help deciding on dvds?

[sharid]

I am new to Cathe's dvds and am wondering if any of you loyal fans out there can give me some advice. I can't decide between the Intensity series and the Hardcore series. I don't particularly like a lot of step aerobics, but I know I need to do some cardio. I really like weight training, but don't want to be a body builder either. I prefer a lighter weight/high rep workout. I am in okay shape, but want to really tone up and define my whole body without bulking up too much (especailly my butt and thighs which are my worst problem area). Can anyone give me some advice if you have used these two series? Thanks so much!
Shari

 

[nenita]

Hi Sharid,

I don't have some of the DVDs from both series, but from what I have they're both really good. Depending on your level, the Hardcore series is rated Intermediate/Advanced while the Intensity series is rated Advanced.

Have you tried viewing clips of the DVDs from both series on Cathe's website? That might help you decide on which one would help with your needs. One DVD I can highly recommend is Butts & Gutts (it's tough, but it really helped me out in the lower body).

The Pyramid Upper + Lower Body is another one of my favorites for weight training. I seem to get really good results when I use them. You mentioned you don't like step, both series have a lot of step for cardio (they're so much fun though, especially Low Max and Imax 2). KickMax from the Hardcore series does not have any step in it for cardio. Try posting your question in the Open Discussion forum too so you can get more feedback from experienced users. I don't know if this helped at all, but good luck in making your decision. Either way, you can't go wrong.

 

[Aquajock]

Hi, Shari! I think your purposes would be better served if you focused on individual DVDs, rather than trying to decide on one full series over the other.

From the Intensity Series, you could get the Boot Camp / Muscle Endurance DVD, which has all floor cardio snippets in Boot Camp and some primo muscle endurance conditioning both in Boot Cam and . . . well, Muscle Endurance.

From the Hard Core Series for cardio, you could get the Kick Max workout and the Muscle Max total-body conditioning DVD that incorporates weights AND bands (bands tend to promote muscle endurance rather than absolute muscle mass- and strength-building.

From Cathe's 2006 untitled series, consider Drill Max; its format is similar to Boot Camp with cardio and muscle conditioning circuits. It does incorporate a step but the step's use is moderate, and you can omit it in several cardio sections. Butts and Gutts, as previously suggested, is very good for the legs.

There are several other cardio workouts that don't use a step, some from the Cross Train Express (CTX) series and some from the Body Blast series. I do think that you should have at least one total-body muscle workout in your collection that hits upper as well as lower body. The Pyramid Upper / Lower Body DVD previously mentioned is very good, and very flexible with its premixes.

HTH -

A-Jock

ETA - please forgive the several thousand grammatical felonies in my post.

 

[sharid]

Both replies gave me some good advice, and I am leaning toward Pyramid Upper/Lower, Boot Camp/Muscle Endurance and Muscle Max. I already have Butts and Guts, it is the only DVD I have and I love it. I was thinking of maybe getting Body Max 2 to go with that one. Do you think that is enough cardio? Also what do you think of Super Sets/Push and Pull?

 

[nenita]

The ones you're looking at are all very good. I agree with A-Jock, Drill Max is a good one to get too, even though you're already planning to get Boot Camp/Muscle Endurance. There is minimal use of the step in Drill Max and the style is very athletic. I am always out of breath while doing Drill Max and love it. It would also add more cardio into your selections, especially if you get Body Max 2 (I liked this one a lot too). I think Supersets/Push and Pull is a good one to get for an added variety into your weight training. All in all, it looks like you'll have a good collection to keep working with, especially with all the premixes offered in each DVD.

 

[nkuangel]

Hello,

I just got the whole intensity series plus the terminator for Christmas and they are awesome. I love love love bootcamp and the premixes are wonderful. My friend and I just did the cardio only premix on bootcamp an it was extremely tough. I have also done the core only premix which was fabulous. Imax 2 is nothing but fun and for me doesn't have the dread factor that Imax 3 does. I have not had the chance to use the other workouts because I am doing P90X right now but I would highly recommend this series.
good luck
nkuangel

 

[Stacy]

I agree with the advice to go with individual dvds rather than a series. I'd recommend Bootcamp/Muscle Endurance, Kick Punch & Crunch/Legs&Glutes, Muscle Max and the Pyramids.

For other cardio you may want to consider Kickmax if you're not into step or even Drill Max. Body Max 2 is good but might have tricky step choreography if you're not into stepping.

 

[Amy Steppe]

You know, I have never understood why Hardcore is rated Intermediate/Advanced since it is so much harder than the Intensity Series......

I guess exercise level is subjective.

 

[sharid]

Thanks to all of you for your responses. I have decided on Pyramid Upper/Lower, Boot Camp/Muscel Endurance and Muscle Max for sure. But still can't decide on cardio. Have any of you used the Terminator much? What do you think of that one for cardio?