STS 2 Results

jillybean said:
I'm currently doing my own 14 week rotation. It's similar to Cathe's 12 week rotation, but I decided to do it a little more like the original STS so I'm doing:

Weeks 1-4
Mon: STS 2.0 Giant Sets Total Body
Tues: Cardio
Wed: STS 2.0 Supersets Total Body
Thurs: Cardio
Fri: STS 2.2 Trisets Total Body
Sat: Cardio
Sun: Rest
Week 5 - Active Recovery week
Weeks 6-9
Mon: STS 2.0 Upper Body 1
Tues: STS 2.0 Lower Body 1
Wed: Cardio
Thurs: STS 2.0 Upper Body 2
Fri: STS 2.0 Lower Body 2 + 20 min cardio
Sat: Cardio
Sun: Rest
Week 10 - Active Recovery week
Weeks 11-14
Mon: STS 2.0 Body Parts: Back and Biceps
Tues: Cardio
Wed: STS 2.0 Body Parts: Chest and Triceps
Thurs: Cardio
Fri: STS 2.0 Body Parts: Legs and Shoulders
Sat: Cardio
Sun: Rest

I'm currently in week 9, so it's my last week of Phase 2. Looking back at my notebook, I already think I could go heavier next time I try the Phase 1 workouts, but I want to complete my full rotation before I try Phase 1 again. And I have noticed A LOT less soreness in my lower body from doing the recovery workouts. Loving it so far!!
Click to expand...
Thanks for posting your rotation! I always enjoy seeing how others are using new series - helps give me ideas! :)

A couple of questions for you... are you only doing the Recovery workouts during your Active Recovery weeks or do you sprinkle them in your rotation? A 2nd question is what are doing during your Active Recovery Weeks? Thanks!
 
jillybean said:
I'm currently doing my own 14 week rotation. It's similar to Cathe's 12 week rotation, but I decided to do it a little more like the original STS so I'm doing:

Weeks 1-4
Mon: STS 2.0 Giant Sets Total Body
Tues: Cardio
Wed: STS 2.0 Supersets Total Body
Thurs: Cardio
Fri: STS 2.2 Trisets Total Body
Sat: Cardio
Sun: Rest
Week 5 - Active Recovery week
Weeks 6-9
Mon: STS 2.0 Upper Body 1
Tues: STS 2.0 Lower Body 1
Wed: Cardio
Thurs: STS 2.0 Upper Body 2
Fri: STS 2.0 Lower Body 2 + 20 min cardio
Sat: Cardio
Sun: Rest
Week 10 - Active Recovery week
Weeks 11-14
Mon: STS 2.0 Body Parts: Back and Biceps
Tues: Cardio
Wed: STS 2.0 Body Parts: Chest and Triceps
Thurs: Cardio
Fri: STS 2.0 Body Parts: Legs and Shoulders
Sat: Cardio
Sun: Rest

I'm currently in week 9, so it's my last week of Phase 2. Looking back at my notebook, I already think I could go heavier next time I try the Phase 1 workouts, but I want to complete my full rotation before I try Phase 1 again. And I have noticed A LOT less soreness in my lower body from doing the recovery workouts. Loving it so far!!
Click to expand...
Might have to try that!
 
jillybean said:
I'm currently doing my own 14 week rotation. It's similar to Cathe's 12 week rotation, but I decided to do it a little more like the original STS so I'm doing:

Weeks 1-4
Mon: STS 2.0 Giant Sets Total Body
Tues: Cardio
Wed: STS 2.0 Supersets Total Body
Thurs: Cardio
Fri: STS 2.2 Trisets Total Body
Sat: Cardio
Sun: Rest
Week 5 - Active Recovery week
Weeks 6-9
Mon: STS 2.0 Upper Body 1
Tues: STS 2.0 Lower Body 1
Wed: Cardio
Thurs: STS 2.0 Upper Body 2
Fri: STS 2.0 Lower Body 2 + 20 min cardio
Sat: Cardio
Sun: Rest
Week 10 - Active Recovery week
Weeks 11-14
Mon: STS 2.0 Body Parts: Back and Biceps
Tues: Cardio
Wed: STS 2.0 Body Parts: Chest and Triceps
Thurs: Cardio
Fri: STS 2.0 Body Parts: Legs and Shoulders
Sat: Cardio
Sun: Rest

I'm currently in week 9, so it's my last week of Phase 2. Looking back at my notebook, I already think I could go heavier next time I try the Phase 1 workouts, but I want to complete my full rotation before I try Phase 1 again. And I have noticed A LOT less soreness in my lower body from doing the recovery workouts. Loving it so far!!
Click to expand...
Love this, thank you!
 
Debinmi said:
Thanks for posting your rotation! I always enjoy seeing how others are using new series - helps give me ideas! :)

A couple of questions for you... are you only doing the Recovery workouts during your Active Recovery weeks or do you sprinkle them in your rotation? A 2nd question is what are doing during your Active Recovery Weeks? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Good question. I do easy-ish cardio workouts (like Cardio Party or Step Sync - just not something like Tabatacise or CrossFire), and something like a Cathe Live Fit Tower workout or Travel Fit or Boss Bands Total Body. I don’t lift anything heavier than 5 lbs during a recovery week so I stay away from traditional strength training workouts those weeks. I also do mobility or yoga instead of strength. A typical week is usually cardio Tues, Thu, Sat, and then a non-weighted strength workout or a stretching/mobility workout Mon, Wed, and full rest day Sunday.

