STS Pyramid Challenge - November

kikster

kikster

Cathlete
Hey ladies! Thought I'd get us going on a new month thread.

And as always: :D

This is also an invitational opportunity for any ladies that were considering joining. For anyone who is unsure on what the STS pyramid is about, feel free to check out the thread here. Basically we are doing the STS program in the following order: Meso 1,2,3,2,1. This will allow us to take advantage of the wonderful STS program, while using it with the traditional "bulk/cut" mentality in mind. The ladies in the check-in are all over the place as to where we all are in the program, so no matter what stage of the game you are in (whether just starting or a couple months in), all are welcome. Some ladies are already about to begin their way back down the pyramid, and some (like me) are just getting started. Either way, the check-in will help us to see how others make the program work for them (everyone does some things differently), to stay accountable, best of all, stay focused....

;)
 
OK ladies, as for my check-in:

I've been on my recovery week from M1, and loving every lazy moment of it, lol :eek: . I've been sneaking in a few of the LIS workouts here and there but mostly been attempting to actually "recover". I'm hoping to have a good enough feel for the new wo's so as to figure out how to work them into the rest of my STS rotation w/o overworking something (mainly lower back and legs - which is where I seem to be feeling these workouts the most). So far I've done YR (almost every day this week, lol), S&G yesterday (cardio premix), TB (only premixes, so far - leg express, and tb#1), and AB (which I LOVED). I'll be taking the weekend to try to get my calendar planned out a bit better, and see what I can come up with.


I hope you all are having a great week! :D
 
Hello all!

Been kinda MIA...crazy week! Anyway, this week was my "rest" week but it hasn't been much of a rest. :p This week I did Cardio Supersets on Monday, the Pyramid HiiT on Tuesday, Trisets - Lower Body on Wed, Athletic Training yesterday and the 30/30 HiiT this a.m. I start Meso 2 tomorrow so I will bang out discs 13, 14 and 15 over the weekend/Monday. I am also planning to do Afterburn tomorrow maybe later in the day but I may switch that to just cardio of some kind instead... I love all of the LIS discs I have done so far!! :D I haven't been extremely sore from any of them but can tell I am using some different muscles which is great. My back is actually a little sore today from Athletic Training yesterday...the tubing work I think is what did it.

I hope all of you are doing well!!
 
Hallo girls,

I am done with M2, yeah:D Looking forward to a recovery week.

Kiki - can't wait to see what you come up with! Did you do M3 twice?


Lovetostep24 - you didn't had much of a recovery week! Glad you like the new workouts.



Need to get some laundry done and clean the RV, tough stuff:p BBL!
 
steph_arena said:
Welll JUST FINISHED DISC 36!!!!!! woohoooo...rest week...then starting my way down..

bbl
steph
Click to expand...

Me too!

Steph, do you know how you are going to pyramid down? I'm thinking I may go backwards (start D24 down to D13 for M2) since the 1RM goes from 85% down to 70 or 65%. I don't know if this is the best way to do it so haven't made my mind up yet :confused: I guess my thoughts are since I just finished M3 and gained strength, keep it up and go w/ heavier weights at the beginning.

Hope you all are having a great weekend :) The weather is beautiful here in the South :cool:

Tracy
 
Tracy: I think i am just going to start at the beginning of the meso so i don't get mixed up along the way. I know for sure that i am going to be a bad girl and skip I think it was the 3rd week when the discs were looonnnnnggg and just do the 4th week 2x.
I finally got my LIS series yesterday... just in time for my rest week yeah! I am still not sure if i am going to repeat the 6 sts discs a week on the way down though since i really want to work the new discs in....well at least i have a week to think about it:p

have a great rest week
steph
 
Seems like everyone is on recovery week now that mine just ended :rolleyes: *sigh* always the outcast.... :p


