whats the point of AWT or high reps - Page 4

kariev34 · 10-09-12, 07:33 PM

Thank you everyone for such great responses! For me, if I lift for endurance, say Cathes high reps workout, I choose a weight where my last few reps are hard. But I find that by doing this I build muscle rather easily espeally in my upper body. If I lighten the weight I dont feel challenged and feel like im wasting my time as I dont feel fatigue. Same thing with say Jessica Smiths workouts which I adore and she always lifts around 5lb dumbbells. I dont feel like im working my muscles so is it a waste or is there some type of toning benefit?

Cassy · 10-09-12, 08:13 PM

When some of you say you are using AWT workouts and getting good results which dvds are you using? I tried to get back into Jari again but her older workouts are too many reps for me. I'm bored 2 mins into each set. I was going to revisit her newer ones again but I think I also got to the point that I found them boring which is why I put them aside.

So would like some suggestions of which workouts you like.

Lucky Star · 10-09-12, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassy

So would like some suggestions of which workouts you like.

With Jari, I think her older Ripped series is excellent but I just can't do interminable Jari-style lifting for an hour any more. I adore her 30min "Weights & Abs" bonus routine on Lean Machine. It's exactly like an express Body Pump that covers all the bases, but the reps are fewer so I can lift heavier than usual and am done in 30 mins. The shorter premixes on her newer DVDs might be similar; I just happen to

that particular one. Jari's demeanor is much calmer in it too - she's not telling silly jokes or trying to be hip.

With The Firm, I always turn to the classics. I love the original series - especially the first four volumes - and I also love Firm Strength & Firm Cardio, the Tri-Trainers (Fat Blaster, Better Body & Buns, Maximum Body Shaping) and the Supers (Super Sculpt, Super Cardio, Cardio Split 1, Total Body Shaping Mix). During the strength portions you can lift as heavy as you're able, and there's room to progress. Many pre-Goodtimes Firms are wonderful.

PeakFitness · 10-10-12, 04:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassy

When some of you say you are using AWT workouts and getting good results which dvds are you using? I tried to get back into Jari again but her older workouts are too many reps for me. I'm bored 2 mins into each set. I was going to revisit her newer ones again but I think I also got to the point that I found them boring which is why I put them aside.

So would like some suggestions of which workouts you like.

I like the Firm. Pump Jump N Jab, 500 Calorie Workout, Dangerous Curves Ahead, Calorie Explosion - some I had to stop doing because of impact but this is the kind of thing I like.

eyefit · 10-10-12, 07:09 AM

I personally love weights with my cardio as a way to up my heartrate. This would be metabolic training and/or circuits. I find circuits give me some toning benefit, too. I'm not a fan of high reps "toning" workouts that involve 3 lb weights. They bore me to tears and do nothing for my body particularly. I do use 3 lbs for rear delt raises, but that's about it. I am not a really strong person (even after all this time working out with weights). I'm stronger than I was, but I do get use out of my 5, 8, 10, 12, and 15 lb dumbells a lot for strength work. For me curling a 15 lb dumbell for biceps is lifting really heavy!

I can use 20 lbs for single arm rows. When I was doing STS I managed to increase my strength some, but I lost the gains a month or so after stopping. I like to lift, but I love my cardio (first love!). I tend to me a moderate lifter/moderate reps with some circuits and cardio based kettelbell work because it's what I enjoy doing. Horizontal Conditioning taught me I could build strength with body weight as well.

I think it depends on the workout your asking about. There are so many variations on this AWT thing. I love metabolic and Hiit workouts that incorporate weights to increase the cardio output, I love circuits that alternate cardio with weights (like Paul Katami's ASAP Hollywood Bootcamp 4x4) when I want cardio but some strength (but I'll use between 5-12 pounds, not 3). It all depends on what you mean by heavy lifting, too because that varies on the individual. My body looks better the more strength work I do...but I need my cardio! I might look even better if I went really heavy with no more than 8 reps to fatigue but I found in Meso 3 of STS that bored me just as much as high reps with 3lbs does, I'm afraid.

It's a compromise between what works for me and what I enjoy enough to keep doing. The extreme ends of both types of lifting are not enjoyable to me.

Breezy Trousers · 10-10-12, 08:55 AM

I'm a lot like Colleen/Eyefit. I prefer to do circuit training almost on a daily basis because of the cardio component and just because it's fun. Still, I'm quite toned & solid. No flab. I know from experience I'd have much more pronounced muscle definition if I lost 10-12 lbs, lifted heavy and avoided plateaus with periodization. I did that for a long time years ago. However, I'm not sure those long, targeted workouts enhanced my life in any meaningful way and am not even sure the aesthetic results were all that appealing. It was good for me psychologically because I looked tough on the outside at a time I didn't feel particularly tough. It empowered me. That's about it. I didn't find the workouts "fun" the way I do circuit training.

Also, I agree with Gina/Lucky Star that Firm workouts probably can't be characterized as true high rep. (I can't stand high rep!) The old Anna Benson Firms (Tough Tape, Maximum Body Shaping, Classic Vol. 4, etc.) are well designed. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that Anna was doing some form of metabolic training & incorporating yoga moves into her AWT workouts long before anyone else in the industry was. I'm only now recognizing how far ahead of her time Anna Benson truly was.

