Hi, I am new to the Cathe work outs and am excited! I am in pretty good shape and work out 5 days a week. I run, bike, swim and lift. I am thin, but would really like to see some more muscle definition, especailly on the back of the legs to help with cellulite. I am worried about cutting back on the aerobic activity to add more strength because I like to eat. It seems I'll never fit an hour of running, etc. and an hour of strength, then some yoga in (which I need). Where should I start? Also, my knee has some problems now and again. I am worried about the step and lunges, but really want to do them!!
New to Cathe workouts
- Thread starter elle
- Start date
Welcome to Cathe's forums!! It is always very excited to be apart of the Cathe madness. I think all of us here are workout nuts! And if you are looking for more muscle definition, you are in the right place. Just pick up any of her lifting DVD's and it is like magic, although I have to say my favorites right now are the ones that just came out not to long ago, her gym style weight lifting. I did that in a 3 week rotation and just loved the improved strenght and overall results. I did have to put my aerobic activity to the side for those weeks, but I wanted to improve my strenght and definition, you do what you have to do.
It is hard to fit all the exercise activities that we all enjoy so much into one hour, but Cathe seems to do such a great job of accomplishing that goal! At least for me, I look forward to my hour every day with her, and when I pick to run for that day I will watch one of her workouts. Her motivation ques come right on time even for a run on the treadmil.
Glad to have you a part of the Cathe madness, I hope you enjoy Cathe as much as I do and as much as the rest of us here on the forums do! Good luck with your on going fitness goals!
It is hard to fit all the exercise activities that we all enjoy so much into one hour, but Cathe seems to do such a great job of accomplishing that goal! At least for me, I look forward to my hour every day with her, and when I pick to run for that day I will watch one of her workouts. Her motivation ques come right on time even for a run on the treadmil.
Glad to have you a part of the Cathe madness, I hope you enjoy Cathe as much as I do and as much as the rest of us here on the forums do! Good luck with your on going fitness goals!
Amy Steppe
Cathlete
Hello!
Welcome to the world of Cathe and her fans!
Over the years, I think I have done almost every workout Cathe has filmed and to me, the Gym Styles give the fastest results if you are interested in muscular development.
Also, keep in mind that muscle burns more calories than fat!
I used to be all about cardio and I still prefer cardio workouts, but I have changed up my program and incorporated the Gym Styles and I can't believe the difference it has made!
I have dropped at least one dress size in four weeks just by doing less cardio and more weights.
Although I love circuit training, I have temporarily stopped doing circuits. I will defininitely reintroduce circuits when I change up my program again.
I have made no dietary modifications -- just lowered the cardio a bit and upped the heavy weight training.
Cheers!
Amy
Welcome to the world of Cathe and her fans!
Over the years, I think I have done almost every workout Cathe has filmed and to me, the Gym Styles give the fastest results if you are interested in muscular development.
Also, keep in mind that muscle burns more calories than fat!
I used to be all about cardio and I still prefer cardio workouts, but I have changed up my program and incorporated the Gym Styles and I can't believe the difference it has made!
I have dropped at least one dress size in four weeks just by doing less cardio and more weights.
Although I love circuit training, I have temporarily stopped doing circuits. I will defininitely reintroduce circuits when I change up my program again.
I have made no dietary modifications -- just lowered the cardio a bit and upped the heavy weight training.
Cheers!
Amy
want2Bfitnessinstructor
Cathlete
Welcome to the Forum!
You will love it!
I too would love to build more muscle. I think I will have to try "Gym Style" if that builds more muscle quickly.
Any other tips on how to build the best muscle quickly from Cathe workouts? Should I try any other DVD's that are great for this? (I am sure they are ALL great!)
THANK YOU!
"Life is short - Be the best you can be every day of your life"
You will love it!
I too would love to build more muscle. I think I will have to try "Gym Style" if that builds more muscle quickly.
