Instructional Video is a Must! Cathe, please must read this!

N

niecie2k

Active Member
Cathe, I have a suggestion that is a must read. Most of us already have a hard time putting 1-2 hours aside each day to work out. Then when you have to take time learning the routines, it's even worse. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to decide you're going to try a new workout one day and then spending half the time rewinding it to get the steps down. This, in my opinion is such a waste of time. In one of your videos, you explain the harder steps first. I THINK it's Step Works, but I could be wrong. It's the one with the power mambos. Goodness - it would be SOOOOOO helpful if you would add a chapter to each DVD to explain the choreography!! That would make a TREMENDOUS difference, save a lot of time and avoid many rewinds! Imagine practicing the hard choreography and getting the hardest steps down first and THEN running through the workout. I am suggesting it to you b/c I think you can't go wrong with this one. Since all your DVD's are done already and you're probably not putting anything else out for a while, perhaps you can put something together (like an instructional DVD) explaining ALL of your harder choreography, the turns, the hops across the step, which leg to lead with, which direction to turn, how to add intensity........... A DVD like this would sell like crazy. I know I'd buy it, and it would add to the flow of doing ALL your workouts for this first time.

Denise Berger, Yonkers, NY
[email protected]
 
Denise, have you tried Basic Step and Low Impact Step? These workouts taught me all of Cathe's steps and made them really easy to learn. I found them to be very useful and I've been able to do all of Cathe's workouts since learning those two workouts. Just a suggestion, good luck to you.

Ashley
 
Hi. Reviewing it prior to doing it is a must, BUT that takes a lot of time whereas if there was a 6 or 7 minute quick tutorial before the actual class where one could just practice, I feel it would be quicker and easier. I have done the basic. I have not done the Rhythmic. I will try the Rhythmic.
Thanks Ladies!
Dee
 
Ummm....I see where you're coming from, but, you have to remember that Cathe is an advanced exercise instructor. I thought she didn't run through the exercises beforehand so that after three years of doing the same workout, you won't get bored with it and it's never repetitive? I have plenty of other videos from other instructors who break the exercises down and now these videos are just too easy and there's a dread factor because I've seen her do the breakdowns each time! You will learn the videos the more you do them, don't expect miracles -- it takes time. Good luck!
 
All I'm saying is that she should take a few minutes before or after the workouts (separate from the workout itself) to go over the hard steps. I'm simply saying that in StepWorks when she reviewed the power mambos and the lunges off the step beforehand, I found it a great help. I also am a very advanced exerciser with three personal training certifications. I'm just saying that doing the videos for the first few times, before one gets the moves down is aggravating when there's no instructions on the moves before hand. It also takes a lot of time. If she reviewed the moves during the workout - yes; absolutely, once you have them down, that would get very repetitive and annoying. I'm saying before or after or in the case of a DVD perhaps a separate chapter. This way you don't have to look at it when you don't need to anymore. For example. Gin Miller does this at the end of her step reebok video. She purposely does it at the end so you don't have to skip through it at the beginning each time you do the workout (smart on her part). She goes over all the moves; tells you how you can intensify them or not and gives lots of helpful pointers - and that's a VERY advanced video. It's not necessarily that because the video is advanced, one wouldn't need that instruction the first or second time they do the workout. I just think it would save time, rewinds and aggravation. At least I think so anyway.:)
 
I think a 5 or 10 minute separate explanation of the most challenging step moves is a really good idea. I've seen that on videos by Charlene Prickett, Christi Taylor and Amy Bento, and in all of those cases I found it very helpful. I tend not to preview an entire workout, and to have just a preview and a little "rehearsal" of the most challenging parts would be great, it makes the whole thing flow more smoothly without having to preview the entire hour of the workout first.
 
I'm with you two ladies, a separate chapter reviewing the harder steps would be extremely helpful instead of having to go over and over a workout. I think it would be well received by all.

