How different is the STS to P90X?

P

powerann

New Member
I have been doing the P90X program for a year now and need a change yet keeping the routine. Is STS similar or very different?
 
powerann said:
I have been doing the P90X program for a year now and need a change yet keeping the routine. Is STS similar or very different?
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Hopefully someone more familiar with STS can answer your question better, but I'm really glad I have STS!

I'm only on my second week of STS, but I love it. There are things in P90X that helped me prepare for both STS Strength and Cardio: especially pullups/chinups for STS Strength and Ab Ripper X and Core Synergistics for STS Cardio.

I got really tired of P90X towards the end--I was sooooo ready to be done. I don't see that happening with STS, as each strength workout is different. I think the varying intensity of STS Cardio fits in so well with STS Strength, and I can also easily substitute running when I want. I'm wondering at this point if I ever want to do P90X again. I think I will, but only as a 1-month rotation and not the whole 90 day rotation.
 
my opinion

powerann said:
I have been doing the P90X program for a year now and need a change yet keeping the routine. Is STS similar or very different?
Click to expand...

I'm at the end of STS and saw the commercials for P90X and thought it was way too intense. Where do you go from there? I would def take a week or two off to do lighter cardio and yoga and stop the weights to give you body a rest. But as far as STS, I think it's a more gradual progression to peak performance. The 1st meso cycle was more endurance type workouts with lots of push ups and pull ups and chin ups and such. But I have to say it built up my strength to perform heavier weights in the later meso cycles. Also, the muscle confusion is really tricking my muscles and they don't know what is coming next. I never did P90X but for me, I think you'd like STS. You can see bits of it on you tube to see if you like how it. - Autumn
 
Hi! I have P90X, but never managed to go far into it, because Tony Horton annoys me too much! I don't actually think it's harder than STS (the Yoga and Plyo legs are the hardest, but in my opinion, if you can do Cathe's workouts, you can definitely do P90X. Tony talks a lot, doesn't do all the repetitions and walks around, joking a lot. After a couple of times of watching the program, it gets REALLY annoying! I personally don't like workouts where the instructor doesn't do all the work (like Jillian) or has bad form (like Jari Love in her latest DVDs). That is definitely never a problem with Cathe! I've now finished Meso 1 and find it excellent. I am enjoying every minute of it... Good luck with your choice!

Sandra
 
You know, hearing what Sandra said it sounds like the Barry's Bootcamp I got a really good deal on and bought .... I hate it. He doesn't do all the reps, walks around and points at the girls buts, he is annoying. He just creaps me out. I do use the bands it came with, but that's it. I might give it to someone who it doesn't annoy so much. After doing Cathe's workouts, it hard to find the same quality and seriousness if you can call it that...I only think the Firm is just as good in different ways. I don't get a good weight w/o with Firm's but I do get a good cardio and cross train with them. - Autumn
 
www.cathedownloads.com is the best place to see part of the videos. I now download everything, it's cheaper and you get your workout rightaway (I downloaded STS). It lets you see about 10 minutes of the workout, which is a good indication of what is in it.
 
?

SandraGau said:
www.cathedownloads.com is the best place to see part of the videos. I now download everything, it's cheaper and you get your workout rightaway (I downloaded STS). It lets you see about 10 minutes of the workout, which is a good indication of what is in it.
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so do you workout with your computer screen? Or do you have an adapter to hook up the computer to the TV and watch the w/o on the tv screen?
I was wondering about that.
Also, could you download it to an ipod type of thing and listen to follow along at a gym? Just curious. - autumn
 
Hi Autumn,

I initially downloaded them on my iPod classic and got a video adaptor to connect my iPod to my TV, but since then, I've changed setup. I have a 500 Gb portable external harddrive (each workout is about 700 mb, so all of Cathe's workout library X 10 can fit on it I think) which I connect to a little box sold by the same company as my hard drive. This box is connected to my TV with an HDMI cable. The box actually comes with a remote, it makes everything really easy.

