First timer questions

[Vkerwin]

HI Ladies, I am pretty sure Santa is bringing me STS this Christmas, and I am so pumped. I have had my eye on it for awhile. I have a million questions though, so here are a few to start. First I have a barbell but no plates. How heavy of a barbell do you typically use? I am not sure how heavy of plates I need to buy. Also, how often do I do my 1RM test? Obviously I do it before I start the program, but do I need to redo it before the second and third phase? Thanks in advance for your responses. I am sure I am going to think of more ...

 

[marazoe]

Hi Vkerwin. Congrats on wanting to start STS. I am on my 5th time.

In reference to the plates for the barbell , it depends on how strong you are. I have the barbell Cathe and crew uses and it comes with 40 lbs of plates. I also have some other plates I can add to the bar.


Troy Lite Workout System À Aerobic Weighted Bars À Fitness First

You might want to price out a new set at like Kmart or Walmart and see if it is cheaper than buying individual plates.

You really only need to do the 1rms one time. After you put your numbers into the w/o manager , it will automatically increase the weight you need for each Meso. You might have to do a little tweaking along the way. Cathe says that if you want to use dumb bells instead of a barbell that is o.k..

Also if you read some of the threads on this STS forum a lot of your questions will probably be answered.

You could also join one of the check in groups. They seem to make you more accountable and are always there to answer any questions. Everyone is very nice.

I hope this helps and let us know if you have any more questions.

Jean

 

[mmis29]

hi and welcome to sts! i am on the tail end of meso 2 and love it.

how heavy you need to go really depends on your abilities and goals. i have had the troy lite set for around 10 years now, and i am just about to outgrow it. the capacity is around 80 lbs which is much heavier than i need for upper body at this point, but not heavy enough for me to effectively do lower body and get the most out of the system. for reference, i am not a super advanced exerciser.

thinking back, i would never ever have thought i'd need something more than what the troy lite can provide. in retrospect, i wish i'd have gotten something with a heavier capacity than the troy lite. i do love the 5' length; its convenient for working out in a small space without feeling like you're going to hit everything. i also really like the spring lock collars, super easy.

in terms of other equipment, i have up to 30# dumbbells and i am about to purchase 35# and 40# pairs in prep for meso 3. i also just bought the valor bd-9 squat stands since the cathe tower is no longer available, and benching 60# is just not very safe when you have to hoist it up and figure out how to get it back down to the floor from a lying position.

you will also need a step with a number of risers per side, or a weight bench to do lying exercises. you will also need a band, a stability ball, and tubing. and something to do pull ups from...cathe tower, squat stands with a barbell that has enough capacity to hold your weight, pull up bar for a door frame or the modified method of using the tubing. i believe cathe's tubing on the shop.cathe.com site comes with the piece needed to do that.

seems like a lot of stuff but this program is so awesome it is totally worth it. happy shopping and good luck with sts!

 

[Vkerwin]

Thanks for your replies! This gives me an idea of how heavy to go on my barbell. Thanks ladies!

 

[Vkerwin]

I have another question about the one rep max. Logistically how did you complete it? I am thinking the best way to do it would be to try to complete it over a two week period alternating different arm moves with several leg moves every other day. So like day one I would do a couple bicep moves, a couple tricep moves, and a couple of shoulder moves etc. then day 2 do a couple leg moves with a couple chest and back moves. Then day 3 back to biceps and triceps and shoulders etc. day 4 back to legs, back, and chest etc. until you have made it through all of the moves. If this isn't similar to what you have done can you please share with me how you did it.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Gibbee]

I did this program a couple years ago bug I tested only the 4 and. 5 started exercises to save time. I also did them kind of as workouts or add-ones to workouts.