Pyramid Upper Body question

nancy324

nancy324

Cathlete
Cathe,
I am trying to figure out what weight to use for the Pyramid Upper Body chest exercises. In Pure Strength you make a point of mentioning that it makes sense to go lighter for chest flyes than for chest presses, but in PUB you use the same weight for both. I am unable to use heavy weight for flyes. Should I just use the light weight I use for flyes for presses when doing PUB, or should I stop and change weights? I realize that PUB is a different kind of workout that moves faster than Pure Strength, and I want to make sure I get the most of it without getting injured. Thanks.
-Nancy
 
Cathe,
I am trying to figure out what weight to use for the Pyramid Upper Body chest exercises. In Pure Strength you make a point of mentioning that it makes sense to go lighter for chest flyes than for chest presses, but in PUB you use the same weight for both. I am unable to use heavy weight for flyes. Should I just use the light weight I use for flyes for presses when doing PUB, or should I stop and change weights? I realize that PUB is a different kind of workout that moves faster than Pure Strength, and I want to make sure I get the most of it without getting injured. Thanks.
-Nancy
 
Nancy,

I have been using PUB for a long time because I love the results that I get. I use the same weights that Cathe uses for flys and presses. She uses, 12 lbs, 15 lbs and 20 lbs. Yes, the presses are pretty easy for the first 2 sets, but I am still challenged when I do the heavy set and then pyramid down because I am starting to fatigue.

I guess my recommendation is to go as heavy as you can for flys and use the same weight for bench presses. The workout does move fast and that contributes to keeping the muscles under tension and fatiguing the muscle.

Hope you enjoy PUB as much as I do. I did the workout this morning and I happened to notice that I have a nice V-shape developing in my shoulders. I can't wait for summer so I can show off my delts!

Best Wishes,

tina
 
Nancy,

I have been using PUB for a long time because I love the results that I get. I use the same weights that Cathe uses for flys and presses. She uses, 12 lbs, 15 lbs and 20 lbs. Yes, the presses are pretty easy for the first 2 sets, but I am still challenged when I do the heavy set and then pyramid down because I am starting to fatigue.

I guess my recommendation is to go as heavy as you can for flys and use the same weight for bench presses. The workout does move fast and that contributes to keeping the muscles under tension and fatiguing the muscle.

Hope you enjoy PUB as much as I do. I did the workout this morning and I happened to notice that I have a nice V-shape developing in my shoulders. I can't wait for summer so I can show off my delts!

Best Wishes,

tina
 
I always take time to switch weights between flyes and presses, which usually means starting the reps before Cathe and the gang do, or back-chaptering to catch up to them at some point, but I feel that using the same weights for both exercises is either too much for the flyes or not enough for the presses.
 
I always take time to switch weights between flyes and presses, which usually means starting the reps before Cathe and the gang do, or back-chaptering to catch up to them at some point, but I feel that using the same weights for both exercises is either too much for the flyes or not enough for the presses.
 
Nancy,

I imagine Cathe is going to tell you to listen to your own body and do only what's comfortable -- as always. That said, I've wondered about this myself, given the caution Cathe has expressed on other tapes about flyes. Something about the flyes at that speed in that horizontal dumbbell position makes them tough. I have been pausing the tape as needed to change weights for flyes and presses, and always try to go as heavy as I can for presses but always try to be extra cautious about those flyes. It's so easy to injure your shoulder.

PUB has been in my rotation for the past month (I'm doing Cathe's Metabolism Booster rotation from last year) and here's how I've been working it lately, to give you an example: On a strong day I start off with 12's for all of set one, then go to 15's for the whole second set. Then I stick with the 15's for the third set of flyes, pause the tape and get 20's for that last set of eight presses. Then I reverse the whole thing. On a not-so-strong day I drop back to 10's for flyes in set one, switch to 12's for presses, then move to 12's for flyes and presses in set two, then stick with 12's for flyes in set three and move up to 15's for presses in set three.