Also, I try to fit in the recovery workouts whenever I can. Since a lot of the STS 2.0 workouts are close to 60 minutes, I will sometimes add one of the recovery workouts on my cardio days instead. If the cardio is 40 minutes then that leaves me 20 minutes for a recovery workout. I tend to try to not workout too much longer than 60 minutes. Some days I go a bit over that, but generally not.
 
jillybean said:
Good question. I do easy-ish cardio workouts (like Cardio Party or Step Sync - just not something like Tabatacise or CrossFire), and something like a Cathe Live Fit Tower workout or Travel Fit or Boss Bands Total Body. I don’t lift anything heavier than 5 lbs during a recovery week so I stay away from traditional strength training workouts those weeks. I also do mobility or yoga instead of strength. A typical week is usually cardio Tues, Thu, Sat, and then a non-weighted strength workout or a stretching/mobility workout Mon, Wed, and full rest day Sunday.

Also, I try to fit in the recovery workouts whenever I can. Since a lot of the STS 2.0 workouts are close to 60 minutes, I will sometimes add one of the recovery workouts on my cardio days instead. If the cardio is 40 minutes then that leaves me 20 minutes for a recovery workout. I tend to try to not workout too much longer than 60 minutes. Some days I go a bit over that, but generally not.
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I trick my brain sometimes and string together a bunch of short workouts by several different trainers in order to motivate on those days I’m not feeling it-and I always play my own music except during Yoga-I will do over 90 minutes of excercise but doing all those shorter segments is less scary then working out for more then an hour
 
Right there with ya’ FlemingCol56…. I love doing 2 or 3 shorter workouts and try to keep
daily workout time somewhere between 45-60 min., maybe less, maybe more…whatever
I have time for and want to do. Gotta keep it interesting and make sure the “toys” get
used :)
 
I want to report on how my STS 2.0 training is coming. I loved the original STS, and have done the full series a few times. I've done Cathe workouts regularly for over 20 years, alternating cardio and strength workouts or doing her combo workouts. My weight has held steady, but now that I am 65 my body has changed and my waist has thickened.
I started STS 2.0 with the 10 week rotation, and I just finished week 4. The weight workouts seem pretty easy when I do them (the weight I use is pretty much as Cathe recommends, and I lower the weight when it feels appropriate, 5-10 lbs) The evening after the workout, I am very tired and the next day my muscles are sore, which honestly hasn't happened to me before. I look forward to "rest days" and do 30 min of mobility, yoga or foam rolling on those days. I am noticing that I feel stronger generally and my waist is trimmer, my core is definitely tighter. I have done NO sit-ups this whole month, it's all core working to lift weight. I couldn't be happier with my results - it is so motivating!

Thank you, Cathe team!!!
 
I'm still on the Body Parts segment of the 12-week rotation. I had a rest week last week, so thus it's taking me technically longer to do the whole 12 weeks, but that's okay. Those rest weeks are important.

Since I noted that for lower body, even in the Body Parts cycle, she works the entire lower body, I've decided to rotate in the Lower Body 1 and Lower Body 2 workouts on occasion in replacement of Body Parts Legs to fight possible boredom and also keep things fresh with differing exercises.

Today I swapped in Lower Body 1 and wow - I'm noting strength improvements already. I was able to up my weights in all areas. I will say part of that is because I'm using those DMoose hooks, because my grip strength gives out pretty dang fast, otherwise. I still do the first set without the hooks to continue challenging my grip strength, and all throughout he calves section, I don't use the hooks, either (but I do have to drop my weight selection each round), but I like that I can really challenge my lower body muscles and focus on them with the aid of the hooks.

Real exciting to see progress, and I just had a lot of fun revisiting Lower Body 1 since it's been a few weeks since I last did that workout. I'd forgotten about and missed the quad finishers at the end.
 
Kellyro77 said:
I will say part of that is because I'm using those DMoose hooks, because my grip strength gives out pretty dang fast, otherwise.
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I've noticed a big difference in using the hooks. I did the Super Sets Express 4 premix yesterday and used the hooks for the squats and deadlifts round, and the shrugs and calf raises round. Not only was I able to go heavier on those rounds but I was also able to go heavier on some of the other exercises where I wasn't using the hooks because I hadn't maxed out my grip strength.
 
Hazlady said:
I've noticed a big difference in using the hooks. I did the Super Sets Express 4 premix yesterday and used the hooks for the squats and deadlifts round, and the shrugs and calf raises round. Not only was I able to go heavier on those rounds but I was also able to go heavier on some of the other exercises where I wasn't using the hooks because I hadn't maxed out my grip strength.
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Same! SuperSets TB was my test for the hooks ... worked very well - much less discomfort when using heavy weights!
 
Was able to up my weight selections when I did shoulders yesterday. Even went heavier than Cathe for some of the lateral raises!

I was experiencing what I first called mystery rear-delt soreness yesterday before I started my shoulder workout. Was wondering "what the heck" since I did legs the day before. I finally figured it out when I was re-racking my 25# Select-Techs after the hip huggers/shrugs on my Select-Tech stand. Apparently when I'm working my lower body really hard I get bonus rear delt work whenever I'm putting all those heavy weights back on the stand. o_O

Oh - and side-note: I am PAYING for going heavier with the use of the hooks for my lower body workout from Sunday. Oouuuccchhh. Was stiff and store yesterday, and still stiff and sore today. Way more than I recall from previous lower body workouts. Today's a mobility day and I'm looking forward to it. Even light walks and yoga haven't completely worked the stiffness out just yet.
 
the air has cleared somewhat, the bank of smoke has gone, and the temperatures are much cooler, so I can workout again. I have been doing recovery workouts, and will expand those to a week of LITE, and ICE before returning to STS 2.0. I was due for a rest week anyway. Boss Bands and Loops are in the car in case of an evacuation order, but rain yesterday has reduced the likelihood of that. Here’s a photo from a bad day. All smoke. Today I can see the lake.
IMG_0204.jpg
 
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