STS Squat Rack (plus a couple tangential rants)

[MomInVT]

Hi amazing, strong Cathletes,
So I did STS Meso 3 squat rack legs for the first time this morning and really enjoyed the work.

A few primary thoughts/questions:
1) My reps for front and back squats and static lunges were like, half the speed of Cathe and crew's. I was trying to get my thighs parallel to the ground. Anyone else? Maybe it's just the heavy weight?

2) Front squats are HARD! They totally showed my core who's boss.

3) I added a little cardio during some (not all) of the long rests: low impact bodyweight stuff with discs, boxing with 1lb weights, core moves a la RWH bonus abs 1. Has anyone else played with this? What did you add?

4) What shoes do you wear for this kind of training? I am wearing very flat sneaks without cushion.

OK, now for the side rants/comments:
1) I LOVE Lorraine and Deazie in this workout. I love them in general. They have great smiles and great form and are no nonsense about their work work.
I feel like there are all these unspoken racial politics in other trainers' videos. Like, Jillian has one white woman and one woman of color in the videos where she has only 2 women behind her. When she introduces the woman of color, she often seems to say something like 'this is my sista [so and so]'. And throughout the workout directs all 'booty' comments to her. So maybe I am an uppity, overly-PC woman but.... it makes me so uncomfortable. It just feels SO unsubtle.
So I guess I'm saying, Cathe, good on ya for including women on different shapes, sizes and colors in your workouts without making it into some big statement, or worse, speaking differently to different women based on these factors.

2) I like that the camera doesn't focus too much on the men in this workout. The STS UB workouts have too much male flexing, IMO. Honestly, I can generally do without the men in Cathe's workouts. Except Al, he can stay. It's just the young guys' posturing I can't stand. Guess I should steer clear of Body Beast...

Hope I don't offend anyone's sensibilities... just sharing thoughts and looking for advice.
Roz

 

[Nanbo]

I am also a HUGE fan of Al's! I am so motivated by him. Sometimes I felt like the other guys were making fun of us (not doing the warm-up with us, half-hearted moves), but not Al! He is working his butt off and seems like a genuinely awesome guy with that smile and positive interaction with the rest of the crew!

 

[desertambrosia]

I agree with both of you. I love Al, he just wants to get in there and work hard. The guys in STS looked like they were more interested in doing a "heavy set of mirrors," than lifting.

Roz, front squats are a different animal. For me it's definitely a lighter weight, and a different feel than regular squats. I love STS, think I'm going to start another round soon. That is, if I'm still standing after my two month rotation of RWH.

I wear very flat shoes to lift as well. More cushion for cardio.

 

[MomInVT]

Roz, front squats are a different animal. For me it's definitely a lighter weight, and a different feel than regular squats. I love STS, think I'm going to start another round soon. That is, if I'm still standing after my two month rotation of RWH.

I think the closest I'd come was holding my bar in font for plie squats, but that's totally different, plus it was lighter weight/higher reps. Really love these heavy front squats, but mine need work, for sure!

Karen, I have no doubt you'll be standing and plyo-ing. If my children have kids and I live to be a grandmother, I aspire to be at least 50% as badass as you are, but that's pretty ambitious of me.
Roz

 

[Justinef]

Yep! The first time I attempted those STS front squats I (very foolishly) thought I'd be able to squat my usual weight....I nearly face planted! I think they're one of the best core exercises. As for shoes - I actually wear work boots if I'm lifting very heavy for legs, and don't need the flexibility (basically meso 3). I'm also a bit slower on the squat than Cathe (my excuse is that I'm a lot taller - but then so are some of the crew, so it's not a great excuse).

The men make me laugh. I'm doing Meso#1 at the moment - on band pull downs one of the guys is only using a single bit of band, where all the others have doubled up - and he still manages to pull a face like he's lifting a baby elephant! Don't let machismo put you off Body Beast though, Roz. It's soooo bad it actually comes over as ironic, and really very funny. (But it's hard to bench press with the giggles.)

