STS 2.0 – New Slow Motion Rotation

[FiddleFit]

You all have some good ideas and advice. I think I have to get over the mental conditioning that was ingrained in me in my younger days that "more is better". And also, the voice in my head that says "If it wasn't necessary to have 'that' in the workout, Cathe wouldn't have put it in in the first place". I want to know that I'm still going get results from a workout, even if I'm doing the shorter version. I'm nursing an inflamed knee right now, but once that gets resolved I'll give this a go, with perhaps some add-ons. I really like LMS and Elevated, so will pepper some of those workouts throughout.

 

[Debinmi]

I think I have to get over the mental conditioning that was ingrained in me in my younger days that "more is better". And also, the voice in my head that says "If it wasn't necessary to have 'that' in the workout, Cathe wouldn't have put it in in the first place".

You gave me a good chuckle this AM. I used to think those things too. Remember when STS2.0 came out and Cathe said cardio wasn't necessary but if you must, no more than 2 30-minute sessions/week? I was like "whaaatt? The queen of cardio is telling us it's not necessary?" Hee hee. But with aging, things have changed for me. I'm looking for efficient & effective workouts for my needs and goals, not others. A program for the masses may not work as designed for the one and has to be tweaked. I think Cathe would be the first to agree as she always says (paraphrased) "make it work for you, it's your workout." And isn't that part of the beauty and benefit of the Blender in On-Demand?

 

[Debinmi]

Okay, so today i did TriSets Express #5 which is groups 1, 2, & 3 (legs, chest, back) and is about 30 min. I suggest going back to the Chapters menu and grabbing Shoulders #5; it will add ~4:40 minutes - so ~35 min total. If you want a little more LB, do the 2nd Leg round #7 which is about ~6:30 min. These two add-ons make the workout about 41 minutes. I'd also suggest substituting Close-grip Bench Press for one of the Fly exercises in the Chest group. As Cathe says "It's just a suggestion; Take it or leave it."

 

[Nabbe47]

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.

First, Thank you, I'm glad you liked the rotation.
Agree with you for the need to have enough challenge to build strength and bone mass! And that the original STS 2.0 is incredibly taxing. That is why the slow motion rotation, both in length and workout time savings. I can assure you that this rotation will give you the same strength and hypertrophy as the original one, only taking longer time but less taxing and not as demanding. And, as @Debinmi pointed out, you can adapt it as you wish to meet your targets and to fit with your "enough" scale! Have Fun!

 

[FiddleFit]

First, Thank you, I'm glad you liked the rotation.
Agree with you for the need to have enough challenge to build strength and bone mass! And that the original STS 2.0 is incredibly taxing. That is why the slow motion rotation, both in length and workout time savings. I can assure you that this rotation will give you the same strength and hypertrophy as the original one, only taking longer time but less taxing and not as demanding. And, as @Debinmi pointed out, you can adapt it as you wish to meet your targets and to fit with your "enough" scale! Have Fun!

Thanks! You put a lot of thought in creating this rotation. Well done!

 

[FitSaxe]

Thanks! You put a lot of thought in creating this rotation. Well done!

Nursing your knee is top priority..... STS 2.0 rotation is not. Please do not jeopardise the healing process.
Bad thoughts and excess of information don't help. Take care and prompt healing to you.

 

[Nabbe47]

The minimal effective training dose (MED), popularized by Tim Ferris in his 2010 book The 4-Hour Body and extensively studied by exercise scientists and researchers such as Dr. Patroklos Androulakis-Korakakis in his recently published book “Train Smarter, Not Longer: The Minimum Effective Dose for Muscular Development, ‎ Human Kinetics, 2026". Their systematic reviews and meta-analyses show that significant strength gains can be achieved on shockingly little volume.

The minimum effective dose (MED) refers to the smallest amount of stimulus required to produce a desired outcome. In resistance training, it’s the least amount of work you need to do to achieve a specific fitness goal—whether that’s building muscle, maintaining your current physique, or maintaining muscles while losing fat.

For many, the idea of doing less and still seeing results can seem counterintuitive. After all, the “more is better” mentality is deeply ingrained in fitness culture. However, research and experience show that more is not always better—especially when it comes to resistance training. The key is to apply just enough stimulus to trigger the desired adaptations in your body without unnecessary excess.

The main advantages to adopting a MED approach:

Improved Recovery: By avoiding unnecessary volume, your body has more time and resources to recover. This can lead to better long-term progress and reduce the risk of injury.

Avoiding Overtraining: Overtraining can lead to burnout, decreased performance, and increased injury risk. Following MED could help you avoid this by focusing on quality over quantity.

Consistent Progress: With MED, you can maintain consistent progress without the peaks and valleys that often come with more aggressive training approaches. This approach is sustainable and maintainable over long-term.

 

[Debinmi]

recently published book “Train Smarter, Not Longer: The Minimum Effective Dose for Muscular Development, ‎ Human Kinetics, 2026". Their systematic reviews and meta-analyses show that significant strength gains can be achieved on shockingly little volume.

Excellent post and reference. Our past ingrained thinking (i.e "more is better" "only Cathe knows whats best for me", "bro-science is the best", etc.) can be counterproductive to effective and efficient training especially as we age. I've been reading a lot on minimal effective dose for training for health. It's very interesting. We were just discussing this, your premix rotation and volume work this morning. Thanks for the resource @Nabbe47!

