bodybuilder's advice to me!

I have e-mailed Marina Carrasco Garzo and she responded my e-mail. She first send me an e-mail showing me a workout I could try. Then I told her about Cathe tapes and she replied. Here is a picture of Marina:
http://www.steelfitness.com/BETA/interview/marinacarrasco/interview.htm
Here are her two e-mails.
E-mail #1:

For you I would recommend something like this:
Monday Lat pulldowns 3 sets @ 12-15 reps
Back rows 3 sets@ 12-15 reps
*Pull ups / chin ups 3 sets @ 12-15 reps
(you can use a machine that gives you assisted weight.)

Reverse pec flys 3 sets 12-15 reps
Shoulder shrugs 3 sets 10-12 reps
Bicep curls 3 sets 12-15 reps
Hammer curls 3 sets 12-15 reps

Tuesday ab and glute work

Wednesday No chest exercsises
Shoulder press 3sets 12-15 reps
Front shoulder raises 3 sets 12-15 reps
lateral shoulder raises 3 sets 12-15 reps
(Work in 10-15 push ups between each set! This will help work your chest!)

Tricep pulldowns 3 sets 10-12 reps
Tricep kick backs 3 sets 10-12 reps
(Work in 10-15 tricep push ups between sets)

Difference between a regular push up and a tricep pushup is your hand placement. Place hands shoulder length apart for regular and place hands underneath chest for tricep.

Thursday abs and glute work

Friday Leg extensions 3sets 12-15 reps
Leg curl 3 sets 12-15 reps
Lying leg curl 3 sets 12-15 reps
Walking lunges 3 sets 15 steps on each side

Remember to do cardio 3-5 45 min cardio sesions per week. Increase as you go!
That's it! Email me with any questions you may have!
Marina

E-mail #2
Alicia, wow girl you are on the ball!! Okay, I think doing the slow and heavy work is great. But here is my question to you exactly what is your goal. If your goal is to gain muscle mass and strength, then you must train with heavy weight and do low reps. The key to growth and strength is to stimulate the muscle as much as possible followed by 5-7 days of rest. Now if you are trying to get lean and your main target is bodyfat then you need to train with lighter weight and higher reps. This type of training is more cardiovascular, therefore you will burn more calories. The reason some people do interval training is to get the benefits of both. If this is your goal then, I suggest you train for 6 weeks heavy--low reps. Then switch to your low weight high rep training for 6 weeks. If you are working towards a goal date that is within 12 weeks than break it down to 4 and 4 or 5 and 5. Either way you want to split your training down the middle. *Do not do 3 and 3. It will not be enough time for you to reach optimal results.

One thing to always remember is fat does not turn into muscle or vice versa. This theory is completely fiction. When choosing a training program prioritze your goals. It is impossible to try to gain muscle and burn fat at the same time. Through mere exercise. Diet and supplementation play a huge role. But for the most part, people who say they gain muscle and lose fat are simply losing fat and water around the muscle, therefore their muscles appear bigger, fuller and defined.
I hope I answered all your questions. I always seem to go off on a tangent!
Marina
 
Much of what she said is the same theory of Dr. Connelly's in the BodyRx. I'm in the first six week cycle of his program, building strength. You may want to take a look at his book, if you like this kind of program.
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Aug-30-02 AT 01:09PM (Est)[/font][p]Where do I get the book? Bookstore?

Sounds interesting. I think I do want to find out more. My rotation will change to focus on one goal not too many.

Alicia
 
Willpower Ali,
THANKS for posting this. It is interesting and
thought-provoking.

Unclear on something, though...
During the 'muscle building ' rotation, is cardio still okay to do?

Kathy
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Aug-30-02 AT 01:10PM (Est)[/font][p]Kathy,
I was just about to e-mail her know to see what her opinion is on that. When I read her interview she was doing a training that involved a lot of cardio, but she was probably trying to decrease body fat. I am going to do a muscle building rotation now with S&H for 6 weeks with three days on one day off. That gives each muscle 96 hours to rest. She said about 5-7 days is needed. On the day off I am going to do yoga or a stretch tape. I am going to e-mail her now and even ask her about nutrition. I will post her response.

Alicia
 
The book describes 4 days of weight training exercises. I use Cathe to do them, for example yesterday was Shoulders and Abs. So I used S&H shoulders section and then abs section as my guide. You can use machines, dumbells, whatever works for you! Congrats on getting the book, I simply love the BodyRX!
 