I'm pretty keen to put in an 'active recovery' between sets when I get onto Meso#3 - I used to tidy my workout room!

 

[maddiesmum]

A bit of floor sweeping and dust collection often goes on between sets in my basement for "active recovery"! Also laundry.........

Clare

 

[MomInVT]

Thanks for the tip on BB, Justine. Noted!
I definitely recommend the active recovery during Meso 3 breaks. It keeps things interesting. Plus, my workout space is cold these days! No way am I twiddling my thumbs for 2.5 minutes.
Laundry is a good idea, Clare! Maybe I'll try Tax Max this Spring...

 

[MomInVT]

I had my second foray into STS squat rack + active recovery today -- it was great!
I feel like my muscles can probably take more weight on the squats, but without a spotter or additional instruction on technique, I feel a bit tentative about adding weight. (Anyone else run into this?) So the active recovery is perfect for adding intensity without adding weight right now.

I had two videos running simultaneously: STS Squat Rack Week 2 and Afterburn. Don't get me wrong -- I wasn't busting out AB and SR legs double time -- I did have some actual rest time in there -- but I cherry-picked AB moves (thanks to the new On Demand with chaptering, this is easy) that would create a contrast training pair with heavy weighted moves (e.g., weighted front swing squats to go with front squats or lunge kicks with static lunges). Super fun, and I like keeping it low impact during the active recovery -- for now, at least. I'm not up to adding plyo segments yet -- a kami-cathe mission, for sure!

During my workout, I was wondering... if LIHI legs is contrast training, what's more extreme than 'contrast'? Training in relief? But then I thought -- that's a rather inappropriate term. So I'm naming it 'no relief' training.
Call the forklift... I'll be feeling this one.

 

[coaccountant23]

2) I like that the camera doesn't focus too much on the men in this workout. The STS UB workouts have too much male flexing, IMO. Honestly, I can generally do without the men in Cathe's workouts. Except Al, he can stay. It's just the young guys' posturing I can't stand. Guess I should steer clear of Body Beast...

Maybe others might disagree but I don't think too much Greg is ever a bad thing. I will admit he didn't have the best form in X-train but I think he had the flu during the filming and he went ahead and did it anyway as a favor for Cathe.

 

[Justinef]

squat rack and afterburn- wow! For some reason AB is one of the hardest dvds for me. My inner thighs scream for days..... Which is a good thing (bit of a problem area). Are you doing the UB meso #3 with active recovery? I must admit, I'm longing to try this idea. I've just finished meso#1... So I've a month until I can give it a whirl. Let us know of any other great combos. Cardio core circuit???

 

[MomInVT]

Yeah, I got crazy leg DOMS last time I did AB in full, and that was coming out of a super-lower-body-heavy rotation! I think it's all the disc work...
I'm not currently doing Meso 3 UB. I finished Meso 2 a couple weeks ago and was just feeling a bit of dread factor for the Meso 3 UB workouts at that moment. Life's too short to do workouts I don't feel like doing!
I do enjoy Meso 3, I just wasn't ready to commit at the moment. I may in coming weeks, though.
I'm still exploring cardio combos with squat rack legs and will keep you posted. I think I'd enjoy adding a plyo blast between Meso 3 UB exercises. Plyo between squat rack sets just sounds painful. But I may try anyways...
I've also had success with just doing my own thing between squat rack sets, cardio-wise. (Less monkeying with multiple streaming videos. Can't wait for the online workout blender!) Boxing with weighted gloves (er, 1-lb handweights, really), low impact cardio, bodyweight moves, and weighted core moves all seem to work well for me.
Let me know if you try Meso 3 UB + cardio!
Roz

 

[Justinef]

Slightly off -topic, but I've been altering STS Meso#1 Legs - doing the 'bonus' bit from the end at the beginning - after the warm up, before the pre-workout stretch. It works as a 'muscle activator' for me. Much more effective than doing it at the end. I concentrate a bit more, as well - whereas if I do the bonus at the end, I sort of go through the motions.
I'm looking forward to the online blender as well. I've all sorts of crazy ideas.......

