Cathe, please help with weight-training advice!

[LeanneM]

Dear Cathe,

I know how busy you must be this time of year, but I was really hoping you could give me some advice about my weight-training workouts and where to go next!

Since August, I’ve lost 13 pounds by getting serious about adding weights into my weekly routine. I stared by doing a three-week cycle of PLB/PUB, then I moved to three-week cycles of GS, then S&H, then 4DS, then S&H again, and now I’m in my second week of a three-week GS rotation. I feel like I’ve gotten my best results from the S&H and GS series. I’m an endomorph, so it’s generally hard for me to put on muscle and lose fat, but your weight workouts have really done the trick for me.

Since losing the 13 pounds, my body fat has gone down to about 20%. I can feel the muscles underneath my skin and have *some* definition, but I’d really like to enhance my results and increase my definition. Basically, I’d like to know how to bring those muscles I can feel just under the surface out a little more!

My question is: what should I do next after I finish this last week of GS if my goal is to bring out more definition?

Should I move to something like a week or more of circuits to help with fat loss? Or should I try some endurance lifting for awhile? At what body fat percentage do most people see more definition? I try to eat clean about 85-90% of the time, and I’ve also been working hard at increasing my protein intake these past few months.

Thanks for your wonderful workouts! You continue to inspire and motivate me! Happy holidays to you and your family!

 

[kariev]

I'm not Cathe so I hope you don't mind me chimeing in. First, congrats on losing weight! You should be very proud of yourself. You rotations sound very much like mine. GS and Slow and Heavy are my favorite weight workouts. To get lean diet is extremely important. You say you already eat clean so that may not be the problem unless your eating too many cals. To lean out more I would suggest adding interval cardio to your weekly routine. How much cardio do you do now? As far as body fat, everyone is different as to what level they need to be at to see definition. I've seen girls at 18% and look pretty cut. I myself stay around 16% and have good definition and abs. When i get to 18% I lose that. I think for your next rotation I would try and circuit training rotation. Mabe 3 days a week or circuits (monday, wednesday, and friday) and interval cardio on tuesday and tursdays. This is my current workout program and I have gotten great results using GS, S&H, and the 4DS DVDs.
Monday: Chest and tris. 20 min intense interval running
Tuesday: Kick max and abs
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: KPC or another kickbox video and abs
Friday: Back, bis, and shoulders. 20 min intense interval cardio
Sat and Sun: OFF!

 

[LeanneM]

Hi kariev,

Thanks so much for your response! I really appreciate it!

Right now, I'm doing 3 days of weights and then 2-3 days of cardio. I've been trying to make one of those cardio days either Imax 2 or Imax 3, and the other day is usually something like KickMax, LowMax, or a steady-state cardio. I'll be off from teaching and on vacation for the next few weeks, though, so I can definitely fit in that third day of cardio each week until the end of January.

I've been eating around 2,000 calories a day, which I know might be high, but it's allowed me to lose about a pound a week. I'm worried about losing more than that each week because I really want to hold on to my lean mass.

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[kariev]

Sounds like your on the right track. Keep it up. Try the circuits and see if that helps. Your cals don't seem too high especially if you are still losing weight. With each new rotation, try to break your heaviest weight and really push yourself. You will be ripped in no time. Good luck

 

[LeanneM]

Thanks, Kariev! I appreciate it!!

 

[drover]

think i will try this too.

would you mind telling me how you divide 4-day split and do you do your weights before your cardio? i have read that that is the most efficient way to do it.

i have S&H and plan on doing it next week. how can i fit in 4-day split w/it?

thanks so much
cathy

 

[drover]

Trust in the LORD with all your heart.

KARIEV, ok i don't know what happened, but i just posteda reply and it is way at the top of the page instead of the bottom. did you see my question?
thanks,cathy

 

[kariev]

sorry, i didn't see it. I don't do S&H and the 4DS at the same time. I will do the 4DS one week and the next do S&H. I get bored doing a particular series for more than 1 week. Plus this keeps my body guessing. I ALWAYS do my weights before my cardio. This works best for me. I've tried the other way and I often don't have the energy to lift as heavy. I don't do the 4DS as assigned. I do the premix of chest/tris and back/bis/shoulders. With the leg workout I add a few exercises on after it since i don't do cardio on my leg day. I'm thinking of adding a second leg day but i'm not sure yet. Does this help?

 

[drover]

Trust in the LORD with all your heart.

yes, thanks so much. also, why is the S&H not used alot in rotations? i see GS used all the time. is GS better. should i get it?
i am gonna do s&h next week. what do you suggest in between?
cathy

 

[kariev]

i'm not sure why S&H is not used a lot. Mabe because its so intense? I like GS much better but that is my personal preference. S&H gets boring to me b/c you are lifting sooo slowly but it is extremely effective which is why i do it. This is also why i only do it for a week or so and then switch to another series. I would get GS. I think you'll like it! Let me know if you have any more questions.