How Do You Keep Your Cardio Diverse Enough for Continual Improvement?

lorajc

Cathlete
I know most of the principles for breaking thru weight lifting plateau's, using pyramids, varying reps, working positive's and negatives, amount of weight, etc. However, I'm not really sure I know how to keep my cardio diverse enough so that I continually burn the maximum amount of calories and keep myself challenged. It seems like since I started doing Cathe's cardio, I'm working out at pretty much the same intensity every session...except for the occasional lower intensity kickbox tape. I have all of the newer series (Pure Strength on). I don't have some of the older tapes that are more steady-state aerobics. Anyway, I know about varying time of your sessions and doing interval type of cardios and I know you're supposed to vary your intensity. However, I wear a heart rate monitor when I work out and it seems like my heart rate is always at around the same level during Cathe DVDs ....anywhere from 130-155. I'm only concerned about this cuz I know I read that your body gets used to cardio very quickly. I also know to crosstrain...which I do. I do step one day, Imax one day, Elipitical one day, Kickbox....etc. It just seems like my body is even use to this routine. How do you "shake it up" further?

I should also mention that I can't run, as it bothers my neck and back from an old injury.
 
What about some of A-jock's mish-moshes? Or come up with some of your own. I just started doing AJ's because, I am not a "creative" person. I can't sit there & think this stuff up. However, as I proclaimed in the rotations forum, I wold use her mish-moshes this month, along with a body-part per day per Cathe. I have, not only been very entertained, but had a pretty good, sweaty worked out.

Marla
 
RE: How Do You Keep Your Cardio Diverse Enough for Cont...

You could also cycle your cardio. One week 40 minutes, next 45 minutes, next 50 minutes and back down again.
 
RE: How Do You Keep Your Cardio Diverse Enough for Cont...

I do occasionally add some non-Cathe stuff. Once a week or so I do a spin class, run (I know you can't), swim a mile, ride my bike 15 -20 miles on the road, something like that. It really helps, and my body never gets used to it because I never do any of them long enough to adapt. Every time I swim, my shoulders are cooked. Every time. Every time I ride the bike (stationary or not) my quads are fried. So forth. And the heart rate is challenging too.
 

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