I have no idea what I'm doing

nancy324

nancy324

Cathlete
I have no idea what I'm doing.

I want to slowly start to add cardio back to my routine, as I've been away from it for awhile, while still continuing to make progress on my muscle conditioning. I am now the proud owner of the Pyramid workouts, Boot Camp and Muscle Endurance, and I got my stability ball today and it is ready to go.

But where should I begin? What should my first rotation be? How do these workouts work together? I've looked at Cathe's recommended rotations, but none of them make sense given the workouts I own and the results I want to achieve. Do I have to buy Cardio & Weights in order to make this all make sense? Should I put the whole IS series aside and buy the CTX series instead? I am so confused!!! I'd like to do Boot Camp for my cardio, but I don't understand those kickbox moves, and there is so much strength work, I'm concerned that the workout won't work well with weight training in the same week.

Does this make sense to anyone? Can anyone help me sort this out?



:(
 
Nancy,

If you want to start and add Cathe cardio back into your routine, then maybe consider MIC, or if you want to give Kickbox a go, Cardio Kicks is fantastic. I launched myself straight into CKs, after doing just a very basic tape. The basic tape I had did not explain the kicks, and how to do them properly, and position the feet. Thanks to Cathe and CKs, I can now kick properly, and you can make the kicks as difficult as you want or as easy as you want. Kickbox would be another good one to go for, and 10-10-10, a mix of Kickbox, cardio, and step.
Or maybe go for an instructor who is not as intense as Cathe, and work your way up to Cathe.
I cannot recommend CKs enough though, it is fantastic to do :)
The only trouble with the CTX series is that there is a lot of stepping involved, but hey, I can manage it, and I am 5 foot 8 inches, and a bit on the hefty side, and so far, I am getting tremendous results from the CTX series :) and you can mix and match them as you like, if you don't feel like doing Power circuit, you can replace it with Kickbox, and then continue with the strength work on Power circuit, and so forth :)
I can't comment on MIC, as I am not brave enough for that one :7 ....yet !!!!!!!!!

Good Luck with your decision :)

Anna
 
Anna,

Do I understand you correctly? Are you saying that Cathe explains how to do the kicks on CK? That's great if it's true!

This is great advice, Anna. Thank you so much. I may order it today!

P.S. I'm a little embarrased about my post yesterday, as I don't like to sound like that. It really throws me when I don't have my workout routine lined up, though. I just finished a Slow and Heavy rotation and I just loved it, but don't like the feeling of not being sure where to go from here, especially with my little weight gain that is driving me nuts. Like all of us in this forum, I think I'm a bit of a control freak!
 
Nancy

If you order CKs, then watch it a couple of times through, on a evening when bored, and as you are watching it through, get up and practise some of the moves before you launch yourself into it :) You will be just fine - the initial w/out is only 25 minutes long and it flies by, and then you get to do the Power Drills, which are brilliant, you can really throw yourself into those :)

Before Christmas, I seemed to do this tape every other work out I loved it that much (I just want Cathe to do a CKs 2, 3, and 4 now LOL :7 ), it did wonderful things for my gloopy cellulite, and hips and outer thighs :)

Have Fun !

Anna
 
Nancy,

She does explain the moves, but as they say practice makes perfect, and it is better to practice if you have never done a Kickbox tape. I watched and practised the tape twice before I went for it, and (sigh) I loved it :7

Anna
 
Nancy:

hey there!

And your recent posts sounded so positive, I was thinking, yep, Nancy's doing great, she's got it together up there in NY!!

How many days do you want to work out each week? How dedicated to cardio are you? Three per week? Four? Five? How long do you want these sessions to be? Ideally, try for at least 3 per week, and that each be of a different format so that you cross train and up your cardiovascular conditioning in a variety of areas: kickbox, step, intervals, circuits are some of the options Cathe offers, excluding Hi/lo which is not your tasse de te as you recently said! See, I remember.....

How much space do you have in your appartment? Cardio Kicks is a bit of a space hogger during the routine. But not during the drills which follow, which are excellent training.

