PLB Modifications

nancy324

nancy324

Cathlete
I've never really modified a Cathe workout before, but I'm finding it very helpful with PLB.

The squats and plie squats were driving me crazy because they never felt comfortable and I never felt like my thighs were really doing anything. I didn't like them with a barbell and I liked them even worse with dumbbells.

But tonight I held my dumbbells over my shoulders, that is, kind of held one end with the rest of the dumbbell hanging down my back, and Eureka!! The plies felt great and my inner thighs were really working!! I have no idea why this worked so well for me, but that's the way I'll do it for now on.

I also changed the order by putting the lunges before the step-ups and I was finally able to get through the lunges!! Yay!!!!

I've also abandoned all barbells with this workout. Changing the plates was just too much work. For some reason, I like to keep my dumbbells relatively light and kind of really squeeze the working muscle to add my own inner resistance with this workout.

Other modifications I'm using are just because I'm a wimpy beginner, like I skip every other hamstring raise on the ball. I'll have to work up to being able to do everything eventually.

Odd though, I didn't need to change much on PUB, except that I still haven't managed a single pike. But I'll get there. I want to be a Mistress of the Universe too!!:-(

Anyone else have any modifications to share?
 
I modify PUB in a couple of ways. On chest work, I change weights between flyes and presses, because it makes no sense to me whatsoever to keep the same weight, since flyes are isolation exercises and presses are combo moves.

I also omit front shoulder raises, as the anterior delts are plenty well worked just from chest. I find that just doing the rear and side raises there made me feel better balanced.

I can't for the life of me do a full pike, and I don't like the kind of pressure it puts on the wrists, anyway, so I'm still looking for a modification for those. I just did something half-way between the pike and the previous move (would have been nice to have some modifiers to show different levels of this new and difficult move).

In PLB, I like things just the way they are! (Unless you consider the "letting the butt rest on the ground between ball hamstring presses" a modification:7 )
 
RE: PLB & PUB Modifications

I find the hamstring work and much of the core work too fast for my abilities. Form certainly suffered. Taking a cue from pilates, I'm slowing things down & emphasizing quality over quantity (or at least trying to!).

An idea for the pikes, can you do them on your forearms instead of your hands? I don't know if you'd be at too steep of an angle with the ball but it would take pressure off your wrists.

Debra
 
I needed to find a modification for the lunges because I simply can't do static lunges. I have flat feet, and static lunges simply put too much pressure on my back forefoot. I simply can't support that much weight on a bent foot, my arch falls completely.

I tried moving lunges, which I can do, but it took forever. It made the workout much too long. Then I got an idea watching ME. Why not
do the lunges that they do in that tape? You know the ones where they lean forward over the front leg. This takes most of the pressure off the back foot, but you can still do a deep lunge. Of course, I can't go as heavy, but it's better than nothing. I rest a dumbell on the front leg so I do use additional weight. Best of all it goes at the same speed as the barbell lunges so I don't get behind.
 
Nancy,
I can soooo relate. To be honest I have given up on lunges. They always hurt my knees. For some reason I just can't do them right and must be causing some knee damage.

So, I have quit doing them with heavy weights. I sometimes will do them in the other lighter weight tapes like boot camp, C&W etc. But I don't do them with heavy weights.

Good luck!
 
Clare-

Oops! Almost forgot to thank you for coming up with the idea!!

BTW, my nephew got into U of M and may decide to go. Is there any chance you could wind up teaching one of his classes?
 
>Nancy,
>I can soooo relate. To be honest I have given up on lunges.
>They always hurt my knees. For some reason I just can't do
>them right and must be causing some knee damage.
>
>So, I have quit doing them with heavy weights. I sometimes
>will do them in the other lighter weight tapes like boot camp,
>C&W etc. But I don't do them with heavy weights.
>
>Good luck!

I have a "trick knee" that is picky about the exercises I do. I can't do "Slow and Heavy" lunges, because that puts too much stress on the knee for a prolonged period. I got a tip from Karen Andes book "A Woman's book of Strength" in which she recommends doing lunges with the front foot on a platform, no higher than 8". She shows a no-weight version of this which is very similar to the glutes lifts in ME in that you lean forward to put more weight onto the front leg.

I now almost exclusively do lunges with my front foot on my 4" step platform. It changes the angle of the front leg a bit, so there is much less of a tendency to move forward into the lunge. 6" is nice, also, in that it allows you to dip down a bit below parallel without putting stress forward into the knee. Helps work the glutes a bit more.
 
>Nancy,
>I can soooo relate. To be honest I have given up on lunges.
>They always hurt my knees. For some reason I just can't do
>them right and must be causing some knee damage.
>
>So, I have quit doing them with heavy weights. I sometimes
>will do them in the other lighter weight tapes like boot camp,
>C&W etc. But I don't do them with heavy weights.
>
>Good luck!

I have a "trick knee" that is picky about the exercises I do. I can't do "Slow and Heavy" lunges, because that puts too much stress on the knee for a prolonged period. I got a tip from Karen Andes book "A Woman's book of Strength" in which she recommends doing lunges with the front foot on a platform, no higher than 8". She shows a no-weight version of this which is very similar to the glutes lifts in ME in that you lean forward to put more weight onto the front leg.

I now almost exclusively do lunges with my front foot on my 4" step platform. It changes the angle of the front leg a bit, so there is much less of a tendency to move forward into the lunge. 6" is nice, also, in that it allows you to dip down a bit below parallel without putting stress forward into the knee. Helps work the glutes a bit more.
 
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