Question about sts

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Georgi Ivanov

Member
I have recently bought the sts program. Haven't started it yet cause still doing the one rep max tests and watching the dvds so I can be familar with the exercise patterns. I think that the program is amazing and one of the top achievements in Cathe's fitness career. I do have a couple of questions. The program suggests working out 3 times a week: for example disk 1 on Monday; disk 2 on Wednesday; disk 3 on Friday which means hitting every single muscle group only once a week. Is this enough for building muscle at optimal rate? Is it a good idea to do every disk twice a week? Also I saw a suggestion for doing rotation sts plus hiit cardio on off days. This is a great idea but I am still wondering if you can build muscle and loose fat at the same time at optimal rate because we need to eat more calories than we burn while trying to build muscle and the other way around when we are trying to loose fat. Our bodies generally don't work in a way that we build muscle on Monday and loose fat on Tuesday? I am just trying to figure out the rotation I need to start so I can get top results for 3 months. My primary goal is building muscle which of course doesn't mean that I don't want to loose fat. I would appreciate different opinions and experiences. Thank you!
 
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Hi Georgi. I have had the same questions when I first tried STS. I attempted doing each body part twice per week and that was way too much for me. :eek: Even my forearms couldn't take it. ;) Amazingly, once per week per muscle group evokes change in the muscles! :) I think it is because of the intensity of the program and the superior way it is laid out. Yes, the once/week thing really works! If any more weight training is needed, I have found that the STS Total Body (or any other total body weight training workout) could be done on Sunday and then the next week I would do the STS workouts on Tues., Thursday and Sat. and then follow that 2 week scheduling pattern.

In terms of the alternate days, I personally would not do all Hiit style cardio, but a variety of cardio types - some hiit (high and low impact) combined in the week with some steady state (step, kickboxing, spin bike, hiking, jogging, swimming, cycling, cross country skiing, etc.). With muscle building as the top priority I keep the cardio to a maximum of 3 fairly short cardio workouts/week. I don't want to go 3 months without cardio as there would be too much de-conditioning happening for that essential part of health and wellness. So it is a matter of balance. My personal preference is to do 1 high impact hiit workout, 1 low impact hiit workout and one steady state workout. That gives me 3 STS days, 3 cardio training days and 1 day for rest, yoga or light walking. I put together a 3 1/2 month STS + Newer Cardio rotation that is in the Workout Manager if you are interested. I have found I can still build muscle with three 30-40 min. cardio workouts per week. STS is so fantastic, it is hard NOT to build muscle! But, you may find that you primarily lose fat in the first mesocycle and then put on the muscle more so in mesos 2 and 3 when the weight loads increase.

In terms of diet you may like to eat a bit more protein and starchy carbs (sweet potato, brown rice, some whole grains) on STS days and go a little lighter on the cardio days. This will give you the energy you will NEED!
 
Jane Power-Grimm said:
Hi Georgi. I have had the same questions when I first tried STS. I attempted doing each body part twice per week and that was way too much for me. :eek: Even my forearms couldn't take it. ;) Amazingly, once per week per muscle group evokes change in the muscles! :) I think it is because of the intensity of the program and the superior way it is laid out. Yes, the once/week thing really works! If any more weight training is needed, I have found that the STS Total Body (or any other total body weight training workout) could be done on Sunday and then the next week I would do the STS workouts on Tues., Thursday and Sat. and then follow that 2 week scheduling pattern.

In terms of the alternate days, I personally would not do all Hiit style cardio, but a variety of cardio types - some hiit (high and low impact) combined in the week with some steady state (step, kickboxing, spin bike, hiking, jogging, swimming, cycling, cross country skiing, etc.). With muscle building as the top priority I keep the cardio to a maximum of 3 fairly short cardio workouts/week. I don't want to go 3 months without cardio as there would be too much de-conditioning happening for that essential part of health and wellness. So it is a matter of balance. My personal preference is to do 1 high impact hiit workout, 1 low impact hiit workout and one steady state workout. That gives me 3 STS days, 3 cardio training days and 1 day for rest, yoga or light walking. I put together a 3 1/2 month STS + Newer Cardio rotation that is in the Workout Manager if you are interested. I have found I can still build muscle with three 30-40 min. cardio workouts per week. STS is so fantastic, it is hard NOT to build muscle! But, you may find that you primarily lose fat in the first mesocycle and then put on the muscle more so in mesos 2 and 3 when the weight loads increase.