Any other tips on how to build the best muscle quickly from Cathe workouts? Should I try any other DVD's that are great for this? (I am sure they are ALL great!)
THANK YOU!
"Life is short - Be the best you can be every day of your life"
Thanks for your reply! I feel very encouraged that giving up some cardio to add more muscle will be a good thing. I do have gym style legs and boy did I get sore!! Love it! I will buy the other two (I think that is how many there are).
I was curious about some other DVD's. Do you know anything about:
Boot Camp
The pyramids
Muscle max
Low max
They all sound so good! I want overall cardio and muscle building.
Which cardios are good. I tried a step DVD and it was so fast, I couldn't keep up because I didn't know the routine. I guess I need to study it a bunch so I can follow.
Have a great day! Off to work out!!
I was curious about some other DVD's. Do you know anything about:
Boot Camp
The pyramids
Muscle max
Low max
They all sound so good! I want overall cardio and muscle building.
Which cardios are good. I tried a step DVD and it was so fast, I couldn't keep up because I didn't know the routine. I guess I need to study it a bunch so I can follow.
Have a great day! Off to work out!!
Amy Steppe
Cathlete
Here are my favorite muscle development workouts in the order of my preference, excluding the Gym Style series which is my favorite weight workout.
Some people at the forum may have different suggestions, but here is my list:
Pyramid Upper and Lower Body (I love this workout and use it a lot. The upper body portion is especially challenging for me -- my biceps are hosed by the end of this workout and I like the use of the full Pyramid System) You will need the original club step and the high step for this workout, but you can purchase both tops here and flip flop the number of risers as needed)
Muscle Max (unique moves and resistance band work which I love). You only need the traditional club step for this workout.
Power Hour (Very much like Body Pump, except better - you work different body parts to different songs.) You will only need the traditional club step for this workout
Maximum Intensity Strength (This was the first heavy weight workout Cathe made and was my introduction into the world of Cathe). You will need only the traditional club step for this workout
Double Upper Body from Body Max 2 - (This one fried my upper body and is a great choice if you want a two for one workout). The upper body for this workout requires the stablility ball.
Pure Strength (great and has two great ab sections on the trio and uses lighter weights than Gym Style - I actually use it as a warm up to the Gym Style Timesaver premixes.) Requires a club step and the High Step.)
Butts & Guts (for lower body and abs - the Firewalkers are really awesome -- I use the heavy (purple) resistance band for these and I really feel the burn) You will need the high step and a resistance band for this workout
Original Body Max Upper Body (Great upper body work. Cathe goes pretty heavy with the weights in this one). Usually, I break this workout into two parts. I do the cardio and cardio blast/weight endurance workout one day and the Upper Body Workout the other). You will need only the club step for this workout.
Here are some other workouts that feature mainly cardio, but have some great toning moves:
Low Max - If you want a pure cardio that does double duty, then consider Low Max. It features great music, Cathe and Cast are really upbeat, there is fun choreography, and while you are getting a cardiovascular workout and having fun, you will also be toning and shaping your lower body)
Kick Max - (Contains a Leg Conditioning Drill section that will really tone the legs). You can use a chair as Cathe demonstrates, but I use my 18 pound Body Bar (not a barbell, but the Body Bar) for this workout. I am not really in to Kickbox, but if you want a workout that can take you from intermediate to advanced (when you add on the 10 cardio blasts, then this one is great).
Slow & Heavy (I just found this one in my collection, so I can't really give an educated opinion on it. I think I did it one time and that was years ago, so I defer this opinion to another Forum Member)
All the workouts with the exception of Power Hour, Maximum Intensity Strength, and Pure Strength have premixes, so you can mix and match your program, which is one of Cathe's strongest points.
Actually, you can't go wrong with any of Cathe's workouts -- be it Strength or Cardio or Circuit.
Cathe is one of my all time favorite instructors and in my opinion makes the best and most user friendly workouts in the industry today.
I hope this helps -- and I am sure more people will help you make the purchasing decision that is right for you.
