Strong Curves question

alondrakayy

Will my upper body gain anything through this program? I will be doing the Booty-ful Beginnings workout and the Gluteal Goddess Advanced workout. I've read the amazing reviews and I'm all for it, but I'm scared about losing the little progress I've made in my upper body. I'm used to 4-5 day split programs (chest & tri's, back & bi's, legs, shoulders, random).

I only have the program. Not the book. All thoughts/advice/personal opinions are welcomed!

jemhh

Both of those iterations of SC have you working upper body 3-4 times per week, which is as much or more than you are doing now. As long as you are using progressive resistance (i.e., adding reps and/or weight) you will see gains.

I suggest getting the book.

sardelsa

As mentioned, Strong Curves has you working upper body each time with compound movements like bench press, overhead press, pull-ups, rows etc. However the focus is lower body. For some people it may not be enough upper, for me I had no problem.. it is the perfect amount to keep the muscle in a cut (and build the muscle in a bulk).

ew_david

sardelsa wrote: »

As mentioned, Strong Curves has you working upper body each time with compound movements like bench press, overhead press, pull-ups, rows etc. However the focus is lower body. For some people it may not be enough upper, for me I had no problem.. it is the perfect amount to keep the muscle in a cut (and build the muscle in a bulk).

I was going to say this. Bret himself admits there is more emphasis on the lower body in the workouts, so it ultimately depends on what your goals are if the upper body exercises are enough for you.

alondrakayy

Thank you all!

My thought about purchasing the book is this - I've bought books and programs before and a lot of them ended up being a waste of money. (bad programs, awful diet suggestions/plans, etc). So I found the workout program online and have enough experience with my nutrition to know what will work according to my goals. I can also look up proper form for all exercises on my phone. Besides that, I don't know what else the book could possibly offer. I will purchase the book if this ends up being successful! Not at all trying to skimp out on paying and want to support the author if this is the real deal. Not something he pulled out of his you know what.

I like the suggestion about adding an arm day! But I'm going to try to do without at least the first 4 weeks. Just so I can say that I definitely did 100% of the program before I decided to tweek it.

ew_david

alondrakayy wrote: »

Thank you all!

My thought about purchasing the book is this - I've bought books and programs before and a lot of them ended up being a waste of money. (bad programs, awful diet suggestions/plans, etc). So I found the workout program online and have enough experience with my nutrition to know what will work according to my goals. I can also look up proper form for all exercises on my phone. Besides that, I don't know what else the book could possibly offer. I will purchase the book if this ends up being successful! Not at all trying to skimp out on paying and want to support the author if this is the real deal. Not something he pulled out of his you know what.

I like the suggestion about adding an arm day! But I'm going to try to do without at least the first 4 weeks. Just so I can say that I definitely did 100% of the program before I decided to tweek it.

The book has great info in it that you can use independently of any of the programs in it.

sardelsa

_dracarys_ wrote: »

alondrakayy wrote: »

Thank you all!

My thought about purchasing the book is this - I've bought books and programs before and a lot of them ended up being a waste of money. (bad programs, awful diet suggestions/plans, etc). So I found the workout program online and have enough experience with my nutrition to know what will work according to my goals. I can also look up proper form for all exercises on my phone. Besides that, I don't know what else the book could possibly offer. I will purchase the book if this ends up being successful! Not at all trying to skimp out on paying and want to support the author if this is the real deal. Not something he pulled out of his you know what.

I like the suggestion about adding an arm day! But I'm going to try to do without at least the first 4 weeks. Just so I can say that I definitely did 100% of the program before I decided to tweek it.

The book has great info in it that you can use independently of any of the programs in it.

This. I still use the book and I am no longer doing the program. It's obviously up to you but the index alone is worth its weight in gold lol.

capaul42

amyrebeccah wrote: »

sardelsa wrote: »

_dracarys_ wrote: »

alondrakayy wrote: »

Thank you all!

My thought about purchasing the book is this - I've bought books and programs before and a lot of them ended up being a waste of money. (bad programs, awful diet suggestions/plans, etc). So I found the workout program online and have enough experience with my nutrition to know what will work according to my goals. I can also look up proper form for all exercises on my phone. Besides that, I don't know what else the book could possibly offer. I will purchase the book if this ends up being successful! Not at all trying to skimp out on paying and want to support the author if this is the real deal. Not something he pulled out of his you know what.

I like the suggestion about adding an arm day! But I'm going to try to do without at least the first 4 weeks. Just so I can say that I definitely did 100% of the program before I decided to tweek it.

The book has great info in it that you can use independently of any of the programs in it.

This. I still use the book and I am no longer doing the program. It's obviously up to you but the index alone is worth its weight in gold lol.

You've made up your mind on this, and I respect it, but just in case anyone else is reading and considering this, the book index offers really good breakdowns of each exercise not just in how to do it, but enables you to understand how each exercise fits in the routine and what kind of substitutions you can make based on equipment, ability, injuries, and even just simple preference. And again, check the local library.

the book also breaks down common mistakes in most of the exercises, which I found really helpful. The index is extremely helpful and I'm often referring to it during rests. I had bought the e-book and downloaded the exercise templates. Problem is that those templates are not completely correct. There are several mistakes compared to the book. So glad I bought a physical copy too.

jemhh

He also provides a template, in the book, that you can use to build your own program. I think it's a great reference book.