Strength Training Advice

[Lizzie]

Hi everyone!

I would like to ask for your opinions and/or advice. For the last 3 months I have been using a combination of PS and S&H for weight training, with a small amount of endurance work in the form of BodyMax and Circuit Max (although these I consider primarily cardio). I usually work my upper body once and lower body twice per week and have gotten some nice muscle definition with my rotation – I am pleased so far. In addition to the weights, I do 3 or 4 cardio workouts per week.

I am becoming restless with the heavy strength training and would like to start an endurance rotation. The problem is that I am worried about losing some of the strength gains that I worked very hard to achieve! I love the muscles in my legs and glutes and want to maintain them. If I switch to doing PH twice per week for maybe 4 weeks (or ME when my new DVD’s get here) – do you think I will lose some of the gains I’ve made?

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[naughtoj]

I worry about this too. But I think a good compromise, in order to ensure you do not lose much strength, is this:

Go ahead and put PH in your rotation, but for each exercise, slow down significantly on about 10 reps and grab the heaviest weight you can. That way, you have done atleast one set per muscle group strength oriented. I would do it though right in the beginning after a few warmup reps, so that your muscles are not wasted tired. (That always seems to happen in PH!!) I think this is good because it only takes one set to maintain strength and this way you do not have to work in an entire other strength routine. Besides, to me, S&H is the only vid of Cathe's worthy of really being dubbed "strength". I will look forward to the others' opionions...
Janice
http://www.picturetrail.com/thrashej

 

[kotacam]

I'm not sure what your overall fitness goals are, but remember that total fitness has many components, among which are strength, endurance, body comp., etc, etc. I don't think that it's necessarily a bad thing to go to an endurance rotation for a while and then go back to a strength rotation. You might loose a small percentage of your heavy lifting, but you'll be able to come back to it fresh and ready to up the weights pretty quick.

I like the idea the previous poster had, too. I would try that if you're really worried about losing strength. Besides, right now, you are getting some lower body endurance between the cardio/BM/CM.

 

[Lizzie]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jan-21-03 AT 11:18AM (Est)[/font][p]Hi guys, thanks for your input. I think what I'll do is try the endurance for 3 weeks and try not to obsess too much over loss of muscle mass. I'm going to want to start into the PUB and PLB very soon anyway so I think 3 weeks of PH and ME should provide a nice change (and challenge) for my muscles. I did PH last night for the first time in months. All I can say is... OUCH. I'm sore today but I'm guessing that I'll feel it more tomorrow as it usually takes about 48 hrs for me to really feel it. One good thing I realized is that I need to up my weights on the squat segment in PH from what I used last time I did it - whoohoo! That made me feel good.

Thanks again!

PS - Janice, fantastic pictures. You have great legs and I'm so jealous of your workout room!

 

[naughtoj]

You could see my legs!! WOW!!
Yeah, that is my workout room/family room. If you think that is cool how would you like to hear that I have my own ROOM at work with a TV, VCR, DVD player, receiver, dumbells ranging from 3-30 pounds, a barbell, and all my Cathe VHS's. I even have steps at work that my work used to use but just left lying there (they took the "technical" workout room out... Everyday, me and three+ of my coworkers work out to Cathe at lunch!!!! It is so cool!!
They are telling me now they might need the space so I might have to clear out!! Then I will be like everybody else..struggling to fit it all around work!! I am going to try and post a picture of that room if I can before it becomes obsolete!!
Thanks for the compliment!!


(http://www.picturetrail.com/thrashej

 

[Lizzie]

Oh yes - the pics by your weight bench offer a good view of your quads - I think muscular quads are a must and that's what I've always been striving for. Well.. that and some more mass on my calves. ;-)

You lucky-duck, I can't believe you get to work out during lunch - would just love to be able to go do a Cathe vid and de-stress during lunch. Instead... some friends and I play Dominos in the cafeteria.