Choreography or Fitness??? You opinion please ...

I

icklemoley

Cathlete
I am a huge fan of Cathes. The intensity, sweat and hard work always amaze me. IMAX rocks, due to its non-complicated routine. Which brings me on to my point. While I love Cathe, I do sometimes wonder if this is about choreography or fitness? The moves (some videos) are so “dancey” that its takes me forever to learn them. When what I really want is something simple that keeps my heart rate up and doesn’t require a dancers degree! While I will continue to buy and support all that Cathe does, I do wish that sometimes I video/dvd would come out for those of us that don’t want high choreography fitness. IMAX, Bootcamp rock, the others, I have trouble with!!! Am I the only one?
 
Hi there,

I just wanted to mention that if you like higher intensity workouts, you should try some of Mindy Mylrea's stuff - she uses much more simple choreography (much more sports oriented. She's not always the best cuer, but her stuff is great and up there in intensity!

I like her stuff, but I love Cathe's choreography. I find it makes the workout more "fun" and it passes quicker!

:)
hth,
 
Personally, I would get bored out of my mind if there was little or no choreography. Some of it is challenging for me at first, but once I get it, it's nailed, and it makes my workout much more fun and interesting. That's just me though. I'm sure everyone has their own tastes, and the great thing about workout tapes is that there are so many, there is bound to be something for everyone's individual tastes! I really don't think Cathe's choreography is so complex it requires professional dancing ability, but again that's just me. :)

Carol
:)
 
I am not a dance queen either but I do love cathes videos.I think it is b/c I own all of her workouts, if I can't follow a move,she will always throw in something your familiar with that can keep your heartrate up.
At the sametime I do like the dancey moves b/c some of the music makes you want to dance instead of jumping in the air for 30sec.
Its strange though b/c I have a hard time following other instructors who throw in dancey moves. I own 3 Mindy videos and I only do them once in a blue moon.Mainly b/c I have never let myself catch on.I find some CIA workouts can be really dancy,I lose my heart rate ,I think whats the use, I take it out of the VCR and it never goes in again.
I can totally relate to what your saying but I think every instructor throws in a little bit of dancing.Maybe you should keep(what you would consider dancy) for your lighter days and when you want to workout hard pop in Imax1.I think it is just a fact of getting use to it.Someday you may learn to love it, I know I did.
Lori
 
I feel that once I learn the workouts, they are so much more fun to do with complex choreography. The simpler ones like StepHeat, where she does the same move for a longer time, I find boring.

While I'm learning the workout, I use it only on an easy day, because I'm certainly not going to get the kind of workout out of it that I can expect when I know the choreography and can but some oomph into it.
 
Icklemoley, How about Cardio and Weights, and IM2? Do they have moderate choreography? I want to buy the entire Intensity Series but I really want to know how the choreography is with this series. I pre-ordered Cardio Blast Series and boy, I guess I will have to practice Step Blast and Step Jump and Pump because they say, the steps are complicated.

Have you ever tried Awesome Intervals and Extreme Intervals by Mindy Mylrea? Anybody here? I don't mind high intensity at all but how is her choreography?
 
Hi icklemoley, you might want to check out collagevideo.com for beginner/intermediate step tapes, and there are a gazillion of them. Or you might want to give Cathe as many chances as you can give her.:) I have been stepping for about ten years now, and even back in the early 90's, step aerobics has always been about choreography AND fitness. In the old days, many routines were "boxy" and repetitive, but there was always a flow to the workouts. How interesting the flow was depended on how far the instructor stretched his or her creativity. And Cathe, IMHO, has been the most creative so far. Repetitive routines bore me and sap my motivation easily. With Cathe, you can bet all of me is with her during her workouts because if I so much as bat an eyelash, I miss a move and all goes to pot.:) I hope you don't give up on the "dancey" moves. I always give myself a couple of weeks to learn Cathe's workouts. Another couple of weeks to master them. This, after many years of stepping and a background in dance. Good luck to you.

Pinky
 
I know what you mean. I started doing step aerobics because it seemed so much more "athletic" than floor aerobics.

Now, I think the fancy choreography actually improves other areas of "fitness". It certainly improves coordination and it exercises your mind (focusing on form and remembering what comes next).

The other day my boyfriend was watching me do Rhythmic Step and wondered how I could follow so well. I told him it was because Cathe's cueing is so outstanding (which it is) but inside I was beaming with pride because I know my coordination has greatly improved since working out with Cathe.

Shelley
 
Hi Wayne:

I have to say that I couldn't do IMAX type workouts all the time. I can't just jump up and down til I'm blue in the face for 45 minutes as we do with IMAX tape.

