STS DEAL OF THE DAY!!!!!

Some neighbors/friends and I are going on a long hike tomorrow. It does feel like a reward. I did Disk 4 today, as later in the week, I have a conflict and probably won't get much of a workout in. So to get the 3 workouts in this week, I will do STS workouts on Tuesday & Thursday. It felt good to work hard the arms today.

I agree with Dawn, the more the merrier! I am glad for everyone that is joining our discussion and sharing Dawn & I doing STS for the 1st time.
 
Pam_90 said:
I agree with Dawn, the more the merrier! I am glad for everyone that is joining our discussion and sharing Dawn & I doing STS for the 1st time.
Click to expand...

Well, on that note Pam I would like to say hi to you and Dawn and whomever else following this thread!! Natasha had popped in I saw and even mentioned that me and another lady Cathy had also started STS for the first time.

I just did Disc 13 which is the first disc of Meso 2 and my chest was shaking even in the extended stretch (which I have come to love and need!) I have never lifted heavy before and really have only done endurance based lifting before so this was a challenge for me today. About half of the exercises I could not meet the target reps falling a few short, but fatiguing is the goal! I just wonder what DOMS tomorrow will bring ;)

I think it is great that you guys are on your STS journey. And I am happy to know that I am not the only one to be doing it for the first time! Although I bought it on the presale, but you guys got a MUCH better deal! I am already planning on doing another round of STS sometime later this year so Dawn you are not crazy for already planning ahead!!

Just a quick hello for now, but I plan on checking in with you guys if you don't mind. The pace of Meso 1 will get easier for you and by the last week or two pausing the tape will decrease, but I did just as much pausing too that it felt like I took double the time to complete the w/o!

Keep up the good work!
Gina
 
Hi Gina--Glad you joined in, great to hear your experiences and have your encouragement.

It has been years since I have done heavy lifting (back in the days when I was gym rat), and recently have only been endurance lifting also. So the first week of Sts was a shock, but I am enjoying this and looking forward to continuing in heavy lifting.

Pam
 
Today is my rest day after M2 W1. I need it! My legs got a major workout last week with the trisets in Disc 14. I had done Double Wave Pyramid on Thursday, then Disc 14 Legs on Friday, then on Saturday I did Athletic Training (!), and on Sunday went hiking and Disc 15 Back & Bis! I was so glad yesterday was just LIC...but owie with the DOMS today in my biceps!
I will be doing Yoga Relax tonight after work and maybe a short walk after dinner. I printed out my workout cards for M2 W2 and am a little intimidated. I can see why everyone gets such great results (I hope to be one of them!)! I have never been pushed like this in my life. I LOVE IT!!!:eek:
 
Hello STS ladies :)

I just popped in to read how everyone was progressing with STS. Cathe has recruited more happy customers into her STS fan base I see ;). It's so nice to read everyone's journey throughout this wonderful program.

This week is my active recovery. I thought I would be going crazy not lifting weights, but I've made peace with it. It's actually quite nice to have that break from DOMS too.

I'm also in a check-in with Toni. I was ranting and raving (and possibly enabling heavily) about STS when I started the program. Another one bites the dust ;) :eek:. I've also been checking in with Nancy, as she is only 1 week ahead of me. It's great to have so much positive energy, motivation and support here on the forums.

Pam & Dawn
How much are you guys lovin' M1??!! I was sad to pop in my last disc :(. Rest assured, the pausing of the workouts will get less. D1 drove me BANANAS!! My 50min workout turned out to be 65min, and my room looked like a hurricane hit it!! By W2, you guys will get into the swing of things and everything will go much more smoothly (if it has not already). Do you both have weighted vests? Are you planning on doing Squat Rack or Plyo Legs?
Gina
Congrats on finishing M1!!!!! How exciting to be starting M2!!! I can't wait to have that little shaking in my chest. I'm a sucker for severe DOMS, twitching muscle spasms, and the burn baby burn!! I heard M2 is the most fun but M3 will make you feel SO strong.


Have a wonderful day ladies! Keep on pushin'!

Natasha
 
Gina, hi! Thanks for coming over to say hello. I'm only on disk 4 and I'm already getting excited for Meso 2. Sounds like it is quite effective to say the least. :) How were the DOMS today? Yes, please come check in with us regularly. I'll check in as well over on your thread.

Nancy, how is the Double Wave Pyramid? Today I did Hiit 30/30 for the second time. I'm really enjoying that (more than I thought I would). I already find that I am taking less time between bursts. I use a heart rate monitor (which I love) to make sure I get my heart rate down below 140 before starting the next one. I can't wait to try the other STS Cardio DVD's. Being introduced to this new cardio is an added bonus for me (as if STS alone wasn't enough!)

