So I spent my weekend previewing........

LauraMax

LauraMax

Cathlete
OMG my head was swimming w/complex step combos when I went to bed last night! I checked out Tracey's hi/lo sweatfest & step sweatfest. OK, I'm gonna need more previewing for both of them. The hi/lo looks like tons of fun, but also looks like I'll twist an ankle maybe 5 minutes in. The step looks do-able--the first section is a slam dunk, the second section is gonna take lots of practice & no doubt cuss words. Streams & strings of cuss words. That said, they both looked so awesome I'm chomping at the bit to get through them without getting really pi$$ed off or breaking a limb. (BTW Allison, what a little fireball you are! Those repeaters you were doing around the step made me so dizzy I thought I was gonna hurl!)

Amy's ASCII also looks fabulous. This one I watched 2X & might just give it a shot tomorrow morning. Extremely high intensity, lots of spinning & really fun moves. Probably I'll modify all the spinning until I can get through it at least once. Amy's & Tracey's style are very different--Tracey is more dancy while Amy is a bit more athletic--but both look like a blast once you get 'em down.

I think this has been my biggest fitness challenge so far. More than 11 years of Cathe's step, & now I'm taking on 2 new instructors. I used to think Cathe was complex, but these 2 gals make her look eeeeeeeeaaaaaaaasy. :p
 
I graduated from Kathy Smith/Gin Miller to Cathe. Yes, there was a learning curve with Cathe but I progressed FAST. Tracey was next on the list. It took time but I nailed it. I did it one or two combos at a time on an easy day. I also had to build up my fitness to complete the tapes. Amy, she definetly is a combo at a time and only after a good but of previewing. I modify some of the twists but both these instructors are effective.

You will nail it. Your on a grey matter learning curve. Alot of us have went throught what you are going through.
 
Laura- I previewed and reviewed Amy Bento's stuff last Tuesday and tried it. I think that it took me about 90 minutes to get through the entire thing with all the rewinding and replaying! Good luck!
 
:p I plan on previewing both Tracey & Amy at least twice more before trying either. I was born w/2 left feet. I'm used to Cathe's style & I adore her (although I still have trouble w/HIS & expect to do that one a few more times b4 I get combo 3 down pat), but these two ladies have really intimidated me.

However it is time to add to my routine. I'm so lame & boring this is one of the few opportunities I have to be adventurous.

So Amy, was Amy's step as intense as it looked? Because it looked like a real calorie burner........
 
Laura,

I just did Amy's ASC2 this morning. It was challenging but doable. I really would suggest looking at her tutorial first. I wish I had the time to do this because it definitely would have helped. I got about 85-90% of it on the first try. I'm usually pretty good at picking up complex choreography. She doesn't break down much. The blast is done about 3 times. The first time it seemed to go on forever but that was actually good because it helped me learn it. I burned 442 calories. I also did the power up section which wasn't difficult and had basic kickbox moves. I'm sure it will be more intense once I know the steps better. There are turns but not too many. There is also a flyaway move (if anyone has Rob Glick's Amazing Step Styles, it's the same thing.)

Marcy
 
Oh I've looked at the tutorial Marcy. It is very helpful but still.........she's so different from Cathe & she moves so FAST from one thing to another......I have to commit that DVD to memory before I try it.

I think that flyaway move is the only one I'll get. It's similar to Cathe's mambo in LIS.
 
I just had to chime in--I bought Amy's step DVD, too. First time, I decided to do it after I had done Cathe's 4 day split HIS--I think I was feeling a little full of myself like perhaps I could get any combo. Then I started Amy's warmup and as soon as she did the move where she step touches around the step, steps back, hops, then does a knee straddle--I was like--maybe, not today. So then, I came back to it another day, and got past the warmup into the first combo and was not getting it. So about two days ago, previewed her learning the difficult moves section and then started--I did better but it's still kind of sucky. The thing is, when I watch her moves, they are not that hard so to me it isn't the choreography that is making her moves so hard nor the intensity, it's that the cueing is not spectacular. In her defense, I figure, yeah, with most DVD's you get bored and this way it's less likely to happen, but it puts me in a really bad mood. I do find Amy very like-able though, cueing aside. I think it's funny how she loves the music so much and to me it sounds like it's all just techno sounds.

Oh boy, this turned into more of a rant than I wanted, and I certainly don't mean to offend the Amy fans out there. Shoot, if you can get her choreography from her cues, I take my baseball hat off to you!

Still, I am very determined to get her choreography down and I won't give up until I finish it! I thought I would end on an uplifting note!

Keli
 
That's so funny about the music Keli--all of her music sounds like something out of a Batman movie to me. :+

I don't think her cuing is bad, I think what makes it so tough is the lack of breakdown. She pretty much jumps from one move into another without teaching it. Which is a great thing once you learn the workout.

I actually thought her cuing was pretty good. She does tell you what she's moving into before she does it. The problem is, if you don't know WTH she's telling you you'll fall right on your patootie. :7
 
I'm so busy concentrating on the steps, I'm not even paying attention to the music. I thought she cued pretty well to but I think you have to know the combo first otherwise you'll be totally lost.

Marcy
 
Okay--I am in agreement --it's not the cueing. I redid her warm-up and the first two combos (that's all I could handle) and I realized that you guys are right, she does cue pretty well, it's just that if you don't understand what a down turnaround is (for example) you will be standing there going--huh? And really--the down turnaround is easy, but on the first combo I cannot figure out how she goes from two lunges to a pivot turn, shuffle across the step, step down, pivot turn, grapevine. I never get it right. Oh well, I guess tomorrow is another day!

Amy is very creative with her moves though--and I like that! It's good to have the variety. I'm swearing a little less while doing the workout so I figure that's a good sign!
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Keli
 
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