Any Cathe beginners?

Hi all - I got up early this am and got the first segment of Timesaver DVD done this morning. It went fine. Bridget - I am kind of a clockwatcher too - unless I really like the music. since I hadn't been consistent with weights in a long time - I used 8 lb dumbells and it went fine on the chest and biceps portion.

Tomorrow I plan to either do the second segment of Timesaver or Low Impact Circuit.

I do enjoy Kelly Coffey-Meyer - I think she is tough like Cathe but fun - easy to follow. A good instructor who doesn't have a dread factor. ;)

Have a great day everyone! Kelly
 
walkingchick or bridget - where did you get your cute avatars for this board? i need one! ;)

also, for the group - how heavy are your dumbells these days with cathe dvds? i typically use 5, 8 and 10s ...but only 10s when I have been doing it consistently for awhile - guess I am a wimp!

thanks!
 
Hey everyone! Checking in from work. I didn't get to do my lunch walk today and I am feeling a little out of sorts :mad: so I need to work extra hard tonight when I get home. My hip is still sore so I think I will try to do the first portion of Low Impact Step and Total Body Sculpting. I really enjoyed the Pyramid Upper Body workout and that may be my next DVD I buy so I don't have to fast forward through all of the commercials with FitTV.

kjlose20: I don't think you are a wimp, I ended up using 3,5,8,10# dumbbells with my workout last night and by the time I got to the end I could really feel it in my arms, although they aren't as sore today like I thought they might be! Don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing . . . .

Nancy: Thanks for the weight information. Since this was the first time I did the Pyramid Upper Body, I tried to experiment with the weights to see what combination worked best - there were even some exercises where I ended up doing two of the reps with the same weight before moving up to the heaviest weight.

walkingchick: Good for you on being able to use 12 db and a 15# barbell. :) I haven't worked my way up to those weights and definitely felt it last night when I was using the 10# db--think I'm going to have to work a little longer with my 5,8,10# db's till I am able to move up!

How often do all of you do cardio vs. weights vs. circuits? I try to get in at least (3) cardio workouts a week on top of my lunch walks and then try to do upper body, lower body, and abs on off days. I get to weigh in this weekend and I am kind of nervous - I can't see where I am losing weight or toning up and it is driving me up the wall! I started out weighing in once a month, but I think maybe I need to weigh in every two weeks so I can feel like I am able to see some progress--how often do you all weigh in?

Bridget: Congratulations on moving up to the intermediate rotation! :) I agree that the beginner hump is a touch hill to climb, but with any luck, all of us will eventually get to move up with you on that intermediate rotation!

Hope everyone has a great rest of the week - YEAH, we are half way through!
 
Just finished the first half of Low Impact Step and the entire Total Body Sculpting. I am feeling pretty good and in a better frame of mind. Now, its off to eat some fish for dinner. Hope everyone had a great day!
 
Checking in today with Low Impact Circuit Cardio Blast Timesaver premix. Love it!! And it was cool because I was able to do the whole thing - no breaks!! I can do all the step combos and blasts in the full workout but thought it might be harder when there is no rest (i.e., weight section) in between but I did it. It was a nice feeling because it is a sign of progress. I even loved the bonus cardio too. I also added the stability ball section from Stretch Max. Tomorrow is Muscle Max and I'm looking forward to trying it out.

Bridget:
Hope you enjoy the rotation!

Elle:
Great job with Lower Body & Stretch Max yesterday!

We are neighbours! I'm in Ottawa. We had the same heat warning and I'm so glad air conditioning was invented! I wouldn't survive without it. LOL

Pam:
Awesome job with IMAX 2! I'm still intimidated by the IMAX workouts but am going to work up to them. Isn't it great when you notice how much you are improving?? I really enjoy step too - I forgot how much!

Kelly:
Great job with the first segment of Timesaver! As for weights, it depends on the workout but I'll use anywhere from 3-15. For endurance type workouts with lots of reps, I usually use 5-11 (I'll use 3s for shoulders if there are a lot of reps and for certain shoulder exercises). For heavier lifting with shorter reps, it's usually 8-15 right now.

Jennifer:
Glad you enjoyed Pyramid Upper Body and great job with Low Impact Step and Total Body Sculpting. Hope your hip is better soon!

