Which would you choose? (plus, a question about circuit workouts)

J

JayBizz

Member
Hello!

I'm looking to build my own rotation of Cathe DVDs. I have plenty of step and cardio workouts, but I need more weight training. I was thinking of getting a complete set of one series.

Would you get the Slow & Heavy series, the Pure Strength series, the Gym Style series, The Cross Train series, or the 4 Day Split?

I have about $100 to spend, with that I could get both Pure Strength and Slow & Heavy, or any one of the other three.

Which one has brought you the most consistent results?

Also, are Circuit workouts considered cardio? I watched through Step Jump and Pump for the first time tonight, and it does have weight sections, but I'm sure they are nowhere near as intense as the weight workouts.

Thanks for your time,
Jules
 
Well, I am going to speak to what I know...I have all of them, some I reach for more than others.

4DS- The weight work is good but short - it needs to be repeated or used as a supplement (or supplemented with something else) for a really good lifting session. The cardio in it is good - according to those who enjoy it. There is one that I liked better than the others - bootcamp I think it is. The step is intricate to me but I am not a huge fan of step (I enjoy it for a change but that's about it). The KB is good too but again, I just prefer cardio on machines/bike. So, I am glad to have it, would not trade it b/c I do enjoy the weight work and use it as a supplement or for weeks when I know my time will be short but I want weights - it is good, heavy work in a short amount of time, and enough really, unless you really want to hit the muscles hard. Depends on your goals. Has 2 ab routines, I think (pretty sure about that). Has premixes but I don't know much about them.

GS- Now those are great! They provide a nice workout with the weights, using multiple exercises for each body part. It has some high reps though. There is no cardio to these, or ab work. Has some nice premixes too.

S&H - I really love this one. I like the counts (slow), the concentration, the intensity. However, Cathe herself says that this is not one to use consistently over a period of time. If I remember right, she says no more than 2 weeks at a time - maybe 3. Have no idea about premixes - no ab work in this one unless I just haven't seen it. To really go heavy on legs, I use a squat rack. Otherwise, I don't feel like legs would get enough work so if you want to go heavy on legs, think about that if you don't have a rack.


PS - Just got this one not long ago and have enjoyed it. She gives good form pointers in it but the speed is sort of funky or something in parts of it. And you have to be able to overlook the outfits and hair :eek: This one has ab work.

Cross Train - have it - never done it. A lot of people rave about Leaner Legs and that is the main reason I got it. Some here will say that 4DS is superior to CTX while others can't say enough good about CTX. I can't say squat b/c I've never done it. It does have a lot to offer though, it sounds like.

About circuit workouts - some have more of a cardio component than others. I enjoy them for a change but as a general rule, prefer to work each body part more intensely and do cardio on a different day.

If I had to choose, I would go with GS I think but PS and S&H would come a close second. Hopefully the descriptions will help you some :)
 
I would say gym styles since you already have lots of cardio.

But if you can afford two I would pick 4 day split and gym styles.
 
I love the gym style series and slow and heavy but I got the best results using slow and heavy and the Pyramids. Those are my favorites. I would do PUB on Monday, PLB on Wed and SH Biceps and Triceps on Fri. There is ab work on SH. There are planks with Chest and Back and Abs on Triceps and Biceps.
 
jharris said:
I would say gym styles since you already have lots of cardio.

But if you can afford two I would pick 4 day split and gym styles.
Click to expand...

She took the words out of my mouth!! Exactly what I would have said. Gym style & pure strength woul dbe a great combo. I did PS legs Sat & had some good DOMS going on Sunday.
4DS also offers it all. Tough choice.

Let us know what you pick!! :D
 
Pyramids is one of my faves...definitely! I just didn't mention it b/c it wasn't on the list but if it is something you would consider, then I give it a big vote! Has some very tough ab work too.
 
My recommendations would be 4DS and Pyramids! I love these workouts, they are intense and a lot of fun. No dread factor here :D
 
If you don't have MuscleMax I woud think about getting that. It is an awesome total body workout and my fav Cathe workout.
 
Do you prefer doing total body workouts for weights? Or do you prefer splits? If it's the latter, then the gym style series is for you. Otherwise, Muscle Max, Push/Pull, Supersets, etc are great total body workouts. There's also a total body premix on the Pyramid DVD.

I agree with what someone else said about Muscle Max. I own all the Gym Style dvd's, Pyramids, Supersets and Push/Pull, (am I forgetting something?) ... ahem :) ... yet, Muscle Max is one I always go back to time and time again.

