Candice2015
Cathlete
Do you find that you get better results with randomly picked workouts or with a set rotation? If rotation, do you pick one already made or create your own?
Random Workouts or Rotations
- Thread starter Candice2015
- Start date
I did random workouts for several years, even though I saw rotations created. It wasn't until I did specific rotations that I started seeing specific results (both strength and cardio).
I usually always create my own, but sometimes it is loosely based off of an already created rotation. The majority use Cathe workouts, but I do sprinkle other instructors in. I also find that I create a rotation and then like it so much I tweak the same rotation and do it again...building and building where I believe I was lacking. They are usually 12 weeks at a time.
Other instructors/programs I use are: Body Beast, Master Hammer Chisel, Ultimatum, Edge Booty Extreme 2, KCM, Toby Massenburg, Hip Hop Abs, and others.
Good question, I am curious as to see other answers.
I usually always create my own, but sometimes it is loosely based off of an already created rotation. The majority use Cathe workouts, but I do sprinkle other instructors in. I also find that I create a rotation and then like it so much I tweak the same rotation and do it again...building and building where I believe I was lacking. They are usually 12 weeks at a time.
Other instructors/programs I use are: Body Beast, Master Hammer Chisel, Ultimatum, Edge Booty Extreme 2, KCM, Toby Massenburg, Hip Hop Abs, and others.
Good question, I am curious as to see other answers.
Candice2015
Cathlete
Do you have a specific created rotation that you base it off of? I don't like a lot of cardio, preferring hiit type, lower impact workouts and weights (heavy, low rep) workouts. I just didn't know if people picked random workouts and saw results or if I needed to figure out a good rotation.
I have a couple go-to boilerplate rotations that I seem to prefer and tweak over and over depending on my current goals. The one I am doing right now is based off the STS rotation with a lower body focus. Note I am currently working at home, have lots of time on my hands, sit on my butt the entire workday, which I swear causes flat-butt, and am therefore doing an intensive rotation based on the butt. This is by far not too much exercise for me and I am enjoying this (meaning, I am not soliciting others to tell me this is too much exercise for me during these 12 weeks):
Sunday:
If the above posted rotation interests you, I can give you the exact workouts I have done up to this point and plan on doing on my "choice" days.
I am similar to you in that for weights, I prefer heavy, lower rep (I have done a rotation based off of Ripped With Hiit and XTrain), I do like HiiT cardio (for time savings, although I prefer to do steady state step for fun factor), however, I do prefer high impact over low impact (I see better results and don't have any physical limitations)...but I assume you could just substitute a low impact as needed and get great results.
When I did random workouts, I just didn't see the same (muscle) results. I am not sure why, possibly because I just did what I felt like that morning...and I probably always felt like step aerobics since that is my favorite. I needed to monitor that I was doing upper and lower weights twice per week with sprinkled in cardio.
I did a rotation a few years back for 1 year of "All Cathe, No Repeats." I loved it. I did, as the name implies, all Cathe workouts, but with zero exact repeats. I had a boilerplate of Sunday was steady state cardio, Monday & Wednesday were upper body, Tuesday & Thursday were lower body, Friday & Saturday were either Hiit, Full Body weights, Metabolic Weight Training, Circuit, or choice. That rotation was really fun and I recall seeing (muscle) results, but not as much as a more focused rotation.
Sunday:
- AM: Steady State Cardio of choice (because I love SS cardio! Usually step.)
- PM: Thorough Stretch (usually 1 hour)
- AM: STS upper + Abs
- PM: HiiT
- AM: STS lower + 100 Rep Hip thrusts
- PM: CLB (Cardio leg blast - choice approx. 30 min cardio that focuses on legs. ex: CLB blasts only premix, PHA 1 or 2 leg premix only, Cathe cycle) or Cathe Barre of choice
- AM: STS upper + 100 rep of choice upper body
- PM: Butt Bible (these are short/easy enough I don't feel I am overworking my lower/upper body...remember this rotation is lower body focused)
- AM: "Ultimatum" cardio (approx. 30 min HiiT-type workouts, but I find her series easyish, which makes me comfortable doing this much HiiT in a week) + Butt Bible
- PM: Edge Booty Extreme 2 Cardio (26 min total) or Cathe Kickbox of choice
- Edge Booty Extreme 2 Lower
- Edge Booty Extreme 2 Upper
- AM: Cathe HiiT of choice + core (try to find one lower body focused. I like X77, CCC, RwH Plyo) (or I like To The Max, Cross Fire, Afterburn)
- PM: Thorough stretch (approx. 1 hour)
If the above posted rotation interests you, I can give you the exact workouts I have done up to this point and plan on doing on my "choice" days.