Here are links to my exact harddrive and box.
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=701
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=734

I hope this helps, it works really great for me!

Sandra
 
Interesting! Technology still amazes me. Thanks for sharing the info, it is something I'm thinking of doing for future workouts.
Autumn
 
Hi, I've completed 2 rounds or so of STS Strength rotations. I recently bought P90X and I like it but I wish it had more leg work, and more cardio. I'm finishing up week 10 of P90X tomorrow (with two weeks left to complete my 90 days), and I like to implement some STS Shock Cardio's for extra cardio and the shorter times make it nice. I also use from Cathe's Body Blast series Legs and Glutes or Butts and Guts using the floor work only premixes no abs. That seems to round it out well for me.

As far as differences between P90X and STS I'd say that STS is way harder and has more variety in the strength training( there are way more discs and more alternate muscle group workouts and geared to achieve different results) and is focused on building strength more so than P90X. P90X approach is on gaining overall fitness and leaning you out. I'm enjoying P90X but I think STS spoiled me since I like to do more leg work. I will say I have never been much for pushups, pull ups, or chin ups but P90X is big on them and they really do work the back and lat muscles really well. I'm getting stronger on push ups too, and I can do pull ups with chair assist where as before not at all. In conclusion they are both great and I'm happy I have them both to use for rotations to change up my workouts. I did purchase P90X+ and later use Insanity. I do like intense cardio like Cathe's HiiT offers and love strength training, and let's face it Cathe's the best! I think variety keeps it interesting. I would say for straight strength training STS is the way to go hands down. P90X has a couple of cardio workouts, several strength workouts, abs, Yoga, and a stretch DVD, 12 in all. STS has 40 Discs including the STS ABS which is awesome in variety. STS and P90X really are focused on achieveing different things, both are good, just different so it depends on what you want. I'd say if someone's never done STS that P90X is a great way to get ready for STS. Its all good and I like and appreciate the variety in my workouts to keep things fresh and fun.

I like both P90X and STS, I say have fun with both or either one!;):)

Hugs!;)

Nora
 
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I think P90x is a great warm up for STS. I did P90x for a year when I moved into my home. STS had not come out yet, and there was no gym anywhere near where I lived. I refused to get fat, so I got P90x. It was great for that year, but I was soooo relieved when STS came out and I was able to do something different. I really think that STS is a better workout. I did the 3 month rotation first, and I didn't think it was that hard, so I started doing the 6 month rotations, and WOW!! P90x can't compete.
 
I'm a lurker on these forums, but I had to chime in on this one. I have done STS and was working on going through it a second time with Shock Cardio when the P90X infomercial finally sucked me in. I have only done four of the workouts, but so far I am dissapointed. The commercial makes it sound so intimidating and hardcore! Not that they aren't good, tough workouts.... I just expected they would be more challenging than STS. I am trying to commit myself to the full 90 days, but (with my Cathe library looking at me the whole time) I wonder if I will be able to stick with it.
 
I have tried both

I have both sets and to be honest P90X is soooo much easier than STS, especially if you incorporate the cardio with the rotation. I would often substitute Cathe Cardio on P90X cardio days. Also there is not enough leg routine in P90X. Now Insanity on the other hand is waaaayyyy harder, but it is for different goals. I would incorporate STS and insanity together before STS cardio came out and I felt very fatigued. I have made tremendous gains with STS strength and cardio. This is the best combination.:D
 
Hi,

I agree with the sentiments others have stated that P90X is a great warm up to STS, STS is way harder and now has the wonderful addition of Shock cardio to add in the rotations to get a truly balanced workout. STS is way harder and much more focused on specific muscles and groups of them. STS aims to make you stronger and leaner. P90X's aim is to help you gain overall fitness. I'm doing P90X finishing up week 11 this week, I gather now there are 13 weeks in all. Its good for what it is designed to do and for a very general group and fitness level. Cathe's are targeted for more advanced and serious home exercisers. I don't think you can really even compare P90X to STS, if you did I'd say STS is the tougher more extensive one of the two. However, P90X is a great way to get into shape prior to STS.

