Some questions about strength training

[txhsmom]

Originally Posted by Tugger31

I'm thinking about getting the Weight Program 2.0 for Home and the 30 x 30 Fat Loss Shred. Do both of these come with a rotation calendar? Are these meant to be done together??

Also does anyone have any coupon codes?

No, these are separate plans.

Carol

[Tugger31]

Carol, thanks for the information!

[Sharaz]

My question are: what do you do after you complete a 90 day strength rotation? Do you follow it with another one?

I do an endurance based rotation for a month then start again. I'm a believer in changing programs often. The body adapt quickly, plus I like the initial struggle of the body while facing something new. I felt more "worked" There is an article in T-Nation that mention that in order to cut fat do things that "suck" for you. I believe in this approach particularly if someone is looking to drop fat. Suck means your body is not use to.

I like to change routines every 3-4 weeks. Most 90 days programs switch focus every 30 days.

Also, instructors/trainers usually have an specific "style" too, so I'm not loyal to anyone in particular.

[Sharaz]

Originally Posted by horusosiris

I am also going to suggest doing a paper workout after your 90 day rotation.

I like Ashley Horner http://www.ashleyhorner.co/ashley-ho...ning-programs/
My favorite Ashely Horner program is Magnify You and Becoming Extraordinary. She has programs to fit your particular training and/or fitness goals.

I also like
Nia Shanks http://www.niashanks.com/shop/

Hi Horusosiris! Good suggestions.

I finally did Magnify You last year. It's my favorite of the ones I had completed so far.

[Sharaz]

What are you go to strength training? When do you mix in other kind of rotations (endurance, metabolic, body weight, kettlebells, etc.)? Do you use supplements or think they are necessary? I need some focus, guidance and advice!

In DVDs I like Cathe older ones, besides few from other instructors as Ingrid. I was lifting prior to discovering DVDs and Cathe workouts are well designed. I'm not too fond with her new series.

After you finish CLX you can consider Slow and Heavy. Last July I tried it for the 1st time as a 4 weeks rotation while attending a crossfit challenge in the afternoon. I used CF as cardio because it was bootcamp class.

So, I used as a one body part per day split. I read here some have issues with the counting spending more time on the positive portion of the lift. I did it as designed I gained a lot of strength. The LB workout is one of my favorites. I used the squat rack and did the routine twice each LB day. Without the crossfit class I would have done the others twice too. I don't recommend it if you are building up strength.

I enjoyed S&H because I like to lift using slow tempos very much. I get great results with this style too. SLO-MO from Amy Bento is good too. I use this DVDs to switch things up now and then. I can't imaging it doing this count by myself. I will be totally annoyed.

I take a shake with protein/greens after each workout. I add a carb portion on the side and consider it my breakfast since I'm working out now first thing in the morning.

[Sharaz]

I've D2S, CLX, EBE2, H&C and Body Beast. I did D2S a while back and I liked it. I might start with CLX, it looks fun, short and I've never done it before, I also thought it would be a good re-starting point. What would be the best to do next? I was also thinking on getting Cathe's XTrain, do you think that would be a good one for strength gains?

Any feedback, thoughts and/or advice would be greatly appreciated!

I would try Body Beast after 6 months to get the best.

Since you prefer DVDs

CLX (I'm not familiar with this program) if I recall use combination moves and I don't like that. It's just my personal preference.

S&H
1 BP per day
30 mins cardio each day

3 total body per week
Muscle Endurance
STS Total Body
Rotate both for 4 weeks
Cardio T-T
Cardio S optional if loooking to lower BF

LB/UB
Pyramid UB
Pyramid LB
Cardio
CX Upper Body
CX Leaner Legs x2
Cardio - optional

SLO-MO M-W-F
Cardio T-T

EBX2

Body Beast

Just throwing random stuff LOL

[AsSweetAsSugar]

Originally Posted by Tugger31

I rarely do a 90 day rotation b/c I get too bored/too much dread factor. I sometimes alternate between a month long rotation such as a month of upper and lower body splits or a month of total body strength and sometimes a month of one body part per day. I have also done the same as just stated but within each month I will alternate with a week of cardio and metabolic/circuits on alternate days. All depends on my mood and if I have any specific workout goals in mind. These days I just like to maintain general fitness. I did complete an 8 week (took me 10) Tone It Up rotation which did not include as much strength training as I was used to. I did lose some strength and felt a little more mushy. I recently just started Katami's 4x4 workout set. So far I am liking it, it is a bootcamp style set and it does allow me to lift heavy. It alternates 1 minute of cardio, 1 minute of lower body, 1 minute of upper body and 1 minute of core. I can go heavy or light within the minute so I find it a versatile set.

I primarily use Cathe for my strength training. You mentioned XTrain, for some reason the workouts in this set aren't my favorites. I do prefer Burns Sets and Cardio Leg Blast over the strength workouts in this set. I like Cathe's Pyramid Upper Body alot also her Great Glutes and Lean Legs & Abs though those are more endurance based. The strength training dvds in Ripped with HiiT are good as are her Gym Style set. I use the timesaver premixes in Gym Styles alot.

I did complete STS in its entirety but Mesocycle 3 wore me out and I had to buy more equipment. I think just purchasing Mesocycle 2 is a good investment. It's easy to split up body parts and you can go heavier if you want. Mesocycle 1 was endurance based and exercises are done in more giant set style so harder to break up into separate body parts.

