Looking for workouts for different effects for different muscle groups.

E

EdelTat

Member
Need your advice dear cathletes :)!
Last summer I've completed STS. The results were great: I've gained strength and improved muscle endurance, but along with that came extra muscle bulkiness.
But I'm looking for a strong svelte body with defined muscles. Dancers body :). For a half a year now I'doing barre workouts, but I miss Cathe's muscle workouts so much!
What videos would you recommend for: strength for all body muscles (back and legs especially), defined and lean legs and arms?
Thank you all in advance.
 
Lean Legs and Abs and Great Glutes, Xtrain Legs, X Train Cardio Leg Blast, the ICE series, any and all Metabolic Conditioning Workouts, the Low Impact Series, kettlebell workouts.

Rather than work with heavy weights, look for workouts that have high reps, an endurance factor, that use weights to up the cardio effect. All the workouts listed above will help with this. For kettlebell, you'll have to look beyond Cathe, but that's OK.

Also, high speed walking and running will help define legs and whittle them down some. And continue with barre, add pilates, yoga, body weight workouts.

Clare
 
Thank you, Clare! You are very helpful.
I have some of these workouts. Also I have High Reps.

And one more question. How many times per week should I do these type of workouts (endurance, high reps etc)? 1 time a week for total body and that's it? Or 1 time a week for specific body part (Monday - Upper Body, Wednesday - Lower Body, Friday - total body, for example)?
 
Hi there EdelTat,
:)
Clare has given you excellent suggestions for dvds with your goal in mind.
In terms of your question, are you supplementing your barre work or are you going to focus on Cathe & Cathe like programs entirely now?
Cathe has many very useful rotations for "shredding", "fat loss" & that type of goal. I think many of them are like this.
If you are looking to just add something different a few times a month to your barre routine, I think the Plyo Legs from STS is excellent for gaining lower body strength. Pyramid Lower Body, although quite different, could also be a nice supplement to do say, every third or fourth lower body day or something.
 
I have large, muscular quads and what has slimmed them down (still a work in progress, but the first time seeing the results I am after) is incorporating more jogging. I do mostly walk/jog intervals. For strength, I no longer do "leg" work but do weight training with a focus on the glutes instead. This has been my magic bullet that has eluded me for years. You still get leg work in with glute training but it's just different. If I want more focused leg/quad work I get that by doing a plyo HiiT cardio during the week. I have also added in floor work to focus on the glutes, inner and outer thighs. Glute bridges are my favorite. I was doing some barre but for me, barre workouts was too much static quad contractions which was working against my goal. I still do alot of my "leg/lower body" dvds, but for regular squats I will often sub wide stance plie squats and make sure my squat depth is parallel to the ground even if I have to go at a slower pace than Cathe to achieve this. I will also sub in more deadlifts. The light bulb moment for me was realizing that my squat depth was above parallel for years which had beefed up my quads. The day after I changed my form, I had some major DOMS in the butt. What a difference. My legs continue to be strong, but their shape is really starting to change. It's been a slow process b/c I'm more of a pear shape, but I'm happy that I finally feel I'm getting the lower body I have been striving for forever!

To slim down my arms, I have stopped working them with as much frequency and have lowered the weight a bit and that is working. I am doing one upper body day per week and that has been sufficient. I like to do some metabolic training each week and the upper body work with those workouts (in compound moves or push ups) is enough for my 2nd upper body workout per week. If I am busy and can't do just an upper body day that week, then I don't and don't sweat it.

These changes, along with cleaning up my diet has worked wonders.
 
Some really great info above. Thanks! :)

I did Gym Style Legs yesterday and it seems to be an endurance based workout, so it may be another one to add to a 'leaner legs' type rotation for leg day. It is quite long and so one could just omit a couple of the 'extra' quad exercises if that's what they wish.

EdelTat said:
And one more question. How many times per week should I do these type of workouts (endurance, high reps etc)? 1 time a week for total body and that's it? Or 1 time a week for specific body part (Monday - Upper Body, Wednesday - Lower Body, Friday - total body, for example)?
Click to expand...

