Wearing Strapless Gown In 18 Days, Please Help!

cmhazlett · 03-19-06, 01:29 AM

My DH's grad school advisor got us tickets to a chi-chi gala dinner & ball for an organization he's involved with. Since the last formal dress I'd bought (aside from my wedding gown) was for my prom a decade ago, I went shopping. The only dresses I could find were either totally matronly mother-of-the-bride type ones or revealing strapless/spaghetti strap/halters. Nothing in between the two extremes

I finally found a dress that's more Grace Kelly than Britney Spears but it *is* still strapless. I've finally gotten back to my pre-pregnancy weight but would like to tone up my upper body as much as possible in the next 2 1/2 weeks.

I would appreciate thoughts on designing the best rotation to achieve this goal. I belong to a fairly well-equipped gym and also have a decent-sized video collection.

For cardio, I was thinking of cross-training between kickboxing, the rowing machine, and the LifeCycle XT elliptical with the arm bars. The gym doesn't have a VersaClimber by the way.

For strength, I can't decide whether it would be better to do a split routine where I do one body part per day after cardio or alternate cardio with working the total upper body.

Please help!

Claire

EriCha · 03-19-06, 01:35 AM

Claire,

I don't know what videos you have, but Tamilee Webb's I Want Those Arms has always worked for me, FAST.

TracyQ · 03-19-06, 08:42 AM

Congratulations on getting back to your pre-pregnancy weight.

In addition to your regular workouts I would suggest adding push ups. They are hard but they work. Nothing tones up arms/shoulders/chest like push ups IMO.

Good luck!

Tracy

Peggy T · 03-19-06, 10:03 AM

Ha! Tracy beat me to it. Pushups, as many as you can, every day in addition to your other upper body stuff. Hit your entire upper body 3x a week, alternating between heavier workout and low weight high rep workouts. And dont neglect your cardio! I bet you'll look gorgeous in that dress!

Helen S · 03-19-06, 11:11 AM

I remember somebody posted a rotation where you did two total body workouts and one upper body workout alternated between cardio. I forgot what the rotation was called but I used it to get ready for my sister's wedding. It looked like this:

Monday - Total Body Workout
Tuesday - Cardio - I think kickboxing is great for this.
Wednesday - Upper Body Workout
Thursday - Cardio
Friday - Total Body Workout
Saturday - Cardio
Sunday - Rest

Helen

joeb · 03-19-06, 12:49 PM

Avoid white flour, sugar, potatoes -(bad carbs)

WWWendy · 03-19-06, 07:23 PM

Just a reminder that specific dietary suggestions are off limits here.

For more info see here:

http://www.videofitness.com/dietfreezone.php

Thanks!

FitBoop · 03-19-06, 09:01 PM

I've been in that situation several times recently (wearing strapless dress in 3 weeks

). You have 18 days. Here's my suggestion. Since no one is going to see your lower body, your concentration needs to be on getting more definition in the arms, shoulders and chest, and on getting leaner. What worked great for me was doing Cathe Friedrich's Pure Strength plus Crosstrain Xpress; I would do just the upper body sections of each of those. For example, one day I would do biceps and triceps from PS and CTX, the next day, I would do shoulders and chest. Also, each day, I did at least a half hour of cardio (mostly treadmill and sometimes bike). Almost every day, I would do a short abs routine. For my most recent event, I did the treadmill every day following by Turbo Jam Ab Jam, and did the upper body routine 3 or 4 times a week. It worked and worked fast. I also did one more thing, which was to closely monitor what I ate. You will be surprised at how much you can change in 18 days

.

Good luck, Claire!

Liz N · 03-19-06, 09:13 PM

One thing that always helps with this is having a tan - so go and get that self tanner out before your event.

Exercise wise: I would train with weights doing 3-4 sets of 15 reps with 15-30sec break. You will get your HR up and should be wanting to spew slugs rather than do your fourth set. The closest thing video wise would be your Cathe Gym Styles I imagine.

If you want to go even harder, push ups on the BOSU between sets are killer

Can you tell I've been focusing on my upper body lately

rockette · 03-19-06, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TracyQ

Congratulations on getting back to your pre-pregnancy weight.

In addition to your regular workouts I would suggest adding push ups. They are hard but they work. Nothing tones up arms/shoulders/chest like push ups IMO.

Good luck!

