Okay, I'm outing myself here! I got this series, and wanted to share some of my first impressions for anyone still sitting on the fence.
First of all, I'm blaming our own Kathryn for causing my fall; her always wise and informed posts here and over at VF convinced me this was a worthy buy, and it is!
However, I hasten to add that I do not believe Cathe fans have anything to worry about. P90X can be a great complement to Cathe and vice versa.
The pros include everything folks have already stated, esp. regarding the weight work, intensity, thoroughness, variety, etc. I think the plyo session is fantastic and my soccer team is in for a whole new world of hurt this fall.
Some of the cons are things the educated crowd can work around, but that worry me a bit for the general public. There are not adequate form pointers, and in fact, Tony's form suffers a bit as he approaches failure on occasion. There are some moves that put the low back at risk without enough modification tips or warnings. Other cons for me include the slickness of this series. Cathe is so intelligent and articulate and real. Tony is fine, but he's always "on" if you know what I mean. He is likeable and funny, but I'd much rather have Cathe over for dinner. He's quite competitive and I worry that people might push themselves too hard at times because of it.
The diet stuff doesn't do much for me, and in fact the whole supplement and bar package sell is always something that makes me a bit uncomfortable. As a personal trainer, I know my limitations when it comes to advising people on their diets. I prefer Cathe's approach to the subject and her ultimate respect for us in our ability to educate ourselves about diet, which, as she frequently reminds us, is a very individual subject.
Minor quibbles include the silly sleeve the DVDs come in; cases would have been better. The printed material does not list total playing times for the DVD's (although that info is readily and efficiently available on screen, and BTW the chaptering is excellent). The presence of creatine in the supplements is far too presumptuous when the chemical has yet to be studied for its long term effects on the body.
So, that's my story...I felt like I was confessing when I told DH about latest fitness purchase (he never cares how I spend my money, and he loves that I am so into fitness, but I seldom go for a big sell job like this, and he thinks when he hears a voice other than Cathe's coming out of my workout room that I'm not feeling up to par, so this took some splainin'). Now that I've confessed here, my conscience is clean. BTW, I'm too decrepid to follow the rotations, but will just put these in my routine in the haphazard way I usually organize my workouts (if something isn't sore, it must be time to work it).
If you go for it, I doubt you'll be sorry. Sharing an order with someone seems like a great plan. If you don't, my bet is that our own wee and pleasantly competitive business woman Cathe will answer this series in her unique and thoughtful and butt-kicking way before too long.
Sorry so long-winded.
--Ann