So my rest week was awesome, lots of stretching, got to try out more of the new stuff, and then I got back to it w/M2 yesterday. I did D14 first because I wanted to put legs at the beginning of the week, during this Meso, as I'd like to incorporate more of the LIS series, and they're pretty leg and lower back dominant for me, so I had to move a few things around to make it work... So I separated leg and back day as far as possible legs=Monday, back= Friday, chest will come directly after leg day, which will have legs nice and rested for a leggy LIS wo on wednesday, and then a less lower back intense cardio on thursday, and I'll be in full force for the back workout on friday. Then I'll rest on Sat, probably do some core/cardio/stretching on Sunday. then repeat :p

Yes, I probably made that sound more confusing that it really is, lol. :confused: But that's actually the way my mind operates when it comes to my workouts, lol. I take it quite serious, and probably way too much thinking goes into it :rolleyes:


On that note, Steph and Tracy, not that you asked me, lol, but other people have :p ... Actually, I just recently rec'd a PM asking me the same question (because she'd introduced the idea on another forum, and people were asking her), and here was my response FWIW:

"I get that question a lot, actually. I typically tell them they could do it either way (because I've had people tell me, when I explain my reasoning for the way that I'll be doing it, that it's too confusing, and they'd just prefer to pop in each disc in reverse order- so to each his own ).

But I will be starting w/the beginning disc of each Meso, and here's my reasoning: in M2 (as you well know, lol, but for explaining to others) the rep amount (8-12) doesn't change, only the 1RM %, which is what feeds the hypertrophy/muscle growth development. So, because the system is set up this way, why not take advantage of it, again? Now if, say the reps in the first disc were at 12, the next one at 10, and then 8, etc (as in M3), I may have a different stance, but seeing as they don't change, I don't mind increasing my 1RM % and staying at the same rep amt. As for M1, the same changes apply, because of the progression that you experience going through the Meso in designed order, I think you'd maximize your results. My big example here is that, for instance in D1 you do about 136 pushups, while in D3 you're doing 182. This is a big jump, and in my opinion would be better suited at the end of your pyramid, so that you've, again, worked your way up to it. Many people also often move to endurance/circuit style work after doing STS, and complain that they feel "weaker" when they do workouts like GS or HR, or similar. I think that doing M1 using it's natural progression will help alleviate that, as well as keep them challenged until the end of the pyramid...

Yea, that was a mouthful, lol. I hope that made sense, girl."


Belinda: I'm only going into M2, I'm way behind ya'll, lol. I won't be doing M3 twice, although, I'll admit, I am tempted :eek: . As my Meso's progress, so does the amount of calories that I allow myself to eat, lol. So I'm afraid I would end up using a second M3 only as an excuse to eat more, rofl! That's also why I chose to do STS during the cooler months, ;) I will have no guilt about my winter eating habits. I mean obviously I don't get outta control, but I do give myself quite a bit of leeway. It's hard to explain, and if I try, I'm afraid it could lead to another of my rambles, and as you can see I've already gotten a little crazy in this post :eek:

Enjoy your rest week, ladies!
 
Hi Girls,

I'm enjoying my rest week and have decided to not pop any workout discs in this week. The weather has been so nice I'm walking and biking. I figure I better take advantage of getting outside while it's like this.

KiKi, you are the best! Thanks for explaining about doing M1 & 2 in order. I hadn't thought of it like that but it definitely makes sense, so I'll drop the idea I had of going backwards. I'm still an STS newbie so whenever you have any advice I'd love to hear it :) Your workout sounds awesome this week.

Steph, how's your rest week going?

Tracy
 
Good Morning girls!
Completely loving my rest week. I have been going for walks during my lunch outside and have tried afterburn and turbo barre. This morning i might try athletic training. I am going to use the turbo barre legs express almost daily to see if it will slim out my man thighs. Besides that not much else besides walking... I love walking outside especially during my lunch...totally reguvenates me for my day:D

bbl steph
 
Sounds like a plan Steph! Enjoy the walks while the weather permits, wish I could join you :) . On second thought....Isn't it cold up there, by now? :confused: Lol.

