Are there any timesaver tips?

S

san4850

Cathlete
I know this has been addressed before, but the last time was before STS was even released, and at that time, everyone was unsure about the exact length of the workouts. Now that many of you have done the STS program, are there ways to shorten the length of the workouts? Since the STS shock cardio workouts are advertised to be about 45-50 minutes in length, can the same be done for the strength program?

I workout as soon as I wake up, which is 5 am (as long as I don't hit the snooze button). This leaves me with about 45 minutes for a workout. When I leave for work, I don't get home until 12 hours later (including commute times), so exercising after I come home from work isn't an option for me. I understand there are no timesaver premixes, so is there a way to shorten the workouts and still try to make it effective?
 
Well, you could certainly delete about 1/3 of the exercises to keep it to 45 minutes, but I can't speak to how effective it might be. Maybe someone else has tried this? I did try dropping off the last of each triset in meso 2 a couple of times because it was too exhausting. In that case I did it purely to get through the entire workout. I would have preferred to do the whole thing. I'm sure you can get some benefit from the shortened workouts but maybe not the full benefit. Also you need to factor in the time it takes to set up and break down all the equipment. That adds about 5-10 minutes to the workout, especially in meso one. So it would be a pretty short workout by the time you did all that.
Beth
 
The only way I can see to shorten the workouts would be to work one or two body parts on any given day. I have often thought about doing that but unsure if my results would be different. I have had great results. I love the way my arms have taken on a more defined shape.

I hope STS cardio really does turn out under an hour. They always said STS weights would be around 45. I so wish Cathe had more 30 minute workouts. Even the premixes can be long. I too work long 12-14 hr days.

Christie
 
I have played around with shortening the workouts.
The good thing about the STS series is that every exercise and every set is a chapter point. So it is easy to stop at a certain point or skip to a certain point.
In most workouts Cathe is doing three or four sets. To shorten the workouts I would only do two sets or sometimes three sets.

Planning it out ahead of time is the way to go though. The worksheets that go along with STS has every exericise broken down in the order they are played on the disc. So I would take all the worksheets for the first mesocycle and highlight which sets I was going to do which weeks.
That way you can make sure you include different exercises and aren't just doing the exact same sets week to week - which if you get the workouts or have the workouts you know what I am talking about.

Cathe is always telling you to record your weight. So if you have your worksheets with you, you will always know where you are at in the workout.

For me the trickiest part were the workouts that included three muscle groups because it didn't seem like you did as many exericses for those muscle groups as those workouts that only included two workout. Usually with the three muscle group workouts, I ended up doing 2/3 of the overall workout as oppose to say doing 1/2 or 3/4 of the workouts that were 2 muscle groups.
 
Hi,

I did STS one time through in the 3 1/2 month rotation then decided to do something to shake things up. I am not doing Meso 2 with first doing 30 minutes of cardio, then one body part, for 5 of the days, The only day I do not do cardio is the day I do the leg workout. These are shorter workouts ( about 50 minutes), and I get 2 extra cardio sessions in the same about of time ( 6 days).

HTH..

Deb
 
Saundra and Deb,

Great suggestions! I am starting a traditional STS rotation today, but when I did it initially back in the Spring, it was hard finding the time to do the workouts completely. I'll keep your timesaving tips in mind! :)
 
I only have about 45-60 minutes as well in the mornings. Means getting up at 5:30am.

I keep the remote right by me when I'm exercising. Cathe starts the tri set (Meso 2) and you know she will repeat it three times. I just let the DVD go. I don't take the full breaks like the DVD does, I just keep pumping out reps. When I'm done I fast forward to the next set.

I've gotten many of the Meso 2 workouts down to 35-40 minutes that way. Then I jump on the treadmill and fill up my extra time.
 
Where can I download those cool progress bars? I really want to use them for motivation. You girls are really losing weight! That is so inspiring. :eek:
 
pharaoh said:
I only have about 45-60 minutes as well in the mornings. Means getting up at 5:30am.

I keep the remote right by me when I'm exercising. Cathe starts the tri set (Meso 2) and you know she will repeat it three times. I just let the DVD go. I don't take the full breaks like the DVD does, I just keep pumping out reps. When I'm done I fast forward to the next set.

I've gotten many of the Meso 2 workouts down to 35-40 minutes that way. Then I jump on the treadmill and fill up my extra time.
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I have found this to be really helpful as well. I have a newborn who likes to cat nap--if I get 30 minutes I'm lucky! I have also been skipping through some of the breaks: this works for meso 1 (I'm in week 3) when Cathe goes from chest to shoulders to bi's for example. I figure my chest is resting while my shoulders and bi's are working. If I feel I need the break, I take it. I have also been skipping the beginning stretch. Not advising that, but it works for me!
 
I found this thread after doing a search on timesaver tips for the STS Strength program. Sounds like there are some great suggestions here but I'm concerned whether the program would still be as effective if you modify it. I found this reply from SNM which is in reply to a query on timesaver premixes but is relevent to those of us who want to modify the program ourselves:-

No, there are no premixes in the STS program. The only way to reduce the time of an STS workout would be to either reduce the rest breaks between exercises or the number of exercises. Both of these options in our opinion would hurt the effectiveness of the program. You only do STS three times per week, so it really doesn’t require a lot of time on your part to do.
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I'd love to buy the STS Strength set but haven't purchased it as I'm another one who gets up ridiculously early to work out (4.30am) and has only very limited time during the day to workout - I know it's only 3 days per week but I just can't fit in these long workouts into my hectic days (and I resent SNM's comment that
it really doesn’t require a lot of time on your part to do
Click to expand...
.) I am very disappointed to find there are no timesaver premixes in this set, especially considering the hefty price tag. I've put a post in the "Suggestions" forum requesting an STS Timesaver program. I really hope Cathe and SNM continue to include timesaver premixes in future workouts.
 
Not really a time saver but you might want to do disc 1 on Saturday, Disc 2 on Sunday and 1/2 disc 3 on Tues and the other half on Thursday. You could take rest day during the week and fill in the rest of the time with cardio. Just a suggestion.
 
One thing I do to help speed it along is to preload my barbell the night before, and plan on how I'm going to load/unload it and keep those plates on either side of where I leave the barbell. I also set up the room according to how the workout progresses (getting step out with appropriate risers, etc...) This helps shave off at least 10 minutes in the morning (maybe more!)
 
I did the 3 1/2 month rotation a year ago and was so exhausted I skipped quite a few cardio days. That is not working for my body these days which really needs the cardio.

In Jan I started the rotation again and did Meso 1 as Cathe designed it using SC as the cardio. This month, however, I am breaking the week into 1 body part per day in the AM (except for Legs which is a full hour workout) and then do my cardio in the evenings. On my leg day I hopped on the TM for walking inclines for about 20 min. in the AM and do my weightwork in the evening. I'm still doing the SC's but also adding some TM workouts and other cardio too. I am liking it so far but have only completed one week. Timewise it is perfect for me.

Doing the one body part takes approx 15 - 20 minutes for Meso 2. It might be more for Meso 1 since you change exercises constantly. I also try to plan ahead with setting up for my weights - many times use DB's rather than a BB since it makes it much quicker.

Hope you figure something out - it is a great program that brings great results !
 
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