And Nancy, wow what a workout week for you! Awesome!

Natasha, thank you as well for checking in. Love how you've "made peace" with no strength training - I know I'll feel the same way. The second day in I can see myself touching my muscles convinced they are starting to wiggle! LOL.

And your "hurricane" analogy is so right on! Yesterday (disk 4) my room wasn't as bad as it was with disk 1 but I had chuckle when I went to clean up afterward. There was stuff everywhere!!!

So tell me, when/where do we decide to do squat rack or plyo?

Pam, how's it going? I love how you were able to swap out your STS days for what worked with your schedule - that's a great thing about this program. Though technically you're now a day ahead of me, huh? LOL!

Thanks everybody! Love hearing from you all! :)
 
Lovin Meso 2!

Hi Dawn, Pam, Natasha and Nancy!!

It is great we are all hooking up together here. I hope to hear from Cathy soon as well from the other thread. Dawn I'll just make this thread my home and check in if you don't mind ;) Everyone I was following has seemed to make it to this thread. Im feeding off of everyone's energy and determination here and I will like to offer any advice and encouragement that I can as well to you guys. Knowing that someone else is out there like you for the first time going through STS makes me want to push hard and do the best that I can. So thank you!!

First of all, I STILL have chest DOMS! I noticed them every time I had to reach above my head when doing Step Moves this morning. I did that disc on Monday. So, Natasha if you want true, long-lasting DOMS they will be cranked up for you on Meso 2 :)

I am loving Meso 2! On Monday, I was missing the fast pace of the endurance workouts; however, the legs workout moves pretty fast and gets your heart rate up so expect to be sweating buckets!

For extra motivation, I am entering the Body Transformation contest on Tom Venuto's website for the Burn Fat Feed Muscle program (BFFM). I am trying to upload my info, but his server is so bogged down right now. It starts today, but you have up until June 6th to enter. It will last 14 weeks, so I am thinking I will more than likely pryamid down with STS to get me through the contest. I think it will allow for me to do another round of Meso 2 after Meso3. I'll think about what I want to do after evaluating my awesome results from STS :) If anyone wants more info, just let me know.

Ok guys, you are doin great!!

Gina
 
Hello STS ladies :)

OMG, you guys (Gina, Nancy) are killin' me with M2 here!!! 3 more days to go!! Let the countdown begin :eek:.

I recently got a very nice compliment from my DH saying he was impressed with my arm muscles :eek:. STS baby! Yeah!!!

BTW, how is everyone's appetite? Is anyone increasing their protein? I'm trying to increase mine with food rather than protein shakes. I like to eat my calories :p. Here is a simple recipe I got off Bob Harper's new book The Skinny Rules:

Banana-blueberry-protein pancakes

1/2 c rolled oats
1/4 c ff ricotta
4 lrg egg whites
1/2 banana
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c blueberries

1. Heat griddle. Spray w/Pam or any type of cooking spray.

2. Mix all ingredients together except blueberries.

3. Fold blueberries in batter.

4. Pour batter in skillet (4-5 pancakes)

Whole recipe is approx 350 cal. I usually eat 1 or 2 and put the rest in the fridge for the next day. They are VERY tasty :p

Gina
Good luck w/the contest! How exciting and motivating!
Nancy
I love how you do both Low Impact and High Impact cardio. I like low impact because I have temperamental knee's, but nothing makes me sweatier than a good high impact butt kicker! I'm a high impact junkie at heart :).
Dawn
Hiit 30/30 is my fav of the 3 hiit's. 40/20 is brutal :eek:. You have to seriously dig deep and go to your "happy place" while doing it.
Squat rack or plyo legs starts in M3. It all depends on what your goals are and your personality I think. Squat rack is all squats and lunges. Nothing else. This appeals to me, but other's say it's boring. I want to really tone my legs so I'm leaning towards squat rack.


Everyone is doing awesome! Keep up the great work :)


Natasha
 
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Gina, I would love it if you checked in here! Thanks so much for being here for us. :) Wow, those are some long-lasting chest DOMS' - that's great. How are they today? The BFFM program sounds interesting - I haven't heard of that. Go you!

Natasha, funny you should mention protein. I was going to ask you guys what your take was on the amount of protein we need each day. I do eat what I think is a lot but today I am actually writing it all down to see. Is there a straight forward calculation you guys use?

