Cathe Friedrich''s STS 36 DVD set + User Guide

All together, I liked this set of DVDs. It provides enough variety for those of us who have been working out for a long time and steps it up a notch. Pros: The workouts are challenging (if not enough, you can always increase weight). Quality is pretty good, all exercises have been labeled and are easy to follow the reps and timing.

Cons: I think the reps are a bit short, 16 at the most. I think for endurance you could go to 24 but then again that''s a personal choice. What I really didn''t like about it was that it seemed like they are the same 3 DVDs(#1 Chest, Shoulders and Biceps #2 Back and Triceps #3 Legs ), just repeated 4 time in 4 sets with minor variations. Ex: all the 4 Leg workout DVDs are almost the same(except for the 10 minute bonus), the only thing that''s different is your %RM. She could have just told you to increase the weight by 5% every week but instead, she reproduced almost the same DVD just asking you to increase your weights. I think that is a marketing scheme which I really didn''t care for. It''s kinda expensive if you are really getting 3-4 hours of really new material but paying for 12hrs.I probably will not buy STS2 if its the same DVDs just higher %RM.

I pre-ordered this entire series over a year before it came out, and it was worth the wait. It was designed to be the "crown jewel" in Cathe''s line-up, and there is nothing else quite like it out on the market. It''s fantastic for building muscle and getting stronger!

Each month of the STS program is designed around a Mesocycle. Meso 1 is designed as endurance workouts, Meso 2 is designed for hypertrophy (muscle growth), and Meso 3 is designed for strength. Don''t worry if that sounds complicated since all you have to do is pop in a workout DVD, and Cathe has it all figured out for you.

I disagree with another reviewer who said that you can find similar workouts if you own Cathe''s other weight-lifting series; this series is unique in that every single workout is slightly different that any other workout. This muscle confusion principle yields incredible results. I''ve only done one three-and-a-half month round of STS so far, but I put on more muscle during that period than I had with any of Cathe''s other DVD''s, and I use Cathe''s workouts exclusively for my weight training.

It''s an expensive set for sure, but the way I justified it was that it was much, much cheaper than 40 sessions with a personal trainer would have been.

If you check out Cathe''s website, there is also a lot of information about how to figure out your 1 rep max and there is even a free program that will help you compute your 1RM for all the exercises you need to do to get ready for STS. Of course, you can also do STS without completing the 1RM exercises, but doing them will ensure that you are lifting as hard as you can -thereby getting the best results possible.

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This series is Cathe at her best. My definition of a great workout is a. it''s effective and b. it''s fun. The STS series is both. I was in the best shape of my life after doing a 3 month STS rotation.

What is particularly good and effective about these workouts:

**the 1 rep max(1RM). I strongly suggest taking the time to do this before doing the workouts. I found I could lift heavier than I ever thought I could. A week or so before starting STS, I incorporated the 1 rep max tests into my workouts. I spread the tests out so I could really get to my max reps.

**the workout manager on Cathe''s website. You just enter your 1 rep max results here and it automatically calculates the weight you''ll need to lift for each exercise.

**the stretching routine. I usually skip stretching when I''m short on time, but I made a point to do it and I didn''t have as much muscle soreness as usual.

**I love how they challenged me and pushed me to work harder. Cathe encourages you to go at your own pace and to listen to your body. Doing a 3 month or 6 month rotation puts a lot of stress on your body and you need to be able to handle that.

**the variety. Even though workouts in each cycle had some of the same exercises, it didn''t seem repetitive at all. I actually liked having some repeat exercises from week to week because I could see my progress and I could really work on perfecting my form.

Some things to note on these:

**the warm-ups are off beat. Not a big deal for me. I''m usually doing these at 5 am and I''m not quite awake, so I''m always a half beat behind anyway.

**the men in the crew are distracting. Their form is horrible and they''re using teeny tiny weights, which looks totally fake. I just look at them when I need a distraction from the `pain'' of the workout.

**each routine is about an hour. Check out Cathe''s STS Forum for suggestions on how to shorten the routines.

**Mesocycle 1 Muscle Endurance requires a lot of equipment. I had to frequently stop the DVD to get ready for the next exercise.

**Mesocycle 3 there is 2-3 minutes rest between each set. It may seem like a long time, but if you''re truly lifting at your 80%-90% max, you need this time!

None of these detracted from the workouts for me since I love the routines, but they might be issues for some.

I followed Cathe''s suggested 3 month rotation, using cardio from her previous workouts. I look forward to doing my next rotation using her Shock Cardio workouts.

I highly recommend this series for anyone willing to give it their all to get into super shape!

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If you own any of Cathe''s DVD''s, chalk this up to the same as her other strength routines. There''s really nothing that special about this set--especially for the cost. It''s pretty much the same moves in different sequences for each DVD, some moves from Meso 1 being repeated in Meso 2, all the moves in Meso 3 being the same. It''s a bit disappointing and should be better explained on the website what you''re actually getting. To me, it''s just like any other workout. Don''t get me wrong, it''s a good workout, but you can get the same workout from a $25 DVD.

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These are the best weight workouts I have ever used. I have been a Catheite for several years and these workouts are different than anything she has done in the past. You can follow her plan or change it up and use it your own way but you get many different types of exercises and they are all mixed up so not as to experience boredom. I tell anyone who wants to really get in shape to splurge with this set. It''s worth the price. I would give is six stars.