Any Cathe beginners?

Good morning! Never got to post yesterday, but I'm here today.

Yesterday I did Step Blast, the Combo 1, 2, & 3 only premix. I was feeling pretty good though, and decided to run through all of the combos non stop only once. I was happy that I just about completed that.

Today was a scheduled rest day on the rotation, but I feel like a little extra cardio won't hurt me. However, when I decided to get moving, I was feeling brave and decided to give the 1-4 premix of Low Max another try, but this time on a 6 inch step. I did it!! Yeah, me!

Elle-Have fun with TJ and Upper Body tonight! And you've got a great attitude, so keep it up!

Bridget--Welcome back! It certainly sounds like you have a lot going on in your life. You should be really proud that you finished LIC! Great job.

Nancy--Nice job doing PLB, especially after that long drive! I bet you felt amazing!

I hope you all have a great day! I am heading out the door in a bit to volunteer at our local Lion's Club annual golf outing. It's raining today and the high is expected to be about 42 degrees!! Ugh! I was hoping for warmer weather, especially since I'll be sitting in a golf cart for the better part of the after noon watching golfers! Crazy weather.:)

See you all later!
 
walkingchick: Yea you girlfriend! You went over and beyond by doing a little extra cardio on a rest day and look how it paid off--you did 1-4 premix on Low Max. GREAT JOB!! Hope you were able to keep warm on that golf cart.
 
Checking in with Low Impact Step completed today. I was feeling a bit sore from PLB last night and a little blah. I even stopped at one point but then started over from the beginning and finished. I think I might have to take a real rest day instead of doing Stretch Max. I'll see how the next few days go.

Elle:
Glad to hear you are feeling better and are motivated to keep going. Don't let the scale mean anything more than what is - how much you weight at that particular moment.

It was good to keep doing something for myself even though I didn't feel like it. :) I did get it done and if I had skipped it, I probably wouldn't have made it up today and might have been tempted to skip again today too. It was more of a mind thing instead of a body thing. :)

Jennifer:
I think if we both keep practicing, we will be able to stay on those stability balls! And you said it perfectly - there are going to be days when things come up and the workout might not get done. That's OK - we just need to get back on track when we can.

Pam:
Great job with Step Blast yesterday and Low Max today!
 
I completed my scheduled workout: Turbo Jam Fat Blaster + Upper Body from BS.

Pam: Even though you schedule a rest day, if you have the energy and time you might as well get in a bonus workout right? Well done!:)

Phoenix: If you need a rest day take one or only do one StretchMax routine. How do you like Low Impact Step? Is it one that will get boring fast? I never really considered getting that one because i figured it would be similar to BS & BF.

Jennifer: I'm sure you will master that stability ball in no time at all. It takes some getting used to using new equipment. I'm still not liking the tubing I have been using in my workouts but it does give different resistance.

I hope everyone else is having a great day! Stay Strong!
 
Elle:
Great job with Fat Blaster + Upper Body! I do have a rest day scheduled (Monday) where I do the full Stretch Max routine. I'm going to see how it goes and it might become a 'real' rest day instead of Stretch Max.

As for Low Impact Step, I like it. It is definitely not boring like Basic Step! It's more like the other step workouts - just shorter. It's only about 37-40 minutes. It has two step combos and two blasts and the choreography is fun but not so boring like Basic Step.
 
Nancy: You slay me when you consider Stretch Max to be your "rest" day! Last night, I was extremely aggrivated after work and only got through the warm-up and Combo #1 on Basic Step before I decided I should just give and move on to something else. I eventually decided on doing all three of the routines on Stretch Max! I thought Stretch Max gave me a nifty little workout without the excessive cardio! Trust me, when I take rest days I do absolutely NOTHING! :eek:
 
Hey guys, how is everyone??

This morning, I did Super Sets, which is a w/o I haven't done in AGES! It was fun and moved at a pretty good pace. I went easy on the weights during the squats and plie squats, because I'm sore enough...thank you! The only thing I really modified during this one was the explosive lunges. I just kept doing the pulse lunges, which was enough for me.

Jatbdp--I'm with you on rest days. I prefer to do absolutely nothing, but lately I've been feeling a little bit guilty about that. Still, it feels good to do nothing some times. Congrats to you on completing Stretch Max!;)

Nancy--I've done Low Impact Step a couple of times during this rotation and I've really enjoyed it, too. Not too confusing, which is nice.

Elle--Good for you! Did you have fun during TJ?

Hope everyone had a great Thursday! See you all tomorrow.
 
A blast from the past, I did Step Heat this morning- sans the abs. I've got to do abs one of these days, they aren't my favorite. I don't like pushups either, but when I am able to do them on my toes, I really do feel like Wonder Woman!