I would recommend a couple of different videos which do a better job of introducing you to kickbox, to start with. Kathe Smith's Kickbox and Alain Bissanthe's Kickbox Circuit with the body bar. Smith has a Karate/Kickbox expert with her teaching the moves, some nice little combos. Bissanthe builds up his combos by teaching you the right way to kick in the non-cardio intervals of his circuit, where he isolates particular strength moves for the legs that slowly take your body through the motion it will go through during the kicks, but done slowly to help you work on form and positioning and a little strength work while you are at it. His video is sold by Collage, but if you don't want to buy and would like to try it out, I will lend you my copy if you like, I don't use it much anyway anymore. It is advertised as Advanced level, but for someone who does Cathe cardio regularly, I would say it is more Intermediate. I do think it is a good introduction to Kickbox moves.

Let me know if you would like to borrrow either of the above mentioned videos, I have both.

You are avoiding the Imaxes. OK. Then consider Gin Miller's Intense Moves. It is not at all dancy, there are no complicated steps at all. Sincerely, I am not spinning you a line here. It is purely athletic moves and you just throw your all into it. There are no 64 tuck jumps or star jumps involved, so there's a lot less flesh blouncing around in the air. I think you would be more comfortable with it. It is also a tad easier than the Imaxes and an excellent Interval training workout. I love it and still do it even though some think it can only be used to work up to the Imaxes and never again after that. It uses the space a step sits in and no more.

You like strength training and are good at it, so circuit style workouts will work for you. Avoid Circuit Max and you'll avoid the flesh bouncing around experience because 2 of the circuits are hi/lo based. The Power Circuit of CTX series would suit you better and it is an excellent workout. Nicely planned, well executed and it gets the heart rate up.

Stick with the ME and Pyramid workouts you have just acquired. I recommend the CTX series to you rather than MIC, which goes on and on and on. And if you are just geting into Cathe cardio, I'd also avoid Body Max, it is tough, very fast and rates up there with the Imaxes for intensity. The CTX series is versatile in the X-treme. It allows you to mix and match, to cross train and do a variety of cardio styles. You can do any cardio section you want (they range from 21 mins -Step 7 Intervals, 22mins -All Step, to 28 minutes in length -Power Circuit) and then ignore the weights work that follows and just go straight into your Pyramid workout for that day. That is what I am currently doing and enjoying it.

Cathe walks you through the step routines, building them up gradually. Once you have the routines down, you even get a bit antsy, wishing she would just cut to the chase! Tell me: what Cathe cardio do you own? What have you tried? What was the experience like? Knowing this can help us to help you more.

Nancy: I think it may be a misnomer to necessarily asssume that everyone else does know what they are doing! Most of us are just trying different things out, seeing what works and how to tweak it. If you think you have some pounds to lose, CTX is the thing. Stick another post out there and sollicit replies on just how much weight did people lose with the CTX series?!?!?1 Jillybean will tell you she dropped two dress sizes with a strict CTX rotation. Amazing!

The Boot Camp is more an endurance/stamina improving tape. Not strength training oriented. It is more difficult to chop and change the activities every minute than to do steady state 45 min step routine. You are forcing your body to react differently, quickly, just as it starts to get used to performing a certain action. This can only improve your body's reactions, stamina, overall fitness level. If you can't see where it fits in right now, don't worry about it. I have had it since December and still haven't done it as I am not sure where it fits in. But it will at some point. I think it's OK to keep something in reserve for a future moment. Not everyhing has to be done NOW!!!!!! If you keep something in reserve, you have something up your sleeve with which to "shock your body" later.

Take some sheafs of paper, spread your vids out around you, grab some nice gels pens and spend an hour on the floor preparing several different weekly workout plans. Then pick one and go for it. But absolutely do not worry about it. This is fitness we are talking about here, not your bid for the presidency in a near future. It's supposed to be fun and good for you!!!

How's the reading for plesure coming on?!?!?!

Does any of this help?

CLare
 
Oh, and I forgot (see post further down), you do not have to get C & W in order to get the max from the I-Series vids you already own. Forget marketing ploys! Do whatever you want with these videos. It's your video, your time, your body and your happiness we are talking about here! Break out of rotation constraints sometimes and just enjoy yourself.

Clare
 
Nancy -

I wouldn't recommend 10-10-10, I tried it last night and it has 10 min of hi/low (I think you said you don't like that).

