How do you fit it all into each week?

Beth-B-Fit

Cathlete
Hi, all,

I'm starting to rethink my pattern of working out. All I've read about aging and muscles and fat loss on the blog has got me thinking that I need three things:

(1) more cardio (for the fat loss)
(2) less time spent on heavy leg weights (maybe once a week heavy?) since at home I don't have a squat rack or machine to go as heavy as the workout manager says I should go for squats anyway
(3)more upper body-fairly heavy weight days (4x per week?) to widen the shoulders for the upcoming ligament spread of my hips (that I can hardly wait for) and the bat thing that happens to your triceps.

My question is: How do you fit it all into each week? Is the CTX program effective? How much cardio is enough? Do I do weights then cardio or vice versa? Can I keep it to an hour a day?

Thanks for any insight.

Beth
 
It seems overwhelming but I just plan on working out Monday thru Saturday and take a break on Sunday. Right now, I'm finishing up STS and will start P90x in about 10 weeks. Each of those workouts average between 45-60 minutes. If you feel like you need more cardio, just add one of the step dvd or kickbox premixes that are little shorter to the days you work out with weights.

Personally, I don't like doing step or high intensity workouts along with weight training (CTX, 4 Day Split, etc.). My body just can't handle it. M/W/F are weight days and T/T/S are cardio.

You didn't mention it, but do you have a family? I don't so I have a lot of free time which makes a big difference in getting my workouts in each day.

It helps me to keep a calendar and a notebook (to keep track of the weights I use) so I can see what I have done on paper.

Don't give up and bury your face in a gallon of ice cream. LOL
 
Hi Beth:

I work out 6 days a week, between 60-70 minutes in the AM, alternating cardio and weights. Depending on the rotation, I will either do splits, total body or parts.

At night 3 to 4 times a week, I walk for 30-40 minutes.

My kids are teenagers, so they are pretty self-sufficient. I also have a pretty flexible schedule at work, so this is very doable for me.

For reference, I am 44. While I do not lose weight with this routine, I least am not gaining.
 
Hmmm, that's interesting you would choose to increase your cardio. I've gone the other way - decreased my cardio, lift heavy and have been able to keep my bodyfat in check with minimal effort, even though my daily activity has DECREASED (have a full-time desk-jocky job now).

My weekly workouts go like this (ideally):

2X heavy upper body of compound exercises: chest press, rows, pushups and shoulders. Rarely do I do separate tris, bis.

2 - 3 X running for 30-40 mins (usually 30, and usally 2X, haha)

at least 1 lower body workout (squats, lunges, stepups).

I turned 45 this year and in the past couple of years have learned to eat smarter (increased protein) and not kill mysef working out 60+ mins per day, 6-7X per week and have been able to maintain my (close-to) ideal weight.

If you are maintaining, and you watch your calories, IMO you really don't have to do a whole lot.
 

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top