Are you adding an hour or more of cardio to your lifting days on TOP of every other day?
It’s perfectly fine to do some cardio when trying to lose weight. However, we wouldn’t recommend doing an hour of cardio on the same day as your weight workout. If you enjoy working out almost daily, then keep the cardio and weights separate. If you are doing full body workouts, only 3 days per week, cardio becomes your fill-in-the-gap option. If you only workout 3 days per week, then a short cardio session (if desired) after lifting, or later in the day is sufficient.
Including cardio is a personal preference. Some do fine with none, others can’t live without it. Do what you feel is best, but be sure to eat properly, and lift hard. Those are to the two most important things for you while you’re striving for fat loss. Adding cardio to your routine doesn’t produce near the results that adding lifting does. Keep your fat loss priorities in order: cardio for fun, weights to transform. And again, challenge yourself for best results. Whatever amount of reps are that you are supposed to be doing, you should not feel like you could just keep going forever. If you’re doing eight reps, you should be almost failing by seven, completely spent by nine. This will aid in the loose skin factor, if you have a lot of weight to lose.
Speaking of loose skin…
Another thing to consider, (though it will seem counterproductive at times because you just wanna get it over with!) is to lose weight as s.l.o.w.l.y as possible. This allows your skin enough time to adjust to the weight loss gradually at each level. This is also why we recommend not dropping calories too low. Ever notice how much extra skin Biggest Loser contestants have? That’s why. The loss just happens WAY too fast. Another example is one that every new mom notices. Her belly spends nine months expanding, and is suddenly deflated within hours. What is she left with? Skin, where a five to ten pound baby used to be. Since pregnancy is one area what we can’t avoid this, let’s take advantage of what we can control.
If you’re losing slowly, and building some muscle, it’ll help keep things tighter than if you just drop a ton of weight super fast. Also drink as much water as you possibly can, and get enough good fats/omegas — which will aid in keeping the elasticity in your skin as it adjusts.
Q: I’ve been doing a muscle building rotation for the last month, with the intention of alternating one month “build” with two months “burn.” Okay so when you have a few spare minutes, can you explain how this is going to work? My goal initially when I started this rotation was to lose about 10-12 more pounds. I am now up 4 pounds from when I started, which I am okay with. For now lol.
But then after next week, when my muscle building rotation is over, I need to find a fat burning rotation and what? I will see the scale go down hopefully. And any muscle loss I have, assuming that rotation is light on weights, will only put me back to where I was at the beginning of this month, so I will only be losing muscle I’ve built this month?
I hope that makes sense because that’s what I think the “plan” is, but I’m not 100% sure. I was initially thinking one month muscle then two months fat burning-maybe it should be alternating? I would prefer a month at a time, not seasonal like you do. At least for now. Just trying to understand the science behind it!
A: The fact that the scale went UP and you’re cool with that (for now!) says a mouthful. The fact that you’re thinking of doing a muscle building rotation every other month, vs every three months or so, says even more (& I think its a FANTASTIC idea! I only suggested 2 months of fat burning because I thought you might be wary of build mode/addicted to burn mode, lol). I also commend you for finding a method that will work for you. Having seasonal phases is just one of many ways, not the only way to building muscle.
Some weight gain is a natural part of putting on decent amounts of muscle
My personal goal for you for this month of “build” (aka “bulk”) if I can be truthful, was not for you to lose weight (although it will happen), it was for you to put on muscle. That’s why I was so worried about how you would react to the scale (it does some crazy things when you’re lifting heavy), how much cardio you did, & how much you ate. Whenever I up my weights/cals for a new rotationthe scale goes up, but by the end of that rotation (& approx 2 weeks into the next – which is when you typically see the results from the previous rotation, FYI), it’s all gone again. Case in point is the 2 lbs I just “lost” Thurs., this is technically my last week of the rotation so things are starting to even out (I’ve been “up” 3-4 lbs all month).
