Strength Training 6x per week

[lisa_la_machina]

Those are total guesses since it seems that the majority of Cathe videos are about 12-16 reps, which I would consider for endurance. I initially thought Gym Styles was for STRENGTH, however I tried doing GS right after I finished STS and used the heavier weights I was using towards the end of STS and could not keep up the speed or the number of reps that were used in Gym Style, so now I am wondering if GS is actually endurance?

STS Total Body, Pyramid, 4DS, CTX, etc I also don't know how to categorize. Ugh....see why I just went back and repeated STS?

Hey Gobias, I remember SNM commented on the idea of strength vs. endurance recently. Here's a link to the thread, which also includes links to some of Cathe's newsletter articles: http://cathe.com/forum/f95/all-failure-equal-293528/

In that thread, he says 8-12 is the range for growth. But I think the takeaway is anything 12 or under is going to be more muscle building/strength-based, with the idea being that fewer reps lead to greater strength since you can lift heavier and really tax the muscle. I've seen non-Cathe programs that outline as few as 4 reps per set to gain strength.

So, under that definition I think you're right--most of Cathe's weight workouts are endurance workouts. The strength workouts that come to mind are: STS Meso 2, STS Meso 3, PS, XTrain Burn Sets. I'm on the fence about whether 4DS and Slow and Heavy would qualify since, if I remember correctly, some of the sets have 15 reps. I do believe the Ripped w/HiiT weight workouts will qualify as strength, based upon the descriptions Cathe has given on the new workouts. XTrain Legs would not be in the strength category, neither would Muscle Max (too many high rep and pulsing moves, I think).

It can definitely be confusing, and if I'm wrong I hope somebody calls me out on it! But yeah, I'm with you Gobias--this is one of the reasons I love STS. It takes out all the guesswork! I also think Cathe's rotations are an awesome resource. I finished the January 2014 rotation in May (better late than never!) and, even though GS would technically be endurance under SNM's definition, I saw major gains between week 1 and week 4. By my final week, those push-ups didn't stand a chance against me!

ETA: I forgot to mention Pyramid and CTX. I think Pyramid would be strength. I haven't done CTX in a while so I can't remember well enough to categorize it!

 

[Justinef]

So true, trying to decided which is which. LikeG obias said - probably easier just to do STS! However, I was planning on doing another round (undulating?) of STS this Winter, and fancied a bit of variety.
Last week I did S&H for upper body (KPC cardio drills + kick box for Lower Body) then KCM's Split sessions Total Body later in the week and Drill Max cardio Leg Blast for the 'cardio leg' bit.

This week it's Burn sets for UB, Butts and Guts Leg Blast, Pyramid later in the week (or another KCM) and a High Step Training premix.

As you can tell, I'm sort of making it up as I go along!!!!!

I hope Cathe's new weights dvds have us lifting to failure - seems to be the only way I really progress.

 

[Berneda]

I just started going thru this forum which I haven't been on long time ago and saw your post. I am 49 going thru menopause and am struggling to keep muscle and loose fat. I'm wondering if I should use your training schedule. I also wanted to comment on your quote that you use in your forum "UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL,
PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNWAKENED" I use the same quote on my emails. It is so true!

 

[irongrl]

I just started going thru this forum which I haven't been on long time ago and saw your post. I am 49 going thru menopause and am struggling to keep muscle and loose fat. I'm wondering if I should use your training schedule. I also wanted to comment on your quote that you use in your forum "UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL,
PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNWAKENED" I use the same quote on my emails. It is so true!

I am 51 and have been struggling with menopause issues too. I think I need to work on lifting heavier and not over doing cardio. I like the idea of strength training 6 days a week. It is hard to keep/gain muscle at this age, but it can be done. My biggest challenge is not doing endless cardio sessions and focusing more on strength.

I love the quote too, it is so true!

Judy

 

[desertambrosia]

Give it a try ladies. I think you will like the results. Some of the side effects of menopause can be a PITA. Heavy lifting does help. Keep us posted, and good luck!

 

[Justinef]

I just started going thru this forum which I haven't been on long time ago and saw your post. I am 49 going thru menopause and am struggling to keep muscle and loose fat. I'm wondering if I should use your training schedule. I also wanted to comment on your quote that you use in your forum "UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL,
PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNWAKENED" I use the same quote on my emails. It is so true!

Hi there - you could give this rotation a go and see how you feel. You'll know best how your body is responding. I'm peri-menopausal, and part of deciding to strength train more is wanting to pre-empt some of the inevitable muscle loss. Like Judy, it's not doing as much cardio which is a struggle - I do enjoy the adrenalin rush I get from it. I treat my heart like any other muscle, though - heavy work a couple of times a week (HiiT), and endurance as well (MWT).

I'll keep giving feed back......my ideas about what to do may change yet again

 

[*crazysoccermom*]

However, I was planning on doing another round (undulating?) of STS this Winter, and fancied a bit of variety.

Me too! I am thinking of doing the 6 month rotation with the double weeks. When are you thinking of starting?

 

[Gobias]

Lisa - thanks for the links, very helpful and I hadn't seen that thread before. Also, thanks for correcting my list. I knew I was going to be wrong on some. Does anyone else have more input, as I have all of Cathe's DVDs and am going to actually try to make a list of what video is considered what.

Has anyone considered or done this: Use a Cathe Weight Lifting Endurance video but modify it to be a Strength video? For example: When Cathe does 16 bicep curl reps using 15 lbs, I would do 8 bicep curl reps using 25 lbs. That way I could follow the video in the same timeframe, but modify it to be strength. I am considering this.

