New to Cathe and have some ?'s

[dutchgirl]

I am intermediate/advanced exerciser and recently heard about Cathe and her videos. I am
looking to purchase a few and would appreciate some feedback from the Cathe 'veterans out
there. While I do consider myself intermediate/advanced, I have had both knees operated on and
have to be mindful of them when doing any workout. I like to do weight training, step, and
combination videos. Which Cathe videos would be good starting points? Can the exercises that
use a barbell be modified so that I can use dumbbells? How high impact are the cardio segments?
Can they be modified to accomodate my knees?

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions!

Sabine:7

 

[Stacy]

Hi! Yes, dumbells can be used to substitute for a barbell. I too have some knee issues, but havent required knee surgery. With the proper rest and wearing my knee brace I can do all of Cathe's step tapes on a 6 inch step with no problems. I do have knee flare-ups with her lower body tapes, but not so much if I lower the weights. I I was wondering what sort of workouts were you more interested in...cardio or strength?? VHS or dvd?? And, what kind of equipment do you have and also have other video instructors have you used before and what did you think of the intensity??

Thanks,

Stacy

 

[dutchgirl]

Thank you for responding Stacy!

At this point I do not have a DVD player so VHS is the format I am interested in. As for which type of workout, I like to do something different every workout. One day I'll do either step or floor aerobics, then pure strength the next, maybe yoga after that or a circuit video. I have dumbbells, a 14 tall box (from the Firm series), a workout dowel, and a medicine ball. Previous instructors I have used include Kathy Smith, Gin Miller, Petra Kolber, Karen Voight, and several Firm videos. I find that I am drawn to the Firm because of the intensity of the workout. But I am finding that I want something more! I want to take it to the next level.

Thanks again,

Sabine

 

[ilja]

Hi Dutchgirl,
Just curious, do you live in the Netherlands, or are you originally from there?

 

[dutchgirl]

I was born there and still have lots of family back there. Have been living in the U.S. for quite
some time;-)

 

[Stacy]

Hi! Cathe's step tapes all require a full-size, club length step. A good choice for a non-step workout would be Cardio Kicks or her new Boot Camp workout. For strength you really cant go wrong with any of her workouts. Her Pure Strength series is good for a split routine, her Pyramid tape is also excellent as is her CTX Upper Body compilation tape for a good total upper body workout. Both the CTX tape and the Pyramid upper body use primarily dumbells. Her step tapes are all excellent, but some are easier to learn that others. Let us know how we can spend your money!

Stacy