Freestyle Workout for Women

[Danielle]

I was roaming through the articles and came across the Freestyle Workout for Women by Sherry Gideons. I'm dying to try it but I'm not completely clear on how to do it. I understand the concept but the article left some things vague. I understand that you have to train your legs 6 days a week and that you have to do specific exercises aimed at the inner thigh, outer thigh, quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. Here's the question do you perform all the exercises as a routine 6 days a week or do you break it up into groups? I'm a very visual person so if someone could lay it out in a sample workout - it would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Danielle

[tcs1366]

**bump**

I'm also interested. My trainer mentioned this program to me today because she knows that leaning my legs is my main goal.

Hopefully i'll get the book on Friday - but any info in the meantime would be great.

[aprildawn]

I read that article and I think it sounds like you'd be really overtraining the legs.

[Roxie]

I have the book and have tried it first hand. It does require you to train your legs 6 days a week with compound exercises for your upperbody. At first I thought it would be overtraining my legs as well, but once you read through the book it will explain that it isn't actually so. Freestyle has you do 4 different lunges per day, with beginners to do only 1 set of 20 making you do 80 lunges a day...it goes up to advanced with 4 sets of 4 different lunges Yes, you WILL be sore, but your body will adapt. It is very hard in the begining, I gaurantee that. I had to stop because of an injury in high school softball. If you have further questions, I'll be glad to help if I can.


Roxie

[tcs1366]

Roxie,

thanks for that bit of input - I've been doing walking lunges for legs, though not daily, where i was up to 4 sets of 40 - and that was tough....

if you'd be so kind as to give a general run down of what one week would be like... obviously doing lunges daily - but what about aerobics and upper body?

OH - and is it like circuit training? i think i was reading that on that gals site....

TIA,
tcs

[Roxie]

Days 1 & 4

Calves: standing toe raise 1 to 4 sets of 20
thighs, butt, hips: Front Lunge 1 to 4 sets of 20
abs: bench crunch

Days 2 & 5

thighs, butt, hips: Ballet squats 1 to 4 sets of 20
abs: lying leg raises

Days 3 & 6

calves: seated toe raises 1 to 4 sets of 20
thigh butt, hips: side to side lunges 1 to 4 sets of 20

Upper Body

Day 1

Pullover & close grip press 1 to 4 sets of 8-20 (depending on how advanced you are)

Day 4

High Pull 1 to 4 sets of 8-20

Pull over & close grip press chest/shoulders/triceps

Take a close grip on an E-Z curl bar. Lie flat on back on a bench with bar resting on chest. Begin by pressing the bar upward to arms' length. and then slowly return to the 90 degree angle, slowly lower the bar in a semicurcular arcable stretch. Slowly reverse the movement untill the bar is again positioned above your chest. Repeat begining with press.


High Pull back/hamstrings/traps

Bend over and grasp a light barbell, palms facing slightly wider apart. With knees slightly ent and head up, chest out, slowly lift the ar by straightening you legs. After you've completely straighted your legs, continue the movement by vigorously shrugging your shoulders and then pulling the weight as high as possible with your arms. Druning th final phase of the exercise your elbows should be coming up, not back: you should be able to bring the bar to the lower part of rib cage. Now reverse the movement, first letting the weight drop to the mid-thigh and then slowly lowering it to the floor. Repeat...

Hope that kind of gives you and idea what a day would be like

Roxie

[Roxie]

Oh yeah, forgot the cardio part. Well, lunging is cardio in itself, you have only a 30 second rest before starting the next set. I used my polar heart monitor and was able to get in my 75% max.


Roxie

[tcs1366]

Thanks Roxie,

when i saw that Laura Dayton was also one of the authors - i riffled thru my books at home and found i have her second book, The Lower Body Solution - so i'm re-reading that one


i did get some photocopied pages from my trainer and it looks like they are from Vie which i'm guessing is a magazine.... but i've got about 15 pages that pretty much explain the program... I still may have to get the book for the workouts.... but i'm muddling thru - doing 6 days a week, and legs/lunges pretty much every day, (at least 5 days a week) concentrating on compound moves. oh, i do wear a Polar too.

again, thanks for all your input