My STS Preview Review!!!!

BelovedHeather

BelovedHeather

Cathlete
Wow, Cathe! I am shocked and very pleasantly surprised tonight! I trusted you to create another quality workout series, but this greatly exceeds my hopes and expectations. STS is nothing like what I imagined it would be, and the YouTube clips y’all posted do not do this series justice! After previewing Mesocycle 1, Week 1, Workout 1, I am delighted to share that this workout will actually be fun! I confess that I was expecting a serious "eat my veggies" workout. I resolved that I would do this as a discipline because it would be good for me. I am ready to experience and enjoy the longer 5-month rotation now. I want to savor every moment of this amazing journey instead of rushing through it in 3 months.

Anyone who knows me can testify that I am not a weight training fan. I love cardio. I like circuit training because I enjoy the cardio breaks. I love Butts and Guts. I like Muscle Max. I love the 4-Day Split because I fill up with warm fuzzies during the cardio, which helps me through the short and sweet weight segment that follows. The only total body workout that is pure fun for me is Supersets. The workout I previewed tonight reminds me of Supersets (only better). I hate the Gym Style upper body workouts. I forced myself to do the timesaver premixes once and decided that I would rather give up my washing machine and beat my undies against a rock in the river than torture myself with those workouts again. LOL! They are too boring and serious for me. But this STS workout I previewed tonight is different! I will leave the technical reviews to the exercise science folks who are more qualified than I am to evaluate all that. I have different qualifications for a workout. Is it enjoyable and something I will look forward to again and again? Does it have good music? Is it visually inspiring? Does it motivate me to get my rear in gear and take action? Yes on all counts! It was hard for me to be still and watch this DVD tonight. I am so ready to experience it. The set is spectacular. The colors are bright and vibrant. Everything about it paints a picture of health and life. Cathe’s arms are amazing! The sound is loud and clear. The music is energizing. Cathe’s personality is warm, friendly, inspiring, and encouraging. Her personality shines through in a way that is not reflected in the YouTube clips. The total effect of all this reminds me of a DVD version of Cardio Coach for weight training. Cathe’s affirmations make me believe that I can do this! Yes, I can!

The first STS DVD is an endurance-based chest, shoulders, and biceps workouts at 60 percent of your one-rep max. (I am in awe of what is 60 percent for Cathe!) This is a moderately fast-paced workout with no down time. The running time is 50 minutes, which includes the warm-up and a few stretches at the end. The longer stretch segment is included on the DVD. I have not watched it yet. The short rest between exercises is devoted to equipment changes, so I expect this to be a good fat burner. I like that Cathe demonstrates push-up variations for beginners and intermediate exercisers. I love the music. It is not something I hear. It is something I feel. Watching this DVD makes me want to experience it. There is nothing boring about it. The whole thing is so alive! Yes, we will work hard. As Cathe says in this workout, "It is not worth it if you’re not working for it!"

I am so excited. Michele, pray me to sleep tonight. I watched this for you, and I am all wound up now! Can I burn those dreadful and depressing Gym Styles now? LOL! I am not a good review writer, so I hope this helps!

Is it Sunday yet? I am so ready to get started! If this first DVD is any indication, STS is worth the cost and worth the wait! I have a feeling that I am fixin’ to start an amazing adventure that will change more than my body. I fully intend to savor the journey every step and rep of the way! Saddle up your horses and join me if you dare!

Blessings,
Heather B.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
 
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Thanks Heather. As more detailed posts are coming in STS is sounding better and better. Gym Styles have no fun factor for me either, so your review sounds great.

Linda M.
 
Loved the "preview review"...and will be able to provide my own as well, because finally(!), STS is being delivered to me TODAY!! :eek:
 
Wow, STS sounds great. I didn't order it, but haven't ruled out getting it eventually and your review definitely makes me lean more in that direction! :)

That said, I'm a little confused as to why you'd so thoroughly diss Gym Styles in your review of STS. Besides the fact that I love those DVDs, what does your opinion of them have to do with STS really? I can see saying that you like STS much better and leaving it at that, but going on about how you "hate" GS because they are "boring", "dreadful", and "depressing" seems really harsh and doesn't add to the discussion about STS. Not trying to be hurtful or anything here; I just don't get it.