Each week I plan for 3 cardio workouts, 1 circuit workout and 2 strength training workouts. I'm also adding a segment from Stretch Max after each workout. I only do one of them each day (not counting adding on Stretch Max). I alternate cardio days with strength or circuit so that I'm not doing the same type of workout from one day to the next and to make sure I get enough recovery time from the strength workouts.

I weigh in once a week but I don't pay attention to much to what the number says. I just use it as another measure but not the only one. I pay more attention to how I feel, inches, how clothes are fitting, how many workouts I have done etc. The scale can drive you crazy if you let it. So I weigh in once a week, record it and look at the overall trend (to see that it is going downward over time) and don't stress over the weekly fluctuations.
 
Nancy: Great job on doing Low Impact Circuit Cardio Blast Timesaver premix with no breaks—you ROCK!! :) Is that the DVD that has a green cover and Cathe pointing? I have Cardio Fusion, which is 71.5 minutes and has routines from Body Max 2, Low Impact Circuit and Drill Max. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’ve been wondering if it was worth buying each of them individually?

Thanks for filling me in on how you plan your workouts. I think you definitely have a great plan and I think I am going to follow your lead. I think I have been doing way too much cardio to the point I get about half way through and then I lose interest and then get irritated and stop. What DVDs would you recommend for the circuit workouts and the strength training? Since I liked the Pyramid Upper/Lower Body I am working on getting that DVD. I just purchased High Step Circuit and Kick Max. When it comes to strength training, I need something I can use dumbbells with as I am not much interested in purchasing a barbell with weights and a lot of her strength DVDs state you need one. Would I lose a lot of the effectiveness by using dumbbells?

My parents purchased a professional digital weight machine when Pure Weight Loss went out of business so I am able to go up there and weigh in. I think maybe I will start to weigh in every two weeks to keep myself motivated and be able to chart my progress on Workout Manager more efficiently. Right now, no matter how much I do, I don’t seem to be noticing too much of anything (even fluctuations would be a nice change) and that is what is driving me up the wall! :confused:
 
P.S. Nancy, I'm not as brave as you to post my weight on the ticker :eek: but I did find a way to show my weight loss, so thanks for the advise on where to find it and for being more brave than I am!
 
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It's Thursday!! Today, we are going to a picnic for my son's preschool. Right now, I have some delicious cookies baking in the oven for the picnic. Very tempting after the work out! :p

I finished Step Blast this morning. I was absolutely NOT feeling like doing this today. I am trying very hard to do all of my cardio w/o's on a 6" step, but during the last combo, I basically just stood there sweating and watching Cathe and the gang work! I did do the run through of the completed combo. And then, I did the challenge of all of the combos combined, 3x. I half heartedly tried my hand at the blasts. Still I was sweating buckets and my heart was working hard. While I know I could've done better, I also know that not very long ago, I would have turned off the work out and walked away. That's progress, right?;)

Jennifer-When it comes to Cathe's strength DVD's, I'm no expert but I would think you can sub dumb-bells for a bb at any time. You would just want to have enough variety so you could increase your weight and really challenge your self. I'm with you about seeing little progress. I do weigh myself weekly, because I'm a member of WW. However, I know I should take my measurements as well. I would love to have something else to focus on other than the scale. Guess I'd better do that, huh?

Nancy-No breaks?!? That's great. As you can see from my post today, I was big on the breaks this morning. But everyday is different and I know I'm working on getting better. I'm going to start FitnessFreaks Summer 2010 rotation next week. I've made some subs with different DVD's, but it's basically the same as yours. 3 cardios, a circuit, a leg and a total body day. I need the cardio to burn the fat!

Better get back to my cookies. :D Hope you all have an excellent day!!
 
Hi everyone! happy thursday. I played mixed doubles last night with my husband so was too sore to get up this morning. Plus, I have a doubles match tonight as well - so that will count for my cardio as I usually burn 400 or so calories doing that.

Phoenix - how long is that Low Impact Circuit timesaver premix you did? that's awesome that you felt so good about it! I will have to try it.

thanks for the input on the weights...I always wondered what other ladies were using.

Have a great day!

Kelly
 
Good Morning Fitness Friends,
Yesterday i did Body Fusion but i had a tough time getting through it. Some days the magic just isn't there but i'm glad i did it anyways. I'm looking forward to my new rotation next week.

Phoenix: It's so great to hear how much you enjoyed your workout. LIC is on "Day 6" of my new rotation. I'm looking forward to it as i always liked that workout.

