decreasing the bulk

[Lollie]

Hi Cathe and everyone!
I know this has been discussed many times on this forum and vf but please refresh my memory. I am getting a little bulky all over. My upper body is naturally broad and since lifting I have become a little bulky. Also in my legs. I would like to be toned, but not have a bulky look. I use the PS series and Body Max, along w/ Tae Bo. I am running and spinning also. Should I decrease the amount of weight I am using? Help me Please!!!!

 

[samanthaeve]

I feel your pain... how long has it been since you added the additional cardio? it might be diet, lack of sleep overtraining, etc.. i have often had to make a checklist for myself, because I tend to be a little on the "thick" side as well..

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Genetics

Its hard to answer that without knowing your genetics and/or how your body responds to different activites. If you know that your diet is not the culprit, check to see that you are doing enough crosstraining on a weekly basis and also make sure that you are not overtraining. Once you have checked that, see how your body responds to lifting a little lighter. If you are naturally broad, you may not need to lift very heavy. Also, certain cardio activities can possibly make certain people of "easy muscle building" genetics tend to bulk. For example some people have stated that spinning in excess tends to bulk their legs. Others have said that an excess of step training does. So what I'm trying to say is that you need to look into that when trying decide what could possibly be contributing to a bulky look. Unfortunately there is no easy answer and it will take some experimenting with different training ways/days/methods to find out what it could be due to. Hope this helps!

 

[Jane P]

Haven't tried, but what I've read is this.

I read this in Oxygen magazine and thought I'd pass it on. They advised doing isolation exercises for the legs (floorwork) before doing compound exercises (squats and lunges). This pre-exhausts the muscles in the legs so that you have to lift lighter when doing compound exercises. They said this keeps the legs muscular without bulk. Also when doing compound exercises, use high reps and light weights and short rests between sets.

 

[Lollie]

Thanks!

Thanks for the comments. I am going to start lifting a little lighter. ( not that I lift heavy) )

 

[jesca]

My two cents

Hi Lollie.

I, too, am on the "thick" side, particularly my upper body. I basically engage in the same activities as you, and I was getting pretty much the same response from my body.

In the past couple months, however, I've changed my routine a bit and have seen good results. For a while, I was ONLY lifting heavy. I've since added MIS or BodyMax--as you know, lighter-weight, faster-rep type workouts--consistently one day a week, and yoga once or twice a week. I do the PS series once a week and cardio (spinning, elliptical trainer, step, cardioboxing) about 4 or 5 times a week. I don't know which of them (yoga or lighter weights in addition) has done it, because I haven't changed my eating habits or anything else really, but I've really noticed a difference. I haven't lost actual pounds, really, but I look leaner and more "cut," and I feel stronger when I lift heavy. I've been able to up my heavy weights rather quickly doing this rotation, which I haven't been able to do in a few months.

Good luck!

 

[jennifer2]

Changing your routine--a question!

Hi there!

I think I have pretty much the same body type as you and Lollie (a little "thicker" naturally, especially in my upper body!!), so I was really interested in the responses to this thread

.

You mentioned that you changed your routine to incorporate BodyMax/MIS and yoga. Do you do PS in the same weeks that you do BodyMax or MIS, or do you do one week of endurance and then one week of heavy?

I've been doing more endurance type weights (BodyMax, MIS, FIRM, Body Pump) for the last few months and haven't noticed too much of a difference yet, but I have started to incorporate yoga more in the last three weeks or so, so I'm curious to know if that's going to be the clincher as far as giving me that "lean" look I'm going for.

I do have to admit, I miss PS!! I do it every few weeks or so just to be able to do it, because I love how I feel when I lift heavy. Unfortunately, when I do the PS tapes for more than four weeks, my upper body really starts getting "beefy" looking LOL (it does nothing but great things for my lower body though!).

Anyway, sorry for blabbing on--I was just wondering if you mixed endurance-type workouts with your heavy-weight workouts in the same week, or if you alternate them?

Thanks in advance!

