Starting STS (1st time) Tomorrow!!! (7-8-12)

Sisam

Sisam

Cathlete
Hello Cathe Community!

I'm excited to say that I will be starting the STS 6.5 month program tomorrow! I've completed all of the upper body 1RM testing, but have some lower body moves that I have yet to complete. I still plan to start tomorrow. Lower body has always been so much harder for me and I really can't lift much YET with my lower body anyway.

In any event, I'd love to connect with some of you and if there is anyone else who is starting, it would be great to check in with one another.

I've done weight training consistently 2 years ago for almost a year straight and saw little improvement, which was dissapointing. I have a really hard time gaining muscle mass, so I'm looking to Cathe's STS to help with this, and of course the hard work that I put into it.

I have my undergrad in Nutrition and am completing a Master's in Nutrition currently, so I have lots of great nutrition tips and am excited to apply my knowledge of Sports Nutrition to this program.

I look forward to hearing from some of you!

Good Night!
Si
 
Hi Si!
Glad you've decided to take the plunge and get involved with STS!
Bottom line (pun intended), it works! I'm finishing up Mesocycle 3 Week 2 today and am SO MUCH stronger than I was when I did my 1RM! Even if you don't have a huge visual difference in your body (definition, weight loss), you will definitely have a gain in strength! Have fun! Remember, this is a llife long journey...so smile and enjoy it!;)
 
Hi Si!

Good luck with your STS rotation! I'm starting too...but not until the beginning of August as I'm already commited to a 4DS rotation (plus I have all that 1RM testing to do).

Hope you get all the results you're looking for!
 
Hi Si. I am on my 4th round of STS. I am on week 4 of Meso 2. I did the 6 1/2 mos rotation last time and I really did see results. Just watch your diet and be true to the amount of weight you can lift. Only print out one w/o card at a time , record the weights you actually use and then update that info into the w/o manager. When you print the next w/o card , your weights will be more accurate. I am on a forum called "STS 1st time". Everyone has finished STS and doing other w/o's except me but you are welcome to join us. We have another girl on there that is starting STS tomorrow. We are always open for questions and advise.

Jean
 
Thanks!

Thanks everyone for your support! I completed my 1st STS workout today and it was a BEAST!!!! I could hardly get through all of those pushups, and even doing them modified. Wow, intense and I love it!

Nancy,
Glad to hear about your experience and that you are loving STS and that it works! Yeah, I'm looking forward to being stronger and healthier and eventually cutting up more. I'll be patient with the muscle definition part. You're right-health is a lifelong journey and I'm looking forward to this program to add to my routine. How did you get that cool workout status bar in your signature? I want one of those. ;)

Suzanne,
Fun! Yeah, the 1RM testing took me a week and I didn't finish all of the leg testing!!! Worth it I hear though. Good luck as you start next month and keep us posted.

Jean,
Wow! That's awesome that you are on your 4th round and loving it. Thanks for the invite to your group. I'll have to make my way over there. Also, thanks for all of the tips and encouragement. So glad to hear that you saw results after your first 6.5 cycle.

To Health and Strength!
 
Hi Si. To get the STS ticker , you go to the workout manager and up at the top you will see Cathe Fun. I believe you have to download the STS rotation to your calendar for it to move automatically.
 
Also starting first time this week!

Hi Si!

I am so glad you started this thread!! I am also starting STS this week, but I started today (7-9-2012). I hear you on those push-ups - they were definitely the hardest part of the workout. I am sort of the opposite of you - I am WAY stronger in the lower body, but I could definitely use help everywhere :)

I am looking forward to your nutrion advice. Especially as I get older, this seems to be the hardest part of staying in shape. Food is so good! :) I'm just going to start by asking you if you've ever taking Creatine as a part of your strength program. Is there any reason not to take it?

