Favorite mixed series rotation
- Thread starter jewels5
- Start date
ashaw
Cathlete
I've done quite a few rotations simply picking and choosing from various weeks of Cathe's monthly postings. Some of my favorites were:
Intensity Series
M- Pyramid Lower Body
T- Pyramid Upper Body
W - Imax 2
Th- Cardio & Weights
F- Pyramid Lower Body
S- Pyramid Upper Body
ICE Level 3 (with my own tweaks!)
M- Rock'm Sock'm Kickbox & Muscle Meltdown Triceps
T- To The Mat: Legs & Glutes & Muscle Meltdown Shoulders
W- Metabolic Total Body + Blizzard Blast & Muscle Meltdown Chest
Th- Low Impact Sweat & Muscle Meltdown Back
F- Chiseled Lower Body Blast + Blizzard Blast
S- Boot Camp Circuit + Blizzard Blast (Time permitting) & Muscle Meltdown Biceps
*I skipped the Icy Core because I felt like I got plenty of core during this program*
I've also done a week of Fit Split, a week of Strong & Sweaty, a week of XTrain and a week of LITE. Once I finish with STS 2.0, I do plan to go back and do a week of CTX. I was going to do a week of it in March and was only able to do Leaner Legs before my plans got upended.
Hope this helps!
jewels5
Cathlete
Thank you, ashaw! Yes that's very helpful. I agree ICE has lots of core work included.
For the Intensity Series, do you repeat each week or are you referring to just one week? That's another one of my favorites.
Thanks again
ashaw
Cathlete
You’re welcome! I did several weeks of the Intensity series and included muscle endurance and boot camp instead of cardio and weights. Muscle Endurance has a bite to it. Leave it to Cathe to make leg presses with a 10 pound plate feel like much more!
ashaw
Cathlete
I really enjoyed the 3 weeks I spent with the Intensity Series. In fact, it was hard for me to decide what to do next because of how much I enjoyed that series rotation.
What got me interested was when I read more about the backstory behind the Intensity Series, that it was inspired by the workouts that Cathe did with her students after she came back from having her 2nd baby (who's now probably in his early 20's!!!!!!!!!). All the more reason for me to dabble in this series to shake things up!
One other rotation I did that really made a difference in my arms and was a great lead in to STS 2.0 was the tank top arms rotation. I loved it because once I found the template, I could pick and choose workouts from a variety of series. The formula was like this:
Complete Upper Body
Complete Lower Body
Biceps, Triceps & Shoulders
Cardio
Total Body Weights
Cardio
On the Bi's, Tri's and Shoulders, I realized that STS Meso 3 has the body parts exactly in that order so that took care of 4 weeks of rotation already. I think I also used muscle meltdowns and XTrain burn sets for that purpose. I want to say that I did about 2 months of that rotation and the variety was almost endless. I was going to use STS2.0 in that fashion, but my curiosity got the best of me and I had to join in with everyone else!
Ok, ashaw, you got me curious
So, as soon as I finish my current "schedule", I am going to do a week of workouts following your Tank Top Arms Rotation! I'm planning on keeping my workouts to the 30-35 min. range using dvds, blender, & CatheLive. The 2 Cardio days will be on my treadmill, rower, or elliptical or an indoor walk workout. That's yet TBD. I'm gonna add for the 7th day (Sunday) if I start it on a Monday, an abs, mobility & stretch blender, which I need to "whip" up!Following the above,
Mon- Perfect Pump Upper Body dvd - about 30 min.
Tues- CatheLive Fast & Fierce Lower Body - 29 min.
Wed- Blender- "Totally STS: Shoulders, Biceps & Triceps" - 33 min,
Thurs- Cardio - TBD
Friday- STS 2 Super Sets dvd- Premix: Express # 3- Total Body Single Super Set- 35 min.
Sat. - Cardio - TBD
Sun- Blender- "Abs, Recovery, Mobility & Stretch" ( gotta blend this one,
ETA: just blended it, it is 30 min.Kind of excited to try the above, thanks for bringing up that rotation again!
Last edited:
ashaw
Cathlete
I love that rotation you put together! Perfect Pump Upper Body and the bonus is one of my all time favorites. Ramped up Upper body from strong and sweaty is tough too. Strong body stacked sets lower from LITE is another good little lower body program.Ok, ashaw, you got me curious
Following the above,
Mon- Perfect Pump Upper Body dvd - about 30 min.
Tues- CatheLive Fast & Fierce Lower Body - 29 min.
Wed- Blender- "Totally STS: Shoulders, Biceps & Triceps" - 33 min,
Thurs- Cardio - TBD
Friday- STS 2 Super Sets dvd- Premix: Express # 3- Total Body Single Super Set- 35 min.
Sat. - Cardio - TBD
Sun- Blender- "Abs, Recovery, Mobility & Stretch" ( gotta blend this one,
Kind of excited to try the above, thanks for bringing up that rotation again!
I miss my elliptical. I had an Octane Fitness and it was a wonderful machine. I loved the adjustable stride length because it came pretty darn close to replicating a running motion.
Enjoy that rotation, that sounds like a good one. I’m still gonna do that week of CTX that got delayed. After I’m done with STS 2.0, I want to revisit old Cathe favorites.
I am wondering how I'll get along with it...it will be next week or the week after....I still have
things already planned before I try it.......I am so used to doing a little something cardio
usually each day, so I am not sure how I will like just 2 days of strictly cardio, we'll see.
But I like the workouts I have planned....
things already planned before I try it.......I am so used to doing a little something cardio
usually each day, so I am not sure how I will like just 2 days of strictly cardio, we'll see.
But I like the workouts I have planned....
ashaw
Cathlete
I totally understand on the cardio thing. When I got serious about heavy lifting it was hard for me to back off of cardio, but then I realized just how much weight training can get the heart rate up. Plus, Luca gets 2 walks a day, so that's still movement!
This morning after doing the Shoulders no repeats premix, I quickly realized that I loved the exercises and wanted more and decided to make a total quick change of plans. I'm going to finish out the week with Slow & Heavy Chest & Back and Biceps & Triceps because legs and shoulders are done and then jump back to STS 2.0 doing the CTX-ish flow for the body parts: Chest, Back, Legs, Shoulders, Biceps, and Triceps. I think that's the order someone posted on the forum years back. It means a week without cardio, but I'd rather have longer strength workouts and no cardio. I can do that for a week! One set just isn't enough and when I get back to shoulders next week, I can always back off the weights for subsequent sets to keep it safe for me.
I like your rotation and the creative approach to mixing in Live and custom blended workouts!
Thanks, I planned out a second week just in case the first one does ok...
Mon- STS2 TriSets Premix - Express #4- Sgl. Tri Set Upper Body onlly- 30 m
Tues- CatheLive Burn Sets: Express Legs-Heavy Weights- 35 m
Wed- Blender- RWH Biceps, Triceps & Shoulders- 30 m.
Thurs- 30 m Elliptical workout
Fri- Giant Sets Total Body- Premix- Express # 2- Bilateral Only- 32m.
Sat.- 20 m Rowing/Bodyweight Workout & 10m. Leslie Walk
Sun- Blender- Floor Abs with Yoga Stretch- 25 m