 

[Nabbe47]

discussing this, your premix rotation and volume work

Here is an excerpt from the last chapter of the "Train Smarter" book, adressed, in some way to older people. It summarises how to assess effectiveness of training programs and gives sample fitness programs as guidelines for design of MED based programs.

 

[Debinmi]

Thanks for the excerpt. So, yeah, minimal effective dose is interesting. 2 sets on major lifts, 1 set on accessory. But whoa, the number of exercises is astonishing!!!

Piqued my interest. I downloaded a sample, saw i had some Kindle points to use, so I went ahead and purchased the e-book. Looking forward to the read. Thanks!

 

[Nabbe47]

You may also watch this interview between Dr. Patroklos Androulakis-Korakakis and his co-researcher Dr. Milo Wolf on YouTube:

 

[FitSaxe]

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.

Thank you for sharing your true, transparent, sincere experience. Less can indeed produce more in terms of results. Your thoughts also reflect your happiness and enthusiasm working out STS. Being healthy/Fit is also NOT being miserable dwelling into dark THOUGHTS and acts. Mental fitness reflect itself throughout our informative decision and interactions here! Thank you for being real.

We need data, facts to support studies. Your experience shared is what us women need to make informative decisions.

 

[Debinmi]

You may also watch this interview between Dr. Patroklos Androulakis-Korakakis and his co-researcher Dr. Milo Wolf on YouTube:

Appreciated the link. I like putting a face and voice to the researchers. I can more appreciate the levity and humor in the book. That info on fractional sets was interesting to me yesterday (taking my time reading through the book).

 

[Nabbe47]

on fractional sets

Well, I think it is fair, in a multi-joint exercise, to count in what all secondary muscles are also getting along with the main targeted muscle, but to consider this only as a bonus! No need to be stingy

 

[Debinmi]

An interview by Katie Couric with Will Harlow referencing evidence for shorter and fewer workouts to improve fitness for health.

3 Essential Exercises To Keep You Strong and Independent For Years To Come

A physical therapist shares the "holy trifecta" for bone health.

katiecouric.com

 

[Nabbe47]

Following PAK's book "Train Smarter, Not Longer" recommenadtions for minimum effective dose gains for life, plan to follow the attached customised rotation next year (Have still my slow motion rotation for the rest of this year!).
Have learned that higher doses can be countereffective for the aging body!

 

[Debinmi]

Following PAK's book "Train Smarter, Not Longer" recommenadtions for minimum effective dose gains for life, plan to follow the attached customised rotation next year (Have still my slow motion rotation for the rest of this year!).
Have learned that higher doses can be countereffective for the aging body!

Interesting. I'm not through the book yet. Do you have issues with Hinge (deadlift)? I didn't see or notice it in the rotation? Are you thinking of transitioning to paper workouts from follow-along programs via dvds/downloads and/or streaming? I'm seriously considering it.

Years ago I did so. I like the entertaining value of a follow-along program (Cathe's are/were the best production IMO - that may change with the bankruptcy situation - time will tell). And I didn't have to think much, just press play. I learned a lot about proper form and formating a workout and a rotation from her, but I may be getting ready to move on.

That's a compliment to Cathe! The "student" may be ready to go out on her own.

 

[Nabbe47]

Do you have issues with Hinge (deadlift)? I didn't see or notice it in the rotation?

The second exercise in LB focus is RDL! Isn’t that Hinge?

Are you thinking of transitioning to paper workouts from follow-along programs via dvds/downloads and/or streaming?

Only for the three weight lifting workouts, unless MED workouts will be available as follow-along videos for download. Still, I do have high regard for Cathe’s workout series and will certainly make, out of them, several premixed and mini-premixed rotations, following MED criteria.

Actually, I started my serious training from a book, which was so good in teaching each exercise as if it is a cooking recipe, very detailed on posture, movement, timing and more. Also used a mobile app “Virtuagym”, where in addition to ready to follow-along workouts, one can design own workout, then follow-along it through animated video sequence and instructor voice announcing the exercise, counting the reps or time elapsed, etc., but it is now only available for coaches to a much higher price! My first follow-along video was Cathe’s Xtrain/LIS rotation, then Caroline Girvan pioneering YouTube Era, followed by others. Still I have used books to create interesting workouts.

 

[Debinmi]

The second exercise in LB focus is RDL! Isn’t that Hinge?

FGS - YES! I missed it.

, I do have high regard for Cathe’s workout series and will certainly make, out of them, several premixed and mini-premixed rotations

Me too. I'd consider subscribing to On-Demand to make use of the blender, BUT, not until she adds more "series-like" content and certainly not until they are out of bankruptcy and on more solid financial footing. Until then, I'll make use of my dvds. With your Premix rotation, I've been having fun re-doing STS2.0 & noting chapters to skip or add to in order to make it more of what I want at this time.

I became enamored with the Schuler & Cosgrove books "NROL for Life" and their last book, "Supercharged". They give you a blueprint/template and you put in the exercises you want in the laid-out categories. I like that. They also include progression and regression exercises - like that too. There's a new-to-me trainer from the UK who has a similar design template (Abi Champion). I also have been reading on mixing Strength exercises in with Hypertrophy exercises in the same workout (your video on the author/"PAK" discussed it too). Really liking that concept also.