Help, discouraged...getting bigger but feel I'm doing things right

C

cherrypie10

Active Member
I have worked out with Cathy since 2005 and have had great results (so working out is not new to me, and I do everything... muscle endurance workouts, step workouts, intensity, discs, etc.... always wanting to "confuse" my body). I'm in week 10 of Xtrain and have definitely gotten stronger. I have even gone back and inserted some of Cathy's older videos and can do moves I never use to, i.e., bomb diver push ups. The scale has remained pretty consistent from when I started Xtrain. However, there are some tops that barely fit my biceps anymore... doesn't muscle take up less space than fat? Shouldn't they fit better? I eat pretty clean, I watch my carb and sodium intake and take in a sufficient amount of protein (if anything, I probably under eat which I know can be a bad thing too). I drink plenty of water and have also taken diuretics for a few weeks on and then off. I also take vitamins like magnesium, B12, potassium, etc. I think my body has had enough time to adjust to the new workout routine, even though as I stated, it is use to all sorts of exercise routines. I sleep pretty well too. I'm feeling pretty discouraged that my clothes are fitting worse than before and it is not just my biceps, chest frame went from 32 to 34 (breasts are same size or actually smaller), my thighs and glute area have increased in size too. Where am I going wrong? Thank You!
 
cherrypie10 said:
I have worked out with Cathy since 2005 and have had great results (so working out is not new to me, and I do everything... muscle endurance workouts, step workouts, intensity, discs, etc.... always wanting to "confuse" my body). I'm in week 10 of Xtrain and have definitely gotten stronger. I have even gone back and inserted some of Cathy's older videos and can do moves I never use to, i.e., bomb diver push ups. The scale has remained pretty consistent from when I started Xtrain. However, there are some tops that barely fit my biceps anymore... doesn't muscle take up less space than fat? Shouldn't they fit better? I eat pretty clean, I watch my carb and sodium intake and take in a sufficient amount of protein (if anything, I probably under eat which I know can be a bad thing too). I drink plenty of water and have also taken diuretics for a few weeks on and then off. I also take vitamins like magnesium, B12, potassium, etc. I think my body has had enough time to adjust to the new workout routine, even though as I stated, it is use to all sorts of exercise routines. I sleep pretty well too. I'm feeling pretty discouraged that my clothes are fitting worse than before and it is not just my biceps, chest frame went from 32 to 34 (breasts are same size or actually smaller), my thighs and glute area have increased in size too. Where am I going wrong? Thank You!
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This is exactly what happened to me when I did STS: after 6 weeks of STS, I quit because I was gaining inches. NOT good! Wish I knew the answer but it only seems to happen when I use Cathe's heavy lifting workouts: when I did ChaLEAN Extreme, I lost inches...weird.
 
I had the same experience. I had been working out with Cathe for years and after STS my clothes did not fit. I could not get my arms into my sweaters and tees and my jeans were tight in the thighs. I cut down on heavy lifting and started doing more light weight high reps. I also added in barre/ballet workouts and this really helped. Doing Tracey Anderson's Meta Omni was a big help and the inches came off. Try Cathe's Turbo Barre. I also eat relatively clean with a treat occasionally.
 
I had a similar reaction when I did the Rock Bottoms workout. Our bodies are each different and respond to exercise in different ways. I'd love to do an all yoga rotation, but my body needs more than that.

For me adding circuit style workouts works the best. I started exercising years ago to the original Firm workouts and dropped weight very quickly.

I'm doing a 12 week workout that I put together. I'm in week 7 and like the results I'm getting. The workout incorporates STS, LIS, XTrain, CF & TTM.

Welcome the strength gains that you've made and adapt as necessary to find what works best for you.

Lisa
 
horsing around said:
I had a similar reaction when I did the Rock Bottoms workout. Our bodies are each different and respond to exercise in different ways. I'd love to do an all yoga rotation, but my body needs more than that.