I have CK, but havent tried it yet, maybe I need to do that. I have ordered all these tapes, on my new fettish, and am gradually trying them.

I tried Imax tonight, and I dont like it, but I need to give it another shot, b/c I think I was low on energy today. Not a good day for that tape!! I didn't even have the energy to stick with it and modify.

CK sounds fun, and I know Anna has said more than once it's great for the legs.. From the Circuit Max & 10-10-10 the kickboxing looks fun, but I will need to build up endurance. It definitely seems like it would be alot of fun punching & kicking though :)

Kathy
 
Hey Clare!

Thanks for your response. It is very reassuring and, yes, very helpful. Glad to see you are back posting again. I know how hectic your life sometimes gets!

I appreciate all of your recommendations and all of your information, and I will put it all to use. I'm actually feeling a bit calmer now about this whole workout confusion because I am becoming familiar with the pyramid workouts and starting to enjoy them. I realize that they will probably become the mainstay of my workout routine now and for some time to come, as I will want to do them each twice per week.

As for cardio, I do it just to stay alive, not with much joy, and I'm quite content to do it twice per week. If I find something I actually enjoy half as much as I enjoy strength work, of course I will do it more often. It's all about the fun factor for me. Is kickboxing fun?

I know you're right when you say that everyone else doesn't know what they're doing, but it helps to hear it. I have a tendency to think of myself as being the worst at everything, which is not good. And you're right about Boot Camp; it's going to stay on the shelf for now. My next assignment is to spend some time looking into CTX and kickboxing.

Meanwhile, I did read the Awakening!! First pleasure reading I've done in eons. Thanks for recommending it! Girl With a Pearl Earring is sitting on my book shelf, but I haven't picked it up yet. I think my biggest hobby now is buying new exercise equipment and videos and talking on these forums about them. It relaxes me like nothing else I know of (aside from drinking heavily. :) )

Great to hear from you Clare, and hope all is going well! I can see from your other posts that you are really enjoying the new Series. Have fun!

Your pal,
Nancy
 
If you want to learn kickbox moves, the Taebo instructional tape is good. You can get them out there cheap on E-Bay, I'm sure. I would get one of those, watch it once and do it at least twice, THEN try to tackle a kicbox tape.

As for where to begin with your cardio - you said you are slowly starting to "slowly start to add cardio back to my routine, as I've been away from it for awhile," and my first question is, "When you did do it, what did you do?" And, "what do you like to do?" I would hate to have you dive into Bootcamp and get frustrated because the intensity is so high.

What appeals to you? Walking? Running? Using tapes at all for cardio? If you don't like it, you KNOW you ain't gonna do it. What, if any, cardio equipment do you have at home?

There ARE floor aeobic tapes that don't require a lot of jumping and bouncing, AND are easy to learn. I'm thinking of Charlene Prickett's HiLo tapes in particular.

Just Do It! :7
 
Nancy,

Kickboxing is great fun, and good for frustration. I had a run in with my female Doctor the other day over help for PMS, and I was so mad with her for her lack of ignorance and being just totally unhelpful, I did Kickbox that night, and pretended it was her I was punching. I felt much happier after that :)

Anna
 
You know, Nancy, there really is nothing to learn with the kickboxing moves. I think the only real technique needed for Cardio Kicks is the ability to turn the "base heel out" or towards the kick and the "snap and recoil". Seriously it is pretty self explanatory. I found Cardio Kicks MUCH easier to learn than Cathe's choreographed step tapes!!! Curious though, what cardio tapes are you doing now???

Janice
 
Honeybunch-

Let's see. For decades I've been walking on the treadmill at the gym with my Polar heart monitor making sure I am in my target zone for 30-40 mins. each time. I mixed tapes of my favorite songs and kept changing them, but finally got so bored I just couldn't stand it anymore.

I tried the elliptical machines at the gym, which felt great, but it was almost impossible for me to get into and maintain my target zone, I think because my legs were usually in recovery from strength training. My legs would go into total failure before I even reached my target heart rate! I think these machines only work if they are your only form of exercise. I always had that problem with the stairmaster, too.

