How often to w/o to Strength Training type dvds? I need some advice/help..

[beachgerrrl]

Hi Cathe, (or anyone who can help me out here),

I use to workout with wts on my own, but after trying the Cathe Step workouts and loving them, I tried Cathe's Pure Strength program and loved it also! But, I'm not quite sure how to incorporate these muscle/strength building workout series of Cathes, from week to week. Here's my info:

Goal:
Build muscle mass in upper body, and increase overall strength. Keep bodyfat low. I do eat clean, and I consume a fair amt of calories, and haven't had a wt issue due to all the w/o I do. I want to keep my metabolism up, so I don't have to reduce the calories. Therefore, I'd like to keep the strength workouts in EVERY week, if possible? I just need to know how often to do each series, and WHICH series I should be using.


Workouts:
Cardio: Morning
I do cardio 6 times per week. Usually Cathe's Step about 4-5 times, and then either the treadmill or bike for 1-2 days.

Other workouts: Late Afternoon (or after Cardio)
3 weeks: Pure Strength (I do each segment one time per week, maybe repeating the one with shoulders, as that is my weakest muscle group)

3 weeks: Slow & Heavy (I do same as above...one segment done ONE time per week, maybe repeating shoulders)

I was doing leg strength workouts AND step on the same day, but now I don't do Step IF I'm working out legs. Seems to be going great!


******

Ok, so now what? According to Cathe, those tapes should be done on "short 3 wk rotations". ? So, now what do I do? Do I use Gym Styles for 3 weeks, and then start over with Pure Strength?

Or, am I supposed to take a break from the "strength type" w/o, and do only Cardio and a full body endurance w/o? Or do I do the Pyramids? Or Push Pull? or Supersets? Or do I go to CTX type series? I just don't want to lose the muscle gain/definition/strength I've gained. I want to keep building, and increasing my metabolism and caloric burn.

I'm at a loss here. When I did my own thing with wts, ....I really did my own thing! lol So, I have no idea what to do here for the best results.

I can say that in the short time I've done Cathe's wt w/o, I have gained the MOST muscle definition ever! and really increased my strength! Plus, I'm getting definition in muscles I didn't even know I had. I LOVE it!

Please help me.
Thanks!

 

[twosquared]

RE: How often to w/o to Strength Training type dvds? I ...

Sorry, no answers here. Just the same questions as you!!! There are a lot of very knowledgable people on this forum. Hopefully some of them will enlighten us.

 

[clareMc]

First of all, there are no "shoulds" or "supposed to's" about building a fitness program that works for you.

Your cardio is fine. Include kickbox, the cardios from the CTX series as much as you like. The CTX cardios are short but intense. A great workout is to put two together, back to back.

There is no rule whatsoever that says you "must" alternate between doing strength based workouts and endurance based workouts. It all depends upon your body type, how well you build muscle mass and definition, what you enjoy doing, what time you have available, and what your goals are.

What you have been doing with PS series and S&H series is just great! Cathe's caveat about doing 3 weeks only of S&H is a suggestion only. On these forums, she has also endorsed working with this series for longer if you enjoy it and it is working for you. Personally, I use it for 6-7 weeks at a time. The PS series can be used for 6-7 week rotations too.

There are those who like to work each muscle group only once per week, thoroughly, and there are those who work with weights more often. Certainly, if you choose endurance type or total body strength training workouts, then 3 or 4 days of weights is feasible and desirable according to personal taste/time/goals, etc. But it is also fine to do each of the S&H and each of the PS workouts for each muscle group twice per week also.

When I do the Gym Styles, which are an awesome up-date of the PS series and well worth the money if you are lookig for a Christmas present!, I do each workout twice per week for the upper body, which is my weak area, and usually once, maybe twice, for the lower body because all that cardio works it also. When I work with the S&H series I extend the fitness week to 9 days and work each muscle group twice again.

What's your body type? I am an ectomorph which means I have long, skinny limbs which build muscle very slowly and only with real heavy weights, so S&H and Gym Styles are the perfect workouts for me, and I hardly ever do total body workouts. I do them only when pushed for time that week or just for a change. If you are an endomorph who has a heavy lower body, "pear type" and who may want to lower fat on the lower body, endurance based workouts for the lower body might suit you best, with strength based workouts for the upper body. If you are a mesomorph and build musle easily, then you can decide whether you want stregnth based or endurance to maintain once you have built your muscle mass to where you want it. Some people, again, use strength based workouts to build up their muscle mass to where they want it, then swap to endurance type workouts to increase definition.

There are many different ways to incorportate strength training into your program. ANd there are no "musts" or "shoulds" or "supposed to's" at all.

Clare

 

[beachgerrrl]

thanks so much for all that info! I truly appreciate your advice.

I am a mesomorph, I think? I'm pretty well balanced "naturally" (lean/lanky, wide shoulders, balanced to slightly narrow hips, defined waist, long legs). And I do build muscle very very very easily, even with light-med wts.

The problem I had before Cathe, was that I tended to avoid cardio like the plague, and really loved working out with heavy wts on my legs (leg press machine, squats, lunges, etc). And I really didn't like working out my shoulders or arms much, as I've always been weak there. I basically used light wts, isometric movements, and I did/do swim a lot. Even with just that small amt of exercise, my shoulders and arms were very well defined, but what I lacked (I now am finding out) was "strength/ endurance". That is what I am really trying to work on, as well as increasing overall muscle mass on shoulders and arms. So although I am very well balanced naturally, I guess I made myself much stronger and more muscular in my legs (muscular quads/hams and calves).