 

[MomInVT]

Oh, I like that.
In addition to loving squat rack legs, I've recently been enjoying the lighter weight lower body workouts (especially some of the Live ones). I'll mostly stick with Cathe's weights and just focus on range of motion and muscle activation. Working smarter, not harder, I guess. But it's work work for sure!
I feel a repeat of Long and Strong Legs Live coming on... I really love that one. Lots of great core work (er, core engagement). Plus it's just me n' Cathe, partying in my workout room!
Speaking of great core engagement workouts, my interest in doing specific core segments is dwindling rapidly. Forgive me for saying it, but crunches feel like an awful waste of my precious time... I did KPC with 1-lb handweights and I was seriously feeling my abs the next day, which never happens. And I can promise you it wasn't from the ab segment... I hardly did that part!
Talk about off topic... oh well!

 

[nckfitheart2009]

Hi amazing, strong Cathletes,
So I did STS Meso 3 squat rack legs for the first time this morning and really enjoyed the work.

A few primary thoughts/questions:
1) My reps for front and back squats and static lunges were like, half the speed of Cathe and crew's. I was trying to get my thighs parallel to the ground. Anyone else? Maybe it's just the heavy weight?

============================================================================================

I did aim at having legs parallel to the floor too. Funnily I decided to consistently check my form on the mirror while working out.
I am happy with my plie in terms of squatting deepily enough and get that parallel.
============================================================================================

2) Front squats are HARD! They totally showed my core who's boss.

I love this. I would rather do this over and over again instead of crunches on the floor
This work really well on me to get a lean upper core
============================================================================================

3) I added a little cardio during some (not all) of the long rests: low impact bodyweight stuff with discs, boxing with 1lb weights, core moves a la RWH bonus abs 1. Has anyone else played with this? What did you add?

I have not ventured on this. RwH Hiit circuit are workout to go for to get the feel of this type of combination IMO.
They are total body pump. Great stuff to visit in order to get the body to become an engine!
============================================================================================

4) What shoes do you wear for this kind of training? I am wearing very flat sneaks without cushion.

Great question Roz...Flat sneaks are what is recommended for heavy weight load workout.

Here is cathe's thought
http://cathe.com/type-workout-shoes-best-weight-training
I can recall reading an article on old school weight lifting. Some were venturing lifting bare foot lol.
I have just bought a pair of flat sneaks similar to converse. That pair is going to used just for lifting really heavy STS mainly
It is the best way of planting the foot adhering the floor and push through heel.

OK, now for the side rants/comments:
1) I LOVE Lorraine and Deazie in this workout. I love them in general. They have great smiles and great form and are no nonsense about their work work.
I feel like there are all these unspoken racial politics in other trainers' videos. Like, Jillian has one white woman and one woman of color in the videos where she has only 2 women behind her. When she introduces the woman of color, she often seems to say something like 'this is my sista [so and so]'.
============================================================================================
I did not know there was a "racial politics" among trainers. Thanks for sharing. I don't think I will ever by Jillian michael.
She does come accross as condescending to me and she does not inspire me at ALL. No no for me. Sorry to offend anyone!
Hope this outspoken tongue of mine does not cause any attacks!

I like both Lorraine and Deazie too. I like all cathe crew. I have no issue in men participating as crews at all.

Roz

A few primary thoughts/questions:
1) My reps for front and back squats and static lunges were like, half the speed of Cathe and crew's. I was trying to get my thighs parallel to the ground. Anyone else? Maybe it's just the heavy weight?

============================================================================================

I did aim at having legs parallel to the floor too. Funnily I decided to consistently check my form on the mirror while working out.
I am happy with my plie in terms of squatting deepily enough and get that parallel.
============================================================================================

2) Front squats are HARD! They totally showed my core who's boss.

