Workout Rotation Questions....for Cathe or educated crowd.

[Annabelle2]

I am trying to put together a rotation but I am a little curious about what would be the best way to go for losing 10 lbs, leaning out, and muscle gains. I have always mixed it up a lot but have been thinking about doing some different like focusing on a particular type of lifting for a while.

What I can't decide is if I should do a circuit, an interval cardio, upper body, steady state cardio, lower body, Kickbox cardio, yoga on rest day weekly, or if I should do a total body, an interval, upper, steady state, lower body, kickbox, yoga on rest day or If I should do maybe 4 cardios and two total body workouts per week. I keep going back and forth with all the options and cannot decide.

Any advice?

 

[gogigi]

Hi Kathy,
It's me, Angela, from our yaya's check-in. I have to say from what you have posted over there I can't believe you want to lose 10 pounds...I think you are going great. I just thought I would add my 2 cents. If I were you I would put an emphasis on something you have not been doing a lot of. For example, if you have been doing a lot of cardio or endurance or circuit training you might want to emphasize strength for a while. Anyway, I hope others will chime in here and help you out. Maybe posting this question in the open discussion forum or rotations forum may get you more responses from the educated crowd. Good luck! I will be interested in hearing others responses also.
P.S. My first comment is meant as a compliment...not as a critisim...you never know how things appear to others over the internet.
Angela

 

[Annabelle2]

Angela - thank you so much! I want to lose because I have been working very hard for definition in my abs, upper and outer thigh area. I compared myself to other people my heighth and build who have the definition I am looking for and they all are about 10 lbs lighter - I am thinking I have more fat in that area than I thought I did. I have been doing a lot of endurance training to lean out and get that line on the side of the thigh and the sweep inside the thigh but it isn't working - maybe I am switching things up too much. I tried freestyle for a while and my legs got much tighter and even smaller but no line.....know it may seem like obsessing but I want to try - if I don't feel healthy doing it I will stop. As you know, I already eat clean and watch my diet - except for the holidays -- I am committing 15 weeks to not one bit of any sugar (except for what you get in fruit) and eating clean, not even a treat day - to see if I can do it. Thank you! My DD is leaving today to go back to CA so I will get to post regular again! Have a fantastic day!

 

[Author]

HI!

Obviously, I'm not Cathe, and I hope you don't mind my putting in my 2 cents here.

There is a book on the market called READY, SET, GO! by Phil Campbell that goes into rotations, the five necessary ingredients to a full workout rotation, and how to set your own for the goals that you have.

You might give it a look. I believe it's available through Barnes & Noble, as well as Borders, etc.

I know it helped me figure out my own rotation.

Hope this helps, and have a fabulous day.

 

[Annabelle2]

Karen, thank you so much for the information, i am ordering the book, in the mean time any other suggestions?

 

[Author]

RE: Workout Rotation Questions....for Cathe or educated...

Hi Kathy,

I'm speaking to you from my understanding of this book, but there are about 4-5 different training levels, and how you put your rotation together depends on what training level you are at.

I can tell you this, however. Anaerobics is important to your exercise plan, as anaerobics will, in the long run, help to build stronger muscles. It also does several other things, like stimulate the HGH hormone naturally in your body (since I am in my fifties, this is important to me.) Anaerobics is basically working out (sprints, plyometrics, etc) that get one into a zone where one is out-of-breath. Like the IMAX series, it gets you up into the anaerobic zone, and then you come back down to a heart rate that is usually in the cardio zone, go back up, come down, etc.

There is also a way of doing weight work that also works in this same range, but I'm not sure that I understand it well enough to explain it. I do, however, notice that Cathe's weight workouts incorporate this method of weight work that he talks about in the book.

So for me, for a good rotation, it includes: 2 days of anaerobics (one should not do anaerobics on back to back days); 2 days of weight/strength work (one should also not do weight work on back to back days); at least 1 straight cardio day; at least 1 day of stretching; and at least one day of plyometrics. With Cathe's IMAX series you get anaerobics, plus plyometrics, plus cardio -- all in one. And with her High Step (Bootcamp and HSTA) you get anaerobics, plyometrics, and weights -- probably some cardio in there, as well. But one must also allow the muscles to relax, and so there should also be at least one day between the weight work in these, as well.

It's hard for me to explain this all in a simple post when this book is dedicated to bringing one to understanding on this. So if this seems confusing, that might be why.

I also learn, now that I understand the book, from reading Cathe's rotations. For instance, I noticed that when she does cardio, anaerobics and weights all in one time or just cardio and weights all at once time, (or in other words a circuit workout) she usually puts a full day between workouts. Again, one must give the muscles a chance to recover, otherwise you flirt with injury.

Anyway, the book will really bring one to understanding on this, so that you become an expert on what's a good rotation for you.

I post my rotations in the rotation section of Cathe's site -- it's like my diary, if you ever want to join me there.

:7

Have a terrific day.