Body Parts "Extreme" premixes

Kellyro77

Kellyro77

Cathlete
Today I did the Extreme premix of Chest and Tris plus bonuses. Woooooo, tough workout for sure!

I want to put this out there in case anyone here has been only favoring these combo premixes instead of doing each body part separately:

Consider that you may not get the full benefit of focusing only on a specific body part if you combine it with the other body part on the DVD.

My example is this - I was able to pretty much use my maximum recorded weights while doing Chest in this premix. Because this was the first body part focused on, I was able to give it my all. However, once Triceps started, I found I had to go quite a bit lighter with those weights because my upper body was already pretty fatigued from having done Chest before.

If I were only ever favoring these premixes - especially the full "extreme" premixes, I might not reap the benefits of only focusing on one body part for the day. I bet, too, if I'd done Triceps first, I'd probably have had to lighten up on my chest weight selections.

If you haven't yet tried doing separate body parts, I encourage you to give them a try so you can really give them some good attention.

I think these premixes are great, too, but I know I definitely want to mix it up, as well.
 
I considered doing the two a day premix but truly didn’t think I’d have anything left in the tank for the second workout. That biceps workout alone was a killer. I did one body part per day following a outline I’d seen from someone posting the flow of the old CTX one body part per day program.
 
I made my own timesaver combo premixes using the workout blender. These are shorter workouts, around 40-50 minutes, based on the standard body parts combo premixes with 2 workouts for each combo premix with the order swapped. So, I have one workout for Chest and Triceps, and another workout for Triceps and Chest. Each workout uses about half the exercises from each body part, with the other workout using the other half of the exercises, including bonus exercises. I did the same for the other body part combos. With the shortened format I didn't get too fatigued and was able to use my normal heavy weights. While I agree that this isn't as good as doing the body parts separately, it is handy when I'm short on workout time and want to hit multiple muscle groups in a week.
 
Kellyro77 said:
Today I did the Extreme premix of Chest and Tris plus bonuses. Woooooo, tough workout for sure!

I want to put this out there in case anyone here has been only favoring these combo premixes instead of doing each body part separately:

Consider that you may not get the full benefit of focusing only on a specific body part if you combine it with the other body part on the DVD.

My example is this - I was able to pretty much use my maximum recorded weights while doing Chest in this premix. Because this was the first body part focused on, I was able to give it my all. However, once Triceps started, I found I had to go quite a bit lighter with those weights because my upper body was already pretty fatigued from having done Chest before.

If I were only ever favoring these premixes - especially the full "extreme" premixes, I might not reap the benefits of only focusing on one body part for the day. I bet, too, if I'd done Triceps first, I'd probably have had to lighten up on my chest weight selections.

If you haven't yet tried doing separate body parts, I encourage you to give them a try so you can really give them some good attention.

I think these premixes are great, too, but I know I definitely want to mix it up, as well.
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Thank you!!! I will do this this week
I was just thinking about what I was going to create for the week
 
Kellyro77 said:
Today I did the Extreme premix of Chest and Tris plus bonuses. Woooooo, tough workout for sure!

I want to put this out there in case anyone here has been only favoring these combo premixes instead of doing each body part separately:

Consider that you may not get the full benefit of focusing only on a specific body part if you combine it with the other body part on the DVD.

My example is this - I was able to pretty much use my maximum recorded weights while doing Chest in this premix. Because this was the first body part focused on, I was able to give it my all. However, once Triceps started, I found I had to go quite a bit lighter with those weights because my upper body was already pretty fatigued from having done Chest before.

If I were only ever favoring these premixes - especially the full "extreme" premixes, I might not reap the benefits of only focusing on one body part for the day. I bet, too, if I'd done Triceps first, I'd probably have had to lighten up on my chest weight selections.

If you haven't yet tried doing separate body parts, I encourage you to give them a try so you can really give them some good attention.

I think these premixes are great, too, but I know I definitely want to mix it up, as well.
Click to expand...
I am on the last week of my three-month STS 2.0 rotation and today is day three of body parts back to back (triceps/back/chest). I decided to do the main workout plus the bonuses for the “part of the day” each day (plus Stretch Max, etc). I feel like a rock star and I’m sleeping like one (a rock, that is) at night. You don’t realize how hard you’re working until you fall asleep with your mouth open about 12 hours later. Still have biceps left to go and some good foam rolling and extended stretch to finish it all out. Love STS 2.0. I can’t wait to do it again.
 
