Bodyrx

O

Olivia

Cathlete
I would like to know if there is anyone out there who has tried the concepts of Bodyrx and found that it did not work for them, or that they did not like it for whatever reason? I have read many comments about this new concepts but all have been very positive, seems as though everyone trying it just love it!

Can anyone tell me if they think this is just a fad, all this heavy weight lifting and no cardio and lot's of protein. For you gals that are so nutritionally educated, do you know if eating too much protein is not nutritionally sound I have heard this to be so and I'm worried about the long term effects of eating too much protein!

Your comments are appreciated.
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Oct-24-02 AT 11:53AM (Est)[/font][p]I read the book and (to answer your question) there are parts of it I don't like. For one thing, no cardio means less fitness. Fitness is comprised of more than just muscle tone and looking good. There's strength, flexibility, endurance, cardiovascular capacity, body composition. Well, although I think Dr. Connelly is right that his prescribed routines do improve all aspects, to an extent, *my* cardio capacity is not gonna improve if I stop doing any dedicated cardio.

As a result of reading this book I have improved my eating habits and eased up on cardio expectations every week. I periodize my cardio more. Not trying to do IMax every week every month any more, just some months.

As for the protein, this book recommends less protein than Body for Life and some others. Sometimes I think some of these authors are trying to get the readers to shoot for the moon, knowing they'll miss, but knowing there'll be some improvement. (?)

I like to read all these books because, unlike a Nutrition or Anatomy and Physiology textbook, these books' authors assimilate the raw information and come up with ideas for implementing it to benefit a typical American (which I am). So I take what I like from each book and leave the rest.

I also kept in mind while reading that Dr. Connelly's own personal motivation to keep fit is influenced greatly by his experience with many patients he has seen who have suffered with muscle wasting. Also, his own system is enhanced with testosterone and unaffected by estrogen's influence on fat storage (see Debra Waterhouse's books). :)

All that being said, I think a "Just do it" attitude is better than anything, and that simply changing one's routine probably works more than the actual routine one has changed to! That probably accounts for lots of results. Sticking to the same one-size-fits-all periodized BodyRx routine has no attraction to, or persuasive power over me.

Just editing to add that I am reading a few paragraphs of the book over again, and I am seeing some things that I missed before... it's a good informative book. I still am skeptical about lack of cardio but this guy says that dedicated cardio does not affect the body in many specific ways that most of us assume it does.... still re-reading...
-C.
 
Hi Connie,

Thanks for taking the time to reply in such detail, I liked what you had to say and it's got me thinking!

Olivia
 
I'm a BRX'er and I agree w/Connie on many statements except I tend to disagree w/her on the cardio aspect of it. Speaking for myself, in years of killing myself doing areobic workouts, I can honestly say they did little to improve my health and over all fitness and now I see why. I worked so hard to lose weight and yes, I'd lose a few pounds but it was all muscle. I never lost fat! I had to watch all my calories, guarded them jealously and the MINUTE I'd go over? Bam, the pounds were back. Why? Because I had little muscle and an exhausted metabolism and no way to handle the calories.

Now I have muscle and I can't say my endurance has suffered either, for one aspect of my training is muscular endurance which strengthens the heart as explained by Dr. C in the book. In turn, the muscle has allowed me to enjoy eating normal amounts, calories are a thought of the past and so are the endless, boring hours of areobic workouts. I never liked em except for Taebo which I still do once, twice a week for fun.

I think fads are now going to become a thing of the past since scientific research is beginning to show us what really works for true health. Dr. C, a metabolic researcher, has proven to me at least, that muscular strength is the right path for me, and hopefully it will work for many. So far, the people who do the program and who don't expect fast weight loss like in other programs, who put in the sweat to get strong, will benefit too.
 
Mindi..

Do you have hard evidence that your fitness did not improve with cardio. I know you are saying your body fat dropped when upping the weights and cutting out cardio, but how are you determining whether you are healthier?? Have you tried to do IMAX now, just to see what the cardiovascular condition is?? Doesn't Dr. Connelly insist that weightlifting works the heart in much the same way?? I must say that I have never heard this except from him. For weightloss purposes, I really can see how cardio does very little in the long term. I do think it is better to instead increase your lean tissue which in turn will burn more calories for you. But I cannot let go of the cardio to stengthen the heart bit. I took a week off of cardio and went back to IMAX and I could feel it in my lungs. I don't do cardio for weightloss though really, I am more concerned with performance. I don't like feeling weaker and giving up cardio made me feel this way when i went back to it.

Do you do ANY cardio now??

Janice

PS.. also with me though, I think my calories are so high that even with the cardio it is basically like I am doing no cardio. I mean, obviously, my weight has not changed. So I think I am OK. Getting the fitness benefits without the loss in muscle mass. Yes??
 
I guess my hard evidence would be that when I did cardio, I was fat and exhausted all the time. My blood pressure was high, and I was stressed and depressed. I was doing the areobic type dancy stuff. I took classes, worked out at home to various videos. I'd huff and puff my way through the class and watch the clock! I never got better really. It wasn't until I began w/the Firm, and using light weights that I began to see some improvement in my overall health. So I started researching weight training cause I really enjoyed that aspect of the Firm!

A friend got me into Cathe and we both began reading the BodyRx. Well I was hooked!

I've lost weight, (still have more to go), my blood pressure is normal, I see the muscle definition becoming more evident every day! I mean I have TRICEPS! HOORAY!

I now have the energy to do Taebo Impact w/the bag and when I throw a punch or kick that bag, my strength is intense, (my bf was going WOW, hope I don't make you MAD! LOL), and my endurance is good enough to take me through an hour session of intense Taebo.

