by EM2WL | Jan 24, 2012 | Building Muscle
By far, the most common question that we are asked is “What is STS?”
You’ve likely heard this acronym mentioned on MFP or Facebook by one of us, or posted as a workout by someone else in the fam. STS is a strength training program by Cathe Friedrich that we LOVE. It stands for Shock Training System.
It is a 90 day program, and one of the only ones that we personally recommend for all fitness levels. I (Kiki) usually don’t really get into 90 day DVD programs (not saying that they aren’t good, but there are usually some flaws, that I can address another time), but this particular program passed my inspection with flying colors. Why?
- Because Cathe Friedrich is hands down, the best in the business. She’s been in the game for decades, and is constantly improving. Her workouts are sold mainly through “word-of-mouth” advertising. Not only is she that good at what she does, but she’s not just about being a celebrity. She is a true athlete, and if you allow her too, she can train you to be the same.
- The STS program does not lie in you merely picking up any random weight and doing a set amount of reps. The program incorporates the 1 Rep Max (1RM) factor which takes this series to the next level. The 1RM testing makes it so that no matter what your fitness level, you will be lifting the proper poundage for the amount of reps in each Mesocycle. Which brings me to the next concept.
- The Mesocycle concept: This series moves in three separate phases, and each workout in each phase has you lifting at different percentages of your 1RM, it’s a very scientific approach to helping you gain the strength and body composition that you seek. If you are very new to strength training, this is an invaluable tool to have in your disposal. If you are a vet, but hate doing the math all the time — or just want to relax and have your workouts planned out for you for a while — this will also work for you because her workout manager (FREE, whether you own the program or not) makes it SO easy to figure out your 1RM percentage, that you will kick yourself for not using it sooner. Check out the video clips below from each of the three Mesocycles.
- The program is available as a DVD or download. So if you have a fully equipped home gym, you can do the workout at home. If you prefer to hit the iron at the gym, you can download the workouts to your iPod/iPhone/Android, etc., and just get in the zone at the gym.
What if I can’t do pull-ups?
Pull-ups are a large part of the back program and are included in every back workout in Meso 1 and 2, but disappear in Meso 3.* There are many exercise variations that I can suggest for you in place of the pullups. That being said, I will still suggest that you try to attempt them as often as possible, because they create such a dramatic result for your body. Whenever they are called for, I still think you should try to do as many as you can, before moving to a substitution to finish up the remaining reps. There are ways to improve in how many you can do, and I can give suggestions if you need them.
*Side note: Same goes for push-ups in M1, they are frequent, and they are KILLER! And just when you start to hate Cathe and want to trash her and the whole dang program – M1 ends, and you are off the hook for push-ups M2 and 3.
How do I test my 1RM?
One rep max testing, actually sounds harder than it really is. Especially when you’re using the workout manager. You simply follow these steps for each exercise you’re testing:
1) Pick a weight that you think you can lift for about 10 reps
2) Lift it as many times as you can
3) Write down how many times you actually lifted it
4) Insert both numbers (weight lifted and actual times lifted) into the Workout Manager – it does the rest!
Workout Manager will pre-enter your weight for that exercise –for each Meso — based on the amount of reps in that workout and the percent of your 1RM that you’re supposed to be working at. All you have to do is print your pre-filled cards for each workout. Easy peasy.
Can I skip 1RM testing?
Many Cathletes (nickname for those who do Cathe workouts) have varying opinions, and a lot of them will tell you not to even worry about doing them at all. Sorry Charlie, but I’m not one of them! I firmly believe that the One Rep Max testing is KEY to what make the program work. I can almost guarantee you that a large number of the people who complain of just getting “OK” results will be those very same people that don’t think doing the 1RM’s are “that important.” I was very into the science behind 1RM’s before I stumbled upon STS, which is the main reason that I knew it would be worth the purchase. The science works. period. I will tell anyone that asks,
“If you plan on just popping in an STS disc and picking up any weight that you feel like using, you are wasting your time and money. It will not be any different from doing any other workout DVD.”
Know what I mean?
But, having said that <<<(notice how I always throw in the disclaimer?)…If you don’t want to do ALL of them, on the 1rm chart, the exercises are starred in correlation with their 1RM importance – so you could just do the four or five star ones if you wanted to cut back on how many you have to do.