Lucky Star · 10-10-12, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Breezy Trousers

I'm only now recognizing how far ahead of her time Anna Benson truly was.

Yes she really was! For instance, when I do the floorwork from Volume 1 I'm struck by how similar some of the leg positioning is to barre 'pretzel' exercises. She really hit the lower body from all angles, in a way that no one else did at that time (and for years afterward too).

AnMrsDe · 10-10-12, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucky Star

With Jari, I think her older Ripped series is excellent but I just can't do interminable Jari-style lifting for an hour any more. I adore her 30min "Weights & Abs" bonus routine on Lean Machine. It's exactly like an express Body Pump that covers all the bases, but the reps are fewer so I can lift heavier than usual and am done in 30 mins. The shorter premixes on her newer DVDs might be similar; I just happen to

that particular one. Jari's demeanor is much calmer in it too - she's not telling silly jokes or trying to be hip.

I am revisiting some Jari's I traded away and now reacquired again.

I might have to try Lean Machine just for this bonus routine of which you speak! It sounds great!

Juliepie · 10-10-12, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnMrsDe

I might have to try Lean Machine just for this bonus routine of which you speak! It sounds great!

FYI...this same routine is on her Body Rock DVD as well.

AnMrsDe · 10-10-12, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juliepie

FYI...this same routine is on her Body Rock DVD as well.

Thanks Julie, I didn't have that one on my radar (at the moment), so good to know!

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10-09-12, 07:33 PM
kariev34 Join Date: Oct 2010	Thank you everyone for such great responses! For me, if I lift for endurance, say Cathes high reps workout, I choose a weight where my last few reps are hard. But I find that by doing this I build muscle rather easily espeally in my upper body. If I lighten the weight I dont feel challenged and feel like im wasting my time as I dont feel fatigue. Same thing with say Jessica Smiths workouts which I adore and she always lifts around 5lb dumbbells. I dont feel like im working my muscles so is it a waste or is there some type of toning benefit?

10-09-12, 08:13 PM
Cassy Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: San Diego	When some of you say you are using AWT workouts and getting good results which dvds are you using? I tried to get back into Jari again but her older workouts are too many reps for me. I'm bored 2 mins into each set. I was going to revisit her newer ones again but I think I also got to the point that I found them boring which is why I put them aside. So would like some suggestions of which workouts you like.

10-10-12, 07:09 AM
eyefit VF Supporter Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: wisconsin	I personally love weights with my cardio as a way to up my heartrate. This would be metabolic training and/or circuits. I find circuits give me some toning benefit, too. I'm not a fan of high reps "toning" workouts that involve 3 lb weights. They bore me to tears and do nothing for my body particularly. I do use 3 lbs for rear delt raises, but that's about it. I am not a really strong person (even after all this time working out with weights). I'm stronger than I was, but I do get use out of my 5, 8, 10, 12, and 15 lb dumbells a lot for strength work. For me curling a 15 lb dumbell for biceps is lifting really heavy! I can use 20 lbs for single arm rows. When I was doing STS I managed to increase my strength some, but I lost the gains a month or so after stopping. I like to lift, but I love my cardio (first love!). I tend to me a moderate lifter/moderate reps with some circuits and cardio based kettelbell work because it's what I enjoy doing. Horizontal Conditioning taught me I could build strength with body weight as well. I think it depends on the workout your asking about. There are so many variations on this AWT thing. I love metabolic and Hiit workouts that incorporate weights to increase the cardio output, I love circuits that alternate cardio with weights (like Paul Katami's ASAP Hollywood Bootcamp 4x4) when I want cardio but some strength (but I'll use between 5-12 pounds, not 3). It all depends on what you mean by heavy lifting, too because that varies on the individual. My body looks better the more strength work I do...but I need my cardio! I might look even better if I went really heavy with no more than 8 reps to fatigue but I found in Meso 3 of STS that bored me just as much as high reps with 3lbs does, I'm afraid. It's a compromise between what works for me and what I enjoy enough to keep doing. The extreme ends of both types of lifting are not enjoyable to me. __________________ Colleen

10-10-12, 08:55 AM
Breezy Trousers Join Date: Dec 2007	I'm a lot like Colleen/Eyefit. I prefer to do circuit training almost on a daily basis because of the cardio component and just because it's fun. Still, I'm quite toned & solid. No flab. I know from experience I'd have much more pronounced muscle definition if I lost 10-12 lbs, lifted heavy and avoided plateaus with periodization. I did that for a long time years ago. However, I'm not sure those long, targeted workouts enhanced my life in any meaningful way and am not even sure the aesthetic results were all that appealing. It was good for me psychologically because I looked tough on the outside at a time I didn't feel particularly tough. It empowered me. That's about it. I didn't find the workouts "fun" the way I do circuit training. Also, I agree with Gina/Lucky Star that Firm workouts probably can't be characterized as true high rep. (I can't stand high rep!) The old Anna Benson Firms (Tough Tape, Maximum Body Shaping, Classic Vol. 4, etc.) are well designed. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that Anna was doing some form of metabolic training & incorporating yoga moves into her AWT workouts long before anyone else in the industry was. I'm only now recognizing how far ahead of her time Anna Benson truly was.