 

[sandra murphy]

red and white muscle fibers

By going heavy some days and alternating with a lighter, faster weight routine you are working both kinds of muscle fiber. By adding yoga or Pilates in, you are improving posture and joint flexibility which can create a leaner look, too. But it's the weight lifting that's providing the definition.

 

[Lollie]

Curious

What is the heaviest amount of weight that you guys lift? How heavy on MIS and Bodymax

 

[jesca]

Hey Jennifer!

I actually do heavy-weight and endurance-type training in the same week. I usually do the PS series early in the week and then do BodyMax or MIS on the weekend. I also fit in a Swiss Ball Training class (which has realy helped with core strength, stability, balance) plus yoga once or twice. I used to do yoga twice a week faithfully, but since my gym changed the schedule around, it's a little hairier to fit twice in.

BTW, the yoga I do isn't any super-intense yoga or hot yoga. It's just straight Hatha, pretty peaceful, but challenging just the same. It was weird to get into it at first, since, like you, I really like the PS-style of lifting heavy and just going all out--I guess I'm kind of an impatient exerciser. But, even though I have always been pretty flexible, yoga has helped me make surprisingly significant gains there, which is pretty cool. It also really helps in keeping my hips and back loose, warding off any stiffness, those little kinks and funny twinges of discomfort that I used to get sometimes from working out, sleeping in a bad position, etc.

Well, I guess that was more than you asked, so I did a little babbling myself. Take care!

 

[jennifer2]

Hi Jessica (I hope I got your name right )!

Thanks so much for telling me about your routine

!! I am sooo motivated right now after seeing Cathe's pictures LOL. Time to get my butt in gear, yes sir!

I've never tried doing PS in the same week as BodyMax or MIS, but I may just give it a try! Of course, the sheer number of workout days I'd have is a little daunting LOL, but with some creativity, I may be able to get everything in without burning out

.

Thanks again!

 

[Ness]

My solution for decreasing bulk

Well, after working out with medium-heavy weights for about a year (all Cathe tapes, running, spinning, and some hi-lo), I really started to become dissatisfied w/the bulky look of my body. My thighs and arms were, in my opinion, way too muscular. Now there are "skinny, cut, muscles" which look awesome, I think, and kind of bulky muscles---which I was developing.

I tried all of the conventional solutions---upping my cardio, reducing the poundage, tweaking my diet---but couldn't really get rid of the bulk. Finally, a personal trainer friend of mine gave me the following program. I've been doing it for three months, and without changing my diet beyond what is indicated, I've become considerably smaller. The muscles are smaller, more streamlined, cut, and very feminine. Somehow, I've managed to get thinner---despite my chocolate addiction.

Here goes:

1) Stop using all weights for two weeks!!! (You can do it! I was really scared to do this---but you'll survive.)
2) During this two-week no-weight time period, do one hour of cardio five times per week. Any cardio is fine.
3) Continue ab exercises as usual.
4) Do the circuit part of bodymax---but with absolutely NO WEIGHTS---two times per week (in addition to the cardio listed above.)
5) Maintain your diet as usual, but for one meal, really cut back on the carbs. I did this at lunch, having just tuna and salad (no bread, etc.)
6) Drink tons of water.
7) After two weeks, you'll see significant decrease in bulk. Now, you WILL lose strength; however, this is a tradeoff I was pleased to make considering the improvement in my look.
8) At the two week point, resume weight-bearing exercises using five pound weights. Concentrate on slow, deliberate movements and high (not fast) reps. You can move up to eight pounds if you want, but increasing the weight beyond this will probably cause the bulk to return.

I now use 5 pound weights and am very delighted with my smaller, streamlined look. I can't believe that this process has made me thinner. I realize that that's probably the result of decreased muscle mass---but right now, I'm willing to make that tradeoff. I still do Bodymax in entirity at least twice a week (no more than three times) but use weights no heavier than 5 pounds. I know this program is a difficult one to embark upon....but it worked for me. Good luck.

 

[Lollie]

Thanks

Thanks Ness, I may have to try this. I saw a woman on Friday and she was cut. She told me she lifts no more than 25 lbs. But she credited diet too. She was so cut and she was 40.(which is close for me, I will be 39 in Nov.) She looked really good. Thanks for the info.