Any women now in 40s struggling who had high metabolisms in their 20s/30s?

L

LK1

Member
Hi everyone,

I have to admit that in my 20s and 30s I had a crazy high metabolism and I had the luxury of time to also religiously workout 6 days per week. As my sister put it, I eat/ate like a man (incredibly sexist lol). I once had a student ask me how I got my flat abs and I had just had a big mac and fries. I am now in my late 40s, work full time and no longer teaching fitness classes and have slowly gained weight over the last 5+ years. I believe this is called karma.

Has anyone been down this path and what rotation works for us? I am 5'9", pear shaped and small chested. My goal is not to have to buy a whole new wardrobe since even the suits I bought last year are tight. I totally get its largely food and hormones that I am up against but wanted to focus this post on workout routine. I have noticed Cathe's body change over the years and overall get less lean looking so I know it's something we all struggle with. I haven't seen her discuss how she has had to change her workout routine but then again maybe that is a conflict of interest with the dvds she markets. I kind of feel that at my age it is some weights but lots of cardio. I am tempted to switch my 3 day split (STS) and cardio on alternate days to cardio weekday mornings and maybe a leg day on Saturday and one of the STS upper dvds on Sunday and then do the other one upper one the following weekend Sunday. I am always puzzled by the more weights /less cardio philosophy when I read about workouts of celebrities my age (Sandra Bullock/Jennifer Anniston) and their workouts seem to be mostly cardio with "some" weights. I am looking for a more generic routine as opposed to specific dvds. I do have most but like to cycle through based on cardio focused dvd or a weight focused dvd. Thoughts anyone?

Thanks!!!
 
For celebrity women it all about being tiny cause the camera puts weigh on you. They usually workout 2 hour a day and eat very little to keep the 20 something body. I always find it odd with modern movies that they have some 100lb actress that can save the day but the male heros will be on a bulking plan for a year eating 100 chicken breast a day to get hero size. :rolleyes:

So a normal women doesn't have 2 hours a day to workout and a chef so forget about Anniston and whoever.

Now for myself being 46 its all about the diet. I had high metabolism could eat anything for years. I now have to cut out sugar, breads and alcohol . I'm not low carb but more of in the smart carb diet. I also know that eating lots of protein keeps my metabolism . I have to workout at lease a hour a day. The 30 min stuff just doesn't work for me.


When I want to drop fat I do a rotation similar to the following. I'm able to keep my muscle and just loose fat. I call this my recovery from a bottle of wine or holiday shed. This is an example using just cathe stuff. I use other instructors and also do my own weight lifting plans.

But this type of rotation will shred you while retaining your muscle

Total Body weight heavy - Muscle max, sts total body
Hiit/metabolic - afterburn, to the max etc
lower body circuit - Xtrain cardio leg blast, rwh legs, lower body blast
Hiit/metabolic - to the max, cross train
Total Body high rep - high rep, muscle endurance
my week end workout steady state walk/hike and a hour of power yoga


I work 3 12's so I don't workout a typical workout week. I just make a plan and plug in as I get a off day. But this would work as a 6 day workout with a day off for a week.
 
Total Body weight heavy - Muscle max, sts total body
Hiit/metabolic - afterburn, to the max etc
lower body circuit - Xtrain cardio leg blast, rwh legs, lower body blast
Hiit/metabolic - to the max, cross train
Total Body high rep - high rep, muscle endurance
my week end workout steady state walk/hike and a hour of power yoga


I really like the looks of this, Cafelattee! I think I'll try it since I like rotations that are more style vs. exact dvd focused.

Thanks,

Beth
 
I just want to say don't compare yourself to celebrities....they have chefs ....eat very little....and workout like crazy....they are not nor!mal peeps. I can't tell you about my menopausal experience cuz it was horrible and I gained 50 pounds....but it was hormones and cuz I got bullied very badly at a job and drank for a year or so.....i finally quit....but the weight never came off...i am so upset.....I've never been this heavy....but normal menopausal experiences usually only cause a slight weight gain....10 pounds or so...you may as well embrace it. Also...as you get older....I'm almost 60....what you can do with intensity changes....however...I'm at the extreme edge of that as I have horrible spinal issues that require surgery which I don't want....good luck and relax....you'll find what works for you.
 
Cafelattee said:
For celebrity women it all about being tiny cause the camera puts weigh on you. They usually workout 2 hour a day and eat very little to keep the 20 something body. I always find it odd with modern movies that they have some 100lb actress that can save the day but the male heros will be on a bulking plan for a year eating 100 chicken breast a day to get hero size. :rolleyes:

So a normal women doesn't have 2 hours a day to workout and a chef so forget about Anniston and whoever.

