Lowmax too easy anyone?

F

FitNut

Cathlete
Hi there. I have been reading the posts on everyone raving about lowmax. I tried it tonight and quit after interval 2 and put in imax3. I just couldn't get my heartrate up. There seemed to be a lot of marching and too much time in between the blasts and choreography sessions. She also seemed to break down the cardio segments too much. To me it seemed more like an intermediate workout versus hard core? I was really in the mood for kick butt cardio tonight so maybe that had something to do with it? Maybe it will be better on a day when I am more ready to take it easy and after I learn the choreography???

Does it truly get harder as the intervals progress or are intervals 1 & 2 representative of the whole thing?

For all of you hard core advanced cathe followers do you really think this workout is hard core?
 
I totally agree, and posted to that effect on another thread. I liked how my legs were worked, but didn't feel very challenged cardiovascularly. I'm glad to have it in my collection, but I was hoping for something harder.
 
It's easier than your average Cathe cardio workout, but it's still not for sissies! It's a good addition to a week including Imax 1, 2, or 3 and other step workouts. I love stepping, and would do it 6 days a week if I didn't know to through something else in to mix it up like walking. I liked it so much the first time I did it that I did it the next day, and I was beat!
 
I think that if you concentrate on those legs/butt muscles you will get your heart rate up. I did the entire workout last week(after 5 days of not working out due to illness) and I often had to check myself b/c I was getting tired and not realizing it and not executing the moves correctly. You have to make sure you stay low enough...I found the legs got a real workout. Now, I was not up to my old self when I did this workout so I can't wait to try it again now that I'm back in my game. There were a couple of times when I was glad for the marches. I may just fast forward through these in the future of do jumping jacks instead. It is definitely not an Imax workout but I think you should give the entire workout a chance!:7 If you try it and it just doesn't work for you...maybe try doing it the day after a tough leg workout!:p Good luck!:7
Angela
 
Hi, My heart rate got up after Interval 1. I considered this interval more of a warm up. If you go deep on the low end work and you are using an 8 inch step, I can't understand why your heart rate isn't going up. Mine went up more with this workout than with RS for example (except for the squat pendulum and squat cha cha combo which seems like a LowMax interval to me). If you are cheating at all, aren't going very low on the low end work, not kicking your leg high on the kicks or lateral leg lifts, using a lower step, than I don't think this will be aerobically challenging. I get acclimated to workouts fast and its difficult for me to get my heart rate up after I do a certain style workout for a period of time. This one was completely different. The key is full range of movement, deep low ends, fully extended "high ends" , high leg kicks, lifts etc and the 8 inch step.
Hope you give it another try.
 
Thank you gals. I am going to give it another try right now! I'll try it in it's entirety and really make sure to go LOW! I was just really hoping these workouts to all be truly hard core. I previewed kickmax lastnight and it also looks more like not a cardio w/out but more for working the legs etc.?

I guess I may have to find some addtl. cardio workouts from someone else. I sware I love Cathe to death she is almost all i do. I know every word she says in most of her cardio workouts :) Although I love imax 3 it is A LOT of jumping for my poor knees. I don't know that I will be able to do it as often as I did imax2. Will probably alternate it in.

I am in desparate need of kick butt cardio as I do BFL and only do cardio 3-4 days a week. BFL is all about intensity so it has to be tough :( Hopefully I can find a way to make these work. I do LOVE the gym style workouts and MM though! Am also going to try core max today.

Thanks for the great advice!!!
 
I don't have Low Max, but on the Hardcore Extreme dvd, I really liked the Low Max/IMAX premix. It was a nice mix. Gave me a good chance to recover:p
 
Okay.... I just did the workout all the way thru and I take back what I said! To be honest it kicked my butt! I am totally sweating, heart rate was up etc. I think if I had of made it to int #3 I probably wouldn't have quit lastnight. It does get more intense after #3. I focused on using my legs, going low etc. like you recommended and it worked like a charm.

I think this will be one of my all time favorites once I get the choreography down!!!!!
 
I am glad you liked it the second time! I was one of the ones that loved it on the first try and thought even though it was low impact...it was very intense! My heartrate reacted like it does with the Imax's! I just love this workout! Can't wait to do it again! :9


Linda
 
i did this workout this morning... i just got my hardcores last night! (YAY!) when previewing it i thought to myself it wasn't "hardcore"... upon doing it.. it wasn't what i expected.. but i wouldn't classify it as easy.. i think you hit it on the head with an intermediate description!

it doens't have the fun factor of most of cathe's other step workouts (IMO) and the music wasn't inspiring.. i think i would have enjoyed it more with better music!

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cute work out clothes are good for AT LEAST an additional 10-15 calories burned!
 