Cardio is ok while cutting just as long as you EAT MORE CALORIES THAN YOU EXPEND. Make sure you are eating 300-500 more calories than you burn. :)
 
OK, I sent her another e-mail asking her about Cardio and nutrition. Here is her response about my rotation for 6 weeks muscle building training and then 6 weeks ripped down training.


Alicia, I truly enjoy getting mail from women who are self motivated and
are seeking results. First off, yes I was overweight as a teenager. Between
the ages of 15 and 18 I weighed about 155-160 lbs. It wasn't until my
freshmen year of college that I began reading more about proper nutrition and
exercise. Since then I have been able to maintain a healthy physique.
Moving on, while on your muscle gaining training i suggest you do cardio.
Begin with 3-4 sessions a week each session should be 30 mins. I believe in
interval training. Do 2-3 mins of low impact cardio and 2-3 mins of intense
cardio. For example: alternate a brisk walk and jog. You can do this type
of interval training with any cardio machine (bike, EFX, stairmaster,etc.)
Every 2 weeks increase your sessions by 15 mins. or just add an additional
session. Continue to do this into your ripped down training. By the 3rd
week into your second phase you should be doing cardio twice a day 4-5 times
a week. Never do cardio for more than 60 mins! Anymore than an hour and
your tearing away muscle!
As far as eating your protein should be between 30-35 grams per meal during
the first 6weeks. Then drop it down to 20-25 grams the last 6 weeks. Your
carbs should be around 30-35 grams for 4 meals and 2 meals your carbs should
be up to 40-45 grams (preferably after your workout and and your first meal.)
Then drop them on the 6 weeks to 20-25 grams per meal. And if you have
stubborn fat drop your carbs 3 weeks after. But just keep in touch with me
and I can help you. Your fat should come from CLA or EFA caps and naturally
occuring fats found in meats. Eat red meat twice a week during your first
phase (lean cuts)--nothing with alot of marbling. Okay I think I answered
most of your questions. Like I said email me whenever. My husband and I own
3 nutrition stores and a supplemetn company, so i live and breathe this
stuff. I don't not mind at all helping anyone out!!!! I am currently
working on my website it should be up by the end of September! i'll keep you
posted!

Thanks,
Marina



Alicia
 
bronzedGoddess-RE: bodybuilder's advice to me!

The part where I eat more is the muscle building phase, right? The idea is to gain muscle mass and then in another phase I could concentrate on burning fat to look lean and cut. Is this correct?

Alicia
 
Alicia,thanks for posting this information. Very interesting. Marina looks great...so good to see some realistic on/off season body weights. She's only an inch taller than me, so I find the numbers absorbing.
 
Alicia..

I think what BronzedGodess was trying to convey is that you don't want to lower your calories so sharply even in the "cutting" phase that you will end up losing a high percentage of muscle mass. I don't think you should be keeping your calories HIGHER than you expend if you are doing two stages..one for bulking, one for cutting. Of course the cutting part should be a slight decrease in cals, slight enough so that you are creating a deficit but not ripping away all your muscle....Ok, here I go again.....Jeez, I gotta get out of these posts!!!!!!
 
Wow, you amaze me. You sure know a lot about this whole nutrition/exercise topic. I am going to keep track of what I eat, since I do not want to go too low in calories. Eating every 2-3 hours helps me stay focused and not get too hungry. If I waited longer, I would be so hungry and then eat whatever food I see in front of me. For the "cutting" phase I will just go down a little bit in carb and protein grams at each meal. Hopefully this will be enough of a slight decrease. I also want to keep track so that I can see what works for me or what does not work. Sometimes I make adjustments when I learn something new, but ultimately I have to find out what works for me. I decided that low calorie diets are NOT for me! It may work for some women, but not for me.

Thanks for taking the time to help clarify matters and make me better understand all of this.

Alicia
 
I never noticed. I am going to have to mention that to her. Man, with her body and his, now I understand how she knows so much!

Alicia
 
advice from bodybuilder

Wow! That is really nice of her to take time out of her busy day and be soo thorough on helping you achieve your goals!She really knows her stuff and has the total package to prove it! I just wanted to thank you for sharing this thread and also the pic of her man--HUBBA HUBBA --Your friend in fitness~~Francine
 

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