New and Male

P

pk

Member
Hello everyone,

I am a bit nervous posting, here since I don't see any other men posting. I've been looking for some good workout dvds, found a couple from the Firm, and just recently discovered Cathe, I bought PS, S & H, Power Hour because i want to develop more muscle. I like the idea of working out with a tape, it's almost like having a workout buddy. I was viewing one of Cathe' dvds, i instantly liked her warmth and style!

My question to the group, how do people rotate CTX workouts with one of the strength/endurance tapes. I'm thinking of getting CTX dvd cause they include cardio and I know i'll have days i just want to work out 1 body part.

I hope I don't make anyone uncomfortable with me being a male, I really like the warmth and supportive atmosphere here.

PK
 
Hi PK,
Welcome to Cathe's Forum! Please don't feel uncomfortable, it's always refreshing & interesting to hear a male point of view.
Also, there is another male forum member...yoo hoo! Trevor! Come out and play! :-cool
The very knowledgable ladies will give you all kinds of answers for your questions, but meanwhile, if you want to email me at [email protected] I will be happy to send you a whole bunch of rotation ideas put together by Kathy S. of the forum.
Good luck with whatever you decide on...I love all the workouts you have purchased & CTX is my next one too.
Ruth
:)
 
Hi PK!

I want to welcome you to the board amd encourage you to not feel strange being a male here. And I didn't even know Trevor is a guy! Hmm... does this help explain his total Steeler enthusiasm around last Super Bowel??? Ought oh! Better be careful what I say!

I am not real big on sticking to specific Cathe rotations since I don't have enough of her videos (yet!). I do suggest you check out the rotations which have been put together. My advice would be that if you are a beginner, please give whichever strength tape you use a chance to work. Muscles need time to adapt to specific movements.

Some consider the cardio in CTX to have a good amount of choreography or complex moves. Yet, most of us just LOVE this series. My husband will do the Kickboxing with me. Not too choreographed there.

Have fun with your new videos!

Jeanne
 
Welcome to the forum PK! You bought some great tapes to start off with. I agree that Cathe has a great style.

I think Ruth will send you some great rotation ideas for the CTX series and the tapes you already have if you e-mail her. There are a whole bunch of them.

If your goal is to build muscle, you will probably have to do more than one body part per day so that you can hit each body part at least twice per week. A lot of people on this forum use CTX by doing the short cardio sections and then doubling up on body parts from different CTX tapes. Then you can do a full-body strength workout, like PH, on another day so that each body part gets hit twice in a week.

For example try this one:

* CTX Step & Intervals (hits chest) + back portion from CTX Power Circuit
* CTX Leaner Legs (hits legs and abs) + triceps portion of 10-10-10
* CTX All Step (hits shoulders & abs) + biceps portion of CTX Kickbox
* day off or cardio
* Power Hour
* day off or cardio
* day off or cardio

Do this rotation for 6 to 8 weeks to see how your body responds. If it does not build muscle for you, then this is not the rotation to meet your goals.

By the way, Leaner Legs will build muscle in your legs, especially if you go heavy. It will not necessarily lean your legs out, despite the title!

I have more ideas for your tapes, but don't want to give you "information overload" on your first post here!

Take care and let us know how you make out!
Cheers,
Cruncholi
 
Welcome to the forum! I think there are 2 other men who occasionaly post - trevor and kisuzu.

Since you are a male, you should think whether you like choreography. I know a lot of men are so turned off by choreography. As with any step (which Cathe has a lot of), there is choreo involved. If you think you do not like it, I suggest you should try Cardio Kicks. Not much difficult choreo and TONS of fun and sweat. I know some men just love it. As far as working one body part a day, may be you could split up Pure Strength by body parts. I just love Pure Strength workout.

Haslina
 
Hey PK :) Welcome to CATHE-LAND!!

I think the videos you chose were great picks. I just recently polished off a 10 week rotation with the Pure Strength series, and am quite happy with the results and strength gains I achieved. Keep in mind, Power Hour is more endurance oriented, and while it is a wonderful video, it may not cater to your desire to build muscle. Pure Strength and the Slow and Heavy series would absolutely offer up the gains you're looking for however. If you're looking for shorter cardio segments with less choreography, I would recommend buying Maximum Intensity Cardio. In my opinion, the choreography is more athletic and less dancy. You could split up the routines for shorter workouts. The hi/lo is about 28 minutes, and the step portion is 36 minutes. I too would recommend Cardio Kicks as well. Have fun with your new workouts!!

~ Nicole :)
 
Welcome buddy! Cathe is great and in no time you will be addicted to her workouts. She is great! I don't consider myself a newbie anymore but I discovered Cathe on Jan 27 and am hooked since!

You have made the right choice. You will get all the help you need and will make some brilliant friends on this forum. We need more 'boys' on this forum so bring them on!

Talk at ya!
 
Jeanne, I just wanted to say that my husband finally joined me one morning for the CTX Kickboxing/Bicep workout. We had a lot of laughs doing it together - he looked so stiff! It was fun though, and he complained for 3 days about having sore biceps.

I tried to coax him into joining me for Leaner Legs yesterday. He never made it past the warmup! He is too funny!

