Is once a week enough for lower body?

[Jane P]

I am pear shaped and I wonder if I should be working my lower body more often? Most of Cathe's weight sets work the upper body twice a week and the lower body only once. I know she works different muscles of the upper body in her workouts, but the muscles get worked again as a secondary muscle group, so in a way, they get hit twice in the same week.

I guess I worry that working the lower body only once a week is not often enough to really see any definition.

 

[honeybunch1]

It's an individual matter - if legs are a real trouble spot, like mine are, then you may want to work them twice a week. I can get away with upper body stuff once a week (with CTX or PS type exercises), but lets I have to hit twice a week.

That being said, you CAN make one of those days a combined legs/cardio day with Power Circuit, Circuit Max, Gauntlet, or Boot Camp/Muscular Endurance Bonus all of which hit your legs hard.

 

[LoriSax]

I have been doing exactly what Honeybunch said. I do PS legs, with the stability ball work from PLB one day, and I do a circuit-style leg workout another day. In my opinion, my legs are looking better.
Lori S.

 

[Aquajock]

In addition to the circuit-style routines already listed, you can also include the Body Max step-circuit segment and/or the Boot Camp cardio/lower-body premix (that premix is a real sweat factory).

A-jock

 

[clareMc]

Jane:


working the lower body specifically once per week is fine and perfectly acceptable, it's what I do and you will see change, I certainly do, but remember that change is never immediate! Change takes slow, steady overload on the muscles. Working them twice per week is also fine, just ask yourself : what are you motivated to do? That's all that matters. Don't compare yourself to others, do what you feel like doing. Certainly, do not worry about it! This sounds like you are comparing yourself to some standard out there and find that your once a week is not good in comparison.

As all these posters here have said, once per week, hit the legs real hard, then after a rest day, pick up with some cardio work that is real endurance for the legs like Circuit Max, Step Works, MIC, Body Max.

I do the Circuit Max once per week too and use all the weights bits exclusively for training lower body with squats and lunges with barbell and dumbells, and forget the upper body work. I find this, some solid cardio on other days and a tough PLB or PS legs or LL once per week, is all that I want to do!

Regardless of what anyone else says or does, what will produce results for you is only what you are motivated to do. If you do legs once per week, make sure you are really exhausting the muscle, so that you wobble when you try to walk upstairs for the shower after you are done!!!!

Good luck!

Clare

 

[kathryn]

You may actually be working the body more than once a week without knowing it. Step aerobics and kickboxing have lower body toning benefits, even though they don't use resistance other than your body weight.

 

[Jane P]

My concern was that I was working the upper body more often when doing Cathe's weight series, when it's my lower body that needs the most work. I want to be sure I put the greatest effort where it will do the most good.

Jane

 

[kathryn]

>My concern was that I was working the upper body more often
>when doing Cathe's weight series, when it's my lower body that
>needs the most work. I want to be sure I put the greatest
>effort where it will do the most good.
>
>Jane

Well, working the lower body would burn more calories than working the upper body, since there is more total muscle mass in the lower body than upper body. You could work in a second light weight or weightless lower body workout (à la "Slim Series") to get the lower body resistance work as well as some cardio benefit.