Don’t stress about losing your muscle, because you’re still going to lift as heavy as possible for the amount of reps that you’ll do on weight days (even if the weight will be lighter than what you’ve been doing). Continuing to lift heavy, and keeping the protein high, while adding in the cardio will take care of preserving as much muscle as possible. That’s why I just really wanted you to focus on building this month because once the cardio kicks in, it becomes more about “saving” what you’ve built. But if you NEVER build it, then you’re just left shapeless when the fat goes away.
And, really, don’t stress about the added weight. I give myself at least a 5lb leeway on the scale when I’m bulking. The reason is that, inevitably, in order to put on any “real” muscle, a miniscule amount of fat will come with the territory (sorry, I didn’t tell you this upfront, because you may have run the other way). There are two phases in the metabolism: anabolic and catabolic. You are either building muscle up (anabolic), or tearing it down (catabolic) in order to provide energy to the body and make it more efficient. But I know that this is part of the process, and that the muscle that I do put on, helps me to burn the fat that much faster when I go into burn mode (cut). Of course, my build mode is longer than yours, which is why I give myself 5lbs or so (over the course of a few months) before I finally get sticker shock and run back to cut, lol.
8 wks after bulk end: same weight, down 2 pant sizes
Even though that philosophy may seem a little backwards, or counterproductive, or maybe even “yo-yo-ing” it actually works out because 9x’s out of 10 it plays out like this: Let’s say that at the end of my 3 month-ish bulk, I’m up 6lbs or so. Within about a week (of backing off the heavy weights) the water weight will come off, leaving me at maybe 4-5 lbs up. I go into cut, and after losing maybe 1-3 lbs, figure out that, I actually look just fine, and typically even leaner than when I started (even though, I’m technically 1-2lbs heavier on the scale). I’ve found this to be true, year after year, so I’m getting more and more comfortable with that lee-way (although, like any other woman — I can only take so much increase, mentally — lol). Net effect, I’m about 5-7lbs heavier NOW than when I reached my original “goal weight” when I first started this journey, yet I look leaner/more shapely (if ya know what I mean, lol).
(On a side note…Now you understand why I use the fall/winter months to tackle this process…more layers, so no-one, including me, can see any fluctuations, lol)
So there’s a method to my insane-ness, just hope you’ll stick around for the ride, to find a way to make it work for you (which it seems you’re doing already, by alternating months, etc…and realize, that the cleaner you eat during build/bulk mode, the less fat comes)
Q: I love the concept/want to do the Cathe STS program, but can’t seem to fit it in the budget right now. Would it be possible to do it just using the free info (workout cards/exercise video clips, etc.) available in the workout manager?
A: First of all, keep a close eye on her site, sign up for newsletter, and be fully prepared for when it goes on sale. Every once in while she practically gives the program away, be patient and wait for it…
But let’s say that — until then — you want to take advantage of some of the programs concepts NOW. You could technically just work from the workout cards, and free info, available on her website. Her Workout Manager offers the tools that go along with the program to EVERYONE whether they have the program or not, free of charge. With the workout manager you will be able calculate your 1RMs, see exactly how to do the moves, print a workout card that tells you exactly what weight you should use for each exercise (no two people will have the same workout card – therein lies the beauty of the program), as well as get an estimated calorie burn (based on your personal stats) for each workout.
Doing it that way would be the closest you’d get to doing the actual Cathe STS program (just without the DVD), BUT (disclaimer!) there are some things to consider (and the ultimate reason why we still suggest that one day you look into getting the actual program):
There are sometimes variations to the rep pattern, or times where she’ll make you stop in a certain position for a few extra seconds, etc., that you will not always be able to see from the clips
EXCELLENT form pointers are given throughout the reps/rest periods (the longer the rest – the more tips and info that is given)
Meso 2 incorporates many concepts which are not indicated on on the workout cards. Techniques such as drop-sets, back-off sets, double-wave loading, forced reps, and certain sets done to failure are incorporated at different times in different workouts. It’s best if you know what these are, and exactly when (specific times) to incorporate them. The workout will move faster/slower than indicated in the workout card during those times.