I hadn't done Step Heat in years- I own the VHS tape, and when the VCR broke I hadn't been able to do it. I downloaded it & burned it to a DVD- which is cool, I would never have invested in the DVD with two other workouts I could care about.. It's amazing how the moves come back to you after all this time.

Weights are on the agenda for Saturday, with stretch or rest or something tomorrow. Thinking of Muscle Endurance with light weights for Saturday...what do you all think?

Jen- tomorrow was supposed to be a rest day for me, but I was going to do stretch max or something along those lines, your making me think twice about that!

Pam- I love step blast! Just doing the workout without the blasts & repeating the segments is a great start and gives you something to look forward to. Low max is one of my favorites as well

Nancy- Low impact step is often what I reach for when I am scheduled to do something but am still feeling sore.

I am sore, will be taking more Naprosyn. Is it fair to call myself an advanced beginner now???

Bridget
 
Checking in with Low Impact Circuit completed. I got home late again and almost skipped it after a few minutes but like with Low Impact Step the other day, I restarted and completed it and feel good. It seems if I get past the warm-up without thinking of stopping, I'm OK. It's just getting to that point some days. :) I don't think working late the past few days has helped - I have to watch that and get back to a regular routine.

Jennifer:
I think it is better to have a rest day where you don't do anything. After all, you do need the time to recover and it's when you are at rest that the changes happen. I might do that for my rest day moving forward. I just wanted to incorporate Stretch Max but didn't want to give up another workout day but I'm thinking it might be better to take that rest day and perhaps do a segment of Stretch Max every couple of days after the main workout instead. Great job with the entire Stretch Max workout!

Pam:
Great job with Super Sets! I haven't tried that one yet but the thought of those explosive lunges isn't appealing. :) I hate lunges! As for Low Impact Step, I almost think that should be the beginner one instead of Basic Step. It gives you more of an idea of what to expect with the other step workouts.

Bridget:
Great job on Step Heat! I still can't do full pushups on my toes but I'm hopeful that I'll get there one day so you are definitely Wonder Woman if you are doing any on your toes!! Muscle Endurance sounds like a great choice!

I think you can definitely call yourself an advanced beginner...actually I think you can make the jump to intermediate!!
 
Today's scheduled workout was StretchMax OR Yoga so i opted to do yoga. I've been neglecting my yoga practice recently so i'm going to try and do that on what would have been StretchMax days.
Eating wasn't so good today. After dinner i had an ice cream sandwhich and some cookies. I felt guilty as soon as i finished.:eek:

Bridget: You have earned the title of advanced beginner. :) Pushups have never been easy for me so they aren't my fave either. I do like Muscle Endurance so i say go for it. That's a great workout

Pam: Way to go with SuperSets. I'm happy you enjoyed it and got in a good workout.

Jennifer: On Cathe's beginner rotation she says to just do your best and go easy on days when you feel "I just can't do this today". So good effort trying to do BS when you weren't really into it. High Five on getting StretchMax done instead.

Good night everyone!
 
Checking in with Kick Punch & Crunch completed today. It was a little tougher than usual - especially during the high intensity drills - but I stuck with it. And for the first time, I was able to balance on the ball and do some of the planks and bringing my knees in. It helped to do what they do and roll over on the ball and balance first. I was always trying to put my feet on and that's probably why I couldn't balance on it. Still no pikes though but one day!

Elle:
Great job with the yoga workout! Do you use a DVD or do your own workout?
 
Well, I hope everyone had a great Friday. Things are good here!

This morning I did High Step Circuit and I was feeling pretty good. I do leg presses on a 10 inch high step right now, but I'm aiming for 12. It's better than nothing, right? Tomorrow is a rest day and since we have a very early T-ball game (8 am!) I won't be doing anything in the morning. Maybe I'll do some Stretch Max in the afternoon, but taking it easy sounds good to me!

Nancy--Great job with the stability ball planks. I always have to roll over the ball to get and hang to my balance. I've fallen off many times just trying to get my feet on there!:eek: You'll be doing those pikes in no time!

Elle--Yoga sounds wonderful! I can totally relate to your dinner woes! Unfortunately, I tend to get sloppy some times when it comes to cookies, especially the ones I bake from scratch. YUM!

I hope to check in tomorrow, but if I don't I hope you all have an excellent weekend!

Pam
 
Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Checking in today with Pyramid Upper Body completed. I also ran some errands this morning and mowed the lawn so the rest of the day is for relaxing!

Pam:
Great job on High Step Circuit! Leg presses on a 10-inch high step is great!
 
I am humbled.

I did Muscle Endurance this morning, and perhaps I was a bit cocky in declaring myself an advanced beginner. I kept the weights low, and was gentle to myself on the reps, but even so. I skipped the last set of leg presses, and when she was doing abs and got to the side lying obliques, my trembling legs would not hold me up and I skipped past that as well.