I got P90X as a early Christmas Present for hubby and myself. He's just finally started getting into P90X he's in week 3. He likes it and he doesn't workout, so its doable for him and a lot of guys aren't likely to try a workout lead by a woman. I know that's sexist and stupid and I agree that it is. My DH watched the first disc of Meso 1 of STS and He was dumb founded at the excellent form and instructional quality and the weights Cathe and crew were lifting. :p LOL!! He said, he needed to work up to that but does want to do it. So, that's why I got P90X, and now my teenage son is doing P90X as a supplement to overall fitness to his training for track. He's surprised at how intense it can be. So, that's all good. I did get P90X+ as well so I'm wanting to try that out and I have Insanity too! I still need to finish up with P90X first, but its fun to have lots of variety and rotations to choose from and I always love Cathe's monthly rotations too!

I hope that helps.

Hugs!

Nora
 
i am doing sts right now and loving it.next insanity,then p90x,p90x+(one month)whatever one i do i miss the other.they are all great!

laura
 
What matters is which one are you going to enjoy more.

STS: Variety, lots of form pointers, fun cardio-if you include the Shock cardio in your rotation (step/intervals/core cardio/MMA), Cathe does the whole workout, professionnal throughout. Very little "humour", quite serious but encouraging.

P90X: Less variety, less form pointers, less intensive cardio and not very varied (plyo, kenpo, core cardio), Tony doesn't do the whole workout himself. But if you like the macho / humour and you have fun doing it, that's all that matters.

I did 1 round of P90X and couldn't wait to be finished. Can't say I'll ever stop doing STS!!
 
I'm so glad I read this; I was watching the infomercial this morning before work and almost got sucked in...until I realized who Tony Horton was. I recognized him from those 10-min workouts that my mom does and he annoys me soooooooo much! I can't even imagine spending days upon days working out "with" him. I love STS and absolutely love the variety since I have the attention span of a gnat, so I made the right decision.

Thanks for all the advice!!
 
P90X vs STS

I have been working out with Cathe for over 10 years. I love almost all of her workouts - especially strength ones. It is true, I get bored with Cathe workouts if I only do them in a week and crave for something different. In 2006, I was introduced to P90X and I must admit I was sold on the "muscle confusion" idea! Not only was I sold, I became a huge P90X fan (I don't love all the products from Beachbody).

I recently purchased STS from Craigslist because I was not impressed with it when Cathe announced it in 2008. To me, it looked too much like P90X. Those were my initial thoughts at least. But, after reading some of the reviews at this forum, I decided to try it (this year). I mean, it is Cathe's product after all. She had yet to fail me.

So I did. I purchased STS strength from craigslist and STS cardio from advanceworkout. I started week 1 STS last week. And I am disappointed to say that—so far—I am not impressed with STS strenght at all!

The music is boring. The eye candy (hired or not) are a waste of space. There is nothing - absolutely nothing to motivate me to work hard. I was so looking forward to Meso 1 Legs yesterday and the whole workout turned out to be blah ... I didn't feel a single burn never mind burn..burn... burn that I get from Cathe's BodyMax 2, Push/Pull and Drill Max workout. So far - I am very disappointed with STS Strength because I actually felt more burn from Kelly Coffee Meyer's New You Coming and 30 Minute Weights ($5.00 Cdn from my local Winners!) than from week 1 of STS.

But - that's me. Everyone has their opinion - quite rightly. And I just think that people who bash P90X are either "slash my wrist" kinds of Cathe fans or they just don't understand what P90X is all about.

Granted, Tony Horton is annoying as hell with his constant chatter - but in STS, I found Cathe to be equally annoying. But - that's besides the point. STS and P90X are two different workouts. The idea is the same - call it whatever you want, "muscle confusion" or "periodization" - the idea is the same.

