Frustrated (again) Please Help!!!!

naughtoj

naughtoj

Cathlete
Ok, I am going to try my hardest to make this very succinct.

I am getting frustrated with Cathe's workouts. I love them..and I mean LOVE. For the hot summer, I have been doing them almost exclusively. I am not new to working out..have been for 10 years, weightlifting only 1 yr. Not new to high intensity either. But here is my gripe....

Every now and then I wear my heart rate monitor, just to monitor my progress and see how hard I am working. Problem is..after 1 yr. of doing Cathe workouts, my HR still stays between 160 and 175 BPM for almost the entire workout(I am 26 yrs old w/resting HR of approx. 55 BPM). My concern is that these HR represent the higher end of my "zone", approaching anaerobic zones. Even in the WARMUP of IMAX my HRM starts beeping for me to slow down. It starts beeping halfway through CK and ALL through the drills. Really, there is no tape of Cathe's where I don't enter the "danger" zone. Why, after this long, is this still happening?? Does it happen to anyone else that might use a HRM?? I am in good shape, but do not see my HR coming down doing these workouts at all.

And I am starting to get some pretty constant aches and pains. Slight pain upon bearing weight on the knee, shin splints, a twinge here..a twinge there...Many days I wake up feeling 100 years old for the first two hours. Sometimes the aches go away, sometimes not. I only work out with Cathe 4-5 days per week. I have wanted to work in some more cardio....running, biking and rollerblading, but honestly, I am starting to wonder if my body could even take it!!! I am not new to exercise and do not seem to be exercising excessivly, so why do I feel like such a begginner???

I recently went off of some anti-inflammatories I was taking for my back and thought that maybe this was the reason I was "all of a sudden" feeling these pains. Any thoughts on this anyone.....???????
 
Just to add...

Many weekends I take completely off, trying to heed my body's "warnings". I feel powerful on Monday ( thank God: my IMAX day!!) but I swear by Wed. I am already achin'. HELP
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Aug-31-02 AT 11:21AM (Est)[/font][p]Hmmm...this isn't going to be the popular opinion, but...take a break from Cathe. Or at least cut back on Cathe. Sounds to me like you need something completely different. When I encounter what you are experiencing, I go in the opposite direction of where I've been. Try some yoga. I am truly a hard core weight training junkie, but in my heart I really believe that yoga is the perfect exercise. I get brittle from all of the lifting, and afer so many months of it, I feel like a frozen rubber band; the potential for unrestricted, joyful movement is there, but I need to thaw. Pilates would be a good thing to investigate as well. I am only in the beginning stages of the Pilates learning curve, but I believe that Pilates has much to offer. Maybe now would be a great time to dive into these alternative exercise disciplines so that when the next batch of Cathe videos arrive, you'll be hungry for the challenge!?
 
How long has it been since you took a week off? You may want to consider it, then start fresh with biking, roller blading, and power walking. Running may be too intense since you're all achey in the legs. Give yourself a couple of months break from all that high intensity.

You can get good benefits without killing yourself, really, and exercise will be more fun. After giving yourself a break for a couple of months with no tapes, try one week of high intensity alternated with one week of low intensity.
 
Time to listen to your body!

Agree w/ the recommendation to take a break. But then, please look into non-impact cardio activities to mix up with your Cathe workouts. So biking or blading would be preferable over running. Every cardio workout does not need to be high intensity. Mix it up.

I wouldn't worry too much about your workout heartrate. The formulas are approximations for most people. That's why Cathe prefers perceived exertion. More important is your recovery: how quickly your heart rate returns to normal.

I also second or third the mind-body fitness recommendations. At 44, I regret not maintaining my flexibility. I'm certainly a type A personality but I'm really enjoying yoga & Pilates. I'm getting intense challenging workouts that leave me invigorated instead of wiped out.