As much as I love STS, and to me it has enough variety to keep me interested, there are so many other Cathe videos I love doing, therefore after I repeat this current STS rotation, I would really like to use her other videos. (about the time the new series should be out!!!). I get the best results lifting heavy and reading Lisa's links, I will also still do some endurance.

As for the menopausal questions - I am not there - yet. However I just want to comment that lifting HEAVY has given me such great results I am sad I only recently realized this. I always did cardio 6-7 times per week + 2 upper body weights + 2 lower body weights, but the weights were lighter with higher reps. I was always toned and if I flexed my muscles you could see the results, but if I was relaxed you really couldn't. I was also strong and could lift much more than others thought (even in everyday life like a box or opening a jar). But it wasn't until I did STS (heavy) that you can see my muscle definition with me being relaxed, not just flexed. I get comments from friends and strangers on my muscle tone and it isn't like I am walking around flexing. haha. I also lift much heavier than I ever thought was possible. I was worried that cutting back on cardio would cause me to get flabby, but it didn't. In fact, I seem more "cut" when I cut back on cardio and supplement it with HEAVY weights. (As others said, that was hard to do since I love love love cardio, especially steady state step.)

Now all that being said, I do not have a bodybuilder's body or even muscles like Cathe. I am quite skinny and I think any muscle tone I gain really shows on my frame. It is just interesting that after I do heavy weight training I can see the muscle without flexing my arms or legs.

 

[Justinef]

Me too! I am thinking of doing the 6 month rotation with the double weeks. When are you thinking of starting?

Slightly depends on the new dvds and what sort of rotation they come with. I'll be way too excited not to do them immediately!

Ideally I'd start STS November (then I can utilise all those excess Christmas calories)

 

[Justinef]

Has anyone considered or done this: Use a Cathe Weight Lifting Endurance video but modify it to be a Strength video? For example: When Cathe does 16 bicep curl reps using 15 lbs, I would do 8 bicep curl reps using 25 lbs. That way I could follow the video in the same timeframe, but modify it to be strength. I am considering this.

But it wasn't until I did STS (heavy) that you can see my muscle definition with me being relaxed, not just flexed. .

Great idea about adapting a workout.

Totally agree that STS gets you lifting heavier than you'd ever consider otherwise

 

[lisa_la_machina]

Has anyone considered or done this: Use a Cathe Weight Lifting Endurance video but modify it to be a Strength video? For example: When Cathe does 16 bicep curl reps using 15 lbs, I would do 8 bicep curl reps using 25 lbs. That way I could follow the video in the same timeframe, but modify it to be strength. I am considering this.

Glad you found the link helpful, Gobias!

I think the idea of changing the rep count is an interesting idea. I've not done this, but what you described is pretty much how Tony Horton structured the upper body workouts in his original P90X series. Some members of the crew did 8-10ish reps of each exercise for strength, while other members of the crew did 12-15ish reps for endurance. Usually the ones lifting heavy just rested while waiting for the endurance people to finish. I don't see why you couldn't do this with Cathe's workouts. It seems like it would work especially well with GS, XTrain upper body (not Burn Sets, but the other workouts), 4DS, LIS Trisets, and maybe for Pyramid, you could reduce the reps to 10, 8, 6 or even 8, 6, 4 if you want to go super heavy. Oh my, you really got the wheels churning. I want to try this!

 

[Gobias]

I really think I am going to try this next. I thought about it before, but just ran out of time to plan which videos would work best. My concern is not getting enough rest time between sets and I don't want to pause the video since then the workout will be 2 hours long and...I just won't pause it, I know it.

I figure at heavy weight it would take me just as long to finish my lower reps as it takes Cathe and crew to finish the higher reps, so that wouldn't give me enough rest time. Unless the workouts work different muscle groups in a row (i.e. biceps then triceps), I think then it would be OK to take lesser of a complete rest time.

So many decisions!

 

[Justinef]

I love the idea of using mid-weight dvds for heavy weights. Especially as I'm running out of heavy dvds! My only worry would be moves which are unstable with heavy weights - but otherwise, great idea. I'll try it with push/pull next week, I think.

It's so good to have everyone's input.
KCM's muscle definition 77 min total body pre-mix for me this morning....wow!

 

[*crazysoccermom*]

Slightly depends on the new dvds and what sort of rotation they come with. I'll be way too excited not to do them immediately!

Ideally I'd start STS November (then I can utilise all those excess Christmas calories)

We'll have to start another STS check-in - that was highly motivating for me to have a group of you ladies also going through STS.

 

[Justinef]

We'll have to start another STS check-in - that was highly motivating for me to have a group of you ladies also going through STS.

I'd be up for it

 

[str8shooter]

Me too.
Amy

 

[desertambrosia]

I'm in. Just let me know where and when!

 

[sme702]

Intriguing concept ladies! I too am post menopausal (early menopause actually since 33 y/o) and have a hard time with muscle definition and easy weight gain. I think I may have to try this

 

[ReneePruitt]

I am on meso 2 next week but I would do a check in for Sts, especially for this age I'm 44 and having same issues. I am trying to lift weights and cardio but be willing to add more weights if it will help.
Interesting!

 

[Justinef]

Intriguing concept ladies! I too am post menopausal (early menopause actually since 33 y/o) and have a hard time with muscle definition and easy weight gain. I think I may have to try this

I'd encourage you to try. I'm mid-way through week 3 of working out like this, and I'm really seeing changes. Most importantly, I'm loving doing it.

Like Gobias suggested, I've started upping my weights and doing lower reps than Cathe does. It seems to work well. There's always the pause button.........