Newbie

[jus911]

Hi ~ Looking for some advice, so I apologize if this was not the place to post. I am not new to working out, but I am a complete Cathe workout newbie. I am fit but overweight by about 15 lbs. I subscribed to a month of the On Demand and Live as I like workouts using a step, plus I like weights, so the workouts seemed a god fit. I decided to start with the LITE series and did Cardio Party this morning. It was a little tricky, but I was staring to get the moves after a repeat or 2. Then I went to do the Cardio Party Calorie Crush that uses the step and was completely lost right from the first minute. I am thinking maybe this is too complicated for me? Not sure how to get in a good workout and learn the steps at the same time since I basically stood there not able to pick it up even after rewinding a few times. Is there an instructional that shows a breakdown of the different types of step moves? I really want to get it and do the workouts, but not sure if I should just skip the step workouts, but don't want to skip them as that's what drew me to Cathe workouts in the first place. Help!

Thank you in advance. Julie

 

[Traildoggie]

First off, I have never used On Demand. I use strictly DVDs. if you have a choice, try Cardio Party the regular workout. Way easier than calorie Crush. its not fitness, its the fancy footwork!. I cannot hope to ever do the footwork in Calorie Crush.... pigs will fly before that happens. you'll hear plenty of people agree.
Cardio Party is not easy for me either, but close to possible. I looked at Calorie Crush once and almost tossed the whole disc!
if you use DVDs, many players have a button that slows play to 0.8 speed . it is a huge help when learning something new.

 

[Stephanie.Beth]

I love step, too. There is a beginner step video of Cathe's that comes to mind. Cathe goes slow, explains everything step-by-step, pardon the pun It actually has a number of sections including a basic step segment, a body fusion segment, and three other segments you can use as add-ons or stand alone workouts: upperbody, lower body and an abs section. This is the link: https://shop.cathe.com/Basic-Step-Body-Fusion-Step-Aerobic-Exercise-DVD-p/639.htm

Also, Low Max has fairly easy footwork and Cathe's original step workouts from the early 90's are a great option, too as the footwork isn't as complex as some of her other workouts. Just search for step workouts.

Athletic Step is part of the Low Impact Series and uses the step, but the movements are simple. IMAX workouts while incredibly intense and advanced, have a number of Blasts that do have simple patterns. You could add some of those into a workout you create using the Blender.

If you do a search for 'Beginner' at Cathe's shopping site: https://shop.cathe.com/default.asp. I'm sure you'll find additional step DVDs.

Best of luck to you and be patient with yourself. I've had to rewind many times while learning Cathe's more intricate step patterns, but it is well worth it and after AI get it it's so much fun! Also, if the step height, as in Low Max, is on two risers lower it to one to make the workout easier.

Again, best of luck and have fun!

 

[snowlover]

The old saying of we all have to start somewhere comes in to play here. Don't be discouraged at all. Years ago starting with Cathe I would rewind, rewind again or just try another day because step doesn't come naturally to me. Persistence pays off and it will just starting clicking. Once you've been with Cathe a while it will come naturally.

 

[Hazlady]

I am no stranger to Cathe's step workouts but I found the Cardio Party Calorie Crush difficult. As well as the Basic Step and Body Fusion DVD, Cathe also has one called Low Impact Step which is an Intermediate level workout and introduces some moves not covered in Basic Step but tend to crop up in other DVDs. I find with Cathe's more dance focussed step workouts that using the timesaver premixes and shortening the workouts helps. After about 30 minutes or so as I get fatigued I struggle with the choreography. The premixes allow you to select either the first half of the workout or the second half. Choosing the premix that does the second half only allows you to learn the choreography while you are still fresh.

 

[jodijodi]

The Cardio Party Calorie Crush and the IMAX workouts can be tricky because there is no breakdown for the step combos. If you're not new to step, but just new to Cathe's step, starting with some of her more "traditional" step workouts is the way to go. She usually does three or four combos and breaks them down thoroughly. The IMAX combos and the Calorie Crush definitely take some practice and some familiarity with Cathe's other step workouts.

You could start with some of Cathe's beginner/intermediate step workouts as recommended above, or if you're already familiar with basic step work, you could move on to some of Cathe's older advanced step workouts, where the moves are more complicated, but she does go through them more step by step.

 

[ChelePA]

The calorie crush on cardio party is definitely one of the more difficult ones to start off with if you are new to Cathe. She doesn’t introduce you to the sequences so you need to just know her traditional step moves or practice lots . I am a big fan of her step workouts. But it took me some time to learn some of her moves. I would practice them on my days off Because I never felt like I was getting a complete workout until I understood the moves. Now I find them so much fun! I was able to follow the calorie crush pretty quickly but I only use Cathe on my step days.

Lots of great advice! Just be patient and enjoy!