I like rotations as I don't have to plan to much on my own, I agree that 90 days is a bit long, by week 10th I start to feel like I want to do other things but then I think, if I made it to 10 weeks, it is not worth it to drop it now so I try to push it to the end, and it feels great when I'm done, I feel like I accomplish something my favorite length is 8 weeks, not too long not too short. Changing your training style every week, sounds a bit like the Look Great in 8 rotation which you can use your favorite workouts for each category, great for variety. I'm glad you're enjoying the Katami 4x4 set, I've it, and I did enjoy the few workouts I tried from it and would love to do a rotation with them.

Thanks for your thoughts on XTrain, I liked the look of the workouts, I got Leg and Cardio Leg Blast from the VF Roost, and then I thought I should have got the whole set instead. I was also interested because someone on here mentioned it was like a feminine version of P90X. I have Great Glutes and Lean Legs & Abs and I love those. I was interested on the RWH set, but it has too much hiit to my liking, that kind on rotation would let me exhausted, the workouts look pretty good though. I'll check into the others you mentioned, thanks!

[AsSweetAsSugar]

Originally Posted by bethlakey

I prefer strength workouts and some barre mixed in here and there. I've completed a few rotations of Chalean Extreme and loved it, but then I like Chalene a lot. She can be a great motivator to some but too much of a cheerleader to others. Some of her outfits in the set are a little odd, think black thigh high boots . The Dysfunctional Parrots review makes for a good chuckle. I've currently pulled in Lauren Gleisberg http://www.laurengleisberg.com/ home paper workout and really like that one a lot. One of the most thorough strength workouts I've ever completed was Cathe's STS. It requires some equipment and can be long at times. It's divided into 3 mesosets and you could choose just one of them for a great workout.

~Beth

Glad you enjoyed CLX! I like Chalene too, so I'm hoping to enjoy it as well. I agree with the outfits comment! what's up with the boots?! I also read The Dysfunctional Parrot review, very funny! Thanks for the paper workout recommendation, her prices are very affordable, and several of you seem to enjoy it a lot, I'll check that out.

[AsSweetAsSugar]

Originally Posted by horusosiris

I am also going to suggest doing a paper workout after your 90 day rotation.

I like Ashley Horner http://www.ashleyhorner.co/ashley-ho...ning-programs/
My favorite Ashely Horner program is Magnify You and Becoming Extraordinary. She has programs to fit your particular training and/or fitness goals.

I also like
Nia Shanks http://www.niashanks.com/shop/

Thanks for the suggestions, I checked them both. Ashley Horner book covers look great, they seem pricey though, I might try a cheaper book and see if I actually enjoy working to paper workouts before of investing on more expensive ones. Nia Shanks' Get Strong package look like a great value for all you get. Thanks again for the recommendations!

[AsSweetAsSugar]

Sharaz, wow thanks so much for addressing all of my questions!

Originally Posted by Sharaz

My question are: what do you do after you complete a 90 day strength rotation? Do you follow it with another one?

I do an endurance based rotation for a month then start again. I'm a believer in changing programs often. The body adapt quickly, plus I like the initial struggle of the body while facing something new. I felt more "worked" There is an article in T-Nation that mention that in order to cut fat do things that "suck" for you. I believe in this approach particularly if someone is looking to drop fat. Suck means your body is not use to.

I like to change routines every 3-4 weeks. Most 90 days programs switch focus every 30 days.

Also, instructors/trainers usually have an specific "style" too, so I'm not loyal to anyone in particular.

I definitely need to drop some fat! So I'm taking notes

Originally Posted by Sharaz

What are you go to strength training? When do you mix in other kind of rotations (endurance, metabolic, body weight, kettlebells, etc.)? Do you use supplements or think they are necessary? I need some focus, guidance and advice!

In DVDs I like Cathe older ones, besides few from other instructors as Ingrid. I was lifting prior to discovering DVDs and Cathe workouts are well designed. I'm not too fond with her new series.

After you finish CLX you can consider Slow and Heavy. Last July I tried it for the 1st time as a 4 weeks rotation while attending a crossfit challenge in the afternoon. I used CF as cardio because it was bootcamp class.

So, I used as a one body part per day split. I read here some have issues with the counting spending more time on the positive portion of the lift. I did it as designed I gained a lot of strength. The LB workout is one of my favorites. I used the squat rack and did the routine twice each LB day. Without the crossfit class I would have done the others twice too. I don't recommend it if you are building up strength.

I enjoyed S&H because I like to lift using slow tempos very much. I get great results with this style too. SLO-MO from Amy Bento is good too. I use this DVDs to switch things up now and then. I can't imaging it doing this count by myself. I will be totally annoyed.

I take a shake with protein/greens after each workout. I add a carb portion on the side and consider it my breakfast since I'm working out now first thing in the morning.

Thanks for the DVD recommendations! I'll check them out. What you don't like about Cathe new offerings? I agree that DVDs are more enjoyable while lifting slowly imo, when I train on my own I tend to move faster and then take a little break between circuits. How did you like Crossfit? There is a DVD set that seem to be inspired on CF: RIPT90 and now there is a newer set: RIPT90 Fit by the same instructor. Thanks for all the great info!