Honestly, it all depends on you. Some personality types are better off just diving in before they lose momentum, especially the first time around. If that’s you, then you can always update your 1RMs as you go. So long as you DO it! LOL. The best way to do that is the when you come across an exercise that you haven’t tested for, grab the weight that you think you can perform for the required amount of reps. When the reps have ended — if you can keep going, do it. Then just jot down the actual amount of reps/weight you used. Use that as your 1RM for that exercise. As long as the amount of reps you did weren’t over 20, you should be able to log it easily. (If you went over 20 reps, you need a much heavier weight than you thought.)
That’s what we did for my hubby (yep, he uses the program too). Just be aware that you will be doing a lot more updating that way, than if it were all done beforehand. But, at least you’ll able to get started on it. Plus, whenever you decide to do the program again, you’ll already have your other numbers as a starting point.
For myself, I did finish all of the 5 stars before starting, but there were still many times when I had to update because I was able to go heavier or lighter on a certain exercise.
How long will testing take?
It really varies for each person, but here’s how I did it:
I just blocked out the space of about a week, and did the 1RMs as my workout for that week. It didn’t necessarily take a week to do, because I may have had rest/cardio days in between. But I just planned it that way, so it could be done at my leisure, and I could become more familiar with the program. I just kept an eye on the clock, and popped in each disc going once through each move and jotting down my weight used. When it got to be the time of an average workout had gone by (45 min -1hour), I stopped and stretched. By the end of the week I had my 1RMs done, and even some DOMS to boot!
FYI, I tried to keep all of the 1RM testing exercises related. For example: I did all of the chest exercises on the same day (going through multiple discs 1,4,7,10, etc – doing ONLY exercises that had not been tested yet). Then legs the next day. Then all of the back exercises on another day, if that makes any sense. This is what helped it to be more of a workout than just “wasting time” doing 1RMs. By the time you get to the third or fourth disc that day, you will only have a few new exercises to test for, so it goes by faster with each disc.
Don’t take my word for it! Find out more, and read reviews on STS and other Cathe products for yourself here before deciding if it’s right for you.
by EM2WL | Jan 24, 2012 | Metabolism Reset
Q: But, I feel like I’m doing everything right, and still not getting results – I am at a weight loss plateau. What if I’m already at my “true” maintenance?
A: Ok, so your training is spot on. You’re lifting heavy, and close to failure, & not going crazy on the cardio. Let me first say that, it’s good that you’re not going crazy on the cardio, which becomes a HUGE plus, as you’ll see the closer you get to your goal. You’ll be happy that you still have the cardio “trump card” to pull on those stickler last few pounds (which is when I would recommend pulling that card – keeping that phase short and sweet), most women tend to do the opposite. They go for the cardio factor (because they like to see the higher burn #s), and eat next to nothing, then when they hit a weight loss plateau all you can do is eat EVEN less and do EVEN more cardio, thus weight loss takes over your life, and you’re always on a diet. Sad, but true – I’ve been there & it ain’t pretty…..
Even if your current eats look awesome, and my original thoughts were, “Hey, if this were ME, I’d be losing”…therein lies the problem, it’s not me. So if we find out your true maintenance (TDEE), we can then skew the macros in your favor and start melting some fat. *If* by some freak of nature we find that you’re already eating pretty close to your maintenance, then it could mean that your body has decided that 30 is the new 40…or, rather 1600 is the new 2000, know what I mean?
If this has happened, then it’s up to you what road to take. You can take the 2 steps forward 2 steps back approach (drop the cals further so that you will start to see results, then plateau again), or start over, and reset your metabolism (which will take longer, but will allow you to eat more in the end). Another option would be to continue doing what you’re doing (if you’re at you’re actual “maintenance”) and go through a gradual body recomposition (which could also be what’s happening now). This will obviously take the longest amount of time, but no further changes will need to be made.