IMO...your second option is the way to go! 3 resistance workouts per week - one for lower, one for upper and one total body or metabolic would be great. Just because we may want to go lean doesn't mean we gals don't want to have some strength and tone! As Stacy also noted, working each body part twice per week is the way to achieve this. I find that is Cathe's method in almost all of her rotations.
 
nckfitheart2009 said:
This above makes sense to me. Not all squat are equal!:)
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Very true! I did High Reps LB today and subbed the regualr squats for zercher ones as my knee & ankle mobility has been lacking and whaddy'know? It does seem to activate the upper ham more than the regular squat (for me anyway). And I can hold more weight this way!
 
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~Elsie said:
Very true! I did High Reps LB today and subbed the regualr squats for zercher ones as my knee & ankle mobility has been lacking and whaddy'know? It does seem to activate the upper ham more than the regular squat (for me anyway). And I can hold more weight this way!
Click to expand...

Oh Elsie, This is one the most challenging variation of Squat. It is a great way to gain strength for core, forearm and Biceps --- to some degree, not mainly:)
This, as per your explanation, seem to work for you. Upper hams is the right place you should be feeling it. Carry on
doing it and I am sure you will feel it soon, right in the middle of the cheek travelling back up squeezing. lol:p:p
This kills my core and you are right it need to be executed in slow pace;) Thanks for reminding me about this variation.
Definitely need to find my "sweet weight load":) on this one

Got one question, How deep do you squat, parallel? below parallel or in a 45% inclined upper leg stance aka a quarter squat?:);)
 
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Nathalie, I squat as low as I can go. Not as low as yoga/hindu/pee in the woods squat, but fairly low.

It is a bit difficult for me as well to figure out that 'sweet weight load' on this one. I am including it in my routine in hopes that it will improve my deadlift.
 
~Elsie said:
If you are looking to just add something different a few times a month to your barre routine, I think the Plyo Legs from STS is excellent for gaining lower body strength. Pyramid Lower Body, although quite different, could also be a nice supplement to do say, every third or fourth lower body day or something.
Click to expand...

Thank you ~Elsie :)!
Yes, I`m thinking stick to the barre workout, because they are working for me. And I guess I`ll add yoga to my rotation.
So you think Cathe`s leg workout couple times a month will be enough?

Stacy said:
To slim down my arms, I have stopped working them with as much frequency and have lowered the weight a bit and that is working. I am doing one upper body day per week and that has been sufficient. I like to do some metabolic training each week and the upper body work with those workouts (in compound moves or push ups) is enough for my 2nd upper body workout per week. If I am busy and can't do just an upper body day that week, then I don't and don't sweat it.
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Stacy, thank you for your great tips! I need some time to proccess them and adjust to my workouts. My lower body is also pear-shaped.
Could you tell me, what % of ORM is your new wieght for the Arms?
 
At one point in time I did complete all of STS and was lifting pretty heavy at least for me. For example I was using my 25 lb dumbbells for chest flies. Although I loved the strength gains, my body got too "bulky". Though I know some feel that description is great because it means strength and muscle gain, it wasn't great on my body. I'm 5'1" with short arms (well short everything!) and I felt like one of those short, stocky male weight lifters that walk around with their arms all puffed out. So after much research, I realized that to debulk I had to decrease my weight lifting to purposely atrophy my muscles a bit. I still want to maintain strength though as I age. So using the chest fly as my example, prior to STS when I was doing Cathe for years, I'd generally use 15's for chest flies. Now most of my workouts I'll use 10's or 12's. Because I don't lift with as much frequency, I have lost some strength so the 12's are still challenging. I can actually use the 15's depending on the workout, but will be pretty sore the next day. I certainly loved knowing I could use 25's for flies, but I still feel happy that I can still use 12's and 15's as I approach the mid-century mark in age! As a side note, I did read in my research that one way to build strength yet maintain a compact size muscle is to lift very heavy but only for 3-5 reps at most and to do that for only 2-3 sets max. I really can't afford the amount of weight I'd need for that type of lifting and I don't want that type of strain on my joints. I'm sure there are other ways to achieve a slimmer muscle size but still with adequate strength. But as we all have different body types we all have different ways to achieve this. So this seems to be working for my short, meso-endo frame. Of course I don't want to ignore that body fat reduction will improve my definition, but I'm talking more actual muscle density and muscle size if that makes sense.

I'm planning on doing a split this week for upper body to change things up. So I'm doing the 2 upper body workouts from RWH, but instead of doing 3 sets with a finisher, I'm going to do 2 sets only (might do the finisher set, haven't decided yet).
 
