Seeking advice from the weight lifters

A

andreasue

Cathlete
I'm looking for some advice from the fabulously knowledgable weight lifters on this list. I've come to the realization that I am a cardio addict who needs to add some regular heavy weight lifting sessions into a weekly routine.

I need to do Cardio 4 times per week (minimum) simply because it's my one true stress reliever and it just makes me feel good. I enjoy circuit workouts and straight cardio workouts. I don't tend to enjoy weights only but I realize that I must do this to build muscle (which I would really like to do) and for healthy bones.

My question(s): Are 2 heavy weight sessions per week adequate? Any recommendations for adding heavy weights into a 6 day workout week with 4 of those days consisting of cardio? Which of Cathe's heavy weight routines would you recommend most? I tried P90X and HATED it so I'm really not interested in STS. I own Power Hour (which I enjoy but I realize that's more of a muscle endurance routine), MIS and Muscle Endurance.

Thanks for your help!
 
If it's possible for you, I would purchase Muscle Max and/or PUB/PLB. These are solid lifting routines that will build muscle and will challenge you. If you have six days to workout per week, I would do four cardio and MM twice per week or PUB one day and PLB the next. JMO, HTH!
 
You do need to acquire some additional DVDs from Cathe, but I disagree with above poster on which you should get. She has suggested workouts whose emphasis is again rather more endurance than strength and well, you already have that covered.

I am going to suggest you purchase both GS and S&H for heavy lifting, that is presupposing that you already own 4 DS, where all the weight training is heavy.

In addition, I think you will have to accept 3 days of lifting, not 2, in order to lift heavy for all muscle groups and in order to do justice to your lifting and do it properly.

Say you get GS and S&H, then you could do the following:

day 1: cardio + GS chest and back
day 2: cardio
day 3: GS legs
day 4: Cardio + GS shoulders, bicep, triceps
day 5: cardio
day 6: either PH or ME or a circuit workout
day 7: rest

This would help you accomplish your goals and also include all your stress-busting cardio!

Clare
 
Thank you Goldenrun and Maddiesmum for your responses.

Maddiesmum: I don't own 4D's. I've read some negative reviews about the cardio being too short and/or step routines being very difficult so I've refrained from buying it (otherwise, this would seem to be the type of program I'm looking for) - do you think I should reconsider?
My exercise budget is limited and I'm building my collection slowly but steadily. Of the three programs you mentioned (4Days, GS and S&H) what would you recommend buying first? second? third?

Thanks!
 
The gym style series is great. However, my own "personal" belief right now is absolutely Pyramid style training. I have never seen results like the ones I have seen in the past 6 weeks. I am a big believer. Gym styles, like others have said, are great too. But, if you are looking for hypertrophy (the look and size of muscle), I recommend the pyramids.
Have fun!

Clarissa
 
>The gym style series is great. However, my own "personal"
>belief right now is absolutely Pyramid style training. I have
>never seen results like the ones I have seen in the past 6
>weeks. I am a big believer. Gym styles, like others have said,
>are great too. But, if you are looking for hypertrophy (the
>look and size of muscle), I recommend the pyramids.
>Have fun!
>
>Clarissa

Thanks Clarissa,
You look wonderful so whatever you're doing sure is working!
I do the FitTv version of PUB/PLB. I find that my shoulder gets aggravated with PUB (maybe too many reps?). Gym Styles looks promising - I've been reading good things about this series on the DVD forum.
I don't know that I'll ever have fun with my weight workouts, but I'm gonna try to be good and work them into my week!
 
Good luck! If you want my opinion (and I am sure everyone's is different) but I think the Gym Styles are actually harder :eek:

But you will choose wisely I am sure!

Take care.
 
Heavy Weights for Cardio Lovers

Andrea:

As a fellow cardio lover, I highly recommend the 4-Day Split. I love, love, love this series. :7 I am a lover of cardio and circuit training by nature. This is the series that got me hooked on heavy weight training. The step routines are dancy and fun (similar to Rhythmic Step). The cardio kickboxing workout is energizing and fun, and the cardio boot camp drills are playful and intense. I love this rotation because it gives me a burst of cardio on weight days. I need daily cardio for my mental and emotional health! :) The cardio in this series is not too short in my opinion. It is just right. You do not want to wipe yourself out with a long cardio session before lifting heavy weights. You need to give your all to the weight work to see results. There are premixes that combine cardio segments if you want a long cardio workout on another day.

