Hi, I'm 52 and have been doing Cathe's workouts for years, but I feel like they are getting too hard and I am overworking my body. I am recovering from frozen shoulder, foot tendintitis and low back pain. Every time I start to workout I hurt myself again. I am looking to do 2 days strength, 2 days cardio, and 2 days mobility. Any recommendations or has anyone created an easy/intermediate rotation like this? Thanks!
Easy workout plan for ageing
- Thread starter Layne
- Start date
AVeyRa
Cathlete
Honestly, I feel like STS 2.0 is perfect for this. PERFECT. I have so enjoyed the “slower pace” of this series and the mobility, foam rolling, and active recovery workouts. I, too, am trying to keep from being injured and am nursing pain in my hips and low back. Combining STS 2.0 with floor work from other DVDs (Boss Bands, Butts & Guts, etc) has built strength and flexibility while keeping me healthy and not making me so tired I need a nap after lunch.
I’m slowly working cardio back in next rotation, but am taking older workouts at a reduced time (30-40 mins, max) and plan on modifying for my level. When in doubt, take out the arm movements in cardio, lift on the toes instead of jumping, skip any “blasts”, and press pause as many times as you need to until you’re ready to jump back in. Walking also counts as cardio, even if you’re just walking around your basement or up and down your stairs.
I seriously doubt, even as fit and awesome as Cathe is, that even she could go back and do IMAX 3 (for example) and not fall in the floor. (If she can — DANG. I’d be shocked and seriously impressed.) Everybody ages, and we all are aware of how important it is to not only keep ourselves healthier intentionally, but also at a level that is appropriate for our bodies‘ strengths and weaknesses. The best workout is the one you’ll do. You can’t workout at all if you’re injured or totally defeated because it’s too hard. You are not alone!
Last edited:
Kellyro77
Cathlete
I'd like to preface this by suggesting you discuss this with your doctor and perhaps a physical therapist, too, to get a proper diagnosis on what exercises are okay for your body and what ones you maybe need to be avoiding and/or modifying. That's only if you haven't already done so, of course.
I agree that STS 2 is great if only for the slower pace and longer breaks, and her emphasis on recovery days in her rotations included in that series' user guide.
If lifting really heavy is creating issues, you can also opt to go lighter, of course.
For cardio, her LITE series has a couple good workouts. They're not really even HiiT, although she has what she defines as "blasts" throughout, I don't think they're all that strenuous compared to her actual HiiT workouts. If you feel like you really need to bump up the intensity you can add on the bonus workouts from those.
For a rotation, I think you could really customize any of her workouts to suit your needs - for strength workouts, choose to go lighter and/or give yourself longer rest periods between sets (don't keep pace with her, OR, do every-other rep). For cardio, opt for her lower-impact workouts, do time-saver premixes, and modify to keep things low-impact if it's not a low-impact workout. For mobility, really any of her Mobility-labeled workouts, or even her extended stretch and yoga workouts should fit in nicely.
STS 2 has really opened up a whole new way to enjoy fitness for me. From now on if I'm doing ANY weight workout, I'm allowing myself to rest for longer periods between sets if I feel I need it, instead of hurrying through and keeping pace with the workout.
I am also determined to add in more active recovery days during my weeks. So no more pushing hard, hard, hard for 5-6 days straight then resting 1 day. Now I'll push hard for a couple days, then rest or do an active recovery day in between, then rinse and repeat.
My body has really, really appreciated this new approach.
I suspect you'll continue to see more innovative workouts like the STS 2 series from Cathe as she's aging, too. I think she knows a good chunk of her fan-base are also no longer in their 20's and 30's and are ready for something that will mesh better with their maturing bodies.
I agree that STS 2 is great if only for the slower pace and longer breaks, and her emphasis on recovery days in her rotations included in that series' user guide.
If lifting really heavy is creating issues, you can also opt to go lighter, of course.
For cardio, her LITE series has a couple good workouts. They're not really even HiiT, although she has what she defines as "blasts" throughout, I don't think they're all that strenuous compared to her actual HiiT workouts. If you feel like you really need to bump up the intensity you can add on the bonus workouts from those.
For a rotation, I think you could really customize any of her workouts to suit your needs - for strength workouts, choose to go lighter and/or give yourself longer rest periods between sets (don't keep pace with her, OR, do every-other rep). For cardio, opt for her lower-impact workouts, do time-saver premixes, and modify to keep things low-impact if it's not a low-impact workout. For mobility, really any of her Mobility-labeled workouts, or even her extended stretch and yoga workouts should fit in nicely.
STS 2 has really opened up a whole new way to enjoy fitness for me. From now on if I'm doing ANY weight workout, I'm allowing myself to rest for longer periods between sets if I feel I need it, instead of hurrying through and keeping pace with the workout.
