New to Cathe, would like advice on DVDs suited to me.

[Miaux Cat]

Hi all. Long post, sorry. I'm a talkative sort of person.

Let me just start off with a bit of info about myself, and maybe someone could recommend what I should start with. I've been working out on and off for a couple of years now. I did a bit of the Beachbody Power90 workouts, which were nice, but very high intensity on my joints, and I have had to stop using that series because it is just too painful after about a month. It always gave me good strength and weight loss results, but if it hurts to walk, you just have to know your limits. Other than that, I just generally ride my stationary bike every day. I was doing 90 minutes of a medium intensity for about a month, but now I've dropped it down to 60 minutes.

I have weak wrists and shin splints that just don't ever want to heal (I've had them for like, two years, and sporadic pain in my feet as well- I think that might be why they don't heal). So I can't do anything where I'm constantly throwing myself down on the ground really hard.

So far, I've just done one Cathe video. It's saved on my DVR player (thank you, cable tv!) and is the Boot Camp Circuit. I've done it every other day for about two weeks now, and have noticed a few things.

1. It's intense, but I can handle it well.
2. The two exercises that I couldn't finish at the beginning (plank hold and ice breakers- I had to lose the power jumps about halfway through), I can now finish. So I'm good there.
3. It doesn't seem to be hurting my joints if I modify how I jump a tad, so I'm good with this level of jump intensity.

What I'm looking for is to build a little muscle, but mostly to lose fat and tone up. Becoming a little more graceful while I'm at it would not hurt either. xD My fat is mostly sitting in my love handles, a bit on my tummy, and mostly in my thighs, of course. I can't seem to lose those thighs. I did notice in the Boot Camp video some of the ladies didn't have.. well.. slender legs. They looked big and sorta manly to me. I don't want that! I want to be able to look nice in shorts and a dress on occasion. I want tone, and some muscle. I really don't know what to do other than just cardio cardio cardio (which makes me lose my motivation after a while) to tone up the "pretty" way.

So I was thinking about getting the basic step video. But I'm not sure. If Boot Camp is supposed to be hard, and it's not too hard for me, maybe I could just go straight to the Lo Max one instead? I'm really retarded when it comes to choreography, so if it's even the tiniest bit complicated I'm going to be stopping over and over. I don't learn steps well unless I'm facing the person doing it, so I'm worried that if I skip the Basic Step video I'll just get discouraged by the steps. But if I get the Basic and it's not doing anything for me cardio-wise, then I'm losing there too.

I was also considering the videos that are rotations. I really don't have the money (or inclination) to buy up like six videos and learn a new one each day, so one that I could use that rotates days would be a good way to start. But are the rotations just for your own sake (less boring?)

I mean, if I did all cardio of my choice (step, maybe) or even just the Boot Camp Circuit every day I worked out, wouldn't that be good enough to keep me in shape, gaining muscle, and toning up? I really don't know.


Anyhow, those are my questions, I'm sorry I wrote a novel and I thank anyone who takes the time to read this/respond to this in advance.

 

[jordan]

RE: New to Cathe, would like advice on DVDs suited to m...

Hi Miaux Cat,

First off, I think you need to go to the doctor to make sure that you don't have any orthopedic or musculoskeletal problems. At least give your body a chance to completely heal from your shin splints.

Boot Camp is a challenging workout so you might be disappointed if you go to a beginners workout, especially if you plan to stick with the same workout for the long term. Having said that, the cardio in BC is different than using the cardio in a straight step workout.

You might want to look over some of the clips on this site to get a feel for the complexity and impact of the workouts. Here is a place to start:

Drill Max & Low Impact Circuit- If you like the format of BC, DM may be to your liking. It's BC with a twist and it is challenging. LIC would give you the low impact that your body requires and offer you a circuit workout that gives you more of a step workout. Both have premixes which would give you options on using the workouts, these run about 26.99 each.

Another option would be Low Impact Step and Total Body Sculpting for 22.99. This DVD option lets you alternate cardio and sculpting days. The step workout is a little more advanced than the Basic w/o, but may be what you need in terms of a learning and impact curve. You can grow with the sculpting workout by increasing the weights you use, if that is what you choose. You also have PM options.

If you want a little more variety and challenge, you could try the Timesaver DVD. You can grow with this one and it is fun. It will give you a taste of the Body Blast series for 49.99.

Well that should start you off for now.

Good Luck,

jordan

 

[jordan]

RE: New to Cathe, would like advice on DVDs suited to m...

>I was also considering the videos that are rotations. I
>really don't have the money (or inclination) to buy up like
>six videos and learn a new one each day, so one that I could
>use that rotates days would be a good way to start. But are
>the rotations just for your own sake (less boring?)
>
>I mean, if I did all cardio of my choice (step, maybe) or even
>just the Boot Camp Circuit every day I worked out, wouldn't
>that be good enough to keep me in shape, gaining muscle, and
>toning up? I really don't know.
>
>
>Anyhow, those are my questions, I'm sorry I wrote a novel and
>I thank anyone who takes the time to read this/respond to this
>in advance.

I forgot to answer this part of your question.

Variety is nice to keep you from getting bored. People have different tolerance levels; some need more change than others. I know many people who use a small collection with very good results and then there are many that get bored easily that indulge in a large collection of workouts.

I do recommend cross training to prevent injury. I think you could alternate your stationary bike with a couple DVD's to get good results. If you want more variety and can't afford alot of DVDs, add in some walking or running. You can convert any rotation to a generic rotation and sub in the workouts that you own. The important thing is to put your all into your workout and be consistent.

jordan