I am similar to you in that for weights, I prefer heavy, lower rep (I have done a rotation based off of Ripped With Hiit and XTrain), I do like HiiT cardio (for time savings, although I prefer to do steady state step for fun factor), however, I do prefer high impact over low impact (I see better results and don't have any physical limitations)...but I assume you could just substitute a low impact as needed and get great results.
When I did random workouts, I just didn't see the same (muscle) results. I am not sure why, possibly because I just did what I felt like that morning...and I probably always felt like step aerobics since that is my favorite. I needed to monitor that I was doing upper and lower weights twice per week with sprinkled in cardio.
I did a rotation a few years back for 1 year of "All Cathe, No Repeats." I loved it. I did, as the name implies, all Cathe workouts, but with zero exact repeats. I had a boilerplate of Sunday was steady state cardio, Monday & Wednesday were upper body, Tuesday & Thursday were lower body, Friday & Saturday were either Hiit, Full Body weights, Metabolic Weight Training, Circuit, or choice. That rotation was really fun and I recall seeing (muscle) results, but not as much as a more focused rotation.
Candice2015
Cathlete
Your "flat butt" rotation looks good, but for me I don't have the time during the day. I do sit all day at a desk and have the "old lady saggy butt syndrome" which I know I should work on. Would love to see your BB one. I was enjoying Liift4, but got a little burned out and didn't feel I got a good lower body workout. I do like the split body parts aspect with the hiit and core all being in one workout. I know full body is good, just sometimes I don't want to work the whole body in one workout. I would like to come up with a rotation of some kind that is something along the lines of L4, but using Cathe, KCM, Jessica Smith and BB. Those are the ones I like to do the most.
Random doesn't work for me either. I end up frustrated with picking a workout and then don't want to do it because I think it is not the right one I should be doing. I think I am definitely a rotation person.
Random doesn't work for me either. I end up frustrated with picking a workout and then don't want to do it because I think it is not the right one I should be doing. I think I am definitely a rotation person.
BlakKat
Cathlete
I also get better results if I follow a rotation for the same reasons. If I don't then I skip one day or if it's a workout I dread then I either swap it out or waste too much time deciding if I really want to do it or replace it. Even if I include hitting all the areas (weights, cardio, HIIT, abs, etc.) it never physically shows like it does on a set rotation. I tend to use rotations that Cathe put together with each series or a combined series. Even when I try the monthly rotations Cathe puts out, I never seem to end them. I lose interest in it by the 3rd week or I swap so many out that I don't feel like I'm doing anything. I always use Cathe's rotations because I just don't like others enough to stick with them for the long-term. Although, currently I am combining Cathe with Edge Booty Extreme 2 because I wanted to focus on the glutes. So my weekly workout is: Edge Legs 2x, Edge Booty 1x, Cathe HIIT & Edge Upper 1x, Cathe cardio (HIIT or metabolic) & Cathe total body or upper weight/cardio. After 6 weeks of this, I will be going back to Cathe rotation because even though my glutes are feeling the DOMS, I feel she doesn't hit the upper body like Cathe usually does. My favorites are RWH, Strong & Sweaty, XT & STS.
Candice2015
Cathlete
What kind of results did you get?
Candice2015
Cathlete
What's your favorite Cathe rotation if you could pick one and stick to it?
I have never heard of Liift4 - I am going to check this out! This is a good thread, I hope more people post their rotations and results.
I am lucky in that I have about an hour in the (very) early morning and then 30-45 min after work (I usually throw dinner on the stove and workout while it is cooking or I am going through mail, or prepping for work the next day. All time I would normally sit on the couch or surf my phone for 30-45 min.)
I also wanted to add that I notice for me to get MUSCLE gains, I really need to work each body part twice per week. The normal hitting a body part once per week doesn't give me the "cut" look. Therefore, I will do STS 4 times per week (not the normal 3), which gives me STS legs twice, each STS upper once and then add another single full upper body with weights workout-day or a MWT/BC with upper body focus (which will combo as my cardio and upper body weights)...OR...I will do STS 3 times per week and then add a single full body workout day so that every body part gets worked twice that week (I am with you though - I rarely feel like doing a full body workout, however this is faster for when time is a factor).
