Attn: A-Jock, help!

[1chica]

Hi A-Jock,

I wrote to Cathe a few days ago in "Ask Cathe" and haven't gotten a response, even though she did respond to a similar question about a weightloss rotation, so it sort of answered my question about my rotation. I know you're the next best thing to Cathe. For now I'm trying to lose weight (about 50 lbs) and I can work out for 4 days: Tue,Thur,Fri,Sat in the early evenings. Do you think it is best to do weightlifting for 45 min, then 30-45 mins aerobics so I can incorportate both on these 4 days or what do you suggest? For example, today I wanted to do PUB & BS.

I have:
Hardcores (all but CoreMax & HCExtreme)
BC/ME
PUB/PLB
BS/BF
HSTA

Thanks a lot for your help. Anyone else can also put in their expertise. It would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Aquajock]

Hi, 1Chica! I'm flattered to be asked, AND to be compared to La Cathe in such a lovely way!

I would like to suggest the following to kick things off: for the next four weeks, let's try an alternating cardio-then-strength AND circuit-style program for each session, then the four weeks after that flip things so that you are doing strength-then-cardio and circuit-style in alternating weeks, and then assess to see which protocol reaps you the most benefits AND is the protocol you most enjoy. IMHO, the strength-before-cardio vs. cardio-before-strength or cardio and strength in isolated sessions is a debate that will never be resolved, and most of it depends on the individual exerciser.

I'm not sure what the anticipated duration of each exercise session is for you, so I'll just hazard a guess that it's 75-90 minutes based on your original post. Here's a sample suggested schedule for the next four weeks:

Week 1:
Tues. I-Max 3 warm-up and step-only premix; Muscle Max legs; Muscle Max abs
Thurs. Low Max warm-up and blast-only premix; ME abs with med ball; Muscle Max chest and triceps
Fri. Kick Max cardio up through the Boot Camp challenge; PLB pyramid up premix; Muscle Max back, shoulders and biceps
Sat. (BS presuming it's cardio only); PUB ab routine with stability ball

Week 2:

Tues. Boot Camp as produced;
Thurs. HSTA as produced; HC's High Step Challenge abs
Fri. Body Fusion as produced; ab routine of choice
Sat. Power walk if weather permits; Boot Camp / ME bonus premix

Weeks 3 and 4: repeat weeks 1 and 2, substituting the I-Max 3 blast only premix and the Low Max step-only premix for the I-Max3 and Low-Max days, AND substituting Gym Style Legs and appropriate other muscle groups in place of the Muscle Max segments noted in Week 1.

Week 5:

Completely flip the order in which you do each of the sessions listed in Week 1 (i.e. Tues. Muscle Max legs; then Muscle Max abs; then I-Max 3 warm-up and step-only premix; etc.)

Week 6:

Tues. HSTA; High Step Challenge (HC series) abs
Thurs. Boot Camp as produced, adding in the Boot Camp cardio only premix as a final intensity blast
Fri: Body Fusion, throwing in the Kick Max Boot Camp Challenge as a final intensity blast; ab routine of choice
Sat.: Hard Core High Step Challenge, again throwing in ab routine of choice (optional: throw in the HSTA cardio-only premix as a final intensity blast AFTER High Step Challenge but BEFORE the abs)

Weeks 7 and 8:

Week 7, again, do the cardio routines as listed for Week 5, BUT use the Gym Style series workouts for legs, chest, tris, back, shoulders and biceps in place of their Muscle max counterparts

Week 8:

Same as week 6

Obviously, this is just a suggested starter program that gets you familiarized with most if not all of your current DVD's and some of the premixes. Tinker around with it as you see fit, but make sure for the next 8 weeks you get in a good balance of cardio AND muscle conditioning. I'd bet that whichever program you land on will reap benefits because cardio and strength training simply work, and it's consistency that's 90% of the success.

HTH - let us know how you get on.

A-Jock

 

[Aquajock]

P.S. Do consider getting Core max AND HC Extreme. Those crazy salads Cathe cooks up on each of those discs really do add a great deal of helpful and fun variety to your workout program!

A-Jock

 

[1chica]

A-Jock,

Thank you so much for taking the time to come up with this rotation, you are AWESOME!! It looks perfect, I will try it exactly as written. This was exactly what I needed to get started. I will put all these workouts in my planner on their respective days and stick with it. Again, thank you.

P.S. I've been buying a few workouts at a time and my next purchase will be CoreMax, HCExtreme and Timesaver DVD.

 

[Aquajock]

Hola, UnaChica! Glad I could be of some initial help to you!

As you're saving your spondoolicks for upcoming Cathe purchases, consider adding Cross Train Express (CTX) to your purchase list. This is one of Cathe's real halcyon series, and what makes it perfect for you is that it's 6 complete workouts, five of which have a cardio component AND an isolated single-muscle focused strength set (i.e. chest one day, tris the next day, back another day, etc.), and the 6th workout is totally devoted to leg strengthening ("Leaner Legs", or what we old-timers call "Meaner Legs"). Four of the six routines also contain ab conditioning, and the CTX Kickbox ab routine with its prone and supine plank work is one of my core ab sequences.

The cardio is a great variety of hi/lo, step and kickbox, and there's a wonderful step-kickbox sequence on the Power Circuit workout, which remains one of my favorites lo these many years later.

Considering that you have to do more with fewer workout sessions, CTX AND Timesaver are certainly perfect for your schedule.

Let us know how you get on - and don't be afraid to experiment, AND to stick with what works for you and what you enjoy even if it deviates from the initial rotation suggested above. You'll stick more with what you enjoy - as long as you keep the cardio and strength MIX uppermost!

A-Jock

 

[1chica]

Hola, Ms. A-Jock, gracias por tu informacion.

After experimenting with the workouts you suggested for a few days, I think I prefer to do weight training first, then cardio. I notice that my heart rate goes up quicker this way and I sweat more. Thanks for suggesting CTX Series. You twisted my arm woman, I'm buying this one next. It's description sounds great, just what I need.

I also really like the Circuit workouts, my heart rate stays high throughout these workouts especially with Bootcamp, HSTA & HSTC. I still struggle through the jumping moves, but I'll get it eventually. I'm noticing some nice changes in my body already and I have a lot more energy, so I'm very excited. Also, I just discovered Cathe's previous rotation listings and I see some great ones there that I want to try later like the Circuit rotation(Nov. 2003) or the Aug. 2004 rotation.

As I had stated in a previous post, my problem is with consistency. But I have newfound energy, desire and determination to be consistent, eat clean, drink plenty of water and enjoy what I'm doing. Thanks Annette for getting me started on this journey. You're a great inspiration.

Sofie