Muscle Conditioning/Weight Loss

J

janiah1

New Member
Hello all,

I am new to this forum but not new to fitness. I work out at the gym a few days a week however, I am looking for some strengh training videos to do at home. I take 2 classes a week at the gym that have strengh training in them. I would like to get the cardio as well however, I am in the 2nd floor of an apt and can't really jump up and down but from what I have heard her cardio videos are awesome!

I need something to shock my body and take me to the next step. I have about 25lbs to lose of body fat. I am not trying to be a size 4 but a tone size 10 would be great I am a size 12/14 now. My goal it to get into the fitness industry just start teaching classes here and there but I have to get myself straight before I can help others and I would love to do so before summer of next year.

I was looking at ordering the firm series but from the clips I have seen on line Cathe's videos look a lot more intense and that is what I am looking for!

Any advice or suggestions on video recommendations would be GREAT!
Thanks so much.

Dee
 
Hi Dee and welcome to the forum,

You will get alot of information here. Well I just tell you what I like. My all time favorite for weight training are Muscle Endurance and Pyramid from the Intensity Series. Do you have a long step? If so any of her older step video are wonderful not to much jumping. Are you getting dvds or vhs? Oh one of my favorite step video is Rhythmic Step. At first I didn't like it because it was dancy but after mastering this it is so much fun:). Good luck on your success;-)
I do have the Body Blast Series but can't give you information on it yet because I just got them but Im sure someone else who had it on vhs can tell you about it.
 
Hi, Dee! You have come to the right place. Cathe's workouts are phenomenal! Once you start compiling them, you may lose your gym membership bacause the skies the limit. Whatever your emphasis, whether it is heavy strength training or lighter training with more reps, there's any number of Cathe workouts to mix and match! Same with cardio! I have so many options available that I can do something different every week which is how I like it! I dn't have my BB's yet but I have a feeling they are going to be incredible! Welcome to the forums. You will love them as well!
http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/person/smilejap.gif Bobbi
http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif Chicks rule!
 
Hi and welcome! I used to live on the second floor of an apartment too and sorry to say found that most of Cathe's cardio workouts really upset my neighbors with all the jumping. However, I just receieve her Body Blast dvds and I think the Kick Jump and Pump would be doable for your living situation, the jumping parts you could do lower impact and still get any awesome workout. As far as her strength training goes, they are all incredible!! What time of strength training do you have in mind, how advanced are you, and what equipment do you have??? I'll also add that her Legs&Glutes workout is exceptional as well for lower body!! Do you have a dvd player??

:) Stacy
 
Hi Dee,

Welcome! My favorite Cathe weight workout is maximum intensity strength. It is a total body workout that I try to do once a week. The other 2 weekly weight workouts consist of pyramid upper body, pyramid lower body or muscle endurance and power hour. For variation I throw in the slow and heavy series about once a month as well. Cathe has numerous weight workouts for you to choose from to keep from getting bored.

Enjoy,

got2bfit

:)
 
Folks, there is a science to this, a slow progession if you will. Please do not risk injury by starting with a workout that might be too advanced. I recommend you begin in this order:

The best workout to start with is Maximum Intensity Strength. I am assuming your workouts at the gym were not really intense enough (bringing the muscles to all out fatigue) to build a sufficient strength base necessary for workouts like Pure Strength, Slow and Heavy, and the Pyramids. I say this because as an instructor and personal trainer, most aerobic studios in a health club environment do not have heavy enough weights to exhaust a muscle within a shorter rep scheme (about 8-12 reps). Doing MIS two times per week for six to eight weeks (progressively increasing weight selections for each muscle group in a safe manner during this timeframe)will build your strength base and prepare you for less reps with heavier weights: The Pure Strength Series.

With PS, the 10 repetition set will enable you to increase the weight selections from MIS, because you will be working the muscle for a shorter period of time. Your muscles and connective tissues are now primed (from MIS) to handle a heavier weight load, thus reducing the risk for injury, plus you receive the added benefit of splitting your workouts over several days, versus one total body session. Once you feel you have lifted the most you can with PS, move on to either Power Hour, Muscle Endurance, Slow and Heavy or the Pyramids.

The Slow and Heavy and Pyramid approaches to strength training are plateau busters *AFTER* you have been strength training (in the true sense - to momentary muscle fatigue/failure) for at least six months. Many novice strength trainers, and even seasoned trainers, do not realize this, and more often than not, end up with an overuse injury. Any type of plateau busting (super high intensity) workout should be performed cautiously and for lesser periods of time than tradiitonal strength training workouts. I place PH and ME in the high intensity training category due to the more time under tension approach in these workouts. They are very tough, and it takes time to find that perfect weight selection.

Good luck and get strong! :7

-Roe
 
Roe

Roe, I am always blown away by your responses. Not only in the level of knowledge you possess, but in the non-condescending manner with which you respond. We are lucky to have you on this forum!
 
