Cathe vs Amy Bento?

darine

darine

Cathlete
I tried to do a search in the Forum... but I need to receive a clear answer.

I love Cathe and don't really want to find another instructor. But I would like to have more variety in Bootcamp, Kickboxing style workouts.

How does Amy Bento compare to Cathe? Is she as good?

How are her Kickboxing videos.

I wish Cathe had more Kickboxing...

thx
 
Amy is great. Very creative, fresh, fun & intense. I can't say her workouts are like Cathe's, but they're def. as tough.

You'll get mixed reviews on her KB. I like In the Ring & Rumble--the rest of her KB seems closer to hi/lo than KB. But they'll still kick your butt.

Also, if it's KB you want, check out Tracey Staehle's Strike Zone & Kickbox Sweatfest. Both awesome & very fun workouts.
 
I really like Amy's kickboxing videos. I have Kickbox Xtreme, In The Ring and Hi/Lo Knockout. Amy's kickboxing is much more choreographed than Cathe's so it takes a few times before you get really comfortable with the choreography. They are a lot of fun if you have the patience to learn them. Amy has a lot of fun in her workouts and her music is great. In the Ring has medicine ball intervals which are easy to learn and get your heartrate up. you may think you're not feeling it at first but they sneak up on you. The only one I don't have is Rumble which I've heard goes at a slower pace and is more drill-type than choreographed combos. Amy's intensity is just as high in her kickbox workouts as Cathe. Her premixes are also great. Amy is as good as Cathe but I guess it's up to you whose personality you click with.

Marcy
 
Amy's workouts are tough, original and fun, fun, fun. I have some of her step, kickbox and high/lo workouts and enjoy them all.
 
I did Kickbox Xtreme today...

...and I have to say that it was a good workout. Amy is perky and fun but her workouts are a bit less disciplined and structured than Cathe's. Her cueing is kind of free-form, so you really have to learn her workouts by doing them over and over.

I have her Advanced Step Challenge 2 and 3 workouts, but am learning them a piece at a time. Otherwise I'd be too frustrated.

I think that, overall, Cathe's production is more high-quality (sets, taping, editing, etc.), but that's a minor issue.

The two most important things to me in a workout video: 1) Am I getting a good workout? and 2) Will I want to do this video again (over and over)?

I want to feel that it was time well-spent and that I'd look forward to doing it again. Amy passes both of those tests for me. Hope this helps.
 
I have KBX, In the Ring, ASC, and ASC2. I haven't tried ASC2 yet, I did In the Ring for the 1st time this morning.

Amy's KB is fun, but not like Cathe's. The combos are longer and more complex, and use more of the room. Its not just upper/lower then put it together. Her cueing can be kinda wonky, you have to learn by doing. She'll tell you what you're going to do, then rattle off 5 or 6 things. I don't think that quickly :p:eek:. But they are fun,fun, fun once you learn, and you will SWEAT and WORK!!

I was very frustrated at 1st w/ ASC, but once I got it, it was alot of fun. Again her cueing is waaaaay different than Cathe's. She cues as she moves. And she has different names for some of the moves. What she calls the front of the step, I call the back, so that messed me up to. The side I am on and working from the majority of the time, is the front. The part that faces the TV is the back. She's backwards.

I'll agree, the setting, and production isn't as high quality as Cathe, nor is the cast, but that could be bc I am not as familiar w/ them. I do like the music. But once you get the moves down, you will move, you will sweat, and you will get a great workout. I think they are worth the purchase. Just hang in there, and don't get frustrated. Deep Discount has a lot of her DVD's for around the $10 mark. They come and go there, but it is worth watching for. Normally free shipping.