Tracy: I'm with ya, on the walking and biking for the rest week ;) I truly believe in taking full advantage of those weeks off. And you both are right, the weather has been absolutely beautiful (at least where I am over on the east coast)

I still haven't done my next STS wo yet. It's migraine time of the month, and I get so frightened that one wrong lift could send me down the wrong path, so I've been waiting it out. I ended up doing 4DS-KB (cardio) yesterday, just so as to still get some good endorphins in, and it worked out well, I had minimal pain throughout the day. Haven't decided what today will bring yet. Why does it still feel like I'm on a rest week, lol? I think ya'll are rubbing off on me. (BAD Kiki! Get to work :mad: )
 
Hi girls,

I am also enjoying my recovery week. I did take Saturday, Sunday and Monday off:D I couldn't help myself yesterday:confused: Since I am still working out in an RV and the weather was sooooo nice outside, I went for a 50 min run outside. Not sure, how long I can keep running outside, it's getting colder everntually, right? We should be hearing something soon on the house, the contract is running out on the 18th.....few more days!!

I am taking lots of walks with my dogs. Tomorrow is my husband's 50 bday!! I will not workout tomorrow or Friday. Taking it easy this week. I will be back next week.

Have a great recovery week, everyone!

I sitll haven't made up my mind on M3 twice:eek::eek:
 
Hello ladies!! Happy Wednesday!!

I'm glad to hear everyone is enjoying their rest weeks!! And Kiki, good work on the cardio!!

I was able to bang out discs 13, 14, and 15 over the weekend and Monday along with the Low Impact Challenge Saturday and a good stairs workout on Sunday. Yesterday was a rest day (much needed) and this morning I did Turbo Barre. I was super sore from the STS over the weekend but the soreness seems to have subsided today. :D

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!!

Natalie
 
Wow.... this IS rest week for so many of us. I am on rest week between Meso 2 &3. So far this week I have done Yoga Max, Athletic training, Afterburn and a Powerstrike dvd. I am loving the new workouts so much I am thinking about lending/ giving some of my older Cathe workouts to my daughter and granddaughter (but seriously- who in their right mind would let go of ANY Cathe workouts?)

Trying to figure out how I will do Meso 3 since I will need a spotter for the Chest workouts- not sure if I will take it to the gym or try and get my hubby to spot. I LOVE my DH but he does not like to spend a lot of time on other people's workouts!!! I know I will go to the gym for the squat rack legs because I don't want to buy any more weights for home, but I am not sure I want to drive 20 minutes 1 way for another gym day when I have all the stuff at home.
Decisions, desisions....

Is anybody going to pyramid down backwards??? I am toying with that idea and would like to know your feelings on this

Have a wonderful day
 
Hey girls! Well, I ended up doing more cardio on Wed. because the headache still lingered, decided on a quick one KCM- TLC Boxing, it was just a 30 min premix. Then yesterday, I decided that I was officially cardio'd out, and just dove in to D13. It went w/o a hitch, and I've been headache free, so.....so far so good. Today I will knock out the next disc..... ;)


Brenda: Another person on rest week?! At least it's a good time to play around w/the new wo's and get a feel for how you'll be fitting them in for the rest of STS. I can't believe you'll be starting your pyramid down soon, too! Let us know if you decide to do it backwards, so we can see how it works for ya ;). I know Steph and Tracy were talking about it (going backwards), so I'm not sure what they'll be doing. I'll be doing it the way (and reason) I mentioned earlier, but I'm interested to follow what everyone else will do :) Funny you mentioned needing DH to spot you, because I was just thinking the same thing during my workouts yesterday. I was lifting even heavier than usual and wondering, "if I'm struggling like this now, what in the world am I gonna do when I get to M3 this time? Sure wish DH could spot me, like old times" :rolleyes: . But mine is like yours, now, he just wants to focus on his workout, rather than following me around on mine, lol. (though he does yell for a spot now and then when it's HIM that's working out :confused: )

Belinda: Hope your DH had a happy 50th. Enjoy your day off (from wo's) today, and the rest of your recovery week! I'm anxious to hear your final decision on the double M3 ;)

Natalie: At least somebody is gettin some work done out there! :p Looks like it's just you and me this week, lol. I'm still playing catch-up from dodging that headache all week, so I'm a disc behind ya. I'll be doing D15 today, though (just in time for you to pound out the next 3 over the weekend :rolleyes: LOL) I'll actually be attempting Low Impact Challenge sometime over the weekend, too...only because someone dared me to, lol. I'm already in cardio overload as is, but to add step to it is just plain mean and torturous :p But...who am I to turn away from a dare? :eek:
 
KiKi: I can't believe I totally missed your post on the Pyramid down- I just went straight to page 2 and missed your very thorough, informed post. Apologies to you!!!

