starting week 4 of heavy duty to failure………….
So I completed my third week of heavy duty to failure workouts yesterday with my 3 rd leg workout. What I have found this week, despite fighting off a head cold, was that I was able to increase my weight and reps on the final and heavy set. Increased leg extensions to 150#, hack squats are up to 300#x12 reps, legcurls to 70#x7, stiff leg deadlifts at 70×20 reps. If I keep this up I will have to go get more olympic plates….not a bad problem to have!
I have done research lately that makes me rethink cardio….along with my own personal experience with increased cardio and other womens experience with it as well, what I have found is that the more I do of it, the less I seem to be able to burn fat. I read some very interesting articles on "figure athlete", a great site geared towards woman, which really made me rethink the cardio I was doing. From what I have found, The longer duration of cardio tends to put your body in a fat sparring mode…almost like it was going to have to go a long time without getting rest. The body tends to want to spare the fat and burn the muscle for fuel….this is exactly what I was finding. In addition, I had a slight cold this week, so I cut my cardio down to 3 x week for 15 minutes each session. I am still doing the recumbant bike on hill profile because I find it works the upper thigh area more then my elliptical. Plus, it is good training for the spring when I will return to my trail/road biking.
The changes I have seen since starting this new program: reduced bodyfat, increased muscular development, more definition in my glute-hamstrings, increased quad development. I feel stronger everytime I go to lift and my endurance has definitely improved. My diet during this time has been really clean….I have not had more than 2 cheat meals in 3 weeks.
well, I am off to begin week 4…..
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March 7, 2009 at 6:40 pm
No one left a comment and you are working your tail off!!! I think you are right about the long cardio sessions, I still think you need to keep them going, I’ve been doing cardio bf breakfast and that really leans me out.
Congrats lifting like a man, I think you’re going to have great progress and won’t look like a guy at all, don’t even worry. Very beautiful!!! Congrats. clc.