Hi Kerri,
Sorry for not writing back earlier. I am traveling on business. I am in Malaysia right now (I live in India).
I think STS is a great program. Here are some advantages.
After STS there are several things you can do:
- Use your existing Cathe weight-training DVDs again. You will most likely be able to lift heavier this time around because of the strength you developed from doing STS.
- Do something different for a couple of months (other DVDs, other instructors) and then repeat STS. You could do STS as planned the second time through or make it a non-linear periodized program. For the latter, you can do Week One of Meso 1, then Week One of Meso 2, then Week One of Meso 3, then Week two of Meso 1, Week Two of Meso 2 and so on....
- Based on your goals (whether you want to develop endurance, or gain strength or build more muscle) you can repeat just a specific Meso when the need arises in the future.
- You can wing it by doing your favorite workouts from STS in no specific order.
As long as you take a break after STS (for a month or two) you an come back to STS again and again, so it definitely is not a one time deal.
I think you will find STS is more evolved to true gym style lifting compared to Cathe's older DVDs for two reasons:
a. The lifting tempo will be more controlled as it wont be dictated by the music. Lifting at the right tempo makes an incredible difference (most weight training DVDs tend to be a bit faster than optimum to really lift with weights that are heavy enough)
b. 1 rep max testing will ensure you are lifting the right weight. It will guide you not to use weights that are too light/heavy. Even if you dont do 1 rep max tests for every exercise (do them only for a few basic exerc ises for each muscle group), you will still likely use more accurate weights and therefore get a lot more for the time you send exercising.
On the other hand, you can always devise a periodized program on your own if you dont mind investing effort and time to design something like this. I like the luxury of Cathe doing all the thinking for me. Like you said, I get great results from Cathe too.
Incidentally, I am ot getting STS! I am waiting for STS Gym. however, if Cathe does not announce STS Gym soon, I plan to buy STS at full price.
If you feel you are very likely to stick with the program, STS is a good buy. Cathe DVDs always sell at great prices so you are not likely to lose if you decide this isnt for you later. However, if you have doubts, I suggest waiting until you are sure, even if it means you need to pay full price.