I think I will still do Meso 2 backwards on the way down but when I get to Meso 1 I think I will start from disc 1 because I absolutely despise all the pushups!! I know they are THE exercise I need because I dread them so much- but my darn wrists are the weak link. My hubby suggested hand grip exercises so I have started to do those whenever I am driving. I have a 40 mile 1 way commute to work so hopefully I will build up some wrist strength!!

Enjoy the weekend everyone- we are celebrating my youngest's 25th BDay this weekend- I see a cheat day on Sunday!!
 
So after doing D15 on Fri, I took a MUCH needed rest yesterday. I can't even begin to say how fried every single fiber of my upper body was after upping my weights and doing those upper body wo's back to back. The DOMS was ridiculous :confused:


Brenda: LOL, no worries, I'm guilty of that one too. :eek: Your plan sounds pretty solid, M1 and those pushups are definitely the doozy, lol. I know for sure I'll need to work back up to them, no matter how strong I am, the endurance will need to be rejuvenated again before plowing into almost 200 pushups head first! :eek: I think I'm gonna join you on the grip strength exercises (thank DH for the tip ;) ), my wrists are really weak.... Hope you enjoy your cheat day, I'll be living vicariously through you today :D

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!
 
Greetings all!

I am still sooooo sore after fridays chest workout (disc 13) Holy Moly!!! my pecs are still screaming :) So i do not think that i will do my back today as planned...yesterday i did legs no problemo (manly legs here)..even my front delt is sore....mmmmm....maybe 6x a week may not happen...i will see how it goes the rest of the week..:p Still haven't done anything yet today..hopefully i will be motivated when i get back from swimming lessons...so far i just want to veg!

happy Sunday
steph
 
Good Morning all!

Well I felt so guipty about my ice cream i went to train in the gym while my dd was doing swimming lessons...I did the back portion of disc 15 and ran home..not literally dd is only 7...and did the bi-ceps..then i popped in 20 of barre...just wasn't feeling it after that:(

My pecs are still sore from fridays...man kiki-like weights are tough:eek: maybe i over did it though...but heck...when i get discouraged i imagine all my little muscle fibers knitting themselves together and making me stronger;) i wonder if they whistly while they work like dwarves?? (sp?)
bbl
steph
 
Hi ladies! I am also doing STS "pyramid style" right now and thought I would pop in to introduce myself. I am a happily married, 41 year old, WAHM of 2 (almost 6 yo daughter and 3 yo son) and live in northwest Montana. I discovered Cathe back in '96 with PowerMax and have been hooked ever since. I have done the STS program twice through before with terrific results. I let myself go a bit over the last year, however, and my workouts were sporadic. Now that my daughter is in kindergarten (and I'm not playing referee to the kids all day every day) I am finally getting consistent with my exercise again!

I have to admit that I'm not always the best at checking in daily — the last checkin I joined here was when I was pregnant with my daughter — but I would love to join you ladies for some motivation. :) Coincidentally, I already know Steph from another forum, and she is a fitness machine! (Hi Steph!)

I have been blogging about my STS progress so far here on cathe.com if anyone is interested in reading it. It is mostly what workout I did that day and what I ate — just a way to keep track for myself. ;) I just finished up Meso 1 today and am psyched to head into Meso 2! Like Steph, I am doubling up on the workouts each week (3 days on STS/ 1 day off). I have been keeping cardio light and stretch and do yoga as time permits. STS is the best!
 
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