Benefits of a Rotation/Rotation Advice

marymc · 10-12-11, 09:51 AM

Hi, all, hope you're having a good Wednesday.

I'm contemplating a rotation. I like the idea of my workouts being laid out for me, and it seems like a fun goal to complete during the winter.

I have a few questions: 1)What are some of the benefits of a rotation? 2) What are some of the disadvantages? 3) What are your favorite rotations?

I'm eyeing BBL, Metamorphasis, Peak 10, the new Firm or Slim Series, but I'm up for suggestions! I'm short and tend to gain muscle easily so would like to stick to a rotation that is light weight, high reps.

KathAL79 · 10-12-11, 04:09 PM

1)What are some of the benefits of a rotation?
For me, rotations have a lot of benefits:
- Rotations are great for giving your workouts structure. I find even having a template helps me stay more regular and consistent with my workout.
- Rotations can help you focus and stay focused.
- Rotations can help you work towards specific goals and track progress more easily. Your goals could range from working out consistently to working through a particular set of workouts to improving the appearance of a certain body part to increasing your endurance to whatever you feel like.

2) What are some of the disadvantages?
One disadvantage of rotation is the possibility of boredom, but a lot of that depends upon the particular rotation you're attempting and your personality. A rotation where you do the same few things for a long time probably isn't going to work for most people, so make sure you have enough variety to keep your interest up but not so much that you lose focus.
Another thing to watch out for with rotations is that you want something well balanced. Make sure you look through the full rotation before you start, and don't be afraid to take notes or tweak if you notice as you're doing your rotation that something isn't working for you. And try not to pick something that's so rigid that if life happens (hey, we all have an off day or despite all our best efforts can't avoid that cold) you feel like you have to scrap your whole plans.

3) What are your favorite rotations?
I've done the New Rules of Lifting for Women and The Female Body Breakthrough rotations, which are paper rotations, a periodization idea I adopted from Muscle & Fitness Hers (see this thread), some ideas from Tracie Long (see here), my take on Michelle Dozois' Your Body Breakthru rotations, and many more looser templates.

daisysunshine · 10-12-11, 07:17 PM

i'm doing Leah's BBPS (or was before I got sick). it's fantastic. i'm getting tons of gains in strength, flexiblity, and inches/weight is coming off again.

I love rotations. for what Kath said, but it just gives your body the needed structure

Kyra · 10-12-11, 07:22 PM

As usual I agree with Kath, re: the benefits of rotations. Personally, I don't like having to think about what I'm going to do on a daily basis; I like to plan for the moderate to long term (couple of months at a time), hang a schedule on the fridge, and execute. Following a plan helps me see the outcome of a consistently applied program, and decide if it's something I want or something I don't want. Am I getting stronger, running longer, lifting more weight, seeing physique changes, etc? If so (or if not!), I have something concrete to which to attribute the changes.

To me, there are no disadvantages, but if you're not the type of personality who likes that kind of structure or who wants to pick and choose their daily workouts based on mood, preference, time available, whatever, I can see the lack of variety and comparative lack of flexibility to be a disadvantage.

The only DVD rotation I've done is P90X, which I enjoyed. Tried, hated, and quit Slim Series after early returns had my physique changes going in an undesirable direction (my arms were getting to look like twigs). Mostly I follow book and paper programs. I've used all of the NR programs but would say NROL/Abs is my favorite; I've used Rachel Cosgrove's book, Robert Dos Remedios' program, and a few others I can't think of offhand. I've done some AoS paper programs, including ETK and Authentic Strength. NROL/Abs seems to be most complimentary to my running program but I've enjoyed all of these programs.

marymc · 10-13-11, 07:38 AM

Thank you for your responses. I do want to slim down my arms, so while the Slim Series wasn't for you, Kyra, maybe it could work for me.

I've heard it's pretty boring though?

alikruegs · 10-13-11, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyra

To me, there are no disadvantages, but if you're not the type of personality who likes that kind of structure or who wants to pick and choose their daily workouts based on mood, preference, time available, whatever, I can see the lack of variety and comparative lack of flexibility to be a disadvantage.

This would be me. This is the reason I plan very loose rotations, often planning workout types, rather than specific dvds. This is basically a happy medium for me between having some structure (which I do think affords a more balanced approach) but resisting boring repetition. The only dvd-specific rotation I could get into was TA's Metamorphosis (and I still didn't finish it!), but I think this one was an exception to my typical rule b/c her workouts are so different from other stuff out there. Everything else in the category of traditional barre work, pilates, strength and aerobics, all seems like it can be easily interchangeable, so it then makes me feel more confined to be sticking with only a few.

melzie · 10-13-11, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marymc

Thank you for your responses. I do want to slim down my arms, so while the Slim Series wasn't for you, Kyra, maybe it could work for me.

I've heard it's pretty boring though?

