Are Timesavers "Long Enough" for fitness?
- Thread starter amy_b
- Start date
mogambo
Cathlete
RE: Are Timesavers
There is just no right answer to this for everyone. It depends on your fitness level, your goals, how hard you work during the time you workout.
For me, it's not enough to gain fitness, but I can just do it for awhile if I'm busy or tired and I'll hold steady. It's certainly good, but for me to progress I need to do 1-1 1/2 hrs a day, 5-6 days a week. Some days I do something shorter. Some days I rest. But that's just me.
Welcome to the Cathe forum.
There is just no right answer to this for everyone. It depends on your fitness level, your goals, how hard you work during the time you workout.
For me, it's not enough to gain fitness, but I can just do it for awhile if I'm busy or tired and I'll hold steady. It's certainly good, but for me to progress I need to do 1-1 1/2 hrs a day, 5-6 days a week. Some days I do something shorter. Some days I rest. But that's just me.
Welcome to the Cathe forum.
LovingLife
Cathlete
RE: Are Timesavers
I agree -- It depends on your fitness level and experience. When I first started exercising with videos, I primarily did Denise Austin's Hit the Spot series of 20 min. of cardio and 10 min. of abs each day and lost my pregnancy weight. After about a year, I progressed to some 45 min. workouts, but that was tough for me. After my next pregnancy, I tried to start with the 20-30 min. workouts again & I couldn't lose weight with them. I'd grown past that level and needed longer, more intense workouts (45 min. -- mostly FIRMs). Fast forward to my last pregnancy, where 45 min., inter/adv. just wasn't enough. Now I really have to work at advanced level for about 60 min. to have fitness gains.
So for this point in my life, the Timesaver workouts would be more of a time crunch workout to maintain fitness, but a few years ago, they would have been plenty for fitness gains and quite a challenge. -- Renee
I agree -- It depends on your fitness level and experience. When I first started exercising with videos, I primarily did Denise Austin's Hit the Spot series of 20 min. of cardio and 10 min. of abs each day and lost my pregnancy weight. After about a year, I progressed to some 45 min. workouts, but that was tough for me. After my next pregnancy, I tried to start with the 20-30 min. workouts again & I couldn't lose weight with them. I'd grown past that level and needed longer, more intense workouts (45 min. -- mostly FIRMs). Fast forward to my last pregnancy, where 45 min., inter/adv. just wasn't enough. Now I really have to work at advanced level for about 60 min. to have fitness gains.
So for this point in my life, the Timesaver workouts would be more of a time crunch workout to maintain fitness, but a few years ago, they would have been plenty for fitness gains and quite a challenge. -- Renee
RE: Are Timesavers
It certainly depends on what your goals are, but I think there's other things to consider. One is intensity. You can't compare Cathe's workouts to Denise's at all, and the Timesaver workouts are considerably more intense than Firm's of the same length. I have limited time during the week, so I'm going to do Timesaver M-F, and then a longer total body strength or endurance workout, with some cardio tacked on, on Sunday. After I decided to do that, I saw someone else post that they were going to do something similar. This week, I actually started on Sunday, and so I'm four days into it, but I already think I'm going to see improvement with this rotation. I've been doing Cathe's workouts for a year now, so I was already in pretty good shape. I think it all depends on how much you put into them.
It certainly depends on what your goals are, but I think there's other things to consider. One is intensity. You can't compare Cathe's workouts to Denise's at all, and the Timesaver workouts are considerably more intense than Firm's of the same length. I have limited time during the week, so I'm going to do Timesaver M-F, and then a longer total body strength or endurance workout, with some cardio tacked on, on Sunday. After I decided to do that, I saw someone else post that they were going to do something similar. This week, I actually started on Sunday, and so I'm four days into it, but I already think I'm going to see improvement with this rotation. I've been doing Cathe's workouts for a year now, so I was already in pretty good shape. I think it all depends on how much you put into them.