I'm happy finally w/where I'm going and what I'm becoming. I'll never be a bodybuilder, nor do I want to be one. I just want to be healthy and strong and feel GREAT!
 
Janice,
You're saying concisely what bothers me about "no cardio." Isn't cardiovascular capacity a component of fitness? Dr. Connelly says that aerobic exercise only lowers blood pressure because it opens arterioles supplying the muscles... well... what about its effect on the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood? Does he address that? I think aerobic exercise has other benefits besides lowering blood pressure.

Yes, my heart rate goes up-up-up during those lunges in Power hour. But that's still not the same as those flying lunges of IMax! If nothing else, doing some cardio enables a person to eat a little more goodies than strictly following Dr. C's program. I am not a proponent of binging and then pounding your joints to death but I think there's a happy medioum in there somewhere, still enjoying peak fitness.
 
I don't know about you, but when I lift properly, heavy and do my reps and sets consistently, my heart rate DEFINITELY is up there! Not like if I was doing pounding areobics certainly, but if I were exercising that hard, I'd only be hurting myself.

Check your heart rate sometime while lifting, see if this same occurence happens to you.
 
Mindi, you are right about that, I don't even have to check. No matter what body part I'm working, my heart rate certainly climbs and I'm exhaling and inhaling many times not only during the exertion but also the eccentric portion! Maybe Dr. C's lifting program *does* do it all.

But the heart rate during some or most of Cathe's hour-long cardio workouts goes and stays up for the whole time in a different way I think. I think that even weight work at its most cardio-demanding is not enough to maintain the same level of cardiovascular capacity as when also practicing workouts like I-max.

I would have no trouble switching over my routine if I became convinced! I am even re-reading Dr. Connelly's book for more info this time around. But I have had lots of good results working out 5 days a week with only 1 to 3 of those days being weight days. I am still skeptical, but I am letting his book influence me in the direction of more heavy weight lifting.

By the way, Pavel Tsatsouline writes about weights and he also claims that dedicated aerobics is a waste of time. He prescribes weight workouts that get your heart rate way up there too. I have and have read 3 of his books, Power to the People, Relax into Stretch, Super Joints. His latest 2 books are about lifting Russian Kettlebells. His site is www.Dragondoor.com. (I bet he and Cathe together could design a fantastic video.)

I'd love to hear Maribeth's take on the theory and practice of this "no" cardio.
 
Hey, if you are not overweight, are still very healthy, then why cut out the cardio?? Dr. Connelly is not saying DON'T do it, he is just saying that it is not required.

Also, Mindi, I do not have anything to back me up at this moment, but I did read somewhere that Dr. Connely's claim is not accurate. While I understand what you mean with the heart rate getting up there while lifting heavy weights, I did read somewhere that it is not the same. The article explained why but I will have to find it. I have been reading so many books lately that I probably already took it back to the library.

But Connie, for you, why change it?? Even if I thought I could gain 10 pounds of pure muscle tommorrow switching entirely to Dr. Connely's program I STILL would not cut out my cardio. I love it. It will always be in my program. Maybe not in large amounts, but it will be there. Hey, I don't have any problems eating more to compensate!!:):)

I think the Body Rx take is that so many poeple (women in particular) concentrate on cardio for BF loss. However, if you can increase you LBM significantly and your diet does not change, over time even without cardio you will lose BF. It is the extra LBM that is now burning extra calories for you even at rest. It is very smart to concentrate on building LBM, especially if you are a woman, rather than do endless hours of cardio WITHOUT the weights concentration.

Still waiting for Maribeth..although I don't think she is going to be able to get through all these long posts!!LOL!!

But for nutritional guidelines and strength training routines, Body Rx excels to me. It seems to be in a whole other league as far as the other programs go.
 
>
> Hey, if you
>are not overweight, are still
>very healthy, then why cut
>out the cardio?? Dr. Connelly
>is not saying DON'T do
>it, he is just saying
>that it is not required.
>
>
> But Connie, for
>you, why change it?? Even
>if I thought I could
>gain 10 pounds of pure
>muscle tommorrow switching entirely to
>Dr. Connely's program I STILL
>would not cut out my
>cardio. I love it. It
>will always be in my
>program. Maybe not in large
>amounts, but it will be
>there. Hey, I don't have
>any problems eating more to
>compensate!!:):)
>
>
>
>
>I think the Body Rx
>take is that so many
>poeple (women in particular) concentrate
>on cardio for BF loss.
>However, if you can increase
>you LBM significantly and your
>diet does not change,
>over time even without cardio
>you will lose BF. It
>is the extra LBM that
>is now burning extra calories
>for you even at rest.
>It is very smart to
>concentrate on building LBM, especially
>if you are a woman,
>rather than do endless hours
>of cardio WITHOUT the weights
>concentration.
>
>
>
> But for
>nutritional guidelines and strength training
>routines, Body Rx excels to
>me. It seems to be
>in a whole other league
>as far as the other
>programs go.

I agree wholeheartedly. Watching these threads like a hawk now for more info.

Did S&H this week but heavier, fewer reps, and plan on changing it around starting with shoulders and abs tomorrow. Snacking on raw carrots, and nonfat cot.cheese with FiberOne in it.
-Connie
 
hey if you think you need cardio, or actually like it, by all means do some, as Dr. C has indicated. However if you do enough that you're ability to lift is impaired, then you may want to rethink your schedule. I do Taebo Impact a couple times a week, primarily for stress relief and I adore it and Billy Blanks too. I like the way it works my muscles and gives me balance, agility and the feeling that I'm unstoppable.

But I'm sticking w/Dr. C on this mostly, I was never so HAPPY as I was when I read that in his learned opinion, areobics for the sake of health and weight loss are virtually a waste of time. Nothing bores me more than trying to learn some step routine..but that's me. :)
 
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