Take care & listen to your body.
Debra
 
These gals speak the truth. If your body is aching by Wed., then switch it up. Do just one section of Step Works or Power Max, then go for a brisk walk. Modify the tapes, use the low impact suggestions Cathe offers, or do them on a 4" step. Listen to your body! You don't want to burn out and stop working out all together, or more importantly, risk an injury. And don't feel bad. Do something you enjoy. Exercise is supposed to benefit the body, not hinder it. Have fun!
 
Thanks everyone. I know I should listen to my body, I just can never understand why I seem to need these LONG breaks. Everyone else here seems to do just fine taking one rest day, and everyone else does Cathe's. OK, I KNOW you are not supposed to compare yourself with others, but it does bug me. I have been working out for years and for a while with Cathe, so I do not understand why my body cannot adjust.

I think of Annete (aquajock) on this forum, who I know does IMAX once or twice a week and lifts heavy and I don't see her complaining of these annoying problems. That is why I posted the "Impact Question" post. I just cannot understand why my body is not getting used to it!!

I am one of those poeple that loves all kinds of exercise. Being active seriously is what I do for fun!! So over the long holiday weekend I took some days off to veg, but also to go on a long hike, long bike ride, couple rollerblade sessions, one trail run...you get the picture. But my BODY won't keep up with me. Jeez, I just think of what would happen to me if I were to train for a marathon and still do my Cathe weight tapes!! Would I just fall apart??? Sometimes, it just helps to know there are others like me out there...

I feel better today though, even after IMAX yesterday (I had to show my sis that tape!). I might just feel my age!! I will take all your comments into consideration and try to cut back..Thank you!! Janice
 
Hi Janice,
I just wanted to let you know that I had to cut WAY back on Cathe cardio--maybe about a year ago(???) I still only do her cardio about once a week or so, but love doing her strength tapes.
The impact and speed was just too much for my body. My knees were aching, my back was sore, and my heart rate was never getting out of that high range, either. Luckily, I was also outgrowing Cathe's choreography. It is just not complex enough for me. That made the switch to Christi and Franny a lot easier, because I needed to work my mind a little more, and my aching body a little less!
I often do my step workouts sans step--my knees are thanking me for it! When I do pull out a Cathe cardio, I modify as needed.
It is hard not to compare yourself with other people, but you just can't. I lift consistently, but when I really try to go higher in my weights I notice my body objecting--in my biceps and forearms especially. I can match Cathe in back work, but wimp out on biceps and triceps... The point is, I think that my body is just not built to do certain things! I could never use 15 lb. weights for rear delt flyes (Annette!), and that's ok. Maybe I have a lot more balance than someone else...
I'll stop now. Just wanted to let you know that I totally relate to what you are going through!
Wendy
 
Oh Janice, you sound just like me. I can just hear myself: all the other kids get to play hard all the time, why can't I?? But the more I read this forum and the ones at videofitness.com, the more I realize that there really are a lot of us who have to cut down, have to modify, have to lower the impact, weight level, or whatever. Wendyloo is a fabulous example of listening to your body and having the sense to fit the exercise to the body, not the body to the exercise; I always love reading her posts. I have found a couple things good about my limitations though. One is that I'm trying all kinds of new activities and forms of exercise and finding that I really like several of them, and the other is that the alternate activities work different muscles and/or work them differently, so in many ways I'm getting a more well-rounded fitness experience. I'm really sorry about your frustration. You're definitely not alone! --Karen
 
I know this is ridiculously obvious, but I'll say it anyway: have you had a medical check-up lately? Ask your doctor to check your thyroid level. I keep hearing about more women having sluggish thyroids.....it's very simple to treat. Best of luck.
 
...about the heart rate monitor thingy....I took out a video from the library called: PBS Home Video: Fit or Fat for the 90s. It is based on Fitness Expert Covert Bailey's Best Selling Book. BTW, he is a well-credentialed bio chemist.

The video is an hour long lecture which he gives to an audience of all sorts of people -- fit, fat, skinny, young, old, etc. My husband and I learned A LOT from this video and highly recommend it. One of the things he said was that the theory of the Heart rate monitor was flawed in that not everyone can be measured by it accurately because we all have different heart SIZES and that we should determine our "heart rate zone" by how we feel, rather than by a number. He also said that when you work the lower body, the quads, people will loose weight faster because the bigger muscle demands more of the calories we eat to maintain itself. It was really insightful. Check it out.

