Cathe who?

[mrsprincess07]

Originally Posted by RapidBreath

Me too, nobody seems to know who she is, except us of course. So weird.

As sad as it is, Cathe isn't mainstream. You have to either stumble upon her or hear about from word of mouth. In a way though it's nice because one thing can be said about her, she's not a sell out; doesn't need gadgets, extreme marketing (think crazy "results stories"), or infomercials to sell her product. She puts out a quality product and each and every DVD release, she has more new customers at her door. Why? bc of people like us that share our experiences on other forums, in the break rooms at lunch, the Gyms, and with our best friends. As long as we keep doing that, her name with garner more recognition with time.

Even when I am not able to use her workouts as I have limitations nowadays, I still recommend her workouts for those looking for a challenge or something new, something well thought out and not based on a fad or hype!

I found Cathe through Walmart. I was looking to do some step aerobics at home and bought the mini stepper at Walmart when it was on sale. Inside was a Beginner's Step DVD and figured I would give it a shot. Usually workouts included for free can be a tad on the boring side. I fell in love and did the workout 3x a week for a month and moved onto her LIC and BM2!

[Gobias]

Well, everyone at my work and in my circle of friends know who she is thanks to me!!! I swear people must think she is a family member the way I talk about her (or get some kind of kickback). In fact, my guy will ask "What did you and Cathe do this morning?"

I moved and the gym was just too far to make it worth it to go everyday so I wanted to start working out at home. I used to get the Collage Video catalogue via snail mail (this is way before the internet) and in the move I found an old catalogue and looked them up on the internet. As I searched, I noticed Cathe's name kept coming up. I noticed there was an intense following even though I had never heard of her. I was quite surprised she has been around so long and I never remember hearing her name. I watched a couple of video clips and liked what I saw.

I then bought the entire Hardcore Bundle and did IMAX 3 as my 1st video and just loved every aspect of it. I then bought every Cathe video available and haven't been to the gym since.

I do get questions of what exercises I do/where I go to the gym/ etc and I tell them all about Cathe! I have already recruited a few friends and co-workers!

[Cathe Friedrich]

OMG everyone! I just read all the responses on this thread and just wanted to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for your very endearing words. You made my day ((((Group Hug))))

[nclncl]

Perhaps no one you know personally knows Cathe, but lots of people do...I'm shocked sometimes at how many people are on the forums at one time! Crazy!

I learned about Cathe when I was a die hard Firmie (of the Firm). I used to work out at the Firm Studios in SC for many years. When I moved away from SC, I had to start getting videos to get my firm fix. Then I learned of the Firm forums. Many of the firm fans also were Cathletes and that's how I became one.

[Zbridget]

I found Cathe mid 90's on the old Firm sparklist- any sparklist people still here? My first video was step heat- and it took me a while to get it. I've come to appreciate the freshness & innovation of Cathe over the past 20+ years- like Firm used to be- while still being true to her mission. Today I can do one of her "retro" step workouts with nostalgia remembering the day when I was also guilty of leg warmers & big hair.

[gghh]

Hello, I decided one day I wanted to do step at home, three little ones could only get to the gym twice a week. I googled Step Aerobics and Cathe's workouts came up, she is on utube and I liked what I saw. Her website is very popular, the recommendations for the routines I thought I could not possibly go wrong.

Now I have cancelled my gym membership, as I can fit way more excercise in this way. I have tried a few step dvds and cannot believe I have been doing weights now, it is so cool. Have actually gone backwards and bought Rythmic Step which is so fun, still trying to learn it at the moment.

I am glad Cathe is out there for I originally tried a Jillian Michaels dvd, and did not like it much. Must be difficult to make routines fun, so thanks Cathe! The music too is wonderful. With my youngest 3yrs now I cannot wait for them to go to bed so I can do my nightly thing. An hour is I find a good time frame.

With Cathe Website, i looked up the four seasons gym and it looks so amazing, you guys are so lucky!

[gghh]

I am from Australia too, no one knows who I am talking about when I mention Cathe!!, maybe the Australia fan base is growing anyway!!

[FiddleFit]

I'm one of Cathe's neighbours to the north, and meeting anyone in Canada who knows about her is rare. Yes, there's a die-hard following here on the forums, but she's not known in the mainstream fitness industry. I'm a group fitness instructor and certified personal trainer, and am constantly amazed when my colleagues give me blank stares about her name. I get very positive feedback about my classes and my style of instruction, and I have to pass that up to Cathe; she is my fitness role model. I've been doing her workouts since 1998, way back when VHS was the only thing to buy and premixes were just an exciting wish. I hate to think about where I'd be today, if I hadn't been procrastinating on my studying, and looking for good step video recommendations on the internet....patiently waiting for my dial up modem to load every page! It was a day that changed my life.

[DebbieH]

I found Cathe in December 1999. I saw her in Shape magazine and cut the pic out to take to my hairdresser! Loved her cute hairdo! Lol! The rest is history! I have 100's of videos but none compare to my Cathe's! My absolute fav series is the LIS!!!! Amazing! (STS is a tie but diff type of workouts)

Sent from my iPad using CatheForum

[EllieB]

Hi Cathletes! I discovered Cathe on the net 2 years ago, before getting pregnant.I was looking for some step workouts on Collage video. Last year I found this community and the digital download website. I started to work-out seriously with Cathe last November, as I had to lose my baby-weight.
I fell in love with her since the firts cha-cha pivot... I lost all my pregnancy weight and lost inches...so that now my pre-pregnancy clothes fit a bit loose.
I'm Italian, live in Italy (I know there a few Italian cathletes on this board) but when friends ask me what I've been doing at home, they haven't got the slightest clue about Cathe ... I don't care, because I know there is no gym that could offer me the same wide variety of workouts and the same quality/intensity of the job.
I know I've made a lot of progress and even if I have some work to do, I know this woman has done a world of good to me, and I will always be thankful for this.