He can really see how tough Cathe is (I think he's afraid of her now). LOL

Susan
 
Hi Pk
Welcome aboard.I am one of the other males on this board.I became bored of going to the gym and was looking for good solid gym style workouts for home.I discovered Cathe & became a big fan.I started with all her strength workouts and Cardio Kicks.I have now become interested in step & have mastered Body Max in just three times.I find step very confusing.I am contemplating my next step purchase.I guess I will get the DVD cardio hits or wait until the classic series comes out this summer.Another fitness instructor I like is Mindy Mylrea.She works you hard but the quality of her videos does not compare to Cathe.I haven't had much success with male instructors.I haven't found to many that work you hard like these women.I have many fitness tapes as I workout before going to work in the morning.It suits my schedule.I am presently on a Slow Heavy cycle for 5 weeks with cardio on other days ie step/kickboxing or jogging.It's great.
see you
 
Hi Kisuzu,

I noticed that you are doing Slow & Heavy for a 5 week rotation, good for you, 3 weeks is my limit. Do you just do S&H for five weeks, or do you incorporate another upperbody strength workout along with this? Also, what kind of results are you seeing? I like to find out what other people are doing to get some new ideas for myself. I will usually do a S&H rotation along with MIS, PS or the upper body portion of Body Max so that I work upperbody twice each week. Somtimes I line up all my body parts from different videos and work a full 30 mins for each one separately.
 
Welcome! CTX is so great - you will love it! I usually did 2 upperbody parts a day with CTX so that I hit each muscle twice a week. I also did a PS rotation where I did:
Sat PS C/S/T
Sun PS B/B/A + CTX Step Intervals
Mon PS L/A
Tue CTX All Step and CTX C/S
Wed CTX 10-10-10 and CTX T
Thu CTX Power Circuit and CTX B/B
Fri Rest
This rotation, however, wore me out and I was cranky and hungry all the time, so I suggest maybe altering that one. But you know your own levels of endurance and strength, so maybe it will work for you. Again, welcome!
 
Hi annabelmcminn,
I do Slow Heavy Tues ,Wed & Thurs and I try and do a full body workout using light weights on Sat such as MIS, Powerhour or another instructor.I also incorporate cardio such as rollerblading at lunch etc...At first I thought Slow & Heavy wasn't working.I didn't perspire and feel as exhausted as I did with the PS series or a full body workout.Within time my muscles got bigger.As Cathe points out it is the slow concentrated movement & recovery time that allows the muscle to recruit & build new tissue.At first I thought Slow Heavy was well how can I can say it not that exciting but now I love it and I love the music and I am getting so strong that I can wheel my Suzuki Marauder 800 motorcycle with one hand in & out of a tight garage.
I find I need the slow movement .I need to take my time.It's strange because Cathe says that you will most likely have to decrease the weight in this series however I lift heavier than in PS or her full body workouts.Fast repitions tire me out more than lifting slow & heavy.I guess we are all different.If you want definition the Slow & Heavy series is the way to go.
Cheers
 
Hi Kisuzu,

Thanks for the mail. Glad to see other males here, also the women here are very supportive of all members. Some of the male instructors I have are: John Basedow's videos. Good information, but I like Cathe style she jumps right in with the right words and i stime effective. I recently got the CTX series, because I know that there will be days I will want to skimp on the weights. The music is awsome and am very pleased. I"ve only viewed them so far. I like the step exercises. I haven't yet begun Slow Heavy. So we will see. I"ll keep in touch.

PK
 
Hi Kisuzu,

Thanks for the mail. Glad to see other males here, also the women here are very supportive of all members. Some of the male instructors I have are: John Basedow's videos. Good information, but I like Cathe's style better she's not overly talkative and jumps right in with encouragement and is time effective. I recently got the CTX series, because I know that there will be days I will want to skimp on the weights. The music is awsome and am very pleased. I"ve only viewed them so far. I like the step exercises. I haven't yet begun Slow Heavy. So we will see. Next month I will contemplate on the step/cardio dvds.

I gotta save up for a step. I'm thinking of getting the Reebok Step.

PK
 
Hi PK!

I see you got some great advice already, but I just wanted to take a second to WELCOME you to the forum. You'll learn so much from everyone here and it's a great place to find motivation too! You will love the CTX DVD. The only thing I would recommend to you is that you get a full-size step, not a shorter one. It is worth every penny! Again, welcome, and we look forward to "seeing" you around.

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
RE: Hi PK!

Welcome PK! I sure wish I could get my husband to join me in my cathe workouts! He jogs and does push ups and that's about it. I'm glad he does do something, but I feel if he'd give these work outs a try, he'd be hooked. I really think he is intimidated because he sees how hard cathe works me and how much I sweat, moan, and groan. Cathe is my all time favorite of any type workout I've tried. The support here is also fabulous (as you have just seen evidence of) I never thought I could do step because I've always been a "klutz" but I perservered and learned step because cathe breaks it down and makes it make sense. I usually have no trouble learning the new tapes in 1 or 2 tries now. Her weight videos PS and S&H are so good to my body! I love it! Good luck and thanks for having the guts to post!!
Lynn
 
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