STS question

[ActiveAggie]

I am now in Meso 2 of STS. I am concerned about the Legs section in Meso 3; I have been having trouble all along with each Leg workout, mainly because I cannot bend my knees below 90 degrees, because of my hip replacement. Also, I have scoliosis, and I am a bit off balance. I use a balance stick along with a weight with most lunges, and the elevated lunges are especially difficult. In Meso 3, the choices are using a squat rack (which I do not have) or Plyo. Too much jumping is not good for my hip or back. Does anyone have any suggestions for modification when I get to Meso 3?

 

[vtunell]

I use a weighted vest and dumbells rather than a squat rack/barbell for legs in Mesocycle 3, just a suggestion, not sure if it would work for you or not. Hopefully someone else has good ideas

 

[Hazlady]

The squat rack option may be better for you. You could do the plyo option with modifications to the plyo moves (Amanda shows some modifications to plyo moves the ICE series) but you may still have problems with some of the weighted moves and you risk compromising your results if you have to modify too many exercises. Like vtunell said, you can do the squat rack option without squat racks by using a weighted vest. I think Cathe uses a 10lb weighted vest. You could also use a weighted belt. I don't think they are too expensive and you may even be able to get something second hand.

 

[Jane Power-Grimm]

I am doing Meso 3 at the moment and I agree with Hazlady and Vtunell - you may be better off with the 'option B' squat rack leg program for legs. Cathe and several crew do not actually use a squat rack (neither do I). They use a weighted vest plus a barbell. There are no elevated lunges in Meso 3 which is good and there are very long rests between moves which helps with recovery. If you would prefer dumbell(s) for balance I think that would work. The Meso 3 heavy weight legs program only involves four moves - squats (2 variations), deadlifts and static dip lunges. If you can find a way to do these moves with a challenging weight for 6-8 reps you are good to go!

 

[Linda1]

I just used Meso 2 legs ( again ) with Meso 3 Upper body.

 

[ActiveAggie]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I do have a 4 lb. vest, and if I add my ankle and wrist weights to it I can bring it to 10. I may even be able to add a bit more. I do have barbells and weights up to 50 lbs. Now that I know what the exercises are, I think I will be able to do it and see results. I do not have the LITE or ICE series yet, but they are both on my list to buy. Whenever jumping is called for, I am careful and have learned to adjust over the years. I am going to use the Squat rack version first, and use a weighted vest as suggested. But I will explore the Plyo option later!

 

[Debinmi]

ActiveAggie, that sounds like a good plan. I use a weighted vest and barbell for M3. I purchased a squat rack after completing my first STS rotation, however, I prefer the vest and barbell. I'm finishing up my current STS rotation in May & then plan to incorporate the Plyo Legs workouts in my summer rotation. I modify them where I can to lower impact. I've found that the more low impact workouts of Cathe's HIIT dvds (Ice Low Impact Sweat, RWH Low Impact Hiit, Xtrain All Out Low Impact Hiit, and Perfect 30 Low Impact Hiit) help me come up with ideas for modifications. Cathe also shows some mods in a premix of Cardio Slam, but I find some of those are too low, so I modify those too.

You sound like you're up to experimenting to find what works for you... good for you! As Cathe says, "it's your workout, make it work for you!"

 

[Suzielaw]

I am now in Meso 2 of STS. I am concerned about the Legs section in Meso 3; I have been having trouble all along with each Leg workout, mainly because I cannot bend my knees below 90 degrees, because of my hip replacement. Also, I have scoliosis, and I am a bit off balance. I use a balance stick along with a weight with most lunges, and the elevated lunges are especially difficult. In Meso 3, the choices are using a squat rack (which I do not have) or Plyo. Too much jumping is not good for my hip or back. Does anyone have any suggestions for modification when I get to Meso 3?

I just started Meso 3 and I have problems with my knees, too. I have had two lower back surgeries and I broke my neck in a car accident years ago. When the plyo jumps begin, I simply do the previous round of exercises or I do 'soft' jumping jacks . . . anything to get my heart rate up with no real jumping. I wish Cathe showed modifications like she does in other videos but on the first video, I did ok without them. I agree with Debinmi, you can also find modifications from other DVDs.

 

[karategirl]

If you have the Slow and Heavy series, you could substitute Slow and Heavy Legs for Meso 3. Not exactly the same, but possibly better than having to modify too much.