Well I am not liking bodyrock's new site at all. It seems so - corporate! It used to be a husband and wife team that has exploded into too much. Al the simplicity is gone.
Now I'm all for growth, but they are just going in a direction I don't like. Plenty of people still like them, and they are motivating people to get off their couch and workout, so it's not a bad thing.
I do prefer Zuzanna's workouts. They are not as balanced as I'd like them to be, but good workouts nonetheless. She is STILL missing pull exercises. She over does the push exercises.
I also believe you need to workout more than 12 minutes a day for results. She is an anomolie looking the way she does working out only 12 min a day.
Let me explain - first of all - look at the amount of muscle on her body. It take a lot of work and a lot of heavy weight for most women (not all) to gain that amount of muscle. She also posted nutrition advice, and I believe she follows what she preaches. But for most of us her portion sizes are ridiculously small to live on. I'm not for super sizing our meals by any means, but I'd starve on her meal plan.
12-20 minute workouts might be enough for some, but it is hard to get enough results in that amount of time. I think 30-60 minutes is more like it, depending on your goal. If your goal is to build muscle, then you need some muscle building training, not just HIIT workouts to reach your goal. If you want to run a marathon, or participate in a fitness show, you need more training.
HIIT workouts are a great addition to regular workouts. For instance, I might train heavy deadlifts and pull ups one day for 20 minutes, and then end with a 12 min Zuzanna workout.
Or I might work inverted rows and squats another day, and again end with one of her workouts. This makes more of a complete, well-rounded, full body workouts - IMO. And no they're not 12 minutes long, but they're not over 45 minutes either on most days.
If all you do were Zuzanna's workouts, it would not be a bad thing. I think you would get results, just better results with a bit more focus on strength. I have 2 friends who have stopped going to the gym and do her workouts now instead. They are loving it. They have 3 small children and it was a pain to get all 3 of them out the door in the morning, so after the older ones are in school, they workout at home. Both do ADD to her workouts - usually a pull exercise such as a dumbbell row, renegade row, inverted row, pull up, or a low body exercises such as single leg deadlift or goblet squats.
They do not add to her workouts every day, but do add on often.
But who cares? Right? It's all good. It's all exercise, and as long as it is leading to results and not injury, it's positive.
I just think it is an illusion that by following bodyrock.tv and/or zuzkalight.com you'll get abs like Zuzanna or Lisa. You might get a better body though, and perhaps that is good enough. :)
I left a comment a few days ago...where did it go :( ?
ReplyDeleteSorry- your last comment never showed up on my end! Please repost it and I'll get it up here. Tx. :)
ReplyDeleteOkay, I am re-writing it :) This is a long one...
ReplyDeleteI first saw Zuzana's work outs a few years ago, but thought to myself, "yah right, as if that really works. She is doing something else as well".
I always worked out a more traditional way, doing heavy weights and moderate cardio, for 10 years. Not to sound conceded, but I was in really good shape.
Jan 2012, I decided to give her workouts a try. At this time, I had gained around 10 lbs of fat over a couple of years :( This was the worst shape I had ever been in my life! I had it a plateau, lost interest in the gym and started to not eat well. I started doing her workouts no more than 4 times per week. I cleaned up my diet to what it was when I use to be in shape.
I am now in better shape with her workouts, and my diet being really good, than I was when I was 10 years younger and doing heavy weights! I have people telling me that I have never looked better! That I look ripped etc. I can't believe it, but her plan really does work for me. I now only spend maybe 1hour 20 mins/week exercising where I spent six hours a week before.
Now, I don't think her plan alone will work for everyone. I have determined that it works for me because of two reasons 1) I had muscle from 10 years of dedicated weight lifting and 2) her body type is nearly identical to mine. NO, I don't look just like her as she is far more dedicated than I am. However, no matter how much body fat I have, I still have abs (just like her) and gain muscle easy. like her (true mesomorph body).
So, I encourage people to try her workouts as they are fun and better than nothing, but people need to remember that different body types respond better to different things.
Great post! Very well said. I'm someone who never gains muscle and I can lift some serious weight. Sigh...... So I'd love it if her workouts would do the same for me.
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