You will need to remain motivated enough to keep moving (especially in Meso 1!), which is sometimes easier when doing a DVD and having someone say “on the next exercise”…which brings me to my next point
You should have something to help you keep track of time (in seconds), a stopwatch of sorts. Try your best to finish your workout in the amount of time that the workout was supposed to take (the workout cards — when you print in PDF — show the time for each DVD at the top of the card). Each Meso changes how long the rest periods are, and following them is critical to the program. For example: in M1 you have extremely short rests, but by M3 they will seem a little long (unless you are lifting heavy enough, in which case you will quite enjoy them, as I do). Do everything in your power to abide by these rest times, but do know that most people do end up pausing a bit during M1 because she moves SO fast (or maybe it’s just me?). So come as close to the times shown on the workout card as realistically possible.
Q: Do you think I could add an extra leg day to the week while doing STS or is that overtraining? I don’t like cardio anyway and would be more than happy to give up a cardio day in place of an endurance leg workout?
A: As for adding a leg workout, I think its fine. I would pay close attention to keeping the leg workouts spaced far enough apart so that there are no injuries to your leg/lower back caused by overtraining. All of the STS leg/back workouts contain deadlifts, so I’d be careful to make sure you leave at least a day in between those. I also firmly believe that you have to leave space between the back & chest work in Meso 1, because they work opposing secondary muscles that are needed for the other body part (ie. chest is worked w/biceps, which is actually the secondary/supporting muscle for back…back is worked w/tri’s which is secondary muscle for chest), so if you worked chest/bi on Monday, your bi’s won’t be able to allow the back to work to full potential on Tuesday, make sense? So all things considered (space between back/leg, and back/chest), I’d say a rotation adding in extra leg work, would look like:
Leg (endurance)
Chest
Cardio
Back
Pilates/yoga/cardio (<<not too “leggy”)
Leg (STS)
Rest
Obviously it doesn’t have to look exactly like that, you could try fitting in whatever you like, but just keep the basic guidelines for what to NOT work back to back, and avoid/be aware of overtraining or doing movements that are taxing to your lower back two days in a row (like deadlifts, supermans, glute bridges/roll-ins on the ball, etc). And be sure to get in yoga/Pilates work when possible as recovery/prevention…
Q: My schedule is pretty tight right now. Do you think it would be ok if I did the 3 STS workouts 3 days in a row? Obviously I’d do upper, lower, upper so I don’t do upper 2 days in a row. What do you think?
A: I wouldn’t, but I’m typically in the minority on this issue, but plenty of people do (in all Meso’s), so I’m sure you could…
The reason that I wouldn’t recommend it? Because every workout targets muscles from another workout. All back exercises target biceps and delts, and all chest exercises target tri’s and delts, all overhead delt exercises target triceps. The STS workouts also have deadlifts in both the back and the leg workouts (targeting low back/hamstring). Most people don’t consider this an issue because they feel that those muscles are “only” secondary (meaning, barely targeted in those exercises) but this is not really the case. A person could completely remove isolated tricep/bicep work from their wokout routine, and would still see growth in them from doing compound chest/back movements (pullups, rows, chest press, etc). They are secondary muscles, but only by a very small margin…. For me working biceps really heavy the day before back is going to do one of two things: make me weaker on back day, or put me at large risk of overtraining…But, like I said, many ladies do it all the time, so listen to your body, do what’s best for you…
Q: When you are doing an STS rotation, do you do it M, W, F, and put cardio in between or M, T, W, and then some cardio Th & F, and another weight workout Sat.? Just curious since you are so much more a weight lifter than a cardio person. When I did the rotation before, I could not bring myself to only work each body part once a week, so I did a rotation similar to the latter one I mentioned.
