Strength tape question

[AMinor]

Hi Cathe! Before I begin, I just want to say a big thank you for all your wonderful tapes - you are a wonderful motivator! Also, congrats on the new baby!

I've been lurking here for a little while, but not posting. A couple of years ago, I was a very active exerciser (taking step classes and kickboxing), but when I started law school last fall, I fell off the wagon. I got myself back in gear about three months ago and I've seen huge gains in my cardio capacity since then. I've been doing mostly your step tapes and kickboxing tapes.

Here's the problem: I tend to "put off" weight training. I've been doing a circuit workout or short (30 minutes) total body weight workout twice a week with low weights (3-5 pounds) for about a month. I really have to force myself to do it, because I am sort of a cardio junkie. I haven't seen a whole lot of difference, other than not being nearly as sore now as I was at the beginning. I want to achieve more with weight training (who doesn't want that lean, defined look?) but I need to know where to go from here. I have your Circuit Max video and Body Max, as well as PS Legs. Should I get the other two PS tapes and do each one once a week? What about MIS or Power Hour twice a week? The S&H tapes? I am a little confused as to the difference between strength endurance and strength gains, where should a semi-beginner with weight training go? When is it okay to concentrate on one body part (say doing the PS tapes each once a week), rather than doing a total body strength workout twice or more a week? Can I pretty much do all your strength tapes, but with lower weights and then build up? I currently only have dumbells (3, 5 & 8 pounds), but I am asking for a barbell for Christmas. Should I do some sort of rotation between the types of strength tapes, or stick with one until I've built up some strength? My only real muscle at this point is my quads - from all that stepping : )!!

I would appreciate any guidance regarding what strength tapes I should be concentrating on and how I should use them.

Thank you so much & I apologize for the lengthy post.

April

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi April! Nice to hear from you. There is no exact science as to how you have to use weight training tapes. You just have to determine your goals and then set out to find which workouts or combination of them your body responds most favorably too. I find that people who are more into cardio and have to force themselves to lift, tend to favor lighter weight, faster rep total body weight workouts, rather than heavier weight, resting between sets, and only one or a couple of body parts at a time, type of workouts. My feeling on this is that it is perhaps due to the fact that their heart rate stays up for the majority of the workout, a feeling that is more to their liking.

If you find your self possibly fitting into this category, then I would suggest getting Power Hour to start with and doing it two to three non-consecutive days per week, for 4 to 6 weeks. Then you can switch to MIS which is another total body workout, but you will go heavier and take longer breaks. Do this workout for 8 weeks. Then if you are happy with your results, alternate between using MIS or Power Hour how you see fit.

If you would like even more definition and strength, switch to Pure Strength Series and do them for 12 weeks (each tape in the series one time per week). By the end of these rotations, you will have a wonderful feeling for which of the three workout styles you enjoy most and how your body responds to them. Good Luck!

 

[Cruncholi]

April,
Congratulations on beginning law school--I couldn't really tell from your post if you are a 1L or a 2L at this point, but whatever. I know how you feel about falling off the bandwagon during law school--it happened to me also. It seems that you have caught yourself in time though. When I did start back to exercising in my last semester as a 3L, I felt so much less stressed out and much healthier and able to deal with the pressures of law school. So, good luck and keep it up! If you ever have any law school questions, feel free to e-mail me! [email protected]

 

[AMinor]

Thank you so much Cathe! I appreciate your advice. It also settles a question for me - whether to buy that Power Hour/MIS/Bodymax DVD that I've been wanting. I'll have to let you guys all know how the rotations work for me.

Cruncholi - I am a 2L. I started back exercising (light at first - just walking three or four times a week) this summer and then broke into my video collection for harder workouts once school started. It has definitely helped my stress level. Truth be known though, I don't know if I would have even had time to exercise last year. (I know that is a tired excuse.) But for real, that first year you hardly have time to do anything but read, sleep, and sometimes eat. Oh well, I'm back on track now! Thanks for your support & I'll let you know how my Cathe strength rotations work out!

THANKS,
April