Amazingly, in just the short few mos of doing S&H and PS, my upper body has really caught up visually with my lower body. And doing the Step 5-6 days per week, has really made my legs leaner (also, only doing the leg w/o just once per week).

Thanks again for all the info. I think I will rotate between S&H, PS and the Gym Styles (which I do have). I prefer working 1-2 body parts per day vs "total body workouts", but I think that's bec I am very weak "endurance"-wise, as I found out when I began doing Cathe's Step. LOL I've really improved my endurance with her step routines. I love them, and no longer am out of breath after the 2nd segment. I'm improving daily, and that is really motivating me to try her other programs. I think my next step will be to try some of the total body wos again. And perhaps, also try the circuit programs, too.

 

[kathryn]

>Workouts:
>Cardio: Morning
>I do cardio 6 times per week. Usually Cathe's Step about 4-5
>times, and then either the treadmill or bike for 1-2 days.

Some thoughts: you might want to do step less often, to avoid overuse of the same muscles. It might work for you, but I think that for many people, 5 days of step really increases the risk of overuse injuries and muscle imbalance. 4 days max (a day off in between) is what I would recommend (it might even be better to only do 3 days a week, which is the upper limit for me).

>3 weeks: Slow & Heavy (I do same as above...one segment done
>ONE time per week, maybe repeating shoulders)

Why are you doing more shoulder work? The shoulder are also worked as synergists during chest (especially) and back (rear shoulder) work, as well as directly during shoulder workouts. If you work a muscle too often, and don't give it enough recovery time, it can actually work against your goal of building, as the muscle doesn't have the opportunity to repair enough before you put strain on it again.

If your goal is to build the shoulders, then focus on lifting as heavy as you can (safely) for the shoulders (and don't forget the rear shoulder--often the front shoulder is overworked and the rear shoulder is underworked, which can cause a rounded-shoulder appearance and the risk of shoulder impingement. Since you work the front shoulder when doing chest, and in many daily-life activities, quite a few PT's and kinesiologists recommend not even doing isolation work for the front shoulders. I often omit front raises for this reason, and substitute rear flyes ---if they are missing from a workout. This has helped my posture.)


I just don't want to lose the muscle
>gain/definition/strength I've gained. I want to keep building,
>and increasing my metabolism and caloric burn.

I suggest a "recovery week" of functional fitness types of workouts, core work, cardio, stretching. Then go back to whatever strength workouts you want to do. You might be surprised by how much that recovery time helps your muscles build and get ready for the next onslaught of heavy work.


> I have no idea what to do here for the best results.
YOu pretty much have to experiment and see what works for you, as we all have different genetics, body types, age and hormonal factors that affect how our bodies react to exercise.

 

[beachgerrrl]

thanks kathryn

Cardio
-oh boy haha, I really do dread any cardio other than Step. lol If it's bike day or treadmill day, it's so hard for me to just stop whining and just "do it". lol But, I'll give it a go, and try to lessen Step, and increase the other 2. I just really enjoy Step now, and at least it keeps me motivated to do cardio. I don't need to lose fat, so I'm doing the cardio to keep my heart healthy. I often use only 1 riser, just to keep the impact lower on my knees.

Shoulders
-shoulders- I'm very weak here. Lifting just 10 lb db is really hard for me. I started off with 5 lb in S&H, lol. Then, in just a few short weeks, I went to 8, and now 10. I think I'm ready for 12 lbs now. I have noticed a huge improvement in my shoulders (going from boney to actual muscle!), in these few short mos now (about 2.5 mos). Working my shoulders 2 times per week, just works for me.

I don't do pushups or very heavy chest presses because I have under the muscle breast implants and I do not want to pop one. I freelance model for various fitness product/equipment local area distributors (brochures), and a model I work with on a lot of shoots had an implant rupture while at the gym, not too long ago. She had been doing a lot of heavy weight work for chest (presses, pushups), and while there may have been a true defect in the implant itself, I just don't want to take any chances. I called my plastic surgeon, and she did tell me that many female body builders usually get OVER the muscle implants, to avoid just that issue, as well as that it looks kinda funny when the pecs press on the implant (in under the muscle ones). Ok, more info than you needed to know. :+ Anyway, that's why I don't get the "extra" shoulder work you mentioned, with chest exercises. I do some light pec work, but not much. And as I said, no push ups. Working shoulders slow & heavy, twice per week, works for me, so far.

Ok, here's how I usually break down my w/o with S&H. Is this ok? I've been doing this now for the last 4 weeks.

Sun-legs/shoulders
M-cardio,
T-cardio, chest/back
W-cardio,
Th-cardio,biceps/triceps
F-cardio, shoulders only (no legs)
Sat- (optional cardio, or REST day if I'm too tired)


Recovery Week
-I like the "recovery week" of functional fitness work! thanks! I do want to work on my core, as that too is super weak...after trying the few Cathe core exercises. Is the Core Max dvd worth my trying?

-I agree, I do need to experiment. I am seeing what does and doesn't work for me, slowly but surely.

Thanks for all of your suggestions! If you have any others, please let me know.

thanks!