Was there ever a point in time where you were losing? if so what were you doing? When you first started MFP, do you remember the cals it set for you? (BTW, a minor increase/decrease in weight, could have very well been because of how heavy you’re lifting- my scale weight fluctuates constantly because of how I lift. You may want to get in the habit – if you’re not already- of weighing yourself on a rest week, or after you’ve had a couple days off of training to make sure your body has had time to release any water retention)…
Q: There was a time where i was actually losing weight….It was a 1200 cal diet and cardio for 45-55 min every day of those 5 days. I think i lost like 3 lbs that week? then i went back up to what MFP suggested my cals to be, and the weight creeped up 2 more lbs from where i started.
A: Wow 1200 cals! Thank God you kicked that diet to the curb! Can you imagine if your metabolism got stuck there, and that’s the most you could eat?! Whew. Smart thinking. I don’t know why every darn diet out there for women, tries to throw the whole 1200-1400 cal plan at us and act like it’s new and innovative. Of course if you eat like that, you’ll lose..but for how long?
by EM2WL | Jan 24, 2012 | Fat Loss / Cutting, Fitness Cycles (Periodization)
Q: How do you keep muscle through the cutting phase? Since you are doing less heavy lifting do you find your muscles soften up? As much as I love the “get ready for summer” routines, I always find this happening to me.
A: The same thing happens to me if I do the “summer ready” (aka circuit heavy) rotations for too long. There’s really a fine line between having th
at muscle and then “losing” it. I say “losing” because technically the muscles are still there, but due to the type of workouts you’re doing, you don’t see them. It’s similar to what competitors and fitness models experience when dialing it in for a show/photo shoot. Everything factors in, and the timing is crucial on eats, training methods, etc.. If you stay in cut mode for just a week past your “peak,” you could fall completely flat (your muscles that is, and you seem to be back to square one). But at the same measure, if you move through this phase too quickly (losing weight more rapidly than necessary), then you really could be losing quite a bit of muscle. This is especially true when you are eating at an extreme caloric deficit. Some studies have shown that 25% of your weight loss on a very low cal diet, comes from muscle. Sucks, huh? This is why it’s recommended to build as MUCH muscle as possible, because it’s so much easier to lose it than it is to gain it.
Also, just because you’re cutting doesn’t mean you need to drop the heavy weights. Let the eating/cardio do their work, but keep your weights as heavy as they can be for that particular rep range (you can honestly cut at any rep range on the right diet). That way you can preserve as much muscle as possible and hopefully lose fat and gain muscle.
Q: I always struggle with my carb/sugar intake over the summer months because I’m a fruit-a-holic when it comes to summer fruit. And because it’s around for such a short period, I like to take advantage. So, I wondered how you deal with summer fruits? Are you still in your cutting phase at that point? How long does your cutting phase typically last for?
A: I typically cut for 12-15 weeks, but plan for twelve. I garden, and also love taking advantage of fresh fruit, from farmers markets, etc.. I do a lot of green smoothies, which use a ton of fruit, but because of the greens, keep the blood sugar regulated. I also eat the fruit plain, or in fruit salads.
Different people respond to fructose differently. I’ve heard of a lot of people say that it’s detrimental to their cut, but I haven’t really found that to be the case for me, or my clients, unless they are diabetic or otherwise carbohydrate sensitive. I just try to make sure that I choose fruits higher in fiber, so that it doesn’t cause a huge insulin 
(sugar) spike, and also eat it with enough protein. If I just eat fruit alone, I notice that I’m starving in like 30 minutes. So my philosophy with all sugars (regardless of type) is to eat them with fiber to help regulate digestion. So whether it a coffeecake, muffins, brownies, or fresh fruit, I figure out a way to incorporate that extra fiber (i.e. eating raspberries vs bananas, or using bananas only in green smoothies or after workout shakes, using whole wheat flour vs white, etc.).
I say eat the fruit, if you notice that its holding you back, then adjust. I pay more attention to my fiber intake in my macros than my sugar intake…I won’t really look at cutting out fruits until maybe the last couple weeks or so of my cut, and that’s ONLY if I’m not happy with where I am and want that extra edge. Which is usually never.
Q: So, basically when you go into cut mode, you’re just decreasing the amount of calories you eat and still working out the same?