Amy
 
Heather, to be completely honest, I was not that excited about STS in general up until reading your review. I just thought - oh well, weight training.. But you made it sound so great, now I actually want to do it :) Thank you.
 
Heather, thank you for taking the time to review part of STS! I was DYING to know what it was like and now I'm even more excited!

I also LOVE the Gym Style workouts. Maybe once you toughen up with STS they will be more appealing to you to as well. ;)
 
Heather thanks so much for the preview it was very helpful. I like that you compared it to other DVD's which for me improved my frame of reference. I'm not in a hurry to receive my STS shipment because I haven't done my 1 rep max's yet but I am looking forward to building a better body over time.

BelovedHeather said:
Wow, Cathe! I am shocked and very pleasantly surprised tonight! I trusted you to create another quality workout series, but this greatly exceeds my hopes and expectations. STS is nothing like what I imagined it would be, and the YouTube clips y’all posted do not do this series justice! After previewing Mesocycle 1, Week 1, Workout 1, I am delighted to share that this workout will actually be fun! I confess that I was expecting a serious "eat my veggies" workout. I resolved that I would do this as a discipline because it would be good for me. I am ready to experience and enjoy the longer 5-month rotation now. I want to savor every moment of this amazing journey instead of rushing through it in 3 months.

Anyone who knows me can testify that I am not a weight training fan. I love cardio. I like circuit training because I enjoy the cardio breaks. I love Butts and Guts. I like Muscle Max. I love the 4-Day Split because I fill up with warm fuzzies during the cardio, which helps me through the short and sweet weight segment that follows. The only total body workout that is pure fun for me is Supersets. The workout I previewed tonight reminds me of Supersets (only better). I hate the Gym Style upper body workouts. I forced myself to do the timesaver premixes once and decided that I would rather give up my washing machine and beat my undies against a rock in the river than torture myself with those workouts again. LOL! They are too boring and serious for me. But this STS workout I previewed tonight is different! I will leave the technical reviews to the exercise science folks who are more qualified than I am to evaluate all that. I have different qualifications for a workout. Is it enjoyable and something I will look forward to again and again? Does it have good music? Is it visually inspiring? Does it motivate me to get my rear in gear and take action? Yes on all counts! It was hard for me to be still and watch this DVD tonight. I am so ready to experience it. The set is spectacular. The colors are bright and vibrant. Everything about it paints a picture of health and life. Cathe’s arms are amazing! The sound is loud and clear. The music is energizing. Cathe’s personality is warm, friendly, inspiring, and encouraging. Her personality shines through in a way that is not reflected in the YouTube clips. The total effect of all this reminds me of a DVD version of Cardio Coach for weight training. Cathe’s affirmations make me believe that I can do this! Yes, I can!

The first STS DVD is an endurance-based chest, shoulders, and biceps workouts at 60 percent of your one-rep max. (I am in awe of what is 60 percent for Cathe!) This is a moderately fast-paced workout with no down time. The running time is 50 minutes, which includes the warm-up and a few stretches at the end. The longer stretch segment is included on the DVD. I have not watched it yet. The short rest between exercises is devoted to equipment changes, so I expect this to be a good fat burner. I like that Cathe demonstrates push-up variations for beginners and intermediate exercisers. I love the music. It is not something I hear. It is something I feel. Watching this DVD makes me want to experience it. There is nothing boring about it. The whole thing is so alive! Yes, we will work hard. As Cathe says in this workout, "It is not worth it if you’re not working for it!"

I am so excited. Michele, pray me to sleep tonight. I watched this for you, and I am all wound up now! Can I burn those dreadful and depressing Gym Styles now? LOL! I am not a good review writer, so I hope this helps!

Is it Sunday yet? I am so ready to get started! If this first DVD is any indication, STS is worth the cost and worth the wait! I have a feeling that I am fixin’ to start an amazing adventure that will change more than my body. I fully intend to savor the journey every step and rep of the way! Saddle up your horses and join me if you dare!