I am also determined to add in more active recovery days during my weeks. So no more pushing hard, hard, hard for 5-6 days straight then resting 1 day. Now I'll push hard for a couple days, then rest or do an active recovery day in between, then rinse and repeat.
My body has really, really appreciated this new approach.
I suspect you'll continue to see more innovative workouts like the STS 2 series from Cathe as she's aging, too. I think she knows a good chunk of her fan-base are also no longer in their 20's and 30's and are ready for something that will mesh better with their maturing bodies.
Debinmi
Cathlete
Welcome Layne,
Great advice given above...I just want to emphasize the need for an evaluation ... a frozen shoulder, tendonitis & low back pain are no joke. Ask your primary care provider for a referral for a physical therapy consultation & get a list of recommendations on exercises to do at home. My insurance isn't great for paying for PT, however a consult with a few sessions to correct your form is a good start. (If you have better insurance or personal resources, you could do more). Or maybe a few sessions with a certified personal trainer is warranted. Let us know your progress ...
ashaw
Cathlete
I agree with the others here about seeking a professional opinion regarding your injuries and what's the best approach for maintaining fitness. I'm 46 and currently rehabbing from a "glute meets the thigh" tweak from my foot slipping while doing warrior lunges on a disc during Strong & Sweaty Total Body Giant Sets.
I'm not here to promote another trainer, but have you heard of P.volve? It is rooted in physical therapy and functional training. Jennifer Aniston has started doing it after learning about the method from a friend. I've done it to rehab from a knee injury, a foot/ankle sprain, a calf strain and this gluteal tweak and I swear its therapeutic. The moves are like nothing you've ever done before and it takes a while to understand the whole internal/external rotation thing, but the moves have a flow to them. The equipment consists of gliding discs, light and heavy ankle weights, light and heavy ankle bands, a p.band - which is like two fingerless gloves with a resistance tube attached, the p3 trainer - a small weighted ball that attaches to cords worn on the ankles, and the pball - a small ball that is attached to what looks like a boss loop and you wear it high up on the inner thighs and do squeezes. They have series for various phases on the menstrual cycle, women undergoing IVF, an endometriosis series, a menopause series, pelvic floor strengthening, ankles, back, hips, knees, shoulders, etc. Its very much targeted to women. I think some of the Victoria's Secret models did it too. I bought some equipment from pvolve and got a free streaming membership which I cast workouts to my tv from my phone via my roku player. I love it and was planning to do a recovery week but I've been so into all this STS 2.0 heavy lifting and then last Saturday's injury changed the trajectory. I gotta admit, I've enjoyed shorter workouts and a rest from such intense mental focus on the heavy lifting. And I might add that I may only do one or two days of cardio and a lot of it is fun stuff like Turbo Jam, especially while doing all the heavy weight work. I just want to cut loose and have fun. Wishing you the best and hope you're able to recover from your injuries and get back on track with fitness.
Thanks for all of the replies. I did go to various doctors and therapists for all of my issues. I had a cortisone injection and PT for frozen shoulder and that is much better. I am a lumbar epidural for low back pain and sciatica and that is also improving. My foot is the slowest to respond. I found out I have an extra bone in my foot which is causing peroneal tendinitis. I need to avoid walking long distances and high impact. I did STS 2 supersets yesterday. I used all bands instead of weights. It was much less intense. I also need to let go of the mentality to push hard for 5 days a week and look more to staying mobile and functional. The funny thing is I lost weight when I wasn’t exercising at all. I think I was way less hungry without all of the intense exercise. I appreciate everyone’s responding and will be trying all the different suggestions. Thanks!!
Debinmi
Cathlete
Sounds like you have a good plan! Interestingly, Cathe doesn't advocate for cardio in many of the new STS2.0 rotations so you're good with a 2 or 3 month rotation- smart to use bands as you ease back into it. The Total Body workouts, Lower Body workouts & some of the Back work will give you some cardio effects anyway. The weight training will help with the loss of muscle you may have experienced during the recovery process & the Recovery workouts will help with mobility. Best wishes!