For me adding circuit style workouts works the best. I started exercising years ago to the original Firm workouts and dropped weight very quickly.

I'm doing a 12 week workout that I put together. I'm in week 7 and like the results I'm getting. The workout incorporates STS, LIS, XTrain, CF & TTM.

Welcome the strength gains that you've made and adapt as necessary to find what works best for you.

Lisa
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Did you try the rotation Cathe did last year STS/LIS, I want to try now I'm doing XTrain week 8 and I love the definition in my muscle but I notice after I do tabatise increase my back pain, so I want to try STS/LIS but I don't want to gain inches.
 
I know the common misconception these days is that women cannot possibly get bigger lifting weights, but there are plenty of us who have experienced that. I imagine that's what is happening with you as well. I am one of those women who can bulk up in my arms when doing heavy lifting, and after a cycle of STS my fiance noticed that my arms were bigger. I also noticed some of my shirts being tighter in the arms, which I was none too pleased about. I liked the definition, but I was not looking for more girth.

I have also switched to high rep, low weight exercises and have been focusing on building a different physique. I am starting to get a little leaner, and hope to lose some of the bulk I gained but keep the tone. I'm doing workouts like Tracy Anderson, Tonique and Dream Body, and I am finally seeing some progress.

If you're not happy with the way your musculature is developing, perhaps higher reps and lower weights would be a good match for you.

Eva
 
Those who have gained with STS: have you experienced the same with Xtrain? I want to do a 90 day rotation or Xtrain but cannot gain bulk: I have too much body fat to lose. I'm in my 7th week of Turbo Fire and am just starting to lose a little.
 
THANK YOU for all of the responses. I'm glad that I am not the one only who this is happening to. Before I posted the message, I Googled my "problem" and just kept getting alot of what I already knew/already tried to remedy (i.e., are you taking in too much sodium, are you retaining water, are you on your menstral cycle, are you eating clean with enough protein, are you "shocking" your body with different exercises incorporating both strength and cardio workouts...and read that it's "nearly impossible" to gain muscle faster than you're losing fat, etc.)....but I know what I'm experiencing is not related to this stuff, as I stated, I'm taking in all of these considerations and trying to do things right but I feel like you Deineira -- I love the definition but not the girth!

I did NOT do STS so Xtrain (well, the sections of Xtrain) are the only "heavy" lifting exercise programs I have done. As suggested, I previously did more lower weight/high rep strength training and I guess that is what works better for me. That type of training is just different I guess -- when I do it that way I FEEL the burn in my muscles as opposed to heavy lifting where I do not really feel a burn as much as I just get to the point where I can't lift anymore. I know Cathe calls it Chest, Back and Shoulder and Bi's and Tri's "Burn Sets" but I don't BURN like I do with high rep strength workouts. For example, I use to do high rep chest flys with 12-15 pounds, now I can do flys with 25 pounds, and don't get me wrong, it feels great and powerful to be able to do that, but I look larger!

...And how excited was I to pop in the DVD and be able to keep up with Cathe doing bomb diver push ups!...but my increase in strength has come with a deep price: I do not look as lean and my clothes are not fitting. I've done Insanity but otherwise I have not really deviated from Cathe's workouts, perhaps I will change it up a bit and try some of the DVD programs suggested below.
 
horsing around said:
I had a similar reaction when I did the Rock Bottoms workout. Our bodies are each different and respond to exercise in different ways. I'd love to do an all yoga rotation, but my body needs more than that.

For me adding circuit style workouts works the best. I started exercising years ago to the original Firm workouts and dropped weight very quickly.

I'm doing a 12 week workout that I put together. I'm in week 7 and like the results I'm getting. The workout incorporates STS, LIS, XTrain, CF & TTM.

Welcome the strength gains that you've made and adapt as necessary to find what works best for you.

Lisa
Click to expand...

