My first review

nancy324

nancy324

Cathlete
Wondering if anyone else had a similar experience. I did my first IS workout yesterday, which was Pyramid lower body and I did not find it to be fun, which was surprising to me.

It started with step-ups on a 14" box which I LOVED. I've always wanted Cathe to include step-ups on a big box because you can just FEEL your glutes working more than with any other exercise. With the barbell on my shoulders, my heart rate got right up there and I thought Wow! Bonus cardio! This is great.

It was surely my naivety that caused me to believe that the step-ups would replace lunges, because right after step-ups, the lunges began. No doubt the lunges are there for a reason and Cathe could no doubt explain it to me. Well, that's okay, I don't mind lunges anyway.

But somewhere in the middle of the lunges I realized that I had already paused my DVD more times than I could count, and I was getting tired of expending energy just changing plates. Instead of getting invigorated after a hard day at work, I was getting dizzy bending down to change plates, and my hands were getting tired from constantly squeezing the spring collar. After a while, I stopped opening the collar all the way, and just let it scrape the black paint off the barbell!

I have no idea what came next because I never made it past the 5 sets of lunges. It was still the beginning of the workout I think, but I had already changed my plates 8 or 9 times!!!

When I previewed the workout, the stability ball work looked kind of fun to me, but I never got there. Tomorrow my ball will arrive, and maybe I'll attempt just that portion.

I haven't tried upper body pyramid yet, but, because I know it uses all dumbbells, my thinking is that it has GOT to be more fun. You just line up your dumbbells and grab them as you need them, without pausing. It just sounds like it can't miss, but I won't know for sure till this weekend. I'm very optimistic.

Hope everyone is having a good week..

-Nancy
 
I also had to pause my VCR for LBP but not at all for UBP, so cheer up!

My collar is not as quick changing as Cathe's! I didn't mind it as much as you - after all it is different and that's what I depend on Cathe for - to provide something new and different. I've never done full pyramids like this so I do like it.

I was thinking of buying some qicker changing collars for my barbell set. The other thing is you could by a series of body bars (kind of expensive I know).

Hope this helps.

Chris:)
 
My barbell came with a free curl bar. I find this very helpful when she changes weights. I haven't tried PLB yet, but for Muscle Endurance, I was able to keep the Barbell heavier and when she goes down to 20-25 lbs, I just use the curl bar. (For dead lifts and bicep work etc.)

Danielle ;-)
 
HI Nancy,
I agree that it can really zap your energy at first changing all those weights. I have found that if I just pause it and take my time changing then I dont feel so "stressed" about it, and enjoy the w/o more. I also like to take a stretching break after the top pyramid sets.

Another thought, you can always use dumbells in place of your barbell--that would change it up alot. As for PUB, its a blast (but I LOVE both of these w/o's) Its much easier to change weights since you only use dumbells.

I hope you keep with it!
Have a great day
Jayne
 
Nancy - have you tried strapping ankle weights on your barbell for a quick weight change? I have 2 barbells and use the ankle weights on them to save time.
Erica
 
I have to totally agree with this post! I did NOT like this workout much, mostly because of the constant changing but also because I didnt really feel it much. Midway thru the stepups I just started using dumbbells instead which helped but other than the stability ball work I really didnt feel like I got a good workout. To be honest, that's been my experience with virtually all of the IS tapes. I havent done Bootcamp or PUB yet though. IMAX2 was pretty good but ME and C & W just left me feeling like there should have been more. I have a sinking feeling I'm going to end up using these tapes strictly for the abs and stability ball stuff.
 
I am very happy with the workouts. If I'm dripping sweat and my face is beet red after I'm finished, then I'm satisfied and know I've had a great workout. I've gotten this with all the workouts so far.

Danielle :D
 
Any workout (in my opinion) can be made easier or harder. For Imax 1, I do the tape as is and am so happy when it's over! For Imax II, I found it a bit too easy so I just extend the intervals or do #9 twice. For PLB, I found some of the weight selections not challenging so I upped those. Some of the weights Cathe uses during PUB are too heavy for me, so I compensate there too. It's all about how you feel that day and what level you're at cardiovascularly, stength-wise and endurance-wise. I personally loved PLB. Just think of the changing of plates as additional squatting for your legs! I hope you like the rest of the series!
 
Hi All!