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@Stacy

Good for you you have managed to atrophy your muscles and gain the look you were longing for. You have
correctly acknowledged your body type and set this specific strategy to "reduce muscle mass".
Congratulations!

Stacy said:
Though I know some feel that description is great because it means strength and muscle gain, it wasn't great on my body. I'm 5'1" with short arms (well short everything!) and I felt like one of those short, stocky male weight lifters that walk around with their arms all puffed out.
Click to expand...

As to highlighted above, without aiming to disrespect you or anyone else --- without aiming to Criticize or judge anyone perspective on health, fitness and aesthetic. I disagree with you that most people feel great about this description.
In fact the term "bulk" is used to mean various negative connotations, including the use of enhancing drug to quote the least! I have read many thread and I have not come across a post using "bulk" to mean strength, definition gain or to mean anything benefiting to health!

thread below, now closed, would give anyone an idea of what I am on about!!
http://forum.videofitness.com/showthread.php?t=212453&highlight=bulking

I believe many who will read this post are VF users or lurkers. A quick search using the word in question will bring up
enough to support the fact that the word is not used to express positivity. That said we are all free to use whatever word
to describe strength, muscularity, vascularity, congested muscles, definitions, well developped quads, well developped
bulged biceps, well defined/developped triceps, well rounded deltoid you name it ....:):eek::rolleyes::rolleyes:

To conclude my post I am puzzled reading all these debulk thread and post. There are tons of them posted in various way
I am wondering WHY most of interesting thread requesting tips, rotation, techniques etc.... deviate , 8 out of 10 times, to how us women would feel looking a certain way!!! --- Aesthetic. Who to blame MEDIA or my fellow female gender !!!!:cool::cool::confused::(.

What is more important to anyone embarking on or "maintaining"a healthy and fit lifestyle??? --- LOOK or HEALTH:cool::cool:
No judgement intended here!

BTW, I like Jen sinkler picture below. Those legs look strong and beautiful. I also have no doubt that she has gained
many health benefit from various training protocol she has been through.:):)

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/why-you-should-get-bigger-muscles

I would take any training to recruit and gain more muscle at anytime. I am not worried about looking like
hulk the incredible cause it will not happen! I need more and more metabolically active tissues, enough to outweigh
muscle wastage caused by aging process. I am taking action now rather than later so bring on the volume to
congest current muscles or "bulk" or the "fat" whatever anyone want to call it!:)

http://cathe.com/3-ways-muscles-age-and-how-you-can-prevent-it#comments
 
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And yet, Nathalie, your comments are somewhat judgemental. Sometimes less is more: saying less is more. You can flog an argument to death, or you can choose to leave people alone.

We know that you love muscle on your body: you never miss an opportunity to tell us. Way to go hammering the message of your preferences for your physique home.

And, yes, health, aesthetics, slowing the ageing process and looking strong and beautiful are ideals that we ALL care about, so we don't need lectures on that front either thanks. But there are other factors and concerns. The one you overlook here completely in your rant against the word 'bulk,' --or rather what you perceive as a general mis-labelling of muscle/vascularity/well developped muscles/definition as the term 'bulk,'-- is how each individual woman feels about her body and how she experiences living inside that body. What you think about how each woman should view and perceive her own body is completely immaterial, and how you feel about your body has no bearing whatsoever on how any other woman feels about and experiences hers. So, please, stop delivering quite so many lectures on the subject of muscle building and what you personally think about it. We know already.

The woman who wrote in the post above yours is 5' 1" and she feels differently about her muscle than you do about yours. If she is uncomfortable with the amount of muscle she has, this is all perfectly fine and she is at complete liberty to take the steps she needs to change her body to have a composition that makes her feel good as she lives within that body. Bottom line: how a woman feels as she lives inside her body is really the only overriding concern.

So, yes, let's drop all judgement, once and for all. But, really, truly drop it, not just say we are dropping it and then continue to compare others to ourselves and find fault with their vision of themselves. This would truly be an advance.

Clare
 
maddiesmum said:
So, yes, let's drop all judgement, once and for all. But, really, truly drop it, not just say we are dropping it and then continue to compare others to ourselves and find fault with their vision of themselves. This would truly be an advance.
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As always, you have either missed my point or you have jumped on this occasion to pick on me for some reason!!!
I won't waste my energy feeding negativity hence won't comment any further. Your post has been reported and
will, eventually be deleted as many other obnoxious posts!
 
