Can you remember how you "found" Cathe?

Great thread, Donna!

Okay, you guys all had me thinking real hard how I found Cathe. You're going to laugh when you read this. I don't even remember how I got a Collage Catalogue and I had never ordered anything out of the catalogue before. I remember going thru it one day and coming across the picture of the MIC tape. I thought to myself, Hmmmm, I like that hairdo!!!! :)-rollen Leave it to me to notice a hairdo! :-rollen) I had bought many tapes in the past and was never satisfied with the workouts and they would just become dust collectors. I then went to Cathe's site to see the HAIRDO up close!!!Ha! One of the BEST days of my life. I had taught aerobics for quite a few years and thought I was very advanced. I decided to take the plunge and I ordered MIC, MIS, PS-SL&A & IMax! That was on 12-18-99! (YES, I saved my receipt as a reminder of a gift in my life!) I have to say, it was one of the best Christmas gifts I ever gave myself and, let me tell you, I found out what ADVANCED truly means. Cathe's tapes have kicked my fitness level up so much, I can't thank her enough. Like many of you, the rest is history. My next order was less then a month later, ordering four more and getting the fifth free. NOTHING LIKE GREAT DISCOUNTS!!! At the time, my hubby just shook his head but has come to realize how important fitness is in my life. Okay, I know I have rambled on waaaay too long here but for those of you lurkers out there, go for it! It will be worth every penny. BTW, that hairdo looked pretty darn good ON ME! :7

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
RE: Great thread, Donna!

You are such a "hoot!" I cracked up when you said you noticed her hairdo, but hey, whatever works huh?
And I have to admit, Cathe has been the only instructor whose "series" has been this addictive for me. They're like potato chips, you can't have just one! :) In my case, I started with just 1~MIS, and then I found the website, and I ordered PowerHour, well heck, the same month I read about the quantity discount and I've been buying in bulk every since! My hubby doesn't even say anything anymore, I think the first 5 video shipment took him a little aback, but after that, he hasn't said a word, especially when I told him how much money I was saving by buying in quantity :) Plus he THINKS once I own them all there won't be anymore to purchase, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA! He doesn't know Cathe plans to make more :)
Husbands are so cute! :)
Donna
 
Well, sorta....

HI!! Well, I've been working out for nearly 17 years now, but I didn't do a workout "tape" until around 1992 (I think!). It happened to be The Firm, Vol. 1!!! Well, I was hooked on the firm forever. Eventually, I branched out to Karen Voight, trying her hi/lo tape Power Packed Workout. I got brave and bought Energy Sprint (which is still one of my faves!). When I got a little bored with that, my eyes began to roam! I decided on Gin Miller's Extreme Step, followed shortly by Intense Moves. By this point, I had been getting the Collage catalogue for years and had continually saw Cathe tapes, but I thought for sure they were way too hard choreographically. Well, a couple of years ago or so, I saw the reviews of Interval Max, and that the choreography was not too advanced, so I took the plunge!! Well, believe it or not, that was my only Cathe tape up until this past Christmas!!! I still wasn't willing to try anything else...too "dancy", I thought. "I don't want to dance, I want to work out!!" :)

In December, I somehow found Cathe's website. Like many people, I had Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket!! I eyeballed Cathe's CTX series....it looked pretty awesome! So, I did it..I ordered it!! Since then, I've added Step Jam, Power Max, Step Max, Body Max, & The Wedding Tape -- all within the last two months! Well, it's OBVIOUS I'm HOOKED!!!!! :) And honey, I aint dancin' when I do her tapes! I'm getting my butt kicked...and LOVIN' it!!!! :) So, I'm on a quest to get almost all of her tapes. Haven't decided on Step Works (I KNOW it's dancier! LOL), and Rhythmic Step (again, "dancy", right??). I will probably only go as far back as Mega Step Blast. I also haven't decided on the S&H series, but I know I want the Pure Strength series!

Well, that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!! :) :) :) :)

Hollie
 
I also found Cathe on the Firm forum about a year ago. I'd never heard of her before but her workouts got such rave reviews over there I just had to check out her website. Btw, LOVE the website! Extremely user-friendly and very well organized...it just feels like a sunny room to me. Now, after doing Cathe workouts and just loving them, I'm no longer very interested in my Firm workouts. So far I've got S&H and PS but as my finances allow it I will be adding, adding adding!!
:-jumpy
 
I'd been taking hi-lo gym classes for a couple of years and was finding I was missing the best lunch-hour classes due to work scheduling problems. So I decided I wanted to supplement my gym classes with some working out at home.

