STS 2.0 – New Slow Motion Rotation

Nabbe47

Cathlete
Loved STS 2.0 and still do because it is the most well structured series; I have ever encountered, very thorough and well thought out program, right on its goals. Thanks Cathe!

I have, however, no intention to repeat it again in its original rotation. It was, for me, highly demanding and too intense. Thanks to Cathe’s concise premixes and chaptering of exercises on the digital files, I managed, using my digital downloads, to create a 28-week long rotation, taking it in a slow motion approach towards achieving the goals intended by STS 2.0 but in a less demanding fashion. The new schedule seamlessly integrate the original STS 2.0 layout totally spanning the 28 weeks.

It has still three phases, each include:
  • Three days of Lifting.
  • Two days, pairing, one each of, the two Mobility and four Abs workouts for each day.
  • One day Active Recovery and Total Body Stretch.
In addition to two weeks for deloading in between.

Phase 1 (Weeks 1-6): Lasts exactly six weeks, alternating Giant bilateral and unilateral sets, Single Superset and two Trisets split routines. The goal is to fix muscle imbalances early on while prepping joints.

Phase 2 (Weeks 7-14): Lasts exactly eight weeks, alternating upper and lower body split routines focused on “One Set Only” express premixes. I am aware that eight weeks is the sweet spot for a hypertrophy block before neurological fatigue sets in!.

Deload (Week 15): Placed logically right after the high intensity Phase 2. After 14 weeks of progressive overload, the central nervous system and connective tissues will need a break. Dropping the heavy lifting here prepares the body to absorb the gains from Phases 1 and 2 and primes for Phase 3.

Phase 3 (Weeks 16-21): Lasts six weeks, utilising the “Mish Mosh” and “Body Parts” express splits. Here I need to acknowledge and thank the marvellous “2 Lazy 4 the Gym” Lady for providing the exact contents of all “Mish Mosh” premixes on her blog. This information is missing both in the user guide and in the digital downloads.

Deload (Week 22): Strategically placed midway through the third phase twelve weeks. Phase 3 relies heavily on “Mish Mosh” isolated body part training (Legs/Shoulders, Back/Biceps, Chest/Triceps). This type of split allows lifting significantly heavier, which causes deeper muscle damage. The idea is that deload at week 22 will prevent from hitting a plateau or causing an overuse injury.

Phase 3 Continued (Weeks 23-28): Lasts another 6 weeks to complete the 12-week Phase 3 target.

Have been using the freeware “Handbrake” for identifying and splitting chapters and “Fast Video Cutter Joiner” for putting together the premixed workouts.
 

Attachments

  • STS 2.0 Slow Motion Rotation.pdf
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@Nabbe47 ! Thanks for sharing your rotation! Looks like you put a lot of thought into it. I think it's a great use of Cathe's Premixes for the series. I'm thinking of modifying it a little for my needs. I like to add in a bit of cardio - I understand STS2.0 is a muscle building rotation and cardio is usually not recommended if that's the goal. However, I enjoy some cardio and as we talked once before I can build muscle pretty easily so I don't mind if there's a little catabolizing going on as long as I continue to build strength using progressive overload (as in Xtrain and the original STS). Using the same workouts/exercises over a period of 6-8-12 weeks in each of your Phases allows for noticing the gains from progressive overload. Hmmm, summer is coming up. I sometimes shorten my workouts due to the heat/humidity, I may consider something like this for the summer. Your rotation could also be reduced to a 14-week rotation by cutting each Phase in half. I'll have to think on that as I've been wavering on my summer rotation ideas.

Thanks again! :)
 
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@Nabbe47, I've been putting the times in for each Premix on your rotation. I think you may have switched the Premixes for Phase 2, LB Express workouts. This is from the User Guide:

LOWER BODY 1
Express Express #1: One Set Only 30:56
Express #2: Two Sets Maximum 41:30
Mish Mosh Mish Mosh: Full Workout 51:17
Extreme Extreme: Extra Sets 59:16
LOWER BODY 2
Bonus Bonus #1: Regular Workout + All 3 Bonus Exercises 66:32
Express Express #1: One Set Only 27:26
Express #2: Two Sets Maximum 42:35
Express #3: One Set Only + Bonus Exercises 32:09
Express #4: Two Sets Maximum + Bonus Exercises 52:23
Mish Mosh Mish Mosh 51:14
 
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Thanks for sharing your rotation!
Thanks for your positive feedback! Glad you liked it!

Actually, you have been the source of inspiration, remembering your insistence on waiting for confirmation that premixes are included in LMR2E before pre-ordering!

Seriously looking through premixes, I discovered that you were right about premixes since Cathe provided not just only time saving premixes but also good alternatives to mix and match for well-balanced workouts while saving time, for example having giant set uni- and bilateral or Tri-set split exercises over two different days. Also finding information on Mish-Mosh contents was an encouraging factor in making the rotation.

