New to STS

[Kellyro77]

I was reassuring myself today, thinking about all the push-ups, that I can do them just one day a week for four weeks. It's not forever... but I'm sure it's gonna feel like forever when I'm in the middle of them.

Thanks for the heads up on the band alternatives for the chin/pull-ups!

 

[aqua girl]

It's not just the drop sets, it's the fact that there are so many types of pushups!

Kind of reminds me of all the different kind of shrimp in the movie Forrest Gump…
”there’s standard push-ups, wide push-ups, narrow push-ups, staggered push-ups,
around the clock pushups, Bootcamp style push-ups, drop set push-ups, 21’s push-ups.
prone push-ups, decline push-ups, straddle push-ups, core push-ups, close grip push-ups, seesaw push-ups, crossover push-ups, pyramid up push-ups……..

 

[Kellyro77]

I'm getting kinda nervous with these 1RM tests... lol. I'm finding I'm stronger than I think, which means that it appears for a lot of my workouts in the past, I've typically been working in my 60-70% range - and I thought THAT was challenging.

From doing these tests alone, I can already see how this system has made such a huge difference for people over the years, because I know it's going to push me into far heavier weights down the line.

 

[nickisteen]

Even though I have the bars & Tower, I most always do the anchored band options for
chinups or pull-ups. If I do the other, I usually use the FitTower…for me, I find I like
them better with the tower, rather than the bars.

I like the band options. I do on my knees also

 

[Kellyro77]

I'm seeing partially why I've held off on the original STS for so long - it's all the preparation work necessary for this series. The 1RM tests are fundamental, but holy crap, it's a slog.

I'm making it a point to only do one body part max per day of 1RM testing with good rest before I move on to the next body part, as I'm sure that 1RM test is ideally done when you're fresh and not fatigued from previous exercises.

So, for instance, today I'm going to do all upper body 1RM testing, which means I'll do back, chest, biceps, triceps, and shoulders. Just one exercise for each (ie: I'm not going to do bench press and then later chest flys).

I've so far knocked out 28 exercises, but good grief I still have a long way to go.

I was initially prioritizing exercises showing up in Meso 1 since I'll be experiencing those first. Still have quite a few left to do, but I'm now shifting over to prioritizing the 4- and 5-star exercises.

I'm also not sure how much more time I should bother with the lower body exercises since I don't have a squat rack and therefore will be doing plyo legs when that comes up. (I've completed the 1RM for the primary LB exercises: squats, lunges, deadlifts, and calves, at least.)

Just glad I've got this LMRE rotation that I wanted to complete first before jumping in to STS. Nice thing is the LMRE workouts are mostly light to moderate weights so I'm not totally burning myself out with heavy weight work following the 1RM tests. (And I do the 1RM tests after doing the warmup from any given LMRE workout before I jump in and do the whole workout, if that makes any sense.)

How long did it take you STS veterans to complete all your 1RM tests?

Also, after you completed STS in whole, did you re-do your 1RM tests to gauge improvements? And if you do STS regularly, do you do all the 1RM tests again before you start STS again?

 

[FitSaxe]

How long did it take you STS veterans to complete all your 1RM tests?

Also, after you completed STS in whole, did you re-do your 1RM tests to gauge improvements? And if you do STS regularly, do you do all the 1RM tests again before you start STS again?

Before doing 1 rep max, I already wrote down the weight on each workout card for lifting program. All of them. So it took me few hours Saturday and Sunday to fully test and encode the weight selection on workout manager.

During the entire program, I amended the weight while moving forward. I also printed the full workout sheet and amended the weight. I recorded the actual lifed-weight and encoded on the workout manager.

Next time I redo it, all I need to do is go from what is recorded on workout manager. Voilà

Take care

 

[Kellyro77]

Discovered there's really no way around it - I really need something like the FitTower in order to do barbell bench presses. Tried with no success to heft a barbell from the floor across my torso to do some 1RM testing of an incline bench press yesterday. Just was not going to happen unless I wanted to really risk injuring myself. Might have been a little more possible if I were lying flat.

I posted this in another thread in Open Discussion where a gal was looking to purchase a used FitTower.

Since I was looking for one, too, I couldn't find one online, but I came across this Lifeline Fitness Exer Tower which looks like it's almost exactly the same, just with different branding and paint.

Putting this out there in case anyone else out there is looking for something similar.

Reason #3 why I was reluctant to get into STS - additional equipment cluttering up my space. Sigh.

 

[FitSaxe]

Reason #3 why I was reluctant to get into STS - additional equipment cluttering up my space. Sigh.

With everything happening now : dvd production being phased out and fitness gear being discontinued, I am happy I invested in a Fit tower way back when it was released. I need to pull out and mount mine. I could pull out my squat rack instead.

Hope you find a good tower to embark on your rotation safely. I think you will enjoy STS making the investment a worthwhile decision. All the best.

 

[FitSaxe]

Since I was looking for one, too, I couldn't find one online, but I came across this Lifeline Fitness Exer Tower which looks like it's almost exactly the same, just with different branding and paint.