After buying a few crappy exercise videos in record stores, etc., I discovered the Videofitness website in Shape magazine. Then, I went on a spending spree when I was visiting the States and bought several disappointing hi-lo "Favorite" videos (Donnamite, being one of them -- gimme a break, who wants to get funky at 5:30 a.m.?)

Finally, out of sheer frustration, I bought a step and after working on the rudaments (Kathy Smith's Powerstep, Gin Miller's most excellent Intense Moves, and a tape that came with the Reebok step), bought "up" to Cathe.

Funny . . . I originally bought Cathe to supplement my gym classes, now my gym classes supplement Cathe!

Patricia
 
For me, it was definitely the Videofitness website....I remember looking at the reviews and going through all the "Favorites". The name "Cathe" kept coming up and I checked out the website, and the rest is history!

My first tape of hers was MIS, and I had originally thought I was in pretty good shape but that tape kicked my butt! Now I have all of her workouts, most of them on DVD! Honestly, it's either a Cathe workout or I'm at the gym....nothing else compares!

Terri
 
It was around 1990, and I was looking through the yearly video reviews that Shape used to print. One of Cathe's was in their, with a four-star rating. They gave info on where to find the video (maybe Collage?) and I've been hooked ever since.
 
I found Cathe on Collage also. I was doing Bodypump and sometimes I couldn't make it twice a week because of my schedule. I saw MIS in the Collage catalog and thought I could just use it to fill in when I couldn't make Bodypump. When I started doing it I realized it was harder than Bodypump and I was getting much better results and the rest is history. I now have every Cathe tape except the Wedding Video and I love them all. Of course Interval Max I love MUCH more after I'm finished with it......
 
Hi,
Like many, I started stepping with Kathy Smith's Step Workout. I added Karen Voight's Energy Sprint, Kathy's Power Step and Great Buns and Thighs later. I then started taking a step class at the Y. The Intermediate/Advanced class was very similar to Cathe in terms of intensity and complexity. Well, I just could not follow the steps. I stopped working out at the Y for other reasons.
I wanted to get a similarly intense video, and checked out this website I had heard about in Shape, videofitness. Cathe looked intriguing to me. I had seen her in the Collage catalogue and also mentioned in a section on the "next wave" of video instructors in a fitness magazine article about Jane Fonda (and her declining video sales). as I remember, she was described as having a "cult following".
I have to say, all the reviews in videofitness made me scared to order her video. Instead I purchased Intense Moves.
I later ordered 2 Charlene Prickett videos from Collage. One turned out to be defective. Well, one Charlene was enough for me so I exchanged it for Step Max. It took me about 7 times to nail it, but what a revelation when I did! I can get her choreography much more quickly now. I am so glad to have found her. The variety of her workouts has kept me going for years.
 
RE: How I got here

When I starting looking for fitness videos, I could not find much in the stores but was at least fortunate enough to find Kathy Smith Power Step and Step Reebok, the video. I did the former once, gave it away and continued to use the Reebok one quite a bit. But I wanted and needed more and so found the toll free Collage number and ordered a catalog out of some fitness magazine (I read so many but I think it must have been Fit or Fitness, maybe even Shape). What I was specifically looking for were the words "advanced", duration of at least 45 minutes cardio and "mixed" complexity since I too was intimidated by the complex descriptions. I believe my first Cathe step tape was Step Max and my first strength tape was MIS. The rest is history as they say.

While Collage was a beginning for me, I could not afford to keep buying from them because the exchange and duty rates were horrendous. Now, I am one of those people that don't even receive a catalog any more. Oh well, CK Sales rocks.

Oh, and I am another who found VF through Cathe and not the other way around.

Kim
 
Attn: Holly

Hi Holly!
"Haven't decided on Step Works (I KNOW it's dancier! LOL), and Rhythmic Step (again, "dancy", right??)."