So then I finally gave in and bought a step, which I resisted because my living space is relatively small. Turned out not to be a problem space-wise but my brain is choregraphically challenged. I was afraid of the Cathe step tapes, so I got Keli Roberts, which was recommended by several people here and got fabulous reviews on VF. My body felt great, but my brain went dead trying to keep up, and finally, thank goodness, my VCR broke. :D

I don't know what hi/lo is. High impact cardio does not thrill me because I don't like the feeling of my flesh bobbing around, and I have to wear a bra that feels like steel and my boobs STILL fly all over the place. (To tell you the truth, I can't even put the thing on myself, so I can only do it when my husband is around! LOL!!) Moreover, at my age I'm one of the few people I know without joint problems and I would really like to keep it that way.

Well, I'm sure at this point you all know far more about me then you've ever wanted to know, and Clare and others are hearing this for the fourth or fifth time (sorry Clare!). And even I'm getting a little tired of hearing about all my cardio workout problems....<sigh>...so, Honeybunch, we're all waiting for your response now }( :D

BTW, I previewed CK and it looked simple enough for my brain to follow!! As Clare noted, I don't have the space to move forward and back, but I can modify that, no?

Thanks a million you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
For some reason, all of the smilies were left out of my earlier post. I'm not REALLY a heavy drinker! I swear. I'm too busy overeating. :D
 
Nancy,

Yes, you can definitely modify down CKs, I don't have a huge amount of space either so you should be OK :)

Anna
 
Music for the treadmill - my favorite music source, Sports Music has untold numbers of workout music tapes. I must have at least 30 of them myself, and it's geared to power walking, running, etc. Fun stuff, too.

http://www.sportsmusic.com

The elliptical is certainly easy on the joints, so maybe you could save that for a couple of days away from a weight workout on your lower body. You could do the elliptical a couple days per week, and not be overdoing it. I like the upper body workout you get with them, too. Just try to up your intensity level, and work in some intervals.

Tapes: Charlene Prickett has floor aerobic tapes that are low impact, but high intensity, meaning not a lot of jumping and bouncing but still a good workout. Doesn't take up a lot of space, and fairly easy to learn.

As far as "jiggling," Cardio Kicks will cause less of that than Taebo. I don't have much to jiggle at all, but when I do Taebo, I have to put on a sports bra instead of my usual tank top. This type of workout is good for the mid-section, too, which you said is a problem area for you. I'm working with a gal at the Y who wants to pare down her middle, and I showed her the race walking technique with the arm motion, and this week we're going to try some punches and knee slams like they do in Cardio Kicks.

Whatever it is, you have to LIKE IT!!! We can all recommend tapes till the cows come home, but if you don't like it, you ain't gonna do it.
 
Good advice, Honeybunch, with the following comment:

"The elliptical is certainly easy on the joints, so maybe you could save that for a couple of days away from a weight workout on your lower body. You could do the elliptical a couple days per week, and not be overdoing it."

Unfortunately, I don't seem to have days away from a weight workout. My legs are perpetually in recuperation mode. I'm not sure why. So, unfortunately, the elliptical seems to be out of the running for me.

Charlene Prickett sounds like a great idea. And I agree, it's all about what I call the fun factor. I previewed CK and it really looks fun. I'm trying to resist buying it because it comes on a DVD with a workout I will never use. Maybe I should buy a new VCR.

Thanks for all your comments!
 
Wow, a lot of interesting things were said on this thread. And there is a lot of compassion here. I have never posted before but I suppose there is a time for everything.

First, I want to say, I read the Awakening many years ago and am intrigued by the title of Girl With a Pearl Earring. I will pick it up. The Awakening is a great book.

I have no idea what I'm doing with the IS series either. I am fit and pleased with my fitness level and am now making the transition of working out from gym to home. I must say, I absolutly adore the IS series but I do not know how to step and I really want it badly. Today I replayed the 1st Cardio (step) session of C&W probably 20 times and still could not get basic moves like the Hop Turn although the Run and Hop was easy for me. I think what I partially attribute to my confusion is that I am watching a mirror image and that takes time to get used to.

I have even studied movements on Stepturn.com. How many times do I have to watch the first circuit of C&W before I get it? Someone said they practiced a tape 6 or 7 times before getting it. I am still working on the first circuit. Do you think there is hope for me?

Thanks in advance for your response. :)
 
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