And thanks for the pancake recipe - those ingredients look awesome!

I think I'll lean toward the squat rack as well. We can always get plyo in on the cardio days, right?

Nancy, brutal = good. Right? Speaking of brutal - I found CCC to be tough! It's SO long! :) Though I'm glad I have something to work up to. I downloaded it so I'm think I'm going to go into the Workout Blender and create a mix that only does each exercise once.

Okay, one more question for the day. After all my planning to time STS with my vacation - I got it wrong after all!!! I looked at the calendar in the Workout Manager and my rest week is the week BEFORE I go away! D'oh!!!

Anyway, I want to push back the recovery week by one week so it lines up with my vacation. It is recovery week between meso 2 and 3. Does it make sense to repeat the last week of either meso 1 or meso 2 to line the recovery week up with my vacation? If so, should I repeat the last week of meso 1 or meso 2? Or is there another solution?

Thanks ladies!
 
Well, I finally have afew minutes here to catch up with you ladies! I'm so happy that everyone is still here and sticking with it!!!!
Natasha: I know how eager you are to get those M2 muscles going! I have these very tubular long arms that lack definition so I am really hoping to get a lot out of it! After doing Disc 15 last week I REALLY felt my biceps and my DH said he could see a very slight bump coming out :p! As sore as I feel sometimes I should look like Popeye! It's interesting that you bring up appetite and protein. I've increased my protein intake to about 90 grams/day (I weigh 130) and am trying to limit my after dinner eating. Yesterday I didn't eat enough at lunch and felt weak during my work out. The weights went up to 75%, and that was super tough!, but I think I ran out of gas earlier in the afternoon due to that skimpy lunch! I drank a glass of kefir and sucked down a Clif Shot Gel before my workout and that helped take the edge off a bit...but it wasn't my best effort. Lesson learned!
Dawn: I think I would repeat the M2 week, not the M1 week. But that is only because I CRAVE muscle!!!!

Tonight I'm doing 30/30 and Ab Circuits No Equipment Abs. I also thought I'd try the ab chapter from Butts & Guts. I bought it with my pre-order incentive and haven't unwrapped it yet!

My goal for this week is to focus on eating clean, and eating less after dinner(trying to keep it around 1500 calories)! The eating clean part is easy for me, but the eating less part is tough! It's hard to turn off the appetite after dinner! I have greek yogurt with a few nuts and berries every night for dessert, but it just seems to trigger the drive to munch! Even at 50 years old, my inner toddler rules me!:eek:
 
Oops! There's more!!!!
Gina:I think it's great that you're participating in the Transformation contest! And, I love that you're pyramiding down...that's what I'm doing, too! Maybe we can convince everyone else to joing us????

Pam: Hope everything is going okay for you!!! How are you feeling?

And: I think I would rate the HiiT workouts in the same order as Natasha. From easiest to most insane; 30/30, DWP, followed by 40/20 (which nearly took me out last time I did it!). I try to really mix up my cardio with high impact, low impact, and step. I love all of Cathe's cardio so much that it's hard to chose! Can't wait to throw Crossfire and To the Max into the mix!
 
Hey Everyone!!

I am sooo happy to see that we are all able to check in!! That is great and let's do our best to keep it up so it can propel us through STS!

Everyone's making me jealous doing the Hiit w/os, but I'm building my cardio endurance back up to do them. Almost there!

My chest is sore to touch still 3 days later! But now it's my glutes and quads talking to me after yesterday's w/o. I'm surprised my calves aren't screaming too cuz I fried them. Oh...just you wait you pretty little ladies!

Dawn I've seen in the threads that many did both the squat rack and pylo w/os per week just like you were thinking when you said we can always do it for cardio. I might just try it or at least do it every other week so I can capitalize on the leg results. My lower body is where I really need to make the most changes in my pear-shaped body!

Nancy you are a week ahead of me and you're makin me scared! But I want more muscles so bring it on! I'm ready. Im with ya trying to convince the crew to pyramid with us. That would be great!

Natasha my appetite was crazy during Meso 1. Im finally gaining control & I have learned I need to eat every 3 hours and to eat the majority of my calories by 3 or 4p. I try to balance my 3 meals with veg, prot, carb, and fat. My 2 snacks fruit/protein/carb usually. And thanks about the contest, I am pumped about it actually as it is fueling my determination to get the best results I can from STS :)

See ya guys soon. I hope to hear from Pam and Cathy soon and anyone else wanting to join us.

