Frustration with Hi Reps

[Jody]

Hi everyone,

I have been working over with Cathe for over five years now, and can't believe how much cardio endurance, strength, power, stamina, etc. I've gained from doing her workouts. I probably have 80% of the library and have always been very happy with her workouts.

That being said, I find myself frustrated with Hi Reps. Mainly because of the pace of the workouts, amount of equipment involved, and little mention of what weight she is using.

For example, I just completed the workout last night and, although I loved the exercises in the workout, I was frustrated that Cathe rarely mentioned what weight she was using. I noticed the same thing in Lower Body Blast. I understand that each of us needs to use the appropriate weight that works for us, but I would at least like a guideline. And numerous times the bottom of the screen showed of the equipment needed but no reference of how much weight was used on the barbell.

Also, it seems to me like there is so much equipment needed for the workout. Barbell with various weights, various sets of hand weights, a band, sliding discs....it seemed to be a workout just to put all of the equipment away!

Finally, the pace just seemed really FAST! With little mention of the weight being used, and so many different pieces of equipment needed, I was tripping over myself just to get in place for every exercise. I was constantly rewinding just to catch up. The abs section really seemed to be fast paced. I was so exhausted that by the time I got to the last exercises, I couldn't even do them, which is a shame, because those were my favorites! I don't know it really was that fast, or if I was just exhausted from all of the push ups and other exercises that came before the abs section.

Overall, I just felt a little frustrated afterwards. Please don't get me wrong, I absolutely will keep working out with Cathe (and participated in the presale of the new series), but was surprised at how overwhelmed I was with this workout. I've never had major issues with her other workouts, so I was surprised that this one threw me so much.

Anyone feel the same, or maybe it's just me!

 

[gonnabea5]

Jody, I definitely understand your thoughts on HR. It is one of my most favorites, but I know before I do it - get ready. When I previewed it, I took note of how she has her weights and equipment setup and I tried to get as close to that as possible. I took a few times, but I'm now very comfortable setting my space up for this workout. ( High Step Challenge moves very fast also, but doesnt use as much equipment.)

It does seem with her newer workouts, she doesnt mention how much weight she uses. But, I've gone by my owe strength levels the whole time I've been using her dvds and not hers. I know the last few reps are supposed to be hard, so I adjust that for myself. I've noticed quite a few people are not happy that she doesnt say what weight she's using sometimes, so you're not alone on that one at all. But, trust yourself on that one.

How many times have you done it? You may just need a few more to get the format down and that'll help the workout flow better for you.

And you know what? There are a few workouts that I cringe at when I see them in a rotation. There's only a few that I dont really care for. But, hey, we're educated people, and it's ok not to like every workout she puts out. There is so many others to choose from.

Hope this helps....

 

[DirtDiva]

I get what you are saying, but I love this workout the way it is, especially the speed of it. I enjoy different paced workouts, but high reps moves for that intended purpose. I like the varied equipment since for me it makes the workout interesting. I can understand if one doesn't have a large area to workout in, but I sure want to use my stuff. I'm neutral about being told what weights Cathe is using, and a lot of times I'm using heavier and that messes me up. A forty pound barbell is my lightest one and I always feel like I'm doing something wrong if I'm told reach for a 25 pound barbell, etc. I'm really sorry you are having a hard time with this, but I bet after you do this a couple of times you will appreciate the movement and increased heart rate from the speed itself. Plus you'll have things set up for better flow.

 

[tralaiven]

I totally understand your frustration....but that being said...before my injury...this was my absolute favorite go-to total body workout of Cathe's...and really...I think it is ok to not have all of her w/o's at the top of our list...STS Total Body just moved too darned slow for me, but I would still pull it out when I was feeling a kindred spirit with a snail!

Maybe when you feel like being in fast fwd motion you can pick it up!

 

[kariev]

I totally understand where you are coming from and felt very much the same the first few times I did HR. As you do it more, you will get used to the pace and move along just as fast as Cathe and the girls do. I was also so used to Cathe stating how much weight she used so this was new to me. It took a few times, but eventually I figured out what weight was right for me. I hear ya on the equipment too. Some days it doesn't bother me and other days I'm annoyed with it. On the annoyed days I just use dumbbells. You can do the whole workout with dumbbells. I'm not sure if this helps at all but just wanted to let you know your not alone in this feeling.

