How do YOU approach new workouts??

B

brendazzzz

Cathlete
Not long ago I got Basic Step & Body Fusion and loved it so, I ordered the Body Blast series. I'm not very good with choreography but hope I can pick it up with Cathe's cueing. My question is, how do you go about learning new workouts? Do you do the same workout all week until you 'get it', or do you keep doing the same rotation until you 'get it' or do you start off by learning the premixes or what? I'd like to know how ya'll approach it... Thanks...
 
Well I'm fairly new to Cathe as well and my rule of thumb is to watch the video once to get the basic gist of the routine. I probably try a routine a couple times during the week to get comfortable with that one and then move on. I hope this helps.

Debbie
 
It depends on the workout, but with one I think will be particularly challenging, I watch it first. I might get up and try some footwork, but it's more to just go through the motions. If I think it will be easier to catch on to, I just put it in and go with it.

What I've done with the new workouts (Hardcore series) is that I've done the premixes. For instance, the Lowmax all step premix is just fantastic! Love it, love it, love it! I'm almost ready to switch over to one of the premixes that includes the blasts, but I'm loving the all step so much that I just keep wanting to do that one. I've also done the premixes of the GS workouts, just to ease into them and not overdo it.

Step Blast was my first Cathe workout, and I had to break it down. I did the warm up and combo #1 every day (sometimes twice), then I added combo two, then, I broke up the workout and just did combo three. Eventually, I got to the point where I could put all the combos together and do the whole workout.

So, it really depends on the workout how I approach it.

Edited to add that I tend to stay with the same cardio workout for several weeks at a time. Then, once I have that one down, I'll go on to another one and stay with that one for a while...and so forth.
 
(Don't shoot me) but I never preview the workouts. I am too impatient to do that. I have pretty good coordination and catch on quickly, so I just do them straight out of the box. Not to say I'm perfect the first time!!! I have three kids, and when I have time to myself, I would prefer to be DOING the workout instead of WATCHING it. Otherwise, I have no particular method of learning the routine except just doing it with trial and error. And I am usually so excited about getting a new workout that I will tend to do it more frequently, and will learn it quicker. Nothing scientific about the learning process here:D :D :D Pam
 
I'm REALLY bad with choreography, so I preview any new workout to see how tricky it is. If I know I'll be tripping all over myself, I make note of the tricky sections and keep the workout in one of the five slots on my DVD carousel. Then, every time I work out, I tack on a section from the new DVD. I don't make the new workout my main workout of the day, because with all my stumbling and pause-rewinding, I won't get my heartrate up (except in anger). The new section goes at the end, after my stretch.

I like learning the whole workout until I get it, because then all of a sudden it's like I have five or six NEW workouts when you include the premixes.

The only time I've learned the premixes first is for the IMAXes, which were long and too tough for me to tackle in their entirety.
 
I preview new workouts before I do them. FOr cardio, I watch the whole thing (usually) , but I skip through chapters in weight workouts, just to get a feel of what is coming. With cardio, I imagine I'm working along with Cathe and the gang, and when I come to what seems like a tougher move, I make sure to count out the steps (most moves follow an 8-count).

It also helps if you have some experience with Cathe's earlier workouts, where she cues very well and breaks moves down a bit more when she introduces them for the first time.

I get about 85% of Cathe's choreo the first time through, and usually catch on to the other moves after we do tem 2 or 3 times in the workout, but with some of the more recent Cathe workouts, I've found the cuing is not as good as it used to be (late, sometimes cuing using terms that don't quite fit the move).
 
Hi Brendazzz! I'm replying to this late but oh well. What I usually do is I break up the workout into 2 parts. I do the first half over & over again until I've perfected it. Only then do I go on to the 2nd half doing it over & over until I have it down pat. Then I finally do the entire workout. If I'm "stuck" on a particular move, which I am right now doing IMAX3, I pause & go back & do that section over again before I move on. Don't worry you'll get it. HTH, Kathy:D
 
There's a lot of good ideas here, thank you! I think I'll try doing the same combo or maybe a couple of combos over and over till I "get it" before moving on. Thanks Ladies!
 
I preview all the workouts before doing them. The weight-training and muscle endurance workouts are pretty easy to follow even if you don't preview them, but I watch them first so I can gauge how heavy I can possibly go in each exercise. Of course, there's only one way to be sure, and that's doing the workout.

With the cardio ones, I break them down into parts. With the new IMAX 3 and Low Max, I did the step premixes first to get a good feel for the moves. Then I tried to do the entire workout. Low Max was easy to get; after my second try, it felt like the moves flowed smoothly. IMAX 3 was something else, with the numerous pivots and turns, the incredibly high impact and short recoveries. So in addition to learning the workout, I had to come up with my own modifications. Until now, I'm modifying my modifications as my body gets more and more used to the workout. Just listening to the knees -- and my back! -- to see what I can and can't get away with, impact-wise.:)

Just keep doing a segment or two and pretty soon your body will just flow with it. If muscle has a memory, I believe our feet do, too.:) Cathe tends to pull some moves from her old workouts but sequence them in a different way. I find it easy to follow the choreography when she does it, but I still have to get used to the new sequence of moves.

Pinky
 
I preview so I know what I need and when to grab it .I write down the list of strentgh exercise's and reps and tempo so I'll know what wt's I will be using.
 
I am quite new to Cathe's, a little bit over one month. I was kind of timidated at her steps. After repeating the same DVD a couple times, I kind of know what to expect. But I have a question. How do you ladies learn the steps involved with turn, especially you turn away from the TV screen. If I stop and just watch the move, I see the move, but I don't remember it enough to be able to do it by myself. If I do not stop, just follow her, then I completely lost what her steps are. Any suggestions?

I also have questions for her weight training position. When I did deadlift, I did not feel any pull in hamstrings and my lower back. I checked out Cathe's pointer. It seemed I did all she said. Should I increased the weight?

For squat, lunge, I only feel musles around knee area sore (not my knee), instead of my quart. So did plies. I did not feel my inner thingh sore. What did I do wrong?

For plank, I could never do what Cathe did. I even have a hard time to hold one position, let alone lifting one foot. How long do I need to work on my core so I would be able to hold one position at least 5 min. Will plank help to reduce the waist line?

Thanks

WantFit
 
>(Don't shoot me) but I never preview the workouts. I am too
>impatient to do that. I have pretty good coordination and
>catch on quickly, so I just do them straight out of the box.
>Not to say I'm perfect the first time!!! I have three kids,
>and when I have time to myself, I would prefer to be DOING the
>workout instead of WATCHING it. Otherwise, I have no
>particular method of learning the routine except just doing it
>with trial and error. And I am usually so excited about
>getting a new workout that I will tend to do it more
>frequently, and will learn it quicker. Nothing scientific
>about the learning process here:D :D :D Pam

I'm w/ you - I never preview the workouts either - I just jump right in! If I'm having trouble I'll either rewind a couple times or just sub a move w/similar intensity - I figure it doesn't have to be exactly "right" as long as I am working & it's fun - i don' t worry too much, there's always next time. but when you do finally get a hard move it is a really good feeling!

rose2boys

Keep smiling & sweating!
 
I never preview either. I just jump right in. I had two rewind FIVE TIMES to get the reverse mambos right in Low Max. LOL. But I had fun learning!
 
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