Kickboxing tape
Thurs: AM - 30 min. Cardio / PM - MIS Upper Body
Fri: AM - 30 min. Cardio / PM - PS Legs/Abs
Sat: AM - 30 min. Cardio / PM - 60 min. Cardio tape
Sun: off

And for faster fat loss, is it better to do cardio every morning before breakfast for say 30-40 min. at a moderate intensity and again before bed....or do 60 minutes of high-intensity cardio once a day? How much is really necessary? I always hear people saying for a fat loss diet to do cardio morning and night. How long should it take to start seeing results if I am following a strict, clean diet? I am confused and really want some opinions on this!!

Please help!!

Sarah

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Sarah,

A lot of how well this rotation works for you depends on what you are currently doing. For instance, is this just a subtle change from what you are doing now or a whole new way of training?

Mixing the tapes the way you have stated above is perfectly fine. I think that you have incorporated the right mix of workouts to accomplish your goals but my only concern is the amount of cardio. You have 6 days a week at 30 minutes plus two additional 60 minute cardio days. Now for some, this is not a problem but, depending on how your body handles high volumes of cardio, you could hit mental and/or physical burnout. Also, if you have the body type that has a hard time putting on muscle, this amount of cardio could sabatoge your efforts to keep muscle. Side Note: Be sure to vary these six cardio workouts to cross train your muscles.

Regarding the issue of the better time of day to do your cardio (for better fat loss), I personally do not believe that any specific time of day effects your results enough to justify rearranging your day around it. However, I do believe that clean eating and eating the right amount of calories per energy output HUGELY EFFECT your fat loss and muscle gain (as well as muscle maintenance) efforts.

So my suggestion is to start with clean eating right away and stay very faithful to this. Also, do your rotation listed above but leave out the two additional 60 minute PM cardio routines. Instead increase your 30 minutes of AM cardio on that day to either 45 to 60 minutes. Doing this gives your body longer recovery time between your cardio workouts (something to strongly consider when doing cardio 6 times per week). Side Note: You can always add in these additional cardio workouts later if needed and if your body is not experiencing any form of on going fatigue.

Again, I don't know what you are currently doing but if what you mentioned above is something completely new to your body, I think you will be amazed at how quickly you will see results, ESPECIALLY if you are faithful to your clean eating program. You will feel results immedaitely, see some slight changes in a couple of weeks, and really notice some prominent changes in 4 to 6 weeks. Good Luck!

PS: Ease into new workout programs and listen to your body along the way !