Nan
 
I have very little patience with ANYONE's kickboxing workouts but that's me. Before I got all involved with STS, I did AB's Slo-Mo weight training. I think it's CRUCIAL to switch off to get fresh perspectives from various instructors because all instructors tend to repeat a lot. They can't help it. And everyone benefits from shaking things up a bit. Also, every instructor has moves I don't like (not effective or not biomechanically smart for everyone... Cathe has 'em, Amy has 'em, and so does everyone else) so nobody's perfect. Still, shopping around can help you pick up on effective new moves or cool spins on old moves. It's always worth it to at least check out other stuff (i.e., Cardio Coach...).
 
Amy

Hi,

I really enjoy Amy's cardio as a nice change of pace. She cues very differently than Cathe, but every instructor has their own way of cueing. I personally love her Hi/Lo and I hated Hi/Lo before I found Amy's. Some of it is really high impact though. KBX is fun and challenging and so is Hi/Lo Knockout. I like ASCII and I almost have ASCIII down.

The only complaint I have is that I think in an attempt to be innovative, challenging, and different she sometimes slightly compromises safety, but you can always modify. Well, actually I have another complaint: the excessive arm movements. If you are trying to build muscle, it can be counterproductive if you do it on a regular basis. :cool: I modify some of the arm movements even though it decreases the intensity a bit.

Tracy
 
I don't know about doing a Cathe vs. Amy. I have almost all of Cathe's workouts and almost all of Amy's workouts. Amy is very fresh, fun, creative, as well as intense and her music is awesome and motivating. There is more of a learning curve with Amy but it is well worth it. Her kickboxing has more of a hi/lo flavor but Amy knows her thing and does it well. The ONLY workout I did not care for is Rumble. It moved WAY too slow and just didn't get or keep my heart rate up. I do not own a bag either. www.nrgfitness.net has nice long previews that give you a pretty good overall feel for the workouts. Click on products and then you will see play video clips for the workouts you want to see. The top two won't have clips yet as they were just filmed this weekend. I've enjoy Amy's workouts. She totally delivers what she says she will deliver. I've found that variety has been a great motivator to me in my workouts.
 
Pearlstrand said:
...and I have to say that it was a good workout. Amy is perky and fun but her workouts are a bit less disciplined and structured than Cathe's. Her cueing is kind of free-form, so you really have to learn her workouts by doing them over and over.
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ITA
I find Amy very personable and 'fun,' but I don't want to spend time learning workouts. I want one preview and then be able to do it about 85% right first time out.

Her step is much more work than I want to put in (BUT it looks really fun).

If you like the steeper learning curve (more like Cathe in one of the 4DS step workouts, but even more so!), or even find it fun to learn a routine by doing it piece-by-piece or over and over, then you might like her a lot.

For her weight work, I find some of her choice of exercises 'new' just for newness, and not taking into consideration safety.
 
It took me a few tries to "get" KBX. I didn't have that problem with Cathe. Now, on the occasions that I do KBX, I end the workout thinking, "Gee, that was fun. Why don't I do that more often?"

I also have In the Ring. Did it in it's entirety, sort of, once. Have done the med-ball premix a couple of times. I don't want to give it up, because I know once I learn it, it will be a blast. But facing that learning curve has me paralyzed.

Her music and energy can't be beat though!

.... some after thoughts.... Love Slo-Mo and all the options it has. All Pump X-treme is equipment heavy and don't bother with it much. Have done (successfully) ASC3 (total fun!) - am scared of trying ASC2 after reading reviews, and not interested in ASC1. Her hi/lo is too frantic for me - hard to do on carpet.

Nice for variety. I'm very glad she's entered to DVD workout world!
 
I have both Cathe and Amy and love both.

Each one produces hardcore sweatfest workouts that are a lot of fun. Cathe's tend to be more straightforward, less choreographed, easier to follow. Amy's are more highly choreographed, more high energy (IMO) and require more mental focus. Some days I just don't have the mental energy for Amy's choreo. and Cathe is a welcome change, while other days, Cathe's workouts seem somewhat 'flat' by comparison and I need Amy to get me going. I particularly like ASC2, Hi Lo Knock Out, In the Ring, Kickbox Extreme, Hi Lo Extreme and Hi Lo Dome Challenge. Like Cathe, Amy does premixes so that adds to her variety. :)

In terms of strength training, I really love Amy's Slo Mo, especially the lower body work. It's a killer workout and a total bargain. I also enjoy APX. Cathe tends to do more varied reps (pulses, low ends, 3-1, 2-2, 4-4 etc) and I can't keep track of them from workout to workout. :D Amy tends to do more consistent rep/set patterns so I know what's coming.