Lisa - would you be willing to share the rotation you put together? I'd love to see it and think others would find it helpful. Thank you!
Shelly
 
cherrypie10

I don't burn with heavy lifting like I do with endurance type lifting either. I think when Cathe says " Burn Sets " she means the 4th exercise. So for me in Burn Sets Bi-ceps I do the Bicep Exercise one Dumbell curl, the first set, 2nd set and 3rd set my muscles give out. So on and so forth with the 2nd and 3rd exercises (simultaneous dumbell curls and concentration curls). Then the crazy 8s " the burn set" I feel burn happen. At first I compared everything to Butts and Guts because my legs felt such intense burn but now I know not everything for me, has to be like that.

Everyone is different with what nutrition and exercise works best for their body. So if you really feel like it isn't working for you despite putting your best foot forward then don't feel bad. Good luck finding your niche'



Sarah
 
mom2kttj said:
cherrypie10

I don't burn with heavy lifting like I do with endurance type lifting either. I think when Cathe says " Burn Sets " she means the 4th exercise. So for me in Burn Sets Bi-ceps I do the Bicep Exercise one Dumbell curl, the first set, 2nd set and 3rd set my muscles give out. So on and so forth with the 2nd and 3rd exercises (simultaneous dumbell curls and concentration curls). Then the crazy 8s " the burn set" I feel burn happen. At first I compared everything to Butts and Guts because my legs felt such intense burn but now I know not everything for me, has to be like that.

Everyone is different with what nutrition and exercise works best for their body. So if you really feel like it isn't working for you despite putting your best foot forward then don't feel bad. Good luck finding your niche'



Sarah
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AH, thanks Sarah...yeah that makes sense. I guess Cathe does describe the fourth exercise as the burn set (should have paid better attention!) :)
 
Heavy lifting

Hi cherriepie,

I just would like to add my few cents to previous comments.From working out at home with Cathe for six years, I have lost weight, inches and sizes. Scale- wise i did reach plateau and was on it for years.During the plateau time i lifted both heavy and light through endurance and hypertrophy loads. I can not recall at anytime gaining size though. At some point i did feel tight in my sleeves (wearing shirts) but not to a point of changing a wardrobe!

Now my arms have toned up with definition and I love it. For some people it's probably big but I feel comfortable with what I have because I am not a skinny frame. I was not born a slender diana Ross type. :D:D:D:D Just to give you an idea. Plus her frame is not what I am looking for. I personnally like toned up slightly proportionate arms like, just to give you an idea, Nicole wilkins.

Pre-Workout Nutrition | FitnessRX for Women

That is the shape I am gaining. I love definition. Believe me if you want definition your arms need to slightly and temporarily increase . we are not talking about more than an inch and more than two pound scale-wise.

I am currently a size smaller than when I started STS. My arms now can comfortably fit into smaller size sleeves. Muscles take less space. Now each body respond differently but if it is more than 4 to five pound I would consider checking nutrition. I am not trying to point a figure but Nutrition not being right is not necessarily overeating it could be under-eating (this happen to me).
That being said I have never at any point gained more than 3 pounds since I started working out consistently six years ago. I wanted to break my plateau and the only way i managed to succeed was to re-consider my nutrition and my workout routine. That was the only way to stop deluding myself over and under EATING;).

All the very best
 
nckfitheart2009 said:
Hi cherriepie,

I just would like to add my few cents to previous comments.From working out at home with Cathe for six years, I have lost weight, inches and sizes. Scale- wise i did reach plateau and was on it for years.During the plateau time i lifted both heavy and light through endurance and hypertrophy loads. I can not recall at anytime gaining size though. At some point i did feel tight in my sleeves (wearing shirts) but not to a point of changing a wardrobe!

Now my arms have toned up with definition and I love it. For some people it's probably big but I feel comfortable with what I have because I am not a skinny frame. I was not born a slender diana Ross type. :D:D:D:D Just to give you an idea. Plus her frame is not what I am looking for. I personnally like toned up slightly proportionate arms like, just to give you an idea, Nicole wilkins.

