Question about upper body weight work

[CollinsMom]

I am currently doing total body days, alternated with cardio only days. I am getting ready to switch to upper and lower body splits alternated with cardio days.

My question is this. A lot of the DVDs that I have with weight work on them have an upper body weights premix. However, it is only about 30 minutes long. I like to work out for about one hour per day -- can I just do it, then do it again?

I have Body Max 2, and I would like to try the double upper body premix. But I have always wondered -- are there certain benefits to doing the same exercise back-to-back (for example 4 sets of chest flies as opposed to 2), or is it okay to do the whole upper body routine, the go back and do it again?

I hope my question is making sense. Basically, what is the best way to turn a 30 minute upper body premix into a 60 minute upper body workout? A) Do it once, then do it again OR
B) Do it, then pause my player and do another set of the same exercise before moving on

 

[LauraMax]

Truthfully Katie, if you're doing a heavy lifting routine then 30-40 minutes is plenty of time for one body part. I have a 3 day split that I do at the gym--it's 2 body parts per day & my lifting routine typically takes me 60-75 minutes (about 30-40 minutes per body part).

I find your post especially interesting b/c I did Butts & Gutts for the first time 2 weeks ago & couldn't stand doing one body part for more than an hour! I've been seriously weightlifting for more than 18 years & never ever have I worked one body part for that long! I thought my head was gonna explode by the time I finished the DVD.........

 

[SRP]

Katie - I think it's fine to repeat a shorter workout. I do it all the time and enjoy it. Just pay attention to your body, and if you feel that a muscle is "fried," then stop.

On Body Max 2, the double upper body premix does each body part twice in a row, so you don't have to replay it. If you prefer to do it all the way through and then repeat, just choose the upper body chapter in the original routine.

As for whether it's better to do it that way, or run through the original twice, I think there are benefits both ways. If you do the same exercise back to back, you can focus on endurance, but if you break it up and do everything once and then run through it again, you give each muscle group a rest, so you might be able to lift heavier.

But as Laura pointed out, a lot of it is preference, too. Experiment and see what you like, and have fun!

 

[Tess_ATL]

You could also try PUB - it is a great one hour upper body workout.

 

[meredith]

You might want to buy some of Cathe's other DVDs that use the split formats but I don't think they go for an hour. I do Pure Strength one week, then CTX the next, then Gym Style the third and start over. The legs days are longer - depending on which series. I also throw in other lower body DVDs like B&G for spice. But the two upper body days are about 30 or 45 minutes. If you want to make sure you get an hour every day, fill the gap with cardio, an extra 20 min of that can't hurt you unless you are trying to gain weight (not most women's goal).