Should I stick to endurance type workouts?

G

gtntuff

Member
Hi. I guess I'll start with a little bit about myself. I am 5'10", 165 lbs. with a medium frame. I have a tendency to build muscle pretty easily. I've been exercising regularly for the past three years--first with Beachbody, then Firming, and finally I've found Cathe. I use her videos almost exclusively now, and I consider myself to be an intermediate exerciser.

My goal now is to lose some excess bodyfat that I've gained since I got married last year and to lean out. Since I build muscle so easily, should I concentrate more on doing endurance type videos like PH and ME along with some intense cardio and AWT to burn the extra fat? Am I just adding more unwanted bulk to my frame by doing the S&H and PS series? I kinda feel like I'm just adding muscle under my bodyfat and getting bigger all of the time. I love the feeling of having strong, hard leg and arm muscles, but they're hiding under fat. Would concentrating on endurance videos now help me to lean out more? Then, I could focus on the heavy strength training later after I've burned some fat off?

TIA
 
Sounds like you don't have too much bodyfat to lose. When I was in that situation what worked for me was clean eating. When I gave up sugar for 2 weeks, I could see muscles I knew I had, but had never seen!
 
If leaning out while keeping the muscle you have is your goal, you might benefit from circuit training workouts like Bootcamp, Circuit Max, Cardio & Weights and the workouts in the Terminator DVD where you get to burn calories through the cardio segments and work out your muscles with light weights through the weighted segments. I read somewhere (was it in Fitness Magazine or Fat Wars? I don't remember) that these kinds of workouts use up more fat than either cardio or weight training alone. Hope this helps.

Pinky
 
Do you guys consider CM, C&W, and BC to be aerobic weight training?
Just curious. I get confused with the difference between circuit workouts, interval workouts and how they all fit into the aerobic weight training concept (if they do at all).
Thanks
 
That's sort of what I was thinking. I just don't like to do those type of workouts as much as pure strength training.:( I guess I'll just have to learn to love them if I want the figure I aiming for.
 
I consider Circuit max to be a test to the endurance of every muscle in the body, including the heart of course! Just how long can they keep going under pressure? I don't really call it weight training. The aim is to keep the heart rate in steady state during the weights sections, we are not lifting real heavy here.

Cardio and Weights is more circuit style, the weights range from light/med to heavy. It does more muscle strengthening. Also I think this because it's way gentler on the cardiovscular system through the cardo sections, but when you mix the cardio with the weights the endurance factor creeps in again, becuase the heavier weights tire the muscles that then find the cardio harder.

It gets more difficult to separate out these different categories.

Boot Camp to me is again an all over endurance/stamina testing workout, the weights used are not heavy.

(I don't even understand what the terminology "aerobic weight training" means. It's just more confusing verbage to me!)


Hope this helps

Clare
 
Cath:

I agree with the posters who recommended Boot Camp and Circuit Max for you. Circuit Max leans me out. It's an awesome workout.

I would also say that the best way to lean out is to get into a running program. Runners have the leanest bodies. If you run, your body torches fat.

Also consider stretching and yoga to lean your muscle and reduce the bulk that might creep in there from heavy weight training. Compare how a weight lifter walks and his/her posture with those of a ballet dancer's!

After a while of doing these new things, revise yourself naked in front of a full length mirror and do an appraisal. perhaps then would be the time to try S&H, PS. I don't see whay you should never do them if it is your heart's desire. But maybe keep them to short rotations of three weeks and no more, this would help to make th body compact, with dense muscle rather than the dreaded word "bulk" which only men seem to want to add!

CLare
 
Thanks Clare for your tip on running, I haven't really heard anyone talk about running burning fat lately, but when you mentioned it I decided thats what I needed to do, to hopefully help get rid of those little fat pockets where your glutes and hamstrings meet.
I walk every day but 1 for about 3 miles, so yesterday I jogged most of it, and I can feel it today, not real bad, but I can feel it, I know the muscle was worked lol.
So thanks again clare, for reminding me about running. Had a doctor tell us that it didn't make any difference whether you run or walked or how slow you walked you were going to burn the same amount of calories, that doesn't sound right too me, but that doctor wasn't in very good shape herself.
Have a great day ................Rhonda .. God bless :7
 
All this talk about running makes me want to run myself. I can follow Cathe's choreography pretty well and can do a pretty decent IMAX 2 routine, but I'm a poor runner.

My husband started running again six weeks ago. His recent cholesterol check showed normal readings -- first time in 2 years -- and his obliques are starting to show. And he DOES NOT do any ab work. I'm the one who tortures myself on the stability ball.

Thanks, Clare, for bringing this up. Running is a cheap and easy way to lean out and get healthy. Great suggestion, especially for those who don't like circuit workouts.

Pinky
 
LOL, running is not easy, I was sweating like crazy when I finished, running is hard work. I am sore today from my run yesterday, I am not very fast yet, but I give it my best. ..... Rhonda :7
 
I'd LOVE to go for an OUTDOOR run but it was 0 this am --- BRRRRRR.

Agree with you running is a great way to burn off that fat but that clean eating is what really does it.
 
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