Weight lifting on your own??

P

pixie9

Cathlete
Hi everyone! :)

So I've recently begun lifting weights on my own (no videos!!!). Actually I've written a 'do your own weight' rotation and pixiesis (my sis) and I are both following it. I figured that I had gotten as far as I could with endurance videos and I really wasn't progressing (ie: I wasn't able to match Cathe's upper body weight, couldn't really hold planks very long, and couldn't do big girl pushups - also someday I'd like to do at least one pull-up and/or chin-up). I figured that I have a nice squat rack with a chin-up bar and I have dumbbells up to 30 lbs so maybe I should use them. I was surprised that I could bench press 50 lbs, squat 80 lbs, and actually do a few pushups - just after 2 and 1/2 weeks on the rotation. My planks however, are still not so good...sigh. So my question: has anyone moved from endurance, started focusing on strength training and gotten good results? More so than with endurance training? Was anyone able to match Cathe's weight (or increase their weight) for her endurance videos? I'm hoping to get back to endurance (not exclusively) but I'm seeing now that I was stuck in a huge rut (not so good for a personal trainer :eek: )

Carolyn
 
Carolyn,

I gained a lot in strength (ability to do pushups, match Cathe in weights, endure more ab work, etc.) after doing a round of P90X, so I think shifting your focus to strength for awhile may do wonders to break you out of the rut.

[font face="heather" font color=brick red size=+2]~Cathy [/font face] http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/4.gif
"Out on the roads there is fitness and self-discovery and the persons we were destined to be." -George Sheehan
 
I've always been able to gain strength using Cathe's videos. I just grab dumbbells and use them as long as I can, and then switch to lighter ones if needed. Gradually I can use the heavier ones through the entire exercise. In some exercises, I lift heavier than Cathe. I doubt I can match her true strength, but I do lift heavier than what she does in the DVDs.
 
Hi Carolyn,

Like RunningTeach, I also saw some really nice strength gains with P90X.

If you're looking to get out of a rut, I've been doing Crossfit workouts that are COMPLETELY different than Cathe and P90X and actually trying things strength-wise that I never even contemplated before. For example, a recent workout was 10 sets of front squats with a single rep max, basically do one rep as heavy as you can. I never knew I could actually front squat 104lbs because I'd never actually tried it!

I've only been doing these for about 6-8 weeks so I can't give much in the way of stats on improvements except that I've gone from 0 strict overhand pull ups to 1-1/2. One other benefit that I've really noticed is that the variety of these workouts has been reinvigorating mentally.

HTH
 
Dang! I either need to get me a copy of Carolyn's routine and break open the P90X that has been sitting on the shelf!
 
I've always done a strength-based routine--I just recently discovered endurance workouts but unless they're cardio focused I just don't have the patience, can't stand doing like a thousand reps of the same exercise at a low weight. For me part of the fun of exercise is pushing myself & seeing how heavy I can lift.

And even after incorporating some endurance workouts like Drill Max & Circuit Max into my routine, I really don't see results unless I'm hitting the weights really hard.

Of course we're all different--I'm petite & it's really hard for me to get any kind of muscle definition without lifting as heavy as I can. Some people are lucky & are just born with it.
 
I also got good strength gains with P90X (I never thought I'd be able to use 15# for one-arm tricep extensions!), but it was very hard to go back to Cathe after that. I just didn't want to do straight sets, or move 'hurry, hurry' through a weight workout.

But I finally did get back into Cathe, and will often modify by putting longer recovery periods between sets and body parts (PUB is the first workout I started using longer breaks between sets--it seems far too rushed for me done 'as-is,' and MM really needs breaks between body parts).

If I do it 'my way,' I can usually match Cathe's weight on most moves (except for some chest flyes where she goes heavier than the weight I want my shoulders to have to deal with at that angle), but also lift heavier than she does (especially with back) on some moves/workouts. I find that in many workouts, she lifts heavier (sometimes much) for chest than back, and that doesn't make sense to me, since the back is a larger muscle group (and I'm talking sometimes big differences, like using 25# dumbells for chest work, and 12# dumbells for the equivalent back work).

But I was very disapponted after being able to do many of the push-ups in P90X on my toes (but not all types--tricep push-ups and diamond push-ups I have to go to my knees for, and on some days, I did more on knees than on toes) and then doing GS chest/triceps. The opening push-up sequence made me feel like a wimp! Just not enough recovery for me, I guess (though even fantastic athletes like Martina Navritalova (sp?) say they need more recovery time as they age).


Carolyn: I"m sure that once your planks get better (and they do, with practice), your push-ups will improve as well. Just keep adding on time and pushing yourself to stay in plank even after you start to feel shakey or like you could stop--always keeping the good plank position, though).
 
>
>If I do it 'my way,' I can usually match Cathe's weight on
>most moves (except for some chest flyes where she goes heavier
>than the weight I want my shoulders to have to deal with at
>that angle)

Kathryn, I'm sure you meant "flies?" ;-)
 
>Kathryn, I'm sure you meant "flies?" ;-)

Nope. Do a web search, and you'll find both spellings are used, though I prefer the more traditional 'flyes').
 
