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Old 04-27-15, 09:35 AM  
Taiga
 
Join Date: May 2006
I'm about 5'3" and tend to be a pear. I need heavy weights to be lean and strong. I want to emphasize that I do weights and not the typical metabolic/HIIT and cardio stuff that Cathe etc often add to their programs. That stuff would beat me up and keep me fluffy/swollen/ravenous. When I do STS or Beast, I do ONLY the weight splits and NO cardio.

I love barre/yoga/foam rolling for stretching out at the end of the (12-14hr) work day. But if I did only that, I would be weak, have no muscle definition and carry extra weight. And ironically, CS hurt me Lol My body didn't like it at all and I abandoned it fairly quickly.

I use 30-50lbs for single lat rows depending on the phase/rep # of my program. I keep my chest press/squats at 80-100lbs due to home equipment limitations these days. I think I would benefit from heavier weights but am at a happy medium considering my busy schedule and lack of time for additional gym time. I only have time to train at home and am content with the results.

For what it's worth, programs that use body weight predominately can help me maintain my results short term. I've done yoga programs like that. But I still need to return to heavy rotations to keep a higher level of strength/definition.
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Old 04-27-15, 09:46 AM  
desie
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Canada
I'm a 5'7" mesomorph, hourglass shape, have never been overweight. I did Cathe for years, heaviest weight for me was 50lb. barbell. Which is not that heavy, really. I quit because when I got older (and much busier!), I could not afford the recovery time between workouts: feeling sore, tired, and needing more down time for little hurts and strains to heal. For years now, walking outside has been my main source of cardio and I do yoga, TA and Tonique inside. I have less body fat than before and less muscle, but I feel much, much better. Nothing hurts and everything works. I also like my appearance - I look slim and fit. I haven't really tried to do anything but maintain and feel good, and I try to monitor how I feel and do different things if I think I will benefit. Mostly, I do what I enjoy.
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Old 04-27-15, 11:01 AM  
prettyinpink
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
I'm in my forties, average height, probably an ectomorph-pear. I look and feel best, with good muscle tone, when I work out an hour six days per week and use some combination of barre and medium to heavy weights (12-25 pound dumbbells for upper and lower).

When going through periods where I only have time for 30-40 minutes per day and I do more gentle workouts like Ellen, easier barre, Leslie/Zumba, I do get squishier, flabbier within a couple of weeks, but without a weight change. Maybe that would not be true if I also walked several miles daily, or my daily activities involved lots of bending and moderately heavy lifting-- when I had babies and toddlers, I didn't need heavy weights to have strong, nice-looking arms!

I think what people do during the rest of their day is at least as important as their exercise regimen.
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Old 04-27-15, 11:15 AM  
Aunt Famous
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: the Sunny South
I'm an almost 47 year-old meso-endo with an hourglass figure. I am 5'6" or so. I switched from heavy lifting and intense workouts to fusion, Pilates, and more low impact cardio (walking, spin, dance) about 14 months ago. My body definitely looks different -- less bulky, toned, leaner. I have a waist again! And my joints hurt a whole lot less. My muscle definition is actually a little better; I attribute it to less body fat combined with less bulk. I dropped from a size 8 or 10 to a 4 or 6, and even my feet got smaller. (Seriously.) I'm not hungry all the time, and the changed routine has changed my attitude. I don't punish myself in the gym, so I tend not to punish myself anywhere else. It's been great for me.

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Old 04-27-15, 11:19 AM  
Nuggie's Auntie
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: I love that dirty water...
Quote:
Originally Posted by prettyinpink View Post
I think what people do during the rest of their day is at least as important as their exercise regimen.
This x1000! I think we give too much credit/blame to exercise. There are so many other variables to consider!
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Old 04-27-15, 01:46 PM  
cherimac
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Georgia
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nuggie's Auntie View Post
This x1000! I think we give too much credit/blame to exercise. There are so many other variables to consider!
Totally agree about moving more all day long.

AF, I healed my aches and pains almost entirely with barre and fusion and yes, my feet got smaller too when I lost weight. Weird. I am an inverted triangle, I think. Some tests say spoon. I gain weight first in my thighs and lower abdomen.
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Old 04-27-15, 02:22 PM  
JackieB
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: Minnesota
I'm a little gymnast. 5'2" with a lot of injuries from my past lives of gymnastics and teaching high impact and step aerobics.

Weights don't work for me anymore. CLX and D2S were awful for my back. I loved doing Firm but again, the step up box and even light weights exacerbated injuries.

Now that it's spring and I'm ready to shed my polar fleece, I might add back in some Suzanne Bowen arm work.
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Old 04-27-15, 02:31 PM  
ebianco
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: USA
I am maybe an Endo-Meso? I gain most easily in my midsection but am by no means an apple shape, my upper arms and thighs are also 'problem areas' for me. I am 5'5.

Whatever the case, I wanted to chime in that I made the shift to low weight/high rep (Tonique/Dream Body/barre/TAM) about 1.5 years ago and my legs have NEVER looked more defined than they do now. I get compliments all the time!! I think TAM and HoCo is helping with my midsection and arms but it may be too early to tell. I still do some heavier weights for my upper body, especially back/triceps which are sometimes neglected with many bodyweight/low weight workouts. I am hoping to discover the magic bullet for my upper body like I have with my lower body!

I LOVE workouts that use moderate weights like The Firm classics, but even after ONE workout my legs retain water and I lose that definition. Thankfully that leanness comes back just as quickly after a couple of days. I am so glad that I don't bulk from barre like I know other people have problems with.

ETA: I have always had a BIG appetite, and still struggle with my diet, but have noticed a marked difference in my appetite levels once I stopped lifting heavier weights. When I was doing primarily barre last summer, consistently low intensity, I really noticed an even bigger appetite decrease. But I need some high intensity in my life But it is still MUCH less than the day in day out ravenous appetite I had before.
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Old 04-27-15, 02:31 PM  
momofcha
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Illinois
I don't know what works for me anymore. It used to be weights, but now that I'm perimenopausal I struggle daily with just not gaining......
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Old 04-27-15, 02:33 PM  
bee
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Given what you said about the dread, I think you should just give yourself permission to not do heavy weights for the time being. I took an extended break and was pleasantly pleased to find that I did not lose all that much strength and what I did lose came back fairly quickly, and I am 53. Give yourself a break and do whatever is fun for a while and see if you want to get back to it. I did eventually get back to it. The biggest "loss" I've noticed is that I can no longer do the high rep kinds of endurance weight lifting -- Cathe's High Reps, Body Pump, that sort of thing -- completely wears me out.
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