Any Cathe beginners?

phoenix130

phoenix130

Cathlete
I'm following Cathe's beginner rotation (have done her workouts before - 4 Day Split) but after a few months off, lousy cardio endurance and regained weight, it seems best to start at the beginning this time.

Any other beginners out there who want to check in regularly for motivation?
 
I'm a beginner too

and was pretty intermediate until last Tgiving, fell off the wagon and having difficulty getting back on.

I did the 20 min add on leg routine on Basic Step & Body fusion today- had to stop using the tubing because the mass of my thighs was resistance enough, and took a naprosyn because I know I'll be hurting in the morning, but I did it.

Hope to do basic step tomorrow on 6"

Bridget
 
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Nice to meet you Bridget!

Bridget,

Nice to meet you and know there is another Cathe beginner. I fell off in February and was struggling to get back on track but now feel that I am.

It sounds like you are doing well. The tubing can be quite the surprise since you don't think sometimes that it can provide that much resistance. Good luck with trying Basic Step with 6". I'm staying at 4" for awhile to get my endurance up and until it becomes too easy.

I was getting bored with the beginner routine (Basic Step, Lower Body, Upper Body, etc.) so I decided to switch up my rotation. I'm using Low Impact Circuit, Kick Punch & Crunch, Pyramid Lower Body, Low Impact Step, Pyramid Upper Body, Low Max and Stretch Max for the next month. It's a bit of a challenge but I like it and enjoy the workouts a lot more.
 
Hi Nancy, it looks like we are a beginner check in group of 2- or anyone else who chooses to join us.

I had every intention of getting up early to exercise this morning, but I didn't sleep well, and slept late. I did do 25 sit ups while waiting for the shower to warm up in the bathroom, like Cathe recommended in one of her FB posts from several weeks ago. My legs are still hurting from the lower body add on I did 2 days ago- what a whimp!

I am very much a beginner with the beginner routine, working my way up to low impact circuit. I always liked that one, and look forward to being able to do it. In a few weeks, I can do the card add on from that DVD to one of my beginner workouts.
 
Hi Bridget, I guess we'll just have to keep each other accountable. Anyone else is definitely welcome to join too.

I hear you on the getting up early to workout. I just gave up awhile back and accepted that I'm not a morning person and I need my sleep. It just works better for me in the evening. Great job on the 25 situps!!

And you are definitely not a wimp! I'm still hurting from Pyramid Lower Body on Saturday. :)

It sounds like you have a great plan and I know you are going to be able to do Low Impact Circuit sooner than you think. I was following the beginner rotation for about 3 weeks and I found I was able to do most of Low Impact Circuit last week so it was a nice surprise. I did Low Max tonight...that's the one I am trying to work up too. I forget how hard it can be! The blasts are too much so I just stuck with the step combo premix and almost! The last two (especially the last one) just does me in but I'm almost there.
 
I love LowMax, it is deceptively difficult in spite of the lack of impact.

I did it this morning, I got up and did Low impact step & the upper body add on with the 6" risers. I start with the 6", and when I get to the part where she says you can increase or decrease your step height I tell myself if I need to I will decrease, but I haven't had to.

Tomorrow I am planning on a stretch workout and some abs, something I can do while still in my pi's.

Nancy, I have to exercise in the morning. If I don't do it then, it won't happen- my days get too nutty!
 
You're right about Low Max - you get fooled a bit into thinking that it will be easier because it is low impact...wrong! :)

Woohoo on getting up early to exercise this morning!! I'm the opposite - it works best for me to do my workouts as soon as I get home from work during the week. I already get up early to head into work so having to get up at 4am when I'm already sleep deprived most of the time just doesn't work for me. During the weekends, I will usually do them in mid-morning and get them out of the way. I think the key is just finding the time that works for you consistently.

I'm sticking with the 4" step for awhile - I want to be careful with one of my knees for a little while before moving up to 6". That's awesome that you have completed Low Impact Step with 6".

LOL on wanting to do a workout tomorrow in your PJs. I did Stretch Max tonight - only the first segment because I was late coming home and just wasn't up to the full 60 minutes. It felt good and am ready to tackle Low Impact Circuit tomorrow.
 
Can I get in on this thread?