Pre-Workout Nutrition | FitnessRX for Women

That is the shape I am gaining. I love definition. Believe me if you want definition your arms need to slightly and temporarily increase . we are not talking about more than an inch and more than two pound scale-wise.

I am currently a size smaller than when I started STS. My arms now can comfortably fit into smaller size sleeves. Muscles take less space. Now each body respond differently but if it is more than 4 to five pound I would consider checking nutrition. I am not trying to point a figure but Nutrition not being right is not necessarily overeating it could be under-eating (this happen to me).
That being said I have never at any point gained more than 3 pounds since I started working out consistently six years ago. I wanted to break my plateau and the only way i managed to succeed was to re-consider my nutrition and my workout routine. That was the only way to stop deluding myself over and under EATING;).

All the very best
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Thank you Nathalie! I would probably agree with you that I need to re-evaluate my nutrition. I can never seem to find that perfect balance between over and under eating. I also need to look further into how many carbs I should be consuming...."watch your carbs" v. "you need carbs to workout"...so I need to learn what that balance is. I checked out the link that you provided. I would say that my arms look more like Nicole's in the video on that page...even though I want them to look like Nicole's arms in her still photo :) (the one where she is wearing the red Nike sports bra (although I suppose those pictures may have been taken right before a competition :) ). I am probably about 13 pounds above my low weight in 2005, wow that sounds so long ago...it is just is not as easy as it was 8 years ago! It's just not the weight either though, I had a leaner body too....hmm, what was I doing differently back then? :)
 
Just wanted to chime in and say I'm one who gains a bit more muscle in my upper body then I would like when I lift heavy. My legs do great with heavier loads. I'm very broad in my shoulders and my upper body maintains muscle easily. While I appreciate woman with strong muscular arms, that's not what I want. For almost a year, all I have been doing for my upper body is horizontal conditioning and I'm finally happy with my arms. Even higher rep weight work gives me a bit more muscle then I like and I found that bodyweight work works for my body. I agree that we all respond differently to workouts and I do believe that some woman can get bigger with heavier weights. I'm lean so when I was lifting heavier it definitely wasn't fat making me thicker. Only you know how your body responds. If your not liking the results your getting switch it up. Lift lighter/higher reps or I've read some people lift heavier for chest and back work and don't do any direct bi, tri, and shoulder work as those muscles get worked enough when working the larger muscle groups.
 
cherrypie10 said:
Thank you Nathalie! I would probably agree with you that I need to re-evaluate my nutrition. I can never seem to find that perfect balance between over and under eating. I also need to look further into how many carbs I should be consuming...."watch your carbs" v. "you need carbs to workout"...so I need to learn what that balance is. I checked out the link that you provided. I would say that my arms look more like Nicole's in the video on that page...even though I want them to look like Nicole's arms in her still photo :) (the one where she is wearing the red Nike sports bra (although I suppose those pictures may have been taken right before a competition :) ). I am probably about 13 pounds above my low weight in 2005, wow that sounds so long ago...it is just is not as easy as it was 8 years ago! It's just not the weight either though, I had a leaner body too....hmm, what was I doing differently back then? :)
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Hi Cherrypie,

I could not agree more with you on carbs. Do not cut them out completely but watch out. I personnally consume a reasonable amount per day making sure they are all wholemeal/wholegrain carbs. I have cut out empty calories and white flour from my nutrition. I can not stand pizza anymore and I have cut it out completely. I would like to make my own made of wholemeal flour.

Finding the balance under-overeating is a trial and error process. This require what I call a "self honesty" Only you know everything that cross your lips:D:D:D. Sugar is our worse enemy.;) The truth is it's so well hidden.
I use to eat for breakfast a "so called" healthy cereal made of oat similar to granola. It's so fully loaded with sugar that I remember finishing the pack in tree days. As soon as I stopped having those cereal for a clean oat porridge, the weight started coming off. I am telling you the truth, I was addicted for years!:mad::mad:. I had to cut it off completely cause it triggers sugar crave!

