Hi/Lo Versus Step

W

willowe

Cathlete
Hi All,
I don't know about you guys, but I seem to find hi/lo aerobics ALOT harder than step or kickbox. For eg, in CTX 10-10-10, I love Cathe's hi/lo, but I find it poops me out more than doing the kickbox or step portions. Does anyone else find hi/lo much harder than step, or is it the other way around for you? I think also, the tempo for hi/lo is usually faster than for the step or kickbox, so by the time I reach the step portion it feels like a breather!!
Just curious as to whether anyone else has the same experience?
Kaz.
 
Kaz,

I absolutely feel that hi/lo is harder than step or kickbox. I don't really like jumping around very much, but I do it so I can crosstrain. I think it's funny that on Cardio Kicks, Cathe says that we are going to take it down a bit, and she starts the jumprope sequence. I find the jumping much harder to maintain than the regular kickboxing moves. In MIC, by the time she gets to the step, I'm about to die, but then I'm fine. I wonder if this is a rare thing!

Sandi M
 
Hi Kaz,
Funny you should mention 10-10-10, I just did it this am for the first time and thought, once again, that I would pass out on the "air sprints"? I don't know what Cathe called them, but the ones you're jumping up in the air, legs together, arms circling~ I thought of you and had to laugh aloud cause my feet barely left the ground, I was jumping, but my lower half was working against me and gravity! And yes, I found the step portion a piece of cake compared to the hi/lo segment!
Donna
 
Hi Kaz,

Although I'm new to Cathe's videos and have only done MIS & MIC, I find the hi/lo section of MIC gets my heart pumping harder and makes me sweat more than the step portion. I have been trying to jump and lift myself higher during the step to make it more intense but sometimes after the hi/lo I like to take it easy. I just ordered and received Power Hour, Interval-Max, Body Max, Circuit Max and Cardio Kicks so in the next month or so I may be able to make better comparisons. All I know is I love Cathe's videos and I'm so happy to have finally found the challenging home workouts I'd been searching for. Happy HI/LO! :7
JJ
 
Donna,
I too did 10-10-10 this week and couldn't make it through all those air-plyo-jump-arm-circly type "things", so hat off to you, my friend! My arms kept circling, but the feet refused to leave the floor after about 24 of those darned things!! Cathe, of course, was jumping so high, I kept expecting her to come back down with bits of plaster in her hair!! I wonder if there is such a thing as sports shoes with springs in them...hmmmn!

JJ - you've got some really great workouts on the way! I am relatively new to Cathe also (I live in the UK, so all I can say is thank goodness for multi-region DVD players!!). Like you, I am so happy to have found Cathe - she has opened up a whole new world of fitness to me!
Kaz.
 
This may sound strange, but Hi Lo FEELS harder to me than step, yet a few tests with my heart rate monitor showed that my heart rate was higher with step. Let me re-emphasize that that was just a few tests, not a lot.

I wondered if all that jumping and calf (smaller muscle) work makes hi-lo feel harder, but ultimately recruites less muscle and burns fewer calories. And, that step, which I perceive to more quad, hams, and glutes (larger muscles), uses more energy but feels easier because of the large muscle use.

Of course, this is all just speculaiton. Maybe I just think about this too much. I am sure my husband would say so!

I also do hi/lo -- and running/walking/outdoor stuff-- mainly in the name of cross training. I'd prefer to just do step and lift all the time.

Jeanne
 
This may sound strange, but Hi Lo FEELS harder to me than step, yet a few tests with my heart rate monitor showed that my heart rate was higher with step. Let me re-emphasize that that was just a few tests, not a lot.

I wondered if all that jumping and calf (smaller muscle) work makes hi-lo feel harder, but ultimately recruites less muscle and burns fewer calories. And, that step, which I perceive to more quad, hams, and glutes (larger muscles), uses more energy but feels easier because of the large muscle use.

Of course, this is all just speculaiton. Maybe I just think about this too much. I am sure my husband would say so!

I also do hi/lo -- and running/walking/outdoor stuff-- mainly in the name of cross training. I'd prefer to just do step and lift all the time.

Jeanne
 
This may sound strange, but Hi Lo FEELS harder to me than step, yet a few tests with my heart rate monitor showed that my heart rate was higher with step. Let me re-emphasize that that was just a few tests, not a lot.

I wondered if all that jumping and calf (smaller muscle) work makes hi-lo feel harder, but ultimately recruites less muscle and burns fewer calories. And, that step, which I perceive to more quad, hams, and glutes (larger muscles), uses more energy but feels easier because of the large muscle use.

Of course, this is all just speculaiton. Maybe I just think about this too much. I am sure my husband would say so!

I also do hi/lo -- and running/walking/outdoor stuff-- mainly in the name of cross training. I'd prefer to just do step and lift all the time.

Jeanne
 
Jeanne, I had the same results when I tried hi-lo which I HATE, but will do if it's Cathe...there is no doubt in my mind that hi-lo is harder, yet my stepping heart-rate was higher too. Hmmm.
As for Cathe's jumping...you guys, have you ever seen anything like that???!!! SHE should be in the Olympics, yes?
Ruth
;-)
 
Jeanne,

Yes, I'd also prefer to just step and lift, and do nothing else. I have a treadmill for walking inclines, I do some kickboxing, and I throw in a bit of hi-lo. Hi-lo is definitely the hardest, and I think you might be right that it only feels harder. I'm going to try comparing my heartrate with each, and see what happens. I never thought about using the calf muscles vs the larger muscles, but it makes sense!

Thanks,
Sandi M
 
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