It really is surprising how wiped out I get just from one of the single body parts workouts. I mean, Legs was obvious to me that I'd feel exhausted after, but even all the other ones really had me tired afterwards and also sleeping like a rock.

I really loved that 12-week rotation and I'm sure I'll do it again. I'm currently edging up on the combo STS 2.0/XTrain rotation, though, so I'll see how I'm feeling after that one.

Part of me wants to try doing her 8-week and then the 10-week rotation after that, although I see that 10-week rotation is the one that does the combos of the Body Parts workouts, and after experimenting with the combos this month, I'm still thinking I prefer to just give each body part their own day when it comes down to those particular workouts.

I definitely got stronger since doing that 12-week rotation. When I dipped back into doing some of the full body workouts, I found I could go quite a bit heavier - even up to a couple increments higher - on some of the exercises. There was no diminishment to my strength and ability when I was only doing one body part per day at the end of the 12-week rotation. Good stuff!
 
After completing the 12-week rotation, I did a deload week using band workouts, then a month of older 3-day split workouts (PS, S&H, RWH & GYM STYLES).. It was interesting to compare weights used ... there are more reps in the older workouts and no rests (except for the Slow&Heavy series). I often put in rests between the 2nd & 3rd sets which made the workouts longer (again except for S&H). I found i was missing the format of STS2.0.

I'm now doing the 8-week STS2.0/Xtrain rotation - the 1st 2 weeks re-visited STS2.0. I used the same weights i used the last time I did the workout & could have gone a bit heavier. I think those extra reps from the older series may have helped some. However, the pull/chin-ups in UB1 seemed much harder than the last time I did them, probably because I had not done them in over a month.

I'm not sure ... sometimes I think mixing things up with different series is helpful for gains, and sometimes I think maybe sticking with one series for a longer period creates gains. Then again, maybe it doesn't matter as long as you're sure to use progressive overload .... And if it doesn't matter, maybe I'll stick with STS2.0 as I really enjoy the format of shorter workouts, heavier weights & more built-in rests.
 
Agree, Debinmi - I'm curious how I'll feel after the Xtrain version. I know I already experienced an unpleasant surprise when I did one of her XTrain Burn Sets workouts I think a month or two ago to fill in for a couple missed STS workouts. Her pace was so much faster and I was just not having it with only about 30 second rests between sets!

Change is good, though - at least I know it's good for my body not to stay completely stagnant with only the same thing for a long, long time. I even experienced surprising muscle soreness after I'd finished the 12-week STS 2 rotation and did Rev'd Up Rumble. Lo and behold, my rear delts were pretty sore from all the jabbing and punching, despite having worked them slow and heavy - the change in frequency, weight, and pace still got me!

But yes, I do enjoy STS 2's pace and recovery emphasis. And my body is telling me it appreciates it. I've definitely slimmed down quite a bit without a whole lot of effort in adjusting what I eat.
 
Kellyro77 said:
Agree, Debinmi - I'm curious how I'll feel after the Xtrain version. I know I already experienced an unpleasant surprise when I did one of her XTrain Burn Sets workouts I think a month or two ago to fill in for a couple missed STS workouts. Her pace was so much faster and I was just not having it with only about 30 second rests between sets!

Change is good, though - at least I know it's good for my body not to stay completely stagnant with only the same thing for a long, long time. I even experienced surprising muscle soreness after I'd finished the 12-week STS 2 rotation and did Rev'd Up Rumble. Lo and behold, my rear delts were pretty sore from all the jabbing and punching, despite having worked them slow and heavy - the change in frequency, weight, and pace still got me!

But yes, I do enjoy STS 2's pace and recovery emphasis. And my body is telling me it appreciates it. I've definitely slimmed down quite a bit without a whole lot of effort in adjusting what I eat.
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I admire the cajones, girl! Xtrain is my Mt Everest. I messed up my shoulder doing the pushups (where you pull yourself around the floor like your legs are dead weight) and I’ve been gun shy on that whole series ever since. Combining that with STS 2.0 seems really ambitious. Best of luck!

I’m officially done with STS 2.0 and taking my deload week. Starting the original STS + Low Impact Series 3-month rotation next week. Hoping I don’t die. LOL.

STS 2.0 definitely built some extra muscle mass, for sure. If I am reaching for something, it is hard not to notice my “new biceps”, etc. Very nice. And the pace of that program is just glorious.