I am a relative beginner (ok- re-beginner) with Cathe. I totally hear you when you talk about PLB and soreness. I did it on Saturday and my calves still ache. I did Low Impact Cardio on a 6" step yesterday and I really feel my calves now. Walking down the stairs is the worst! Today, I did the weight work of PUB, the first 2 sections of Low Intensity from 4 Day Split (I get lost on the thrid section- can't follow the choreography and I get frustrated!). To finish my cardio I did 20 minutes on the recumbent bike. Tomorrow is my WW weigh in and my progress feels so sloooooow. The older I get, the slower the weight loss is.

Another Nancy
 
Hello another Nancy, and welcome!

I planned on doing basic step this morning, but did low impact step instead- with the 6". I wanted to lower it- as the warmup was making me feel winded, but stuck with it, and it wasn't so bad.

I did the upper body add on from body fusion 2 days ago, and I don't feel too sore- perhaps I can move up to the Pyramids later on. I don't like using the band though, it is more cumbersome, would rather just grab some weights for most of the moves.

Nancy #1- I have such full days, there is no way I can add exercise to it! I work during the day, on Tues nights I have class, on Wed night, my daughter has dance, gratefully, tonight I am home and will get some homework done if I am lucky. The trick to getting up early, is going to bed early- if my family lets me!

I wanted so bad to stay in bed this morning, but I didn't want to wimp out on my check in! So I did it, and I am glad on so many levels.

Great checking in with you guys!

Bridget
 
Nancy - we'd love to have you join us!!

Hi everyone,

I just finished Low Impact Circuit - love it! I'm OK with the step and blasts in this one. It's just sometimes my lower body is just killing me by the time we start the weight part and by the ab section, forget it! :p

I was almost tempted to skip it because I was feeling lousy after work today but I got my butt downstairs and finished. I'm so glad I did because after the warm-up, I forgot about everything that was bothering me and now I feel pretty good!

Nancy:
Great to see you here and we'd love to have you join us on our check-in thread!

I'm almost scared to do PLB again since I was sore for so many days after. Hopefully it won't last as long this time. :p I hear you on the sore calves too - stairs are definitely the worst both going up and down!

Great job with PUB and 4DS Lower Intensity Step - love that one too! I had to stop and watch it a few times to finally get the moves down but once you do, it's so much fun. I think you'll get that third combo really soon - keep trying!

Hope you have a good weigh in day tomorrow. I hear you on the slow weight loss too but the good thing is that when it comes off slow, it usually stays off!

Bridget:
Great job on getting through Low Impact Step with 6" this morning! I hated the band work in Upper Body and Lower Body. I just prefer to use weights instead too. I think you could handle the Pyramids now and just use whatever weights you are comfortable with to start.

So glad the check-in helped motivate you to get the workout done this morning. It does sound like you have a full schedule so I understand why mornings are a must for you.
 
My weigh in was this morning and I was glad to have dropped another 1.5 lbs. I felt I had worked very hard this week (harder than ever!) and ate well on the WW program, but I seem to be at 1.5 lbs. every week.

I split my cardio today with the first 4 step/intervals of LowMax this morning and 30 minutes of Low Impact Cardio this evening. I just didn't have much oomph today, but I did get an hour of Cardio in. Thought I would do PLB, but I just didn't have it in the legs. So.... PLB tomorrow and maybe some walking outside to change things up.

Thanks for the kind welcome to group! You are all an inspiration.

Another Nancy
 
Nancy:

Woohoo on losing another 1.5 lbs!! That is awesome! If you are losing 1.5lbs consistently every week, that is a good thing. I know it's frustrating sometimes and you want it to come off faster but you are doing everything right so just keep doing what you are doing and it will happen. Unfortunately, it's not always a direct result of effort in a week and how much weight we happen to lose. Mine is never consistent but as long as it is moving in the right direction, it's all good.

I'm doing PLB tomorrow and it will be interesting to see how sore I will be after this time. Hopefully not for as many days. :)

Bridget:
How are you doing?
 
Checking in today with Pyramid Lower Body. I wonder how sore I will be this time. :D I still have to work on being able to complete all those calf raises and the leg lifts on the ball at the end but great workout!
 
Small victory today!

I completed all of Low Intensity from 4 Day Split. I have been working to figure out the step on the 3rd section and I finally got it. Did that today, plus the first 5 of Low Max. I feel I am making progress.

Nancy
 
congrats on your wt loss anothernancy!

You guys are inspiring me to move up to the pyramid workouts from the rubber band strength workouts I had been doing. I did total body sculpting Friday and feel not too bad today. I wanted to get up early to exercise again, but slept late on Saturday, and had a very full day.