A: I do MWF w/cardio in between. I’ve seen that a lot of people do it the way that you mentioned, though, and I guess it works fine for them. I just feel that I lift WAY too heavy to place those workouts too close together. I need the full amount of rest in between. This is especially true in STS because you’re actually not only working the muscles once/wk. It just seems that way on paper. For instance in Meso 1 biceps are worked in isolation w/chest, however they are also worked as the the secondary muscle on back day. Same w/triceps: they’re worked on back and triceps day in isolation, but are the secondary muscle whenever you work chest. And when you look at back and leg day, they both involve the lower back and hamstrings to some degree (in deadlifts, which are in both workouts, and hams get some action during all of the bent over rowing movements for back).
So for me, personally, to work any of those DVD’s back to back, would be either a) over-training, or b) not giving my all to those body parts in at least one of the workouts, if they’re already fatigued from the previous day. That being said. I understand the need for cardio (despite my feelings toward it, lol) and you will definitely see more of it from me AFTER STS is over, when I typically move back to full body/circuit style work. There’s definitely a place for all types of workouts, it’s just that some contradict others. So, for me, when I’m focusing on building muscle, I really focus on it. But when that time is up, and I’m focusing on burning fat, the whole plan of action changes…Also, If I did want/need to add in more cardio w/STS, it would be shorter 10-30 min Hiit wo’s tacked on to the end of the workout…
But if your previous rotation worked out well, I say do what works for ya.
A: I’d often considered it, because it’s the way that I used to train (before I ever considered working out to a DVD, lol). Heavy weight, low reps to “bulk“, then lower weight, higher reps to “cut.” The first time that I did STS, I (naively) assumed that once I did it the prescribed way, then I’d probably do it backwards from then on, because it made more sense to me. But once I did the program, I realized the genius of how its set up… Periodization Training. Because you need the endurance built up in the smaller muscles (from Meso 1 & 2) to be able to support the heavier weight load on the bigger muscles in Meso 3. So having done it a few times, I came to the conclusion that I could probably get really good results by doing it in more of a pyramid, meaning M1,2,3,2,1 that way I would still get the bulk/cut results that I love, but not take away from the program the benefits that it has to offer. I know, personally, I’m able to lift heavier in M3 because of M1 & 2, so I’m not sure I’d want the trade-off. My 1RM changes from M1-3, so I actually see strength gains that I’ve never seen in all my years of training really heavy (M3 style most of the time) in just a 4-wk period of lifting really heavy. After lifting so heavy, I can also see the benefits of going back down to a high rep rotation afterward (which I usually do)..
Also, pyramiding in the cooler months, allows me to naturally take advantage of the heavier eating (“bulk factor”) of the winter months, if timed properly. It allows for a natural “bulk/cut” eating progression as well. So by starting in say, October, I’m still at a pretty high rep phase, and my eating is usually still pretty good. The lower rep/higher weight Meso’s will fall toward the end of Nov- end of Feb higher cal months (including recovery weeks) . Then by March, I’m more than ready to start gradually turning the food down a notch, and Meso 1 is a welcome addition to the lighter eating. It helps keep the “phase eating” to a minimal thinking level, because I’m already doing it by the nature of the season. This gives me a solid three months of bulking (Meso’s 2,3,2), and three to four months is usually about as much as I can (mentally) stand.
If this is your first time, try it one time through, as written, and decide what works best for you.
Q: So, when you start to pyramid down do you start at the end of M2 and work to the beginning or just do M2 the way it’s laid out?
A: I get that question a lot, actually. I typically tell people that 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, lol, and they’d just prefer to pop in each disc in reverse order- so to each his own).
But I start with the beginning disc of each Meso, and here’s my reasoning: in M2, 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 Disc 1 you do about 136 pushups, while in Disc 3 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 Cathe’s Gym Stylesor High Reps, or similar. I think that doing M1 using its natural progression will help alleviate that, as well as keep them challenged until the end of the pyramid…
***So to clarify, when I move down the pyramid, I start at Meso 2, disc 13 , and do the meso in order, then @ Meso 1, disc 1-12 in order *****
Are you adding an hour or more of cardio to your lifting days on TOP of every other day?
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.
or 
, or similar. I think that doing M1 using its natural progression will help alleviate that, as well as keep them challenged until the end of the pyramid…
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