Blessings,
Heather B.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
Click to expand...
 
Heather,

Thanks for the "preview review." And thanks to Michelle for asking you ever so nicely to preview one last night:p. I am getting even more excited to receive STS. I think tomorrow is the delivery day for me...as long as the weather holds up!

Carrie
 
Heather: Thanks for the review! It made me even more excited to get STS. It gives me something to look forward to as piles of snow accumulate outside my window. :)
 
Communicating in Writing

pixiesis said:
Besides the fact that I love those DVDs, what does your opinion of them have to do with STS really?
Click to expand...

Amy:

It is difficult to communicate in writing at times. I originally wrote this as a response to Michele’s thread in Open Discussion and decided to post it here instead. Michele and I have an ongoing joke. She hates cardio. I hate the Gym Style upper body workouts (but love Gym Style Legs). Michele and I participated in a "hate" check-in years ago, and it was a positive and funny group. We had lighthearted and humorous discussions of workouts we needed to do but did not enjoy and inspired each other to press on and find a type that we enjoyed. It was not my intent to offend anyone. When I read reviews, I like to know what kind of workouts a poster loves and hates. It gives me as a reader a good frame of reference. I also wanted to convey that I am not posting a glowing review of STS just because it is a Cathe workout. I have and love 98 percent of Cathe’s workouts, but there are a few misses for me. While the Gym Style series is one of the most popular, there are a few people out there like me who need more of a fun factor and have not ordered STS because they are expecting it to be a 3-month version of the Gym Styles. Reading that this is "better than the Gym Styles" would not inspire me to take the plunge! I took a leap of faith with this series because I love Cathe, and I am so glad! I have kept the Gym Styles in my collection because I believe they would be effective (if I could discipline myself to do them), but they have a serious dread factor for me. All this to say, it matters to me because I have been hoping and praying for a series with the effectiveness of the Gym Style and the fun factor of Supersets.

Michele, I will love the Gym Style upper body workouts the day you love Rhythmic Step! LOL!

Blessings,
Heather B.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
 
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LOVE this review! As if I wasn't already super-excited before, now I'm WAY excited and keep checking my back porch for the UPS package to magically appear. :)
 
I too love the Gymstyles but I saw nothing wrong with Heather's description. She used an exageration to express her response to them, which was meant to be funny, not to diss the workouts.

I found the comparison helpful because it allows me to compare my probable response to hers.
 
Thank you Heather for the review. I loved your humor and share your feelings re: weight workouts. I too was worried about STS being, as you say, 'eat your veggies' type of workout. Keep writing as you do - the part about beating your undies on a rock was great!

Thank you!!!
 
I loved this review, and I quite disagree, you are a FABULOUS review writer. I, too, was concerned about a 3 month Gymstyles, (which I do, but don't love,) but I, too, took the plunge because I love Cathe. I am so encouraged by this review and it has helped to re-rev my excitement about STS!

Thanks Heather!
 
Hey Michele and Heather!

BelovedHeather said:

Michele, I will love the Gym Style upper body workouts the day you love Rhythmic Step! LOL!

Blessings,
Heather B.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
Click to expand...

Hey Michele and Heather,

I thought it appropriate to chime in here and offer myself as a human bridge -- a mediator/cheerleader in your cardio-weights arguments -- a fitness diplomat, if you will. ;) I love love love love love (can you tell) the Gym Styles, all of them, and Rhythmic Step is my all-time favorite Cathe steady-state step video. :D As a matter of fact, yesterday I did GS: BSB and Rhythmic Step -- how cosmic is that??? See how well qualified I am to step in here??? :p

Heather, thanks for a wonderful STS preview. As usual, your bubbly joyousness is infectious and I can't wait for mine to arrive so I can share your experience!!!
 
Good Review

I agree with the other posters. I do not think the assessment of Gym Style was a diss to the workouts..just her overall dislike for the pain they cause her.... ;-)
 
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