Do you remember the Sit and Stand squat exercise?

[nancy324]

I haven't done PS in a long time, but I remember this squat exercise called "Sit and Stands" that worked really well for me. You would sit on the bench for a moment, then come about 1 inch above the bench and hold the position for several counts before standing. If I remember correctly, it required less weight than regular squat exercises.

I really struggle with getting enough weight up onto my shoulders to do a regular squat that I can really feel. It makes me nervous to hoist that much weight above my head. But it seemed to me that you could use less weight for the sit and stands and still REALLY feel the burn.

SOOOO, finally, my question. Why do you think that Cathe doesn't use sit and stands anymore?? Any guesses?

Thanks educated crowd!

 

[kathryn]

>SOOOO, finally, my question. Why do you think that Cathe
>doesn't use sit and stands anymore??
>

She used them in another workout (I can't remember which one). I think she just wants to mix things up, and it seems like she's using low=end pulses for the same effect more recently. I'd seen this move (called a hover squat) in Firm workouts before I saw it in PS. I've also read cautions about doing moves like this. Sit and stands could be hard on the spine, because of the pressure on the vertebrae each time you sit down with a weight on your back. You don't have to "slam down" into the step to have that pressure.

 

[Lunacat]

My only guess is that she likes to keep giving us fresh exercises so we don't say, 'hey, you already did that!' The basic things like squats and lunges will always be there as they are the core leg exercises, but the fancy painful stuff like low-ends and sit & stands are the lactic acid-building icing on the cake!

That said, if you like sit & stands, pause your leg workout and add a few if she doesn't do them. Can't hurt. Oh wait, yes it can! }(

 

[naughtoj]

I love sit and stands. I prefer them over regular squats. They help me really feel the burn and focus in on my glutes. But, that is why I love S&H. I feel like I can really focus on the muscles working. The other Cathe tapes don't let me do that at their frantic pace.

Nancy...do you have 20# dumbells? One of those on each shoulder works nicely. Sometimes I will use my 30 or 35#ers on each shoulder. Now that's a workout!

 

[hippahips]

Wow, Janice... I'm impressed by such wickedness!}( I can't put anything heavier than 35 lbs. when doing sit and stands. As Kathryn pointed out, it does stress the spine and I feel the weights in my lower back right away.

Nancy, I didn't notice the absence of sit and stands in the gym styles. I guess I've been so busy grunting and groaning through those slow lunges at the end of the standing legwork. I use 10's for them, and I feel like my lower body is worked thoroughly, without the stress on my spine. The difference between the GS slow lunges and sit and stands, is that with the former, I feel it in my quads, hamstrings and calves. With the latter, I feel it more in my butt and quads.

Pinky

 

[clareMc]

I love sit n'stands too and usually rewind leaner Legs at that point to do another set. They are very effective. Somehow I prefer that burn to the burn from plie squats--hate those!

I think that the new emphasis on "hover squats" in the high step workouts is sit n'stands revisited.

Yup, I miss 'em too!

Clare

 

[Imafitnessfreak]

You can find sit-n-stands on HSTA! Love these! She also does the 15 count hovers over the high step in HSTA...4 times! Talk about a lactic acid build! Not feeling it? Use 30 pounds instead of 10!

I, too, wish I could get more weight on my shoulders for squats. I can do 50 with a bar and 50 using dumbells. I can get one 30 pounder on my shoulder but I need the other hand to hoist the other 30 on the opposite shoulder but it is busy holding the 1st dumbell so 60 isn't an option!! I need a squat rack!

 

[nancy324]

Aha! I don't have Leaner Legs or HSTA. So I didn't know that Cathe used them again. Glad to see so many agree with me on the greatness of those sit and stands or hover squats. I simply do not feel safe hoisting more than 40 lbs. up over my head. Somehow, I just know that I'm courting injury. And no matter how much weight I use, I never really feel like I'm doing much for my legs.

 

[nancy324]

Janice-
I don't have 20 lb. dumbbells. My heaviest are 15. Should I get them to do squats? I spend so much time with S&H doing squats and plie squats and I just don't feel a thing. It's like I hardly exercised. But with the hover squats I would reach muscle failure and know that I had actually accomplished something and it didn't even take that long. I'm not that knowledgeable, but I think I would like to see Cathe use them a bit more.

 

[Soosan]

A lot of people here use weighted vests so they don't have to hoist such heavy barbells over their heads. Might be worth checking into.

 

[40something]

Absolutely use a weighted vest if you ladies are using dumb bells that heavy. Just one mishap and you could easily have a broken foot.

And I also have to support the advice that the hover squats can be hard on your spine. I had a back injury so I'm a bit careful about exercises like that because if I try to use a really heavy barbell on my back it makes that old injury flare up. I'm fine with the weighted vest though.

 

[dss62467]

Maybe she got sick of them.

I was telling my husband pretty much the same thing about the heavy weights the other day. I increased my squat weight on the barbell to 55 lb. and felt very nervous about getting it up over my head. I told him about the weight vest that Maximus described a while ago that allows you to increase your weight load without adding it to your bar.

Well DH, being the clever guy that he is - and one who hates spending money, said, "You don't need to vest. Put some weights in a backpack." Hmmmmm....I haven't tried it yet, but I think I just might this week and see how it works. We've got TONS of backpacks hanging around the house.

 

[KathyH]

Hi Nancy! Cathe does incorporate "hover squats" in I believe its High Step Training Advanced DVD but instead of using a bb she uses a 15# db holding it horizontally. You hover an inch above your high step. Very effective using a 20# db. Whoa! You can use a 10# weight belt (that's what I do) or buy a weight vest when doing your sit n stands. That way you don't have to worry about hoisting up such a heavy bb. HTH, Kathy

 

[mogambo]

I can hoist 55 lbs over my head, but the most I ever do is 50. I put the rest in a weight vest. I do PS Legs mostly with 70 and 60 lbs total. And S/H with 70. No sense hurting yourself. Just get the vest! It's really worth it.

 

[tytbody]

I realize this is old but she said she does them for an endurance exercise. I don't have any other of her endurance. She says she does the Sit and Stand to fatigue the muscle this way. Because we don't have a spotter to get a larger amount of weight over our heads,this is the way to work that hamstring to a max. (doing the sit and stand exercise)

Also I bet to giveus some spice!.

~~TyTbody~~
Working towards Perpetual Motion