Muscle soreness and working out

[vhuang]

I have just discovered Cathe's MIS workout after seeing it listed on the Video Fitness Hall of Fame. I really like her style and the workout. My previous experience has been with the Firm and Joyce Vedral. My question is, should I continue to do the weight training workout even when my muscles are still a little sore or should I wait a couple of days to resume the workout?

I did the MIS workout for the first time on Sunday, then I did one hour on an elliptical trainer Mon and Tuesday. Then MIS on Wed, later that day, 60" on the elliptical trainer. Today (Thursday), I did 60" on a rowing machine because my legs were still kind of sore. I think I might be overdoing it because I am feeling a little tired during the day. My goal is to become fit and lose weight. I am trying to do 60" of cardio 4 to 5 times a week and weight training with Cathe's tapes 2 to 3 times a week.

I am new to this forum, so I apologize if this question has been covered before.

Thanks!

Virginia

 

[willowe]

Hi Virginia,

Sounds like you're doing great! I'm obviously not Cathe, but thought I'd give you my opinion for what it is worth! I am also relatively new to Cathe and have ordered just about everything she has done!

The recommendation for rest between weight/strength training is usually 48 hours. This means, if you do MIS (or any other weight/strength workout) on Sunday, you should wait until at least Tuesday to do it again. However, if your muscles are still sore then it would be wise to listen to your body and wait the extra day and do it on Wednesday (exactly as you did!). Sometimes, doing a workout again too soon can cause more damage and injury than just waiting that extra day. The recovery time between weight/strength training is more important in some ways than the actual doing of it, as this recovery time allows the muscles to build and become stronger.

An alternative would be to break MIS up into 2 sections. For eg, you could do 30-45 mins of cardio followed by the leg section one day, and the next you could do 30-45 mins of cardio followed by the upper body section. I have done this many times, and have found that I am more easily able to train body parts twice a week without being too sore.

The other altenative (if your finances allow) would be to invest in the CTX series, which has 5 cardio workouts followed by a different upper body part each day, and the 6th workout is for legs only (very tough!) Again, working the body parts one at a time ensures you are not overtraining. All of the workouts in the CTX series are under 60 mins, so are great if time is an issue.

Sorry this is so long! I hope this helps.
Kaz

 

[vhuang]

Dear Kaz,

Thanks so much for your reply. I like your suggestions to break up the workout into upper and lower body. I am definitely going to give them a try!

Virginia