LovingLife
Cathlete
RE: Are Timesavers
When I compared Cathe's workouts to Denise's, I was just trying to show that even a beginner level workout at a short amount of time could be enough to make fitness gains if you are challenged by that level. So Cathe's workouts, for sure, not beginner, but with a shorter amount of time could be challenging and bring fitness gains for one person, but for another (or the same person later on), it may not. I agree that how much you put into them really makes the difference, but as I get older and more fit, the time factor is crucial to my fitness gains too.
When I compared Cathe's workouts to Denise's, I was just trying to show that even a beginner level workout at a short amount of time could be enough to make fitness gains if you are challenged by that level. So Cathe's workouts, for sure, not beginner, but with a shorter amount of time could be challenging and bring fitness gains for one person, but for another (or the same person later on), it may not. I agree that how much you put into them really makes the difference, but as I get older and more fit, the time factor is crucial to my fitness gains too.
RE: Are Timesavers
also, it depends on what kind of workout you are using them for. i'm doing BFL. so i used the Timesaver #5 for my lower body workout - and trust me - i believe it was plenty! but it wouldn't work for the upper body because Timesavers break up the upper body by muscle groups.
i think if you are a beginner to a beginning/intermediate exerciser, or if you are maintaining rather than looking to lose a lot of weight, or even coming back from a period of not working out - doing the Timesavers as a rotation (maybe with some extra cardio thrown in) would be a great rotation.
also, it depends on what kind of workout you are using them for. i'm doing BFL. so i used the Timesaver #5 for my lower body workout - and trust me - i believe it was plenty! but it wouldn't work for the upper body because Timesavers break up the upper body by muscle groups.
i think if you are a beginner to a beginning/intermediate exerciser, or if you are maintaining rather than looking to lose a lot of weight, or even coming back from a period of not working out - doing the Timesavers as a rotation (maybe with some extra cardio thrown in) would be a great rotation.
dani21496
Cathlete
RE: Are Timesavers
I don't think it depends on my fitness level. I'm advanced, can do Cathe's Interval Max no problem. I got in great shape and my cardio endurance really skyrocketed doing just Cathe's CTX 30 minute cardios alone during the week (3 or 4 days) and a longer strength workout on the weekend.
I feel these Timesaver workouts are plenty to gain fitness and get and stay in shape. There's no need to kill yourself with hours and hours of intense excercise every day. For me, this backfires and I feel overtraining and burnout setting in after a while. At least for me anyway.
I don't think it depends on my fitness level. I'm advanced, can do Cathe's Interval Max no problem. I got in great shape and my cardio endurance really skyrocketed doing just Cathe's CTX 30 minute cardios alone during the week (3 or 4 days) and a longer strength workout on the weekend.
I feel these Timesaver workouts are plenty to gain fitness and get and stay in shape. There's no need to kill yourself with hours and hours of intense excercise every day. For me, this backfires and I feel overtraining and burnout setting in after a while. At least for me anyway.
icklemoley
Cathlete
RE: Are Timesavers
I would consider 45-55 minutes a day long enough for fitness. You don’t need to be exercising 90-120 minutes a day in order to be fit. Cardio is good. So is weight training. But its about the intensity of what you put into the workout not the length of time in which is takes you to complete. I personally think that the timesaver is actually about the right length of time for fitness and hate when I have to go over an hour of exercise…its just feels so long then. When i started doing less exercise my body actually improved. That to me says plenty...get the timesaver...its fab! x
I would consider 45-55 minutes a day long enough for fitness. You don’t need to be exercising 90-120 minutes a day in order to be fit. Cardio is good. So is weight training. But its about the intensity of what you put into the workout not the length of time in which is takes you to complete. I personally think that the timesaver is actually about the right length of time for fitness and hate when I have to go over an hour of exercise…its just feels so long then. When i started doing less exercise my body actually improved. That to me says plenty...get the timesaver...its fab! x