Not sure if I will do a low impact step tomorrow, or take a rest day and an extra Naprosen. I am also thinking that my TOM is coming soon and sometimes that affects the quality of my workouts.

I am going to Chicago on Wednesday- won't return home till Saturday, will make an attempt to find the treadmill there, but cannot promise anything..

Pam- I have hight step circuit and should probably pull that one out too.

Nancy- mowing the yard is a workout in itself!

Take care all!
Bridget
 
Bridget:
I find the endurance workouts to be hard even with lighter weights so don't be so hard on yourself. Just keep trying the workout and I bet next time, you will see improvement. Hope you have a good time in Chicago!
 
Good morning! Gosh, is it Sunday already??!

Just finished Low Impact Step and I did it on a 6 inch step! I do believe that I need keep using the 6 inch step to make the most out of my cardio. I was doing pretty well on the 4 inch step and working up a sweat, but I'm starting my 4th week of this rotation and I think it's time to move up and stay there. 6 inches was always the max step height for my short little self.:p It's tough stuff, but it feels so good and very empowering!

As for Low Impact Step, I remember getting that w/o when it first came out and NOT liking it because of the mambo on the floor and the blasts. The mambos were confusing to me and I was very challenged by the blasts. But now that I've done it a few times during this rotation, I have grown to like it more. To be challenged is the whole point, right??:eek:

Bridget--ME is one of my favorite w/o's...but UGH...all of those leg presses! You should be proud of what you did and, like Nancy said, the next time will be easier! Have a great time in Chicago!

Nancy--Hope you had a wonderful relaxing rest of the day on Saturday. You were one busy lady, huh?? Nice job on PUB!

Tomorrow morning is Muscle Max for me. I've had it since it came out, but I am pretty sure I've never done it before. I'm hoping to preview it later so I can be prepared as far as weights go.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday!
 
I was going to do Low Max today but decided to take the rest day today instead of tomorrow. I just kind of felt like I needed the rest day today but am looking forward to attempting Low Max tomorrow!

Pam:
Woohoo on completing Low Impact Step on a 6" step! I liked this workout right away but I had only tried it after using 4 Day Split so I was already familiar with the mambos. The only thing that still gives me trouble is that last blast...and a similar one appears in Low Max too. I can't wait to hear what you think of Muscle Max. I have the download but haven't tried it. I've heard good things about it and was thinking about putting into my next rotation.
 
Hi Everyone,
Hope you are all having a great weekend. It's finally nice here! The sun is out and it's warm.:)
Here's my recap of the last few days:
Friday: Turbo Jam + Stability Ball Abs
Saturday: I subbed in Jari Love's Ripped to the Core instead of the UB & LB tubing. I haven't done this one in a really long time and it was tough. Jari Love is annoying at times (she always talks about burning "carbs"???) but her workouts are very good. I'm feeling it today!
Today i'll be doing yoga

Phoenix: I usually do my own yoga routine (i teach yoga part-time) but if i want an easier practice or something short i have the Namaste series on DVD and i also like Ali McGraw's Yoga Mind & Body DVD. Enjoy your "real" rest day!

Pam: Good job upping the step to 6" and leg presses are tough but a very effective exercise.

Bridget: Muscle Endurance is a tough workout but you will see results quickly with it. Have a great trip!

Have a great Sunday everyone!
 
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Ok so I ended up doing Low Max today after all. I was going to take the rest day until I started thinking and realized it was like the past few days where I'm just feeling blah mentally - not physically. And I realized it was one of those times that if I continue to give myself an excuse (if my body really needed rest I would have taken it) when I'm just feeling blah, nothing will change. So I told myself I would do it and if it really was a body thing - I would stop. It wasn't! I finished the whole thing and added two more blasts to the ones I can complete. I can do all the step combos as well as blasts 1, 3, 6and 7! My target next time is to add blast 2. I think 4 and 5 will take a bit longer but we'll see. I feel so good and looking forward to Stretch Max or rest tomorrow.

Elle:
Great job with the workouts this weekend! I haven't tried any Jari Love workouts but have heard good things about them. I also didn't realize she was Canadian until recently so I guess I have to check out her workouts at one point. :)
 
hi all - could I join this thread? I would say I am an intermediate exerciser but probably beginner to intermediate with Cathe. I have all of her Shock Cardio Videos, Basic Step, LIC, BM2 and a few others. you all just seem like a fun group.

Phoenix / Nancy - I noticed you are doing Pyramid Upper and Lower Body in a rotation - can you do those tapes without a barbell? I ask because I don't have one. I have a set of 5, 7, 8 and 10 lb weights...wondering if some of those would work. I am a weakling when it comes to the weight training.

Thank you!

Kelly
 
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