Regarding Lower body in phase 2, please accept my apology, it is a typo there. It should be Express #1: One Set Only for both premixes. In an earlier version, I was considering the max two set, changed only the text but missed correcting the number.
 
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Nice work, Nabbe! I'm impressed you squeezed it into her existing PDF formatting (did you catch that it has a file title in Acrobat that says "ICE User's Guide"? Not a complaint! I giggle at this because I've been seeing that in a few of Cathe's official User's Guides - they occasionally forget to fix the title in the Acrobat document with new User's Guides.)

From looking at your rotation, when you say "Deload" you mean an active recovery period, yes? Sometimes I hear people define Deloading as still lifting, but doing so at a much, much lighter weight, like instead of 65% your 1RM, you're doing something like 30% your 1RM (or if you don't want to do all the math on what your 1RM is, just say using weights that are 50% lighter than you typically do.)

When I finish with this monster rotation I'm currently doing, I may look into trying this out some time next year. I rarely make use of Cathe's premixes unless it's to lighten up my day every now and then, or to tag on a core workout where that option is available. So it would be fun to utilize them this way. Thanks so much for sharing this.
 
squeezed it into her existing PDF formatting
Thanks for your feedback and for consdering to make use of it. Have fun!

Exporting the PDF file to MS Word, removing all hyperlinks and making sure that the compatible fonts are available, make it easy to use it as a template for re-editing, then exporting it again to PDF!

According to my fitness school, deloading means exactly that, you get rid of all loading, that is to say, no lifting. It is also acceptable to do nothing but some light walking! But of course you can do whatever you like just reduce the intensity to help your body recover!
 
This rotation looks great. I haven't done the rotation as the times are too long for me but this pre-mix one has me rethinking.
I would also think you could add cardio to the mobility/abs days and/or the "rest day". I also like to incorporate pilates a couple times a week so I will print this out and see how I can go about doing this.
 
you'll be able to fit in pilates, yoga and cardio depending on how you like to split things up.
The rotation has been created to be true to the spirit and purpose of its original STS 2.0! It is, however, interesting and gratifying to note that it can also be used in a general pick and choose as you like manner!
 
it has a file title in Acrobat that says "ICE User's Guide"
Funny indeed!!! Didn't notice it until you pointed it out, since it didn't affect naming my file. It is, however, easy to correct it in Acrobat: Go to file Properties and change the incorrect title to your new one!
 
Nabbe47, AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME! I just don’t have the time to do anything for that long during the summer and early fall so these sessions are perfect for me. I started today and will be checking in daily. I am also integrating more mobility and flexibility in the evening when the family is all around me or I am watching a show. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for putting this all together.
 
In the Slow Motion Rotation, the Body Parts Legs + Shoulders No repeats is the longest compared with the two other Mish Mosh Body Parts in there!.
In case you want to reduce the length, using Mish Mosh #1: Body Parts Legs & Shoulders with No Repeats will reduce the length from 51:44 to 37:17 making it comparable to the other two Mish Mosh Body Parts.
Plan to use this one instead!
 
In the Slow Motion Rotation, the Body Parts Legs + Shoulders No repeats is the longest compared with the two other Mish Mosh Body Parts in there!.
In case you want to reduce the length, using Mish Mosh #1: Body Parts Legs & Shoulders with No Repeats will reduce the length from 51:44 to 37:17 making it comparable to the other two Mish Mosh Body Parts.
Plan to use this one instead!
I will look at that. Thank you.
 
Loved STS 2.0 and still do because it is the most well structured series; I have ever encountered, very thorough and well thought out program, right on its goals. Thanks Cathe!

I have, however, no intention to repeat it again in its original rotation. It was, for me, highly demanding and too intense. Thanks to Cathe’s concise premixes and chaptering of exercises on the digital files, I managed, using my digital downloads, to create a 28-week long rotation, taking it in a slow motion approach towards achieving the goals intended by STS 2.0 but in a less demanding fashion. The new schedule seamlessly integrate the original STS 2.0 layout totally spanning the 28 weeks.

It has still three phases, each include:
  • Three days of Lifting.
  • Two days, pairing, one each of, the two Mobility and four Abs workouts for each day.
  • One day Active Recovery and Total Body Stretch.
In addition to two weeks for deloading in between.

Phase 1 (Weeks 1-6): Lasts exactly six weeks, alternating Giant bilateral and unilateral sets, Single Superset and two Trisets split routines. The goal is to fix muscle imbalances early on while prepping joints.

Phase 2 (Weeks 7-14): Lasts exactly eight weeks, alternating upper and lower body split routines focused on “One Set Only” express premixes. I am aware that eight weeks is the sweet spot for a hypertrophy block before neurological fatigue sets in!.