Chest is a weird area for me generally -- no matter how strong I get as evidenced by barbell and dumbbell chest work, I can't do pushups (even weenie pushups) worth a toot. I'm not kidding -- If I'm doing CTX chest or BodyMax chest where pushups are at the end of the segment, I can barely, shakily, crank out the required number of reps ON MY KNEES. If I do pushups first, like in MIS, I can do maybe 6 to 8 on full body extension (on a good day :)), and then I've got to drop to my knees. Mysterious, huh? The only explanation I can guess at is the effect of the extremely long lever that my arms create, because I have (I am not making this up, I swear) gorilla-length arms, just about. :) (My late daddy's long, lean, tall Irish family all has those arms -- the kind that long-sleeve shirts NEVER fit. My dad used to say that this was God's way of keeping our bright overachieving family humble, reminding us that we were just a couple generations removed from knuckle draggers, evolutionarily speaking. :))

Well, none of that had a thing to do with your question -- just Monday morning rambling. :) I'll be curious to see what our fearless leader says!


http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0903/sport/sport-smiley-003.gif Kathy S. http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0903/spezial/spudniks/spudniklifter.gif
 
>Chest is a weird area for me generally -- no matter how strong
>I get as evidenced by barbell and dumbbell chest work, I can't
>do pushups (even weenie pushups) worth a toot. I'm not
>kidding -- If I'm doing CTX chest or BodyMax chest where
>pushups are at the end of the segment, I can barely, shakily,
>crank out the required number of reps ON MY KNEES. If I do
>pushups first, like in MIS, I can do maybe 6 to 8 on full body
>extension (on a good day :)), and then I've got to drop to my
>knees. Mysterious, huh? The only explanation I can guess at
>is the effect of the extremely long lever that my arms create,
>because I have (I am not making this up, I swear)
>gorilla-length arms, just about. :) (My late daddy's long,
>lean, tall Irish family all has those arms -- the kind that
>long-sleeve shirts NEVER fit. My dad used to say that this
>was God's way of keeping our bright overachieving family
>humble, reminding us that we were just a couple generations
>removed from knuckle draggers, evolutionarily speaking. :))

OMGosh! I am so happy (okay not happy) but relieved to know I am not the only one who even after a year and a half can't do the darned pushups! I can get in 2 sets of 12 pushups (on my knees), but that's it. ON a strong day, like you, I can do maybe 5 or 6 on my toes, but that 5th or 6th one is rrrreeeeaaaaallllllyyyy slow! ;)

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I just got so excited!
 
I guess this thread is officially hijacked because I'm here to admit to pushup-weenie-ness too. The most straight-legged pushups I've ever done was six and NEVER as part of a Cathe workout. I ALWAYS do bent-knee pushups and I'm shaking at the end in some workouts too. I'm long-limbed as well, but more so in the legs than arms. Oh well, I just keep plugging away. If I get there, I get there.
 
Donna and Sooooooooooooooosan :) !!!

Welcome, weenies! Shall we start a new thread to find the other pushup weenies out there? :) I'll bet we'd uncover a hidden ant hill!!

Hey Susan (that's my baby sister's name! ;-)) -- I'm long-legged too like you. I'm sure my long legs contribute to the pushup problem as you suggested -- for some reason I hadn't thought of that! As I mentioned I resemble my dad's side of the family, and we all have that arm-y, leggy, comparatively short torso thing going on (the polite word for this kind of build is "lanky" and the more accurate description is "rectangles with really long arms and legs" :)) I'm short-waisted and short-torsoed, true to family type, and all my height is legs. I'm a hair under 5'5" and if my torso matched my legs I'd be 5'8". :)

http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0903/sport/sport-smiley-003.gif Kathy S. http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0903/spezial/spudniks/spudniklifter.gif
 
RE: Donna and Sooooooooooooooosan :) !!!

Interesting. I can't do a push-up, toes, knees or otherwise, to save my life, and my chest is definitely my weakest muscle group. Total push-up weanie here. I don't even attempt them anymore. :-(
 
RE: Donna and Sooooooooooooooosan :) !!!

Kathy, hellow fellow weenie, yes lets start a weenie thread! :) :)

I'm only 5'3" tall, but for my height I am mostly legs and I guess my arms are pretty long too. Hummm, I also never thought of that! :)
 
RE: Donna and Sooooooooooooooosan :) !!!

Donna-
Get over to the new weanie thread in open discussion, girlfriend!:p (And quit hijacking my thread!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top