Not everyone is 5'2" - or physics matters.

N

NY25

Cathlete
Cathe - just one thought/consideration for the new workouts. I LOVE, LOVE Xtrain and LIS, but I noticed on several workouts, you move rather quickly through some of the moves. I know I can do the moves but really struggle to keep your pace. Then I realized -- I'm 5'8". It is not physically (as in laws of physics) possible for me to move my body through space at the same rate you move your little body. (wall squats, shoot outs, push ups, etc). I have to move more body, farther, and against longer planes/greater gravity. It can be very frustrating to be always behind the DVD or have to skip rests or have to constantly stop the DVD just because I'm tall and long limbed. Kind of like asking someone who is 5'2" to long jump/run/swim the same distance/pace as someone who is 6'0". It's just not going to be possible regardless of fitness level. With the new series, can you just slow it down a wee bit to allow us girls graced with height and length the opportunity to keep up. It's very demotivating otherwise. Thanks!!
 
I hope I don't offend, but how does your height affect how fast you can do a wall squat or push up? I'm also 5'8" and I can't move as fast as Cathe on every move, but I can on some. The times that I can't move as fast is because I'm simply not as fit/strong as Cathe and crew not because of my height.
 
This reminds me of something my DH once said to me: that exercise is easier for you because you're shorter. And my thought was: but you have longer/bigger muscles, therefore stronger. ??? I really don't know... but yes I'm short 5'0".

When I can't keep up with Cathe and her crew, I just do the best I can in the time given - slower, less reps - and hope that someday I will be able to match them. Obviously for me, being short does not make it easier, but being more fit would. I like the variety of moves Cathe does, and the challenge to improve. It's something to constantly strive for and I'm thrilled with improvements. If all the workouts were easily do-able would I love them so much? Probably not. I would have to "raise the bar" and find new challenges if I wanted to improve.

Jai looks like she's considerably taller than Cathe, and possibly the newer girls in the cast. ? DeeZee looks very tall to me.
 
Me Too!

I can't do squat thrust or full sit-ups as fast as her....I'm 5'8"....I'm not real far behind her just can't keep her cadance....a longer leaver is going to move slower...stand behind someone with arms longer or shorter than yours and flap your arms like a bird as fast as you can the one with shorter arms is going to move faster.
 
atompki1 said:
I hope I don't offend, but how does your height affect how fast you can do a wall squat or push up? I'm also 5'8" and I can't move as fast as Cathe on every move, but I can on some. The times that I can't move as fast is because I'm simply not as fit/strong as Cathe and crew not because of my height.
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Me too. NY25 is right though. Taller people simply have a longer lever which will take slightly longer to travel through space to execute the move. There's also the question of the distribution of weight. I feel this on push ups. No matter how heavy my barbell is for bench press, I cannot do a single push up on my toes. My weight is distributed across a greater surface area than, say, Cathe's. Also, there's the argument that she's more a mesomorph and I'm more an ectomorph, which may be true of other 5' 8" ladies on these forums and probably is more likely a body type in taller people, so we simply don't have the density of muscle in certain areas of the body that she has, which will, in turn, affect our ability to perform certain exercises and the speed with which we execute them.

I'm not begging Cathe to slow down, she's going to do what she's going to do. I'm just stating the biology of it. I reserve the right always to take my time to execute each move with a weight and at a pace that works for me. If it means I finish a set 2 reps behind the TV people, whatever. I don't care. I've learned to tune Cathe out, do my own thing, then rewind and catch up. I am always a full set behind, for example, n PUB chest exercises: I cannot keep that pace!

Clare
 
I'm just over 5'8", and agree. When I do the full set ups in X Train I feel like I'm on fast forward. Because my upper body is longer than Cathe's, it just takes me longer to move the lever from the floor to an upright postition. I also really notice it when I do the pikes on a body ball.....more length to move, longer time to move it.
 
I do not believe that height has anything to do with it

Some people have more fast twitch muscles than others. I think I have to study my personal training manual more. You would think that taller runners would be faster because of long strides; I am only 5'1", and I have very fast turnover on my legs.
 
Actually, I would like to see at least one taller person in Cathe workouts (Where are Deazie and Rhonda?!?). It would help me see their step height (how many risers) and which tubing/band they use.

I reguarly use a 10" step for cardio while Cathe and her shorter crew use 8" or 6". I would like to know what the taller person should use for muscle building lower body like step ups with weights. The majority of my height is all leg, so I would like to see at what angle my knees/hips should be. I also would like to see the taller person use the tubing for overhead tricep work and standing chest flys. I swear the fact I am at least a half a foot taller makes it harder for me to use that sized tubing.

And while we are at it - how about some curly haired people? All of Cathe's crew still looks quite pretty at the end of a workout, whereas my crazy curls are just all over the place from sweat and fans blowing.