What is it with everyone here that they think just because you don't get part of an advanced workout you're NOT an advanced exerciser. Give me a break. Everyone has there own style and sometimes it is just helpful if an instructor will make it easier for her students. I've been teaching fitness for over 20 years and I've taught everything. I've got several certifications. Just because I don't pick up Cathe's advanced step choreography doesn't make me a beginner. I would just like to not spend precious time reviewing and reviewing a workout........leigh
 
I totally agree with you! I am an advanced exerciser myself but have a tough time with complex step choreography. I hope in some future workouts, Cathe would come up with a separate tutorial chapter on some complex moves.

>I'm with you two ladies, a separate chapter reviewing the
>harder steps would be extremely helpful instead of having to
>go over and over a workout. I think it would be well received
>by all.
>
>What is it with everyone here that they think just because you
>don't get part of an advanced workout you're NOT an advanced
>exerciser. Give me a break. Everyone has there own style and
>sometimes it is just helpful if an instructor will make it
>easier for her students. I've been teaching fitness for over
>20 years and I've taught everything. I've got several
>certifications. Just because I don't pick up Cathe's advanced
>step choreography doesn't make me a beginner. I would just
>like to not spend precious time reviewing and reviewing a
>workout........leigh
 
Denise -
I agree with you 100%. I've suggested it before myself (and, of course, got shot down by others for it). I think it would be VERY useful for those who need/want it - a separate chapter on the DVDs. Thereby, those who don't want to view it, can ignore it. There are a few videos I have that I never do, because I'm not interested in perpetually trying to figure them out, when I'm trying to work out. I can find plenty of frustration elsewhere in my life - workouts I how I try to alleviate that. I just do other workouts now instead.
GREAT SUGGESTION!!
 
I think it's a fine idea - another instructor I use did this on one of her videos, but she put it at the end of the workout, assuming you'd preview the entire routine first, I guess.

But personally, I LOVE the challenge of learning new choreography, and the more complicated it is, the happier I am, even if I trip over the step and land on my behind. :D I think the hardest workouts I've done physically are the ones I'm just learning because there's such a huge concentration factor included.
 
Eh, I would rather see Cathe spend her time thinking up awesome new workouts than spending time breaking stuff down more minutely. (There are numerous instructors on the market who do this for the beginner audience so I'd hate to see Cathe go that route.) If you are really having that hard of a time learning Cathe's choreography, start with Basic Step and her older stuff or spend the time previewing beforehand. Most of the steps are on standard counts so if you have as much experience as you indicated, it shouldn't be problematic for you.

BTW, if you are confused by Step Works, Rhythmic Step is not a good next step for you. That's one of her more choreographically challenging workouts. Again, look at the older stuff - PowerMax, StepFit, the Classics - or Basic Step.

Marie
 
It seems like there's a split down the middle on this one. Two or three people feeling that "advanced" exercisers should not want or need this and the rest feeling like this is a great idea. I know I am advanced. Like I mentioned earlier, I have three certifications and have been working out at higher intensities for over 20 years. Tellng me to try basic step or the classics is not a good suggestion. I've done those. They're for the super, duper beginner and even if you master those, that's not going to help you on her more choreographically challenging workouts. The steps are what they are. I have to agree with #10 who says, "There are a few videos I have that I never do, because I'm not interested in perpetually trying to figure them out, when I'm trying to work out." I have about 30 Cathe workouts and have done and only about 10 which I can master. The others I never get to because I know I'll spend the hour rewinding, tripping over the step trying to learn the moves with my back to her and "taking it from the top" a dozen times. So they just sit there until I can FIND THE TIME to review and practice them and therein lies the problem and the point which I think most people here are missing. Taking 10 minutes before a workout to practice the toughest moves will make the workout itself flow a lot smoother the first, second and third time you do it rather than having to take an hour here and an hour there to preview the whole thing and practice before running through it. That's the whole point here. It doesn't matter how advanced an exerciser or not one is. If you pick up a workout you've never done before which is choreographically challenging to anyone at any fitness level and you throw it in your VCR to do it - having never done it before, you're going to spend time rewinding and re-doing no matter how many times you've previewed it. If, however, for 10 minutes prior to doing the workout, you practice the hardest steps slowly with guidance, you will zip through them during the workout that much quicker. That is my point here.
 