Gina
 
Hello everyone :)

Ok, now I'm getting antsy. I printed out my STS worksheets and looked through D13,14,15 :eek:. OMG, I'm SOOO excited to get M2 started! I'm going out hunting for a weighted vest today and I ordered more weight plates for my barbell & dumbbell's (I have an adjustable dumbbell set which uses the plates) for a steal on-line! I feel like a little kid at Christmas whenever I buy new fitness equipment :D. At first I felt kinda guilty purchasing all the equipment I needed for STS, but then I realized I don't go to the gym, and so I'm saving myself $40-60/month on a membership. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

This week has been all steady state cardio and walking, which feels pretty weird considering I always do at least 1 or 2 hiit/intervals per/week.

Dawn
Plyo Legs minus the weighted leg work, makes for an awesome hiit workout! I did that a few weeks ago and enjoyed it more than the original 3 hiit's from Shock Cardio. I also LOVE the hi/low hiit's from Intensity.
I don't see a problem with you repeating the last weeks of M1 or 2. When you do the 6.5month STS rotation, I think you do each week twice if I'm not mistaken. Perhaps ask the question on the forum and you might get more helpful feedback.
Nancy
I'm an after dinner nibbler too :eek:. Greek yogurt w/berries and nuts is my go-to snack :p. The other day I mixed up a little yogurt w/ricotta, strawberries and some stevia. I swear it tasted like whipped cream!
I hope M2 gives you the muscles you desire :). It's funny how there's always one area (or 2 or 3) which is stubborn to respond :mad:.
Gina
I also need to eat every 3 hours or watch out! I get severe hangries (that's hunger and angry together :D). It's great you balance your meals, I'm the same.
You can do the hiit's, you might just have to take longer breaks or modify. I find the more you do them, the greater your cardio endurance gets. I started with Pyramid, as it was one of my first ever Cathe workouts :eek:.


Have a great weekend ladies!
 
Nancy, I too crave muscle so I think I will repeat the last week of M2! How did you like the ab chapter from Butts & Gutts? That's one of my favorite Cathe DVD's -it's filled with good stuff.

Funny about your inner toddler! :) It's so encouraging to hear that you are 50. I'm 44 and although I've always been active - I only started working out at home regularly about 5 years ago. I'm SO glad I do. I can't even imagine what my bod would feel like if I didn't.

Okay so clearly I didn't learn my lesson last week and yet again did an intense workout the day after Backs/Triceps (Disc 5). I think the back work is actually much harder than it feels at the time. This week I attempted Cardio Core Circuits the day after -and my back is still sore! I LOVE DOMS everywhere else - but in the back muscles - it's not so much fun.

I was able to make it through Disc 6 just fine yesterday though - it didn't effect the back DOMS much at all. That leg work is awesome. And from what I'm hearing from you ladies - M2 leg work is really something! Can't wait.

Nancy, I may follow your idea of mixing up the cardio from now on. Tomorrow is my rest day but I think I am going to make today my rest day today instead - so I can push it a bit harder tomorrow. My body is asking for a break so I'm going to listen! :)

Natasha, thanks for the link to the protein article. I tracked my protein one day last week and I did get about 90 grams in -but it really is something that needs to be paid attention to. If I didn't make an extra effort to grab another couple tablespoons of peanut butter or another serving of cottage cheese - I probably would have fallen short. I'm glad I did the tracking so now I know exactly how much it takes to get the right amount in.

Love the term "hangries" - that is SO me if I don't eat every 2 hours! And you're getting me excited too about M2 - and I'm only 1/2 way done with M1. I was lifting a bit heavier than this before I started STS so it will be nice to get back to that level again. Though I can see the benefit of this endurance work here in M1.

Do you mind sharing where you got the plates online? I too feel the same way about all of the equipment and the gym membership - it's a good story! :) Plus it is an investment in your health too - right?

Gina, I'm with you on building the cardio endurance. HiiT 30/30 is a good place to start. The exercises aren't that tough and I just leave a little more time in between to get my heart rate down. I'm going to stick with that for now for my high impact work. I think I was a little too ambitious trying CCC last week!

Pam, how was your week 2? Did moving your days around work out okay for you?

On another topic:

My husband just started P90X last night so this will be really great to be doing programs simultaneously. Have any of you done P90X? Any advice for him?
 
Hi Guys!!

Finished week 1 of Meso 2 last night. Whew! My shoulders were sore in the warmup section for Back and Biceps still from Monday’s w/o!! Unbelievable. I have never experienced DOMS like I am this week. Another tease for Natasha…hehe. But you are due to start Meso 2!! And Dawn you’ll get there sooner than you know it cuz this rotation seems to be going fast for me.