Now for myself being 46 its all about the diet. I had high metabolism could eat anything for years. I now have to cut out sugar, breads and alcohol . I'm not low carb but more of in the smart carb diet. I also know that eating lots of protein keeps my metabolism . I have to workout at lease a hour a day. The 30 min stuff just doesn't work for me.


When I want to drop fat I do a rotation similar to the following. I'm able to keep my muscle and just loose fat. I call this my recovery from a bottle of wine or holiday shed. This is an example using just cathe stuff. I use other instructors and also do my own weight lifting plans.

But this type of rotation will shred you while retaining your muscle

Total Body weight heavy - Muscle max, sts total body
Hiit/metabolic - afterburn, to the max etc
lower body circuit - Xtrain cardio leg blast, rwh legs, lower body blast
Hiit/metabolic - to the max, cross train
Total Body high rep - high rep, muscle endurance
my week end workout steady state walk/hike and a hour of power yoga


I work 3 12's so I don't workout a typical workout week. I just make a plan and plug in as I get a off day. But this would work as a 6 day workout with a day off for a week.
Click to expand...
Ahhhh but didn't you just love them in .... The Immortals, 300 and Thor?
And Ryan Reynolds ... Yummmm ( incidentally I love his responses when they ask if he has a personal chef " For oatmeal?" And what do you eat? " cardboard and babies")

The women will starve themselves regardless. If you're a size 6 in Hollywood you are considered retired.

I saw Jennifer Lawrence's rant about how celebrities are expected to get to an unrealistic weight and maintain the healthy approach facade for the public...but come on, you rant but aren't you conforming?

It would be cool if they actually admitted to what they truly do to get that thin.
Eat salmon my hiney.
For example how did those two girls do it for The Black Swan?
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Hi, I do have pre-menopause problem, I been gain weigth for the last 10 months, I have my period every 2 weeks, I try to change mi exercises, my diet and nothing, so I have appointment, 3 years ago I was the same 15 lbs, over, now other 15 lbs I hope the medicine he is goin to give me help.
 
I agree that metabolic workouts are the best (I'm 46 and feel your pain!), along with strength training. Muscle Max is great, as are all the X-Train DVDs (for cardio and strength). I noticed that once I started lifting heavy I was better able to maintain and even lose weight! I really think weight training gets a bad rap - I used to do mostly cardio with light weights but only noticed a change one I increased what I was lifting. Since we're all trying to boost metabolism anything metabolic (cardio plus weights) is beneficial and weights are as well because the more muscle we have the more calories that are burned around the clock. Can you tell I like weights LOL? Good luck! :)
 
"But this type of rotation will shred you while retaining your muscle

Total Body weight heavy - Muscle max, sts total body
Hiit/metabolic - afterburn, to the max etc
lower body circuit - Xtrain cardio leg blast, rwh legs, lower body blast
Hiit/metabolic - to the max, cross train
Total Body high rep - high rep, muscle endurance
my week end workout steady state walk/hike and a hour of power yoga


I work 3 12's so I don't workout a typical workout week. I just make a plan and plug in as I get a off day. But this would work as a 6 day workout with a day off for a week."

So if I understand you correctly, Cafelattee, you do these workouts in this order? It looks like a great rotation...thanks for posting.
 
Cafelattee said:
So a normal women doesn't have 2 hours a day to workout and a chef so forget about Anniston and whoever.
Click to expand...

What makes me cringe is these Anniston and whoever are headlined as working out 2 hours per day!!!
Doing what exactly. Then they get put on a pedestal as being the "ideal" while REAL fit women are being body
shamed for recruiting healthy muscles Grrr, Please Don't get me started on what media and some women are manipulating!

2 hours of what!!! chatting and/or gossiping on the phone while having a massage is called HARD work these days
Honestly!!!
 
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LK1 said:
I am always puzzled by the more weights /less cardio philosophy when I read about workouts of celebrities my age (Sandra Bullock/Jennifer Anniston) and their workouts seem to be mostly cardio with "some" weights.
Click to expand...

I would not make celebrities "workout/nutrition" regimen a REFERENCE to my own. That is just my 2 cents!

In my opinion Hollywood, Cannes and Media in general are to blame causing body
image disorders, starving women to death --- Anorexia!

Take care and ATB.
 
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I agree with the others. Don't compare yourself to celebrities....you will NOT win. Personally, I aim to be healthy and fit, not camera ready. I wonder how many of those celebs could hang with us Cathletes?