Good luck and I'd love to check-in with you
 
Hi Meredith! I'd love to check in with you!!! Yes, those pushups we're a beast! I haven't used creatine myself and the research is mixed as to the necessity of this ergogenic aid. You wouldn't want to use it if you are concerned about or have kidney problems because it increases the demands of the kidneys to excrete it. Also, in conjunction with high protein and little water this could tax the kidneys. If someone has tried it and loves it, then I say ok it otherwise seems safe and they could be getting the placebo effect too. I myself am focusing on fueling my diet with food :) But its up to you. Hope that's helpful. Excited to check in with you!
 
STS

Hi ladies,
I'm on STS week 3 and it has been a blast! Yes, those pushups will kill ya. I still can't complete all of them with good form. I'm sure by the end of the program I can do better.

Sisam, I read your other posts and you have a very interesting background. I also visited your blog. Welcome to Cathe's forum! :D You will find a lot of support here. You mentioned that you are a meditation teacher? That's awesome. I have always wanted to learn to meditate but don't know where to begin. Any suggestions? Having three kids makes it difficult to have quiet time to do this. Also, I love food. :D I realized that as I get older I need to really focus on eating healthy. I'm 5'2 and 108 pounds. My fitness goals are to gain muscles and tone up. Hope you are enjoying STS and best of luck to you!

Have a good day!

Justina
 
Hi Si,

Thanks for your answer on creatine. I've decided to give a go with this program and see how it goes. So today was Disk 2 for you, right? It was cardio for me, but I previewed Disk 2. How are you planning to do your chin-ups? Do you have the STS Tower or something similar? I am going the tubing route, though it seems like it will be much easier.

I did abs today and was noticing how sore my abs were already. I think a got an ab workout yesterday from all of the push-ups!

I would love to take a mediation class from you too!

Have a great day!
 
Hello Justina and Meredith! I'm off to meditate, eat and go to the gym (STS disc 2, wish me luck!) and then I'll be back to reply. Have a fabulous day ;)
 
Si, I just checked out some of your blog and your videos. How cute are you?! I can't wait to check out more when I have some time. Good luck with your workout today!
 
Justina, Thanks for your encouragement! Yeah, being a momma is your first priority so it can definitely be hard to squeeze in meditation. I would say something really simple that could take you just 5 min a day and be super helpful is this breathing app called Breathing Zone. I do a different type of meditation, but deep breathing is a great place to start and can give great benefits.

Meredith, So glad you are enjoying the blog! Thanks for the compliments. Yeah, today was Disc 2. I've been previewing them too. I do my workouts at the gym, so I used the Assisted Pull-up Machine. It was tricky figuring out the weight, but it worked. Yeah, meditation is awesome! What state do you live in? Good luck with disc 2 tomorrow!

Have a great night ladies and good luck with your workouts!
 
Welcome!

Welcome to STS Ladies!

Si and Meredeith, how is your first week going?

I am on M2 W3 but I feel like it was just yesterday that I was like you - starting STS for the first time. I have loved every single minute of it! I'm sure you will too.

Si, that's great you can do STS at the gym. Do you have any onlookers wondering what you are doing? ;)

Meredith, did you do Disc 2 yet? I use the bands for chin ups and pull ups - and it's more effective than it looks. I felt my back getting much stronger using them. I still can't do a regular pull up or a chin up - but someday! :p

I hope you enjoy your time on this forum - it has been such a motivator for me - it's awesome. There are dozens of GREAT threads happening all at once. I believe the closest batch of newbies to you is in the "STS - Deal of the Day" thread. Justina is over there with us as well.:) Come take a look. Three of the ladies are a few weeks ahead of me. They are giving me awesome advice :D and I love going back through the conversations and seeing what they were saying when they were on the discs I'm currently on. Hopefully the older posts can help you as well. Be sure to check in and say hello if you come over -we'd love to have you.

I'll check in here as well because I'd love to be able to help you guys out if I can - just like everybody has helped me. It's a wonderful community!

Enjoy!
 
Hi Daybreak! Thanks for the motivation!

Si, I am in awe of you doing this series at the gym. How does that work? Do you take your laptop? Do you just take the workout cards? You don't have to wait (or is that weight? :) ) for equipment? At any rate, I would LOVE to have an assisted pull-up machine available for this series. I did the pullups/chinups with the tubular bands today and it barely did anything. Oh, and I live in Los Angeles.

