What to do after GS and S&H?

N

NathL

Cathlete
Hi,

In the past months, I have been using S?H and GS for upper body strength training. I wonder what shold I workout with to keeep increasing muscle and not lose what I've build up so far.

I can only workout 3 times/week. A typical week would look like this:
- Sunday: cardio + legs from B&G + short upper body (BM2, PUB, SS, P&P) + abs,
- Tuesday: cardio + S&H sholuders + segments from GS C&T and GS BSB + abs
- Thursday: cardio + S&H Triceps+biceps + Back from GS + segments from GS for shoulders + abs

I think I've become a little "addicted" to GS and S&H! I'm afraid to put them aside for a couple of weeks, thinking I'll lose what I've gained so far. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks a lot.
Nathalie
 
Nathalie,
I just asked a similar question...I'm in the same boat. I have gotten some great results so far but I want more! I started with an 8 week 4DS rotation and am in the middle of a S&H / GS rotation which is ending in two weeks. Not sure where to go now... I need guidance! Haha.
 
I have not found anything else in Cathe's DVD library to help me make the gains in strength and definition that I get with GS and S&H. I am loath top do much of Cathe's endurance work for the upper body. I don't need to lift a lighter dumbell repeatedly. That's not what I am interested in for my upper body.

What I tend to do is this: I do not take either GS or S&H out of my rotation, but I expand my notion of a timed rotation. Within each 2 week period I include S&H once per muscle group, my own version of GS (I play around with heavier weight loads and varying rep numbers on drop sets since I want to see how heavy I can lift, even if only for 4-6 reps) and PLB/PUB. PUB is as endurance as I am prepared to lift. Having done a lot of GS and S&H, I can now lift more with PUB than ever before, so it is a useful yardstick of progress for me.

So, I haven't dropped my fave series, but have added on, though I do each series a little less frequently.

I strongly suggest tp you that you branch out and create your own mish-moshes using drop sets to really test yourself. When I do this it is a kind of strength/endurance combo that really takes each muscle group to failure and allows me to go further than I did with either GS or S&H on their own. For example: for chest I might do 8-10 sets of chest press/bench press, starting with the barbell at 55 pounds (my heaviest weight so far) for about 4-6 reps (that's all I can eke out at the moment!), immediately I drop the weight to 50 pounds and eke out 8 reps, then I drop the weight again instantly to 45 pounds, at which point the reps start to increase as the weight decreases, between 10-12 reps at this weight. I take it down like this to 25 pounds at which point I mimic an exercise Cathe does in CTX upper body chest: pump out 16 singles, then lower the barbell slowly for 3 counts, then push up quickly for one: do this 4 times, then reverse: lower quickly for 1 count, then push up slowly for 3. repeat the 3:1 and 1:3. Then rest. Then repeat from the 16 singles.

After this, I do something similar with dumbell flyes.

Using my knowledge of all Cathe's strength training DVDs, I have created my own weight mish moshes and I do this once every 2 weeks along with S&H and PUB and it is helping: I am both reaching new weight loads and not losing any strength I have worked hard to gain.

Give it a whirl. Drop sets can help with plateaus and boredom.

Clare
 
I vote for 4DS.

I don't know how long you've been lifting with heavy weights, but you might consider a few weeks of lighter lights, higher rep just to shake things up and keep your body guessing. If you do this when you go back to heavy, you will probably see nicer gains. That was my experience anyway after several rotations of heavy lifting. Muscle Endurance, for example, although lighter in weights, is a killer workout. Don't worry you won't lose your muscle.
 
Just a postscript to add to my earlier post above.

I notice from my workout log that I hadn't done S&H upper body for a month before tonight. I have just done S&H chest, back and biceps and am happy to report that I have increased my weight loads for all exercises in all 3 muscle groups. So, it seems that drop sets that blend strength with endurance and help you to break new ground weight-wise while you are doing them have added benefits: they help improve your strength in other workouts during different lifting styles, help you increase weight loads in other workouts, and certainly maintain the strength you had! I have broken through my plateau with S&H!

Give drop sets a try, really!

Clare
 
Deana,
That's kind of what I wanted to do...not saying I don't love GS & S&H, but I wanted to switch things up a bit. so, that being said, muscle endurance is something you would recommend? How about pyramids? (I haven't really looked at that one yet). Thanks!
 
Muscle Endurance is an hour of total body with weights - no cardio. It comes with Bootcamp which has 8 cycles of cardio-upper-lower-core 1 minute of each. Bootcamp is very tough and gives you a nice calorie burn.

Pyramids has about 45 minutes of lower, 45 of upper body work and uses a pyramid system (lower & higher weights for each exercise).

These are both great options. Pyramids is 2 day split, Muscle Endurance is total body and would get old if you were planning on doing it for any length of time. ME is not really good for a rotation. You could alternative with Bootcamp, but Bootcamp is really not a true strength training workout. After a rotation, I've been doing 1 week of lighter weights like ME 3 times for one week. So for example my rotation would be 3 weeks GS, 1 week ME, 3 Weeks S&H, 1 week ME.

Pyramids, on the other hand, could be a rotation. It's different enough to shake things up and is good for breaking plateaus. Having said that, I personally (just my opinion) think ME is more fun and it's faster paced. Pyramids, while effective, is a tad boring. This is the case because you do the same exercise for 5 sets, using a different weight each time. And the exercises are standard, nothing really innovative. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a great workout, it's just one I feel I have to do, rather than want to. Just my opinion, I know others really enjoy it.

Bottom line - either one would be fine for a next step.
 
Wow Clare! Thanks for the information. From what I understand from your post, I don't need to stop doing S&H or GS. What is important is that my muscles are always challenged but I could add variation like you sugggested. Am I right?
Just a quick question, I'm not very familiar with drop sets. Can they be done wiht other muscles than chest?
Thnaks.
Nathalie
 
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