Questions on GS

[petramom]

I've been working on mastering the GS workouts, and have some questions.

1. For the calf workout in GS Legs, if I can complete the reps, should I add weight? If so, how much?

2. For the barbell pullovers in GS, where should I feel the work? I feel some tension in my triceps and delts, but am not able to isolate the lats in this movement. What am I doing wrong?

3. In GS, the back extensions and the other back work that comes right after this (lifting the chest and rotating) also doesn't seem to be doing anything for me. What form pointers can you give me? Where specifically should I be feeling these moves?

4. Is there some benefit to doing moves with a band vs. weights? Or is it just for variety?

Finally, about DOMS: why is it sometimes you have them and sometimes you don't?

Thanks!

 

[LaughingWater]

Hi,

I'm still pretty new to serious weight training, so I'll leave questions 1 - 4 for some of the forum veterans.

Regarding DOMS, I have no clue, but sometimes I think diet and rest affect the frequency and severity of it. Back when I worked out with the FIRM, I would be terribly, horribly sore. It made me happy (cause I'm weird like that), but man...getting up and down the stairs was an act of sheer will. I also ate like crap and didn't get as much sleep as I should have.

Since I started with Cathe, I changed my diet and started really taking care of myself (vitamins, more sleep). I'm lifting more seriously, so you'd think I'd be suffering from tons of DOMS, but I'm not. I get a little here and there, enough to make me smile, but I can still brush my teeth and sit in my chair without grimacing.

 

[lioness]

1. I personally don't think it's necessary to add weight when doing calves raises. I feel it enough as it is. If you wanted to add weight, I would just hold 2 light weight dumbbells in each hand.

2. The pullovers are for lats and for me it's one move that I really need to concentrate on in order to really "feel" it. When I start the pulling phase, I try to squeeze my pecs and concentrate on pulling my lats downward (if that makes sense). I also try and focus on keeping my body tight. I often feel some tension in my triceps and delts as well. I think that is fine because the movement gets assistance from those muscle. I also feel it in my obliques too.

3. You should be feeling the back extensions and lower back exercises in your lower back. I sometimes feel some tightening in my low back but it isn't a strong feeling. Doing lower back exercises strengthens your entire core and if you have a strong core it helps prevent back injury. Also, you get a nice lower curve of the back, which I like.

4. There is a benefit to band work. I believe when you do band work you really, really get in the muscle. I LOVE doing the shoulder work in GS because I can really feel the "burn" much more than I do with weights sometimes. If you don't feel it, then you need to add more resistance to your band.

I know some people judge the effectiveness of a workout by DOMS but I don't believe this is true. I think we get DOMS when we work a muscle particularly hard or work muscles that we haven't worked or work muscles in a different way. I also agree diet, recovery and rest has to due with the severity of DOMS or whether we get them at all.

I hope this helps!

 

[MAYNARDSMOM]

1. For the calf workout in GS Legs, if I can complete the reps, should I add weight? If so, how much? No expert here, but I do add weight for the calf raises. Depending on how strong I'm feeling someitmes either 15 lbs or 30 lbs.


4. Is there some benefit to doing moves with a band vs. weights? Or is it just for variety? I would assume for variety but for me I find the band can sometimes be harder than weights. I will graon when I see we are useing bands sometimes

Sorry I couldn't help you on all of these. I'll leave the rest to more knowledgable people.

 

[petramom]

Thanks for the responses! I'm having a lot of trouble getting comfortable with the band work in GS. I seem to either have not enough resistance or so much that I don't feel like my form is good. I guess it'll just take some practice.

 

[LaughingWater]

I found the band took some getting used to. And yeah...you don't always have the right amount of resistance when you first grab it. But the good news is that you learn to adjust. I'm starting to like it because I appreciate the constant resistance it provides, something I don't always have when I'm using a dumbbell.

Wearing Cathe's gloves has helped too, believe it or not. It's so much more comfortable to wrap the band around your hand once or twice.

 

[amyg]

Here's my .02:

1. Calf raises- no need to add weight unless you want to. I'd start by doing that segment twice in a row. Stand on your left leg only the first set, then on your right leg only for the second set.

2. Pullovers- I only started to feel these doing them on the ball in Push/Pull. Try going heavier/lighter with your weight, and try them using dumbbells instead of a barbell. I rarely feel it in my lats unless I'm using a dumbbell for some reason.

3. Supermen- keep your head down so your spine and the crown of your head are in one line. Lift your straight legs and your chest at the same time. Think about doing an opposite crunch, for your lower back. If you don't feel it at all, hold your arms and legs up for a count or two. When your hands are underneath your chin and you go side to side, it's just a slightly different emphasis but you should still be able to feel your lower back doing some work.

4. Band work- Cathe puts a lot of emphasis on changing things up, from rep speed to slight variations in positions. The band is simply another way to change it up as it allows for tons of variations and your effort isn't as complicated by gravity so much.

DOMS- DOMS are signals of low-grade muscle strains. If you do something new, or perform a new (greater) amount of reps, or perform usual moves (deadlifts) with new weights or new positions (stiff legged on a step) you're more likely to experience a strain. As your muscle cells are expelled and new cells replace the old ones you're not as likely to experience DOMS since the muscles are stronger and used to the moves. (LOL at least until the UPS man arrives with your next Cathe workout.)

HTH