 

[lainabaina]

don't give up on High Reps! i think it is a fun w/o and personally I like the fast pace of it now & then. you do need to get everything set up as much as possible and here is my favorite piece of advice. Post-It Notes! i took the time to review some of the DVDs quickly by chapter and wrote on a PIN the weights I use for the exercises. this helps a lot!
one of these days I will get a TroyLite BB but for now I have a longer, heavier one w/ threaded ends & it's a pain to take weights on & off, so for HR I load my BB with 30 lbs and use that for the squats & back/rows & use DBs for everything else.

 

[Jane Royse]

I was going to say what a previous poster said - write it down! That helped me immensely with Hi Reps. I have the same type barbell as lainabaina, so fast changes are also hard for me, so I do what she does - leave it at a certain poundage & do the rest of the workout with dumbbells.

 

[Peaceful Rainbow]

I agree with the others about having a cheat sheet. I've also found that over the years, I've becoming very good at judging how much weight Cathe's using by looking at the size of the dumbbell and number of plates on her barbell. I think, don't quote me, that from around the point of STS, she deliberately stopped indicating how much weight to use, because she didn't want people feeling like they had to lift that much to keep up with her. As of about 4DS series, the amount of weight she used seemed to really take a jump in some areas. I think she was using over 60 lbs for rows in that one which was a noticeable increase over the past workouts.

This is in my rotation next week, and I haven't done it in awhile, so this is a good reminder to me to get everything set up ahead of time. I don't mind this one, it's STS Total Body that kills me and that one I have to do next week, too!

 

[NY25]

Also to note about HReps - you should be using lighter weights than you would generally use. If you can't keep up, your weights are too heavy. That's kind of the whole point of that workout - it challenges you in a different way. It's more of an endurance workout.

 

[Traildoggie]

I find the pace of HR a little fast too so I adapted. Same with LBB.

I made up a sheet listing the exercise and weight used. Takes a while to pause & write it down, but just do it once and you're done. the pace then seems more reasonable. at a glance you know what to grab.
I set those weights up or out before I start. I have a threaded barbell so if I need to change weight, I pause for a few seconds. I agree with NY25, it's endurance based rather than straining to get just a little heavier.

 

[Jody]

Thanks to everyone for their feedback and suggestions. It helps to vent a little! I think it's just the combination of the fast pace, amount of equipment, and not having a guide as to what weight to use that is so frustrating. I can handle them individually, not all together!

Maybe I will have to write down the weight I'm using on every exercise. It's just really hard not having Cathe say, "I'm using XXX pounds", because then I automatically know (depending on the body part) if I should use the same, go lower, etc.

Plus, if Cathe had never said on previous workouts what weight she was using, I would have never thought to go as heavy as would have missed out on a lot of strength gains. Believe me, I never used 20 pound weights before Cathe!

Peaceful Rainbow, you said exactly what I was thinking about Cathe really upping the weights in the last few years. I do her earlier workouts and the weight seems perfect, and these later ones are just killing me. I don't know how she can lift so heavy on biceps!

gonnabea5, you're right about Hi Step Challenge. It does actually does seem similiar because there are a lot of weight transitions and it does move fast just like Hi Reps.

Maybe it will just take doing the workout a few more times....I've done it twice so hopefully it will get easier. Or, I'll just have to accept that this isn't going to be one of my favorites.

 

[mjd]

Or, I'll just have to accept that this isn't going to be one of my favorites.

Hey, don't feel bad cos this isn't one of my favorites either - must be in the minority since I just haven't been able to feel the love for High Reps BUT there are so many of Cathe's weights workouts that I absolutely adore that don't seem to get much of a mention so I guess I'm just saying we're all different, we all have different likes, dislikes etc etc and if you don't enjoy a workout, no reason to keep at it with the hope that you may eventually enjoy it, just move on to another workout that you DO like! That's one of the advantages of working out with Cathe, there are so many workouts to choose from - sometimes my head hurts trying to decide which ones to do each day!

 

[hokypoky]

The first time I do a new Cathe workout, I make a list of each exercise in a 1/2-page size spiral notebook. Then I make a column for Cathe's weight (easier, of course, to do this with her older workouts) and then my column. I have collected most of her workouts over the years, and the more I add and the worse my memory gets (LOL) it's great to turn back to, say the Gym Styles, and see what she and/ or I use. Plus, I like to know what's coming up, even with the Imaxes, so the list helps.

I know what you mean about those biceps amounts! I can match a lot of Cathe's weights, sometimes go heavier, but bi's and shoulders get me every time!