Now, on the burnout thingy....take 3-5 days off. I just took off 3 days and did MIS this morning. I did really good. Mind you, I am not using weights for the leg workouts. I decided that I will add them as I feel good and become fitter and that I would not try to be like everyone else. Like someone else said, some of us were not meant to have Cathe bodies. However, we exercise because we enjoy it! Don't let overexercising take the joy out of being fit. :)

Blessings from Our Home to Yours, Runathon
 
How is your diet? Are you taking enough calcium? Are you taking multivitamins? Are you drinking enough water before, during, after the workouts, and during the day?

How is your sleep? Are you having insomnia? Aren't you able to take a deep sleep? Are you sleeping enough hours for all the work you do with your body?

Sorry for asking too much. You don't have to answer us. These are questions I would answer myself if I were in your situation.
 
can you recommend a pilates video?

Can you recommend a Pilates video?
Take time to enjoy those who matter most to you & do all things in moderation :)
 
RE: can you recommend a pilates video?

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Sep-04-02 AT 01:07AM (Est)[/font][p]Double post.
 
RE: can you recommend a pilates video?

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Sep-04-02 AT 01:08AM (Est)[/font][p]hi likes2bfit. I recently got Classical Pilates Technique-The Complete Mat Workout Series ( http://www.classicalpilates.net ). I have other "pilates inspired" workout videos, but the Classical Pilates video is Pilates in its purest form, and that seems like the most logical place to begin. Plus, this video (I bought the DVD version) has basic to super advanced workouts. The production values are excellent as are the form pointers, however, there is little in the way of entertainment value. If you need a pounding backbeat or a hip intructor to motivate you, this may not be the video for you. For me, this is the video to learn proper form and technique, and for use as reference.

I hope that helps you :D.
 
Hey everyone...


Thanks so much for all the help and encouragement. I feel a little bit better joint-wise today, muscularly it is a different story..(MIS yesterday..upped my weights!). Nancy, funny you should say that. I saw my doctor 2 wks ago and talked to him about mild depression. Basically, I said I thought I had it, but did not know why. My life is pretty good. He sent me for tests on the thyroid and I have yet to hear back. I have been having trouble falling asleep. Tried cutting down on the caffeine and starting taking Tylenol PM to go to bed, and many times THAT doesn't even work. It's like my body is on hyper-drive or something. You know that feeling you get when you have had way too much caffeine?? Well, seems like every time I try to fall asleep I have that feeling!! But come the AM, I am a zombie not wanting to get up for the life of me. I think I could literally stay in bed all day and fall in and out of sleep!! Last week I took vacation days from work to, guess what, SLEEP!!

However, I do think I get atleast 6-7 hours a night anyway, as I do not have children to keep me up. My diet is VERY good. I am always diligent about cramming in good nutrition...OK, for the MOST part.

I have a very "type A" personaltiy and need to learn to "chill". I will let everyone know on the thyroid. But for now, it's IMAX tommorrow ( I took 3 days off this week so far). Thanks again.....Janice
 
I have schizoaffective disorder, which is almost the same as bipolar disorder. Both of them consist of manic and depressive episodes. Manic episodes are the opposite of depressive episodes. In a manic episode one is very active, optimistic, making plans, thinking too much and jumping from one theme to another, irritable, some people get agressive, etc. Is that the feeling that you say when one has had way too much caffeine?
 
Mariela,

I believe it might be the same feeling. However, I hope I am not manic-depressive. Don't think it is quite that bad. But my dad is manic-depressive. He is a lot of things actually. We are still trying to diagnose him!:) But I think his was not so much genetic (although HIS dad had it) as much as environmental, you know, "learned". It actually might just be anxiety for me, as I get very anxious when I might not get enough sleep..you know, being athletic and all. I might be driving myself crazy. Thanks for the info though and I still wait to hear from the doc....

Janice
 
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