Need next Rotation advice please

Stacy

Cathlete
I've been trying to scale back the intensity of my workouts a bit. I work long hours and that combined with more intense hour long workouts was wreaking havoc on my sleep and my body in negative ways. I just finished Jessica Smith's Walk Strong 3 program which are all 30 minute workouts. I did find some of them moderately challenging and others I worked up a light sweat and just felt more refreshed than worked out afterwards. I consider these all positive things and the 30 minute length was perfect for consistency.

I'm ready to move on to something different, trying to stick to 30 minutes on work days with longer workouts, maybe 45 minutes on weekends or days I don't work. I want to up the intensity a tad, even if it's just my weekend workouts b/c my strength and endurance has definitely taken a hit, but still not terrible. I definitely want to be careful not to be back in the same boat I was before. I think my days of RWH are over at least for awhile.

I would like to loosely follow a rotation even if it's using 2 different series or more than one instructor. I like a "plan" but not necessarily a super regimented calendar b/c my work hours are a bit crazy, but if left with no plan I find it much easier to find an excuse to do nothing at all. I have P90X3 which I haven't used yet, I have the FIRM's BSS 1-4, I got Cathe's newest set for Xmas but haven't used it yet. I also own some Ballet Beautiful dvds, some KCM (though I don't always click with these) and some random dvds from a variety of other instructors (too numerous to list here) I have ICE but used that alot prior to Jessica's program so kinda burnt out on those.

I'm open to other suggestions as to where to go next or what order to do some of the above I have listed. Thanks!
 
I checked out the July 2016 rotation, the times are okay but I see it's alot of Ripped With HiT and X10 workouts. Those are more intense than I'm looking for right now. Having not done FitSplit yet, not sure how intense that is. If it's a bit much it may be something to do after my next rotation as I gain back some strength and endurance. Thanks for your links!
 
I would look at the SAS series if you had been doing too much ICE and need a change.
Strong & Sweaty Series Time

Boot Camp 48 min

Cardio Slam 51 min

Cycle Sweat 54 min

PHA Training 44 min

Ramped Up Upper Body 48 min

Total Body Giant Sets 52 min


The SAS workouts are short, but there are also SO MANY shorter GREAT Premixes !

If you are recovering, use low weights and work back up.
( EX: Boot Camp Timesaver Premix # 4 is 36 min - it is great, just start with a set of 3's and 5's REALLY ! - Cathe uses BB20, 10's and 15's etc. but you don't need to, not right now it sounds like !)
:)

 
I just did the Fit Split only rotation after being off a month from Cathe due to an injury. It was perfect for me and I think you can adjust the intensity up or down. Less impact. Lighter weights. Lower step or use floor. You could use the time saver premixes if needed. The cardio is short in this series followed by weights. You could follow the basic premise of her rotation just with shorter workouts. Good luck!
 
Stacy, if you are open to deviating from Cathe, I suggest FitnessBlender.com. It is a husband/wife training duo. Workout videos of all varieties posted on YouTube for free. Their website offers many rotations, for a small fee, geared at the fitness goal of your choice. The rotations tell you when/how to use the free YouTube videos. I really enjoy these videos because Daniel and Kelly use basic moves to work you hard but not kill you, and workouts are on the shorter side. Tried and true stuff. Just be aware that they film in their garage, no music (hence the videos being free). You can mute and play your own music or download the paper version of the workout.

Sounds like I work for them. Promise, I don't!
 
What about 4DS cardio on work days, and the upper and lower body split (just strength) on your days off? They aren't super intense and can be easily modified up or down on intensity.
 
What about 4DS cardio on work days, and the upper and lower body split (just strength) on your days off? They aren't super intense and can be easily modified up or down on intensity.

I actually think the 4DS upper body work is very intense. More so than the 4 cardio segments. This is heavy lifting and high work load. Of course I always do the upper body premix, so I don't know what the work load is like if you actually just do the 1 cardio segment and 1 lifting segment for the 4 days.

Clare
 
For the recent FitSplit rotation, I didn't do the whole workouts at all, but just half each day depending on my choice of cardio/weights. I still had a plan but the workouts only came in at 40 mins max (including abs on some days). I really felt an improvement in strength and cardio over the month but didn't feel burnt out.
 
How about Cathe's recent Advanced level Fit Tower workouts? They are, compared to Cathe's other workouts, trending towards intermediate rather than super tough, very do-able workouts. You don't even have to have the tower to do them: a chair and a bench are good enough.

Clare
 
Stacey,

May I also suggest the Fit Tower's Slim & Trim, Long & Strong and Lean & Mean DVDs.
All come in at around 30-35 minutes long and are not as "intense" as Cathe's standard DVDs. After a long work day, sprinkling these in to your loose rotation will provide enough energy and positive state of mind to keep you going, as well as maintain and tone your physique.
Good luck Stacey on your next rotation and keep us posted!
 
How about some of the Timesaver premixes from ICE?
EDITED: Oops, just noticed that you are burnt out on ICE. However, sometimes doing premixes can give you a feel of doing a "new" workout. I find that when I select a "scrambled" premix it changes it up enough to make it feel new...
 

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