I am not a fan of the upper body Gym Style workouts. I tried them last year and hated them. I posted after my first experience that I would rather give up my washing machine and beat my undies against a rock in the river than do those workouts again! :eek: I think they were overkill for a cardio lover like me who was relatively new to weight work. The 4-Day Split combination of cardio and shorter weight segments was more appealing to me. I soon discovered that the fun cardio fills me up with warm fuzzies, and the weight work is enjoyable. I am toying with the idea of giving the Gym Styles another whirl. I think they would be less intimidating to me now. I am definitely excited about STS either way.

Supersets is the only weight workout that I would describe as pure fun (other than Cathe’s circuit workouts with cardio in them), but I highly recommend the 4-Day Split if you are looking for enjoyable heavy weight workouts. I am getting stronger every week and using heavier weights than I ever dreamed I could. In my experience, the 4-Day Split is a great transition from cardio and circuit training to a heavier weight rotation. If you are a cardio lover, I believe this series will help you acquire a “taste” for weight work. ;-)

Blessings,
Heather B.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
 
RE: Heavy Weights for Cardio Lovers

Hi Heather,
Thank you for your thoughtful and informative post! I laughed out loud when I read this line: <<I posted after my first experience that I would rather give up my washing machine and beat my undies against a rock in the river than do those workouts again!>> :7

4Days sounds like what I'm looking for (heavy weight and cardio) but I've been concerned about the cardio reviews. I'm not the world's most graceful stepper (two left feet) and I try to avoid the dancy routines because of this. But to hear a fellow cardio lover praise this workout has certainly given me something to think about!

Thanks again!
 
RE: Heavy Weights for Cardio Lovers

Andrea:

PUB is very endurance focussed. It can be very hard to actually increase your weight loads with this workout. Look for other recent discussions on the Pyramids on these forums and you will see that several people made this same comment.

It is through doing Gym Styles and primarily S&H that I am able to increase the weights I lift in PUB. I could do PUB alone for months and never see any increase. As you surmised yourself, the speed is fast and the reps can be endless and this work against being able to increase the weight load.

I think S&H and 4 DS are Cathe's heavy lifting DVDs to date. Obviously when STS comes out, it will supercede these. These are the DVDs to focus on for strength training.

Cathe really doesn't do "dancy" step moves, not when you compare her to the other step instructors out there. I think you should get it and make the investment. With any new routine there is a learning curve, but I have read all the reviews on here of the step routines on 4DS and those of Amy Bento's latest step workout and the two do not really compare. People "get" Cathe within a few workouts. People are, months later, still trying to master Amy's routines. Note: I am not rating the two in terms of fun or quality, just complexity of choreography.

I would get:
1) 4 DS
2) S&H
3) GS

Clare
 
Cathe's Choreography

Andrea:

Do you enjoy any of Cathe’s other step workouts? If so, which ones? I encourage you to invest some quality time in learning her choreography. Cathe’s step choreography is fun, fun, fun. :7 Once you are familiar with her moves and teaching style, learning a new workout is a piece of cake! ;-)

Kickbox and Boot Camp are not dancy at all. I adore Cathe’s dancy step choreography, but I can testify that this series is worth the price for Kickbox and the weight segments alone. HIS and LIS are “doable dancy” according to Cathe’s description, but they are short and sweet. Cathe’s choreography in this series is moderately complex. Her choreography in the 2006 series (Body Max 2 and Low Impact Circuit) was more basic. You could substitute another cardio premix for these until you master the footwork. If you want to give these workouts a whirl but play it safe with your money, you can order through Collage Video:

http://www.collagevideo.com

They will allow you to return or exchange the DVDs within the first 30 days if you are not happy with your purchase for any reason. You may save a few dollars on shipping too. I personally prefer to support Cathe directly, but I have ordered workouts by other instructors through Collage and have been very pleased with their customer service. They accepted returns from me without question.

