Realistic results

[thundercat]

Hi, Cathe. Being that fitness is your profession you have a physique that reflects this, but do you feel the average person can develop a physique similar to yours without pushing themselves too hard or making working out a huge focus of their life?

Lena

 

[lsa]

i think that is a great question!! i own many cathe videos and have seen incredible changes in her body which i would kill for. but the reality of it is that i have a job which is not fitness related and would just like to know what to do and when. i suspect that strength training is key, more so than cardio. i just want legs like hers. is this possible with less than a 35# dumbell? also, what is a good at home exercise to replace the leg extension so i can get really good thigh definition? thanks.

 

[Daphne M]

Looking like Cathe

Hi Lena:

I'm not Cathe, but I'm butting in anyway. I'm waiting for the eggs to cool enough to decorate them, otherwise I would spare you my thoughts.

We all just do our best with the genetics we are given. Unless you have a build similar to Cathe's, you will never look like her, no matter how carefully you watch your diet or how intensely you work out. However, if you eat reasonably nutritiously and moderately and exercise 5 or 6 days a week, incorporating strength, cardio and flexibility, you will be delighted with how good you will look and how good you'll feel. You will look like YOU and you will look great. And you don't have to spend hours a day exercising to achieve that. (And from what she's posted here, I don't believe that Cathe spends hours a day working out either -- she just makes it count when she *is* working out.)

I don't belong to a gym anymore, but when I did, I was always amazed at the variety of female body types in the locker room. Many of the women looked fantastic and fit, but they came in all different sizes and shapes.

As women, we fixate on what is "wrong" with us. In my case, that's my gut. It's better to focus on what we like about ourselves. I like my legs and butt. I'm proud of them, because I built them myself (me and MIS and PS, that is!) Perfection isn't out there, but I'm a 40-year old mom that can still wear a 2-piece when I need to. And that's good enough for me.

I'm afraid I sound preachy, but I hope when you read this instead you'll hear that I'm trying to sound encouraging ... Keep working out and you'll find it's worth it.

 

[DebbieH]

Great Response Daphne!

Sometimes it is so much easier to concentrate on our faults rather then our "good areas". I, being an aerobic instructor, sometimes get down on myself for not being PERFECT, but then there are days I think~~Hey, I feel really good!! I know I am very healthy. I also agree that we just need to concentrate on being "us" and doing the best we can. Thank goodness we have a great site like this to share & for others to share with us! Keep up the good work everyone & we WILL be the best we can be!

 

[Roberta]

Fitness Instructor's point of view

Okay, as a fitness instructor, I have to jump in here. Good instructors like Cathe do not get fit and achieve their physiques by teaching classes alone. This is the result of hard work on their own time. Think about it. As fitness professionals, it is our job to teach to a diverse group of people, COACH, provide modifications for the less experienced and DEMONSTRATE those modifications, allowing the more skilled/advanced to work on their own. In addition, we need our voices to cue. We are not working at our highest levels of intensity because it would interfere with our breathing - we need that oxygen to instruct.

When I teach, I do not pick up the heaviest dumbbells, do tall box climbs on a 14" step, or teach step classes on an 8" board. If I were to do all these things, then you might as well call me a performer, not a teacher.

At present I am currently working full time in the fitness field, teaching 8-10 classes/week. For many of them (like spinning), I teach from the floor so I don't overtrain and burnout. My own fitness level has actually declined, because I haven't been able to keep up with my own personal workouts. I love what I do but I actually looked better when I was teaching 3-4 classes/week and working out to Cathe's tapes!

Please don't jump to conclusions that fitness professionals look the way they do because it's their field. And Daphne summed up the rest perfectly in her reply!

-Roberta

 

[thundercat]

Understood...

I'm aware of how hard a fitness instructor has to work out. Surely they don't get fit by their teaching alone. That was part of my point. Because Cathe is an instructor her physique reflects this, meaning she must work much harder than someone with a less physical job to do her job.

I've been working out for over 10 years and I consider myself to be quite knowledgeable and in pretty good shape, if I don't get nitpicky, being 5'10 and a size 10/12. I know I'll never look like Cathe because her body is completely different from mine, but I wondered if anyone could give me a rough idea about how hard a person like me would have to work out to achieve that fab "instructor" body, and if they'd have to in essence make exercise a full-time job.

Man. Have you ever seen so many run on sentences in one paragraph?

Lena