Hi Justina! How's STS going for you?

Did M1W1D2 (is that how you say it?) today and felt like the weight for the back was spot on. I feel exhausted in the back. The triceps were kind of hit or miss. Felt like I could have gone heavier for a lot of exercises. I also noticed, tho, that I work my triceps faster than Cathe, so maybe if I slow it down. Those side lying one arm push-ups at the end were KILLER!
 
Daybreak, what brand of band are you using? And where are you attaching the band? I ended up attaching mine to my dumbbell rack and sort of leaning back into a rowing position. I used two bands and wrapped them twice around the rack, but still didn't feel much.
 
Hi Meredith,

Week 3 is going well so far. Did you do the 1RM test before starting? I did the best I could. I did not do the entire test though. I only did the ones that have at least 3 stars. Like you, I feel like I could do heavier weight on some of the exercies. I think it's okay to go heavier when you realize that you do not struggle in the last few reps. Just note that in your worksheet. At the end of the day you want to challenge your muscles and make them work. I update the weight and the number of reps in the Workout Manager after I'm done with the workout. I think the workout manager will automatically change the 1RM required for your next workout, based on the data you put in there. Does anyone know for sure if this is true?
Also, for micro-loading I bought some wrist weights. Tonight I start disc 8. I will put the wrist weights to the test. :D
Yes, it's a good idea to slow down. You want to feel every rep. I remember Cathe telling us not to rush.We want to take it slow and make sure we're in good form.

Have fun!

Justina
 
Hi DayBreak! Thanks for the encouragement and invite over to your thread. I'll have to make my way over there. Glad to hear that the forum has been motivating, I find it is for me so far too. :) STS is going great. I'm really enjoying it. I have Disc 3 tomorrow, which I'm dreading though, b/c legs have always been super hard for me. Yeah, some people seem to be wondering what I'm doing at the gym, but no one has said anything. ;) Are you on the 3.5 or the 6.5 month program?

Meredith, I have Cathe downloads on my laptop and then sync to my iphone. I preview the videos the day before, print out my cards and then I complete the workout by putting my phone in my pocket and listening to Cathe's directions. Sometimes I take a peak to refresh my memory, or pause it to jot down notes for myself. It's been working so amazingly and I have no wait at the gym at all and all the equipment I could possibly need! Are you on 3.5 or 6.5 month track? Enjoy cardio tomorrow.

Justina, I also didn't complete all of the 1RM testing. I completed all the upper body and just a few of the legs. Are you on the 3.5 or the 6.5 program? I'm on the 6.5 but just started and considering switching to the 3.5 month track.

Good Night everyone!
 
Hi Justina, I did the 1RM test for all of the 3, 4 and 5 starred exercises. I did all of this in a single day (but in 2 sessions) and I was spent! I'm not sure that was the best approach, since I was pretty tired at the end and wonder how accurate some of those tests were. I am going to redo some of them this weekend on one of the "rest" days :) I might have to pick up the weight gloves too.

Hi Si! That's pretty cool to be able to do STS in the gym, since they really do have EVERYTHING! I am a little embarassed to say that I'm not sure what the 3.5 and the 6.5 month programs are (perhaps I should consult the user guide :) ) I figured I'd just see if I could get through MesoCycle 1 and go from there. I am traveling for a few weeks on business in August, so I'm not sure how I'm going to deal with that. Maybe I'll go your route with the downloads and seek out gyms.
 
Hi everyone! I'm enjoying this thread as I'm gearing up to begin STS in a couple of weeks.

I really need to get to work on my 1RM testing! Luckily the 4DS rotation can help me as that's pretty heavy and I can use some of the weights and plug them in.

Meredith - the difference between the 3.5 and 6.5 month rotations is that with the 6.5 you do each week twice. So you'd do Meso 1 Week 1 for two weeks, and then move to Week 2. I think there may be other differences later on in the program but I've absorbed this much from other threads...LOL!

I'm planning on doing it this way as I think I'd burn out pretty quickly on the 3.5 plan. HTH!
 
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