Blessings,
Heather B.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
 
RE: Cathe's Choreography

The 4DS sounds just what you want! They are GREAT workouts with great results. the HIS step may be complicated at first, and may take some time to learn, but I wouldn't discount the whole series because of that. The weights are heavy and the cardio is varied and FUN! The cardio is also 4X a week which is what you like. It is a good way to gain muscle, do your cardio and lift heavy. with the premixes you can do an all cardio, or circuits too. I can't say enough about these workouts!!

Deanie
PS- I know the pyramids are more endurance, but a rotation of pyramids and cardio gave me wonderful results- muscle definition and strenth.- as a second choice they would be good too.

eta: I just read the other comments on the thread and I totally agree with Heather!!!
 
RE: Cathe's Choreography

Hi Heather,
Yes, I do enjoy many of Cathe's step workouts. I own Imax 2 (love it - did it today), Body Max 2, LIC(another 2 favorites), Body Max Step,Jump&Pump/Step Blast, Cardio and Weights, Drill Max along with other non-step workouts. It took me a loooong time to master many of these step moves (we're talking a year here!).

Truthfully, what concerned me most about 4Days were some of the less positive reviews I read (I think they were on the DVD Forum), mostly concerning the difficulty of and lack of cueing in HIS. Also, a few of those posters felt that the cardio segments were just too short to be satisfying and I thought that might bother me too (being the cardio junkie that I am).

However, your post has me re-thinking this. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing for me to have a week of shorter cardio sessions once in a while (I'm 44 and I can feel every jolt and jostle throughout my bones now). And maybe HIS will be my new step challenge. One of the nice things about learning new step routines is the mental focus you must maintain. I find all of my problems pushed to the far corners of my mind as I give myself over to learning Cathe's footwork.

Thank again!
 
RE: Cathe's Choreography

Hi Deanie,
Thanks for your input! Between you and Heather, I am seriously considering adding 4Days to my Cathe colletction!
 
RE: Cathe's Choreography

Different people like different things about 4DS (as well as any other Cathe production) and frequently there will be parts that people will love about one production and other parts that are "meh". Personally, I absolutely love the Boot Camp workout, and the kickbox workout, and I'm addicted to 4DS-Kickbox's core routine. I don't really use Cathe for weight training (although I may some day, which is why I usually buy the whole taco on the presale), but that being said, I've heard some very, very positive comments on the weight segments of 4DS.

Maybe you could learn 4DS's step choreo by selecting a few minutes of one step routine, and repeating it 4-5 times as your cardio for that day; you should be able to master those minutes and get a good workout in for that session. THen, the next session, repeat what you have already practiced and select a few more minutes, practicing that a couple-three times as well. And so on. Repetition makes all the difference.

It should be noted here, however, that I know for a fact I would break my neck if I tried HIS / LIS. I'm cool with not doing complex choreo.

A-Jock
 
RE: Cathe's Choreography

I completely agree that you should purchase 4DS! I love this series and it goes by very quickly! It really takes any and all drudgery out of weight lifting. The lifting is only 30 min in length and there are not endless sets and reps to get through. At the same time, you can lift heavy and increase your strength.

About the cardio. KB and BC should not be a problem. I don't find LIS very complex either. HIS is a little more complex (I still don't think I've completely mastered the last combo) but it's only one day per week, you can pause, rewind, or fast forward! Basically, I don't worry about not being able to get this combo, it doesn't last that long and it's still fun.

I think that the GS are great too. I love this series for building muscle. However, the sets sometimes seem long and I find this one a little harder to keep my "head" in. If you are not someone who likes weights, I would start with 4DS rather than GS because GS is straight lifting for about an hour with more sets and reps.

PUB is I workout that I really enjoy and I see good definition when I do this one. It is also repetitive and it is hard to up your weights on. Even after getting stronger and being able to handle more weight, I could not go back and up my weight from 20lb to 25lb on the chest segment--with the 4DS I can use 30's for chest work. But, it still provides definition and it total body in just two days per week.

Still, considering all this, I would purchase the 4DS, I don't think you'll be disappointed. HTH :)
 
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