There's room in all fitness programs for a bit of everything. Some days you can focus on IMAX and you have so much energy to bust, you just gottta do it. Other days you want to exercise, but not feel like it has to be such hard work all the time, and that's where Step Works and Rythmic Step come in. They're not exactly brain food, but they fulfill a different need of the body to move to music rather than blast through the roof with star jumps!

Do you agree that all exercise feeds the soul too? We just have to find diffferent ways to do that to make ourselves well rounded individuals I reckon. Some days I prefer to go powerwalking because I really want to lose myself in the music and just strut right along with it, and that's a low intensity day, but it gives me a high that's as valuable to me as the high from IMAX. And I feel more at peace from that, oddly enough.

Not every workout has to be high, higher, highest impact!!!! and sweat lots, more, the most! That for me would be the path to burn out and such boredom I would stubbornly refuse to do IMAX ever again. Actually I haven't done either of the Imaxes for about 4 months, no desire to.

If Cathe stopped making anything but Bootcamp and Imax, I would have to stop buying her videos and make my own!

Lastly, I actually don't rate Cathe's moves as at all dancy. I am not a dancer yet have no trouble with her tapes. Now, if you want real dancy, try, or rather don't try, Donna Read, Kristi Taylor, Kristen Kagen. These ladies will leave you dazed and confused!!! They do me!

Warmly, :)

Clare
 
I agree that sometimes choreography gets in the way of a good workout. I prefer workouts like Gin Miller's Intense Moves (an intense interval workout, but very linear and athletic) to complex choreography.

When I work out, I also like my BODY to by challenged without me having to think of things beyond correct form and intensity. I have enough complex thinking to do during my work day, and don't need to add to it when I'm working out and "having fun."
 
I see your point, but I'm one of those who need some funky choreography to keep the workout exciting. I always review a tape/DVD a couple times before I try it. I was actually wishing that Cathe would get back to the complex choreography a la Step Jam and Rhythmic Step. It looks like we'll get it with Step Blast. Yay!
 
Wayne...

This is how I learned Rhythmic Step, (one of Cathe’s toughest choreography wise, imho).
Mon. Step section one followed by the first 5 intervals of Imax (this let me go out with a bang, and I felt as though I got my heartrate up enough to consider it a ‘real workout’
Wed. Step section two followed by the other 5 intervals of Imax.
Sat. Step section three followed by 10-10-10.
Once I felt confident in these, (it took about 3 weeks), I then did all 3 sections back to back and added the challenge. Now when I do Rhythmic Step, I add power to everything so though it is dancey, I feel like I really get a great workout because I keep my heart rate at an elevated state for 46 minutes!

I ordered the Body Blast DVDs, so this time, I plan on doing Step Blast one section at a time and adding either the Boot Camp cardio only premix, the hi/lo add-on from Step, Jump, and Pump, or half of Imax II after each section so as I learn it, I can get a great heart pumping workout at the same time.
 
Hey there, I am just like you, I don't like dancy moves, never really use RS maybe once because I felt like I had to keep stopping because it was just to dancy and my HR was not getting up there. Don't get me wrong Cathe is still my #1 fitness instructor and I know she is just making other people happy that do like dancy moves and also making people who don't like those dancy moves happy also:), like us. I also love IMAX 2 and Bootcamp, they are one of my favorite. I guess some people can really get into those dancy moves and get their HR up. I know Cathe can:) And I think she can really move too. I guess your not the only one, lol.
 
That's what I love about cathe. HUGE variety. The moves are complex enough that it doesnt get boring after many times of using it.

Not sure about other but I go through stages of my favorites. For a long time it was imax, then CTX (10-10-10), cardio kicks Then was S&H. Now I'm doing body blast. Lots of variety.

For me at least the cheoregraphy is just right.. what is it she says.. if you got it right the first time you'd get bored (or something like that)!
 
thanks so much for your positive feed back. I think i'll keep on going, just think how proud i'll be when i get it right!!! I actually felt that way about a Karen Voight workout called Power Pack Workout. So hard choreograghy wise, but finally got it and it was great fun, made me smile :D Thanks so much everyone. You're the best x
 
Jillybean!

What a great idea on how to learn ANY step tape! Thanks for posting it. I am pasting in onto my permanent Cathe files and trying it out too!

BTW, I love your posts and great ideas.:p
 
Hi Wayne I know I post to this already but I had to change my mind today because of all this talking I went and did RS this morning and I love it now because i guess it took a few times to know the moves. So I am here to tell you once you know it, it is really fun and your HR really does get up there. So now I love them both!!
 
I have both of these and the choreography doesn't seem hard to me. I have tried many instructors and feel that Cathe's step is the easiest for me to learn. I have several Christi Taylor's and am still working on the choreography because I'm a klutz, but never have much problem learn Cathe's stuff. Good luck!
Lynn
 
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