Hang in there with those 13 pounds, you will get there. I still have about 8 to pound to shift off. It's harder to loose the last stubborn one! Having lost a total of 99 pounds from my heaviest, I can not complain;)

A thread has been posted by SNM. I think it is worth reading. Any info about how body respond to heavy lifting is valuable in my opinion cause there is so much misconception. Hope this help

http://cathe.com/forum/f104/sts-vs-chalean-extreme-292822/

All the very best;)
 
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nckfitheart2009 said:
Hi Cherrypie,

I could not agree more with you on carbs. Do not cut them out completely but watch out. I personnally consume a reasonable amount per day making sure they are all wholemeal/wholegrain carbs. I have cut out empty calories and white flour from my nutrition. I can not stand pizza anymore and I have cut it out completely. I would like to make my own made of wholemeal flour.

Finding the balance under-overeating is a trial and error process. This require what I call a "self honesty" Only you know everything that cross your lips:D:D:D. Sugar is our worse enemy.;) The truth is it's so well hidden.
I use to eat for breakfast a "so called" healthy cereal made of oat similar to granola. It's so fully loaded with sugar that I remember finishing the pack in tree days. As soon as I stopped having those cereal for a clean oat porridge, the weight started coming off. I am telling you the truth, I was addicted for years!:mad::mad:. I had to cut it off completely cause it triggers sugar crave!

Hang in there with those 13 pounds, you will get there. I still have about 8 to pound to shift off. It's harder to loose the last stubborn one! Having lost a total of 99 pounds from my heaviest, I can not complain;)

A thread has been posted by SNM. I think it is worth reading. Any info about how body respond to heavy lifting is valuable in my opinion cause there is so much misconception. Hope this help

http://cathe.com/forum/f104/sts-vs-chalean-extreme-292822/

All the very best;)
Click to expand...

Thanks again Nathalie! Well, I definately still like pizza! :) I too ate alot of the "healthy" cereals, and I suppose in moderation it is okay but the serving size is 1/2 to 1 cup. When that is in a bowl, I'm like "that's it?" For the amount you get to eat, it's not even worth it (and I am still hungry). (OK, I will admit, I still love Lucky Charms as much as a I did when I was a kid (but this was not the "heathy" cereal I was referring to, lol!)).

99 pounds?! That is AWESOME!! Congratulations, I imagine it was not easy!!! And thanks for the link to the thread by SNM. It was a good read.
 
Lorrie,
Thanks for the link. The blog was very interesting. I definiteyl need to watch the empty carbs. The cereal comparison is great. Sometimes when I want junk, I wil eat a bowl of frosted flakes instead of a handful of cookies. For me, altough the calories are empty, it is a bett choice than oreos. I need to eat more oatmeal and eggs!

Melissa
 
L Sass said:
I don't want to sidetrack your thread, but this cereal thing is HUGE! This is my trainer's blog. If you scroll down to where she talks about the difference between Kellogg's Mueslix and Fruity Pebbles, it's fascinating. And deceiving! A lower portion size with a ton more calories and oodles more SUGAR!

Blog | Training By MelissaTraining By Melissa
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Well, I'm off to buy a box of Fruity Pebbles...I'm sure it's the "fruit" that makes it so healthy. I'm kidding of course! I have not had cereal for a few months now but I was pretty good about studying the nutirional labels since I know they can be sneaky. I was craving cereal (but ended up exercising self control from buying it since I have NO portion control when it comes to cereal) so I was looking at a few labels and there were quite a few where the first ingredient is sugar! Well, if that's the case, save the bowl of cereal and give me a (mini) candy bar for a treat. :) Thanks for the link -- I actually enjoyed your trainer's post about eating healthy v. eating to lose weight. I think I fall into the former and try to be in the latter to drop these last 13-15 pounds.
 
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