It's surprisingly not boring marymc. I am doing it now, after having in my collection a few years unused, lol. I am really enjoying it and I did not think I would. Lots of moves not used in many other workouts, some old ones I haven't done since elementary school, and some really interesting standing ab work that seems to really hit the obliques better than twisting crunches, at least to me.

I am just doing a different video per day though, not one video for a week or two, that would get boring - to me. They go pretty quickly too, I was dreading the 2 longest ones, but they actually are done before you know it. You will feel the burn, in a good way, not in a bad way. Just nicely aware of your muscles, not the "I can't walk for 3 days b/c I used a 40lb barbell for squats and lunges" feeling.

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10-12-11, 09:51 AM
marymc Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Western PA	Benefits of a Rotation/Rotation Advice Hi, all, hope you're having a good Wednesday. I'm contemplating a rotation. I like the idea of my workouts being laid out for me, and it seems like a fun goal to complete during the winter. I have a few questions: 1)What are some of the benefits of a rotation? 2) What are some of the disadvantages? 3) What are your favorite rotations? I'm eyeing BBL, Metamorphasis, Peak 10, the new Firm or Slim Series, but I'm up for suggestions! I'm short and tend to gain muscle easily so would like to stick to a rotation that is light weight, high reps.

10-12-11, 04:09 PM
KathAL79 Join Date: Jul 2004	1)What are some of the benefits of a rotation? For me, rotations have a lot of benefits: - Rotations are great for giving your workouts structure. I find even having a template helps me stay more regular and consistent with my workout. - Rotations can help you focus and stay focused. - Rotations can help you work towards specific goals and track progress more easily. Your goals could range from working out consistently to working through a particular set of workouts to improving the appearance of a certain body part to increasing your endurance to whatever you feel like. 2) What are some of the disadvantages? One disadvantage of rotation is the possibility of boredom, but a lot of that depends upon the particular rotation you're attempting and your personality. A rotation where you do the same few things for a long time probably isn't going to work for most people, so make sure you have enough variety to keep your interest up but not so much that you lose focus. Another thing to watch out for with rotations is that you want something well balanced. Make sure you look through the full rotation before you start, and don't be afraid to take notes or tweak if you notice as you're doing your rotation that something isn't working for you. And try not to pick something that's so rigid that if life happens (hey, we all have an off day or despite all our best efforts can't avoid that cold) you feel like you have to scrap your whole plans. 3) What are your favorite rotations? I've done the New Rules of Lifting for Women and The Female Body Breakthrough rotations, which are paper rotations, a periodization idea I adopted from Muscle & Fitness Hers (see this thread), some ideas from Tracie Long (see here), my take on Michelle Dozois' Your Body Breakthru rotations, and many more looser templates. __________________ Kath I listen to my body and respond compassionately. - sankalpa from Jill Miller's Yoga at Home level 1, month 5 practice Note: I have had a professional relationship with a vendor of health and fitness books and media. For details please see my profile.

10-12-11, 07:17 PM
daisysunshine Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: on my yoga mat	i'm doing Leah's BBPS (or was before I got sick). it's fantastic. i'm getting tons of gains in strength, flexiblity, and inches/weight is coming off again. I love rotations. for what Kath said, but it just gives your body the needed structure __________________ Set your intention and go for it! Tracy Effinger ...right now you're saying, no i can't do this. you should know by now i don't train that way - Dasha Libin offering the two tracey mallet dance workouts, pm me.

10-12-11, 07:22 PM
Kyra Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: South Jersey	As usual I agree with Kath, re: the benefits of rotations. Personally, I don't like having to think about what I'm going to do on a daily basis; I like to plan for the moderate to long term (couple of months at a time), hang a schedule on the fridge, and execute. Following a plan helps me see the outcome of a consistently applied program, and decide if it's something I want or something I don't want. Am I getting stronger, running longer, lifting more weight, seeing physique changes, etc? If so (or if not!), I have something concrete to which to attribute the changes. To me, there are no disadvantages, but if you're not the type of personality who likes that kind of structure or who wants to pick and choose their daily workouts based on mood, preference, time available, whatever, I can see the lack of variety and comparative lack of flexibility to be a disadvantage. The only DVD rotation I've done is P90X, which I enjoyed. Tried, hated, and quit Slim Series after early returns had my physique changes going in an undesirable direction (my arms were getting to look like twigs). Mostly I follow book and paper programs. I've used all of the NR programs but would say NROL/Abs is my favorite; I've used Rachel Cosgrove's book, Robert Dos Remedios' program, and a few others I can't think of offhand. I've done some AoS paper programs, including ETK and Authentic Strength. NROL/Abs seems to be most complimentary to my running program but I've enjoyed all of these programs. __________________ The Grim Reaper catches us all. But when he catches me the son-of-a-bitch is going to be hunched over, wheezing and gasping for breath! Certified Bulletproof Athlete

10-13-11, 07:38 AM
marymc Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Western PA	Thank you for your responses. I do want to slim down my arms, so while the Slim Series wasn't for you, Kyra, maybe it could work for me. I've heard it's pretty boring though?