I love this. I would rather do this over and over again instead of crunches on the floor
This work really well on me to get a lean upper core
============================================================================================

3) I added a little cardio during some (not all) of the long rests: low impact bodyweight stuff with discs, boxing with 1lb weights, core moves a la RWH bonus abs 1. Has anyone else played with this? What did you add?

I have not ventured on this. RwH Hiit circuit are workout to go for to get the feel of this type of combination IMO.
They are total body pump. Great stuff to visit in order to get the body to become an engine!
============================================================================================

4) What shoes do you wear for this kind of training? I am wearing very flat sneaks without cushion.

Great question Roz...Flat sneaks are what is recommended for heavy weight load workout.
Here is cathe's thought on this topic:

http://cathe.com/type-workout-shoes-best-weight-training
I can recall reading an article on old school weight lifting. Some were venturing lifting bare foot lol.
I have just bought a pair of flat sneaks similar to converse. That pair is going to used just for lifting really heavy STS mainly
It is the best way of planting the foot adhering the floor and push through heel.

OK, now for the side rants/comments:
1) I LOVE Lorraine and Deazie in this workout. I love them in general. They have great smiles and great form and are no nonsense about their work work.
I feel like there are all these unspoken racial politics in other trainers' videos. Like, Jillian has one white woman and one woman of color in the videos where she has only 2 women behind her. When she introduces the woman of color, she often seems to say something like 'this is my sista [so and so]'.
============================================================================================
I did not know there was a "racial politics" among trainers. Thanks for sharing. I don't think I will ever by Jillian michael.
She does come accross as condescending to me and she does not inspire me at ALL. No no for me. Sorry to offend anyone!
Hope this outspoken tongue of mine does not cause any attacks!

I like both Lorraine and Deazie too. I like all cathe crew. I have no issue in men participating as crews at all.

Roz[/QUOTE]



Great thread Roz ;-)

 

[nckfitheart2009]

Maybe others might disagree but I don't think too much Greg is ever a bad thing. I will admit he didn't have the best form in X-train but I think he had the flu during the filming and he went ahead and did it anyway as a favor for Cathe.

Me and You don't usually disagree. Greg is fine. He is a good distraction ;-). I am happy to embrace the
challenge of lifting keeping the focus despite being distracted. Al is also a good one.

 

[lisa_la_machina]

I've also had success with just doing my own thing between squat rack sets, cardio-wise. (Less monkeying with multiple streaming videos. Can't wait for the online workout blender!) Boxing with weighted gloves (er, 1-lb handweights, really), low impact cardio, bodyweight moves, and weighted core moves all seem to work well for me.

I can't believe you busted out some AB segments during the squat rack routine rests. You are a machine! Like Justine said, AB tends to burn out my core and my legs too much. But, yeah, the rests in the squat rack routine are too long for me. I feel like I need to do something to keep the blood moving or I will get too cold and stiff. I do what you described above--boxing moves, simple jumping jacks, planks (not burpees or mountain climbers, mind you), or I will even pull out my step and do some basic step moves. Nothing overly taxing on the mind or body, but enough to keep my body in the workout zone.

Front squats and I do not get along, but mainly because holding the bar in that fashion aggravates my tennis elbow. I also cannot perform plie squats with the bar held in front for the same reason. Depending on the workout, I will just sub in squats with the bar on the back of my shoulders or--in the case of the squat rack routine where regular squats are already built in--I will sub in a goblet squat, a split squat, or even a pistol squat (not a heavy weight move but definitely a toughie, at least for me).

In terms of shoes, I echo what many others have said--flat athletic shoes.

I can't remember--do you have a weighted vest? I can't do squat rack legs without it. Well, I guess I could but I'd end up in the ER after crushing my skull while trying to hoist the barbell over my shoulders.

Lastly, I hear you on Al and Deazie. I get ridiculously giddy when I see Al in the crowd of a Cathe Live workout, and Deazie's smile just makes me smile. She reminds me of Brenda. How can they both be so happy while getting beaten up by Cathe?