If I made an error in any of my descriptions, I am sure somebody else will chime in and let us know.
Also, please forgive any typos or grammatical mistakes. I just got out of bed an hour ago and I am still pretty sleepy)
Good Luck!
Amy
Some people at the forum may have different suggestions, but here is my list:
Pyramid Upper and Lower Body (I love this workout and use it a lot. The upper body portion is especially challenging for me -- my biceps are hosed by the end of this workout and I like the use of the full Pyramid System) You will need the original club step and the high step for this workout, but you can purchase both tops here and flip flop the number of risers as needed)
Muscle Max (unique moves and resistance band work which I love). You only need the traditional club step for this workout.
Power Hour (Very much like Body Pump, except better - you work different body parts to different songs.) You will only need the traditional club step for this workout
Maximum Intensity Strength (This was the first heavy weight workout Cathe made and was my introduction into the world of Cathe). You will need only the traditional club step for this workout
Double Upper Body from Body Max 2 - (This one fried my upper body and is a great choice if you want a two for one workout). The upper body for this workout requires the stablility ball.
Pure Strength (great and has two great ab sections on the trio and uses lighter weights than Gym Style - I actually use it as a warm up to the Gym Style Timesaver premixes.) Requires a club step and the High Step.)
Butts & Guts (for lower body and abs - the Firewalkers are really awesome -- I use the heavy (purple) resistance band for these and I really feel the burn) You will need the high step and a resistance band for this workout
Original Body Max Upper Body (Great upper body work. Cathe goes pretty heavy with the weights in this one). Usually, I break this workout into two parts. I do the cardio and cardio blast/weight endurance workout one day and the Upper Body Workout the other). You will need only the club step for this workout.
Here are some other workouts that feature mainly cardio, but have some great toning moves:
Low Max - If you want a pure cardio that does double duty, then consider Low Max. It features great music, Cathe and Cast are really upbeat, there is fun choreography, and while you are getting a cardiovascular workout and having fun, you will also be toning and shaping your lower body)
Kick Max - (Contains a Leg Conditioning Drill section that will really tone the legs). You can use a chair as Cathe demonstrates, but I use my 18 pound Body Bar (not a barbell, but the Body Bar) for this workout. I am not really in to Kickbox, but if you want a workout that can take you from intermediate to advanced (when you add on the 10 cardio blasts, then this one is great).
Slow & Heavy (I just found this one in my collection, so I can't really give an educated opinion on it. I think I did it one time and that was years ago, so I defer this opinion to another Forum Member)
All the workouts with the exception of Power Hour, Maximum Intensity Strength, and Pure Strength have premixes, so you can mix and match your program, which is one of Cathe's strongest points.
Actually, you can't go wrong with any of Cathe's workouts -- be it Strength or Cardio or Circuit.
Cathe is one of my all time favorite instructors and in my opinion makes the best and most user friendly workouts in the industry today.
I hope this helps -- and I am sure more people will help you make the purchasing decision that is right for you.
If I made an error in any of my descriptions, I am sure somebody else will chime in and let us know.
Also, please forgive any typos or grammatical mistakes. I just got out of bed an hour ago and I am still pretty sleepy)
Good Luck!
Amy
Amy Steppe
Cathlete
Check out my message above -- for another of my verbose and long winded messages.
I think Boot Camp would be at the bottom of my body toning list. This is not to say it is not a great workout. It is fantastic, but falls under a circuit style workout. It is REALLY tough and it is a as Cathe says, A Non Nonsense workout -- very short rest periods after the intense cardio and on to lower body, upper body, and core. Each part of each cycle is one minute long, but as Cathe says, "You can do anything for a Minute!" Requires the high step and lot of stamina.
With your goals in mind, here is the order of the above that I would personally choose:
Pyramids
Muscle Max
Low Max
Boot Camp
Cheers!
