awww i tried to hard to like her

L

LadyVintage77

Member
Cathes workouts are challenging but it has this dread factor and this"i dare you keep up with me" thing going on. This sucks because she is challenging for sure. Are there any other workouts by different instructors that are challenging without the dread factor?:(
 
How many of Cathe's workouts have you tried? Challenging is good. Challenging makes changes. Step outside of the box and give it a whirl.

I have no dread factor whatsoever to do Cathe's workouts. I love them all. You can always modify or pause the DVD if you need time to recover.
 
Have you tried Kelly Coffey Meyer. She's tough as well, but not as much as Cathe. When I stop exercising for a while, I always start with her first before attempting Cathe ( I was always afraid of starting using Cathe because i know I will not be capable of it :)).
 
I'm starting STS again and just finished Meso 1. I dreaded the push-ups, but that just maked me work harder, Cathe motivates like no other! I've tried other intructors, but LOVE Cathe!!!!!!!!!
 
Have you tried some of her lower impact workouts? I also used the scary factor to motivate me and it worked beautifully. Modifying the moves is also really helpful until to build up to the workouts. Heck, I still modify sometimes to get the greatest benefit. She's tough but out of all of the other instructors, I enjoy her the most!!! She's so darn real and inspiring!!

Good luck!!

Pam
 
I started off with Jari Love and moved to Cathe once I needed some more variety and challenge. Sometimes I have the dread factor with boot camp but once I've done it I think "Yea! I don't have to do that for another week." LOL but now I want more drill type workouts. :D
 
LadyVintage77 said:
Cathes workouts are challenging but it has this dread factor and this"i dare you keep up with me" thing going on. This sucks because she is challenging for sure. Are there any other workouts by different instructors that are challenging without the dread factor?:(
Click to expand...

Actually, I agree with you and totally understand your comment about the "dare you to keep up with me" feeling. It is there, I feel it too, but only on some workouts, not all.

Cathe has the toughest home DVD workouts on the market, but there is a whole group of DVDs of Cathe's which are not horrendous, have no dread factor, are either pure fun or totally manageable and in which Cathe simply seems like your best girl friend next door just there to work out with you and help you have fun.

So, what I suggest is that you give us the titles of the Cathe DVDs you are finding overwhelming and let us suggest others from her collection which are right for your fitness level right now. It seems a shame to completely eliminate one of the best instructors in the business from your fitness regime just because of a bad experience with her toughest workouts. You are not alone, there are plenty of us who feel that workouts like Imax 3 have so much dread factor we have already traded them away! On the other hand, I wouldn't never part with my Step Blast, Rhythmic Step, Power Max, Slow & Heavy, Low Max, KPC and GS series, so, there's something in Cathe's workout library for you too.

On the other hand, yes, I completely agree with the suggestion of Kelly Coffey-Meyer. Head to coffeyfit.com and start reading! Then come back here and let us help you re-visit Cathe DVD land.


Clare
 
I may off track, but I'm wondering what it is that you dread about them? Is it your self-expectations? I agree with Debbie. Maybe you could give yourself "permission" to take them at a more comfortable pace until you get used to them. Pause if you need to, or just do part(s) of the workout and LET yourself have fun with them. When you're ready, raise the bar a bit - if you want to. There aren't set rules. I can understand wanting to put a workout in and do it full force, as is, %100, take no prisoners and all that - BUT, if you aren't ready for that, OR if that approach just makes you dislike them so much you can't bring yourself to do them at all, it's ok to find a way that's fun for you. Not trying to "preach," you probably really do already know this, but sometimes it helps to hear it from someone else.

My Best,

Lori
 
I suggest trying Cathe's strength/endurance workouts. My favorites are Muscle Endurance and Butts & Guts. No dread factor there. Also the Timesaver and the 4Day Split have shorter workouts that might be more appealing? I had to quit with the step workouts because I couldn't keep up ... my brain couldn't keep count with my feet... But I love love love the weight workouts and circuit workouts. I enjoy DrillMax and Bootcamp very much. For me, instead of feeling like Cathe is daring me to keep up, I feel as though I'm daring myself. When I'm done, it's like a big accomplishment that I'm very proud of. That said, I rarely do the entire workout if it's more than an hour. I oftentimes do a premix (which can be more challenging than the big workout). And I save the complete workouts for a day when I know I have time carved out and I psych myself up for it all day (I workout at night).

Don't give up on Cathe. Just try a different DVD. She's got soooooo much to choose from. :)
 
One more vote to "stick" with it

I agree with most of the posters. I am in line for BM2 tomorrow, so talk about dread... BUT, as Debby and the others said so eloquently, there should be no shame to modify, pause and adapt to YOU. I started getting fit "late" in life. I discovered Cathe in my late forties. So I cannot always follow her to the "T". Even if you take some breaks (not too long:)) and modify some exercises you are still getting a great workout. DH is in SUPER form, but when he does "Insanity" (sorry Cahte) he takes some breaks, just enough to take him across the finish line.
Look at it in another way, it's all a question of perspertive. Instead of dreading what's to come, just tell yourself that you WILL be doing the best you can, give YOUR maximum effort and take it as far as possible and respect that. You'll see it in a different way. I remember when I was coming back from a second surgery within a few months of eachother, BM2 was in store...like tomorrow, and I thought...you know what, I'll just give it MY best. You'll be surprise.
Good luck,
Christiane
 
Cathe ispecializes in advanced workouts

LadyVintage: Cathe specializes in advanced wrokouts. That's how she made her mark. I find that Cathe has an offbeat, engaging sense of humour. Because of this, she supportive to those of us still in the beginner/intermediate stage. She is not in the least intimidating! And I agree with Stephanie's point that -- at least for the strength videos -- anybody can do them! Just lighten the weights!
-- Davidj
 
I won't totally eliminate her. I guess I will change it up a bit tho. A friend introduced her to me and I was debating on whether to post here or not because most of her audience seem like personal trainers:p
 
We seem like personal trainers?

Cool:cool:

Which workouts were you doing? Do you do step, kickbox or weights? Did you start with the beginners rotation or just dive right into an advanced workout? I started with the beginner's rotation and found it to be just right at the time.

Tell us about your fitness goals. What kind of level are you at now and what kinds of things do you want to do. A lot of us to mix and match instructors and activities.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, tell us more.:)
 
LadyVintage: try and stick with her at least 1-2 times per week. We all started somewhere and it definately was not easy. When I first started her workouts, I had to take several breaks throughout and really lighten up on the weights. As time passed, i got stronger and really started to push myself. While its true there is not one workout instructor for everyone, don't shy away from here becasue its hard. Stick around and find support and encouragement in these forums. You also provide support for others that are struggling as well. Good luck to you!
 
I say why stick with something you don't enjoy? Give other instructors a try, then come back to Cathe and see if you feel the same way. There is WAY too much variety out there to force feed yourself one instructor that you may not click with. :)
 
I agree with DEEDEE try out other instructors and come back.

However, you didn't mention how many times you've done a particular video or what videos you use. Master one of her videos before going on to the next one. Make that your goal, then proceed to the next.

Maybe then you won't have that "dread factor" after mastering a video!
 
Cathe makes videos for advanced exercisers.

One issue could be that your current fitness level is a mismatch.

Another issue could be the specific workouts that you picked. IMAX for instance is at the high end of the spectrum but a workout like Cardio Kicks or Rhythmic step is sill advanced but not as callenging. Cathe's new MMA Boxing / Kickbox are challeging and doable and more intermediate.

For strength Super-Sets / Push-Pull are less advanced.
 
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