Still figuring out my routine.
Now I`m doing barre workouts 5 day a week. Also I`ve added yoga 3 times a week as Clare suggested.
But I`ve lost 20 lbs in a past 2 months. And my mucsles and skin are not as tight as they were. On one hand it`s good because I`ve lost bulkiness that I`ve gained with STS, but my legs and arms are flabby.
I`ve read all your advices and have some questions.
I have Lean Les, High Reps, Flex Train, Butts & Gutts.
As I understand you suggest to do them 2-4 tomes a month to maintain good shape, but for now, when I want to get toned and shaped legs should I do these programms once a week or twice a week?


P.S. Please excuse me for my English :).
 
EdelTat,

Can I ask how long it took you to lose the bulkiness? I stopped STS at the end of M2 because my back and arms bulking and like another poster above, I am only 5'2 so it has created a look that I do not like. I am starting week two of ICE, level 2 and while I am still lifting, just not as heavy. I am hoping this helps soon, don't like feeling tight in my shirts.

Did you lose the 20lbs doing strictly barre routines?
 
Candice2015,

I`ve finished STS in August 2015.Since then I haven`t done any wight training only barre and push-ups. By the New Year I guess I`ve lost most of the bulkiness.

No, two months ago me and my husband have started eating right. He lost his 20 lbs without any training :). I`ve lost the same amount of weight doing barre workouts and Insanity.
 
Stacy said:
At one point in time I did complete all of STS and was lifting pretty heavy at least for me. For example I was using my 25 lb dumbbells for chest flies. Although I loved the strength gains, my body got too "bulky". Though I know some feel that description is great because it means strength and muscle gain, it wasn't great on my body. I'm 5'1" with short arms (well short everything!) and I felt like one of those short, stocky male weight lifters that walk around with their arms all puffed out. So after much research, I realized that to debulk I had to decrease my weight lifting to purposely atrophy my muscles a bit. I still want to maintain strength though as I age. So using the chest fly as my example, prior to STS when I was doing Cathe for years, I'd generally use 15's for chest flies. Now most of my workouts I'll use 10's or 12's. Because I don't lift with as much frequency, I have lost some strength so the 12's are still challenging. I can actually use the 15's depending on the workout, but will be pretty sore the next day. I certainly loved knowing I could use 25's for flies, but I still feel happy that I can still use 12's and 15's as I approach the mid-century mark in age! As a side note, I did read in my research that one way to build strength yet maintain a compact size muscle is to lift very heavy but only for 3-5 reps at most and to do that for only 2-3 sets max. I really can't afford the amount of weight I'd need for that type of lifting and I don't want that type of strain on my joints. I'm sure there are other ways to achieve a slimmer muscle size but still with adequate strength. But as we all have different body types we all have different ways to achieve this. So this seems to be working for my short, meso-endo frame. Of course I don't want to ignore that body fat reduction will improve my definition, but I'm talking more actual muscle density and muscle size if that makes sense.

I'm planning on doing a split this week for upper body to change things up. So I'm doing the 2 upper body workouts from RWH, but instead of doing 3 sets with a finisher, I'm going to do 2 sets only (might do the finisher set, haven't decided yet).
Click to expand...

@Stacy

Following clare post above, I would like to apologise to you if you felt offended by my post in any way.
My opinion expressed was based on various thread read over the years. Not just from this forum but also from
VF. You are probably a VF user , therefore would acknowledge there are many thread discussing the "bulk".

I prefered to send you my apology in private, thus the reason you have been included in a message this morning.
You have probably just deleted it without reading. I also included the OP cause this thread is the cause of a formal
complain! There was not any malicious purpose in my gesture!

Ps. This morning ---- Central Europe time.:)
 
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~Elsie said:
Very true! I did High Reps LB today and subbed the regualr squats for zercher ones as my knee & ankle mobility has been lacking and whaddy'know? It does seem to activate the upper ham more than the regular squat (for me anyway). And I can hold more weight this way!
Click to expand...

I have never heard of this before! Can't wait to try it. You guys all know so much, love reading the forum while I enjoy my morning coffee.
 
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