The only reason I decided to purchase STS was because it was Cathe's product and because it promised "a different workout every week". Well, if week 1 is any indication, then I will never find out how different the future workouts would be because I am not motivated to spend any more time with STS without the burn!

I was hoping I would be super sore a couple of days later. And I was, for like 1 hr a day the next day after the first DVD. Since then - nothing! I am actually wondering if I should simply skip Meso 1 and to to Meso 3 directly (for gains).

It is also true that it took Cathe years (after P90X) to come up with STS - and some of us who enjoy P90X can clearly see it is because of a P90X - STS was created (no harm done - Cathe is entitled to give her fans something similar). But to say that P90X is a nice "warm up" for STS - to me - and I am only speaking for myself is out right preposterous!

Preposterous for 2 reasons. (i) not everyone is lifting at the same level - so if you are anything like me and can lift 25# to work on your biceps then P90X is NOT going to be easy! People who are finding it a "nice warm up" are probably lifting lighter weights than they should. Every lifting workout is as light or as intense as the weights you lift - so claiming P90X is warm up is just ignorant! (2) P90X has helped a lot of people - maybe not hard core Catheletes because they just don't want to give credit where due - but to "bully" a program just because it is not from Cathe is plain preposterous!

I am only one week 1 into STS and am STILL hoping things will pick up because I have been a Cathe fan for over 10 years - and still brag about her on my blog - all the time. But despite that, STS has failed me. If STS hasn't roped me in, in the first week - I don't know what else Cathe could do to keep me coming back to workout with STS Strength.

I am just finding this workout very unnecessary—almost a waste of time. It could be because I am stronger thanks to P90X (and of course Cathe's earlier programs like 4 Day Split which is one of my absolute favourite!). It could be because I am just not enjoying the music on STS. Then again, it could be because STS Strength failed to connect with me.

If you are considering STS then all I can say is TRY IT. Don't listen to people because every program works differently for every one. Just because I love P90X over STS doesn't mean you will too. And just because someone thinks P90X is a warm up for STS doesn't mean you will find STS a more intense workout than P90X.

Try it. There is nothing wrong with purchasing open box product to try it (ask SNM - they may have some returns and they will sell it to you for a discount). I used someone else's copy of P90X for 2 full years before I decided to purchase my own copy in 2008. I did the same with Beachbody Insanity - used open-box for a couple of months and then purchased a full copy from shoptv canada this year.
 
This was a very informative thread. I have STS, P90X, and Insanity. Right now, due to having re-gained some of my weight back, and needing to shed fat, I am doing a 4-week upper/lower body split program for that purpose (and of course EATING CLEANer!), and am considering what to do next.

I decided to first do a 12-week P90X/Insanity program that one of the Team Beachbody coaches came up with, and follow that with STS. I have not purchased the entire STS Shock Cardio program, but I DO love the HIIT DVD. One thing I found about Insanity is that it is SO intense, and improved my cardiovascular ability so much that previous tapes that used to challenge me (e.g., the older TaeBo workouts), now merely provide a low-intensity workout.

I agree with those who say they wish that P90X had more lower-body! I really DO love Cathe's 4-day split - the lower body section was VERY challenging!

My goal is to lose fat, while preservng muscle, and then once I get down to about 20% bodyfat, I'd like to improve my muscle definition. Getting down to 10% or less bodyfat is NOT what I want to achieve.

If someone has any input on whether I'm headed in the right direction, please let me know. Thanks.

Cynthia

cheznaz said:
I have been working out with Cathe for over 10 years. I love almost all of her workouts - especially strength ones. It is true, I get bored with Cathe workouts if I only do them in a week and crave for something different. In 2006, I was introduced to P90X and I must admit I was sold on the "muscle confusion" idea! Not only was I sold, I became a huge P90X fan (I don't love all the products from Beachbody).