In terms of diet you may like to eat a bit more protein and starchy carbs (sweet potato, brown rice, some whole grains) on STS days and go a little lighter on the cardio days. This will give you the energy you will NEED!
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Great answer! Thank you! I have done before a program with lifting weights for about 3 months with no cardio and you are right too much de-conditioning happened. I will keep in mind your advice and experience and cannot wait to start sts.
 
I am so jealous of you... getting to do STS the first time was so great....now when I do it, it's like I'm rereading a good book, it's still good but not the same....Good Luck to you and I hope you enjoy the journey.
 
Repo said:
I am so jealous of you... getting to do STS the first time was so great....now when I do it, it's like I'm rereading a good book, it's still good but not the same....Good Luck to you and I hope you enjoy the journey.
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I am very excited Repo. If everything goes according to the plan I should start my 3 months rotation on Monday. Keep the fingers crossed for me. Cathe and her team keep perfect forms on DVDs and looks easy but I know it is not. Were you happy with the STS results when you did the program first time around?
 
Yes it made me stronger and I felt very comfortable with the way my body moved with the exercises. I think it improved my lifting technique.
 
Hi guys,
I haven't post anything here for a while. I am still doing STS with shock cardio and I love it. Sometimes I have the feeling that my body changes every day when I look myself in the mirror. Of course I modify things and workouts but always try to give my best. With all these different workouts it is like reading a novel. Can't wait to finish one chapter and start the next one. I love Cathe and team.
Next week I should start meso 3. What should I expect from this phase? Does muscles still increase size or they just get firmer? What does it mean training for strength anyways? I read that hypertrophy and strength are close connected and if muscles get stronger they inevitably get bigger?
Also I would like to repeat STS with undulating periodisation. Is it more effective than the linear one? I saw some rotations in the workout manager but I am open for any suggestions.
Thank you everybody here for their posts. I have learn so much about fitness since I became a member of this forum.
 
Meso 3 is still my fav..... I just love to lift heavy. Are you doing the plyo legs or squat rack for the legs? I've done both and got great results with both, but I love the cardio burn I get from plyo legs. I still reach for it on weeks I run short on time and need both cardio and leg training.
 
Georgi Ivanov said:
I have recently bought the sts program. Haven't started it yet cause still doing the one rep max tests and watching the dvds so I can be familar with the exercise patterns. I think that the program is amazing and one of the top achievements in Cathe's fitness career. I do have a couple of questions. The program suggests working out 3 times a week: for example disk 1 on Monday; disk 2 on Wednesday; disk 3 on Friday which means hitting every single muscle group only once a week. Is this enough for building muscle at optimal rate? Is it a good idea to do every disk twice a week? Also I saw a suggestion for doing rotation sts plus hiit cardio on off days. This is a great idea but I am still wondering if you can build muscle and loose fat at the same time at optimal rate because we need to eat more calories than we burn while trying to build muscle and the other way around when we are trying to loose fat. Our bodies generally don't work in a way that we build muscle on Monday and loose fat on Tuesday? I am just trying to figure out the rotation I need to start so I can get top results for 3 months. My primary goal is building muscle which of course doesn't mean that I don't want to loose fat. I would appreciate different opinions and experiences. Thank you!
Click to expand...
A few years ago I did the STS with the Shock Cardio rotation. I was in the best shape of my life after. In 3 months I had gone from size 12 to 8, and then after to 6. My muscles were more defined than ever. I definitely feel that you can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. I had only lost 10 pounds going from size 12 to 6.
 
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