buy LowMax even though I have LIS?

[mini-natty]

I am on the fence if I should buy LowMax. I have the entire LIS and wondering if the two would be somewhat similar. I have Hardcore Extreme, which features pieces of LowMax, but I don't know what the entire video is like. If I could, I would buy the entire Cathe collection, but that won't be happening anytime soon, so I have to be selective. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks!

[Bettypcw]

Can you borrow this from your local library to try? That's what I did, and I'm glad I didn't purchase it. For some reason the workout didn't flow very well, music included. LIS is better by far. I recall Low Max doesn't have any weight component either--it's just all step.

It's rare that I dislike a Cathe workout, and I own a lot of them (but not most from the Hardcore series, or anything older than the Intensity and Body Blast series).

Another thought: have you looked at the video clips, either in Cathe's site or Collage Video? I've also purchased workouts used through eBay...

Just my opinion. Good luck in your evaluation.

Betty

[Christine Marie]

YES!!! definitely buy Low Max!! its one of my favorites! If you like any of Cathe's Imaxes you'll like Low Max. Its a hard core, but of course fun, low impact interval style workout! I would definitely suggest adding it to your collection if you enjoy stepping and sweating.

[exercise-lover]

Low Max is one of my favorites. It's what made me know I wanted the LIS when it came up from preorder. I also love Low Impact Circuit. Buy them both! JMO.

[mini-natty]

Thanks ladies for your responses. I hear a lot of mixed reviews on this one. The bits and pieces I did from Hardcore, I actually liked a lot. I suck at step and was able to get the choreo down in a few tries. I also liked the blasts, great lower body conditioning. BTW, I live in Canada and my library does not stock Cathe (I have never seen Cathe anywhere except on-line) or else I would have tried it. Hmmmm I have to think about this one...

[CommittedtoFitness]

Low Max is one of my favorites. I definitely recommend purchasing it, even though you've already got the Low Impact Series. There are a few (but not many) elements in the Low Impact Series that remind me of Low Max but nothing formatted the same, with 7 alternating step intervals followed by blasts involving the step. It is true that there are no weight/strength training segments in Low Max. As you say, it provides good lower body conditioning. Some people on this forum are still asking for a Low Max 2 even after the release of the Low Impact Series. As Betty suggested, be sure to watch the video clip on the Cathe web site (I don't have Hardcore Extreme, so I don't know how much of Low Max you've seen).

I just did Low Impact Challenge for the 9th time, making only minor mistakes. Now that I've got it down, I am finding it Intermediate/Advanced (rather than Advanced) and that I definitely need to do the blast at the end and if I have time, the bonus circuit on the same disk to get a good cardio workout. Low Max provides at least as much of a cardio challenge as LIC but it's not a lot more challenging (i.e., it's very doable). Some reviewers of Low Max have noted that the cardio challenge in Low Max is not as great as that in more Advanced workouts, such as the IMAX workouts and Intensity (I agree).
I don't think you'd regret getting Low Max if you want an Intermediate/Advanced low-impact cardio workout with lower body conditioning.

[tralaiven]

Low Max is a great workout to have in your library. I am glad I have it. No, it is not my favorite, but it is a good solid workout, and as other Cathe dvds is well worth the money IMHO.

[Pedmom]

I also vote yes. It was quite a bit easier for me to get LM down than it was for me to get LIS down. (In fact, I posted here whining about how much trouble I had )

Low Max is a fabulous in my opinion.

[maddiesmum]

Absolutely yes, because nothing on the LIS is anything like LOWMAX. One of all time fave workouts. Dress it up, dress it down, it's a fab workout everytime with excellent music.

Clare

[JT]

Low Max is one of my faves b/c of the intervals, the music and the crew. I would check out the clips here. It's one of those fun workouts like Step, Jump & Pump.