Muscle Max is my absolute favorite. Pyramids are second. I can't speak for a 3rd. Even though I have the gym styles I admit I haven't done much with the upper body ones. Gym Style legs I have done a lot though.

So there's my 2 cents. :p
 
Hi JayBizz,

I just thought I'd weigh in on this and give you my two cents. I have all three of the GS workouts they are excellent. I also have S&H, Muscle Max, Push Pull/Supersets, Pure Strength, and 4DS, CTX, and Pyramids and they are all great.

I if your leaning toward specifically weight training I personally love Pyramid upper/lower body, Pure Strength, and the three Gymstyle workouts. I have slow and heavy and its great but you can't use it as often as the others. There a Abs on the Pyramid DVD which are killer, Pure Strength has 2 ab sections I can think of, and the Gymstyle workouts have none.

If your considering strictly circuit training I'd suggest either Terminator, Imax 2 +Cardio and Weights, Low Impact Circuit. Now if you were thinking about a mix with options giving you variety to change up, 4DS is excellent I've done that several times. The weight training is short but heavy and intense. There are two ab sections on it each about 10 min long. 4DS the workouts are meant to be around an hour to get an entire workout and it is intense. The Cardio is awesome, it has two step workouts, 1 kickbox, and one bootcamp. There are a ton of mixes on it as well. CTX is a crosstraining one, but very good and you can choose to do the chapters as you like or do it as it is programmed their are six workouts on there with lots of variety.

I guess in my humble opinion if I had to choose- I'd say #1 Pyramids #2 tied All the Gymstyle workouts, and Pure strength. If you prefer total body weight work, I'd go with Muscle Max. My pics for cardio/circuits-Tough call Low Impact Circuit, or if you want just a cardio circuit no weights per se I'd say Drill Max is awesome. The best circuit I can think of I'd rank #1 is Terminator, that rocks! There are three workouts on there Gauntlet, Imax Xtreme, and the Viper they are all around 74 minutes but has no ab work.

If you want a DVD workout that has a bit of everything coming in around an hour long workout I'd go with 4DS or CTX. There are lots of options on either to choose from.

I'm a Cathe addict can you tell?:p But ultimately you know what kind of workout you will be happiest with. I'd definitely view the video clips at cathe.com first before you purchase. I honestly think all Cathe's are great but the types you mentioned I'd say the ones I reach for most are the ones I mentioned. I have alot of her DVD's but I like the variety it keeps things interesting for me and challenging too. I try to keep the fun factor up while minimizing any boredom factor with variety. I say just pick the ones you want based on your preferences and after viewing the video clips. I don't think you'll go wrong in doing that.

Good luck!

Nora
 
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Hello all!

Thank you all for your lovely replies, there's a lot to take into consideration here!

I can jump up and down and do step and cardio all day, but the minute I have to pick up a 3 pound hand weight I start to weep on the inside. I hate, hate, HATE weights. And yet I know I need them for a good program.

I actually have MuscleMax, Pyramids (upper and lower), PushPull/Supersets. I even found CTX Upper Body and Leaner Legs - ON VHS!!! (I watched through Leaner Legs - it looks so tough!)

But I'm building a month-long rotation, and thought a week or two of split weights would be good for variety.

I'm headed toward Gym Styles to start with; people seem really positive on Four Day Split, but I'm not sure I can swing them both at the same time financially.

I might go for Pure Strength next, because it's really cheap...how bad are the issues with the speed? I was doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred for a few days, but I'm REALLY put off by the facts that the reps don't synch with the music, and she doesn't count for much of the time.

Thanks for everyone's input! It's been years since I've posted but this is still a friendly, helpful bunch!

Cheers,
jules
 
My first choice would be GS. I would also vote for 4DS. 4DS has great versatility. It also has great premixes. You can do cardio alone, double cardio, long or short circuit workouts or just weight workouts.
 
I would definitely go with 4 day split. It has the best of both worlds and the number of premixes is awesome.

I really like the music in 4 day split.

That being said, the Gym Styles are tough but effective.

And the Pyramids are lots of fun as well.
 
This is my last week on a GS/PS rotation (sigh). It seems that I reach for these two series more than any of the others. In fact, I didn't like S&H at all. Too slow for me. My all time favorite is the PS Series, but GS comes in a real close second!!! I give my vote for these two!
Amy
 
I love S&H, but at this point I'd recommend GS. You can always move up to S&H at a later date, when your muscles need a change and you can afford it. :)
 
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