This look very similar to Cathe tower. Very good alternative.

 

[Kellyro77]

you can also put your barbell on it for hip thrusts, using your bench set up near, making it easier to get heavier weight on/off you hips.

Haha - yes, I was thinking that, too. I was "cheating" and using my risers (three on each side) to set myself up to do the heavier hip thrusts (I do them on my stability ball, so no need to worry about not having the risers under my step). The exer tower will definitely be useful there.

 

[Kellyro77]

Ha ha, I don't think that's "cheating" - I think it's innovative. If you are considering that exer tower, you might consider Cathe's FitTower dvds. The TB and Bootcamp ones are not very hard, but something different. However, I strongly endorse the Glutes, Legs & Core one. I really feel it for glute work - it's endurance work for sure but I think a nice alternative and counter balance to heavy weight work.

ETA: And the LIS Turbo Tower dvd for the LB premix.

Oh you're such an enabler. (Okay, you didn't know I was trying to not spend more money, to be fair, lol).

I detest barre, so probably won't go for the LIS workout - but I did go ahead and buy all the Fit Tower series - I'd never looked at them before since, of course, I was thinking I'd never buy the Fit Tower. Those workouts all look pretty enjoyable, actually - and will help me feel a little more like I'm getting my money's worth out of this exer tower purchase.

I've spent a crazy amount of money in the last couple of months now with this clearance sale and getting myself set up for a successful run at STS. (I also purchased a small little bluetooth speaker to use in my workout area to supplement the music in STS. Reason #4 I didn't want STS was because the music just wasn't very appealing to me. Happy to see that they did a fantastic job of making a vocals-only sound experience for the series, though. I even spent time setting up a playlist with music I know I'll enjoy.)

 

[Kellyro77]

Since dvds are going out, I'd rather have them with the premixes than have to buy a download later at higher prices and no chaptering or premixes.

Agree - also, I've not really tried it, but I doubt downloads have the special audio options. Grr, so bummed DVDs going away. I know OnDemand "solves" all of those, but I'm still not keen on subbing to streaming and dealing with random lag or drops right in the middle of my workouts.

 

[FitSaxe]

iscovered there's really no way around it - I really need something like the FitTower in order to do barbell bench presses. Tried with no success to heft a barbell from the floor across my torso to do some 1RM testing of an incline bench press yesterday. Just was not going to happen unless I wanted to really risk injuring myself. Might have been a little more possible if I were lying flat.

For Barbell chest press, there is indeed to way around it. You are right. Especially going all the way from meso 1 to meso 3.

Should you go ahead and purchase the tower you have recently shared, you could use it for more than Barbell chest press.

The list of what you could do can get long. Now if you are a barre queen you could have fun with it! One could use it to improve balance by improving side kick and static chamber kick. There is a way to make the most of this piece of equipment.

• Hip thrust, racking and un-racking the barbell
• Glute bridges.
• Deadlift --- targetting the back mainly.
• Barbell Rows.
• Pull ups --- Variations.
• Stretches.

Dip is also another exercice to add to the list.

 

[Kellyro77]

So an update from my message to CS about the User's Guide not being included. They told me that I was supposed to order them as a "bundle". Well, there wasn't a "bundle" option on the site when I ordered all three Mesocycles.

I sat on their email for a while, weighing if I wanted to put any more energy into it.

Decided the least I can do is ask, so I messaged them this morning telling them there was no "bundle" option on the site when I ordered the series, so asking if they could make an exception.

We'll see.

I mean, if they're completely out of Meso 1 right now, that means no one would be getting the hard copy users guide, and maybe they've now got a big stack of them sitting there going nowhere because there's no bundle option.

 

[FitSaxe]

So an update from my message to CS about the User's Guide not being included. They told me that I was supposed to order them as a "bundle". Well, there wasn't a "bundle" option on the site when I ordered all three Mesocycles.

I sat on their email for a while, weighing if I wanted to put any more energy into it.

Decided the least I can do is ask, so I messaged them this morning telling them there was no "bundle" option on the site when I ordered the series, so asking if they could make an exception.

We'll see.

I mean, if they're completely out of Meso 1 right now, that means no one would be getting the hard copy users guide, and maybe they've now got a big stack of them sitting there going nowhere because there's no bundle option.

Sorry to hear you could not get the hard copy. I think if you ask CS would instead suggest the ebook.

I would be very surprised if there was any stack of hard copy "getting nowhere".

Bundle, pack of 3 meso being out of stock, no one is entitled to a free user guide. That is the initial term and condition. Hard copies are just no longer part of the stock.

IMHO what happened is the stock inventory. Bundles were out of stock therefore did not appear in the cart.
Hope you get at least an ebook.

 

[Kellyro77]

I'm almost through all my 1RM testing. Whew. I've got a lot that have yet to finish - mostly leg exercises - in part because I saw some comments from others who've done the series saying that their legs really bulked up in a way they didn't care for. So, I'm going to take legs a little less intensely. Partially, also, because I won't be doing the squat rack exercises in Meso 3.