Pam: Mmmmmm! Cookies! :D I love freshly baked cookies! Step Blast is a challenging workout and you are definitely making progress. Some days are easier than others so don't get hung up that you MUST do everything on a 6" step. If you're having a rough day or you're just not that into it for whatever reason, lower the step if you need to. You are still getting a great workout.;)

Jennifer: You can definitely sub in dumbells for the barbell if you don't have one and you will still get an effective workout. It's like working out at the gym, the free weights vs. barbell allow for slight variations of the same exercises. In some circumstances i prefer to use dumbells instead of the barbell. I'm using FitnessFreaks get ready for summer rotation as a guideline to planning my rotations: 3 cardios per week, 1 Total Body, 1 Legs, 1 Circuit. I'm also trying to fit my yoga in there somewhere.:p

Kelly: I have been using lighter weights (3,5,8,10's) while i've been on my beginner rotation especially when i do the Jari Love workouts since they are high reps. I usually go lighter with shoulder and tricep work and heavier with bigger muscles like chest, back, biceps. You are not a wimp! It's better to go lighter and maintain good form. If you can do all the exercises very easily then maybe it's time to move up though.

Hey Bridget! How ya doin'?

Have a great day everyone!
 
Checking in with Muscle Max completed tonight. I liked the workout but think I went too heavy in some cases (usually I go light the first time through but I guess I figured this time I could do more LOL). I do like the workout. I got home later than usual so I decided to skip the Stretch Max segment.

Jennifer:
Low Impact Circuit is the one with the green cover and Cathe is pointing on it. I haven't tried the other workouts but I think it is definitely worth getting Low Impact Circuit separately. I think Cardio Fusion only uses one step combo from it. It's a great circuit workout and the cardio premix is awesome.

Low Impact Circuit and Cardio and Weights are good circuit ones (the only ones I have tried so far). You might like Muscle Max as well. I also liked 4 Day Split - the strength training workouts are only 30 minutes but she really packs a lot into them and they are great workouts. It uses barbells but you don't have to use them - you can use dumbbells instead whenever she uses barbells in a workout. The workout will still be effective with dumbbells. Barbells are just another way to train (kind of similar as to using bands). There are benefits to each but if you just have dumbbells, that's OK and you are still going to get great results. The important thing is to pick weights and increase them when it gets easier - and to use good form!

As for seeing results, I find how I eat makes a big difference. If I'm eating a lot of junk or just eating too much, I can do a ton of workouts and I don't see results (except gaining in some cases!). But if I'm eating well and working out, I start to see changes on the scale and inches. And glad you added the ticker! I used to be scared to put the weight on but I figured it wasn't a big deal. It's only a number and I figure people probably already have some idea of it anyway since you can tell I'm overweight by looking at me. :)

Pam:
Great job with Step Blast on the 6" step! Every day is different. When I mentioned no breaks, I'm still using a 4" step and I'm sweating like crazy. But even doing that before was difficult so it is progress for me. Just like you mentioned - every time you do a bit more, you are improving and getting better and before you know it, you won't be taking breaks. I'd say we are both doing great and deserve a pat on the back!

Kelly:
Mixed doubles is definitely a great cardio workout! The Low Impact Circuit Cardio Blast Timesaver premix is 48 1/2 minutes long - including the warm-up and stretch.

Elle:
Great job getting through Body Fusion. I know what you mean - some days are just harder for whatever reason. I kind of felt like that with Muscle Max today. It wasn't the workout - it was just whatever. :)
 
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Hey gang- missed my workout yesterday, so I declared it a rest day! This morning I did Pyramid Lower Body with 10-15 & 20lbs on my bar. I am in bed now, and I feel my tush. Thank goodness for Aleive. Tomorrow on the rotation (loosely) is Low Impact Step, which has become easier, and I welcome easier!

I also weighed in on WW today and lost 5.8lbs since I started posting with you guys! I should add the ticker...maybe tomorrow. Who else here is doing WW? I do it online, but may be joining WW at work at my office, haven't decided yet.

Kelly- on the blue bar at the top of the screen just below where it says "Welcome, kjlose20, is link called "quick links." Click that and one of your choices will be "user control panel." Click that and one of the choices is adding an avatar. I found mine searching for pictures of Wonder Woman- I used it as an avatar on Facebook for a while-I secretly want to be Wonder Woman (now you know my secret!)-

Jen-as the others have said, dumbbells will work, I like the barbell because it tends to distribute the weight evenly, and I feel like I can go a little heavier with the bar. I have an old Firm barbell that is about 20yrs old but I love it. It is the one piece of original Firm equipment that I still have and use.