Biggest takeaways: PACE YOURSELF AND LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. I know we all have commented on it previously, but I am making a commitment to myself to stop and catch my breath if I need to, to take a longer rest between sets if necessary, and to schedule more recovery days — period. Exercise used to be about “getting in shape”, “losing weight”, “looking good”, “getting ready for summer”, etc. Now it’s about health, mobility, disease prevention, and feeling good. I am nourishing my body, not beating it into submission. That focus shift is everything.
 
AVeyRa said:
Biggest takeaways: PACE YOURSELF AND LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. I know we all have commented on it previously, but I am making a commitment to myself to stop and catch my breath if I need to, to take a longer rest between sets if necessary, and to schedule more recovery days — period. Exercise used to be about “getting in shape”, “losing weight”, “looking good”, “getting ready for summer”, etc. Now it’s about health, mobility, disease prevention, and feeling good. I am nourishing my body, not beating it into submission. That focus shift is everything.
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Well said!
 
AVeyRa said:
Exercise used to be about “getting in shape”, “losing weight”, “looking good”, “getting ready for summer”, etc. Now it’s about health, mobility, disease prevention, and feeling good. I am nourishing my body, not beating it into submission. That focus shift is everything.
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Heck yes. That's me, too. And the funniest thing about it, is when I'm NOT putting all this "must look good", "must be perfect" energy and emphasis into my days, my body responds so much better! It's happy to just be loved and paid attention to instead of being fed "not enough" messages all the time.

And I'm really trying to place those pushups you're talking about in XTrain, lol. I wonder if they're in Hard Strikes or something, because that's actually the only workout I've not done in whole - I've only ever used the cardio portion, not the weight section.
 
Kellyro77 said:
Heck yes. That's me, too. And the funniest thing about it, is when I'm NOT putting all this "must look good", "must be perfect" energy and emphasis into my days, my body responds so much better! It's happy to just be loved and paid attention to instead of being fed "not enough" messages all the time.

And I'm really trying to place those pushups you're talking about in XTrain, lol. I wonder if they're in Hard Strikes or something, because that's actually the only workout I've not done in whole - I've only ever used the cardio portion, not the weight section.
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Love this response!

Re: XTrain
I *think* it was Xtrain where you pull yourself around like your legs don’t work (thinking face)… maybe it was the Low Impact Series and I have conflated the two. That would be really bad since I’m about to embark on a 3-month STS/LIS rotation (hilarious laugher). Anyway: I’ll modify if it is. Not doing that again.
 
Hmmm, maybe it's the LIS Afterburn that has the dragging planks/pushups I usually substitute plain ol pushups. Seems like there's another workout that has them too... I think you place your feet on gliders/rags...
 
Debinmi said:
Hmmm, maybe it's the LIS Afterburn that has the dragging planks/pushups I usually substitute plain ol pushups. Seems like there's another workout that has them too... I think you place your feet on gliders/rags...
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Yes! Your feet are on gliders. Which workout this is escapes me, but it’s not easy on my shoulders, for sure. Thought it was Xtrain… maybe I should change my rotation…

(beep boop, beep) THERE: Doing the 90-day Xtrain/LIS rotation through January 2024. If something is intimidating, you should face it head on. I love Xtrain and I love LIS. Might as well slay the giant! LOL

ETA: It *IS* LIS Afterburn! Just looked. The reason I got injured is obvious: you are dragging yourself around AND doing a split/staggered pushup. Okay — I know where to modify now. Push-ups are not my jam. I can lift pretty heavy with chest and back, but for some reason push-ups have always been hard for me; pull-ups as well. Not sure how to strengthen that. I’m pretty sure this next rotation will help, though (if I survive LOL).

Seriously, though, to bring this back around to the over-riding wisdom here: I am modifying where I need to, catching my breath where I need to, taking recovery days where I need to AND HAVING FUN.

Can I do all the moves yet? No. Will I ever be able to? Maybe. Am I going to injure myself trying? No. I’m approaching it like little kids on a playground. “Look! That kid can do (xyz). That’s so cool! I can‘t do that yet, but I’m going to have fun trying.” If I don’t enjoy it, it’s just punishment. I’m over that.
 
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Uuugg - I previewed AfterBurn - I don't have that series. Well, wait, that's a lie. I have both of the yoga DVDs. I'm not a fan of the sliding discs at all, so I've never bothered with it. That, and I'm also not a fan of HiiT, low impact or not. Yes, XTrain has HiiT, too, and I don't really gravitate to those HiiT workouts, either, unless they're baked into a specific rotation.

Those pushups do look like they'd be tricky for your shoulders, for sure.

Have fun with your XTrain/LIS rotation, though - bet it's going to be challenging!
 
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