maintaining STS results

[monicapotter]

I finished STS series last week. I am too much of a fitness addict to take a week off so I have been following workouts similar to week three of Junes rotation. My first question is, how bad is it to not take the week off?

Secondly, I would like to know if following the monthly rotations will maintain the muscle definition and strength I’ve gained from STS.

Lastly, how many times a year should I do STS, I think I’m close the the maximum weight that I can lift without injury or implant rupture.

Thank you for any advice

 

[Kellyro77]

Cathe has a blog article regarding taking rest weeks. You can read that here:

https://cathe.com/the-health-and-fitness-benefits-of-taking-a-rest-week/

From the above article:

No matter how you train or how often, your muscles and brain can benefit from training breaks. Scheduling a rest week every month, or every 6 weeks, gives your muscles that recovery time and helps both muscles and brain “reboot.” You may discover that you come back stronger and your gains increase too if you do this. Taking regular breaks will also help you avoid the overtraining syndrome, the mental and physical effects of pushing your body too hard. If you develop true overtraining, you may need weeks off from working out to recover. Taking breaks preemptively can help you avoid the overtraining syndrome. If you reach that point, it can take weeks to months to recover. Regular rest can help you avoid this fate.

I've not done STS, so I'll leave it to others who've done the system to tell you their experience around maintaining their gains while doing other workouts.

I finished up the three-month XTrain rotation about three or so weeks ago, which also has an emphasis on building muscle and strength. I've just been making sure I make conscious efforts to select heavier weights when doing my non XTrain workouts. So far I've not seen any adverse affects from doing non-XTrain workouts.

On another note regarding rest weeks. You can take "active recovery" weeks, as well, so you don't lose your momentum. For me, active recovery weeks generally mean some light yoga and leisurely walks. That way I make sure I'm doing something but nothing that's really demanding of my recovering muscles.

 

[monicapotter]

thank you for responding, I had to take the last two day off (except a 2 mile walk). My wrists and back are killing me, so I see why you need a recovery week. I’ve been checking out Cathe Live stuff and I’m so excited to do something I have not done before, it keeps it interesting for me. I will try X Train next, I only own one DVD, but now I have streaming. I can’t believe the results from STS, I can do real push ups again!! I highly recommend the program. Thanks again