Nancy, I use dumbells for the PLB video. I have two sets of dumbells handy (usually 2-15s and 2-20s) and I have my barbell loaded at 50 pounds. So my weight for the pyramid goes 30-40-50. It works for me and I like having the option of holding the dumbells at my sides, rather than on my shoulders like a barbell.
I never even attempted changing plates, as that would not be fun for me either. PUB is great in that sense.

However, I do want to say that I find the Intensity Series to be very challenging and have seen noticeable changes in my lower body (it is smaller overall) from using this series for about 4 weeks now. I think with heavy enough weights, this series is challenging and unique, particularly the stability and medicine ball work. I am sorry some of us are feeling that this series may sit on the shelf!

Linda
 
Hi Nancy! I too felt the same way that you did during this tape. I have a 6'long barbell w/stars no less!!! Can you imagine how much time it took me to interchange those plates? TOO LONG!! I don't feel a thing so what I did the 2nd time around was I just watched Cathe & the others change plates while I kept the barbell on my back. I had to take it off occasionally because it was getting uncomfortable but needless to say I still didn't feel a thing days after this workout. I'm disappointed. What I do instead is I use PS SLA tape and stop at the point of the bodybar workout. Then I slip in the PLB tape & do the stability ball workout. What a workout that is!! Definitely works my legs much better. Asfar as PUB that ones a winner. Do exactly as you thought. Line up all of your dumbbells alongside of you and this way to reach for the one your going to use. Much better. Just remember though to put all the dumbbells out of the way when you get to the stability ball section. We don't want you falling into your dumbbells which is what happened to some ladies. Best, Kathy;)
 
I like the idea of substituting Ps Legs and then doing the stability ball part of PLB. I would love to up my weights and make this tape harder but it just isnt possible. My barbell and my dumbbells go up to 45 lbs and even Cathe says that is all that is safe for people who work out at home. What more could I possibly do to make this tape harder? People seem to feel very strongly about this Intensity Series and I feel very much in the minority if I voice a complaint about it. Don't take it personally! I still love Cathe!
 
Hi Cbelle! Don't feel bad about voicing something different than the majority. I think Cathe values all of our opinions. I use a 10# weight vest which when my barbell is fully loaded at 48#s by using the vest it makes it 58. I know that I could never lift up over my shoulders anymore than this. Someone suggested to me to place the barbell on my adjustable bench. It has the clips on either side of it so that you can place the barbell there. Then all I have to do is squat down on the seat and raise the barbell onto my back. Haven't tried it yet though. Do you have a bench at home like mine? Or if not really think about getting a weight vest. Good luck! Kathy;)
 
Nope, no bench at home, just my handy dandy step. I've seen those vests...look pretty interesting. Oddly enough, this PLB tape is the ONLY leg video I have that doesnt knock me on my butt. I have all the Firm ones, and all the CAthe ones and they all make me feel the need to puke in a bucket as someone once said. It seems really odd to me. I'm leaning towards doing Cathe's suggested 4x cardio, 2x weights for weight loss rotation. I REALLY need to lose those last 10 lbs.
 
I would never be able to change my star collard bar fast enough.
I rarely ever use it for that reason.

Try using dumbbells on your shoulders (like "The Firm" does).
You can easily go up and down.
2-10#'s (gives you 20#)
2-12#'s (gives you 24# - Close enough to 25#)
2-15#'s (gives you 30#)
2-20#'s (gives you 40#)
etc...

Oh, another thing you can do if you have BodyBars is to
use them. Example: If you had 15# and a 24# BodyBar,
you could use the 15#, then the 24# and then hold them
both for 39#

Dona
 
I just got done doing this workout for the first time. I combined the barbell and used dumbells. I saved the barbell for the heaviest work. I didn't have to pause even once. I just used the dumbells on my shoulders. My legs got an awesome workout. I really feel them right now.

The stability ball work at the end was a killer. My legs were trembling.

Danielle :+
 
Hi Cbelle! Oh my!! This is too funny! The remark you made about someone wanting to puke in a bucket. That sounds like me!! When I first did LL tape I emailed Cathe & mentioned to her that I did it using 45#s & didn't know what to do first. Should I throw up or pass out. Luckily I did neither. Someone else mentioned about losing weight using the CTX series. I know it worked for me when it first came out. I was doing cardio 5x a week. I used the tapes in the order they came in & had good results. Good luck! Kathy
 
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