Low Impact Challenge-Learning Curve?

Pedmom

Pedmom

Cathlete
First let me say that I have done Cathe's step workouts for many, many years. The only one I've ever had a teeny bit of trouble with was Low Max. I took a few times getting that 6-count mambo down but only had to rewind a few times the first time I did it and I got it.

So why the heck am I having so much trouble with LIC??? I did it for the second time as part of the Nov rotation. I quit after 27 minutes and got on my elliptical instead. Frustrated is an understatement. I don't know WHY I'm having such trouble with this workout. Like I have a mental block or something.

Am I alone? Is this extra-challenging, or am I just a slower learner now that I'm in my mid-40s?
 
Pedmom said:
First let me say that I have done Cathe's step workouts for many, many years. The only one I've ever had a teeny bit of trouble with was Low Max. I took a few times getting that 6-count mambo down but only had to rewind a few times the first time I did it and I got it.

So why the heck am I having so much trouble with LIC??? I did it for the second time as part of the Nov rotation. I quit after 27 minutes and got on my elliptical instead. Frustrated is an understatement. I don't know WHY I'm having such trouble with this workout. Like I have a mental block or something.

Am I alone? Is this extra-challenging, or am I just a slower learner now that I'm in my mid-40s?
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I don't think it has anything to do w/age. I think it is the way Cathe has done the choreography. I did fine until the final cardio section (not the bonus one) and then I was stumbling all over my feet. I have always been able to catch on to Cathe's choreography almost instantly but I am having more trouble with this one.

I know I will get it down but the workout does seem to have more of a learning curve than her other videos.

Did you notice that some of the moves she is doing go back to the original Step and Motion from 1989?
 
I too have had a lot of difficulty learning the choreography in Low Impact Challenge, more so than Low Max but not as much as Step Moves. I've almost got the combination of all 4 combos down after doing it on 6 separate days, with a lot of rewinding and repetition on the earliest days. It's fast and there are a lot of turning steps. I hope it's not just my age. Hang in there. You'll get it eventually. I think reinforcement from doing it often at first will be the key.
 
Give it time! It is complicated footwork. I did it several days in a row because I wanted to get it down. I finally did. I started with a 6 " step just so I wouldn't trip over my feet and now I'm back on 8". I' 59 so it has nothing to do with age. It really is just challenging footwork but that's what makes it interesting and fun, and boy do you feel accomplished when you get it.
 
I also had trouble with the choreography. you are not alone. I have just resolved that I will have to do the workout about 4 times before I am comfortable with it or even get it.
 
THE only step workout I've had problems with, maybe due to fear of not getting it, was Dance Step.For LIC combo #2 messed me up a little, combo #4 is similiar to Low Max combo# 5 or 6 so I got that one right away. Her step workouts flow smoothly using each step combo to work with the next and not using transitional moves found in other workouts.
 
OK, so admittedly this is making me feel much better. I never do Step, but decided I wanted to follow Cathe's November STS/LIS rotation as close as possible, so I did this one , sort of. Combo 4 was kind of a joke for me and a I did a lot of just stepping up and down, and the combo of combos, wasn't even possible, so I skipped it and went to the cardio blast.

The positive, was I didn't totally give up like I have done in the past, and I think I am starting to see why people love Step so much, you have to think so hard about what you are doing, you kind of forget you are working out! And the addition of the step really does make it a great workout.

I did not even realize there was a bonus step routine, but that looks like something even I can get. I saw it today, I did STS disc 3 (legs) then the cardio blast after and stretch, then it goes right into the bonus routine, which did sort of scared me that I wasn't done yet :eek: but then read the back of the cover to see what that was.
 
LIC Learning Curve

When I was starting with Cathe's step routines, someone suggested doing them the first couple of times just on the floor so you don't have to worry about where the step is and falling off. It certainly helps you to get the actual choreography down, and then it's pretty easy to transfer to the step.

Hope this helps.:)
 
This is definitely the most challenging step work of the series. Her moves are similar to other w/o which messed me up because I would find myself completing moves from other w/o. Eventually I stopped and listened to her wrods and was able to get the steps. I will admit her cueing is a little slow when she does all the combos together so I still mess up that part; comes too fast and its not committed to memory yet.
 
Combos 1-3 I had down by the second time, but combo four just wasn't completely happening to me. The third time I did it, I focused on listening to her cues rather than watching her and then I was able to do it. I couldn't watch her and get my direction right. :confused: Next time you do it try to put your focus on her voice and see if that helps.
 
I think it's pretty challening, as others have said, the fourth combo is pretty challenging. I will practice that section alone piece by piece and on no risers until I figure out what I'm doing wrong. Usually, I'm overthinking the moves. I try not to get discouraged because I know that I will catch on eventually, and once you get it, it is so much fun. It has nothing to do with your age. Hang in there!!!:D
 
Just tried Low Impact Challenge

And it was not easy to grasp! I, too, got lost in the later combo. I'll probably be stumbling many more times.

One move that I just cannot grasp is the 6-count mambo. In all the step workouts with it, I just trip up on that. Once it shows up, it becomes a mental block and makes me lose steam and interest. I might get it temporarily, but the next time it appears, I end up on an opposite leg or side of step. It's frustrating. So much so that I have never completely mastered Rhythmic Step, Higher Intensity Step, Step Moves. Every so often I'll try, but then give up mid-workout and switch dvds!

