Never tried an IMAX! Advice please!

[mini-natty]

Hi everyone! I am pretty new to Cathe and have built up a good collection of her downloads and 1 DVD (Hardcore Extreme). Pretty ashamed to say, but still do have any Imax in my collection . I love high intensity and would consider myself to be advanced. I just don't know where to start, 1, 2 or 3? I have done a little bit of Imax3 in Hardcore Extreme and liked it. The blasts are tough but I get through (except for the plie jumps. I have a really hard time doing all 1000's of them!). I found the choreo to be challenging for the few I did in Imax3, but I am not very good at step (that does not stop me from trying though). I would like the workout to be tough and the step to be simple. Advice please! Thank you!

[Jane Royse]

I have all 3, & my fave is Imax-2. I like 3 next, but the breaks are a little bit longer in 2, so I'm not quite sucking air as badly in it. I've only done the first one once, so I can't really comment on it. It would be a good idea to preview before doing, because the step portion is only done 6 times before each blast. There are 10 cycles total. This keeps it moving & never boring, but if I haven't done them in awhile, some times it takes me 3 times before the choreography comes back to me! But, the step portions are relatively simple, so that helps. Enjoy!

[Bettypcw]

I own IMAX and have done it a couple of times, but never reach for it. To me, it's dated. It does work you out, but I have so many other Cathe dvds I'd select first.

I have never tried IMAX 3 and don't own it.

IMAX 2, on the other hand, no matter how many times I do it, I absolutely love! It was a killer when I was starting out with Cathe. I worked up to mastering it, but it still works me out hard. The moves are a lot of fun and not difficult, and the blasts are high-intensity. But the best part? The music! For some reason, the combination of the moves and the music really make this workout top-notch for me! Geez, I haven't done anything else since I've received the Low Impact Series, but I feel like reaching for IMAX 2!

Hope that helps!

Betty

[mini-natty]

Thanks so much for your comments! From what I read on the reviews, Imax2 seems to be the winner most of the time. I am also loving the LIS, but I sometimes crave the high intensity stuff. Thanks again, what a helpful forum!

[horsing around]

IMax 2 gets my vote also. Love the music and the choreography was easier for me to learn. I've only reached for IMax 3 a few times.

IMax 2 is part of The Intensity series which is my 2nd favorite series, only recently replaced by LIS!

Body Max 2 also gets my vote! I love the premix options available with this workout. Pretty sure you could get an IMax type of workout with the Cardio Blast premix.

Lisa

[Gobias]

Personally, I love Imax 3 the most. That may be because that was my very 1st Cathe video I learned and that is when I realized that she was by far my favorite instructor. And I also love the song "Tainted Love" by SoftCell and that song is on the DVD!

I kept reading how everyone enjoyed Imax 2 and did that video several months later and also enjoyed it. Good music (except I sing the "Pina Colada" song from the video all day long!). Fun video with easy choreography.

Imax 1 I have done a few times and it is also a good video. However, I find this to be way too easy for an advanced fitness level.

The difference between the 3 are what others were saying - Imax 3 has the least amount of recovery time between sets and therefore keeps your heart rate up. I find Imax 3 to be the best workout for me and do Imax 2 on an "easy" day. Imax 2 is a fun video but just isn't very hard for me. (same for Imax 1).

If you can only afford to get one Imax right now, I would recommend Imax 2 only because two of the Hardcore Extreme premixes have a alot of Imax 3 in them. If you can get two Imax videos right now, definitely get Imax 2 & 3.

I reach for Imax 3 all the time! I am sweaty after Imax 3 but not so much after Imax 1 & 2.

I also love Cardio Fusion, Body Max 2, Step Blast, Intensity, Cardio Core Circuit, any HiiT. Oh, they are all good!

[CommittedtoFitness]

I have all three IMAX programs (but not Hardcore Extreme so I can't say how they compare). I like IMAX2 the best largely because of the music. I like the sumos in blast #8 in that program, and I often do them in place of plie jacks and other high-impact moves in other programs because sumos get my heart rate up high without the high impact. I've spent most of the past several weeks learning the new Low Impact Series, but the first program of any kind outside that series that I reached for was IMAX2.

IMAX (on the same disk as Rhythmic Step) provides a good cardio workout. I think the step choreography was the easiest to learn of the three IMAX programs. The clothing and hair styles may look dated but the program is classic. I do it fairly often.

IMAX3 is my least favorite because of the high impact. It's a bit intimidating at first but doable for advanced exercisers, especially if you have no issues with high impact. The step choreography was probably the most challenging of the three IMAX programs (but not as complex as some other Cathe step programs, such as Low Impact Challenge in the new Low Impact Series and Step Moves).

All three IMAX programs take awhile to work up to doing. I started with the step segments first and gradually added the blasts once I learned the step choreography. You'll be surprised how quickly you can master the programs. It's a great feeling of accomplishment. When I first saw the interval format of the IMAX programs, I didn't like it (I had been accustomed to lengthy steady-state cardio programs). However, I gradually came to appreciate and enjoy the interval format because of the cardiovascular challenge and unexpected weight loss that it provided.

[mini-natty]

Thanks so much for the responses! I am on the fence.....they both seem so good!! I know I will end up owning both eventually

[nikkigiovanni]

I have all 3, but I've only done 2 and 3. I just recently purchased 1 and have not tried it yet. Between 2 and 3, IMAX 3 is definitely harder and the choreography is much more complicated even if you're really good at step. My favorite is IMAX 2, but I really like them both. Try 2 before you do 3. I just did IMAX 3 today and I was commenting that it seems more like a HIIT workout that has short step routines as the recovery phase. IMAX 3 is a real tough challenge, but you feel so good and accomplished once you master the choreography and get through all of the intervals. The choreography in IMAX 2 is easier to learn and the recovery phases are longer, but it is still very challenging.

[cab0899]

I have all of Cathe's workouts and IMAX 2 is my favourite workout of them all!!