Great Results with Shock Cardio

A

attilla the honey

Active Member
Well I have to say I decided to change up my normal exercise routine and I have had some outstanding results.

I started exercising while I was in high school in the 70's (yup, I will be 50 at the end of June). I always played lots of sports and then transferred that love of sports into exercise over the past 30 years. My focus had always been lifting weights, I hated cardio.....but I still did some rowing and biking, but always made it my last choice for exercise. I bought Shock Cardio and Insanity and looked at the DVD's, tried them and decided they were not for me.

About 2 years ago I damaged my right Achilles Tendon while skiing and finally got surgery last April. Because of the injury and surgery, all I was able to do was lift at the gym and do STS sporadically. In 2 years, I put on 17 lbs of fat on top of at least 15 that was already there. I had a nice soft coating of fat over some bigger muscles. I was having a hard time fitting in my jeans and work clothes and forget about a swim suit!!!

I kept reading about Tom Venuto on this website and decided to read some of his material. Well, low and behold, I was a combination type of body, one that put on muscle and fat very easily and what should I do for exercise??? CARDIO.

I decided in mid April to start doing Cardio 6 days a week. Up until then I was exercising 3 days a week lifting. My work schedule changed so I was able to exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. I have been using Cathe's Shock Cardio exclusively for the past 6 weeks and adding a 15 minute bike sprint every day. Today I weighed myself and I have lost 18 lbs!!! (I still need to lose another 15 to get me under 20% body fat). I follow a Blood Type diet plan as well, but I had to tweek the amount of calories I was eating.

I am actually liking cardio (I can't believe I said it) and I really like the HIIT series. I try to alternate one day with a longer DVD and the following day with a shorter DVD. I also might kick in a TRX 20 minute DVD if I didn't sweat enough.

So after 35 years of trying to figure this out, I finally know for my body:

1. I have to sweat 6 days out of 7 for 25-45 minutes to lose body fat.
2. I have to concentrate on cardio and preferably HIIT to lose body fat.
3. A short kick of 15 minutes of sprinting on a bike or rowing machine revs my metabolism and kicks me out of plateaus.
4. Diet and exercise go in hand in hand. I do not get results with one or the other, 6 days of exercise 7 days of dieting. I cannot cheat or I retain water.
5. I need variety or I get bored.
6. Lifting weights for me gets me nice muscles but little or no body fat loss.

So, when I lose this last 15 lbs, I will post some pics!!!
 
That's amazing, good for you! Interesting too, if you don't mind a couple of questions as I really need to shed at least 20 pounds, do you feel you have lost any significant muscle during this past 6 weeks of pure cardio? After you feel you are done losing fat, do you think you will add weights back in to your weekly routine?

Again, congrats, great results!
 
This for me " I cannot cheat or I retain water" is so true---it seems like I'll gain several pounds overnight and I know for a fact it is just water retention or from additional salt (since I try to keep my sodium low during my dieting)....

Starting this Sunday, I'm going to try to go 6 whole weeks with NO CHEATING just to see how far I can take it!!! I restarted STS this past Monday, May 24th so I'll be doing that and running for cardio. I want to hit my ultimate weight goal (115 lbs) and I'm about 20 lbs away...

Thanks for the great post and giving me some confidence to give it a whirl! :)


Denise
 
Hi Dela:

I have some calipers and been measuring body fat and lean weight; my lean body weight has stayed between 119.6 and 120.6 so little or no change on the muscle front. You asked me the question I was thinking about the weights, I think I am going to wait to the bitter end and see what I look like muscle wise and then make the decision. I still love lifting weights and I don't want to lose strength either....
 
Hi Attila the Honey (love that screen name!)! First I want to congratulate you on your success! Fantastic! Second I want to thank you for getting me thinking - and getting me to pull out my copy of Venuto's BFFM and re-read chapter 5 on body types and what types of exercise and nutrition are important for each body type and combo types. I am skinny but have 32% body fat - thus I am skinny fat. The first time I read this BFFM chapter I was thinking I can't possibly be an endomorph, I am too thin - but now that I am re-reading it I am thinking I must have a very high endomorph component and I need to exercise according - i.e. more cardio! I love lifting weights and also love lifting slowly (think Slow and Heavy) but I have noticed that I don't start losing fat unless I am doing HIIT or other intense cardio like Drill Max type "boot camp" style cardio - and doing it OFTEN. I think i have let myself get into a style of more weights and less cardio for a while now - and I need to get the cardio amped up. The trick here as is under discussion now is losing fat while retaining muscle. I will most likely continue lifting weights but do it 2 times a week for a time and do cardio 4 times a week - and see how that goes.
 
attilla the honey said:
Hi Dela:

I have some calipers and been measuring body fat and lean weight; my lean body weight has stayed between 119.6 and 120.6 so little or no change on the muscle front. You asked me the question I was thinking about the weights, I think I am going to wait to the bitter end and see what I look like muscle wise and then make the decision. I still love lifting weights and I don't want to lose strength either....
Click to expand...

Thanks again! I really prefer lifting over cardio as well, but seeing your post and results, I am going to change the focus to mainly cardio after I finish my last 2 weeks of STS.
 
Hi Dela and Working:

When I used to work out with a trainer, the mantra was always, 2 x week to maintain, 3 x to increase fitness, 5-6 x to lose weight.

I also have found as I get older 3 x per week to maintain, 4 x to increase fitness 6-7 x to lose weight.

This is a continuous learning experience for me!!!
 
HIIT

Congratulations on your weight loss...I also need to lose 20lbs. Do you think it's ok to do the HIIT New DVD 6 days a week?
 
Not an expert - but I have done a lot of reading on fitness issues - most experts seem to recommend NOT doing HIIT style workouts every day, and waiting at least 72 hours in between HIIT type workouts. E.g to protect your joints and body, if you do an HIIT style workout one day, and still want to do cardio the next day, do a steady state workout instead. E.g. steady state would mean using an ellipitical at a steady pace for 50 minutes, or doing a 60 minute step workout that is NOT intervals, etc. For me, after I do an HIIT type workout, I make sure the next cardio day is not only steady state, but also LOW impact, to protect my joints.
 
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That is awesome! 18 pounds!!! Can't wait to see your pictures. Keep up the hard work. (love your screen name! :D)
 
Congratulations on your success and for "figuring out" what gets you results. I have had some nice success lately with my last round here of STS (starting Meso 3 Monday). I've been able to keep at my latest greatest weight:p

Normally, I dont lose weight with STS, but do gain strength. This time I've had better results.

However, cardio always does help me to lose weight and allow the muscle to show through which I'm trying to do next. I don't have to do killer workouts every day, but 1-2/week - I call them NO GUILT WORKOUTS. When I take off my workout clothes, they are soaked:rolleyes:. Everytime I see results.

And, yes, any cheating you pay a little, but everything within moderation!!

Good luck, and hope you show pics..maybe someday I will too!
 
I read on one of these posts that Cathe recommends doing the new HIIT workout once a week or even once every 10 days. Mixing it up with other cardio and interval workouts.
 
Cardio is the way to lose fat no doubt!

Muscle helps shape, tone and burn fat, but without fat loss through cardio, the fantastic effects of lifting can not be fully appreciated!
 
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