You may be motivating me to move out of the beginner workouts to low max on a 4" platform and see how many circuits I can finish, maybe tomorrow!
 
Beginner ... for the umpteenth time

Yet again I am looking for accountability and this thread looks like it. I did MMA Kickbox today. I normally work out at 5:30 am during the week and do my harder workouts during the weekend.

I am glad to see that everyone is staying on track.
 
Hi Bridget, Nancy and Another Nancy,

I've been sitting here at the computer reading a lot of the other posts and thinking that I must really be a wimp because I have simply started out with Cathe's Basic Step and Body Fusion. I am really new to the entire Cathe scene and found at my advanced age of 45 that Jane Fonda just wasn't hacking it any longer so I decided to bump it up a notch, especially since I have been out of the exercise scene for the past couple of years.

I have been doing Cathe for exactly one week and can honestly say that I can feel a difference (which is sad because I have been doing Jane Fonda for the past six weeks) although I don't know whether I will ever make it to some of the more intense DVD's. Right now, I am debating on purchasing the Body Blast Series: Kick, Punch and Crunch + Legs and Glutes to add to my Cardio Hits and Cardio Fusion DVD's. The one nice thing I like about Cathe’s DVD's is that I can mix and match to suit my needs and always add to my routine depending on how I feel.

Can I ask what equipment you all have and use? I started out with my step—and I plan on using the 4” for a few more weeks before I move it up to 6” and 2 1/2 # dumbbells. Just this afternoon, I picked up 5# weights and a set of tubes in light, medium and heavy. I am debating on whether I should get a 65 cm stability ball, although, I do like some of the things I have seen them used for and it might spice up my exercise some more. . .

Have any of you used the Workout Manager on Cathe’s site? I find I really like being able to plan my workout for the month--I have planned out the next two months using the same rotation and plan on checking my weight and BMI the first of every month to keep myself accountable. One of these days, I may get brave enough to have a weight progress banner, but for right now, I am more worried about getting my thunder thighs and fat bottom trimmed down some before I go and embarrass myself by showing my weight to the entire Cathe world. I think it is great to have people I can talk to who will help keep me motivated so I look forward to checking in here with you guys if you don’t mind?

Jennifer
 
Ok Jennifer, re your "advanced age" I was doing Jane Fonda on vinyl back in the day!

I started working out with Jane, then with the original Firm workouts and collected lots of exercise equipment over time. I have 14" & 10" wooden steps that I now use for other purposes, dumbbells ranging from 1lb-15lbs, and a Firm barbell- a classic with spring lock ends and it is covered in foam. I have a step company step, and a high step, and a set of resistance bands, a stability ball and an oof ball.

I like workout manager, It posts my workouts to facebook so others can see my efforts to try to be fit. I would use a weight progress bar, but I can't figure out how to use it and my scale is broken, so now I am using the blue jean scale- do they fit, and how tight are they- scale.

Great to have you joining us!
 
Bridget,

I use to have a rather large collection of workout tapes and equipment and in one of my "off" years, I simply gave it all away, so now I have to start from scratch--although, there is something to be said for advanced technology. How do you like the high step? I see that it is used in the Leg & Glutes, but I can't imagine trying to do that right now, I am more interested in the KPC as I think it would help with my core. I had a lower back fusion in 2004 and want to be careful and build up slowly. I figure the best way to go is to slowly build back my equipment supply as I find I need it. Once the 5# weights become easy, I will move up to 8#, 10# and then 15#. I purchased the resistance bands because I got all three in one package so I have a choice. What is an oof ball?

You are definitely brave to have your workouts posted to facebook. I find when I go onto facebook, it simply depresses me. Hopefully, coming to this forum and continuing to work out will make reading about everyone else's lives more bareable as I get into better shape. Blue jeans?!?! I don't even own a pair of blue jeans to use as my scale. One of these days I guess I will have to break down and buy a pair. Thanks for welcoming me to the group!
 
Hi Jen
An oof ball is a medicine ball, pretty light (2lbs)compared to what Cathe uses, was used in some earlier Firm tapes.
The high step is nice, I like it better than the wooden boxes because you can adjust the height- you could do the leg lifts, with no added weights on the high step set low and work your way up.

I like the body blast series too- Step jump & pump has a nice 20min step routine that you can do by itself, kick punch & crunch has a good ab routine, and you would like step blast if you like the card hits.
 
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