Your words just popped out at me when I was reading this thread. Holly, you have GOT to get Step Works! Except for a segment or two, it is not "dancy" at all and if it is, it's a very athletic, "powerful" dancy. I hate "dancy" videos as well (see my comment on DonnaMite on this thread.) and Stepworks took me a while to get the hang of, but now it is one of my all-time Cathe step favorites (as is its twin sister, Power Max). Matter of fact, I just did Step Works again this morning for the umpteenth time and yup, it still had me gasping for air!

On the other hand, I'm not crazy about "Rhythmic Step". Dare I say it, but it's just not hard enough for me, even on an 8-inch step. Too many shuffles and little "dancy" moves that just irritate the heck outta me. I haven't done it for a couple of months and only did it 2 or 3 times when I first received the tape. However, I'm willing to give it another try some time in the near future, just in case my memory has served me wrong. Bottom line, though, if you really don't like dancy, don't get Rhythmic Step, but do get Step Works. You won't be sorry, I promise!

Patricia
 
Oooooo....I LOVE Power Max, too!

I'm with you.....(and hide your eyes, kiwi, if you read this)...give me a gazillion power 7's, basketballs, over and overs, & side lunges instead of tiny, little, intricate, dance moves!! :-wow Well, I'm sure I will eventually get Step Works: maybe sooner rather than later after your testimony and recommendation. Thanks!

Hollie
 
I found Cathe on the Firm Forum. I kept reading great things about her and decided to visit her web site. I ordered her CTX
Series on DVD (before I had a DVD player) and now I have all of her DVD workouts.
 
I just recently found Cathe myself. I was on the Muscle and Fitness Hers forum and someone mentioned this website so I checked it out. After reading all the posts about wonderful she is I decided to order one of her tapes. I ordered the Pure Strength Legs and Abs and can't wait to receive it (should be in by Friday hopefully!). I will let you all know how I do with it but I am expecting it to kick my butt!
 
Ha!

You won't think Cathe is SOOO WONDERFUL after you do PSLegs & Abs one time! JUST KIDDING! I just wanted to welcome you and tell you that you are in for a real treat and to be prepared to be saving all your pennies because, guaranteed, you'll be hooked and need every tape Cathe has! Let us know how you do after you receive your very first tape!!!

dYour-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
RE: Finding Cathe

Now this is going to sound really weird, but I found Cathe in...of all places...a viseo store!
This was back in 94 or 95...forget which....but I think someone "returned" a Cathe video to a Suncoast (I remember exactly which Suncoast, btw<G>) Video store and got money back for a tape that was supposedly never sold in stores...go figger!?!
It was her Cardio Challenge tape. I was a stepping newbie at the time, having bought the Jane Fonda step and tape some months before. I graduated from that to Reebok, Kathy Smith and others, but was always looking for tougher tapes. I fell in love with some of the more creative and innovative moves on Cathe's tape. Her website, if I remember correctly, was in a fledgling state shortly after I bought my first computer (1995). I fell off the fitness wagon for a while, then got really serious in March of 1997. Slowly, I bought each one of her videos through Collage, and finally, through the Cathe website. I own everything except Power Hour and the PS series, which are planned for next month. The best part (besides the exercise) about Cathe is the forums. I have had a chance to learn so much from everyone here, plus a chance to unload some of my own knowledge, gained over years of exercising, reading, and asking a lot of questions.
Lynn
 
What a great post! I 'found' Cathe back in the early 90's while looking through a Collage Video catalog. I was intimidated by the 'advanced' choreography tag on her videos. I was also leery about buying videos from 'unknown' instructors because I'd had really bad experiences with several other instructors - I won't mention any names. So, I didn't take a chance on Cathe. Big mistake!

Anyway, about 5 years later, I had mastered my Step Reebok, Karen Voights, Kathy Smiths and Buns of Steel series, and I decided I was ready for something new. I looked at Collage again, and noticed a new video fron this Cathe lady again. I thought to myself, she certainly does have a lot of videos. She seems pretty popular, and I am a lot more coordinated now than I was a few years ago, so why not give it a try?

My very first Cathe video was "BodyMax", and I have to say it was love at first sight! I loved the choreography. I loved the thoroughness of the tape. I loved that it was a complete cardio and strength workout. I loved the intensity, and I loved Cathe's good natured personality. She had such great form and was so much fun that I couldn't believe I had been missing out on this for so long.

Now I have almost every Cathe tape, including some of the older ones that are no longer in print. She is one of my favorite instructors and BodyMax is still my absolute favorite video.
 
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