I recently purchased STS from Craigslist because I was not impressed with it when Cathe announced it in 2008. To me, it looked too much like P90X. Those were my initial thoughts at least. But, after reading some of the reviews at this forum, I decided to try it (this year). I mean, it is Cathe's product after all. She had yet to fail me.

So I did. I purchased STS strength from craigslist and STS cardio from advanceworkout. I started week 1 STS last week. And I am disappointed to say that—so far—I am not impressed with STS strenght at all!

The music is boring. The eye candy (hired or not) are a waste of space. There is nothing - absolutely nothing to motivate me to work hard. I was so looking forward to Meso 1 Legs yesterday and the whole workout turned out to be blah ... I didn't feel a single burn never mind burn..burn... burn that I get from Cathe's BodyMax 2, Push/Pull and Drill Max workout. So far - I am very disappointed with STS Strength because I actually felt more burn from Kelly Coffee Meyer's New You Coming and 30 Minute Weights ($5.00 Cdn from my local Winners!) than from week 1 of STS.

But - that's me. Everyone has their opinion - quite rightly. And I just think that people who bash P90X are either "slash my wrist" kinds of Cathe fans or they just don't understand what P90X is all about.

Granted, Tony Horton is annoying as hell with his constant chatter - but in STS, I found Cathe to be equally annoying. But - that's besides the point. STS and P90X are two different workouts. The idea is the same - call it whatever you want, "muscle confusion" or "periodization" - the idea is the same.

The only reason I decided to purchase STS was because it was Cathe's product and because it promised "a different workout every week". Well, if week 1 is any indication, then I will never find out how different the future workouts would be because I am not motivated to spend any more time with STS without the burn!

I was hoping I would be super sore a couple of days later. And I was, for like 1 hr a day the next day after the first DVD. Since then - nothing! I am actually wondering if I should simply skip Meso 1 and to to Meso 3 directly (for gains).

It is also true that it took Cathe years (after P90X) to come up with STS - and some of us who enjoy P90X can clearly see it is because of a P90X - STS was created (no harm done - Cathe is entitled to give her fans something similar). But to say that P90X is a nice "warm up" for STS - to me - and I am only speaking for myself is out right preposterous!

Preposterous for 2 reasons. (i) not everyone is lifting at the same level - so if you are anything like me and can lift 25# to work on your biceps then P90X is NOT going to be easy! People who are finding it a "nice warm up" are probably lifting lighter weights than they should. Every lifting workout is as light or as intense as the weights you lift - so claiming P90X is warm up is just ignorant! (2) P90X has helped a lot of people - maybe not hard core Catheletes because they just don't want to give credit where due - but to "bully" a program just because it is not from Cathe is plain preposterous!

I am only one week 1 into STS and am STILL hoping things will pick up because I have been a Cathe fan for over 10 years - and still brag about her on my blog - all the time. But despite that, STS has failed me. If STS hasn't roped me in, in the first week - I don't know what else Cathe could do to keep me coming back to workout with STS Strength.

I am just finding this workout very unnecessary—almost a waste of time. It could be because I am stronger thanks to P90X (and of course Cathe's earlier programs like 4 Day Split which is one of my absolute favourite!). It could be because I am just not enjoying the music on STS. Then again, it could be because STS Strength failed to connect with me.

If you are considering STS then all I can say is TRY IT. Don't listen to people because every program works differently for every one. Just because I love P90X over STS doesn't mean you will too. And just because someone thinks P90X is a warm up for STS doesn't mean you will find STS a more intense workout than P90X.

Try it. There is nothing wrong with purchasing open box product to try it (ask SNM - they may have some returns and they will sell it to you for a discount). I used someone else's copy of P90X for 2 full years before I decided to purchase my own copy in 2008. I did the same with Beachbody Insanity - used open-box for a couple of months and then purchased a full copy from shoptv canada this year.
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