Tracy

Took the words right out of my mouth

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03-19-06, 01:29 AM
cmhazlett Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: S.F. Bay Area	Wearing Strapless Gown In 18 Days, Please Help! My DH's grad school advisor got us tickets to a chi-chi gala dinner & ball for an organization he's involved with. Since the last formal dress I'd bought (aside from my wedding gown) was for my prom a decade ago, I went shopping. The only dresses I could find were either totally matronly mother-of-the-bride type ones or revealing strapless/spaghetti strap/halters. Nothing in between the two extremes I finally found a dress that's more Grace Kelly than Britney Spears but it is still strapless. I've finally gotten back to my pre-pregnancy weight but would like to tone up my upper body as much as possible in the next 2 1/2 weeks. I would appreciate thoughts on designing the best rotation to achieve this goal. I belong to a fairly well-equipped gym and also have a decent-sized video collection. For cardio, I was thinking of cross-training between kickboxing, the rowing machine, and the LifeCycle XT elliptical with the arm bars. The gym doesn't have a VersaClimber by the way. For strength, I can't decide whether it would be better to do a split routine where I do one body part per day after cardio or alternate cardio with working the total upper body. Please help! Claire

03-19-06, 01:35 AM
EriCha Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Fresno, California	Claire, I don't know what videos you have, but Tamilee Webb's I Want Those Arms has always worked for me, FAST. __________________ ~Erin~

03-19-06, 08:42 AM
TracyQ Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Boston, MA	Push ups Congratulations on getting back to your pre-pregnancy weight. In addition to your regular workouts I would suggest adding push ups. They are hard but they work. Nothing tones up arms/shoulders/chest like push ups IMO. Good luck! Tracy

03-19-06, 10:03 AM
Peggy T VF Supporter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Virginia	Ha! Tracy beat me to it. Pushups, as many as you can, every day in addition to your other upper body stuff. Hit your entire upper body 3x a week, alternating between heavier workout and low weight high rep workouts. And dont neglect your cardio! I bet you'll look gorgeous in that dress! __________________ Peg If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. -Will Rogers

03-19-06, 11:11 AM
Helen S VF Supporter Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Utah	I remember somebody posted a rotation where you did two total body workouts and one upper body workout alternated between cardio. I forgot what the rotation was called but I used it to get ready for my sister's wedding. It looked like this: Monday - Total Body Workout Tuesday - Cardio - I think kickboxing is great for this. Wednesday - Upper Body Workout Thursday - Cardio Friday - Total Body Workout Saturday - Cardio Sunday - Rest Helen __________________ Disclosure: I have appeared as a cast member for several workouts. Please see my profile for details.

03-19-06, 12:49 PM
joeb Join Date: Mar 2006	Agree on Push-ups and I'd add Avoid white flour, sugar, potatoes -(bad carbs)

03-19-06, 07:23 PM
WWWendy Community Manager Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Northern VA, USA	reminder Just a reminder that specific dietary suggestions are off limits here. For more info see here: http://www.videofitness.com/dietfreezone.php Thanks! __________________ Wendy Niemi Kremer Community Manager DISCLOSURE: I have a professional relationship with a seller or producer of fitness videos or products. For details, please see my profile.

03-19-06, 09:01 PM
FitBoop VF Supporter Join Date: Nov 2001	I've been in that situation several times recently (wearing strapless dress in 3 weeks ). You have 18 days. Here's my suggestion. Since no one is going to see your lower body, your concentration needs to be on getting more definition in the arms, shoulders and chest, and on getting leaner. What worked great for me was doing Cathe Friedrich's Pure Strength plus Crosstrain Xpress; I would do just the upper body sections of each of those. For example, one day I would do biceps and triceps from PS and CTX, the next day, I would do shoulders and chest. Also, each day, I did at least a half hour of cardio (mostly treadmill and sometimes bike). Almost every day, I would do a short abs routine. For my most recent event, I did the treadmill every day following by Turbo Jam Ab Jam, and did the upper body routine 3 or 4 times a week. It worked and worked fast. I also did one more thing, which was to closely monitor what I ate. You will be surprised at how much you can change in 18 days . Good luck, Claire!

03-19-06, 09:13 PM
Liz N VF Supporter Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: QLD, Australia	Claire One thing that always helps with this is having a tan - so go and get that self tanner out before your event. Exercise wise: I would train with weights doing 3-4 sets of 15 reps with 15-30sec break. You will get your HR up and should be wanting to spew slugs rather than do your fourth set. The closest thing video wise would be your Cathe Gym Styles I imagine. If you want to go even harder, push ups on the BOSU between sets are killer Can you tell I've been focusing on my upper body lately __________________ Liz N "I believe your most attractive features are your heart and soul" Savage Garden Looking for some fitness inspiration? Visit my blog - see profile