New and need wts advice!

[amy]

Hi all,

I've been doing firm tapes since March, and, while I like them, I'm feeling the need to do more 'pure' strength and certainly more cardio.
I've just discovered Cathe--with the Wedding tape and Mega Step--I abosolutely love working out with this woman!
On the flip side, I got MIC on a swap..ohMY--scary

Anyway, I'd been thinking about MIS for my first strength--but now I'm scared! (based on what I've seen in MIC) I have Firm's Super Sculpt and MBS, but I can't really 'get into' them.

Any suggestions on a good first Cathe Strength? I want challenging, but not intimidating (chicken again!).
Oh, and my goal is toning/shaping..not really building muscles per se.
Can anyone compare and contrast MIS with Firm's pure strength tapes?
Any and all advice VERY much appreciated.
Amy

 

[firmbogie]

I say POWER HOUR, POWER HOUR, POWER HOUR!!! This is my new addiction. I really think MIS could be used to build size, since Cathe goes heavier on this workout, and uses less reps, more rest. Power Hour is higher reps, lighter weight, but make no mistake, it is TOUGH!!!! This workout exhausts every muscle, but I feel really energized after completing it. I just finished it this morning, have been doing it for several weeks, and have no desire to do anything else for strength right now. Get this tape!!! Fabulous muscular endurance workout.

 

[Debra]

Welcome Amy!

Anyone familiar w/ wt training basics can use Cathe's strength tapes. Just use a weight that's appropriate for you. My sis had a tough time moving from The Wedding Tape to MIS because of endurance but one could manage that by splitting MIS into 2 or 3 workouts.

Contrasting Cathe's & the Firm's strength tapes, Cathe focuses on a single muscle group & works it to exhaustion. The tempo is slower & she takes short breaks. That allows one to build more strength. The Firm keeps your interest by moving back & forth between muscle groups, but it doesn't allow for maximum strength gains or even muscular endurance. That's just my opinion. I like the Firm tapes for maintenance & Cathe's when I'm focusing on weight training goals.

As for cardio, there is a significant gap between Cathe's cardio & The Firm. If your only exposure to stepping is via the Firm, I highly recommend using transition workouts (like Kathy Smith) that will give you stepping basics at a slower tempo than Cathe's. Again, just my opinion & lots of people think Cathe's cueing is so good (it is) that you can learn on the fly with Cathe. I think it's tough to modify if you don't know the basics.

Have fun.
Debra

 

[ErinF]

MIS

Cathe's MIS was my 1st of her weight training videos after doing the Firm for a couple of months ( Of course, it was her ONLY weight training video at the time. ) and I thought it was GREAT! It is very different from Firm videos in that you do all of one body part before moving on to another, rather than mixing the exercises for various body parts throughout the video ala' the Firm. You can make it your level workout by just adjusting the weights you sue to be appropriate for you. Cathe gives excellent form pointers! It's relatively easy to split up between upper and lower body over 2 days if you would prefer that format. I have all of her weight training workouts at this point, and MIS remains a favorite. It's tough, but in a less overwhelming way than MIC.

Incidentally, with MIC you may want to break it up and do the hi/lo and step separately. I personally don't care for all of the impact in the hi/lo section, so I only ever do the step, which is my fave of all of Cathe's step sections! The music is wonderful and the choreography is so much fun!

Have a great day!
Erin

 

[dpendleton]

Power Hour of course, and breaking up MIS

Amy,

I agree with everyone so far - you *must* get Power Hour, the music is very motivating and the workout just flies - a lot like BodyPump. It's a good transition into heavier weight training - before you dive into Pure Strength or Slow & Heavy.

I think ANYONE can benefit from MIS - the key is to break it up. To this day I still do MIS - upper body one day (35min) and lower the next (29min with abs).

If you're interested in MIS, fitness wholesale has it online for $10 - go to fwonline.com and check out their clearance section.

And check out the Firm Swap (one of the forums at www.firmbelievers.com) and the VF exchange (www.videofitness.com, video exchange section) for people who are trying to sell or trade tapes. Although Cathe's tapes don't come up very often (they're treasures!) many switch over to DVD and sell off the VHS.

Good luck!
Dawn P.

 

[amy]

RE: Power Hour of course, and breaking up MIS

As usual,
You guys are outstanding.
Thanks for all of the advice!
Amy