As I've been prepping, I've been downloading the cards and inputting them into Numbers so I can track things while I work out (don't have a printer, so will need to enter data on my tablet).

I'm currently entering Meso 3 data and I've gotta say I'm a bit boggled seeing that I could potentially be doing 45lb chest flys by this stage at 85%. I mean... um... whaaaaattt?? Holy cow.

I understand my results may be different, too - just depends on what the rest of my progression looks like in Mesos 1 & 2.

Anyone else find themselves surprised when reviewing the weights they're ideally going to be using when they were checking their Meso 3 cards?

 

[FitSaxe]

I'm currently entering Meso 3 data and I've gotta say I'm a bit boggled seeing that I could potentially be doing 45lb chest flys by this stage at 85%. I mean... um... whaaaaattt?? Holy cow.

I understand my results may be different, too - just depends on what the rest of my progression looks like in Mesos 1 & 2.

Anyone else find themselves surprised when reviewing the weights they're ideally going to be using when they were checking their Meso 3 cards?

Yes I am bewildered reviewing my STS cards.
You will hit the chest potential and even more depending on the wheaties consumed. Oh.... Forget all the noise about the "bulk". Strong and defined is beautiful . No one ever get as big as hulk the incredible! ..... Unless one is into......No one ever get that big just following a strength system.

Well..... I did NOT need to purchase bigger size clothes after completing STS. Not then, not now and not during my next round. It's just NOT happening, it's a myth . Well it's not happening to many of us. Funnily enough I was slotted myself into a smaller size because some clothes felt too roomy for my liking . Side note..... I am a happy ample-ten size UK. Size 8 and below have never been my goal .

You're going to get stronger. Take care

 

[Hazlady]

in part because I saw some comments from others who've done the series saying that their legs really bulked up in a way they didn't care for.

I did the squat rack version, and my legs didn't bulk up. When I did STS 1 last year, I actually lost 3kg during the Meso 3 phase.

Meso 3 has like 6-8 reps, so you put forth a great effort for a short burst, then a long rest. It's probably my least favorite phase. You certainly feel the work, but it's over quickly, then you wait.

I only found the Legs portion using the squat rack to have the full 3-minute wait between sets. Not sure about the non-squat rack version. For the upper body Cathe alternates between the body parts so the rest period between exercises is shorter. So, for instance, for shoulders, biceps, triceps, you do the shoulder exercise, and it will be about 3 minutes before you repeat that exercise but in between you work the biceps and triceps. From memory the rest periods between exercises are just under a minute. I find this one the hardest of the Meso 3 workouts because even if the targeted muscle group isn't being worked, I am still holding weights for each exercise, so I notice it in my forearms and grip strength. For chest and back the rest period between each chest exercise and back exercise is just under 1.5 minutes.

For me Meso 1 is my least favourite phase.

 

[Kellyro77]

I'm definitely curious to finally experience the series and see what I think of it as a whole (and what my body thinks of it!).

I start Monday. This is definitely the most prep I've done for any series because, frankly, none of her other series requires much prep, aside from making sure you've got the right equipment.

Will be interesting seeing what I think of it as someone whose done XTrain and STS 2.0 before ever touching STS - maybe some things won't be such a big epiphany to me when it comes down to weight training, rest periods, etc.

I've taken some of what I learned from STS 2.0 to apply extra rest/recovery days during the week. I'm not cramming in cardio every single day between weight days and only resting 1 day a week. Instead, I'm alternating between having two rest/recovery days one week, then three the next - rinse and repeat. As well as resting a week as suggested between each Meso (excited to be taking a full rest week after 4 weeks of activity, because usually I rest after 6 to 8 weeks). I've still got cardio scheduled every week, but some weeks it may be just 1 day of cardio while other weeks have 2. (That's not counting the cardio I'll get from the Leg days).

My rest/recovery days are where LMR and LMRE will get to be utilized.

When I come up at the end of Meso 3, I'm also weighing doing the 5 weeks of body parts workouts from STS 2's 12 week rotation afterwards.

 

[Kellyro77]

You might consider keeping monthly body measurements so you can gauge how your body is responding to the three phases. Some people don't like to track metrics and prefer to go by how they feel and how their clothes are fitting.

I'm in the latter category of people you describe when it comes down to tracking. I've spent too much of my earlier years being abusive to myself by measuring and weighing to try to fit into our society's toxic picture of what women are "supposed" to look like.

I've fortunately moved on from that and now I do this work not to measure up to impossible physique standards that I've set for myself, but to just feel good - so I can enjoy my life. Go on hikes without feeling like I'm going to die half way up a steep hill. Lug heavy objects around if needed. Go down onto the floor and get back up without any effort.

I remain in awe of people out there who can objectively track their measurements and weight with calm detachment and do not beat themselves up if they see a number going in the opposite direction they'd like. That's not me, though.

If I slim down at all from this, it's just an added bonus of the work I've been doing, but not the reason.