Weights with very little cardio seem to make the most difference for me but everyone is different. I also like Metabolic workouts. I used to do weights MWF and then cardio TThSat. That just doesn't work for me anymore. I'm better off doing several weeks of one (cardio or weights) and then switching it up and doing several weeks of the other (cardio or weights). I also got some decent results by doing something completely different for a while like kettlebells or yoga. It also keeps me from getting bored and keeps things fresh. Of coarse, then I'll mix everything up together and combine rotations like ICE and X-Train....that was fun and worked well too! Right now I'm combining STS with kettlebell kickboxing. I guess what I'm saying is that I don't keep doing the same thing over and over continuously b/c a plateau will ultimately stall my progress so I mostly try to keep it challenging and fun.

I also found my recent magic bullet, which was only eating 3 (sometimes 4) meals per day with NO snacks. This has made such a big difference in how I feel. I'm reading the book Lean Habits right now and this was the first habit. It's really not as hard as I thought it would be. I'm not a diet person so this was easier for me wrap my head around and it has actually cut down on cravings. The seasaw between salt and sweet cravings was intensely annoying!

What really stinks, is once you finally figure out what works, it seems that it keeps changing. I'm sure that if I finally get it all figured out, I'll have to come up with a different plan because it won't work forever. Such is life.......
 
tralaiven said:
"But this type of rotation will shred you while retaining your muscle

Total Body weight heavy - Muscle max, sts total body
Hiit/metabolic - afterburn, to the max etc
lower body circuit - Xtrain cardio leg blast, rwh legs, lower body blast
Hiit/metabolic - to the max, cross train
Total Body high rep - high rep, muscle endurance
my week end workout steady state walk/hike and a hour of power yoga


I work 3 12's so I don't workout a typical workout week. I just make a plan and plug in as I get a off day. But this would work as a 6 day workout with a day off for a week."

So if I understand you correctly, Cafelattee, you do these workouts in this order? It looks like a great rotation...thanks for posting.
Click to expand...

I do this in a row and its always gets my pants loose. ;)
 
angie_nrs said:
What really stinks, is once you finally figure out what works, it seems that it keeps changing. I'm sure that if I finally get it all figured out, I'll have to come up with a different plan because it won't work forever. Such is life.......
Click to expand...

Yep, So true --- Our body is the most amazing intelligent piece of tool and work!
We just need to find strategies to trick it to PUSH magic happen.:);)
 
d94e0cda0f698d6140bb94eaf7e33571.png


That's 98 lbs. of PURE strength
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I want something more like this
5bd85d58b3861f317c9c0166bd025b02.png


12ce73903bbc440d8ec3ea8d39303fa5.png


Jessica Rumbaugh from Athlean xx for Women.
Her off season body not her Figure Competition body.
She's currently pregnant though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Cafelattee said:
Total Body weight heavy - Muscle max, sts total body
Hiit/metabolic - afterburn, to the max etc
lower body circuit - Xtrain cardio leg blast, rwh legs, lower body blast
Hiit/metabolic - to the max, cross train
Total Body high rep - high rep, muscle endurance
my week end workout steady state walk/hike and a hour of power yoga
Click to expand...

I am doing something like this right now! Just started it a few days ago. I also add in the "combo" total body premix from Pyramid Upper/Lower to my list of total body workouts. I'm going to stick with this rotation for at least a month...
Question for @Cafelattee , do you do any of the straight HiiT or Tabatacise workouts? How often are you hitting your abs?
 
Nanbo said:
I am doing something like this right now! Just started it a few days ago. I also add in the "combo" total body premix from Pyramid Upper/Lower to my list of total body workouts. I'm going to stick with this rotation for at least a month...
Question for @Cafelattee , do you do any of the straight HiiT or Tabatacise workouts? How often are you hitting your abs?
Click to expand...

I love the pyramid total body premix. I use it also for total body. I like to throw in hip trust on my total body days. I love the 100 count challenge.

I do abs on my 2 total body and sometimes I will do them on the lower body circuit day. I love the RWH lower body with abs premix. I will do strait hiit workout instead of something like afterburn or crossfire but I follow with 20 min run or 30-40 min spin. I did Hiit 30/30 and then went for a 2 mile steady run last night. I try to get 45 min to a hour on my workout days.

I wish that I could just do short workouts but I need actual calories burn to keep my fat levels downs. I'm petite and hormone challenged right now so metabolism is slow.

I also will substitute my cardio day for running hiit alter of sprint/job for 30 min followed with 30 min of steady walk. My dh and I do this one together. He will not do cardio on his own :rolleyes: So if I want him away from the weight bench I have to find stuff for the big baby to do his only suggestion are always bedroom cardio ;):rolleyes::D
 
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