How long does it take?

[Kristina36]

I have a question for the educated crowd. I've been doing Cathe's vids for about 4 months now, and I notice when I do them 6x a week, that by the end of that week (and with somewhat clean eating) that I feel more toned, defined and if possible, I actually can see a difference in regard to fatloss. It's amazing just how her videos work. I've been following this rotation for the last week and plan on doing so for another 5-8 weeks:

Mon - Cathe cardio, i.e. PowerMax
Tue - MIS
Wed - Cathe cardio, i.e. StepFit
Thu - MIS
Fri - Interval Max
Sat - Circuit Max or BodyMax
Sun - Rest

I could only get through 7.5 intervals in Interval Max and had to stop (felt exhausted and weak). And I could only get through about 30-40 minutes of Circuit Max and felt very weak and dizzy, so I stopped after that as well.

Is this just a matter of conditioning, or getting used to higher intensity workouts? I don't find that I'm having any problems with my joints in regard to the higher impact, but perhaps I'm overdoing a bit for my own fitness level? I can do her hour long step tapes (and BodyMax) no problem, so I figured I should be able to do this rotation without a whole lot of difficulty, but I'm finding that's not the case.

Should I do as much of a tape as I possibly can, then quit if I need to (like I have this week), or should I add an extra rest day in, or perhaps sub a less intense cardio (or 2) for her hour long step tapes that I'm doing? Just curious as to what y'all think.

 

[wendyloo]

Hi! Wow, that really looks awfully intense to me (but I am one to go for less intense workouts than many on this forum).

I do know that it is important to vary the intensity of your workouts from day to day--looking at this rotation, you have 4 extremely intense and long cardio workouts in your week. I would suggest 1-2 high intensity, 45-60 minute cardios; 1-2 moderate intensity 40-60 minute cardios; and 1-2 lower intensity 30-45 minute cardios. This isn't a particular formula, it just makes sense to me to vary the intensity and length of your workouts, not only to keep your body guessing, but also to let it rest and recover.

As for the weight training--as you have it now, since your cardio workouts are so high-intensity, you very well may not have the energy to do MIS 2X plus the circuit all in one week. If you lowered the length and intensity of your cardio, you may find it a bit easier to get these all in. Even then, I would try doing MIS just once per week, and adding the circuit a few days later. You'll have more rest time in between to let your muscles recover, so that they have enough in them to be able to perform well for you.

Also, you have your rest day at the very end of your week. could you insert it in the middle so that your body gains the benefits of rest when it can really use it?

Here's a possible rotation:

MONDAY: MIS
TUESDAY: 30-45 min. low to moderate intensity cardio
WEDNESDAY: 45-60 minutes high intensity cardio (Imax-- but not body max or circuit max, since they involve weights)
THURSDAY: rest/stretch
FRIDAY: 40-60 min. moderate intensity cardio
SATURDAY: MIS (or a circuit)
SUNDAY: 40-60 min. moderate intensity

I would then put a rest day on MONDAY and shift the rotation down a day:

MONDAY: rest
TUESDAY:MIS
WEDNESDAY:30-45 min low to moderate cardio
etc..
(because if you start it all over without that rest day, you would be going 6 days in a row without rest)

An example of low to moderate intensity may be just doing the video with less propulsion, or removing the step entirely, or doing less arm movements, etc. Or, if you have a variety of tapes just do a less intense instructor. You don't have to do an entire Cathe tape--just pick the sections you like or that fit the intensity you're going for that day.

Good luck!
Wendy

 

[Kristina36]

Hi Wendy, thanks for responding.

Your suggestions make sense, I do think that the intensity of the rotation I'm doing is a little much, so subbing lower intensity, shorter workouts may work better for me, that and also adding the rest day in mid-week.

I'll be trying your suggestion next week --

Thanks again!

Kris

 

[jillianh]

My sister and I both have trouble with dizzyness and weakness sometimes during intense workouts usually due to low blood sugar in our case - but there are a few things we've found you can do to help - most important is to make sure you are hydrated enough. LOTS of water and cut down on coffee and cola right before the workout. Also, what my sister does is instead of doing all of one intense Cathe workout, she begins with a warmup from one Cathe workout and then does the warmup and about 30 minutes of the Cathe workout she intended to do - this way she gets an extra 10 minutes or so of lower intensity cardio (and lets face it Cathe warmups and like most other aerobics tapes high intensity parts) this lets her get about 45 minutes of cardio without feeling so dizzy from a full instense cardio workout. I tried it this weekend, I did the Rhythmic Step warmup and then the warmup and hi/lo portion, and cooldown of MIC. She's been doing this to get back up to full Cathe cardio after a bit of a hiatus, and I'm doing it to get used to Cathe for the first time. You should give that a try on top of Wendy's good advice.