Cathe Newbie - please help :-(

[faiza]

Hello All,

I am new to Cathe and the forum. I discovered Cathe about 2 months ago and am beginning to see and feel why she has such a cult like following! I cannot be without my Cathe workouts; I don't know how I ever got by without them!

Ok, on to my dilemma. I am currently living in an apt on the ground floor so I can do all the thumping and running around that Cathe's cardio workouts require. There's no one beneath me whom I could disturb. But I am moving to San Francisco in a few weeks and as I am hunting for apartments I am becoming more and more anxious of landing in an apartment on a higher level. I am worried that people in the apartment below me might complain and I might have to end my beloved sessions with Cathe. Oh, the horror of doing so is making me quite unhappy. I know I can do Cathe's weight training workouts anywhere because I won't be jumping around. It is the cardio (step & kickboxing) that I am worried about. . . . even though it never lasts for more than an hour. I also workout in the evenings anywhere between 6-9PM after returning from work.

So here is my question, my fellow exercisers: do you all workout in your homes/houses? I'm sure at least some of you must live in apartments. So what is your strategy? Can your neighbors get you into trouble if you are huffing away on your step and doing aerobic floor work (you all know Cathe's cardio) a few days a week? Can the building manager tell you not to? I am trying to find an apt on the ground floor but I know that will be a hard find. I will really appreciate if you guys could chime in with any suggestions.

Many thanks and cheers to you all.
-Faiza-

 

[Jcrew3082]

Hi Faiza,

Welcome to the forum! I sympathize with your situation because I live in a small house with old squeaky floors. I make a lot of noise, especially when stepping, and for me, the only solution is to do it when no one else is home. I don't know if it would be possible for you to workout when the neighbors below aren't around. What about some kind of shock absorbing thick mat? This is a toughie- I hope you get more suggestions

Gina

 

[wendyloo]

Hi Faiza Welcome.
I used to live in a 2nd floor apartment, and little did I realize that all my Cathe-induced jumping around at 6 pm was disturbing my neighbors. It all became clear one night when, during my workout, the floor beneath me started to shake and thump when I wasn't even jumping on it. I was doing one of the CTX workouts; I had just finished the cardio section and was walking over to get my weights when this loud thumping started. I was so confused! I thought my weights must be falling or something... Then I realized it was my neighbors pounding on their ceiling in frustration, probably with a broom or something! I was so extremely mortified. I had never even thought I could be heard...
What I ended up doing was buying a card and writing them a short note. I introduced myself and apologized for the inconvenience I had already caused. I let them know that I worked out at home, but that I would try to keep it as much as possible to hours that would be less distrubing. I wrote down the hours that I planned to workout, and asked them to please let me know if there were times that were more convenient for them. I never heard from them again, so I continued to workout when I had been...

I would say that if you end up getting an upstairs apartment, that you should try this method right from the beginning. Find out your neighbor's schedule and try to work around it, but also remember that you have the right to workout in your home, and an hour or so of pounding isn't going to kill them. (Some people have to deal with dogs barking all day long!)

Good luck, and I hope you find a street level place so you don't have to worry about this

 

[Stacy]

I can totally relate to the broomstick story! That's what the neighbors below me did and I too was mortified. However, despite my apologies, they weren't as nice. I finally just gave up my Cathe cardio until I moved and it was depressing! My advice, find a first floor apartment!

Good Luck!

 

[Carol_is_fit]

Wendy, that's a really nice thing you did! You probably shocked them with the kindness of it, which is why you never heard from them again - LOL!! Neighbors in apartments, just like neighbors in houses, would find life much easier if they simply talked to each other, like you tried to do.

Faiza, first of all ... WELCOME!! When my husband and I were first married, we lived in an apartment building with wood floors, and since I worked nights I worked out during the day. The couple below us was retired, and had their TV on so loud all day that I was actually quite surprised when the man came knocking on my door one afternoon while I was working out. He had no complaints about the jumping around, but simply asked me if I could lower the sound! LOL!! It was all I could not to laugh, since his TV was always so loud I could tell which channel he had on!! I smiled, apologized, and lowered the sound ... just a bit though. Otherwise I could hear his TV over my workout!! He never came upstairs again to complain. Oh the joys (NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) of apartment living!! I hope you find the solution to your dilemma! Maybe you'll get lucky and move upstairs from another home exerciser?

Carol

 

[mtnmom99]

If you do end up with an apartment that's not on the ground floor, I'd suggest you introduce yourself to your downstairs neighbors. Explain the situation that you workout at home, and when would be the best time for you to do this? I think if you "make nice" and give them the opportunity to tweak your schedule, they will be more understanding.

Enjoy San Francisco! It's a beautiful and diverse city.

Diane

 

[faiza]

Many thanks to you all

Dear Gina, Wendy, Stacy, Carol & Diane:

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. You've all given me wonderful suggestions and I will manage whatever I can to remain faithful to my Cathe workouts. I think communicating with my prospective neighbors is definitely a great idea and I'll be sure to do that right from the get go.

Take care and enjoy the rest of your weekend
Faiza-