Cathe Friedrich STS Meso Cycle 1

When STS was first released (about a year ago) I was very leary of giving it a try. I was big into short, easy workouts at the time and didn't really want to push myself too hard. I was doing some running at the time and figured I didn't have the time to give this program a try. I mean there are 12 DVDs in each cycle. That's a.lot.

However, the idea to do these Cycles haunted me. I contemplated giving them a try, but then I'd get a new workout and push the thought to the side. Well, over the summer months, I tried a couple of different things and I was feeling pretty strong and assured. I completed a 10K and a 1/2 marathon. I even continued doing some running while on vacation in Northern Minnesota (as in almost everyday I was there not including the swimming, canoeing and hikes.)

We got back from vacation and I thought why not give this STS MesoCycle 1 a try. I've been doing some weight work, how hard can this be? I'll do this whole Cycle just like they recommend.

Like I said, 12 DVDs in total in the Cycle, but not as daunting as I initially thought. The program is broken down like this: Week 1: Monday Chest, Shoulder, Biceps; Wednesday: Back and Triceps; Friday: Legs. Weeks 2-4 have the same set up. Each week the program alters just a little bit. You either do a few more reps of an exercise or the exercise itself changes. Each of the programs (DVDs) are set up basically the same way. You do about 3 sets of each exercise varying the number of reps in each set. Some are straight 8s, some are 16s and some are 24s. Then she'll even alter the counts by the second set; drop sets, pyramid, etc.
These workouts also require a few pieces of equipment. Not only do you need  a variety of dumbbells, you also need resistance bands and tubing (unless of course you have a chin-up/pull-up bar), a stability ball,a chair and a barbell.

I'm not going to go over all the different moves in these workouts. Let's just say she covers each and every body part (except specifically abs) and pushes each muscle group to exhaustion. Each workout takes about an hour. However, Legs is a bit different in that the base program is about 40 minutes then you have the option of continuing on in Barre-type moves - very intense.

I do not have a chin-up/pull-up bar so I used a resistance tube strung over the door to the room (a similar option is shown in the workout.) I also did not have a chair available, so I used my stability ball.

I liked this workout. I thought I was able to increase my muscle endurance, which of course, was the goal. I think I could have used heavier weights for some of the moves, but overall I was pretty impressed with how fatigued my muscles became. I liked how the workouts were only slightly different each week - very similar with subtle changes. And, I really liked how quickly the time passed in each program. I was never staring at the clock hoping I was almost done.