Layne, I'm 53 and obviously not as young as I used to be. lol I do 2 strength training days and 3 cardio days (because cardio helps me burn off excess energy and tension). My mind still needed 3 cardio days, but my body wasn't handling it well. In addition, I'm underweight, so the cardio seemed to be undermining my strength training efforts as I aged. Anyways, I used to do the much more challenging cardio. Now, I've found that what works well for me is to do 1 hard cardio (anaerobic), and two steady state cardios a week. You're doing two cardio days a week, and I was wondering what level they are at. If they are anaerobic, you could change one out to steady state. I generally still work out to Cathe, but if I'm not feeling well or my body is telling me to take it easy, I'll work out with Jessica Smith. She has some great walking videos, but I'm thinking that with your foot issues... the workouts might be gentler on your body, but it's still a lot of strain on your feet. I would like to mention, though, that a walking video is not what it sounds like. So, if your foot gets better and you want to try it, it can involve bands, weights, or no equipment. The walking videos will have moves with your arms above your head, a variety of different steps (ex. grapevine, V step, etc.), so I don't find them boring. For you, with your current conditions, however, that you try Jessica Smith's "Feel Good Fusion" DVD. It has two workouts on it. It's not a walking video. It's more flowing? They are workouts that can be done barefoot, so no impact. They are steady-state cardio, with one of them involving small weights to ad a strength factor. The other uses no equipment. They are kind of barre/pilates/yoga inspired movements that are different from anything I've ever done before. It is not unusual for me to do 2 Cathe cardios in a week and make my third cardio a Jessica workout. While Jessica's workouts aren't as challenging (physically) as Cathe's, they do challenge you to think (movements are creative) and balance (often optional or can be modified) while providing movements that have helped my mobility and range of motion. I also have found over the years that I can't take "rest" days. So, my other two days of the week are active recovery days that I use for yoga, Tai Chi, Essentrics/Classical Stretch, mobility/range of motion, stretching, etc. - just whatever my body needs that week. I call them my "healing" days. I have to keep moving or my body gets stiff and my mind gets restless, but my movement those two days is focused on recovery. Anyways, you might want to check out Jessica's "Feel Good Fusion" for at least one of your cardio days. If your foot heals, you could try some of her other workouts on that day for variety. I have found that a Cathe/Jessica combo works well for me as I'm getting older. I still do more Cathe, though, because when I'm done with one of her workouts, there's a feeling of pride that I survived it. lol It's an ego trip for me. lol
ashaw
Cathlete
I need to look up Jessica Smith. Now that my workouts have shifted to serious heavy weight work, which requires a lot of mental energy and focus as well as things like a very good nights sleep, I’ve found that I want my cardio to light and fun. I used to do turbo jam and turbo fire all the time and for me that cardio is great. I don’t want super intense and lots of intricate choreography, I just want to cut loose, boogie and have fun.
Jessica has free Youtube videos, but I haven't done them, though, because I only have a laptop and don't know how to make Youtube stuff show up on the bigger screen of our TV. I have quite a few of her DVDs though. Also, on Amazon, if you have a particular DVD you're interested in, you can usually watch kind of a trailer sample thing on there - kind of what Cathe provides to give you an idea of what a workout will be like. So, you can check her out to see if she'll work for you before spending any money. She has some yoga, walking videos, steady state cardio, what I would consider to be light (compared to Cathe) interval, strength (I think she only uses light weights), band stuff, and I'm thinking she has some barre and pilates. I mostly just do her walking (the ones with dancy-type fun moves or brain booster walks are my favorite) and the Fusion one (steady state cardio) that I mentioned before. I got started by buying one of her 10 minute workout DVDs used from e-bay. Her workouts can be anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes. They are great for when I'm in a time crunch, need a gentler workout, not feeling well, or my workout ended up later in the day and I'm not going to have time to take a 2nd shower. lol Cathe's still my #1, but Jessica has been a great addition to my collection. I used to have a huge collection of DVDs that I rarely used. I cleaned house and kept only the ones I used. I ended up keeping my Cathe collection, Jessica, and my Tai Chi and Essentric/Classical Stretch workouts - that's it. It's still a large collection, but I use every one of the workouts that I now own.
ashaw
Cathlete
Thank you! I looked up her website and I’m also gonna check out what she has for free on YouTube.
Debinmi
Cathlete
I like Jessica too for her cardio & recovery workouts. The cardio is less intense "walking" type of aerobics - she often has her mom Debbie doing lower impact/lower intensity options & and a friend who does higher impact/intensity, while Jessica is in-between. They're usually about 30 minutes, but she has some dvds that have 10-15 minute add-ons. She has some interval-type workouts, but not like Cathe's HiiT intensity. I use Jessica cardio for lighter recovery days and when coming back from an injury or illness, and when I just want something different and fun. I use her stretching/yoga/mobility dvds often. I also use Kelly Coffey Meyer for some cardio days - they are usually more intermediate level & she often has a lower-impact modifier. I prefer Cathe for weights almost always though!
Thanks Braille for mentioning "Feel Good Fusion" - it's one of the few Jessica's I don't have as I wasn't sure about it, but it's now on my Amazon wish list. Guess I'm easily enabled
-always looking to keep my workouts fresh, interesting & fun!
Thanks Braille for mentioning "Feel Good Fusion" - it's one of the few Jessica's I don't have as I wasn't sure about it, but it's now on my Amazon wish list. Guess I'm easily enabled
-always looking to keep my workouts fresh, interesting & fun!