Amy
I think Boot Camp would be at the bottom of my body toning list. This is not to say it is not a great workout. It is fantastic, but falls under a circuit style workout. It is REALLY tough and it is a as Cathe says, A Non Nonsense workout -- very short rest periods after the intense cardio and on to lower body, upper body, and core. Each part of each cycle is one minute long, but as Cathe says, "You can do anything for a Minute!" Requires the high step and lot of stamina.
With your goals in mind, here is the order of the above that I would personally choose:
Pyramids
Muscle Max
Low Max
Boot Camp
Cheers!
Amy
Thanks so much for your response!! Very helpfull!!!! I am almost ready to make my big purchase.
One more question. What do you do mostly for cardio? I run and bike mostly, some elliptical and swim when I can. I did the Kick,Punch and Crunch the other day. I feel a little dorky since I am new at it, but wondered if I was getting as much cardio as my old workouts. I guess the step ones are as much cardio if I can learn the routines and keep up. Physically, I can keep up. It is the coordination. I had a case of the giggles because I didn't know the steps and it went so fast so I couldn't follow so gave up and hopped on the bike. I think I was doing Imax2/cardio and weights?
What are circuits? Cardio and weights together? Are they a godd cardio workout?
Last question: sometimes I worry if my knee can handle the lunges, etc. How is the high step on knees?
Thanks for everything!!!
One more question. What do you do mostly for cardio? I run and bike mostly, some elliptical and swim when I can. I did the Kick,Punch and Crunch the other day. I feel a little dorky since I am new at it, but wondered if I was getting as much cardio as my old workouts. I guess the step ones are as much cardio if I can learn the routines and keep up. Physically, I can keep up. It is the coordination. I had a case of the giggles because I didn't know the steps and it went so fast so I couldn't follow so gave up and hopped on the bike. I think I was doing Imax2/cardio and weights?
What are circuits? Cardio and weights together? Are they a godd cardio workout?
Last question: sometimes I worry if my knee can handle the lunges, etc. How is the high step on knees?
Thanks for everything!!!
Hi there!
As far as Cathe's workout DVD's, I personally love the Low Max DVD. Do not let the name full you!!! It is low impact HIGH intensity!!! It may be what you need for your knee problems. I also just starting doing Cathe's High Step Training DVD I LOVE it. But, you may not want to go there if you have knee problems. OR you could always do some of the moves without so many risers for your step. In this DVD you start each of the 5 toning intervals on a high step (4 risers) and do deep lunges with a weight in you hand. These would definately be hard on your knees. The cardio intervals also have a lot of feet shuffles during them, so you may want to stay away from this video with your knee problems.
The main thing to keep in mind is that Cathe's DVD's are tough and it will take a few times through to learn the moves and get full benifits out of the routine. But do not give up, once you mastered the routine they are awesome workouts!!
Good Luck}(
As far as Cathe's workout DVD's, I personally love the Low Max DVD. Do not let the name full you!!! It is low impact HIGH intensity!!! It may be what you need for your knee problems. I also just starting doing Cathe's High Step Training DVD I LOVE it. But, you may not want to go there if you have knee problems. OR you could always do some of the moves without so many risers for your step. In this DVD you start each of the 5 toning intervals on a high step (4 risers) and do deep lunges with a weight in you hand. These would definately be hard on your knees. The cardio intervals also have a lot of feet shuffles during them, so you may want to stay away from this video with your knee problems.
The main thing to keep in mind is that Cathe's DVD's are tough and it will take a few times through to learn the moves and get full benifits out of the routine. But do not give up, once you mastered the routine they are awesome workouts!!
Good Luck}(
want2Bfitnessinstructor
Cathlete
Thanks for all of this helpful info listed above!
I would like to purchase the High Step and some DVD's soon. I want maximum muscle sculpting to happen here!
"Life is too short - Be the best you can be every single day of your life!"
I would like to purchase the High Step and some DVD's soon. I want maximum muscle sculpting to happen here!
"Life is too short - Be the best you can be every single day of your life!"