Pam-cookies! I love step blast- its a blast! (yuk yuk) remember, you don't have to be able to do it well, just to do it to get the benefit. Even half heartedly out of breath attempting weakly the blasts at the end is of benefit. Good for you!

Nancy-Would you describe Muscle Max as a general overall weight workout? Are you finding it difficult to modify to lighter weights? (Not that I need to purchase new workouts!)

Elle- it's tough to get through a whole workout when your heart isn't in it. Sometimes I get "jinxed" by it and won't touch it again for a while. What is your rotation looking like next week?
 
Today is a rest day for me which is good because I won't get in a workout - it's my brother's birthday so we are heading out for dinner and a family get-together afterwards.

Bridget:
Great job with Pyramid Lower Body and the 10-15 & 20lbs on the barbell! CONGRATS on losing 5.8lbs since checking in here!! WOOHOO!!!

Muscle Max is a total body workout using moderate to heavy weights. It's 70-ish minutes but the weight part (including warm-up) is about 53-54 minutes and then there is the ab section and stretch. You can use lighter weights but I think it is more geared to using heavier weights since the number of reps are a lot lower (not like the pyramids). I did like it - I suspect I will like it better next time since I was kind of blah yesterday and I think it is a good total body workout and just a nice change from the pyramid ones.
 
TGIF!
Yesterday i did my basic yoga practice. It was a good practice and i felt great afterwards.

Phoenix: MuscleMax is one workout i'm keeping my eye on and will buy it if they ever put it as the featured product of the week....along with a bunch of others!:p Enjoy the rest day and time with your family.

Bridget: Congrats on the pounds lost since starting the check in! When i was a little girl my parents told me i could be anything i wanted when i grew up. I wanted to be Wonder woman! She was my fave superhero and still is. They should make a new movie about her.
My rotation for the next two weeks will be:
Day 1: LoMax
Day 2: Muscle Endurance
Day 3: Kick, Punch & Crunch
Day 4: Muscle Endurance
Day 5: Yoga
Day 6: Low Impact Circuit
Day 7: Yoga
I'll tweak it and make changes as i need to.

Have a great day everyone!
 
Good morning everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday and a great weekend.

I'm off to a pretty good start so far today. I just completed Imax 2, all 10 intervals! YAHOO!! I feel great. It was challenging, but that's the point. And I feel like I can do anything today! And even if I don't do anything (because who doesn't like a good, lazy day) I know I've done plenty for myself already!! And it's only 8:30.:)

I didn't get to check in yesterday, but I completed Body Fusion. Ugh...I always forget about all of those lunges until I'm there. Still, a great workout.

Time for catching up...

Elle-Your rotation for the next couple of weeks looks great. I'm going to follow FF 2010 summer rotation, but I'm going to change up a few of the work outs to make it work for me. I'm really looking forward to it.

Nancy-Hope you had fun celebrating your brothers birthday and spending time with your family. And thank you again for all of the supportive words and encouragement. I agree...we both deserve pats on the back.;) I enjoyed Muscle Max and it's coming up again in the next couple of days for me.

Bridget-Congrats on using all that weight with PLB!! I bet you are still feeling it, huh?? Congrats on your loss!! I am on WW, too. I haven't been as good as I need to be with my journaling, so my loss has been very slow and low. Still, it's better than nothing. And how funny! I have the old Firm barbell, too. It's padded...is that the one you have? I also have a 14" in "fanny lifter", but mostly it's used in my bed room as a little table. :eek:

Hello to anyone else I missed! I hope everyone is feeling great and has a fabulous weekend. Enjoy.
 
Good Morning Gang

This morning, according to my rotation, I was supposed to do a walk/run for 30 minutes- it ended up being 45 minutes because I was slower on the way back home, still got my heart rate up and a good sweat, and it was nice to be outside and smell the salty air of the ocean while earning more WW activity points that I will eat.

Pam- IMAX2??? I bow to you, you are my hero! That is a tough cardio workout "buttercup!" Give me another 2 weeks or so, and I intend to join you on that one! In addition to the Firm barbell, I still have a 10" & 14" stool (they are in my daughter's room) a firm towel & t-shirt that are in storage somewhere, a Firm coffee mug- and my Firm ankle weights are long gone, but they were great while they lasted!