RE: Roe

Roe , I'm bookmarking this topic due to your wonderful response.
I would like to know where you would place the new weight workouts from the Body Blast series.
 
RE: Roe

Tnanks to both of you for the kind words!

I just received my Body Blast DVDs last night and will be doing them over the next several days.

I bought the VHS version of Step Jump & Pump and Push-Pull so am very familiar with them now. SJ&P will get you pumped from the music alone! It is outstanding!! The workout is similar to Circuit Max but heavier weights can be used during the hi/lo and weight work cycles. I would compare the weight work similar to Power Hour as far as reps (continuous during the set), but only one exercise for each body part is performed during the cycles, making it easier to heavy up. The entire workout is brilliantly choreographed - it always puts me in a good mood! I think it can easily be modified and is fine for a less seasoned strength trainer - simply start lighter and progress as you become familiar with the workout.

Push-Pull can easily be adapted to any fitness level. One muscle group will never get overworked since it alternates anterior and posterior muscles. A less seasoned strength trainer might find it refreshing for that reason alone - and the one set of each exercise will ensure the connective tissues don't become overstressed either.

I am doing Supersets tonight, and cannot wait to get started! Is it 5:00 yet?

Caveat: Cathe, I played with the first two combos of Stap Blast last night and wow! It's great. I have never seen so much new choreography - it is definitely one to grow with. I usually pick up your workouts pretty quickly, but felt like a complete klutz! :7 This one will give all of the instructors on the forum enough new stuff to work with for a long time! I love the fact that it provides a challenge for me but I have to tell ya - I swore at you a few times, LOL!!
 
I have a resistance band, body ball and a set of 40lb hand weights that you can interchange the weights on them. I would consider myself on a scale 1-10 at least about 8.5. My lower body strength is a lot stronger than upper body. What I mean by that is when I do a body pump class at the gym I continue to increase my weights and feel the burn but I don't really get soar anymore. Upper body workouts tend to leave me a little tender and slightly soar. Yes, I have a dvd player.
 
Roe,

Let me ask you this. I have read various books that talk about women weight training and it was saying that women can train 6days a week to get a long and lean look to lengthen the muscle vs. the traditional training where you have rest days in between.

Based on what you said about the video I am not sure. I can say that the weight training classes at the gym the instructor uses slow reps and not the typical 3 set minimum. Like for chest presses we might do a few sets of 3 counts up 1 down, 2 up 2 down and sets of singles all mixed in to get that slow burn affect.

I had also looked at working with a personal trainer I met with him this week and we are suppose to start next Friday. I wanted to go that route because aside from the gyms I was active at before I started this one in June and I have not seen any changes or produced any results from going to the cardio and weight lifting classes so, I need something/someone to help assist me so I can get to my goal and maintain my weight. Year after year summer after summer I am always working out "trying to get to where I want to be" vs. Getting there and maintaining it.
 
How about shaking things up a little like doing a circuit style workout maybe 1 day a week or more. Maybe it is time to change things around because your not getting results. Are you eating clean?
I would try a rotation for a few weeks to see if your getting results and if your not getting any then change around again. It sounds like to me that you were doing the same thing for years, correct me if I am wrong. Here is a website with all kinds of rotations just to get an idea http://www.fitnessvideofanatics.com/publicrotations/keep.fit.
 
There is no such thing as training for "long and lean" muscles. Muscle growth is determined by both genetics and training intensity. The muscle definition one will see if he or she is training with enough intensity is largely based on the percentage of body fat coupled with genetics. Women should not train any differently than men when it comes to building strength, but there are so called experts out there profiting on the concept that they should be.

Here's the way I see it: Women who begin a strength training program with bodyfat to lose will start building muscle underneath the fat layers. They then start to panic at their stockier appearance, abandon their efforts, and overdose on cardio. (Here is where the "training for long and lean muscles" theory comes into play - to stop women from abandoning their programs.) However, those who are patient with the bodyfat reduction efforts while they strength train like men are uusally very pleased with the results.

If you train every day with piddly weights, you won't be breaking down enough muscle tissue to rebuild and grow stronger. And if you train with enough intensity every day to break down muscle tissue without appropriate rest/recovery, that too will hinder strength gains. So, it's a lose/lose situation.

-Roe
 
Roe,

You bring up a good point. I can see (LOL) feel muscle underneath my fat right now and I think if your goal is to slim down and you feel like you may be getting bigger before smaller we tend to shy away from it. I am a victim to overdose on cardio listening to others advise informing me to just hit the cardio to burn the fat until I get down to the weight I want then start incorporating weights in the picture. I know I won't ever be the shape of a J.LO or Janet Jackson and I am not trying to be. When I calculate it in my mind I have a large body frame so I think that to get a toned look and reduce the body fat would more so out weigh the difference if my weight did not come down a whole bunch.

Do you think women on birth control have a harder time transitioning their bodies than non-contraceptive users?

Thanks

D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top