Cathe Friedrich's STS Phase 4 Total Body DVD

A gym-style program that uses heavy weights and lots of equipment. This is “serious” body-sculpting — you'll optimize results by working every muscle to its absolute limit. Cathe suggests a weight level that's 70% of maximum — the heaviest weight you could lift just one time (but that's not essential; lighter weights are also effective). The moves range from squats, lunges and curls to push-ups, dumbbell flies and dead rows. Each set is repeated twice, once for 16 reps and again for 12. But Cathe's focus is on form — she wants high-quality moves, not the most reps.

Requires several sets of heavy dumbbells, a step bench, a resistance band and gliding discs (paper plates will work). Cathe uses a barbell and a barbell rack. ©2010.

STS (Shock Training System) Total Body is a 66-minute total body program designed to work all of your upper and lower body muscles in just one workout – plus, you’ll be using weights that are about 60 to 80 percent of your one rep max. But, if you don’t feel like doing the math, just make sure that your selected weight for each exercise challenges you so much that you are fighting to finish your last couple of reps in every set.

STS Total Body features both compound and isolation exercises, but to keep the workout as short as possible, the greatest emphasis has been put on the multi-join compound exercises and the isolation exercises have been kept to a minimum. But don’t be fooled by that work ‘minimum’ because everything about this workout is maximum: maximum intensity, maximum variety, and maximum results!

Enjoy doing this workout one or two times per week on non-consecutive days. We’ve also included eight special premixes to make this workout more time efficient and versatile. Equipment needed for this workout is a full-sized step (or workout bench), a Turbo Tower (or a pull-up bar), a weighted barbell, dumbbells, a resistance band, and a sliding disc (or paper plate).