RE: Instructional Video is a Must! Cathe, please must ...

Hey Ladies!

Very good point to bring up. Before I discovered Cathe I was a member at a gym and took step classes. I became accustomed to being behind the instructor and following her cues from that position. Her right was my right and I found I caught on quickly this way. When I began doing Cathe DVDs I had a harder time learning because I had to adjust to her being in front of me and so everything was opposite. I remember thinking way back that I wish there was an option you could choose from the beginning, such as: 1. View workout with Cathe facing you or 2. View workout with Cathe's back to you, just as you choose the music louder option. I don't know if this is an easy edit or if SNM would have to do an entire separate filming to add in this option, but just a suggestion to add in here to your requests:)

Happy stepping all!:7
 
RE: Instructional Video is a Must! Cathe, please must ...

Let me give you the same advice given me - try "basic step" or "step classic". I'm just kidding, of course, but when I recommended a separate chapter for teaching the harder steps, I was actually told to try the easier workouts...???@@@..!!
 
I agree with you also ... I don't really think it'd take Cathe all that much more time to include an instructional chapter for those who want it on the aerobic workouts. I tend to not take the time to preview new workouts either and end up rewinding a few times on more complex choreography and having a more frustrating time than on a workout I know already. (BTW, I like complexity in my aerobic choreography). The instruction could be as simple as a voice-over on a slowed-down version of the real thing -- and of course, only on the more complex moves. Really I think it would only enhance Cathe's DVDs and make them more marketable to intermediate users and other people who want to advance in choreography. Happy and Healthy New Year! Deb :)
 
Basic step came with my step. That is a ridiculously easy workout and one i wouldn't waste my time doing. Further, even if you master those very easy step routines, it's not going to prepare you any better for the harder ones. I know Stepworks,Powermax, Bodymax 1 and a few others like the back of my hand and it took me one to three tries to get those down 100%; but that has no bearing when it comes to learning the other workouts.
 
I personally hope that Cathe never changes the way we view the workouts. Eg, anatomically correct. I would not even consider doing a routine unless the instructor's lt is my rt and vice versa. Otherwise at some point during the workout I feel that I am off.
Also there is no challenge in a workout if you master all the routines the 1st or even the 3rd time.
Also I am pretty certain that Cathe gives other options and advice during the workouts. I had an easier time doing Imax3 than Powermax.

Judy
 
I know that in IMAX2, Cathe goes briefly over a couple of the trickier moves in her intro.

I may be wrong, but at one time, I thought that SNM was considering putting some kind of tutorial section on the website. So you could look up a particular move and see a streaming video of it as a tutorial.

I don't want Cathe to change her teaching style (or to start filming with back towards us!), but I don't see the harm in having a 5-minute optional chapter added to workouts to help with new or tricky moves. Those of us who don't need/want it can just not watch it, while those who have a harder time can use it.

As for doing easier workouts not helping with more complex choreo: I 'grew up' with Cathe's workouts, and have used them since Step in Motion III. The workouts do build in complexity, and many moves are broken down in more detail in the earlier workouts. Also, as you move through the workouts, you get more familiar with Cathe's cuing (until she changes names of moves on you!). But I'm not sure how much it would help someone learn Rythmic Step, for example, if they just did a few of the earlier workouts. It's one thing to do them several times as they come out, and learn that way. Another to try to get in a 'crash course.'

I'm sure that those coming from a different instructor or used to a live-class format may need more time to learn the choreo, but once you get used to it (and preview, and get used to recognizing moves that may be tricky, and breaking them down for yourself) it really does get easier. Cathe is certainly not as choreographically complex as Christi Taylor, for example (whose one step workout I tried, I took out of the DVD player after 40 very frustrating minutes and never returned to!)
 
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