Deload (Week 15): Placed logically right after the high intensity Phase 2. After 14 weeks of progressive overload, the central nervous system and connective tissues will need a break. Dropping the heavy lifting here prepares the body to absorb the gains from Phases 1 and 2 and primes for Phase 3.

Phase 3 (Weeks 16-21): Lasts six weeks, utilising the “Mish Mosh” and “Body Parts” express splits. Here I need to acknowledge and thank the marvellous “2 Lazy 4 the Gym” Lady for providing the exact contents of all “Mish Mosh” premixes on her blog. This information is missing both in the user guide and in the digital downloads.

Deload (Week 22): Strategically placed midway through the third phase twelve weeks. Phase 3 relies heavily on “Mish Mosh” isolated body part training (Legs/Shoulders, Back/Biceps, Chest/Triceps). This type of split allows lifting significantly heavier, which causes deeper muscle damage. The idea is that deload at week 22 will prevent from hitting a plateau or causing an overuse injury.

Phase 3 Continued (Weeks 23-28): Lasts another 6 weeks to complete the 12-week Phase 3 target.

Have been using the freeware “Handbrake” for identifying and splitting chapters and “Fast Video Cutter Joiner” for putting together the premixed workouts.
I love this so much! Thank you very much for sharing! STS2.0 is my favourite lifting series by Cathe and I love using premixes to avoid boredom. I want to do this rotation, but there's a perfectionistic part of my brain that says that doing shortened versions of the workouts won't provide me with enough challenge to build strength and bone mass. Any thoughts on this? I agree that STS2 full workouts are intense and taxing! And time consuming. I would love this rotation, if I wasn't concerned about it not being "enough." Please convince me that I'm overthinking things!
 
I love this so much! Thank you very much for sharing! STS2.0 is my favourite lifting series by Cathe and I love using premixes to avoid boredom. I want to do this rotation, but there's a perfectionistic part of my brain that says that doing shortened versions of the workouts won't provide me with enough challenge to build strength and bone mass. Any thoughts on this? I agree that STS2 full workouts are intense and taxing! And time consuming. I would love this rotation, if I wasn't concerned about it not being "enough." Please convince me that I'm overthinking things!
I was thinking you can always increase the challenge to your body with heavier weights - instead of the 10-ish rep range you'd be doing more around 6-8 reps - your emphasis would shift more to strength than hypertrophy. Kind of re-visiting original STS that way. If you know your 1RM, then that'll be 80-90% of your 1RM.

I think overall, so long as you continue focusing on progressive overload, you should still get results. There's plenty of folks out there who do super short workouts but still get a big bang for their buck by sticking with appropriately challenging weights for the amount of time that they have.
 
I would love this rotation, if I wasn't concerned about it not being "enough." Please convince me that I'm overthinking things!
I guess it depends what results you are after. I've found I still get good results if I cut the workout length down to around 30 minutes. Sometimes it means I can go a bit heavier with the weights. Using workout manager, I've done the entire STS 1 program with shortened workouts and done combinations of STS 2 body parts, combining 2 body parts, that were about 30-35 minutes long. I've been happy with the results. For me it's better that I do a shortened workout and workout consistently rather than skip days because I don't have time for a 50-60-minute workout. You can also use this slow motion rotation and do add-ons if you want longer workouts.
 
doing shortened versions of the workouts won't provide me with enough challenge to build strength and bone mass. Any thoughts on this?
I had similiar concerns, especially for bone health. Stacy Sims ("Roar" and "Next Level" books) says you can absolutely build bone mass with shorter workouts, as long as you lift relatively heavy (no endurance workouts) She has said in podcasts that hour-long (or longer) workouts are not necessary for most people who are lifting for health reasons. She, like many other trainers say if you are lifting for health benefits and not aesthetics, you can skip the accessory muscles, or do less volume if you do them.

I'm experimenting with a shorter version of this rotation for the summer. So far I've done the Giant Sets Bilateral Premix which is the 2 rounds of 10 exercises done bilaterally. I also did the SuperSets one set of each round. I felt the Giant Sets premix was fine with 2 sets. But the SuperSets, 1 set of each round just didn't seem like enough work even though it's roughly the same volume of work as GiantSets. I think the lack of rests in GiantSets compared to too many rests in the SuperSets premix contributed to this feeling. So I'm going to play with the STS2.0 Total Body workouts and add more sets for the major lifts (compound moves for LB, back, chest, shoulders) and shorten or eliminate the accessory/isolation lifts for Bi's, Tri's, Calves, and those shoulder shrugs for traps. This will help shorten the workouts but keep good volume for the compound moves which are most beneficial for health. If i was an On-Demand subscriber I could make up my own shorter premixes that meet my goal. But at present I'm just gonna play around with my dvds. If aesthetics is one of your reasons for lifting, disregard this as you'll want to include the isolation lifts. :)
 

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