Elle- Your upcoming week looks like a nice balance between light & intense. If they made a movie about Wonder Woman, who would star in it???

Nancy-enjoy your rest day!

Jen & Kelly, have a great day
 
I'm having a great day so far - I lost another lb this week so just shy of 10 lbs lost since I started posting here.

I'm also checking in with Low Max completed - THE ENTIRE THING! Yeah...that's right! I completed all the step combos and intensity blasts with no breaks!! First time ever. I'm still using the 4" platform and I was working pretty hard during some of them but I finished. The funny thing is that I went into it with a goal of trying to add one more blast than last time and next thing I knew, I was halfway through and had done everything and was determined to finish.

I also added the first segment of Stretch Max afterwards and it felt so good to stretch out.

Elle:
Great job with the yoga practice! What kind of yoga do you do? Your rotation looks great.

Pam:
WOOHOO on completing IMAX2!! That is awesome! I have the same feeling today with Low Max. :) Great job with Body Fusion yesterday too!

Bridget:
Sounds like you had a great walk/run!
 
Hi everyone, just checking in at the end of the day. I hope everyone had a great Saturday! I didn't get to work out on Thursday or Friday because I was too tired from going into work an hour early and then staying late both nights for several hours. Today, I did a lot of running around doing errands to get prepared for family and friends coming over for a holiday cookout, so this evening, I decided to do Cathe’s biceps and triceps from FitTv. My arms definitely got a workout, but I think I like PUL better because it seems like I get a more intense workout.

I weighed in today and only lost 2.8 pounds for the month :( so I think I am going to follow the diet plan from L.A. Weight Loss/Pure Weight loss - when I was doing that program I lost 47 pounds and I didn't work out so I'm hoping if I follow the plan and continue to work out I will see much better results next time I weight in! I agree with you all, I am going to start weighting in once a week so I have some input on any changes or adjustments I need to make along the way.

Pam: GREAT JOB on doing all 10 intervals from Imax 2 and doing it all before 8:30 am! I’m envious of you, being able to get up that early on a Saturday and getting your workout done. I may have to try doing that tomorrow as I am sure it beats the hell out of doing my workout at 9 pm!

Bridget: Congrats on taking a 45 minute walk/run! If I lived out by the ocean, I think I would definitely have to run a couple times a week just to enjoy the ocean smell and sounds!

Nancy: Great job on losing another pound and having a total weight loss of 10 pounds! Keep up the great work and GO YOU for being able to complete Lo Max in its entirety! Between you and Pam, I better stay pretty flippin’ motivated to try to catch up with you both!

All in all, it sounds like everyone here had a really great workout day! I pat you all on the back and hope I can achieve the same euphoria from my workout tomorrow! :D
 
Checking in with Muscle Endurance and Stretch Max #2 (stability ball) completed. I liked Muscle Endurance but I was getting sick of all the leg presses by the end. LOL

Jennifer:
Sounds like you have been pretty busy lately - that's great that you got in the Biceps & Triceps workout yesterday! Losing 2.8 lbs is pretty good! I know sometimes it's hard to see a slow loss but it is a loss. I hope the LA Weight Loss program works for you again.
 
Hi Ladies,
sounds like everyone has been busy, busy, busy!

Friday: I did 40 minutes on the treadmill and StretchMax routine # 3
Saturday: All the add-on's from Basic Step & Body Fusion DVD (UB, LB, Abs)

Today i will be doing yoga and tomorrow i start my new rotation.

Phoenix: LoMax is the first workout on my new rotation so it will be interesting to see how i do! Great job getting through the whole thing. Look how far you have come! Keep up the great work.

Bridget: A walk near the water sounds so nice! I did WW in the past and it works but i don't like counting points and writing down everything i eat.:eek: I might reconsider it in an effort to speed up my weight loss but i'm trying something else in the meantime.
I don't have anyone in mind to play Wonder Woman. It will be pretty tough to top Linda Carter but it would be neat too see what they could do in a newer version.

Pam: Imax2 is tough and you did that before 8:30am? Maybe we should start calling you Wonder Woman too! I am not a morning person and don't have the energy to do an intense workout at that time of day.

Jennifer: My weight loss over the last 4 weeks has been about the same as you but at least we are moving in the right direction. I know it's a little frustrating when the scale doesn't seem to recognize all of your hard work so good luck with your diet plan.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone.
 
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