Need your input for my next tapes......

K

Krista03

Cathlete
Okay, I have sold a bunch of my Firm tapes so now i can get some Cathe. I have CTX Upper Body and Ab Hits....What should i get next? I was thinking of a cardio or MIS or PS series....Also what step do you guys use.the health club step or the studio step?

I values your input....

Thank you
 
I suggest the PS series (especially C/S/T and B/B/A) and some cardio tapes (any step tape, Imax, and Cardio Kicks come to mind, but all of them are intense and good!) Since CTX is more of an endurance workout, PS will give you strength. Also, if you don't get PS Legs & Abs, I would strongly recommend CTX's Leaner Legs. As far as steps go, I have the same kind Cathe uses, the blue one with the gray and pink risers. I am sure someone can offer you a website where one can be purchased. I live in Minnesota and got mine at SportMart years ago. Hope this helps!
 
I just saw the Step (big one not the home one) at Sports Authority for about $60. I bought the home step (smaller version of the Step) at K-Mart several months ago. It came with All Step from CTX. It's a little small but I have very short legs so it works fine for me and takes up less space in my closet when I'm not using it.

I was told that Step Heat was a good step tape to start with. It's not too intense (although it does include some power stepping) and the choreography is fairly simple. It's shorter than most of Cathe's step tapes though. I also have All Step and Kickbox from CTX and I really like them because they are the perfect length to tack on after doing one of the PS upper body tapes. The choreography in All Step is very complicated though and it's a higher level of intensity than Step Heat.

I did PS for the first time this week and it's great. So much more intense than the Firm tapes. I also bought MIS but haven't done it yet. It looks killer. Everyone tells me that Leaner Legs is a necessity so it will be my next purchase.
 
JenniferAnn,

I also have the same Step from K-mart that came with the Cathe step. I was going to buy the bigger step when I noticed Cathe's name and then I realized I don't have alot of space to work with so the smaller step works really well for me. I have done All Step 2 times and am getting better with the footwork. But I think it will take many more times to master all the moves. But I'm having fun!
 
I do not advise getting the smaller step. It seems to be much less sturdy to me. I made the mistake of starting out with a "borrowed" health club step and then going out and buying my own smaller step(the one the others are mentioning here). OMG!! I HATED it!! It has much less width, therefore sacrificing your travel length from side to side and it is not as comfortable to lay on when doing strength training. And, with the bigger step, you can get extra risers when you need them. I say without a doubt buy the bigger step. Once you get into Cathe hardcore like the rest of us, you will want the bigger step and will kick yourself for buying the smaller one!! I am doing that right now. As for tapes, I think MIS is the way to go. Good Luck!!

Janice
 
What are your goals? What do you enjoy? For example do you want to lose weight and get stronger or really build some muscle? Do you like a steady, flowing cardio workout or do you like a more abbreviated circuit or interval workout? Do what degree do you like choreography? Do you like to do full body weight workouts or do you like to split the body parts up over the week?

If I had to pick one cardio tape, I'd say I find myself reaching for Circuit Max the most. Beware that upper body in Body Max and MIS seem really similar to me even though Cathe says the former is endurance and the latter more strength. I wouldn't advise getting both of them if you have limited tapes and choices. The middle 15 minutes of Cardio Kicks loses its kickbox flavor for me, but the 15 minutes on either side of it are great.

I have a Reebok step which had definitely stood the test of time, but I hear it isn't as cushiony as other steps. A search should produce lots of messages on this topic.
 
I am looking to loose 20-30#'s and get lean and strong and muscle definition. I love Madonna and Cathe's arms...I am planning on getting the ps series and the mis but i think i need some cardio in their besides all strenght....whatch think.....

Thank you for all your advice.....it really helps me to decide beging new to Cathe......
 
How much impact can you handle in a week? I did All Step, Step Heat and Intense Moves this week (also did Powerstrike) and my knees are definitely feeling it. I bought some non-Cathe cardio tapes simply because my knees can't take all of that impact. I really like the length of the CTX cardio workouts but I don't understand how people can do them everyday. They must have bionic knees or something.

I strongly recommend doing an interval training tape. I started doing Intense Moves every week a little over a month ago and my cardio capacity has increased dramatically. Plus you burn a lot more calories going from anaerobic to aerobic stages. I haven't done Interval Max but it's supposedly harder than Intense Moves. One thing I really like about Intense Moves (IMax doesn't have this) is that it shows how much time is left in the interval.

I also recommend Powerstrike as a great low impact but yet high intensity workout. I had such a hard time finding low impact workouts that got my heartrate up there. When I first started working out I used Charlene Prickett's Low Impact High Intensity tape. I did it so often that I can't stand it anymore. If you're beginner or intermediate, I'd highly recommend it because it's a good starter tape. Charlene's a little annoying but it's a good workout. I've never done Cardio Kicks but I'd assume that it has more impact than Powerstrike.

If you like complex hi/lo choreography then I'd recommend a Christi Taylor tape. I have Happy Hour Hi/Lo and it's really fun and intense. There's some impact but not as much as in a Cathe tape. Kari Anderson has some good intermediate/advanced step tapes with some power stepping but not enough that it bothers my knees. Gin Miller's step tapes are very good and the choreography is very basic. You might want to check out VideoFitness.com for suggestions.

Of course if you can handle the impact, then Cathe's the best IMHO. I wish I could do Cathe tapes all week. Maybe I could have done that in my early 20's but not now that I'm in my early 30's. Plus variety is the spice of life. I get so bored of the same tapes over and over again. I think people are more likely to stick with an exercise routine if they have some variety. I try to do equal amounts of step, hi/lo and kickboxing every week to mix things up although I usually end up doing more step than anything else.
 
Ok, so you are getting PS for strength. I just ordered it myself after doing Cathe for years. Can you believe its taken me this long? I have more will power than anyone I know when it comes to NOT buying things bc I want to save money. If only I could apply that to my eating habits. But I am getting off track... Cardio...

Cathe tapes ARE a lot of high impact. Many moves--but certainly not all-- can be kept low, and I often do keep it low. Cardio Kicks feels like a lot of high impact to me. I want to get those Power Strike Millenium tapes everyone talks about myself.

Cathe also has a lot of choreography as you probably know if you've done CTX. Rhythmic step is really fun. I thought it was pretty easy to learn, but others still think it is difficult. I give credit to Cathe's superb cueing. I have another CIA tape I still haven't mastered.

Cathe often suggests people put interval work into their routines for weight loss. Cathe's Interval Max is an awesome tape. I agree with the other poster, too, about Intense Moves by Reebok, also an interval workout. It is fun and has simple choreography. Those intervals last 60 seconds. I'd swear Cathe's are longer (and harder). But there was a day when I swore Intense Moves was the hardest video I'd ever done and was darned proud to finish it. I give it up a thumbs up also.

Again, I love Circuit Max. It has aerobics, kickbox, and step. It is circuited with weight work that combines legs and arms. Many here think it is the toughest or second toughest Cathe tape there is.

I don't have Cathe's older step tapes to comment on them.

I am not sure I've been any help, but is was fun to think about.

Jeanne
 
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