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: 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 *****
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 aDVD 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.
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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!
Q: So I’ve been on a bulk, to put on more muscle on my arms. I’m lifting HEAVY, and my arms are gaining size, but now DH says I have “man arms”…are they supposed to be big like this? I know dumb question. They are not that cut yet but definitely when I flex you can see and feel something big there. Will I get more of a cut and defined look in them?
A: Right now — since you’re bulking — they may seem bigger. Although you know there’s good muscle under there, the muscle lines are probably smoother (not clearly defined)? Is that what you’re seeing? If so, that’s perfectly normal. You are building muscle and eating to support that phase — which likely means a bit more carbs, and the water retention that comes with it. This will even out again when you start to cut and eat to support that phase. But, since the two use opposite eating techniques, you’re on the right track. The more muscle that you build, the more is left behind when you cut. With weight lifting for women, it’s very hard for women to put on (and keep!) muscle. So don’t fret too much, and tell Hubs that it’s all part of the process. The softness is typically more prominent if we start our bulk at a higher bodyfat percentage — because our muscle starts to come up under a layer of fat, pushing the fat outward (making it more visible). It worries us because we think we’re getting too bulky. But when the fat sheds, you’re left with a lean and tight physique because of the muscle you built. This trumps simply getting smaller, but still looking the same “per capita” (as my husband likes to say).
That explains why I choose to do my bulking in the cooler months. Because when I get to the phase that would make me wanna slash my calories and run for the hills (or the elliptical), I can just cover up and train, satisfied that no one knows what’s going on under there (other than Hubs, lol), and by the time they do…I’ve got it all together, again.
Q:Yes! EXACTLY what you said is going on. When do I know the building phase is over and go into the cutting phase? And what is involved in the cutting phase, eating less calories?
A: Short answer? Build until you can’t take it anymore/clothes don’t fit/Hubs thinks you’re fat/create your own reason, then cut.
Ramble version?
The concept of gaining any type of weight on purpose is just unheard of these days. This is why I LOVED the old Oxygen mag issues (from beginning up until the early 2000’s) — they discussed this concept freely, so you knew what you needed to go through in order to get the results you wanted. They didn’t just show you pics of ripped models and say “you can have these (abs, arms, legs, etc) in just FOUR weeks!” They gave you a workout routine, but they also gave you the stats of each model. They told you her age, height, current AND off-season weight. Did you get that? OFF season weight. That’s the crucial part. Most people don’t understand the fact that those women only look like that for their photo shoots or competitions. They look like normal women the rest of the year. Each competitor snapshot would ask the woman how long her bulk or cut phases lasted and what exactly that woman does to bulk/cut. It was priceless. It only took reading through those a few times in order to find someone with similar qualities as you, get a good idea of how long you need to put into each phase, and what to expect in your “off” season (bulk/maintenance).
This is still especially good info to know, so that women don’t panic and go back to a never-ending diet. Women have now been led to think that they can just pick a random routine and look like the ladies in the mags that took YEARS to pack on enough muscle to build the physique that we see. They want the cover model physiques, but are so sensitive about weight gain, or clothes fitting too tight — not realizing it may be the exact thing they need (temporarily) to get the physique they crave. It’s frustrating.
Most competitors/fitness models have an off-season. WE JUST DON’T SEE THEM during that time. But if we look hard enough, we will notice subtle changes in their body depending on what they’ve been doing. We can also see that when doing any fitness instructor’s class or videos, her (or his) body is always changing. Sometimes the muscle is really defined, sometimes it’s not. The same holds true for any fitness pro that we look up to, maintenance is really a myth, our bodies are always changing. Basically there’s a difference between this:
AND THIS
OR THIS
See what I mean?
Being consciously aware of this and going through muscle building (bulking) phases as needed, makes sure that your physique stays in the general vicinity of what your ideal is. If you never specifically attempt to build muscle, you will likely lose some as years progress.
FYI- the process becomes less noticeable after you repeat it a couple of times. You will be able to stay in build (aka EAT) mode for longer, before it gets…uncomfortable. You will becoming leaner, with a lower bodyfat percentage to layer over the muscle. So it’s an ongoing process…build until you feel fat, cut until you feel lean enough, maintain until you feel like you’re losing muscle tone/want to put on more muscle.
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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