Cathe, as a taller woman, I volunteer to be in your videos!! I promise to straighten my hair.
 
I'm about 5'1 and sometimes I can barely keep up with Cathe! Do I find it discouraging? Heck NO! I find Cathe and her crew's speed, endurance, strength, to be very motivating -- it just makes me want to try harder. If I happen to go at the same speed during her cardio moves, jump as high, land every tuck jump, use the same amount of weight, I'm happy as a pig in poop :p. And if I don't, then it's something to strive for :). I love the challenge she brings to the table! I never want her to slow down!
 
Gobias said:
Actually, I would like to see at least one taller person in Cathe workouts (Where are Deazie and Rhonda?!?). It would help me see their step height (how many risers) and which tubing/band they use.

I reguarly use a 10" step for cardio while Cathe and her shorter crew use 8" or 6". I would like to know what the taller person should use for muscle building lower body like step ups with weights. The majority of my height is all leg, so I would like to see at what angle my knees/hips should be. I also would like to see the taller person use the tubing for overhead tricep work and standing chest flys. I swear the fact I am at least a half a foot taller makes it harder for me to use that sized tubing.

And while we are at it - how about some curly haired people? All of Cathe's crew still looks quite pretty at the end of a workout, whereas my crazy curls are just all over the place from sweat and fans blowing.

Cathe, as a taller woman, I volunteer to be in your videos!! I promise to straighten my hair.
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I agree. Put Gobias in a Cathe DVD series. For all the reasons she stated, plus I wanna see that crazy hair!

Clare
 
Too funny!! I tend to get behind too, but I never thought to consider my hight as a factor - I am 5'11 and have a 36 inseam.... I'm slower on the lunges especially
 
Continued..... I start the sets early and finish late to compensate ( I tend to not need as much rest between exercises) . I also add weight to moves - since I can't go as fast I make them harder - squat digs, for example, I use 8lb Dumbbells or I focus on going as deep into the move as possible with good form. Sometimes i pause the track to crank out a few extra reps. I try not to rush to keep up, for fear of suffering form or injury. Cathe workouts are newer to me, so since I'm not used to working to a beat, it doesn't bug me if I'm not with the music.
 
Hmmm.... This got me thinking. There is a flip side to this too. I don't have the steps and risers that Cathe has. I have 2 old school plyometric blocks. One is 11 inches high - I use that for step cardio (TTM, etc), and the other is 18 inches high - I use it for step ups, leg press, etc. Being tall allows me to manage safely on these, whereas they would put more petite women at unsafe hip and knee joint angles.

Push-Ups and Pull-Ups are harder too- I have monkey arms - I can do them, but I had to work really hard to get here.

I guess each build has its benefits and drawbacks. I'm glad this was mentioned, though. Now I know why I tend to be behind. (-:
 
I'm 5'8" and these are a few of the exercises I notice my height is an issue:

Xtrain overhead triceps extensions with medium tubing- I also have long arms so that tubing has to stretch alot further

Dixie Cup lunges in any workout - further down and further up means I get behind

Squat Thrusts - again further down and back - same result :)
 
I'm five feet five and a half inches tall.
I'm smack dab in the middle of everyone and have no excuses for why I can't keep up with Cathe & Crew.
Dang.;)
 
Oh, yes, I forgot about tubing/band involved moves. For the seated stuff I just don't cross the band/tube, but for the overhead stuff I simply can't do it. I use dumbbells instead. I too have long limbs, so that tube is not getting up there at its current length.

Nanbo - you are too funny!
 
For Tricep extensions with tubing I have to use a tubing with less tension or it doesn't happen.

I'm still trying to rack my brain for exercises I can't do as fast because of height. Can't really think of any. I didn't used to be able to do the squat thrusts as fast, but that's because I couldn't breathe :eek: Now that my cardio capacity has increased I can do them at a decent pace and keep up for a certain length of time. Might not be as many reps as Cathe, but I can usually do a good bit of them if not all.

Whether it's my height or my fitness level, I don't want Cathe to slow down!! There are many workouts that I have worked my way up to and matched her on. If she slows down, then I won't challenge myself as much. I'd never want that :D
 
CDPotier said:
Some people have more fast twitch muscles than others. I think I have to study my personal training manual more. You would think that taller runners would be faster because of long strides; I am only 5'1", and I have very fast turnover on my legs.
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I agree about the fast twitch muscles comment. Cathe also talks about that. I don't doubt that the 5'8 people can't move as quick as shorter people, however, I think Cathe just has those faster twitch muscles.

Most of the time I can keep up with her, and I'm pretty fit (not as fit as her), but sometimes it's like - OK - she is just that fast.

ALSO, I was at a 2009 road trip and was pretty impressed at how fast and strong she was. I couldn't keep up with her then I was under 50! LOL
 
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