But then again, I have also not mastered Intensity nor Athletic Step, yet I have no problem with many step routines in other workouts.

The moves in this new workout are refreshingly different and fun. I vow to master it. Keep trying! You'll get it!

Betty
 
Pedmom said:
Am I alone? Is this extra-challenging, or am I just a slower learner now that I'm in my mid-40s?
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Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!! I was so scared of saying anything for fear of being flamed...lol. I'm so happy I'm not the only one and I'm in my mid 40's also, in great shape, but not very coordinated. I hate to say it, but the more Cathe comes out with new workouts, the more I'm reaching for her older, tried and true workouts...lol.

I'm not a fan of where she goes from one move to another very quickly. I like the older ones where she takes it in long segments. You still get a great workout!

I honestly will probably never do the step portion of LIC but I loved the blast at the end. I'll plan to do the blast after doing 4DS Lower Intensity Step (Hight Intensity is another I never do....too many steps too fast). I haven't yet completed the entire LIS series and I'm pretty sure there are a few I will love :)

I still buy all her workouts everytime she comes out with new ones, but I do find as time goes by, I don't use them as much as the older ones. I think the last series I truly loved from her was the Low Impact Circuit series and 4DS. I'm sure that's just me...lol.
 
What helps me get the choreography

I found this one challenging as well, and had to rewind a lot, and put the dvd on slow motion and do the moves in slow motion.

But one thing that really helps me master the choreography is counting out loud. I find it helps me understand when I should be doing the step - especially with the 6-count mambo.

Just a suggestion, but it definitely helps me.
 
This one is definitely a challenge for me. I'm not very coordinated either so I usually have to march in place in some spots because I'm having trouble getting the choreography. The 1st time I tried this one I tripped a couple of times. Counting out loud helps me too & watching in slow motion. I know eventually I'll get it; I just have to keep working at it & try not to lose focus or I'll be down for the count. LOL
 
No, you are not the only one! It will take me numerous times to learn some of Cathe's steps.

What I do is play it through without stopping and just try as best as I can for a couple of days. Then when I have time, I set aside a SEPARATE 10 minutes to try it with the remote in my hand constantly rewinding or doing it in slow motion. Sometimes I will only learn about 10 seconds in that 10 minute time frame I set aside! But at least I learned a new 10 second segment. It keeps me from getting frustrated when I put a time limit on my learning. After I do enough of my 10 minute learning segments, I try the entire video again without rewinding and still stumble, but just a little bit. Then magically, I will just "get it" without a problem. It is really weird.

One time I was doing Step Blast and my Boyfriend came in to talk to me (yes, his favorite time to talk to me is when I am exercising - but that is another post another time). Anyway, he was watching me and then looked at the TV and said "you know...you aren't doing any of the same moves as Cathe...you aren't even on the same side of the step!" We started laughing because Cathe was on the front of her step doing pivots and turns while I was on the back just dancing like I was out with the girls at a club. He said I should put a martini in my hand. But I figure as long as I was moving and having fun, it didn't matter.

I just recommend the slow-motion button and setting aside small increments of time to focus on learning one single segment. And as the one poster said, count out loud or say the steps out loud - that helps me tremendously. And some of my counts are different from Cathe's. For the 6 count mambo on the step, I always say out loud "up-up-1-2-3-4-5-6". If I don't put that "up-up" in there, I mess up. And for the 6 count mambo on the floor, I say "right-left-back - left-right-back".

Good Luck.
 
I hate to say it, but I'm glad others are struggling with this, too! Combo 4 is beyond frustrating for me. I'm trying not to have a dread factor for that workout but I honestly just don't want to go through that frustration again :eek:.

On the 6 count mambo, I actually have to do it as an 8 count (where you count the first and last steps off the box) or I just can't get it right, no matter how many times I do it :rolleyes:.
 
I'm joining the club of having trouble with this wo. One thing that really frustrates me is when they change camera angles! There I am, watching Cathe intensly and Zoom, all of a sudden, I'm watching Jai's legs! That drives me CRAZY. I know they are trying to vary the scene to make it more interesting, but truly it's frustrating and really throws me off! GRRRRRRRRR.
 
I'm also a member of this club! I sometimes sub Basic Step just to avoid the frustration factor. I want to do the step perfectly just like they are and GRRRR! I always work up a sweat though no matter which step routine we're doing and getting the heart rate up is what it's all about! Happy Stepping!! Just keep moving!!
 
It seems that there is more than one way to do a 6-count mambo depending on the program. In LICh it involves dipping your foot down on the other side of the step, which is different from previous programs where you stay on the same side of the step the entire time. I discovererd this just today when I was doing IMAX3. I actually froze when it was time to do a 6-count mambo because I couldn't remember how it went. It's a different move in IMAX3 than in LICh. I sometimes find myself overthinking complicated steps. What Gobias does to learn the routine works for me (i.e., use slow motion several times through and then let it run full speed and just keep moving, which often results in suddenly "getting" the moves).
 
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