advice needed !!

[loretta]

How many times have you seen that as a thread subject

Anyway Hi Cathe,
I have been doing your tapes for a while now and have even been
on 2 road trips. I have some questions I hope you can help me with. I understand that diet plays a big role in weight loss and I am trying to work those issues as well. But now on to my questions.

1) How long does it take to determine if a rotation/work out style is working for my body type.

2)What would your suggestion be to determine what works best
to help get the weight off?

3)I was thinking off doing a rotation that included MIS, CircutMax and Leaner Legs once a week + cardio. Any thoughts?

4) Lately when I am able to exercise regularly I neglect my abs.
When I try to follow with tapes it bothers my back so I skip them
:-(. Anyway I know you can't spot reduce, and I always assumed that if I lost the weight I would lose it all over including my waist. If I include abdominal work early on will I see any inches lost around my middle as well (I hope that makes sense) or do I have to wait?

Thank You for insight you could give me, I understand you are busy. I am happily lookng forward to your new tapes this year

Loretta

 

[kimstarr]

Really good questions, Loretta!
I'm just bringing this to the top.

Kimstarr

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Loretta! As soon as you mentioned being on the road trips, your face came into my mind immediately Nice to hear from you again.

1) I would say that if you workout pretty regularily with weights then you will most likely know if a rotation works for you within three to four weeks. You may not get the full impact of the rotation by then but you should at least see improvements leaning in a positive direction by then. If not by then, I would alter your rotation.

2) Generally speaking, to help with body fat loss, you should eat a clean diet, workout about 5 to 6 days per week with cardio and weight workouts, get proper rest and keep yourself hydrated. Your workouts should contain both intense and lighter workouts. I would also suggest a weekly(or around every 10 days)interval workout to put your fitness level to the test(not to mention the calories that you will burn during this workout).

3) This sounds like a good mix of workouts. If at all possible, I would suggest putting a cardio day between each of those workouts. I would also suggest one of those cardio workouts be an intense cardio that you normally don't do. This will help to shock your metabolism.

4) Before you include abdominal work in your workouts, you need to find out why abdominal exercises bother your back. If it is due to an injury or something of that nature, you obviously need to have that looked at first. You certainly do not want to encourage a further problem. But if it simply due to a weakness from lack of use, then you need to incorporate abdominal work at a gradual pace, being sure to save advanced exercises for later when you have developed a strong center base. You'll be happy to know that a strong abdominal region will improve your posture as well as help to eliminate back pain. As long as your back is medically cleared, I would immediately make abdominal training a part of your regular routine.

As far as inch loss is concerned, generally speaking, any area that resists losing weight(the trouble spot area) is usually the last area to want to react to a body fat loss program. But eventually it does give in. The point at which it gives in varies with each individual.

Good luck and let us know how you do !

 

[loretta]

Thank You, Thank You, Thank you :-jumpy

I really appreciate you taking the time to thoroughly
answer all of my questions. I have just one more about
seeing results: Should I take measurements to determine improvements or go by how my clothes fit?
or ? In 3 - 4 weeks I guessing it may be difficult to
see visual changes. (give an inch, take a mile huh )

My back pain during abs is more than likely
due to bad form or weak muscles rather than a medical
problem. It mainly occurs when trying to lift my legs
off the floor during ab work.

Thanks again!!!
Loretta

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi again! I generally do both. I like to start with an overall measurement first. Then when I feel my clothes starting to get loose, I will again take a measurement. After that I usually measure every two weeks. I find that measuring daily can get frustrating and/or discouraging because your body will fluctuate a bit(either positively or negatively)on a daily basis. Also, your measurements can be thrown a bit during that time of the month when we tend to hold more water. While everyone is different, I think it would be fair to say that there is a good chance of seeing a visual change after three to four weeks of being on a focused and consistent body fat loss program.

As for back pain, just about all of the exercises that have you lifting your legs off of the floor(unsupported)are advanced exercises. Advanced abdominal exercises will cause back pain if the abdominal area is not strong enough to withstand this position. You must first establish abdominal strength through less advanced exercises to give your abdominals a foundation to build on. This, in combination with lower back exercises, will eventually "prime" your abdominals for the more advanced exercises. In the meantime, you may do abdominal exercises that have your legs off of the floor as long as your legs are supported. To do this simply put your feet up on a chair or on your step when doing your crunches. Good Luck!