For me to get CARDIO gains, I need to do what others may consider a lot of cardio. I was born with respiratory issues and I must stay on top of it. It is as if I am either totally out of shape / out of breath or in superior lung shape - there is no in between for me. Therefore I usually do cardio every single day and alternate between steady state, HiiT, MWT, BC, KB, anything really. Luckily I love love love cardio and to me it never gets old. I must add 60 minutes of steady state a minimum of once per week or I seem to lose my lung abilities. It is weird but when shorter HiiT became popular, I did a 3 month rotation with just Hiit (I believe 3 times per week? and sprinkled in other shorter cardio) and you would think that would have given me superior lungs, but it didn't. I was a breathing mess and had to go back to my cardio mix and make it daily.
BLAKKAT: What kind of results are you getting with Edge Booty Extreme 2? I am about 6 weeks in to that for the first time.
I am lucky in that I have about an hour in the (very) early morning and then 30-45 min after work (I usually throw dinner on the stove and workout while it is cooking or I am going through mail, or prepping for work the next day. All time I would normally sit on the couch or surf my phone for 30-45 min.)
I also wanted to add that I notice for me to get MUSCLE gains, I really need to work each body part twice per week. The normal hitting a body part once per week doesn't give me the "cut" look. Therefore, I will do STS 4 times per week (not the normal 3), which gives me STS legs twice, each STS upper once and then add another single full upper body with weights workout-day or a MWT/BC with upper body focus (which will combo as my cardio and upper body weights)...OR...I will do STS 3 times per week and then add a single full body workout day so that every body part gets worked twice that week (I am with you though - I rarely feel like doing a full body workout, however this is faster for when time is a factor).
For me to get CARDIO gains, I need to do what others may consider a lot of cardio. I was born with respiratory issues and I must stay on top of it. It is as if I am either totally out of shape / out of breath or in superior lung shape - there is no in between for me. Therefore I usually do cardio every single day and alternate between steady state, HiiT, MWT, BC, KB, anything really. Luckily I love love love cardio and to me it never gets old. I must add 60 minutes of steady state a minimum of once per week or I seem to lose my lung abilities. It is weird but when shorter HiiT became popular, I did a 3 month rotation with just Hiit (I believe 3 times per week? and sprinkled in other shorter cardio) and you would think that would have given me superior lungs, but it didn't. I was a breathing mess and had to go back to my cardio mix and make it daily.
BLAKKAT: What kind of results are you getting with Edge Booty Extreme 2? I am about 6 weeks in to that for the first time.
BlakKat
Cathlete
For me, RWH is my all time favorite & the one I see the best results with. To change it up, I will do the ones Cathe combined with RWH (w/Strong & Sweaty or STS).
BlakKat
Cathlete
I am in the 4th week and I can see a definite improvement in my glutes. I have had a flat butt no matter what I do, but I have a nice little cheek that I can see from the side now instead of looking like a paper plate! My thighs are also tightening up. Still don't see any definition in my hamstrings though. I am glad it is a shorter rotation that changes after 3 weeks because in the beginning I liked the newness of it, but right after the 3rd week I was ready to move on to the next 3 weeks. I would love it if Cathe would come out with a heavy lower series.
katie lee
Cathlete
Definition in arms, back, abs and legs. I have lost 12 lbs since Jan. 1.
Candice2015
Cathlete
I may have to try a RWH /S&S rotation. I have just gotten both sets and gone through each one once by themselves.
Liift4 is a Beachbody program that incorporates heavy lifting, hiit and core in a 30 minute workout, 4 times a week.
Candice2015
Cathlete
Great results. I may have to look at that rotation.
BlakKat
Cathlete
I will have to look into this one-thanks!
Interested in what you did on your choice days, even though just reading that made my lower end tender, lol. I've always had better results with a planned rotation. I haven't really pushed for a while, time wise, and I haven't done two a day for years. That there though looks interesting, how far are you?
@112toGuru: I sent you a message. I am just starting my 6th week, out of 12 weeks.
I would love an STS + Body Beast rotation. Not quite sure how that would work, but those two series I get the most in muscle gains.
I would also love a rotation with Edge Booty Extreme 2. In fact, I think I am going to come up with that next, not sure what I would supplement it with. I just came across EBE2 and like it, however, it seems to be a bit lacking (for me) and I would want to supplement with more strength - maybe some Cathe MWT or Circuit work? Something with weights, but not a full on heavy lifting workout.