A little piece of advice for one arm rows. I don’t believe I did them correctly b/c by the time I got to my bicep work I could only lift 2/3 of the weight I had planned. I have been watching Cathe TV. She taped segments for each Meso cycle and she demonstrated how to properly do one arm rows (maybe segment 8A)– make sure that your elbow comes up and goes back kinda like at a 90 degree angle. I was pulling my arm up and in and she said that would work the biceps more. Wish I would have seen that clip before my w/o! But now I know :) Always learning and Cathe is great for form pointers! Have any of you watched the STS segments? If not, check them out at Cathe TV

Oh my gosh! Hangries is the perfect word for me too!! My family and friends have learned to let me eat when I need to cuz they will pay for it with my evil twin if they don’t! Lol…I am a Gemini you know ;)

Don’t you just love getting new equipment?! There is always a justifiable reason for purchasing more. No worries! Like Dawn, I am curious as to where you got your great deal too Natasha. I am actually looking for 7.5# barbell plates.

Thanks for the encouragement for doing the Hiit videos. I was able to do them 2 yrs ago. I just know my soon to be 41 year old body that I need to build up a little more cardio and even leg strength to do them or otherwise they wipe me out for the day! But they are in the plans, probably in the next month or two.

I’ve never done P90X b/c Tony Horton drives me crazy!! Some husbands join their wives and do Cathe. Would he try STS? I believe it would be great for him too. The guys usually end up being surprised at what a great w/o they can get with Cathe, but we know :)

Ok, long winded today I guess. Oh Nancy, I actually got the pyramid down idea from your posts! So thank you :) And Dawn, pyramiding down is doing STS like this: M1, M2, M3, then M2, M1 just to clarify. Are you interested in joining me and Nancy?!

Have a great weekend guys and catch up with you soon!!

Gina
 
Hi ladies!

Just a quickie post regarding the dumbbell set I purchased w/plates on-line:

Cap Barbell RSV-CB42 40 Pounds Cement Dumbbell Set (Black): Amazon.ca: Sports & Outdoors

I'm trying to be thrifty (aka-smart savvy shopper) with new fitness equipment. I just got a Turbo Tower and a barbell not too long ago, and now I need a weighted vest :D. The plates are great to use for the barbell and plus I get 2 new dumbbells, all for $36.

BTW, CatheTV on YouTube is great! I've been watching clips weekly. Very helpful with form pointers.

BB tomorrow! Have a great Sunday :)
 
Natasha, do tell! How was D13??? And thanks for the link to the dumbbell set.

I have something similar by the Cap brand. It is this: Amazon.com: Cap Barbell 40-Pound Dumbbell Set: Sports & Outdoors

I do often use the plates on my barbell and it works great. You've got me thinking now - I may just want to get another set. That will save a lot of time switching weights….hmmm….

I did get the squat stands so I'm wondering if I'll need the weighted vest? Did you happen to pick out a vest this weekend?

Gina, thanks for the reminder about the Cathe TV videos. I remember watching them a while back but just kinda breezed through them. Now that I've started STS - they are going to be very helpful!

Yes, I did suggest STS to my husband but he was already set on P90X - he's actually enjoying it. Though when he's done with it in the fall - maybe he'll consider Cathe then! I'm just happy he's committed to a program. I think by me starting Cathe - it motivated him. Cathe is clearly the gift that keeps giving!

Yes, I'd love to do the pyramid down. As soon as I am done with M3, I begin M2 again and then back down to M1, right? Is it just the one recovery week in between?

So, I did MMA Kickbox on Sunday. I started it gingerly because my back was still stiff from the week. It worked out fine. That's a good middle of the road cardio workout! And really fun.

Back is feeling fine today so off to do D6!

Happy Monday everybody!
 
All I can say is "WOW". I did Disc 18 yesterday and was amazed that I felt stronger already! The barbell rows and barbell curls were easier for me this week...and I was using 75% of my 1RM!!!! The weak point for me was the last exercise: seated concentration curls. I had to drop the weight down by a pound and I had to "assist" my arms up after about halfway through each set. But I know that this too shall pass! Another "highlight" of the week was doing Slide 'n Glide the day after Disc 17 Legs. Those hamstring kickbacks with the loop were TOUGH!!! Tonight I'll finish out the week with Intensity and finally try those Butts n' Guts Abs! Tomorrow will be Yoga Relax and gearing up for M2 W3!!!!
 
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