A: Yes and no. I actually may do more than 2 days of cardio (yes, shocking!). I eat the same…but…better, lol. The cal reduction typically comes from carbs/fat, while trying to keep the protein steady. I’m a little too carb/fat happy during my bulk, just because I can be. The thing that suffers because of that is the belly. And since it’s the first thing to go, and the last thing to come back (next to my arms) that’s what the cleanup really helps. I could actually keep my cals exactly the same, but lower fat/carbs & get decent results. But since I enjoy my them, and my meals are insanely boring without them, I just eat smaller portions/better choices (sweet potato vs white, berries instead of bananas, etc.) of them, with my protein in order to compromise with myself. That’s why I could probably never compete, I love food too much, and tend to settle at getting cut “enough.”
by EM2WL | Jan 24, 2012 | Increasing calories, Metabolism Reset, TDEE/BMR
Q: I’ve heard that some of those calorie calculators are not correct. I don’t want to eat too much. Is there any 100% method of finding out what my TDEE is? I’ve heard of the RMR testing is that the only way? Didn’t you say that you found maintenance without using a calorie calculator? How would I do that?
A: Yes, you are correct, I did not use a calorie calculator to find my maintenance, as the calcs weren’t as readily available then as they are today. The calculators have simplified things because they let you know ’round about what you should be eating. Using a BodyMedia FITor Fitbit, etc are also known methods for finding a more accurate number. I do feel that the way that I’ve always done it is quite accurate for me, because I am patient and take my time to figure it out, and I’m no longer afraid to eat too much (rather, quite the opposite). I actually use my “old school” method, still today, at least once a year, because it actually raises my metabolism, and I typically end up able to eat more than most calculators allow.
So I usually only recommend this method to people that I work with privately, as I can monitor them more closely, and push them to keep going when they feel they have “hit” maintenance sooner than I feel that they have. This method is also MUCH slower than the “calculate and jump in” method, and most people are in a hurry to get things moving. It also takes much more mental focus to keep going after each increase. This is because it will depend on how sensitive your body is and how it reacts to the initial calorie increase. Finding TDEE without a calorie calculator basically involves slowly upping your calories until you hit a “plateau,” riding it out, then upping again..and again…and again, until you start seeing “true” gains. This is a very lengthy process, and I use my bulking period as my time to do this, as I have more time to dedicate to it then.
We typically recommend jumping right in, if you can take it, mentally. However, I just recently did this again this fall, and took it reaalllyyy slow, lol. I like to use each month in my bulk as my measuring tool for cals, so what I did this time was (because I went into a deficit for a couple months in the summer time to “cut” a bit more, and had to come back up to maintenance for the holidays, lol – def didn’t wanna miss out on that good eating!) So I basically ate in a slight deficit over the summer, and then when I started STS in the fall, I used each Meso as a new cal level. So I was basically pyramiding my cals along with STS
, in order to get maximum benefit from each month’s phase. Here’s part of a message, that I wrote to someone during that time (I was upping main calorie intake, yet also “eating back” exercise cals):
“Right now I’m at my highest cals (2020 before exercise, today was 2400!), Meso 2 I was about 200 lower, and Meso 1 was at the end of my cut, so I was around 1700 (before exercise). I would slowly up the cals each week until I was at the new cal level. Not saying that you have to take that long, lol, but just to give you an idea of just how slow you could go…
I would think that it could take up to a month or more, though to really know how your body is responding to the added cals. Some people might get scared off immediately because of a jump in the scale that has nothing to do with the cals. Sometimes you gotta just see it through, in order to know. Case in point: I started upping my cals toward the end of Sep/beginning of Oct. When I look at my weight progress chart, I see that my weight remained pretty steady until Nov. Between 11/12 and 12/2, I was up 2 lbs (I remember distinctly thinking I must have finally hit my max, because that extra 2 lbs was holding strong…until 12/12 when things magically evened out again and I was down 2 lbs again, but eating almost 400 cals more than before. I’m pretty sure I’ve hit my max now, (up 2 lbs again, lol), but I’ll give it a couple more weeks (when I’m on a rest week, so that there’s no extra water from the heavy lifting) before I make my final decision. If I’m still up, then I may cut back down very slightly, and consider it my new maintenance. If I’m gaining, I’ll cut back to the last number I maintained at.”