I like having both for the variety they provide. ITA that the clips on Amy's site give a good feel for her workouts.
 
I think Amy's step is on a level with Cathe's steady state stuff, intensity-wise, but Amy's choreo is much more difficult (for me anyway!). I have KBX and Into the Ring - I've had shoulder problems, so haven't done the former for a while but I think it's fun & (for the same reason!) I've only previewed the latter, which looks great actually.

I really love Amy's hi-lo and find it pretty easy to catch onto. It's great fun and she uses good music. My fave is Hi-lo Dome.

Emma
 
I like both Amy and Cathe, but for cardio I reach for Amy more often. I prefer her choice in music. Good music in cardio is a MUST for me. As others have said there is more of a learning curve w/Amy but I don't mind. After doing Amy I find it tedious to listen to any instructor spend a lot of time breaking down the moves. (not saying Cathe does this) I like Amys get "right to it" style. I do prefer Cathe for weight training. I really don't see this as a Cathe vs Amy, both are very good at what they do and I just love variety!
 
I agree with your assessment of her weight workouts. I like her step routines. I do her tutorial and I can usually get most of it right the first time through.

kathryn said:
ITA
For her weight work, I find some of her choice of exercises 'new' just for newness, and not taking into consideration safety.
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I
 
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I did Advanced Step Challenge 3 for the first time tonight. I've had it for a long time but was afraid to try it since I've been unable to complete ASC2. Now I wish I would of done it sooner:). I think it was much easier than ASC2 (choreo wise). I was able to do most of it. Combo 4 was the hardest for me. That's probably my own fault since I was too lazy to preview the complicated moves. Definitely a fun workout though.:D
 
I will repeat with others in saying that Amy's choreography takes some getting used to, and she doesn't cue nearly as well as Cathe. This is where I REALLY appreciate the clear cueing of Cathe. However, as others have said, once you get the choreography down, her workouts are a blast. One of my favorite workouts (not just of Ame's but all workouts), is Xtreme Kickbox. Just so much fun! I also love Hi-Lo Knockout. That one just kicks my butt every time and I am SO sore the next day (similiar to how I was when I first did Cathe's Kick, Punch, and Crunch). I also have Hi-Low Extreme and Hi-Low Dome Challenge, I also like those, just not as much.

I agree with others in stating that it is really important to shake up your routine, because it is amazing the difference different moves, and even different stretches, have on your body and mindset. I absolutely love Cathe, but the main reason I started with Amy is because Cathe has so few cardio DVDs that aren't step. I love step, but I actually find that although it is a killer calorie burner, my 5"3" body with short legs responds better to non-step workouts and pilates. I am really glad I found Amy; she has a great personality and seems to have a lot of fun working out.

Downside: Her cueing (as mentioned above), and her DVDs do tend to take up more floor space than Cathe's because of the choreography and spins. And if I did have a bad day, it can sometimes be difficult to come home to workout and have to pay so much attention to choreography if you don't have the workout down 100%.

All and all, I think you will like her. Just a nice compliment to your Cathe workouts.
 
In these past few months I have leaned more towards Amy than Cathe. I've been a pure Catheite, since *gulp* the 90s!!! I am cardio though....and Cathe started out cardio....and has moved to mostly strength.......so I have moved on.

It was a blessing, actually. I found Amy Bento, Seazen Ziegler, Kelly Coffer, Tracy Steahle and others. Amy quickly became my favorite...for past 6 months or so. :)
 
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