Can anyone improve on my schedule?

janiejoey

janiejoey

Cathlete
Hi,
This is my first post.
I'm 54 years old (in April) in menapause and taking natural HRT. I'm retired with my husband and trying very hard to keep my body in a healthy shape. I know I need to lose at least 20 pounds. I've made up a schedule for myself to incorporate some of Cathe's workouts, but I need to know if I can or need some improvements. Here is a list of my workouts I have: Step Max, Step Jam, Step Heat, DVD 3-in-1 Pure Strength, DVD 3-in-1 Power Hour, & DVD from the Body Blast Series; Supersets & Push Pull.
I also have on order the DVD Intensity Series Vol 3 Pyramid Upper + Lower, and Kick Punch & Crunch. And from Amazon I ordered "Eat To Live".
Here is my made up schedule for a week:
Sun. Cardio and Yoga
Mon. Strength Training
Tue. Cardio and Yoga
Wed. Day Off
Thr. Cardio and Strength Training
Fri. Yoga
Sat. Cardio and Strength Training
Am I on the right track? Please let me know if I can improve this, or add more Cathe workouts as the weeks go by. Any suggestions would be gratefully helpful.
In return, as I get more experienced with all of this, then I too can suggest to people what worked for me and pass it along to any one else who might need help with a program.
Sincerely,
Janie
 
Hi Janie,

I think it would help people if they knew what your current workout level is. ETA: You don't want a schedule that is going to cause overtraining.

What have you been doing for exercise?

How long have you been doing Cathe & are you doing ok with the workouts that you have?

Except for KPC, I see a lot of step for cardio. You may want to cross train with other types of cardio.

How much time do you currently spend working out?

ETA:
How do you plan on doing your strength workouts (total body, splits, endurance, strength). Cause it would matter when planning how often to use a workout.

What type of yoga workouts are you incorporating?


Well that's a start,
jordan
 
Hi Jordan,
Thank you for replying. I'm not use to some of the jargon that is used, so please bare with me. What is ETA?
I've been doing mostly "The Firm", from the very beginning. This has helped me not to become obese. But I would be on again and off again exercise person. I've finally come to the conclusion that if I want to be a healthier person, then I need to committ. With this forum, I'm thinking that I will have more support other than my husband (who is supportive, but need more feedback).
I've just started Cathe's workouts. WOW! They are truly workouts. For a week now I've been doing my schedule. I like the full body weight training so I can consentrate on that only. I forget things if I split up the workout, so I try and make it easy on myself. Then I can consentrate on the next task at hand.
Can you suggest other cardios besides KPC and the steps?
I spend about an hr. full time on all cardios, warm ups and cool downs, 4 x per week. Then I spend full time, 1 hr. on strength workouts, warm ups and cool downs, 3 x per week. Then aerobic yoga for one hour 3 x per week.
My body is sore, but in a good way. But I still feel that I'm might be missing something. Am I?
Sincerely,
Janie
 
Hi Janie,

First things first, welcome to the forums :) .

ETA= edited to add.

It is good to know that you have a healthy attitude towards fitness. I used the Firm many many years ago. The amount and intensity of stepping is different in the Firm than in Cathe workouts. They both have value. In order to be consistant, you have to find something you enjoy that works for you. Don't overtrain. Don't be afraid to modify and tweak as needed. But you probably know this already.

Your rotation looks good. I have seen this approach before. I'm still a little concerned that fatigue might sneak up on you since you are new to Cathe. Listen to your body. If you are used to spending this much time per day, than great. You may want to give yourself a light week every now and again or at the start of a new rotation. Look over the rotations in the rotations forum. But since you have been working out, you probably have some idea of what you want. Go with it.

Starting with full body strength is good. You may want to try splits and body parts/day later depending on your goals. Don't forget about functional fitness (maybe at some point).

Too much of any exercise can cause injury. If you like step, great, but incorporate other cardio choices. There's floor aerobics, kickboxing, walking, running, rebounding, spinning, dance, well you get it. Cathe has a variety and she suggests crosstraing as well.

Strength training, cardio, and flexability are components that should be in your fitness program. We looked at the first two and yoga should satisfy the third.

A good nutrtion plan is crucial. You seem to have a plan there already. Drink plenty of water. Avoid shortcuts.

Don't forget to get plenty of rest and take rest days. You need rest days to make progress.

Well, I got long winded :eek: . I'm sure I missed something. Stick around and I'm sure you will find loads of support.

Your friend in fitness,
jordan
 
Sorry again Jordan, but what would I edit, and what would I add? To me it's an ever ending challenge, and forever changing. I suppose I'll get use to this lingo some time or another.
Thank you so much again for your expert advice on my schedule. This will help me right away. Already I've made changes. I believe you are right. This is too much for me, and will be changing this once again. I believe for starters Strength Training 2 days a week, some form of Cardio two days a week, and yoga also 2 days a week, then take day 7 to recover. At least until I gain lots more strength and get an idea how I feel after another week. Oh! And drink lots of water.
Janie
 
Susan,

That would be a heart stopper for me!

You and anyone else are welcome to butt in.

Thanks for the giggle,
Janie
 
Good morning Janie,

Lets clear up ETA :) . Whenever you go back into your post either to correct something (say spelling or grammer) or to add or delete material it will be noted in red at the top of your post with the time. I added the initials ETA to show what I added as a courtesy. There was nothing for you to do.

Susan,
Come join us girl. I use ETA for estimated time of arrival also. Never even thought about the confusion. Cyberspace is it's own dimension.

Schedule changes
I think it is good to lighten up for a week or two until you get used to things. If you have been using the Firm (AWT?) separating cardio and weight days is new for you. There are a lot of recent Firm to Cathe fans here. They can help with your adjustment.

Weight- You want to use total body weight workouts. Try MIS twice a week for a while. This is a soild, classic workout with good form pointers. You can work in the others for muscle confusion as needed.

Cardio- I saw step max, step heat, step jam, body max, and kick punch crunch (is on order). These are good starters. Body max may have to be used in sections at first and I wouldn't start with this one. Two days a week is good. Remember to take care of your joints. Try some non-step cardio on a third day. If it is not cold, you could walk or when KPC arrives do part or all of that workout.

Yoga- is a good choice a couple times a week. If it is stretching/flexbility/relaxation workout, tac it on three times a week if you want. Dosen't have to be a complete hour. You can split up a workout. Again, I don't know what you have. I don't have a lot of yoga workouts (I split between yoga and stretch). Power workouts would be different.

Rest is good.

You stated that your goal is to stay healthy. You are not looking to lose tons of weight or enter a body building competition, at least not yet. So ease in slowly. When or if your goals change then tweak your rotions. For starters, get used to things, form a habbit, stay injury free, and have fun :D .

Others may have some good advice to share. Keep your eyes and ears open.

jordan
 
Sorry Janie,

I don't know how to address menopause without sounding politically incorrect in some way. Maybe, I'm just at a loss for words after my long winded post. Just do your best. There will be days that you have to modify and thats ok. Your body is probably going through changes that are normal for this time in life. Take those into consideration. Some say exercise helps.

Someone help, I'm tripping on myself,
jordan
 
Jordon,

Thank you for clearing up ETA. And thank you again so very much for the wealth of information on what you must know. I will watch for your posts always and learn. I will make a copy of this and use it in my schedule/rotation and future changes.

I will take your advice,
Janie
 
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