I too saw only limited strength gains when usiong cathe's endurabce workouts. When I switch to her strength workouts, the results can be marvellous. I prefer to use the Gym Styles series and my real fave is Slow & Heavy. I am not petite like Laura, I am tall, but very lean and it is hard for me to build muscle. I need to train with heavier weights, fewer reps, longer rests (like Kathryn) to see significant results).

That's why P90X will work, because it is based on those principles. As is Cathe's S&H series.

Amy Bento has a new series coming out, that she's just about to film, called "Slow Mo", based on these principles also. Might be worth a look-see when she puts clips on her website.

And no, there's nothing wrong with going it alone and doing your own thing for a while either. And even when you do find a workout series to suit you, you need to adapt it to suit you even better, with modifications and taking longer rests as Kathryn admits to and I do also. Forexample, there are a couple of exercises with the band that Cathe does in GS upper body workouts that I just can't feel in the target muscle, mainly for back and shoulders, so I go back to the same or similar exercise using dumbells because then I can feel it.


Planks will come. The only way to get to do them is by continuing to do them! Each time you pracrice them you just hold it up there a little longer. It is more of a mental challenge than anything else. I spend the whole time I am doing planks counting in my head in sets of 8. It helps me to bear the time spent under pressure. And I push myself. I will push through discomfort, but not pain.

Clare
 
>I use "flyes" too. And glutes, not gluts. ?? maybe it's a
>coast thing like 'soda' and 'pop;??
>

I think it's more a question of mistaken usage.

I think "flyes" (plural of 'flye') was the original usage, and what I've seen, and it became confused with 'flies' (plural of 'fly'), which some people adopted.

'gluts' is incorrect. That would sound like the beginning of 'glutton' not like the beginning of 'gluteus' (for which 'glutes' is the correct abbreviation).
 
I've taken what I've learned through Cathe and do most of my own lifting. I do mix it up with Cathe's DVD now and again, but doing so in the gym allows me to go a lot heavier and use cables, smith machine, etc. I love it. I create my own rotations mostly. Splits work the best for me.


Debbie


Brain cells come & brain cells go, but fat cells live forever.
 
>Interesting, b/c spell check in Microsoft has "flyes" as a
>mispelling & says the word doesn't exist.

Maybe because it belongs to a specialized vocabulary that isn't used as often (at least not by Bill Gates? LOL!)?
 
>Hi Carolyn,
>
>Like RunningTeach, I also saw some really nice strength gains
>with P90X.
>
>If you're looking to get out of a rut, I've been doing
>Crossfit workouts that are COMPLETELY different than Cathe and
>P90X and actually trying things strength-wise that I never
>even contemplated before. For example, a recent workout was 10
>sets of front squats with a single rep max, basically do one
>rep as heavy as you can. I never knew I could actually front
>squat 104lbs because I'd never actually tried it!
>
>I've only been doing these for about 6-8 weeks so I can't give
>much in the way of stats on improvements except that I've gone
>from 0 strict overhand pull ups to 1-1/2. One other benefit
>that I've really noticed is that the variety of these workouts
>has been reinvigorating mentally.
>
>HTH

Gayle, I'll have to check out Crossfit. It sounds interesting. And by the way WAY TO GO on the pull-ups!! I bow to any woman who can do them!

Carolyn
 
Carolyn: I"m sure that once your planks get better (and they do, with practice), your push-ups will improve as well. Just keep adding on time and pushing yourself to stay in plank even after you start to feel shakey or like you could stop--always keeping the good plank position, though).

Kathryn >^. .^<



Kathryn, I've had that thought about planks as well. I have a pronounced lordosis which I think makes the exercise more difficult. I will never have a straight line from my head to my toes, but I do want to improve this area.

Carolyn
 
I too am doing my own routine. Bottom line, I just really don't care for endurance workouts. For me, they kind of seem like a waste of time and I really can't stand doing all of those reps. I like lifting heavier and doing my own thing. Sounds like you are doing well Carolyn. Keep up the good work.
 
That's what I do Debbie. Actually most weightlifting I learned in college when I trained w/one of my school's football players. Plus I have a couple of weightlifting encyclopedias at home. They're chaptered by body part so if I want to mix it up a little I just turn to the appropriate chapter & sub one exercise with another.

My split includes 4 exercises per body part (exept for legs of course), 3 sets 8-10 reps. And yes, resting between sets helps build muscle mass b/c you have longer to recover & can lift heavier. There are some days I have to rush through my lifting routine & when I have to jump from one exercise to another I find myself much weaker by the last one.
 
I believe Kathryn mentioned in another thread about taking longer rests in PUB. I have been doing this and am loving it. I have been able to go much heavier as a result. Thanks for the tip K. I always do the endurance w/outs for lower body though. My legs tend to get very muscular, very easy.
LD
 
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