I hope I answered your question without really answering it, lol. It’s really up to the individual, and how much time you are willing to put into it. Many people have comfort and assurance when the numbers are already figured out for them and they just have to do the eating. Some people are more adventurous and want to test the waters, and others like me just wanna beat the system. Find the method that works for you, but be real with yourself. If you are thinking of not using a calorie calculator because you are wanting an excuse to eat LESS, then stick with the calculators/fitness devices until you are mentally prepared to eat more, or you may undercut yourself. My goal is always to lose weight while eat as MUCH as possible, which is why I choose to use such an experimental method. If you are already fully convinced in the “eat more” path, then this route may be perfect for you, as you seek out your exact numbers, or to push the limits a bit. If you do choose this method, you may just decide to do it in a shorter amount of time if you feel that your body will handle the increase, ok. Many people prefer to just get it over with, and get on track, sooner. Or you may want to take your time. It all depends on what you’re most comfortable with. Because I was already at goal weight, it may have influenced my decision to take my time this go round…That may not be the case for you….
by EM2WL | Jan 24, 2012 | Building Muscle, Cardio, Fat Loss / Cutting
Q*: I am still looking to lose around 25 lbs, but don’t want to lose muscle, how much cardio do you think I should do, or would it be better to do total body workouts for awhile and skip the cardio? Not sure I could do that though, lol.
A: Since you plan on being in fat burning mode for a little while longer, it’s fine if you want to keep some cardio in, until you get to where you want to be. Try not to make cardio your main focus, though, if you can help it.
Do activities that you enjoy for the sake of having fun. Not just to force-feed cardio into your routine because you think you “need” it. Remember “cardio for fun, weights to transform.”
Cardio or Strength Training? Cardio obviously has great health benefits, and we’d never recommend that someone who loves it, completely omit it (just look at Lucia with her beloved Zumba). Instead, we simply make this recommendation from a fat loss goal-based emphasis. It will come in real handy to have that “trump card”– as I like to call it — when you’re close to the finish line, and hit that infamous plateau that comes along. If you are only doing cardio to lose weight, then every time you hit a plateau, you will need to increase your cardio just to get the same results. Before you know it, you’re doing cardio for hours on end, with little to no payoff.
If you are strength training, on the other hand, and hit a plateau, you only need to adjust weight or repetitions to break it. You do NOT have to spend more time doing it, though. Another trick is to try to get a cardio burn from your weights as well, with total body/circuits/and leg work. Those will all help invoke a cardio factor without hours of cardio. They will also help you to preserve the muscle you’ve built so far. You can continue in that manner until you get to a point where you are ready to actually build more muscle (and are no longer eating in deficit), then you can switch it up to suit you.
My only advice is to switch things up every 4-6 weeks, so that your body doesn’t get to used to any one tactic. So if you’re going crazy on cardio and doing full body workouts, switch to a split for maybe 2-4 weeks to provide the shock to your body, so you don’t just fall into a routine. Then you can go back to it if you like. The reason? The last thing that you want for your body is to become “efficient” in fat burning. Though it sounds like a good thing, it’s not. It means that your metabolism slows down and NEEDS the things that you’re doing in order to burn the same amount of calories. Which, net effect will lower your maintenance calories, causing you to have to eat less and less in order to break plateaus, and at the same time have to work harder and harder.
Since our metabolism already declines as we age, there’s NO reason for us to speed up this process. My ultimate goal when losing my weight, was to lose it doing the LEAST amount of cardio possible and eating the MOST amount of food possible, lol (but then again, I was never really fond of cardio). That way, as I came to plateaus or as I aged and those numbers had to increase & decrease (respectively), it will still be manageable…if that makes any sense. Let’s be honest, if being fit/healthy is a lifelong goal, at some point (80-90yrs old?) it MAY be required that we eat next to nothing, and do 3 hours of cardio each day (and possibly another hour at night?), but if we start doing that now then we may be stuck eating nothing and working out 7 hours/day by the time we get to that age (if such an age exists).
*Q & A posts are excerpts from actual submitted emails from clients and fam. Have a question that you’d like to see addressed in Q & A or explained in a future article? Drop us a line below!
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