I just did this workout for the second time this morning, and liked it a lot more than the first time through. The familiarity with the choreo helped a lot, as I was able to really execute the moves deeply and without any marching in place due to confusion. My heartrate got up there, and I felt like I got a great workout, without stressing my joints. I was also able to cue in to the music more, and have decided that it's my favourite of the series, although HSC and IMAX3 are up there, too. I consider it critical to vary the nature and intensity of workouts throughout the week, and this one will have a key place in my rotations.

Cheers,
Sandra
 
i'm hoping i'll like it more when i do it again! not that i don't like it.. just not as well as i expected to from the reviews!

i've got lots of others to do before i get around to this one again in a few days (plus fitting in bike riding over the weekend if the darned rain stops... i'm in the desert... it's not supposed to rain!

i haven't relegated it to the back yet... just disappointed.. but like others have said.. i'm sure it will grow on me after i do it another time or two!

oh.. my heart only got up on the blasts.. but that's even true of imax's... so i wasn't concerned about that too much!

i burned 429 calories... for my height and weight and physical fitness that's not too bad for a low impact workout!

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cute work out clothes are good for AT LEAST an additional 10-15 calories burned!
 
I really like this for after a high intensity cardio day. I think as others have said you really have to put your all into the moves. It got my heartrate up. It does seem to increase in intensity. Also if you have HC Extreme the hi lo with this and I Max 3 is good. I ordered some 1# shoe weights from fwonline to try out with this since it is low impact. I don't feel like it is necessary to get your heartrate up in the high end everytime.
Diane Sue
 
I've only previewed it and I know the workout as produced will never have a place in my regular rotation. Impact is not an issue for me, primarily because I do a fair amount of aquatic exercise that involved reduced impact forces or zero-impact work; thus I can spare my joints and really go whole-hog on my land cardio work. If impact is not an issue for you, whether for your knees, ankles, FEET and/or lower back, and if you've cut your teeth on the I-maxes and Cathe's hi/lo workouts, then Low Max will not challenge you.

HOWEVER -

One thing I've been toying with is using the 7-blast only premix as an extended warm-up. Those low, bent-knee intervals can indeed fire up the thigh muscles, and for high-octane exercisers who bought Low Max that might be an option.

Fitnut, I've posted "Elite Mish-Moshes" and "Preliminary (Hard Core) Mish-Moshes on the Open Discussion forum. Those might appeal to you. Am gonna do a couple more on the OD forum in a minute - for the truly brave.

A-Jock
 
I haven't done Lowmax, yet, but I plan on doing it tomorrow morning. I previewed it for a second time tonight to get myself psyched up, and I attempted some of the step combos to make sure I had them down, and I thought they were a blast! I can easily see me doing the all-step premix (I think this DVD has an all-step premix). My heartrate got up just in the ten minutes or so I tinkered with step routines, but I wasn't blown away. I think I will really like this workout, though. I occasionally enjoy a lighter workout, and if this one is indeed that kind of workout, I'll love it for the leg work and lower cardio. I love the music enough to just sit and listen to it without actually doing the moves, too.
 
Anyone who thinks that Lowmax is "too easy" could use it as a recovery week workout. It's important to vary the intensity of workouts to give your body the rest it needs so it can perform better. Low Max is intense enough for me (but I prefer and appreciate lower intensity cardio workouts). I have a feeling that I'll have a bit of lower body DOMS tomorrow from all those low squat and lunge moves.
 
I found Low Max's choreography easy to follow. Much easier to get into than IMAX3. But it gave me good intensity. By interval 3, my legs were shaking from all those lunges and kicks. The previous posters are right -- go low on the leg work. Indeed, it took longer for my heart rate to go up in Low Max, but I felt the workout. I fell asleep on the couch two hours later. My son had to wake me to remind me that he needed to be fed.:)

Pinky
 
I found that this workout was on the easier side. As Kathryn says, it's perfect for a lighter day, or a day when you don't want Cathe to wipe the floor with you, just leave you exhilarated and energized, or if you are returning to fitness after injury or break of any kind, as I always am.

I will be using it as a great warm up and leg conditioning exercise before doing upper body weight training, because after I finished it I felt the legs were worked out, but I had energy to spare.

Loved the lunge kicks series: they worked the legs really well.

Clare
 
I was doing a search on LM and was very suprised to see that folks weren't crazy about it. It is by far my favorite of the new series and I certainly get my heart rate up.

Just curious if any more of you have come to love this DVD?
 
I wasn't thrilled with Lowmax at first, but now it's one of my favorites! I have to admit that my heart rate doesn't get as high with this workout but I use it more for the greatleg/glute work that it provides! Right now I'm working my lowerbody twice per week - one heavy weight day and then one lower weight day. Lowmax is perfect for those weeks where I haven't fully recovered from my heavy leg training day, but want to get some additional lowerbody work in.

Alexandra



I was doing a search on LM and was very suprised to see that
>folks weren't crazy about it. It is by far my favorite of the
>new series and I certainly get my heart rate up.
>
>Just curious if any more of you have come to love this DVD?
 
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