Cathe -- Slow & Heavy Rotation question

JumpHigher

JumpHigher

Cathlete
Hi Cathe,

I'm currently doing a Slow & Heavy rotation:

Mon. -- Spinning class
Tue. -- SH Chest/Back/Planks, Fitness Yoga (at gym)
Wed. -- SH Legs/Abs
Thu. -- SH Biceps/Triceps
Fri. -- Spinning class
Sat. -- SH Shoulders, yoga

My main question is how long I should do this rotation. I know that generally 6-8 weeks is a good duration for a rotation, but in the intro. to SH you mention not doing it for more than 3 weeks at a time. Is it unsafe or counter-productive to continue beyond 3 weeks?

Also -- I'm considering alternating this rotation with a circuit/muscle endurance style rotation. I'd like to go back and forth and I'm wondering how long I should do each rotation.

One more thing :7 -- I subsituted Butts & Gutts for SH Legs/Abs yesterday. Is it okay to continue that during this rotation? It's hard to wait to do the new workouts. (LOVED BG, and my glutes & obliques are "ouchie" today. :D )

Thanks for everything, Cathe. :)

Marla
 
Hey Marla:

I know you will want to hear from Cathe, but I have done S & H for longer rotations and liked the results. Usually I'll do it for 5-6 weeks and then I'll do a week or two of the circuit/endurance rotations.

If you choose to do a longer rotation of S and H and have the flexibility to "play" with the bodyparts you work everyday, I would suggest maybe switching up what parts you work per day during the week. For example, instead of working chest/back on a day, you could switch the parts worked and do S and H chest/tris. Sometimes just switching up the parts you work that day will make it all feel like a totally different workout.

Good luck, Lynn M.
 
Thanks, Lynn. I really love Slow & Heavy. Thanks for the idea of switching up body part days. Do you switch it up during a rotation, or the next time you begin the rotation?

I'm from Michigan, too -- I live in Hartland, just north of Brighton. :)

Marla
 
Hi Marla!

Yay for Michigan people!! :) I know exactly where you are.. nice area!

As far as switching up the bodypart thing, I do both. If I feel like I am getting bored, I might switch up mid rotation. It also depends on my schedule, and what type of cardio I am doing.

I am also a big fan of doing S and H but doing one bodypart/day 6 days of strength training. I actually saw my best results doing it this way.. Its kind of tough to do as far as scheduling, but I am saw big gains since I was able to lift as heavy as possible w/no prior exhaustion factor.

Take care, Lynn M.
 
> ... >
>I am also a big fan of doing S and H but doing one
>bodypart/day 6 days of strength training. I actually saw my
>best results doing it this way.. Its kind of tough to do as
>far as scheduling, but I am saw big gains since I was able to
>lift as heavy as possible w/no prior exhaustion factor.
>
Hi, Lynn -- How long did you spend on each body part when you did one per day? Was the sixth night abs? I don't know if I'd have the patience for a long biceps workout -- it's my least favorite part to work on!
 
Hi Normandy:

This is how I broke it down:
Mon: Chest
Tues: Legs
Wed: Back
Thurs: Tris
Fri: Shoulders
Sat: Bis
Sun: Rest

If you just do S and H workouts, each portion is between 20-30 minutes. For me, I like to work my abs 4-5x week, so I would tack on various ab workouts ( not necessarily the S and H ones) as I saw fit. ( And admittedly some of my ab workouts are pretty light)


Bis are my least favorite part to work too!! But for some reason, I don't mind the S and H one too much, it goes by fairly quickly, IMHO.

Take care, Lynn M.
 
Thanks so much, Lynn. I'll have to try that and see if I can persevere with each part for that long!

Have a great Thanksgiving!
 
Lynn, did you do cardio too? Or just weight training only?

I'm looking to lose some pounds but it is hard to get the motivation to do cardio these days. I've toyed with a strength only rotation but wasn't sure if that would be beneficial in triming up a bit.

Thanks for any input. :)
 
Hi Melissa:

I do cardio as well, 5-6x/week. However, I found my best results were when I went only 20-40 minutes per session. ( I am a cardio junkie so if I don't get an endorphin fix regularly, I'm not a happy camper! :)

I found that the CTX Cardio Portions were great to pair up w/ the S and H training. They are each about a 1/2 hour. I would also walk and also run for variety as well.

Take care, Lynn M.
 
Lynn, thanks for the advice. I don't know why I didn't think of CTX. Lately I've been bogged down with things and finding it hard to fit everything in. I think piecing together CTX cardio or other short cardio with S&H one body part per day would be doable for my hectic schedule. I'm going to have to give it a shot.

Thanks for the advice. :)
 
You are welcome!!

It IS hard to fit it all in when things are busy. I think that if you have to give one up, give up the cardio during this rotation, as that strength gains is what you are focusing on.

:) Lynn M.
 
Hi,Lynn --Another question. What do you use when you do the pullovers and incline chest presses? I don't have a step or weight bench and was thinking of getting a step or perhaps a wedge. Hate to go into a big expense for the few exercises I would use it for, but I do need something. Any suggestions will be really appreciated. You've been great with your detailed answers!
 
Hi Normandy-

I have both a bench and a step. But honestly I hardly ever use my weight bench, I end up using my step more. ( My weight bench is really narrow, so it feels like my shoulder blades and upper back aren't supported very well.)

I would look into getting a step.. Besides being able to use them for the upper body work as a pseudo weight bench, you would also have it for doing step cardio workouts and also for lower body workouts in leg step ups. I have the original STEP, with extra risers. That is a really nice one as that it is fairly long so you can lie on it comfortably, plus you can put the extra risers on one side to get your incline. I have also used the Reebok step and it works OK, I prefer the Original Step hands down.

I am pretty sure you can find them almost anywhere, but not sure who would have the best deal on one. I think ( can't remember) you can get them for around 70-80.00, but that was years ago when I got mine and there wasn't alot of them on the market. They may be cheaper now.

:) Lynn M.
 
I think the Original STEP is the best, too (I also tried Reebok). The prices is about the same as it always has been. There are many places online to order -- I have extra risers that came with my High Step. :)

Lynn -- Great idea on combining CTX/SH.

Cathe -- I hope you'll still answer my original question. :)

Thanks,
Marla
 
I'll probably end up getting the step which may be crazy just to use it for the limited weight work. I gave up step workouts years ago, and leg presses killed my knees so that's out now. I do interval iTrain workouts just about every morning on my treadmill or once in a while on my bike, so that takes care of my cardio.

Anyone ever use a wedge for the incline work?

It's strange how Cathe answers some of these threads and not others. I'd love to hear from her also about this.
 
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