Advice re: getting back into Cathe workouts

[kirsten777]

I apologize for this being so long!

About 6 months ago I decided to join the gym for something different. I went 5 days a week, sometimes 6 or 7 depending on how I felt. For my cardio I, at first, alternated between the recumbant bike and the treadmill, but eventually went to only treadmill because the I couldn't get a high enough intensity because of my bad knees. On the treadmill (fast walking only - because of knees) I always varied the incline and speed, and felt like I was getting a very intense workout (plus I was doing the weight machines for 1/2 hour 3 times / week). Anyway, to cut a long story short, I got bored with the gym and decided to back to Cathe's workouts. Before I started going to the gym, I could do Low Max and Low Impact Circuit from start to finish - 3 weeks ago, I could barely do 15 minutes! Plus I started noticing that even little hills left me breathless (apparantly the incline on the treadmill - sometmes a 9 - was an illusion?!?) Anyway, even my weight lifting suffered! I will never do weight machines again! I was up to about 15-20 lbs with free weights - depending on the exercise - now I can barely handle 5lbs!! I am so frusterated - I worked so hard to get where I was 6 months ago, I had lost 40 lbs, 20 of which I even gained back (that's was due mostly to poor eating habits because I was depressed about working out so much and the weight going up a little - so I really dug into the food. Anyway, I am sorry this is so long but I wanted to give you a little background, but my question is, I am now up to being able to do 1/2 an hour of low max 3 days per week and then I do about 15 minutes of cardio and 30 mins of weights with Low impact circuit. Is it better to keep doing what I doing and just increase as I am able or would it be better to take a few minutes of an active rest (walking in place, etc) and keep going through the whole workout? I don't want to overdo it either, but ....

Thanks for any advice anyone can give.
Kirsten

 

[Iris_g1]

Hi Kirsten,

My advise would be to keep going and just take walk-out breaks as needed. I have those days too, and that's what I do. I just hit the pause button, walk it out a bit, and resume. I find that is better than cutting my workout short. Just my opinion

 

[Dela]

Just curious, have you looked at the STS program? I think STS would be a phenomenal way to get your strength back. It bases everything on your 1 rep max abilities and then works up from there. If nothing else, I KNOW I am stronger and more energetic from this program. I am just starting meso 3 now.

It sounds like you are making great progress with the cardio and completing the dvds, your idea to rest for a minute or two then continue sounds good to me (but then again, who am I ), but it does seem that would be a great way to continue progressing.

Good luck, and I suppose welcome back is in order!

 

[kirsten777]

Thank you!!

That was kind of what I thought, but wanted to make sure someone else thought that too! I have looked into the STS program, and it is currently on my wish list - hopefully I'll be able to get it in the next couple of months.

Thanks for both of your advice!
Kirsten

 

[maddiesmum]

Kirsten:

I just wanted to try and make you feel better. Right now you are wondering why you bothered switching the type and place of your workouts because you feel you have lost so much. But, really, you haven't. Take heart. All you did was give your body a change in exercise type and therefore in what you are demanding of it during exercise. When you do a Cathe cardio workout you are training aerobically and training the muscles differently to when you use a treadmill, and now that you are back to Low max, vice versa. It doesn't mean that the time spent on the treadmill is time wasted, just that it was time spent working your body differently. It's all good.

Quite honestly, the only thing that Cathe cardio and weight training trains you for is to be excellent at doing Cathe cardio and weight training. The minute you stop doing it and go off to do marathon training or lots of outdoor biking or whatever, you will start to lose the ability to perform Cathe cardio and weight training at the optimum level you once enjoyed. All sorts of exercise work the muscles differently and develop different strengths and weaknesses in the body.

I now do mostly running and powerwalking which is very leg intense, but the minute I go back and do and step workout with Cathe, even though I can run 6 miles and powerwalk 6 miles at 5.6 mph without stopping, I still have to take breaks doing Step Blast and my calf muscles ache like crazy 2 days later. It's not that I'm hopelessly unfit, quite the opposite, I am very fit, but it's just that my body has become de-acclimatized to Cathe's movement patterns, that is all.

So, Kirsten, take heart, all that exercise did your body good. And you'll soon be performing Low Max as easily as you once did.

Clare

 

[RapidBreath]

Don't feel too bad !

Low max is a toughie on the tushie. I think your muscles will come back. I'm not too surprised about the treadmill not cutting it. Treadmill is usually not as taxing as an outdoor workout. I find that I get different doms from different types of cardio. I get it in the thighs from wicked hills and in the calfs from plyo legs. I alternate between step workouts and jog/walk workouts. But, if I throw in a dance workout I feel it even though I can do RS or SB with risers.

 

[kirsten777]

Thank you!

Clare,

Thank you! I had not thought of it that way at all, but it makes total sense. I used to be a competitive swimmer, and I bet if I got back in the pool there is no way I could swim the way I used to first time in!

Rapid Breath, I did the whole low max today with mini breaks in between a few times, and my legs were sore! But a good sore

Thanks for all you words of wisdom and advice you two!