Lisa

 

[complik8td]

I am also a HUGE fan of Al's! I am so motivated by him. Sometimes I felt like the other guys were making fun of us (not doing the warm-up with us, half-hearted moves), but not Al! He is working his butt off and seems like a genuinely awesome guy with that smile and positive interaction with the rest of the crew!

I agree with both of you. I love Al, he just wants to get in there and work hard.

O/T on the squat rack convo but wanted to add a comment on Al. I was at the NJ RT last year and had my pic taken with Cathe and the crew. My cousin lives very near Glassboro, NJ and he was so surprised when he saw the pic of me on Facebook with his buddy, Al! He told me that Al is one of his dear friends and a really great guy. He then went on to tell me that one day Al just decided that he wanted to get into shape, and what do you know? Here he is with our beloved Cathe! I hope Al comes to Glassboro again this summer so that I can tell him that I'm his friend's cousin.

 

[MomInVT]

Slightly off -topic, but I've been altering STS Meso#1 Legs - doing the 'bonus' bit from the end at the beginning - after the warm up, before the pre-workout stretch. It works as a 'muscle activator' for me. Much more effective than doing it at the end. I concentrate a bit more, as well - whereas if I do the bonus at the end, I sort of go through the motions.
I'm looking forward to the online blender as well. I've all sorts of crazy ideas.......

Speaking of muscle activation, warm-up sets of legs, and squat racks... I should be careful what I wish for!
I did Slow & Heavy Legs & Shoulders today going quite heavy and using my squat rack. I highly recommend!!
The pre-exhaust sets really help 'wake up' the muscle fibers, and needless to say the slow and very heavy squats involve some serious Jedi mind-body tricks! Amazing workout for muscle activation.
For the first set of squats, static lunges, and plie squats (I subbed plie squats holding a BB in front), I stuck with 70 lbs, which is the heaviest weight I can comfortably and reliably hoist over my head. For subsequent sets, I heavied up (more for squats than SLs and plies) and used my squat rack.
The breaks (~1 min) were just right -- no need to add Afterburn moves, ha!

I followed with shoulders, which I also loved. But if I only had half an hour to work out, S&H squat rack would be a complete workout on its own!

I can't remember--do you have a weighted vest? I can't do squat rack legs without it. Well, I guess I could but I'd end up in the ER after crushing my skull while trying to hoist the barbell over my shoulders.

I don't have a weighted vest, but I don't lift more than a ~70 lb BB overhead. I'd dislocate my shoulder even before I got it high enough to crush my skull! To load the up heavier than 70 lbs, I place the BB up on the squat rack and only then do I load on the plates. I don't try to hoist the heavily loaded bar up onto the squat rack catches (or whatever they're called...).

 

[Justinef]

OK, OK stop luring me into tricky workouts! Today I just HAD to do Afterburn. And I was right - I find it hard. It's keeping my core rigid during those spiderman mountain climber things!!! It wouldn't be so bad, if Cathe hadn't already exhausted our cores with burpee push-ups, normal mountain climbers and kick throughs....and then those dragging push-ups...aptly named, Anyway, tomorrow is Sunday and a well-deserved rest.

Using the squat rack on S&H - wonderful! I've got to admit that I usually use my squat rack, since I can never be bothered to heave my BB off the floor. I keep a heavy BB loaded on the top supports, and then my EZBar lives on the catches - so even for curls, I don't have to bend down. How lazy is that?

I'm pretty keen to start each lifting workout with activation exercises. My quads, hamstrings and biceps fire up without much thought, but to isolate my glutes, chest and lats, I really need to concentrate...I'm looking forward to the day it becomes 'automatic'.

 

[Justinef]

Oh, and I meant to say, Roz, that I don't like to waste time with crunches etc, either. In fact adding a 10 mins abs section once a week is often more than I bother with. Depends on what I've been doing. Quite a lot of weightlifting requires tightening the core - but I do like to work my obliques with twisting / pulling moves. Preferably weighted (I HATE mat work and high reps, so most abs workouts are a no go, as are floor exercises for glutes / thighs).